“The Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and His name shall be called Immanuel.” (Is 7:14)
The virgin birth was a sign and a miracle. It defied the laws of nature! When I was on a tour in Israel many years ago, a Jewish Rabbi asked me to show him a scripture in the Old Testament that talked about Jesus. I showed him Isaiah 7:14. He said to me, “The word virgin in the Hebrew language just means a young woman.” I said, “What kind of sign would that be? It’s not a miracle for a young woman to have a baby!” He was silent and walked away!!
(Luke 1:26-28) “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
When you learn to cooperate with God in the working of miracles, you will be blessed too!
“Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS…” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:30-34)
Mary wanted to know how God was going to do it. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
Notice Mary’s response to all of this. “Be it unto me according to Your Word.” (verse 38)
Four Keys to the Working of Miracles:
- Hearing the Word of God
(1 Cor 12:8) “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit.” (Rom 10:17) “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”
- Believing the Word
(Mark 16:17) “These signs will follow those who believe. In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues…They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover”
- You Have To Speak It
(Heb 11:3) “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” We frame our own world by the words we speak.
- Act on the Word
Sometimes miracles happen, just by speaking the Word. But, in other cases, a miracle is only going to happen as we act on an instruction the Lord has given us. The key to miracles and success is this: “Whatsoever He says to you, do it!”(John 2:5)
May the God of Miracles fill your life with miracles of His power, His provision, and His peace this Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Dr. George Hill
President & Founder
Victory Churches International
One day the renowned Bible commentator Mathew Henry was robbed. Afterwards he wrote these words in his dairy:
“Father, I thank you that this was the first time I have ever been robbed.
“Father, I thank you that even though they took my all, it wasn’t much.
“Father, I thank you that all they took was my money, and not my life.
“Father, I thank you that I was the one who was robbed, and not the one doing the robbing.
What a great attitude! When we do something over and over again, it soon becomes a habit. Even our attitudes. And one of the best attitude habits we can develop is an attitude of gratitude.
Four Great Reasons for Developing an Attitude of Gratitude
1. Being thankful restores lost love
Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
Your words create positive or negative emotion. It’s impossible to continually criticize someone or something and maintain love for it. “You have left (not lost) your first love.” (Rev 2:4-5)
2. Being thankful curbs discontent
(Phil 4:11-12) “I have learned in whatever state I am to be content.” Contentment is not getting what you want, it’s enjoying what you have. (1 Tim 6:6) “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” (Ps 17:15) “I shall be satisfied when I awake in your likeness.”
3. Being thankful attracts people like a magnet
Being thankful for people makes them feel appreciated. We all naturally gravitate towards people who make us feel that way. This creates opportunities to build great friendships that will enrich many lives.
4. Being thankful is the way into God’s manifested presence
(Psalm 100:4) “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” (Ps 50:23) “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”
Work at becoming a thankful, positive, praise-oriented person. Find something in everything to be thankful for, even in your darkest hour. “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thes 5:18) Then, when you have something to complain about people will really listen to you.
“Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” - (Psalm 144:15)
Gratitude is the key to Happiness!
Yours for a happy heart as you serve the Lord,
Dr. George Hill
President & Founder
Victory Churches International
John 7:24 - “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgement.”
Things are not always as they appear to be
Joshua was tricked into making a covenant with the Gibeonites. (Jos 9:15) Only later did he find out they were not who they said they were. But God still held Israel responsible for that covenant. Four hundred years later, when it was broken by King Saul, God sent three years of famine upon Israel. God’s Righteous Judgment on Israel only ceased when Israel asked forgiveness and made restitution to the Gibeonites. (2 Sam 2:1-14) We may forget our promises, but God does not.
God is a Covenant Maker, Keeper, and Enforcer!!
Four conditions of righteous judgment
1. Get the log out of your own eye
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgement you judge you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” - (Matt 7:1-2)
“For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep [die]. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.” (1 Cor 11:30-31) It is difficult and dangerous to try to take a splinter out of someone else’s eye when you have a log in your own eye. How do I get the splinter out of my own eye?
“If we confess our sins [logs], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) You must repent of your own sins, before you accuse someone else. Otherwise you will not be able to see clearly or judge righteously and in judging others, you can pass judgement on yourself. (Esther 7:10) “So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.”
2. Get all the facts
“The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him.” (Prov 18:17) If you listen to only one side of a story, you can end up taking on a secondhand offense and disliking people you have never even met! “Make no friendship with an angry man. And with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.” (Prov 22:24-25)
There are always three sides to every story: your side, my side, and God’s side!
