As we begin a new year, let us take the limits off God. He can and will do the impossible according to man's beliefs or ideas. Make room for an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ in 2018.

I want us to pause for a few moments and listen to John Hall sing, "How Big is God?"

Please Click Here to listen to the voice of the powerful bass singer who loves God and how big He is.

Now here are the lyrics to this great song:

"How Big is God?"

Written by: Stuart Hamblen

Though man may strive to go beyond the reach of space
To crawl beyond the distant shim'ring stars
This world's a room so small within my Master's house
The open sky's but a portion of His yard.

How big is God? How big and wide His vast domain
To try and tell, these lips can only start
He's big enough to rule His mighty universe
Yet small enough to live within my heart.

As winter's chill may cause the tiny seed to fall
To lie asleep till waked by summer's rain
The heart grown cold will warm and throb with life anew
The Master's touch will bring the glow again.

I look forward to the beginning of each year because I set aside some days for special prayer. I don't like to finish one year and start another without taking time to thank Jesus for the ways He blessed me during the past 12 months and to ask Him for supernatural strength for the next season.

For me, these days of prayer offer a holy recharge. Without that time I feel weak, directionless and unprepared for new challenges.

What about you? Are your spiritual batteries drained from the battles of 2017? The Holy Spirit offers a jumpstart. Here are seven ways you can turn up the heat in your personal prayer life:

Develop your spiritual confidence. Many Christians live on the far edges of God's blessings because they don't believe they have been made righteous by Christ's sacrifice. You will never expect answers from God if you think He's mad at you.
Don't act like a slave who begs for things. You are His heir, and He wants to give you the kingdom. God tells us to "draw near with confidence to the throne of grace" (Heb. 4:16, NASB). You can ask Him for anything.

Be specific. Zig Ziglar used to say: "If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time." That's why vague prayers are inferior to specific ones. I have recently begun the habit of making a "Top Seven List" of prayer requests. When I did this during an out-of-state move last year, the Lord answered six of my seven requests within two months.
One of my prayers was that when I bought my new house, my new house payment would not be more than my old one. It turned out to be one dollar less! I was reminded that James 4:2 says: "You do not have because you do not ask."

Don't limit God with small prayers. Psalm 2:8 says: "Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for Your inheritance." We need to learn to ask big. Why would we settle for less when God can do the impossible?

Elisha boldly asked his mentor, Elijah, for a double portion of the Holy Spirit—and God gave him that mantle. God may want to double what you are requesting of Him. His vision for your life is far greater than what you supposed.

Be aggressive against your spiritual enemies. Status quo prayers won't be enough in seasons of spiritual battle. There is a time to go to war in the spirit, and this will require a militant attitude toward the enemy.
 
​When Elisha told King Joash to take arrows and strike the ground, in preparation for a battle, the king halfheartedly hit the ground only three times. Elisha said: "You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyed it" (2 Kings 13:18-19). Too often we are satisfied with small victories because we didn't pray with enough intensity. Your zeal will often determine your outcome.

Combine fasting with prayer. Fasting is not a way to bribe God. You do not need to forfeit food to get His attention. But fasting helps you focus on the Lord—and it can intensify prayer power.

There are certain spiritual obstacles that need an extra push. When speaking of a demon that needed to be cast out, Jesus told His disciples: "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting" (Matt. 17:21). If you are hitting a spiritual brick wall, it may be time to fast.

Pull an all-nighter. I am not the kind of guy who typically gets up at 3 a.m. to pray. I like my sleep! But there are moments in our lives when the Lord may woo you to spend time with Him in the night hours.

In Song of Solomon, the bride hears her Beloved calling her to get out of bed (5:2-6) and she doesn't respond quickly enough. Many of us are too distracted by the busyness of life to hear God call us to a season of prayer. Yet the Lord is looking for people who will carry His burdens. Will you let Him pray through you?

Let God amplify your feeble prayers. I used to fight discouragement about my prayer life because I didn't feel my prayers were powerful enough. But then I read Ephesians 3:20 in a new light. It says God is able "to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20). That means after I pray, God adds His own miraculous ingredient.

My prayers may seem feeble and flawed, but He is able to amplify them.
Like the tiny lunch of five loaves and two fish, Jesus can take something insignificant and feed a multitude. When you pray, expect Him to increase the impact. What you whisper in your closet can shake the world. Let God recharge your prayer life in 2018.

J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years before he launched into full-time ministry in 2010. Today he directs The Mordecai Project, a Christian charitable organization that is taking the healing of Jesus to women and girls who suffer abuse and cultural oppression. Author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, he has just released his newest book, Set My Heart on Fire, from Charisma House. You can follow him on Twitter at @LeeGrady or go to his website, themordecaiproject.org.

