Hungry, Humbled, and Healed

    

     Mark and I are preparing ourselves spiritually for a new opportunity in the Kingdom of God. Next week, we are going to be part of a team ministering to female military veterans at a 4-day retreat. The Lord answered our prayers for expansion of His Kingdom into new territories, and we are praying that these women will find their freedom in Christ and be set free from whatever bondage their spiritual enemies have inflicted upon them.
     As I have prayed for the Lord's guidance, direction, and protection, I clearly heard the desire of my spirit -- that they would come hungry, be humbled, and leave healed. Yes, Lord! That's my prayer for each attendee! But I soon realized that this is my hope for each person that we come into contact with for the Kingdom. Whenever we meet with anyone whom we've invited to the Lord's table for healing, it is important that they be hungry for an encounter with Jesus; that they arrive with the awareness that they are longing for something [or Someone] that they have been separated from. It is that hunger for more that drives them to the table -- a thirst for more from life; more in their relationships with loved ones; more of knowing who they are and what their purpose on this earth is; more answers to their torment; and more of a spiritual experience with their Savior.
     I'm going to get personal here -- if this describes you, I bet you have tried to fill that hungry void with everything but a personal encounter with Jesus. More money, more drugs, more sex, fancy cars, big houses, trips to Europe, titles at your job or in your Church -- none of it will still the voice that whispers you are unloved, rejected, unworthy, or unimportant. Yet you are hungry and thirsty for more! 
     That's why Jesus says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied". Here, righteousness, is "whatever is right or just in itself that conforms to the revealed will of God; whatever has been appointed by God to be acknowledged and obeyed by man" (Strong's Concordance). Please -- don't just read over that definition as we've all done so many times in our attempts to study the Bible. When you are at the point that you are hungering and thirsting for God to reveal Himself and His will for your life, that's usually the point you are most desperate. All those others things I mentioned in the last paragraph haven't satiated your hunger or quenched your thirst.
     But Jesus is telling us that when we hunger and thirst to have the Father actually show up and reveal His will for our life and what He has appointed to us from the foundations of the world -- and we are ready to acknowledge and receive what is revealed and appointed, then we achieve the satisfaction that we've longed for! And that takes us to the next step ... to be humbled.
     Once we're desperate to have our hunger and thirst satisfied by God, we have to come to the end of ourselves. It's here that we have to admit that all we've done to fill that bottomless pit has failed. In fact, it is our own actions that have often dug that pit deeper; our pride and refusal to surrender to the One who created us and knows us best, has only pushed us further away from Him.
     When we are able to look at ourselves -- in all our filthy rags -- we see that our selfishness and pride have been the driving force that has led to our insatiable hunger and the thirsty condition of our heart. And because God has given us all free will, He will not step in and remedy your situation. From the depths of your hungry soul and spirit, you must be willing to reject and defeat your pride and confess your need for Jesus. It is from that position that you can become obedient, receive God's grace, and begin to be healed.
     You see, our Father in Heaven longs to heal us all. He paid an indescribable price to deliver us from Death and the devil's torment. But to be restored to full health and healing, we must be hungry for the Healer and humble ourselves before His throne. It is only then that we are teachable and can learn His ways. And that's when the Father will stretch out His hand to restore honor and goodness and character to your life, along with health to your body, soul, and spirit. 
     I can only imagine what wounds we will see at this upcoming retreat. But I also know that they will be no different than the ones who find their way to our door and Jesus's table every week in our home. The devil's tactics never really change -- he seeks who to devour because of willful sin, which leads to open doors of torment. They all come looking for the same thing; a way to quiet the voices of condemnation. So it is my prayer that God will create a hunger in them for the Kingdom of God in their lives and the freedom that it brings. Bring them hungry, Lord! And I promise we will help them to humble themselves; we will speak of Your Mighty hand that seeks to exalt those who tremble before You. And, right now, I praise You for the healing that is even now being prepared for those who will submit to You with contrite hearts. Their healing and their victory is on the way! And I truly thank you, Father, for all those You entrust to us. Bring us more! Bring us those willing to come hungry, to be humbled and to be healed by the Blood of Jesus. What an honor it is to serve You!

Proverbs 4:20-22    Listen carefully, my dear child, to everything that I teach you, and pay attention to all that I have to say. Fill your thoughts with my words until they penetrate deep into your spirit. Then, as you unwrap my words, they will impart true life and radiant health into the very core of your being.

"Simplify In Order To Multiply"

     This is the prophetic word that teacher and minister Lana Vawser received from the Lord recently. I think all of us who are aligned with the Lord's heart are sensing that He is accelerating His plan for the redemption and reconciliation of the world. We are seeing a new game plan that relies on the cooperation of obedient followers of Christ to walk in their Power and Authority to defeat the Kingdom of darkness and establish the righteous government of Heaven on the earth. The old strategy of simply saving souls, while ignoring the spiritual enemy that comes prowling like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour, has not slowed the steady advancement of Satan's kingdom. Just look at our culture if you doubt me.
     With the knowledge of new and dynamic strategies, I have seen many changes coming upon the Body of Christ -- all in search of the most effective messages and methods to see "God's will done on earth, as it is in Heaven". And because we are still in this world, I have seen competition and rivalry for the ear and the dollar of those who would "do the things Jesus did, and even greater".
     Don't get me wrong! I am greatly encouraged that the Body is awakening to the seriousness of the hour and is willing to step into new realms of authority in Christ. We must take back territory from the devil that our negligence and lack of knowledge has surrendered to him. My spirit takes heart as I see Christians recognizing their power to heal the sick, cast out demons, commune in the heavenly realms with Christ, appear in the Courts of Heaven, and understanding that the Gospel of the Kingdom was Jesus's primary message.

