I've been realizing that there is a higher realm out there available to us in the Christian life. There's a life beyond temptations, struggles and "falling from grace". There's a life where God make things easier.
"For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His."
Hebrews 4:10
This verse has taken on a newer, deeper meaning recently. I think the Holy Spirit wants to shine on us so that the meaning of all scripture is always evolving and progressing into the Heavenly mind.
Naturally speaking, life is hard. Even for Christians -- sometimes, life is hard! It may be hard to not lose it when your brother says something annoying; it may be hard to stay peaceful when everyone is crowding the kitchen, it may be hard to avoid all semblance of road rage...it may be hard to pray for a stranger in the grocery store. These are all mindsets we've gotten stuck in somewhere in our past.
Truthfully, though, this isn't the most accurate way of thinking. It's not God's way. To the extent that we are not tapping into God's way, we are denying the fullness of what Messiah did for us on the cross. If the majority of what we experience as a Christian seems hard, then we are living under an illusion.
To rest from your own work takes a lot of power. Not your own power, though! It takes the power of the Ruach inside you to propel you onward independent of yourself. That's what we need -- to live in the Spirit.
I've been seeing that there are degrees in this life in the Spirit. God wants to overpower you, He wants to overshadow you, He wants to overtake you and overwhelm you. I think this is what the prophets were talking about when they said, "the hand of Yahweh was heavily upon me".
God wants to expose you to the weight of His glory and compel you into Himself. He wants to consume you until there is no self-effort of self-thought left. He wants to possess you: mind, body, and spirit. Isn't that interesting? It's the truth.
The point at which life becomes easy for us, when faith becomes restful, when pain turns blissful, when natural conditions burst out into the supernatural, will occur when God within us has full control. It's not as hard as it sounds. The only effort involved in us is the race towards believing. If we've believed, we've entered into God's way, and if we stay in His Way, we'll have it easiest.
Showing posts with label Life in the Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life in the Spirit. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Friday, January 8, 2016
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!
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!
Monday, June 15, 2015
Revival: It's Costly
Revival Requires Purity
"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation."Psalm 24:3-5
Revival is a place where we have received the blessing. We meet the qualifications God has set before us, receive the blessing, and then walk it out. And to do this, we need clean hands and a pure heart.
Revival Requires Work
"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him,…"Luke 14:27-29
We need to realize that revival requires building a tower. It requires work and effort, but more than that, it requires yielding to the Holy Spirit and His measure of faith. It's empowerment by the Holy Spirit that gets the work done. To be empowered by the Spirit and enjoy life in the Spirit, we need to experience death to ourselves. That's the cost. Every time we 'die', we are filled with His word, which is Spirit and Life (John 6:63). Every time we die to ourselves, we receive a fresh anointing and a fresh empowerment. And that's what gets the tower built.
Instructions for Revival:
"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies...."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-20
Revival Requires Prayer
Here we can receive insight into what gets revival started. If we are always joyful, if we never stop praying, then we can expect the move of the Spirit to come. We need to pray it through. Then, we can expect the beginning of revival. And that's when it's important that we do not stifle Him. We have to let Him do the work!
Revival Requires Humility
If the Holy Spirit is beginning something, we need to let Him carry it out. We need to let Him speak and move through any vessel He chooses. We can't despise the wisdom of another. We can't despise a prophecy. Pride and presumption will put an end to revival! We need to be humble and let the Holy Spirit flow. We need to speak up when God prompts us, and remain quiet when He doesn't. We need to acknowledge that others are seeing in part (1 Corinthians 13:9), just as we are. We need to remember that others, too, have paid the price. We need to remember that all of us are hungry for a move of God, hungry for revival!
There are conditions to revival. Some may disagree with this, but I believe that there are conditions to meet before God's promises are fulfilled. God's love is unconditional, but His blessings are not. We need to go up higher and receive the blessing from the Lord. We need to contend for revival. It will come if we really, really want it.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Snapshot: Remembering Your Mantle
A few days ago, the Lord showed me a mantle. And He reminded me that His calling on my life is not confusion or doubt, but to walk into His purposes and promises.
He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over. 2 Kings 2:13-14
Mantles represent our spiritual authority--the measure of Christ in us that does the works. It's time to remember His hope! It's time to remember His calling. It's time to remember what it's like to be called.
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love... Ephesians 4:1-2
It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to walk into our calling. It takes the fullness of the Spirit to accomplish God's will. And it takes life in the Spirit to bear good fruit--humility, gentleness, love--to show ourselves worthy. We need to remember that God saved us so that we could be firstfruits.
We need to know that God's will is not unrest or anxiety. His will is assurance! God wants us to feel empowered, to be empowered, and to live empowered. He wants us to remember our spiritual identity and authority in Him.
He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over. 2 Kings 2:13-14
Mantles represent our spiritual authority--the measure of Christ in us that does the works. It's time to remember His hope! It's time to remember His calling. It's time to remember what it's like to be called.
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love... Ephesians 4:1-2
It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to walk into our calling. It takes the fullness of the Spirit to accomplish God's will. And it takes life in the Spirit to bear good fruit--humility, gentleness, love--to show ourselves worthy. We need to remember that God saved us so that we could be firstfruits.
We need to know that God's will is not unrest or anxiety. His will is assurance! God wants us to feel empowered, to be empowered, and to live empowered. He wants us to remember our spiritual identity and authority in Him.
Friday, April 24, 2015
All About Visions: Walking into the Vision
**For the previous posts in this series on visions, see these links:
All About Visions: Discerning the Meanings
All About Visions: Sharing the Message
Visions come in all sorts or different ways. Many of them are interactive! This was the case in Bible times, and this is still the case today.
Then He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. He said to me, "Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you." Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.
Ezekiel 3:1-3
Here we have Ezekiel in a vision that transcended his current reality. It was much more real than 'real' life! I would call this sort of experience a trance vision. In it, one may move, touch, taste, smell, etc. the things being seen. They may talk to other people or to angels. I would consider this kind of thing to be an out-of-body experience.
And it all started for Ezekiel when "the heavens were opened" (Ezekiel 1:1). That's when it starts for all of us! God comes down and sets up habitation with us. And that's when the supernatural things of God start to happen. That's when we can 'walk into' a vision and really experience it--earthly senses included.
Interactive visions may come for many reasons--but one of the main reasons is so that we know how to intercede. Visions are a wonderful way to conceptualize God's will, and if we know His will, then we'll also know how to pray for others. We'll know how to intercede and pray into God's target. (More on this in a future post). So, how do we have an interactive vision? Let's look to the Word:
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
Matthew 7:7-8
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?"
Luke 11:11
So, we can ask in faith, not doubting, and then receive! Now, seeking may be a process, even a long one, of drawing closer and closer to the Lord. But He gave us a wonderful promise there! We ask, we believe, we receive--and we do so by living within the Holy Spirit. While we're there, God will decide exactly what to give us, but we can trust that He is gracious an faithful to give.
