Tag: Unshakeable Faith

Third Day Realities!

 

Throughout the Bible, God employed the use of numbers to express spiritual truths, to mark and direct us to notable events on Heaven’s trajectory of movement up to Jerusalem and the future Reign of Christ. Certain numbers have been revealed to have great significance such as seven—representing completion of purposes; forty representing times of judgment, and 70, indicative of a generational shift into another spiritual dynamic. Another very significant number is three, used repeatedly to represent the sublime work of the Cross that covers the spectrum of death to resurrection realities. Recently the Lord has begun to highlight the Third Day and third-day realities evidenced by the Cross.

There are many powerful Third Day scriptures and passages that have been endued with a prophetic view to future events, apart from their fulfillment in their time. One such passage is Exodus 19:11 where the Lord told Moses to consecrate the people to get them ready for the Third Day when He would come down to them.

“Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.” Exodus 19:16

Similarly, in Joshua 1:11, the Lord told Joshua to tell the people to prepare and consecrate themselves for in three days they would cross over into the Promised Land. After three days the priesthood and the ark of the covenant led the way across the Jordan as the waters parted before them.

At another notable time, when the people of Israel faced a crisis of their annihilation, God raised up Esther as Queen to make an appeal before the king. Despite the possibility of death, Esther prevailed. The king granted her favor to decree the destruction of the enemies of the people of God and Israel was saved.

“Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house.” Esther 5:1

Again, at another notable time, when Israel sinned in disobedience to God’s ordinances and departed from His ways, judgment was decreed upon them. They were taken captive by their enemies and went into exile. Through Hosea the prophet, God brought a charge against the nation, declaring that there was no truth, mercy, or knowledge in them, that they were destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hos. 4). God decided to hide Himself, with the intention that in their affliction, they would earnestly seek Him (Hos. 5:15). The Cry then came through Hosea:

“Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.” Hosea 6:1-3

In Jesus’ time, He became very angry at what was taking place in His Father’s House and He drove the money changers out of the Temple. Because of this, the people demanded a sign as to the authority by which he could do such a thing, and Jesus answered them:

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. John 2:20-21

Jesus was not only referring to His body that would be resurrected after His crucifixion, but He was also referring to the House of God that would be built in His name on the foundation of His life. Jesus was the first fruit of many who would be fashioned and conformed in His image—a House of living stones built within three days.

 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. Mark 14:58

In the book of Peter, he taught that a thousand years were as one day to the Lord. Could it be, that we have arrived, at the time of the morning of the third day after Christ’s resurrection?

“But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2Peter 3:6-10

Have we arrived at the most notable moment of history, when, as with Moses on the third day, after a time of consecration God said He would come down, or, a time like Joshua when God told the people to consecrate themselves as on the third day they would crossover into the promised land—for us, it is the Promised Land of the millennial reign of Christ?

Are we in the time that Hosea prophesied of when God would revive Israel after two days and raise them up on the third day with the outpouring of the latter rain when Israel will once again live in His sight?  Could it be as in the time of Esther when on the third day the Bride must go before the King and receive His favor to go on the offensive and decree the destruction of its enemies in the battles of the last days? Are we in the time of judgment and shaking that will result in the Return of the King, when the last stone will be placed in the House of God He has been building—the Headstone, raised and inaugurated on the Third Day?

Have we arrived at the end times? The Word of God says that the harvest is at the end of the age. Jesus said that the tares and the wheat must grow together to their fullness. What does the fullness of evil look like? I think we are in the early stages of experiencing what it will look like! What does the fullness of Christ look like?  Ephesians 4:13 tells that we have been growing up into the fullness of the stature of Christ—being conformed to His image. It looks like the release of the sons of God. Get ready to embrace this truth—God’s word to u. is: Only believe!

Civilization appears to be on the brink of collapse, and we are living in unprecedented times—an unprecedented wave of worldwide gross immorality, an unprecedented man-made Global Pandemic, ushering in an unprecedented very aggressive Global push to vaccinate the entire world population—critical thinking would question why and research the facts? We are witnessing unprecedented collusion between leaders of all mountains and spheres of life. This is all taking place in a time when there is unprecedented Technology capable of monitoring the Globe and every person on it, as we witness an unprecedented move toward Governmental control and dictatorship…Globally!

Persecution tends to bring people in line and in unity very quickly. In these unprecedented times, God is making things black and white that the side of righteousness is made apparent to all; that what is clean and unclean, what is rebellion and obedience is made abundantly clear. Those who know God’s Word and follow it will be distinguished from those who don’t. There is at present an aggressive spirit of rebellion roaming the streets of our cities and our nations. Jesus prophesied that in the last days’ lawlessness would abound and the love of many will grow cold. There is increasing evidence of this as the enemy works ferociously to divide us on every front. The saints of God are being tested in many ways to qualify for His army. Much of the insanity taking place in the world right now is causing and motivating the army of God to begin to rise up and take its place on the frontlines. We must remember that the third-day realities not only signify a time of testing, trials, and tribulation but is also indicative of the time of resurrection, when the people of God will arise with His Glory upon them.

A marker is a point of reference from which everything changes when things shift into a new dynamic. I believe that dynamic is war! The armies of God are being deployed!  The trumpet is about to sound. Those who choose to submit are being marked by Heaven.

“…he said to him, “walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all who weep and sigh because of the detestable sins being committed in their city.” Ezekiel 9:4

The Feast of Trumpets this year will be a most significant time…pray for ears to hear the sounding of the trumpets. In a previous word, I published last year entitled Systems are Deployed, I wrote that a SYSTEM was set of things working together as parts of an interconnecting network or mechanism: a complex whole.  A system can also represent a set of organs in the body having a common structure or function. The word DEPLOY means to move troops or equipment into position for military action, to bring into effective action. In this word I said:

Both these words are key to what is presently taking place in the spirit. The preparation that the saints have endured over the past 20-30 years under the hand of the Holy Spirit, has been readying them to now be deployed.  God’s creative Life Force is about to be unrestrained, let loose, and discharged through peoples, systems, and networks, deployed in strategic settings over the Globe.

These systems are comprised of saints who have committed to serving God in obedience, who will choose to link arms in authentic unions,  structures, and functions. They will be power-packed with the energy force of God, ready to explode in the earth’s atmosphere. Saints have been fashioned as God’s storehouses where He has been storing and filling up His treasures and spiritual food, prepared to serve the harvest in the time of spiritual famine.

God is fashioning and establishing Glory Hubs all over the earth and saints raised up to steward these hubs that could be whole regions or small communities. In this hour it is vital to be positioned in the location God has determined for you.  Trust Him to lead you where you need to be. These places and regions will be protected by God’s Glory and Presence. It doesn’t matter where you are you can create your own Glory bubble through praise and worship of the King.

“Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.” Isaiah 4:5-6

These Glory zones will be cities and communities that have become a refuge from the present and coming storms on the earth. They are God-created systems established and designed as networks, a metron possessing the dynamic of the supernatural.  They are self-contained and fully equipped with the provision that sustains—food, resources, and spiritual authority where heavenly provisions are stored.

God’s army has come through the tests and the war games are now over:  we are being deployed into a very real and even dangerous battle—the stakes are high and we must count the cost and move forward.

The saints of God are becoming WIDE-AWAKE.  Apostolic Generals are being called out and arising. People will be searching for courageous leaders who can direct the way ahead. True prophets in whom there is no mixture will take their place—laid down lives in service of the King.  A coming wave of the Supernatural is about to be released as the King arises to lead us forward!

