Word of the Lord for 2016

As I waited on God for a word for the year 2016, I heard this from Matthew 5:8

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

Suddenly I knew this was the word for the coming year.  A year for many who will see God and a year for others who blinded by impure hearts and satan's schemes will stumble in the Darkness.

This is not a works event in 2016.  You will have to examine your own heart until you begin to see God. Only the pure in heart can see Him.

Here is what the Lord is saying:

There is ever increasing impurity and corruption in the hearts of men.  Yet there is an increase in those who seek Me.  They shall see Me.  I am coming like a flood in My Spirit.

In the wars and rumors of wars in the world, you will not moan as others do, but will see the shaking I make to bring men and women unto Myself.  You will SEE ME do this thru eyes of faith.

In the riots, protests and anger against injustice the hearts of those who are pure will be revealed, also revealed will be those who are NOT of Me, those used of your enemy to corrupt hearts that may at one time have been pure.  Only the pure in heart will be able to see MY hand.

In those in authority the enemy seeks to cause division and discouragement as lawlessness increases.  You will see Me as I move agaist your enemy to bring honor and submission according to My word.

Here are 40 ways you can SEE Father GOD in 2016 as you purify your hearts:

1. See God as He reveals the plan for your life in 2016.  He has a plan and He is revealing it to the pure in heart.
2. See God as He opens new opportunities for provision and prosperity for your life.  He means to do good for those who are pure in heart. 
3. See God as He not only the promise but in the results He brings to you in fulfilled prophecies from the past in 2016
4. See God as He HELPS you when you thought there was no help.  When you decided you were thru.. He will come thru and help you once again.. His eye is on the sparrow and it's on YOU.
5. See God as He not only reveals the call on your life in a greater way, and confirms it, but He will make a way for the manifestation of the call of God on YOU
6. See God as he moves those things from the past year into the rear view mirror.  Into the place where forgetfulness drowns. 
7. See God as He shows you his great pleasure in YOU and your life.  It's about Whose you are, not who you are. 
8. See God as He prepares a place for you in eternity but as you live here on earth he is preparing a place here for you as well.  When you are under His kingship you never live alone, you always have a HOLY roommate and in that you are never homeless
9. See God as He changes the season of your life.  As you still see winter he is preparing a spring when the birds sing his song and the blooms come forth setting fruit in the summer and bearing much in the harvest of your season
10. See God as He restores those things in your life that you had decided were never going to be made whole again, the sin and humanity that constantly torments you in your flesh.. see Him as he overwhelms your spirit with HIS
11. See God as He opens your eyes to supernatural things, things that in earlier days you could not see or that you decided were coincidence.  As you are pure in heart you see those things better and better.  Open eyes and see the angelic hosts all around you as God opens them.
12. See God as He brings you back on track, in ways that you thought you could never get back to.  That track is waiting for you.  He never left you.. He's waiting to get you going the direction you veered from in the past.
13. See God as He manifests things in your life in 2016 that are above and more than you right now can ask or think.  more than you imagine.  He is saying dream one size larger than you dreamed before and then dream again one size larger.
14. See God as He unveils your today, not dwelling on the past for that is now gone, not considering too much in the future for that is still an un-cashed check, but enjoying the more than enough of today.
15. See God as He brings you out of the wilderness and crosses you over into a land prepared for you in your calling.  The giants are no match for you as you enter into the place prepared.
16. See God as He lays before you a giant staircase of promotion.  Take each step.  As you watch Him move, don't try to leap too many steps ahead.. for He can only give you little by little.  One step.  Take that step.  Then another.
17. See God as He changes certain directions you have been heading and corrects your course for 2016. 
18. See God as He creates  a hunger in your heart for obedience to fulfill his desires that takes you somewhere away from the nowhere land you have resided in too long.
19. See God as He strengthens you where you are weak.  There is much more for your to grow into.  You aren't done yet.  The Lord is your strength.
20. See God as He makes you whole nothing broken nothing missing in your blessings to come in 2016
21. See God as He brings you to higher highs in faith in HIM.  He responds to faith when one pure in heart moves. 
22. See God as He removes burdens from you that you thought were yours to carry forever. They aren't.  He will take it from here.
23. See God in He manifests provision of healing and wholeness in ways you never understood before.
24. See God as He manifests his peace in your life during the rage of the storm. Shalom Shalom.. HIS PEACE given to you.. not like the world, real peace.
25. See God as He lays His supernatural hand in you in Love, in direction and sometimes in Correction.  Never fear.. He knows the way.  He sees the end from the beginning and is bringing you to an expected end.
26. See God as He manifests himself thru His sons and Daughters on the earth.  You will see them in new ways you never knew before.  You will see Him in action at the hand of those called by His name.. Sons and Daughters.
27. See God as He exposes dead works, foolish works, myths, lies, old wives tales.  He is bringing you into a greater life of truth and wisdom as you remain pure in heart.
28. See God as He works miracles thru your hands when you are placed in his purposes
29. See God as He opens the mysteries of the future thru prophetic dreams and visions for those pure in heart.
30. See God as He reveals who is and is not a Son or a Daughter.  Those in sheep's clothing will soon be stripped bare.
31. See God as He raises up new leaders in the Body of Christ, some will be old leaders in age but new in vision. Some will be young in age but with a fresh vision.  Calebs and young Davids will work hand in hand to bring the expansion of the Kingdom.
32. See God as He brings about radical changes in government in justice.  The unjust judge and those in authority without his permission will be brought low.
33. See God as He acts in your behalf against injustice.  He will do battle for you even when you sleep.
34. See God as He exposes those around you for the guile that is in their hearts.  Don't be surprised when those you thought were for you are exposed.  It's the chastisement of the Lord.  Embrace it and see God.
35. See God as He shines the light of His Holiness on circumstance, situation and people around you revealing them for what and who they are - don't regret those things you are called out from as your remain pure in heart.
36. See God as He rebukes the works of darkness in your life without damage to you
37. See God as He continues to invade entertainment.  Those things that were formerly kept away from the children of God are now open to you.  Take your place.
38. See God as He moves on Government in 2016
39. See God as He causes situations and event that expand his Kingdom.  He never wastes anything many deem tragic.. it is at those places when his Glory is revealed.
40. See God as He uses His called ones to move in confidence in business and the workplace

I see these things coming to pass in 2016:

• Economic stability will increase for a time but a crisis of some magnitude will once again occur.. before the election, like in 2008.  It is justice (an adjustment).
• World wide instability will become less of a problem.  Wars and rumors will subside.
• Many great leaders of the past secular and spiritual will pass in 2016, more than in the past few years.  There will be mourning as this happens but a recognition that the baton has been handed to another generation.
• Churches will struggle, not all, but many that do not hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
• God will become more evident to those who love him in the future as He is revealed above anything the world can bring.
• Weather will wax worse then BETTER.  People will begin to discover truth in this regard.  Much of those things that have been imagined will become myths and mystery.
• Those who put faith in gold and sliver will find that 2016 will not be a good year. Only faith in God will matter.
• There will be upheaval and difficulty as isolated terrorists attempt to generate fear, but to those who know their God there is no fear in faith.
• ONE powerful discovery in health is waiting just outside the door. I don't know what it is, but I see it and when it is revealed it will bring great joy for much suffering will be stopped.
• By the end of the year a wave of great optimism for the future will manifest and it will not be because of an election, it will be because truth has been shown over lies.