     But in this new "Christian dynamic", I am also seeing that, in our exuberance to "throw off the old and embrace the new", we can sometimes get out ahead of the Lord in our efforts to establish our ministry, or walk in our giftings, or whatever else we think we hear the Lord calling us to. I'm not saying that any of that is wrong or not from God, but I am cautioning us all to make sure that we're not getting caught up in a whirlwind of activity, trying to be "king of the mountain" in this new movement of God.
     Yes, I know the Holy Spirit is activating gifts in this season, but we need to remember that He is the One who empowers these gifts, not us. We are not in charge of our gifts, as if once given, we can employ them at our will. In fact, Jesus never talks about the gifts of the Spirit; only saying that the Father will send the Holy Spirit [in His Name] to teach us all we need to know to continue His work. I just keep hearing in my spirit that it's simpler than we make it, and it's not all about us. Has the Enemy somehow convinced us that seeking after the gifts of wisdom, or knowledge, or healing, or miracles; or seeking the offices of apostle, prophet, or teacher is the height of our identity in Christ? That the more we do and seek after, it means the greater we are esteemed in the Kingdom of God?
     I will tell you that Mark and I have taken serious stock of the call upon our lives and how we are walking out our obedience. When we first began this Inner Healing Ministry, the Lord gave us a simple process to work with Him and Holy Spirit in helping people get free from the demonic bondage in their lives. And it is only natural to want to increase in knowledge and make every effort to seek new revelation from the Father. It is exciting and empowering to discover that we have access to the throne room of Heaven, and the Heavenly Courts; and that we can understand the tactics of the Enemy to program, develop realms of captivity, manipulate DNA, and establish iniquity in our bloodlines -- and much more! To be honest, it can be overwhelming to think that we have to know and be proficient in all manner of spiritual warfare to defeat these strategies.
     But I thank the Lord that He has shown Mark and I that it is He who does the work; He just needs us to be obedient and willing to show up. He doesn't require intense, complicated methods in order to prove His Lordship over darkness. He reminds us to trust in His authority as the Centurion did; to have childlike faith as we enter each Inner Healing session, knowing that our obedient service to the Kingdom of God is based on our dependence on Him, not our own selfish ambition.
     Therefore, I felt such conviction when I read Lana Vaswer's article on simplifying. My spirit was in agreement with her as she wrote, "this new era of acceleration does not mean you do more; it means HE will do more and bring things together in a momentum we have never seen". And we are seeing that in our own experiences. We have simplified our approach to our healing sessions, relying on Him to multiply the results. And with that strategy, we have found that more people are receiving freedom than ever before! And because the focus is on Jesus, and not us, the people coming for ministry are able to grasp that they, too, can serve the Kingdom of God and take back the devil's territory in the lives of others. 
     Doesn't that correspond to the last thing Jesus told His Disciples before He ascended into Heaven" .. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth". We are called to make Disciples and witness to them of the power of the Holy Spirit in the Kingdom of God on earth. And we are seeing an acceleration of Jesus's simple model in this new season. But it doesn't have to mean that we seek after recognition for gifts or after ministry titles. 
     So, I will let Lana Vawser's wisdom be the last word: "Do not be tempted in this new era of significant acceleration to BUILD in order to grow your platform. Do not be tempted in this new era to move with the “status quo” because that is what is “expected” or “how you grow your ministry” and “gain influence”. All of those “man made ways” are being thrown into the fire and on the threshing floor ... These new strategies He is releasing may look in some ways like “less” but it’s actually the place of your greatest multiplication because you are building in obedience to HIM and His voice ... Strategies God is releasing right now contain ‘Going back to basics’, ‘Returning to foundations and grass roots’, “back to the beginning”, ‘removing the clutter’, things you may have always known but you have moved away from, He is bringing you back to them ‘full circle’. These SIMPLE STRATEGIES will be CLEAR and NOT COMPLICATED and they will be the strategies for LONGEVITY and FRUITFULNESS". 
     I'll finish by saying this is exactly what Mark and I have heard in our spirit and the strategy we are following. We aren't looking to be "the latest and greatest" in Deliverance Ministry, but only want to be known by our fruit. And we are trusting Jesus to bring His restoration to all the lives we touch. Amen!

Proverbs 19:21    "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand".   

