Snapshot: Victory

Recently I've heard a lot about victory.  This is what Jesus has earned for us...this is our inheritance in Him.  Victory is knowing that Jesus is Lord and King, and knowing that you have justification with Him.  Victory is being close enough to Him to know that all is well, drawn near enough to know that His Love remains.  Victory is total satisfaction, and it leaves us wanting nothing more than to remain with Him.

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want"  Psalm 23:1

All we can do to have victory is to melt before Jesus.  All we can do is offer ourselves up and let Him carry us there.  God is taking us to victory.  Draw near to Him, draw closer, and He will take you there.  Blessed Victory.  Don't be satisfied with the past, the present, or your future.  Only desire closeness to Him.  You can have it right now.  You can be moved to tears of joy right now.  You can have a revelation of His Love right now.  So understand that He's saved you with an otherworldly Love, and put your hope in Him.

"Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore."  Psalm 131:3

We are spiritual Israel.  Glory to God!  Let's be taken to that place where we can be with Him.  He will take us there, and make us more like Him.  He is faithful to draw us near, and He is faithful to give us a hope that will not fade.  Come near to Him and believe in the Victory.  Believe that Jesus is still on the throne.  Look to Him, and hope that His deliverance is here.

Snapshot: In a Bubble

There Lord has been speaking to me about His protection and His presence surrounding us recently.  There have been many thematic events about bubbles.  This all began at Christmas, when we got a gift of "durable bubbles" for our cat, Fearless, to play with.  These bubbles were advertised as being able to touch the ground and not pop.  The idea is that cats chase them as they roll around on the floor, until the cat actually has to touch the bubble to pop it.

"But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you"  Job 12:7

Anyways, bubbles have been a recurring theme since then.  For me, they represent God's indwelling presence exceeding our own bodies.  They represent the Holy Spirit in us coming through and creating a manifestation of God all around us.  They represent the "hedge of protection" that the Lord had placed around Job  (Job 1:10).  This bubble is God's territory.  The enemy cannot enter, and we are shielded by God's power and Love.  Disease cannot enter, neither can spiritual darkness or despair.

If we yield to God's Spirit within us, we will find it is soon all around us, too.  We will find that the Holy Spirit will surround us with peace, love, and joy.  Those around us will be positively affected, too (but some will be cut to the heart).  This is what we are called to--Christ in us, with us and through us--until we are manifesting His presence here on the earth.

"Awake, awake, Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor, Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again."  Isaiah 52:1

This is God's command to us as believers.  In other words, put on your bubble!  Be separated and sanctified and set apart from the rest.  Be clothed with His strength.  It's already within--just let His Light and His character shine through.  His Light is Love and strength.  And if we yield and come into agreement with Him, His strong hand will come upon us  (Isaiah 8:11).  We will be displaying the nature of our savior to all the world, and we will achieve victory over the enemy, who will not be able to touch us.

"Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city."  Revelation 22:14

When we are within His bubble, we are seen by all as we rightfully are--sons and daughters of the King!  Adverse situations will not steal our joy.  We will have the right to the tree of life and be allowed through the gates of His Kingdom.  The enemy will see the Spirit of God within us, and he will not be able to touch us.  We will walk out our identity as the Lord's anointed, as He cleans us from the inside out (Psalms 105:15).

Glory to God!  Yield to Him, focus on Him, preoccupy yourself with His goodness, and watch as it bubbles up through you.  You will be within His bubble, and His presence around you will make you clean.  Watch as His presence then shines out, and watch as you become totally untouched by outside circumstances.  His Joy will surround you wherever you go!

Being Guided

What the body of Christ needs is to be constantly guided.  We need to be in tune with the Spirit of God, and we need to follow His promptings step by step.  There are so many ways to be taken out of our communion with Him, though.  And some seem innocent enough.  Below are two of the more subtle things that distract us from God's perfect will:

1)  TIME -- Will you give God your time?  Arbitrary schedules, agendas, and even everyday obligations can take your mind off of God and stifle the Spirit.  Will you give God these things?

Forget about the time...His Presence is here.  Forget about these distractions...instead, be willing to focus on Immanuel, God with us.  Be willing to come to awareness of the manifest presence of God through His son Jesus.


"But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me."  But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."  Luke 10:40-42

2) OBLIGATIONS -- Related to time; how many things do you commit to that do not matter to God?  How many things that you do will just burn up at the end?  How often do you not consult only yourself before making a decision.  Let's seek God instead.  You'd be surprised--God wants you to do only those things that glorify Him.  There are a lot of good things out there.  But their is only one best thing, and that's to glorify Jesus.  Setting up obligations can leave you already committed by the time God gives you clear instruction.  God will honor your words, and your obligations to others, but the truth is that He may have had a better way that is now pushed back by your own will.  Don't by your obligations stifle God's perfect will for you.

"I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one."  Ezekiel 22:30

Wait, and then act.  God is not necessarily impressed by your ability to get things done.  Obligations will only fill up your time with events that are not ideal.  Instead, God wants you to join Him in His plans.  So change starts with Him, and effective work starts with Him.  We need to commit first to His work.  What are His plans?  What are His thoughts?  What does He have in store for where you, for your community?  If you surrender your time and your obligations to Him, if you lay them down at His feet, He will let you in on His plans.  This is where effective work starts, and this is where doing the will of God gets exciting.  Yield to Him, and be willing to have Him change you plans.  He may even say "no" to your desires, but you will find the richness of His will so much more fulfilling than striving alone.  

"They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them..."  Acts 16:6-7

Confirmed: I went to the Quickened Word website about two hours after finishing this post, and saw a new Word there that really confirmed the reality of distractions.  This Word addressed things from a different angle, describing the spiritual fallout produced by distractions, but was so timely and synchronistic for me.  We need to focus on Him, and then on doing His will! Here is the article.  

Snapshot: Prophetic Praise

If we draw near to God, we will be consumed in His Love.  We will Praise Him, we will worship Him, and maybe we'll even dance to Him.  This is what King David did, and this is what God wants from those who would express themselves this way.  Music is a powerful thing, and a force that can align us with either Jesus or evil.  God wants us to glorify Him through music.  He wants us to know that "for Him are all things" (Romans 11:36).

In the last month I've been reading about King David and his team of musicians in my new Bible commentary books.  I've been realizing in a new way that David was a very musically- oriented man.  Music was a means of life for David, because David lived for God.  He had such a heart for God's people coming together in worship.  God wants to give all of us a heart like that. 

"How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!"  Psalm 133:1

When the hungry come together, they come to worship and experience true Life.  They live in His presence, and they live for their relationship with Him.  When the hunger is there, the Holy Spirit is there.

So Worship elevates us to a place where we better understand Jesus.  And worship music helps with this.  Worship music is a holiness tool.  It elevates us to a place where our thoughts and our actions bring us to the King.  It gives a testimony to Jesus.

This is where prophecy comes in.  This is where we can give a revelation of Jesus through our speech and through song.  This is where music brings in a message from God that testifies to forgiveness and love.  This message testifies to Jesus.  It tells us that God is doing a new thing; that He is making a way where there was only hopelessness before.

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."  Isaiah 43:19

It tells us to change in accordance with His will.  And it speaks of a future hope and a future calling that far exceeds past doubts and failures.  This message comes as the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10) And music helps us get to that place.  When God's people come in unity and seek Him in song, God is pleased.  When the music and the worship please Him, the atmosphere becomes prophetically charged.

This is one thing King David loved about the body.  This is why David surrounded himself by a team of worshippers and musicians.  It allowed Him to come closer to God.

"Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation."

Let's praise Him vocally.  Let's sing and praise and shout as we become the hope of God.  Let's sing a new song, let's sing in the Spirit, let's sing as we are led.  Let's worship with all of our spirit, as His Spirit leads into all truth (John 4:24).

But don't sing out of obligation--God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).  Sing because there is no other way to express His character.  Sing, because when His Love comes, it's often hard to be quiet.  Make a joyful noise, as He fills you to overflowing with His Love.  Wigglesworth said that you're in a terrible place if you can't shout.  Now, to each their own.  But we need to be passionate about our God.  We need to be passionate about what He's done, and we need to be passionate about giving Him all the glory we can.

