Dealing with Diffi cult Situations

Dealing with Diffi cult Situations

Th e Processing of the Lord

Wayne C. Brown

An in-depth awareness of our spiritual processing and our preparation for doing God’s purpose for your life

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Copyright © 2015 Wayne C. Brown. All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-68181-130-7

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Bible quotations are taken from:

The New King James Version [NKJV]. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Th e New International Version (NIV). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Th e New Living Translation (NLT). Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Th e Amplifi ed Bible (AMP). Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by Zondervan Publishing House. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Th e following truth principles/concepts were originally taught by Dr. Noel Woodroff e:

• Divine Sovereignty (the Vortex)

• Apostolic Reformation

• Th e Principle of Personal Death (stillness)

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Dedication

My dedication of this book is threefold:Th is book is fi rstly dedicated to the saints and

leaders of my kingdom community, Inheritance International Centre in Chaguanas, Trinidad, who have committed themselves, along with my wife and me in our obedience to God, to being an accurate representation of Him in Central Trinidad. Family at Inheritance, you are special and dear to my heart. I truly believe that I have the best kingdom community on the planet. You were handpicked by God to be in covenant with us.

Th is book is secondly dedicated to all my fellow senior elders within the Kingdom Community Network of Trinidad and Tobago (KCNTT). You are a wonderful company in which we fi nd a rich resource of life fl owing to us through all our dialogue and interactions over the past fi fteen years.

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Finally, I dedicate this book to my Global Congress-WBN Leadership (GCL). Th ese men have off ered their lives as an accurate pattern of character, integrity, and Christlikeness for us all. I love you all very much.

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Acknowledgments

FirstEditing: Joann Parris & Danielle Ganga

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Contents

Foreword by Anthony Best xiii

Foreword by Evas B. Yakung xiv

Preface xvii

Introduction xix

Chapter One: God’s Plan for Diffi cult Situations 1Chapter Two: Th e Joy of Looking Back 8

Chapter Th ree: God Is Not Wicked—He’s Sovereign 16

Chapter Four: Five Ways toDeal with Diffi cult Situations 20

Chapter Five: Th e Importance of Personal Death/Stillness 45

Chapter Six: Revisiting Divine Sovereignty 52

Chapter Seven: Th e Need for Partnership Agreement 58

Chapter Eight: Th e Importance ofApostolic Oversight 64

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Chapter Nine: Apostolic Reformation Emphasizes Maturity 74

Chapter Ten: Identifying Infancy: Th e Pentecostal Platform 83

Chapter Eleven: Th e Importance of the Apostolic for Maturity Attainment 93

Covenant Associations 106

About the Author 107

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Foreword

In a world growing increasingly complex, crisis ridden, and fi lled with contradictions, where the apparent dominance of the surreal and excessive over the restraints of inner governance and the rightness of actions and motives gains traction, Dealing with Diffi cult Situations by Wayne Brown presents a most apt and timely publication of advisement and solution-oriented approaches.

Th e book does not attempt to be academic, nor is it fi lled with unachievable or unrealistic ideals; instead, it presents a deliberate and insightful approach to the practical application of biblical principles through the prism of real-life experiences learned through process and outcomes by journeying with God.

Th e prophetic dimension and team emphasis portrayed throughout the book refl ect the imperative of God’s voice and the rejection of aloneness in seeking to navigate and overcome life’s challenges.

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I therefore fully endorse this book as a “roadmap” for successfully confronting and overcoming diffi cult situations, which oftentimes challenge our ability to cope.

Anthony BestSenior Elder

New Covenant Life Centre, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

In Dealing with Diffi cult Situations, Wayne Brown opens up his life and that of his wife, Charmaine, to reveal the nature of their spiritual processing in the hands of the Lord, which has shaped their development into the unique vessels of God that they are today.

Th e practical nature of the truths poured into this book backed by the Browns’ personal testimonies helps the reader identify with Wayne and Charmaine’s spiritual process because it creates the sense of being in the same boat with them. When looking back at our own personal journeys or similar situations in various phases of our lives—and perhaps even right now—we cannot help but relate to their struggles.

Simply going through the material of this

book has blessed, built, and greatly encouraged

me. It’s for this reason that I highly recommend

it as a spiritual resource for all those who are

going through what feels like hard times in their

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lives. If we apply the principles clearly outlined

in this book, it’s certain that victory will crown

our eff orts and fi ll our mouths with laughter.

