Snapshot: Spiritual Communion

I remember once the Lord showed me a vision where He was breaking bread.  He was breaking the bread, and He told me--He told me to eat His flesh.

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.

John 6:53-57

This is what happens during communion, when we get together as a church or alone and eat in remembrance of the Lord.  And it also happens when we commune with Him spiritually.  That's when we are nourished.  That's when the Father gives us our daily bread (Matthew 6:11).  Jesus mediates this, and in the vision He gave, the Lord Jesus tore that loaf right open.

After this experience, I was instructed to get to the online Hebrew/Greek lexicon.  I find God likes to confirm Himself that way.  And I felt Him tell me to plug in the number 1234, into Hebrew.  So I did.

Strong's 1234- baqa
--to split, cleave, break open, divide, break through, rip up, break up, tear

Wow!  That's communion.  That's when God through His Son rightly divides the word of truth         (2 Timothy 2:15).  He comes along with the Spirit of love and the Spirit of revelation (Ephesians 1:17).  He divides the fresh bread of the Word for us, so that we can then do it for others!  He gives us nourishment that leaves us empowered, not ashamed.

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."                                                          Luke 22:19

Let's break bread with Him before we break it with anyone else.  Let's come to Him.  Those who seek Him find Him.  Let's feast on His holiness.  Let's come to Him and never hunger again!

What is Devotion?

This morning when I woke up, the Lord was speaking to me about devotion.  And I wondered about devotion for a while.  What exactly is it?  It's the willingness to give up oneself to please the Lord. It's a desire to cleave to Him, to love Him with all of your effort.

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."                                    Deuteronomy 6:5

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."           Romans 12:1

We must desire to please Him.  We must desire for Him to see our devotion.  Devotion is more than just reading devotionals--I didn't do that at all this morning--although there are a lot of good devotionals out there.  Devotion is more than reading the Word in the morning--I didn't do that today, either--although the Word is our main source of hearing from God.  In fact, devotion is more than just having morning quiet time.

Devotion is having your eye remain single (Matthew 6:22) and understanding that the little I've given to God is enough for Him.  Devotion is laying it all out as an offering--humbly submitting ourselves with joy.  And devotion is an all-day process. It's a process of laying out a continual thanks offering.

We should know He's delighted in us!  We should know that He has accepted our sacrifice.  Once we know, that's when we can walk in it.  That's when we can remain devoted--when we can show by our works where our heart lies.  If we walk in humility and devotion, we can approach any future sacrifice choosing God over the world.  We can leave all that behind.  Why should I be a slave to the things that once had a hold on me? We've been set free from those things, now let's walk with devotion! (Romans 6:1 and context)


"Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."                                        James 1:21


"But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."

Matthew 6:33

Snapshot: Morning Dew

This morning, I was driving to a new Church called The Bridge.  And right near the start of the drive, I saw a street sign called 'Morning Dew'.  It made me think about the way that the Lord pours His love onto us, even when we first wake up.  How He showers onto us such favor, such a rich anointing.  How the Lord awakens us spiritually and shows us new things.

"Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As the droplets on the fresh grass and as the showers on the herb."                                      Deuteronomy 32:2

And I felt God encouraging me to enjoy my quiet time in the car--I had an hour long drive ahead of me, after all.  He was giving me hope for the journey.  So I opened my heart--no, He did--to receiving that.  I felt Him making me aware of this awesome opportunity--this morning dew.  He was telling me to draw near in worship.

And there were some great songs on Christian radio, some of my favorites.  Praise God, He knew that I would like them!  And I felt God's presence in such a powerful way.  I felt such love.  I felt such living water, in me and around me.  I felt the Lord pouring out...the 'morning dew'!  Praise Him, I had such a wonderful time on the way to Church.  Now, all time of worship is amazing, but this drive to Church was truly unique.  I tasted His character in a new way.

And then I get to Church, and it was great, too.  My first time at the Bridge--it was very good. Worship was powerful, and then a missionary from India shared and spoke some prophetic exhortation.  Next was the sermon, and before I knew it, we had all turned to Hosea 14:

"I will be like the dew to Israel; He will blossom like the lily, And he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon. His shoots will sprout, And his beauty will be like the olive tree And his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon"                                                              Hosea 14:5-6

Wow!  What a confirmation!  And this is how God is to us.  He enriches us.  He showers us.  He pours out His Spirit on us!  He rewards us for seeking Him early--He rewards us with the morning dew.  We come in expectation, and we finish satisfied.  Jesus said we'd never thirst! (John 4:14).  He said that living waters would pulsate out of us (John 7:38).

And it starts in the morning!   Come in expectation--that's a biblical command!  Come and expect the Holy Spirit's infilling.  Come and expect God to show up.  Come and expect a revelation, visitation, or exhortation from the Lord.  He has all of Himself to give!

"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek him."                     Hebrews 11:6

The "Humanism" Spirit

For the past two weeks, at least, the Lord has been really highlighting to me something called humanism.  It's a spirit, I've learned, and we see it everywhere in the world today.  There are just so many good, non-Christian people!  They may be educaters, benefit public awareness, work in hospitals, or teach as nice events. And they just may be under the influence of the spirit of humanism.

Jesus came to give salvation and abundant life to us.  He came to redeem fallen humanity.  But humanism is something else entirely.  Humanism leaves no room and no credit for the work of God. Humanism is dangerous--as I'll describe later, it's spirit is closely tied to antichrist.  For now, though, let's look at a few common beliefs propagated by those under it's influence.  Some may seem innocent enough...but they are all inherently wrong because they do not acknowledge or give glory to God.  The humanism spirit:

--Champions the rights of all

--"Loves" and empowers people

--Teaches unity, peace, and acceptance

--Has no absolute truths, believe whatever makes you feel happy

--Encourages people to be overcomers

--Encourages people to be successful and achieve their dreams

--Advocates self improvement, self help, and self control

--Advocates self-love

--Produces a lying version of the fruit of our Holy Spirit

Now some of these things sound good, and that's because they are!  They can be, if God is at the center.  It's conditional.  It's subtle.  It's so important to know that this spirit only produces corrupt versions of God's gifts.  Because God first thought of giving us dreams to achieve.  God first thought of giving us passions.  God first thought of allowing us to overcome--through His son, Jesus!

And that's where this spirit of humanism goes wrong.  It doesn't acknowledge Jesus!  It's not for Him--its against Him (Matthew 12:30).  It may preach a false Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4) of universal love and good vibes.  But it does not accept the true Jesus at savior.  That's the problem--humanism glorifies people as gifted, dedicated, and elevated enough to save themselves!

