Wednesday, March 20, 2013

don't quench the Spirit

When it comes to the prophetic the spectrum of what people believe it is or what it looks or sounds like varies greatly. The spectrum is just as wide for how prophetic words are received. According to the apostle Paul prophesy should be one of the most desired gifts, yet it is the treated with the most fear. I remember when I was first discovering the prophetic one of my early spiritual leaders told me that I need to be careful with that. I have seen people who are perfectly happy praying in tongues all day will accept a little healing here and there but will run and cower when it comes to the prophetic. I believe there are a couple of reasons for this wariness one being gift abuse, there are too many that use the prophetic to manipulate others, which is witchcraft, or the use it to try and look spiritual and draw attention to themselves, or they use the gift to rain condemnation down on folks.
We need to remember that the heart of every gift from Abba is love. His desire is for us to use them in love. When He shows us the treasures that He has hidden in people it is so we can speak life into them and call those things out. When He shows us areas of struggle or sin in peoples lives it isn't to condemn or shame  them, it is so we can pray for those things so they can gain victory, it gives us a strategy to invade the enemies strongholds in their lives so that we can speak to that thing in them that will cause their spirit to rise up and be victorious.
One other thing is when prophets have words for churches, communities, states, countries or even specific people groups especially when they see things that could bring potential disaster they still need to respond to these words with Abba's heart of love and not condemnation. I believe He shows you these things so that you can get the intercessors praying into whatever will bring life into those situations. Remember He sent Jonah to Nineveh even though they were ridiculous murders so that they could be redeemed.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 "Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy]  Spirit; Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or exhortation or warning]. But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast."

Monday, March 18, 2013

joyful and thankful

This sounded like good scripture to start the week with.  We need to be joyful and thankful despite our circumstances. Doesn't mean we need to stay in our present circumstances but that we need to adjust our attitudes toward them so that we can with a positive attitude push toward the best things that Abba has for us.
Have a great week, happy Monday.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]."

Friday, March 15, 2013

knock it off

One thing that I am sure of is that being a part of the body of Christ is essential to our growth as Christians and people. Whenever you detach yourself for any length of time your health declines, but it also makes it so a part of the body is missing. If I were to cut my finger finger off I would have 2 choices I could just leave it behind get the closed up and just continue to move through life without the finger would I get by yes but I wouldn't be whole, and the finger would rot and die because it no lo ger has a connected source of life. My other choice would be to pick that finger up get to the hospital so a skilled surgeon can reattach it and hopefully have complete restoration with care and time.
One of the enemies tactics is to get us divided from the rest of the body. He tries to convince us that when we get our feelings hurt by another Christian or when we start feeling unworthy that we are better off detaching because we and them will be better off. Then once you are separated he's convinces you that you don't need to rejoin that you can do it on your own, but its a lie from the king of liars. If you stay detached you are no longer a part of the True Vine that is the source of life, you will eventually shrivel up and die.
Don't get me wrong sometimes being a part of the body isn't easy, you will get you feelings hurt people will say and do stupid things including the leaders in the body. We have a responsibility in how we react to those things and even in making sure we aren't setting unfair expectations on ourselves and others. We can only achieve fullness of life and Christ when we stay in relationship and build and encourage and love on one another.
So if you are detached trying to do it on your own knock it off and find a body to connect to so you can get healthy and enjoy the fullness of all God has for you. If you are in a body and you are judgmental and condenscending knock it off you aren't better than anyone else learn how to love better and be more full of grace helping to be restorers, so the body can be healthy again.
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up  (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities, Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing  (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you  see the day approaching."

Thursday, March 14, 2013

dust it off

What are the gifts that Abba has given you? It is our responsibility to keep the passion for gifts stirred, continuing to function in them.  He does not give them to us to horde or to put on a shelf as trophies. He gives them to us to use and grow in so that we in turn can give them away. In His economy when He gives to you and you take that thing and hive it to others doesn't mean you lose it, because as you give He gives more. We need to pull them off the shelf dust them off and put them to good use.
And when it comes to functioning in our gifts we can't let fear of others thinking bad things about us to keep us from doing what we are called to. Moving in and functioning in our gifts should be normal, and those around us should welcome them because of our character, evidence of self-control and discipline.
2 Timothy 1:6-7 "That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination]. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control."

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

ever have one of those mornings?

Ever have one of those mornings when you wake up tired and all you want to do is go back to bed, but you have to be responsible and get ready for work anyway?  Up that's me this morning and twice in my internal whining to myself I am shown the verses in Ephesian's that talk about putting on your armor. Think someone is trying to tell me something? Then it was impressed upon me that sometimes when you are tired is when you especially need to armor up, not as much to engage fully in the battle but for self protection in a time of vulnerability. Bill Johnson says that he doesn't need to put his armor on in the morning because he doesn't take it off at night. Another thing that stood out to me was that when we put the armor on we are to "stand" and "pray in the Spirit".
So if you took your armor off last night, put it back on this morning. It is a protective gift from Abba. Just in engaging in that process improves our attitudes for the day and causes us to rely on His strength and not our own.
Ephesians 6:10-19 "In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to  resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right  standing with God, And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God. Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people). And [pray] also for me, that [freedom of] utterance may be given me, that I may open my mouth to proclaim boldly the mystery of the good news (the Gospel),"

Monday, March 11, 2013

not just one

To truly know the fullness of Christ you need to have both knowledge of and experience with Him. It can't be solely based on one or the other.
Ephesians 3:17-19 "May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through  experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!"

