Snapshot: Seeing God

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God"    Matthew 5:8

When I began reading and meditating on the Word, I used to think that verses like the one above were more figurative than literal.  Then, I began thinking that such descriptions only described what we'll experience in Heaven.  But now, I believe that God wants us to know that these promised can be applicable to our every day.  They can be lived out and enjoyed in this life, and even more so in the life to come.  If we meet the conditions, we realize God's pleasure in us based on how He treats us.  If we are pure in His sight, we'll discover that He's worth it.  We will become unable to forget all His benefits:

We really can taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalms 34:8).

We can see God's Glory (John 11:40).

We can ascend to the mountaintop with the Lord.  We can live in a Holy place, and God's holiness can go before us and after us.  We can be hemmed in by Him and His grace.   (Psalms 24:4 and context).

We can enter into God's presence in a new way.  There is always more of God that we have not yet seen, heard, or even imagined (1 Corinthians 2:9 and context).

There is always a new revelation, a new promise, a new understanding of His Love.  God is so far beyond searching out--we only experience tastes of Him because He let's us (Romans 11:33).

There is always so much knowledge stored up in God's Word.  Enough to keep us learning, both day and night (Psalm 119:96).

These are His benefits (Psalms 103:2).  These are our earthly foretastes of Heaven. These are results of our inheritance in the Lord--residence in His Kingdom.  And these things are worth counting the cost.  They are worth any cost!  God makes life fun, but more than that, He makes it count.  Let's commit our ways to Him.  Let's allow Him to make us pure, from the inside out.  Let's seek Him so we can see Him, and let's see Him and become more like Him.

STREET MINISTRY UPDATE #2: PINEHURST

Vanessa and I are still enjoying Pinehurst.  We've been so blessed by God to stay here.  Ministry is just gearing up now, as we've had a busier first half of the week with family, and with projects.  From now on, we're hoping for more time available to get out on the streets (or Wal-mart).

We were essentially gifted two Go-Pro cameras for our trip, and the plan is to use them on this upcoming weekend to document some of the miracles we see during street ministry.  We'll be doing lots of ministry those days, so stay tuned for Update #3 early next week.  Vanessa and I have hope in the Lord!

Back to this current update--Tuesday was a good day.  Every day should be!  We went out to do ministry at the Fresh Market (grocery store) for a while again, and were blessed.  God is continuing to faithfully train us in receiving direction, words of knowledge, and prophetic insight.  Vanessa saw a older man about to leave the store, and she hurried after him. (She had felt impressed that he needed prayer earlier, but hesitated.) She caught up to him and they prayed right in the entrance of the building.  He didn't want prayer at first, but then opened up...this man had sciatica in his lower back, and after prayer, he said that his pain had lessened quite a bit. She asked if she could pray one more time, and he gladly said yes this time. After a second prayer, he said that the pain was completely gone! They both praised God!

Jesus is beautiful. Healings are beautiful!  Sometimes I wish that I could see the aftereffects of a healing and how that person is changed to go on through the rest of their life.  I wonder how many choose to share with family and friends what God's done for them.  And I wonder how many become itinerant street evangelists themselves because of what they've experienced.  When I get to Heaven, I really want to see this!

While at the store we also saw four people we knew, two of which I hadn't seen for years.  I thought this was a blessing in and of itself.  After that, God revealed that a certain man had lower back pain that resulted in walking difficulty.  The man was a little surprised that we knew this, and he was very open to prayer.  So we prayed for that spirit of back pain to leave, but it just wouldn't budge.  After some direction we realized it was caused by unforgiveness in that family towards the military.  I was thankful for the words of knowledge but very sad for the man.  But I'll choose to believe that we were aligned together for a reason, and that God will do the work of healing in the future.  Sometimes God does the miracle later, and we don't see it.  He is in control, and His timing isn't always the same as ours.

Yesterday, Wednesday, Vanessa and I headed out for a few hours of ministry after lunch.  We went to Wal-Mart first.  We were blessed to come into contact with many people with softened hearts and openness to prayer.  The first healing was that of a lady with chronic lower back pain. She was so thankful to God when she felt all of her back pain leave.  Then we prayed for a lady who had nerve damage, muscle weakness, and several other problems.  She had great faith--she wanted to pray that God would give her new nerves!  After some wonderful prayer, she felt good.  I trust that the Lord did what she'd asked Him for.

Next the Spirit directed us to a lady we met last week through my parents. When we met her last week, she and Vanessa found that they had so much in common, included that they both attended John MacArthur's church in Los Angeles in the past. She and Vanessa really connected and had a great time talking together.  While they talked, the Lord showed me to a man in an electric wheelchair.  He had bad arthritis in his knees.  He said that he'd love to be healed, but didn't seem to think that kind of thing would be possible.  I prayed quickly, and he said he'd know if he was better once he got up and walked around.  I saw him again in the checkout line, and he was moving his leg around and looking at it intently.  He said he felt better. We prayed again, and the Lord burdened me to tell him that he was free.  I trust that God healed him fully.

We continued walking around the store for a while, and Vanessa spoke encouragement to two different people. When she approached them, she didn't know what they needed, but as she prayed with them, God gave her insight into their life. They were encouraged and one of the ladies said, "I really needed that." Sometimes we have to step out in faith and God will give us insight after we begin to pray with a person!

Some people turned down prayer.  We approached one lady, who was pretty oppressed.  She said, "I see what you're doing in here, and I don't like it.  Do they know you're in here?  I'm going to report you."  We felt strongly she was demonized. She was petite and looked about 80 years old, but the fierceness she had was pretty shocking.

Then we saw a nice, Southern lady named Lyla whose left ear was painful and partially deaf.  She had sharp pain that went from her ear into her jaw. After one prayer her pain was gone, out of the jaw as well, and after two prayers, her ear was opened and she could hear much more clearly. She praised God and was so excited.  She wanted to tell her doctors what had happened. We didn't pray for her back, but she had herniated disks, and that pain was taken away too.  I like it when that happens--when the Lord really overshadows us.  It just goes to show you that God knows what we need!

A little while later we went to the Fresh Market again.  Vanessa had picked up something oppressive and wanted to be filled with the Spirit before she went in.  She stayed in the car, and I went in first.  She was sitting in the car when she saw an older man with a cane walking by her.  She went over to meet him at his car, and asked if she could pray for his leg.  He was so open to the prayer, and his wife, who was waiting in the car, was excited to see "a young person offer prayer!" (We do get that a lot!)  Vanessa put her hand on his knee, and he said, "Oh no!  Put it right down here!" as he took her hand and put it lower, on his ankle. (Note: we don't believe that there is power in our hand- it is the power of God.) After one prayer, the man said the pain had lessened. Vanessa asked if it was perfect, and he said it wasn't. She asked if she could pray one more time, and he eagerly said yes. After a second prayer, he said that all the pain was gone!  Praise God! We are learning that God honors persistence. (Like the parable of the woman persistently knocking late at night.)

We stayed there for a while longer, and met two sweet Christian ladies who were so encouraging to us.  They both needed prayer for healing, so we all held hands and prayed for God to heal them. Their diseases didn't have a way to be measured right there in the store (there was no physical pain,) but we believe that God did heal them.

That's all for now.  We praise Jesus for allowing us to do these things for Him and by His power.  He rewards whatever we give away.  And we're excited for more ministry in the future.  We have a few more solid days in Pinehurst left.  I know that the Lord will bless them!