In addition, J. Lee Grady is the executive editor of IPHC Experience, an online digital newsletter published by the IPHC.

J. Lee has granting me permission to use his material he publishes and he is now a Contributing Writer for Hugh's News.

Psalm 63:3, "Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You"
(NKJV).

No means of measure can define God’s limitless love . . .
No far-seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply ...
No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings . . .

He forgives and He forgets.
He creates and He cleanses.

He restores and He rebuilds.

He heals and He helps.

He reconciles and He redeems.

He comforts and He carries.

He lifts and He loves.

He is the God of the second chance, the fat chance, the slim chance . . .

Just give me Jesus!  He makes change possible!

Blessings,

Anne Graham Lotz

Copyright © 2014 Anne Graham Lotz (AnGeL Ministries) Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved www.annegrahamlotz.org.​​

Why does God choose certain people for certain tasks?

From R.C. Sproul's expositional series in the book of Acts, R.C. Sproul takes us through Paul’s Sermon at Antioch to explain why God chose David to be king.

[Editor's Comment: Dr. R. C. Sproul died just a few days ago. What an excellent spirit he had as well as a brilliant mind. I have followed his ministry now for a year or so. I have found great help in understanding Scripture, and loving it more and more as I grow older. We are thankful to God for the years He gave us to enjoy and benefit from Dr. R. C. Sproul's teaching and preaching ministry. 

It is my prayer that you will enjoy Dr. R C. Sproul's teaching ministry too. I want you give you the best of the best Biblical teaching available today.

Have a happy and blessed New Year in 2018.]

​This past Summer Marguerite & I sat down with our three daughters & sons-in-law and mentioned our feeling that it was time for us to consider going into a retirement facility.  They felt it would be good, so we looked at different places.  We chose Rolling Green Village, with a 175 acre campus in Greenville.  We sold our home after it being on the market for just over 24 hours.  We have moved into a nice two bedroom, two bath, living room, dining room & kitchen apartment.  The Village has outstanding rehab, skilled nursing care, assisted living, memory care (dementia & Alzheimer's) and other great facilities.

Before going into RGV, on 9-22-2017, Marguerite stumbled on the carpet in our bedroom and fell. She suffered an upper pelvic fracture and was hospitalized, then went straight into the Rehab Center at Rolling Green.  She did well.  After being released from rehab & finishing therapy there, she had therapy in our apartment.  She walks well with her rolling walker.  We are so blessed as we come closer to our 90th birthdays.

It is our pleasure to  still visit our churches in promoting the India region ministry.  Great reports and photos continue to come relating the amazing things happening there.  Kindly especially remember the India & Nepal field ministries in your prayers.  New legislation and restrictions have been enacted and put into place. Our pastors & believers are required to be very discreet in sharing the gospel.  Heavy penalties and convictions can be imposed.

[Editor's Comment: Hugh's News is all about God's people who love Jesus, and have been called to serve our blessed Lord. Hobert and Marguerite Howard are choice servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their ministry to India for more than a half century is remarkable. It has been fruitful and today, God has given outstanding national leaders to our great work in India who have grown up in the Pentecostal Holiness Church in India. I have known Hobert and Marguerite from many years. What a lovely couple they are. They are always joyful and grateful for all God's blessings upon them.

Hobert gave me permission to share this personal news about them.

May God continue to bless them and grant them wisdom, strength and glowing health.]

Prayer in my simple definition is a conversation between God and man with the aide of the Holy Spirit's guidance. 

We will first attempt to be obedient to the commands of the Lord, John 15:14, which will put us in a position for the Lord to speak to us as a friend, John 15:15. Obedience to His written Word will precede our request for His assistance, for we are not immature believers, babies, who must be coddled and nursed.
​
We will attempt to listen more than we ask, position ourselves in quiet times to 'hear' His voice, for we are sheep who know our Master's voice, John 10:3-5.   

​Our request will be for:

​Health to fulfill His eternal purpose in our lives. We do not ask for a life without pain but a life that represents the grace to fulfill the transcendent  cause in our lives as an example of commitment. 

Resources to sustain a stand against the defamation of our King’s name and His Kingdom. 
​
Resources to sustain our life, defined by the Holy Spirit's leadership. 
Resources to sustain our mission, the mandate on our life.
Resources to sustain our stand against the injustices of our society
Resources enough not to be seen as beggars but little enough for others to witness sacrifice for our commitment to the Kingdom of God.
Resources enough to help others lacking enough to get through life
Resources limited enough to keep us reliant on the leadership of the Holy Spirit to avoid self-reliance.
Resources limited enough to keep us from arrogance and the propensity to look down on the less fortunate with a judgmental eye.

