A few days ago, I saw a vision of God's hand on me. His hand came down from heaven, and just rested on me. A tree sprang up out of this experience, and that tree remained rooted within the weight (The Glory ) of our Heavenly Father. That's what glory means, literally -- weight. It has also been translated as honor, bosom, and goodness (Strong's Hebrew). That's what God's presence embodies.
This vision surprised me, in a good way. I figured out that He was showing me that His hand upon me would eventually bring about good fruit. This message has been confirmed bunches of times since then; I've heard teaches on the topic and been stumbling upon verses about it.
"This is what Yahweh says to me with His strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people..." Isaiah 8:11
If God has been hovering over you recently, be thankful! He releases an atmosphere of discipline over those He loves, when it's needed (Hebrews 12:6). He protects you and forces His covering of protection upon you. With grace of course! Sometimes God makes us press into Him, just so we can (re) realize that He's always been pressing into us.
The hand of God keeps us secure in spiritual warfare. It takes us away from the enemy; it makes us resist the devil (James 4:7). This time is a time of testing, sure, but it too shall pass.
It's important to carry with you the realization that God is there. He's over you; He's invaded your spirit, He's made you His. He's at your right hand and in your heart. He wants to overwhelm you with His presence. He wants to give you more glory, more weight, than you can handle. He will pressure you to change. He'll do it gently, but it's still pressure. It's still glory. It's still the beautiful drawing in of the Holy Spirit.
Showing posts with label Confirmations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Confirmations. Show all posts
Monday, February 1, 2016
Sunday, August 23, 2015
A Silver Cord Connection to Heaven?
I was at work last week when God showed me something that got me soo excited. And the verse started coming....
We need to believe God at His word. See, all are called to become sons and daughter, but to be chosen, we have to remember (Matthew 22:14). We all have to believe Jesus!
Our true identity is in Him. Our true birth is the second one--from above, from heaven. Creation longs for our awakening and realization of the life Jesus is taking us to (Romans 8:22).
Once we realize this, once we conceptualize that our citizenship is of heaven, we will walk in an upward call. The earth won't have such a hold on us!
See, the silver cord is the substance of our lifeline to the Father, to the heavenly realm. We receive an influx of our daily bread 24/7. We receive constant nourishment and a table is set for us wherever we go, even in the presence of our enemies (Psalms 23:5). We yield to Christ in us, the Kingdom of heaven within us (Luke 17:21)--we yield to the hope of glory (Col 1:27). It's an upward call.
See, the silver cord connects your spirit and your body. And once you believe, you are part of the body of Christ--which has been raised up with Him into the heavenly places! It's your brand new umbilical cord! And it won't be severed. There's a call for all to remember Him.
We have this connection to the Father whether we feel like it or not. When we believe, we receive! You don't have to pray for peace--it's within you. You don't have to pray for life--it's been there since you first believed. Just lay hold of it (Matthew 11:12). Lay hold of it and yield to God's truth, and His life will flow. The stream that makes glad the city of God is within you(Psalm 46:4)!
Ever wonder why the Spirit flows out from your belly? It's because that's where your connection is! That's where the silver cord brings union. That's where you're knit to Jesus.
*Amazing confirmation: Less than 10 minutes after I got home and told this whole thing to Vanessa, our Mom, without having any idea what we had been talking about, insists that I see a certain picture that she'd taken a few days before. Here it is:
"Remember him--before the silver cord is severed..." Ecclesiastes 12:6
We need to believe God at His word. See, all are called to become sons and daughter, but to be chosen, we have to remember (Matthew 22:14). We all have to believe Jesus!
Our true identity is in Him. Our true birth is the second one--from above, from heaven. Creation longs for our awakening and realization of the life Jesus is taking us to (Romans 8:22).
Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.
John 3:3, AMP
Once we realize this, once we conceptualize that our citizenship is of heaven, we will walk in an upward call. The earth won't have such a hold on us!
See, the silver cord is the substance of our lifeline to the Father, to the heavenly realm. We receive an influx of our daily bread 24/7. We receive constant nourishment and a table is set for us wherever we go, even in the presence of our enemies (Psalms 23:5). We yield to Christ in us, the Kingdom of heaven within us (Luke 17:21)--we yield to the hope of glory (Col 1:27). It's an upward call.
See, the silver cord connects your spirit and your body. And once you believe, you are part of the body of Christ--which has been raised up with Him into the heavenly places! It's your brand new umbilical cord! And it won't be severed. There's a call for all to remember Him.
"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus..."
Ephesians 2:6
We have this connection to the Father whether we feel like it or not. When we believe, we receive! You don't have to pray for peace--it's within you. You don't have to pray for life--it's been there since you first believed. Just lay hold of it (Matthew 11:12). Lay hold of it and yield to God's truth, and His life will flow. The stream that makes glad the city of God is within you(Psalm 46:4)!
Ever wonder why the Spirit flows out from your belly? It's because that's where your connection is! That's where the silver cord brings union. That's where you're knit to Jesus.
"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
John 7:38
*Amazing confirmation: Less than 10 minutes after I got home and told this whole thing to Vanessa, our Mom, without having any idea what we had been talking about, insists that I see a certain picture that she'd taken a few days before. Here it is:
(The brightest ray is coming from the belly--from the cross!)
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Video Journal: Visions and Fruit
This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls"
Jeremiah 6:16
God has given us as Christians lots of ways to receive direction from Him. He allows us to know the unknowable so that we can confidently walk along that ancient path.
The Holy Spirit's been giving increased guidance through visions recently. There's a measure of foresight He reveals so that we can walk how He wants us to. It's called the spirit of prophecy! (Revelations 19:10) God's foresight--what He shows us--is always given to bring us closer to Jesus.
