Snapshot: Living Stones

A couple days ago I was praying for a friend and I saw that person gathering stones.  I didn't really know what this vision meant at the time.  I sensed that this person was searching for something to draw life off of, something to sustain themselves with.

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

Sometimes these things take some time to fulfill--they may not make sense or come to fruition for a day, for a month, for a year, or even for a generation.  But God gives inspiration to hasten us towards a goal.  God gives us a vision to show us how to hope for something that will not fail.

Last night, I got back and the Elijahlist for the first time in a little while.  I realized based on an article there that these stones can represent good people--people who point towards God and are spiritually nourishing towards others.  Below is an excerpt that explains all this, and you can go to this link to read the entire article.

When Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and ascended to the throne, He laid the groundwork for His disciples to begin to build the Father a house patterned after His mind, heart, and life. In the early Church, the Believers, who were the living stones, came together in unity to build such a house – one where the Father is worshiped in Spirit and in truth – truth that had been buried under years of error and traditions of men!

So, believers are stones, and they are living stones at that.  They've been made alive by the grace and power of God!  They are stones that come together and present themselves as an altar, as a living sacrifice, to God (Genesis 28:22 and context).  They are the building blocks of the Church, and they have Jesus Christ as their cornerstone.  These stones are us!

There are other stones, too, and some of them are not good.  Some stones are living--the ones the Father brings life to--and some are dead.  These normal, dead stones can be idols, bad habits, or addictions.  They can even be other people.  Each of us comes into contact with both the good and the bad every day.  The question is, what will we choose?  We need to draw of off other living stones so that we ourselves can then be drawn closer to God.  We need to choose the assembly of the righteous over the company of the wicked (Psalms 1:5).

Confirmed:  Today I was in the living room when a Jimi Hendrix song entitled, 'Stone Free' came on. Now, regardless of what that phrase meant to him, by the Holy Spirit, I knew what it meant to me. People who are stone free are hungry--they are in need of something.  They need to be fed, they need to be nourished, they need to find true life.  They have been torn from distractions and idols of their pasts, and they are looking for a substitution.  And we need to be that for them!  We need to personify life.  There are many stones out there--many things in this world that can come in and steal away devotion to God.

Stronger believers are responsible for the growth of the weaker ones.  We need to realize that other people are going to gather up stones.  We need to realize that others are looking and searching for something.  Let's be that something--let's magnify the life of Jesus and be full of His life!  That's how we can protect those with less faith.  And that's all we can do to these people--but if we are truly living stones, then that will always be enough.  We need to be full of the Spirit and enjoy life in the Spirit.

Snapshot: The Consuming Fire

"For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."  Deuteronomy 4:24

I've had this brought to my attention recently.  God wants to burn up the things that we might be tempted to idolize.  He wants to separate us from our distractions so that we ourselves do more than just escape "as through fire"  (1 Corinthians 3:15).  He wants to begin testing us now, so that we can begin passing now!  Why wait until a day of rebuke?  I don't want to, and God doesn't want me to either.  If we let Him consume us and destroy our idols, we can have assurance that our works will be done for His Glory alone.  The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6).  And if we love Him, we will obey His Will and our works will stand the test of His judgement.

Confirmed:

A few days ago I was reading an article on the Happy Hunters, a husband and wife team who ministered in healings and miracles starting in the 1970's.  They talked about the fire of God, and how a hunger for Him was necessary for an outpouring of the Spirit to take place.  Charles Hunter was mentioned as commanding healing on those in the audience.  When he did this, some watching saw fire come out of his hands.  This fire is the power and character of God.  It is joy unspeakable and full of Glory.   Often during healings we see that the person being healed gets a warm, tingling, or even burning sensation in the part of them that was afflicted.  God is at work when the fire of His presence is there.

Confirmed:

I was on the Quickened Word Forum and there was a topic on the purification that God gives us, and how it is a process of fire.  This post was pretty much matching what God had started speaking to me a few days prior.

Confirmed:

My Father in law just bought a sealant called "Fire Seal".  This happened after the two confirmations above.    Sealants to me always remind me that God has sealed me as His own.  In this case, this means that He allows us to go through fire so that we can be purified and remain in Him!


If we are not desperate for Him, it's only because we've been yoked with the world and do not know just what we are missing.  Friendship with the world is more than a turnoff to God.  Draw near to Him, and He will come in like a fire and consume you.  There is always a redemption when we die to ourselves.  Let's be purified before Him today.