Father says this: 

Only I am truth, even your flesh tries to lie to you. There is not good in deception.  Seek truth and escape the lies of the devil.  The truth will set you free and the lies will place you in bondage.  Seek truth.  I am truth.  Do not depend on your own works, ability or understanding. Even those things you see as pleasing to me are not if they are bound by lies.  Your worship no matter how passionate is meaningless without truth.  Find Me and find truth.

Expectation in the right Things

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.  
Romans 8:19

I know so many people that decorate, buy gifts, expect big things, family and joy.  When Christmas doesn't come out as they hoped there is a letdown from unrealized expectations.We know that many people are depressed after the season.  

Father has a word for those who put expectation in things that cannot truly satisfy:

I am the hope of all nations.  I am your hope.  You can rely on me.  I will never disappoint. I am YOUR blessed hope.  Faith Hope and Love is the Essence of who I am.  While others may let your down, turn their back on you, discourage you, I am your strong high tower. I snatch you from the snare of the Fowler.  I am displaying my goodness over you in the presence of those who despise you. I am the one who makes a way when there seems to be none.  Any hope of happiness you have because of what others do in your life pales in comparison to what I am in your life.  Have faith and hope in ME... and your life will be full.   Expect it!

The Two Great Tests of Mankind

In the last year we have been struck by the horror of Isis killing people mercilessly.  In particular Christian brothers and sisters.  The image of those men being decapitated by the sea is hard to shake.

Yet as they died some cried out to Jesus.  They knew how to die.

In the USA there was recently a shooting by Isis sympathizers in California.  Some who died, did so nobly.  Protecting others.  They knew how to live and die.

Yet at the same time there are people of privilege and power who stand in complaint and confusion who do NOT know how to live. They are pitiful.  When life hands them a lemon they protest against the provider.  They do no understand failure. They think equal outcomes is what is promised and if they don't get it they murmur with bitterness as a victim.

There are two great tests every man and woman must pass.  It is doubly so for the Children of God.

One is the Failure Test.  Do we know how to fail?  What do we do when life hands us a rock  or a scorpion?  Sometimes it's not satan.  Sometimes it's just stupidity on our part.  What do we do when it happens?

Do we know HOW TO fail?  There is a book recently by Fran Tarkington, former  quarterback, on exactly that question.  It is called "The Power of Failure".  How do you lose?  How do you fail?  All books about prosperity and success should have equal numbers of chapters on how to fail well and start again.  How to play till you win.

The other test is the Success Test.  It is just as difficult. Just as painful.  As dangerous as the failure test.  Many people when success comes don't know HOW TO succeed.  They don't handle it well.  They become full of themselves.  It goes to their head.  We all know what that looks like. Those who can't handle fame and fortune are nearly the thing of legend.  The athlete who makes millions during his carer and yet is bankrupt ten years later.  The lottery winners who are as impoverished as the lowest in a decade.  Success is equally daunting.  Many people will say, I can handle it, just give me my shot. Yet even at a moderate level they fail at success.  They fail the test.

There is a KNOWING HOW TO handle success or failure.  The apostle Paul in Philippians 4 writes of this:

I do not speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

The Lord has shown me more than once certain people for whom great wealth was stored up, yet it has been withheld by the love and mercy of God.  That wealth would have destroyed them.  It would have deceived them into thinking it was themselves and not God.  God warned Israel against this foolishness in Deuteronomy 8.  Read it. He loved them too much not to warn them.  It would have made them poor and bitter.  So He provides just enough.. and no more until they are ready to posses it and know HOW TO succeed. Even then he just provides little by little.  Deuteronomy 7:22 tells us why:

The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.

Poverty is no sign of God's curse nor is prosperity a sign of God's blessing. We are given grace sufficient for the day.  That is how we abase and abound no matter our circumstance doing all things thru Christ's strength. Many are living under what HE want's to do.. but we aren't ready.

I don't have a direct word from God today.. I just know that when I heard this yesterday my heart leapt.  I knew I had to share that knowing HOW TO.. is the key to our breakthrough. 

On the Recent Shootings - When Cultures Clash

It has been nearly a week since the shooting in San Bernardino happened. The news and political roar has tried to silence the voice of God in all this.

This shooting is not to be equated with the strange and deranged man that shot up an abortinary in Colorado.  That was one man with a gun and a screw loose.

There is much more to this shooting in San Bernardino.

I have remained silent in prophetic utterance on this because I knew there was much more to this than meets the eye.

Here is what I hear the Lord saying to those with ears to hear:

"Fear is not from me.  I am the Lord and in me is no fear at all. If you are in me you will know no fear.  Fear not the one who can kill the body but rather the one who can rob you of your eternal soul.  I know of the weapons formed against you. I see them. I see those who carry them.  No weapon formed against you shall prosper.  Even if you die it is gain for you who know me. Ignore those who say peace peace and cry for safety.  They are being used of your enemy to confuse you.  There is no darkness and light that can live in the same world.  Only light prevails.  The enemy of your soul has one tool and only one.. that is lies. Those who are possessed of his lies will try to kill the truth.  The lies of the enemy are designed to put YOU in bondage and call those who receive them to act in what they believe is good.

Do not do what is acceptable, comfortable nor culturally normative.  Most of the culture you see around you today is not of ME.  Killing, cheating, lying, corrupt, lawlessness, selfishness and all other manifestations of the flesh and the world I warned you of are not to be normal in your life.  Stand as light to the world as you were called to.  They have no other light than you.  The darkness will flee as you stand for what is pure and righteous.

There was a time in Nazi Germany when people deluded and deceived accepted as normal and comfortable a horrible act against those people who were descendants of those I chose at the beginning.  Many even worshiped in churches yet saw boxcars with souls headed for soon slaughter.  In the same way many are deluded and deceived to accept as normal and comfortable things that are evil in the world.

You are at war with the flesh and with the world.  You are not to be OF the world even if you are in the world.  You are to advance the kingdom in MY NAME and do battle daily for truth.  It isn't even a nation with borders for the nation called by my name, the nation of God is a land without borders. All are welcomed in.. yet not all are yet citizens of the nation.  Be careful to not receive as fellow citizens those who do not yet know me.  The requirement for citizenship in my nation is a heart of flesh where formerly there was a heart of stone, a renewed mind and an eternal spirit which comes by the Blood shed by Jesus on the cross.  Anything else is a forged passport. All are welcome but only those who are among those counted "as many as have received.. they are sons of God"

Again I say to you and once more FEAR NOT.  I have OVERCOME the world.  There is no God but ME..  all others are lies and deception.. even a lack of a god is a lie.  Stay strong and victory is yours."

The Desire of Ages

You probably think that Jesus is the desire of ages.  There was a book written with that title.  And HE is.

Yet there is one more dimension.  That which you desire most you will accomplish.  The desire of your heart is the open door to what God will do for you.

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 37:4

So when you look at your life, where you are, what you are desiring, IF god is giving you the desires of your heart as he said he would what does that look like?

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

 
The word of the Lord comes to us.. and it cuts apart the external life we think we are showing to demonstrate the internal reality.  What you think about, what your intentions are is the desire of ages...  and HE knows what they are.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.  Hebrews 4:13

This is comforting and yet terrifying to me.  Since nothing is hidden from him, and since I must give account, there are thoughts, intentions and desires that I don't want to face up to.   I am sinful in many areas, sinful against God but sinful against the things I know that make me up.  

I have been watching some earthly drama unfold in Chicago.  I keep hearing Jesus say:

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.  Luke 8:17

I can only fall down and cry for mercy.  I don't want justice.  Justice will kill me.  It would only be right.  ONLY to that Cross I can Cling.

This is for me, but if you hear my heart's cry it might be for you too..

Who is this? The question that leads to ultimate truth..

