Recognizing a True Movement of God

By Carol Madison

When we pray for and speak of revival and transformation, what are the benchmarks we are using to identify a true move of God? Because those terms mean different things in different venues, we need to identify characteristics of a move of God that are supernaturally leading toward true revival and transformation. We should desire nothing less of God!
After traveling to Almolonga, Guatemala, to walk the streets of a completely transformed community, I experienced firsthand a new level of understanding of true transformation. This community was once known for idolatry, crime, drunkenness, and poverty some 20 years ago. Through the power of prayer, God’s presence is so manifest in this mountain village of 19,000 people that more than 85 percent now identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. Most of the 30-plus bars have been replaced by more than 30 churches. The four jails have closed, and crime is so nonexistent that the police no longer carry guns. And most amazing, God has literally healed the land in such a way that Almolonga is now known as the “Valley of Miracles.” The people raise vegetables of biblical proportions. There is no denying that God has miraculously transformed this community!

When we speak of a transformed community, we need to uphold Almolonga and other similar places around the world as the benchmark of a true movement of God. The danger is to define transformation according to our own perceptions or experiences, and in the United States that will most often sell transformation very short!
What Does a True Movement of God Look Like?
What is meant by a true movement of God? Very simply, if it is God, then it defies natural, simple explanations. It is God interrupting the flow of history for the sake of His glory.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss, a recognized speaker on brokenness, repentance, and revival, states: “It is a divine moment when there is a supernatural outpouring of God’s Spirit on His people that cannot be explained in human terms” (Is This Revival? Pamphlet published by Revive Our Hearts).

Duncan Campbell, who helped give pastoral leadership to the revival in the Hebrides Islands in the late 1940s, described the outstanding characteristic of a movement of God: “First, the presence of God.”

John H. Armstrong expands on that definition: “God is always present and reveals Himself in many ways. But a true movement of God is when His presence overwhelms masses of people with an awed sense of Him. It is the manifest presence of God—coming to His people beyond normal experiences—to advance His Kingdom” (When God Moves, Harvest House Publishers, 1998).

Criteria for Determining Reality of a Movement of God
A movement of God can be personal, as in a transformation of a single person. But when we speak of transformation of an entire community, we need to be more discerning of His movement. Here are some criteria that I believe can help in this discernment process.

1. Who should get the credit: God or man?
Not everything that we claim is a move of God truly is. Often things are done more in the flesh than in the Spirit. Guard against declarations of God’s hand that are really the result of our own energies and efforts.
A movement of God is not necessarily measured by numbers of books sold or churches participating in a program. We can very adequately run programs and market products, but only God can bring true transformation of the heart. It’s about heart transformation!
I’ve heard many claims that revival is here, but as revival expert Richard Owen Roberts says, “If you live in the Western World and were born after WWII, you have not witnessed a genuine move of God in revival.” You may or may not agree with statement, but it sets a high standard for definitions of true revival.
A caution on overstatement: I once heard someone state, “We shared the gospel with 10,000 people on Saturday.” That is a powerful claim, but truth is that they sponsored a float in a parade and passed out tracts. Don’t overstate a movement. If it is of God, one doesn’t need to make any greater claims than what God is truly doing. To truly be a movement of God, it needs to have changed or transformed something. God is about transformation, not numbers.

2.Revival movements are characterized by a deep conviction of sin and repentance.
God has established an “If….then” pattern in Scripture that gives a general principle.

2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.”

Malachi 3:7: “Return to me and I will return to you.”
James 4:8-10: “Come near to God and He will come near to you.”

A move of God should include a sober recognition of the holiness of God. Isaiah pretty much sums this up when he says in Isaiah 6:5: "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

If repentance, brokenness, and humility are not a part of it, then I find it suspect. Scripture indicates that God moves in response to obedience. If there is flamboyancy or prideful declarations, perhaps it is not from God.

A true movement of God should also result in a deep hunger for the Word of God that penetrates the heart, brings conviction, and leads to transformation of the heart. It transcends the person preaching or the program.

3.Can you discern a clear “before and after”?
Is there a significant difference, even in the physical realm? I’ve seen people change in physical appearance when they have found freedom and transformation in Christ. Whether physical or spiritual, some change must be evident.

Are there redeemed places you can identify? Pastor Moriano (Almolonga, Guatemala) placed his hands on side of bar in Almolonga and prayed that God would redeem for His Kingdom purposes—and now thousands worship on that very spot in a church that has been established there.

4.Do you see evidences of abundance and restoration?

Psalm 65:5-13 speaks of God-given abundance:
You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.

Those living far away fear your wonders; where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy. You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.

You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.

The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.

This passage declares the abundance and restoration that God delights in bringing. This describes God doing His best work—a true movement!

I saw the contrast between Quetzaltenango and Almolonga, Guatemala—towns just minutes apart from each other. In Quetzaltenango, it was common to see guards with automatic rifles in front of stores and banks—and even McDonalds! Crime was high and it was not safe to walk the streets at night. In contrast, police in Almolonga (just a mile or so away) did not need to carry guns because of God’s protection over the community. Even the marketplaces of the two communities were dramatically different, with an overabundance of produce filling the streets of Almolonga. The vegetables were scrawny and sparse in Quetzaltenango.

5.What are the specific indications that something has changed in the spiritual realm?
People often say, “We prayed, and God gave us a breakthrough.” That may very well be, but what are the evidences? If God broke something, that means something has changed. If God did it in the spiritual, then you should be able to see some manifestation in the natural. Those are the indicators that truly God has moved in a profound way.

6.Is God getting ALL the glory?
So often you see advertisements that state: “Come and see Prophet so and so, and experience miracles?” Notice who is getting the bigger headline—the main speaker, or the manifest presence and holiness of God. Is the focus on sensationalizing something or on some unusual manifestation, or is it on a life-giving encounter with Jesus Christ?

7.Can you verify through a variety of sources?
If it is truly a movement of God, it will touch scores of people. Is there some acknowledgment by others that a change has taken place? Can non-Christians see an objective change?

People might not agree with how or why the change has occurred, but they should be able to see a difference. Almolonga is now called the valley of miracles—you cannot deny that something has happened. I picked up a secular travel book that identified Almolonga as a place with lucrative vegetable export business, a village that has abandoned religious traditions in favor of “evangelism.” More than 25 “evangelist” churches; residents attend at least once a day…The new religion is credited for lowering the rate of alcoholism, as well as for area’s beautiful crop (Hunter Travel Guide to Guatemala, page 171).

8.Do you see some level of community transformation?

Transformation does not mean perfection. But a true move of God cannot help but have an impact on society. It’s not something that happens just within the walls of the church.

If people are continually being drawn to a church because unusual things are happening or they are experiencing emotional encounters, but nothing changes in society—then it is good to question of much of that can be attributed to a movement of God. It may or may not be—but you need to be discerning.

Habakkuk 2:14 holds up a high standard for community transformation: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

The bottom line for a true movement of God is that Jesus’ name is famous and God is glorified in the community. Let’s believe and pray for nothing less!

Spiritual Warrior

I'm going through the book by Graham Cooke "Qualities of a Spiritual Warrior"..

Here's a quote from what I'm reading right now:

"Relentlessly, day after day, the Holy Spirit showed up with immense comfort, deep joy, and rest - pure sweet rest. I felt my anger leave. Resentment and bitterness were reduced so radically. I misplaced them for months at a time. When they returned on days, I just smiled and refused......He taught me how to see people and events His way....and His lovingkindness wore down my flesh until it died - overwhelmed by grace.

He showed me myself and then proceeded to love me so outrageously that it broke my heart. I was worse than anyone I knew, and He touched me, kissed me, loved on me until I capitulated......

I began to learn about being preoccupied with Jesus. I learned to understand thet if I defend myself, whose self was I defending? I became silent towards people and vocal towards God. I discovered a wonderful thing - how to die quickly!...

In the lovingkindness of God, I let it all go....Silence opresses the enemy, Rest infuriates him, the Cross debilitates him...."

Happy Are You Poor

Recently, I was reading through Jaeson's Journal blog and chanced upon this quote below from a book written by Thomas Dubay called “Happy Are You Poor.”

“It must be noticed that the values of the kingdom are just about 180 degrees removed from the values of the world…What are the world’s basic values?...It is assumed that every one knows them and that most people live by them. What are these premises: prestige is a primary value… bodily comfort and pleasure are indispensable… this life is all we have, and so let’s enjoy it to the full… impressing people with one’s possessions and accomplishments and attractiveness is important… sexual excitement and satisfaction are crucial… success is ‘coming out on top’ in relation to others… money is a must, for without it one can have very little of anything else worth having in life.