Saturday, March 9, 2013

focus focus focus

Sometimes we need to focus more on the incredible things He has already provided us, instead of the things we feel that we deserve and haven't received. He has already given more than enough. Changing your focus adjusts your attitude, where are you focused today?
Romans 5:1-5 "THEREFORE, SINCE we are justified (acquitted, declared  righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely]  stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of  experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us."

Thursday, March 7, 2013

walk it out

Sometimes we need a reminder of Abba's viewpoint on where He has placed, His intentions for us and the authority we were originally designed for. Do you have a desire to see His majestic name fill the earth? Then walkout who and what He has created you to be.
Psalm 8:1-9 "O'LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority— the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O'LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!"

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

journaling

Anyone that has spent any time with Laura and I have heard the importance of journaling, something that I learned from my mentor. A friend of ours shared this excerpt from one of James Goll's books I thought it would be good to pass it on.
James W. Goll:

Journaling As a Tool of Retaining Revelation

Do you need help retaining what you have already received? Then I have a simple remedy for you – journal! Yes, it is one of those awesome spiritual disciplines! Journaling is a tried and tested spiritual tool that will help you retain revelation and grow in your capacity to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit. I have tried it, and it works!

Basically, journaling is simply a method of keeping notes for future reference. It can take many forms. Your journal may consist of your prayers, a record of God's answers as you perceive them, and/or a record of what you sense the Holy Spirit is saying to you through His various delivery systems. Journaling is a fundamental and clearly useful Biblical discipline.

Some Believers express concern that journaling is an attempt to put subjective revelation on the same level of authority as Scripture. This is not the case at all. The Bible alone is the infallible Word of God. Journaling is just another tool to help us retain and be more faithful with what He speaks to us.

God speaks to His children much of the time! However, we do not always differentiate His voice from our own thoughts, and thus we are timid at times about stepping out in faith. If we clearly learn to retain what He is speaking to us, we will know that He has already confirmed His voice and Word to us. Thus we will be enabled to walk out God's words to us with greater confidence. Journaling then becomes a way of sorting out God's thoughts from our own.

As it has been for so many, the simple art of recording revelation may prove to be one of the missing links in your own walk of hearing God's voice. Continuity of language, divine suggestions and reminders, and also learning the proper interpretation of symbols, will occur as you use journaling as a creative tool of storing up, and later deciphering, revelation.

I strongly encourage you to start journaling now if you have not already done so. The principles, tips, and suggestions in this chapter will help you get off to a strong start. Those of you who are already engaged in journaling, I urge you to continue!

To encourage you as to the value of journaling, let me share some thoughts on the subject from another elder friend, Herman Riffel. Herman is one of the "patriarchs" of modern-day visionary revelation – an authority not only on dreams and their interpretation but also on journaling as an effective method of retaining revelation.

In life we keep the treasures we value. Unwanted mail that comes is tossed away with just a glance. But bills, whether we like them or not, are carefully laid aside until we pay them. Checks are deposited in the bank so that no money is lost. Diplomas and certificates of recognition are hung on the wall for others to see.
What do we do with the promises the Lord gives us? They are worth more than any amount of money. What happens to the lessons we have learned through difficult and costly experiences? Too often we forget within a day or two the words of encouragement God gave us. The promises vanish away in the midst of new problems, unless we make a proper record of them.
I know by personal experience. Lillie and I pray for our children regularly, often for specific needs. Then we wait on the Lord for His answer, and graciously He gives us a word of encouragement.
Recently one of these words came to us: Salvation shall spring forth like the grass and you will rejoice with joy unspeakable, for I will do what I have promised. Therefore, wait in patience and trust in Me, for I am faithful.
This was an encouraging word and we did rejoice in it. Just a few days later, however, I asked Lillie if she remembered what the promise was that God had given. She did not remember, and neither did I, for problems had absorbed our attention again. Since I keep a journal, however, we were able to check it, find the promise, and again receive encouragement.
[Herman H. Riffel]

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

never ever ever....

Our old sinful nature will never ever ever be stronger than the Holy Spirit. We give strength to what we feed. If we continue to choose to feed our former selves then we are choosing to bear bad fruit, giving strength to that which is dead. We need to choose to follow the Spirit in all aspects of our lives so that we continue to produce good fruit that produces life. The choice is yours Abba will not force you, He created us with the free will to choose and He respects that. He doesn't want blind robots (if He did that is what He would have created) He wants people that accept Him and pursue Him freely of their own freewill.
What are you gonna choose?

Galatians 5:16-25 "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives."

Monday, March 4, 2013

fresh start

For some reason this Scripture seemed appropriate as we start this new week. Everyday we have been given is a new opportunity to leave our past behind us and walk into our destinies with Jesus to rely on Him and to become more and more like Him.  I used to be the great procrastinator but as I have matured I have figured out that in procrastinating you are just continually dragging what should have been handled yesterday into today.  So as we go into the day let's not put off to tomorrow what we need to do today, especially if we need to extend forgiveness or need to call that person Abba has put on our hearts that just needs to hear a voice of kindness and love.
Colossians 3:10-17 "Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."

Friday, March 1, 2013

relationship

It's all about relationship and fellowship and caring for and building each other up. You can't do it alone it's not how you were created.  Sometimes doing the above is risky and yes you might get hurt but in the end the love overcomes the pain and you end up being stronger and have greater understanding when you deal with others.
Happy Friday
Hebrews 10:24-25 "And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up  (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities, Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing  (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you  see the day approaching."