A Great Awakening in the Church and of the lost will become the catalyst that moves everyone into position to fulfill their assignments and the destinies prepared by Father God before the foundation of the world. The influx of a great Harvest of souls will force the Church to mobilize and take action.

As the great Awakening unfolds, evangelism and teachers will be called to gather and disciple the harvest. Prayer and strategic intercession must move to a higher level of union with God. Those anointed in deliverance will be in great demand. Apostles and prophets will be called to empower and mobilize the troops. As we move and press forward it will be important to be meeting, gathering, and talking with each other regularly, we cannot afford to stay isolated from each other any longer. It is time to discover and understand your sphere of influence and the strategies for reaching your community?

The Lord said that on the Third Day He would come down. He said that on the Third Day He would restore; that on the Third Day we would Crossover and that on the Third Day he would Arise. As we live and move and have our being in Him when He arises, resurrection power will be released and we shall arise in and with Him. A great impartation of Faith and Courage will be infused into the Body of Christ to cause us to stand in strength in these times. John Chapter 2:1 tells us that on the third day there was a wedding! The end-time Wine reserved for the people of God will sustain and keep us as we wait for our Bridegroom King to return.

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THE BIG RESET!

 

GOOD NEWS! God has checkmated the enemy’s move in the present coronavirus crisis. The enemy’s plan was to release calamity on the earth, but God strategically incorporated this virus in His plan to bring forth transformation in the world!  The people of God have been in prayer, intercession and expectation for a big move of God for years, and God has now answered with the BIG RESET—the precursor to a great awakening and a great in-gathering of souls into the Kingdom of God. The world was going off the rails, on a trajectory toward destruction, running to and fro as the bible predicted in the book of Daniel. The emotional temperature in the world was at an ugly boiling point as the gods of this world gained in sphere and power. But God! God is using what the enemy planned for evil as a GLOBAL RESET.

In the present Global shutdown, bars have closed, sports has shut down, Disney world, recreation and entertainment has shut down; as a result, families are at home talking and eating together; people are quiet, the world is quiet, children are home safe, attitudes are changing, people are having compassion on others, we are coming together in a unity of heart and mind and people are praying and looking to God for answers. We are lovingly caught in the captivity of the Lord and the enemy is losing big time!!  During a recent time of Intercession, I saw a massive lion pacing restlessly with anticipation; the scripture that came to mind was Isaiah 42:13-17:

“The LORD will march out like a champion, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies. “For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant…I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

I believe it is important that we take full advantage of this time God has given us to examine our lives, get rid of the non-essentials and recognize what is important.  In rest we will hear more clearly from God the strategies He wants to implement and the intercessory initiatives that will give birth to them. This is time to draw close to God and fine-tune our spiritual senses.

The entire chapter of Hebrew 12 is well worth studying at this time; in it God tells us not to take it lightly when we are disciplined by Him or grow weary under it—He disciplines those He loves as any loving father would. In verses 26-29, God warned us that He would shake everything that could be shaken; but we must take note His reasoning—it is for the removal of things that can be shaken, in order that the things that cannot be shaken might remain; that we may offer to Him acceptable worship with reverence and awe—He is a Consuming Fire and He will consume the sin out of our lives and ultimately out of the world!

God will be releasing prayer strategies to His people to bring us through this time—the term prayer strategy is simply the direction of how often to meet, in what manner we are to meet, who we are to meet with and the logistics of that, the theme of intercession, the way you we are to pray, whether in tongues or with revelation or both. This may be accompanied by symbolic action He may ask you to do; this may seem like something silly to you but when done in obedience carries great power. He may give specific songs to worship to, some with banners or in dance and it may be accompanied by a time of fasting or not.

The Lord has given us a strategy to have three prayer thrusts once a month until May (See related word). Considering what is happening in the world at first I didn’t think this was enough. As I am now forced to be at home, there is a quietness and a stillness in the atmosphere, and I believe that is by God’s design. God has been highlighting to me a principle in the strategy given to Joshua for Jericho. They had to march around the city in silence for seven days. On the seventh day they marched seven times then blew the trumpets. It seemed like a crazy thing to do, but they did it in obedience, power was released, and the walls fell! The part He is highlighting to me was the silence—they had to march in silence.

God is saying that as we wait before Him in quietness and in stillness, we are building up spiritual dunamis energy—an internal combustion that will explode and empower His move to BREAK OUT AND LAUNCH! I checked what internal combustion meant and found that: Internal-combustion engines are the most widely used power-generating devices currently in existence. It works by raising the temperature of a gas which then increases the pressure that makes it expand and blow. As we are still before the LORD, corporately waiting on the Him during this time, in fasting and in prayer, we are building up a corporate internal combustion in the Body of Christ that will break us out into the greatest move of God of all time. There were a few words that I wrote last year in which God said to tell them, “Ready or not here I come!”  I believe that time has come!

Understanding Spiritual Warfare

During these times it is important to know how to pray. Its time to fight God’s way! There can be much misconception when it comes to spiritual realities. Greater knowledge and understanding of spiritual warfare are important features of the Christian walk that I believe God is saying is presently needed. My last article touched on the aspect of it that relates to heart issues, as all victory is founded on the principle in Jesus’ words, the prince of this world comes but he has nothing in Me! The enemy could find no place of agreement in Christ, and the same must be for us. The Lord has continued to put an urgency in my heart to write on this subject to equip His people for the times.

The Bible speaks much about this warfare and is our source for all understanding of the subject.  The scriptures refer to the Lord as The Lord of hosts two hundred and thirty-five times! The word hosts mean armies—He is the Lord of armies, both in Heaven and on earth. We were enlisted in the army of God when we got saved, and have a fierce enemy, whether we understood that or not.

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” Ephesians 6:13 

At the core of spiritual warfare is understanding our identity as a son or daughter of God and standing in it. There are those who are called to lifestyle of prayer and have been given a strong gift in intercession, however all God’s people are called to prayer and live within this spiritual dynamic. Everyone is a part of the war weather they participate or not. Because we live in this atmosphere of warfare, to have a grasp of this subject is to everyone’s advantage.

Contrary to what some may think, spiritual warfare has some very basic Christian principles I would like to highlight. First, we begin by noting that the Bible is founded on the spiritual dynamic that God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit (Jn. 4:24). Angels are spiritual beings that serve God. Satan is a created spiritual being—an archangel that fell and is now the archenemy of God, and all humanity. Demons are spiritual beings that serve the devil and do his bidding, they hate humanity and their job description is to steal, kill and destroy every good thing God intends for His people and the world. The evidence of their activity can be seen in every sphere of society and they are especially targeting the children. It is therefore very important for every family to have a prayer strategy and teach the children to how to pray. Children should be secured in the truth of Jesus, and His great love and power toward them!

Do Demons have Power?

Every spiritual and physical entity is created and subject to the full sovereignty of God.  These created beings have power for two reasons: the first is that as God ordained judgment on all rebellion and disobedience from the very beginning, and demons have legal right to function in this environment of sin (Deut. 28). However, God has given humanity the right to choose their own course, “…I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life…” (Deut. 30:19)

The second reason they appear to have power is that within the born again dynamic, though our spirits are fully regenerated, the Holy Spirit, takes the land of our souls through the process of sanctification and cleansing in order to remove all worldly mind-sets, demonic strongholds, effects of past trauma and ungodly beliefs.  Even as Christ has purchased the whole person with His blood, and owns us fully, we may not have given Him all our allegiance. He has given all of Himself, but He does not necessarily receive all of us! God also uses the process of sanctification or heart cleansing to train and build our spiritual muscles of faith in the understanding of His great power over all things, and as a consequence, our great authority in Him as sons of God (Col. 2:9-11).  During this process we learn to fight, we overcome the enemy of our souls and are healed—all oppression is driven from the land of our souls as we are continually filled by the Holy Spirit in greater and greater measure, as He occupies more of  us. Israel’s journey to the Promised land through the wilderness gives us a picture of this process—there they were built up in faith and learned to fight!They entered the Promised land as warriors with the Shout of a King amongst them!