"He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed."   Psalm 40:3

God gave this.  God is still doing this.  By the Spirit, He will give you all the songs you want.  Let Him inspire you.  Let Him renew your mind and give you music that glorifies Him.  Sing to Him, and sing to Him a new song.    Sing by His leading to glorify what He's done, to share your testimony.  That's what King Hezekiah did after God healed Him (Hezekiah's Song).  So sing praises, and allow Him to uplift you and spread His glory.

Confirmed:  As I was writing the last paragraph, seen above, Vanessa came in with a testimony.  She was singing to God in the other room, singing praise as she felt led and thanking Him for His goodness.   All of a sudden, she was prompted to file down her fingernails, so she left the room and found a new nail file in the next room over .  As she filed,  she turned it over and read the back--sometimes God will lead you towards apparently random things--and it said, "ENCORE!".

Glory to God!  He likes our music.  God is pleased by our worship.  He wants us to continue in it!  He wants us to give Him an encore!  He wants us to stay in praise, abide in Him, and let Him take our fears away.  He wants to surround us with His Love and with a sense of His presence.

Snapshot: Poured Out

A few days ago I saw a vision where there were glasses with wine in them.  One was wide, like a standard glass for water or juice, whereas the other was an actual wine glass.  The regular one stayed filled continually, while the wine glass was being poured out again and again.  This wine glass would pour out, then refill, then pour out, then refill, again and again and again.  Keep in mind, both glasses were filled with wine.

I was given understanding that the wider glass represented my communing time alone with God.  And the wine glass was meant to be poured out and spent on behalf of others.  The source of all this wine was the shorter, wider glass--time alone in God's presence, in prayer and in praise.  Through this communion, supernatural refill of the wine glass was made possible.  How important it is to become filled up with God!  This is the key to our sustenance, and it is the only thing that makes service for others effective and possible.

"But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you."  Phillippians 2:17

Paul was poured out again and again in service to others.  But he didn't get tired or burnt out.  He didn't lose his faith.  No, He communed with God, was filled with the Spirit, and put to use the gift that keeps on giving.  He was glad and rejoicing, even when tested with the burdens of others.

God has more than enough.  If He's called you to people, He will give you the strength and Love to sustain them.  If He has not, that means He is waiting for you to accept Him prior to receiving a specific call.  He will give you every good gift that is needed to advance His Kingdom.  It is a joy to be filled with His Spirit, filled with new wine, and it is a joy to have that gift then being given to many others.

He has called us to righteousness.  He has taken our hand.  He will keep us (Isaiah 42:6 and following).  IF we run to Him, He will fill us with the Spirit.  If we commune with Him, He is faithful to meet us where we're at.  And when He does this, He will give us an overflow for sharing with others.

Snapshot: When He Sends His Spirit

Wonderful things happen when God sends us more of His Spirit.  Wonderful things happen when He gives us a double portion.  Wonderful things happen when we have received new wineskins that are ready to accommodate Him.

When God sends us more, it fills His people with joy.  It fills us with supernatural Love and bubbles over us with streams of living water.  When God sends us this gift, we partake of His Glory.  We see a portion of His beauty.  And we become changed into a new creation that is modeled after Him.  When God sends His Spirit, He heals all the earth.

"When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground."  Psalm 104:30

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  Thank you Jesus.  He came and brought in the Spirit's outpouring, He came and started the commission.  What is the commission?  It is God's idea, it is God's master plan of Redemption and Salvation.

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."  Matthew 16:15

This is what we've been called to.  We've been called to magnify His Presence and show His deliverance to all the earth.  Every creature needs God.  All creation needs salvation.  And we are the ones who have been anointed for this very purpose.  Jesus came and set the precedent, now He is with us to empower us to do the same.  Glory to God!

When He send His Spirit, we are changed.  He transforms us and places within us the every creature commission.  He puts in our heart the great commission.  This commission should be our major passion.  We need to identify the beauty in His Will.  We need to understand the nature of His Love.  We need to realize how wonderful His commands are.

"They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb."  Psalm 19:10

If you do not have this heart for His commands, then you are stifling the Spirit.  Allow Him to bring you to conviction and then to repentance!  Allow Him to send His Spirit!  Allow Him to give you a new wineskin.

This is where revival starts.  God is sending His Spirit, and He is renewing all the earth.  He is renewing the earth, one mind at a time!  Allow your mind to be next.  Let's awaken to Him, and let's awaken to the Kingdom that has been birthed within us.  Let's allow Him to take us from strength to strength as we fulfill His commission.  Let's allow Him to make a new way.

God Speaks to His People

The following are excerpts from the book Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby & Claude King:

"GOD GIVES SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS
A popular teaching says God does not give you clear directives. It says He just sets your life in motion. Then you try to figure out the directions using your God-given mind. This implies that a Christian always thinks correctly and according to God's will. This does not take into account that the old nature is constantly battling with the spiritual nature (see Romans 7.) Our ways are not God's ways (See Isaiah 55:8.) Only God can give you the kind of specific directions to accomplish His purposes in His ways....

The Holy Spirit gives clear directives today. God is personal. He wants to be intimately involved in your life. He will give you clear guidance for living. You may say, 'That has not been my experience.' You need to bring your experience up to the Word of God and now lower God's ways to match your own...

If you do not have clear instructions from God in a matter, pray and wait. Learn patience. Depend on God's timing. His timing is always right and best. Don't get in a hurry. He may be withholding directions to cause you to seek Him more intently. Don't try to skip over the relationship to get on with the doing. God is more interested in  love relationship with you than He is in what you can do for Him. (pgs. 94-95)"

"GOD REVEALS HIS PURPOSES
God reveals His purposes so you will know what He plans to do. If you are to join Him, you need to know what He is about to do or what He is already doing. What you plan to do for God is not important. What He plans to do where you are is very important. God speaks with a purpose in mind.

When God came to Noah, He did not ask, "What do you want to do for me?" He came to reveal what He was about to do. It was far more important to know what God was about to do. It really did not matter what Noah had planned to do for God. God was about to destroy the world. He wanted to work through Noah to accomplish His purposes of saving a remnant of people and animals to repopulate the earth. (pg. 99)"


I was very encouraged by these two sections of this book this morning. Lately, I've begun to lose faith in things that God has told me about what He is doing now and in the future, wondering if I even heard His voice correctly. Doubt has been springing up to snatch away the hope I have in His Promises, even Proverbs Promises like, "...He will direct your path."

Last week I went to the Alumni Service at the high school I graduated from. Something was said that morning over and over again after we read Isaiah 40, which was, "Hold onto the Promises of God. He is who He says He is, and He does what He says He is going to do." In one form or another, this message was really driven home, and I was encouraged.

But then of course, I was shot by another arrow of doubt, and didn't withstand it. So this morning, when I walked into my workspace, this book was laid open with a little clump of pages sticking straight up. On the left side was pages 94-95 (the first excerpt), and on the ride side, page 99 (the second excerpt.) These two specific passages were so refreshing to me. It renewed my mind with Truths from God's Word. I often get confirming scriptures from the Bible for things like this, but often God will use books written by Christians to speak to me as well. Praise the Lord!!

I have listened to Charles Stanley since I was younger, but really "got into" his preaching when I was living in Los Angeles, after I had come back to God. One of his staple teachings on "knowing the will of God" is that we must believe that He has a very specific plan for our life, and that we must seek Him diligently to know His "calling" on our life. I know that He has been revealing His will for me, and I also know that the enemy would love to try to make me doubt again, as to render me ineffective in this world. Let us remember the Promises of God! Promises He has given us in His Word, and also Promises He has revealed to us about His plans for us!

Light in Their Eyes

This morning the Lord gave me a vision of a myself holding a laser.  I pointed it out into the distance and it was very bright and powerful.  Then I turned the laser's light into my own eyes.  In the vision, I knew that this was actually a good thing, and symbolized the Light of God being placed into my eyesight.