So, here's some recent stuff the LORD's been doing....enjoy the high quality video! (well, I thought it was uploaded in HD...oh well)
“In the last days” God said, “I will pour out my Holy Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men dream dreams.”
Joel 2:28
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Video Journal: Angelic Visitation
Regarding the angels, he says, "He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire."
Hebrews 1:7
"Believe in the Lord your God and you shall be established; believe and remain steadfast to His prophets and you shall prosper." 2 Chronicles 20:20
Hebrews 1:7
"Believe in the Lord your God and you shall be established; believe and remain steadfast to His prophets and you shall prosper." 2 Chronicles 20:20
Friday, July 10, 2015
Video Journal: Maintaining the Power and Maintaining the Testimony
Yesterday morning God spoke to me and said:
"I so desire to bless you today, Thomas, so maintain the power and maintain the testimony..."
We had a quieter day yesterday. Sometimes that's the hardest! When there's nothing exciting going on ..that's when you need the Holy Spirit to keep you in God's presence. That's when you need to have Jesus by your side continually.
Even when we aren't 'ministering' to anybody, even when we aren't 'doing' all sorts of cool stuff for Jesus, He still so desires to bless us. And we allow Him to bless us by maintaining in our spirits the wonderful things He's done in the past. We stay uplifted this way!
"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." Colossians 3:17
We need to do it all for the glory of God. That's when we can be blessed in our coming in and blessed in our going out (Deuteronomy 28:6).
Sometimes it's easy to forget. Sometimes we forget to draw near to God. But He can keep us in a better place. God wants us to always be maintaining in our minds and spirits His power and His testimonies--God doesn't want us to become so bogged down in the present that we forget about the past.
God so desires to bless us. He wants to take us from glory to glory.
Friday, May 22, 2015
Word: A Winning Battle
Yesterday morning, I was coming under some heavy warfare. The enemy was trying to get his lies in, there was doubt, and God felt far away. When I cried out to the Lord, He answered me and said:
"You need to realize that the battle for your salvation has already been won."
Awesome! When God said that, He gave me peace. It reminded me that He has power to save, and power to keep. Salvation is not a losing battle. Sanctification is not a losing battle. Our walk onward with the Lord is not a losing battle!
We are in a battle, yes, but we need to remember that we are on the side of the Victor. And He--Jesus--has already won the victory! All we need to do during times of trouble is cling to Him. All we need to do is cry out. That's how we battle, and that's how He breaks through any warfare. If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us in response. So let's draw near to Him, flee from the devil, and experience peace even through out warfare!
Confirmed: There was a Christian song on the radio that I hadn't heard before....it was describing how we should be soldiers who know their orders--how we should be obedient soldiers in the body of Christ!
Confirmed: A few license plates about soldiers, GI's and standing firm. Yes, God is always speaking through license plates...
Confirmed: A friend posted the below quote on Facebook, courtesy of Francis Frangipane Ministries. I thought it was so fitting!
"You need to realize that the battle for your salvation has already been won."
Awesome! When God said that, He gave me peace. It reminded me that He has power to save, and power to keep. Salvation is not a losing battle. Sanctification is not a losing battle. Our walk onward with the Lord is not a losing battle!
We are in a battle, yes, but we need to remember that we are on the side of the Victor. And He--Jesus--has already won the victory! All we need to do during times of trouble is cling to Him. All we need to do is cry out. That's how we battle, and that's how He breaks through any warfare. If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us in response. So let's draw near to Him, flee from the devil, and experience peace even through out warfare!
Confirmed: There was a Christian song on the radio that I hadn't heard before....it was describing how we should be soldiers who know their orders--how we should be obedient soldiers in the body of Christ!
Confirmed: A few license plates about soldiers, GI's and standing firm. Yes, God is always speaking through license plates...
Confirmed: A friend posted the below quote on Facebook, courtesy of Francis Frangipane Ministries. I thought it was so fitting!
"The more peace you have during spiritual attack, the more truly you are walking in Christ’s victory. Remember, it is the God of peace who shall crush Satan beneath your feet shortly (Romans 16:20)"
He who is in us is able to overcome anything that is in the world. We need to position ourselves to overcome! We need to arrive in the knowing that Jesus has already done the fighting for us and came out of it victorious.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Snapshot: Ascending Up To Breakthrough
A few days ago, the Lord showed me a vision of an open door in Heaven. There was a ladder that led up to this door--a ladder built to ascend upwards on. And He was saying that we need to ascend up to Him to walk through that door and come to that breakthrough. I needed to draw nearer to God in order to experience a full blessing, a full revelation, and a full future.
After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." Revelation 4:1
Confirmed: That same day, I saw a new article on the Elijah list by Doug Addison called "Contend For Your Breakthrough". What a confirmation! It really is the same Holy Spirit that gives each personal the ability to see in part.
Confirmed: Also that same day, I stepped out the front door and noticed a shadow that looked just like the ladder and ascension that God had shown me earlier. Hey, He's in the the little things, too! God's Spirit quickened that shadow to me...He's funny sometimes.
Confirmed: Today, a friend of mine was showing me her flower garden. And she was saying that there was a lot of 'Jacob's Ladder' flowers springing up. I knew what God was saying...
"He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it." Genesis 28:12
When we spend time in the presence of the Lord, we should be expectant. We should be hungering and thirsting for Him. We should boldly approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16)! God wants us to come up near Him and receive from Him more than enough wisdom for the day.