I was reading the Bible account of Jesus calming the storm.  After the Disciples saw this they asked: What manner of man is this that even the wind and the waves obey him.

If you ever saw the movie Butch Casiddy and the Sundance Kid you will recognize the line: "Who are those guys"?  They were constantly in pursuit of the Kid and Butch.

In the word of God there are several accounts old and new testament of people asking, "Who"

Pilate asked "Are YOU?"
Peter proclaimed to Jesus question "Who do people say I am? Peter answered right.  You are the Christ, the Son of God.
The Pharisees asked him who he was.  He answered, before Abraham, I am.
Satan supposed to him, "IF you are the Son of God..."
John's disciples questioned if he really was.  "Or do we look for another.
Even in the Old Testament there are occasions where the question "Who is this coming up out of the Wilderness".

The question is and has always been, WHO IS THIS?  or WHO ARE YOU?  To his disciples, IS HE Who he says he is?

It is still true today.  The question "Who is Jesus".  Once you settle that, the rest is easy.. but if you struggle with it.. you can never be set free by the truth of the Gospel.

I know this is not profoundly prophetic.. but it helps to know.  

He is TRULY GOD... and we knew him..

"Judgement and Death Coming to America" --- OR?

Since the bombings there have been dire warnings. People talking of death, terror, judgement.  Some even blame the current climate of fear on the people of the USA.

Well I have good / bad news for you.

God is going to straighten things.  Judgement requires that what is crooked be made straight.  That what is out of alignment be made correct. 

That means some old systems, assumptions and ideas will be removed as the right judgement is brought into play.  When a brick wall is being built, there is a need to constantly judge the straightness of it.  To make certain things are lined up or the wall will collapse.  That requires judgement. If it's out of line, it must be done over, adjusted, made right.

As this happens in the USA some things will need to be set aside.  I don't know all of them, but corruption and incompetence come to mind.  We have a nation being governed by people of low judgment.  They will resist this change, but it must come.  There will have to be a shaking that brings it to pass.

Death must also come.  There are things we have accepted for a long time in our culture that must be put to death.  Porn, Addiction, infidelity, fatherless children, mistreatment of the poor and other practices that are simply wrong and must die a quick death. The axe must be put to the necks of evil.

Yes we have outside terror, but that is not much more than a symptom our our lack of judgement and things still alive that should be killed off.  I am in favor of seeing things change.

I hear the Lord say,

"I will do a brand new thing.  The judgement for evil reigning is an awakening to righteousness.  It will not be instant, you may not even see it move.. but fear not.. I am the God that persists when others seem to think it's over.  Oh it will be over some day.. but not for a long time and not until I say it's over.  So have no fear.. judgement will come to make things right and death to those things that you have tolerated in your life too long, they will have to be executed.  It's bright from my point of view.. come up here. You are already seated in heavenly places.. get a better view".

Confusing Mandates and Refugees

The last several weeks and since the bombing in Paris there has been a lot of activity in the spirit realm regarding safety, refugees, terrorism and who is my neighbor?

If one were to go strictly to the old testament for instruction it would be pretty rough.  Yes, there are the levitical laws regarding the sojourner, but those laws were of people passing thru, not settling down.  In fact the idea of keeping separate as God defined when the children of Israel entered the promised land was pretty harsh.  They killed them all.. or were supposed to.

King Solomon drifted badly because of his willingness to allow other Gods to enter his realm.  It destroyed the nation ultimately as Idol worship took hold.

Islam is another god.  It is as foreign as Baal and fully as false and dangerous.

We see there is the need to create borders, nationally and personally.  The ancient borders were important  "When you arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession, you must never steal anyone's land by moving the boundary markers your ancestors set up to mark their property. Deut 19:14

Yet some people who entered to live among the Israelites while serving other gods DID move the borders.  It matters who you serve.  They were not regulated by the same moral or ethical code people who are sons and daughters of God are.

Then there is the question, "Who is my Neighbor" asked of Jesus.  We know the story well.  The good Samaritan.

He found a man wounded by the road.
He ministered to him oil and wine.
He took him to a safe place on his own steed and payed for the care of the man in recovery.
It is fair to assume that once the man was whole he returned to his own home.

The Good Samaritan didn't take him home to live next door.  He cared, did what Jesus is asking us to do.. but there are boundaries.

We are at a critical crossroads if allowing our mercy and compassion outrun our wisdom and discernment.  This is a broken group of people, they are on the side of the road, robbed by Isis and others, they are not of the same religion we are.  We must take them to a safe place, help bind up their wounds and finance that recovery..   and help make a safe place for them to return to.

This is as much trying to sew new cloth onto old clothes.. this will most certainly tear.

Wisdom must be primary, compassion and mercy must be subject to wisdom and understanding.

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.  Proverbs 4:7

Why we have Murder on the Streets of America - it's a CURSE

People who try to rationalize their sin, rebellion, disobedience and hidden evil often will point to passages in the Bible that talk about being no longer under the curse of the law, redeemed from it. That's true.  We are.  We are not eternally condemned to hell for our sins.  The blood of Jesus covers that. We no longer are stoned for lots of sins .. like adultery.  That's another religious system that does that.

While positionally we are exempt from the curse, set for heaven, forgiven, we can still place ourselves in the way of a temporal curse practically speaking.

If we spend like madmen we end up broke and we are cursed with poverty.  Same if we refuse to work.

If we believe lies and myths we are cursed by deception and it's fruit.  We lived defeated or at least more in defeat than we would be if we lived in truth.

If we abuse drugs and alcohol we are cursed with lost time, lost potentials, lost brain cells, and if we decide to drive while in this condition, maybe loss of freedom.

If we violate the commands against adultery we are cursed with bad relationships.

If we steal or murder we may be cursed in a jail cell.

All activities that cause us to drift from where God's best is for us, is a curse and we bring it on ourselves.

All this can happen, and we suffer the result of our disobedience here on earth, yet we can be ready and clean before God as we enter heaven.  He only sees Jesus when He looks at us.  We are hidden in HIM.  

Jesus came and died to redeem us from the curse of sin. He did not come to lift consequences from our actions here on earth, we will not suffer in eternity, but ask anyone dying of a disease brought on by unwise behavior if they feel cursed.  Sickness is not a blessing.

There is however a more pervasive curse, a culture, a society, a nation can be cursed when people do not stand against evil.  Worse than that, there are those who by their sanction of certain leaders endorse the evil and end up under a temporal curse.  I see this and so do you.

There was a time in ancient Israel when a horrible thing took place.

A pagan god was erected. It was made of bronze. It was actually a furnace/statue. Once per year the furnace was heated until it was red hot. People would bring little babies and lay them in the arms of the red hot god statue Molech where the screaming baby was burned alive. This horror was done so the people of Israel would experience prosperity in the coming year.

What made this even more horrid is after this evil they would go to the Temple of God to thank God for the Prosperity to come. Somehow one supposedly offset another. Playing both sides of the street. They used the Temple worship to firm up their prosperity for the year to come that they believed they achieved by their infant children being burned alive.  They profaned the temple of God.

The same thing is happening all across the USA. People support, endorse and encourage national leaders and governments who embrace organizations and systems that kill unborn children and butcher them for profit. They support these evil people because of the prosperity they believe will come in the form of social programs from those hands. Now we have generations of entitled people who would riot at the thought of their government check being cut off,  the "Prosperity" they traded their soul for.

Yet after supporting evil people in power they will go to the Temple, (the church) to shout, jump, pray and sing which they believe will offset the evil they are sanctioning. Just like they did in Israel.. Yet babies are being killed in their name.. It's the spirit of the false demon god MOLECH.  They profane the temple of God.