What does Spiritual Warfare Entail?

Spiritual warfare is very different than warfare in the natural. Firstly, as Ephesians 6 stated our fight is with spiritual forces and not with people, and the weapons we fight with are not of this world—they are far more powerful!

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

The battleground ultimately is for the mind of man—for who we will serve and give our allegiance to.  When our obedience is complete and the Lordship of Christ is firmly established in our lives, we have great authority to demolish the enemy’s plans and schemes in our personal lives. And having overcome with our personal issues we can stand in a posture of obedience, in strength, in a corporate setting, to fight for our communities, cities and our nations. The principles for corporate warfare are the same for our personal lives so let’s look at the practicalities.

Practicalities of Corporate Warfare.

Effective warfare is not a matter of semantics or the tonality of our voice—whether we are loud or soft spoken, as we are all unique in our gift. It is not about how great we can pray, but rather about functioning, not in the flesh, but under the anointing of a humble, surrendered heart. I was once in a prayer meeting sitting beside a very soft spoken lady who was praying very quietly, as she prayed God showed me a picture of her in the spirit—it was as if she had a megaphone blasting out her prayer into the spiritual realm…the point being, no one is disqualified.  There are certain key features or spiritual weapons God has given us in our warfare to overcome the kingdom of darkness, that when applied in the dynamic God intended, will always take down the enemy, these are:

Union: The word declares that where we have union, the commanded blessing of God is then released (Ps.133). The word command is tsavah and means to send with a charge, give a command, set in order or send with a messenger. This makes it clear that unity is vital to effective warfare. There is a mystery in the principle of union and agreement that when in place, works to produce an explosion of dunamis supernatural power, having the potential to produce God-sized possibilities.   The shortest and most memorable word God has given me came to me in capital letters, He said: AGREE WITH ME!  When we agree with Him corporately, we are in union with each other and with Him—this dynamic produces dunamis power. The corporate sound that is released in this setting is a breaker sound that demolishes strongholds.

Faith: The word of God declares that faith is the victory that overcomes the world, that our fight is the fight of faith; that we have access by faith, we are strengthened by faith, the promise comes by faith. We are admonished to build up our faith as we are protected and shielded by faith. Ephesians 4:13 tells us that we are all growing up until we attain to unity in the faith. Unity of the faith is a unity of mind that is a oneness in conviction and belief in the Lordship, majesty, power, and fullness of authority of the Godhead. That kind of faith will overcome every obstacle and mountain in our path and will transform our world.

Peace: The peace of God that is His shalom is a powerful principle that drives out all fear, anxiety and distress.  It is a peace that surpasses all understanding. The Hebrew word shalom has so much more weight than simply the absence of strife; it means to be safe, healthy and prospering in life, it is from a root word that means to be safe in body, mind and estate, to be complete!  Peace is who Christ is! He is the Prince of Peace and darkness cannot dwell in the presence of His peace. We can all be filled and exuding this supernatural peace that dispels fear and is a key to effective intercession.

Compassion: The compassion and love of Christ is an important attribute that we are to each carry. Wherever Jesus is moved with compassion in Scripture we see a miracle take place. Compassion is the heart of God and the basis for miracles. Judgment can also be the compassion of God, as the word says that when the world is judged it learns righteousness (Is. 26:9). It is God moving to save us from ourselves.  However as with all the attributes of God there is the counterfeit—counterfeit grace, love and compassion, and the attempt made to sanctify sin and bless what God has cursed and is not blessing.

Speaking in Tongues: God has given us the powerful weapon of speaking in unknown tongues—prayer that is motivated and empowered by the holy Spirit. Praying in tongues personally and corporately is powerful as it releases revelation and spiritual insight into situations, and can produce signs and wonders, and is in itself a sign and a wonder! In spiritual warfare we are posturing ourselves before God and looking to Him for insight, revelation, keys to win the battle and direction in our intercession.   In spiritual warfare everyone contributes to the corporate spiritual dynamic. The synergy created becomes a force that is unstoppable.

The Word of God: Lastly, and most important is the Word of God. The Word of God has supernatural power and always accomplishes what God has purposed.  God created with the Word and it continues to have creative power when spoken by the Spirit through us. Hebrews 4:12 says that it is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. When unleashed by the Holy Spirit, it has the potential to demolish strongholds in the path of God’s will.

I was once in a prayer meeting for Israel and at the start of the meeting God gave me a word, however, it did not seem to fit what was being prayed, so I  held it and waited. At the right moment the Holy Spirit said “Now,” and I released it. When I spoke the word it seemed to be launched like a missile, and I knew by revelation, that the word had left the prayer room, crossed the ocean, and landed in Israel—somewhere in Israel freedom came that day! That is spiritual warfare!

The Countdown Has Begun!

 

I recently wrote a word titled, Three…Two…One…Lift Off, a word the Lord gave me regarding a rocket about to be launched.  After the word was first published in February, I heard the Lord say, “The countdown has begun!”   When He said that, my thoughts immediately went to the month of May, and was reminded that in the early months of 2019, the Lord had highlighted May 2020 as a significant month to mark—and that there were three months to May.

The Lord then gave me a strategy to hold a night of intercession once a month for the next three months taking us into May.  I believe it is now time to get focused, intentional and forceful in our intercession to get this rocket off the ground as we wait on the Lord for direction and for revelation.

This will be a decade of warfare and great battles for the harvest and for the Lord’s purposes to be fulfilled. We are presently caught in the waves of birth pangs that will deliver a monumental move of God!  This is definitely the time of Isaiah 60 where both the Glory of God and the darkness will be increasing with intensity. The Lord is calling forth the intercessors to mobilize and pray through the push of these birth pangs.

Many prominent leaders are now saying that the Church needs to wake up and be prepared for the fight, and this is absolutely true! These times are calling for people of God to be secure in their identity, know their God given authority and know how to pray and fight within the safe boundaries set by the Lord. However, as important as this is, it is also important to recognize that entering into spiritual warfare with unhealed heart issues and outside of biblical boundaries prescribed in the Bible, is dangerous.

In the late nineteen nineties there was much intercession and warfare taking place in the church, however, much was done with an immaturity and lack of understanding of spiritual warfare. At that time John Paul Jackson released a book called Needless Casualties of War; with the publishing of this book, it seemed that intercession throughout the church got shut down for a season. I believe this book was sent by God at that time, as there was so much retaliation harming His intercessors. It is time for the Body of Christ to now rise as the army God has been training it to be, to fight in the many battles ahead. However, this must now be with the maturity and the wisdom we have gained—we will otherwise have another season of needless casualties of war.

In light of this, having led on the frontlines of intercession during those years, who became one of those casualties, I feel led to share some of what I learned. At the time, I was leading intercession with many skilled amazing prayer warriors and were seeing tremendous breakthroughs. Because of this, the enemy was continually trying to take us down…and he did eventually succeed. He succeeded because sin was in the camp. There was much pride and unhealed hearts in all of us; so needless to say, we suffered much retaliation. The enemy looks for your weak spot and will hit you in any area he can—finances, health issues, your property, relationships and marriages, and he works to continually bring division. If we are easily offended and have unhealed heart issues, he can quickly work to infiltrate the team to destroy it.

