Stivale Ministries

Inside-Out

2011-08-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

"Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant."-(Mark 9:2-10)

The translation for the word "transfiguration" is revelation in and of itself. The Greek word is "metamorpho" meaning to transform either literally or figuratively; to change. It is an active verb which by definition is to "translate into another form", hence the term "metamorphosis" is used for the status change from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. Furthermore, if you break the word into its two establishing members, "meta" meaning change and "morphe" meaning form, it also operates under the more specific definition "the change of the outward appearance so as to match the inward reality". Jesus' physical appearance is one of mystery and presumption, imagination and idealization. In truth, we can only imagine or surmise what He looked like. In most Christian Art, He is portrayed as Anglo, rarely determining a Palestinian or Middle-Eastern skin-type or heritage. It would appear, for all intents and purposes that the artists responsible for His likenesses in most cases idealized Him as one of their own contemporaries. Perhaps that is due to the closeness of heart that we feel as His followers. We are drawn to His person out of our depth of intimacy with Him, and hence, assimilate that feeling of familiarity into a visage or voice that is also familiar to us. Or, it may well be that the reason He is represented with Anglo pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes in the majority of Christian paintings, stained glass or colored frescoes is due to the preference of the patron of the craftsman creating the piece. No matter, for it is known to all who have been changed by Jesus, He is BEAUTIFUL to every soul who adores Him, attractive to every heart that has known the Master's touch. But the Word of God does not show us that he was physically attractive. "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering."-(Isaiah 53:2-3) Which leads me to the prior point: Jesus' transfiguration at Mount Tabor was the change of His outward appearance so as to match the inward reality of His divinity. In that unbelievably precious moment of transformation, the three chosen to stand as witness to this divine event witnessed the outward manifestation of Christ's glory. Jesus was turned "inside-out".

Studying this dynamic moment at the pinnacle of His public ministry leads one to many questions. Why were Moses and Elijah there talking to Him? Why did Jesus choose Peter, John and James to witness this event? Why did the three witnesses receive admonition from the Lord? When we examine the Word of God, and find mystery, there are moments when the answer cannot be revealed by study and dissertation alone, but rather by divine impartation. The Word clearly states through the unfolding of this massively important event that Jesus was there speaking with Moses and Elijah, but it is not directly addressed as to what they were discussing; although many scholars surmise that the topic was the upcoming torture, death and resurrection that Jesus was to experience. These same scholars believe also that the two witnesses in the book of Revelation 11:3-12 are Moses and Elijah. The hypothesis of a "supernatural mission briefing" would, if correct, answer the query of the presence of Peter, John and James at the moment of transfiguration as well. This incredible occurrence would most definitely have strengthened the faith of the three men who would remain closest to the Lord as He endured the coming struggle to which they would be held witness of in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal and arrest. Other perspectives on the possibilities weave into the divine event the purpose of showing the fisherman and the sons of thunder, that the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah) were perfected with the Son's fulfillment of both. When Peter volunteered to build them shelters, the glory cloud came and the voice of God instructed- "This is my beloved Son! Hear Him!"-(Mark 9:7) Which speaks to the preeminence of Christ above the Law and the Prophets. We are to listen FIRST to Christ who has perfected the Law and the Prophets. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."-(Matthew 5:17) It is also impressive that there were three earthly witnesses (Peter, John and James) and three heavenly witnesses (Moses, Elijah and God the Father-represented by His voice) present at the moment when Jesus' divine person literally "outshined" His natural person.

But it is the "outshining" itself, which for us bares greater attention in accordance with the unction of the Holy Spirit. While every detail, the seen and the unseen of this milestone deserve deep investigation and study, contemplation and meditation, the meat is in the metamorphosis itself. As stated earlier, the definition which shakes the spiritual and the relevant is "the change of outward appearance so as to match the inward reality". Jesus became the heavenly counterpart of Himself that moment; Jesus became His "AUTHENTIC SELF". The word "transfiguration" is the same in another entirely important scripture that holds paramount significance to the life of a disciple of Christ: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."-(Romans 12:1-2) The word "transformed" is in the original translation, literally the same "transfigured" that is used in Mark 9:2, Matthew 17:2 and Luke 9:28. Moreover, that insight itself lends additional weight to Romans 12:1-2. When we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, we are presenting our willing un-transfigured bodies as seed to God in the order for us to become our "transfigured" selves. Being transformed by the renewal of our mind means definitively that we do not operate out of the guidelines and precepts of the world, but rather the supernatural necessity that is defined by the Kingdom of God. "Thy Will be done on Earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN." May we become on Earth who we are in Heaven. We are, like our Lord, to be made in His Holy image, through His blood, fully transformed and then transfigured. We are to be made new and then turned "inside-out", just as Jesus was that glorious day. Perhaps to fulfill a two-fold purpose: To be presented unto God as Holy, and to be presented and stationed to the world as shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house."-(Matthew 5:13-15) To become our "authentic selves" is not merely to be the best we can in the flesh or the mind. No- it is through Christ. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"-(2 Corinthians 5:17)

When I received my salvation, I distinctly remember hearing from the Pastor, prophetically "Jesus wants to clean you. He wants to make you absolutely new, from the inside-out". And so, in communicating with you regarding this phenomenal moment emblazoned into our picture of the Savior, we wish to inquire of you this question: Is your inward reality or TRUTH one with Christ? If you cannot answer that simply, do not fear. This is a journey for everyone, even believers. But if the reason you could not grant a positive confirmation is a lack of relationship with the Son of God, we encourage you- do not waste one more moment. Ask Him in. "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne."-(Revelation 3:20-21) He alone has the power to make you who you were designed to be. He alone is the architect of your transfiguration, and your eternity. If you make Him your center, your source and your Lord, He will make you a new creation, and turn you INSIDE-OUT.

SPIRITUALLY BLIND

2011-06-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

"And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, 'The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor'. And Gideon said unto him, 'Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites'. And the LORD looked upon him, and said, 'Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?' And he said unto him, 'Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house'. And the LORD said unto him, 'Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man'."-(Judges 6:11-16)

I had the privilege very recently to minister once again with a great man of God, and a mighty man of valor, who, through partnership with his spouse, ministers worldwide in a truly anointed capacity. I speak of Harry Salem and his precious wife, Cheryl. Harry and Cheryl are dear to Jeni and I, and have served for many years now as a God-given and God-appointed example of the type of union in life and ministry that we ourselves share.
While I was ministering in worship before he was to speak, a precious anointing fell and the environment of faith enveloped the body of the church. I began to prophesy (albeit fairly restrained as I did not feel fully released to unleash that which God was revealing to me) and had two very remarkable experiences. First, as the anointing filled the very air itself, I began to see in the Spirit, and scanning the congregation, was drawn to a corner in the back of the sanctuary. I heard in my spirit "brilliance". Then, shielding my eyes from the spotlights, I saw a dear friend, who I had been told was out of state on sabbatical. The anointing had shone so potently on him, that he could not be anonymous in the presence of the Lord. I did not, however, announce his presence but upon the prompting of the Holy Spirit, allowed him his privacy. What directly followed that was the Lord showing me a spirit in the midst of the people who was blind, without sight. I saw in a vision a spirit-man literally blindfolded, and then as the blindfold fell off, I witnessed badly scarred, scaled eyes. I then, through the move of the Spirit, gave a word for the person who "had become SPIRITUALLY BLIND". The Holy Spirit continued to speak through me revealing the divine timing of this person's presence at the service; that they were not accidentally present, and the man of God's sermon was going to be the breakthrough Word which they needed in order to regain their spiritual sight once more. I remember this so distinctly, because as soon as the man of God took the pulpit, he called it to attention again and was pressed by the anointing to confirm it. As the Word came forth, it occurred, even to him, that the message's center of focus was speaking directly to those who were "spiritually blind".

The text from Judges shows us that even in the midst of the Angel of the Lord, or as theophany suggests, Jesus Himself, who declares while Gideon hides threshing wheat in the WINEPRESS (see the archived blog "The Winepress Giant") that he is a "mighty man of valor". He greets Gideon as a mighty warrior. But Gideon has, in spite of the knowlege of the miracles that God had done for Israel, become "spiritually blind". Instead of allowing the release and becoming the depth of the prophetic proclamation, he goes directly to the negative and in that perspective asks "WHY?". Have you ever greeted someone with an empowering word and immediately received a negative response? I most certainly have, There are people throughout my walk, who upon even the slightest positive greeting- "How are you?", will respond with- "I can't complain". While to them this may seem to be a good, and honest answer, it begs the retort "Would you be happier if you COULD complain?". You would be amazed at the amount of truly brilliant, strong and beautiful people in my life who use that response EVERY DAY. It is staggering. I do not cite this out of lambasting criticism, but rather out of recognition of the bounty of blessing that they miss on a daily basis, as a result of their choice to ignore the positive. I was a the grocery store and was greeted by a checker who I somehow seem to be divinely appointed to, and he asked how I was. I answered genuinely "Blessed. How are you?". He responded "I am choosing to have a positive day." I laughed and went on to expound on the merits and virtue of that answer and core belief. I did so until I realized that a long line of "Can't complainers" was developing behind me and starting to do what they longed to do secretly in their souls... complain.

With Gideon in this text, he behaves similarly to those who sink back into the negative in the midst of a possible positive conversion. He postures the behavior of a doubter, and his doubt literally removes the mantle of "mighty man of valor" from his cognizance. Instead of embracing the gift of fortification, the man who had been hiding threshing wheat in a winepress questions the Angel of the Lord with "WHY?" and "WHERE?". Many times in our walk with the Lord, when God looks to rename us, or empower us with a fresh anointing or purpose, we are susceptible to the way of the doubter. Instead of engaging the fresh mantle, anointing or assignment, we look behind us at let-downs or perhaps more often at our current surroundings, environments or circumstances and ask "WHY did this happen to me?" or "WHERE were YOU?". I can personally attest to the hopelessness of allowing my surroundings and current plight to define my outcome. But God does not consider the environment as a hindering factor. He is sovereign, and His sovereignty can make something out of nothing. God can make it snow upside-down on a blazing summer day where there has never been rain let alone snow. In the midst of one of the most trying and difficult times of our ministry's growth, I felt as though God had forgotten the promises He had made to me. I saw only the negative experiences in my life and held onto them as if they were, for better and mostly worse, what defined me. My mistakes, my poor choices and ignorance were what made me who I was. I was depressed and lost. Through the veil of a manufactured smile, I defined myself as a "fish in a forest" who could no longer find the path back to the waters. It was grim. But the God of the Breakthrough saw every second of my doubt and self-inflicted suffering. At a conference we were ministering at, a Pastor I did not know, who did not know me, through the prompting of the Holy Spirit spoke these words to me:
"The Spirit of the Living God wants you to know that you are not the events that have happened in your life. You are not to define yourself through your mistakes any more. He is commanding you to see yourself not as the flesh would have you, but as the Spirit would. You are NOT what has happened. You are His. You are CHOSEN." It was amazing. I had received, once more, a direct and valuable Word from the Lord right on time. I immediately moved out of the hills of doubt and onto the mountaintop of sonship once more. I have been tempted from time to time to regress and crawl back into the fleshly comfort of vain self-deprication, but the Holy Spirit has kept me safe and sanctified. Prior to that moment, I too had become "spiritually blind".

It is a commonly used weapon of the adversary to blind the spiritual eyes of believers from the promises and deliverance of God. Satan is far more effective when God's earthly armies are distracted or disoriented. When we are pulled into our circumstances or what visibly seems impossible, there is the potential for a loss of VISION. One of the most disarming qualities of becoming "spiritually blind" is losing one's VISION. "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."-(Proverbs 29:18) In the "God's Word" translation it reads: "Without prophetic vision people run wild, but blessed are those who follow [God's] teachings." No vision means that the enemy can sneak in and destroy and kill dreams, ideals, beliefs, and the gifts of the spirit. A dear friend of ours, Dr. Myles Munroe teaches that "SIGHT is a function of the eyes, but VISION is a function of the heart." If the enemy can crush or "blind" us from our vision, than he can, in that action, break our hearts. It is not uncommon for people to perish or die from a broken heart. You may be breathing, you may be technically and physically alive, but if you are heart-broken, you are by no means truly living. But please do not misunderstand what I am attempting to communicate here. Satan, or his minions are not necessarily the responsible party for the death of dreams and vision in many people who become spiritually blind. Quite the contrary, I believe he uses the opportunities allotted by those who have by their own decision laid down their vision to infiltrate and hold their thoughts captive in that state. The enemy gets quite a bit of undeserved credit for what usually amounts to not "following God's teachings".

Without spiritual sight, there is no peace in our hearts. When we become "blinded" it is nearly impossible to see the King. If we become focused on the Midianites and the invaders or challenges of life, our minds and hearts are not on God. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."-(Isaiah 26:3) With our minds stayed upon the Lord, we can see when the Angel of the Lord comes to call upon us in our hiding places and addresses us as Mighty Man or Woman of Valor that there is no need for proofs or signs. The confirmation will be in the appearance of the Angel Himself. What is so wonderfully impressive about Gideon's situation is the revelation that although he was reclusively eluding the invaders in a winepress, God spoke into him the greatness that he would be need to defeat the Midianites in spite of his declaration of being "poor and the least of his father's house". You see, all it takes to regain our spiritual sight is a word or a touch from the Master. "And Jesus answered and said unto him, 'What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?' The blind man said unto him, 'Lord, that I might receive my sight'. And Jesus said unto him, 'Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.' And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.."-(Mark 10:51-52) It takes a word from the Lord and FAITH. God WAS with Gideon, and he did smite the Midianites as one man. He truly became a mighty man of valor.