3. Judge according to the Word
“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light unto my path.” (Ps 119:105)
Some say we should never judge, but the Word says: “Do you not judge those who are inside the church? But those who are outside in the world God judges. Therefore, put away from yourselves the evil person.” (1 Cor 5:12-13) The principles and the precedents in the scriptures help us to make righteous judgments. If you don’t have enough Word or wisdom to know what God is saying, talk to someone who does. I want the truth, not some twisted version of the truth.
4. Do it out of love for God, for people, and for the church
Many people judge others out of their own offense, anger, or hurt. After passing severe judgement on the Corinthian church in his first epistle, Paul wrote back to them to make sure it had been received in the same spirit in which it was given: “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.” (2 Cor 2:4) “No chastening seems to be joyful for the present… nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness.” (Heb 12:11)
Yours for Righteous Judgement, Divine Discipline, and a Spiritual Awakening!
Dr. George Hill
President & Founder
Victory Churches International
Psalm 50:5 - “Gather my saints together unto me, those who made a covenant with me through Sacrifice.”
This was the prophetic scripture the Lord gave to us when we built our first Victory Church in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. We all made major financial and material sacrifices to build and establish this first great Victory Church on 43 Acres of prime land. Sacrifice always releases the miracle-working power of God. Forty-one years later we look back and see what the Lord has done. The hearts of multiplied thousands of people have been knit with this work and what has come out from it. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6:21) What is built on sacrifice, the devil cannot destroy, and woe be to anyone who tries to destroy it! The covenant we all made with the Lord through sacrifice is eternal and is still in effect. God is a Covenant-Making, Covenant-Keeping, Covenant-Enforcing God!
Covenant Versus Contract
Contracts are enforced by courts, but covenant is enforced by character. One requires giving your name, the other giving your life. Marriage is a covenant, whereas a business deal would be a contract. We are in a Covenant-Relationship with God and with each other as Christians. All of our Victory Churches are in Covenant-Relationship with one another. God takes it very seriously when you break His covenants. Character weaknesses cause some people to break covenant over and over again, with devastating consequences for all involved. God always works on our character before fully releasing our calling.
Much of the breakdown in family and church today, can be traced to the failure to give honor where honor is due. “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” (Eph 6:1-2)
Mike Murdock says, “I have always been able to trace someones success, back to the place where they honored someone they should honor. And I have always been able to trace someone’s failure, back to the place where they dishonored someone they should honor.” I can say amen to this! God said, “Those who honor Me I will honor and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” (1 Sam 2:30)
In the Last Days “many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matt 24:10-12)
Notice where this downward progression begins - offense. Unresolved offenses create major relational problems that undermine families, churches, businesses, cities, and nations. Remember: covenant is not covenant until it is tested. Tests both develop and reveal one’s character! How you deal with offense is one of the ways that covenant is tested. We must be careful to follow the process Jesus laid out in Matthew 18:15-17.
In 2001 my wife and I went to California to expand the Victory Church Family. In our first five years we built a large and powerful church. During that time, I was training a young man to take over this Church. He was tall, handsome, and very gifted, but he began to think more highly of himself than he ought. I confronted him about some of the areas he needed to change, but instead of taking counsel, he took offense. As a leader you must bring correction to those who you are responsible for, whether they are wise or unwise. If you don’t, they will lead others astray. He turned against me and left the church. Others that I had placed under his care left with him.
Prov 9:8 "Do not rebuke a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man and he will love you."
A few years later this young man made a post on Facebook, which one of my associate pastors saw. The post said, ‘Nobody has ever treated me as good as Pastors George and Hazel. They treated me like a prince, and I betrayed them. I was a Judas, an Absalom, a Korah, and a Jezebel. Lord, please forgive me.’ My associate asked him to come and tell us these things and he did. He came to my office and asked for forgiveness from Hazel and I and our staff. Then we all broke down and wept! I thank God, this young man had enough courage and fear of God to come to us and make things right. We prayed for him and released him with our blessing to go on, grow on, and fulfill his God given destiny.
Yours for Strength of Character and God-Fearing Covenant-Keeping Relationships
Dr. George Hill
President & Founder
Victory Churches International
“Do not rejoice over me my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” - Micah 7:8
Definition of Resilience: “The capacity to recover quickly from difficult life events.” It’s not how high you can jump, or how fast you can run, but how well you can bounce!
- Resilient people are committed to finishing strong
Quitting is never an option. (2 Tim 4:7) “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Have a finish-line mentality. Winning is not the most important thing - but putting forth the effort to win is!
