Communion: It's Different

Communion is awesome--yet it's also not for everyone.  We need to walk on the right path so that we can take the Elements faithfully.  We need to be woven into Jesus by the Spirit.  If we know the truth, then we'll have been set free.  If we've already been set free, then we are free to take communion!

Communion is for Believers:  It's through our belief that we are justified (Romans 10:10).  If we have the faith of God, then we will be blessed in our doing.  In other words--If you know Jesus, remember Him thru communion.  Receive what He's done with thanksgiving and reverence--Yahweh does not give as the world does (John 14:27).



Communion is a Proclamation:  When we partake of the Elements, we are proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).  And when we proclaim God's will in faith, it is established for us (Job 22:28).

So as we take communion, we are having Jesus' death established--fulfilled-- in our new life.  We realize that One died for all and that therefore all died (2 Cor. 5:14).  We proclaim Communion as the most sure Word of prophecy (2 Peter 1:19)--the most reliable prophetic word.  It is the most powerful positive confession.  We proclaim that God really did send His Son for us.



Communion Requires Discerning the Body:  We need to treasure what Jesus has purchased--our brothers and sisters, for whom He died (1 Cor 8:11)!  We need to be perfected in forgiveness and love (Matthew 5:48).  And because God's already done the perfecting, we just need to choose to yield to it.  This means having the faith to discern that Jesus is enough.

We need to acknowledge that Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:2).  With that, He destroyed the sinful nature once and for all (Romans 6:6).  Let's receive the grace of freedom from sin (Romans 6:18). We are a sacrifice of Holiness!  We have received the sinless body of the Lord.



Communion Requires Discerning Yourself:  The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and of righteousness (John 16:8).  He shows us a wonderful paradox--we were sinful in the flesh, but now we are flawless in His Spirit.

If we are convicted of our own righteousness, if we know that Christ is in us, then we can turn from sin and understand how we need to yield to God's growth.  We can discern how we've went wrong and see communion as a marking point of change.  It's so important to remain in His purifying fire.


Communion is Seperate: Do you know what the word 'Holy' means?  It's original meaning is different, set apart, other.  We are a holy priesthood, a chosen nation (1 Peter 2:9)!  We have been selected and set apart by God, and communion can activate our living like it.

The Holy Spirit is saying come away, He's saying come out of oppression.  He's saying be in the world, just not of it (John 17:16)!  Communion is a spiritual force that draws us away from the world and into the wonderful, sacrificial Love of our Saviour.  It's a blessing for those who are worthy, and a curse for those who are not.  It's a torrent of God's love for those who believe, and the cup of His wrath for those who do not (Matthew 26:42).  When we receive the needed belief, we receive the abundant blessings!

In Yahweh's Presence is Fullness of Joy

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."                       Psalm 16:11

From the moment we've first believed, we've became aware of the presence of the Lord.  We're always in His presence.  We're always belonging in Him.  So why don't we always feel joyful?

It's because of our unbelief.  See, Jesus needs to be real to us right now, in 2 minutes, in 2 hours, and in 2 days.  He needs to be continually sanctified in our hearts (1 Peter 3:15)--continually adored.

Our work and our choice is to believe in Jesus (John 6:29).

Constant joy is real--it's not too good to be true!  We as believers accept the gospel, so we should also accept every piece of 'good news' that flows from it.

We can't give ourselves God's joy, but we can yield to it.  We can yield to the cleansing truth of the word.  We can yield to the hope of glory.  We can yield to the love of the Holy Spirit, and be joyful no matter what.

A Silver Cord Connection to Heaven?

I was at work last week when God showed me something that got me soo excited.  And the verse started coming....

"Remember him--before the silver cord is severed..."        Ecclesiastes 12:6

We need to believe God at His word.  See, all are called to become sons and daughter, but to be chosen, we have to remember (Matthew 22:14).  We all have to believe Jesus!

Our true identity is in Him.  Our true birth is the second one--from above, from heaven.  Creation longs for our awakening and realization of the life Jesus is taking us to (Romans 8:22).

Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.

John 3:3, AMP

Once we realize this, once we conceptualize that our citizenship is of heaven, we will walk in an upward call.  The earth won't have such a hold on us!

See, the silver cord is the substance of our lifeline to the Father, to the heavenly realm.  We receive an influx of our daily bread 24/7.  We receive constant nourishment and a table is set for us wherever we go, even in the presence of our enemies (Psalms 23:5).  We yield to Christ in us, the Kingdom of heaven within us (Luke 17:21)--we yield to the hope of glory (Col 1:27).  It's an upward call.

See, the silver cord connects your spirit and your body.  And once you believe, you are part of the body of Christ--which has been raised up with Him into the heavenly places! It's your brand new umbilical cord!  And it won't be severed.  There's a call for all to remember Him.

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus..."