Perhaps you are fighting this same battle, unwittingly. Is it possible that you linger in the negative, or have set up camp where either your surroundings or those within your camp have placed "blinders" on you? Or far worse, is it possible that the environment you have unpacked in, and those you have joined party with are the very instruments of your loss of sight? Sometimes, we are completely unaware of our loss of spiritual receptivity or sensitivity because of a slow, steady decline into darkness. If you have fallen away from the glory or grace of God's presence and rather slid into the mirky clay and swamp of circumstance, we encourage you to rise up, you mighty man of valor! God is on your side! The scales of spiritual blindness MUST obey the KING OF KINGS command to be gone! We speak LIFE and a RESURRECTION of your dead or dying DREAMS and VISION!! There is a Dylan Thomas poem which reads "Do not go gentle into that good night- Rage, rage against the dying of the light!" When there is a shadow, do not lay down your vision, do not relinquish your sight. Rather, press on. Press on without ceasing. When the circumstances appear all but hopeful, press on. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."-(Psalm 23:4) Walk THROUGH, knowing that God and his Word are our comfort. Do not stay hidden in the winepress, eking out a living, existing in fear and loathsome remembrance of what could have been. Instead, heed the prophetic call to arms, listen to the Word of the Lord as He calls you to reclaim your purpose, regain your mantle, and take back your SIGHT.

OF HAROLD CAMPING, VAN GOGH & MALCHUS

2011-05-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

“Simon Peter therefore having a sword drew it, and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant’s name was Malchus. Jesus therefore said unto Peter, ‘Put up the sword into the sheath: the cup which the Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?’”-(John 18:10-11)

Well… We are still here. The prognostications of another false prophet have fallen flat on their face and into a crevasse chock full of other impotent, incorrect, man-ordained prophecy. The Rapture that was purported to manifest on May 21st, 2011 at 6:00pm in every individual time-zone across the Earth, with coinciding earthquakes sounding the re- entry of our Lord, starting in New Zealand, did not occur. The reason? “No man knows the day or the hour when these things will take place; Not the Angels, nor the Son know, but only the Father in Heaven.”-(Matthew 24:36) The agenda set by a MAN, in Harold Camping, was yet another in a long string of man-made confusions and predictions dealing with an element of eschatology that the Lord Himself warns us to be leery of. Jesus tells us in the same chapter in Matthew that in the last days, there would be those who came in His name who would “deceive even the elect”. That is precisely what has recently been experienced, sadly, by a large group of believers. They put their faith in a man’s interpretation of Biblical codes and self-designed prophecy and are now suffering the ramifications of another misguided attempt to know the mind and timelines of our sovereign Lord. Many have sold all of their possessions and spent the increase by either giving it all to the institution that amplified this folly, or pouring out their “bucket lists” while there was still time. Relationships were severed. Hearts were broken. Judgments were made by both the deceived and those on the opposite side of belief. Meanwhile, Satan kicked back and once again allowed mankind to shiver in anxious anticipation of the end of all things… even laughing no doubt, from his knowledge of the truth. But, we are still here.
A month and a half ago, I was on the phone with my Father informing him of the dates we would be visiting while ministering in the Northeastern United States this summer, when he sarcastically interjected “We won’t be here then. Don’t you know that the Rapture is May 21st?”. We had a laugh about the absurdity of the prediction and I immediately uttered Matthew 24:36 to him as a scriptural reassurance. “If Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of the Living God does not know, there is no way that a delusional preacher from California will have foreknowledge”. Weeks passed and the occasional jest arose here and there to remind us of the oncoming dud that was imminent. My bride and I would tease others with the idea that we needn’t pay any more bills nor fulfill our obligations passed the date of aerial exodus. But in the midst of prayer and meditation on this issue, I felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit and heard Him say “It is false. It is not truth. But consider… WHAT IF IT WAS TRUE? Are you ready? Have you poured yourself out?” It pierced me. Penetrating my thoughts and contemplations about the BILLIONS who do not know Him, I began to joke less and care more. What if it were true? I knew that it was not, but that familiar, rhetorical “what if?” would echo for the duration of the days to the proverbial false start.
On May 20th, the eve of the proposed Raptos, we took our two boys to the Movies to see the long-awaited return of Disney’s Pirate Legend, Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean –On Stranger Tides”. Earlier that day I had shared with my Twitter followers a rhetorical question: “I do not believe that the Rapture is upon us, but let’s just say it was… ARE YOU READY?” It was a simple enough exercise in provoking a healthy spiritual self-examination. While we sat watching the previews for the rest of the summer’s exciting and flabbergastingly idiotic features, I received multiple contacts via email, voicemail and Twitter messaging from a News Reporter with a desire to have my input on this issue. I stepped out of the theater and called him. My initial question was about his motives. I have learned from dealing with the Secular Press in both Ministry and the Entertainment Industry that stories are not always geared toward presenting the truth, but rather riling the attention of the viewer, reader, audience etc. He responded with an honest reply that dealt with what our take on the prediction was, and asked if we had been flooded with questions about the proposal. He then asked me before sending a mobile crew to meet me in front of the Movie Theater, whether I believed the date to be accurate. I responded with “Sir, I am at the Movies with my kids to see ‘Pirates 4’. That either means that I’m a HUGE Disney fan, or I don’t believe that we are going to be swept up by the four winds tomorrow… Or both.” He laughed, and set off to meet me with a camera crew. I was pulled out of the movie about half-way through to go into the interview. We discussed earlier the time limit being five minutes maximum, as I had committed to being with my boys.
When the interview began, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit there to give me utterance. I shared the scriptural evidence and warning found in Matthew 24, the sensitivity of the issue for both believers and non-believers and the relevance of the coming end of days. But I found myself, in the midst of the conversation gravitating away from the “stone the false prophet” perspective that was expected of a Bible-Thumping Religious Figure, and delving into the positive that is coming out of this confusion. “People are talking about it. Jews, Muslims, Christians, Atheists, Agnostics… They are all discussing the WHAT IF factor. That is incredible. The Second-Coming of our Lord and Savior is the focus of literally Hundreds of Millions of conversations and debates right now. That is wonderful”. How incredible! How poignant, that in the midst of a false declaration and a visceral warning to repent for the end is nigh, Jesus was in the spotlight. There it was… The glimmer of light in an otherwise grotesquely negative scenario. Those whose figures might never darken the parking lot, let alone the door of a church, were talking about my God. They were having intense discussions and genuine discourse on the possibilities and the repercussions of Yeshua’s Triumphal Revelation and return. I was truly blessed to share that with them.
Two days after the interview aired on both the 10 and 11 o’clock Network News Programs, I received another barrage of contacts seeking me out to be the subject witness to the fallout and the aftermath of the “Ruptured Rapture” on News Radio. I agreed. I stated very clearly before engaging the interview that I was in no way, shape or form a “Rapturologist” or self-appointed authority on the Rapture. I made it pristine to them that I was very simply a believer who loves and studies the Word of God. They presented a far more jaded, negative, secular stand on the issue and tried to maneuver things into that perspective, but again, the Holy Ghost was with me. I believe that I spoke boldly, but lovingly about the absurdity of the prognostication. I also focused more on the actuality of Jesus the Messiah’s return more than the failure of said return that past Saturday. The host seemed agitated with my intent to stay focused on the joy of the Lord, rather than to hop onto the convoy of stone-throwers, but I was happily stalwart in declaring the love of God and the forgiveness for those who were now the victims of their own commitment to a deception. “We cannot kick these believers while they are down. They made a mistake. Everyone does. We need to help restore their faith”. He asked me why no other Pastors or Evangelists were willing to give him an interview pre or post May 21st. I very plainly and respectfully enlightened him to the fact that the Secular News Media generally paints Christians, particularly Protestant Believers, Pastors and Evangelists in a very negative light. “Most of the time, the media portrays us as Nuts that fell off of a broken tree”. This was another opportunity to share openly and clearly the Gospel and Love of Jesus Christ to a community that otherwise mocks our lifestyle.
But perhaps the greatest opportunity was in their LISTENING itself. Because people were curious before, they were LISTENING. Because their hearts and minds were stirred after, THEY WERE STILL LISTENING. You need attentive ears to have the Gospel received. Whether you preach the greatest sermon ever breathed or the simplest of words and simply share “Jesus Loves You”, without an open ear, the message never reaches a hurting heart. “Does not the ear try words, Even as the palate tasteth food?”-(Job 12:11) In some instances, because of the hardships and pains of life, some do what famed impressionist artist and madman, Vincent Van Gogh did and cut off our own ear. It is much easier to avoid pain if we do not hear what surrounds us. But, HE WHO HAS EARS, LET HIM HEAR: We must not expect our ministry to penetrate the souls of men if their ears are neither attentive nor receptive. The irony in this is that we, the stalwart believers who declare His Good News, act just as Peter did in Gethsemane during the arrest of Jesus.
He tried to defend the Lord and struck the High Priest’s servant, Malchus, cutting off his ear. Jesus never called for or ordered this act. How often do we, as followers of Christ do this same act, out of well-meaning hearts? Have you never defended the Lord to the unbeliever to the point of metaphorically chopping their ears off? When we take the aggressive negative attack approach, it will NEVER lead to the purity of the hope found in the Spiritually uplifting deliverance singularly granted in Yeshua. God the Father is our Source, The Holy Spirit is our guide, Jesus our Advocate, and the WORD our only SWORD. I always loved the fact the WORD is our S-WORD, our sword. “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.”-(Hebrews 4:12) We are not to use that sword to wound those we were called by Christ to offer His reconciliation to.
While the fallout of casualties surrounds us of those who did not respect the Word’s powerful warnings found in Matthew 24:36, we must neither cut the ear off of those who have, as a result suffered nor those who would doubt the truth and sovereignty of Jesus’ Lordship and inevitable return. You see, precious ones, the enemy uses the deception of even the elect to soften mankind’s perception of the truth and surroundings. He uses false-alarms and the like to desensitize the masses into not hearing the alarms that DO matter. Do not be deceived by the distraction of the billboards and media quips, THE END IS NEAR. Jesus tells the disciples regarding the end of days not the TIME, but the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. “…You shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not troubled: for these things must need come to pass; but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places. But all these things are the beginning of travail.”-(Matthew 24:6-8) If you read the Headlines or watch even a glimpse of the News, by now you must see the genuine Signs are looming prophetically over us. The beginning of travail is upon us. But the “days of Noah” are upon us, and people carry on without regard for the validity of those signs. My bride wisely cited on TBN’s “Praise The Lord” Program recently with regards to this quandary: “There is an alert ‘beep’ that has been going off in the dressing room at this studio every time I have done the program here over the past 4 years. It is the fragrance refill alarm. I notice it every time we are here, but after a few minutes I don’t hear it anymore. It’s as if I become desensitized to its existence even in the midst of knowing and sensing that it is actively sounding”.
That valid and poignant example is the personification of our numbness as a species to the resounding cry from all creation itself that we are at the precipice of tribulation and the employment of God’s final judgment. We cannot take the urgency of the day lightly. But, I restate, we also MUST NOT predict DATES and TIMES. In truth, I believe that when any date is prophesied, proposed or proclaimed by a man or group as a specific conceivable and specific moment for the end of days or the return of Messiah, that act in itself, NEGATES that prognostication. Furthermore, when any group, sect or denomination, be they religious or secular “CRY WOLF” they add to the cacophony of confusion and distraction that sets mankind into a deeper state of stupor and removal. We suffer the regular assault of the negative within and without the Media and Entertainment Industry, growing more and more detached every single day. When your ears are plugged from being drowned, it is very difficult to hear anything, including the truth.
How then do we make lemonade out of this dung? We don’t. That is another disturbing challenge we face when dealing with situations like this and maintaining the Gospel Truth while the Media is teaching our leaders to “SPIN” things into a positive light. Listen- YOU CAN’T MAKE LEMONADE WITH DUNG. So, We don’t. We make fertilizer for the planting of the true Gospel through the opportunities we have to tell those with questions about what just happened. We use the Word of God, the faithful two-edged sword to cut away not the ear of the hearer, but the distraction and confusion of the day. When anyone asks you “Is it true?” about any dates or hours for the end of time or the return of Christ- Simply answer: “THE BIBLE SAYS…” and then TELL THEM WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS. Not what any man, be they scholar, theologian, prophet, Astrophysicist, French Psychic Medium from the Renaissance, Mayan Calendar planner or Daytime Television Host says, but what GOD SAYS. In fact, check everything you just read and all I have shared and will continue to share with you in the future, against the WORD OF GOD. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”-(1 John 4:1) In that, you will know for yourself, through the proof and testing of the Word of God and by His Holy Spirit who is a conduit through whom the Lord will speak and who is not. And once again my beautiful brothers and sisters of the Father of all lights, I encourage you, do not cut the ears of the hearers off, no matter how deceived, aggressive or challenging they may become. LOVE THEM.
Last of all of this exhortation, I encourage you to allow Jesus to heal the ears of those who have been attacked and wounded in their hearing . Allow HIM to do the work that He is called and appointed to do, and He will speak for you. Pray for those who have lost all they own, jobs relationships , trust and worst of all, FAITH. Pray the healing power of God to renew them now. And LET HE WHO HAS EARS- HEAR…

THE MEANING OF LIFE-(Podcast Version)

2011-05-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

THE MEANING OF LIFE

2011-05-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."-(1 John 4:8)

This is not a test. What you are experiencing is the genuine event. This is neither an elaborate rehearsal for a future experience, nor is it a cruel joke. This is life. This is REAL. You are not in some alternate level of meditation, imagining that this is all unfolding before your imaginary eyes... You are not skimming some surrogate plane of actuality. YOU ARE INDEED HERE. Your spirit-man is inhabiting the molecular manifestation of what is, at its basest level, a divinely-designed spacesuit. The suit, when properly operated, maintained and stewarded over will produce excellent movement and effective results. However, when the protective shell and its fine elements are either abused or is used to project negative output, the gesticulation will be rated as destructive and the fruit will represent manifested impairment. The latter is a direct contradiction to the value and purpose established by the Manufacturer. For further explicit instruction and details, please consult the manufacturer or the instruction manual. I repeat- THIS IS NOT A TEST. Note- The mission objective of this operation is very simple: LOVE.