As the list above shows, humanism has a false version of everything.  It's perverted the concept of going after one's dreams.  It's perverted the concept of things like human equality and human rights. It's perverted the Christ-based concept of being an overcomer.  The spirit of humanism has a form of godliness, but totally denies it's power (2 Timothy 3:5).  It improves the lives of people while on this earth so that they never have to turn to Jesus in the end.

I would never want to tell a non-believer that they're an overcomer.  I would generally not even say, "you can do this!" to them unless it was part of a larger ministry tactic.  I would definitely not encourage a non-christian to pursue their dreams.  I can't leave it at that!  At least not without telling them to seek first His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33).

I can't be for a person on their own effort.  I can't encourage them to just make themselves a better person.  I can't glory in their flesh (1 Corinthians 1:29-31).  I won't yield to the humanism spirit, no matter how good it might feel.  I need to point to Christ.

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV

Word: Convert All Things to Trust

About a week ago the Lord spoke to me some words of encouragement.  He said,

"Today is a day to convert all things to trust."

And He went on with some reassurance in other areas...but I was still convicted by the wording of that first sentence.  Trust!  He was saying that every characteristic should be drained of itself and transformed into a trusting in Him.  Every anxious emotion should be converted into a hope in the Lord.

"Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD."             Psalm 31:24

Now I couldn't do this.  I can't convert all things into trust.  But the Lord can!  And He wants to.  So let's let Him--let's take from Him courage and hope.  God wants to alleviate us from every unbelieving thing.  He wants us to break out of every layer of fear and timidity and abide in Him.  

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."

2 Timothy 1:7

He has given us a Spirit that personifies Christ's love.  He has given us His Holy Spirit, which drives out fear (John 4:18). God has given us a Spirit that works all things for our good (Romans 8:28)--a Spirit that converts all things into trust.

"Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."

Psalm 62:8

Spiritual Midwives

Last week I was walking past the bookshelf and the Lord led my eyes to an older book called "Systems of Midwifery".  And then He spoke to my heart and told me that I was a midwife!  Hmmm, I thought that was interesting.

And then a few things happened.  I heard quickened conversations, observed signs, and received pieces to this whole midwifery puzzle.  Vanessa and I talked, and I realized that the Lord had shown me that I was to act as her spiritual midwife!  I was to help her see her promises 'birthed'.  I was to help with deliverance, not deliverance from evil, but deliverance into good.

See, we all have spiritual promises.  We all have something God has told us to expect in our future. And these gifts may not come to pass as we expect.  For Vanessa, they haven't.  And sometimes that's hard.  But all we can do is hold on to the promises.  All we can do is trust God.

"Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him."          Psalm 105:19

So, we're being tested.  And God was telling me that I had to assist Vanessa with this struggle.  I had to help her as that one moment came to pass, as it continues to come to pass.  I had to assist as a midwife to those big promises.  And I understood that God was giving me a clear assignment here.

See, the Word can still become flesh and dwell among us (John 1:14).  It can still bring into fruition something tangible.  The Spirit of Jesus is still moving active on the earth.  That's all it takes for a promise to be fulfilled!  And this manifestation takes a spiritual birthing--and before that, it takes a spiritual pregnancy.  It takes effort and time.  It is a testing, and it is a struggle.  Midwifes help.

"My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you."
Galatians 4:19

The pieces of this rhema puzzle came together when I read the above verse.  Paul was in pain while Christ was being birthed in others.  He was in pain and longsuffering because of the slowness of the process.  He bore their burdens, and shared in their trials.  Paul was a spiritual midwife!

"For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now."                                                               Romans 8:22

I believe that all Spirit-filled Christians are called to midwifery at some point.  In fact, I think we're called to being midwives at most points.  We all have a brother, sister, daughter or father in Christ who is in the midst of seeing God's promises come to pass. They may have just received that otherwise impossible promise, or they may be almost ready to birth God's word into existence. But they will need assistance either way.  They will need to be encouraged--they will need to be encouraged to hold onto their promises!  They need to have their struggle distributed among others who can support them. They need someone who personifies God's kindness and steadfast love--someone they can count on to help them deliver.

Double Grace and Beyond the Law

For some time now, I've been seeing the number 55 so often--and I'm not talking about speed limit signs!  No, it's mostly been coming up in a time on the clock or in verse numbers in the Word.   55's even been coming up through TV shows and phone numbers.  I've been seeing it pretty regularly.  So I really felt the Lord was unearthing something.  But what does this all mean?

In Christian symbolism, 55 is associated with "double grace".  Praise God!  And that's what it's been recently--His grace has been a major encouragement.  Grace upon grace and mercy upon mercy--that's what the Lord gives us.  The mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:23), and the grace allows us to get through the day and persevere.

Now, God gives grace to all without finding fault (James 1:5).  Praise God!  But I feel like grace is not rightly conceptualized by much of the American Church today.  Grace is for gifting, not for sinning.  Let me elaborate--we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and it is indeed grace that allows us to be redeemed from sin.  But more than that, grace is also meant to allow holy gifts to rest in impure vessels.  Grace is meant to have the gifting rest in us!

"And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all."                        Acts 4:33

Great power calls for great grace!  Otherwise, the Lord's power would be too much for us to contain. We have His treasures in jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7), and grace is what allows us to experience the gifts nonetheless.  We need the grace to accommodate the gifting.  We need God's grace to operate in power while staying in purity.  (For more on purity and power, see this post.)

If we have double grace, good!  That means we'll need it to attain to the gift of God.  There must be a big gifting, a big mission, and a big mandate ahead of us.  We have all been called to mighty things, and between us and that attainment, there is a reservoir of grace awaiting our use.  And there is some distance between where we are now, and the fullest extent of what God wants us attaining!  We have some catching up to do.  The gift needs to be fanned into flames (2 Timothy 1:6), and our character has to be brought up to a higher standard, also.

And we also have this grace to allow us to fulfill the law.  It's not easy to fulfill the law!  It takes grace.  It takes grace and God's goodness that leads us to repentance.  Now in the Old Testament, the Israelites  had all those things.  But they didn't have within them He who is greater than the sin of the world (1 John 4:4).