“If we turn to the pages of the New Testament we find a picture as opposite as it could be: humility, being last, unknown, hidden in Christ, is a condition for getting into the kingdom… prestige is worthless and even an obstacle to greatness… the hard road and the narrow gate, carrying the cross every day is immensely important… dying to our selfishness and crucifying our illusory desires are indispensable… impressing people is of no importance at all, whereas being pleasing to the divine eyes is everything… virginity is a favored and privileged state, and chaste fidelity in marriage mirrors the very union of Christ and his Church… one may not try to best others; rather he is to serve them as though he were a slave… it most difficult, indeed it is humanly impossible, for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven…It takes little imagination to see that one who freely chooses to be poor is far more prepared to understand the previous paragraph than one who is surrounded with luxury, comfort, pleasures of sense, who basks in prestige and position, who lives only for the good opinion of other human beings.”

-Thomas Dubay, Happy Are You Poor, pp. 57-58

Spiritual Orphans

By: Donna J. Kazenske

What is a spiritual orphan? A spiritual orphan is one who feels alone; one who feels that they do not have a safe and secure place in the Father's heart where He can affirm, protect, provide and express His love to them. They feel as if they do not belong. They are full of fear, anxiety and insecurity.

Spiritual orphans cannot receive the love of the Father because they have been personally abused, hurt, rejected and wounded by their earthly fathers or those in authority over them. They cannot receive the love of their heavenly Father because they cannot bring themselves to a place of being able to trust Him. Trust involves vulnerability. Trust involves receiving. Spiritual orphans cannot trust or receive until the unhealed issues and hidden cores of pain are attended to. Basic trust is a real issue in the life of a spiritual orphan.

Trust involves opening your heart to others. Spiritual orphans have closed their hearts because they are afraid of being hurt. They refuse to make themselves vulnerable to others because of past hurts and pain. Their spirits are closed to a love relationship with their heavenly Father because they do not trust Him. Instead of running to God, they are continually running away from Him.

Spiritual orphans are dysfunctional because they lack the basic trust needed to have healthy relationships with those in authority. They find themselves battling with fear, control issues, independence and pride. They are not able to have intimate relationships because they are not able to receive comfort or love from God or others.

Spiritual orphans are those who remain in the outer court of God's presence. They do not have the capability to enter into the Holy of Holies because they fear intimacy. They have closed their hearts as a type of protection.

They are not able to submit to authority because of fear. Submission involves having an open heart. Submission involves vulnerability, closeness and honesty in relationships. Submission is an act of humility and receiving that releases God's grace and abilities in our lives. Submission has the power to set us free from our fears and insecurities.

Spiritual orphans have an independent spirit which often causes them to hide or deny pain. They like to control relationships with anger, passivity, isolation or various other means. They keep their distance from those who are in authority or from those who are able to help them.

Spiritual orphans often find comfort and identity in money (by possessing material things), addictions (to alcohol, drugs, food and other forms of immorality), position (looking for acceptance by obtaining the praise of man or striving to be seen by man), and power (by controlling their own lives).

Spiritual orphans focus more on God's acts than on His ways. They tend to keep themselves busy doing religious activity out of duty instead of relationship. In their limited understanding, love is not received, but earned. Their ungodly belief system tells them that they need to do more and more in order to be accepted by God. They are deceived into believing that they will never measure up to God's standard because they can never do enough to attain His love and acceptance.

Have you ever seen a hamster running around and around in a circular exercise toy? This type of activity is very similar to the lifestyle of a spiritual orphan. They have no sense of direction or destiny. They live their lives by just going through the motions.

Spiritual orphans are servants only and not sons or daughters of God. Servants perform duties, while sons and daughters receive the love of the Father.

I believe that we are in a season of becoming the true sons and daughters of God. The Holy Spirit is putting His finger in the hidden places of our hearts so that we can be healed and restored to a deeper relationship with Him. He desires more than and outer court relationship with us. He desires intimacy which involves inner court relationship. Inner court relationship involves trust and vulnerability.

Sonship is a matter of attainment and with it comes the privilege of authority in God. The body of Christ has not been fully operating in the authority of God because we are still functioning as spiritual orphans.

Jesus was declared the Son of God by His Father on the day of His baptism. Baptism represents death and resurrection. Baptism is a going down, a submitting unto death and an immersion into it. Resurrection can only take place after a death experience.
We must die to this orphan spirit. We must die to any independence of doing our own thing or doing our own will. We must die to any and all ungodly beliefs that keep us from becoming sons and daughters of God.

Spiritual inheritance is obtained only after death.

Hebrews 1:3 - ".....when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."

What is this verse saying? What name did Jesus obtain through His death and resurrection? He obtained the name, "Son of God."

Luke 3:22 - And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

After Jesus was baptized, symbolizing His death and resurrection, the Father made a decree from heaven to the world that Jesus was His beloved Son.

The Father in heaven is now waiting to decree our sonship to not only the world, but also to the principalities and powers of hell. When God the Father decrees our sonship as a result of our spiritual death and resurrection, the demons in hell will tremble because we will walk in the true authority and power of God.

It's time for us to get right with God. We need to repent and receive forgiveness through His blood because we have chosen to remain as spiritual orphans instead of sons and daughters of God. We must allow the Holy Spirit to have full rule and reign in our lives so that we can be set free and healed by His supernatural power. We must give ourselves completely to the Lord, withholding nothing from Him.

James 4:7-9 - Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up

The father wound

By Alfred C.W. Davis

We all come into the world helpless, dependent and needing acceptance, to be treated as worthy, and to be blessed. The father wound is the absence of this love from your birth father. The wound can be caused by:
neglect -- I am unimportant;
absence -- divorce, separation, death;
abuse -- mental, physical, sexual, spiritual;
control -- domineering;
lack of blessings -- at various stages of life; and
lack of affirmation -- that leads to a lack of self-acceptance.

The effect of a father wound is low self-esteem, a deep emotional pain inside and a performance orientation that makes us 'doers' rather than 'beings.' While salvation makes us new creations in Christ, it does not necessarily address this wound inside. We tend to have four barriers that inhibit the healing of this wound:
Pride -- no will to confront or change -- "I'm alright"
Sin -- no will to confess or receive forgiveness
The wound itself -- emotional hurt inside
Lies -- misconceptions about self, birth father and Father God
Instead of going to the pain and receiving the healing that we need, we tend to respond to life events by creating a misconception about our "Self".

Relationship to Our Birth Father
When we hold a conception of our birth father as angry, violent, uncaring, indifferent, distant/withdrawn, absent/abandoning, alcoholic, condemning and/or critical, we tend to believe the following words about ourselves: I'm unworthy, stupid, incompetent, unloved or unlovable. As long as we accept these words as truth, we will experience depressed, anxious and angry lives.

Relationship to God the Father
Often a person's image of God the Father is contaminated by the personal experience he or she has with the birth father. When there is a misconception that God is: watching, judging, angry, unhappy with my sin, fearsome, legalistic, and a discipliner; the words that we tend to believe are: 'I am not good enough,' 'I am guilty/shameful' 'I must work harder to justify myself.' As long as we accept these words as truth, we will seek to perform and prove our worth through perfectionism and materialism, or seek addictions to cover the pain.

Addressing the Father Wound
There are three steps to addressing the father wound:
* understand the heart of God
* invite Jesus into the wounds created by the birth father
* accept the truth about one's self as a child of God

1) The Heart of God
* as seen in the prodigal son*
- we are free to choose our own path
- the Father waits patiently for us to return to him
- when we return, he accepts us unconditionally
- he runs to accept and embrace us
- he values us by celebrating

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*God's provision for salvation*
- he loves us first
- we are his beloved creation
- he offers salvation for our sin
- he wants a relationship with us

*Jesus as the wounded healer:*
- he was tempted by Satan to know our temptations
- he experienced suffering to know our suffering
- he was rejected, mocked, beaten and crucified
- he fully understands our pain and wants to help
- 1 Peter 2:24 "By his wounds you have been healed"

*Jesus heals*
- when invited into memories, he comes
- when he comes into memories, my clients describe him as: gentle, kind, caring, loving, warm, friendly, hugging, accepting and healing.

When you understand his love, confess to Him the misconception you have had, receive His forgiveness and His love.