After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." Revelation 4:1
Confirmed: That same day, I saw a new article on the Elijah list by Doug Addison called "Contend For Your Breakthrough". What a confirmation! It really is the same Holy Spirit that gives each personal the ability to see in part.
Confirmed: Also that same day, I stepped out the front door and noticed a shadow that looked just like the ladder and ascension that God had shown me earlier. Hey, He's in the the little things, too! God's Spirit quickened that shadow to me...He's funny sometimes.
Confirmed: Today, a friend of mine was showing me her flower garden. And she was saying that there was a lot of 'Jacob's Ladder' flowers springing up. I knew what God was saying...
"He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it." Genesis 28:12
When we spend time in the presence of the Lord, we should be expectant. We should be hungering and thirsting for Him. We should boldly approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16)! God wants us to come up near Him and receive from Him more than enough wisdom for the day.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
He's Given Us All Dominion...Thankfully!
Yesterday Vanessa and I walked down back to the pond, where we sat on the grass and talked for a while. See, Tuesday marked our one year anniversary--May 12th, last year, was the day that God told us that we'd be married. What an adventure...time goes by so fast. It's become even easier to see God's blessings; to see how His power has kept us moving forward.
And we took time at the pond to make new pledges to each other and just look back on all the memories that The Lord's given us so far. What a year it's been! We could never have dreamed up a story so dramatic, so beautiful, or so thoughtful. And we didn't have to, because God did the planning for us.
We were joined on our walk by our cat, Fearless. He showed up at just the right time, and then followed us down to the pond--he's such a ministering spirit! He was hanging around nearby during our time together, too. God has him on puppet strings--that's how often he's used to speak to us.
And after a while, Vanessa and I got into prayer. We're holding hands in prayer, facing each other, when Fearless came up. Then he climbed right up onto our laps, right between us, and laid a paw on each of our legs. Like I said, what a minister! He stayed there, just resting, for the remainder of our praying. I think He sensed the Holy Spirit! Praise God, once we got into really praying and speaking God's heart, Fearless just didn't want to leave.
Anyways, God ensured that all three of us had a wonderful time. V and I finished praying and stood up, ready to head back. It was just getting dark--around 8:30--and we were ready to go. There was a loud crackling noise in the woods, probably 100 feet away, but I discounted it as noise after noticing that Vanessa wasn't too concerned.
We're getting ready to leave when we noticed Fearless acting strange...then all of a sudden, things changed. I looked towards my left, out into the wood line, and felt the fear sink into me.
There was a large, brilliant white animal running towards us. It looked like a big cat--like a bobcat or mountain lion. And it was running and jumping, coming right towards us. I watched, kind of shocked, as it sprinted out from the wood line and into the field we were at the edge of. I said to Vanessa, "Oh my gosh, there's something over there. It's big. Run, run, run!"
And we took off running! It was pretty intense. I keep looking back towards my left, and I could see this animal coming towards us. I yelled at Vanessa to run faster--I wanted her to stay ahead of me and away from the cat--and in that moment, my mind started to wander and the flashbacks started coming...
"...Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end...." Ecclesiastes 3:11
...And I was thinking to the Lord, 'is this it?' I felt that whatever was chasing us would soon finish me off. I began thinking of eternity, and noticed peace begin to displace some of the fear that had come on. 'It won't be so bad', I thought. 'I just want Vanessa to run faster and stay ahead of me.'
In that initial ten seconds of running, the Lord had gotten me pretty well prepared for the end. But then, all of a sudden, something clicked. 'No, this can't be it! It's not our time yet. Maybe there's a way out of all this...'
Then I semi-randomly remembered some of St Francis of Assisi's epic encounters with animals (I'll let you decide on their validity for yourselves, but hey, what stories) ....and thought, 'hey, maybe there's hope!'
** SIDE NOTE:
Now, I've seen dogs, cats, birds, and even hornets obey commands given in the name of Jesus. There was one dog in particular that just wouldn't listen to me--I wanted it to stay inside it's gate--until I commanded it to stay off the porch in Jesus' name. When I was in the flesh, this dog behaved terribly, but when I was filled with the Holy Spirit, it would literally bow down before me.
"You have made them a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet..." Psalm 8:5-6 **
So, the flashbacks continued, and I realized what I needed to do. This current situation was a little more intense than any previous encounter with animals I'd had, but God took hold of me nonetheless. And I remembered to use His name.
Still running, and still urgently shouting at Vanessa to "run faster!!!", I looked back, put out my hand, and commanded that animal--that giant cat-- to stop in the name of Jesus. I was still scared, but I knew God was bringing me up under His authority. I was still really scared, actually, but I felt held up by a power greater than myself.
I didn't see any more flashes of white after that. I didn't see anything chasing us--it must have turned off or stopped. Praise God. Still, we kept running all the way back to the house. I kept telling Vanessa to run faster. I didn't want her to get eaten or anything! We looked back again and again, and there was....nothing. It was as if the whole experience had happened miles away.
We got back to the house a little shocked, still having a hard time believing what had happened. I knew God had protected us. Our sprint to safety probably took a minute, yet I think that thing could have caught us within 20 seconds at the speed it was going. In hindsight, God led me to take authority. And He allowed that situation to begin in order to reveal to us His authority. He turned a dangerous situation around for the good!
Wow. Talk about a rush! We went back inside, and I began doubting what I saw. I got on the computer and researched white bobcats (they do exist!). Also, as it turns out, Vanessa never saw anything--she just responded to my shouting and took off. But I had seen the cat, twice...and so I asked God to confirm the reality of what just happened. Right away, He gave us via 'random chance' a verse in Genesis, Genesis 1:26:
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
Wow! What a confirmation--that was my first thought. God gave us dominion in that situation. He preserved our lives according to His Word (Psalm 119:25). What a way to culminate our time at the pond. God sure makes things exciting.