Ephesians 2:6

We have this connection to the Father whether we feel like it or not.  When we believe, we receive! You don't have to pray for peace--it's within you.  You don't have to pray for life--it's been there since you first believed.  Just lay hold of it (Matthew 11:12).  Lay hold of it and yield to God's truth, and His life will flow.  The stream that makes glad the city of God is within you(Psalm 46:4)!

Ever wonder why the Spirit flows out from your belly?  It's because that's where your connection is! That's where the silver cord brings union. That's where you're knit to Jesus.

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

John 7:38

*Amazing confirmation:  Less than 10 minutes after I got home and told this whole thing to Vanessa, our Mom, without having any idea what we had been talking about, insists that I see a certain picture that she'd taken a few days before.  Here it is:

(The brightest ray is coming from the belly--from the cross!)

The Gift of Faith in Prayer, Part Four

How do we walk in the gift of faith? Well...

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"                          Romans 10:17

"...Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise."                John 5:19

"For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak."                                                 John 12:49

In order to operate in the gift of faith, we need to draw closer to the Lord.  We need to hear His will and act only based on that.  This is a trust thing!

God wants us to operate in the creative gift of faith.  This is a place of prophetic inspiration and declaration.  We pray according to His will on heaven, in order to see His will happen on earth!

The Gift of Faith in Prayer, Part Three!

God gives good gifts to us--liberally and without finding fault!  And He wants to give us the gift of faith to empower us to reach others for Him.

The gift of faith moves us to simple and restful prayers.  We need to realize the power of simply saying our Master's name!  As we do, the supernatural will just start to flow.

The Word says we prophecy in accordance with our measure of faith, and it is the same with healing prayer.  The more faith we have, the more we'll see, because our own unbelief can hinder God.  We can all acknowledge God's power, and as we do, the more we'll see His power at work.

It's for freedom that we've been set free.  We are free to eagerly desire the gift of faith.  Desire leads to the revelation that God's been holding out the blessings to us all along.

The Gift of Faith in Prayer, Part Two

God wants to give us enough faith to pray effectively.  God wants us to have enough of His faith to not hold back!

The gift of faith approaches when you just think about the Lord.  He's with you wherever you go!  All you need to do is step out on God's goodness.

Included are some examples of what it looks like to operate in different levels of faith.  Faith is resting in the assurance of God's will.

The Gift of Faith in Prayer, Part One

"And I will do whatever you ask for in my Name, so that the Father's glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask me for anything in my Name, I will do it."

John 14:13-14

We need to recognize the promise here.  We need our faith to be built up, or else we risk hindering the coming influxes of God's glory.  

God wants to give us increasing faith.  He wants to take us on from one level of trust to another.  We're free to step out in faith, and we're free to be released from the doubts of our own human logic.  

We don't need to be afraid to ask.  We need to be ready to ask, so that we can readily receive.  Whoever asks receives (Matthew 7:8).

As much as we decide to try, that's the extent we're going to see.  God takes pleasure out of bold prayers.  

Video Journal: Deja-vu

About a year ago, Vanessa and I noticed that something strange was beginning to happen.  Whenever we were out on the streets, people would say that they were sure they had seen us before.  Normally they would ask if they had seen us earlier that day.  People always seemed to think that we'd been at a movie with them earlier that afternoon or something.

This happened about a half dozen times within one week--almost every day.  We noticed that God was telling us something!  People were recognizing us according to God's eternal purpose on this earth.  Before they saw us in person, they knew us in spirit.

This went on for about a week.  Then I began to get frequent feelings of deja-vu.  I noticed that they happened whenever I began doing something important--like when I ministered in a new place, when I encouraged someone, or when I did something for the first time.  I'd get the sense that I'd seen this all before.

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." 

Deja-vu began marking times and seasons.  I realized it was the Holy Spirit confirming that I was on God's predestined path for my life (Jeremiah 6:16).

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,"

Video Journal: Visions and Fruit

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 given us as Christians lots of ways to receive direction from Him. He allows us to know the unknowable so that we can confidently walk along that ancient path.

The Holy Spirit's been giving increased guidance through visions recently.  There's a measure of foresight He reveals so that we can walk how He wants us to.  It's called the spirit of prophecy! (Revelations 19:10)  God's foresight--what He shows us--is always given to bring us closer to Jesus.

So, here's some recent stuff the LORD's been doing....enjoy the high quality video! (well, I thought it was uploaded in HD...oh well)

“In the last days” God said, “I will pour out my Holy Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men dream dreams.”

Joel 2:28

Video Journal: God's Faith in Kids!

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 19:14

Recently God has been at work (well, I guess He's always been at work...) among kids.  We've been blessed to see several healing miracles in the last week, all because parents, children, and friends decided to come together and simply trust God.  All it takes is a little faith!  Jesus provided the substance for our healing some time ago....

"Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have ordained strength,

Because of Your enemies,

That You may silence the enemy and the avenger."

Psalm 8:2

Video Journal: Praying by Faith

"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words."                     ~Matthew 6:7

We're supposed to pray on earth as it is in heaven.  There's an assurance there!  If praying for others doesn't get you excited, then you're probably not praying by faith.  Heartfelt prayer shifts things on earth into the realities of heaven!  I think that's something to get excited about.