During that time God gave me a vision of a great looming Tower and the sound of a marching army in the distance… heading my way. As I heard the sound, I looked up at the tower, it was covered with windows and doors and they were all open. As the sound got louder, each one began to slam shut! The Lord then started to teach me about the gates and doors in our lives that were giving access to the enemy, and the strategies to close them in preparation for the coming battle with this army.

As the Lord released revelation and understanding, I shared them with the intercessors. These teachings eventually became the basis for my book The Plumb line. The Lord also released me in the area of deliverance, and I worked with each intercessor and took them through a time of prayer counseling and deliverance. I saw many get delivered of tormenting spirits and enter great freedom!

The Lord then gave me detailed and specific prayer strategies in response to certain spirits that were oppressing and hindering the church. The first one was Jezebel; the first part of the strategy was to study and understand the character and ways of this spirit and repent for any places in which we identified with it. We spent many meetings prayerfully humbling ourselves in preparation.

The Lord then gave me a plan to ensure that there was prayer covering for everyone on the intercessory team. Each person was assigned to cover two other people in prayer and were themselves being covered by two people. We then had a series of meetings to worship and intercede as the Lord led us. Our meetings were always very exciting as He was always there in our midst leading us to victory! After this campaign of prayer ended, there was an immediate release that resulted in the reconciliation of the church with an important family that had left the church through an ugly split.

Our next assignment was Leviathan, the king of pride. God had me wait for about three weeks to get His strategy for this spirit.  During the waiting time, we did the same as we did with Jezebel. We studied the character of this spirit and the way it functioned. We then repented for the ways that we identified with it.  The Lord warned us from Job 41:8 not to try to try to come against this spirit, as it says, “If you lay a hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again!”

God then released the strategy, which was to have a series of Friday night watches where we would humble ourselves and pray through the night in worship, repentance and in seeking His face. These prayer meetings were extremely powerful! Unfortunately, in the last meeting I made a mistake. I perceived a dark mocking spirit on a throne and in the passion of the moment, came against it. The retaliation against me was fierce, as there was much pride in my heart; I crashed and almost had a nervous breakdown. You cannot fight pride with pride! And it is foolish to step unto the frontlines with outstanding sin in your heart!

Still, we learned a lot during those years about spiritual warfare and the importance of having a heart of humility, submission and accountability to leadership and to others. We all need regular spiritual check-ups on our heart issues, and if you believe that you are perfectly fine, and have no heart issues, then it is be possible there may be some deception, as that can be an attitude of pride.

I believe that all we have been through was boot camp training for this important hour, and am always reminded that we serve a God that has the power to fully heal and restore us, and put us back on the front lines, as He His word says that all things work together for good for those who love Him.

During those years, I came to realize how very ill prepared the Church was in regard to the warfare from the enemy of our souls. I wrote the book The Plumb Line as heart preparation to stand on the frontlines of the battle in the present hour. There are fierce battles on the horizon, where we are being called to serve the living God as an army, and as a generation that knows their God and does great exploits in His name. However, God wants us to be safe!

God has spent years refining and preparing us for this hour, that we would become a fierce army, a wise army, a strong army and a humble army—as it is only the humble and the meek that can stand against the forces of darkness.

There are two extremely important features of warfare that must be in place before we go into any spiritual battles; the first is living a life of obedience to God’s Word and having a heart of repentance when we falter. The second is the principle of unity—we must stand together corporately, in union of heart and mind in order to withstand the forces of darkness—a divided army will fall. It is important now to lay down our differences and offenses, and unite together for the sake of the Kingdom and for the sake of the world. The Word of God admonishes us to embrace the Cross and unite as one man in order to stand in victory.

We have entered a year where the very ground is shaking beneath our feet, where there is chaos in the world, anger, hatred, earthquakes, plagues, locusts, famine and pestilence— it is time to put on our armor and fight—not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual hosts of wickedness. 

God is launching a Campaign and will now be releasing prayer strategies to His army of intercessors in all nations. Our job according to Ephesians 3:10 is to declare and represent the manifold wisdom of God to principalities and powers. That wisdom is a sacrificial wisdom that does not seek its own but is a wisdom that is willing to lay down its life for others, as Jesus did! That is the wisdom of God! The Cross is the wisdom of God! It is not about how great and powerful we are; it is about how great and powerful He is! When we are centered in the will of God, embracing His Cross, our warfare will always be victorious!

God Bless you and Keep you and make His face to shine upon you and give you peace always!

 

STAYING IN THE PLACE OF ASCENDANCY IN 2020

At the start of this year during an awesome night of worship, I was caught up in adoration and praise with hands raised in worship to the Lord. I suddenly saw a vision where I was standing in a small paddle type boat in the middle of the ocean with my arms raised to heaven in worship. The waters were very choppy, but the boat was still! There was lightening, thunder and dark clouds through which the lightening lit up the sky.  I stood and worshipped God in that boat oblivious to the storm raging around me.

When the song ended, I sat down to seek God about what the vision meant. As I was deep in thought pondering this, lines from the song, Raise a Hallelujah, that was then playing, pierced through my thoughts:

“I’m gonna sing, in the middle of the storm, Louder and louder, you’re gonna hear my praises roar.”

At that point, God revealed to me an understanding of the vision—that it was a picture that represented the year ahead! He said that storms would surely come, that it would be an intense and volatile decade. However, for those who take their stand to praise Him regardless of seemingly negative circumstances, who love and serve Him with a whole heart, this year would be one of GREAT VICTORIES, JOY AND ACCELERATED BREAKTHROUGHS. The sons of God are being released in the image of God in vast numbers—sons and daughters that know their God, who have been brought through the fire to implicit faith, to great authority and high praises for their God on their tongues.

This word is not intended to highlight woes and trouble, but rather it is about pointing the way forward for running a race of strength.  I am saying with confidence that the way before will clear as we raise our voices this year, in the year of the voice—to PRAISE OUR GOD FOR HIS GOODNESS!

“You who dwell in the gardens with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice!” Songs of Songs 8:13

Sometimes people can be shy about praising aloud, but God wants to hear YOUR VOICE! Praise is a declaration of the power, might and character of our God, out loud! Not only does God want to hear us say the words, praise works internally to change our disposition and shift us into the place of GREAT FAITH. The combination of our great faith rising before Him and His Presence moving in to inhabit our praise, creates a dynamic atmosphere primed for miracles to take place. These are the ingredients that will ALWAYS CREATE BREAKTHROUGH!

The psalmist declared that the HIGH PRAISES of God in our mouth and the two-edged sword of the Word of God in our hand, is our weapon against the enemies of God (Ps. 149:6). God has given us this tool for our protection and our strength in the decade ahead.  Praise will take you quickly from a place of fear, doubt and hopelessness, into the place of faith where miracles will break out. Praise lifts us into the ascended place of deep thankfulness and joy that opens the gates into His Presence.

It is also important to remember in this season of warfare, that we cannot allow the enemy to steal our praise and use our mouths to complain, judge, gossip and murmur, as we will be robbed of possibly the greatest year of our lives.

Choose to ascend in worship, ascend in praise and rise above the chaos raging in the earth. Resolve in your heart to keep your eyes fixed on His face in faith, regardless of circumstances…Don’t be thrown, HE WILL GET YOU THROUGH TO AN ASCENDED PLACE WHERE THE ENEMY CANNOT TOUCH YOU AND MUST FLEE!  Declare in faith, No, I am more than a conqueror, I will not allow you to steal 2020 from me, the year of promises fulfilled, the year of the Lord’s FAVOR, His acceptable year to pour out abundant blessings, to restore double and to restore and repair our cities (Is. 61.).