2) Invite Jesus into the wounds created by your birth father
*Do inner healing for the memories*
- invite Jesus into the specific memories
- understand the words that you accepted at the time
- ask Jesus to reveal his truth to you.
- receive His truth about who you are

*Choose to forgive your Birth Father*
- for hurtful words
- for hurtful actions
- for not loving you
- for not blessing you
- for affecting your image of God the Father

*Accept Yourself as a Child of God*
Receive the words of truth:
- I am accepted
- I am chosen
- I am loved
- I am God's creation
- I am precious in His sight
- I am forgiven
- I have been redeemed
- I will never be left or forsaken
- I have an eternal inheritance
- Nothing can separate me from the love of God

As you understand the truth about God's love and know your True Self In Christ, it frees you to let go of the pain and forgive your birth father. The new perspective that is created enables you to see your birth father through different eyes and allows you to live in freedom.

God's Heart

There is a mother's heart in the heart of God. And 'tis his delight to break the bread of love and truth for his children.

Celtic Blessings and Prayers
by Brendan O'Malley

First Love

Prophets are called to inspire people, to awaken them to listen and look for God. Sometimes, the church has to be provoked away from its programs, ministries, and routine life, and its attention turned to what God is doing now. These distractions are usually completely understandable--but it is inexcusable to resist the provocation of the Holy Spirit. When He offers us the opportunity to gaze upon the person of Christ, we need to leap at the opportunity. Our highest ministry priority is to adore God, and minister to Him.

This is the same challenge which God laid out before the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:2-5-
I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place-unless you repent.

Ephesus had to be provoked to return to its first love. They needed to be inspired by a word of prophecy because they had lost an essential piece of who they were. They had lost the capacity to really enter into worship, to see God as their first love. From there, it's just a short fall into religiosity. The tragedy for many churches is that we lose sight of our first love very easily. A new program, a new vision, a new trend: suddenly we're swept away. We get into ministry and social action and just keep working and working and working. In that moment, God delivers a word of exhortation: "Return to Me, your first love."

We have to keep returning to our first love. Our doing, busyness, and ministry are legitimate-until they become our primary focus. The Greatest Commandment-"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind"-is more important than the Great Commission.

Prophets call Christians to put the Greatest Commandment first. Out of that flows the Second Commandment and the Great Commission call to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

The prophetic has to inspire. We may see things that aren't right, but we have to ask God what He wants to speak into those situations. What does the Lord want to accomplish? How do we get over the hurdles separating us from that goal? What does He want to emphasize? How do we speak to this hindrance so we can make sense out of it? How will we respond to Him?

We are not called to put something into people-we are called to bring something out. We ought to focus on what God is already doing and lay claim to it prophetically. "This is what God is doing in you," we prophesy, "this is who you are in the Spirit. This is you, as Christ sees you." When we call on the life of the spirit within, we inspire it to come into bloom. We create an environment, a greenhouse, where God can release things on His terms. It is an explosion of fresh faith and purpose.

Open our eyes..

For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to Whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Romans 11:36).

We ought to meditate on this daily and ask the Lord to open our eyes to see the height, depth, width, length, and breadth of this JESUS Whom we say we serve. May God deliver us from our own idea, concept, perception, and illusion of a small Christ and give us revelation into the preeminence of His Son. When we see Christ as All in All then it will be impossible for us to ever again be reduced to the small, the trivial, the petty things which occupy us and waste so much of our time. Our only hope is seeing a Christ that fills us, a Christ that is greater than us, a Christ that is larger than we can fathom, an indescribable Christ that overshadows, overwhelms, and consumes us through and through!

U2 Worship

Awesome! Listen for the exhortation at the end.

Mexico Mission Trip 2007

House Building Project..

Hope in the Midst of Hopelessness

In the midst of my own struggles today, I came across this article on the 24/7 prayer blog...


From Oria in Zimbabwe
10/04/08

HOPE in a thousand words or less...i have recently positioned myself in zimbabwe...beautiful zimbabwe.some have said "for such a time as this", others have said "why...atsuch a time like this?" It certainly has not gone unnoticed that I'mchoosing to live in a place that thousands and thousands of peoplehave left.bad governance and hyper-inflation have crippled the economy here,leaving the store shelves virtually empty. i heard someone recentlyjoke that zimbabweans have become hunters and gatherers again... thesedays its not far from the truth, in the scramble for a balanced diet.me and a friend often get in the truck and drive to several differentstores throughout the city hunting for food on the shelves. after aquick round in the supermarket the other day i found soup noodles,toothpaste, copious amounts of ketchup, toilet cleaner and local beer.no milk, no toilet paper, no rice, no flour, oil, sugar, or bread.this food shortage combined with power and water shortages, anirresponsible and greed driven government, lack of freedom of pressand speech, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the lowest life expectancy inthe world today, has made living very difficult for millions ofzimbabweans.the list of could go on and on.....but regardless, this beautifulcountry is home for me now. and as much as i see restoration neededon so many levels all around me....i also choose to see and believe inthe good and beauty and strength of this nation. thats what it comesdown to in the end, choosing to position ourselves in a nation orplace or sphere or industry that we believe in and want to see jesusimpact and invade for his glory. to see the gifts and strengths ofthat place, however hidden they may seem at the time. to speak lifeand love over a place. to be a part of positive change. toacknowledge what the enemy has stolen, warped and robbed but insteadhelp to usher in god's redemptive plan.my journey with this nation is still in its early days, and there ismuch to learn but this much i know already....i am here to championhope.i recently sat in front of a high-school headmaster in a rural area ofzimbabwe. a few of us had gone to visit him and chat about the currentsituation at his school, needs, concerns, etc. there i sat in front ofa tall, strong, very capable and determined man who was holding backthe tears as he explained his desperate circumstances...no teachers,no food, the majority of the teachers he had were not trainedproperly...some were just finished high-school themselves...everyoneelse had left...i will never forget the utter hopelessness i saw inhis eyes. he was barely living one day at a time, waiting, clingingto a smidgen of hope that something would change...ease his situation.across the road was the primary school...they had food thanks to aninternational NGO feeding program. we sat with the teachers for a bitand they were beautifully honest with us...they said, 'we are onlyhere still because of the children...things for us are desperate.'nearly everyone we spoke to said they were waiting for the electionsto see what would happen. a lot of people's hope is riding on theseelections. when a country's motto can be 'hurry up and wait', thiscan drain all hope.and hope is precisely what has been attacked since the moment iarrived here. of course. i have found over my travels these last 10or so years that often where god asks us to position ourselves and ourphysical lives and situations in that place often end up reflecting orrunning parallel to what's going on in the spiritual of that place.perhaps because we carry around in us the presence of god and hechooses to use us to impact and affect the world around us...perhapsbecause our battle is not against flesh and blood. whatever yourexperience this has been mine. and this time, here in beautifulzimbabwe, this parallel has been a battle with hope. i have never feltit this hard to cling to this titanium string called hope. i havenever found it this hard to believe that the dreams god has put insideme will come to pass. that he will indeed carry out to completion thegood works he has started. and yet i recognize that this fight i findmyself in is not just about me...it's never just about us. its alwaysso much bigger. no-one lives only unto themselves. in my feebleprayers one night i clearly heard god say this battle you are in tohold onto hope is a tiny glimpse into the fight my beautiful people ofzimbabwe are in right now and have been in for quite some time. standwith them in this and don't take your eyes off of me...set your facelike flint.in my hopeless freak out i had forgotten that actually HE is our hope.hope is never totally void...yes it really can deliver the hardestpunches, seem impossible to continue on with it, and sometimes evenseem to hide from us altogether...but it is never void and it isrelentless in its ability to bring life and strength to all who chooseto fiercely hold on to it...to Him. and that right there gives me thestrength to go on. to believe for change to come in this nation, forjustice to prevail, for reconciliation and redemption to take place,for this dream of zimbabwe to shine again in all its strength andbeauty.

Excellent article from New Direction

"If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken." ~ 2 Cor. 4:7-9 the Message


The Gifts God Gives Us
If my life is a gift, where is the exchange desk?
~ By Brian Pengelly

I remember sitting there just staring into the box. It was without a doubt the ugliest, most impractical gift that I had even seen. I tried really hard to bluff, to hide the disappointment, but even my years of training in drama and public speaking weren't going to help me mask this one: the gift stunk!

We have all had gifts given to us that we have felt this way about. We get them, but we don't want them, and immediately begin plotting how we can tactfully re-gift or exchange them. But what do you do when you get an unwanted gift from God?