Why are we here? The Buddhist would say "Because". The Atheist would say "Accidental". The canine would say "squirrel". But the living God who is responsible for every neutron in existence tells us why very clearly in the only valid operational manual. The "Manufacturer" Himself, who created the earth and all that dwell therein (including Buddhists, Atheists and dogs) told us nearly two millennia ago: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”-(Matthew 22:36-40) LOVE. God IS Love. To love, therefore, is to be in God's perfect will. In actuality, the Creator of the heavens and the Earth fashioned us with the specific purpose of communion with Him, in love. He made us in His own image, the mirror of Love itself. We are, in essence therefore, built to yield the produce of God or love. Wow. In its absolute simplicity, that is unfathomably deep. That should end this article. The acknowledgement that "Love is everything" should be the finale of this exhortation of the obvious... Sadly, it is not.

With the fall of man came the viral infection of evil, fear, disease, doubt and the curse of sin and sting of death. With the first and most devastating act of disobedience, and thereby lack of love, came pain and heartbreak. The tears shed on that day were monumental. The entirety of mankind was placed onto a dark path to self-destruction. But we are still here. A planet-wide flood, several acts of extermination and devastation later... We are still here. How is that possible? The Architect of all life, loved us so much that He could not simply wipe the slate clean and start again. He made us from His own substance. Borne of the very heart of God Himself, He could not bear to part with us. It is not a matter of need. It is quite literally, a matter of the heart. Proverbs 4:23 tells us "Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” If our heart is the wellspring of life, and we are made in the image of God, then He crafted us and granted us life, from His heart. He created us out of LOVE. When love is truly at the center of a matter, giving up is no longer an option. He did not discard us, He restored us back to Himself, out of His love.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."-(John 3:16) It was love that created us, and love that reconciled us back to the source of life. Without love, we are incomplete and thereby, unredeemed. As followers of the Way, the Truth and the Life, we are commanded to love one another. Jesus did not come to do away with the law or the prophets, but rather FULFILL them. He came to complete them, to restore that which was missing. His Love completed the process of redemption. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."-(John 15;13) Before laying down His life to free us from the curse of the fall, He added to the commandments. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”-(John 13:34-35) So we must love one another. Why bother sharing such a basic principle? What is the necessity in repeating an age-old tenet of our faith to the multitudes? Because, even now, after 2000 years of truth-revealed and gospel-preached admonitions we still lack love. We still harbor resentment and hatred.

We proclaim the goodness and mercy of the God who freely offers His grace, and yet we despise one another. Not you? Consider your heart. Do you hate the sin or the sinner? Be honest. I know that it is painful, but the truth must surface for progress to be established. The honesty of our walk will determine what we refine and glean from this incredible journey. "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."-(John 8:32) The antithesis of that scriptural revelation is "You shall live in the lie and the fiction will imprison you". When interacting with other "spacesuits" do you love unconditionally the spirit within? What about the homosexual? What about the heterosexual with promiscuity issues? Or perhaps the drug-addicted miscreant? What about the Muslim misguided by the deception of a subverted culture? What about the Gossip, the Glutton, the Unbeliever or the invariably hate-filled evil-doers of the world? Do you look at them through the eyes of the one whose love set us apart? Or do you equate the depth of the sin with the sinner bearing it? Do not be deceived here. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."-(Matthew 7:1-2) IT IS NOT IN OUR AUTHORITY OR MISSION PLAN TO JUDGE ANYONE. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"-(Romans 3:23) That means you and me. Still, we repeat the pattern of abhorrence within the walls of the church. We replicate the culture of enmity amongst the living stones of the Kingdom itself. Followers judge other followers. Believers curse other believers. "Christians" hate other "Christians". That is not love. That is conditional love, which is in truth JUDGEMENT.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’"-(Matthew 7:21-23) We can call ourselves by the name of the Creator all day long, but if we do not do the most basic, most important of all He commands us, we are not in undisputed relationship with Him. Jesus tells us that it is entirely possible to prophesy, exercise the demonic and even perform the miraculous in His name and yet be unknown to Him. It is our LOVE that gains us true entry. It is our LOVE that creates consanguinity with the Master, not merely our declaration. To proclaim your faith with your tongue and remain untransformed in your heart is double-minded. "For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."-(James 1:7-8) Let me tender this example- Let's suppose that you are a book. You may be a lovely, leather-bound edition with gold-leaf lettering that states without a doubt that you are "The Holy Bible" on the cover and the spine. Are you truly the word of God within? Or perhaps inside that gorgeous, classic outer sheathing you are filled with a conglomerate of literary stews... Your exterior states that you are the Word of God, but inside one would find "Mein Kaumpf", "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", a few issues of "The Enquirer" and "Hustler"? When getting checked back into the Divine Library, the Chief Librarian would discard you as false. I know, I am a strange bird and that metaphor rides the edge of absurdity... But think about it; How often do we profess that we are His children, but act like we are total strangers?

"If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing."-(1 Corinthians 13:2) We are incomplete without the Love of God at the center of all of our activity and purpose. That is the veritable meaning of life itself. To Love, to be LOVE, because we are loved. We are to imitate our Heavenly Father and do what He does, just as Jesus the Messiah did in His ministry here on Earth, in His spacesuit. "We love because he first loved us."-(1 John 4:19)

Do you truly love? I am not speaking of liking what everyone is fond of, or approving the stylistic or cultural natures of others. I am certainly not professing that tolerating sin is equivalent to loving the sinner. I am simply asking you to examine your heart. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."-(Matthew 6:21) If you are in genuine relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Advocate Messiah and His Holy Spirit, then you will find your treasure trove in His courts. If you are in true relationship with the God who so loved the world that He gave, you will give. You will trust Him with your life, your love and your heart and you will GIVE it to Him. That is where to store up your treasure and your LOVE. When we give our lives to Jesus Christ, He can become one with us. When we enter into the most powerful relationship, the greatest love, we give our total trust to Him. We cannot say that we honestly trust Him if we cannot let go and love as he loved. Remember, even as the precious Lamb of God was being nailed to a tree with 9 inch spikes piercing His hands and feet, He cried out "Father, forgive them. They know not what they are doing."-(Luke 23:34) He proclaimed at that moment the nature of our love. To forgive, to minister to in spite of our outward circumstances; to never judge another's motives... To give our very lives to make this adventure and world a better place to learn and care for each other. The greatest love of all creation is to share that treasure with others. Remember the old adage that "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care". Tell others that the love you have for them comes from the source of love itself. Show them the love that sets the world free and offer them what He offers to all of His children- HIS HEART. That is the meaning of life... TO LOVE.

THE APOCALYPTIC LULLABY

2011-04-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

"Do this, knowing the time, that now is high time for you to awaken out of sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed."-(Romans 13:11)

Why do we arbitrarily call out to Him when it is either convenient or when we are wounded? Why do we seek Him only to find His hands, rather than His Face? In a fallen world that is crying out every day as one who is dying and losing their hold on life, clutching at straws to survive, we see, hear, and experience for ourselves the signs of the times. They are imminent warnings of what will inevitably, prophetically, and scripturally come to pass. Disease, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Tornados, Hurricanes, natural signs and devastations wiping out entire villages, cities and civilizations... Wars, conflicts, abuses, cruelty, murder, slavery, human trafficking, genocide and man's gross inhumanity toward man rack our conscience and hearts with the clanging alarm of a species destined and somehow determined to undermine and destroy itself. The news media blares the authenticity of the havoc and magnifies these significant omens to the point of cacophony, as if the enemy would have us desensitized to the imminence of our calamity. Numbing us with the inundation of tragedy, we crawl back into our safe, quiet, insulated bed-chambers and try to block it out.

But while Satan attempts to lull us back to impotent slumber with the lullaby of lust, self-importance, dissension, greed, complacency, comfort and worst of all, doubt and fear, he sets the stage for the deceived to operate on his behalf. He uses extremists who bear the banner and the Black Flag of the spirit of Anti-Christ to march toward the fulfillment of his designs. We sit idly by, asleep in the midst of chaos and catastrophe as the evil one mounts his assaults. I do not speak of the slumber that Jesus rebukes the disciples for waking Him out of due to a lack of faith in Mark 4:35-40. I cite the type of spirit of stupor that Paul mentions in Romans 11:18 that keeps our eyes from truly seeing and our ears from hearing what is TRUTH. If you are awake right now, you will have had revelation that the adversary has used individuals enclosed inside the body of Christ to cause division from within since the inception of the church. Denominationalism, sectarianism, doctrinal disputes and hatred from one arm to the other in the Corpus Christi here on Earth have been his means to decay the infrastructure of our Kingdom. Division is the cancer destroying the anatomy of Christendom in its interior. We are called to occupy in dominion until Messiah returns, but while we hold fast, we have been, for centuries, more trouble to one another through our self-righteousness and schisms than his minions ever needed be. For millennia, the fallen worship leader of heaven has allowed the church in her own vanity to subversively engage in civil war. But the plot is thickening...

Right now, as you read this in the security of your own personal sanctuary, I would kindly ask you to consider two things. First, ARE YOU AWAKE? "Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."-(Psalm 121:4) And second, ARE YOU AWARE? "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."-(Romans 12:2) As my bride and I traverse the globe to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and dedicate our lives to discipling the Saints, we do not take lightly the clarion call to quicken the Bride of Christ. We know without the shadow of any doubt that the Holy Spirit has shown us that we are commissioned and equipped, for such a time as this, to AWAKEN and make AWARE. If you are awake, we encourage you to rouse others. If you are aware of the urgency of the times, we would rally you to share the critical nature of the precipice we all stand upon. The end is relatively... well, NIGH.

I remember as a child observing the obscure corner-dwelling, billboard-wearing presumably insane people on the streets of New York City. They were pensive, intensely urgent and purposefully selfless in their efforts to sound the alarm to any and everyone who would harken the almost maniacal cry "THE END IS NIGH!!!", or "Repent! for the End is at hand". When asking one of my teachers on a school field trip to the Museum of Natural History what precisely these seemingly insane people were prognosticating, I received a very secular "Crazies" as an answer. But more than 25 years later, and wiser, I am quite sure that a good percentage of these "Crazies" were more prophetic than deranged. When looking at the grand scheme and juncture in relation to our minuscule lifetimes, and compounding the prophetic timelines it is perfectly feasible to discern that, YES, the end is upon us. Like them or not, in lieu of their unorthodox approach, the placard-wearing "crazies" on the corners are not too far off base. (That is with the exception, of course, of anyone spewing hatred and judgement toward others while using the medium of picketing and rallying to actually aid the forces of evil.)

A dear friend recently contended with me "Well, the news media is magnifying all of the madness and disaster. They thought the world was ending 2000 years ago, and they had no T.V.; there was as much devastation and war then as there is right now". Yes, people have been declaring the end of days for centuries. Each civilization, culture and cluster of mankind has proposed a potential cataclysmic date or season. Christian, Pagan, Atheist, Scientist and Philosopher alike have all identified a looming apocalypse within their own lifetimes. Dating back to the dawn of the Church, we know that there was significant presumption about the end of all things even as the first disciples were being martyred. Each generation has its own potential end waiting in the proverbial wings. However, when denying the reality or truth of the progression and escalation of the inevitable end of all things, it is imperative that we swallow the jagged pill of perspective, particularly when dealing with relative timelines. Considering the age and scale of time that we have been traveling on as a race from the creation until now, it is more than feasible to imagine that we are nearing the inevitable and ultimate renewal of creation. The frequency of destruction is increasing on a level that is historic. The atrocities of human hatred and self-decay have reached a fever pitch the likes of which the world has NEVER seen. "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains."-(Mark 13:8) Anyone who is awake and truly sees their surroundings can acknowledge that there is more devastation, more evil and darkness filling the earth to date than ever before. Without mutating this article into a thesis, or following the rabbit down the hole to side-tracked confusion, I reflect back to the real purpose of writing this. We must not treat our lives as fodder. We must not ingest the lie that we should live as though we will never die, but rather live as though we might die ANY MINUTE... Because WE MIGHT. We must be committed to declare the Gospel and whole-heartedly tell the truth about Jesus the Messiah to the entire world. Without fear of rejection, retribution, loss or martyrdom, we are commissioned to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."-(Mark 16:15) We cannot let the sedative of doubt fill us with paralyzing inactivity. This IS really happening. And there are others, who work for the opposing forces who believe that it is, whether you do or not.

I proclaimed earlier how we preach to the Body of Christ to awaken. Recently, while watching a broadcast of the recent revolution in Egypt, we witnessed something disturbing. As one of the leaders of The Muslim Brotherhood began to speak over the noise of elated "free" Egyptians, he uttered "This is the beginning of the great Muslim Awakening! Muslims around the world will rise up to claim what is theirs!". My jaw dropped. We were immediately aware that this was a direct counterfeit of the same directive that the Holy Spirit has given to us and many others in the Body as a charge to prepare for the coming season of turbulence.

When listening to another man of God recently as he revealed the prophetic and actual timelines that are being fulfilled, he interviewed a former bodyguard who defected from within the hierarchy of Iranian rule who unveiled the consistent and constant dialogue from within the counsels of Iranian and Muslim Extremist Leadership. They believe that the Thirteenth Imam, the Imam Mahdi or "Guided One" has already arrived. If you are unfamiliar with the Mohammedan Prophecy of this "being of light", I suggest that you invest some time into the research. I will tell you that according to Muslim Prophecy and in comparison with Christian Eschatology the comparisons are unsettlingly congruent. They believe that the Mahdi's reign and appearance will be coupled by the return of Hadhrat Isa, better known to you and me as Jesus. Although He is denied by Mohammed as being the Son of God, in spite of being esteemed as one of the highest "prophets" in the Koran. Which leads me to a sidebar of substantial significance: CAN A TRUE PROPHET LIE? If the answer is "NO", then the Koran is false. Ironically, they identify Jesus as "the only one who will have the power to kill the Anti-Christ". I should also mention that the length of the reign of the Mahdi is SEVEN YEARS. He will also purportedly LEAD WORSHIP from Mecca. The counterfeit here is transparent. However, due to its importance and the depth of detail, I will spend more time disclosing my dissertation on this subject at a later date. Regardless of the Mahdi's arrival, the behavior and lifestyles of the majority of everyday people who worship as Muslims and the conduct of the general (rapidly growing) world population of Muslims, there are many in positions of authority at the ready. They hold high the sword of Jihad, Holy War. They are poised for the great cleansing of the infidels. Who, pray tell are the "infidels"? According to Islamic Extremists- anyone who does not believe in and worship Allah and his Prophet Mohammed. Specifically Christians and Jews. With the confirmed death of long-hunted terrorist and Al Qaeda Leader, Osama Bin Laden, comes the imminent rumble of retaliatory plans and a successor who I believe prophetically will fit the bill for the aforementioned "Guided One".