If God is willing to give of Himself, then the question is, how do we position ourselves? How do we get into the Spirit? Music can be a major way. Praise and worship can intensify the work of the Holy Spirit, who is already alive and active within us. Music can activate the prophetic, it can activate visions ...it can activate our understanding of a parable that the Lord has already spoken. Music can bring us into the Spirit. Let's take a look at the Word, again:
But now bring me a minstrel." And it came about, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. He said, "Thus says the LORD....
2 Kings 3:15
"I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre."
Psalm 49:4
John was in the Spirit when God gave him revelation (Revelation 1:10). He was told to "Come up here" (Revelation 4:1)! And it can be just the same today. We get into the Spirit and the Lord extends His arm and takes us into a vision. He allows us to walk into it, to interact with it, and to change it, all for His purposes and all for His glory. We may see the resurrected Jesus. We may see angels. We may see family members that we need to pray for. Or we may see things that are mostly symbolic. It's God who gives the vision, and it's God who decides what He will.
We should all be seeking the Lord for a full portion. He wants to give us all our daily bread. He wants to give us all something powerful enough to radically change us! God satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things (Psalms 107:9). He fills them!
All About Visions: Discerning the Meanings
All About Visions: Sharing the Message
Visions come in all sorts or different ways. Many of them are interactive! This was the case in Bible times, and this is still the case today.
Then He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. He said to me, "Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you." Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.
Ezekiel 3:1-3
Here we have Ezekiel in a vision that transcended his current reality. It was much more real than 'real' life! I would call this sort of experience a trance vision. In it, one may move, touch, taste, smell, etc. the things being seen. They may talk to other people or to angels. I would consider this kind of thing to be an out-of-body experience.
And it all started for Ezekiel when "the heavens were opened" (Ezekiel 1:1). That's when it starts for all of us! God comes down and sets up habitation with us. And that's when the supernatural things of God start to happen. That's when we can 'walk into' a vision and really experience it--earthly senses included.
Interactive visions may come for many reasons--but one of the main reasons is so that we know how to intercede. Visions are a wonderful way to conceptualize God's will, and if we know His will, then we'll also know how to pray for others. We'll know how to intercede and pray into God's target. (More on this in a future post). So, how do we have an interactive vision? Let's look to the Word:
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
Matthew 7:7-8
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?"
Luke 11:11
So, we can ask in faith, not doubting, and then receive! Now, seeking may be a process, even a long one, of drawing closer and closer to the Lord. But He gave us a wonderful promise there! We ask, we believe, we receive--and we do so by living within the Holy Spirit. While we're there, God will decide exactly what to give us, but we can trust that He is gracious an faithful to give.
If God is willing to give of Himself, then the question is, how do we position ourselves? How do we get into the Spirit? Music can be a major way. Praise and worship can intensify the work of the Holy Spirit, who is already alive and active within us. Music can activate the prophetic, it can activate visions ...it can activate our understanding of a parable that the Lord has already spoken. Music can bring us into the Spirit. Let's take a look at the Word, again:
But now bring me a minstrel." And it came about, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. He said, "Thus says the LORD....
2 Kings 3:15
"I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre."
Psalm 49:4
John was in the Spirit when God gave him revelation (Revelation 1:10). He was told to "Come up here" (Revelation 4:1)! And it can be just the same today. We get into the Spirit and the Lord extends His arm and takes us into a vision. He allows us to walk into it, to interact with it, and to change it, all for His purposes and all for His glory. We may see the resurrected Jesus. We may see angels. We may see family members that we need to pray for. Or we may see things that are mostly symbolic. It's God who gives the vision, and it's God who decides what He will.
We should all be seeking the Lord for a full portion. He wants to give us all our daily bread. He wants to give us all something powerful enough to radically change us! God satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things (Psalms 107:9). He fills them!
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Snapshot: Spiritual Communion
I remember once the Lord showed me a vision where He was breaking bread. He was breaking the bread, and He told me--He told me to eat His flesh.
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
John 6:53-57
This is what happens during communion, when we get together as a church or alone and eat in remembrance of the Lord. And it also happens when we commune with Him spiritually. That's when we are nourished. That's when the Father gives us our daily bread (Matthew 6:11). Jesus mediates this, and in the vision He gave, the Lord Jesus tore that loaf right open.
After this experience, I was instructed to get to the online Hebrew/Greek lexicon. I find God likes to confirm Himself that way. And I felt Him tell me to plug in the number 1234, into Hebrew. So I did.
Strong's 1234- baqa
--to split, cleave, break open, divide, break through, rip up, break up, tear
Wow! That's communion. That's when God through His Son rightly divides the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). He comes along with the Spirit of love and the Spirit of revelation (Ephesians 1:17). He divides the fresh bread of the Word for us, so that we can then do it for others! He gives us nourishment that leaves us empowered, not ashamed.
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." Luke 22:19
Let's break bread with Him before we break it with anyone else. Let's come to Him. Those who seek Him find Him. Let's feast on His holiness. Let's come to Him and never hunger again!
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
John 6:53-57
This is what happens during communion, when we get together as a church or alone and eat in remembrance of the Lord. And it also happens when we commune with Him spiritually. That's when we are nourished. That's when the Father gives us our daily bread (Matthew 6:11). Jesus mediates this, and in the vision He gave, the Lord Jesus tore that loaf right open.
After this experience, I was instructed to get to the online Hebrew/Greek lexicon. I find God likes to confirm Himself that way. And I felt Him tell me to plug in the number 1234, into Hebrew. So I did.
Strong's 1234- baqa
--to split, cleave, break open, divide, break through, rip up, break up, tear
Wow! That's communion. That's when God through His Son rightly divides the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). He comes along with the Spirit of love and the Spirit of revelation (Ephesians 1:17). He divides the fresh bread of the Word for us, so that we can then do it for others! He gives us nourishment that leaves us empowered, not ashamed.
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." Luke 22:19
Let's break bread with Him before we break it with anyone else. Let's come to Him. Those who seek Him find Him. Let's feast on His holiness. Let's come to Him and never hunger again!
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Word: Trust Leads to Freedom
"I am taking you to a new level of freedom. Yes, I am giving you liberty and freedom in the Spirit, because I trust you, because you belong to me"
We belong to Him. And when we walk in that, that's why He trusts us! And that's why He gives us life to the fullest where we can be free and liberated from sin. Praise God for freedom. Praise Him for liberty, and praise Him for the law that His Spirit lives by. Praise Him that He gives trust to those whom He first entrusted with His Holy Spirit. And finally, praise God that we belong to Him! He is so intent on showing us that. He is so pleased when we realize all that He's done for us. Every promise in the Word has been given to us. And every word He's given will come to pass.
"And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you."