 God condemns this abomination practiced today in the USA.

Leviticus 20:1-27
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary unclean and to profane my holy name. And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech. ...

Notice he asks his people to deal with those who do such things.. "The people of the land shall stone him with stones". He is particularly angry about how they come into the temple afterward and profane his name by giving thanks for prosperity after using a live baby as a living burnt offering.  "To make my sanctuary unclean and to profane my holy name".

The last sentence is the one I want you to look at twice.  He says that IF people tolerate this, and don't deal with it, "If the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man" HE will set His face Against them and Cut them off.   "I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech. ..." So we have people being gunned down in the streets of the city I live in, Chicago.  9 year old children.  It's a curse.  They have been cut off.. and so are their children, cut off from life.

If Father were to address his people today, I believe this is what he would say to those in this deception:

"My Kingdom is a prosperous, safe, glorious place. YET by your retained sin you have robbed your posterity thru murder on the streets. You are become impoverished because you are not right before me. Your enthusiastic action in my church is a disguise for the darkness of your heart.

Repent of your dead works. Examine your hearts. You are cursed with a curse even though I sent Jesus to redeem you from the curse of the law. Your lawless acts of tolerating Molech worship keeps you from what I intended for you. Not reaching the destiny I had for you is a curse in itself.

Repent of your dead works. I speak to all My called ones, help those who hear your voice to come to grips with what this tolerance of evil has brought. There is a curse you live under when a worldview that is killing babies and as a result killing your children on the streets is considered normal. Accepting this and not acting against these things means my face is against you. 

You are cut off. Murder on the streets will continue until the murder in your heart stops."

Let he who has ears to hear, HEAR what the spirit of the Lord is saying..

Naked Christians

Christians of all denominations have been taught the wisdom of putting on the full armor of God and outlined in Ephesians 6:10-17

I have taught on this passage and tried to help people to grasp the meaning that it would have held for first century Christians.

But today as Pastor Jordan taught referenced this passage I got revelation.  The reason so many people live in such defeat is because while they THINK they are putting on the full armor of God, they are actually going into battle naked as a jaybird with only a sword in their hand that they really don't know how to wield.

Let's take a look from the amplified and a few other translations at what comprises the Armor and see if you actually are wearing these items of armor or are you naked.

having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist;

How many Christians go into the daily battle with compromised integrity and unsound morals.  This means not cheating, not lying, not lusting, doing a full days work.  How many try to game the system by slacking off.  They do not put on the band of truth.  They can't.

having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart)

The idea of an upright blameless heart that demonstrates righteousness, that is practical righteousness, doing the right thing no matter what.  No short cuts, No messing around.  Being straight up at all times is something that many Christians cannot claim..  they are naked from the waist up.

Strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]  the peace that comes from the Good News 

Some people are full of bad news.  They suffer slings and arrows and never get true peace.  Yes they know they have peace with God but it doesn't manifest in their lives.  They live under threat and in turmoil.  They are always in the prayer line without victory.  They are not prepared for battle.  Naked.

Lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  to stop the fiery darts of the devil.

To have a shield of faith you need faith and trust in God over all.  Over the Devil. Over the things that test our faith.  You know discouragement and death come. They are tragic.  Money troubles with no way out seemingly.  YET.. Faith is a shield if you wield it.  Many say the have a shield of faith.. but let one or two darts hit them and BOOM they wilt in the battle NAKED.

And take the helmet of salvation, Put on salvation as your helmet

You would think that this one will be easy.  People know if they are saved. RIGHT?  YET do they act that way. Do doubts come in. Doubts because the feel they failed God.  They repent and then go back and do it all again.  Thy are positionally saved but practical atheists.  Or at least agnostics.  You gotta know and live saved.. just believing you are but not showing forth the glory of your salvation is NAKED. You know that every gang banger killed on street is preached into heaven.. and they didn't make it.  They were living a lie.

the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Now here is the ONE place where Christians seem to think they have it.. except they think it's a big black book.  The believed that it is a sword that they hit the devil over the head with.  NO.. Read Psalm 119 in total to understand the word of God active and powerful as any two edged sword. You gotta be able to do this without a reference book.  No soldier goes into battle and carries a "How to Fight" book.  No he is trained, he is ready, he knows how to use his weapon, he knows the strategies. Why Christians think they are ready for warfare when they barely know the word of God to strike down the enemy like Jesus did in the desert.  You must be able to say, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee".

After all this Paul encourages people to pray.  Prayer is appropriate once you are fully dressed and ready for war.  The Key to that Readiness is in the beginning of this passage:


Be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might.  

How much is Boundless Might? Is it enough?  You need power, He offers it as you link arms in the spirit with Him.  

The vision of the naked warrior came in 2 seconds after the passage was read.  We need to get dressed.. it's not good to try to fight naked.

Sometimes a prophetic word is a vision.  Don't be this guy.

While You Were Sleeping

I heard this from the Lord, I hope it blesses you as it did me:

"While you were asleep I saw you.  Once you were asleep dead in sin, but I fought for you, I died for you, I rescued you.  Sometimes I see you take your eyes off me, start to drift and yet even while sleepwalking you are still Mine. No one can snatch you out of my hand. 

Sometimes when you are in your bed I whisper good things to you in the night hour.  You wake and hear.. it is MY voice telling you how much I love you.  When you are stirring to take on the day, I give you words of faith and hope.

When you walk thru the challenges of the day even when it's hard, I never leave or forsake you.  I am right there.. close as your next breath.  You are asleep in your dimension from being able to see me, yet I am there.  If you could see what I see, the angels encamped all around you, doing battle for your well being and protection, you would be wide awake and expecting good in every event.

At the end of the day, as you lay your head down for a few hours, I take the mind I gave you and cleanse it by the words I have hidden there, My Holy Spirit brings them to remembrance and washes you in them.  I make all things new, all things fresh, all things better.  Do not fear, I am right here, holding your hand.. even while you sleep."

Proverbs 6:21Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. 22When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you. 23For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light;

 Psalm 121:4
"He who watches over you will not slumber. The Lord will keep you from all harm -- he will watch over your life." Psalm 121:3b, 7

Psalm3:5I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustains me. 6I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about

I shall not be shaken

I have been hearing about how things are all new, all fresh, all shaken up.  How a storm of God is on the earth (in a good way).

Some things will be shaken that the world will not understand.  Some other things will not be.  The question is what about me.. you... our friends and family.  Will they be shaken?  What will shake them.

It is a hard question.  IF you find yourself between two opinions and the world starts to move under you, shaking will happen.  If you are firmly planted on the rock, you might know the world is shaking, but you won't be shaken.

So what of those who are shaken up at every turn, every event, every moon, every star sign, every war, every rumor of war, every technology change, every supposed sign of the end.  People can and do live in fear of these things.  They comport their lives to them. They are shaken.  Look at all the blood moon foolishness of a couple months ago.  Where did that go?

Now we are moving into a new season.  The holidays are here.  Things will drift back into a normality.. UNTIL some other event comes that shakes everybody.

The word of God is pretty clear on this. It should not be our portion to be shaken by everything.  Not by every wind of doctrine.  Not by events.  Not by signs in the sky or in the stars.  When we find ourselves submitted to these fears and shakings we demonstrate that we are doubleminded. On one hand we say we Love and Trust the Father..except for the shaking around us.  When God says "I will shake everything that can be shaken" he doesnt' mean you.