But we stand under the covering of the one true living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. We worship the God who sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins on a cross at Calvary. We believe on Him. He is called I AM. Is He God or is He not? If He is, then everyone reading this should and must repent of their fleshly ways, receive the shed blood of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, be baptized in His name, discipled through His precepts and examples, and made full with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. "John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire."-(Luke 3:16) If He is God and His Word is TRUE, then every soul reading this who calls themselves "Christian", "Believer" or "His", should be a liberal soul who sows bountifully out of the increase of their first-fruits by way of tithing to their storehouses (the local church) and offering unto the Kingdom of God above their tithe. "You then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?"-(Romans 2:21) If He is the Lord of Lords, Alpha and Omega and Father of all Lights to you, then you must love your enemies and pray for all who spitefully use you, curse you and mean to harm you. "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."-(Luke 6:27-28) If God the Father is TRULY the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, and Jesus, His Son, the Messiah who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and His precious Holy Spirit the paraclete who guides our every step, the we MUST be committed to His cause. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."-(Luke 9:23) We must be totally, unwaveringly engaged in His call upon us. We must be utterly dutiful, diligent and fervently passionate about His Great Commission. If He IS God. And, dear precious ones, I know indubitably, HE IS GOD.

It is most certainly not a time to celebrate, revel in short-termed, human victory or woefully become complacent in our faith. It is high time that we arise and lift the veil off of our eyes and spirits and stand unwinking and staid in the coming hour. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."-(1Peter 5:8) It is also not a moment to become so heavenly-minded that we are no earthly-good. Neither is it a season to hide away in a cavern or bomb shelter far into reclusive solitude in an attempt to avoid the oncoming storm. No. We must work with more vigor, more passion and more critical persistence than ever before. "We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work."-(John 9:4) We must stand fast. We must stand firm. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:28-31) We are called to be AWAKE. We are commissioned by the Master Himself, Jesus Christ to be AWARE, and moreover, galvanize others into this same awareness. Join in true unity with other believers in spite of your doctrinal disputes or human differences. Overcome your fears, doubts and opinionated selfishness and pick up your cross. It is coming... HE IS COMING BACK. We implore you right now- WAKE UP AND GET READY.

EAT THE WHOLE THING

2011-04-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

"Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God."-(Acts 20:26-27)

Movements are dangerous. They are not inherently good or evil, but volatile nonetheless. And perhaps that is their innate potential to be used as a positive power; to be explosive enough to be noticeable and implant permanent or lasting change. But in the negative potential of any "movement" lies their finite nature. The DNA of a movement allows that, without commitment and absolute, implanted change, all it will do is make a noisy appearance and inevitably, fade away, leaving in its wake collateral damage and a potentially scarring effect on those who witness its failure to root or create a better life. There are obvious examples in history that will stir some with litigious bents to revel in proving me wrong. However, I would cite that "movements" such as the Civil Rights Movement, Women's Rights and many others only mark their inception with a movement. These platforms are basic human rights that needed a powder-keg to open the door to become revealed truth and necessary societal and cultural changes. We need a kick in the pants (if you will) sometimes as a species in order to develop into better stewards of one another. But in contrast, there have been other "movements" in the history of mankind that have not created necessary, or for that matter, positive change. Take for instance the German "National Socialist" Movement, or Marxism. There is no doubt, (if you have the freedom to read this) that the Nazis and the purveyors of Communism had their own devastating effects on mankind. The only lasting change there was hurt and pain, and a cathartic reminder of what NOT to become or repeat.

But those examples, both positive and negative are only to initiate your involvement in the relative conundrum at hand. Are mere "movements" good for the Body of Christ or the Kingdom of God? I say NO. Why? Because we need more than a brief encounter with change. We need TOTAL change. Movements without permanence are impotent. Or I should say "movements" for their own sake are impotent. When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, it is not a temporary means to an end. It is a complete repentant redemption and thereby "re-creation" of our lives. It is not a moment of mercy, but a new beginning for a lifetime of mercy and grace. "Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."-(Lamentations 3:22-23)

When we were recently ministering in Jerusalem to the beautiful body of Messianic Believers there, a very wise Pastor and dear friend of mine asked me quite candidly "What do you think of the prosperity movement?". I paused to reflect on his intentions, and recognized immediately in the Spirit what he was digging toward. I answered rather tersely "I do not put my faith in 'movements'. I believe that we must receive and preach the whole counsel of God. The only movements that we should seek in the body of Christ are found in the currency and flow of the Holy Spirit." I continued on to cite that Jesus believed very strongly in prosperity as one-quarter of the parables alone speak about money and stewardship, let alone our joy, spirits and lives PROSPERING. I found myself involuntarily impassioned by this query due to the devastating impact that some "movements" have had on the faith of many individuals and countless bodies of believers when they are taken out of balance. Prosperity, Word of Faith and other movements are not meant to be consumed, practiced, developed or taught as singular, free-standing entities. They are all of them incredibly important to the furthering of the Gospel and the building of the Kingdom, but none should be exalted into uniqueness. They are all organs that must work in synchronicity with one another in order to be effective.

When we take a single verse, or a concept from the Word of God and focus entirely on it for the sake of teaching or imparting a life-changing maturation into the lives of our fellow believers, it is imperative that we build with balance. When we teach or preach a specific area without focusing on building the Kingdom of God and glorifying Jesus in the Earth, and instead glorify a concept or "movement" above the King, we have missed the point. "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"-(2 Corinthians 10:5) In fact, when a concept becomes a denominational identity that ALWAYS leads to unbalanced incompletion.

Before you find offense here, allow me to demonstrate this issue with an imaginary control for our hypothetical edification. Allow me to use something that is NOT a tenet of our faith to exhibit BALANCE. Say that culinary excellence (cooking and dining) is demonstrated throughout the Word of God as a benefit or active necessity to the abundant life of a follower of Jesus the Messiah. Imagine that without understanding the details of fine cuisine, the preparation of all manner of food and the accoutrements that complete a gastronomic experience with excellence, we would be incomplete as believers. Now entertain the idea that due to its complexity, the study of this facet of our faith demands precise attention. Picture if you can a cadre of scriptural and oration experts preaching, teaching and developing believers into becoming expert chefs themselves. But instead of the importance of that glimmer of the entire picture being directed back to the throne, the blood, the kingdom and righteousness of God, it becomes a separate ideal. People spend more and more time, perhaps ALL of their energy concentrating on this area of concern and it consumes them. The food is incredible, the experience is incomparable, and the intense point of convergence in what was intended to supplement becomes a doctrine-based denomination. People are now exalting the experts of this ideal into a position of Apostolic hierarchy and then creating entire branches and umbrella classifications of faith that in truth are partial glimpses at the King and His true Kingdom. Now, through this fairly absurd example (once again I repeat it is NOT SCRIPTURAL) it is poignant to cite "It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”-(Matthew 4:4) For after all, the Word in its entirety is our fullness and FOOD.

The metaphor of food here was not a random choice. One of the most widespread and constant thoughts in many of your minds right now is your DIET. Thanks to a multi-BILLION dollar industry, the word "diet" has been manipulated into an action or verb rather than a noun. Most people define the word as "a torturous time of starvation and deprivation of food to reach a desired weight or physical appearance". It was never intended to be so. Your "diet" should simply mean "what you eat". But that is not the contemporary definition. People are literally consumed with diet fads each with their own claim to victory. But as one of my greatest mentors, the late Brian Klemmer wrote about diets in his book "If How-To's Were Enough We'd All Be Skinny, Rich and Happy", they DON'T WORK. That is right. Diets do not work. They are a temporary means to an end. LIFESTYLE CHANGES WORK. You cannot simply diet for several weeks or months and after losing a determined amount of weight return to your old eating habits and expect to keep the weight off. You must change your mindset entirely. You must change your lifestyle ENTIRELY. Believe me, I know this from personal, fat-losing, self-loathing dieting experience.

Movements without implanted change are diets. Salvation is NOT a temporary way out. It is eternal. The reason true salvation is accompanied with the old man dying and our becoming a new creation is our need to put away the old. The new life that we gain through the blood of Jesus Christ is not a momentary excursion. It is a total lifestyle change. The intentional purpose of our being "born again" in our reception of His lordship is to clear out the old. The old mindset, the old belief system, the old sin, the old lack, the old doubt, the old wineskin. "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."-(Mark 2:22) If we do not experience a paradigm shift through our experience with Jesus Christ and His saving blood, we will simply remain the same. That is why we need TOTAL salvation, TOTAL change.

Jesus the Messiah did not suffer the passion and die on the cross at calvary taking upon Himself our debts so that we would live the "partial life". No. He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets so that we would live the "Abundant Life". And that life is one without lack. The perfection we gain in Him is our completion. We cannot live full, complete lives in Him if we do not receive the fullness of the whole counsel of God. That is what we are to consume, become and live out. The entirety, not just a "movement". I want to be effective in building His Kingdom here on Earth with full authority to do so. I do not believe that we can operate in the fullness of His strength, power and Spirit if we only focus on or teach the Word in partiality. We must preach the total Gospel. There are many anointed men and women of God currently teaching Grace without teaching Holiness. There is a new imbalance shifting in the Body of Christ. It is imperative that we share the Grace by which we are all saved, but it is equally imperative to impart the necessity to live transformed lives that are Holy as HE is Holy. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."-(Hebrews 13:8) He was holy yesterday, He is holy today and forever. He was a healer yesterday, He is our healer today and forever. He was the fullness of God's Love yesterday, today and forever. There is no shadow of turning with Him. The movement of the Holy Spirit is not partial. It is with His entire being, the perfect wholeness and manifold witness that He moves. God is multifaceted. The Word describes Him as variegated, many-colored. There is in Him the complexity of ALL creation and existence. The wholeness of His being MUST be exalted.

This may seem to be overwhelming. How do we embrace His fullness? How is it possible to ingest and understand the infinite depth of the most high God? How do you eat an Elephant? One bite at a time. The difference here is that when taking small bites, we never lose sight of the whole picture. God is bigger than the portions that we are currently focusing on. We must never allow a part to be the entire focus. We encourage you to learn, study, investigate and master the endless levels of complexity in the Word of God. But whatever you do, never allow yourself to exalt an idea or "movement" into a denominational pillar. Seek out the whole counsel. Live the the lifestyle not the diet, and embrace the whole thing, or rather EAT the whole thing.

WE NEVER SHUT UP

2011-04-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

"Be silent before the sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near."-(Zephaniah 1:7)

When my bride and I launched into full-time ministry, laying down our success, focus and accomplishments in the entertainment industry, we moved at the prompting of the Holy Spirit from New York City to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I believe that God gives us information on a "need to know" basis, and upon our arrival from our exodus out of Manhattan, I had not yet received my mission briefing for our occupation of the "buckle" of the Bible Belt. Although I personally had not yet heard from the Lord regarding the next steps, I did hear from many other humans. There were quite a few, trusted and loved, family and friends alike, who urged me that it was in God's plan for me to attend a well known Bible Training Institute. These beloved, wise and well-meaning souls all agreed on the same program, citing individually, that it is what they believed I had arrived in green country for.

In light of my infancy in the faith, the dichotomy of our geographical and cultural transplantation and my then, inability to separate good ideas from God-ideas, I agreed. I actually decided that it was God speaking through others into my life to reveal His plans. I believed this so strongly that I filed my application, met the initial criteria and was en route to the facility for my final entrance interview. As I drove to what I believed to be my destiny, I felt an nagging sense of uneasiness. Then, while making the final turn into the entry road of the school's campus, I AUDIBLY heard "Where are you going?" I answered with the name of the school. "I NEVER TOLD YOU TO GO THERE." the Lord replied in a voice that sounded with pure power and thunder in my Spirit. It stopped my heart. I was so utterly shaken that I literally came to a screeching halt and turned around. I went back home to my wife who was expecting me to return much later in the day. "What did you forget?" she asked. "I forgot to listen to God" I answered. I then shared my experience with her and found great support from her in the decision to wait upon the Lord. About a week later I began working as a personal assistant and jack-of-all trades for the man who would become one of my greatest mentors and my personal "Bible Training Academy", Bob Harrison. Over the next two years (and to this date) I have had incredible, irreplaceable, personal training from this great man of God. If I had listened to others' advice and followed through on what man said, I would most definitively have been out of step with the plan of God for my life.

"Where are you going?" is a question that lends validity to all of us at some point in our walk. I do not believe that God randomly chose for us to leave the noise and distraction of the "City that never sleeps" to enter the quiet peace of Tulsa. It was to get quiet before Him. We oftentimes put so much weight on what we want to do, or what others tell us to do, that we do not HEAR from the Lord. We talk about what we want, our desires, dreams and plans more than we listen. Most of us have been miseducated by Christian "inculturation" and we tell God what we want before listening to Him for direction. We create grand blueprints that suit our intellect and flesh and ask God to bless what we are doing, rather than do what HE wants us to do. With that much being said, we wonder why our plans fall apart, or why the Lord does not bless them, when in truth, he cannot bless that which He does not will. "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain."-(Psalm 127:1) I do believe that God grants us the desires of our heart, but I know that we, in our fallible carnal forms miss the precursor for that promise. "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart."-(Psalm 37:4) We must first seek HIM. Taking delight in Him means focusing on His ways, His paths and most importantly, His PLANS. When we are looking to God to see His face, we do not first seek His hands. When we look up to Him, He does not need to ask "Where are you going?". “Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.” -(Proverbs 19:21) To know His purpose, we must seek His face.