Snapshot: Liberty in Giving

As I mentioned in our 1st Street Ministry Update, Vanessa and I went back to Grace Church last Sunday.  Grace has been a big part of our walk together, and it was so nice to see friends and mentors again.  When they took up the offering, the Lord showed me that there was liberty in giving.  He actually showed me the statue of liberty, with purses hung around it's upraised arm.  I understood that giving in tithes and offerings is a display of liberty.  It's a testament to it--to our freedom in the Lord. God can be creative sometimes.

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."         Malachi 3:10

Now in general we shouldn't test God.  If there is an area where reckless faith is permissible, though, it's in the area of giving.  God wants us to show Him what He means to us.  He, in turn, wants to show us that our trust will be rewarded.  He wants us to trust that He is able--able to take care of us, protect us, bless us, even reward us.  He can be trusted even to give us liberty and freedom.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."     2 Corinthians 3:17

If we are in the Spirit, walking in it, living in it, full of it, then we will experience freedom.  Freedom, not to concede to the flesh or to sin (Galatians 5:16), but to give ourselves away.  We can boldly, maybe even recklessly, give ourselves to God.  We can give away our bodies, our careers, our finances, and our families as thanks offerings to God (Psalms 50:23).  We can lay everything up for God to have.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship"                Romans 12:1

We need to give everything we have to God.  We need to spiritually give it all to Him,  Any area that is not His is in danger of being used by the enemy.  Anything we withhold will get in God's way and to an extent limit how we are used for Him.  Anything we don't hand over will only be a snare for us (Exodus 23:33). There is freedom in sacrifice.  There is freedom in giving.  There is liberty in devoting our possessions to the Lord.

"Do This, Do That" Versus Freedom

He who said to them, "Here is rest, give rest to the weary," And, "Here is repose," but they would not

listen. So the word of the LORD to them will be, "Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line 

on line, A little here, a little there," That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and 

taken captive.              --Isaiah 28:12-13--

The Lord led me here a few days ago....this is an interesting passage.  For me, it was a call to change. God doesn't desire to give us rule after rule; He doesn't want to make us stumble.  He doesn't want to take away all of our freedoms or surround us with impossible regulations (Lamentations 3:5).  As I said in a previous post, God doesn't desire to hand us over to a reprobate mind.  And He doesn't want to cause us to stumble.

But sometimes we need to change and return to God, and He causes us to stumble.  He does this so that we can hit rock bottom, and then turn and be healed!  He does this out of Love.  God Himself may become to us an oppressor if He knows that trials and testing will cause an eventual return.

"If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you."                 Jeremiah 42:10

God can and does change His mind.  God can and does change the way He interacts with people.  He does this based on our actions.  God wants to give freedom, but He will not give it if the receivers use it for their own glory.  For the worldly minded, God gives rules, regulations, and incessant demands.   This is what Isaiah 28:13 is talking about.  

I witness this in my own life.  When I have strayed from focusing on God, God strays from talking about Himself to me.  Instead, His direction takes a practical, even oppressive, turn.  The Lord may prompt me to do some chores or talk to someone.  He may instruct me in a way that takes away my freedom (Jeremiah 34:17).  What we are to Him, that He will become to us (Psalms 18:26).

If we are not thinking about Him, God will add to the yoke on our shoulders until it becomes to much for us to bear.  He wants us to ask for help!  He wants us to fix our minds on Him.  This is the better way.  If we are loving God, all else will be added to us.  If we are abiding by His Spirit, that's when there is freedom.  That's when there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17).  

If we are in the Spirit, then we will be instructed in spiritual things and be pointed towards God.  That is God's desire.  If we are in the Spirit, then we will have freedom to think anything good about God. We will be free to do anything God for God.  We will not be subjected by God to "order upon order", because Jesus in us has already fulfilled all of the law.  Once we are operating in the Kingdom, then can we have other things, too (Matthew 6:33).

We can be free to sing, free to express joy, free to worship God in everything we do.  Why persist in subtle rebellion?  God wants to make us slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:18); He wants to give us a light yoke (Matthew 11:30).  Let's allow God to approve of us, so that He can give us freedom.  Let's show Him that the gifts He's given us are able to shine through and glorify Him alone.

STREET MINISTRY TOUR UPDATE #1: PINEHURST

Today marks our fourth full day in Pinehurst, North Carolina.  On the 22nd, after a few delays, Vanessa and I drove from Southern Maine down to my parents' home.   God really blessed our trip with nice weather and light traffic, even when going through New York.  We got to Pinehurst late Thursday night, and since then we've been having a blast!

Friday, Vanessa and I visited family and took a brief trip to the Fresh Market.  This is a high-class grocery store in Pinehurst...and the scene of so many healings and miracles last Spring and Summer. This time around, a lady with foot problems was completely delivered.  She had been planning to have surgery for her foot pain in two weeks.  Now she has a wonderful testimony!

Sunday, we had a great time seeing old friends at church.  We met a very nice young man named Josh...he had foot problems, too, and difficulty walking.  He had a lot of faith, and after a few prayers his feet felt amazing.  He said he'd been hoping for healing for a while now, and looked forward to telling his doctors about the power of his God.  Glory to God!  

After Church on Sunday, we went to the Fresh Market again...they have such good coffee.  I asked an older gentleman if he wanted prayer for anything.  He couldn't quite hear me.  His wife patiently explained that he was hard of hearing, had partial blindness, and had diabetes and muscular degeneration.  But they really wanted prayer.  We prayed that God would touch his whole body and renew his strength.  We prayed that anything disrupting his healing would be driven out. We prayed that his ears would be completely opened up in the name of Jesus.  After prayer, Vanessa began talking softly to the man.  She then whispered to him more and more quietly, and he heard right down to a faint whisper!  He also remarked that he could see her very well.  Glory to God!  The couple were in their eighties and devout Catholics.  They were so gracious and thankful for prayer.  I feel like God wants to put into all of our hearts the humility to receive prayer from others.

Sunday night, we met with two ladies who have been great mentors to Vanessa and I in our time at Grace Church's prophetic group.  God has really brought us to some amazing people through that group.  So, we met with two of our "spiritual mothers"and enjoyed some great fellowship at Panera Bread. Vanessa and I had the chance to update them on how the start of our married life has been going, as well as other things.  We prayed and encouraged and spoke to each other in the faith!  You can have Church anywhere.  We prayed at the end of our get-together, and felt God's presence really come in.  I felt like I was in the middle of a rainstorm, complete with that smell or moisture you get when the clouds come in. Just then, both of our mentors looked up at each other and said, "Do you feel rain?" They had both felt drops of rain fall on them, inside of Panera! I'll admit, this kind of manifestation is new to me.  But wow--what an honor for God to give us something we never even imagined asking for.  He really was confirming His Spirit there with us.

"If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit."        Leviticus 26:3

"Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God."     Hebrews 6:7

"The earth quaked; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God..."  Psalm 68:8

Today, Monday, I went out to do some ministry at Wal-Mart.  My younger brothers went with me.  We were blessed to see a healing right in the parking lot.   Before we parked, the Spirit had showed me that we were to go left once within the store and head straight to the produce area, and from there go clockwise around the food section.  We were to meet and pray for a black lady with unique  hair along the way.  So we did this, and met the woman right next to the vegetables!  She didn't have any particular prayer requests, but we just prayed that God would bless her.  Praise God!   After that, though, a lot of people didn't want prayer.  And a few that accepted prayer had no faith at all.  There were also a few 'partial' healings, which bothers me sometimes.  You just have to leave it in God's hands.

But the Spirit got me through these disappointments, and finally, we were directed to a lady with foot pain (again). She really wanted prayer!  I was so excited...God totally healed her. After that, God began revealing to me that the next healing would be from lower back pain. He then directed us to a lady with pain back, and He took the pain away. Glory to God!  On that note, we headed home.  In hindsight, sometimes God makes us beg.  He wants to ensure that we really, really want it.