Vanessa thought it so fitting that this happened right after our pledges, as she said that it showed her that I really would lay down my life for her. She described to me afterwards that I'd told her, "just keep going, I'll be OK!" while we were running for our lives. (It's a little blurry to me now.) She said, as this had happened right after our pledges, that God was allowing us to be in a situation that proved my love for her. She said that after this, she'll never doubt my love for her. Like I said, God keeps life exciting and really does work everything for the good!
And we took time at the pond to make new pledges to each other and just look back on all the memories that The Lord's given us so far. What a year it's been! We could never have dreamed up a story so dramatic, so beautiful, or so thoughtful. And we didn't have to, because God did the planning for us.
We were joined on our walk by our cat, Fearless. He showed up at just the right time, and then followed us down to the pond--he's such a ministering spirit! He was hanging around nearby during our time together, too. God has him on puppet strings--that's how often he's used to speak to us.
And after a while, Vanessa and I got into prayer. We're holding hands in prayer, facing each other, when Fearless came up. Then he climbed right up onto our laps, right between us, and laid a paw on each of our legs. Like I said, what a minister! He stayed there, just resting, for the remainder of our praying. I think He sensed the Holy Spirit! Praise God, once we got into really praying and speaking God's heart, Fearless just didn't want to leave.
Anyways, God ensured that all three of us had a wonderful time. V and I finished praying and stood up, ready to head back. It was just getting dark--around 8:30--and we were ready to go. There was a loud crackling noise in the woods, probably 100 feet away, but I discounted it as noise after noticing that Vanessa wasn't too concerned.
We're getting ready to leave when we noticed Fearless acting strange...then all of a sudden, things changed. I looked towards my left, out into the wood line, and felt the fear sink into me.
There was a large, brilliant white animal running towards us. It looked like a big cat--like a bobcat or mountain lion. And it was running and jumping, coming right towards us. I watched, kind of shocked, as it sprinted out from the wood line and into the field we were at the edge of. I said to Vanessa, "Oh my gosh, there's something over there. It's big. Run, run, run!"
And we took off running! It was pretty intense. I keep looking back towards my left, and I could see this animal coming towards us. I yelled at Vanessa to run faster--I wanted her to stay ahead of me and away from the cat--and in that moment, my mind started to wander and the flashbacks started coming...
"...Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end...." Ecclesiastes 3:11
...And I was thinking to the Lord, 'is this it?' I felt that whatever was chasing us would soon finish me off. I began thinking of eternity, and noticed peace begin to displace some of the fear that had come on. 'It won't be so bad', I thought. 'I just want Vanessa to run faster and stay ahead of me.'
In that initial ten seconds of running, the Lord had gotten me pretty well prepared for the end. But then, all of a sudden, something clicked. 'No, this can't be it! It's not our time yet. Maybe there's a way out of all this...'
Then I semi-randomly remembered some of St Francis of Assisi's epic encounters with animals (I'll let you decide on their validity for yourselves, but hey, what stories) ....and thought, 'hey, maybe there's hope!'
** SIDE NOTE:
Now, I've seen dogs, cats, birds, and even hornets obey commands given in the name of Jesus. There was one dog in particular that just wouldn't listen to me--I wanted it to stay inside it's gate--until I commanded it to stay off the porch in Jesus' name. When I was in the flesh, this dog behaved terribly, but when I was filled with the Holy Spirit, it would literally bow down before me.
"You have made them a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet..." Psalm 8:5-6 **
So, the flashbacks continued, and I realized what I needed to do. This current situation was a little more intense than any previous encounter with animals I'd had, but God took hold of me nonetheless. And I remembered to use His name.
Still running, and still urgently shouting at Vanessa to "run faster!!!", I looked back, put out my hand, and commanded that animal--that giant cat-- to stop in the name of Jesus. I was still scared, but I knew God was bringing me up under His authority. I was still really scared, actually, but I felt held up by a power greater than myself.
I didn't see any more flashes of white after that. I didn't see anything chasing us--it must have turned off or stopped. Praise God. Still, we kept running all the way back to the house. I kept telling Vanessa to run faster. I didn't want her to get eaten or anything! We looked back again and again, and there was....nothing. It was as if the whole experience had happened miles away.
We got back to the house a little shocked, still having a hard time believing what had happened. I knew God had protected us. Our sprint to safety probably took a minute, yet I think that thing could have caught us within 20 seconds at the speed it was going. In hindsight, God led me to take authority. And He allowed that situation to begin in order to reveal to us His authority. He turned a dangerous situation around for the good!
Wow. Talk about a rush! We went back inside, and I began doubting what I saw. I got on the computer and researched white bobcats (they do exist!). Also, as it turns out, Vanessa never saw anything--she just responded to my shouting and took off. But I had seen the cat, twice...and so I asked God to confirm the reality of what just happened. Right away, He gave us via 'random chance' a verse in Genesis, Genesis 1:26:
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
Wow! What a confirmation--that was my first thought. God gave us dominion in that situation. He preserved our lives according to His Word (Psalm 119:25). What a way to culminate our time at the pond. God sure makes things exciting.
Vanessa thought it so fitting that this happened right after our pledges, as she said that it showed her that I really would lay down my life for her. She described to me afterwards that I'd told her, "just keep going, I'll be OK!" while we were running for our lives. (It's a little blurry to me now.) She said, as this had happened right after our pledges, that God was allowing us to be in a situation that proved my love for her. She said that after this, she'll never doubt my love for her. Like I said, God keeps life exciting and really does work everything for the good!