Galatians 3:29
A little later yesterday, I went into the garage from outside just in time to hear Christian radio for a minute or so. And They were describing how Jesus reveals His secrets to those He trusts. Although the world does not know or recognize Him, they said, He has taken us in and entrusted us with Himself. He spoke in parables so often, but to His own, He occasionally revealed more.
I was so thankful to hear this little segment of radio...and then it was time for me to head back outside. God's timing was so perfect! It perfectly confirmed the word from earlier that morning -- "...because I trust you..." And I realized that because He trusts me, that's why He's going to be revealing more to me! This is something I've been praying for recently--that God would reveal more unknowable knowledge to me, more prophetic insight, more deep things. And that morning, He had comforted me in saying that He trusted me. After you have the trust, only then can Jesus reveal the secrets. Awesome!
"I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name."
Isaiah 45:3
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Snapshot: Entering into Resurrection Power
A few mornings ago, on Sunday, the Lord took me into a vision where I saw Matthew 28:2 and 28:3 played out.
"And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow." Matthew 28:2-28:3
And He showed me that things that are blocking His people from walking in resurrection life are being removed. He showed me that obstacles to our supernatural restoration are being thrown aside. He's making a way for His resurrection power to flow out. He's making a way for Jesus to be revealed. He's removing things, and making a way for His power to touch us!
They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" Mark 16:3
Sometimes we wonder this very same thing. How will Jesus reach us in our lives? How will we reach Him? How will we see Him, and have Him transform us so that we can be as He really is? These are all real questions, and they are all created by very real situations. They are created by blockages--spiritual or physical problems that put us between a rock and a hard place, so to speak.
In the midst of unsolvable problems, we need to know that God has our solution. We should actively seek His coming. We need to seek Him until He rolls away those blockages, those roadblocks that cut us of from receiving a fullness of life.
While only God's Spirit can remove these things for us, we have a role to play, too. We need to cling to God. We need to flee from sin, and resist the devil. We need to throw off all our entanglements, as best as we know how.
"My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me" Psalm 63:8
"Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." 2 Timothy 2:22
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..." Hebrews 12:1
So, there are things we can throw off, too. There is a small portion of responsibility that has been given us--things that God empowers us to do so that we can choose to do them out of our own free will. We can throw off sin. We can throw off hindrances. We can do this, and as we walk in His will, we can expect the Lord to clear out the bigger roadblocks ahead of us. God is paving a way for all of us to really know Jesus.
And then the freedom begins. Then the adventure really begins. Then we walk in the Spirit, flow with the Spirit, and live filled with the Spirit. We emanate resurrection power. It's a lot of fun! And more than that, it pleases the Lord and brings joy to His heart.
Confirmed: At the start of Church that day, we started off after worship with a prayer asking the Lord to resurrect us, awaken us, restore us to His life and power. Awesome! God wants us to know that there is one Spirit, one mind, and one Body.
We also read John 11 that day, were Lazarus is resurrected. And we talked about how this raising foreshadowed Jesus' own rise from the grave. We talked about how Jesus' miracle here pointed to His own future glory. Below is what we went over in Church--John 11:41-44 . Talk about confirmations! Our God is so, so good.
(Amplified version)
"And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow." Matthew 28:2-28:3
And He showed me that things that are blocking His people from walking in resurrection life are being removed. He showed me that obstacles to our supernatural restoration are being thrown aside. He's making a way for His resurrection power to flow out. He's making a way for Jesus to be revealed. He's removing things, and making a way for His power to touch us!
They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" Mark 16:3
Sometimes we wonder this very same thing. How will Jesus reach us in our lives? How will we reach Him? How will we see Him, and have Him transform us so that we can be as He really is? These are all real questions, and they are all created by very real situations. They are created by blockages--spiritual or physical problems that put us between a rock and a hard place, so to speak.
In the midst of unsolvable problems, we need to know that God has our solution. We should actively seek His coming. We need to seek Him until He rolls away those blockages, those roadblocks that cut us of from receiving a fullness of life.
While only God's Spirit can remove these things for us, we have a role to play, too. We need to cling to God. We need to flee from sin, and resist the devil. We need to throw off all our entanglements, as best as we know how.
"My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me" Psalm 63:8
"Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." 2 Timothy 2:22
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..." Hebrews 12:1
So, there are things we can throw off, too. There is a small portion of responsibility that has been given us--things that God empowers us to do so that we can choose to do them out of our own free will. We can throw off sin. We can throw off hindrances. We can do this, and as we walk in His will, we can expect the Lord to clear out the bigger roadblocks ahead of us. God is paving a way for all of us to really know Jesus.
And then the freedom begins. Then the adventure really begins. Then we walk in the Spirit, flow with the Spirit, and live filled with the Spirit. We emanate resurrection power. It's a lot of fun! And more than that, it pleases the Lord and brings joy to His heart.
Confirmed: At the start of Church that day, we started off after worship with a prayer asking the Lord to resurrect us, awaken us, restore us to His life and power. Awesome! God wants us to know that there is one Spirit, one mind, and one Body.
We also read John 11 that day, were Lazarus is resurrected. And we talked about how this raising foreshadowed Jesus' own rise from the grave. We talked about how Jesus' miracle here pointed to His own future glory. Below is what we went over in Church--John 11:41-44 . Talk about confirmations! Our God is so, so good.
So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
Yes, I know You always hear and listen to Me, but I have said this on account of and for the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You did send Me [that You have made Me Your Messenger].
When He had said this, He shouted with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out!
And out walked the man who had been dead, his hands and feet wrapped in burial cloths (linen strips), and with a [burial] napkin bound around his face. Jesus said to them, Free him of the burial wrappings and let him go.
(Amplified version)
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
Monday, February 16, 2015
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.
"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.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Reprobate spirits
"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient" Romans 1:28
We need to retain God in our knowledge. What does this mean? It means we need to make Him our focus and our life, or else we are at risk for deception. We need to do everything to the glory of God. And we have to want to do this, which means we need to die to ourselves. Our own desires and distractions can make us forget God.
"The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity." Luke 8:14
When things of God have been pushed aside in our lives, we are in danger of losing our spiritual inheritance. We are in danger of never seeing God's goodness become real to us. We have lost our passion for the only thing that really counts--the reality of God's Love for total salvation. The enemy can then come in and make us believe a lie. And God allows this.
"So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart, that they might walk in their own counsels." Psalm 81:12
If we have shown God that we want to run after the world, then He will probably let us, at least for a time. He honors free will, and He gives us over to whatever we want most. Often our own desires have been influenced by other things. And more often then not, those influences come from the devil. Sinful desires comes from the world, where darkness has set up it's rule--the world is in nature contrary to God (John 15:19). Our own desires often lead towards idolatry, and God allows us to run after darkness.
Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. "The LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this while another said that. "Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' The LORD said to him, 'How?' And he said, 'I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He said, 'You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.' 1 Kings 22:19-22
How does this work? If people want to follow a lie, then God gives them one. God allows deception to sneak in. God is sovereign, and He actually allows for other spirits to come in and make us fall for our own desires. He gives us over to a reprobate spirit--something that deceives us so we can continue on in following ourselves. These spirits try to entice us into falsehoods and darkness.
If we accept anything that is not grounded in the Word and the Spirit, then we may allow these spirits to give us a reprobate mind. If we fall for their deception, they will begin to affect our minds. They will cause us to do things which are not convenient. They will take away any fruitfulness that we have, because true fruit comes only from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). We will begin doing things that do not serve God or His purposes. These things may not even serve ourselves. They will, however, serve the enemy and cause some amount of inconvenience--some amount of confusion.
For a long time, I did not understand why God would ever allow this sort of thing to happen. But it's His intent to make us stumble enough to know that we need to return. When we hit rock bottom, that's when we can realize our mistake. That's when we realize that we've become an enemy of God. That's when the Lord gives us eyes to see--eyes to comprehend that we've reaped what we've sown. Eyes to see that we deserve the deception handed to us. That's when we can humble ourselves and repent. That's when we can enjoy total forgiveness and be renewed to God! Once we realize our backsliding, we can experience godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10) and turn away from any deception we've fallen into. We can have God heal us!
"I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them." Hosea 14:4
It's so important to stay grounded in Him. It's so important to accept only the truth. We need to cling to that which is good (Romans 12:9) and resist any deception the devil tries to subject us to (James 4:7). That's how we avoid a reprobate mind. That's how we continue on in the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).
If we seek His Kingdom--living in it and bringing other into it--before anything else, we will stay safe. We can enjoy a sound mind and a fruitful life. We can stay in perfect peace(Isaiah 26:3). We can live within the Kingdom, and then have grace given to us to receive more and more freedom. We can experience the joy of a mind stayed on our Lord and a lifestyle that pleases Him.
We need to retain God in our knowledge. What does this mean? It means we need to make Him our focus and our life, or else we are at risk for deception. We need to do everything to the glory of God. And we have to want to do this, which means we need to die to ourselves. Our own desires and distractions can make us forget God.
"The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity." Luke 8:14
When things of God have been pushed aside in our lives, we are in danger of losing our spiritual inheritance. We are in danger of never seeing God's goodness become real to us. We have lost our passion for the only thing that really counts--the reality of God's Love for total salvation. The enemy can then come in and make us believe a lie. And God allows this.
"So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart, that they might walk in their own counsels." Psalm 81:12
If we have shown God that we want to run after the world, then He will probably let us, at least for a time. He honors free will, and He gives us over to whatever we want most. Often our own desires have been influenced by other things. And more often then not, those influences come from the devil. Sinful desires comes from the world, where darkness has set up it's rule--the world is in nature contrary to God (John 15:19). Our own desires often lead towards idolatry, and God allows us to run after darkness.
Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. "The LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this while another said that. "Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' The LORD said to him, 'How?' And he said, 'I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He said, 'You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.' 1 Kings 22:19-22
How does this work? If people want to follow a lie, then God gives them one. God allows deception to sneak in. God is sovereign, and He actually allows for other spirits to come in and make us fall for our own desires. He gives us over to a reprobate spirit--something that deceives us so we can continue on in following ourselves. These spirits try to entice us into falsehoods and darkness.
If we accept anything that is not grounded in the Word and the Spirit, then we may allow these spirits to give us a reprobate mind. If we fall for their deception, they will begin to affect our minds. They will cause us to do things which are not convenient. They will take away any fruitfulness that we have, because true fruit comes only from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). We will begin doing things that do not serve God or His purposes. These things may not even serve ourselves. They will, however, serve the enemy and cause some amount of inconvenience--some amount of confusion.
For a long time, I did not understand why God would ever allow this sort of thing to happen. But it's His intent to make us stumble enough to know that we need to return. When we hit rock bottom, that's when we can realize our mistake. That's when we realize that we've become an enemy of God. That's when the Lord gives us eyes to see--eyes to comprehend that we've reaped what we've sown. Eyes to see that we deserve the deception handed to us. That's when we can humble ourselves and repent. That's when we can enjoy total forgiveness and be renewed to God! Once we realize our backsliding, we can experience godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10) and turn away from any deception we've fallen into. We can have God heal us!
"I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them." Hosea 14:4
It's so important to stay grounded in Him. It's so important to accept only the truth. We need to cling to that which is good (Romans 12:9) and resist any deception the devil tries to subject us to (James 4:7). That's how we avoid a reprobate mind. That's how we continue on in the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).
If we seek His Kingdom--living in it and bringing other into it--before anything else, we will stay safe. We can enjoy a sound mind and a fruitful life. We can stay in perfect peace(Isaiah 26:3). We can live within the Kingdom, and then have grace given to us to receive more and more freedom. We can experience the joy of a mind stayed on our Lord and a lifestyle that pleases Him.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Snapshot: A better Connection
A few days ago, the Lord spoke to me very clearly and said, "you need a better connection" I knew what He meant.
"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time." 1 Timothy 2:5-6
The connection here is a person. That person is Jesus, and He is our mediator and our path to the Father. He lives to help us and make intercession for us . He lives to bring us nearer to God, and draw us nearer to Him.
"Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them" Hebrews 7:25
Jesus stands between us and God's wrath, and He stands between us and God's affection. The Father's view of us is filtered through Jesus. He sees His Son in each and every true believer. He sees Jesus in us. This is our hope of glory, and it is reveals to us His Glory, too (Colossians 1:27). If we connect to Jesus, we can be connected to the Father. If we acknowledge Him as Immanuel, God with us, then we can always connect with the Father. We can please Him by going through His son. There is no other way.
Yeshua said to him, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Way and The Truth and The Life; no man comes to my Father but by me alone.” John 14:6
Confirmed: The morning after I was shown this, internet connection in our house went out. God knows how to prove a point. Connection with Him is intentional, and for many that means dedicated time in the morning.
Confirmed: Today, a new post on the Quickened Word described Jesus as a bridge between us and the throne. His death bridged the gap between our sinful hopeless condition and the Holiness of God. Jesus is the way we get to Heaven, and He is the way that we can live in the Kingdom of Heaven even while on earth. He is the way that we live live to the fullest, all the time connected to the Father God through a lifeline of awareness of Him.
"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time." 1 Timothy 2:5-6
The connection here is a person. That person is Jesus, and He is our mediator and our path to the Father. He lives to help us and make intercession for us . He lives to bring us nearer to God, and draw us nearer to Him.
"Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them" Hebrews 7:25
Jesus stands between us and God's wrath, and He stands between us and God's affection. The Father's view of us is filtered through Jesus. He sees His Son in each and every true believer. He sees Jesus in us. This is our hope of glory, and it is reveals to us His Glory, too (Colossians 1:27). If we connect to Jesus, we can be connected to the Father. If we acknowledge Him as Immanuel, God with us, then we can always connect with the Father. We can please Him by going through His son. There is no other way.
Yeshua said to him, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Way and The Truth and The Life; no man comes to my Father but by me alone.” John 14:6
Confirmed: The morning after I was shown this, internet connection in our house went out. God knows how to prove a point. Connection with Him is intentional, and for many that means dedicated time in the morning.
Confirmed: Today, a new post on the Quickened Word described Jesus as a bridge between us and the throne. His death bridged the gap between our sinful hopeless condition and the Holiness of God. Jesus is the way we get to Heaven, and He is the way that we can live in the Kingdom of Heaven even while on earth. He is the way that we live live to the fullest, all the time connected to the Father God through a lifeline of awareness of Him.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Healing vs. Perfect Health
Nearly a week ago I was thinking about the subject of healing. Divine Healing has become such a wonderful part of my walk with God. I believe, according to the word of God, that healing is a gift given for every believer. It is part of our daily bread.
But what about perfect health--continually being renewed to the point of never feeling any bodily imperfections? Is that always God's will? For some, that's a hard question to answer. I don't think it is.
Let's look at the story of Job, and accept what happened to him. After all, every bit of scripture is useful for exhortation and teaching (2 Timothy 3:16). So Job was willing to accept evil from the Lord as well as good. I'd say it's clear that the Lord willed for Job to experience much less than divine health. We can't discount this story in trying to understand the gifts that we're entitled to in Christ.
He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. Job 2:10
I myself have have been given healings by the Lord--from Achilles tendonitis, anemia, gout, and several other things. And of course I've seen many more healings in the lives of others. The Holy Spirit has made it clear to me that He is willing to heal all my diseases(Psalms 103:3) and deliver me from all evils.
But there is an even better way. Just like there is a time for mountaintop experiences with God (see this post), there is also a time to enjoy divine health from the Lord. Remember, He is not slow in keeping His promises, and He cannot fail (2 Peter 3:9). There is a place of constant regeneration that God has reserved for us. And He is giving this blessing of to those who ask Him for it.
I remember that nearly a year ago now God told me something interesting:
"Perfect Health will come with perfect peace".
So He revealed to me such a precious truth there. He gave me a promise to look to and a standard to strive for. To this day, my health is still not perfect. Sometimes I begin to develop colds or congestion. Now, can I reach perfection? Of course not. But the Holy Spirit within me is already perfect, and if I yield to Him, He will lead us to the inheritance we've already been given in Christ!
If we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), we are able to receiving the body of Christ. We are able, according to God's Will, to receive perfect health. God won't turn us away from asking. He wants to give us His peace, and so transform us that our bodies experience peace, too. Ask Him to take you to that place.
For the time being, we have received our treasures in jars of clay. God has allowed this. He's done this so we realise the full extent of His power! (2 Corinthians 4:7) The next step is to ask accordingly for a portion of that Life. It's time to believe that He gives without finding fault! (James 1:5) Now is the time to accept the gift of faith and the gift of healing, and with them, an inheritance of perfect health.
Confirmed: Last week there was a Word on the Quickened Word website. It said that many would be brought new life by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit. Below is a short excerpt. Hereis the rest of the article.
The Holy Spirit will give...spiritual power that will invigorate you so that divine healing will flow. Spending time with the One who has the gift of healing will bring the "times of refreshing" that is needed by the body of Christ. "
Glory to God! Spiritual healing will flow. This is the gift of healing applied continually. This is faith to see the gift of healing constantly poured out. This is a place where the presence of God is faithful to heal. He knows what to do. He knows what our bodies need!
Now is the time to receive new wineskins, and inherit the incoming gift of God. We need to empty ourselves so that the gift of healing can flow into us. We need to spend time with Him and receive, receive, receive! It's time for refreshing, and it's time to do more than survive. It's time to begin to thrive.
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." Romans 8:11
But what about perfect health--continually being renewed to the point of never feeling any bodily imperfections? Is that always God's will? For some, that's a hard question to answer. I don't think it is.
Let's look at the story of Job, and accept what happened to him. After all, every bit of scripture is useful for exhortation and teaching (2 Timothy 3:16). So Job was willing to accept evil from the Lord as well as good. I'd say it's clear that the Lord willed for Job to experience much less than divine health. We can't discount this story in trying to understand the gifts that we're entitled to in Christ.
He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. Job 2:10
I myself have have been given healings by the Lord--from Achilles tendonitis, anemia, gout, and several other things. And of course I've seen many more healings in the lives of others. The Holy Spirit has made it clear to me that He is willing to heal all my diseases(Psalms 103:3) and deliver me from all evils.
But there is an even better way. Just like there is a time for mountaintop experiences with God (see this post), there is also a time to enjoy divine health from the Lord. Remember, He is not slow in keeping His promises, and He cannot fail (2 Peter 3:9). There is a place of constant regeneration that God has reserved for us. And He is giving this blessing of to those who ask Him for it.
I remember that nearly a year ago now God told me something interesting:
"Perfect Health will come with perfect peace".
So He revealed to me such a precious truth there. He gave me a promise to look to and a standard to strive for. To this day, my health is still not perfect. Sometimes I begin to develop colds or congestion. Now, can I reach perfection? Of course not. But the Holy Spirit within me is already perfect, and if I yield to Him, He will lead us to the inheritance we've already been given in Christ!
If we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), we are able to receiving the body of Christ. We are able, according to God's Will, to receive perfect health. God won't turn us away from asking. He wants to give us His peace, and so transform us that our bodies experience peace, too. Ask Him to take you to that place.
For the time being, we have received our treasures in jars of clay. God has allowed this. He's done this so we realise the full extent of His power! (2 Corinthians 4:7) The next step is to ask accordingly for a portion of that Life. It's time to believe that He gives without finding fault! (James 1:5) Now is the time to accept the gift of faith and the gift of healing, and with them, an inheritance of perfect health.
Confirmed: Last week there was a Word on the Quickened Word website. It said that many would be brought new life by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit. Below is a short excerpt. Hereis the rest of the article.
The Holy Spirit will give...spiritual power that will invigorate you so that divine healing will flow. Spending time with the One who has the gift of healing will bring the "times of refreshing" that is needed by the body of Christ. "
Glory to God! Spiritual healing will flow. This is the gift of healing applied continually. This is faith to see the gift of healing constantly poured out. This is a place where the presence of God is faithful to heal. He knows what to do. He knows what our bodies need!
Now is the time to receive new wineskins, and inherit the incoming gift of God. We need to empty ourselves so that the gift of healing can flow into us. We need to spend time with Him and receive, receive, receive! It's time for refreshing, and it's time to do more than survive. It's time to begin to thrive.