Psalm 16:7-11(amplified) says:

I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my heart (mind) instructs me in the night.
I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my glory [my innermost self] rejoices;
My body too will dwell [confidently] in safety,
For You will not abandon me to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. 
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Here's what I hear the Lord Saying:
"As you keep your eyes on me, as you focus on who I am and not your circumstance, I will be strong for you.. your right hand of power to overcome all the world and it's tribulation.  Even when things look black, dark and discouraging, I am light.  I alone can bring you out and thru.  Don't look to the left or the right, don't fear the fowler for I have freed you from his hand, stay on the path of light and keep you mind stayed on ME.  As you do, the world make shake rattle and roll but you will not be moved.  Get back up on the rock..it is higher than you are and stand strong and steady.  The shaking is not for you.  You will not be shaken".

Our Optimistic Father

Last Sunday I was struck by the power of Optimism.  I can be pessimistic and critical. I need no practice in that.  Yet as I considered the word of God and the revelation of the Father in Jesus I see the power Optimism has.

A few thoughts from the word:

• While we were yet sinners He died for us, that takes some vision and optimism.
• Love never gives up, hopes all things, never loses faith, endures all things
• 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.
• I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future..
• 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."

In fact as I pondered the word of God in this regard I began to see a stream of truth, God is very high on YOU.  Your problem isn't God.  He offers hope, a good future and an expected end.  Even if you read the Old Testament there appears to be harsh judgement things, but there is always an optimistic result.  Victories won, people restored, blessings commanded.

The world sees the things of God as mean and condemning.   Yet, as I get to know Him more and more I see him as Father of LIGHT!! 

He spoke to me today, maybe to you thru this as well:

"My son you have many things that drag you down, many concerns, many discouragements, YET I have not changed, I won't fail you, I won't ever leave or forsake you.  You are always on my mind.  The days ARE evil but in ME you find redemption of them.  Your days will manifest better and better as you draw closer to me.  I will bring you HOPE and JOY.  Your countenance will brighten.  You will look better.  There is no darkness in me at all.. only light, truth, joy, peace and optimism.  Find it and keep it.  Your future is so bright that even sunglasses can't shade it."

How the devil devours and destroys

We are ignorant of the the devils schemes.  We think he kills.  No he doesn't.  He lies.  His lies then pervert people's thinking and the result is people kill themselves and each other. 

Evil always perverts.  It doesn't kill.  We do that to each other.

The perversion of goodness and mercy ends up resulting in murder on the streets, victimization, abortion supported by government, fornication, fatherless children, cheating, poverty mentality, incarceration, abuse, mental illness, myths, homosexual normality even in marriage, godlessness from demented religion, weakness, physical decline, slums, dependency and the worst kinds of lives imagined.

The devil has won, and people most abused have allowed this, even invited this by allowing perversion to enter in. I know this sounds like a word against people in poverty and those abused.  It is not, it is a word to say what Father says:

"I have good plans for you, plans for a good future, plans for prosperity, plans for you to be in health and a sound mind, plans for you to walk in confidence, plans for you to live according to the ten principles I gave at Sinai.  Do not accept the cultural lies, don't allow those around you to drag you down, back to a place I never intended you to be.  Your enemy is looking for whom he may devour, and he does it by having you devour one another.  Rise up, there is  a great future when you turn your back on the things that have brought you to this place.  To return to ME you must REPENT, turn around, turn from all those things that have been a lie in your life.  I will heal you and come to you like the rain, fresh rain.  I will wash you clean and restore you to what you never knew, but you must renounce the lies that have placed you in chains.  I cannot restore one who has one foot in the world and one in my kingdom."

Two Kinds of Righteousness

In the past few days I have been pondering the whole concept of righteousness and it's duality of expression.

One is the righteousness that comes from our relationship with Jesus as Savior.  When we come into that, no matter what we did or even do we are righteous in the sight of God. We are saved.  Headed for heaven. Righteous by faith, not works.  A right relationship with God.  Our righteousness is imputed thru the grace of GOD.  I don't think many people will struggle with that definition.

There is however another kind of righteousness. One that you DON'T have to be a christian to demonstrate.  It is a righteousness of works.  Doing the Right thing.  Righteousness in the eyes of the world.   The Reformers also called it active righteousness, civil righteousness, proper righteousness, the righteousness of the Law, and the righteousness of reason or philosophy.  This kind of righteousness the righteousness of character deals with a person’s attitudes and behaviors.

A sinner headed for hell can be righteous in the eyes of the world.  You have known some good moral men and women, even atheists who have profound moral centers and would not do a thing wrong that could be questioned.  They are many times more righteous than many saints in the church.

If there are these two kinds of righteousness, worldly and by grace thru faith, then is it possible for a person to be saved, even filled with the Holy Ghost and yet unrighteous in worldly things.  Not righteous in Character, reason, philosophy, the moral law of God, not actively righteous according to works and demonstrating improper righteousness?

I have known many people who are morally corrupt tongue talking dance sing raise their hands heaven bound Christians saved by grace but unrighteous in the flesh.  Some are even ministers of the Gospel.

Do we have a right to judge them?  Yes.  God does.  Yet his grace is secure, they are just outside of  the blessing God provides by living righteously.  Not saved by works, but blessed in doing right.

I won't define what that is, it is not structured from relativism.  Murder is murder, Sin is sin, Adultery and Fornication are still sin, stealing is sin, lying is sin, taking the Lords name in vain is sin.  All of those things in the ten commandments are still sin.  You can sin against them, be forgiven and still go to heaven, you just go unrighteous in your flesh.

BUT WAIT you say, what about the forgiveness of God?  Yes, it exists and is complete.  Positionally you are just as a saved as you were.   Positionally righteous, but not practically righteous.  There is a difference.

I came to this meditation while looking at the promises of God concerning the Righteous.  I could list them all here, you can look them up for yourself, but I am beginning to wonder if we don't get the two confused.  Here is the passage:

Psalm 37:25-28
25I was young and now I am old,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.

26They are always generous and lend freely;

their children will be a blessing.^b

27Turn from evil and do good;

then you will dwell in the land forever.

28For the Lord loves the just

and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Have you not seen the children of the positionally saved righteous begging for bread?  I have.  A lot. They are righteous in the grace of God but not in practice.

In fact if you read the whole Psalm, there is a condemnation that I see on a lot that the Psalmist calls wicked.  Some positionally righteous are also wicked.  I have known them.. and so have you.

So what of this?  We must learn to live in the fear of the Lord, not about sin, Grace covers that, but in the practical righteousness that provides blessing, provision, protection, prosperity, long life, good seed in generations and fullness of Joy.

We do well by doing GOOD.  That is the word of the Lord for someone.  That will irritate many who think they can live in the free grace of God without practical righteousness and still receive the blessings of the Lord.  To paraphrase a commercial. That's not how it works, that's not how any of this works.

It is not good for Man to be alone

Many people have rejected church attendance because of the sins of many churches.  I won't go into that here.  That's not the point of this word.  What is important to know is how often people as they get older are alone and die alone.  No one to talk to as they pass away.  No one to care.

We hear the words, "Church Family" often.  It's more often emptier words than it should be.  Humans were created for fellowship, relationship, community, friendship and all the pain and joy that it brings.  Living and dying all alone is not God's best for any of us.

This is not an argument for why you need to "Join" a church.  That's another discussion.  It is however an argument why you and I need to be connected to people of like precious faith.  People who care. People who will be involved and keep up with you.  How important it is to have fellowship and live in community where you will be missed if you aren't there.

Some people find that in a club.  Some in a bar.  Some in work.  That's all good, but if you are a believer perhaps you need to be with others who share your passion for things of God.  Iron sharpens Iron.  We all know that.  Yet.  Sometimes the sharpening hurts.  It's painful to go thru the process.

