An Arrow From God

Last fall, God began directing our thoughts to a first true mission trip together.  Since then, we have been slowly receiving direction regarding where we should go and when.  I remember that He was speaking to us through symbolic arrows a lot in the beginning.  God sends us places--whether literally or spiritually--with His momentum.  He is the one who calls us to certain things and sends us to certain places.

God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"     Exodus 3:14

Recently, the arrow theme has been brought up again.  On the way down to Pinehurst, the Lord reminded us of our role as a tool, as an arrow in His hands.  What a timely reminder!

So, God's likened this mission trip that Vanessa and I are on as an arrow sent from His bow.  I believe this speaks of being sent with the "strong hand of  God" upon us as seen in Ezekiel 3:14 .  We both have felt impressed to wait on God to send us--that is, to wait until He gave us the push off to leave.  Before we were to leave, He had to open the door and provide a springboard.

My glory will not fade; the bow will be ever new in my hand.'     Job 29:20

God has a mandate for all of us.  He has bent back His bow, and He will bend it back again.  He has prepared and initiated a calling for all of us.  For each believer, He has prepared a place that He wants to launch us into.  He is ready to send us out with spiritual momentum.  By His bow, we can be the arrow of truth and life that He initiates out into a new land.  Are you ready for Him to release you? Are you ready for an open door?  God is always sending out new things through people who can soar with His message.

"May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,"     Psalm 149:6

We need to be like Jesus.  He was like a sword, like an arrow from God, and He delivered love and healing to the people.  He cut to the heart of those around Him.  He went out into the world with supernatural momentum, with a compassion that couldn't be suppressed or slowed down in any way. When God sends us out, we should be the move the same way.  We should leave our resting place ready to go and labor for God.  It's a labor of love.  We need to go out only when we know that He is the One who's sent us.  We need to be full of His Spirit and His power and not ever relent.

"And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."       Luke 24:49

How Many Messages?

When God speaks, He wants us to be sure.  He wants to give us confirmations, so that we can discern more easily what is of Him.  I've found that so many things God speaks are true on two levels.  So many of His quickened, personalized messages point at two different things.

"One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: 'Power belongs to you, God..."  Psalm 62:11

"For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it."  Job 33:14

"In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true."  John 8:17

In other words, God is faithful to interpret any of His words for us.  There is a fullness in any word, any direction, any conviction, that He gives!  These things are from God, and every gift He gives is perfect (James 1:17).    I think He enjoys speaking in double entendres.  Jesus spoke in parables!

I'll give a real-life example.  When God relays a theme to me, it may have both practical and spiritual messages.  Or it might describe both the present time and some specific moment in the future.  Or it might apply to myself, and to Vanessa.  The list goes on, but God seems to nearly always gives me messages in twos.  After all, the Word cuts both ways (Hebrews 4:12).  Praise Jesus for speaking to us!

But there is another voice out there.  The voice of doubt, fear, lies, confusion--call it what you want, I'll call it the voice of the enemy.  Anything that isn't for His purposes is against Him (Matthew 12:30).  This voice usually isn't a voice at all, but rather a dark web of half-truths that goes directly against the Love of God.  This is the third voice--if the first two are of God, then this is the voice of doubt and darkness that asks us, "Did God really say?"

If Satan had his way, we would fall into doubt to the extent that we no longer believed in God's goodness.  If the enemy convinced us of this lie, we would give up and be tempted to stop following God.

As an aside, "hearing" things other than the voice of our Lord doesn't mean you're crazy.  Jesus never said we wouldn't hear other voices (John 10:5), though He promised we wouldn't know or follow them.  We need to be close enough to our great Shepherd to identify His heart among all the chaos that the enemy would try to throw at us.

Anyways, my point is that satan has an agenda too.  he too wants to give us messages, and convince us of his beliefs.  he is also capable of planting ideas and impressing on us different things.  satan can work through much of the same things that God can, including God's word (just look at how Jesus was tempted in the desert).  The enemy, too, can give signs and leadings.  How do we know the difference between what he gives us and what is actually from God?   Praise God that there are a few clear distinctions:

1) Any message from God will be established by confirmations, and will often have more than one meaning in itself
2) Any message from God will be grounded in the Spirit of the Bible (God's Word)
3) Most of all, any message from God will be full of Love.  God is Love (1 John 4:8).  Now, within that Love might by exhortation or a warning to stay away from sin.  But God is full of love and redemption, and it is not His will to condemn anyone.