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." Romans 8:11
Monday, January 5, 2015
Snapshot: A Divine Exchange
Two mornings ago, God distinctly told me something in my quiet time:
"...It's a divine exchange; your flesh for My Love."
And this hit me. I realized God wasn't saying I had to earn His Love--no, that was a free gift at salvation. But I knew that in order to realize His Love again, I had to die to my fleshly desires. I had to die to myself. God's taken me to a place of warfare where He requires my drawing closer before He reveals Himself. He's taken me to a place where I realize that He is so pure. If I come to Him and want to abide in Him, I need to be pure, also. So He told me that I needed to give up some things to live in an awareness of His Love.
"For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:13
This is the exchange. We give up our lives in order to find life. But He allows us--by the Spirit, He helps us! And again,
"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." Matthew 16:25
Confirmed: Later on that very same day (1/3/2015), I was reading a book by Bill Johnson --"The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind"--that I got for Christmas. Below is the very last sentence in the book:
"Any price you pay in claiming territory for God is well worth the exchange."
He even bolded it! The word "exchange" struck me, and I realized that this really went along with thw word God had just given me. Let's claim the territory of God's Love, first, so that we can be taken onto greater heights and greater victories!
Experiencing and walking in God's Love is worth anything. It is worth counting any cost for. Is there an exchange that God's waiting on you to make? If so, give Him that desire today. Allow the Holy Spirit to put that thing to death. Allow God to eliminate any distraction. The rewards will be divine (Matthew 19:29).
"...It's a divine exchange; your flesh for My Love."
And this hit me. I realized God wasn't saying I had to earn His Love--no, that was a free gift at salvation. But I knew that in order to realize His Love again, I had to die to my fleshly desires. I had to die to myself. God's taken me to a place of warfare where He requires my drawing closer before He reveals Himself. He's taken me to a place where I realize that He is so pure. If I come to Him and want to abide in Him, I need to be pure, also. So He told me that I needed to give up some things to live in an awareness of His Love.
"For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:13
This is the exchange. We give up our lives in order to find life. But He allows us--by the Spirit, He helps us! And again,
"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." Matthew 16:25
Confirmed: Later on that very same day (1/3/2015), I was reading a book by Bill Johnson --"The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind"--that I got for Christmas. Below is the very last sentence in the book:
"Any price you pay in claiming territory for God is well worth the exchange."
He even bolded it! The word "exchange" struck me, and I realized that this really went along with thw word God had just given me. Let's claim the territory of God's Love, first, so that we can be taken onto greater heights and greater victories!
Experiencing and walking in God's Love is worth anything. It is worth counting any cost for. Is there an exchange that God's waiting on you to make? If so, give Him that desire today. Allow the Holy Spirit to put that thing to death. Allow God to eliminate any distraction. The rewards will be divine (Matthew 19:29).
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Being Guided
What the body of Christ needs is to be constantly guided. We need to be in tune with the Spirit of God, and we need to follow His promptings step by step. There are so many ways to be taken out of our communion with Him, though. And some seem innocent enough. Below are two of the more subtle things that distract us from God's perfect will:
1) TIME -- Will you give God your time? Arbitrary schedules, agendas, and even everyday obligations can take your mind off of God and stifle the Spirit. Will you give God these things?
Forget about the time...His Presence is here. Forget about these distractions...instead, be willing to focus on Immanuel, God with us. Be willing to come to awareness of the manifest presence of God through His son Jesus.
"But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:40-42
1) TIME -- Will you give God your time? Arbitrary schedules, agendas, and even everyday obligations can take your mind off of God and stifle the Spirit. Will you give God these things?
Forget about the time...His Presence is here. Forget about these distractions...instead, be willing to focus on Immanuel, God with us. Be willing to come to awareness of the manifest presence of God through His son Jesus.
"But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:40-42
2) OBLIGATIONS -- Related to time; how many things do you commit to that do not matter to God? How many things that you do will just burn up at the end? How often do you not consult only yourself before making a decision. Let's seek God instead. You'd be surprised--God wants you to do only those things that glorify Him. There are a lot of good things out there. But their is only one best thing, and that's to glorify Jesus. Setting up obligations can leave you already committed by the time God gives you clear instruction. God will honor your words, and your obligations to others, but the truth is that He may have had a better way that is now pushed back by your own will. Don't by your obligations stifle God's perfect will for you.
"I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one." Ezekiel 22:30
Wait, and then act. God is not necessarily impressed by your ability to get things done. Obligations will only fill up your time with events that are not ideal. Instead, God wants you to join Him in His plans. So change starts with Him, and effective work starts with Him. We need to commit first to His work. What are His plans? What are His thoughts? What does He have in store for where you, for your community? If you surrender your time and your obligations to Him, if you lay them down at His feet, He will let you in on His plans. This is where effective work starts, and this is where doing the will of God gets exciting. Yield to Him, and be willing to have Him change you plans. He may even say "no" to your desires, but you will find the richness of His will so much more fulfilling than striving alone.
"They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them..." Acts 16:6-7
Confirmed: I went to the Quickened Word website about two hours after finishing this post, and saw a new Word there that really confirmed the reality of distractions. This Word addressed things from a different angle, describing the spiritual fallout produced by distractions, but was so timely and synchronistic for me. We need to focus on Him, and then on doing His will! Here is the article.
Confirmed: I went to the Quickened Word website about two hours after finishing this post, and saw a new Word there that really confirmed the reality of distractions. This Word addressed things from a different angle, describing the spiritual fallout produced by distractions, but was so timely and synchronistic for me. We need to focus on Him, and then on doing His will! Here is the article.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Snapshot: Respond to God
Yesterday morning in my quiet time the Lord showed gave me a visual that showed me how we as
Christians should respond to Him. This whole teaching helped me understand how God wants us to react to His presence.
Picture yourself in Church. You and your churchmembers are in a time of worship and God is present and bringing comfort and conviction. Those hungry for Him are being satisfied and He is showing Himself Love on behalf of His many promises:
"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
So, the people are seeking God, and He is showing up. The Kingdom of Heaven is being taken by God's mercy. God's arm and His Spirit have been brought into the room on behalf of those who seek Him. The Church responds in worship and repentance, and whatever other things the Spirit prompts the people to do. Everybody praises God and has been maneuvered to a state of thankfulness.
But what happens after the music stops? What happens when the people go home and go about with their lives? This is exactly what I've been thinking about recently. And this is what God was speaking to me about beginning yesterday.
How do we respond to His Love? By changing our ways. By "bearing fruits worthy of repentance" (Matthew 3:8). In other words, by showing our change of heart by putting out greater effort to emulate Him. Those who change their ways can and WILL live in the Kingdom long after being affected by the Lord in the Church service. Those who are willing to follow Him wherever He takes us, wherever He goes, are the ones who are able to stay in the Kingdom.