Open the ancient Gates with PRAISE and welcome the King of Glory into your circumstances, into your spheres and your cities.  It is time to co-create with God to bring forth His will into the Earth. As you open your mouth to praise you will see things shift quickly as Heaven comes to back you up!

During the first week of January, God confirmed the vision He showed me by giving me songs—two in particular; songs that are continually playing in my mind during certain challenges I have had to face. These songs are worth considering:

You’ll Never Walk Alone

When you walk through the storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark

At the end of a storm
There’s a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone, You’ll never walk alone (Songwriters: Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers)

Through the second song the Lord gave me, He was speaking into the fight, and the fortitude of spirit needed to birth the dream and our destinies; the chorus really stirred my heart:

To dream the impossible dream

This is my quest, to follow that star
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march
Into hell for a heavenly cause (Songwriters: Joe Darion / Mitchell Leigh)

Praise is power!  Praise is a weapon given to us by God—a weapon that we need to utilize.   Use your voice this year not only to decree to word of the Lord, but to also bless the heart of our God. He is our Father, exalt Him to the highest place in your life…He is worthy of all!

Occupy The Revelation!

In my last word, I shared of a new season we were entering in on 11/11/18 where many would be leaving the wilderness warfare behind with the strength and fortitude to possess their promised land. I would like to share some keys God has provided to enter in and hold this position. The first is regarding the New Wineskin. The Lord showed me that the mind of the Body of Christ is the wineskin that must now become New to contain His New Wine. We sometimes associate the New Wineskin with a new church structure or new model, however new models and structures having the capacity to contain God’s New Dynamic, comes first with therenewing of the mind—a supernatural reformation infusing it with the ability to receive and process the New Wine.  Transformation can then take place as a natural progression of the outpouring of New Wine—an outpouring carrying the vision and DNA for the new season, containing fresh revelations of the Majesty of the exalted Christ.

The mind must be renewed and refashioned to withstand the challenges of the new season we have entered, to rightly comprehend and process the purposes of God in it. The mind must be rewired to receive and accept a fresh Spiritual dynamic intended to take us into a new dimension of God’s Glory.

Transformation into the New Wineskin requires that the old has to go, characterized by small mindedness, religious mind-sets bound to control, un-Christlike attitudes devoid of God’s love and compassion, and irrelevant traditions no longer serving the Lord, that are actually working to hinder His purposes in the new work.

“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” Romans 12:2 AMPC

The New Wineskin is a mind that possesses the capacity to change, to be transformed, to perceive and to track with the movements of God, to hold fresh revelation, released in appointed times for appointed times, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”(Is. 43:19).   We are greatly restricted in the perceiving of God’s New thing by limited thinking. Our vision must be enlarged to see the depth, the height and the width—the fullness of the God’s Majestic picture, in order to comprehend His strategies and partner with Him for bringing it into reality.

Vison for God’s New Thing can only be received by a mind that has been transformed and made pliable through brokenness, humility, love and compassion, and the deep desire to bow to the will of God.  New levels and new dimensions of glory awaits those willing to make necessary changes! There is always more, no one has arrived! We must stretch our vision in this hour to see something more marvellous than we have seen previously.

Occupy The Revelation

The old wineskin cannot occupy new territory. The Lord has given me much revelation—whether for my life or Ministry, that has given me great joy, hope and expectation.  However, with the trials of life, I sometimes find my self returning to an old place of uncertainty, once again seeking Him for direction.  I was in such a place when I heard Him say, “Occupy the revelation!” With this statement came an understanding that we can lose the anointed, supernatural seed and the divine impact to our spirit that comes from heavenly, Holy Spirit revelation. The revelation, rather than moving us on to take spiritual ground, becomes lost because of the mind’s inability or lack of capacity to hold on to it!

Our soul is comprised of mind, will and emotion and is easily impacted by the trials and circumstances of life if not fiercely guarded and protected by faith in Christ—the Divine Shield that protects from all the elements of life. If the mind is not guarded it will easily be infiltrated by fear, doubt and unbelief. These are the fruit of an orphan spirit. The thief will always attempt to steal the revelation and push us off the ground God intends for us to occupy. The orphan spirit breeds:

  • Insecurity that convinces you that you are not worthy and therefore don’t belong.
  • Doubt and unbelief that convinces you that things will never change, and that you are not capable of holding it if they do!
  • Fear of taking the risk to believe and therefore act, and that if you do you will be making a mistake
  • Intimidation and fear of man that tells you that you are not good enough and convinces you to stay hidden

We must present ourselves before the Lord and be willing to receive understanding of old negative mindsets that are hindering our perspective and our ability to hold the revelation—mindsets that are limited, rigid and restricted, incapable and unable to embrace the Glorious destiny God has prepared for the lives of His people. The old wineskin is one of fear, lack and limitation. God’s intention for His people is that we receive the spirit of Sonship that convinces us that we are Sons of God—fully accepted in the beloved, prepared and equipped for the greatest move on earth of all time!

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 NIV

It is imperative that we overcome the darkness and the flesh, and begin to occupy the revelations God has given us, and occupy and live in His Word by camping out on it until we fully believe it and it become woven into our DNA! It’s time to forcefully resist the lies of the enemy, know that we are fully accepted in the Beloved and move out in the power of His might. 

Decide and Declare It

How do we occupy the revelation of His Word for us?  God spoke to my heart and said, “You Decide!”  There were times when I sought the Lord for details of His intentions for my life or the ministry He had given me, then get frustrated when I did not hear or could not understand His direction. I began to understand that as we grow in maturity in the stature of Christ, having our minds continually renewed, we become mothers and fathers of the faith, and God trusts us to make certain decisions. God trusts us to move in sync with Him within His Will—within the parameters of His Word and the revelations and vision he has given us for our lives. He said in His Word:

“You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways.” Job 22:28

The Greek word for ways is derek, and it means: a road, a course of life or mode of action. God has supplied us with authority in word to decide on the course of our lives and the actions we will take based on our agreement with His will. He has given us the power to frame our lives within His Word, just as He framed the worlds with His Word at creation and created the visible with the invisible substance of faith (Heb 11:3). God has left room for us to decide in the paths of our destiny, in order to fulfill the scripture, “Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Ps. 37:4).

Our decision to agree with the Heavenly vision moves us onto new spiritual ground that releases God’s favor and opens doors of opportunity. Then as we make the decision to step out unto new paths, standing on the Word of God and decreeing and declaring His truth, the vision is given the potential to become reality.

Faith That Sees

In applying this to faith, when a revelation is received from God, is observed by faith, and seen in vision, if it is believed and called forth into reality—the invisible becomes visible! By faith we call forth the things that are not as though they are!  Faith sees with spiritual eyes and nurtures the vision with God-given imagination; the vision takes hold of the person and because of faith they will not let go until it has come forth. The vision is conceived on the inside by observing it in spirit, and becomes established by declaration of faith words. Our internal capacity to conceive must increase, and the wineskin of the mind refashioned to contain the largeness of God’s revelation. We hold on to it by faith and occupy the revelation by giving it a place of prominence in our heart.The battle to give birth is a decision to fight for what we believe! Begin to SEE the door to opening to your opportunity, visualize it, embrace it and declare it!