Reprobate spirits

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient"     Romans 1:28

We need to retain God in our knowledge.  What does this mean?  It means we need to make Him our focus and our life, or else we are at risk for deception.  We need to do everything to the glory of God. And we have to want to do this, which means we need to die to ourselves.  Our own desires and distractions can make us forget God.

"The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity."        Luke 8:14

When things of God have been pushed aside in our lives, we are in danger of losing our spiritual inheritance.  We are in danger of never seeing God's goodness become real to us.  We have lost our passion for the only thing that really counts--the reality of God's Love for total salvation.  The enemy can then come in and make us believe a lie.  And God allows this.

"So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart, that they might walk in their own counsels."    Psalm 81:12

 If we have shown God that we want to run after the world, then He will probably let us, at least for a time. He honors free will, and He gives us over to whatever we want most.   Often our own desires have been influenced by other things.  And more often then not, those influences come from the devil.  Sinful desires comes from the world, where darkness has set up it's rule--the world is in nature contrary to God (John 15:19).  Our own desires often lead towards idolatry, and God allows us to run after darkness.

Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. "The LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this while another said that. "Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' The LORD said to him, 'How?' And he said, 'I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He said, 'You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.'       1 Kings 22:19-22

How does this work?  If people want to follow a lie, then God gives them one.  God allows deception to sneak in.  God is sovereign, and He actually allows for other spirits to come in and make us fall for our own desires.  He gives us over to a reprobate spirit--something that deceives us so we can continue on in following ourselves.  These spirits try to entice us into falsehoods and darkness.

If we accept anything that is not grounded in the Word and the Spirit, then we may allow these spirits to give us a reprobate mind.  If we fall for their deception, they will begin to affect our minds.  They will cause us to do things which are not convenient.  They will take away any fruitfulness that we have, because true fruit comes only from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  We will begin doing things that do not serve God or His purposes.  These things may not even serve ourselves.  They will, however, serve the enemy and cause some amount of inconvenience--some amount of confusion.

For a long time, I did not understand why God would ever allow this sort of thing to happen.  But it's His intent to make us stumble enough to know that we need to return.  When we hit rock bottom, that's when we can realize our mistake.  That's when we realize that we've become an enemy of God. That's when the Lord gives us eyes to see--eyes to comprehend that we've reaped what we've sown. Eyes to see that we deserve the deception handed to us.  That's when we can humble ourselves and repent.  That's when we can enjoy total forgiveness and be renewed to God! Once we realize our backsliding, we can experience godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10) and turn away from any deception we've fallen into.  We can have God heal us!

"I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them."    Hosea 14:4

It's so important to stay grounded in Him.  It's so important to accept only the truth.  We need to cling to that which is good (Romans 12:9) and resist any deception the devil tries to subject us to (James 4:7).  That's how we avoid a reprobate mind.  That's how we continue on in the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

If we seek His Kingdom--living in it and bringing other into it--before anything else, we will stay safe.  We can enjoy a sound mind and a fruitful life.  We can stay in perfect peace(Isaiah 26:3).  We can live within the Kingdom, and then have grace given to us to receive more and more freedom.  We can experience the joy of a mind stayed on our Lord and a lifestyle that pleases Him.

Good Gates, Bad Gates

God has been teaching Vanessa and I about spiritual territories recently.  He's been teaching us about their boundaries, their influences, and especially their gates.  There are good and bad territories, and there are good and bad gates.  These spiritual territories either belong to God as part of His Kingdom, or they belong to satan as an area of darkness.

These are not areas marked by physical boundaries or gates or fences. Instead, they are marked by rulers, authorities, and powers within this dark world and by spiritual forces in the next (Ephesians 6:12).  Territories are either for or against Jesus--there is no middle ground.  There is a constant battle at the gates--the Kingdom of Heaven versus the influences of hell.

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."  Matthew 12:30

As believers, we have been given spiritual authority to advance the Kingdom and push back darkness. We have been given power to pull down idols and spirits of idols.  We have been given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.  And we have been given the sword of the Spirit, which makes the enemy scatter and brings together the good.  This is something Jesus referred to in Matthew 12:30 above. We have been given authority to prove God's cause and cast away anything that opposes it.

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."  Romans 12:12

We need to learn "that which is perfect". We need to bring this weapon of truth out into the world.  God can work through us to pull down the gates.  We can dismantle the manifestations of wickedness which were birthed in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12 again), and prevent these things from continuing to have their way with the earth and it's people.  With His Spirit and His power, we can cast down anything contrary to God.  We can prepare the way for the Kingdom.  We can make way for the Lord, and usher in an environment where He can set up His Kingdom.

As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"  John 1:23

This is what John the baptist did, and this is what God wants us to do, each in their appointed way. Through our warfare we should be working through the territories of the enemy and bringing out from within us the Kingdom of God.  We too can pave the way for the Lord.  We too can push back the gates.

How do we do this?  By words of faith and prayers in faith.  It takes faith from God to see our words impact the spiritual world.  It takes faith to move mountains, faith to move spiritual areas, and faith to remove ruling spirits.  Faith is a gift that in itself gives us divine power.

"...for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God,.."       2 Corinthians 10:4-5

John by his words was speaking for the Holy Spirit.  By his words, John the baptist was dismantling religious spirits and changing the spiritual climate in his area.  He was fighting against the old way, against the established authorities, against anything that might set itself up against the true knowledge of God.  The Light that he pointed towards destroyed hypocritical speculation and hardened hearts.

John himself was blessed by God to be used like He was.  His life had such significance--it even served to forcefully advance the Kingdom.  Through the spiritual fighting he did, even the darkness resisting Jesus suffered violence.

"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force"     Matthew 11:12

God wants to give us faith, authority, and boldness.  He wants to give us divine power.  He wants to make us more like Jesus.  How?  By giving to our lives the fullness of God.  By giving to our words some of the power present within His.  He wants us to speak with His authority.  He wants His glory to back us.  He wants to gift to us attributes, character traits, thoughts, prayers and mindsets that make us more like His Son.

We should be full of the power and force of God.  We need to reach our potential in Christ Jesus. When were are full of spiritual gifts and spiritual tools from Him, then and only then can we be truly impacting in the spiritual realm.  Only when we are full of His Spirit can we speak with enough power to push back darkness and advance the Kingdom.

"How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate."    Psalm 127:5

An Arrow From God

Last fall, God began directing our thoughts to a first true mission trip together.  Since then, we have been slowly receiving direction regarding where we should go and when.  I remember that He was speaking to us through symbolic arrows a lot in the beginning.  God sends us places--whether literally or spiritually--with His momentum.  He is the one who calls us to certain things and sends us to certain places.

God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"     Exodus 3:14

Recently, the arrow theme has been brought up again.  On the way down to Pinehurst, the Lord reminded us of our role as a tool, as an arrow in His hands.  What a timely reminder!

So, God's likened this mission trip that Vanessa and I are on as an arrow sent from His bow.  I believe this speaks of being sent with the "strong hand of  God" upon us as seen in Ezekiel 3:14 .  We both have felt impressed to wait on God to send us--that is, to wait until He gave us the push off to leave.  Before we were to leave, He had to open the door and provide a springboard.

My glory will not fade; the bow will be ever new in my hand.'     Job 29:20

God has a mandate for all of us.  He has bent back His bow, and He will bend it back again.  He has prepared and initiated a calling for all of us.  For each believer, He has prepared a place that He wants to launch us into.  He is ready to send us out with spiritual momentum.  By His bow, we can be the arrow of truth and life that He initiates out into a new land.  Are you ready for Him to release you? Are you ready for an open door?  God is always sending out new things through people who can soar with His message.