Food and Idolatry

Many times in street ministry we see people who have all sorts of back or joint problems that are apparently caused by being overweight. God heals them just like anyone else. From a natural perspective, these people put their ailments upon themselves by eating too much. But who can say that they deserved to be healed? Besides, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against unseen forces in the spiritual realm. These people who spend years harming their bodies through eating too much receive the promises of God just like any other believer can, and in Jesus' name all their pain is taken away. What grace! I often wonder where these people went wrong. I believe they fell prey to the evil nature of today's food system. But more on that later. First, let's look at what the Word says about affliction and sin.

"Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities were afflicted". Psalm 107:17

I believe that affliction is often punishment for sin. It is a way for God to turn us away from lawlessness. Sickness can be God's will, if it brings us closer to Him.

"It is good for me that I was afflicted; that I might learn your statutes". Psalm 119:71

But praise God that there is a way out! Repent and be delivered! In "returning and rest" we will be saved. We will be delivered into the care of Him who "bore all our diseases".

Back to today's food system. I believe many, many believers overlook the destruction that the enemy has done in this area. We have chemicals of all kinds being put into our food and water, and we have processed foods available everywhere we look. These 'foods' are manufactured to be so tasty that they are impossible to put down. We have produce that is genetically modified, and we have semi toxic products being sold as health food. Satan is the father of lies and deception, and I believe that he has made it nearly impossible for us as Christians to "touch no unclean thing". Is it sin to eat pop tarts, drink HFCS-filled soda, or feed your children genetically modified apples? Surely God, in His mercy, is punishing Christians for their terrible eating habits, right?

I don't think so. Based on the Word of God, and also my experience in ministering to people with weight-induced problems, I do not think that being overweight is a sin in itself. In my opinion, a lifestyle of bad eating habits is not inherently sinful. The flesh profits nothing, whether we feast or fast.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God". I Cor. 10:31

That being said, I still believe that weight-induced diseases (joint damage, diabetes, heart problems, often sleep apnea, etc.) are afflictions usually brought on by sin. What is the sin? Often one of two things--idolatry or fear. Let's look at idolatry first.

Food Idolatry as Sin

God is a jealous God, but He also honors free will. Often He turns people over to their selfish desires. Many believers, often strong ones, have not put away their selfish desires, and as a result are constantly being punished by reaping the results of food idolatry. How many people live in chronic pain, how many live dependent on insulin or sleep medication, how many even die prematurely, because they are serving this food addiction alongside The Lord? Praise God that He is more gracious than I am. We need to delight in His law and His boundaries so that we do not "perish in our affliction". I feel like this is a major overlooked problem within the church . The Lord, by His Spirit, gives us a supernatural source of "power, love, and self-control"! How many are not yielding to it. These people reap what they've been sowing. Don't forget, though, that God continues to heal people from the results of such actions. He is not mocked, but what a wonderful thing Jesus did for us!

"The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace". Romans 8:6

Instead, God gives us His Spirit...if we do not ignore His leadings, we can act with the same self-discipline that Jesus had. Don't forget that Jesus fasted for forty days. Don't forget that his food was to do the will of His father. Also remember that Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, by telling Him to make bread to eat out of the rocks. How many Christians today just need to learn how to say "no" and resist the temptation of food? I'll say it again, I believe that food idolatry is a widespread, marginalized problem within the Church. The enemy is still tempting God's children with the false satisfaction of unnecessary food, and at this point in time (in modernized countries, at least), he has nearly endless resources at his disposal. How many churches serve coffee and donuts, or host giant potlucks, when they could be out on the street doing ministry, or still worshipping The Lord in the sanctuary?

Note that I'm not perfect myself. I like food more than most. Jesus is always willing to heal. He is willing to forgive, too. Just the mention of His name is enough to eliminate pain caused by bearing excess weight. His name is enough to cure diabetes. His name is enough to eliminate cancer caused by a lifetime of eating artificially colored and flavored foods. His name can and does "destroy the works of the devil".

What I want to do by writing this is not to pronounce judgement. Mercy triumphs judgement...or else these healings would not occur! I am not fit to judge others anyways. But I encourage believers to seek The Lord about the presence of food idolatry in their lives and the lives of others. Let's exhort eachother into God's truth! The problem is not wheat, it is not sugar. The problem isn't GMOs. It's not even red #40 or aspartame . The problem is idolatry.

More on this in the next post. There is another false attitude towards food that I really want to address. Many Christians go the opposite way, and in trying to eat healthy take their eyes off of the divine health offered in our savior Lord Jesus. Please remember that these posts are not condemnation. Many of the things God's shown me have been taught through my own failures. I am guilty without forgiveness and repentance just like any other. But we must be desperate to stay blameless in God's eyes!