But Jesus came so that we could fulfill.  With the Holy Spirit, we can do more than fulfill the law--we can transcend it.  In a sense, we are above it.  Keep in mind that we do follow the law--that's important.  But now, we have a list of "do's", not a list of "do nots".  Now we can live out the law in an expression of love--a new commandment.  We can embrace the Spirit of the law, not just the letter.  We can have the law of liberty written into our spirits (James 1:25), and we can receive a double portion of grace in getting there.  Hallelujah!

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."                                                 John 13:34

Word: Seek and You Shall Find

Yesterday the Lord spoke to me and told me,

"There are many choices behind you, and many choices before you, but there is only one choice that's best.  So seek Me diligently.  Seek Me early, and seek Me late in the evening.  Seek, seek, seek...seek, and you shall find."

This has been such a recurring thing for me recently.  If I seek Him, I will find Him.  If I diligently seek Him, I will find His Will.  These are promises, and they are waiting to be fulfilled.  And the Lord continues to feed me this verse again, and again, and again... (and again, four times!). Remember Jesus' question to Peter? (John 21)  He speaks to us repetitively so that we can get His Word deeply ingrained.  He stresses a message so that we can know He is God, even in our stillness (Psalms 46:10).

I remember that when Vanessa and I were in Springfield, Missouri, last month, a close friend of ours imparted to me some godly wisdom.  Now this friend is very prophetic--glory to God for the gifting--and he told me specifically, "Seek and you will find".  I was so blessed by that.  The Lord has quickened this verse to me in my own quiet time so often and in so many ways.

There is so much to be found--so many things to find out.  There is so much to hunger after--the unspeakable riches we have inherited in Christ, and more than that, the unspeakable love we have been given by Christ.  We need to know that the Lord is good, so that we can praise Him accordingly.

And there is so much to seek.  Those who seek Him find Him (Proverbs 8:17).  Those who seek Him become filled as He draws near (James 4:8).  Those who seek Him do so when they are hungry, and He fills the hungry with good things (Psalms 107:9).

The Lord is coming in glory. (Isaiah 60:1) He is coming in splendor. And He will come, as soon as we really, really search for Him.  As we seek Him, pieces and portions of His character will surface. The many facets of His Will can come to the surface, and He brings them to our attention.  (Jeremiah 6:16)  Glory to God!  

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

Jeremiah Twenty--The Training of a Prophet

Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long.  

But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.  

I hear many whispering, "Terror on every side! Report him! Let's report him!" All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, "Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him."  

But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten.

In this segment of Jeremiah, 20:8-11, we see here what it means to be trained as a vessel for God to speak through.  We see the hardships and humblings involved, and we see how God's passion burns within as He makes His will known.  We see the development and training of a prophet.

Now in the Old Testament, true prophets were sometimes rare.  And everyone knew when someone was blessed by God with the gift of hearing from Him.  So God spoke to a few as He willed.

Now Jesus has come for us, and it's time to remember the Lord and remember His benefits (Psalms 103:2).  Every saved and filled person can be prophetic.  We may not all be prophets--there's a lot of responsibility that comes with that title--but we can all be prophetic.  We can all hear from God in a way that overshadows our own knowledge.  We can all receive a heavenly revelation that points to Christ.  We can all receive this gift and learn from the Giver how to best use it.

"For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged..."
1 Corinthians 14:31

"...Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus."
Revelation 19:10

This is our New Testament identity, and this is our New Testament ability, if we are abiding in Jesus. Every one of us can be used by God to supernaturally know His will.

And this is a training process.  It may just require steps!  Samuel, Elijah and Elisa had their schools of the Prophets.  If there's a school, then it follows that there is a progressive learning involved!  Many today call it the school of the Holy Spirit.  I think that's a good term.  Here are some steps involved in this learning.  They may or may not be in order according to your own experience--God is dynamic and speaks to us all in ways we can best understand!  The point is that God usually takes the gifting from step to step:

1)  Reading the Word.  This is where it all starts. We are nourished and transformed by the Truth.     (Romans 10:17 relates to steps 1-3)

2)  Hearing God through the Word.  God typically will speak to you about yourself--your own identity, inheritance, and importance to Him--before He will speak to you about others or your own shortcomings.  He brings you to the potter's house, and usually confirms you before the shaping begins.  (Jeremiah 18)  He may make a certain scripture passage jump out at you, or have a Christian friend share with you a verse that He's laid on their hearts.  And the Lord will also develop within you that still, small voice that comes through the Word (1 Kings 19:12).

3)  Acquiring Faith.  Faith comes by hearing!  And the more faith you have, the better you hear, and the more that you can hear.  That's why we only prophecy according to our measure of faith (Romans 12:6).  In general, God will only tell you what you have faith to accept.  But the one who can accept a word from God--a personal, specific message--should accept it! (Matthew 19:12)  I've heard people say that before God speaks through a prophet, He speaks to a prophet.  Yes!  Generally speaking, at least.

4)  Internal work develops more and more.  We grow in faith, and we grow in hearing.  It's a cycle of teaching that the Holy Spirit takes us on.  We see God confirm His Word, and that reassures us that we're hearing from Him.  We see Him tell us something, and then we see it come to pass (Isaiah 55:11).  And when He tells us something, it may just test us (Psalms 105:19).  We may think it is impossible, or that we're just hearing our own imagination, but then God comes and confirms it.  And that builds faith!

I remember once that the Lord told me He was sending me to kids from Kansas city--kids who would later come to know God and His salvation.  And I thought He meant I was actually going there--literally traveling to KC to follow God's voice.  But within two weeks, I was ministering at the Hospital and met a guy my age who was from Kansas city.  He needed a ride to the hotel he was staying at, and the Lord also healed Him of the pain He originally went to the hospital for.  So, we also learn to not be presumptuous with hearing and acting on god's voice.

5)  We know God's Will.  In one area or another, He shows us His will and His plans.  He may tell us.  He may show us. (Job 33:14-15)  He may allow us to just know by having His mind on an issue ().  But He will reveal to us things unknowable--He will give us insight into His plans.

6)  We share God's voice with others.  By this point in time, we know it's Him--we have the faith that comes by hearing.  We are His sheep, and so we are now able to really discern and trust in His voice.  (1 Corinthians 2:16)  So He instructs us to share it--share the message He's given us.  This part can be very difficult sometimes.  And more often than not, God wants us to share.  And His love compels us to (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). If gentle promptings fail, then His word becomes a fire.  So we release it then!  We choose to please God. We choose to encourage and exhort others in the faith.  We choose to get away from ourselves and share.