"May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,"     Psalm 149:6

We need to be like Jesus.  He was like a sword, like an arrow from God, and He delivered love and healing to the people.  He cut to the heart of those around Him.  He went out into the world with supernatural momentum, with a compassion that couldn't be suppressed or slowed down in any way. When God sends us out, we should be the move the same way.  We should leave our resting place ready to go and labor for God.  It's a labor of love.  We need to go out only when we know that He is the One who's sent us.  We need to be full of His Spirit and His power and not ever relent.

"And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."       Luke 24:49

Snapshot: Fruit for Discerning

In a previous post, I described how God was showing me that I need to gather and store up the gifts He gives me.  And He showed me a basket, symbolizing the vessels He gives us to store His treasures in.

Later on (earlier this week), He showed me a tree that grew a lot of fruit on it.  This tree was bearing good fruit, and I imagined myself picking this fruit off of the branches as I went.

Step by step God gave me the interpretation for this.  He impressed to me that the fruit on the tree was dates.  This takes some explaining...one of the hardest messages to receive from God involves calendar dates.  I've often struggled in accurately understanding God's timing--whether or not He wants me to do something on a particular date.  Often, but not always, receiving a clear mandate as far as when to do something is difficult.  I would consider this kind of direction spiritual meat.

"For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.  But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil."     Hebrews 5:13-14

"This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words."     1 Corinthians 2:13

And I realized that this fruit on the date tree symbolized more discerning spiritual concepts--receiving from God advanced messages, themes, and ideas.  One example of this fruit would be the acquiring of calender dates from the Lord.  Get it?  Obtaining calendar "dates" from a spiritual "date" tree full of spiritual gifts?  God can be funny with words sometimes.

Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear."    Luke 8:8

God wants to give us deep, discernible messages that bear more and more fruit.  He wants to make us more and more spiritually productive.  He is giving us more advanced messages.  He wants to speak to us with dates and numbers, with profound images and deep things.  He's ready to tell us "great and unsearchable things, which we do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3).  He's going to give us good fruit, and He's going to allow us to sort through it and throw away the bad.  God wants to give us a clear filter. He wants to give us enough discernment to quickly receive a new thing.  Let's receive discernment that allows us to dig deeper and deeper into the mind of God.

Snapshot: A Basket for Gathering

Last week I was given a vision of a deep, woven wooden basket.   I knew it was a basket for gathering up the things of God.  Our Lord has so much to give.  He wants to keep things exciting, and keep our lives full of joy.  We need to be equipped to receive from Him.  We need a basket of recorded testimonies, memories, and Words from God--whatever it takes.

"And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever."   Isaiah 30:8

If God wants to do a new thing, we should be prepared for it.  Have you received from Him a wineskin that is open to His personality?  (Job 32:19)  That's what we need.  Wineskins that accommodates the passion of God, and then make that passion our own.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”              Isaiah 6:8

That's the enthusiasm we need.  And that's what God is ready to give.  He wants to feed us good things.  He wants to nourish us spiritually.  And, He gives a basket for gathering!

"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

Our bodies are a basket.  They are a vessel for God to pour into.  And there are other vessels!  Anything you have that gathers from God is a spiritual basket.  For me, this blog is one.  All these 'baskets' have one thing in common--they hold a testimony from Jesus.  They are all about Him.  Earthen vessels are what we have, and earthen vessels are what we use.  This can be a good thing!  It's a good thing, if our insignificance reminds us of God.  We can let Him do the work.  All we have to do is humbly stay in step.

"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."    Galatians 5:25

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."     Micah 6:8

Confirmed:  Today I was looking in the kitchen cupboards and noticed a wooden basket was missing.    I was reminded of that vision.  Some things you just have to take by faith!  For me, the missing basket fulfilled the vision from last week.  God is so amazing-- He orchestrates such a beautiful life.

Our baskets shouldn't be set on a shelf.  They should be in hand, ready for use.  We need to stay prepared.  We need to be well fed, but stay hungry for more.  He'll give what we want from Him.  God wants to take us to a new place, and He wants to equip us with all that we need for the journey.

Snapshot: In Preparation

In the next few days Vanessa and I will be leaving for our mission trip.  We'd originally planned to leave yesterday, on Martin Luther King Day, but we've experienced several delays.  Just know that God is good!  It's interesting, several other people close to us are going on mission trips soon, and they have also been delayed unexpectedly.  A friend from our Church even planned to leave for Honduras this past Monday, on the same day as us--and they too were delayed.  Not our timing, but God's.


"A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."    Proverbs 16:9

"...If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed."

Habakkuk 2:3

I have faith that God's purposes for our trip will be totally fulfilled.  Who knows how this delay will benefit the Lord, or those who He will put in our way?  In the meantime, let's learn patience.  We've stayed busy with other things.  But both of us are so excited to get on the road.  I'll still be updating the blog everyday, lord-willing, and when we get back, expect a documentary to be released about our trip.  Glory to God!


"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."     Romans 12:21

May His Kingdom be advanced though all of us.  Let's overcome the enemy with the word of God and the power of the Spirit.  Let's fear no evil, and instead work with God.

Snapshot: A better Connection

A few days ago, the Lord spoke to me very clearly and said, "you need a better connection"  I knew what He meant.

"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time."   1 Timothy 2:5-6

The connection here is a person.  That person is Jesus, and He is our mediator and our path to the Father.  He lives to help us and make intercession for us .  He lives to bring us nearer to God, and draw us nearer to Him.

"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

Jesus stands between us and God's wrath, and He stands between us and God's affection.  The Father's view of us is filtered through Jesus.  He sees His Son in each and every true believer.  He sees Jesus in us.  This is our hope of glory, and it is reveals to us His Glory, too (Colossians 1:27).  If we connect to Jesus, we can be connected to the Father.  If we acknowledge Him as Immanuel, God with us, then we can always connect with the Father.  We can please Him by going through His son.  There is no other way.

Yeshua said to him, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Way and The Truth and The Life; no man comes to my Father but by me alone.”     John 14:6

Confirmed:  The morning after I was shown this, internet connection in our house went out.  God knows how to prove a point.  Connection with Him is intentional, and for many that means dedicated time in the morning.

Confirmed:  Today, a new post on the Quickened Word described Jesus as a bridge between us and the throne.  His death bridged the gap between our sinful hopeless condition and the Holiness of God.  Jesus is the way we get to Heaven, and He is the way that we can live in the Kingdom of Heaven even while on earth.  He is the way that we live live to the fullest, all the time connected to the Father God through a lifeline of awareness of Him.

Our Wedding Part II: Photofilm

Wow, three months goes by fast! I had meant to post two more blogs about our wedding shortly after I posted the first one, but life has pulled me towards other tasks lately. Better late than never, I always say!

I had planned to post a nice "Details" blog for part II, but here we are, about to leave for our mission trip, and I still have two more blogs to post about the wedding! Rather than doing a blog similar to the style of the first, I am going to share this photofilm my dad asked me to make to show our extended family at Thanksgiving. Knowing that it would be all my side of the family, I included mostly photos of my side of the family. More photos of everyone else coming in blog number 3!

Hope you enjoy.  :-)

P.S. This song is the song I walked down the aisle to- "The Secret Wedding", the theme from Braveheart. My cousin Madeline played it on the harp- it was so beautiful!

Click here for part I of Our Wedding.

Snapshot: Tongues as Our Truth Filter

A few days ago God gave me a reminder of the importance of praying in tongues.  It all began when  I was directed to a book advertisement on the Elijah list-- "70 Reasons for Speaking in Tongues".  Several other confirmations followed.  Spurred on by this, I began speaking in tongues much more, and noticed that my clarity improved afterwards.