So be it Lord, Amen!

I believe you will enjoy hearing Martha Reed Garvin sing this song that King David wrote in Psalm 23. It is a verse of holy Scripture we need to keep close to our hearts as we develop a more intimate relationship to Jesus in 2018.

Click Here on this hyperlink to see and hear Martha Reed Garvin "Surely Goodness and Mercy." I trust it will be a blessing to you on this first day of January 2018.

What a wonderful way to being the New Year of 2018 with this song that lifts up the words of the 23rd Psalm.
​

This promise from God's Word, I want in my life now, and in 2018

​Psalm 23:6  God's twins of goodness and mercy will be ours in 2018
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
​All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever. 
NKJV   (New King James Version)
++++++++++
Psalm 23:6
6 Goodness and grace will pursue me
every day of my life;
and I will live in the house of Adonai
for years and years to come. 
CJB   (Complete Jewish Bible)
+++++++++
Psalm 23:6
6 Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I'm back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life. 
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
++++++++
Psalm 23:6
6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life, 
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord 
as long as I live. 
(from Holman Christian Standard Bible® Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 by Holman Bible Publishers.)
++++++++
Psalm 23:6
6 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place. 
AMP  (Amplified)

This promise from God's Word, I want in my life now, and in 2018

​Psalm 23:6  
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
​All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever. 
NKJV   (New King James Version)
++++++++++
Psalm 23:6
6 Goodness and grace will pursue me
every day of my life;
and I will live in the house of Adonai
for years and years to come. 
CJB   (Complete Jewish Bible)
+++++++++
Psalm 23:6
6 Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I'm back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life. 
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
++++++++
Psalm 23:6
6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life, 
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord 
as long as I live. 
(from Holman Christian Standard Bible® Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 by Holman Bible Publishers.)
++++++++
Psalm 23:6
6 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place. 
AMP  (Amplified)

Sonja Beach, one of our loyal subscribers to Hugh's News, heard this joke on Sunday's "Turning Point" with Dr. David Jeremiah.

After 20 years in the ministry, a pastor gave up the pulpit and went to work running a funeral home.  His friends were shocked.  "Why did you do such a thing?  What were you thinking?" they asked.

The pastor replied, "I spent five years trying to straighten out John.  It didn't work.  I spent eighteen months trying to straighten out the Smiths' marriage ... they divorced anyway.  For two and a half years, I tried to straighten out the Andersons' rebellious daughter.  I thought she was going to do okay, but instead she went back to her wild ways.  NOW when I straighten people out, they STAY straightened out!"

Do you have a $1 bill in your pocketbook or purse?

​I want everyone reading this urgent message today to get an envelope and place that $1 bill in it. Then, use this mailing address below on the envelope along with a stamp to get it ready for your postal carrier:

Hugh's News, Inc.
17 Sweet Apple Lane
Winder, GA 30680

If everyone of my readers will follow through and send $1 then, this combined offering will help meet our budget for 2017.

We are completing 20 years of producing Hugh's News. If you are enjoying receiving and reading Hugh's News it should be easy for you to give $1 before the end of this year.

​Do it now, or you will forget to send your $1.

It is our desire to bring 2017 to a close with victory having all our bills paid and money to get us started for the new year of 2018.

Laughter in the Process of Healing:

The Scriptures tell us in Proverbs 17:22 that “A merry heart does good, like a medicine.”

Though the Bible contains much humor, it rarely comments about it. However, there is a forthright praise of one’s capacity to laugh. Sometimes when one is sick or depressed, it is difficult to laugh. Pray that God will give you the spirit of laughter. It will help to bring healing to your spirit if not to your whole body. It is apparent that God is restoring joy to the Church and that includes laughter. We must be willing to change or God will by-pass us. He wants to put new wine in to new wine skins.

Partaking of Holy Communion, the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper.

Throughout my years of ministry I have taught that divine healing is in the Atonement. We know from Scripture that Jesus received stripes in His back for our healing.

The Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion or the Eucharist can be a significant vehicle for the manifest presence of God to be revealed in our worship. When we participate in the act of communion, which is a sacrament or ordinance of the church, we are reminded of the suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, as well as our Healer. It is in this act of remembering the death of our Savior until He comes again that we can appropriate healing for our body, mind, and spirit as we receive the bread (body) and fruit of the vine (grape juice or communion wine) in Holy Communion. This experience is indeed a mystery, but one that produces great results.