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light."  Matthew 6:22

"Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness."  Luke 11:34

Luke 11:34 implies that if our eyes are healthy, then they will be full of light.  And it clearly states that our whole bodies will be full of light as a result of healthy eyes.  We need to have God touch our eyesight and give us His some of His Light.  We need to have God touch us and give us eyes to see.

"But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear."  Matthew 13:16

We need to have received this kind of impartation from God.  We desperately need to be blessed by Him.  This is what the Body of Believers needs right now.  We need in our eyes a reflection of His Light and His Love.  We need our eyes to be glorifying to the Father.

Our eyes should show that we came from the Father of Lights Himself.  The Light in our eyes should be a part of our testimony.  Our eyes should testify to joy and the unconditional goodness of God.  The Lord wants our eyes to be full, and then He wants our light to spill over into the rest of our face and the rest of our body.   Let's chase God and not give up.  Let's seek His face until He gives us enough Light to transform our very face and countenance, as well.  Let's seek Him until we find those things that He wants us to find.   Let's encounter Him in a way that makes all situations pure joy.

"All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel."  Acts 6:15

But there is a major obstacle to receiving the Light and Love of the Father--We cannot be judgemental towards others.  We cannot have any logs in our eyes, and even a speck of impurity means that a measure of God's Light will be blocked out (Matthew 7:5).   We have to look on others like Jesus told us to, without judgement, but with plenty of Love.  And we need to have His help with this.

If Jesus Christ is your Lord, then you have the Holy Spirit within you already.  Hallelujah!  And with the Holy Spirit comes all the Light of the world.  It's already there, right inside of you!  I'd encourage you, don't stifle it.  Don't block out with your judgement of others any amount of the Light that He wants to shine through.  Let His Love pour out of your eyes and transform your perspective.  Let His Light make your countenance angelic, and let it make you perfect.  Let this light transform your mission place and then your entire world.

I believe that vision this morning was for any Christian.  What God showed me in that vision this morning was that God's already given us His Light.  He's placed it in our hands and graciously put it into our hearts.  He wants this gift to shine through our eyes, too.  So let's use it to look inwards, as I saw myself doing in the vision.  Let's allow His Light to inspect us and cleanse us from all impurities.

Let's let this Light and this Love remove the logs, planks, and specks from our eyes.  When you are filled with His Light, it will become so very clear that you don't have any right whatsoever to judge.  The blockages will be removed and your eyes will become full of Light, for all to see.  We need to have His Light, and we need to Love one another with it.

Between the ages of ten and nineteen I attended the same Church.  I was saved at eighteen, and after a few months of absence I saw the Church Pastor again.  He knew I was different. He saw it in my eyes.  He saw how God's Love had fully changed me, how it had changed my countenance, how it had transformed my eyes.  I was a new creation, and I had been born again as a son of the Father of Lights.   We all need to keep this Light within us flowing out to the extent that it's obvious to others.

Confiirmed:  Two mornings ago I received from God a vision where Vanessa and I had light bulbs on top of our heads.  I felt it represented His Love manifesting in new ways with new ideas.

Confirmed:  I was on the Quickened Word website earlier today and saw a new post that confirmed the Lord's message of Light and Love.  The post's author had a dream about lighbulbs just last night, shortly after I saw them in a vision the day before!   I love how God gives value to all the members of the Body and allows anyone desiring to "see in part".  Here is the post....I'd encourage you to take a look.  It's so important for us to be the Light of the World.

The message here remains the same--as said in the book of John, we know that we are His because of our Love. And we will make known that we belong to the Father by our Love for one another.  This is how we should represent the Church--by Love for those who hate us and Light that shines through our eyes and actions for all to see.

On Beat & Awake

Three days ago, on Tuesday morning, I woke up and began to just say "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" throughout the morning. I began doing it again in the early afternoon, and by the late afternoon, I was saying it to make it through some regular chaos.

It feels like this is my "waking up" cry. You see, I have been through some very spiritually dry patches since August. When I "press in" to God, it hasn't been the same as in past times. It hasn't been as passionate. I have been sick, which has made me very uncomfortable, and I have been frustrated with God about it. Three weeks ago, I had to make it a personal goal to not say a word against the Lord. He has been using the book of Job to speak to me a lot through it all. I have also been meeting a lot of other "Jobs."

Also on Tuesday morning, I began to feel better physically. Last week, I noticed Thomas had been writing a series of blogs on Revival. He said that God had been telling him that He was bringing revival. When I hear that word, I think of large groups of people being spiritually refreshed, coming back to God. But I had a thought, and I asked God, "Are you going to give me revival too? I need this so bad; I want this so bad! I opened the Bible randomly and the first thing my eyes saw was Hosea 6:2, which says, "After two days He will revive us, on the third day He will restore us, that we may live in His presence." I decided to believe that He was going to bring revival to even me, and soon!

Today is Friday, and ever since Tuesday, I have been feeling oppression lift off of me. I feel freer, lighter. I say, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" all the time, and it brings me peace. I am able to come to Him easier, unashamed. I have also only used two tissues today, and not too long ago, I used a whole box in a day. Spiritually, I testify that He really is reviving me, and physically, I clearly witness that He is restoring my body!

Yesterday, my brother Daniel gave me an interesting gadget with loud speakers that plays by bluetooth what is playing on my iPhone. It is called a JBL ONBEAT AWAKE, which I thought was appropriate :-)

I'm continuing to pray for this revival and restoral to keep happening in me, as I am not fully restored yet and I know that spiritually I could still be more alive. I have had to keep constant my begging to be revived and restored. I believe He wants to revive us all!! But we have to want it too. We have to show Him that we want it. If He just gave it to us, we may take it for granted and fall away easily again without recognizing the shifts in our spiritual state. It's easy to get lackadaisical that way, but it's strengthening to constantly be aware of where we are; it helps us to keep pressing in for more Revival!


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"I give myself away... All I want is You."

I love this song-
 (thanks to Thomas for finding it!)

Spiritual Ecstasy

There is something supernatural that happens when we worship God.  We feel more of the Holy Spirit! Often this results in deep conviction, repentance, or Love.  There is a more excellent way.  There is another level to attain.  Once God get's our sinfulness out of the way, once we get ourselves out of the way, that's when there is a breakthrough to happen.

Now our faith in God shouldn't be built on our feelings alone.  His facts are greater than how we feel when in worship.  But if we are seen as perfect by the Lord, that's when He can really touch us.  That's when we can worship in Spirit and in truth (see John 4:24 and context).  When we praise Him in this way, that's what pleases Him.  And pleasing God usually feels really, really good.  Worship like this can be spiritual ecstasy.

There are times in worship when I God so fills me that I am about ready to burst.  And that's what He wants.  He wants us to know the depth of His Love.  The awesomeness of His Presence. The weight of His Glory!  He wants me to become so aware, that the treasure He's given is so from Him, so enormous that I alone cannot contain.

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."  2 Corinthians 4:7


Praises to God.  This is how every worship experience should feel.  If I worship Him and do not feel like this, I take it as a problem.  I may have become distracted; my heart may have hardened a little bit; I probably sinned.  All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23).  But that doesn't mean I am justified.  No, it means I need to get right and repent and allow the Spirit to unstop the release of His Love and His Glory.

Once this happens we have accepted His Love.  We have accepted such a gift of Love.  We should feel like we're in Heaven whenever we worship Him.  We should be Singing With All The Saints in Glory.  And if we are pleasing God, this is how worship will always feel.  No good gift will He withhold from us.

We will feel rivers of living water coming out from within us (John 7:38).  We will feel at one with the Father (John 17:22).  We will become flames as fire for Him (Psalms 104:4) and testify to His Joy and His Glory.  And so much more!!  Once again, it's spiritual ecstasy.  And we will do all this through the Holy Spirit, who works with us to fan into flames the gifts that we've already received from God.

Sidenote:  I was reading a new Bible commentary (it was a Birthday present) and there was a long sidenote about the callings of the OT prophets.  Many received their calling, the book said, in a state of ecstasy.  There were some cool facts about Isaiah the prophet.  I thought it interesting that Isaiah often used Spiritual music to induce an 'ecstatic' state, from which He could then prophecy accurately.  The closer we get to God, the more we will become Spirit and Truth, as opposed to flesh and lies.  Therefore, the more truthfully we can access details for prophecy.