“By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.” Hebrews 11:11

After recently reading this passage my spirit became very stirred as I saw all these principles come together powerfully in Sarah—I saw something marvellous that I had not seen before. Firstly, the miracle came forth by faith—Sarah believed! Secondly, where did her faith come from—she counted Him faithful who had promised. Sarah had experienced the faithfulness of God in her life on many occasions. The word for faith used in this scripture is pistis and means: conviction of the truthfulness of God! Sarah received strength to conceive, the Greek word for strength is Dunamis which means: miraculous, supernatural power.

It is interesting that the word used for conceive is used 11 times, only once as conceive and ten times as foundation. Sarah’s mind was renewed by faith in God—she saw, she believed, she trusted, thereby establishing a foundation of faith for all future generations.  Sarah decided, she made the decision to act on the promise that marked out the course of her life.  She occupied the revelation and nurtured it, and brought forth a child in old age!  Sarah’s faith released the explosive, miraculous, dunamis power of God to break forth in her body and in her life.

Begin to see and observe God’s vision for your life. Occupy the revelations He has given you—hold on to them! Decide in agreement with God, then frame the future within those parameters with His Word. God is giving us partnership in Sonship. He’s saying:“

Decide! Tell me what your heart’s desire! Move out within the parameters of your life based on what I have given you in Vision. You have the mind of Christ! Decide, declare it and it will be established, and light will shine on the course you have taken!”

I AM READY, ARE YOU?

 

We have definitely come to the end of season of preparation and completion in our character and our faith, and the launch into a very far-reaching and momentous race set before us!  2018 began for me with great anticipation an expectation in my heart of things about to explode and great and effective doors have begun to open to reach into the harvest fields—as I shared in my last word, the season of wine and unending oil has begun.

For the first week and a half of January I kept seeing the number 111 everywhere especially on 1/11/18; I knew it meant transition and did not think too much about it.  The following day I drove to Detroit with a friend through a terrible storm to see Chuck Pierce at Barbara Yoder’s church – Shekinah.  On the way there we began talking about the number 111 and how we had both been seeing this number!  When we arrived in Detroit we tried to sort out some room issues we had at the Hotel where we were staying. The receptionist quickly straightened it out and put us in a new room, which of course was room 111.  I was extremely moved by this as I was certain that God was saying something specific for the moment!

I began to pray and ask the Lord, what else He trying to say to me besides transition, He immediately took me to Jeremiah 1:11, a chapter I knew very well. As I read the question God asked Jeremiah in 1:11, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And Jeremiah said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” I knew the answer that was coming in 1:12, “…I AM READY TO PERFORM MY WORD.”   God kept showing me 111 on 1/11/18 and revealed His answer to me in Jeremiah 1:12 on 1/12/18—we have now moved from 11 to 12, from transition to moving out in the power of God’s authority to establish His government on Earth, God is so precious!

In the commentary beside this passage of Scripture it said, “The Almond tree in Hebrew is the wakeful tree. It awakes from the winter sleep earlier than others, flowering in January and fruiting in March. It indicated the swiftness of God’s movement!”  I then opened my Daytimer and the title on the first page jumped out at me which said—ITS ABOUT TIME! I felt this was also a play on words meaning, IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING, but also that it was happening in GOD’S TIMING—which was now!  Of course, I knew the conference would be spectacular which it was!

In the last word I wrote I spoke about the scripture Matthew 21:2-3, with the focus on verse 2 that God was now untying and loosing His people into freedom but more importantly into the fullness of their Call:

“Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” Matthew 21:2-3 

Since writing that word God has been emphasizing to me His words, “I HAVE NEED OF THEM,” in verse 3.

The word need in the Greek is chreia and means: employment, demand, require.  THE OCCASION HAD ARRIVED FOR EMPLOYMENT AND INDUCTION INTO THE KING’S SERVICE.  Jesus knew exactly where to find the vehicles that were reserved especially for carrying Him, where they were being prepared for this notable occasion.  With the authority of a King Jesus demanded that they be released and sent for the work they were created to do and ready to perform—they were immediately released!

The donkey and the colt were chosen for the ceremonious, lofty and monumental task of carrying the King of kings—His choice on which to ride into His destiny!

“For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].” Ephesians 2:10

We were created to fulfill the purposes and desire of God’s heart!  He has ordained a specific work, hand-crafted and specifically tailored for each one of us to do.  A work that can only be accomplished in His power and at His appointed time.  I believe that in 2018 a great multitude will be released into their Royal Call in the service of the King of Majesty!

 “I AM READY TO PERFORM MY WORD? IT’S ABOUT TIME!”

Read a few chapters of my book THE PLUMB LINE:  Click Here

The Finisher Will Finish it!

I heard the Lord say, “I am the Finisher and I will finish what I have begun! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the last, the One who goes before to prepare your way in order that you may prepare Mine!”  God is the perfector of our souls! The Holy Spirit who does marvelous and magnificent work has fashioned an awesome army of lovers of God, in union with Him in mind and heart, and in His passion to see billions of precious souls come into the family of God.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and FINISHER of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

Recently I was in a prayer meeting and wanted to share the scripture about the woman who was sick with an infirmity, but I was confusing it with another scripture about another woman, I asked the Lord where the scripture was so that I could check it, and He said Luke 18. This was the scripture about the persistent widow; the passage of the woman with the infirmity was Luke 13:11. This woman was sick for 18 years, Jesus spoke the words of freedom to her and said, “Woman you are loosed.”  The persistent widow in Luke 18 was crying out for justice day and night; regarding this parable Jesus said, “Will God not avenge His own elect that cry out to Him?”  He then confronts all with the question that when He comes WILL HE FIND FAITH?

The Lord showed me that 2018 is a season of the release of GREAT FAITH, that 8 represents a new beginning and 18 represents the completion and finishing of faith.  Jesus is the Author and the Finisher of our Faith!  One of the root words of the word finish is teleios which means growth in mental or moral character; completeness: – of full age, man, perfect. God has been working over the last season to perfect us in character, in wisdom and discernment, but most importantly He is perfecting us and completing us in LOVE!  The Finisher is finishing the work of cleansing our hearts and our history of iniquity, to release us to run a race of strength where we will not stumble or be shaken!

A friend of mine recently shared with me that the Lord spoke to her and told her that she was carrying a spirit of regret; when she said that, it also resonated in my spirit.  I spent some time in prayer one morning and realized I was carrying this same spirit.  There was so much in my life that I regretted, things I have said to hurt others and things I have done that I am not proud of…before I became a Christian and even after. I was broken before the Father and truly sought His forgiveness, and asked him to set me free from this spirit.  I sensed His forgiveness but heard him say, “You must now forgive yourself.” I realized this was true as I still did not feel free. I spoke to myself, to my spirit and soul and forgave myself.  At that point I experienced a true freedom of conscience and I saw in my mind a picture of an old door, around its edges were painted red in the Blood of Jesus and written across it was the words FORGIVEN!  This door represented the door to my past, a door God had sealed shut with the Blood of Jesus. Freedom in Christ is amazing!

The doors to the past must be closed with no lingering regret! We cannot move into the new carrying old baggage and the heavy burdens of the past. FORGIVENESS IS THE KEY TO FREEDOM for our souls and for the infirmity in our bodies. Overcomers are now arising in the power of God, and the gates of hades have no power over such ones!

God is now opening a great door for the saints to break free into their future and their destiny, “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries (1Cor. 16:9). These are Divine anointed double doors into the Harvest fields, yet we are warned—there are many adversaries, hence the years of preparation and the deep cleansing work to rid us of any potential legal holds the enemy has over us!  God is untying us from all legal entanglements of the past that He may ride in on us to the nations of the world, in every sphere and arena of the social order.