In Exodus, chapter 33, Moses asks God to show him His Glory. A mistake that I have made, many times in my life, is asking to see God's glory manifested in a situation before I knew His plans. We cannot expect Him to move through or reveal anything for us until we first seek His ways. Before Moses issues the tremendous request to see God's Glory, he first asks that God shows him HIS WAYS. Likewise, when teaching us about the material needs and desires of this life, Jesus the Messiah tells us "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."-(Matthew 6:33) We must seek the order and will of God and His Kingdom in all we do or desire, before He will bless or provide. No man can expect God to move on their behalf without they first seek His FACE. Anyone who thinks that they can have their way without seeking His authority is double-minded. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."-(James 1:8) His hands will not move for those who do not seek His face.

This brings us to a very important point; We first seek God's wisdom, then ask in faith without doubt for His blessing. He has given us free-will to operate and develop here on this Earth. But that does not mean to merely work out our own salvation by our own wisdom. The Word says in Philippians 2:12 to work out our own salvation with FEAR & TREMBLING. That fear is not the spirit of fear that comes from the wiles of the adversary, but the reverential fear and awe of the Lord God Almighty. We need to consult the manufacturer for the directions of the creation, then we can ask anything in faith. When we know the heart of the Father, we can ask anything in faith without doubt because we know that He is invested in it.

Hearing God for direction and looking to wise counsel for confirmation is the scriptural order of the Kingdom. When those beloved friends and family advised me regarding that school, it was well-intended, and perhaps wishful thinking that I would hear them as confirmation of God's direction. But with regard to hearing the will of the Father, how often do we talk AT God and not WITH Him? I believe that this is a valuable observation that we must all keep in check. When we pray, do we pray AT Him? Think about it. How many times have you or someone you know prayed a WALL of sound AT the Lord instead of communicating with Him? Communication means that we listen more than, or at least as much as we speak. A healthy conversation with another human being depends on a balance. Now that is just another mortal likened unto our own stature. How much more should we be silent before the Lord God, Creator of all existence? I know that it is in my personal nature to speak (sometimes incessantly) out of design, but being quiet lends the most effective results when genuinely seeking God's agenda for my life. "For our conversation is in heaven; from where also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:"-(Philippians 3:20) Our conversation with Him demands our attentive ear. God does not speak over us, like people do in a Woody Allen movie. He is a gentleman. He waits for us to stop talking. "And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice."-(1 Kings 19:12)

In this tremulous and dangerous hour, as we approach the precipice of the end-times, we need God's genuine direction more than any other time in history. We need His divine plans to be revealed. We must be in the will of the Lord. If we truly desire to be in the will of the Lord and follow His direction, walking out His plans, we must listen for His voice. We must approach Him with open ears. "But the Lord is in His holy temple; let all be silent before Him."-(Habakkuk 2:20) I encourage you to implement this today. Seek the Lord with thanksgiving and praise, enter into His presence. Then ask Him to speak to you. Wait upon Him. And listen rather than talk. Pray TO the Lord of Creation, not AT Him and you will hear His voice, know His will and draw nearer to Him in your walk. We must be still and hear HIM.

RIGHT IN THE EYES

2011-03-31T09:52:00.000-07:00

"The eye is the lamp of the body; If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light."- (Matthew 6:22)

Growing up in the bustling NorthEastern United States, just outside of New York City, many axioms of conduct and rules of social behavior were imparted to me. One of the first laws of survival was simply "Keep your head down and never look anyone in the eyes". In a city fraught with veritable maniacs on the verge of violent explosions from the pressures of a life without a horizon line, this made intellectual sense. At any given moment, someone who was a maniac, demoniac or a normal person harboring too much stress could attack... Or at least, that is what the paranoid masses believed. And I was throughout my youth a registered member of the paranoid masses of society. For many years, that is how I lived... Head down, eyes averting contact with anyone. The enemy loves this non-committal, passive approach to social behavior. It divides us.

Only in the past few years have I been given access to the revelation of the truth of the matter. God WANTS us to look each other in the eyes. He wants us to remain connected, just as He is connected to us. "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the Earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him".-(2 Chronicles 16:9) We are made in His image, and therefore are made to do as He does. God WANTS us to look at Him, and to Him at all times. "My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare".-(Psalm 25:16) Catch this principle, it is powerful.

The eyes are truly the windows of the soul. When we shutter those windows or avert our "soul to soul" contacts, we close communion or communication with our neighbors. People crave and need love. "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart".-(Proverbs 15:30) When we offer our eyes to another, we operate as Christ did here on Earth. Jesus did NOT avert His gaze to anyone. On the contrary, He was filled with utter compassion at all times, and for all people, even as He hung on the cross. "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.". -(Luke 23:34) We cannot have compassion for the lost, dying and hungry of this world if we do not see them as they truly are. That only comes from seeing them completely, inside and out. I encourage you to not feel convicted right now... It happens to every single one of us. The enemy tries to convince us and condition us into the belief that we are somehow "safer" or "protected" when we insulate our gaze. While I believe that to be true for the sake of guarding our eye-gates from sin, I know that it is not God's will that we should be divided by our defenses. The adversary is intent on dividing us by any means he can. "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand."-(Mark 3:24) Even the very word "division" means "split vision"or "di (meaning two) visions". Think about it. Try looking at someone with the eyes and mind of Christ Jesus, and see what happens. The hurt and wounded will be moved by your contact. Hope will be instilled and perhaps healing can begin. The insecure may avert their eyes, but at least they will see the love in yours. Keep in mind, this may actually scare some people because it has become an almost totally foreign concept. After all, we have been operating under the misunderstanding that we are to be a society of islands unto ourselves. When in truth, the Lord wishes us to be completely connected and in one accord, in Him.

One of our dear friends and an incredible teacher of Personal Mastery and trainer of "Compassionate Samurai", Brian Klemmer teaches a very powerful concept called "Being with". Mr. Klemmer uses an exercise where he has pairs sit facing each other and simply look into one another's eyes. Not merely for a moment, but for long periods of time. Why does this exercise matter? Because in today's society, we have become so self-centered that the power of simply "being with" someone else without spouting our own agendas or touting our accomplishments or venting our complaints is alien. We have forgotten, as a race, how to look INTO one another. Without words, some laugh, others become confused, and some even break down into tears. It is a walled and veiled area of our hearts and minds that was never meant to be as such, but has been trained into that state. Your spirit-man can SEE and be SEEN both in the spirit and the natural. When you dare to connect with another, you make yourself vulnerable and see into their vulnerability. Remember, this is ONLY if you are filled with the Holy Spirit and have the compassionate heart and mind of Christ. If you have evil within you, or fear, you have no protection from the repercussions that may ensue. But on the other end of the spectrum, if you are filled with the Love of God, that is what makes "your eyes good" and "your whole body full of light". And the Love of God is the most powerful creative and defensive force in existence.

While this paramount truth will impact the lost and hurting surrounding us, it is also an effective weapon against the forces of evil. I mentioned early that Jesus the Messiah did not avert His gaze to anyone, in that, I also believe that He NEVER looked away from those who were His enemies either. We are taught from an early age never to make direct eye-contact with dogs. It is widely taught that dogs will attack if they feel threatened by your gaze. But in truth, I believe that it is not the direct stare that causes the attack, but rather the smell of fear. The enemy, like a dog, can sense and smell the spirit of fear. It comes from him. The spirit of fear is NOT of God, and therefore smells like Satan himself. When the enemy or his minions sense that familiar scent, they attack, just like a wild animal or a dog... I have received what I consider tremendous revelation regarding this. You see, not only does it aid the wounded to look into their eyes and thereby their spirit-man, but it will crumble the greatest of foes to pierce their hearts with the inward gaze of that same Love of Christ. When someone filled with evil, be they demonized or simply heartbroken, angry, and lashing out, see the absolutely pure Love that comes from the Holy Spirit LIVING within you, they have no authority over you. When you walk in the boldness of the authority of the blood of Jesus Christ, you cannot be beaten in a good vs. evil staring contest. Evil will always blink. Beware that when they do, you may have some who press the matter further with queries like "Whattayoulookin'at?"; I advise you to use the standard reply for the Sinner and Saint alike: "Jesus Loves You".

This is a basic, powerful principle that is a necessity to become your authentic self. God never designed us to be hermits. Quite the contrary, He created us for fellowship. Why would the Creator make us to be reclusive and self-existing when He himself sought to have communion with us? Therefore, we were made to commune not only with God, but with our fellow man. I believe the most powerful relationships, whether they are marriages of love or purpose, are those where there is absolute connection and thereby, TRUST. Imagine if you will, a couple who, (although blessed with perfect eyesight), never gaze into one another's eyes. They will be, no matter how close they ever become, incomplete. We were made to "see" into each other. Your eyes are a LAMP! I believe that when the Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world", it meant that His light would shine before men through us. YOUR EYES ARE A LAMP. If He is within you, He will enlighten you. That is they key to all of this.

In order to be the "light of the world", you must have Him dwelling within you. To truly and effectively touch others by looking into them and to look through our adversaries, we need Jesus to be looking outwardly from inside of us. That can only be if you welcome Him into your heart, soul, mind and surrender your spirit and life to Him. You need His saving blood, His working power and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of the Living God. If you do not have the gift of salvation, or know that Love of God, receive it RIGHT NOW. It is the greatest gift of all creation, and it is FREE. Ask Jesus the Messiah to come into your heart, into your life and allow Him to be your EYES... TODAY, and see the world and other people in a different light.

Eat Your Words

2011-01-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

From an early age, I was exposed to the inherent human principle that what we speak can usher into existence either creation or destruction. "You can't UN-say your words..." was a familiar and altogether wise statement that my Mother spoke into my brothers' and my lives. It was valid, and for the reason of its pristine and apparent truth, I never questioned it. She has always been one of the few constant figures of influence in my life who, with specific regard to aforementioned credo, has always offered positive words of love and affirmation. And, as the Word of God shows us, "Love never fails."-(1 Corinthians 13:8) In spite of the acrid and often condemning environment of negativity that this fallen world offers, and in spite of the circumstances that befell us, my mother rang consistently supportive and nourishing words every day. She still does. And I now do so for my children. Our confession shapes not only our lives, but the lives of everyone we are entrusted as well.

One of my mentors and now Father-In-Law on my wife's side, Bob Harrison teaches a very insightful observation regarding the life of a caterpillar. For its entire life-season as a caterpillar, it produces a silk that will eventually be spun out of its mouth and used to create the chrysalis or cocoon in which the caterpillar will undergo the magnificent metamorphosis into a glorious butterfly. He sites very poignantly, that we create our environments, where we live, and what we will become with what comes out of our mouths. There is a marvelous word-picture of God's perfect example poured out for all creation to simply observe and obtain in that ideal.

We not only live in the environments we create with our words, but we create the environments of our future, or rather our very futures themselves from the confessions we make every day. The Word of God is so very clear that "Death and Life are in the POWER of the tongue, and those who love it shall eat its fruit" or "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love to talk will have to eat their own words."-(Proverbs 18:21) I appreciate the latter "God's Word" Amplified Translation as it cuts to the heart of the matter. The Word of God offers us two incredible exemplary images that literally embody the concept of eating Words. The Prophet Ezekial is given WORDS on a scroll to eat before speaking to the house of Israel: "Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth."-(Ezekial 3:3) Also, John the Revelator is given a scroll to consume: "So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."-(Revelation 10:9-11) We do "eat our own words". It is invariably congruent to the idiom "You are what you eat". For in truth, we will reap the seeds of positive or negative choices in either account. When we make poor dietary decisions, we fare poorly within our physical man. When we make poor choices with our words, we reap the inevitable consequences of what we unleash into the fabric of existence. "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."-(Matthew 12:37)

Did it ever occur to you that through your confession, you create more than your own current state or future conditions? Have you considered that you will have an unwittingly powerful, albeit silent effect on every person who sees, witnesses or touches upon your life? Something to consider... Saint Francis of Assisi influenced literally hundreds of thousands around the world to live for Christ, and yet one of his most famous quotes is "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. " He chose his words with care and love. Whereas on the polar opposite extreme we find the nihilist, Friedrich Nietzsche, whose words and confessions influenced many, but one in particular who altered the history of mankind, manipulated and misunderstood his words and used them as a catalyst for evil. His name was Adolf Hitler. I will employ the use of an erroneous line of text here, as I personally take issue with ending a perfectly good paragraph with that name.

We underestimate, on a daily basis, the true power of our words. Nevertheless, we are bound to the law of creative or destructive confession. Why? Because precious people, even God is bound by His Words. When remarking on the Purpose of Prayer, our dear friend, Dr. Myles Munroe teaches: "The reason people don't hear God speak very often is because when He does, He knows that His Words will not only become LAW for all creation, they will become law unto Himself as well." "So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."-(Isaiah 55:11) If God speaks, He must accomplish it. That is the very essence of CREATION itself. GOD SPOKE. He used His WORD to create the Earth and all that dwell therein. "And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light."-(Genesis 1:3) If we are made in God's image and likeness, (and we are), then that self-same principle applies to us as well. We create our world, our life and the environment we possess with our confession. The grave difference between God and us is that the Lord cannot fail with His Word, He is perfect. But we who have the power of free-will, can choose death. It is odd, but this is the magnetic path of our innately sinful flesh, to choose death over life. That is why we must choose Christ. Jesus IS life. In that one incredible, eternity-changing decision, we loose the fetters and bonds of the gravitational pull of the flesh, and allow the Holy Spirit to speak for us.