Evas B. YakungSenior Elder

Present Truth Centre, Tema, Ghana, West Africa

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Preface

My intention in this book is to shape the attitudes of believers in Christ who are facing diffi cult situations, especially when those situations are being allowed by God. It is important to note that we can create diffi cult conditions through our own bad decisions. Th e Word of God establishes the principle of seed and harvest very early in God’s communication with us. God said to Noah that as long as the earth remains, there would be seed time and harvest time. So there’s no doubt that some circumstances are brought on by disobedience to God or bad decisions made by us, or even by our ancestors. Th ese, however, are not the diffi cult situations we are addressing in this book, although the same principles can be applied to that type of situation as well. Th e diffi culties we seek to address are those that the Lord allows in order to build and mature us so that we can fulfi ll His purposes for our lives.

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Introduction

My wife and I got saved in and attended a Pentecostal church in the mid-’70s, and we were married in 1984. At that time, the Church’s emphasis was on deliverance and healing. In fact, deliverance and healing were the cutting-edge moves of God in the ’70s, and thus our church grew and became one of the largest churches on the island of Trinidad, West Indies. However, despite our exponential growth, many of us saints remained weak and immature in the ways of God. Th is was primarily because the Church’s focus was on deliverance and healing; there was very limited teaching on lifestyle, marriage, family, and handling diffi cult situations.

After we were married, we had two great years of fi nancial abundance before our processing began in 1987 and lasted until 1999—yes, twelve years. We never really realized how much God had built in us during this period until we planted our church and began leading people in May 2001. Looking back today, we can truly

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say that God was in the midst of our diffi cult circumstances, maturing us and preparing us for the work He has called us to do.

I remember the fi rst prophetic Word we received in 1990, when the prophet said, “I see God is really working on you in the natural areas. I see children. I see several children around your feet. I see God making you a mother and making you a father. God is establishing you in the natural. I see a budget. I see fi nances. I see everything allocated perfectly for what it should go toward. God is training you up in the natural areas to make you stable pillars He can build upon in the long term.”

It was years before we were able to look back and see the hand of God at work in our process. Th e processing of God never really stops; essentially, we are still a work in progress, but clearly on a much higher level than when we started our journey in God many years ago.

God did make my wife a mother and me a father. He tutored us and gave us wisdom to deal with the diffi cult issues of life. We can say that it pays to walk with God through hard times because it is designed to make us strong. Moreover, when God leads us into a process, we never come out empty-handed.

In this book, I will share with you some of the issues surrounding God’s processing in our lives, which brought us to the place of leadership we occupy today in the Body of Christ.

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Chapter One

God’s Plan for Diffi cult Situations

Are you experiencing a diffi cult situation today? Have you prayed, fasted, and cried before God, yet it seems like nothing has changed?

Well, the truth is that God gives us a whole set of problems to deal with, not because He doesn’t like us but because He wants us to develop and mature in His ways. When I look through the Word, examining those who had challenges to deal with, I see one pattern: if you engage accurately, you will receive God’s approval and promotion. Th e inverse is true for those who complain, blame God, and abort their personal processing.

Th e more diffi cult the situation seems the more God intends to use you in fulfi lling His divine purpose. According to James 1:2–3 (NLT), “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”

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From God’s perspective, we are told to embrace our diffi cult situations with joy because we develop through our current circumstances.

Let’s take David as an example. God sent a bear and a lion for him to deal with. He subsequently tested him with Goliath, and thereafter, He allowed Saul’s best fi ghting men to pursue David with murderous intentions for seventeen years. After David successfully walked through his diffi cult issues—having the right heart posture, depending on the Lord, and doing everything God instructed him to do—he was ready to be used by God. Note that after David journeyed through all this, it did not mean that he should drop his guard and face only contentment for the rest of his mortal life. No! He had to apply all the principles God taught him on the journey and be open to continuous enquiry and learning from God.

If we have accepted the fact that God is sovereign and has total control of our lives, then we must also accept the fact that He is the one controlling our circumstances. We may then conclude that God designs diffi cult situations to lead us into becoming who He has called us to be. It then stands to reason that a very signifi cant part of our coming into prophetic fulfi llment has to do with how we engage with the challenges of life. Intrinsically woven into our problems is an accurate movement into Christlikeness. So we can also say that the fulfi llment of a prophetic Word is not the act of what was said coming to

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pass, but rather our becoming the person God has created us to be. To become who God has called us to be, therefore, involves a process that is often diffi cult for our fl esh.

