Koinonia

"I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ."

~Philemon 1:6

A couple days ago I was praying in the spirit and kept hearing a distinct word: koinonia.  I thought it sounded familiar, and soon enough, the Holy Spirit began bringing me teachings and explanations of the term.  That was enough to make me realize that I'd already been living out the concept of koinonia recently in my own life.  Cool!

God wants us to live by this faith and with this word written on our hearts:  

"On earth as it is in Heaven".  

He wants us to experience Him and talk to Him, and then attract others into this blissful realm.  When Yahshua was transfigured on the Mount and talked with Moses and Elijah, He pulled others right into the Heavenly realms with Him.  Peter and John and James were included in this glory, even though it was almost too much for them.  

Heaven has to get out somehow - why not through you?  Once you're there, and only once you're there, can you freely give.  Only then can we talk to others within the confines of Yah's Heavenly Kingdom. Others can learn from us, and we can learn from others!  Contentment is key to pure communication.   If we rely on the contentment of God, than we can be content to flow out to others.  There's an attraction to God within somebody.  This is a fruit that can't help but be fruitful: the fruit of love.  Here's what Francois du Toit has to say about it:

"The Koinonia (communication) of our faith is ignited by the acknowledging of every good thing that is in us in Christ!"


Heavenly Father, let the cry of our hearts be for us to experience more of Your Love, and for us to love You back in turn.  Increase the hunger of our spirits within us and the calling out of our souls.  Let Your presence in us draw us to the right people in the right places at just the right time.  Let us always be a magnification of Your Love, and stretch us and mold us to conform to Your glory.  Draw us to friends who can stretch us and teach us new things, and let us live and talk and think in the light of Your Presence. Make us like you, Lord, and teach us something new today.  

FREEDOOOOMMM!

Last night God gave me a dream where I was undergoing a teaching.  It was on freedom.  In the dream, the Holy Spirit showed me Romans 8:21:

"...that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."  

Glorious freedom.  Thank you Father.  Do any of us really know what that's like?  Do we understand what it means to possess glorious freedom?  I don't think so, not yet.  Not with a full measure, yet this is exactly what Yahshua has promised (Luke 6:38).  He wants us to know; we're His family, kings in His kingdom (Proverbs 25:2)!

In my dream, there was such a liberation.  I instantly knew that God had just given me a key to abide. When I heard Romans 8:21, it was written on my heart in a new way.  It was so powerful, and the power was there to effortlessly provide.

That's what our Heavenly Father gives us power for -- to get closer to Him.  It's not for our giftings or callings so much as it was for Him.  From Him for me for Him!

It was an awesome experience of peace and contentment.  If you haven't already, ask Elohim to give you heavenly dreams!  He is faithful, and He will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).  Let's all taste and see that Yahweh is good (Psalms 34:8).

The Revelator: The Kingdom Within

"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it."  

~Matthew 11:12

We have the Kingdom within us.  You have the Lion of Judah, the source of all revelation and understanding, living and breathing in you.  It's a heavy, glorious thing to lay hold of that!  It's an enormous thing to get a grasp on.

A camel may not pass through the eye of a needle, but Jesus has entered through the passageway of your heart. He's unlocked the Kingdom in you, from the inside out.  He's given you life, love, energy; He's given you faith and works.  He's given you understanding.  He's given you an endless, effortless supply of resources needed for the life He's called you to.  

This Kingdom has met some opposition along the way -- but it's here now.  There was a lot of clashes in the spiritual realm just prior to Yahshua!  The enemy knew what was coming.

In the same way, there's warfare around us now.  The kingdom within is bombarded with lies, deception, doubts, and attacks from the enemy.  There's outside darkness.  Yet the Holy Spirit within is greater.  The Holy Spirit within carries us onward -- whatever it takes.  The Kingdom of Heaven has been gotten hold of, and it continues to be received by those who long for it.

And it continues to be received by you!  There will be turbulence, but God's momentum within is forcefully advancing.  You are the Tent of Meeting, and He's enlarging your borders, enlarging your tents.  He's taking back ground, He's renewing you.  He's the only reason that you've already arrived.

All Things Together

 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Yahweh, to them who are the called according to His purpose."        ~Romans 8:28

If you love God, you have become among the called!  I like to say that God chooses you as soon as you choose Him.  Or is it the other way around?  I don't believe that either Calvinism nor Armenianism are sufficient to describe His ways (Isaiah 55:9). Anyways, "His purpose" is divine love, and if we included in that, then we'll especially love Him.


"They continue this day according to Thine ordinances: for all are Thy servants."        ~Psalm 119:91

What "continues[s] to this day"?  Well, according to the preceding verse, all things of the earth continue.  God's overruling of the physical world continues.  God's glory in the big things and the small continue.  He's still on the throne.  And all things He's created -- everything -- works for our Heavenly Father, just the way He wants it to.  Everything serves Him.

