You may think your marriage/family is over. Yet with God nothing will be impossible. Come January 23-26 meet!

If you have a spouse/partner/girlfriend/boyfriend who is fluent in Chinese only, then you fit the target audience. Whether you are married or thinking about marriage or not, this free online sharing and counseling will be useful for you and your loved ones and neighbors. Please also share with your church members and encourage those with needs to come!

This is organized by a volunteer mother with a grown son. She is educated in both English and Chinese. So she knows the family issues of both sides of the culture among many other things. To encourage the Chinese speaking to attend the meeting dates are set in the coming Lunar New Year holiday.

The group of speakers are from the US and the meetings will be conducted in both languages with live translators.

You are welcome to attend with your friends and family.

Zoom account number: 805 980 9265 Code: 1

Here is the schedule:

The speakers are from Victory Life Church. Here is a brief introduction of who they are and what they do.

Pastor Jacob Sheriff has dedicated his life to being transformed into the likeness of Christ. His dad, Duane Sheriff, is the Senior Founding Pastor of Victory Life Church. His heart’s desire is to share the truth in love and to help others discover who they are in Christ.

As a second-generation pastor, Jacob has been blessed to have been introduced to the Gospel and have a relationship with Jesus from a young age. Jacob has been a part of the pastoral team at Victory Life Church since 2005, and now serves as the Senior Lead Pastor. He has had such radical encounters with the power of God that seeing people transformed by Jesus has become his life’s mission. The most significant part of the call of God on Jacob’s life is to his incredible wife, Hannah, and their five children. They are committed to raising their children to be disciples of Christ. In his free time, you can find Jacob reading, studying, enjoying good coffee, and backpacking. He is a Holy Spirit gifted communicator in sharing the truth of the Gospel of Jesus.

Pastor Zach Backues is the VLC Durant Campus Lead Pastor. Zach has been with Victory Life Church since 2010 in various volunteer and staff positions. He and his wife Serena have 5 children: Jovie, Judah, Lennon, Kenna, & Phoenix. Zach has a passion to see people experience the reality of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. His favorite thing to do is travel with Serena.

Pastor Landon Heinen serves as the Pastor for Victory Life Academy. He has a love for The Word of God and a passion for seeing people transformed by Jesus. He has a father’s heart to encourage the gifts and callings that God has placed within people, and to help foster a lifetime desire to follow God, Learning about Him, all that He created. Landon and Jasmine have been married for over two decades and are raising five amazing kids.

Mrs. Jasmine Heinen is passionate about sharing the love of God through his word. Her desire is for students to know the character of God, then effectively apply God’s Word to their lives. She has a gift of encouragement and sees the gold in every student. Trained in Emotional Intelligence and Crucial Conversations, she continues to pursue higher education and relational studies.

Pastor Lee Armstrong has been in ministry 42 years ,36 of those with Victory Life Church. He is an author, and he describes himself as a servant of Victory and the body of Christ.

He will be teaching these subjects in the forthcoming free online Zoom sharing and ministering meetings:

1) The biblical purpose for marriage.

2) Eight areas of marital breakdown.

(As time allows!)

“When baking a cake, if the baker uses half of just one ingredient the cake cannot fully be enjoyed.

As we walk with God if we are missing one ingredient or using only half of what is called for, our Christian life cannot be fully enjoyed.” (Lee Armstrong)

Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Today’s Sword of the Spirit: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper”

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Today’s Sword of the Spirit for the side who aligns with our God.
For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.

11
“O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
12
I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.
13
All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
And great shall be the peace of your children.
14
In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
15
Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me.
Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.

16
“Behold, I have created the blacksmith
Who blows the coals in the fire,
Who brings forth an instrument for his work;
And I have created the spoiler to destroy.
17
No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.
(Sword of the Spirit from Isaiah 54:10-17 NKJV)

End Times Witnessing: How to reign successfully as kings

 The watchman woke these two days and had the urgency to search the Scripture for the conduct of kings. he was led to read about two kings: Uzziah and Solomon who both became kings at a young age and reigned for a long period. (Uzziah reigned for 52 years and Solomon reigned for 40 years).

Time is nearer to the end. All believers must take heed of what the Spirit of the Lord says in Revelation as follows. Are you ready for the new post? (as kings and priests to the Lord?)

_________the watchmen’s comments are in brackets

Revelation 1:4-6 (NKJV)

Greeting the Seven Churches

4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

(The kingdom is forever and ever. Are you ready?)

1 Kings 3:3-15 (NIV)

3Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

(the king loved the Lord, as evidenced by his obedience in word and action to the Lord’s instructions)

4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

(the king could hear God speak to him)

6Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

(the king knows, remembers and pays attention to what God has done for his own father and he is thankful to God for all that God has done as promised for his father’s family)

7 “Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

(the king is humble and has insight of his own limitations. He also knows the key to success is a discerning spirit with word of knowledge and wisdom! In short, being filled by the Holy Spirit and armed with the word of God, manifesting the gifts of the Spirit, is the key to success today)

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.

(God speaks and the king continues to hear God. The king continues to believe and has received the promises of God by faith)

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

(the king worships and offers prayers to God and draws close to God’s word and God’s presence, wherever he is.)

_______________________
2 Chronicles 26:3-15 (NIV)

3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. 4 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. 5 He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.