 

 

Mixed Messages

     I am oftentimes perplexed at the interpretation of Scripture from people whom I greatly respect and who I know walk in reverent obedience to the Lord. No wonder the Body of Christ is often confused and question their own life's journey and purpose. For instance, I was excited to receive my monthly newsletter from an organization founded by a Scripturally-sound Messianic Jewish leader. The lead article was entitled Rock and Key, and perfectly coincided with the recent teachings Mark and I have been conducting on the Gospel of the Kingdom.
     I was encouraged by the message of Matthew 16:13-19 that represented a historic breakthrough for the disciples following Jesus, and should be serving as a rediscovery for us in the 21st Century. These important verses read as follows:

¹³ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my ekklesia, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

     I agreed with the article Rock and Key that this passage is important on so many levels. First, notice that Jesus asks who the people say the Son of Man is -- not the Son of God. Here, He is wanting to see how He is being perceived. Up til now He has been careful to guard His deity from the general public, and has concentrated on preaching [and teaching His disciples] that the Kingdom of Heaven was to be restored to the earth. This moment at Caesarea Philippi marks a decisive change in His ministry. Now He is ready for His disciples to gain the bigger picture of who He is, why He came, and that He must soon be rejected, killed, and will rise from the dead three days later. This leads to deeper knowledge that all those who choose to follow Him, must be willing to suffer in this life, as He's about to, in order to gain eternal life in Heaven's Kingdom.
     The fact that Peter receives the revelation that Jesus is the Son of [the Living] God means Peter and the disciples are ready to receive authority from heaven through Him. If they can rightly know who He is, then they will soon be equipped with spiritual authority to carry on His assignment. I agreed with the author that this spiritual authority can be administered directly through His Name -- by declaring in the Name of Jesus. Then the author said it could be delegated through the leadership of the local congregation. In both ways, all spiritual authority comes through submission to the One from whom it is given. And being under the cover of authority is a place of protection, where it is safe, secure, and stable -- that is where the rock comes in.
     It is from the stable foundation of Jesus and the covering of His blood that we are protected from the forces of evil in this dark world and able to release God's good, perfect and acceptable will into this earth. In fact, we are so confident in the power of God in us [Holy Spirit] and our authority from Heaven that even the "gates of hades" cannot defeat us. [This particular site at Caesarea Philippi was considered the entrance (gate) to the underworld of death]. We have so much power and authority to release God's will that what we "bind" or "loose" on earth will be bound or loosed in heaven. And I understand the Scripture to mean that the Lord Jesus said He would build His ekklesia (legislative body of believers] to govern the earth in the model God has established in heaven. 
     As I have pointed out before, Jesus did not say He would build a Church, as in a building full of believers. He would build a group of believers gathered together to carry out the government of Heaven on the earth. So, when the author of this article wrote "if we do not have a personal revelation of Jesus and/or we are not members in a local congregation, we have little authority to influence the world for good by the kingdom of God", well, I was dumbfounded. He went on to say that our influence requires both the revelation of Jesus (I agree!) and the active membership in a local congregation.
     To me, that negates the authority of the believer as an individual. Now, I agree that the power of a committed ekklesia can be more powerful by virtue of the number of obedient spiritual warriors [working in their legal authority] to pray down strongholds and govern in the Name of Jesus. But to say that you must be "an active member in a local congregation" does not fit the biblical model that Jesus shows us. I cannot find anywhere in the Gospels that Jesus demands of His disciples that they must be members of a local synagogue to receive His power and authority. In fact, our English Bibles only record Him using the word "Church" twice, one in the aforementioned Matthew 16:18 and again, in Matthew 18:17-18. In both instances, the English word is mistranslated and He actually used the Greek word [adopted by the Romans] of Ekklesia, meaning "a political assembly of citizens" -- it is not a religious congregation. But down through the centuries, we have loosely substituted "church, congregation, and assembly" for this very deliberate word of "ekklesia". 
     Yes, Jesus taught in the synagogues, but the purpose was to introduce the Gospel of the Kingdom and the government of earth according to the Father's will. He taught in order to defeat the works of the devil [and his kingdom] by bringing a superior kingdom that offered Salvation as the entry point to a life spent transforming the earth [and the lives of men] to reflect Heaven on earth. 
     To say that this can only be accomplished in a religious group setting does not sound like anything my Lord spoke. Now this particular author doesn't go as far as others I have read, who say that Matthew 10:1 (Jesus gathered his twelve disciples and imparted to them authority to cast out demons and to heal every sickness and every disease) was only for a particular group of people for a particular time of ministry. This is known as Cessationism, a doctrine which teaches that spiritual gifts, power and authority ceased when the original apostles died. 
     So, I guess the whole point of this blog post is that it concerns me when leaders of our faith tell us that we have no power and authority as an individual. What I see is that all the parables are teaching lessons that revolve around individuals -- not groups. Everyone He healed was on an individual basis. They came to Him, one-by-one, and He healed them. Even the early Church knew their mission was to raise up disciples of Christ who would go out into the world, as individuals, continuing the work He commanded. As a disciple of Christ myself, I am not on any roll of a local church or congregation. But Mark and I are working to be a part of a committed ekklesia who will come together as a local body of believers who, in contending prayer and fasting, and our legal power and authority, can transform our families, communities, and nation. 
    But, even when not in the company of these obedient ambassadors of Heaven, I know that I, as an individual believer, have been given Christ's authority and the power of the Holy Spirit to effect change on this earth; to take back territories from the kingdom of darkness for my Father's Kingdom in Heaven. Could this just be another tactic of the Enemy to shut down our ability to defeat him? If  he can convince us [out of fear or a lie about needing a covering other than Jesus], then we will be rendered ineffective in stopping his kingdom from advancing. 
     This is what I know for certain: that when I encounter someone in a WalMart parking lot that needs a healing hand; or Mark and I sit with a wounded and tormented believer at our table; or we are called to teach a hungry group of Christians about the Gospel of the Kingdom, we are under the covering and protection of our Lord Jesus. He doesn't require our membership in a local church or congregation to continue His work. His Word tells me that whoever believes in Him will also do the works that He did; and greater works than these will we do, because He has gone to the Father (John 14:12). He needs all of us -- individuals and corporate bodies of believers -- to continue His work! And His Word tells me that He has imparted to me all His authority to trample over Satan's kingdom. I can trample upon every demon before me and overcome every power Satan possesses. Absolutely nothing will be able to harm me as I walk in this authority (Luke 10:19).
     Again, I say that He needs us all! Don't believe Satan's lie that you do not have our Lord's permission to represent Him! You are an ambassador of Heaven, and a child of God, made in His image. Your authority comes from God's Word, and being diligent to follow the Word, not your own will or any other man's. Your power comes from the baptism of the Holy Spirit in you. And whether you walk out your faith as an individual, as a part of an Ekklesia, or within the corporate body of the Church -- He can use you! Do not be made irrelevant by man-made doctrine!