- Resilient people are inspired by a big picture view of life
Heb 12:2 “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Long-term vision will get you through all of life’s short-term disappointments!
- Resilient people don’t carry excess baggage
- They understand the importance of repairing the past.
- They practice repentance and are quick to forgive. Phil 4:31-32
- They understand the value of memory. Phil 3:13
- They respect the past and draw upon its wisdom.
- Resilient people train to go the distance
They prepare themselves for emergencies of life. Getting through tough times demands emotional resilience. Overcomer’s continually grow their minds and harness their emotions. "A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.” - (Prov 24:16)
- Resilient people run with their own company
(Acts 4:23-24) “And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So, when they heard that they raised their voice to God with one accord and said, “Lord You are God, who made heaven and earth, and all that is in them.” Who do you go to when you have problems? It is good to have friends who know the Word of God and know how to pray in faith.
Jesus is the comeback King, and we, as Followers of Christ, are His 'Come back kids'
The Apostle Paul, no stranger to hard knocks, said, “We may be knocked down, but we are never knocked out!” (2 Cor 4:9 Philips) No matter how often you get knocked down, with God’s help, you can bounce back up! No matter how many times you fall, you can rise again! No matter how hard you have been hit, you can come back swinging! Let the power of Christ-In-You make you resolute, resourceful, and resilient. Then you say, ‘I have prepared, I have followed the rules, I will not quit!’
Yours, that you might finish your course with joy!
Dr. George Hill
President & Founder, Victory Churches International
People all over the world sense we are coming to the end of something, and they are right. All things the way we know them, are coming to an end. “The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be serious and watchful in your prayers.” (1 Peter 4:7-11) Time is indeed short and End Time prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. This powerful prophetic passage gives us eight directives in the light of: the final revival and ingathering of souls; the coming judgment of the Church and the World; the return of Christ; the end of the age, and the new millennium.
- “Be serious (sober).” (vs7) “Demas has forsaken me having loved this present world.” (2 Tim 4:10) Don’t let the push or the pull of this present world, push you out of God’s plan for your life.
- “Be watchful in your prayers.” (vs 7) “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt 26:41) This means we must be aware of what’s going on around us and take it to God in prayer before taking it to the streets in protest.
- “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.” (vs 8) We must learn to love, accept, and forgive imperfect people, realizing that we are all equal but different - male and female, Jew and Gentile. In the western world we come from every tribe, tongue, nation, and people group in the whole world. This means we each have to deal with any trace of racism within ourselves. We must love what is excellent and accept what is still under construction.
- “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” (vs 9) To be hospitable means being willing to help relieve the pain and suffering of others, including strangers. (Gal 6:10) The Covid-19 pandemic, has changed the way we live, whether we like it or not. Many are bored, many are afraid, and many are hurting. Be hospitable.
- “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (vs10) It’s wonderful when your gift becomes somebody else’s miracle from God! “Do not neglect the gift that is in you.” (1 Tim 4:14) Am I neglecting the gift that is in me? “Stir up the gift of God which is in you.” (2 Tim 1:6) How can I stir up the gift of God that is in me?
- “If anyone speaks let him speak as the oracles of God.” (vs 11) Our words have the power to heal or to hurt. As believers, we are God’s voice to our world. We need to make sure that when we speak, we are saying what He would say. (Col 4:6) “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Secular news is so negative it can become very disheartening. But “a word spoken in due season how good it is!” (Prov 15:23)
- “If anyone ministers (serves) let him do it with the ability which God supplies” (vs 11) Following Jesus and doing what He tells you to do is what turns Superficial Christians into Supernatural Christians. There is nothing boring about serving Jesus! “Freely you have received freely give.” (Matt 10:8)
- “That in all things God may be glorified through Christ Jesus.” (vs 11) Let false motives, pride, and selfish ambitions be revealed and rooted out. Going through tough times has taught me that God wants to change our hearts before He changes our circumstances. Repentance and cleansing precede healing and advancement. Tough times never last, but tough people do!
If you waste your time, you waste your life. These eight positive directives will keep you prepared, positioned, and productive. We are standing on the brink of the most dangerous and exciting times ever. Are you ready to occupy until He comes? Let’s not sit back, hold back, draw back, or drop out! Let’s do all that we can with what we have as long as we’re able! When we go out, let’s go out in a blaze of glory!
To God be the Glory forever and ever Amen!
Dr. George Hill
Apostolic Founder and President of Victory Churches International
Three things that concern many people today:
- How am I going to pay all my bills?