And there you have it--some typical steps to prophetic training!  The cost may be high, but the cost is worth it.  There is so much satisfaction in helping yourself and others attain to God's perfect will.   It is so precious to be in tune and one with God.  There is so much value in the gift, because there is even greater value in the Giver.  There is so much importance in knowing God's heart.

"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy."                      1 Corinthians 12:31

  

Snapshot: Applying the Ephod

Yesterday the Lord led me to enter the number 642 into Eliyah's Greek lexicon.  Hmm, exciting stuff.  That website is such a good way to hone hearing.  And I found out what that meant, below:

--a girding on (of the ephod)

And I knew that it was time to put on my spiritual armor--that the Lord was encouraging me in that. In the Old testament, the Levites had the ephod, and today, every believer has the breastplate of righteousness.

"Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS"                                                       Ephesians 6:14

These are things that we ourselves are responsible to put on or apply to ourselves.  God doesn't necessarily do it for us.  We can apply to ourselves the Words of Truth and allow God to protect our body.  How are we protected?  Because we take on markings that set us apart.

And then today, I was reading 1 Samuel 30 (verses 6 through 8 below).  In it, David had just experienced a huge loss and was very much out of control.  But then a shift happened.  David found strength in the Lord.  He girded up and sought out God--to use some KJV terms.

Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. "

And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

Interesting, huh?  David applied the Urim and Thummim--a way of discerning God's will--to His problems so that He could overcome them.  That's how David mounted up.  That's how David recovered from such a tragedy.

We need to know that God is on our side.  We can't blame Him for problems or bad events.  We can't think He has made loss our only option.  Within the heart of God, there is a solution,  There is a way out.  David could seek God through inquiring of the Urim and Thummim, and we can seek God through inquiring of the Holy Spirit.  And He'll give us the right answer and the right plan.  Even the disciples in the book of Acts cast lots (Acts 1:26)!  So we can expect God to speak to us through whatever means the Spirit prompts us to use.

We can gird on the ephod today.  We can put on that breastplate of righteousness and know that God is good--that He's for us and not against us!  That's when we have confidence to inquire of Him. If you ask Him what to do, He'll give you the best solution.  He'll make your path perfect (Psalm 18:32)!  He'll provide a window of grace that enter in through and overcome.

Word: Trust Leads to Freedom

Yesterday the Lord spoke to me and said,

"I am taking you to a new level of freedom. Yes, I am giving you liberty and freedom in the Spirit, because I trust you, because you belong to me"

We belong to Him. And when we walk in that, that's why He trusts us! And that's why He gives us life to the fullest where we can be free and liberated from sin. Praise God for freedom. Praise Him for liberty, and praise Him for the law that His Spirit lives by. Praise Him that He gives trust to those whom He first entrusted with His Holy Spirit. And finally, praise God that we belong to Him! He is so intent on showing us that. He is so pleased when we realize all that He's done for us. Every promise in the Word has been given to us. And every word He's given will come to pass.

"And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you."
Galatians 3:29

A little later yesterday, I went into the garage from outside just in time to hear Christian radio for a minute or so. And They were describing how Jesus reveals His secrets to those He trusts. Although the world does not know or recognize Him, they said, He has taken us in and entrusted us with Himself. He spoke in parables so often, but to His own, He occasionally revealed more.

I was so thankful to hear this little segment of radio...and then it was time for me to head back outside. God's timing was so perfect! It perfectly confirmed the word from earlier that morning -- "...because I trust you..." And I realized that because He trusts me, that's why He's going to be revealing more to me! This is something I've been praying for recently--that God would reveal more unknowable knowledge to me, more prophetic insight, more deep things. And that morning, He had comforted me in saying that He trusted me. After you have the trust, only then can Jesus reveal the secrets. Awesome!

"I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name."
Isaiah 45:3

God's Character as our Plumb Line

A few days ago, I was walking around outside the house, when I saw a line of string hanging down from a low part of the roof.  There was a tiny weight attached to the end of this string...I'm not sure what the thing was there for.  And the Lord reminded me that His Word is our plumb line.

"I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line..."

Isaiah 28:17

In the Old Testament, righteousness was God's plumb line, and whenever this line was crossed, He would bring on judgement.  There is a righteousness that God expected of His OT people, and when they fell away and worshiped idols, He was obliged to move towards judgement.  The plumb line is something that Israel was not to cross.  The plumb line is from Him, and it is also for Him, so that they knew that He was justified in His judgement (Psalms 51:4).

Today, we have God's righteousness embodied in His word.  We have His plumb line shown throughout the Bible.  He has set precepts that are to be fully obeyed (Psalms 119:4)--this is the plumb line.  If we cross it, we lose the righteousness He's given.  If we cross it, our disobedience takes away the blessing on us and hedge of protection around us.  It happened again and again to the Israelites, and it happens to us today.

There is a more personal element to this, too.  We can discern God's will, God's voice, through aligning it with His Word.  We can use the Bible, and all of it's promises, as a plumb line to ensure that we are seeing things as He does.  If we are out of alignment, His plumb line will show it.

Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God."

We need to be have God make a way for us so that we can know both His Word and His power.  We have to know where our strength lies, where our foundation is at, and where our plumb line is.  We have to know how to identify His righteousness and stay within His confines so that we can walk in it.

Confirmed:  Later on this same day, I was reading a prophetic Word about God's plumb line.  Cool!  Every matter should be established by two or three witnesses... (2 Corinthians 13:1)

Confirmed:  Just today, the Lord led me to the story of Zerubbabel.

Also the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. "For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel-- these are the eyes of the LORD which range to and fro throughout the earth."                  Zechariah 4:9

We have here a template for our own working for the Lord.  First, we need to build upon a foundation the Lord has provided, and go on in building only according to His plumb line--only according to what He has said.  We need to make sure that our effort aligns with His will and His Word.  If He sends us into a project and guides us through it, then we are ensured to finish it!  And if He trusts us, He will allow us to take that plumb line--that essence of His character--and use it in our own hands.  

We need to be thankful for every day that God shapes our mandate and builds on our work.  We need to know that His eyes are on us, and approving of us, and then enabling us, by His Spirit.  We need to apply His character and His righteousness to our work, in order for Him to call it blessed.  That's how we create a testimony where it's clear that He's sent us.  That's where we won't be tempted to despise the day of small things.  And that's how we please Him!  God wants to sanctify our work.





  

Snapshot: Number 416

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."                         John 3:8

Jesus has already described for us what it looks like to be led.  He has already showed us what we can expect after we have been born again.  We will be like the wind...we are like the wind already.