Titus 2:13-15   ... our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.  Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
     


     

The Holy Spirit : The Key To Enter The Kingdom of God

   
      This past weekend, Mark and I gave a presentation on the Gospel of the Kingdom for Luke 4:18 Ministries in Austin, Texas. As the time approached, I will tell you that I was a little nervous. Speaking in front of groups of people is getting easier for me, but it does not come naturally. Then my good friend, Mary, gave me a new perspective about this disposition of mine. When we arrived at the venue and I expressed my concern, she looked me right in the eyes, and said, "Oh, that's just your flesh. Your spirit is excited!" And at that moment everything changed. She was right! My spirit was excited about the opportunity to share this important message about the Kingdom of God to the people gathered there; all of whom I knew were never going to be the same after we showed them what they'd missed in their Bibles and in their Churches. After all, we wanted them to have the same experience of divine revelation we had when this amazing Truth was revealed to us. 
     It was such a joy to see minds being renewed to God's original plan for mankind. There was so much to share, and to be honest, I feel we barely scratched the surface of what God wants us to rediscover in His Word.  There are so many aspects of the Gospel of the Kingdom that we need to bring to light, that we could spend days teaching on the "Good News" Jesus brought.  For this day, it was important to show that the reason we were created was to be God's representatives and ambassadors on earth. The word representative is a very serious word. It means one chosen or appointed to act or speak for another; and someone in particular. I sometimes think we forget, or don't see, who we were made to be, and what is our role in the earth.
     Genesis 1:26, 28 make it very clear that we are made in the image of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit [Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness]. I love a teaching by the late Dr. Myles Munroe, in which he says, "You don't have a spirit .... You are a spirit!"  He goes on to teach that, as the Bible says, God formed man of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7), so we are "a spirit in a dirt body, known as a human".  This is important because we need to understand why God only gave humans the authority [to represent Him] on the earth. Dr. Munroe gives a quick etymology lesson: the word humus is the word for dirt. The word for man is Ish, and man is a spirit being. Man is a spirit, but his body is humus.  In essence we are a humus man [spirit being in a dirt body], shortened to human. Follow me, so far? 
     When you think about it, that is a complicated concept, but it is important in knowing God's plan and our purpose. His plan began with giving humans dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26, 28): Let them (humans) have dominion over all the earth ... God said to them, subdue it and have dominion over every living thing that moves on the earth. So the only being that has legal rights and authority to dominate the earth [given by God] is a spirit being in a dirt body. 
     God's Word never changes, right? So, here is a nugget of wisdom from Dr. Munroe that rocked Mark and I, and I think it will you, too .... "Any spirit without a dirt body is illegal on earth. Now you know why demons are illegal. Your most powerful weapon on the earth is not your spirit. When we die and lose our body, we become illegal, too, and we have to leave the earth. We call it death. We need to understand that our bodies keep us legal on the earth, and this is why demons are looking for a body to enter. They are trying to become legal, so they can become functional on earth".
     NOTE: I want to stop right here and interject an important point. I am not saying that someone who comes to us for Inner Healing and Deliverance and is being tormented by a spirit of anger, or a spirit of unworthiness, etc. is possessed. That is why when we confront these spirits [in a deliverance session] we ask if they have legal authority, and they say "no", because the person is being "oppressed" by the demon of anger, and is not "possessed" by it. It is a matter of torment and not possession, because the demon has not entered their body, they are just whispering lies that the Beloved is believing. That is why we can cast them out, because they have no legal authority according to God's own rules. And we must remember that our Father is a God of order and has set spiritual laws in place to govern His Kingdom, which is why our legal authority is so important. Obviously, I am not saying that our spirit is unimportant -- it is the connection with our Lord and how we have relationship with the Father. But in order to carry out the assignments our spirits have been given, we must have a body here on earth. Make sense?
     Now, it is also important to understand Scripture as God intended. He gave man dominion over the earth instead of giving it to Himself. He created us to be His agents, or ambassadors, who would extend His Kingdom of Heaven to the earth. So He wants to use us in order to become involved in the earth. But it is the spirit in us [which is Him in the form of the Holy Spirit] that enables Him to rule through us. It is God's plan to rule the world through the unseen Holy Spirit, living in the unseen spirit of man, which dwells in our physical [seen] body. 
     Consider this, the Holy Spirit didn't indwell anyone in the Old Testament. He came upon men when God needed them empowered for His service, giving them special skills to perform certain tasks. For instance Judges 3:10 tells us, And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him (Othniel, younger brother of Caleb), and he judged Israel, and went out to war; Judges 6:34 says, But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him; Judges 14:6 says this about Samson: And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. And the Bible records that "the hand of the Lord" came upon all the Old Testament prophets to prophesy and do His will.
     That's the difference between the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Old Covenant and the New ... there wasn't a person who could permanently host the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament because there wasn't a sacrifice good enough to make them holy. The Spirit would come upon them to do God's will [through a miracle, a prophecy, or to be strong to do a great work] and then He would leave. And it is important that we recognize that while Jesus was on the earth in the New Testament, there is no record of anyone else hosting the Holy Spirit. Why? Because the power of the Holy Spirit entered Him at His baptism and He carried it from that day forward! And His ultimate assignment was to get the power and the authority of the Holy Spirit into us so that we could carry on His assignment to restore the Kingdom of God on earth back to man.
     You see, while Christ was on the earth, He lent the power of the Holy Spirit that was in Him to men. Luke 9:1 validates this truth so well: And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. But after His resurrection, He appears in the Upper Room and breathed on the Disciples and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, He said, As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you. What was Jesus sent to do? As He says over and over in the Gospels, He was sent to bring the Good News that the Kingdom of God was going to be restored on the earth. And it would be accomplished through Saved men. How do we know that?
     Every parable He taught was a lesson on what the Kingdom of God in Heaven was like, and how we are to walk in it on the earth. He told us to seek the Kingdom first, above all else. He told us to pray that His Father's Kingdom would come, on earth as it is in Heaven. He told us to "ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." He told us that our Father in Heaven knows what we need, and if we, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those of us who ask Him! And, He told us it is the Father's good pleasure to give us the Kingdom... but it is incumbent upon us to use our free will to ask for it, seek it, and knock until it is opened to us. He will not force it upon us. And the door to enter into the Kingdom is our Salvation ... unless one is born [again] of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit indwells us at our Salvation experience and is the key to entering the Kingdom of God!
     It is so easy to see once the veil is removed from our spiritual eyes. In fact, everything about the message of Jesus in the four Gospels takes on new significance. Just read the Word again with a new perspective ... underline every time Jesus talks about the Kingdom and ask the Holy Spirit to renew your mind about what your purpose is. We are a spirit in the likeness of our Father and Creator, sent here to live in a body and to continue the work of our Lord, restoring the dominion of the earth to God's original purpose... that earth would perfectly reflect Heaven. It is time we recognize the fullness of our purpose and take back the spiritual government of the earth, ruling it as it is in Heaven.