Confirmed:  I thought the above book's use of the word, 'ecstatic' was interesting.  In the next few days I was reading a different book, and it was talking about the spiritual level that some of the New Testament Apostles attained.  Just look at His book of Revelation for some clues to this.

And I realized that spiritual ecstasy is totally biblical.  It's a good thing!  Let's hope that God takes us to new levels in the Spirit so that we can take all our delight in Him.  And let's allow Him to make us as undignified as He wants, (2 Samuel 6:22) so that He can pour His greatness into our human bodies.  Let's yield to Him today, and expect that He will show us His pleasure.  Let's ask Him to show us His Love in a new way.

Snapshot: An Eternal Perspective

God has a different relationship to time than we do.  In fact, He operates outside of time and space altogether!

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day."  2 Peter 3:8

And I was thinking about this a few days ago, and realizing that one day we will look back at our momentary troubles and realize how insignificant they were.  We will look back and see how God worked our suffering into His Redemption plan.  And someday we'll be in Heaven with Him, fully understanding the causes of things that caused confusion back while we were alive on the earth.  

I realized in that moment, that our trials only make sense if we view time from an eternal perspective.  

If we realize that God has already designed the end from the beginning, if we realize that He has plans to prosper us and not to harm us, if we realize the eternal nature of His Love, then we can retain His Joy throughout any earthly difficulties.  We can welcome any of the "light and momentary troubles" that Jesus promised would come (John 16:33).

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."  2 Corinthians 4:17

Glory to God.   He has promised us eternal Glory.  Not only that, but this heavenly state has already been set in place for us!

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus..."  Ephesians 2:6

In order to live this life to the fullest we need to have an eternal perspective.  We need to really live in believing that we have a tremendous joy set before us.  There is so much joy set before us!  God has been storing it up for us since the beginning.  Lord, I believe!  Hallelujah.

Confirmed:  After thinking on this topic for a while, I got on my Kindle and saw a notification that struck me as odd.  The message said, "It looks like you have changed time zones".  This would normally only happen if I had actually traveled west to the next time zone.  

Right after seeing this uncanny notification, I got onto the Quickened Word website and saw a new post...Here it is.  I knew what God was saying.  He had directed my thoughts, and I had indeed changed 'time zones' to and aligned with His eternal, timeless perspective!

And that's exactly what God wants!  He wants us to know the truth that His calling had, even from before time began.  He wants us to know that our this life is not eternal, and even this short life is not our own.  We need to realize that this world in it's present form is passing away (1 John 2:17).  So let's live as if we believed this.  Let's live life from an eternal perspective.  Our calling is awesome, so let's accept whatever trials He desires to take us through.  Let's keep our eyes fixed on the Savior.  

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!  Today is a day to remember the unlikely and meek birth of our savior.  Today represents the time when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  Glory to Jesus!  God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.

Over the past few months, the Lord has allowed me to faithfully keep up on this blog.  He's taught me more with each passing day, and I'm so thankful for His leading and teaching even as I make each post.  I'm blessed to have a God who is so interesting, dynamic, and creative in showing and expressing His Love!

I hope that this blog has benefited your walk with God and built your faith.  I hope it has renewed your mind to some possible ways that God speaks.  I hope it has changed your focus off of distractions and onto the Glory of God.  And I hope that it has given you a hunger to have more and more Love for the Savior.

Today I just want to share a song.  I've been listening to it for a few days now...praise my Jesus, I found this song on the same day that "Living in Intercession" was written.  Very anointed and powerful music.  If you are led listen to this, then have His power keep you in a state of worship all day!  Below is William McDowell:

"I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle..."  Psalm 49:4

Snapshot: Fear Brings an Atmosphere Shift

In a previous post, Repentance Brings an Atmosphere Shift, I described at the end of the post how our mental state can influence the spiritual atmosphere around us.  Those things that please God, whether repentance, or humility, or whatever else, allow God to work for us and shift our spiritual atmosphere into a good place.  This place is the Kingdom of Heaven, and if are doing His, then the atmosphere of the Kingdom will surround us wherever we go.

So, "good" mindsets bring in the "good and perfect" things from Heaven.  The reverse is also true--"bad" mindsets bring in darkness and lies from the enemy.  These bad mindsets can be brought about by our physical circumstances, our spiritual circumstances, or both.  When we encounter bad circumstances and lose faith, we risk entering into a vicious cycle where our foundation in God falls away.

I've found that the main reason we fall out of the Kingdom, out of that atmosphere where everything points to Jesus, is because of our own sin.  Unrepentant sin blocks out our living in God's presence.  One of the things that most quickly shifts our spiritual atmosphere downwards is the sin of FEAR.

"For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin."  Romans 14:23

Fear is definitely not of faith.  Fear represents a lack of trust in God.  Fear cannot receive the perfect Love of God (1 John 4:18).  Fear is sin, and left unchecked it will very quickly draw us out of His rest into a place where we are an easy target for Satan.

In a previous posts I've mentioned that the enemy can give messages in a similar way that God can.  He too has a voice, an agenda, and a message to spread.  When we fall into fear, we fall into his territory.  And we may become convinced of his lies.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy..."  John 10:10

This is satan's agenda.  He is also a liar and the father of lies.  He is deceitful and never gives the truth, and when we become fearful it is so easy for us him to plant seeds of doubt and unbelief into our minds.  When you fall deeply into fear, the promises that God's given you can become quickly forgotten.  Worse yet, they can become transformed into a web of lies where every confirmation God has shown becomes a sign of condemnation from the enemy.  The Truth is that God has turned our darkness into light (Psalms 18:28)...but the enemy can get take you to a mentality where you fear God's Light is actually a place of evil and darkness.  Satan is the first one to call evil good, and to call good evil (Isaiah 5:20)!

This may be hard to imagine without a practical example.  A few days ago, I began hearing about the Freemason society.  For the purposes of this blog, let's just say they are not of the Light.   Since then I've been seeing the word "mason" more frequently.  I've been hearing things in the news about satanic cults.  I've even been getting mason's jars as gifts!

In addition, I see the number 33 all the time, especially on digital clocks.  This number is something that God uses to remind me of good things (Jeremiah 33, for example), but that same number is very important to free masons.  Oh no!  It seems like the enemy would have me believe I'm destined to work for forces of darkness in the future.  That shouldn't be a surprise; all satan does is pervert the truth.  And as ridiculous as that lie may seem to me right now, if I happen to fall into fear I will very quickly become enslaved to it.  I may even begin to forget God's promises and actually wonder if I'm supposed to be a freemason.

And that is exactly what the enemy wants.  The more fearful we are, the more the true things of God become shrouded in the appearance of darkness by satan.  And the true things of evil begin to masquerade as if they were from the Light (2 Corinthians 11:4).  Not only does satan want us to think that God's Truth is in fact a lie, he wants us to accept lies as the truth.  Lies that may seem ridiculous now can become paralyzingly real if we stay in fear for long.

Things get worse if we acknowledge these false realities as if they were true.  Just as faith can allow God and His army to move, I believe fear and unbelief allow satan and his darkness to activate in our lives.  Slowly but surely, living life in a fearful state can gradually bring us into a dark version of our previous reality, where there is no Love from God nor any hope.  It is in this state that satan can actually actively influence us.  This is when we may be tempted to lose hope, or to betray our faith in God for good.

Look at how often Jesus talked about fear.  Both He and the many angels who appeared in the OT always warned the people not to be afraid.  Why?  Perhaps the presence of fear could actually manifest an increase in the powers of darkness.  I believe that fear shifts the atmosphere into a place where we fall out of God's army and satan gains the upper hand.  Fear can even hinder God's will from playing out as soon as it otherwise would.  So let's counteract this by hanging on to the promises of God.  Let's be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9).  And let's not be afraid, or dismayed (Deuteronomy 31:8).  Take heart because Jesus is still on the throne.  He is still in control, and He is for us.