Sunday, May 10, 2015
What About The "Outer Witness"?
In the book of Revelation, we have described to us two witnesses. Now, this reference may be symbolic, it may be literal, it may be both. Either way, I think that we can apply this concept to our own personal walk, too. Recently the Lord has been speaking to us about what I'll call the 'outer witness' of the Holy Spirit.
"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21
We all know about the inner witness that God gives us. It may come as a still, small voice. It may come as a strong unction, or a supernatural knowing. It may come as a conviction. Now, keep in mind that God confirms Himself by two or three witnesses (2 Corinthians 13:1). So then, what about external witnesses? What about confirmations and promptings outside of ourselves? That's where the outer witness comes in.
"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
Remember that the Holy Spirit can be likened to a strong wind--a ruach (Hebrew). And I find that the wind is a medium through which God's Spirit often shows Himself. Many times, I'll be outside and God will use the natural wind to speak to me. I'll get the inner witness--the Lord will prompt me to head inside, for example. Then, just a few seconds later, the wind direction will change, and gently push me towards where God's word already had me headed. This is an external confirmation, and it establishes what God has already set into motion. It's the outer witness.
Other times, the Holy Spirit may manifest as wind--inside! This is more rare (at least in my experience).
But sometimes, there comes into a room a supernatural and completely unexplainable wind. What is it? It's a sign! It's a sign that the presence of the Spirit has come in. I've noticed this happens must often in church. But the Lord may do this anywhere!
Beyond wind, there are many other ways that God speaks through nature. All creation serves to praise Him! And beyond that, there are many other ways that He gives an outer witness. He my confirm Himself through another Christian, through a close friend, or even through something that an unsaved stranger says. He may 'establish a matter' through a billboard's message, through a license plate, or through a street sign. The possibilities are endless! And all of these things are gifts from above, sent down from the Father to confirm His word.
We who are near God are commanded to acknowledge His power (Isaiah 33:13). As believers, God wants us to have out faith built up by His outer witness. He wants His Spirit within us to be communing, to be one, with His Spirit's working around us. He wants us to grow from faith to faith. The Lord wants to accomplish in us what He's already done among us. He wants to have us walk into the establishment of His word.
"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21
We all know about the inner witness that God gives us. It may come as a still, small voice. It may come as a strong unction, or a supernatural knowing. It may come as a conviction. Now, keep in mind that God confirms Himself by two or three witnesses (2 Corinthians 13:1). So then, what about external witnesses? What about confirmations and promptings outside of ourselves? That's where the outer witness comes in.
"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
Remember that the Holy Spirit can be likened to a strong wind--a ruach (Hebrew). And I find that the wind is a medium through which God's Spirit often shows Himself. Many times, I'll be outside and God will use the natural wind to speak to me. I'll get the inner witness--the Lord will prompt me to head inside, for example. Then, just a few seconds later, the wind direction will change, and gently push me towards where God's word already had me headed. This is an external confirmation, and it establishes what God has already set into motion. It's the outer witness.
Other times, the Holy Spirit may manifest as wind--inside! This is more rare (at least in my experience).
But sometimes, there comes into a room a supernatural and completely unexplainable wind. What is it? It's a sign! It's a sign that the presence of the Spirit has come in. I've noticed this happens must often in church. But the Lord may do this anywhere!
Beyond wind, there are many other ways that God speaks through nature. All creation serves to praise Him! And beyond that, there are many other ways that He gives an outer witness. He my confirm Himself through another Christian, through a close friend, or even through something that an unsaved stranger says. He may 'establish a matter' through a billboard's message, through a license plate, or through a street sign. The possibilities are endless! And all of these things are gifts from above, sent down from the Father to confirm His word.
We who are near God are commanded to acknowledge His power (Isaiah 33:13). As believers, God wants us to have out faith built up by His outer witness. He wants His Spirit within us to be communing, to be one, with His Spirit's working around us. He wants us to grow from faith to faith. The Lord wants to accomplish in us what He's already done among us. He wants to have us walk into the establishment of His word.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Snapshot: Jesus Sows The Prophetic Word
Last week, I saw a vision where the Lord Jesus was holding a large, intact loaf of bread in His hands, just waiting and smiling at me. Then He began to break off pieces and throw them up into the air, where they were caught in the wind and scattered across a larger area. It was really cool! This vision was confirmed the next day in the natural, because Vanessa and I started feeding our chickens old bread by hand, first breaking it up and then throwing it to them.
And the Lord also gave the knowing into the vision--what He was holding was our daily bread. He was breaking it up according to His will, and each piece of bread represented a specific and personal prophetic word. He tossed the pieces, pretty much all at once, into the air, and it was the Holy Spirit than distributed each message to it's recipient. Wow!
"So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."
Isaiah 55:11
It is Jesus who sends out the word. He's the one mediator! (1 Timothy 2:5) He's the one through whom all blessings flow. His testimony is by the Spirit of prophecy, and by this same Spirit, we ourselves receive a message that points us back to Him. (Revelation 19:10)
"All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills."
1 Corinthians 12:11
So Jesus sows this word, which is our daily bread, and then the wind of the Holy Spirit carries out the Father's will in delivering each message to the intended person. One person gets one message, another gets a different one. They all come from one body of life, which is Jesus, and they are all given to one body--the Church. And it's the Spirit that elevates the prophetic message so that it can be carried to it's recipient!
"Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth."