Mark 1:15    The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand [has arrived]; repent [change the way you think; seek God's purpose for your life] and believe in the gospel [the Good News].    

The Beauty and Balance of Bold Faith

     In 2008, I received a word that awakened an innate love of writing that had surfaced as a child, and then had lain dormant for over 30 years. A man whom I only met once told me he had a message for me from my Father in Heaven to "be the pen and not the blank piece of paper". Only God could have revealed to him that I was meant to write, since no one -- not even my husband -- was aware that my gift even existed, let alone that it had been inoperative for so long.
     He told me that God wanted me to write because He created me to do it, and that it pleased Him for me to use my gift. That's all it took -- there was no question about it; no hesitancy at all. I was simply going to be obedient. That led to three years of writing every single day for the joy it gave me, and for the pleasure of my Father. The result was a novel that I have yet to publish because the goal wasn't to write a best-seller, but to just develop a discipline of writing ... and to please God, of course.
     Three years later, I heard a word from Him, myself. I was commanded to write a blog -- this very blog -- to calm the fears of women as we faced a radically changing world. I clearly heard in my spirit that women were frightened about the economy, the constant threats of war and terrorism, the transformation of our society and morals, and the structure of the family, just to name a few. But the Lord told me that in all these matters, I needed to point them to Him. In other words, don't shy away from examining world affairs, but give them courage to face an evolving world by looking at it through a lens of faith and the Bible. Thus, began a season of blog posts on looking at subjects like the Hegelian Dialect, Normalcy Bias, World Politics, Isis, and Prepping.
     Then in 2015, God told me to stop looking at the world, and point my audience solely to Him. I wrote about new revelations I was receiving on old, familiar Scripture. And I discussed topics like Occultism and Witchcraft; Power and Authority; and our relationship with the Holy Spirit. And if you've followed the path the Lord has led me on, you now know that He is declaring a new season of writing on the Kingdom of God.