Tongues reveal the truth.  They align us with the reality of the Holy Spirit within us.  I know that some healing evangelists like their congregants to speak in the Spirit when receiving words of knowledge.  Why?  Because tongues bring us up into God's spiritual frequency, where we can align our spirits with an uncovered portion of the truth.  Then come accurate words of knowledge.  We may not know, but He does, and as we let the Spirit pray through us, He imparts to us unsearchable things.

"But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets."  1 Corinthians 2:10

When we pray in the Spirit, we receive from Him increasingly accurate spiritual insights--whether prophecies, visions, or words of knowledge.  We receive a perfect, pure filter through which knowledge flows unhindered from the throne of God to us.  We receive encoded messages of a sort, which are then unveiled as the Holy Spirit translates these messages to our spirit.

"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."    1 Corinthians 2:14

If I ever have uncertainties or questions to God, praying in the Spirit removes any 'spiritual fog' that might be resisting me.  A friend of mine prays in the Spirit when they need a dream interpreted by the Lord.   Aligning with the Spirit via tongues brings deception and confusion under submission to Christ.

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."    2 Corinthians 10:5

Tongues are divinely powerful.  They serve as a truth filter! Revelation from tongues reveals the pure truth.  Praying in the Spirit removes the influence of the flesh, which after all profits nothing (John 6:63).    This is a way that we can prove the will of God.

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."    Romans 12:2

Snapshot: Threshing

Yesterday I was spending time with Vanessa and the Lord showed me a threshing fork--that He was "threshing out" the impurities in her spirituality.  I pondered on the meaning of this for a little while, and came to understand that He was separating the wheat from the chaff within her life.  He was creating in her a clean heart.

"His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."  Matthew 3:12

Now, I believe that there is more than one application to the above verse.  Believers (wheat) and nonbelievers (chaff) will be separated on that judgement day, yes, but this message can also address the particulars of a single Christian's life.  God sorts through our lives, keeping the good, fruitful parts (the wheat), and removing the sinful parts (the chaff).  The chaff is then burnt away.  

God does this in His mercy!  By His Spirit, He puts to death our sinful parts (Romans 8:13). He burns up our uncleanness with His jealousy(Deuteronomy 4:24).  He cuts off the branches within us that bear no fruit (John 15:2).  The list goes on, but the point remains the same--God desires to do a purifying act within the lives of all His own.  He wants to thresh us out.  This may be painful, but in it we still see His goodness!  In it His grace is extended.  In this we see that our Lord is slow to anger and abounding in love and compassion (Psalm 103:8).  He wants all of us to come to the fullness of repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  When we open ourselves up to this threshing, we become closer to Him.

Confirmed:  Today a word by Bobby Connor was posted on the Quickened Word.  Below is an excerpt, with bolded parts for emphasis.




What significant event is upon us now?

--A Double Portion of Intimacy

The Hebrew word translated “barn” can also be translated “threshing place.” The threshing floor is indeed the place that is being opened to us now for this most significant season ahead. The threshing floor has been leveled and made smooth. It is a place where the wheat is separated from the chaff—the place where true treasures are discovered and stored. The threshing place is the treasured place where Ruth met her Boaz, where the Church meets her God—the place of profound intimacy. The threshing place is the place where the Beloved calls out to His Bride, Grace, grace!

How do we open the lock to this place of intimacy? What is the combination? It is our love for our neighbor and our Beloved, who calls out to us, Grace, Grace, as we read in Song of Solomon 5:5.

Snapshot: Prayers of Healing Rise

I was in prayer around the beginning of this week, when the Lord gave me a vision of two apples rising.  They were green apples, and they arose from my prayers.  As I saw this, I realized that Vanessa was praying in the room next to mine at the very same time.  The apples symbolized the fruit of our prayers going up to God.

...“What is it, Lord?” And He said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.        Acts 10:4

This is what God thinks when we talk to Him.  Our pleas rise up to Him.  They are uplifting in and of themselves, but God takes this a step further.  Our prayers bring Him pleasure.


"Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!"          Psalm 141:2

God valued David's prayers, and He values ours, too, if our hearts our pure.  We are the apple of His eye (Psalms 17:8)--that doesn't change.  But our hearts need to be cleansed and our view of others perfected before our prayers become as meaningful in His sight as our lives themselves.

"Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering."     Matthew 5:23-24

David was given a revelation that prayer was offering, and intense prayer a sacrifice.  This is so true!  Earnest prayer requires us to shut out any worldly distractions, and to put aside all selfish desires.  It requires effort, but that's what it takes to draw near to God.  If prayer is an offering, then we need to be reconciled to others before we expect God to reconcile us to Himself.  We need to accept others before God will accept our desires for forgiveness, mercy, or favor.  We need to love others before we can experience His love fully.

But once we come to this point, He draws near!  He is pleased with our offerings, and He sees no hypocrisy in us.  We are kept as the apple of His eye, and our prayers themselves become fruitful.  Our conversation with Him becomes fruitful and multiplies--we ask for more, we receive more, and we have thankfulness for more.  We become overshadowed by God, and overcome by His blessings.  This is what intense prayer does.  If we believe, we will receive whatever we ask for in prayer, and often abundantly more than this.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..."         Ephesians 3:20

But we need to let Him work.  We need to access that "power that is at work within us".  We need to let the Holy Spirit work!  We need to let Him preoccupy us with prayer.  The Holy Spirit is groaning and awaiting Christ to mature in our lives (Romans 8:23 and context).  Are we doing the same?  Are we groaning and longing in prayer?  Are we eagerly desiring a blessing from God?  Are we longing to be away from these mortal bodies (2 Corinthians 5)?

If so, then our desires are coming up to God.  They are catching His attention and pleasing Him.  They are manifested out of the spiritual world as a beautiful aroma!  There is so much power in prayer.  It rises--this earth cannot contain it.  It goes to God just as fast as we say or think it--faster, even.

These are the kinds of prayers that please God.  These are the prayers that are powerful and effective (James 5:16).  These kind of prayers allow for God to heal, for God to convict, and for God to comfort.  These kind of prayers require all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our strength, and all of our mind (Luke 10:27).  They bring into manifestation the fulfillment of the law.  But they are worth it!

Confirmed:  A recent post on the Quickened Word website totally confirmed this.  A thread on the forum called, "Apple Tree in Bloom" was revived just in time to synchronize with the vision I received from the Lord.

Snapshot: He Gives Us Favor

Last week, Vanessa and I kept getting blessed with God's favor.  He's been so good in presenting us with every need prior to our mission trip.  From basically gifting us our new Go-Pro cameras to maneuvering us with impeccable timing, our Lord has been showering on us His favor.

Vanessa and I finally started talking about this late last week, and several confirmations surrounded our conversation.

Mini-confirmation 1:  There was a message in Church that "grace isn't fair".  Neither are the spiritual blessing that accompany it--among them, His favor!

Mini-confirmation 2:  A particularly uplifting word was released on the Elijahlist.  It emphasized that God was about to give His people "Inexplicable favor".  We were blessed to see this fulfilled!  And we can trust that God is going to do so much more in the future.

Mini-confirmation 3:  A recent Rick Warren devo talked about sharing your spiritual gifts with others.  He gives us favor so that we can share it!  He gives us more than enough, so that we can be well supplied in the harvest field.  God wants to send us out.

"Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."  Matthew 9:38

"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."   John 1:16

We receive these things out of His fullness.  If we are not also filled accordingly, then we may not be receiving all that God has for us.  Do you want blessings that overtake you along the way (Deuteronomy 28:2)?  Do you want inexplicable favor?  Then yield your lives to Him, and watch as He blesses all that you do.

