Mark Hankins Ministries

February 2019 - Positive Expectation

My soul, wait thou only on God; for my expectation is from Him.  Psalms 62:5

While watching a college football game, I saw the team break from the huddle and line up for the next play. Everything looked normal until I noticed the quarterback had misjudged his position and was lined up behind the guard instead of the center.  When he called the play, nothing happened!  I had to laugh; he looked up, saw his mistake and made one step to the side.  This time, the center released the ball into his hands after the call and the play was executed.  Sometimes we need to make some adjustments in our expectation, like that quarterback, so that we can receive answers to prayer and see great things accomplished for God.

4 KINDS OF EXPECTATION

In Psalms 42:5, David spoke to his soul, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me?  Hope thou in God.”  Hope is an expectation of good and is a necessary and valuable ingredient in faith. There are four kinds of expectation: negative, misguided, neutral and positive.

When it comes to negative expectation I’m reminded of the guy who was sleeping and someone put limburger cheese under his nose while he slept.  When he woke up, he went from room to room trying to find where the stink was coming from.  Finally, he went outside, took a deep breath and smelled that same odor and said, “The whole world stinks!”  It is a general attitude of negativity. 

Some people never decide to act upon the Word of God or make any changes in their lives.  This is called neutral expectation; their expectation never gets out of neutral.  “Someday” never comes and they are stuck in the same place year after year. 

An example of misguided expectation is when Naaman expected Elisha to wave his hand over him and his leprosy to disappear.  Instead, he had to humble himself to dip seven times in the muddy river. Like Naaman, who was offended at the prophet’s instructions, we must make adjustments, swallow our pride and obey the Word of the Lord in order to get a miracle.

Positive expectation is demonstrated by the woman in Mark 5, who suffered for twelve years with an issue of blood.  When she heard of Jesus, SHE PUT HER EXPECTATION AND HOPE ONLY IN JESUS.  She pressed through the crowd and touched his clothes.  She kept saying, “If I may but touch his clothes, I shall be made whole.”   Her positive expectation allowed her to lay hold of the healing power of Jesus.

And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, “Who touched my clothes?”  But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.  And he said unto her, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace and be made whole of thy plague.

Mark 5:27-34

HOW TO RECEIVE ANYTHING FROM GOD

         Positive expectation contains four elements this woman demonstrated:  First, she said if she could touch Jesus, she would be healed. Next, she acted: she pressed through the crowd and touched Jesus.  Then, she received and felt the power of God make her well.  Finally, she told it.  Jesus told Bro. Hagin that if anyone, anywhere did these four things, he or she could always receive, not only healing, but anything from God.

Have faith in God.  (Mark 11:22)

Take hold on God’s faithfulness. (Century)

These powerful words of Jesus in Mark 11:22 are the answer to every problem.  They silence complaining and blaming others or circumstances.  When you lay hold on God’s faithfulness, He takes hold on you.  One day, I was crossing a busy road with my little grandson, Dylan.  As we walked together, he was holding my hand tightly, but my grip on his hand was actually much stronger than his grip on mine. God’s grip on you is bigger than your grip on Him.

This hope, this positive expectation, is an anchor for your soul that reaches into the presence behind the veil even in the middle of the worst storm of life (Hebrews 6:19).  David said, “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved,” (Psalms 62:5-6).  If necessary, make some adjustments in your expectation.  When your expectation is on God you will begin to experience God’s presence, help and provision.

GREAT EXPECTATION FOR 2019

2019 is a year of great expectation for MHM and our partners!  We believe to see the fulfillment of THE NEW!  We decree a year of breakthrough into a new spiritual dimension and abundance for you, our partners.    This month we want to offer you two CD sets: The Power of Positive Expectation, Hope: The Anchor for Your Soul, and the book, The Spirit of Faith.  Our God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

In Christ,
Mark and Trina

January 2019 - Going Up by Getting Down

GOING UP BY GETTING DOWN

Can you imagine a big majestic deer crawling on his belly across an open field?  That is exactly what happened!  A big buck, with a great set of antlers, crawled on his knees.  I heard the story of a hunter who was hunting with a bow and arrow, trying to bag a trophy buck.  As he hunted that day, he had the buck in his sights.  It seemed like an easy shot.  He pulled back the arrow and let it fly.  To his surprise the buck dodged the arrow by falling to his belly.  The once accurately aimed arrow had missed the mark and flew over the top of the targeted deer.  The deer proceeded to crawl on his knees across the open field to the edge of the woods, and then ran safely away.  Sounds unusual, but it is a true story.  Somehow the buck heard or sensed the arrow coming and got down low.  This action saved his life.  How did he know to get down?  Perhaps he has a buck friend that walked into the open acting high and mighty, thinking, “I’m a big beautiful buck, I don’t have to get down.  I’m not getting down on my knees and now he is a trophy on somebody’s wall, hanging in some hunter’s den - big, beautiful, and dead!!!  If you learn to “get down” you may look funny to others but you will live longer.