     As you can see, He has been moving in my life and there is a progression towards knowing more of Him and His ways. But I'm not the only one! I have been blessed within the last three days to be among groups of believers just like me; people who are on an individual journey, but one that God has designed to benefit all of us. Our assignments don't resemble each other's. What's more, God is showing me how important it is for those of us who are "watchmen on the wall" to stay alert and aware of not only what He is doing in the world and the spirit realms; but what He is teaching each of us, and what we are encountering and learning; and also what the Enemy is up to in his schemes and strategies to defeat God's agenda.
     And this is encouragement for all of you who read this blog. As we focus in on our individual assignments, we can sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture -- all that I mentioned above. And when God has placed you in a remote location to sow seeds for the Kingdom, as He has me and my husband, one can feel isolated and removed from where [we perceive] all the action is occurring. So, it was good for us to travel to Austin a few days ago to be in the company of a diverse group of Kingdom-Seekers and hear what the Lord's been up to, and to get a glimpse of where He's taking us.
     As you know, Mark and I have been given an assignment of working with Jesus to bring Inner Healing and Divine Deliverance to those who are hurting in this world -- the broken-hearted, the prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed. But He has recently added "teaching the Kingdom" to our job description. Those two tasks are consuming both our ministry and prayer time. So we were able to share these experiences with the group and hear how the Lord is working differently in their lives. And that's where it got interesting and exciting!
     We had a Watchman whose assignment is to research and investigate -- and ultimately destroy -- the rapid advancement of technology and how the Enemy is using it in nefarious ways to infect and infiltrate our bodies. I'm not just talking about listening in on your phone conversations or the vaccine controversy, folks. The knowledge that the Lord is downloading to certain Watchmen makes the plots and storylines of TV Shows like the wildly popular Stranger Things seem like fairy tales. I mean, I'm talking about the fact that the Enemy knows Scripture such as 1 John 5:1, which says, This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
     So, imagine if you can, that the Lord downloads a message to you that concerns this topic of light and it has huge ramifications for the human species. I'm going to give you a very condensed science lesson and you will see what I'm talking about. According to Wired.com, an online magazine that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics, all objects produce light. That is, we are matter that consists of energy fields and magnetic fields, which result in electromagnetic waves. All of these electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed (the speed of light). However, they have different interactions with matter. And technically, the interaction with light and matter depends on the frequency of light. And here's how and why that is important to us humans ... What happens, say if there is no light that enters your body through your eyes? What if you are in a place with absolutely no source of light? The correct answer is that you will just see black [or darkness] - forever.
     What if the Lord showed you that the Enemy has co-opted mankind to develop various ways to insert Artificial Intelligence into our bodies that will bend light, so that what is attacking our bodies through allergies, seizures, body aches, profound fatigue, autism etc., cannot be found? When the Light Source is diverted, these attacks on our bodies remain in the dark and are many, many times undiscoverable. But what if God gave you the keys that fit into the locks previously unopened by traditional and non-traditional medicine? What if He showed you that the body could actually speak to you [via muscle testing] and show you what, how, and where those attacks were originating from? Would that fit into your faith grid? Can you trust that the God of the Bible could [and would] reveal something so unorthodox and extraordinary? 
     Picture, if you will, this diverse group of obedient followers of Jesus and how we were able to reconcile our dissimilar, non-traditional paths of faith and obedience. After all, my path certainly has nothing in common with revelations regarding the quantum mechanics of the body. Yet, one could conclude that the goal of both ministries is healing of both body and spirit.
     The point that I want to make by sharing these disparate accounts of journeys with God is that, in the end, the entire group had one thing in common ... despite different paths, we all arrived at the same position of faith: no matter what this world conjures up to try to destroy our assignments from God, the blood of Jesus defeats it. We have been given the power and authority from our Lord over all the power of the Enemy, and ultimately he cannot harm us. Those of us who answer God's call to boldly walk where most people dare not tread can expect criticism and rejection. But that was the beauty of this gathering of the faithful. We were all willing to accept our assignments, even if it meant isolation, condemnation, and the possibility of failures. We might not look like the world, or even each other, but we all recognized that we have the Light in us, and when we expose the Enemy's darkness to the Light of Jesus, we can and will be victorious!
     So, I just want to end this post with this word of encouragement to you ... don't worry about how your assignment from God looks to others; and don't compare or try to emulate another's spiritual walk. There is something uniquely and exceptionally beautiful about how God designates each of us for specific purposes, and how those purposes balance each other out to fulfill His ultimate plan. We don't need to try to figure it all out or how it all fits together; we just need to be bold and persistent. That's the picture of Faith that honors and glorifies our Father in Heaven. May it ever be!

If you would like more information on the ministry of Quantum Mechanics and the healing of the body, visit Natalie Morris at Quantum Command. 

1 Corinthians 7:17    May all believers continue to live the wonderful lives God has called them to live, according to what He assigns for each person, for this is what I teach to believers everywhere.