Well I have had a couple of those gifts: the gift of pain, the gift of singleness, and the gift of disappointment. "Wait a minute," I hear you saying. "Are those gifts? I don't remember seeing them in the last spiritual gift inventory I filled out." But the Bible is full of examples of each of these being a gift.

Suffering a can be a gift. That doesn't mean it is fun, but it means that God uses suffering to bring good in our lives. My least favourite verse in the Bible is Romans 5:4-5 "Not only so but let us rejoice in our suffering because suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, character, and character, hope." God gave me this verse years ago as a life verse to chew over, and I am still choking on it on a regular basis. When I first came across this verse I was just beginning to begin to deal with a great deal of pain in my life, not the least of which was realizing that I was same-gender attracted. At the time my greatest prayer was that God would just take this struggle away. I prayed and prayed. And yet it never did go away.

For many years I was very bitter towards God. "How could he ignore my pain? Didn't he love me?" And the thought of rejoicing in it made me want to throw my Bible across the room. "Was God some kind of cosmic sadist?" But in time I came to understand something: God was not asking me to rejoice that I was in pain - that would be twisted. He was saying that we rejoice even when we are in pain because God can bring good things even out of that. The challenges that I faced growing up same-gender attracted were not good things in and of themselves, but they were a gift in that God used them to bring good things in my life. I would never have chosen SGA if anyone had bothered to consult with me. But my experiences with it have been the catalyst for tremendous spiritual growth in my life. I have a hard time picturing who I would be without that experience. So I count it as a gift.

Singleness was another gift I never really wanted, but was given for a significant part of my life. I spent a great deal of time complaining to God about it in my twenties as I watched friend after friend get married. I remember going to my 10 year reunion and being the only one there not married or in a significant relationship. I was miserable and bitter. I spent a great deal of time thinking about how much better my life would be if only I was married. In fact it seemed to me if only I could deal with that issue, everything else in my life would magically be okay.

My perspective on this has changed somewhat since I got married two years ago. That is not to say that marriage is bad and I wish I were single again. I love being married. Marriage is a gift, and I treasure it dearly. But time has given me the wisdom to see that singleness was a gift too. There were things I was able to do both personally and in ministry that I can not do now as a married man. The freedom that I had to pick up my life and move across the continent if an opportunity so arose, to travel without worrying about leaving my spouse behind, to have the luxury of time to invest in so many people over the years because I was not investing that time in my marriage, were all gifts. Even as I enjoy new gifts of a different kind of intimacy and security in my marriage, I miss the gifts of singleness that I had.

And as I talk to many people around Canada it often seems the single ones are longing for when they will be married, and the married ones are longing for the freedom of the good old days when they were single. Which has led me to understand that while singleness and marriage are both gifts, and both good, we should focus our energies on being thankful for the gift we do have rather than longing for what we don't.

That brings me to disappointment. You see, being married did not magically make all disappointment in my life go away. One of the things that I have always wanted to be in life is a father. Yet even after getting married I have discovered that for various reasons that will probably not ever happen.

The temptation is there to be bitter. It is easy to complain to God that His gifts are not good. But I think I have learned something along the way: even when what my life becomes is not what I hoped, wanted or dreamed of, God still has good things for me.

Almost ten years ago I began to be mentored by a man who, like myself, found that he was unable to have children. But rather than let the disappointment of that consume him, he saw it as gift, and promised to God to spend the time and energy he would have put into children into any youth that God allowed him to minister to. Over the years he has tirelessly and sacrificially given of his time, love and money to mentor hundreds of young people struggling with SGA. He has been a father to both my wife and I, and could be because he chose to see his childless state as a gift, and invest in others instead of being bitter at what he did not have. His example has prepared my own heart for the ministry that God has in front of me. I do not have any children of my own, and may never have, but this is a gift, in that it allows me to be a father to many in a different way. It was not the gift that I wanted, but it is a gift that is good.

As I write this I am looking at the gift from my friend. I know I told you it was the ugliest gift I ever received but... it kind of grew on me over the years. A while ago I found it in a box, and decided to put it out. It gave the room... character. I still don't know exactly what my friend was thinking when she bought it for me, but when I look at it now I think about how she dragged its considerable weight a great distance to bring it to me. Now when I look at it I smile. While it is not the gift I would have chosen, it was given in love. And it helps remind me on the hard days... and there are plenty... to be thankful for the gifts I have.

Divine Romance- Phil Wickham

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The fullness of Your grace is here with me
The richness of Your beauty’s all I see
The brightness of Your glory has arrived
In Your presence God, I’m completely satisfied

For You I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love

A deep deep flood, an Ocean flows from You
Of deep deep love, yeah it’s filling up the room
Your innocent blood, has washed my guilty life
In Your presence God I’m completely satisfied

Daniel Kirkley

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My New Dawn

Hiding in the midnight,
I've watched life pass me by.
Haunted by each heartbreak,
And mistake I’ve let weigh me down.
Now feels like…


Chorus:
This is my new dawn
My yesterdays have come and gone
Walked in the dark too long
This is my new, this is my new dawn.


I’ve washed my hands now,
I’ve laid down all my doubt
I see that sun rising, baptizing,
And shining straight into my soul


Bridge:
Just like a child, suddenly everything’s new.
The colors collide, and I see a beautiful view
Now I feel alive…


My new dawn…
My new dawn…

Welcome Home!

http://

I've got my memories

They're always

Inside of me

But I can't go back

Back to how it was

I believe now

I've come too far

No I can't go back

Back to how it was

Created for a place

I've never known

This is home

Now I'm finally

Where I belong

Where I belong

Yeah, this is home

I've been searching

For a place of my own

Now I've found it

Maybe this is home

Yeah, this is home

Belief over misery

I've seen the enemy

And I won't go back

Back to how it was

And I got my heart

Set on

What happens next

I got my eyes wide

It's not over yet

We are miracles

And we're not alone

And now after all

My searching

After all my questions

I'm gonna call it home

I got a brand new mindset

I can finally see

The sunset

I'm gonna call it home

Now I know

Yeah, this is home

I've come too far

Now I won't go back

This is home

"I know Whom I have believed" (II Timothy 1:12ff).

We don't know this Jesus we think we know. He is Wholly Other, totally, supremely, magnificently GOD. Only God can remain silent while we speak blasphemies and heresies in His name. He allows mankind to distort and misrepresent and bring people to a place of despair, just so He can then step in and reveal Himself for Who He really is. And He is never, ever, ever, ever what you thought. Nothing is as you have been told. And then, once you meet Him, you cannot describe Him, except to say He is nothing like what you had been told. Beyond description.

Prayer of a Minor Prophet

By A. W Tozer

This is the prayer of a man called to be a witness to the nations. This is what he said to his Lord on the day of his ordination. After the elders and ministers had prayed and laid their hands on him he withdrew to meet his Saviour in the secret place and in the silence, farther in than his well-meaning brethren could take him. And he said:

O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou hast called me to an awesome task in a grave and perilous hour. Thou are about to shake all nations and the earth and also heaven, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. O Lord, our Lord, Thou has stopped to honor me to be Thy servant. No man takes this honor upon himself save he that is called of God as was Aaron. Thou has ordained me Thy messenger to them that are stubborn of heart and hard of hearing. They have rejected Thee, the Master, and it is not to be expected that they will receive me, the servant.

My God, I shall not waste time deploring my weakness nor my unfittedness for the work. The responsibility is not mine but Thine. Thou hast said, “I knew thee—I ordained thee—I sanctified thee,” and Thou has also said, “Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” Who am I to argue with Thee or to call into question Thy sovereign choice? The decision is not mine but Thine. So be it, Lord. Thy will, not mine, be done.

Well do I know, Thou God of the prophets and the apostles, that as long as I honor Thee Thou wilt honor me. Help me therefore to take this solemn vow to honor Thee in all my future life and labors, whether by gain or by loss, by life or by death, and then to keep that vow unbroken while I live.

It is time, O God, for Thee to work, for the enemy has entered into Thy pastures and the sheep are torn and scattered. And false shepherds abound who deny the danger and laugh at the perils which surround Thy flock. The sheep are deceived by these hirelings and follow them with touching loyalty while the wolf closes in to kill and destroy. I beseech Thee, give me sharp eyes to detect the presence of the enemy; give me understanding to distinguish the false friend from the true. Give me vision to see and courage to report what I see faithfully. Make my voice so like Thine own that even the sick sheep will recognize it and follow Thee.