But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."  Matthew 14:27

Living in Intercession

Like I said in the last blog, compassion will lead us to be emotional.  Compassion ought to move us to tears.  Do you want people to know that you are constantly being filled with Love?  Then act accordingly and yield yourself to God's emotions.  And God's emotions may just require some tears!  Let's be like our Savior and not be afraid of crying.

If we come to feel what God feels, then we can walk in a place of almost constant intercession.  To use a KJB term, we can be "longsuffering" (see this link for more info) on behalf of others as God shows us His heart for them.  We can bear the burdens of others as the Spirit leads.  Glory to God!  If we have softened hearts, then God can and will take us to His watchtower (Habakkuk 2:1) and subject us to His emotions.

"Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies."  Romans 8:23

If we are walking in the Spirit we will be subjected and transformed by His character.  We will feel a deep groaning as we are called to carry out our salvation, and the groaning of His Spirit will only get stronger as we do the Lord's work on behalf of others.  Feeling God's heart towards His creation is the peak of intercession.  There's something wrong if you can't cry about that.

"For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."  Romans 8:22

We see this kind of intercession in all of the Old Testament prophets.  They cried out on behalf of Israel, God's chosen.  They cried out for forgiveness for the sins of their nation--sins they themselves had already been separated from.  They bore the burdens of others.  They loved because He loved them first.  They were grieved about the sins of their nation because He was grieved first.  These prophets were taught by God to live in intercession.

"The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD on me."  Ezekiel 3:14

Sometimes the Spirit leads you to a hard place.  Sometimes exposure to God's feelings is hard to bear.  Let's commit to Him regardless.  Let's submit to His will.  Ezekiel saw God's heart towards the idolatry that was happening in Israel in that time.  And it didn't bring joy!  It didn't bring upliftment!  It took the STRENGTH of God's hand to steer Ezekiel into such a thankless call to intercede.

But Love endures all things.  God will not give us more than we can handle, and He will not expose us to more sorrow than we can bear.  God's love makes life worth living, and it makes things worth doing.  If we are taken captive by the Holy Ghost then we can be restful even in the hardest of situations.  We can be living to intercede for anyone who God's Spirit lays on our hearts.


"Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them."  Hebrews 7:25

This is what Jesus does for us.  Is it too much that we should pray in the same way for others?  Jesus LIVES to intercede.  Can we be prompted by the same Holy Spirit to do the same thing?  Let's obey the Word and pray for others  (see Ephesians 6:18).  But it starts with Love.  It starts with taking up another's burden and being moved with compassion.

"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"  Matthew 25:40

When we see someone in the grocery store, we should see Jesus in them.  And we should love the thought of Jesus being in them.  We should look at them and say, "look at that precious person".  We should be consumed with, and then moved by, His passion stirring up within us.  Then we should have faith that God will specifically instruct us on how to best pray for them, talk to them, or minister to them.  After all, the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through Love (Galatians 5:6).

If we are not living this way and having this Love for others, we are not being fully captivated by the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit will give us more and more love for the rest of God's creation.  We will see what groaning talked about in Romans 8 really means.  Yielding to His Love is critical!  I think that's why Jesus uses our treatment of others as a means of judgement in Matthew 25.  All those who God calls are given the Holy Spirit.  But if we do not yield to this beautiful gift living inside us, what final reward can we expect from our Lord?

The reality is that few are chosen (Matthew 22:14).  Few are willing to say, "Yes!" to any leading of the Holy Spirit, but these are the ones who will pass the test.  These are the ones who are judged worthy of the gift that many more have received.  This may all sound pretty stern, and I think it is, too.  But the good news is that it's not too late!  It's not too late to change!  Let's surrender!  We have already received EVERY spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)!  We already have access to the Kingdom.

"Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."  Luke 17:21

This is the truth.  Will we stand firm?  Love, strength, joy, peace and resurrection power are already within us.  Let's allow them to shine through.  Let's not stifle the Spirit.  Instead, let's commit to being a light on a hill.  It all begins with humility and an overflow of God's Love.  This Love is divine, it is perfect, and it goes completely against the matrix set up by this world.  Let's become filled up with His Glory.  Let's become anointed to show others the character of Jesus.  Let's live to be used by Him.

A Time for Weeping

In our culture today, crying is often looked down upon.  I've been thinking about this recently.  Is this view biblical?  Tearing up is considered a sign of weakness by many people, men in particular.  Crying is viewed as too emotional, too feminine, and too vulnerable for most men.  Men are supposed to be unfeeling and tough, right?  Being "soft" has become a derogatory term for emotional actions.  Men shouldn't be soft!  This is the view of the world that we live in today, in America, at least.  And it's in direct opposition with the Word of God.

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."  Isaiah 36:26


So when we were first saved, we received the Holy Spirit.  We also received a soft heart that allowed us to yield ourselves to Him!  This is a wonderful thing!  Lord, please keep our hearts soft.  Lord, please save us from ourselves.  Keep us focused on you, because you are our ONLY hope!

Back to the subject of crying.  Speaking from my own personal experience, the closer I get to God, the more easily I cry.  Nowadays, it only takes watching a nice movie for my eyes to tear up.  And if I see people oppressed and stuck in their suffering, sometimes it's hard not to cry.  I probably cry every day at this point in my walk with the Lord, especially in worship.  Praise Jesus for keeping our hearts soft.


The reverse is also true.  When I've become distracted off of thoughts of God and His Love, I don't cry very much at all.  I don't have as much of a range of emotion.  I become hard and unfeeling.  People don't bring me great joy, nor do they bring me much sadness.  I am too obsessed with myself to care much about others, and I don't even value my own life enough to be emotional about it.

So for me, I'm in a terrible place if I can't cry.  If God is abiding in my heart and keeping it softened, I will cry to Him.  I will shout to Him.  I will sing to Him (where nobody can hear me, of course).  And I will worship Him while going through the full range of human emotion.  This is biblical--Jesus came to give us life to the fullest (John 10:10).  The fullness of our emotions is seen when they are being used to glorify God.


"Jesus wept."  John 11:35

This is biblical.  This is God's perfect Way.  Jesus was the perfect man, and He cried all the time.  See, if we are filled with Love, anything that opposes Love will hurt us.  It will cause us to feel sorrowful.  It will often cause us to cry.  If we are walking with God, full of the Spirit, we can live in His Love.  We can be an empty vessel for His emotion.  If we allow Him to keep our hearts soft, we will become moved with compassion just like Jesus was.

"And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick."  Matthew 14:14

Compassion will lead us to be emotional.  Compassion ought to move us to tears.  Do you want people to know that you are constantly being filled with Love?  Then act accordingly and yield yourself to God's emotions.  Romans 12:15 tells us to weep with those who weep.  The Holy Spirit wants to equip us with enough love for all those in need.  And if you respond to one, just one, you will find God faithful to cause your Love to overflow to many others, as well.  God's emotions may just require some crying to fully express!  Let's be like our Savior and show our love through sorrow and tears.

"...Then the man of God began to weep"  2 Kings 8:11

Snapshot: When We Only Get Crumbs

The amplified version of John 1:16 says this:

For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.

It's almost too easy.  God lavishes us with gifts!  And He wants to be this generous with us.  The problem begins when we start to take Him for granted.  When we start to despise the "day of small things".  When we stop intently seeking Him because He's blessed us so much.  There is so much lost in spiritual plateau.

"When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me."  Hosea 13:6

Let's not get to this point.  Let's stay hungry for God.  Let's keep searching, keep seeking.  Today the Lord is saying, "Seek my Face".  Will you respond in obedience?

There comes a time when some will fall prey to distractions.  I've done it.  There comes a time when the enemy gets a stronghold and we lose our focus on Jesus.  What does God do then?  He alerts us!  He makes known to us our mistake, and withholds Himself just long enough for us to realize our own desperation for Him.  So we start to miss Him, so to speak, and then we begin seeking Him again.