And I've had John 3:8 reverberating within my mind for a while now.  Thanks God!  But what does it all mean?  Well, it means that we are constantly pushed, constantly guided, constantly driven by the passion of God.  We are guided by His Spirit as if by a strong, powerful wind.  We are guided by His Spirit, so we can walk out the things He's already planned for us (Ephesians 2:10), and in doing so, keep in step with Him.

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

Within God's heart is all the passion in the world.  And He's given each of us a measure of this passion that we can play out in our lives.  There are avenues awaiting us where we have the opportunity to shine for Him.  And there are different people, different situations, and different gifts awaiting us so that we can bless and be blessed.  And God wants us to walk closely to Him, so we can know what our role is in each and every situation.  It takes friendship with the Holy Spirit.

Each moment is different, dynamic, and changing. That's why the Holy Spirit's prompting is likened to the wind--it is UNPREDICTABLE!  So we really need to keep in step, and be ready no matter the season (2 Timothy 4:2).  

We need to be led moment by moment, which is wonderful!  However, if we are being led moment by moment, then we might seem kind of out there. We might seem unstable or flighty.  People probably won't know where we are going with our lives. We might be accused of using bad planning or not planning out anything at all!   Good!  Isn't that how Jesus described "everyone born of the Spirit"?  

God has a plan for each of us that is amazing.  It is complex, intricate, and intimately planned out. And we can't grasp this--not with human logic, anyways. Now, people can do a lot of good works on their own effort.  And Christians can do a lot of good things for God.  But there is only one way to be excellent, and that is to yield to God's PERFECT plan for our lives.

THE NUMBER 416...

I've been having fun with an online Hebrew and Greek Lexicon recently--Eliyah.com.  It's an excellent training opportunity to hear God's voice, in that the Lord can easily speak to me through specific numbers or other languages.  Then I can translate the parable, the message, with the help of the Lexicon!

So a few mornings ago, the Lord led me to the number 416, and prompted me to translate it into Greek.  (Hebrew and Greek words actually correspond with numbers).  So, I followed His leadings, and saw that #416 meant, "to toss or drive with the wind".  Hey, that goes along with how He'd been speaking John 3:8 so much recently!  Wonderful!  Let's be tossed and driven by the winds of change--the sculpting and leading winds of the Holy Spirit.

Let's be driven by passion and then moved with compassion.  Let's have only a light -- the light of the Lord -- to guide our path.  Then we will be presented with divine alignments and opportunities.  Then we will take on Jesus' dynamic nature.  Then we will be prepared for every good work.  Then we will experience life to the fullest.

And all of this happens out of a place of intimacy.  God moves closer before He moves you.  He leads your heart before He leads your lifestyle.  But He desires to go all the way!  Let's be led and attuned, not matter what the cost.  Let's remember the Lord (continually), and in doing so, walk into all His benefits (Psalms 103:2).  We need to be in tune with the heart of the Father, and make our lives a reflection of that.

Snapshot: Entering into Resurrection Power

A few mornings ago, on Sunday, the Lord took me into a vision where I saw Matthew 28:2 and 28:3 played out.

"And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow."                            Matthew 28:2-28:3

And He showed me that things that are blocking His people from walking in resurrection life are being removed.  He showed me that obstacles to our supernatural restoration are being thrown aside.  He's making a way for His resurrection power to flow out.  He's making a way for Jesus to be revealed.  He's removing things, and making a way for His power to touch us!

They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"                                                             Mark 16:3

Sometimes we wonder this very same thing.  How will Jesus reach us in our lives?  How will we reach Him?  How will we see Him, and have Him transform us so that we can be as He really is? These are all real questions, and they are all created by very real situations.  They are created by blockages--spiritual or physical problems that put us between a rock and a hard place, so to speak.

In the midst of unsolvable problems, we need to know that God has our solution.  We should actively seek His coming.  We need to seek Him until He rolls away those blockages, those roadblocks that cut us of from receiving a fullness of life.

While only God's Spirit can remove these things for us, we have a role to play, too.  We need to cling to God.  We need to flee from sin, and resist the devil.  We need to throw off all our entanglements, as best as we know how.

"My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me"             Psalm 63:8

"Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."                                       2 Timothy 2:22

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."               James 4:7

"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

So, there are things we can throw off, too.  There is a small portion of responsibility that has been given us--things that God empowers us to do so that we can choose to do them out of our own free will.  We can throw off sin.  We can throw off hindrances.  We can do this, and as we walk in His will, we can expect the Lord to clear out the bigger roadblocks ahead of us.  God is paving a way for all of us to really know Jesus.

And then the freedom begins.  Then the adventure really begins.  Then we walk in the Spirit, flow with the Spirit, and live filled with the Spirit.  We emanate resurrection power.  It's a lot of fun!  And more than that, it pleases the Lord and brings joy to His heart.

Confirmed:  At the start of Church that day, we started off after worship with a prayer asking the Lord to resurrect us, awaken us, restore us to His life and power.  Awesome!  God wants us to know that there is one Spirit, one mind, and one Body.

We also read John 11 that day, were Lazarus is resurrected.  And we talked about how this raising foreshadowed Jesus' own rise from the grave.  We talked about how Jesus' miracle here pointed to His own future glory.  Below is what we went over in Church--John 11:41-44 . Talk about confirmations!  Our God is so, so good.

So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.

Yes, I know You always hear and listen to Me, but I have said this on account of and for the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You did send Me [that You have made Me Your Messenger].

When He had said this, He shouted with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out!

And out walked the man who had been dead, his hands and feet wrapped in burial cloths (linen strips), and with a [burial] napkin bound around his face. Jesus said to them, Free him of the burial wrappings and let him go.

(Amplified version)

Snapshot: To Separate The Wheat from The Chaff

Yesterday the Lord gave a vision of a wheat plant.  And I saw the branches--the leaves that produce the fruit--of the plant.  Some of these leaves were doing just fine, and being left alone, while others were being sifted through a little combing machine.  This sifting machine just took the chaff right out of the wheat.  About a third of the entire plant was being sifted and sorted so that only the wheat remained.

I realized that God was showing me the work He is doing in my own life.  Sifting out the unfruitful parts, so that the parts bearing fruit--bearing wheat--have room to grow and become even more productive.

"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

Let's look at the context here.  For believers, for those already saved, this is what the baptism in the Holy Spirit and His fire does to us!  This is a work of God, not in judgement, but in refining.  God takes away the hindrances and sifts out the impurities.  He cleanses us initially, and that process never stops.