That is why prayer is imperative for ALL believers. Prayer is not an act of religious rite, but in truth the act of communicating with God with our WORDS, with our confession. Jesus Himself gave incredible testimony to the truth of the necessity of personal prayer throughout the example set during His ministry. Jesus prayed for guidance in places of quiet solitude -"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed"-(Mark 1:35) "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed"-(Luke 5:16). But perhaps the most influential moment of prayer to all believers is when the Disciples asked the Master "How should WE pray?" And the Lord answered- "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."-(Matthew 6:9-13) Jesus otherwise NEVER prays with His Disciples. That confirms that we, individually MUST communicate and confess GOOD and SIN to God the Father, IN THE NAME OF JESUS in order that we might be directed to straight paths. Yes, prayer is meant to be a communication of positive confession. And it must be constant and consistent in order to be effective. The Bible never mentions an "Intercessors Ministry". It mentions times of intercession, but what the modern church has done to almost entirely hedge out the necessity for personal prayer is disarming. Please do not misunderstand me. I love those who have seen the need and follow the call to be in such ministries, but I also must say how unfortunate we are as a body when we rely on a group of stalwart believers to fulfill that which we are either too lazy, too busy or quite frankly too unimpressed by to do. The Word of God says very clearly: "Pray without ceasing"-(1 Thessalonians 5:17) So, lest anyone think that they will see any good thing from the Lord by leaving the future of the Church environment, the future of the members and their own paths to a group of people whose shoulders were never meant to carry that heavy burden. "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves"-(James 1:22)

What we speak in our every day walk will inevitably take form into our existence. If you confess "I am so fat." or "I am just not good with (fill in the blank)", you will most definitely never get in shape, and never be good at... whatever. But on the far opposite end of the scale of choice, if we say "I will get in shape" or "I am getting better with (fill in the blank), we WILL. I know right now someone is saying "That's just the power of Positive Thinking". Well, yes it is. But the truth behind the reason that the Power of Positive Thinking does not offer lasting fruit to most is two-fold. First, if we approach the process with the same consistency that we generally do our prayer life, it will not take root nor become effective. Second, if GOD is not the focus, He cannot move through it. In order for our confession to manifest positive results in our lives, we must remain focused on HIM. Trust is the center of any healthy relationship, and that is a valid truth with our communion with the King of Kings as well. But above even that, if we speak LIFE than the seeds of our speech will bring forth LIFE. That is God's Law, His truth and principle. So, as we open our mouths today, let us all heed that Biblical truth which Proverbs 18:21 declares, remembering that, whether spoken with Death or Life, we will EAT OUR WORDS.

His Eye Is On The Sparrow

2011-01-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."-(Matthew 10:29-30)

Not one element of one living creation is hidden from or unseen by God. For a non-believer, this is a most daunting idea. But for His children, those who belong to Him, this is a bastion of our faith. I recall thinking at a very tender age, that God, whoever He was, could not possibly see everything. I thought that it must be impossible for Him to know what everyone was doing at all times. Yet, I believed, for whatever reason, that Santa Claus could. As I developed and time passed on, I found myself reaching a precipice of belief. This canyon drop of faith was far beyond my intellectual understanding. I could not release myself to the idea that there was a God who knew everything at all times. Furthermore, I could not conceive of a deity who was cognizant of my existence, let alone my trials and challenges. I wish I could tell you that in one fell swoop, God provided an angelic figure or a deliverer to lead me over that crevasse. I think it most certainly would make for better writing, and quite probably better reading as well. But that is not what happened, precious people. No, quite the contrary . It was a process for me to gain revelation of God's OMNIPRESENCE and OMNISCIENCE.

You see, I was provided with a fairly active imagination, and as one of its more important components, I was also granted an intellect to match. I thought about it. I thought about it quite a bit. But faith rarely receives proving by way of our brains. In fact, it seems to me that it is far easier for someone who has never experienced the power or presence of God, to THINK their way around it. That is why we must renew our minds. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.- (Romans 12:2) Joyce Meyer once said "We are in an all out war with the enemy, and the battlefield is our minds." If the enemy can control or steer our thoughts we are paralyzed. I was once told by someone (who will more than likely read this), that I had been, since my salvation and entry into ministry, "BRAINWASHED". Young in the faith and still battling my mind and intellect, I seethed for a while over that commentary . But something occurred to me, after reflecting on my understanding of God's sovereign, all-powerful, all-knowing personality, which I had gained revelation of at that point in my life. In my quest to understand the truth of His love for me, I HAD BECOME BRAINWASHED. There was no way around it. My mind was once filthy and covered in the scales of dissappointment and dissolution that the world and an angry, Godless society had imprinted upon me. But because of Jesus' blood, and God's MERCY and GRACE, my brain had indeed been washed, clean and new as driven snow.

But I share this all with you to reach a certain end. I was struggling with my faith as a result of my doubt and lack of understanding of God's ability, and more directly, His DESIRE to know my every detail. I could not fathom why the Lord of all creation would care to know me. I most certainly did not understand why He would want to think of me. But one day I read"-(Jeremiah 29:11)-"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." I was so thankful for that Word when I gained knowledge of it. I could count on the Lord's direct explanation of His omniscient power,and that He was all at once everywhere and aware of all of His creation. It shocked me in the most marvelous way. I was in awe that the same God who crafted the infinity of Space and existence, created me, and knew me. Indeed, it boggled my thoughts that He not only had knowledge OF me, He had love FOR me. He wanted to bless me. That put me into a truly broken state of mind. I felt somehow residually guilty for even questioning His thoughts. But I found solace in the Word once more. "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:"

God knows you. He knows your sorrows, your joys, your comedy and your tragedy. He recognizes your motives, whether misguided or precisely targeted. The key to finding the joy in that prospect is releasing your need to govern the position of GOD over your own life. That can only come with revelation of His Lordship and more importantly, our singular entry into His Kingdom through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. When I received salvation, I also received the assurance that God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit were watching over and caring for EVERY detail of my life and existence. I know that God sees my greatest challenges and my most infinitesimal quirks. He disregards neither my stubbed toes nor my tsunamis. He sees everything. He knows everything. That is a powerful concept for sinner or saint. To the fallen and misled, it speaks of no safe hiding place from evil or sin. But to the righteous and redeemed, it speaks of HIS HIDING PLACE and HIS VICTORY over sin, death and evil. How could one not be overjoyed at the prospect of this powerful truth? "I sing because I'm happy- I sing because I'm free- His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me..."

LISTEN... Part 1

2010-11-30T20:00:00.000-08:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. "-(Jeremiah 29:11)

I know that God has a purpose for our lives. He has designated a purpose in us all, individually and corporately. I wake every day to recall immediately with ardent passion, my purpose. I reflect and meditate upon the complexity and depth of that focal purpose, seeking to hear His direction. You see, just as I recognize that God has a purpose for us all, individually and corporately, I also know that God has a PLAN. KNOWING His plan will be the key ingredient in the manifestation and fulfillment of all of our purposes.

How do we hear His plan? We must bathe in His presence daily, growing in our relationship seeking His Will and receiving His maps and directions. In Isaiah, he prophetically speaks of the Holy Spirit saying "Whether your turn to the right or left, there will be a voice in your ears behind you saying 'This is the way, go in it'."-(Isaiah 32:21) We must listen for the HOLY SPIRIT. It is against my better judgement to go into the details involved in the cacophony of our over-stimulated environmental conditions, and how challenging it is to get to the quiet necessary to hear clearly. The answer to battling against the culture and pace of the world, is to get alone, however you must, with God and BE STILL. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."-John 10:27 Hearing the Master's Will is not something we will usually have success with when we are overwhelmed in the midst of distractions.

When we are operating in God's plans, we are in His Will. When we embrace His directions and dedicate our lives to serving Him and staying under His covering, God grants us an incredible gift. Under His Covering, walking in the direction and steps of His Plans, we receive the benefits of PROVISION, PROTECTION, PROMOTION, PROMISE and POWER. In following the anointed steps which the Comforter specifies, we are cared for, protected, promoted into new levels of responsibility and given greater promises for our future, all the while being provided for and given the power to overcome whatever obstacles stand in the way of God's Design.

Life is a collection of seasons. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."-(Ecclesiastes 3:1) When we falter and sometimes miss the direction briefing for the current season, we are missing the specific stratagem needed to remain under that covering of protection and blessing. I have found myself at times holding onto a previous season. When the glory of the Lord moved in those seasons, we must not attempt to make them last past their due time. In holding onto the last season and not actively seeking God's orchestration for the new season, we prolong the time between seasons. God cannot move with us, for us or through us without our obedient response to His specifications. When we are disobedient and fall from under His covering, we miss the providing, protecting, promoting, promising, powerful God who WANTS to see us reach our absolute potential and bear fruit for His Kingdom.

Conquering the Tragedy of Self-Mystification

2010-10-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

When I was fairly young and impressionable, one of my peers told me "You have the Devil in you." At first I chuckled uncomfortably at what I was hoping was a jest, but he stoically repeated himself "You have the Devil in You." When I pressed him for further explanation, he explained to me that I was not going to be a very positive influence on the world, and would more than likely not be able to do anything about it. In lieu of the fact that this person was very important to me, and I looked to them for a great deal of influence and guidance, I was devastated. Instead of shrugging off what was a sick joke, I absorbed that prognostication of a dark and hell-bound future. I received it as one would a word of encouragement, but in absolute reverse. Years passed, development continued, and I found myself reflecting in some pivotal moments of my latter childhood gravitating to the thoughts of having "the Devil in me". In my teen years I made some terribly stupid, arrogant and rash decisions and although I knew in my unsaved soul that they were the fool's path to destruction, I recalled those words once again... And somehow allowed the mistakes and missteps to fall into a file marked: "Devil In Me". I carried that brand into my young adulthood where I continued on being a sinner, making more paramount mistakes and laying milestones of idiotic behavior all whilest I wore the brand as a badge of accepted identity. I actually believed as Huckleberry Finn said "If I'm goin' to Hell, I might as well go whole hog!". I used to tell people that "I have a parking spot reserved in Hell". While I didn't join a cult, or become a Satanist, neither did I believe that God had his hand on me. And I was angry about that.

My testimony is a full-fledged book, but this instance represents one of the typical tools that the adversary uses with all of us: Self-Condemnation rooted in Self-Mystification. The enemy uses rhetoric or "mystification" through words, delivered or even thought regarding our human condition in an attempt to destroy us using our perception as the poison. The use of mystification in the literary sense is the use of language to deceive others or to disguise the conditions of our social existence. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."-(Proverbs 18:21) Did you know while God has a plan for your life, Satan also has a plan for your life? While God wants you to receive His grace, mercy and love through the saving blood of Jesus Christ, the enemy wants you to receive his condemnation, punishment and hatred through the grand deception of self-condemnation.

Jesus tells us in John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." What does Satan seek to destroy more than any other idea or posession? Our faith. Our power of belief. If he can destroy our hope, he has already sown the seed of self-destruction that will inevitably lead to our eternal demise. What is more, he has also undoubtably sown the contagion that will lead to the destruction of others on an exponential level. Don't believe me? Take a deep look at the people responsible for sowing words like the one I received as a child and I assure you that behind their intention or motive lies another person spreading the lies of the enemy through to them. It is a satanic cycle, and just as the enemy is a counterfeiter and perverter of all of God's glory and grace, he is also a counterfeiter and perverter of multiplication. It is like a disease. One word has the potential to kill or bring life. However, that word has no future, or power if we are equipped to break it.

Although my cycle of self-perpetuated destruction was driving a cliff's edge at a raging speed with almost no control, there was still the little boy clutching to grab the wheel saying "Wait!! I know there is more than that!! It can't be true!" And after a long, arduous and dangerous journey to find a glimmer of hope, I found Jesus. Moreover, He had been waiting for me to realize that He was there all the while, to break those words, to correct the wrong and destroy the enemy's hold on my life and purpose. He was waiting there to give me life... and life more abundant.
I learned that "His grace is sufficient." I broke through and God is now using that which the enemy meant for evil against him. I have even forgiven the peer whose words I perpetuated and watered. In spite of the past, I love them still and pray for their breakthrough daily.

But what can we, who know and believe do for those who struggle, oftentimes in silent invisibility, diagnosed with an "incurable disease of self-perpetuated destruction"? We can do what the Lord tells us to and build people up. Truly edify them. Let the Holy Spirit guide their growth and conditioning, while we LOVE ANOTHER. We truly do have the potent power of death and life in our words. I love Cervantes' legendary literary hero Don Quixote de la Mancha. I have been privileged to play the role on stage and learned a great deal about this very subject through that experience. In the book, Don Quixote is a "knight-errant" roaming the countryside seeking to right the wrongs of those that would cause harm and evil, and any who defile the name of his beloved "Dulcinea". Now, bearing in mind that the man is somewhat mad, and the age was not one of knights, wizards, giants or chivalry, he lived life "not as it is, but as it SHOULD be". The Lady Dulcinea was in reality a scullery maid of ill-repute who was a victim of self-mystification and condemnation. But he did not see her as, treat her as, or speak to her as such. He spoke life to her. And his words truly transformed her into "Dulcinea" healing her wounds and restoring her HOPE.

That is who we should be through the power of Christ and His blood. The way to break the mystification of the enemy is through the power of blessed, edifying positive confession. Speak LIFE. And if you find today that you have been struggling with this issue- Know that Jesus is waiting for you, to call you by your true name and His words will truly transform you into who you are meant to be, healing your wounds and restoring YOUR HOPE.

Don't Go Back to Egypt

2010-09-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

"...Were it not better for us to return to Egypt?"-(Numbers 14:3)
The words issued from the mouths and hearts of rebellious Israelites freed from their 400 year bondage represent a grave danger in the life of a child of God. The danger is looking back in conditioned, romanticized remembrance of the very situation we pray and ask God to deliver us from, only to regress. This is a situation that the Lord would not have us repeat. If God delivers us from sin, and transforms us into "new creations" we are not to even look back. Jesus tells the man who asks to first go back and say goodbye to his family before following Him "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."-(Luke 9:62)
God shows us the importance of not even glancing back toward that which we have been delivered from through the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah when Lot's wife chooses to look back at what they were leaving: "But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."-(Genesis 19:26) Why does this happen? How is it possible that we can have such incredible, supernatural events split the fabric of time and space through the very hand of God to deliver, heal, save or redeem us, and our reaction is often to turn back to that from which we have been removed?