All believers are being processed by God. Romans 10:9–10 (NKJ) says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Th is text tells us that the spiritual transaction of receiving salvation is instantaneous. Once we believe in the Lord Jesus in our hearts—believe that He has forgiven our sins and made us righteous—and confess with our mouths His Lordship and what has taken place by faith on the inside, salvation is given. It is on this premise we are saved.

John 1:12 (NKJ) also says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

Becoming a child of God is both positional and process oriented. Positional salvation is being saved by faith, instantaneously receiving God’s forgiveness and redemption. Th e word “become” in John 1:12 indicates that there are key developmental stages that must occur in our lives.

So we can say that salvation involves a process of sustainable growth leading to complete maturity. Th is is supported in scripture by Matthew 24:13

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(NKJ): “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Th e word “endure” also indicates a process; it means to hold out or to sustain without impairment or giving up. To endure does not suggest any instantaneous achievement. Th ough we are instantaneously saved by faith based on the work of Jesus upon the cross, we also need to allow ourselves to be governed and adjusted by the Holy Spirit in order to receive the fullness of salvation. In other words, true salvation involves a walk or journey into the full measure of the stature of Christ. Every disciple’s dream is to become just like his master; thus, the sole objective of the believer in Christ should be to embrace a process that leads to becoming like Christ. To disdain the process of becoming Christ-like is to open doors for devils and promote your own demise. We were created in His image and likeness, and thus we validate His purpose for creation when we use our free will to submit to His transformation into His original creative intent.

In Numbers 21:4–6 (NLT), we see the Israelites complaining and murmuring against God and Moses: “Th en the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. ‘Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?’ they complained. ‘Th ere is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!’

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So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died.”

Th e journey was long and hard, and they were becoming impatient. “Th ere is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink,” they said and stated that they hated the manna. Manna was food sent directly from God’s realm into this mortal realm, but the Israelites were fl eshly beings with desires that were attuned to the natural realm, and so they despised the resource that was coming from God. What they were doing was despising God’s process and opening doors for satanic operations to be activated. Disdain for God and rejection of His resources represents acceptance of and submission to satanic rule. Th is is because there’s no middle ground or place of nonalignment in the spirit. Either we submit ourselves to Christ or we do not. If not, we are indicating by default our submission to anti-Christ forces. In other words, whenever we despise God’s process (which may be hard on our fl esh), we are giving access to demons. Th e aim of demonic operations is always to kill, steal, and destroy ( John 10:10). In Numbers 21:4–7, the demons showed up as poisonous snakes. As a result, many of the Israelites died, aborting the process God was working in their lives.

You may be on a long journey in a season of being deeply processed by God with no end in sight. Time goes on and on without relief. Regardless of your suff ering, you must be

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convinced that God’s grace is suffi cient and, more important, that spiritual development is at work in you as you continue to respond accurately in the midst of the process. Grace can be defi ned as an unseen resource coming from God: strength, endurance, patience, longevity, contentment, or anything that comes from God to assist us in our process at that given time.

Even Jesus grew and increased via a process. Hebrews 5:8 (NKJ) says, “Th ough He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suff ered.” Jesus’s death on the cross was not an event that just happened by random occurrence. It involved a process or a determined course of action to bring Him to where He needed to be.

Here’s a statement by Dr. Noel Woodroff e from his teaching on Representation: “Th e cross is fi lled with process, protocol, purity, standards, grandeur, and order.”

Th is describes in a nutshell the fact that Jesus had to:

• Be born of a woman

• Grow up in poor economic conditions

• Submit to His parents and leaders

• Walk in obedience to all that the law

required

• Live without sin

• Fulfi ll every messianic prophecy declared

in the Old Testament

• Transact with God in Gethsemane

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• Be beaten with thirty-nine stripes

• Refuse to demand or claim any rights

• Submit Himself to death on the cross for

sinful men who were truly deserving of

this death

Th e process of the cross was therefore a diffi cult one for Jesus, but He endured it.

Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)” tells us: “Let us fi x our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

In comparison with Romans 10:11, we can see that although the cross was a diffi cult process for Jesus, He endured. He did not consider what His fl esh had to go through because He knew that at the end of the process, there would be joy in seeing God’s purposes accomplished. We too must know in our hearts that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His pattern never changes. When He led Israel into the desert, He was really leading them into an inheritance. Th e same pattern can be seen in Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Jesus, Paul and in us, His Church, which He’s currently processing. If He’s processing His Church, then He is processing you because you are the Church. Th us the list goes on and on and will not stop until the Body of Christ is perfected, refl ecting the full measure of the stature of Christ as discussed in Ephesians 4:13.

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