Last, but not least, you should call for the elders of the church for the prayer of faith and anointing with oil.

In the Book of James the Apostle James, a half brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, writes these words, “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15).

I like the rendering that Eugene Peterson gives of these two verses in The Message, “Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you will oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out.” Jesus often touched others—blessing children, washing feet, healing injuries or disease, and raising people from the dead. Touching others gently and lovingly with healing prayers is a tangible expression of the healing Christ, working in and through those who minister in His Name—the Name of Jesus!

Obedience to God’s Word is essential to being healed by God. The early church practiced anointing the people for healing. Our denomination (the International Pentecostal Holiness Church) has anointed the sick since our early days of existence. The laying on of hands and anointing with oil coupled with the prayer of faith is a means by which God can do a special work of healing in a person’s life. We should seek to be obedient and submit ourselves to the authority of the church.

Remember that God has the final Word!

Nothing is impossible for God!

“Rise and be healed in the Name of Jesus.”

Exodus 15:25-26   For I am the Lord Who heals you!

There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, 26 and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord Who heals you." 
NKJV (New King James Version)

+++++++

Exodus 15:26   I am Adonai your healer
He said, “If you will listen intently to the voice of Adonai your God, do what he considers right, pay attention to his mitzvot and observe his laws, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians; because I am Adonai your healer.”
CJB (Complete Jewish Bible)

+++++++

Exodus 15:26  I am God your Healer

God said, "If you listen, listen obediently to how God tells you to live in his presence, obeying his commandments and keeping all his laws, then I won't strike you with all the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians; I am God your healer." 
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

[Editor's Comment: I was not going to publish a Hugh's News for today, December 29, 2017. I woke up from sleep and this message from God's Holy Word was so strong in my heart and mind, I had to change my mind and share this Scripture with you. Someone reading today's Hugh's News needs this Word from God that is written or recorded in the Bible. God loves you and He wants you to be healed. Open your heart to Jesus and allow Him to heal you right now. He can perform a creative miracle in your body today. When it happens give God the glory and share your healing miracle with others you meet.]

A man had just finished reading the book Man of the House while riding the commuter train home from work.

When he reached home, he stormed into the house and walked directly up to his wife. Pointing his finger in her face, he said, "From now on I want you to know that I am the man of this house and my word is law! You are to prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I'm finished eating my meal, I expect a sumptuous dessert afterward. Then, after dinner, you're going to draw my bath so I can relax. And when I'm finished with my bath, guess who's going to dress me and comb my hair?"

His wife thought for a moment and responded, "The funeral director is my guess."

Do you have a $1 bill in your pocketbook or purse?

​I want everyone reading this urgent message today to get an envelope and place that $1 bill in it. Then, use this mailing address below on the envelope along with a stamp to get it ready for your postal carrier:

Hugh's News, Inc.
17 Sweet Apple Lane
Winder, GA 30680

If everyone of my readers will follow through and send $1 then, this combined offering will help meet our budget for 2017.

We are completing 20 years of producing Hugh's News. If you are enjoying receiving and reading Hugh's News it should be easy for you to give $1 before the end of this year.

​Do it now, or you will forget to send your $1.

It is our desire to bring 2017 to a close with victory having all our bills paid and money to get us started for the new year of 2018.

Who Is This Jesus?
A Broadcast with R.C. Sproul

When Jesus calmed the wind and the waves, the disciples were afraid. From his classic series The Holiness of God, R.C. Sproul helps us understand who Jesus is.

Please Click Here on this hyperlink to hear this most inspiring and instructive message by the late R. C. Sproul who recently went to be with the Lord. I have listened to it and I was blessed.

From time to time a reader will ask a question, make a statement or give additional information to an article or blog we have written.

We are happy for you to do that. However, we need to get your name and email address so we can correspond with you and hopefully give you a satisfactory answer. 

We are here to serve you. 

Thank you for the information we need to respond with accuracy and speed.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
KJV
++++++++
1 Corinthians 2:9
 But it is just as the Scriptures say,

"What God has planned
for people who love Him
is more than eyes have seen
or ears have heard.
It has never even
entered our minds!" 
God's Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God. 
CEV   (Contemporary English Version)
++++++++
1 Corinthians 2:9-10
9 That's why we have this Scripture text:

No one's ever seen or heard anything like this,
Never so much as imagined anything quite like it — 
What God has arranged for those who love Him. 

10 But you've seen and heard it because God by His Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)