DEER INTELLIGENCE

I really enjoy deer hunting and was fascinated by the intelligence of the buck.  I wonder if we as Christians could be smart enough to recognize the dangers of our adversary the devil and avoid his arrows aimed to destroy us.  I wonder how many arrows we could miss if we would humble ourselves or get down.  The Apostle Paul said, “I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” in his prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21.  Prayer is one way that we get down.  As we humble ourselves, pray and seek God’s face, we avoid many arrows of the enemy (2 Chronicles 7:14).  Many Christians have arrows stuck in them because they don’t take the time to pray.  There is no telling how many arrows fly over the top of us when we are praying.  I like the way Bro. Kenneth Copeland said, “Every failure in life is a prayer failure.”  We must take time to get down and pray to hear from Heaven continually.

LOW ENOUGH TO RECEIVE GRACE

God gives grace to those who learn how to get down.  James 4:6 says, “God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.”  The Amplified Bible says, “…to the lowly, those humble enough to receive it…”  When we get down, we find grace.  God’s favor and ability is lower than many people want to get to receive it.  The leper, Naaman, almost died because he did not want to get low enough to dip in the muddy Jordan River.  Pride and self-sufficiency leave us a wide-open target to be destroyed by the enemy.  When Naaman finally obeyed, he was totally cleaned.  Every situation in our lives change when God’s favor and ability are working for and in us.  “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He shall lift you up” (James 4:10).

SUPERNATURAL RELATIONSHIPS

First Peter 5:5-10 is a great passage regarding humbling yourself.  Verse 5 says that we are to humble ourselves to those who are over us in the Lord.  This means we are to be open to instruction and correction from supernatural relationships in the body of Christ.  The Lord said it to me this way, “There are important things you need to know that I am not going to tell you.  If I told it to somebody you are supposed to be in relationship with, you will have to get it from them.” That made me put a higher value on supernatural relationships in the body of Christ.  Actually, we must humble ourselves to others to receive the supply of the Spirit in the body of Christ.  Even though there is rank in the body of Christ, we are also instructed to humble ourselves to those around us and under us.  Humility is an attitude that enables us to receive grace from God and also those He has placed in our lives.  How can you tell when you get down sufficiently?  It is very evident when God’s grace, favor, and blessing come on the scene in your life!

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabited eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15).  God inhabits eternity and dwells in the high and holy place, but He also dwells our lives with those who are of a humble spirit.  Those who get low - get with God.  Those who get down - go up!

“LIFTED UP” IN CHRIST

“My soul shall make her boast in the Lord, the humble shall hear thereof and be glad” (Psalm 34:2).  True humility likes to boast in the Lord.  We can brag on what Jesus has done for us and in us.  We can boast in God’s ability and who we are in Christ.  True humility also gives us boldness and confidence in prayer and in life because we acknowledge our dependency on the blood of Jesus and not on ourselves.  Through faith in the blood of Jesus, we are lifted up in Christ.  We acknowledge our dependency on the Holy Spirit as the Greater One in us.  We can take our place in the Blood Covenant and lose our self-consciousness and become God-conscious. We are not looking to ourselves.  We are looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

It is an act of getting down or humbling yourself to forget yourself and act like the Bible is true.  It is also an act of humility when we rejoice because the Bible says to.  It is an act of humility to lift our voice and praise God when we don’t feel like it.  It is an act of humility to give when it looks like we can’t afford it.  It is an act of humility to find a place to serve in your church and be a blessing to others.  There are many ways we can humble ourselves before God and others.  One thing is certain - when we get down - we will be going up.  Surely, we are as smart as that deer and can live long enough to grow a great set of antlers.

THANK YOU PARTNERS

We desire for you to GO UP in every area of your life!  This month we want to offer you 2 brand-new CD’s titled, “How to Have a Meeting with God” that we believe will strengthen your faith.  For your offering of $25 or more, we will send this new cd set, as well as the 4 cd set, “Draw Near to the Father”, and book, The Bloodline of a Champion.

Trina and I thank you for your help and partnership in what God has called us to do. Thank you for joining with us in prayer and in giving.   “The Lord taketh my part with them that help me...”. (Psalm 118:7).  Thank you for taking a part in this ministry!  Together, we have possessed the NEW MHM property!  This land and its buildings are dedicated to the production, distribution, and broadcasting of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  May you be strengthened with God’s mighty power. 

2019 IS THE YEAR TO BE STRONG AND POSSESS ALL THE NEW GOD HAS FOR YOU! 

In Christ,
Mark & Trina Hankins