Communion: It's Important

And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.…

Communion is so important, yet it is so overlooked in much of the church today.  We are ignorant of communion and all of it's glory to our own loss.

The receiving is in the believing.  Let's choose to trust Jesus when He said that His flesh was real food, and His blood real drink!

Word: A Winning Battle

Yesterday morning, I was coming under some heavy warfare.  The enemy was trying to get his lies in, there was doubt, and God felt far away.  When I cried out to the Lord, He answered me and said:

"You need to realize that the battle for your salvation has already been won."

Awesome!  When God said that, He gave me peace.  It reminded me that He has power to save, and power to keep.  Salvation is not a losing battle.  Sanctification is not a losing battle.  Our walk onward with the Lord is not a losing battle!

We are in a battle, yes, but we need to remember that we are on the side of the Victor.  And He--Jesus--has already won the victory!  All we need to do during times of trouble is cling to Him.  All we need to do is cry out.  That's how we battle, and that's how He breaks through any warfare. If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us in response.  So let's draw near to Him, flee from the devil, and experience peace even through out warfare!

Confirmed:  There was a Christian song on the radio that I hadn't heard before....it was describing how we should be soldiers who know their orders--how we should be obedient soldiers in the body of Christ!

Confirmed:  A few license plates about soldiers, GI's and standing firm.  Yes, God is always speaking through license plates...

Confirmed:  A friend posted the below quote on Facebook, courtesy of Francis Frangipane Ministries.  I thought it was so fitting!

"The more peace you have during spiritual attack, the more truly you are walking in Christ’s victory. Remember, it is the God of peace who shall crush Satan beneath your feet shortly (Romans 16:20)"

He who is in us is able to overcome anything that is in the world.  We need to position ourselves to overcome!  We need to arrive in the knowing that Jesus has already done the fighting for us and came out of it victorious.  

Snapshot: An Anointed Pen

Just a short post here.  I want to describe something God showed me recently, as I think it relates to the missions and callings that God has placed on many people right now.

You see, for each mission, there is an equipping and anointing by God.   For each skill set or talent needed, God gives an anointing to carry us on through it.  Isn't that great?  He's the one who sets the stage.  He's the one who gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

And so a few days ago, the Lord showed me a pen that was being used for His Glory--for the glory of Jesus. And this pen became filled with ink--it became plump with ink, actually, and began expanding. With this came a message.  God spoke to me and said that He is who anoints us to write.  He spoke and showed me that He gives us more than enough to inspire our writing!  Awesome!

This has been an encouragement for both Vanessa and I.  God gives us promises and words we've yet to receive fulfilled. See, even if we put things off, even if we suffer some delays, God will make a way.  His power is still waiting for us, and when we release it, He will still allow that anointing to flow!  If He's given you a mandate to write--to write in your journal, to write on a website, or even to write a book--don't put it off!  His power is still waiting in the wings.  His anointing is still ready to be released.

We need to sanctify the Lord in our hearts (1 Peter 3:15), and then receive from Him that anointed pen.  We need to have our words, speech, and writing transformed by Him for His glory! We need to walk in whatever He's already called us to do, with no more delays.  We need to let His words flow.

Why Healing May not Come

I've been thinking about making this post for a while now.  In the future, I'll make more elaborate posts on barriers to healing, with explanations for each reason.  But for now, let's look at a shorter outline.

Sometimes healing doesn't come, and I feel God wants us to receive a revelation as to why.  If healing is God's will, then we need to accept that every block and obstacle to full healing has a reason and/ or root behind it.  We need to realize that healing is God's reality.  Good health is God's reality and His will for all of us--eventually.

He said, "If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you."

Here we can see many keys, or conditions, to healing. Remember that so many of God's promises are conditional.  Health and healing is conditional! Blessings and healings may not rest on us if we are not meeting God's conditions. And three conditions  are listed in the above verse:

Blockages to Healing:

1)  Not listening to God's voice

2)  Not doing what is right in God's sight

3)  Not obeying God's commands and decrees

Now, if we do not walk in obedience, healing may not come!  But God is so gracious--He allows us to come to repentance.  He allows us to allow Him to make all things new.  Repentance is the way that we close the door to sickness brought about by sin.  If our sins are forgiven, then it should follow that our diseases are healed.  As soon as God forgives us, He blots out the above three barriers.  But if we do not repent, that will also become a blockage.  The above three reasons can be summed up in one--we need to repent and be converted:

4)  We are unrepentant

Some of the other reasons that healing may not manifest are more complex.  Sometimes healing is a puzzle!  Sometimes there's a web to undo.  Like I said, I'll elaborate in a future post.  I hope this shorter outline still gives insight and keys to healing that may have been overlooked:

5)  We are harboring unforgiveness towards others

6)  We are harboring unforgiveness towards God

These two reasons above require posts of themselves.  Someday...hopefully soon!