Snapshot: While We Wait

Two days ago, I saw a vision of a clothes hanger, then saw the word, "Hangar".  Right away I had a mental image of a massive aircraft hangar--something like this.

And I realized that each airplane symbolized a believer waiting for upliftment from the Lord. The hangar itself represented God's protective covering, the shelter of the Almighty.  Under this canopy, the planes were protected from rain, wind, and anything else that might lead to their decay.   God has built this overhanging safeguard just for us.  He has stored us away for Himself, so that nothing stands between us and Him.

"The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."  Matthew 7:25

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."  Psalm 91:1

The airplanes under the hangar were waiting for their takeoff.  They were abiding under God until He brought them higher, to their next spiritual destination.   These Christians were awaiting a sudden breakthrough, a miracle from God.  They were waiting patiently in a safe place.

"For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay."  Habakkuk 2:3

Revelation from God will come, and it will come suddenly!  We have been prepared to take off.  God has positioned us well for the appointed time.  Until then, we should wait patiently. We should wait in His abiding presence until He leads us forward!

"But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently."  Romans 8:25

Everyone has something they are waiting for.  Everyone has a hope for something.  Don't get impatient!  Instead, say 'yes' to God's timing.  Say 'yes' and do not try to hurry God along (Isaiah 5:19 and context).  Say 'yes' to God's next move.  There is an appointed time.  There is a time where God will move.  There is a time for fulfillment.  Those who hope IN HIM will not be disappointed (Psalms 25:3).

Confirmed:  Doves have been a recurring theme recently.  Specifically, doves taking off!  This has been similar to my airplane vision.  God is preparing us to soar!  His service is upliftment.  His heart is to draw us near.  And anyone can come to Him an experience victory.  Everyone who loves Him can come up and be loved.  Glory to God!  He is bring bringing us up higher, above an beyond the high places where darkness dwells (Ephesians 6:12).  High isn't good enough!  We need to be drawn near.  We need to soar.

Your Prophetic Word Confirmed: He Sets a Table

In a blog post here yesterday, I went into how the Lord is faithful to keep us well nourished regardless of our spiritual surroundings. Below is an excerpt from that blog post, with bolded parts for emphasis.


1/14/15 Snapshot:  Rest and Comfort: 

The Holy Spirit brought to remembrance Psalm 23:5.  There were several confirmations for this verse...and I had it playing and replaying in my hear for much of the day:

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

Spiritually speaking, believers today have enemies as real as those of King David. However, our enemies are not flesh and blood like his.  Instead, they are systems of this world and spiritual powers of darkness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).  The good news is that God still protects us!  He still gives us messages and words--the bread of life--amidst chaos and darkness brought about by the enemy.  He invites us to feast with Him on the Word, and still, enemies and accusers lurk nearby.  But God protects us from these things!  That's what Psalm 23:5 testifies to--the faithfulness of God overcoming all else. 


Then, today, a new Word was released on the Elijah list--"Your Watch Word for 2015".   In it were some very encouraging lessons.  There were also lots of confirmation, one of which was especially striking.  Below is an excerpt from this Word, by Russ Walden.  I italicized it, and in addition bolded the parts that really stuck out to me.


1/15/15 Elijah List:


"You will find My favor in the morning. You will find My favor in the evening. You will sit at the table of My favor in the presence of your enemies and they will not be able to reduce you or inhibit you in anyway.

"Make My presence your priority," says the Father, "for 2015 will be a gauntlet of distraction. The tyranny of the urgent will go to war with the priority of My presence. The enemy is very time conscious for he knows his time is short – therefore he will intensify his wrath against you and against My Kingdom. Do not put your attention on the enemy but let your eye go beyond the second heaven and garner your instructions from My throne – for I will give you rule over your enemy with an iron hand.

Glory to God!  I know that this is a message from the Lord (Jeremiah 32:8).  We are going to find ourselves in the presence of our enemies, but we will then be shown in a new way that Jesus is Lord!  And we'll be aware of this, but God is going to overshadow the enemy!  We'll know that darkness is around us, but more than that, we'll know that God has already set us a table.  We'll see that He has already given us such favor.  We'll see that He will continue to, "give us this day our daily bread".  Praise Him!

He is going to feed us more richly than ever; He longs to satisfy us with the riches of foods (Psalm 107:9).  He is going to speak to us more clearly, by His Spirit and with truth (John 4:24).  The enemy will try to interfere with this; He will try to make us fall for his schemes.  He will try to exchange the truth for a lie, and place these lies on the Lord's table.  But we have the mind of Christ--we can know the character of God (1 Corinthians 2:16 and context)!  We can "appraise all things" and see them as they really are.  God's given us a Spirit that knows how to separate the wheat from the chaff.  He's given us discernment.  We can know His truth.  We can sense darkness near, while not fearing it.  We can accept only the finest of foods--that which He's given us.

"He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD."  Psalm 112:7

This is what God does.  He takes away our fear and timidity.  He gives us a Spirit that at once recognizes danger yet does not fear it.  God wants us to know that the evil one will not touch us.  Our Lord wants us to have that blessed assurance.  We can and will always be fed by His hand.  We can sit with Him at His table.  He wants to set us there.  He wants to give us rest there.  He wants us to see Him ridiculing the enemy.  Will you take shelter under Him?

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."  Psalm 91:1

Rest and Comfort

God has been speaking to me a lot about rest and comfort recently.  It's great to enter His rest!  It's great to be comforted by Him!  It's amazing to be perfectly set at peace by the Lord.  And this rest, this comfort, really came to pass in my life yesterday, and it was such a blessing from the Lord.  In many ways, it came as a fulfillment of prophecy.


Like I said, the theme of rest was fulfilled throughout the day yesterday.  And He gave me rest, so that I could praise Him fully.  He gave me time alone to spend with Him.  He gave me rest on every side.  Wherever I turned, I saw him at work, and I was comforted with a message from Him.  I watched a lot of TV, yes, but I received from the Lord even more quickened messages.   I received from the Lord's mercy such rest and comfort.

Below are confirmations that led up to that point.  In hindsight, God was showing me about the reality of His rest long before I experienced it yesterday!




Confirmed 1/12/15:  That night I was reading in 1st Kings.  I kept reading about peace--the Lord was giving Solomon rest on every side.  What strikes me as important is why God did this.  He did it because Solomon pleased Him!  He did it because it pleased Him that Solomon would build Him a temple.  God honored the desires of His servants, firstly with David and then with his son Solomon.  God gave Solomon rest so that Solomon could set up a life of worship for the people.

"But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster."     1 Kings 5:4



Confirmed Yesterday:  The Holy Spirit brought to remembrance Psalm 23:5.  There were several confirmations for this verse...and I had it playing and replaying in my hear for much of the day:

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

Spiritually speaking, believers today have enemies as real as those of King David. However, our enemies are not flesh and blood like his.  Instead, they are systems of this world and spiritual powers of darkness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).  The good news is that God still protects us!  He still gives us messages and words--the bread of life--amidst chaos and darkness brought about by the enemy.  He invites us to feast with Him on the Word, and still, enemies and accusers lurk nearby.  But God protects us from these things!  That's what Psalm 23:5 testifies to--the faithfulness of God overcoming all else.

This message of communing with God in the midst of darkness was so timely yesterday.  I was alone in the house all day, and at times I did feel the enemy encroaching.  But God took me through it.  He took me through it and ensured that I was spiritually nourished throughout my time with Him.  More than anything else, I knew He was there with me, preparing a table.  Praise Him!