Lord Jesus, I come to Thee for spiritual preparation. Lay Thy hand upon me. Anoint me with the oil of the New Testament prophet. Forbid that I should become a religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling. Save me from the curse that lies dark across the face of the modern clergy, the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism. Save me from the error of judging a church by its size, its popularity or the amount of its yearly offering. Help me to remember that I am a prophet; not a promoter, not a religious manager—but a prophet. Let me never become a slave to crowds. Heal my soul of carnal ambitions and deliver me from the itch for publicity. Save me from the bondage to things. Let me not waste my days puttering around the house. Lay Thy terror upon me, O God, and drive me to the place of prayer where I may wrestle with principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Deliver me from overeating and late sleeping. Teach me self-discipline that I may be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

I accept hard work and small rewards in this life. I ask for no easy place. I shall try to be blind to the little ways that I could make my life easier. If others seek the smoother path I shall try to take the hard way without judging them too harshly. I shall expect opposition and try to take it quietly when it comes. Or if, as sometimes it falleth out to Thy servants, I shall have grateful gifts pressed upon me by Thy kindly people, stand by me then and save me from the blight that often follows. Teach me to use whatever I receive in such manner that it will not injure my soul nor diminish my spiritual power. And if in Thy permissive providence honor should come to me from Thy church, let me not forget in that hour that I am unworthy of the least of Thy mercies, and that if men knew me as intimately as I know myself they would withhold their honors or bestow them upon others more worthy to receive them.

And now, O Lord of heaven and earth, I consecrate my remaining days to Thee; let them be many or few, as Thou wilt. Let me stand before the great or minister to the poor and lowly; that choice is not mine, and I would not influence it if I could. I am Thy servant to do Thy will, and that will is sweeter to me than position or riches or fame and I choose it above all things on earth or in heaven. Though I am chosen of Thee and honored by a high and holy calling, let me never forget that I am but a man of dust and ashes, a man with all the natural faults and passions that plague the race of men. I pray Thee therefore, my Lord and Redeemer, save me from myself and from all the injuries I may do myself while trying to be a blessing to others. Fill me with thy power by the Holy Spirit, and I will go in Thy strength and tell of Thy righteousness, even Thine only. I will spread abroad the message of redeeming love while my normal powers endure.

Then, dear Lord, when I am old and weary and too tired to go on, have a place ready for me above, and make me to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting. Amen.

Fasting and Prayer in Missions Preparation

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood." Isaiah 58:5-7

As we move forward in the days ahead and focus our attention on the nations, we cannot help but stress the importance of fasting and prayer. Fasting along with prayer will be a key used by God to launch you into His work, whether in country or overseas, and it will be vital to your success. We want to encourage you to begin to make fasting a part of your life. God will give you spiritual discernment and an increased ability to hear His voice when you fast. He will enlarge your faith and help you to increase your focus on the eternal. He also gives spiritual power to those who fast, and we certainly need that in reaching the nations. The urgency to reach the nations is increasing at an incredible rate. We must be prepared and ready to go. Fasting and prayer prepares us in the quickest and most powerful way for our future work for God.

The Purifying Power of Fasting and Prayer

"If my people… will humble themselves and pray and seek My face" II Chronicles 7:14

"After 45 years of emphasizing evangelism, discipleship and fulfillment of the Great Commission, some may think I have gone off on a tangent with my strong emphasis on fasting and prayer. The fact is that the best way to help individuals become evangelists for Christ is to bring them into a relationship with God in which the Holy Spirit renews them. Only fasting meets the criteria of each aspect of II Chronicles 7:14: 'If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.' When you humble yourself and pray and seek God's face and turn from your wicked ways, something happens to you and you get excited about the Lord in a way that you do not through any other means." Bill Bright

After returning from India last year, I am convinced that God wants to bring His people into a deep and holy life style. I was challenged deeply by the pure, humble and simple lives of the Christians I met in India. The harvest is ripe there, and the Christians are positioned in a holy and pure life style that is necessary for the ingathering of souls. God is using them in bringing signs, wonders and miracles. Fasting and prayer purifies the believer and makes us ready for harvest in the nations. Fasting does much in our lives internally. God desires that we seek a love relationship with Him. He longs for intimacy with us. Fasting and prayer remove the distractions from our lives so that we can focus on Him alone. Our relationship becomes purer, and our devotion becomes more intense. We get to the place where we seek Him only and not other things. The benefits listed below show us just how powerful this purifying is when we take time to seek God in fasting.

It humbles the soul - Jesus is our example. He humbled Himself unto the death on the cross (Philippians 2). Through brokenness, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live the resurrected life and touch the nations with His glory. "I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting." (Psalm 35:13)


It chastens the soul - The closer we draw near God's heart, the more we will share His sorrows. "When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach. I made sackcloth also my garment." (Psalm 69:10, 11)


It brings the body into subjection - We need to discipline ourselves physically on a daily basis. "Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (I Corinthians 9:26-27)


It breaks down the barriers in man's carnal nature - These soulish barriers hinder the Holy Spirit's power. Fasting can enable the Holy Spirit to work unhindered through your prayers. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." (Ephesians 3:20)


It sacrifices our personal will - It is the discipline of the heart and mind and emotions. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)


It is a time of examination - God examines our inner attitudes and motivation. Fasting and prayer quiet us so we can more clearly hear His voice. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24)


It brings us into a deeper level of brokenness - "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." (Psalm 51:17)


It enables God to focus on our heart - He looks deeply in our hearts during times of fasting, encouraging and revealing any need for repentance. "Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind." (Psalm 26:2)


It causes us to face ourselves without escape routes - This brings us into a deeper relationship with God. "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." (Psalm 42:1-2a)


Fasting opens the way for God's grace - God gives grace to the humble. We need lots of grace on the mission field. "But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'" (James 4:6)

Ask God How to Personally Incorporate Fasting into Your Life

When we fast and pray, we are conscious of His presence, and we yield to His Spirit in humility. God will flow through those who intimately know Him. When our carnal nature of selfishness is broken, pride is replaced by submission, and we grow in our obedience and love. He will always use the broken and humble. We read in James 4:6, "But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'" As we experience the grace of God in a greater dimension in our lives, we give Him all the praise and glory. We especially encourage you to employ fasting in your life before you go overseas. The following are some helpful ways to incorporate fasting into your lifestyle.

Seek God regarding fasting in your own personal life - Ask Him to increase your ability to fast and pray. Start where you are. Skip meals and pray, and then fast for a day or a few days. As He leads, you will want to move into times of longer fasts.


Ask God to give you some key things for which to pray during times of fasting - Write them down in a journal so that you can pray for them regularly. As you ask God to speak to you, and write down anything He says, ask Him for spiritual discernment and guidance for the future.


Pray for God to increase prayer and fasting in your city and the nation where you work or plan to work - Bathe that country in prayer during seasons of fasting.


Read books on prayer and fasting.

Be encouraged as you seek to develop your fasting and prayer life. Fasting is an important part of being an effective overseas worker. God will empower you for service; He will give you grace, and you shall not be disappointed. He will come through for you in a powerful way. After years on the mission field and years of involvement in Christian work, we have found fasting to be one of the most important disciplines in the Christian life. There are not words to express the value of fasting with prayer.

Fasting is spreading throughout the world as a vital part of the life of God's end-time workers. We started fasting many years ago on the mission field. We started small with 1-day fasts and moved into 3-day fasts with small groups. We have often fasted between Christmas and New Year's Day for yearly guidance. In time, we moved into more lengthy fasts of 21 days, 30 days, and a 40-day fast. We also recommend fasting until dinner before major ministry trips or for particular needs or guidance. Some of us are called to a fasting life style for reaching the nations. We recommend a 3-day Global Bridegroom Fast every first Monday-Wednesday every month. The value of fasting cannot be fully expressed. It has the power to break through any obstacles. After every long fast, we have seen God break through in a multitude of ways. Let God challenge you to this most strategic discipline. You will have God's grace and will never be disappointed in the resulting victories!

"Prayer intercession moves into the breach, the spiritual gap, and begins to pray repentance, restoration, revival and redirection for people - saved and unsaved. This should be the intercessor's prayer while fasting. This is the prayer God desires from fasting intercessors. 'Is this not the fast I have chosen?' Combine this spirit of intercession with the fasting of an honest heart, with Isaiah 58:6-12 to guide us, and the result will be powerful prayers with Kingdom results."

Quotes from Vance Havner

~The devil will let a preacher prepare a sermon if it will keep him from preparing himself.

~We are the salt of the earth, mind you, not the sugar. Our ministry is to truly cleanse and not just to change the taste.

~Too many churches start at eleven o'clock sharp, and end at twelve o'clock dull.