At the time of His entrance into Jerusalem Jesus tells the disciples to go and get him a specific donkey and colt that were prepared for Him for that moment in time:

“Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. LOOSE THEM AND BRING THEM TO ME. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “TELL THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, LOWLY, AND SITTING ON A DONKEY, A COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY.’ ” Matthew 21:2-5

The Lord is trumpeting over His Body right now, a command to His Angel Armies, “Loose them and bring them to Me! Untie their ministry, untie their destiny, untie their bodies and their health, untie their finances, untie relationships locked in battle, untie their families and children, untie their chains to addictions, untie their hopes and dreams imprisoned by hopelessness and discouragement, untie their feet entangled in the muck and mire of the world, untie them to run their course ordained before time.

God is saying, “GET READY TO RIDE! I am going to ride in on you, in you and with you!”

Contending For The Dream!

Take Ownership!I am Ready to Perform My Word!

I recently attended a significant Elijah List conference at the River Church in Hamilton, Canada. Steve Schultz & Doug Addison both spoke very unique and powerful words related to ‘contending.’ My heart was very moved as God had been stirring me in this direction in the days prior to the conference as the Holy Spirit brought to mind certain revelations He had given me on aspects of this particular subject. Contending is clearly a now word for the Body of Christ and imperative to the advancement of the Kingdom of God in this important hour of history. God is awakening our spirits to rise up to contend for our breakthrough, the dreams He has given us, for our family’s and communities, cities and nations, and for His intentions to come forth.

The Lord usually speaks to me through scripture then over time will unpack the revelations embedded within it as it unfolds at opportune times. Ezekiel chapter 36: 36-37 is on e such scripture He has been highlighting over the years. This chapter speaks powerfully of Israel’s restoration to the land and the abundant outpouring of blessings God makes clear He plans to release to them—as we are grafted into Israel, these blessings and promises are for us also. Each blessing spoken of is with intentionality as something He has predetermined to do as the One with whom, “…there is no variation or shadow of turning” (Jam. 1:17). I was therefore baffled when the Holy Spirit highlighted verse 36 and 37, the first revealing His determination, “… I, the LORD, have spoken it, AND I WILL DO IT,” the second revealing the condition: “Thus says the Lord GOD: “I WILL ALSO LET THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL INQUIRE OF ME TO DO THIS FOR THEM…” The Hebrew word for inquire means also to seek continually, ask and pursue.

As I prayed and sought the Lord about this, I received an understanding that God was looking for a people who would be willing to TAKE OWNERSHIP of His dreams, desires and intentions. A people who would tend the dream and travail in union with Him to bring it forth; a people that would unite with Him in mind and in heart for the promise to be realized and the Kingdom enforced & advanced. The example that came to mind was of a father who owned an empire and had two sons; to one son everything came on a silver platter—everything he asked for he was given, he did not have to exert himself for anything. The other son went to work with his father in the company at an early age. He started at the very bottom and worked his way through every department learning every aspect of the business. He spent time getting to know all the people who worked for his father, building relationship with them. He listened to His Father’s heart for the company and not only understood his vision for it, but united with his father to see his dream come forth. When the time comes to hand over the company to his sons, which son will the father put in charge? The one who will protect the company and pursue the vision and contend for its success; the one who paid the cost and travailed for its achievement with his father!

In Ezekiel chapter 36 the Father clearly lays out his intention, places it before Israel and challenges them to rise up and own the vision. The implication in verse 37 is that if they take ownership and contend for it—it would be theirs! God’s dreams are guaranteed for the contenders…the reason why He raises up those with a spirit to contend to inspire others to contend—to give Him no rest until He fulfills what He has promised! I once was heard a leader share a related story; he promised his children that after church he would take them to their favorite restaurant, the children were very excited! After church he was asked to attend a leaders meeting and told his children the outing would have to be cancelled. However, his children refused to accept this. He was pummeled over and over with statements of, “You said,” “You promised!” until finally he had no choice but to give in. At that moment he heard God say to him, “I wished that my children would hold me to my promises the way that your children hold you to yours!” Our Heavenly Father is looking for those who will not only believe his promises, but who will hold Him accountable to his Word.

The Lord once gave me a vision for something He wanted to do. I was not to thrilled at the idea and was wrestling in my spirit about it, but I said I was willing. As I sat in prayer over it He reminded me about Ezekiel 36:37 and I understood. I not only agreed to be willing but I began to pray and ask Him for the vision as though it were mine. As I did that a supernatural exchange took place and I receive joy and passion for this vision to come forth. However, time passed with no breakthrough in that direction. I soon stopped praying and actually forgot about it. One day the Lord spoke clearly to my spirit and said, “That was very easy for you to drop the vision.” I was very convicted as understood that Ezekiel 36:37 meant to pray, ask and contend for the vision until the breakthrough came! That is the spirit of a contender who will birth the purposes of God on planet earth! To knock, seek and ask until the door is opened!

After teaching this word for many years, and I must say faltering at many times to stand on its truth, the Lord brought to my attention a most powerful commentary on this same passage in Ezekiel that again began to stir me to contend again! It is so potent that I am putting it in point form that no one will miss anything, he said:

1. God’s promises are given not to restrain, but to INCITE TO PRAYER.
2. They SHOW THE DIRECTION in which WE MAY ASK,
3. And THE EXTENT to which we may EXPECT and answer.
4. They are the SIGNED CHEQUE MADE PAYABLE TO ORDER
5. Which we must endorse and PRESENT FOR PAYMENT.

The day must come when we leave the wilderness and begin to take the promised land of God’s intentions. The world is daily descending into dark times. The light of the Glory of His Presence will rise upon those who have broken through in contending for the Glory. These are the ones being called forth to do exploits in His name; they have travailed with the Father and carry His burden for the lost and for the world. Those who have travailed with Him will enter into union with Him; they will carry His authority and the strategies to complete His will to save and transform nations and people groups. God does not exclude any who are willing!

According to Ezekiel 36:36-37, first we must ASK—we must desire what He desires and receive it in our spirits as our own. Second we TAKE—we endorse the cheque and present for payment. We put our finger on His promise and say, “As you have said Lord.” We hold God to His promises as David did: “You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. You, LORD, are God! You have promised these good things to your servant” (1Ch 17:25-26). FAITH IS CONFIDENT ACTION IN WHAT GOD HAS MADE KNOWN TO US—God cannot bless us beyond our belief and belief will lead to action—to contending!

Job chapter 22:28 states, “YOU SHALL DECREE A THING AND IT SHALL BE ESTABLISHED FOR YOU.” To decree a thing is to contend for it! The Hebrew word for decree also means to decide, to make a firm decision, one where we will not waver, and the Hebrew word for establish means to rise. This verse closes with, “…light will shine on your ways.” The word light means to be illuminated, the word shine means to glitter and ways also means the road. A mature Christian will have learned the discipline of contending through much trial and tribulation and will see the rising of the vision and the dream. The illuminating Light of God will light up the road ahead with the glitter of His Glory. It is time for the sons of God to TAKE the Promised LAND – Time to declare and Decree. Esther & Mordecai prayed, they fasted then they decreed the deliverance of the Jewish people.

I hear the Lord saying, “TAKE OWNERSHIP! The Kingdom of God is yours! All that I have belongs to you, invest in it. With the currency of your faith purchase stock in it! Set your focus on the eternal not the temporal.The dividends are magnanimous and superlative!  Ask large! I am a great and mighty God, greater and mightier than you could ever imagine, though you may try. Bring all you’re your appeals and petitions before the court of Heaven, the time of fulfillment has come. Show your faith, give Me something to work with. I am ready to perform My word!