Confirmed Yesterday:  I felt prompted by the Lord to obtain a "verse of the day".  Something to summarize His lessons; something to paraphrase what He wanted to say...and He gave me John 14:26:

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." 

Glory to God!  What a fit.  The Comforter Himself was teaching me how to find His rest.  The Comforter was comforting me!  He was giving me rest on every side.  It was the Holy Spirit that first brought to my memory Psalm 23:5.  And it was this same Holy Spirit that then gave me the fulfillment, through my experiences later on.  He is the one who gives a word and always fulfills it!  He is the one who comforts us with the truth.  He is the one who gives us rest, regardless of how many enemies attempt to surround us.

 God wants to draw us close.  He wants to teach us all things.  He is faithful to remind us of His rest and comfort.  He is so faithful to protect us and lead us on in the truth.  God wants to bring us rest so we can worship Him.  He wants to give us the Spirit so we can be true worshippers (John 4:24).  In Him, we can draw near and experience true peace.

Snapshot: Putting on The Armor

A few months ago, I felt the Lord leading me to pray for my spiritual armor everyday.  To my regret, I haven't been completely faithful in this.  I've since came to a heart change, and now pray into this and put on my armor everyday.  To quote a commercialized catchphrase, the origin of which currently escapes me,  "Oh, what a relief it is!"

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."  

Ephesians 6:13-16

The truth is that God has equipped us with our spiritual armor since the time we first believed--and perhaps before then, too.  Heaven's reality says that our armor has been, is, and always will be in place.  Why, then, do we need to constantly apply and reapply it?  Why do we need to continually pray for something that has already been given to us?

The answer lies in renewing our minds.  We need to come into agreement with God and the Light.  Spiritually, we need to identify with Him.  We need to clothe ourselves with His protective covering so that the enemy knows exactly who we belong to.

“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land."  Job 1:10

God has done this.  He has put our spiritual armor on for us.  In today's terms, He has placed around us a forcefield of spiritual safety.  If we forget these things, though, then we are at risk.  There is power in our thoughts, and there is even more power in our words.  We need both of these to agree with God.  We need both of these to know what God has given us.

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31-32

Jesus said that hearing the truth is not enough.  We need to know it!  We need to know it and agree with God.  Once we come into His knowledge with renewed minds, that's when the truth is activated in this world.  That's when we are able to be made free.  Once we confess with our words and know in our hearts (Romans 10:9), that's when our spiritual armor becomes more of a reality than this present life.

So, we agree with God that we have on His Armor.  We take up the shield of faith, and use it to deflect and deny every message that satan tries to send us.  And we surround our heads--our minds-- with the helmet of salvation, which is the Word of God.   We meditate on the Word and think about God and His faithfulness.

This is how we resist the enemy.  This is how we never lose the joy of our salvation.  This is how we  position ourselves for going from Glory to Glory!  He wants to keep us in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3), and with this armor He's made a way.  God never gives any promise that we are unable to fulfill.

Confirmed:  Last Sunday a church friend was led to share with Vanessa and I the importance of putting on our spiritual armor every single day.  That was God's reminder to me!

Confirmed:  Another reminder came through Rick Warren's daily devotional.  I'm no longer subscribed via email, but these devotionals still manage slip through to my inbox occasionally.  God's timing is so perfect!  I received one called, "Fighting the Enemies of Good Intentions".  The pieces were put together for me.  The enemies here are the devil and his spiritual forces.  We fight them with God's armor!  It is our spiritual armor that allows us to retain good intentions.  It is God's protection that allows us to seek Him and stay covered.  It is His Armor that equips us to fight the enemy's evil with good.

Snapshot: A Dim Mirror For Now

A few days ago, God started doing a new thing in the visions He gives me.  I think sometimes He likes to throw us off a little.  Our ways are not His ways, after all (Isaiah 55:8) I started seeing words written in reverse, as if I was looking at them in a mirror.  This happened a few times, and seemed to happen when I was praying for others.  The fact that these words and phrases were written backwards baffled me for a little while.  Then, I was praying for a friend and I saw another phrase drawn out in reverse:

"God conquers all"

So, I saw this being written out backwards, and finally I got it.  The Father gave me enough wisdom to understand what He was saying... I realized that these words were going out to my friend as a message from God.  I realized that The Lord was showing me the spiritual significance of my intercession for them.  Through my prayers, a spiritual message was sent to this person from the Light.  What was the message?  That God conquers all!

And I realized that they would see this from their perspective as a message coming from the Lord.  I realized that God was granting me a taste of the spiritual world in showing me that a message from Him was going out from my prayers.

In a way, my prayers--all of our prayers--are marked by the Lord as being sent from His Spirit.  They come labeled with a message from God.  What I've learned from these visions is a new conceptualization of prayer.  I've realized that the receivers of our prayers are getting a message sent from us, to God, to them.  God does this regardless of whether we perceive it or not (Isaiah 43:19).

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit..."
Ephesians 1:13

God gave me a glimpse of what prayer really looks like.  I understood a small measure of what intercession actually did.  The sender of God's goodness can indeed perceive power going out from Him.  Jesus was finely in touch with this (Luke 8:46).  I, on the other hand, still see dimly.  I needed manufactured phrases to perceive that God was flowing prayerful power through me.  Still, God is so faithful to help us understand a hidden concept.  He is even willing to put the concept into English!  His Spirit is teaching us new things.

The recipient of prayer receives a touch from God.  They receive a message, from God, that often was distributed through the mind of someone else.  They receive from God a message, in this case, that He conquers all. They receive His presence and His love as a reward.  They may not understand this completely or be totally in touch with the spiritual world, but God works regardless!

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."  1 Corinthians 13:12

Glory to God that if we believe, we will have whatever we ask for in prayer (Matthew 21:22).  The answer may not be immediate.  For now, we only see dimly.  We have a conceptualization of the truth that has not yet reached fullness.  We may not understand exactly what we're up against in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).  But that's OK!  Seeing in part is better than not seeing at all!  I feel so blessed by the Lord for Him to have taught me so well already.  I'm thankful to see in part.

But God can reveal more!  God wants to reveal more!  He wants to give us the Spirit of revelation.  He wants to give us eyes to see.  He wants to cut through any fog or confusion on our behalf.  He wants us to be in tune with the spiritual, but more than that, in step with HIS Spirit.  That's what keeps us safe.  That's what marks us as His own.  That's what seals us.  The Lord is ready to show us more.  Have we received from Him wisdom and the Love required to lead us into all truth?

Victory and Overcoming

As believers, we are in a battle.  We are living in a land that is not our own.  We are living in a constant battle, constantly warring and battling against the powers of this world.  If we are not growing in our walk with the Lord, then we are at risk of missing out.  We are opening the door to the enemy coming in and taking the Word out of our hearts.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Ephesians 6:12

We are fighting in this battle against the attempts of the enemy, which are meant to take us away from God.  Satan is always at work trying to make us slip back to where we were.  He is constantly trying to make us doubt God and believe a lie.  He tries to wreck our bodies and our peace of mind--to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

We are not immune from the sins of others or the schemes of the enemy.  We are, in fact, destined to have trouble in this world.  We are going to be fighting the enemy until the day we die.  We won't be completely out of his reach until we die and get to heaven.  Satan is intent on trying to cause even the strongest believers to fall away.

But Jesus has won the victory.  He was tempted by the devil, but he came through it.  He achieved the victory by living a sinless life, giving up Himself and conquering the grave.  He embodied love and truth in everything He did.

Yesterday I received a vision where I placed a signet ring on my finger.  The Father has often given me visions of signet rings as a form of encouragement as seen in Haggai 2:23.  In this vision, though, there was a unique twist.  I saw that on the top of the ring there was a small human figure with arms raised.  I was given the 'knowing' to understand that this vision symbolized the Lord's opportunity to LIVE in victory.