(Success comes from God. The king has followed his father’s role model, doing what was right in the eyes of God. He sought God. He listened to the instructions of his godly teacher. This is the key of a king’s success)

6 He went to war against the Philistines and broke down the walls of Gath, Jabneh and Ashdod. He then rebuilt towns near Ashdod and elsewhere among the Philistines. 7 God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabs who lived in Gur Baal and against the Meunites. 8The Ammonites brought tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread as far as the border of Egypt, because he had become very powerful.

(Kings go to war against the enemies of God. God helps those who war according to God’s will and purpose. Kings who do not go to war in this way get into big trouble, as in the case of David during the time when he stayed in the palace when his armies went to war without him. He ended up being attacked in his body and soul by the spiritual enemy and committed the big sin in his life, adultery, murder and deception, causing wide open door to the enemies which later came in to attack his sons and daughter! Jesus warns: the enemy came to steal, kill and destroy!)

9 Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, at the Valley Gate and at the angle of the wall, and he fortified them. 10He also built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain. He had people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil.

(King builds defenses for his people in cities and in wilderness, digs into water sources, cultivates and produces food. This is exactly what Jesus does as the good Shepherd. He provides shelter, living water, and green pasture for His sheep.)

11 Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. 12 The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. 13 Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. 14 Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armor, bows and slingstones for the entire army. 15 In Jerusalem he made devices invented for use on the towers and on the corner defenses so that soldiers could shoot arrows and hurl large stones from the walls. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.

(King raises, organizes, trains and equips his armies. He knows and supplies what they need. He makes sure he has powerful and ready support for all wars against the enemies. As long as he is helped by God he becomes very powerful.)

Watchman’s Adventure: Breakthrough from mental health into spiritual health perspectives

Having spent the previous night with brethren in Christ interceding, the watchman could still feel the heaviness in his spirit on the next morning. The more he hears of others’ familial problems, the more he realizes how much inroad the enemy has made into the lives of human beings. Practically every family (Christians no exception) has been infiltrated! The frightening part is that the Christians are not even aware of this spiritual infiltration and carry on their daily lives just like any other ‘dysfunctional’ pre-believer’s family, constantly in strife, division, anger, even mutual hatred and torment!

In mental health, such families are described as dysfunctional or malfunctioning. The members involved are described as having mental and emotional issues which require treatment (medicine and psycho-therapy). Such individuals are termed certain psychological terms (e.g. having depression, anxiety, mood disorders, personality disorders etc.). However, like studying and knowing medicine does not make one an effective doctor, having read and completed his postgraduate study including psychology and therapy has not made the watchman a more effective counselor. For years he has seen hopeless cases of human being forsaken by their families because they cannot be effectively treated to full recovery to fit into the society (to live the life their family expect them to live).

This significant group of human beings have their needs to be accepted by the society and their families and be loved too. They are often rejected, overlooked, and neglected by their families and the society at large. The reason why they are not easily accepted is because they cannot ‘function’ the way of the ‘norm’.

The family and society expect every one to fit into a pattern termed ‘functioning’. Deviations are termed ‘dysfunctioning’. Compliance to the ‘norm’ means ‘functioning’. The ‘norm’ is set by a group of people living together (e.g. a family, community, organization, society, nation).

What are the contents of the ‘norm’ of a family? Basic agreements and rules on hygiene, meals, housework, discipline, work and play, education and manners, relationship, communication, use of common resources and facilities, contributions, interactions, attitudes, values, beliefs, morals, behaviors, attitudes of living together and sharing, maintenance of the common living environment and shelter etc.

The watchman has found that in nearly every family there is a number (at least one-fourth) of people who cannot fit into the ‘norm’ required. Social, medical and psychological solutions cannot help those that he knows of. He has even once been given the task of rehabilitating an ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactive disorder) boy with LD (learning disorder) and OD (opposition disorder). For three years he battled with the symptoms with social, educational, and behavioral modification tools. He saw some positive physical results. But when the boy entered pre-teen, he rebelled in an uncontrollable way. He threw out everything he had learned. He obstructed violently against every effort to help him to ‘function’! He was hooked on to digital games like an addict to drugs (during which his heart rate went way beyond the ‘norm’ to dangerous high!)

The watchman was led to find a spiritual solution. The principal (a Christian pastor) of the boy’s school introduced him to a prayer house where the boy can receive prayers for supernatural healing and deliverance. The healing treatment consists of three parts: the presence of God (worship service), word of God (reading the Bible), and prayers. Nothing is out of the ordinary but people do get healed this way.

The only difference between such a place and the traditional church is the presence of God (in the Holy Spirit). The Holy Spirit does the work of healing, deliverance and sanctification. The word of God does the daily washing and cleansing. The redemptive work of Jesus on the cross is daily remembered through the Holy Communion as taught by the Lord too.

Although the boy soon decided to re-join his own parents, the watchman has stayed on in his journey in the Holy Spirit. He has experienced personal breakthrough.

Indeed, knowing the reality of the spiritual realm and how a Christian believer can effectively overcome his physical realm difficulties with spiritual authority and supernatural power according to the word of God, is a great relief. Breaking through from mental health into spiritual (divine) health perspectives is an absolute essential for any Christian counselor.

The battlefield is in the minds. How do we reach the minds to do battle? Only in the Spirit. God’s word is the sword of the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit is another essential weapon!

_________________________________Bible verses
Ephesians 6:12
New Living Translation (NLT)

12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:13-18
New Living Translation (NLT)

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
New Living Translation (NLT)

3 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.