Ecclesiastes 11:1-2
Sometimes there is a lag time between a message from God and it's fulfillment. There probably will be! The revelation is waiting for it's appointed time (Habakkuk 2:3). We need to give our prophetic words, our gifts, back to the Father, and trust Him with them. We need to acknowledge His faithfulness, and we need to acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit. He may deliver the same word again and again, in dynamic ways, until it is finally fulfilled. Jesus casts our bread upon the winds of the Spirit, and once we have received, we may need to wait patiently, knowing that our promise will not be lost.
Once our word returns to us fulfilled, then we can share it with others! Then we can use God's message to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16). When disaster happens, mercy can triumph over judgement. (James 2:13) And then we can look back to Jesus, hopeful that He will continue to give us our daily bread.
And the Lord also gave the knowing into the vision--what He was holding was our daily bread. He was breaking it up according to His will, and each piece of bread represented a specific and personal prophetic word. He tossed the pieces, pretty much all at once, into the air, and it was the Holy Spirit than distributed each message to it's recipient. Wow!
"So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."
Isaiah 55:11
It is Jesus who sends out the word. He's the one mediator! (1 Timothy 2:5) He's the one through whom all blessings flow. His testimony is by the Spirit of prophecy, and by this same Spirit, we ourselves receive a message that points us back to Him. (Revelation 19:10)
"All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills."
1 Corinthians 12:11
So Jesus sows this word, which is our daily bread, and then the wind of the Holy Spirit carries out the Father's will in delivering each message to the intended person. One person gets one message, another gets a different one. They all come from one body of life, which is Jesus, and they are all given to one body--the Church. And it's the Spirit that elevates the prophetic message so that it can be carried to it's recipient!
"Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth."
Ecclesiastes 11:1-2
Sometimes there is a lag time between a message from God and it's fulfillment. There probably will be! The revelation is waiting for it's appointed time (Habakkuk 2:3). We need to give our prophetic words, our gifts, back to the Father, and trust Him with them. We need to acknowledge His faithfulness, and we need to acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit. He may deliver the same word again and again, in dynamic ways, until it is finally fulfilled. Jesus casts our bread upon the winds of the Spirit, and once we have received, we may need to wait patiently, knowing that our promise will not be lost.
Once our word returns to us fulfilled, then we can share it with others! Then we can use God's message to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16). When disaster happens, mercy can triumph over judgement. (James 2:13) And then we can look back to Jesus, hopeful that He will continue to give us our daily bread.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Snapshot: Psalm 20:6
While in Church a few weeks ago, the Lord gave me a vision where He scooped me up from where I was at, and lifted me to a higher place of worship. His right arm, specifically, reached down and brought me up to Himself. I realized that deliverance had come--God was providing a safe place where I would be free to worship in Spirit and in truth.
The rest of the worship session was fantastic! I knew God had lifted my head up--I knew He had came down and rescued me. And then I happened to turn to Psalm 20, verse 6. But I know it was intended by God:
Now this I know: The LORD gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand.
Praise God! For me, that was such a confirmation. God was reaffirming what He'd first told me through the vision. He confirmed that He is faithful, that He is powerful. He confirmed that He gives saving victory to His anointed.
We can always rely on God's promises. If He had His way, He'd fulfill every single one of them through our lives. We just need to trust Him! We just need to meet the conditions--and then focus on Him.
"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me."
Psalm 138:7
The rest of the worship session was fantastic! I knew God had lifted my head up--I knew He had came down and rescued me. And then I happened to turn to Psalm 20, verse 6. But I know it was intended by God:
Now this I know: The LORD gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand.
Praise God! For me, that was such a confirmation. God was reaffirming what He'd first told me through the vision. He confirmed that He is faithful, that He is powerful. He confirmed that He gives saving victory to His anointed.
We can always rely on God's promises. If He had His way, He'd fulfill every single one of them through our lives. We just need to trust Him! We just need to meet the conditions--and then focus on Him.
"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me."
Psalm 138:7
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Snapshot: Just Focusing on The Lord
During worship in Church last Sunday, the Lord gave a simple vision that helped me understand how to worship in full truth. He showed me a funnel being placed directly above my head. The wide end was down, leaving me to look up only through a narrow whole. And I was supposed to look up to Him, but only through the end of this funnel. Then I was fully able to pinpoint and focus on the Lord.
And God revealed to me that this was a way to stay safe during worship. We can only be spiritually caught up with Him if we have full fixation on Him. And the Lord was demonstrating to me the importance of this focus--especially when in the Spirit during praise and worship.
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:21
Confirmed: On Monday, Vanessa randomly comes up to me and puts a funnel on top of my head, just like the Lord had done for me spiritually the day before. What a funny confirmation! She said I looked like a certain cartoon character. But I knew what God was trying to say. Let's have such a focus in worship that the Lord can entrust to us the revealing of His love, His glory, and His Kingdom mysteries.
"So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
And God revealed to me that this was a way to stay safe during worship. We can only be spiritually caught up with Him if we have full fixation on Him. And the Lord was demonstrating to me the importance of this focus--especially when in the Spirit during praise and worship.
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:21
Confirmed: On Monday, Vanessa randomly comes up to me and puts a funnel on top of my head, just like the Lord had done for me spiritually the day before. What a funny confirmation! She said I looked like a certain cartoon character. But I knew what God was trying to say. Let's have such a focus in worship that the Lord can entrust to us the revealing of His love, His glory, and His Kingdom mysteries.
"So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Anticipating God's Spirit
The Lord began speaking to me about how to better anticipate Him--how to foresee His next move. And there can be several steps to this. Now God can't just be formatted, but formats can help us understand how He works.
Step 1) The first step in anticipating God's next move in your life is understanding hope. We need to look forward to restored joy, restored love, restored peace...we need to look forward to restoration of fullness of life. We need to know that He will uphold us and push us higher and higher.
"Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit."
Psalm 51:11-12
Step 2) Once we have hope, then we can call on Him in confidence. (1 John 5:14) Then we can be bold and know that He will reveal to us something according to His will. We call on Him, and we have the awareness of our future 'saved'. (Romans 10:13) Once we have hope for the future, we can attain to the promises found in Jeremiah 33:3. And we can have boldness and confidence in this.
"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
Step 3) So we call out to God, and God tells us something. He tells us something about His future work that would otherwise be knowable. He tells us something that testifies to Jesus, something that is in line with the spirit of prophecy (Revelations 19:10). He gives us a word, or a vision, or a parable that points to and reveals His movement in the future.
For example, the Lord may reveal that tomorrow is going to be a day when a sibling of yours is really going to feel His love. This kind of prophetic knowledge can also come as a warning to pray against---He may say that tomorrow is going to be a day where the enemy is going to try to attack you financially. Whether God gives an encouraging word or a warning, the response needs to be in praying according to His will. We can 'pray into' that coming sense of love and call it forth, or we can 'pray against' that financial warfare. Remember that all God's promises are "yes" and "amen" in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Step 4) Step 3 is repeated as the Lord trains our ears to hear (Mark 4:9). We become accustomed to His voice, and build trust in the revealing of His plans. Once God has sanctified our ears, then He can sanctify our minds. He can make us attuned to Him. This is when He gives us the mind of Christ.
"But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:15-16
If we have the mind of Christ, the Lord speaks to us in a way that transcends a word, a vision, or a parable. The spirit of prophecy manifests in a new way that brings fullness and truth to our awareness of the future. And our own logical or mechanistic thinking on tomorrow, or the next day, or the next, is replaced by a knowing that comes from oneness with the Lord.
For example, I may be thinking about Vanessa's (previous) back problems, and in thinking with the Lord, I feel Him reassure me that everything is going to be alright. And then the next day, Vanessa tells me that her back was healed by the Lord that morning. Or, I'll be thinking of a certain Christian friend who we don't see often, and then go on to hear that they're coming to our house next month. God inspires our thoughts to the extent that they become prophetic. And if our thoughts are prophetic, then we don't necessarily need a clear word. We develop a type of godly premonition. What would Jesus think? As it relates to us, we begin to think along with Him, too.
Step 5) If we have the mind of Christ, praise God! That's when we can act on it. We can pray into it, act into it, and walk in it. God's reality can continuously be coming into union with our own. We can do only what we see, or envision, the father doing. (John 5:19) This is where God wants to take us, if we ourselves will respond by wanting to get there. If we are controlled by the spirit of prophecy to this extent, then we will be made into a testimony to Jesus. And that's what it's all about!
Step 1) The first step in anticipating God's next move in your life is understanding hope. We need to look forward to restored joy, restored love, restored peace...we need to look forward to restoration of fullness of life. We need to know that He will uphold us and push us higher and higher.
Psalm 51:11-12
Step 2) Once we have hope, then we can call on Him in confidence. (1 John 5:14) Then we can be bold and know that He will reveal to us something according to His will. We call on Him, and we have the awareness of our future 'saved'. (Romans 10:13) Once we have hope for the future, we can attain to the promises found in Jeremiah 33:3. And we can have boldness and confidence in this.
"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
Step 3) So we call out to God, and God tells us something. He tells us something about His future work that would otherwise be knowable. He tells us something that testifies to Jesus, something that is in line with the spirit of prophecy (Revelations 19:10). He gives us a word, or a vision, or a parable that points to and reveals His movement in the future.
For example, the Lord may reveal that tomorrow is going to be a day when a sibling of yours is really going to feel His love. This kind of prophetic knowledge can also come as a warning to pray against---He may say that tomorrow is going to be a day where the enemy is going to try to attack you financially. Whether God gives an encouraging word or a warning, the response needs to be in praying according to His will. We can 'pray into' that coming sense of love and call it forth, or we can 'pray against' that financial warfare. Remember that all God's promises are "yes" and "amen" in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Step 4) Step 3 is repeated as the Lord trains our ears to hear (Mark 4:9). We become accustomed to His voice, and build trust in the revealing of His plans. Once God has sanctified our ears, then He can sanctify our minds. He can make us attuned to Him. This is when He gives us the mind of Christ.
"But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:15-16
If we have the mind of Christ, the Lord speaks to us in a way that transcends a word, a vision, or a parable. The spirit of prophecy manifests in a new way that brings fullness and truth to our awareness of the future. And our own logical or mechanistic thinking on tomorrow, or the next day, or the next, is replaced by a knowing that comes from oneness with the Lord.
For example, I may be thinking about Vanessa's (previous) back problems, and in thinking with the Lord, I feel Him reassure me that everything is going to be alright. And then the next day, Vanessa tells me that her back was healed by the Lord that morning. Or, I'll be thinking of a certain Christian friend who we don't see often, and then go on to hear that they're coming to our house next month. God inspires our thoughts to the extent that they become prophetic. And if our thoughts are prophetic, then we don't necessarily need a clear word. We develop a type of godly premonition. What would Jesus think? As it relates to us, we begin to think along with Him, too.
Step 5) If we have the mind of Christ, praise God! That's when we can act on it. We can pray into it, act into it, and walk in it. God's reality can continuously be coming into union with our own. We can do only what we see, or envision, the father doing. (John 5:19) This is where God wants to take us, if we ourselves will respond by wanting to get there. If we are controlled by the spirit of prophecy to this extent, then we will be made into a testimony to Jesus. And that's what it's all about!