~Plenty of church members are shaky about what they believe, while not many are shaken by what they believe.

~Some preachers ought to put more fire into their sermons, or more sermons into the fire.

~The church is a hospital for sinners, and not a museum for saints.

~Preaching the truth makes the people either sad, mad, or glad. Too many people today leave church on Sunday neither sad, mad, nor glad; they go out as they came in. Better go out mad than just go out!

~There is a trend today that would put a new robe on the prodigal son while he is still feeding hogs. Some would put the ring on his finger while he still in the pigsty. Others would paint the pigsty and advocate bigger and better hog pens.

~VH Spurgeon wrote something to the effect that it is better to be a lean bird in the woods than a fat bird in a cage. Today's young minister is tempted to feather his nest in a comfortable parish with plenty of security. A caged eagle is a sad sight but sadder still is a caged preacher.

The High Calling..

Just feeling the need to repost this from an earlier one:

I will attempt to help you understand the call as a pioneer. When we look at others who have gone before us, it can help us with where we find ourselves currently. Though we see through a glass darkly, it still helps to catch just a glimpse of what we are going
through. We could be called “forerunners” or “reformers”…. It can be seen as one who runs in front of the crowd. One who will search out the best path for others who will soon follow. One who will be the first to encounter un-plowed territory or land. Your vision or perspective will be vastly different from others as your eyesight will see from a completely different vantage point. You are much like the “Pioneers” of old who headed west in search of new land to settle in. They had to trail blaze through uninhabited land to make a way for others to cross with ease. They were “way makers” and visionaries”. What kept them pressing forward was a dream, a dream that held great promise of a better land in which to settle and grow strong roots.

This fire placed within you was placed there by the Lord of Glory Himself. Knowing this is from Him will help us to continue in the journey though many obstacles will be encountered. We press for the mark of the high calling of Christ. The cost is great. It could cost you everything you have and then some. You will be frequently misunderstood, rejected, slandered, ridiculed, mocked, condemned, betrayed and left by your closest loved ones. The greatest pain will come from those that you love the most. It will come from friends who you thought to be faithful. This walk is indeed very lonely. But yet He is asking, “Will you follow Me as I lead?” I can only pray that your answer will be ” Yes, Lord, let it be unto me, according to Your will”.

Brokeness will be a requirement. He will insist upon it. To be a vessel fit for His glory to reside and for Him to trust you, brokenness must come. There will come a time when one will begin to accept the refiner’s fire and actually ask for more of it. Those who have been given the revelation of just how precious that refinement is, knowing that it is bringing us forth as gold. I liken this brokenness to the story of Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus as the pharisees rebuked her. She took the bottle of alabaster and BROKE the bottle and the seal so that she could anoint her beloved Jesus with her most precious gift. She wiped His feet with her tears as she poured out her love to Him. Beloved, YOU are that bottle that needs to be broken. When broken, the fragrance of that brokeness will be so glorious before the Lord that it will rise to His nostrils and be most pleasing in His sight. The breaking brings forth humility and a contrite spirit which is of great worth in the sight of the King. Continual resistance from outside forces will only cause you to push in that much closer to the Lord. To remain stagnant would be like death to them. >For it is built within them an internal push that cannot remain still. Mundane routines are very hard to endure. For a fire is blazing within them.

Like the pioneers of old, they will encounter great difficulty. Some included impassable mountains, dense brush, severe weather, sickness and disease, wild animals, hunger and thirst as well as enemies. You can be certain there was much fighting in the ranks. It would take a strong leader to endure through it all. The pioneers’ battles were mostly in the natural but what drove them to succeed was a dream. Our battle will occur in the mind, the natural and in the spiritual realm. But always keep in mind that the King of Kings goes before you and will light your path. If He is for us, who can be against us? He never said this walk would be easy. He only said, pick up your cross and follow Me. He is still saying that today. May our spirit be quick to say, “Yes Lord, I will follow You
wherever You lead”.

Hallelujah to the King…….
The Lord will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Performance or Prophetic?

By Stephen Bennett:

Just trying to be cool and current can leave you wanting. The latest contemporary songs sound terrific. Your own nostalgic favorites can still enjoy the glory of yesteryear. Volume still stirs and pumps. The sweet and soft sounds, soothe and make us fly. Skill and excellence are important. Yet the end-time glory and the governing anointing and power of God still hovers and waits. What is He waiting for?

Over the last 15 years a new generation has immerged into an established contemporary church culture in the Body of Christ that now has its own sense of tradition and denominationalism. This young generation has nonetheless been blessed with the freedom and liberty of music expression that many had pioneered in the decades before the nineties. Yet in the current journey, incredible success, and now global marketing, the prophetic and governmental power of music and its end-time purposes, as we see in Scripture, is becoming lost on much of this generation in contemporary church culture. What is the Holy Spirit waiting for now?

Musicians and singers who are worshipping warriors, that understand, and carry the presence and glory of God through their intercession and worship. They are prophets of sound yet to fully emerge that will articulate heaven into earth. The Body of Christ is in what is termed an apostolic reformation where the fullness of God’s authority and power is to be unleashed in the Church and on the world - this includes through the music. There is a cost to carrying this level of authority. It requires intimacy with God, consecration and total death to self - in this rapidly accelerating busy world many do not have the time for this.

Spiritual Shifts
The Holy Spirit is stirring the Body of Christ to realize that He wants to bring great quantum shifts in the way ministry is released in everything to do with what church is, the market place, events etc. These are shifts in the lives of people, where they can be accelerated quickly from one point to the next in their lives. They change so significantly in a moment of time that they are never the same again – this is not just the hype of contemporary religious church, but the tangible reality of spiritual change by the power and glory of God manifesting in lives. This is all part of the ongoing end-time transition into the apostolic reformation of the Church that will be able to have major affect in cities and nations.

Elements that hold this back in Australia are complacency, church cultures that are more obsessed with themselves, easy look good lifestyle, measures of worldliness and success based on things, and spiritual structures that tend to shut down or control the revelatory prophetic and apostolic flow rather than release it.

A significant change will happen when the Body of Christ embraces and releases its artists, singers and musicians to function in the proper biblical way. There are many that you would know, who are either disenfranchised, in the wilderness because of ''church'', or are aware of what God is doing and are looking for where they ''fit'' now''. God is re-building the Tabernacle of David for the rest of mankind to seek the Lord (Amos 9:11, Acts 16:15); musicians and artists have a very significant role to play. It’s not just about ''the songs'', or getting the latest worship leader into church with a current promoted album (this is where we can miss it). But the significance of power is from a synergy of musicians working together in close Godly relationship, who are called within a prophetic paradigm of church, as in David’s Tabernacle. To affect a governmental shift in the spirit over the lives of people, and to decree change into the atmosph! ere for the church, their territories and nation (Psalm 149).

The most powerful moves of the Spirit can come in the spontaneous gaps or prophetic interruptions in songs that are led by the Spirit, this can release the profound ministry strategies the Lord has for that time or moment. This is part of what being a prophet musician is about, this is the call of the artist, musician, singer today - to carry governmental spiritual authority and bring heaven to earth, to open up the earth as it were. See the glory of God released in all power and authority - which is what was given to Jesus by the Father and consequently to us in Christ. Tradition – old or new - cannot do this.

Performance or Prophetic?
In the western world the songs performed in many church meetings are often just well crafted popular styled music: now they are often more predictable as we follow one another, easily marketed, entertaining, and consumer friendly, some are even just produced for the royalties they generate. We call great sales as success, and the music is celebrated. Much of it is of course exemplary, positive, and incredibly well produced, although some of it can fall short of the full impact it could have in the world of the spirit. Why? Because many musical artists lack prophetic and apostolic revelation, mainly because they are untaught or just not in a church paradigm that releases it.

If overly contrived popular style praise is the only music ever played in churches, it may be fun and edifying, but may rarely carry an apostolic breakthrough anointing that takes you to a place of glory and the quantum shifts in the spirit that can bring immense change. This is true, especially when there is a major over emphasis on performance, or keeping up a church image, or when the music presentation is often produced with a marketing motive, or just for media. At worst, when it is a sleek church showcase set to just impress man. The emphasis on image (which is quite prevalent today) creates a stage performance, where moving in time, clicking fingers, wearing exquisite robes, or trendy brand clothing, or colors, often overshadows the reasons why we are on a platform. The lyrics we sing may all sound good, however, we end up missing the point of our purpose.