"You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you."             John 15:3

We are clean because He's spoken and told us so.  Praise God!  It's a real revelation to know the righteousness He's given us.  And then what?

"He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."                                                John 15:2

We have been clean since salvation.  But have we been perfectly clean?  Not yet, not unless God makes us that way.  We may still have personal issues that need sorting out.  We probably do!  If we have issues, then we have need of a sifting.  (Luke 22:31)  So God takes these things and combs them off, cuts them off, burns them up.  He burns them away in His purifying fire.  We don't need to have issues any more!  We can be made perfectly whole.

"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness..."
Malachi 3:3

This is what God does to all who accept His gift of grace.  He purifies us so we can give purity to Him.  It's time to accept holiness.  It's time to accept purity.  It's time to accept that biblically, we are all saints.  It's time to walk worthy of the calling with which we've been called.

"...so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God..."                               Colossians 1:10

Snapshot: Holy Earthquakes

God has promised to shake things--to shake us in discipline, to shake the earth in judgement, and to shake the heavens in preparation for Christ's returning.  This is a promise!  A promise that those who are right with God can look forward to the fulfillment of with eagerness and joy.

And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying: "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN"      Hebrews 12:26

We were reading through this section of Hebrews in Church today.  So God is doing spiritual shakings within believers today--to purify us, to shake off any potential hindrances..  Praise God! And He will do a literal shaking of the entire earth on that day.  On a slightly different note, I believe earthquakes can be a sign from God.   It happened in the book of Acts:

"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly."

Wow!  We also touched on this a little in Church.   I guess a few of our members were praying once and during their prayer, there was a small earthquake.  I'll take it by faith that this was from God.

A few moments after the speaker brought this up, there was a loud knocking that came from outside the building.  It began knocking so powerfully, that it sure felt like a shaking to me.  The Church was shaking!  Thank you Lord for confirming your Word in such creative ways!

We need to have power in prayer.  We need to have conviction in our prayer.  Our words can and should have power (Luke 4:32).  They should be full of the power of life!  We have to be shaken by God first.  We have to come out of purification "as gold" and then transmit that testimony to others (Job 23:10). We have to know how perfectly God hears us.  We need to know that prayer changes things.

Confirmed: Recently I read a word from 2012 that James Goll has sent out a word on the Elijahlist about this kind of holy shaking. In it, he details a powerful prophetic dream that he had.  Below is an excerpt:


All of a sudden, the late John Wimber, former leader of the Vineyard Movement and voice for the Third Wave, was firmly standing on the newly purple-carpeted platform. The cultural atmosphere was now pregnant with a realm of the glory and the thick majesty of God. Then I heard and felt the voice of John Wimber echo an invitation that rattled the entire place. He simply declared, "COME AGAIN HOLY SPIRIT!"

People started crashing to the floor en masse under the impact of the power and authority that resonated in those simple words. Once again another sound wave was released, "COME AGAIN HOLY SPIRIT." It was not gentle Jesus showing up or the comforting dove of God manifesting. It was not just another renewal or revival meeting - though it seemed to include all of those qualities. It was the violent invasion of Heaven entering a time and space world. It was a Church quake.


Come, Holy Spirit!  He wants to come.  He wants us to want Him to come.  Come, and make real life real to us!  Make us see things as they really are--reveal to us your Love, your sacrifice, and your character. (1 John 3:2)

Confirmed:  Yesterday the Lord quickened to me a sign that said, 'The Shakers'.  I don't know what that particular sign--a street sign--was referring to, but I knew what it meant to me.  The Shakers were a charismatic, Utopian community back in the eighteen hundreds.  I think a few of them are still around today.

And we can all be 'shakers' for the Lord--ministering with salt (Colossians 4:6--get it?) and power as we walk with Him and align with His will--which is to shake all that can be shaken.

Snapshot: 22

A few days ago, I was asking the Lord for a Word and I heard Him say,

"Ephesians 2:22"

I did not know what this verse said--I didn't have it memorized.  So, I looked into that.

"And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

Awesome!  That is the biblical Church--the biblical body of Christ.  He has been speaking to me about the importance of community--whether mentoring, discipling or encouraging--and fellowship within the Church for just a little while now.  We all need to be rooted in Christ and in His love, and then support each other out of that fellowship with Him.

Each part of the body can do something--something to help and build up the bride that Jesus will return for.  Each one has a gift.  Each one (should) have a hymn or spiritual song or word of encouragement that they can share with the others (Ephesians 5:19).  And each one will have these things, if they are filled with the Spirit.  There are many gifts, and they all point towards the wonderful calling that God has placed on us.

So, we come together and become a place where God lives.  We cannot water down those words. Within the confines of the Church body we are in, we each contribute ourselves so that we can witness that God is living and dwelling among us.  By His Spirit, He comes down and dwells among us.  It is a wonderful thing if we can really act on that knowledge--to add to our faith the accompanying works (James 2).  If God is living in a dwelling that we built up, shouldn't that increase our boldness?  Shouldn't that increase our faith.  It's time to accept that God has given us favor.

Confirmed:  I was on a Christian website a little later that same day.  And I came across an article that was talking about the 22 gifts of the Spirit.  Hey, 22 gifts used for equipping and building up the body as described in Ephesians 22!

Note:  It is fitting that Galatians 5:22 is the verse that addresses what the fruit of the Spirit is:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such things there is no law"

Our Wedding Part III: The Family

Thomas and I just returned from a trip we began in mid-January. When we got home from the trip, we immediately went to one of our mentor's houses, and watched her home for a week while she was at a YWAM staff meeting out of state. We loved our time at her house, just as we loved our time doing street ministry and seeing friends & family on our trip, but it is wonderful to be back on the farm!! The snow is melting quite slowly, but we've had a series or gorgeous, sunny days that make me feel like Spring is oh so close!! In fact, in my spirit, I feel like it's already here. I've been praying for revival for myself, and my health is improving too. I feel like a good season is coming! I am feeling better day by day. Praise God!

I do wish I had been able to get all of my wedding blogs done shortly after the wedding, but due to my health, I wasn't able to do much except rest all winter! The Lord has revealed a lot to me about the root causes of my back problems, as well as my pretty consistent fatigue. I want to blog about those things He has shown me, because I think it will be profitable for others. That will come soon!

For now, here is the overdue 3rd wedding blog. Enjoy!