Sunday, March 29, 2015
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
"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
Friday, March 27, 2015
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
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
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
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.
"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.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
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.
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.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
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...
"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...
Monday, March 9, 2015
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.
"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.
Friday, March 6, 2015
Spirit-led Gardening??
All throughout the winter, the Lord has been prompting me to look into farming. And the more I thought about it, the more I realize that I like the idea! And God has kept confirming the message. The situations have been right going into the Spring, and the Lord has made it easy for me to order seeds, learn about techniques, and have good land to farm on. For now, I'm taking things small scale...so 'gardening' is probably a more apt way to describe what I'm doing. But I do plan on doing more extensive farming in the future!
This morning, I was doing some research on vegetable growing--just looking into basic things. Now, I'm new to farming, so today I was mostly looking into general guidelines. I wanted to have the Lord's backing, though--I wanted to know that He was making my way perfect (Psalms 18:32). So, I asked the Lord for a sign to confirm that He did indeed want me to be doing this--researching vegetables! And right away, God was gracious to give me His Word--and I was led to the below verse at random!
"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."
Genesis 2:15
Praise the Lord! With that, the Lord gave me new hope. I knew His backing, and I felt it, too! In continuing my research, I was looking into using raised beds for my gardening. So I looked into that a little bit. And I decided that raised beds were the best method to use. After a little more research on this, all of a sudden, I heard the Lord speak. He said:
"Look at the time..."
There was some urgency there--not harshness, but a pressing command. So I did, and it was 10:42. OK, now what?
His voice was quick to give me a next step. He told me to enter that time, 10:42, into this Hebrew Lexicon. I knew He was telling me to enter it in as the time 1042. Now, I've used this online concordance before, but this time, the Lord was so specific to guide me into it.
I heard the Lord continue:
"Enter it into the second one, not the first, not into Hebrew but to Greek".
Woah, OK! So, I used the Concordance search on the second row, 'not into Hebrew but to Greek', and entered into it the number 1042. Normally I use the top concordance, and do my word / number searches in Hebrew, but I knew the importance of obedience here. I knew all of this from God--His voice was powerful and clear. So, I obeyed this Word from the Lord. I entered the number in, not knowing what to expect. And there it was:
1042 Gabbatha= "elevated or a platform"
--a raised place, elevation
Wow! I was a little taken back by this. Raised beds?? I had just been wanting to have God's approval on my farming, and He had given it, through the scripture in Genesis. He even gave me His backing on my choice to use raised gardening beds. Praise the Lord! With so many gracious confirmations, I'm believing that all this farming research was more of God's idea than mine.
It's so nice to know that God is for so many details in our lives. He even loves my raised beds research! The more I get to know Him, the more His intricacy amazes me. It's so worth it to want to please Him. We need to wait on Him, making sure that we please Him. We need to wait until we are filled with the Spirit. That's when we can stay in step with the Spirit; that's when we can be continually approved (Galatians 5:25).
So we need to be very led. That's when we can receive true comfort! That's when we can be justified by faithful steps in Him. That's when we can be confident. We can be led, and we can have God bring us into great rewards right now!
"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward"
Hebrew 10:35
This morning, I was doing some research on vegetable growing--just looking into basic things. Now, I'm new to farming, so today I was mostly looking into general guidelines. I wanted to have the Lord's backing, though--I wanted to know that He was making my way perfect (Psalms 18:32). So, I asked the Lord for a sign to confirm that He did indeed want me to be doing this--researching vegetables! And right away, God was gracious to give me His Word--and I was led to the below verse at random!
"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it."
Genesis 2:15
Praise the Lord! With that, the Lord gave me new hope. I knew His backing, and I felt it, too! In continuing my research, I was looking into using raised beds for my gardening. So I looked into that a little bit. And I decided that raised beds were the best method to use. After a little more research on this, all of a sudden, I heard the Lord speak. He said:
"Look at the time..."
There was some urgency there--not harshness, but a pressing command. So I did, and it was 10:42. OK, now what?
His voice was quick to give me a next step. He told me to enter that time, 10:42, into this Hebrew Lexicon. I knew He was telling me to enter it in as the time 1042. Now, I've used this online concordance before, but this time, the Lord was so specific to guide me into it.
I heard the Lord continue:
"Enter it into the second one, not the first, not into Hebrew but to Greek".
Woah, OK! So, I used the Concordance search on the second row, 'not into Hebrew but to Greek', and entered into it the number 1042. Normally I use the top concordance, and do my word / number searches in Hebrew, but I knew the importance of obedience here. I knew all of this from God--His voice was powerful and clear. So, I obeyed this Word from the Lord. I entered the number in, not knowing what to expect. And there it was:
1042 Gabbatha= "elevated or a platform"
--a raised place, elevation
Wow! I was a little taken back by this. Raised beds?? I had just been wanting to have God's approval on my farming, and He had given it, through the scripture in Genesis. He even gave me His backing on my choice to use raised gardening beds. Praise the Lord! With so many gracious confirmations, I'm believing that all this farming research was more of God's idea than mine.
It's so nice to know that God is for so many details in our lives. He even loves my raised beds research! The more I get to know Him, the more His intricacy amazes me. It's so worth it to want to please Him. We need to wait on Him, making sure that we please Him. We need to wait until we are filled with the Spirit. That's when we can stay in step with the Spirit; that's when we can be continually approved (Galatians 5:25).
So we need to be very led. That's when we can receive true comfort! That's when we can be justified by faithful steps in Him. That's when we can be confident. We can be led, and we can have God bring us into great rewards right now!
"Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward"
Hebrew 10:35
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