Feast of Tabernacles Declarations

Breaking into Gods Cycles

Today I align with heaven, choose life and walk into new cycles of God’s blessing. I declare that now I am moving with the momentum of the New Year and the head waters of God’s Spirit is propelling me forward into my purpose which is God’s will. I am forgetting those things that are behind me. Mistakes, failures, bad choices, and missed opportunities which have been atoned for by the blood of Jesus. I am free now to see by faith the doors God is opening up for me in this New Year and I walk into this blessed new season under grace!

Celebrating God’s Glory

I celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and rejoice in the Glory of God today. According to John 11:40 I confess, I believe therefore I will see the Glory of God this year. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word is God. All things are made through Him, and without Him nothing is made that is made. In Him is life, and the life is the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overtake it. Just as the word (Jesus) was made flesh and tabernacle among us I declare this year I will see the word manifest and become reality in my life. I believe the promise of Psalm 84: For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. So now I arise and shine for my light has come and God’s glory is rising up on the inside of me!

First Fruits

In faith, obedience and with a willing heart I honor The Lord as I bring him a first fruits offering knowing God loves a cheerful giver.  By doing this I declare before heaven that I believe there is plenty of everything I need already provided for through the salvation of Jesus Christ. God promises me in Proverbs 3:9-10 if I honor the Lord with my possessions, and with the first fruits of all my increase; my barns shall be filled with plenty, and my vats shall overflow with new wine. I break all ties to the spirit of the world which is mammon, Satan's strategy which is lack and debt, and I align myself with heavens economy where there is more than enough. I am seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness therefore my God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in Glory. I am moving now into a place of abundance so that I might be a channel of God’s blessings to others. This is my season to Prosper!

Feast of Tabernacles Part II: Celebrating Firstfruits, and God's provision.

In 1 Kings 17:8-16, we come upon Elijah who instructed the poor widow to give him them last of her food (vv.11, 13), he appeared to be selfishly and arrogantly saying, “Put me first.” However, he was really demonstrating a concept that is foundational in God’s economy—put God first. Note that the promise that Elijah gave to the widow with his request in verse 14 said that if she obeyed, she would not lack food during the drought.

Dear reader, God’s ways are not our ways; His economy is not the world’s economy. When we put God first and are obedient to His Word (Matt 6:33), not only will our finances will be in order, but also we will experience God’s provision when in need!

When we give, we must give something out of our need. That is the kind that involves faith. This woman had need for herself and her family, but she gave anyway, but then God multiplied her giving back to her. Moreover, this woman gave first, which activated the miracle supply of God flowing back into her life.

This is how prosperity works. It occurs when we enter into the fullness of God’s plan for our lives. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” As we celebrate the Feat of Tabernacles, this is the principle that we are following. The beginning of the month is an expression of the first fruits principle. When Israel entered the Promised Land and received their first harvest there, they were to put the first portion of that harvest in a basket and take it to God’s sanctuary. God promised if they would honor him by giving Him some of the first of all the crops they produces, He would set them high above all the nations for praise, fame and honor; and they would be a people holy to the Lord. First fruits, which is different than tithe, is a major key to living in the favor and prosperity of God.

Why? Because giving first fruits honors God as your source; it makes holy the rest of your income; it releases the fullness of God’s blessing; and it opens us to receive God’s overflowing provision.

Many complain that they don’t see much fruit in their lives, but in reality, it’s all about understanding God’s cycles, and radically changing our won mentality. I truly believe that God is positioning Himself to do miraculous things in our time. It’s in the air. It’s in the time. Yet, it is also time that we go beyond our current levels of celebration and religious ritual. WE must follow the Lord in obedience and expectancy, for he is, above all else, good and ever ready to bless us. We must also go beyond our debt mentality, and KNOW beyond knowing that that the Lord is more than capable to free us to accomplish His purposes. We must position ourselves in a multiplication mentality, and see what HE sees and not what we see in the natural. For our ways are not His ways, and our thoughts are not His thoughts! Dear reader, it’s time we break free from the claws of the spirit of Poverty. It’s time we enter into his promised blessing.

I want to invite you today to join us in our Feast of Tabernacles and Firstfruits celebration this Sunday at 9 and 11am. We are preparing to honor and worship the Lord. He is worthy.