A History Lesson: Democracy And A Kingdom

    
     If you remember your world history, then you are most likely aware that the ancient Greeks are responsible for the concept of Democracy. Nearly 2500 years ago, the great Athenian general Pericles coined the phrase about the government of the nation being "in the hands of the many and not the few". From that moment in time, the idea of a representative government became a subject of much debate and conflict among the major Greek philosophers.
     Aristotle declared that "man is by nature a political animal", but he saw the inherent flaws in a democracy. Plato saw it as a poor form of government, primarily because his mentor, Socrates, was executed by a democracy. They understood that Democracy, by considering the ignorant to be as important as the well-informed, does not guarantee sensible decisions. But the primary goal of all these great philosophers was to determine how to rule effectively. In that vein, they also studied kingdoms and how kings ruled. And what they discovered will have a tremendous impact on how you study and understand the Bible.
     What they ascertained was that a King ruled in a reverse way from a democracy. In a democracy, the people vote [or select] the leader; the leader chooses a cabinet; then the cabinet counsels the leader. In a Kingdom it is reversed. The King chooses the citizens and appoints His cabinet. But the cabinet is not chosen to counsel the King, but to execute the King's will in the Kingdom. The Greek word for that legislative assembly is Ekklesia. Jesus says in John 15:16, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you might go and bear fruit -- fruit that will last...".
     The Romans implemented this Greek idea of a kingdom cabinet, or Ekklesia, and they called that group the Senate. The Senate in Rome was King Caesar's legislative arm that executed his will throughout the entire Kingdom. They took the King's desires, translated them into legislation and made them into laws, so that the people actually obeyed the King's mind through the work of the Senate.
     Jesus used the Greek word for this legislative assembly in Matthew 16:18, when He said, "I will build My Ekklesia, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it!" It is important to note that the gates of a city symbolized where justice and law was often dispensed. But, unfortunately, we in the 21st Century are still laboring under the wrong translation in the King James Bible, and that verse is rendered "I will build My Church...". Ekklesia, unlike Church, is not a religious group. It is the political agency of a King. It is important to note that the only person who can appoint an Ekklesia is a King. A Prophet cannot appoint an Ekklesia. A Priest cannot appoint an Ekklesia. A Teacher cannot appoint an Ekklesia.
     It is my hope that as you study your Bible and all that is revealed about Kingdom, you will see that Jesus spends the majority of His three-year ministry teaching His disciples everything about THE KINGDOM, over and over and over. He knows that before He leaves the earth, He needs to establish His government. So, it is important for us to see why He asks His disciples "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" Because who they say He is [will] determine what He's qualified to do.
     Stop for a moment and contemplate this idea. Muslims call Jesus a prophet in the Koran, and that disqualifies Him from being a King and having a Kingdom. The Hindus call Him a teacher of wisdom. That, too, disqualifies Him to be a King over a Kingdom. The Buddhists see Him as a Wise Man, which also disqualifies Him. None of those terms qualifies Him to be a King and appoint an Ekklesia on the earth to rule in His stead.
     This is why it is so important for this generation [and every generation] to figure out how to properly identify Him! Whatever you call Him determines how He can operate in the world. That's why what I said in my previous post is so important to grasp. If we see Him as only the Lamb (full of Grace and Mercy) and don't see Him as the King [with Power and Judgment] then we will miss our appointments in the Kingdom and He won't have an effective legislative body to carry out His will.
     That's why Jesus asks Peter, "Who do they say I am?" And look at the answers... each answer disqualifies Him as the King of a Kingdom! Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. A prophet is not a King, and a prophet cannot appoint an Ekklesia! And then comes the all-important question, "Who do you say I am?" Peter answers correctly: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" What is lost on the modern church is the fact that there were many men calling themselves Christ in Jesus's day, and all serving dead gods. But Peter qualified our Lord! He said, " You are THE Christ, the Son of the LIVING God"! 
     And I want you to recall the difference between our identities as FAMILY and KINGDOM in yesterday's blog. I want you to see that when Jesus asked Peter, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?", He is pointing to His identity as a member of the Family of God. But when Peter replies, "the Son of the [Living] God", and Jesus tells him he is correct, that is Jesus qualifying Himself as our King and the head of God's Kingdom on earth. The Son of Man is a Family identity; the Son of God is a Kingdom identity.
     I know that I keep hammering home this idea that the Body of Christ is to be more than the Church. But it's true! We don't even know the Biblical implications of the words we use to describe ourselves or our Lord! God chose to send His Son to earth in a time when the people understood the concepts of a Kingdom and an Ekklesia. We have lost not only those original words, but their meanings and significance. We must not try to interpret the Bible through our modern lenses of religious words and meanings. We must seek God's Truth, not our own! Holy Spirit, show us true revelation so that we might be the Lord's appointed ones to carry out our King's will in His Kingdom here on earth.

Thank you to the website, Independent, for the information on the Greek and Roman forms of government. And a special thank you to the late Dr. Myles Munroe for his persistent dedication to teaching the Body of Christ about the Kingdom of God.

Psalm 22:28    For kingship belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations.