We may start seeking Him, though, and only find crumbs (see Matthew 15:23 and on).  We may only receive spiritual milk.  We may not feel His presence like we did in the past.  And we may not have our hope fully restored--not right away at least.  There is a time for begging and wrestling with God.  The correct response is to be desperate for God

"Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me."  Psalm 142:6

Let's beg for His mercy, if we need to.  Let's plead for more than crumbs.  We have already entered into the fullness of God in Christ, but let's beg Him to allow us to live in this knowledge.  Even though we already have every spiritual blessing, let's eagerly desire the spiritual gifts that He holds out for our taking (1 Corinthians 12:31).  It is by faith in Jesus that we take hold of all of our heavenly inheritance. It is by faith in His unveiled character that we realize we can wrestle with God.

Confirmed:  Yesterday I was listening to Christian radio and I overheard the story of the Canaanite women who insisted that the Lord at least give her the crumbs.  Didn't she have great faith?  It was this faith that pleased God.  When we have faith, we can ask for more.  We don't have to settle for just crumbs!  If we are reckless in our trust towards Him, it will be done as we wish.  Wigglesworth said, "Asking is receiving."  Glory to God!

Confirmed:  I was talking with Vanessa today about wrestling with God, and when it is appropriate to really plead with Him.  She, too, had heard the story of the Canaanite women yesterday, except she read it in the Word.

Let's come to God with a boldness and empowerment by His Spirit.  Let's come with pure hearts and trust that He has allowed us to stand before Him.  He has made us clean!  He wants our future to be prosperous, and He wants us to be fed with the finest of spiritual foods.  Let's believe what Jude 1:24 says.  Let's believe it and act on it!

"Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault."

How Many Messages?

When God speaks, He wants us to be sure.  He wants to give us confirmations, so that we can discern more easily what is of Him.  I've found that so many things God speaks are true on two levels.  So many of His quickened, personalized messages point at two different things.

"One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: 'Power belongs to you, God..."  Psalm 62:11

"For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it."  Job 33:14

"In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true."  John 8:17

In other words, God is faithful to interpret any of His words for us.  There is a fullness in any word, any direction, any conviction, that He gives!  These things are from God, and every gift He gives is perfect (James 1:17).    I think He enjoys speaking in double entendres.  Jesus spoke in parables!

I'll give a real-life example.  When God relays a theme to me, it may have both practical and spiritual messages.  Or it might describe both the present time and some specific moment in the future.  Or it might apply to myself, and to Vanessa.  The list goes on, but God seems to nearly always gives me messages in twos.  After all, the Word cuts both ways (Hebrews 4:12).  Praise Jesus for speaking to us!

But there is another voice out there.  The voice of doubt, fear, lies, confusion--call it what you want, I'll call it the voice of the enemy.  Anything that isn't for His purposes is against Him (Matthew 12:30).  This voice usually isn't a voice at all, but rather a dark web of half-truths that goes directly against the Love of God.  This is the third voice--if the first two are of God, then this is the voice of doubt and darkness that asks us, "Did God really say?"

If Satan had his way, we would fall into doubt to the extent that we no longer believed in God's goodness.  If the enemy convinced us of this lie, we would give up and be tempted to stop following God.

As an aside, "hearing" things other than the voice of our Lord doesn't mean you're crazy.  Jesus never said we wouldn't hear other voices (John 10:5), though He promised we wouldn't know or follow them.  We need to be close enough to our great Shepherd to identify His heart among all the chaos that the enemy would try to throw at us.

Anyways, my point is that satan has an agenda too.  he too wants to give us messages, and convince us of his beliefs.  he is also capable of planting ideas and impressing on us different things.  satan can work through much of the same things that God can, including God's word (just look at how Jesus was tempted in the desert).  The enemy, too, can give signs and leadings.  How do we know the difference between what he gives us and what is actually from God?   Praise God that there are a few clear distinctions:

1) Any message from God will be established by confirmations, and will often have more than one meaning in itself
2) Any message from God will be grounded in the Spirit of the Bible (God's Word)
3) Most of all, any message from God will be full of Love.  God is Love (1 John 4:8).  Now, within that Love might by exhortation or a warning to stay away from sin.  But God is full of love and redemption, and it is not His will to condemn anyone.

Messages from the enemy are often not confirmed, neither by signs nor by other Christians.  You usually have to be deep into fear in order to have Satan's lies perpetuated.  More on this in a future post.

In the meantime, know that God is the One that has created every good thing.  He is the one who has promised to guide us.  With discernment, we can have confidence that we're in position to receive from the Lord every message and parable that He'd have us receive.  Glory to God!

"Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights."  Isaiah 7:11

"Grin and Bear It"

Two days ago, I was struggling through some inner turmoil.  Like I've mentioned in a few prior posts, the Lord is allowing me some enemy exposure.  He's comforted me by relating my story to that of Job.   There comes a time when we need to accept any and all things from the Lord.  If He gives us discernment, it will lead us to understand what is in His plans and what is simply an unfair attack of the enemy.

"He replied, 'You are talking like a foolish woman.  Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?' In all this, Job did not sin in what he said."  Job 2:10

Now, it's still true that Jesus has made us conquerors and overcomers.  He has given us authority over the enemy and the opportunity to live in the Kingdom!  But don't forget that even the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence (Matthew 11:12). And sometimes God allows us to go through unglamorous trials.  Sometimes He allows a sifting.  Often, our Lord will allow evil so that we have something that we need His assistance with.  It's His perfect will that every trial, every sifting, builds our faith so that we can go from strength to strength.  Look at Simon Peter's situation prior to the arrest of Jesus--it was not the Will of God to actively intervene!

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."  Luke 23:32

So a few days ago God spoke to me about what my response to these trials should be.  I felt Him actually telling me to "grin and bear it".  That surprised me!  It's taken a few confirmations for me to put faith in this message.  But by His wisdom I've began understanding what He means by it.

The Lord wants us to acknowledge His sovereignty in all situations.  He needs us to believe, regardless of the circumstances surrounding us, that He is in control and that nothing can possibly separate us from His Love.  He wants us holding onto His promises, regardless of our feelings.

Because if we know the truth, we will be able to "grin and bear" our way past obstacles.  We will be able to hold steadfast.  With the power of His Love, we will be able to patiently endure all things (1 Corinthians 13:7).  God was speaking to me about the manner in which I should be enduring things.  In this case, I just need to accept that He's allowing me more enemy exposure!  As seen in Luke 23:32, it's His will that I come out of my testing with greater faith.  Then He can use me to strengthen the faith in others!  His will for my attitude is to "grin and bear it" in the midst of confusing trials.  Why wouldn't I believe He is good?  Unconditional joy is the response that we need to take when God allows hardship in our lives.

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."  Psalm 18:2

Even when David was in trouble he could identify the truth.  We need to develop an immovable faith. Lord give us the Gift of Faith!  If we know the truth, we can call on God and trust that He will give us a complete renewal.  He renews us and saves us from trouble, and then we have a platform to build on.

"I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies."  Psalm 18:3

This is always what happens next.  God has promised to rescue us from all our troubles.  He has promised to work all things for our good.  So grin and bear it!

Confirmed:  A unique prophetic word was just released on the Elijahlist.  Here it is.  This message really, really ministered to me, as several confirmations stood out.  Below in italics are some short excerpts, and I bolded what stuck out to me:




"This new WAVE of glory will be released to excite people once again. During these days of crisis I will show you I am here, and I Am. Plus, I'll show you how wonderful I am..."

"...Do not be afraid. Stand and see the salvation of the LORD! For I am going to release FUN to the Church! And you will feel the wind! It's for ALL. Just learn to laugh, and watch the enemy flee!" 

He who sits in the Heavens shall laugh... Psalm 2:4



Just learn to laugh.  Grin and bear it...and have confidence in God, even in the midst of warfare.  Thanks to His power we don't have to be afraid--all we have to do is rest in Him  (2 Chronicles 20:17).  When Elijah was surrounded by the wicked prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, He laughed at them!  I'm not sure that he acted perfectly, but it showed the position of faith he had taken.  He trusted God!  He knew his protection was ensured.  More than that, he knew who he'd been called to--the one true God, the only One who is living and loving right now.  All he had to do was let God take the reigns.  All he had to do was laugh!