October 11, 2014

Photos by Tina Wrona 

With My Family

Joe, Julia, Pam (mom), TV, Doug (dad), Daniel

With Thomas' Mom's side

Pam, TV, Cooper, Brian

With Thomas' Dad's side

Cooper, Houston, TV, Tina, Winston, Jeff

The Wedding Party

Daniel, Cooper, TV, Julia, Grace

My beautiful sister & I

(They used to think we were twins)

Brother Daniel and I

"We make a good team."

With our cousin, the gorgeous Grace

(one of the most graceful women I know, too)

With my two new little brothers!

(Houston may or may not share the same sense of humor as Winston and I...  ;)

With Dad's Family

Cousin Jon, Cousin Kelly, Uncle Jon, Aunt Nancy, Vanessa, Alec!!!, Thomas, Aunt Chris, Cousin Maddie, Cousin Grace, Cousin Erik

All the New England Family!

Erik, Jon, Kelly, Jon, Nancy, Joe, Julia, Mom, TV, Dad, Daniel, Grace, Alec, Chris, Maddie, Steph, Kimmy 

Looking back on this day is so fun- it seems like yesterday, and yet I can't believe the winter is already almost gone! According to the calendar, that is- some think we'll have snow here until May! I hope not. Thomas wants to get his plants in the ground before then. He is going to start his seedlings indoors next week, and is soooo excited for his garden this year!

I plan to write one more wedding blog about "How to do a wedding on the cheap." It will have lots of the details from our wedding and how we did it for almost no cost. That blog will come soon! 

Love to all. 

Snapshot: Fire

While Vanessa and I were on our way back up to Maine, the Lord began speaking to me about 'Fire'.  There are both good fires (involving purity and power) and bad fires (involving punishment and judgement).  I felt Him speak to my heart about the Godly side of this--the fires of purity and power.

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ..."
--1 Peter 1:7

There is the purifying work of the Holy Spirit--His cleansing power within us (1 John 1:7).  That's what the above verse testifies to.  God tries us with fire so that He can burn up things that would otherwise hinder us.  He tries our faith by allowing trials in our lives.  This is purity, as I described in a recent blog post.

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
--Matthew 3:11

And then there is the "power" work of the Holy Spirit--His ministry within us.  This is what's next, after initial purification and trials.  Once we've had impurities taken out, burned out, then we can really have the love of God move through us.  We must be purified first.

"Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully."
--Psalm 24:3-4

We can get up onto the mountaintop with God, and we can live there comfortably.  We can commune with the Lord and have His radiance transform us (Galatians 3:27).  Then we can have a flowing out, from Him, that is totally unhindered.  This is where the Kingdom of Heaven is manifested in our lives.  This is when we experience a baptism of fire.  This is where we move in God's power and He establishes and then overshadows us.  This is where we reached the beginnings of the fullness of life that Jesus promised us.

Confirmed:  On the drive back up here, the Lord prompted me to look up to a truck that said, 'Ring of Fire' on it.  Prior to that, I had seen another truck that said, 'Ring's end'.  And I had felt God signifying the end of one long season, and a new beginning in this season of the Baptism in Fire.  for me, rings have represented seasons based on the promises of God.  He puts rings onto us, and He himself wears us as a ring--just look at King Zerubbabel.  (For more on the symbolism behind rings, look at this blog post.

Confirmed:  A little later on the drive, I read the back of yet another ' quickened truck' and it appeared to say, 'Inner City Fire'.  I thought, hey, that would be symbolic for a powerful inner city revival!  Seeing people set on fire for Jesus, as the Holy Spirit brought power, love, and conviction to those who have been lost.  Praise the Lord!  That's what we want to see, and that's what we will see, as God attains to it.  As it turns out, the truck said 'Tire' instead of 'Fire', but I give the Holy Spirit credit for ensuring His message got across.

Confirmed:  That same night, after we had finished segment two of our drive, I stumbled across a Todd White video that described the baptism of fire.  Wow Lord!  Here is the video...

Dream: Repentance with Jesus; Winds of Change

Last night I had an interesting experience.  I was dreaming and the Lord Jesus came in.  I did not quite see Him in this dream, that I can remember. However, He seemed very close by and I did really feel His presence.  Once this presence came into my awareness--wow,  what love!  I was pretty taken aback with admiration and bliss.  I felt His love surround me and was left in adoration.

And I also felt the need to repent.  I realized how far from perfection, how far from Him, I'd been living.  I repented and repented and repented--I had to in order to withstand His nearness.  I became acutely aware of the degrees of pride, impurity, and unbelief I had let into my daily life.  For every 'good' work I had done, I understood that He had the ability to just burn it up.  At the same time, I did not really feel a worldly guilt.  My sense of unworthiness was refreshing, not condemning.

So I did repent.  With each confession, and every time I turned back from something, I felt Jesus come nearer.  I felt Him begin to penetrate my heart.  I felt His Love in a new way.  His presence got so, so thick.  I was crying, and then sobbing.  I had repented, and I finally felt clean!  And I could let Him in.  Praise the Lord!  This experience did not take very long, but resulted in so much heart change.

After this, I woke up.  I think it was about midnight.  And I heard this roaring wind in my ears.  I felt like it was from God--but it still frightened me.  It was a loud, intimidating sound, and I was hearing it almost internally,  not sensing that I had over it any amount of control.  It would pick up and then withdraw a little.  I asked the Lord if He would make it more bearable, and He did.  It became quieter, and then I went back to sleep.

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”                                  John 3:8

I've had the above verse in my head for a couple days now.  It's clearer now that it'd been preparation for what happened last night.  This morning I did some research.    This year, according to the Hebrew calendar year 5775, is a year for the Winds of Change to manifest on the earth.  This is a time when God will blow away our impurities and usher in a new thing.   The Holy Spirit will usher in a time of greater purity and longing for Jesus.

Here is an article on the Elijahlist about the winds of change and their multitudes of purpose.  There are many winds, because there are many changes that can take place for the better.  We are cleansed by these changes--our own shortcomings are blown away and a spiritual shift takes place.

"When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses."              Jeremiah 10:13

Snapshot: Feet For Ministry

A few weeks ago, the Lord showed me expensive slippers being put into use.  I wasn't quite sure what this meant--I did know that it symbolized something good-- until I saw a new word come out on the Elijah List.  Here is the entire word, and below is an excerpt:

"This is the hour of the golden slippers. This is the hour that you have been crying and groaning for. This is the season when God is handing out shoes for new ministries. They shall come forth in many numbers. Many shall rise and wander into the highways and byways, converting the masses to the heart of Christ. This is the hour that the ancient Christians groaned for. They saw it during their time."