Welcoming the Wilderness

     I've spent a lot of time talking about the Kingdom of God; learning how to operate in the Kingdom as we grow in understanding our Kingdom assignments. But today I want to give you a personal testimony of how Jesus can throw you a curve ball, especially when you think you have it all figured out.
     For the last month or so, He has been pushing me to stop and focus on how I was accomplishing my assignment. I know that my assignment [along with my husband, Mark] is to continue His work in setting "the captives free" [from spiritual bondage] through our Inner Healing Ministry. I also know that He has revealed to my husband that we will begin to teach small groups of Christians who want to know more about Kingdom Living. That assignment has already begun and I can see that "Kingdom" is at the heart of what He has called me/us to.
     But my spirit began to be troubled because I could also see that other ministries were pulling on my heart and, while I am in full support of their calling and purpose, it wasn't given to me as my assignment, and I wasn't fully vested in where Jesus wanted to take me. He had more for me to do within my "lane" and I wasn't hearing Him! So, I struggled with saying "No" to this other ministry [for a season, at least], and waited to hear from the Lord about what is next in His agenda for me.
     Almost immediately, He showed me new opportunities within my "Kingdom lane" -- an invitation for Mark and I to come speak to a new group on Kingdom; the possibility of a women's retreat on Kingdom Living and Freedom; as well as encouragement to write a book on the Kingdom of God and Kingdom Living -- all within the span of several hours! This last assignment had actually been given to me as a word of knowledge two years ago, and I had not acted on it, even though it was constantly on my mind. Then in the same afternoon that these other two opportunities surfaced, I was speaking to a woman I consider my mentor about being spiritually attacked after hammering home the Kingdom on my blog, and she said, "So, are you are going to write a book on the Kingdom?" Confirmation of the word spoken over me two years prior! There it all was! Jesus was making it pretty clear that I was to be concentrating on my Kingdom assignment; it was to be front and center!
     So, what do I do? I get all excited and my spirit is fired up! In about 45 minutes I write an outline of what a women's retreat would like -- talk about a fast download! I'm looking at our schedule to plan our talk to the group near Houston, and I'm figuring out how I can rearrange my daily schedule to commit a dedicated amount of hours to begin writing the book.

     And guess what Jesus does? In a small group that meets to discuss our Inner Healing Ministries, Theresa (one of the women I've come to cherish for her heart and her spirit), looks right at me and says, "WILDERNESS"! At first, I didn't realize that the word was meant for me... I thought she was just speaking it into the group. She said, "No, Jesus is telling me you need to hear "Wilderness". Ok, so now I'm a little confused, because I'm thinking "I think I just came out of a wandering season and I'm back on track, focused on my assignment and excited about the future opportunities Jesus is showing me". So, I'm a little deflated in my excitement about what Jesus has in store for me. After all, the word wilderness doesn't exactly have a positive connotation in the Bible.
     You see, at first I'm equating wilderness with the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years and I said, "I don't understand why He would point me to wilderness". Her response was, "He says to just trust the process". So, now I know I need to go home that night and have a talk with Jesus to discover what He means, and why "Wilderness" is something I need to meditate on and pray about. At that moment, it certainly didn't sound like an encouraging word.
     But this morning, it is a different story! Last night I prayed for Him to reveal the fullness of what "trusting the process in the Wilderness" meant for me. Today, He began to reveal it layer by layer. First, the "Wilderness" wasn't connected to the Israelites' wanderings. Instead, He pointed me to His own time in the wilderness after His baptism in the Spirit. Matthew, Chapter 4, gives us an account of that experience ... Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.  The passage goes on to focus on the ways that the devil tests Jesus to get him to sin, and the way in which the Lord defeats the Enemy's tactics with the Word of God.
     However, I believe our English translations put the wrong emphasis on what happened there in the wilderness. I prefer the Aramaic translation which reads, Afterward, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the lonely wilderness in order to reveal His strength against the accuser by going through the ordeal of testing. And after fasting for forty days, Jesus was extremely weak and famished.... As I began to ask Jesus questions about His Word of "wilderness" to me, He began to show me that although it was important to recognize that Scripture is an effective weapon against the attacks of the devil, He wanted me to focus on His fasting experience in the wilderness. The primary purpose of Him fasting was to draw near to the Father for the strength and knowledge and power He would need to begin His ministry; for the signs and wonders that were to come, and for the authority of the Gospel of the Kingdom! 
     Yes, Jesus has a new exciting season ahead for me [and for Mark]. And I believe He will take us to new levels of power and authority. But first, I must spend my time in the wilderness with the Father -- fasting and praying; receiving new revelations about my assignment(s); being prepared for the testing that will inevitably come in this new season. Like Jesus, I need to trust this process in the wilderness. I need to spend time fasting as a spiritual investment to draw upon in those times that I will need God's help. Jesus, Himself, taught His disciples that some of their Kingdom assignments could not be completed without the power that came from prayer and fasting.
     Fasting will also help me strengthen my intimacy with the Father as He reveals His power and strength in my assignment and in my battles against the Enemy. And most importantly, I believe that spending time in the wilderness with my Heavenly Father will help me to pray and hear from Him as Jesus did. And I hope it will reveal any hidden sins that the devil could use to hinder my assignment. I want to leave the wilderness with a heart like Jesus. I want to be able to leave the wilderness empowered with the complete knowledge of my mission and empowered to walk it out, just as Jesus did His!
     So, while my initial response to the word of knowledge Theresa received was luke-warm, the Holy Spirit and Jesus have now shown me the truth of that word. WILDERNESS is not to be denounced, but rather, it is to be welcomed! I gladly enter into the wilderness my God has prepared for me, because I know I will meet Him there. I will be humbled there. I will receive spiritual knowledge and authority there. And I will be empowered to walk in new levels of Kingdom and to share the glorious news with those who are seeking the Kingdom first. My wilderness will glorify my God!

Isaiah 43:19    Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.