In many church services the music has been reduced to a predictable 15 minute warm up before announcements and the preaching. People’s hearts are left hanging out for more. You feel suspended, not having arrived anywhere - before all the advertisements and in house news and media take over. This is not a healthy place to be in for worshippers. Over time people can be lulled into thinking that is all there is. Sunday morning can end up feeling like a rushed ‘snack’ – in and out in an hour and half, yet left wanting for more. This is not the way to treat God’s people, or presenting this as the only definitive modern way of Christ.

In our efforts to be contemporary, current, and popular, our sounds can easily become spiritually dull, although it all seems right. The dullness then gets on you because you are under that authority and influence, and music has huge covering power over people in a local church. Why does this happen? In our highly stimulated visual world, we have allowed image and performance, to sometimes usurp the more important consideration of a greater relationship and consecration to Jesus Christ and hunger for His presence. The end result is a form that denies the release of real governing power. It is in such a place where God may say, "take away from me the noise of your songs." Amos 5:23. If all we have is a controlled religion with no power – we may as well close the doors and go home and play with the children in the sunshine, it’s more fun.

Many styles and expressions of music are used and blessed by God. In right context they are all effective. Many Christian artists are called into the numerous areas of music as a witness for Christ. There are bands with vision to release the glory of God through various music genres in the world market. This trend is increasing, and is highly effective in reaching people who will never go near a church building - especially the younger generation. With the apostolic anointing, we should be invading our culture in all realms outside the walls of what we call churches. However, if we just try to stay only popular or trendy within established church, we may create a maintenance level of music that is safe and spiritually middle of the road. This can breed an entertained, spectator audience, who are hooked on meetings - when they should be a participating congregation who can be accelerated and matured through intimacy with the Lord that releases them to be the mi! ghty Army of God, that affects the world.

We can now ask the question why we don’t often see the spontaneous prophetic song, or the song of the Lord much anymore. This used to be normal in church especially in the eighties, and is modeled in the Tabernacle of David as a major part of the prophetic purposes of music. Performance or Prophetic? Many in the Church are hungry for the prophetic today, and deep is crying unto deep. Many churches are fearful of releasing the fullness of it because of past extremes or lack of understanding. But times are changing and the Lord wants to move rapidly and release His glory on the earth. It will take the Church to fully shift into apostolic and prophetic understanding for the end-times.

End-Time Advance
True advancement in the 21st Century must come from moving on with the Spirit of the Lord and living in His ways. Many of us have just thought about God, Church, and spiritual authority, in the various ways it has been handed down to us in our Christian traditions, or movements.

If we are to fully embrace the apostolic move in these days, we must change the way we think. The Prophet Isaiah said, ''on the throne of David…to order it and establish it'' (Isaiah 9:7). God is on the throne, so we must all be throne thinkers. In Christ we sit with Him ''in heavenly places far above all principalities and power'' (Ephesians 1:20-21). Throne thinking is governmental thinking - we think as God thinks (as Jesus did), and we do as God does. God promised David he would establish this in these days. "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn to my servant David: ''Your seed I will establish forever and build up your throne to all generations.'' " ''…I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David; His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me'' (Psalm 89:3-4, 35-36).

God is establishing and building up the throne of apostolic authority in the Church. It has endured through history and is flourishing now. We are in apostolic days, the majestic, glorious, royal authority of Christ will shine like the sun in the Church (Isaiah 60); the sun is hot, warm, and inviting. The Lord promised David. God has great zeal to establish His authority, government, and right order (Isaiah 9:7). The Hebrew language paints the picture of the Lord being red in the face, with an absolute righteous burning desire. This zeal for His temple was manifest in Jerusalem; it had ''eaten Him up'', moreover, Jesus violently cleared the temple on account of the merchandising ways of it’s religious ministers (John 2:15-17).

God does not tolerate anything against His Holy desire where His government is concerned. He wants to advance His glory now against all substitutes, false and futile. God is hot for this to happen. If the Church does not flow with God''s ways, we are warned by the Psalmist, ''He who instructs the nations shall He not correct…? The Lord knows the thoughts of man that they are futile'' (Psalm 94:10-11).

Man made ideas from the spirit of this age, the principles of the world, religious traditions, or simply just trying to be cool and contemporary, are just not enough anymore. They are futile in truly being able to reform and change nations. God is establishing apostolic and prophetic authority in the Body of Christ; we cannot resist it, even in our music. ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ Revelation 3:6.

Is Tolerance Love?

Tolerance has been misused in our society, being wrongly affiliated with the “approval” point of view. But Jesus provided the perfect example of speaking the truth and showing love when he defended the adulterous woman against those who judged her, and also told her “go and leave yourlife of sin.” (John 4:1-30)

Here is some of what Josh McDowell has to say about worldly “tolerance” versus love:

Tolerance says, "You must approve of what I do." Love responds, "I must do something harder; I will love you, even when your behavior offends me."

Tolerance says, "You must agree with me." Love responds, "I must do something harder; I will tell you the truth, because I am convinced 'the truth will set you free.' "

Tolerance says, "You must allow me to have my way." Love responds, "I must do something harder; I will plead with you to follow the right way, because I believe you are worth the risk."

Tolerance seeks to be inoffensive; love takes risks.

Tolerance glorifies division; love seeks unity.

Tolerance costs nothing; love costs everything.

EXPELLED

A friend sent me this video....its a must see:

History Maker

Been thinking about this song today:

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THE CROSS IS CENTRAL TO THE WORK OF PRAYER

Precisely how does a human being, with all their feelings and emotions, relegate his (or her) natural sense, ignore what his eyes and ears tell him, and really get into a place in God where he can pray in cooperation with God's Will? What we have called "taking up the Cross" is now about to hit home for many of us who have held it as a mere doctrine, but not an experience. For only someone dead to himself can do it, and this is exactly what the Cross is meant to accomplish in the life of the Christian. The very struggle itself is necessary, not too unlike the baby bird which must struggle with its own shell before it can be free of it. We see this pointedly illustrated in the Garden of Gethsemane by Christ Himself, when He prayed:

"Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not My will, but Your Will be done (Matthew 26:39)."

His sweat mingled with His tears, and He wrestled with Himself three times before He could settle the issue, but once it was settled, He gave no resistance, and within a few hours everything was accomplished. Oh! That is where we are lacking today! How long will we kick and struggle against the pricks? How long will we argue and complain against God and resist His dealings with us? If we have to die in order to truly live, let us be about the business of dying! If we must be crucified in order to have Resurrection Life, then let us just submit to it and get it over with!

Some very telling features are found in this passage and in the ones related to it. We see at once that there is a thing called God's Will, and there is a thing called My Will. If this was true of Jesus, believe me when I say it is abundantly true of us. Forget about the devil for a moment, this issue of God's Will versus My Will is one hundred thousand times more intense than any fight with some devil or demon. God's Will and My Will are not always in agreement, and that is going to be a problem for God and for me until it is resolved. How can I represent His Kingdom in the earth and talk about His preeminence over all creation if He does not have the preeminence in my own life?

HENCE THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER: to get aligned with the Mind, Will, Heart, Desire, Purpose, and Aim of God Himself. It is a fight and a struggle just to get to Gethsemane. It is a battle to get your brethren to stay awake with you for even one hour; and it is an all-out war to "pray thrice" or ten times or twenty times or one hundred times, as the case may be, until you have gotten the victory over yourself, and come away soaked with the blood, sweat, and tears of that early morning wrestling. But once the outcome is decided in God's favor, what awesome power and Life one receives, to drink that Cup that looked so impossible before, and to go forth bearing the Cross in the strength and power of God Himself, to do whatever He requires!

Admittedly, the kind of prayer we are calling the Church to will require a great deal of self-denial and work, more work than most of us are accustomed to, and for that reason the majority of people who read this will give it up as too laborious. Like the disciples who fell asleep, some simply cannot stay awake (literally or figuratively) to watch and pray for any length of time. This is due in part to the "lazy man's" way of praying that we have been taught and have followed for so long. Now we are not talking about how many hours per day you should spend in prayer. You can be effectual and fervent for twenty minutes per day, and you can be totally ineffectual and half-hearted for several hours straight. Which fulfills God's purpose? We need to work on the quality of our intercessions first and foremost, and then we can work on the quantity of them.

Thus, a serious call to prayer and fasting involves something more than an occasional prayer meeting, an hour-long prayer vigil, or an occasional skipped meal or two. It is a call, not to the world in general, but to the Church, for it is the Call of the Cross all over again: to give no place to the flesh, even in prayer; to subjugate all that pertains to the natural man; to get aligned with something larger and bigger than myself; to get one's own house in order; to bring a message of warning AND mercy to the unsubmitted earth; to prepare the way for the preeminence of Christ, and to demonstrate that preeminence to the rest of the world. Towards this End, we pray that the Lord will raise up more of the saints to represent His interests as the House of Prayer for All Nations.