Keeping the Word Alive,

Kent

Feast of Tabernacles

The feast of Tabernacles is the celebration of Gods glory living among His people. Do you remember that beautiful verse in John 1:1-5, 14 that says:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… 14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

If that doesn’t make you come undone, I don’t know what will. Seriously, read it again, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” “Through Him all things were made… the light shines in the darkness… The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us…” I get chills. He made His dwelling among us; His glory manifested on the flesh: the ultimate expression of God, the living picture of God’s holiness, a sukkah of the flesh, a magnificent spectacle of everlasting love and grace!

In Leviticus, God told His people to go out into the country side and cut down palm fonds, leafy branches and poplars and to bring them back to their homes to build tabernacles (23:40). In Hebrew, these temporary shelters (tents, or booths) are called Sukkah, and the feast that we are celebrating for seven days since Sunday, is called the Feast of Sukkot (plural for sukkah), Feast of Booths, or Feast of Tabernacles. The Israelites celebrated this to commemorate that God freed them from the enslaving hands of Egypt and that they lived in tents while in the wilderness, but more than that, they celebrated that God Himself resided on a tabernacle of His own among them, and that His glory was with them every step of the way, never forsaking them.

In the same way, we now celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles to remember God’s glory: the Word that became flesh in Jesus, and the blessings that he’s brought to our lives. In remembrance of the Lord’s goodness in the past, and the present, we gather under Sukkahs or tents of our own and we feast among friends and family, and we remember all the good things that the Lord has done for all of us. It’s time to call upon the Lord to come and dwell with us in our homes, in our lives.

God’s presence is tangible all the time, but this is a special time to catch momentum because the Feast of Tabernacles is one of the holiest feasts. In fact, it is the third of the appointed times each year to realign with him and his blessings. As the new year begins, this time is of extreme importance because it is a representation of our realignment with God and His purposes for our lives. We are breaking cycles of destruction that keep us from His blessings, and we look into the new year afresh. Leviticus 23:40 says, Rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days…” and Deuteronomy 16:14-15 instructs, “Be joyful at your feast…for the Lord your God will bless you… and your joy will be complete.” Now is the time to catch momentum into His blessings, to celebrate His goodness, and to have a fresh experience of His presence in your life.

Bless the Lord. He HAS been good to us… In a minute here, I will walk outside because I feel His call in my spirit. I need to marvel at his goodness. I need to feel His presence. I need Him... I need Him.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens with me. Marvel at His mystery, His tenderness… His power! He, whom Isaiah 40:26 says, “brings out the stary hosts one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” I know what Isaiah meant… It is because of His great Mystery that I exist; because of His great tenderness that I am the beloved; because of His great power that I AM FREE. And so are you, dear reader, so are you!

What a glorious day when love overcomes darkness. Only God could have thought of that. Be exalted, Lord. Be exalted forever!

Keeping the Word Alive,

Kent.

10 Days of Awe, 10 days in His glory

God is intentional. That’s something else (among so many other things) to love about Him: he’s so intentional in his love, and He is always so ready to bless us. These fall feasts we are currently celebrating, and learning about, are no different. They were created to give us a pathway into his glory.

Last week we had an awesome Feast of Trumpets, in which we attended the temple, we heard the shofar blow, we worshiped, and we ate apples and honey. The feast of trumpets is meant to be an awakening to the call of the Lord. I know in my heart that we live in a day where God wants to draw us into his presence in a unique way. I truly believe this is important. This is a wakeup call to come before Him and rejoice in his presence and his blessings.

The 10 days immediately following the Feast of Trumpets are called the days of awe. This is where we find ourselves at the moment. These are days for repentance, and to turn away from whatever has got us away from Him. Yet, these days are also meant to refresh our relationship with Him so that we can experience a fresh release of His life and blessings.

During these 10 days of awe, it is important to praise God and read his word, we must also let Him reveal old cycles in our lives, and we must ask Him to reveal any sin in our lives so that we can gain victory, through His grace, to conquer it. Extended time with the Lord is imperative throughout this season. The days of awe are times specifically set by God when His Spirit is ready to meet us in uncommon ways.

This is the reason why I want to reiterate to you today the importance of catching momentum. I don’t want you to miss an opportunity, when it is so readily available. The Lord is near, let’s seek him! I want to personally invite you to our corporate prayer tonight at 6:00pm. We are preparing to meet weekly, starting today, for a short time of prayer that I believe will help us activate our faith together. All regular activities (Groups, Kidz Alive, Youth, and Celebrate Recovery) will meet at their normal time immediately afterward at 6:30pm. 