At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened."  1 Kings 18:27

And sometimes that's what we need to do today.  God's deliverance will come.  We may be surrounded by enemies and our own confusion.  We may feel like God has allowed a delay.  And maybe He has...but He will break through!

Look at Elijah...He was perfectly content to stand still and wait for the salvation of the Lord (Exodus 14:13).  We need to be the same.  We need to love Him enough to seek Him despite any difficulties He may allow.  We need to be willing to wait on Him.  We need to offer up ourselves for testing, according to God's own will.  And when testing comes, we can rest in the victory that Jesus has already obtained for us.  Glory to God!

Grace to the Humble

God gives help to those who acknowledge Him.  He doesn't want us to turn away and be independent. Instead, He wants to help the humble.  If you ask for help, He will be quick to answer.

Today I was listening to Christian radio and heard James 4:6:  ..."God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble".  Those who have no desperation for God in their hearts, because of their own pride, will not have easy access to God.  Pride causes God to set Himself against us.  Now that can seem harsh, but it's the truth.  And the redemptive factor is that He is quick to relent once we realize our foolishness and commit to change!  

Confirmed:  Here is a recent article from the Elijah List by Phillis Ford.  There is a trend of humility, submissiveness and repentance in this word. Below is an italicized excerpt.  Later on, there is great insight into how God's great Grace allows us to come into His Glory.


As we cry out before the Lord with hearts of repentance, we will make great strides. As we embrace the truth of Jesus Christ, having passion for the things of God, we find the strength to dismantle feelings of complacency and battle weariness. The reality is that we shall be a people that the Lord is establishing now.

Those with the greatest passion will be on the front lines, but know that your position doesn't exempt you from going through more of the perfecting process of grace. Those will be led by the Spirit of God if they submit to the process to grow. These are major decisions that must be determined in the hearts of God's people. Those that say I am not a part of this because I am above this, or who say I don't need the Lord's help will find themselves in painful experiences until they submit willingly to God. We are approaching serious times, and the Lord is purifying His people.

Submit to God.  Agree with Him that He is Lord of all, and willing to be fully devoted to.  Humble yourself before Him, and He will lift you up.  When David cried out to God, it is written that the Lord "reached down from on high" and took hold of him (Psalms 18:16).  Doesn't that sound wonderful?  It sure does to me.

There is an ongoing cycle here.  This pattern is meant to draw us closer and closer to God--two steps forward, one step back, if necessary--until we are living like the true sons and daughters that we are.  The Lord has been speaking to me about this process recently.

1)We fall into sin and confusion  (Lamentations 1:20)
2) We acknowledge our sin  (1 Chronicles 21:8)
3) We call out to God in the spirit of humility  (Psalms 119:145)
4) God rescues us and draws us near  (Psalms 18:16, like above)
5) Nearness to Him burns out our uncleanness (Hebrews 12:29)
6) But He gives us more Grace (James 4:6)

Look at steps 5 and 6 here.  When we become near Him, we get burnt in the flames of purification.  We offer up our sinful habits as a burnt offering.  "Fire" has been such a thematic word recently.  We do this, because it must be done if we are to draw near to Him.  Look at James 4:8.  If we want to approach Him, we must purify ourselves first.  And as He draws closer, He purifies us more and more. He cleanses us and upholds us for His name's sake!

God makes us pure because He is a jealous God.  The Holy Spirit within us is jealous, and He cannot take pleasure in anything we do that doesn't give honor to Jesus.  The Holy Spirit is God's tabernacle fire.  When He "reaches down" for us--and He always does--He will prompt us to say, "whatever it takes".  He shows us how to give every single bit of the Glory to God.  If we are led by the Spirit, we will stay away from the world.

How do we do this?  This is where step 6 comes into play.  How do we be purified to the extent that we have lost all earthly distractions?  That sounds hard!  And it is, or else James 4:6 would not acknowledge it as so.  "But He gives us more Grace".  Glory to God!  He gives us more grace, and He gives us the Spirit.  By His grace he gives us more of His Holy Spirit, and by His grace He gifts us new wineskins to hold His riches in (Matthew 9:17).

Praise Him for amazing Grace.  It's a gift that keeps on giving.  But we need to use it to draw near to Him!  We need to accept it as an opportunity to be made new!  His Grace leads us to become slaves of righteousness.  God cannot be mocked.  Grace given to water down sin is no grace at all.  Repent and now that He has forgotten your sins.  Repent and receive that new wineskin.  And give glory to God and His grace!

Confirmed:  When I was close to finished with this post, Vanessa came in and told me good news from a family member.  They've been returning to God, and it's fantastic to see.  This person has just submitted to God in a new way.  Among other things, they've professed to our Lord:  "I want to lose myself to you.  Consume me in your fire".  Just like that, even the small things in their life have been saved (Romans 10:10).  Hallelujah!

Snapshot: Repentance brings an Atmosphere Shift

A few days ago, I was really having a rough time with thankfulness.  All I could do was get angry at things, and honestly, I surprised myself.  I knew what God was pleased by, but I just refused to do it.  I was definitely not walking in the Love of God.

The next morning I was in the Word and kept coming to rebuking messages.  I read about Saul's downfall and His being tormented by an evil spirit.  I read about the harsh actions of wicked men in the psalms.  And I kept coming to more 'negative'  verses, some of which were obviously condemning, some of which were not.

After a little while, I realized that there was a hole in my spiritual armor.  Thankfully, there is no condemnation for us, as we belong to Jesus (Romans 8:1).  But if we are not abiding like He'd want, we are vulnerable to condemning thoughts or signs.  It is satan, the accuser of the brethren, who places these mindsets in.  And the only reliable way to overcome him is to be cleansed by God (see Zechariah Chapter 3).

So, by Grace I realized something had went wrong.  I realized--the Lord laid it on my heart-- that I needed to repent for my sins, namely anger and disobedience, the day before.  I thought I'd already done this, but He revealed to me it wasn't quite heartfelt.  I didn't fully tell Him, "sorry".  Nor did I commit to future change.

At that point, I repented.  I humbled myself and apologized.  And just like that, I knew I was forgiven!  Our Lord is so quick to do that.  I felt Him tangibly take that burden of my shoulders.  My vision opened up, and I felt remade as new.  With great faith--it comes from a great God--I opened up my Bible to another place and began reading what I saw first (for more on reading the Word, click here).

"...that He may lift you up in due time"  1 Peter 5:6

And that's exactly what He does.  If you humble yourself, He will lift you up.  If you repent, He will forgive.  These are His promises!  And when you repent, you enter freely into the Kingdom.  Just like that, the power of our Lord and His angels is at hand.  Just like that, we know what it means to have a yoke that is easy, and a burden that is light.  We can be sure that He has forgiven us.  We can be sure He has claimed us as His own and silenced the accuser.  We can see and take great joy in the reality that He has turned our darkness into light (Psalms 18:28).  His life becomes our light.  Glory to God!

Trials and Refinement...Prophecy Confirmed

Yesterday morning the Lord led me to Job  23:10.

"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold."

This meant so much to me.  In the past God has brought to me some severe trials, as a way to turn me away from disobedience and towards complete devotion.  I've gotten distracted several times in the faith, and God has pulled me back to Him through hardships.  So testing has been a form of discipline before now.  But now, sometimes trials remain even when I attempt total obedience.  Even when I try drawing near to Him, I still get attacked through spiritual warfare.  But God has responded with comfort, and He has been implanting in my heart the story of Job.

Job's hardships were not punishment.  Job was a righteous man, and serious trouble still came to Him.  He followed The Lord, yet he lost God's hedge of protection. And the things which he feared were permitted to come upon him (Job 3:25).  And I've felt the same way recently.  I have been going through some spiritual attacks, and I've been left to wonder why.  I've had doubts and been in anxiety, just like Job.  But in the end, I know that The Lord Jesus will bring me through it.  I know that at the end of these trials, I will be more than victorious by Him who has fought for me.

Confirmed 12/17:  I was walking through the house, when I looked out the window just in time to see a car doing a U-turn right by our driveway.  Hmmm....more on this later.