In ministering to people, many are alone, many are lonely, many are hungry for human interaction.  That is why social media has taken off.. but there is an illusion.  Social media is no replacement for human touch.  We need each other.

This is particularly true when difficulty and crisis hits. I spoke with two men yesterday who are now single again. Marriages dissolved.  For both of these precious men my consolation is that they need to be connected with others.

I will grant you that the church is often weak in this area.  It can be as superficial as social media.  Yet who else are you going to bond with.  You need people around you to speak words of encouragement, words of faith, words of hope when you don't have any.  You need to be around people who are of good cheer who won't drag you down.

Protect your heart.

But don't be alone.  Find other believers.  Stay in fellowship.

You know this, but perhaps we need to hear it once again: 

A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.  Ecclesiastes 4:12

I don't often link to things on this blog, but this word came out of reading this tragic story of a man who died alone. We need each other.

Why Prosperity Evades MANY Christians

I posted this. Some of the comments I got were grievous, some amusing and some uplifting. I see Jesus in everything and understand the heart of God according to His word. This will test your heart.

Here's the prophetic truth: How you responded FIRST in your heart to this is the reason Father can or cannot trust you with riches. You are to be a conduit. You are to be His way to bless others (Blessed to be a blessing). You are to walk in perfect integrity. You are to have already made the decision on the right thing to do in this case without question.  It should be instinctive. Don't wait till you are faced with this to begin to figure out whether to do the right thing. If you responded in finders keepers losers weepers or maybe Jesus put it there for me to find, you need to check your heart.
 
I try very hard to live this way and more I see how that relates to God's willingness to trust me. Many times I have argued with a clerk who gave me too much change or forgot to scan something or who undercharged me. Integrity in all things is the door to blessing.

I won't tell you what to do, but you need to know that poverty or prosperity starts with your attitude towards this question.  Father has already tested you in this area more than once in the past, you know that. Every time you failed, he lets you circle Sinai one more time.  He can't bring you into the promised land without getting Egypt out of your heart.  A wilderness mentality will keep you in the wilderness of poverty.

You will never have what you need till you change your heart. No condemnation here, just asking you to think better of your character. Character precedes prosperity. The world will have you thinking otherwise. They will tell you the rich got rich thru corrupt character. I know the opposite is true, I know the very wealthy. I live among them. I have been very wealthy, twice.  My character is still in training. Those who achieve ungodly riches fall quickly.  I asked the Lord once, why I have made and lost so much money in my life, He told me that it was because I wasn't ready for all He wants me to handle. I want to be ready.

Jesus spoke to this very thing in Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11"Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12"And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?"

And all thru the word of God this is a strong theme:

1 Timothy 6:9-10
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Proverbs 22:1
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.

Proverbs 28:6
Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

Proverbs 11:28
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

I won't argue about what you should have done.  That's between you and God. I'll allow the spirit of God to check you out in this area. I know what I would do, but if you aren't sure.. you aren't ready to prosper.

Only God is Perfect, Waiting till YOU are is Killing YOU

This morning I have been impressed of the Lord to encourage you.  We know the syndrome.  People don't come to the Lord because they want to wait until they are perfect.  They think they can't bring their sin into the relationship that Jesus wants to have with them.  So they die lost.

That is simply bad theology.  But you knew that.  Just as I am without one plea.. still applies.

However the reality is we apply this same bad theology to many other parts of our lives, we wait till things are just right before we pull the trigger on life.  We wait to take a vacation.  We wait to have children.  We wait to enter the workforce till we have all the education money can buy.  We wait to buy a home.  We wait to start a business.  Wait till the time is right to get married.  Wait to change jobs.  WAIT

In life we hate waiting in line, waiting to talk to the help line, waiting to be served.  We are impatient with everyone but ourselves.  We are the worst enemy we have because we force ourselves to wait.  We think we have good reasons, but we know in our heart we don't.

Obedience requires action.  I know that passages regarding waiting on the Lord are plentiful.  Some have used these verses as excuses for Holy Procrastination.  When Noah was called on by the Lord to build the Ark, he did.  He didn't wait till it started to rain.

When the Spies were sent into the land and came back with the reports, 10 of them said, "It's just not the right time, we need to wait to go in".  Faithlessness generates this kind of procrastination and as a result all those spies and those of the same age were dead before they could enter the promised land.  That is happening every day to saints.  They hold back till the "Right Time".

While there is a time to wait, there is also a time to act:

• Proverbs 13:4
  The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
   
• Proverbs 12:24
  The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.
   
• Proverbs 20:4
• The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing. (It's just not the right time to plow, right?)
   
• Ephesians 5:15-17
  Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
   
• James 4:17
  So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
   
• Ecclesiastes 11:4
  He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. (The TIME is never right for those who are too fearful to take action now)
   
• Proverbs 5:23
  He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.
   
• Proverbs 14:23
  In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
   
• Matthew 8:21
  Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” (the time was not right for him to follow Jesus..)
   
• Proverbs 22:13
  The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!”  (imagined dangers in action means fear paralyzes)
   
• Psalm 90:12
  So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.  (Wisdom means you won't live forever, but you will die)
   
• Proverbs 24:30-34
  I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.  (I'll get to that project tomorrow when the time is right)

I don't know what the Lord is stirring by this, but this has been strong on me.. and maybe it is for someone who needed to be encouraged to act.  

What is Lurking Out There?

People live in some concern about the future.  What is about to happen.  This is where some of the end times hysteria kicks in.  This is why so much teaching on hidden evil, Jezebel, secret this or that. 

Then there is the paranormal, UFOs, Ghosts and all kinds of crime shows that show evil lurking around every corner.

This is not to deny that the potential for evil exists.  You only have to watch the news to see more than you want to.

But THIS MORNING I heard a word from the Lord that you need to hear too.  It might have been for me, but I suspect there are a few of my loyal readers that will be able to receive this:

"I am about to do some things in your life that will surprise you in an excellent way.  You don't even suspect the good things I have in store for you.  It's more than you can think or imagine. It's more than what you hoped for.  It's going to wash away tears and fears you have carried for a long time. I am secretly hiding just outside your view to come to you in new ways.  New things.  New friends.  New opportunity.  Like your mom or dad would hide your Christmas or Birthday presents from you,  they knew what was in them, they knew you were about to find yourself receiving a wonderful gift you never even knew was there.  I KNOW what I have in store for you.  I am a GOOD FATHER and in that you can trust.  So don't worry so much about what evil, what difficulty, what struggle you have.  I am not only overcoming the world and it's system I already know the plans I have for you to do you good.  I am lurking just outside your door with great things in store for you and it makes ME  happy to see your face filled with JOY.  Get Ready... "

Entering Worship

I know I'm not supposed to look. I know I am supposed to have my hands raised and eyes closed.

But I look.

When I see a worship band participant entering into the worship it makes me realize that the anointing is there for a reason.  Not entertainment, not waiting their part till the guitar or drum riff shows up.

I mean when I see a drummer, a keyboardist, a guitar player who does not have a mike singing along, worshiping, entered in, it makes me happy, excited.  There is something GOOD about all that.

What grieves me is the passive, "I'd rather be bowling" look I see on some people standing on the platform passively strumming or plinking while the congregation hungers for something real.

Worship is a blood sport, it amplifies the sacrifice and sanctification that the Blood of Jesus brought us and it let's HIM know that we bow down in worship to the King.

Enter in Worship leaders, even if you have to fake it till you make it. 