The Blessing and the Breaking

"And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with them, He took bread, and blessed it, and brake and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him" (Luke 24:30-31).

After Jesus blessed the bread, and broke it, and gave it to them, their eyes were opened and they knew Him. Until you have the blessing and the breaking your eyes will remain closed. Blessings alone do not open our eyes. Indeed, blessings by themselves tend to close our eyes. We do not come to know Him in the blessing, but in the breaking. Then what we already have in Him will be revealed. Our eyes will be opened and we will see that He has been standing there the whole time.

Do you want to know Him? Do you want to see Him for Who He is? Do you want to go deeper? Do you want to have your eyes opened? Embrace the blessing AND the breaking; receive them both. If you are a bruised reed or a broken cistern, take heart, because you are making progress.

When Average Men Follow Christ

By Francis Frangipane

Before we doubt whether we are the caliber of the first disciples, here is a fact sheet compiled from over 200 New Testament Scriptures concerning those whom Jesus first called.

The disciples... came to Christ, believed in Him, followed Him.

They...
dined with Him, often became hungry, often didn't have time to eat, twice fed the multitudes.

They...
received special authority to heal and deliver, became Jesus' confidants, were often rebuked and corrected, were entrusted with the mysteries of God's Kingdom.

They...
did what was not lawful on the Sabbath, broke the traditions of the elders, entered the Kingdom of God and walked in God's power.

They...
were frightened, fell on their faces, were much afraid, were very astonished, they marveled, they were indignant and they rejoiced.

They...
became weary on a number of occasions, grumbled and withdrew, some stopped walking with Jesus; even after the resurrection some still doubted, they wrote the New Testament and died for their faith.

They...
were taught to pray for the Kingdom to come and for laborers for the harvest, yet slept while Jesus prayed; they spent ten days in continuous prayer before Pentecost, and prayed corporately every day afterward at 3:00 p.m..

They...
forgot provisions, made commitments they could not keep, individuals begged them to heal people they could not heal, they attempted to exorcise demons that would not leave, they rebuked parents bringing children to be blessed, abandoned Jesus in His deepest need, they were frequently jealous and ambitious, and they turned the world upside down after the resurrection.

They...
had a tendency to invent doctrines, tried to command fire to fall on the Samaritans, put a limit on how many times to forgive, presumed John would not die, wanted to build tabernacles for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, became the tabernacle of God on earth after Pentecost.

They...
prepared cities for the arrival of Jesus, prepared the Passover for the last supper, and were prepared by God to represent Christ; ultimately, they were prepared to die for the Lord.

They...
remembered what Jesus taught, received the great commission, faced terrible opposition from principalities and powers, Jews and Gentiles, yet they made disciples of all nations.

Let us read the words of Christ as though we were sitting at Jesus' feet learning. What did Jesus say concerning love, spiritual authority, or the power of faith? It is time to not be overwhelmed by our flaws and weaknesses. Rather, let us obey all Jesus taught and be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, even as His first disciples were.

$$

How many of us sweat over money and finance issues..?

RICHER THAN YOU THINK?

How do you feel about that? A bit richer we hope. Richer and ready to give some of your newly found wealth to those who need it most. It not hard - just slip your hand in your pocket and pull out something special. Something that can help redress the balance - and also make you feel uncommonly good. Many peoples lives could be happier if you donated just one hour's salary (approx $14.36 - UK estimate).

All you have to do is make a choice.

$8 could buy you 15 organic apples OR 25 fruit trees for farmers in Honduras to grow and sell fruit at their local market.

$30 could buy you an ER DVD Boxset OR a First Aid kit for a village in Haiti.

$73 could buy you a new mobile phone OR a new mobile health clinic to care for AIDS orphans in Uganda.

$2400 could buy you a second generation High Definition TV OR schooling for an entire generation of school children in an Angolan village.

Kindof puts it into proper perspective don't you think?

Grace..

"And He said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (II Corinthians 12:9).

All those who want power with God must see that His power is released through our weakness. Do realize that you are weak whether you admit it or not, but the power of humility is in recognizing and agreeing before God that we really can do nothing of our own selves. God's power is not for those with natural charisma, talent, leadership skills, education, training, or "connections". God is not looking for volunteers to serve at their own convenience as their schedule permits, but calls for disciples who will lay down their lives. The flesh counts for nothing in spiritual matters.

ITS WAR TIME..

When Kings Go Out to Battle
By Francis Frangipane

Beware of a Passive Spirit
There are many examples of David's valor. As a young man, for instance, while others trembled, David was ready and eager to face Goliath. David is an example of one whom God chose, whose passions for God sustained him for most of his life.

Yet David also provides an example of what happens to good people when they go passive when they should be fighting. For there was an occasion when David did not pursue his enemies and the consequences were grave. It happened because he allowed a passive spirit to subdue his will.

"Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem" (2 Sam.11:1).

During a time of war, the king allowed a passive spirit to immobilize his soul. Soon we find this great warrior king almost helpless to resist the unfolding spiritual attack.

"Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance" (2 Sam. 11:2).

The woman was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. From the moment David accepted the influence of that passive spirit, his resistance was weakened; a paralysis of conscience occurred. Scripture says that "when evening came David arose from his bed." Perhaps it was customary to rest in the afternoon, but it strikes me as inconsistent for David to nap while his men fought. It is possible that this nap was not a response to a bodily need but an expression of the slumber that gripped his soul. He was in bed until "evening."

This heaviness of soul resting on David was actually part of a larger, synchronized spiritual attack. The other part of that battle was the quiet, inner prompting that stirred Bathsheba to bathe in a place where David could see her. Finally, unable to resist, and in defiance of his noble qualities, David "sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her" (2 Sam. 11:4).

Dear friend, remember: This terrible moral failure was not driven by David's lust or flagrant rebellion to God. A passive spirit introduced David to his sin! The problem was simply that, in a time when the kings went forth to war, David stayed at home.

We ourselves are in a time of war. The Spirit of God is calling us to fight for our souls as well as our families, cities and nations. Indeed, God's Word reveals that "The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies" (Isa. 42:13).

Is that holy fight in you? Is there a war cry in your spirit? If you are born again, that cry is within you, even if it has been muted by lethargy.

We will never succeed as overcomers without carrying in our spirits the war cry of God. We must stop resisting the call to prayer; we must embrace the reality of spiritual warfare; and we must fight with the weapons of warfare that God has given us, both for our own progress and also on behalf of those we love.

Know, however, that the moment you accept a passive spirit, you should anticipate that a temptation appropriate to your weakness will soon follow. It may not be Bathsheba; it may be pornography on the Internet. Or it may be a coworker who begins to look attractive at a time when you and your spouse are struggling. Whatever the area of weakness in your life, Satan will attack that area. It will likely not be a bold frontal assault; if you first drop your guard and relax your fight, he will disarm you with a passive spirit. If the enemy succeeds in his assault, you will find yourself wrapped up in something that can devastate you and your loved ones.

One may argue, "I'm walking with God. I'm a bond-servant of the Lord. I'm not vulnerable." Remember what the Lord warned the church in Thyatira: "I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols" (Rev. 2:20) .

Jesus was concerned, not only for the corrupting influence of Jezebel in the world; He was concerned that the leaders of the church had grown tolerant. More, her seductions not only targeted the wayward or new believers, but she led God's bond-servants astray.

Although it does not identify this seductive spirit by name, Proverbs warns of the temptations of the Jezebel spirit. Speaking of "the woman of folly," she calls out "to those who pass by, who are making their paths straight: Whoever is naive, let him turn in here" (see Prov. 9:14-18).

Who is this spirit after? Those "who are making their paths straight."

Beloved, it is springtime here in the northern hemisphere. It is that time of the year when seduction begins to call out "to those who pass by." Let us not become passive in a time of war. Rather, let us fight for our nation, our cities, our families and, especially, our own souls.

It is time for kings to go to war

This is amazing..haha..

check out this link..its hilarious:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1358314062/bclid1363192294/bctid1482436596

Jars of Clay ...

A blog friend steered me to Blood Water Mission, started by Jars of Clay..the video speaks for itself. I even went without coffee for two whole weeks, saved what I would have spent, and sent it on to them..this is an amazing way to connect with our brothers and sisters in Africa..