“We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, with all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants and will always do what pleases him. Your lives will produce all kinds of good deeds, and you will grow in your knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength which comes from his glorious power, so that you may be able to endure everything with patience. And with joy give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to have your share of what God has reserved for his people in the kingdom of light.” 

-Colossians 1:9-11

Keeping the Word Alive,

Kent

The Twelve Hebrew Months

The Twelve Hebrew Months 

1.  Month of Nissan-Abib (Mar/Apr)/ Linked with the Tribe of Judah
2. Month of Iyar (Apr/May) Linked with the Tribe of Issachar
3. Month of Sivan (May/June) Linked with the Tribe of Zebulun
4. Month of Tammuz (June/ July)/ Lined with the Tribe of Reuben
5.  Month of Av (July/Aug)/Linked with the tribe of Simeon
6. Month of Elul (Aug/Sept)/ Linked with the Tribe of Gad
7. Month of Tisherei (Sept/Oct)/Linked with the tribe of Ephraim
8. Month of Cheshvan (Oct/Nov)/ Linked with the Tribe of Masasseh
9. Month of Kislev (Nov/Dec)/ Linked with the Tribe of Benjamin
10. Month of Tevet (Dec/Jan)/ Linked with the Tribe of Dan 
11. Month of Shevat (Jan/Feb)/ Linked with the Tribe of Asher
12. Month of Adar (Feb/Mar)/ Linked with the Tribe of Naphtali

•        For more information on the Twelve Months and the Twelve tribes and a deeper study of each, please refer to the book “A Time to Advance” by Chuck Pierce. This book will be available at the Word Alive bookstore this weekend.

A Time to Feast, a Time to Advance

Dear Word Alive,

I am so excited about this revelation in the Lord. It never ceases to amaze me the great lengths that He goes through to make sure that we do not miss the momentum that will lead us into a deeper understanding of Him, and His blessings. How awesome is the Lord?!

I have been so inspired throughout our series "Eats with Sinners," and today was not the exception. We had a great day at Word Alive today! Over 30 people made a choice for Christ, and many others found their way into a life group. That's worth a celebration!

This is such an exciting time in the Kingdom: it's the Head of the Year! So be encouraged in the Lord with me, and most of all, make sure you don't miss momentum! It is so important that we seek Him while He is near. So, if you missed service today, know that you can watch it online this week on our website, wordalive.org as well as on our Word Alive App. Also, as we prepare for Rosh Chodesh (the Head of the Month) this new year,  make sure that you keep watch on new posts on my blog where I will be sharing more information with you about how the 12 tribes are are linked to the 12 months. What's more, please make sure you don't miss the next two Sunday services which will be dedicated to celebrating both the Feast of Tabernacles and First Fruits.

I'm excited, and looking up to the heavens, as I write this to you. The Lord is good, and I can't help but have great expectations for what this season has in store for us, our families, and our lives in general. Don't you? Be encouraged with me! Taste and see that He is good! 

Keeping The Word Alive,
Kent Mattox

The Head of the Year

Hey Word Alive,

It's Sunday afternoon, and I just woke up from a nap. That may not seem to be the most spiritual thing, but it sure feels good! I am so stirred up in my spirit about what The Lord is doing and wants to do in this season. This series, "Eats" has been phenomenal. We are receiving so many testimonies of changed lives. If you missed any of the series, I encourage you to go online and watch. We are entering a new season on the Hebrew calendar called Rosh hashanah, it is the Hebrew "new year" or "head of the year." The term "Head of the Year" is refers to head waters, where the strongest part of a river is located, or the crest of the wave. God has designed this time each year for us to receive revelation and spiritual momentum to move at an exponential pace toward our destinies. This Hebrew year is the year 5774, which is a picture of an open door. We believe that God is opening a new door for us this year to access healing, blessings, provision and power to move forward or cross over, if you will. To help us do this, we are having a special gathering this Wedensaday, September 4th, at 6:30pm at Word Alive. We will have a brief time of instruction and one hour of praise and worship to release our faith to God and catch the wave of momentum this year. I woke up so excited about it that I just wanted to remind you. Have a great Labor Day, and make a point to invite Jesus to any meal you eat. I will see you Wednesday.

Be Blessed,
Kent