Dominion is an Internal Work of God

I have said that the wild and woolly world of the traveling Evangelist in Christendom is what keeps the airlines from going broke.  I wonder so many times why they don't run into each other on the highway.  Minister A flies from Chicago to Philadelphia to bring the word of the Lord to that city while Minister B is flying from Philadelphia to Chicago with both of them having ONE THING on their mind, to bring the word of the Lord to.. well whatever destination is printed on their airline ticket.

I know there is a time and a place for this.   One of my favorite people in ministry travels a great deal.  Hard working man. YET... I recall how we put together "Mission Trips" to Chicago from Fargo North Dakota.  We came, we saw, we didn't do much and we went back. It was a plan.  Mostly it was used to broaden the goer rather than those to whom they went.

The same thing is true of those who seek to benefit from having a minister from the USA come to Boogla Boogla Africa or Hiduia India.  I get these invites all the time on Facebook and by Email.  They pretty much are designed to import money and connect people without a purpose. It's a longer distance low impact mission trip like we made from Fargo to Chicago,  full of sound and fury signifying little.

Meanwhile, people who really need to hear the word of the Lord are just down the street.  Just over there. Close, hungry, needy. I'm not talking about charity, I'm talking about an encouragement that will bring them out of a hole they have dug, or fell into.

When I look at the Book of Acts... going was only for a few until the diaspora.  It was not a job.  Most were called to stay.  I know it's common to quote Keith Green who famously said, "You gotta be called to stay", but I'm not convinced he was right.

The real engine of evangelism that is changing the world is an internal engine.   The sparks have already happened.  China is now almost the largest Christian Nation on the face of the earth internally driven.  Africa is almost the largest Christian continent.  India is burgeoning.  All over the face of the globe as we see the Kingdom expanding but it's no longer because airplanes are spending fuel to haul folks there.  Let's just tell ourselves the truth, it's more to benefit the goer than the goee.  It's a large form mission trip. Expanding horizons, sometimes little more than a Holy Vacation.

This is even true regionally.  We are called to go where we are able to make a difference, where we are received, where we can make an impact, where in fact we can make the world we live in better, the woodpile higher because of our presence as we bring the word of the Lord.  IF we aren't accepted, received then move on to where we are.  Yelling at a brick wall is useless. The other end of the spectrum the closed loop echo chamber.  We have that in the Church.  Those who recycle the same speakers with the same word and call it breakthrough.  We need some cross pollination.  We need to hear the word from those you have never heard before. Get out of the echo chamber. We don't need to travel around the world or even across the country to do this.  Within a 3 hour drive from where you are right now, you can make a difference.  If we all did that and concentrated on bringing our nation to Jesus we would have won the USA by now.  But we aren't.   Instead, we are off to Africa, India and Pakistan.

I am operating as a prophet telling you what you already know in your heart but never had the guts to say;  We have misunderstood the whole Great Commission.  Jesus didn't say, "Buy a ticket and go into all the world", what he did say was "AS YOU GO into all the world, the world you occupy, the world you find yourself in, Preach, Baptize and make Disciples (who will also follow suit)".   You can do the study on the words and grasp this truth.  He knew that there was about to be a great "Going" when Jerusalem was destroyed in 72AD.  He was preparing them for that event.

You are not called to go, you are called to do what you do and go where you go and make a difference.  Do that and the kingdom will expand.  It's proven to work, the Chinese people couldn't go anywhere yet they now are dominant in their culture (They have Dominion).  Let's get dominant.

That is the word of the Lord for someone who is feeling sad that they aren't traveling all over the place like everyone else seems to be doing.

There is no Compromise, a Call to Cross the Culture

We live in a world that believes in compromise.  That believes in going along to get along.  That thinks that anyone who takes a stand against evil is crazy.  This is true in all the areas of life.  Gay marriage, legal drugs, abortion and anti Christ religious systems like Islam.  We could all do better if we just bent a bit on our beliefs.  That if we were just more "reasonable" everything would be OK.

That is a trap of the devil.  Even the Pope has come to the recognition that something is wrong and that a seared conscience is a victory for the enemy.

Here is a recap of what he said, he is speaking truth:

“The evil one conceals himself, and comes with his very polite friends, knocking at the door, asking permission, but then moves in and spends time with the man and, little by little, starts giving the orders.”
With his “good manners,” Francis said, the devil makes the man fall into moral relativism, calming his conscience.
We start saying things like “This happens everywhere” and “We are all sinners,” Francis said. Yet “When we say everybody, we mean nobody,” he said. “And so we live this worldliness that is the child of the evil spirit.”
“Calming the conscience, numbing the conscience, this is a great evil,” he said.
“When the devil manages to numb your conscience he has won a real victory,” Francis said, because “he has become the master of your conscience.”
The Pope said that the key to combating the devil is discernment and vigilance. We need to be able to discern situations, he said, to see what comes from God and what comes from the devil who “always tries to deceive” and to “make us choose the wrong path.”
The Christian cannot just accept anything, but must “discern and look well to see where things come from, and what their root is,” he said.

As believers in Christ we are called to be counter Cultural.  Our culture has become violent, murderous, corrupt, hypocritical, cruel and coarse.  Listen to the language people use, even women.  I remember the first time I ever heard a woman use the F Word.. it stunned me.  Not now.

This has discouraged me because as a believer we have lost our way.  We have become adaptable. Yet the call to become salt and light once again in a dark and tasteless world is being shouted from the watchtower.

We cannot compromise.  We cannot become just like the culture.  We must stand or we will begin to fall till we cannot get up.  We are dangerously close to that right now.  This culture is winning and the church is losing.  Jesus is calling to us to stand.

In Ephesians 4:21-32 there is a passage that calls to us to be different from the world.

  Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²² throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. ²³ Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴ Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
²⁵ So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. ²⁶ And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
²⁸ If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. ²⁹ Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
³⁰ And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. ³² Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

While the call looks like WE need to be better, it is also a call to be salt and light, counter cultural.  Don't go along to get along.  Don't endorse or embrace evil.  We are to be different, not compromised.

Here's what I hear the Spirit of the Lord saying:

I have called you to be light bearers. I have called you to speak life.  I have called you to raise a standard of righteousness.  There is no darkness at all in heaven, and there is no darkness in ME.  Let no darkness reign in your heart.  The enemy roaring lion is still looking for those he can consume.  Don't be among them.  Many who say Lord Lord will find the answer "I never knew you" on that day.  Every day is a choosing between good and evil, darkness and light, my way or the way of perdition.  You choose constantly, choose well.  The leaven of those who would cause you to stumble is everywhere.. walk carefully as my light and word illuminates your path. 

The Stable Man or Woman of GOD

Psalm 112 has been one of my favorites for a long time.  It is a standard I want to live up to.  I don't always succeed, but playing till I win is the only way to play.  Never ever give up. 

Here is the Psalm, without edit, and from a version of the word that I never read.. except this made sense.  The easy to read.

My Goal, and perhaps yours:

Psalm 112:
Great blessings belong to those who fear and respect the Lord,who are happy to do what he commands.

Their descendants will be given power on earth.Those who do right will be greatly blessed.

Their family will be very rich,and their goodness will continue forever.

A light shines in the dark for those who are good,for those who are merciful, kind, and fair.

It is good for people to be kind and generous and to be fair in business.

Such good people will never fall.They will always be remembered.

They will not be afraid of bad news. They are confident because they trust in the Lord.

They remain confident and without fear, so they defeat their enemies.

They freely give to the poor. Their goodness will continue forever. They will be honored with victory.

The wicked become angry when they see this. They grind their teeth in anger, but then they disappear.    They will never get what they want most.