Messages from the enemy are often not confirmed, neither by signs nor by other Christians.  You usually have to be deep into fear in order to have Satan's lies perpetuated.  More on this in a future post.

In the meantime, know that God is the One that has created every good thing.  He is the one who has promised to guide us.  With discernment, we can have confidence that we're in position to receive from the Lord every message and parable that He'd have us receive.  Glory to God!

"Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights."  Isaiah 7:11

Fools for Christ--Who's watching?

Today I was led to 1 Corinthians 4:9-10.

"For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have become a spectacle to the entire world--to people and angels alike. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!"

God has put us on display for the entire world. This is something I've been thinking about recently, albeit on a more personal level. Many people might think that what Vanessa and I are doing right now is unusual. And it is. Many people might not approve of our current living situation. On the outside, from an outsider's perspective, the two of us are not accomplishing much, not even for God.  Based on this passage in 1st Corinthians, the forerunners have it worst.  They are the ones who bear the brunt of the world's judgement.

Sometimes the things of God just offend people.  Often they make us look foolish.  You can often discern how someone feels about God based on how react to a testimony of Godly things.  Even those who love you may really, really hate it when you mention our Lord.  It's sad to think about, but what they actually dislike so much is God in you, the Holy Spirit.

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."  John 15:18

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD."  Matthew 10:34-35

Onto a slightly different theme, earlier this morning I woke up with a tangible sense that I was being overseen.  I felt like I was being watched--in a good way!  And I felt the presence of God approving me.  I knew I was justified in His sight.  I was reminded that those in Heaven are also watching over us, and hoping that we will continue on in the Way.  

"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

Like I said earlier, Vanessa and I don't usually have the world's approval.  A lot of people would say of our life that we are not 'doing the right thing', or that we are being 'unacceptable'.  But praise Him that we have acceptance from our Lord and our God.  Praise Jesus that we also have the cloud of witnesses cheering us on.  Praise Him that we have God living within us, working for us to please the Father.

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10

So God's pleasure comes first.  His best comes first...and His best may look more than a little unconventional.  Again, as indicated in 1 Corinthians 4:9-10, those who are paving the way for the faith, and for another move of the Spirit, seem to have it worst. The established Church has it easier.  Those with titles and official mission fields are looked upon as higher.  A new wave of effort for God is often taken badly.  It often cuts to the heart.  And it often goes against popular opinion.  But what counts is faith expressing itself through love.  Social standards should not hinder this (Galations 5:6, also see context).

There have been many confirmations for this message.  Below are a few:

Confirmed 12/17:  Vanessa and I were talking about what constitutes an apostle.  A person close to us just started going to a major Apostolic Church.  Also, both of us have seen the Lord Jesus in visions, most recently by her.  That verse that God led me to this morning (1 Cor. 4:9-10) took away a lot of my discomfort.  Often I feel weighed down by the potential disapproval of others, to the extent that I feel like my life is a sort of ongoing spectacle.  But hey, if I were still trying to please men...

Confirmed 12/17:  There were a few messages about salt yesterday.  I felt God remind me that we are the salt of the earth, it's enrichment and it's preservation.  We are supposed to be noticeable to outsiders.  After walking me through some personal teaching, the Lord led me to the Quickened Word website to validate His message.  I'm telling you, this site is like a modern-day, virtual school of the prophets.  Anyways, here is that post.  

I feel this all relates to standing out for the all the world to see.  When everybody sees you, though, there is bound to be those who disapprove.  There are those who will think you are too "out there", or too salty.  There are those who will be even more greatly affected --that's those who will become cut to the heart.  But praise Jesus that He said this:

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." Matthew 5:11

Confirmed 12/18:  As a confirmation to the message about Apostles and their set apart lifestyle that God's given recently, I was led to Psalm 68:24 this morning:

"Your procession, God, has come into view, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary."

Today, those whom He's called are a part of His procession.  We are part of His army.  This is the end of the procession (1 Cor 4:9-10, as seen above), and as a way of discerning the hearts of the world, the Lord has given us a uniqueness and specificity of calling.  All of us are asked by the Lord to be different.  All of us are obligated to be Holy and set apart.  All of us are called to be salt!  And some will be turned off by this.  Some will be angered and dislike the Will of God.  Some will be unbelieving and ask, "Did God really say?"  

But take heart- - your reward is with Him!  Your justification is by Him!  And your favor is from Him.  Wigglesworth said, "persecution brings purity".  Glory to God!