7)  We are under a generational curse

8)  We are under a relational curse

9)  We are under an internal (inner vow) curse

These curses relate to familiar spirits and/ or the words that we ourselves--or even those close to us--speak.  Words are powerful!  The above three reasons may be grouped together as different kinds of bitter roots. Thankfully, God's Word trumps all others.  And in Jesus, any familial spirit of curse can be broken off and cast out.

10)  We have not driven out a specific (bad) spirit

11)  We have not driven out an oppressive demon

12)  We have not driven out a possessive demon 

More future posts here.  I don't have that much experience with casting out demons, though I have been used by God for that a few times.  Keep in mind that spirits and demons are different, and oppression is not the same as possession.

13)  We are not coming to knowledge of the truth

14)  God wants to teach us something

Now, the above two reasons are less serious--so they will probably lead to less serious affliction.  I trust that God won't give me cancer just because He wants me to learn trust.  That's not the god I know, nor is it a biblical portrayal of God.  Nonetheless, Christians are still perishing for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).

15)  God is forming a testimony for the future

16)  God has given us a thorn in the flesh

Like I said at the start of the post, it is God's will to heal us--eventually.  He may want us to develop a testimony first.  Remember that Paul said that he was in chains for the sake of the gospel. In the same way, God may wait to come in for our healing until just the right time.  Affliction + character development + healing = Glory to God.

I want to be careful with this last reason.  I never want to assume somebody has a physical thorn. Often Christians will refer to something as their thorn, when that is not at all the reason for their affliction.   This last reason is probably the most uncommon one.  Unfortunately, it's become a scapegoat for some different reason for sickness--like unrepentance, habitual sin, and so on.  I only list it because it's in the Word.  And more often than not, I think thorns are spiritual problems, not physical ones.

17)  The person being prayed for doesn't have faith

Now, a person does not need perfect faith in order to be healed.  Many people are very surprised after they realize they are healed--if they had perfect faith, that wouldn't be the case, as they would just be expecting it!  So faith is not always a limiter.  However, the less faith a person has, the harder it is to see them immediately healed.  There are exceptions to this, but I feel that it's a good general rule.   The faith of the person praying can overcome the unbelief of the person being prayed over.  This is especially true if the one praying has the gift of faith--in that case, it's most likely the openness of the one receiving prayer that counts.  

Snapshot: The Fear of the Lord

In a vision recently, I saw a tempest, dust clouds and thunderclouds.  And the Lord quickened to me what I was seeing.

"Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire."                        Isaiah 29:6

And with that sight came the fear of the Lord.  It was literally awesome.  I realized that the Lord was gracious to impart such a feeling to me--He was gracious to help me understand what it means to fear Him, what it means to stand in awe.

Now, there is no fear within God's perfect love (John 4:18), but we need to realize that this does not exclude a healthy kind of fear of the Lord.  If we fear God--if we come before Him in submission, reverence and awe--then we will not be fearful of anything else.  We can take from the below verse a strong exhortation and understand that a biblical fear of God will drown out anything else:

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."                             Matthew 10:28

That's a strong message, but we can look at the context and realize that it's truth is meant to make us share God more boldly among others.  It's meant to motivate us to shine from the hilltop (Matthew 5:16) and speak whatever the Holy Spirit prompts us to say.    Fear of the Lord is not meant to make us timid--it's meant to spur us on to boldness and power evangelism!  It's meant to make us know that we really only have to please just One.