Awesome!  Just like that, the Spirit put the pieces together for me.  At the time that all of this happened--the end of February--Vanessa and I were just finishing up our first street ministry tour. The Lord had really blessed our trip, but there had also been some unexpected hardships, and we were hungering for more. So the message here was so reassuring and inspiring to see.

And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"                                  Romans 10:15

"For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared."
Ephesians 6:15 NLT

Praise God!  We can go out being fully equipped by Him--so equipped that even our feet have been sanctified and prepared for His purposes.  We can go out knowing what we stand on.

Snapshot: Purity and Power

For a little while now, Vanessa and I have been talking to others about baptism.  Of course there is the initial water baptism, and then there is a baptism in the Holy Spirit.  What does the Word say about this?

And he was preaching, and saying, "After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. "I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."                                    Mark 1:7-8

So, we have John's water baptism and then Jesus' Holy Spirit baptism.  

JOHN'S WATER BAPTISM
 
John's is of repentance, to allow us to change our ways...to turn from our sins and get ourselves out of the way! Just the basics here, repentance and belief....but awesome basics nonetheless.  In this baptism we show our initial emptying out and belonging to Christ.  God uses the empty vessels.  This is where we die to ourselves and have our 'old man' done away with.  This is where we become a new creation.  We die to the flesh, beginning with water baptism, and pave the way for God to work.   

We have not yet been 'endued with power' yet (Luke 24:49), because humans do a terrible job handling power.  There has to be some purifying, some dying, and some sanctifying  first.  (Of course, with God, all of that can happen in an instant).  The Spirit comes in and makes us more like our master.

Purity (generally) comes before God-given power as a means to keep us safe, humble, and not overly accountable.  Our character by the Holy Spirit has to safely accommodate our gifts by the Spirit.  So the character--and mind of--Christ should come first.  This is a baptism that signifies purity and heart change.  

BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

So, we get ourselves out of the way when baptized in water.  We die with Christ, and then also rise with Him.  What's next?  Well, God has made us pure.  And He wants to intensify the power of Jesus' resurrection within us.  He wants to pour into us more of the Spirit--He wants to give us a greater, secondary infilling. Unlike at the start, now we can be entrusted more power.
 
"But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”                            Mark 2:20-22

Jesus said this while comparing His methods to John's.  And this analogy can also apply to the difference between Jesus' baptism and John's.  The second baptism, in the Holy Spirit, brings in a much larger gifting.  It brings in much more 'new wine'.  It enlarges our spiritual capacity, so that we can drink into the fullness of Christ.  This baptism gives us power--not just any power, but the wonder-working power of the Spirit.  This second baptism unleashes the essence of Jesus within us.  It sets us on fire for Him, for the entire world.  

The Lord wants to make us more effective.  He has promised to make His minister a flame of fire. (Hebrews 1:7) He has promised to give us a light, that, if shown, is bright enough for all to see. (Matthew 5:16)  It is time to start operating in the gifts.  It is time to move in His power.  That's what this second baptism is--power of equipping for effective ministry.

"Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power."                              Ephesians 3:7

Intercessory Prayer: Glory Clouds and Clouds of Witnesses

Recently, the Lord has been revealing to me a part of His glory.  It all started when I was praying that God would show me what His glory looks like.  Since that time, He's directed me, led me, and quickened to me all things related to clouds.  Hey--He's talking about the Glory cloud!  It took me a little while to figure that out.  He was showing me that His glory is often, well, packaged in a cloud.  Isn't asking the main step on the road to receiving?  Our God is so good.

Then Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you."                         Exodus 24:16

This is the Glory cloud.  This is what Moses saw, and what the Israelites saw, also.  We, too, have been gifted spiritual sight, as the veil has been torn by Jesus.  If Moses was shown great revelations, then we can, too. I always thought it was kind of unrealistic to think in these terms.  But hey--that's what the Word says.

"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

Hebrews 10:19-22

And after several days of seeing clouds mentioned everywhere, the Lord led me on to pray for the town I was staying in at that time--Springfield, Missouri.  And I saw in a mental pictures cloud filled with glory coming in and resting over the city.  The cloud was beautiful, and was tinted by God and silver colors.  There were angels and beams of light all throughout it.  And I saw that the Lord had sent it in on behalf of those praying for Springfield.  I was kind of surprised by this--wow!  Praise God for revealing His character and His nature to us.

Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy.

Exodus 24:16

Confirmed:  A few days later, I met a man downtown--still in Springfield--that was praying for revival to come in.  He was a much older man, probably from the Assemblies of God, and was hoping in the Lord for a move of God's Spirit and a massive demonstration of His glory.

Confirmed:  There certainly was a show of God's glory in the area of Springfield!  People were healed and shown the power and Love of God.  Many people's hearts were hardened, yes, but to those who were open to it, the glory of God was shown and revealed.

Confirmed:   Today in Church, we read Hebrews 11, which talks about the cloud of witnesses.  So God added another element to this!  In the old testament, the Glory cloud was where God lived, and it was visible.  People usually didn't go into the cloud; they certainly didn't compose it.  And there was only one Glory cloud, assigned to one ministry--the ministry from God of Moses.

But now, Jesus has been endowed with all Glory.  And we are fellow sons with Him.  We are fellow partakers!  We, too, have access to the Glory cloud.  All of us, not just some spiritual leader!  Although it is not usually visible today, don't we walk by faith, and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)?  God's glory today is just as critical to ministry as it was in Moses' time.

I believe that there is actually more than one cloud today.  God is not limited to one area or one dwelling place now, given that He lives within those who believe!  I believe that it is part of the Holy Spirit's work to magnify Jesus--by sending in clouds of glory--to all areas of the world.  I believe that this is part of what our prayers do.  I believe that God sends in a dispensation of His Glory to those who want it most. 

And these clouds of witnesses are watching from Heaven thanks to Christ.  Don't you think they come in glory?  I believe that they are watching, and at times, moving with the Glory clouds that range to and fro throughout the earth (2 Chronicles 16:9).  I believe their eyes move with the Almighty's, looking for those who will be strengthened.  There will come a day when the whole earth will be filled with (the knowledge of) His glory (Psalms 72:19), and that can start with prayer.  That can start with the petition of those who want to believe.  Let's all pray for the coming harvest.  Let's all pray for a fresh release of His Glory.  Let's pray that people are awakened to this--that the eyes of their understanding can be enlightened by the King (Ephesians 1:18).