Snapshot: ElijahList Confirmations on Revival

There have been more confirmations on Revival recently.  There won't be much to this post, but I wanted to include several confirmations from other sources on here.  I'd encourage you to seek God on if you should read these linked articles and why.

"God Is Restoring..." Prophecy:

"I have invested the power and authority of My Kingdom inside of My family, My sons and daughters. There is an awakening unto fullness, fullness of sonship, fullness of covenant, fullness of position and grace in Me, there is an awakening to the fullness of My power, My Kingdom that I have called you to carry. There is a banner of fire being cast over this generation, and I am raising up voices who will release My wind and My breath upon the embers in order to fan the flame."

God is an all consuming fire!  He calls us to burn for Him.  As I said in my last post, God makes His ministers as flames of fire.  This prophetic Word is such a graceful confirmation from God.

About ten days ago the Lord showed me in a vision a pencil that was wider than usual.  He was saying, "Get ready for fuller and deeper words".  When God speaks, there is a fullness to what He says.  His Word is life and truth.  So His Word doesn't change.  But when we change into His image, into His family, we realize just how fulfilling He is.  We realize the depth of His heart, and we ourselves are deeply cut to the heart as He prepares us for change.  If you already have the gifts of God through the fullness of His Word, then it's now time to fan them into flames (2 Timothy 1:6).


"The Church is the Arm of God Extended..." Prophecy:  


"Hear the call of the Lord to stand out and be counted; you are going to be blessed beyond measure as you stand for what God cares for. He cares for the Bride of His Son, the universal Body and every local expression of that Body. He cares, and I am calling you to be part of the greatest move of God the world has ever seen with each local church burning with the fire of God. But, make sure your talk and your actions are not against what God cares for."

Right now Vanessa and I are in a very small, community-oriented Church.  We felt God calling us here from the beginning, and it was a test at first.  At least I was out of my comfort zone.  But God does not despise the small things or the small beginnings.  No...instead, He chooses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.

 Since our first week at this Church, The Holy Spirit has been coming in with increased presence.  The Lord has been made more real to us and the rest of the congregation.  We are bearing fruit with repentance and people are simply getting excited about God.  There has been an increase in faith and an increase in supernatural provisions, miracles and healings.  Glory to God.  He is making this little Church, which I underestimated at first, into a flame of fire.

Overcoming Doubt: The Octopus

Over the past three weeks or so, I've got several visions of octopuses.  To me they represent the damaged ways of this world, widespread evil, and schemes of the enemy.  Not good.  (Keep in mind that symbolic visions may mean different things to different people.  God gives each person a vision, and an accompanying meaning, that they can understand.)

In this case, I felt that octopus represents widespread, pervasive doubt.  This unbelief is dangerous.  If the enemy has His way, doubt will be sent into our lives and constrict the Spirit's work in our lives.  Let's not doubt!  We have been truly set free by the Lord of freedom!

The sword of the Spirit is needed to cut off these areas of doubt.  The tentacles of Satan's schemes need to be eliminated by belief in God's Word.  We need to believe that He has overcome the world.  Doubt wants to uproot the Spirit's words implanted in our heart.  This implanted Word has the power to save  our souls (James 1:21), and the enemy wants to steal it away.

Praise God that He gives us warnings about such things.  The Spirit of truth will give us direction that keeps us safe and "not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11).  We can be wise about that which is good, and ready to war against things that would take us from God.

Snapshot: God's Discipline

In Church today the Lord gave me a vision of my legs being torn ripped, from the top down, into two pieces. I was surprised, but over time I've been taught to trust the things the Lord shows me. I felt the tearing in this case was a good thing...I knew I was being humbled and softened so that I could be a vessel of God. I knew that the sword of the Spirit was sharpening me.

"For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-week sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" Hebrews 4:12

Confirmed: while still in Church later on, man was sharing a testimony. He described how God delivered him and kept him out of sin...he was talking about how God "broke his legs"--figuratively--as a means of discipline.

Confirmed: Also in church, there was a bible study mentioning that "the veil had been torn, from top to bottom". In the vision, my legs had been torn from top to bottom.

We need to let the Lord break us. Often His WORD tears us from things which would distract us from God. The sword of the Spirit is meant to keep us safe from evil! If we touch any "unclean thing", the Lord will ensure that the Spirit redirects us. This is the price to pay for following Him. The veil has been torn and we can enter into the most Holy place, but there is a sacrifice to provide. Let's allow the sword to separate us from things that are displeasing to God. Let's invite in the discipline of God, and let Him purify our hearts.

"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent." Revelation 3:19