“A Faith that ends the Famine”

Greetings,

My wife and I have just returned from our Victory Outreach Churches in Yakima and Tri-Cities Washington, where God is moving in a tremendous way. Being there has inspired me to share a word that God gave to me recently.

In the book of I Kings chapter 17 there is a story about a widow and her son who are suffering from a famine, because of the sins of a nation. The woman is going to prepare a last meal for herself and her young son. In the process of doing this a Man of God named Elijah (a type of Jesus) comes by and asks her to make him some first and then feed her and her son. The woman is torn by this request, there is a famine in the land and she cannot see past her last meal, yet Elijah wants his meal first. In another sense this woman’s  faith is being put to the test, she realizes that this is a Man of God and must decide whether to trust him, to step out and give first to Elijah or to hold back .

We are in a time of famine in our country, there is an economic earthquake being felt throughout the land because of the sins of a nation. But it is also a time of testing for God’s people, for our church, and our ministry. Will we continue to put God first and make the sacrifices in a time of want, as we did in the time of plenty? And Will we allow the condition of the worlds economy affect  our faith as Christians and as a church?

Elijah told this woman to not be afraid, that if she put him first, the jar of flour and oil would never run out, in essence no matter what was going on in the world she and her family would not be affected. She stepped out and gave the first of what she had, and the bible tells us her flour and oil never ran out. For this woman and her family the famine was over.

Fear is the greatest hinderance to a faith filled life. If this woman had allowed the circumstances to dictate her actions, this woman and her family would have been bound to the famine that was affecting the world. But because she put God first, she was no longer bound by the condition of the world. The worlds condition did not change, every morning when this woman woke up the trees were still dried up, the fields were still bare and the brooks were still waterless. But when this woman went to her cupboard there was an endless supply of flour and oil.

We are living in a time of famine, and also a time of testing. Now is not the time to shrink back in fear and allow the world’s condition to affect us, but to overcome the world by trusting God with our firstfuits. Take our eye’s off the world’s circumstances and put God first.  “Test me in this say’s the Lord and see if i will not open the floodgates of heaven”

In the end our legacy will be one of FAITH:

* By Faith David Wilkerson left a small country town in Pennsylvania and went to New york City with a burden in his heart to reach Gang Members.

* By Faith Nicky Cruz recieved the love of God and was able to reach a drug addict named Sonny Arguinzoni.

* By Faith Pastor Sonny and Julie Arguinzoni began reaching out to drug addicts and Gang Members in E.L.A.

By Faith Sister Julie went into a kitchen and prayed for God’s provision as Pastor Sonny was ministering to some young men. She only had a little pancake mix, but asked God for a miracle, By faith she prayed and the pancake mix was multiplied

By Faith Pastor Mitchell and Nellie Peterson went to Venice California and began to reach out to those in need

By Faith My wife and I in 1990  launched out into Seattle Washington and began to find the “Treasures out of Darkness”

By Faith Isaiah and Debroah Washington were sent to Tacoma,

By Faith Maurice and Beverly Brown went to Memphis Tennessee,

By Faith Manuel and Patricia Cervantez went to Vancouver B.C. Canada,

By Faith Daniel and Crystal Roa went to Yakima, Washington

and By Faith James and Jessica Negron went into Tri-Cities, Washington.

And it is by Faith that we will continue to build our legacy and yes it will be a legacy of Faith!

(1.)Recognize the test, (2.) Rise to the challenge, (3.) Don’t be afraid, (4.) Put God first and the famine will end for you and your loved ones and (5.)You will no loger be bound by the world’s condition.

God Bless,

Pastor Johnny

We are more than Conquerors!

As I write this I am still in the Beautiful country of Ireland, we had an awesome time in conference. It was great to see all of the Pastors from this region and to hear the testimonies of victory. As I was here I realized that all the Pastors in this region are “My Brothers from another Mother” I along with Pastor Andy from Ireland (Pastor Mark L.A., Pastor Manuel Vancouver Canada, Pastor Art Surrey, Canada) are fruit from Pastor Mitchell’s early years Pastoring in Venice (Mother America), while Pastor Paul (Manchester England), Pastor Robert (London England), Pastor Basil (Liverpool England), Pastor Floyd (Birmingham England), Pastor Gertjan (Dusseldorf Germany) are fruit from  Pastor Mitchell’s time in London (Mother England). It is amazing to see what G0d is doing here, Pastor Andy has launched out churches into Belfast and Cork Ireland (Pastor Mitchell’s Grandsons) and those that attended you could see have the eye of the tiger, they have the vision to take Europe for Jesus!.

It seems like just yesterday that we were saying good bye to Pastor Mitchell and Nellie as they were leaving to go to London and wondering what we would do with them so far away. And now to see the fruit of two lives submitted to God is just overwhelming.  They have come back to the states more than conquerors, and have left behind a Victory Outreach Army in Europe.

On another note while in Ireland we were participants in a two day International Golf Tournament, hosted by Victory Outreach Ireland,  players participated from Ireland, Scotland, Chicago, Atlanta, Colorado, Seattle and Los Angeles. And I am thrilled to announce that our team (Myself, Pastor Mitchell, Pastor Nick Walker & Samuel Heredia) took the prize defeating the team from Ireland by 1 stroke. And “To the Victors Go the Spoils”.   

God Bless,

Pastor Johnny

New Wine in 2009

                           (Victory Outreach Seattle 4/09)

Greetings to all,

As I pen this letter my wife and I are in Dublin Ireland at the UK/Ireland Regional Conference where God is moving in a tremendous way. Churches have traveled from Belfast Ireland, London England, Manchester England, Liverpool England, Dusseldorf Germany, Birmingham England &  Dublin Ireland. And at the end of the week a new work will be launched out into city of Cork Ireland. Victory Outreach we are in exciting times as God continues to stretch our tent curtains around the world.

God is so awesome! I am reminded of where God has brought us from and how He always seems to be doing something new by giving us new challenges, not allowing us to live an ordinary existence, but a life of faith that allows him to take us places both physically and spiritually that we have never been before.

Jesus said in the gospels that we cannot  put new wine into old wineskins, that we must put new wine into new wineskins. God wants to take us places we have never been, individually, as a church, region and ministry, but we have to allow him to give us new wineskins, fresh idea’s and strategies for success. We cannot operate business as usual in 2009 and expect different results than 2008. We must make changes, for some subtle and for others drastic, if we expect God to fill us with new wine.

This is the year for breakthroughs, New Wine in 2009! Hey! Don’t get left behind!, God wants to take us to another level of blessing, another level of annointing, another level of influence. But we can’t operate business as usual, that means we have to put on new wine skins in our time with God, in our level of holiness and in our giving, if we make God our priority this year “He will open the floodgates of blessing upon our live’s, church and ministry”

Much love,

Pastor Johnny C. Heredia

V.O. Seattle & The Northwest Region