My beloved bride are tremendously blessed to have witnessed firsthand many incredible supernatural healings. I remember fairly recently at one of our meetings with Pastor Benny Hinn, a woman who had a painful, crippling condition for more than 20 years. That day was her day for a miracle. She came in faith to the meeting, and God most certainly met her there, and healed her. It was incredible to see the joy in her countenance when she gave her testimony of what the Lord had done for her. Tears of glorious appreciation and sincere awe that the King of Kings would deliver her out of her bodily affliction captivated her persona. She literally "jumped for joy". As the line of testimonies continued on, the woman walked of her own strength down from the platform and proceeded to pass the line of discarded walkers, wheelchairs and crutches, and in hesitation, stopped to fetch her old wheelchair from the apron of the stage. And then, after looking thoughtfully at it for a moment, sat back down in it and triggered the controls to begin wheeling back to her seat. I was baffled. She was absolutely healed. Not only did we and the rest of the ministry team witness it, but the entire gathering of over 9,000 did as well. Pastor Benny was taken aback. He interrupted those who were being interviewed for their healing and called her out. "What on earth are you doing?" No response. "Why is that woman back in her wheelchair?" She kept on motoring along... I prayerfully asked God the same question, and immediately heard in my spirit: "She is going back to Egypt".

As incredulous as it may be, that is the plight of so many who receive long-awaited deliverances, healings, breakthroughs and supernatural provisions from the Lord. Which leads me once again to the familiar and imperative 'Why?'- Why would anyone who has suffered any plight that only the Lord could remove return to it? "Like a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool returns to their folly."-(Proverbs 26:11) But is it concious folly when one returns to their condition of imprisonment? I believe that when some return to certain sins, particularly sins of the flesh that create short-term seasonal pleasure, it is strictly out of addictive bondage to that pleasure. But the same principle exists on the opposite end of logic. Take for instance those who have spent enough time in prison to become institutionalized. They may see the light of freedom again, but oftentimes they long to return to the routine and (albeit inconceivable) comfort of the 6'x8' cell that they inhabited during their penalization. Another possibility for one's attempt to return to bondage is the comfort of victimized living. Rather than having to tend for oneself, there are those who either fear developing or re-developing self-sufficiency or simply wish to be served out of their condition, and therefore become "permanent victims". It is often fear... fear of the unknown, or fear of being uncomfortable that drives the reversion; And fear is a disease. In any case, the true reasoning is spiritually hindered, flesh-feeding (and in some cases), demonized oppression, but it all boils down to COMFORT.

There is a morbid comfort of the flesh found in the prison bars, the sick bed, the wheelchair or the addiction that literally holds some people captive. It is familiar, and therefore, (in a completely self-decaying capacity) it is a predictable magnetic force for return. "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."-(Matthew 26:41) It is in the weakness of our flesh that we can be defeated. It is in the frailty of the human condition that we revert to our captive state. Jesus identified that in the Garden of Gethsemane when he warned Peter, John and James as they were falling asleep to "Watch and Pray, so that you do not fall into temptation." Their spirits were willing, but their flesh was weak. Jesus knew that in order to conquer those situations where the flesh could turn back, it is imperative that we connect completely to the spirit man. Our flesh is incapable of holding onto deliverance, redemption, healing and the miraculous. But while the flesh inevitably fails, the spirit is eternally victorious through Christ. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."-(Zechariah 4:6)

It is one of the adversary's greatest weapons of deception to manipulate us into thinking that we are responsible in the flesh or mind to hold onto the gifts and callings of the Lord. But that is a lie. What is more, that is a transparent confusion of the will of God for those under the covenant of Abraham, and as believers through Jesus Christ we also share the bounty of that same covenant. "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance."-(Romans 11:29) Which leads us back to the wandering Israelites... How is it that they did not receive the Promised Land within the first generation that left the bondage and reproach of Egypt? Perhaps a better question would be- How is it that the children of Israel disregarded the immediate witness of the plagues over Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the utter destruction of the Horse and Riders of Egypt, the pillar of fire by night, and the cloud of smoke by day, the manna and the quail, the water from the rocks? How is it possible that even after crying out unto God for generations to send deliverance, in rebellion they moaned and complained that they wished to return to the same bondage they had been delivered from?

The answer is defined in one word: Faith. It takes FAITH to hold onto the promise, healing, deliverance or blessing. It takes the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen to receive that which God supernaturally grants us. "Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."-(Hebrews 11:6) It takes the faith of Joshua and Caleb to look into the Promised Land and while the other spys return with reports of negativity and fear of defeat and say "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it."-(Numbers 13:30)

There is a great lyric in the hymn "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" that goes: "I have decided to follow Jesus, No turning back, No turning back..." So as you go forth through the journey of this beautiful, wonderous faith- Do not turn back, and when you receive "IT", DON'T GO BACK TO EGYPT.

"Now Faith"

2010-09-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

"Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."-(Luke 18:17)

Three years and 3 months ago, after ministering at a Leaders and Achievers Conference on the island of Maui, Hawaii, the eldest of my two sons, Gabriel, was receiving a reflexology treatment in my Mother-In-Law's suite across the hall from ours. The Lanai door was open and the air flowing into the common room was a current of Polynesian warmth and humidity. Ours is a family of closely-knit personalities and friendships, and the room even in the midst of his treatment was fairly well populated. When it was finished, Gabriel went to the front door of the room to say goodbye to his aunt and her friend. He was standing with his left arm inside the doorjamb and his petite, five year-old frame holding the 150 pound door open. The winds were particularly gusty that day, creating both a wind-tunnel and a vacuum effect in the main corridor of the suite from the lanai to the front door. As he stood saying his sweet fair-wells, an invisible powerhouse of wind forced the weighty door to slam shut. Gabriel's left arm was broken in two. He shrieked in agony as I had never heard him. It immediately broke our hearts to hear such a sound from our beloved boy. At that point in time, Jeni and I had been the next in line, and were getting our reflexology treatments in the master bedroom. We rounded the corner in an adrenaline infused flash to reach him and comfort him in his distress. In agony he stammered and cried at the top of his lungs. I looked at his arm. It was broken on the forearm and literally hanging the wrong way much like one of those horrific viral videos of sports injuries do. I would normally be disgusted by the sight of something like that, but this was my boy. We had someone call the desk and alert local emergency services. We then had them follow up and send their onsite EMT to the suite. As we carefully laid his broken appendage in a pillow and had someone hold it together acting as a splint, I began to stew and became angered with the negligence of the Hotel. I went into "protective tiger-mode" and started in professing how they should have had a sign that warned of the wind-tunnel vacuous vortex from hell that occurs when the lanai and front door are both open. What is more, I frenetically asked "why do the doors weigh as much as a dungeon gate?"- I was totally in the flesh. The Holy Spirit arrested me. I stopped, looking down into Gabriel's bloodshot and pained eyes, then panning the room it struck me; We are at least 7 believers in this room. We need to pray... NOW. As we were all praying in the Spirit, (which should more than likely freak any little child out) I heard in my spirit- "Tell him to agree". I looked at his face, glazed with tears, and into his eyes. I said "Gabriel, sweetheart, you need to agree with us. Okay?" He gasped and through stuttering tears answered "Okay..." "Say 'I am healed in Jesus' Name'". He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and repeated- "I am healed in Jesus' Name... I am healed in Jesus'..." Before he could utter it a second time completely, we all heard a noticeable "POP!" Looking at each other, the person who was holding the pillow as a splint recounted later that they could not hold it together. At that same moment, it was as if a person was forcing their arms to open the splint. As it was opened, Gabriel stopped crying instantly, lifted his arm up from the pillow and rotated it around. "I'm fine." he declared. We looked at his arm and it was completely whole. It was a miracle. The faith of my child had gained access to the benefits of the blood. We must have seemed like maniacs or hypochondriacs to the EMT who arrived a minute or so later. They examined his arm and saw no sign of breakage. We felt it was wisdom to go directly to the medical center a few miles away at another property for follow-up. Gabriel, whose entire countenance and spirit changed as he was healed said- "Jesus healed me." We did quite a bit of crying ourselves that day, mostly out of thanksgiving and joy for the wonderful gift that our God had provided. We went in and his X-rays were perfect. There was no break. At first, after hearing what had happened, the Doctor seemed dubious of the situation. But upon deep investigation, (they took additional X-rays of his other arm) the only thing they could find was a slight bruising on the area where the door slammed on his arm. He was certifiably, absolutely and completely HEALED.

"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him."-(Psalm 127:3)

Both of our children are miraculous. Literally. I do not say that with careless abandon or with levity, but mean to convey the essence of the miraculous is in their births. Quite truthfully, it is miraculous that either of the two were even conceived. Years ago, my beautiful bride was told by a team of Doctors that the reality of her conceiving a child was, at best, a 3 percent possibility. Within a few weeks, our first child was alive and inhabiting temporary residence in the womb "that the builders rejected". Over the course of the next three months, Jeni, who was working for Sir Cameron Macintosh overseas, continued to perform under medical observation and clearance. The day before her 30th birthday, she was startled by bleeding and felt as though she was losing the baby. The Doctor sent her to the nearest hospital and had her put on immediate bed rest, telling her that it was inevitable that she would lose him. Ironically enough, on her 30th birthday, in a city called HELL, Cayman Islands (absolutely true), she laid prayerfully asking for his life. God delivered. She came home and we carried on with a fairly normal pregnancy after that. In the midst of the second trimester, my mother called us. She had a prophetic dream. In the dream, an angel came and told her that we would have a son, and we were to name him Gabriel. We did. Gabriel Jacob Stivale was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on July 15, 2002.

"But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."-(Luke 18:16)

Two and a half years after Gabriel was born, as we ministered at another conference, we were approached by a self-proclaimed "Prophetess". I state that she was self-proclaimed because I recognize that God appoints men and women to operate in the office of prophet in these latter days (Joel 2:28), but confirms it by exterior means or signs following. In other words, if someone decides autonomously, without the assignment and the anointing of God that they themselves are a Prophet or Prophetess, their fruit will reveal the truth. The aforementioned lady pulled my wife aside to "give her a word". I should also interject here, the importance of WHO you receive prophetic words from, as in many cases, self-fulfillment follows the confession of a belief. She proceeded to tell my bride, that God was "closing her womb" as He wanted her and I to focus entirely on ministry. This did not fit with what the Holy Spirit had revealed to either of us, so it was unsettling. It troubled Jeni and she was confused as to the intention of imparting something of that sort. It is instances just like this that God uses to further confirm His Word. "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."-(1 John 4:1) The following day, the same lady approached me while I was mid-conversation with my good friend, Dr. Dave Martin and broke into the conversation by saying "I have a Word from the Lord for you." Dave shot me a look of warning, already seeing in the Spirit that she was not necessarily "all there". She then with the weighty seriousness of Samuel began- "The Lord told me to tell you... You are not charging enough for your CD. You need to charge 2 more dollars." Wow. I was so flabbergasted that God would intercede into that matter prophetically, literally jumping over both Jeni and I that I audibly laughed. She smirked at me and walked away as I "thanked her" for her obedience. Jeni then became pregnant with our next child within a few weeks of that event.

As the God of the 3 percent breakthrough operated His miracle-working power through the same womb that bore our first "Might Warrior of God", our next challenge came. You see, whenever God wants to bring tremendous blessing or growth, the enemy attacks with full force. Our next child, a boy, was diagnosed as a high-risk and we were told that there was a very strong likelihood that he would be Down's Syndrome and low birth weight. The Doctors told us that we needed to have an Amniocentesis performed. It is a fairly dangerous procedure where a large syringe pierces the womb and draws a sample of the amniotic fluid to be tested. They insisted on the test as the "responsible thing to do". When we asked why, we were told that the test results would show us whether the child would be retarded or have birth defects. We asked if they could treat anything if the results were unfavorable, they said coldly, "No, but you would be able to abort." We were appalled and answered immediately with "You don't know our God. And furthermore, if this child is special or normal, we will love him unconditionally." The Ob/Gyn told us that we were "stupid" and "irresponsible". We told her that we were faithful, and more importantly that our God was faithful. Negative report after negative report, we stood upon the Word of God, knowing that Jesus was in control, either way, we held fast. As the week of the scheduled C-section approached, our faith was tested heavily. We stood on the Word. The hour of the operation came, and I sat alone waiting for the procedure as Jeni was in pre-op. I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving and asked God to bless this child and order his steps. Minutes later, we welcomed Benjamin Ray Stivale in to his adventure. He was heavier than his older brother at birth, and absolutely perfect. They told us over the course of his testing that he was deaf in his right ear, but we prayed for his wholeness, and when we took him into an Audiologist, they found him to be totally whole and pronounced him as such. God is so incredibly faithful. "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful."-(1 Corinthians 1:9)

Our faith was tested and strengthened through all of these events. Jesus proves time and time again that we belong to HIM, and He takes care of His children. But throughout the growth of our boys, we have learned through the miraculous and the mild, they have tremendous, inspiring faith in God. We are so blessed to have had them both dedicated by their now, Step-Grandfather, Bob Harrison, and our beloved friends John Bevere and Dr. Myles Munroe. What an awesome God. What a divine impartation and blessing, and what an awesome future that they are called to in His Kingdom. But the environment and teaching of the Holy Spirit has developed in them both faith that rivals the Generals of the Gospel themselves. They are sown in, grafted into the true vine, and they have learned already that He is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. They know, even at this young and tender age, that God's promises are true, and that FAITH MOVES MOUNTAINS. "For thou, O Lord, art my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth. Upon thee I have leaned from my birth; thou art he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of thee."-(Psalm 71:5-6)

I love their understanding of faith. It is immediate. It is not "instant gratification" but rather "NOW faith". "NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."-(Hebrews 11:1) Our sons have "NOW FAITH". When Benny has an injury or needs prayer, he always completes his prayers (and sometimes amends ours) with "Not tomorrow, not Sunday, but RIGHT NOW. In Jesus' Name". What is impressive is the genuinely immediate action of the Hand of God into these situations. His faith expects "NOW" and God grants it. Gabriel's understanding of the power of faith reaches into his everyday, and it is a direct result of that life-changing experience seeing the immediacy of his healing. That has brought to light in our ministry the same immediacy in Jesus' miracles during His ministry on Earth. There were no indefinite time lapses between the healings themselves and the manifestation. "A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy."-(Matthew 8:2-3) "Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour."-(Matthew 8:13) "As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. -(Mark 1:42) ""Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road."-(Mark 10:52) When we have the faith of a child, it has not been tainted by the qualifications or mystification of the world. It is pure and strong. Our expectation is set upon the immediacy of the manifestation, the truth of God's promises. The Lord Himself teaches us that we must be like children to inherit the Kingdom of God. (Luke 18:17) That most certainly does not mean that we operate as children do, or that we revert in our maturity or development. "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me."-(1 Corinthians 13:11) We need to loose the shackles of the world and return to the purity of a child's belief. In that regard, we must not necessarily "think" like a child, but rather "BELIEVE" like one in order to please God and activate His promises. My boys are two of my greatest inspirations and along with my bride, are the proof that there is a God, he loves and believes in me and wants me to be blessed. They are, in spite of their age, two of my greatest examples when it comes to understanding true, unadulterated FAITH.