Confirmed 12/18:  Yesterday afternoon, I went onto the Quickened Word and found a post that confirmed that same passage in Job.  I knew, based on what God had been speaking to the post's author, that this coming forth "as gold" will open doors to revival, first within then widespread.  At the end of the testing, God's annointing will be poured into new wineskins, and He will bring our refinement in Him to maturity.

Confirmed 12/18:  Yesterday, as a birthday gift, I asked Vanessa to make me a notecard (this is when we write messages from God--important verses, visions, quickened phrases, etc) onto a notecard on behalf of the other person.  In short, the notecards are led by God and prophetic for the other person.  They are always a great faith building exercise.  So yesterday, Vanessa made me a notecard and received Proverbs 15:23 for me (via random reading, I'm sure)This all happened in the morning...

"A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!"  Prov. 15:23

Confirmed 12/18:  Yesterday on the Quickened Word Website, a prophecy by Elaine Tavolacci was released.  Here it is. After beginning to read, I felt so strongly that this word applied to me, and I'll share some of the reasons why below.  In addition, the name of this woman's ministry is "A Word in Season"--hey, isn't God good at getting our attention?  So synchronistic with what He gave Vanessa just a few hours prior to my being led to this word.

If you feel led, I'd encourage you to read the entire thing.  Below are some segments of the word that were especially specific to what God's been doing in our life. These segments taken from Elaine's article are italicized, and additionally I bolded words that confirmed things for me.


Anyways, Elaine likened the testing that luxury cars undergo with the testing that us Believers undergo in order to be made reliable and effective for God's work.  This segment is from her own commentary, not a Word more directly from God:

They will run it through all seasons to check its performance and tolerance to adverse weather patterns. It will be tested through the snow, the rain, the heat and extreme weather conditions. They will also test it on the mountains to see if it could pass the test of perseverance, stability and excellence. They will test it on sharp turns and U turns to make sure it is agile enough for the winding roads and they will test it on rocky roads to test its endurance. The reason why a luxury car needs more testing than an economy car is because it has to be proven for what it is worth. We are also tested and tried for our value and worth in the kingdom of God.

This is exactly the kind of testing I've been going through.  I feel like the Lord has taken that hedge of protection of off me at times, to see if I would praise Him regardless... to see if I wanted Him more than anything else.... and to see if I would retain my faith, and retain Him in my knowledge (Romans 1:28).

But Glory to God that He has allowed me to see this--that I am going through a season of living as Job (admittedly, my testing has been much, much less severe).  Praise Him for allowing that car to make that turnaround right in front of my house.  Praise Him for wanting to renew me to greater use in His Kingdom.  Now back to the word from Elaine, this time with directive from God:

"Through difficult times you have learned not to allow frustration to overwhelm you but you have recognized the opportunities for the days ahead. The adversities have not caused you to be hardened with bitterness but has made you pliable to be used as a vessel unto honor. As you look back over the last year, you will recognize the preparation and the process was crucial for the days ahead."

Glory to God!  Our Lord makes reference to the past year in this post.   Obviously this refers to the calendar year and the arrival of 2015, but the fact that this was received on my birthday served to make the point more clear to me.  Over the past year of my life, I've underwent these 'difficult times', spiritually speaking.  But I've had to recognize them as preparation.  I've had to retain knowledge of the goodness of God.  And I have not, by God's great grace, hardened myself in the end.

After the word was received, Elaine made reference to some confirming scripture passages.  One of them was Job 23:10-12.  Hey, that seems familiar!  This is the 3rd time that it's come up in two days now.

"Job 23:10-12 But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food."

Confirmed 12/19:  I was walking by the laundry room when, from afar, I saw a magazine on the dryer.  I hear God saying, "That one's for you".  So I walked over, and on the front cover were three letters:  J  O  B.  In reference to work opportunities, not the Biblical character, but the point had hit home.  Praise Him for faithfulness and comfort, even when He Himself has allowed us trials.  For now, I'll be consoled with knowing, as Job did, that my Redeemer lives  (Job 19:25).  I will believe, because He said it, that He sees me as righteous.  And I have a promise from God--that when He relents, I will come forth as gold.  And this goes for all those out there who have been left confused by the chaos of life or attacks of the enemy.  Be encouraged--God intends to work it for your good!

Fools for Christ--Who's watching?

Today I was led to 1 Corinthians 4:9-10.

"For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have become a spectacle to the entire world--to people and angels alike. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!"

God has put us on display for the entire world. This is something I've been thinking about recently, albeit on a more personal level. Many people might think that what Vanessa and I are doing right now is unusual. And it is. Many people might not approve of our current living situation. On the outside, from an outsider's perspective, the two of us are not accomplishing much, not even for God.  Based on this passage in 1st Corinthians, the forerunners have it worst.  They are the ones who bear the brunt of the world's judgement.

Sometimes the things of God just offend people.  Often they make us look foolish.  You can often discern how someone feels about God based on how react to a testimony of Godly things.  Even those who love you may really, really hate it when you mention our Lord.  It's sad to think about, but what they actually dislike so much is God in you, the Holy Spirit.

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."  John 15:18

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD."  Matthew 10:34-35

Onto a slightly different theme, earlier this morning I woke up with a tangible sense that I was being overseen.  I felt like I was being watched--in a good way!  And I felt the presence of God approving me.  I knew I was justified in His sight.  I was reminded that those in Heaven are also watching over us, and hoping that we will continue on in the Way.  

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" Hebrews 12:1

Like I said earlier, Vanessa and I don't usually have the world's approval.  A lot of people would say of our life that we are not 'doing the right thing', or that we are being 'unacceptable'.  But praise Him that we have acceptance from our Lord and our God.  Praise Jesus that we also have the cloud of witnesses cheering us on.  Praise Him that we have God living within us, working for us to please the Father.

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10

So God's pleasure comes first.  His best comes first...and His best may look more than a little unconventional.  Again, as indicated in 1 Corinthians 4:9-10, those who are paving the way for the faith, and for another move of the Spirit, seem to have it worst. The established Church has it easier.  Those with titles and official mission fields are looked upon as higher.  A new wave of effort for God is often taken badly.  It often cuts to the heart.  And it often goes against popular opinion.  But what counts is faith expressing itself through love.  Social standards should not hinder this (Galations 5:6, also see context).

There have been many confirmations for this message.  Below are a few:

Confirmed 12/17:  Vanessa and I were talking about what constitutes an apostle.  A person close to us just started going to a major Apostolic Church.  Also, both of us have seen the Lord Jesus in visions, most recently by her.  That verse that God led me to this morning (1 Cor. 4:9-10) took away a lot of my discomfort.  Often I feel weighed down by the potential disapproval of others, to the extent that I feel like my life is a sort of ongoing spectacle.  But hey, if I were still trying to please men...

Confirmed 12/17:  There were a few messages about salt yesterday.  I felt God remind me that we are the salt of the earth, it's enrichment and it's preservation.  We are supposed to be noticeable to outsiders.  After walking me through some personal teaching, the Lord led me to the Quickened Word website to validate His message.  I'm telling you, this site is like a modern-day, virtual school of the prophets.  Anyways, here is that post.  

I feel this all relates to standing out for the all the world to see.  When everybody sees you, though, there is bound to be those who disapprove.  There are those who will think you are too "out there", or too salty.  There are those who will be even more greatly affected --that's those who will become cut to the heart.  But praise Jesus that He said this:

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." Matthew 5:11

Confirmed 12/18:  As a confirmation to the message about Apostles and their set apart lifestyle that God's given recently, I was led to Psalm 68:24 this morning:

"Your procession, God, has come into view, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary."

Today, those whom He's called are a part of His procession.  We are part of His army.  This is the end of the procession (1 Cor 4:9-10, as seen above), and as a way of discerning the hearts of the world, the Lord has given us a uniqueness and specificity of calling.  All of us are asked by the Lord to be different.  All of us are obligated to be Holy and set apart.  All of us are called to be salt!  And some will be turned off by this.  Some will be angered and dislike the Will of God.  Some will be unbelieving and ask, "Did God really say?"  

But take heart- - your reward is with Him!  Your justification is by Him!  And your favor is from Him.  Wigglesworth said, "persecution brings purity".  Glory to God!