- Will I lose my job, and if I do, will I be able to find another one?
- Will I have enough money to feel secure when I reach retirement age?
1. Plan for Recession Before it Starts. Start trimming costs before you start losing money. Postpone nonessential purchases and become more efficient in every area - shopping, driving, restaurants, etc. Develop different streams of income so that you are not reliant on just one source of supply. Diversify your investments to include markets that are less affected by a downturn. Manage debt wisely. Avoid getting into debt but build your credit rating so that you can borrow if you have to. (Prov 10:5)
2. What To Do During Times of Recession
- If you have a half decent job, hang onto it. If you lose your job, file for unemployment. Take any part-time job you can find – opportunity likes busy people!
- Look for ways to cut expenses and generate some extra income. Be creative – God still knows how to give great income producing ideas. (Jer 33:3)
- If you own property, hang on to it. Now is not the best time to sell unless you have no other choice.
3. True Wisdom is Always Proactive
- Take inventory of your strengths and weaknesses. Know how to sell yourself to potential employers or customers.
- You may have to reinvent yourself. Your old line of work or way of doing things may no longer be sustainable. You must retool for the kind of work that can thrive during recession.
- Be willing to work for less than you would in good times.
- Be willing to volunteer your time to the church or other non-profit organizations. Proverbs 14:23 says, “In all labor is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty.”
- Be aggressive, ask, seek, knock, and keep on knocking.
4. Stay Plugged Into Church
- You are going to need your weekly ‘Faith-Lift’! We all need a network of positive friends that we can share ideas with and receive good advice from.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for advice, help and prayer, when you go through tough times. Don’t just clam up and pretend everything is okay when it’s not.
- Do not stop giving of your time and talents to help others. Don’t hold back on your tithes and offerings. (Malachi 3:10-11)
- Make extra time to wait on God for His direction. (Col 1:9-12)
5. When the Recession is Over. You have to anticipate the inevitable recovery. What will you do differently when the crisis is past?
- Live more simply.
- Learn new skills.
- Increase incomes and save a bigger portion of it.
- Make it a habit to live within your means.
- Use credit cards wisely.
- Plan for the future – those who thrive in tough times are those who prepare ahead.
The CEO of my bank said, “Now is not the time to be optimistic or pessimistic, now is the time to be realistic.” What goes up quickly will come down quickly. What goes down quickly will eventually come up, after it bottoms out. Cash is no longer king - cash flow is king! Cash flow will determine whether you can keep the doors open.
“Finally, my brethren, Be Strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might.”
-Ephesians 6:10
Dr. George Hill
President & Founder
Victory Churches International
May 2020 -
A principle my wife and I live by is this: ‘We do our best, (according to biblical wisdom and knowledge) and trust God for the rest.’ Many times we have had to say, “God, we don’t understand this, it doesn’t seem fair or just or right - but we trust you!” When God doesn’t do what you think He should do, that’s when you need to trust Him. The more you know the Planner, the more you will trust the plan and trials will test your trust.
“We should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us, in whom we trust that He will still deliver us.” - (2 Cor 1:9-10)
- “Who delivered us.” Past tense
- “And does deliver us.” Present tense
- “Whom we trust that He will still deliver us.” Future tense
God doesn’t waste any of our experiences. He will take your past and make it serve your future. He can turn your misery into ministry and enable you to reach people you couldn’t understand before, much less minister to.
Your crisis is an opportunity to grow, to learn, to get closer to God, to invent something, to develop a new relationship, to understand others and be in a position to help them.
Looking to God during tough times works transformation and maturity in us:
- It was Paul’s imprisonment (social isolation) that gave him the opportunity to write almost half of the New Testament.
- It was the lions’ den that made Daniel an overcomer and brought promotion.
- It was Job’s trials that made him a legend and doubled the size of his estate.
- It was David’s victory over Goliath that positioned him to become King of Israel.
- It was the fiery furnace that burned off the bondages and raised the three Hebrew children to a place of great prominence.
You will never succeed if you throw up your hands and quit every time something goes wrong. The world and the church both need leaders who never lose hope and who know how to move forward in crisis situations.
We all must:
- Learn from the past - squeeze every bit of wisdom that you can out of it.
- Look to the future with great hope and expectation - based upon the nature of God, the promises of God, and your own full commitment to walk in His ways.
- Live in the present! Do what you can with what you’ve got now, and God will expand it!
Great Hope for the Future Releases Great Power in the Present!
Dr. George Hill
President & Founder
Victory Churches International