If we're praying by faith, we'll be more concerned with the aftereffects of our prayers than with the length of them.  We'll pray anticipating what God will do.  We'll say the words He wants us to say, and then know that we're praying for something that He's already set His heart on doing.  This is a place of resting in faith.

If we're praying by faith, we'll even try to shorten our prayers so that we can more quickly see God's answer!  Remember that God moved on behalf of Abraham even before his servant could even finish praying. (Gen. 24)  God knows the need.  If we pray by faith, we'll get out of the way as fast as possible and just let the Holy Spirit work!

*Note: this post is talking about prayer in the context of praying for others, particularly for healing, deliverance, salvation, etc.  There is a place for lengthy prayers--generally when you're praying in secret, praying for your own spiritual growth, or prophesying

Video Journal: Power in The Hands

"Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle."
Psalm 144:1

When God compels us to pray, we need to accept His gift of faith.  We need to accept His power. We need to expect His love, and we need to expect from that a powerful manifestation.

God taught David how to overcome with His hands, and God is just the same today. We need to accept that God has overcome, and to believe for His will to flow down onto the earth.  We need the Holy Spirit, the Ruach Elohim, to teach us how to pray. (Luke 11:1)

Our faith is just a mirror-image of God's faith.  God's faith is the substance!  And we can conceptualize that faith really is a force when we use our hands to pray.

When our hands become controlled by the power of the Holy Spirit, that's when God takes over.

Praying with your hands, whether scanning with them, pushing with them, circling with them--whatever God calls you to do--might feel weird at first.  It's different!  God is different.  But praying and warring with your hands is worth it, because it's our calling to demonstrate the faith of God in action.

Video Journal: Angelic Visitation

Regarding the angels, he says, "He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire."
Hebrews 1:7

"Believe in the Lord your God and you shall be established; believe and remain steadfast to His prophets and you shall prosper."                                            2 Chronicles 20:20

Video Journal: Maintaining the Power and Maintaining the Testimony

Yesterday morning God spoke to me and said:

"I so desire to bless you today, Thomas, so maintain the power and maintain the testimony..."

We had a quieter day yesterday.  Sometimes that's the hardest!  When there's nothing exciting going on ..that's when you need the Holy Spirit to keep you in God's presence.  That's when you need to have Jesus by your side continually.

Even when we aren't 'ministering' to anybody, even when we aren't 'doing' all sorts of cool stuff for Jesus, He still so desires to bless us.  And we allow Him to bless us by maintaining in our spirits the wonderful things He's done in the past. We stay uplifted this way!

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."          Colossians 3:17

We need to do it all for the glory of God.  That's when we can be blessed in our coming in and blessed in our going out (Deuteronomy 28:6).

Sometimes it's easy to forget.  Sometimes we forget to draw near to God.  But He can keep us in a better place.  God wants us to always be maintaining in our minds and spirits His power and His testimonies--God doesn't want us to become so bogged down in the present that we forget about the past.

God so desires to bless us.  He wants to take us from glory to glory.

Video Journal: Feet Healings in Springfield

The past two days have been awesome!  We've been hanging out with some great people...and having a great time!  God's been providing opportunities to display His love and His glory.

"And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose."                     Hebrews 2:4

Our friend Rob shares his side of the story here:

God is good!  It's a joy to see His power at work, and it's a joy to see His love change things.  

Video Journal: Interceding by Faith

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up"  Luke 18:1

"With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints"                                      Ephesians 6:18

When we pray in the Spirit, we will have the spiritual realm in view.  God will give us insight and show us how to pray.  The insight God gives will make us on the alert.  The insight God gives will be exciting.

God will give you the mind of Christ.  He'll show you how to pray and intercede by faith, so you can partner with Him on behalf of others.

Realize that everything God says can be accepted by faith.  Everything God does needs to be accepted by faith! You can think of faith as the force that opens the door to the next thing God has for you.

If intercession isn't a privilege, then you're not doing it from a heavenly perspective, nor by faith.  It wasn't fun for me for the longest time.  Intercession becomes a joy when you're praying for others and feeling God's love for them.  That's what it's all about!

When you're interceding with God, it's no longer a heavy burden.  Praying by faith produces tangible results.  If we as believers will just pray according to God's heart, then we'll see the faith of God shift things!  We'll see His hand line things up.  And most importantly, we'll see things on earth become as they are in Heaven.  We'll see the Kingdom of God surround our lives and situations.

Video Journal: Healed by Hearing the Word

"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."  

~Jesus in John 17:17

Praise God for those times when "the power of Yahweh is present to heal".  It's the greatest thing ever to be overshadowed by Him!

If we as Christians will speak the truth with faith and sincerity, then signs and wonders will follow! God wants to amaze people.  He wants to get us excited.  He wants to provide for us a platform from which we can tell others to go farther with God!

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."       ~ Romans 10:17

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."           ~ John 8:32