And so many things distract us from Him. So many things block out our Heavenly Home. We need to think about Him. We need to purify our hearts. We even may need to give up our things if we are wanting to truly follow Him. Let's not be like the rich young ruler. Nothing among our own possessions is worth keeping if that means being unwilling to enter the Kingdom of God.
So, we need to be passionate for Him. And we need to be flexible enough to stay with Him long after the worship ends. We need to be flexible enough that He causes us to bend our wills, and even our perceptions of His. The passionate and flexible--the hungry and thirsty--are those who will see God.
He desires to have us remain in His presence all day. Will you yield? It's only after yielding that we can abide in Him. This is the way to part from the world and become best friends with God. It's not by power or by might, but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). And it's by a humble and desperate heart.
Confirmed: Today Vanessa was reading Hosea and came across a great passage. Let's LIVE in His presence:
"After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence." Hosea 6:2
Let's be revived through worship, live our life in His presence, and the press on to know Him. If we press in, He will allow it. If we search for Him, He will reveal Himself. Glory to God!
"So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth." Hosea 6:3
Christians should respond to Him. This whole teaching helped me understand how God wants us to react to His presence.
Picture yourself in Church. You and your churchmembers are in a time of worship and God is present and bringing comfort and conviction. Those hungry for Him are being satisfied and He is showing Himself Love on behalf of His many promises:
"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
So, the people are seeking God, and He is showing up. The Kingdom of Heaven is being taken by God's mercy. God's arm and His Spirit have been brought into the room on behalf of those who seek Him. The Church responds in worship and repentance, and whatever other things the Spirit prompts the people to do. Everybody praises God and has been maneuvered to a state of thankfulness.
But what happens after the music stops? What happens when the people go home and go about with their lives? This is exactly what I've been thinking about recently. And this is what God was speaking to me about beginning yesterday.
How do we respond to His Love? By changing our ways. By "bearing fruits worthy of repentance" (Matthew 3:8). In other words, by showing our change of heart by putting out greater effort to emulate Him. Those who change their ways can and WILL live in the Kingdom long after being affected by the Lord in the Church service. Those who are willing to follow Him wherever He takes us, wherever He goes, are the ones who are able to stay in the Kingdom.
And so many things distract us from Him. So many things block out our Heavenly Home. We need to think about Him. We need to purify our hearts. We even may need to give up our things if we are wanting to truly follow Him. Let's not be like the rich young ruler. Nothing among our own possessions is worth keeping if that means being unwilling to enter the Kingdom of God.
So, we need to be passionate for Him. And we need to be flexible enough to stay with Him long after the worship ends. We need to be flexible enough that He causes us to bend our wills, and even our perceptions of His. The passionate and flexible--the hungry and thirsty--are those who will see God.
He desires to have us remain in His presence all day. Will you yield? It's only after yielding that we can abide in Him. This is the way to part from the world and become best friends with God. It's not by power or by might, but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). And it's by a humble and desperate heart.
Confirmed: Today Vanessa was reading Hosea and came across a great passage. Let's LIVE in His presence:
"After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence." Hosea 6:2
Let's be revived through worship, live our life in His presence, and the press on to know Him. If we press in, He will allow it. If we search for Him, He will reveal Himself. Glory to God!
"So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth." Hosea 6:3
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Snapshot: Power in His Cross
In Church last Sunday I saw a vision of the cross. It was surging with electricity. There was so much power in the sacrifice God's Son made for us. And there still is! I saw the cross being filled with power. We can join in this. We can partake of this heavenly power. We can receive tangible life in our dying. We can be glorified with Him if we share in His sufferings.
"Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:17
"I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:10-11
If we are willing to carry our cross, if we are willing for our flesh to be crucified, that's when we receive His Glory. That's when we receive power. That's when we can "Sing with all the Saints in Glory". That's the time when The Holy Spirit comes in and makes us truly alive.
Jesus, through His Spirit, is asking us. He is knocking on the door and asking us if we will drink from His cup... if we are willing to take and use all that He gives us. Are you willing to be crucified with Him? There have been many times when I haven't. But willingness starts with Him. It starts by knowing His goodness and beginning to die to self. Every time we die to our sinful desires, we become more like Him. When we become more like Him, He always comes to comfort us.
There is a point when we become wired with the Life of God. There is a point when He gives us a type of Life that overcomes any problems on this earth. "Life to the fullest" can and does overcome our sins, our selfishness, and our sicknesses. If we are crucified with Him, then He can give us a taste of Glory on this earth. Then we can experience His power and might and glory, and then we can give it all back to Him. Are we willing to carry that cross?
"Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:17
"I want to know Christ--yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:10-11
If we are willing to carry our cross, if we are willing for our flesh to be crucified, that's when we receive His Glory. That's when we receive power. That's when we can "Sing with all the Saints in Glory". That's the time when The Holy Spirit comes in and makes us truly alive.
Jesus, through His Spirit, is asking us. He is knocking on the door and asking us if we will drink from His cup... if we are willing to take and use all that He gives us. Are you willing to be crucified with Him? There have been many times when I haven't. But willingness starts with Him. It starts by knowing His goodness and beginning to die to self. Every time we die to our sinful desires, we become more like Him. When we become more like Him, He always comes to comfort us.
There is a point when we become wired with the Life of God. There is a point when He gives us a type of Life that overcomes any problems on this earth. "Life to the fullest" can and does overcome our sins, our selfishness, and our sicknesses. If we are crucified with Him, then He can give us a taste of Glory on this earth. Then we can experience His power and might and glory, and then we can give it all back to Him. Are we willing to carry that cross?
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Snapshot: "I am the Resurrection and the Life"
Yesterday the Lord spoke to me with this verse. Sometimes the simplest things are the most powerful. God said this to me, and He set my spirit at peace. He brings us back from the dead, and gives us true life.
I remember a few months ago, I really fell into doubt. God had been speaking to me for a few months at that point, and He had given me a large amount of RHEMA words, which I had been writing and keeping indexed. Doubt will lower us in Spirit so that we cannot remember or believe the promises of God. So, God had given me so many words at that point, and I was trying to cling to them amidst a lot of spiritual warfare.
I was walking down the driveway and was pretty oppressed when I heard Him tell me, "I have not given you words". That stopped me right in my tracks and I thought, 'what???'. I felt a rush of fear come in...had God changed His mind about me?
But then He continued: "I have given you life". At that point I finally got it. A tough lesson...but through that wording He made me understand. By His Grace I was taught how to fear, and grace my fears relieved. I was positioned to realize that He had given me His life when He promised me things. Eternal life, because He had given me promises that He is faithful to keep.