Meaningless Meaningless.. A Prophetic Word on the Shooting at the College in Oregon

As more unfold about this man who killed the people in Oregon at the Community College, I am reminded of his meaningless life.

People's search for meaning outside of the Living God is futile and empty.  I know that's a pretty strong statement, but it's true.  Atheism is living death.  You live and then you die and then nothingness.  Meaningless life.

The killer commented that the devil will welcome him in HELL.  I don't know if the devil did.. or not, in my theology that's not how it works.  The devil is a fellow condemned being.  No welcoming takes place.

Here's what I heard the Lord Say:

"People are asking why, what happened to him, what does this mean, how can we stop it?  There are some who think they have a solution.  The dead soul will replicate itself.. in further death.  The answer is life, the life I bring, the life I am in you.  You are light and life.  There are many walking dead among you, touch them where they are and help them find real meaning.  I gave you My Spirit to enable you, to empower you to be the witness you were called to be.  As far as those who were bold enough to say YES and were then killed... I got them.  They are safe with me.  They wouldn't come back even if they could.  Yet the potential invested in them is lost. It wasn't my will, but I make all things new, I am using this to remind people that evil is and that I am the answer.  Stay strong, speak out life and bring peace.  No law or laws can create peace.  Peace I give you, MY PEACE.  Share it with the lost living meaningless lives."

Reading Ecclesiastes Chapters one and two NLT.  They speak of how life can be meaningless:


Chapter One These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.
Everything Is Meaningless 2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” 3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. 9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11 We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now. The Teacher Speaks: The Futility of Wisdom 12 I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. 14 I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind. 15 What is wrong cannot be made right. What is missing cannot be recovered. 16 I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” 17 So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind. 18 The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.

The Futility of Pleasure Chapter 2 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2 So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” 3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. 4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. 7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. 8 I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! 9 So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. 11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. The Wise and the Foolish 12 So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). 13 I thought, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. 15 Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!” 16 For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten. 17 So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind. The Futility of Work 18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! 20 So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world. 21 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless. 24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

An Honest Inquiry, Are we Watching Long Deep Cycles of the Prophetic?

Can we be honest and not rely on simple dogma?  Can an honest question be asked?  I'm asking a question that no other prophet has the guts to ask.  I'm not saying thus and so, thus saith the Lord, I am saying HE DID SAY THIS and now once more it seems to be something to pay attention to.  I'm going to explode a few heads here.. the end of the world is not imminent, but something is up.  We have some Biblical information as to what is potentially on the horizon. I can find no historical parallel for this event.  It doesn't seem to be anywhere I looked.

I have maintained for a long time that to understand Bible Prophecy you have to look at the then, later and eventual serial fulfillment. Long Deep Cycles. That some did happen, some have happened and some will happen again.  They are there for our understanding that history has the same players doing the same things under the influence of evil. The devil has no new schemes.  This is not a harbinger regarding the end of the world, this is just one more chapter in history. I am publishing in full passages from Ezekiel that seem to be relevant once again. I am as preteristic as the next person but there are deep long cycles at work.. remember the enemy has nothing new.. he just recycles old strategies starting with the first one, "Hath God Said".

Bolding and footnotes inserted are mine.


Ezekiel 38
New Living Translation (NLT)
A Message for Gog

38 This is another message that came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. 3 Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy! 4 I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army—your horses and charioteers in full armor and a great horde armed with shields and swords. 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya (Iran and the other Islamic States) will join you, too, with all their weapons. 6 Gomer (Probably Armenia or Azerbijan) and all its armies will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah (Turkey) from the distant north, and many others.

7 “Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them. 8 A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel. 9 You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.

10 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme. 11 You will say, ‘Israel is an unprotected land filled with unwalled villages! I will march against her and destroy these people who live in such confidence! 12 I will go to those formerly desolate cities that are now filled with people who have returned from exile in many nations. I will capture vast amounts of plunder, for the people are rich with livestock and other possessions now. They think the whole world revolves around them!’ 13 But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Do you really think the armies you have gathered can rob them of silver and gold? Do you think you can drive away their livestock and seize their goods and carry off plunder?’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: When my people are living in peace in their land, then you will rouse yourself. 15 You will come from your homeland in the distant north with your vast cavalry and your mighty army, 16 and you will attack my people Israel, covering their land like a cloud. At that time in the distant future, I will bring you against my land as everyone watches, and my holiness will be displayed by what happens to you, Gog. Then all the nations will know that I am the Lord.

17 “This is what the Sovereign Lord asks: Are you the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel’s prophets that in the future I would bring you against my people? 18 But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over! 19 In my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day. 20 All living things—the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people on earth—will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth. 21 I will summon the sword against you on all the hills of Israel, says the Sovereign Lord. Your men will turn their swords against each other. 22 I will punish you and your armies with disease and bloodshed; I will send torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur! 23 In this way, I will show my greatness and holiness, and I will make myself known to all the nations of the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

The Slaughter of Gog’s Hordes

Ezekiel 39 “Son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am your enemy, O Gog, ruler of the nations of Meshech and Tubal. 2 I will turn you around and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north. 3 I will knock the bow from your left hand and the arrows from your right hand, and I will leave you helpless. 4 You and your army and your allies will all die on the mountains. I will feed you to the vultures and wild animals. 5 You will fall in the open fields, for I have spoken, says the Sovereign Lord. 6 And I will rain down fire on Magog and on all your allies who live safely on the coasts. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

7 “In this way, I will make known my holy name among my people of Israel. I will not let anyone bring shame on it. And the nations, too, will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 8 That day of judgment will come, says the Sovereign Lord. Everything will happen just as I have declared it.

9 “Then the people in the towns of Israel will go out and pick up your small and large shields, bows and arrows, javelins and spears, and they will use them for fuel. There will be enough to last them seven years! 10 They won’t need to cut wood from the fields or forests, for these weapons will give them all the fuel they need. They will plunder those who planned to plunder them, and they will rob those who planned to rob them, says the Sovereign Lord.

11 “And I will make a vast graveyard for Gog and his hordes in the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea. It will block the way of those who travel there, and they will change the name of the place to the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. 12 It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the bodies and cleanse the land. 13 Everyone in Israel will help, for it will be a glorious victory for Israel when I demonstrate my glory on that day, says the Sovereign Lord.

14 “After seven months, teams of men will be appointed to search the land for skeletons to bury, so the land will be made clean again. 15 Whenever bones are found, a marker will be set up so the burial crews will take them to be buried in the Valley of Gog’s Hordes. 16 (There will be a town there named Hamonah, which means ‘horde.’) And so the land will finally be cleansed.

17 “And now, son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Call all the birds and wild animals. Say to them: Gather together for my great sacrificial feast. Come from far and near to the mountains of Israel, and there eat flesh and drink blood! 18 Eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of princes as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all fattened animals from Bashan! 19 Gorge yourselves with flesh until you are glutted; drink blood until you are drunk. This is the sacrificial feast I have prepared for you. 20 Feast at my banquet table—feast on horses and charioteers, on mighty men and all kinds of valiant warriors, says the Sovereign Lord.

21 “In this way, I will demonstrate my glory to the nations. Everyone will see the punishment I have inflicted on them and the power of my fist when I strike. 22 And from that time on the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. 23 The nations will then know why Israel was sent away to exile—it was punishment for sin, for they were unfaithful to their God. Therefore, I turned away from them and let their enemies destroy them. 24 I turned my face away and punished them because of their defilement and their sins.


In view of all this, it seems like a bad time to sign up to be a Russian Soldier..