Jesus was the first to be victorious, and He was the first to live life to the fullest.  He came not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45), but He still came out on the upside of everything He did.  He lived with joy that couldn't be disrupted by chaos, and He lived through so much, yet never lost His peace (John 14:27).

And He died for our freedom.  His sacrifices defeated the enemy once and for all.  He set a template of perfection and showed us a way that we could respond to the world.  He showed us how to make the most of every opportunity.  Jesus Himself gave His authority to us, if we are indeed sons of God.  Satan tried to make Him stumble again and again, but Jesus always came out victorious.  And we now have a life to aspire to.  We can commit our actions to the firstborn of many brethren (Romans 8:29), then observe as He takes us to that place of being His friend.

Thanks to Jesus, we've been made overcomers.  The same Holy Spirit that animated Him is waiting inside us to respond perfectly to any and every situation.  The sinless being that lived His life is living in us, too.  So we can be victorious in every moment of our day!  We can be victorious within our areas of influence and our families, and together form a band of overcomers.

There is power in numbers.  A cord of three strands is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12).Within a band of believers is all the power that Jesus ever had. This was His doing--it was His choice to give us authority.  King David loved to see believers band together (Psalms 133:1).  He had experienced such a revelation of what happened in that type of meeting.  He realized that overcoming could be found there.  He realized that's when God comes in (Matthew 18:20), and that's when we wage war victoriously.  He understood from experience that the body is where the Kingdom is built.  This authority in Jesus is what causes us to overcome Hades and this world.

"I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."  Matthew 6:18-19

Confirmed:  Later on in the day yesterday, a new word was released from the Elijah list--"Overcoming all in 2015"  Below is an excerpt , in italics...with bolded parts for emphasis, of course.


Whether applied to our personal or corporate lives, there is a need for us to receive of the prophetic anointing to live overcoming lives. In this year be encouraged that God has only good plans in store.

God has called His people to ascend into the high places of His Presence. The enemy would have us stay "earth-bound" keeping us from soaring as eagles in prophetic vision and purpose, seeing from Heaven's view. Worship causes us to ascend in the Spirit experiencing the glory and Presence of God, also simultaneously filling out spiritual tanks to walk in victory.

I recently had a dream where a prophet was singing "Eagles fly and walk the earth" over and over again. The truth is we live in two different realms of existence. In the natural we walk the earth, and in the Spirit we soar and fly with a view being seated with Christ in heavenly realms. With this understanding, we must also arm ourselves with the truth that we need to fight through worship-warfare to take ground in the Spirit.


Here is an added dimension.  Together as one body we can overcome, and we can use our spiritual gifts to do so.  So let's eagerly desire the greater gifts and the spirit of prophecy(1 Corinthians 14:1)!  Let's join together, with each living in His Victory.  Let's do this until the point that we can testify that He's overcome the world.  Let's be victorious in every moment over the enemy and his wishes for us to follow the flesh.  Let's allow His Spirit to work through us and be achieve victory and peace in every single moment of our daily lives.  In the midst of confusion and trouble,  let's make overcoming our lifestyle.

Heart Matters or Mind Matters?

A few days ago, I was being going through a time of teaching and I felt like my mind was getting in the way of what God wanted to show me.  It was like my thoughts and emotions were not agreeing with the truths He was revealing in my heart.  Thankfully, after some moments of mental tug-of-war, the Lord delivered me out of this.

And I saw a vision that my heart had already been purified.  It had already been cleansed and washed pure by the blood.  I was in line with His Spirit, and my heart was crying out, "Father!"  (Romans 8:15)

My mind, on the other hand, was still conforming to the world.  It was getting in the way of Kingdom reality.  It was not willing to go deeper into the word.  I had become, to quote Bill Johnson again (his new book is great!), "intellectually offended".  My mind was thrown into doubt because I could not logically conceptualize what the Holy Spirit wanted to show me.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.  But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.  But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:12-16

So we know that God knows all things.  That's an awesome concept.  The more God teaches us, the more we need to yield to His Spirit.  The deepest revelations that God can give usually make the least sense along natural lines.  Just look at the Book of Revelation itself, for example!  We need to acquire a heavenly wisdom and heavenly truth.  And praise God we already have this, but in order to access it we need to yield to Him.  We need to yield our preconceived ideas and our own opinions.  We need to give up the worldly wisdom that we thought we had.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, "He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS"; and again, "THE LORD KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise, THAT THEY ARE USELESS." So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you.  

1 Corinthians 3:19-20

So let's give up the hindrances within our minds.  Friendship with the world is contrary to God, and so is adapting the mindsets of the world (James 4:4)  We also need to give up our fear.  God won't despise us for coming to Him with a broken spirit (Psalms 51:17).  We need to give up our worries and live in the moment.  Change can and often does cause fear and worry, but we need to respond to the Lord's teachings in faith.  As Jesus would say, "Why are you so afraid?" (Matthew 8:26).  The one who can accept a new message should accept it.  (Matthew 19:12)  Lord, let me be that one!

Sometimes revelation can be scary.  Sometimes a new thing can be perceived as impure, only because of it's novelty.  Sometimes we doubt that God is faithful, if we ask for a gift of revelation, to give us that rather than a snake (Luke 11:11).  Sometimes we need to receive faith to accompany our gifts.  

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."  Romans 10:17

The more faith we have, the more we can hear Him.  And the more He can teach us.  And the more He can share wisdom.  We need to receive new wineskins to accommodate these gifts (Matthew 9:17)

When He gives revelation, we make sure it testifies to Jesus, then we accept it in our hearts.  Don't let your mind overshadow the Divine Mind of God!!  Don't let your idea of spirituality limit His Spirit.  Don't let where you're at currently detract from where He wants to take you.  

It's time to get ourselves out of God's way.  It's time to discern with a softened heart and guidance from His Spirit.  It's time to stop judging based on the inhibitions of our human minds.  It's time to take God for His Word and be conformed to the world no longer (Romans 12:2).  Let's be taken together into a place where fresh revelation and the spirit of wisdom are plentiful (Ephesians 1:17)

Confirmed:  Later on in the day when God gave me this vision, I was reading a Joyce Meyer book called, "Battlefield of the Mind".  In it she emphasized being led by your HEART, not by your mind or doubts.  If we have received from the Father a softened heart, then our heart's feelings are what we need.  We don't need to go by our minds, which are so vulnerable to the lies of the our accuser.  

Confirmed:  Several messages recently have come to me that stress the importance of our hearts.  From Facebook memes--yes, God can work through Facebook--to the forums over at the Quickened Word, God has been faithful to keep confirming to me His original message.

Confirmed:  A good friend sent me an email that included a prayer for forgiveness, again, on the very same day that I received the vision.  I don't actually get emails like this very much.  Below are a few short excerpts, in italics.  I bolded the most confirming parts.

Meditate on the truth of who God is and who you are in Him:

Take into your heart and spirit scriptures about God's forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love. Psalm 103 is a good place to start.

Take an objective view of your past to learn from your failure. What did you learn about yourself and God through this experience?

Allow God to expose the wound for His healing touch, and refuse the attempts of the accuser and destroyer to harass you anymore, because the King of glory stands as your Defender and Advocate.

...Thank You that You control me, not my emotions or what others say or do. I receive all Your blessings for my life and give You all praise, honor, and glory.  

God makes the best stories, He paints the best pictures, and He teaches the best teachings.  He is teaching us new things.  Will we receive them.  Let's pray ourselves into alignment with the Word:

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better."    Ephesians 1:17