God's word does not change. It will always be high and lifted up. What changes is our perception of it. Without the Holy Spirit, which allows us to believe, God's Word is just that--empty and meaningless words. With the faith the Spirit gives, His Words become alive. They become life and truth. God gives the gift of His WORD, and all it's promises and assurances, and He simultaneously gives us the gift of His Spirit to believe it. His WORD is only life if we believe and accept it. His Word is only what we make of it.
I remember a few months ago, I really fell into doubt. God had been speaking to me for a few months at that point, and He had given me a large amount of RHEMA words, which I had been writing and keeping indexed. Doubt will lower us in Spirit so that we cannot remember or believe the promises of God. So, God had given me so many words at that point, and I was trying to cling to them amidst a lot of spiritual warfare.
I was walking down the driveway and was pretty oppressed when I heard Him tell me, "I have not given you words". That stopped me right in my tracks and I thought, 'what???'. I felt a rush of fear come in...had God changed His mind about me?
But then He continued: "I have given you life". At that point I finally got it. A tough lesson...but through that wording He made me understand. By His Grace I was taught how to fear, and grace my fears relieved. I was positioned to realize that He had given me His life when He promised me things. Eternal life, because He had given me promises that He is faithful to keep.
God's word does not change. It will always be high and lifted up. What changes is our perception of it. Without the Holy Spirit, which allows us to believe, God's Word is just that--empty and meaningless words. With the faith the Spirit gives, His Words become alive. They become life and truth. God gives the gift of His WORD, and all it's promises and assurances, and He simultaneously gives us the gift of His Spirit to believe it. His WORD is only life if we believe and accept it. His Word is only what we make of it.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Following Guidelines vs. Following God
1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make idols.
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10.You shall not covet.
Why are these commandments in place? They are restraints against the sinful, fleshly nature of humans. They instructed the Israelites to come out from sin.
In the new testament, Jesus showed a better way. He did not abolish the law-- instead, He said that "not the least stroke of the pen" would ever disappear from these commands (Matthew 5:18). Instead, He showed us how to fulfill it! Love for God is the fulfillment of the law. When we love God, we will have His love for our neighbors. God doesn't command us to love like the world does; He wants us to love like He does, because He first loved us (1 Joh 4:19).
God wants us to seek His face. That's the best way; that's the ancient path. The Creator is more important than created guidelines, even if He created those guidelines. If we seek His face, we will fulfill the law as Jesus did. Jesus raised the standards when He came, but He also gave us the Spirit to enable us to love! Yielding to His Spirit will lead us to completely obey His commands, and not be distracted by the devil or the flesh. The Spirit will preoccupy us with Jesus to the extent that we leave the letter of the law far behind. With Him, we will fly to higher ground, and become passionate about God and passionate about His passions.
If we walk in the Spirit and stay filled with the Spirit, we will not be tempted to "just" follow the Ten Commandments. We will become more than conquerers over the sinful nature. We won't be concerned over the law or it's gray areas. Instead, we will be distressed over possible insensitivity to His leadings and flee from sin of all kinds! Let's earnestly follow God today.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Synchronicity: Prayer Confirmed
As I've mentioned in previous posts, God often uses synchronicity, a series of alike yet independent events, to confirm His message. He uses it to speak to an individual, to aid in prophecy, and also to guide and confirm prayer. This post will look at synchronicity in prayer.
Sometimes the Lord gives me mental images or visions when praying. He gives me these to instruct my prayer. Often I don't know how to pray according to God's will, so the Holy Spirit demonstrates it to me in a way I can understand. These promptings are usually confirmed by synchronistic events. Everything is intended for His glory. If God created our conceptualization of time , who do you think He intended its usage for? His sons and daughters! Even events aligned in time should glorify God. Prayer becomes tangible as synchronicity confirms the responses of God on our behalf.
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27
The Spirit intercedes for us with wordless groans. I believe this is refers to tongues, as well as other things. I would consider visions a groaning of the Spirit. Why not? The Holy Spirit searches the mind of God, then reveals it to those entrusted, however He may please.
"For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding." 1 Corinthians 14:15-15
Visions give understanding and a "knowing" that aligns with God. What better way to keep mind and spirit fruitful. Visions can edify the person seeing them and other people, too. Our minds can stay fruitful as God in His Grace works with our prayers and shows us hidden things.
For example, before dinner I was praying with my wife and saw us wrapped up in a giant, pure garment. It wrapped itself around us slowly, from our feet up. I had a "knowing" that the garment was the loving-kindness of God, (to us a King James bible term) so my prayer was changed and I said, "God, thank you for wrapping yourself around us..." But I knew I needed to say more, so I continued, "...for wrapping us in your loving-kindness".
That prayer struck Vanessa and she told me that this morning that had prayed, "God, please wrap me in your love today". As a result she'd been joyful all day, even as God spoke through me to confirm her prayers. What a confirmation! God hears the prayers of those who have been made pure. He synchronized my words with what Vanessa had prayed many hours earlier. "And the Lord will give you a sign". He's so creative in manipulating believers who can be used as vessels. He is so faithful to grant prayers, even manipulating time to work "all for the good", so we can know He has heard us. Praise God!
Sometimes the Lord gives me mental images or visions when praying. He gives me these to instruct my prayer. Often I don't know how to pray according to God's will, so the Holy Spirit demonstrates it to me in a way I can understand. These promptings are usually confirmed by synchronistic events. Everything is intended for His glory. If God created our conceptualization of time , who do you think He intended its usage for? His sons and daughters! Even events aligned in time should glorify God. Prayer becomes tangible as synchronicity confirms the responses of God on our behalf.
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27
The Spirit intercedes for us with wordless groans. I believe this is refers to tongues, as well as other things. I would consider visions a groaning of the Spirit. Why not? The Holy Spirit searches the mind of God, then reveals it to those entrusted, however He may please.
"For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding." 1 Corinthians 14:15-15
Visions give understanding and a "knowing" that aligns with God. What better way to keep mind and spirit fruitful. Visions can edify the person seeing them and other people, too. Our minds can stay fruitful as God in His Grace works with our prayers and shows us hidden things.
For example, before dinner I was praying with my wife and saw us wrapped up in a giant, pure garment. It wrapped itself around us slowly, from our feet up. I had a "knowing" that the garment was the loving-kindness of God, (to us a King James bible term) so my prayer was changed and I said, "God, thank you for wrapping yourself around us..." But I knew I needed to say more, so I continued, "...for wrapping us in your loving-kindness".
That prayer struck Vanessa and she told me that this morning that had prayed, "God, please wrap me in your love today". As a result she'd been joyful all day, even as God spoke through me to confirm her prayers. What a confirmation! God hears the prayers of those who have been made pure. He synchronized my words with what Vanessa had prayed many hours earlier. "And the Lord will give you a sign". He's so creative in manipulating believers who can be used as vessels. He is so faithful to grant prayers, even manipulating time to work "all for the good", so we can know He has heard us. Praise God!
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