You have the Spirit of Yahweh within you.  Isn't that beautiful?  I think it is.  There is a depth of God's power inside that never had to run dry (Zechariah 4 and context).  This is reality for believers today, and because God is on the outside and the inside, all things are serving you.

Things are working together for you.  Not just some things, but "all things".  God may very well be breathing life into inanimate objects, breathing His Spirit into the little details (Psalm 37:23) and greater depths of your life, so that all things weave and work together for you.  You'll see your schedule fall right into place, you'll never be too busy, and people will randomly encourage you at needed times -- even unbelievers.  They're His servants too, remember?

You'll buy the right books, read the right books, meet the right people and make the right friends. They are all your servants (as you are theirs, Galatians 5:13), all because you serve Him.

You're for Him, and He's for you. There is an attractive power in being a child of God.  Now, bad things still happen to good people (see the book of Job for examples of this), but if we really believed what Romans 8:28 says about our Heavenly Father's sovereignty, would we consider anything bad???  I don't think so.  Life is beautiful and pure and free!  Nothing would be allowed, good or "bad", if it wasn't breathed out into existence with the all-knowing power of the living word.

All things are lifting you up to the heavens, and all things are pulling the heavens down into you (Luke 17:21). Yahweh wants you to be close to Him!

The Joy of Yahweh

"His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’"    ~Matthew 25:23

We all know that this verse relates to our graduation to Heaven.  But like many verses in the Bible, this one can be taken both literally and symbolically, naturally and spiritually, personally and corporately.  God often inserts two meanings into what He says (Psalm 62:11).

See, we can enter into the joy of our Master know!  We may only experience a small measure of the joys of Heaven, but we can still experience Heaven on earth today.  And that's a prerequisite to our calling here and now.

"This day is holy to our Elohim. Do not grieve, for the joy of Yahweh is your strength."    

~Nehemiah 8:10

Living in Joy makes everything easier.  Hope gives us joy, and joy gives us strength from God!  I believe that the power of the Spirit actually gives tangible, physical strength and health.  There was a period of time last year where I was not eating a nutrient dense diet.  And every morning, when I went for a walk and sang to God, my legs became uncontrollably itchy.  They would tingle all over. I'd experienced that before--as a cyclist taking high-dose vitamin B tablets.  God was restoring my vitamins and minerals, and I felt it!  All this was possible because I made the effort of believing to enter His Joy.

Forgiveness, repentance, boldness--it's all made easier by joy.  If we have joy, our attempts to do things for God become a lot easier and a lot more fruitful.  Joy is restful because it increases our confidence in our Heavenly Father.

If we are in a state of really believing, then joy will be evident.  Remember that Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit convicts us of belief (John 16:8).  If we believe, then any thought about Jesus, any thought about His sacrifice, any thought about His plans for us will bring us joy! The reality of living in God has to become greater than anything else, so His Joy can our be our joy and His contentment our contentment.


What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— “…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2). “I delight to do Your will, O my God…” (Psalm 40:8). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?

~Oswald Chambers

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....

"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!)

What Is Truth? It's Not Sin and Sickness

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.                        John 14:6

What is truth?  I feel that God wants us to know that Truth goes beyond our own feelings and experiences.  Truth transcends what our present life is like, and it transcends what we think is possible.

What is truth?  Jesus is Truth!  And we need to remember that Jesus took captivity captive.  We need to remember that He paid it ALL.  Jesus made a way for us to escape the burdens of the world and be living in the heavenly realms.

What is truth?  Truth is God's perspective--His perfect will.  Truth is a higher vibration.  Truth is a place that we can and should access--but only because Jesus is Lord, only because He is our mediator.  Truth is not sin, and truth is not sickness.

No, f you are sick, you may feel it, you may be affected by it...and consequently, you may believe it. But ultimately, as a Christian, sickness is a lie.  Remember that Jesus came to give us life-- it's the enemy that comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  IF we are operating in truth, IF we are where God would have us, then we will be experiencing His Life.  And if we are experiencing life, then we will be experiencing truth, and the truth will set us free.

It's time to put theory into practice.  It's time to accept the truth.  It's time to await it's manifestation. The manifestation will be health and freedom and deliverance from sin.  The manifestation will be a closer walk with the Lord and a deeper experience of all of His benefits.  The manifestation will be a realization that God is love, and that this love is the force of God.

If we are not seeing the truth in our lives, in our families, and in our situations, then it's time to pray. It's time to usher in the presence of the Holy Spirit and have him bring the Kingdom changes down. All we need to do is say the word--to speak the truth in love--and then God does the rest!  When the presence of Jesus becomes greater than the presence of the world, then we will be able to walk in truth.

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."   3 John 1:4