God is preparing vessels of Glory to stand in the last days having the fortitude of spirit to withstand the demonic assaults, and like the mountain tree, to thrive in the midst of the swirling and violent winds of change.

mountain tree

“A Mountain tree if it would see
The far horizons and the stars
May never know a sheltered place
Nor grow symmetrical in grace.
Such a tree must battle doggedly
The blasts and bear the scars.”
(Lloyd Marion Thompson).

“The mountain tree is the price of those ascending to the realm of intimacy with God. It is a lone tree jutting out from the crest of a very rugged, windswept mountain, far above the peaceful forest beneath. There is truly a reward for its singular loneliness and struggle to survive. It has unobstructed vision to see, ‘the far horizons and the stars.’ Abiding in an unpolluted atmosphere, this lonely, battered tree can view the distant skyline or look up into the glorious expanse of the heavenlies in all their glory…But there is a price—such a tree has been set apart from all others” (Wade E. Taylor).

“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel;
for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

UNSHAKEABLE, UNSTOPPABLE FAITH THAT RECEIVES!

Faith BaczkoWe have arrived in the most significant of years! The year of open doors and answers to long awaited promises!  The year of the Favor of the Lord!  The year where we will see the fulfillment of prayers prayed for many long years.  Prayers to dreams that God has planted as seed in our hearts; Dreams that are God’s dreams He has been waiting with divine patience to see their fulfillment.  Dreams for His sons and His daughters; dreams for cities and nations; dreams to bring relief for many in desperate situations; dreams that are solutions to significant problems the world is now facing; dreams for the great Harvest to come in!

The dilemma some may be facing right is how to step through the Door to fulfillment when the battle gets fierce at the Gate and the temptation is to panic at the sound of the beating hoofs! The enemy is not sitting about idle! He is about to lose a lot of ground and is resisting this move of God to the fullest!  But the Word of the Lord stands firm: “Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the LORD. “Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.” Isaiah 66:9

To possess the promises of God we must fight to stay in the place of unstoppable, unshakeable faith that receives—the faith of Jesus that we see evident in Mary and in Abraham.

MARY – AGREEMENT WITH HEAVEN

MARY AGREED WITH HEAVEN’S PLAN FOR HER LIFE! She said yes when she was told by the angel of the Lord that she would give birth to the Son of God! Her response: “I am the servant of the Lord.  Be it unto me according to your word!”  Sometimes it can be easy to say yes to God in the pregnancy of the moment, when we get caught up in the grand possibilities of something new, exciting and wondrous.  However, the true test of faith comes in seeing the dream through to the finish line, and facing all the trials that come along the way to stop the dream from coming forth!  Trials that you did not expect to encounter…when the temptation is to be offended in God and disappointment sets in!

Mary agreed with God but she also had faith to believe in God’s ability to walk her through the trials that lay ahead as a single pregnant woman in her day. She experienced the wonder of seeing the substance of her faith, the Promised Son of God birthed through the travail of tested faith!

JESUS – ENDURING FAITH FOUNDED ON LOVE

When Jesus put down his carpentry tools, dusted himself off, left home and all he had previously known, to go down to the Jordan River to be baptized by John, it was because he heard His Father’s voice say, “It is time My Son.” When he left, He knew it was the beginning step of a journey that would one day lead Him to a terrible death on the Cross. When Jesus left to go, He was saying yes to the Father, to the plan of redemption of mankind…to become the Savior of the world!

Jesus moved to embrace His destiny with fierce determination to complete His Father’s will! The Father and Son were locked in a passionate mutual agreement of will, love and honor of each other!  When Jesus went down into the waters of the Jordan He was fully embracing His Father’s Will and the full brunt of the Cross.  Jesus placed the full force of His faith in His Father’s Love for Him and the Holy Spirit’s care to carry Him through to the finish line and bring Him out on the other side in Resurrection POWER!

Was Jesus’ faith shaken in the garden over the ordeal He was about to face? It would seem so as he wrestled in fervent prayer in the garden, but His faith was grounded and secure in the knowledge of His Father’s superlative love for Him! Did Jesus ever entertain doubts that the Holy Spirit would rescue Him from death, or wonder if He might be left imprisoned in the grave forever? No, never! Jesus’ trust in the Holy Spirit was securely contained within a relationship born of passionate supernatural Love.  Jesus knew the love of the Father and the Holy Spirit were ferocious, that it would have no rest until He was once again seated on the Throne at the right Hand of His Father!

To what extent will that LOVE go to rescue you! FAITH MUST BE BORN OF THE UNSHAKEABLE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR FATHER’S MAGNIFICENT LOVE FOR US and the Holy Spirit’s intent to bring us into fullness in Resurrection power!

ABRAHAM – BELIEF AGAINST ALL ODDS

Abraham believed God! Abraham never doubted God’s word, nor was he shaken or thrown by the scope and magnitude of the promises! The Bible says that Abraham did not stagger in unbelief at the promises of God.  We are admonished in scripture that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Abraham waited twenty five years to see the fulfillment of the promised son.  ABRAHAM WAITED BECAUSE HE SAW A CITY!  BLIND FAITH IS ACTUALLY FAITH THAT HAS SEEN!  What do you see…a city, a nation, an invention, a book, a business new technologies?

BUYING GOLD!

God admonished the Laodicean lukewarm church, “I counsel you to buy from me Gold tried in the fire!” The gold He was speaking of is tried faith refined and tested in the Fire, sustained through Love!  This is faith purified unto holiness! It is the gold with which dreams are purchased!  To possess this Gold is the evidence of all that is hoped for!  It is the economy of Heaven and is the very substance with which the Father created.  The Father’s own faith in His creative ability brought forth the worlds as we know it!  Dreams come forth based on a time tested relationship of knowing the Father’s love, knowledge of His faithfulness, goodness and integrity!  It is faith based on experience, knowing that the everlasting arms are always beneath us! That we always win!  God is not a man that He should lie.  Has He not said and will He not do right by you!

COSTLY DREAMS

What is now coming forth in the days ahead are the Father’s magnificent dreams placed in the hearts and minds of His children like precious gems. They are very costly dreams, and like Mary the Body is about to give birth!  We have had a small number of forerunners who have gone ahead to set the course, but the earth will now see the saints released and ideas birthed on a large scale!

I believe God has found a chosen generation and a royal priesthood that will serve His purposes for this hour.  A people like Mary and Abraham and Jesus RELEASED TO GO, Blessed by the Father—an overcoming generation whose eyes are fixed and fastened on the eyes of their Lord, fearing no man or beast!  A GENERATION THAT SHOUTS GRACE, GRACE TO ANY OBSTACLE HINDERING OR RISING TO IMPEDE THE ONWARD MARCH TO SET THE HEAD STONE IN ITS PLACE AND COMPLETE THE SUPERLATIVE WORK OF GOD TO ESTABLISH THE RULE OF THE KING OF KINGS ON EARTH.

Are we willing to pay the costly price to birth and walk with God through to the finish line to the fullness of the promise?  Will we continue to believe for the promises in the face of setbacks and troubles, to see it resurrected in the power of the Holy Spirit in fullness.  This is the victory that overcomes, even our faith!

A Tsunami wave of Answered prayer is coming but it is fiercely opposed!  The dream will be birthed by those who will not give in or give up, who know their God and do great exploits!  Who fight the Good fight of Faith!

Abundant Blessings in the Lord!

Faith Marie Baczko