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling..."             Philippians 2:12

Here's another strong exhortation, and it's not meant to make us fearful.  Instead, we need to have reverence and respect towards the commands God has given us.  We need to work towards obedience so that the salvation of our daily life is attained to.  (Note that our souls have already been saved--but God wants to save our works also!)  We need to reach the fullness of salvation, and this verse says that we can do it by continuing in obedience.  Now, usually it is Christ's love that should compel us.  (2 Corinthians 5:14)  And usually, it does!  But sometimes, situations get harder--more intimidating-- and we need to be motivated out of reverence and fear of God.

I think that fear of the Lord is a concept lacking in the Church today!  It doesn't seem as fun as other topics.  But we need to understand that it's a command of God that He made for our own good.  We need to understand that God is good, His law is good, and His motives are good.  And He has laid down precepts--fearing Him is one of them--that are to be fully obeyed. (Psalms 119:4)

"My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws"        Psalms 119:120

Snapshot: Fire as Protection

Yesterday the Lord showed me a vision where my path was hemmed in.  Walls of fire surrounded me, leading me down my desired path.  This has been a recurring vision for me.  Sometimes I get it for others, sometimes I get it for myself.  Either way, it relates to the Lord's hedge of protection--the fiery seal of the Holy Spirit-- directed around the path of His children.  There's always a sense that He's just anointed it that way.  There's just a sense that it's predestined.  

This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls..."

Jeremiah 6:16

God has placed around each of us a hedge of protection.  He's placed on all of us His seal.  He's placed within all of us His Holy Spirit.  And He's placed a firewall around our path.  He's prepared for us all a perfect way, a place where blessings rest.  

If you are not walking in blessings, than you may not be on this path.  You may not be on the highway of holiness (Isaiah 35:8).  You may not be laying hold of all that the Lord has for you.  See, the enemy cannot touch you if you're surrounded by Holy Spirit fire.  He can't get to you if you're totally submitted, totally obedient, totally sacrificed--if God has totally hemmed you in.  When you're on God's path, only goodness can touch you.  And this path is where all of us need to be.  Pleasing and being pleased by the Father.  This is the path God wants us on--the path He's prepared for us since the beginning of time!

"Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God."                                      Deuteronomy 28:2-3

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."                                                  Ephesians 2:10

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

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.

New Year, New You: Focus on God

As believers, we need to focus our efforts on God.  We need to live for His Glory.   We need to live for what He stands for.  We need to be fixated on the Kingdom.

I was seeking the Lord on themes for 2015, and I this is one of the themes He gave me.  I also believe it's the most important.

"But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  Matthew 6:33

Seeking God before our own interests is a command.  And it's been given for our own good! The reality of the Kingdom of Heaven is more fantastic, more important, than anything else we could run after.  The reality of salvation is more important than anything else.  And the possibility of friendship with Jesus is more important than anything else.    So we need to seek the things that matter.  We need to seek His Kingdom before He allows us to find it.

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."  Philippians 4:8

When we are seeking Him, our thoughts will reveal it.  We will think about God, Heaven, and how we can accommodate His desires on the earth.  We will naturally follow the advice of James seen above.  We will become pure and go from strength to strength (Psalms 84:7).  We will feel the power of His Victory.  When we focus on Him, we will share in His passions.  We will devote our talents to God, and He will give us the desires of our heart.

Focusing on our Lord will always keep us safe.  Those who put their hope in Him will not be disappointed (Isaiah 49:23).  If we focus on Him, He will deliver us.  Let's look to Him and be saved.  Let's look entirely at Him, and do so in faith.  Let's know that our redeemer lives (Job 19:25).

When we focus on God, we our minds will be renewed.  We will know the Father's heart for our lives, and we will experience the surety of our calling.  We won't be limited by mere religion, putting God in a box, nor will we subscribe to the wisdom of the world.   Instead we will become more and more separated from the world!  And this is a requirement if we are to hear clearly from God.

So let's seek Him first.  Then let's fulfill His commission--the Kingdom and the righteousness will follow.  Let's advance His causes.  Remember that the desire to share  His salvation with the lost  is already in you.  If it's not, then to some extent you have stifled the Holy Spirit.  Don't live in old desires and selfishness any more!  Instead look to Him and obey as He takes you to the fullness of salvation.  Keep seeking as He saves every single aspect of your life!  Thank Him for His goodness, and believe that He is worth focusing on.

Confirmed:  Right after writing this post, a commercial for power tools came on.  It was quickened to me to have 'True value behind every project'.  This takes focusing on Him and a pure heart.

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

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.