So, whether you have your own miniature anointed progeny or not, perhaps we must all reflect on the obedience and faith of the boy with the fish and the loaves. Give all we have to the Master willingly and whole-heartedly, so He may bless and multiply it immediately with "NOW FAITH". We are, after all, no matter how young or old, His CHILDREN.

He Touched Me

2010-09-06T23:13:00.000-07:00

"A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured."-(Mark 1:40-42)

My heart aches for the untouchable. Those whose state has cast them away from the compassion and loving embrace of others. What terrible distance and ostracism they are involuntarily moved to. What a desperate plight, to be rejected and forgotten. The only reaction that would be of warrant as you entered the presence of those you once reveled with is one of repulsion and disownment. Instead of even the most civil of greetings, you receive instead gasps of disgust and the spitting of curses warning you to keep your distance. They despise you. You are absolutely alone. You are driven only out of necessity to seek exile amongst those who also share your plight. Your new environs are a breeding ground for further decay and a waiting area for inevitable death. You never feel the warmth of another's touch, or a reassuring caress again. How dark the hopelessness must be. But in the presence of JESUS... The most incredible compassionate hands reach out, grasp and embrace those who are no longer received by the world. He does not care for the precepts and unspoken laws of man. His hands, His words and His LOVE heals a ll who receive them. What troubles me about this scenario is that WE are those hands, WE are the earthly carriers of His words and His Love. But, the same vessels who carry the power to heal here on earth, are usually amongst the same crowds who reject the leprous.

I recently encountered a situation where someone very dear to me in the faith called regarding a brother, a mutually close friend, who had fallen into a greatly distressing position whereby sin had taken root and was strangling his anointing and stifling his call in the Kingdom. The news was distressing, and frankly, shocking to say the least. But what troubled me most about this conversation was the immediacy of my dear friend to relinquish his ties with the afflicted. Now, I grant that the mutual friend was in a very ugly situation, and wisdom would suggest that it speaks of one's approval if we behave as though they were not responsible for their actions... But to almost surgically remove them seemed unconscionable. I agreed that professional attachment was not beneficial at this time, but as I listened to the depth of the distance that was being made, I had an ache rise up within me. I heard the Holy Spirit say "Do not run from the Leprous, RUN TO THEM." I did not hide what was shared with me, and I believe that in my disclosing those words, I urged them to hold on to the relationship by at least a thread for now. But after we finished speaking, my spirit-man rose up and I felt the urge to pray. As I prayed, I felt the need to call this mutual friend. Later that day, I did. I did not reach out to them to lambaste them for their idiocy, nor did I feel the call to admonish them to take responsibility for their actions and apologize to those who they were inadvertently hurting through their actions. I simply said- "We Love You".

In spite of the reflection it might have on our character to any misunderstanding spectators, we felt that Jesus wanted us to reach out and speak peace and love. Jesus did not put a priority on people's perception of Him when he was operating during His ministry. He cared more about those who needed help than those who murmured of His breaking the orthodoxy or traditions. We are equipped as believers with the power to bring healing to those who are afflicted. The challenge comes when either party is not willing to give or receive the healing. The argument on the side of sin is usually clouded by the guilt, delusion or pride that is borne of the flesh in seasons of sin. The argument on the side of those of us who are called to be vessels for His grace can be driven by insulated caution or religious misunderstanding. There will always be those who out of fear of moving outside of the socially accepted divides, or out of their creation of an idol which usurps the power of God... Our self-made FENCES. While it is not our responsibility to be the convicting agent in these situations, it IS our responsibility to be the LOVE of CHRIST.

The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. Believers can be led down a very dangerous path when they take the judgment of others upon their shoulders. While I believe that we are to hold those who have the revelation of the truth to a higher level of expectation, I also believe that we must all watch our own footing. "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!"-(1 Corinthians 10:12) Yes, there but for the grace of God go I... It is no exaggeration to say that some of the Lord's most potent Generals have gone in moments from condemnation of a peer caught in an explicit sin, to they themselves being wrung over the coals when found in a compromising position. Remember, when God has put you on assignment, the enemy works with crafty intricacy to throw you off of the track and out of the hunt. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”-(1 Peter 5:8)

So much is released in the Spirit when we walk in obedience to His calling and at all times operating in LOVE. Precious Lord God, keep us from becoming insu lated, religious, traditionalist, orthodox, offended Christians. Help us to become more like the Master, Jesus. who, reaching out to the untouchables and touching with HEALING, made GLORY for Your name. Let us always remember and embrace the lovingkindness of the perfect Savior, who endured the temptations of the flesh, took on our sins that we would be FORGIVEN in the eyes of the Father. The greatest teacher and example of eternity, is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no way that we can embody His calling for our lives UNLESS WE WALK IN LOVE. Leave the ultimate judgement to the Father, and be consecrated to continue proclaiming the GOOD NEWS of the SON through the working POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT.

"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."-(Matthew 6:12-13) It is no coincidence that asking for forgiveness for our missteps is paired with a plea for deliverance from the enemy? God wants us to be ALL He has designed us to be. Perfected through His Blood, and empowered by HIS LOVE. Forgive, Speak Jesus into one another's lives. Speak LOVE and be the LOVE of CHRIST to the unclean, the untouchable, the leprous and discarded souls who NEED JESUS and His healing touch. If that is you today, we encourage you to reach out to the loving and forgiving hand of the King of Kings, and He will make you whole. If you simply need Him to touch your heart right this very moment to give you MORE LOVE, than we agree with you IN THE NAME OF JESUS, that it would be done for you according to your faith and the POWER of His Spirit. Forgiveness is part of His ministry- "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."-(2 Corinthians 5:18-19) FORGIVE. LOVE. BUILD HIS KINGDOM.

His Plan: A New Thing

2010-09-01T00:47:00.000-07:00

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."-(Isaiah 43:18-19)

New seasons are a glorious indication of God's plans coming to pass. If we were perpetually trapped in one moment, no matter how wonderful it is, it would be a stumbling block for His plans. We would stagnate and become dwarfed versions of our authentic selves. Seasons are necessary in nature to bring about the cyclical changes in the earth and in the design of creation that the Lord intended for our natural flesh to encounter. I believe that there is within all seasons an incredible metaphor of the Father's blueprint for our spiritual growth and maturation. "Life is a collection of Seasons" is a quote that one of my mentors, Bob Harrison frequently teaches on. And so it is... And for each season there is a purpose and a divine timing. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."-(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

There is a singular beauty and necessity found in each moment, each season of our lives. These moments and seasons are the very milestones, markers and substance of the JOURNEY itself. We each have a destiny that is specific to God's intended architectural purpose for our lives. If we are to fulfill ALL He has written for us to attain and complete, we must not stand still. At the appointed times, we, just as the seasons themselves, must move on. There is a currency to the Power and Plans of God that flows as a River- pressing on and churning the waters and surroundings, bringing NEW LIFE. It is up to us to be obedient when He directs us to hold our ground, or to go. As my bride and I reflect on the last 3 and a half years of our lives and the surreal frequency of the move of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we EMBRACE CHANGE.

Obedience is the key. Although our flesh or our mind will usually be challenged by active change, our spirits remain focused upon the promise of faith. We know the He is Faithful to those who are faithful to Him. “Without faith it is impossible to please God”-(Hebrews 11:6) I recognize the greatest act of faith to be immediate obedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience, nevertheless. But direct obedience of the direction of the Holy Spirit, the very direction of God the Father Himself, leads only to supernatural guidance and favor. In other words, when our faith level is such that we believe the promises of God in the powerful scriptures of the Gospel He ACTIVATES HIS POWER through us: "And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him; Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."-(Mark 11:22-25) He gives us the desires of our hearts, and when our wills are wrapped up into His, He literally PLACES HIS DESIRE INTO OUR HEARTS.

When the Holy Ghost prompts you to "GO" or to "MOVE"- we urge you- DO SO. Do not delay. If we truly believe Him at His WORD, then we would move at His prompting without question. If He is truly GOD, then we must. When we have covenant relationship with the Holy Spirit through the saving power of Jesus Christ, we will live a life consecrated to Him, DEDICATED to Him. And when we DEDICATE anything unto the Lord, He takes ownership of it. When He becomes LORD over our lives He is responsible for us. He is a loving and faithful GOD. We truly DO TRUST in HIM. When He urges us, we know to obey. "Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, "This is the way you should go," whether to the right or to the left."-(Isaiah 30:21) He will not only guide you, but He will also strengthen you as well. With true faith in the Lord's promises we gain access to receive the blessings of obedience. "I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built."-(Luke 6:46)

So, as we step out in Faith at the direction of the Holy Spirit, and go boldly out onto the waters, we reach out to HIM. And this very day, which represents the first day of our launching out officially, GOD MOVED. There has been no gap between His provision. This morning we received a MASSIVE blessing that will indubitably strengthen His plans for our life together with incredible, uncommon FAVOR. The Favor of the Lord has fallen upon His obedient servants, who are entirely grateful. We LOVE the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. We worship Him with all of our spirit. He is a truly faithful Father who is our provider indeed.

Today, in your reading of this humbled man's awe of God's faithfulness to His obedient ones, we pray you find encouragement. Stay strong in the Lord, and the Power of His might. We encourage you to stand upon His Word. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."-(Philippians 1:6) Stepping out of the boat is a daunting act in our minds and bodies, but when our SPIRIT MAN is under the direct cover of God through immediate obedience, NOTHING CAN STOP HIS PLAN. It may take some "taxing" to get you to your Bethlehem, but when you get there God is going to give you your promise. He WILL see it through. He is not making this up as He goes... He has a perfect plan. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."-(Jeremiah 29:11) Trust in the Lord.

Love God. Love People.

2010-08-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."-(Matthew 22:36-40)

Love God. Love People. It IS really that simple. Jesus could very well have delivered a diatribe that unraveled the very mystery of faith and the engineering schematics for creation and God's plans, but He chose instead to encapsulate the heart of the Father with what is essentially the meaning of life. So poignant is this ideal, and so very much like the wonderfully simple ideal of grace, it is almost incomprehensible to our feeble, legalistic minds. We want so desperately to add to it, because "it cannot be that simple..." But the Lord Himself revealed the key to pleasing God and fulfilling your destiny here on Earth. Love Him with ALL of yourself, leaving no part insulated from Him, and love others as you love yourself.

Loving God comes easily for me. I have been forgiven of so much that is, in the natural, and in my own understanding, unforgiveable. But the Holy Spirit revealed to me long ago that I was very similar to the woman with the alabaster box at Simon the Pharisee's house. She was a terrible sinner, particularly in the eyes of the law, but the presence of the Lord, and the Master's forgiveness led her to give all of her love to Him "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."-(Luke 7:47) Love for the Lord leads us into His covering. The very presence of the Holy Spirit IS LOVE. When you bask in His shadow, you are encompassed by the purest love in all creation. We love God because He first loved us. Even while we were ignorantly hurting, cursing, defiling and avoiding Him. He still loved us so much that He gave everything. How could we NOT love Him?

Loving our neighbors as we love ourselves is not immediately easy for most of us. I imagine that the enemy would like to keep us divided and reclusive due to the revelation of the power that unity creates. It would seem, at first glance, that loving others is an issue based entirely around the behavior, reciprocal treatment and the "lovability" of others. My Spirit-Man knows otherwise. We are so often used by the enemy to believe that it is "their fault" or "them" that has the issues that block our love. But I would pose this query to you: What if you do not truly love yourself? How is it possible to love others as we love ourselves, when we truthfully do not? Loving ourselves oftentimes DOES NOT come easily. When we receive the transformative power of salvation, we immediately cling to the Love of God, but it takes many of us a lengthy period of time to be delivered from the lies the adversary tells us about ourselves. Sometimes, it takes an entire lifetime. Sometimes, sadly, it never happens. I know dozens of "saved, blood-bought believers" who are absolutely loveless because they are constantly crippled by the whispers of inadequacy and inferiority from the enemy. I was one of those people. I listened to the lies. Even knowing the Word of God, I believed the fallacies that once plagued my quiet hours. "You are no good. You do not deserve any of this... No one loves you, they are all against you." But God got a hold of me one day long ago and revealed that without Him those statements were true. But WITH HIM, I was forgiven, delivered, renewed, recreated and most importantly LOVED. How do we love ourselves and others? We receive God's Love for us, and He LOVES THROUGH US.

We can do nothing without LOVE. God IS LOVE, and we can do nothing without GOD. Your gifts, talents and earthly tools will never give you entry into the Kingdom of God. Your best laid efforts to enter eterntity based on what you consider as service to the King will be crushed and unrecognized if you do not follow these commandments. The Apostle Paul said it flawlessly: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."-(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

We are all in "full-time ministry". We are all required by God to minister to one another. Do not leave that up to the oracle ministries. Jesus tells us that the entirety of the Law and the Prophets hang upon loving God and loving people. He FULFILLED the Law and the Prophets and then gave one NEW COMMANDMENT reiterating the importance of our LOVE: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."-(John 13:34-35)

So the next time you find it challenging to LOVE someone who by the world's standard is unlovable, (perhaps even yourself) think on the Words of the Master. LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS HE LOVED US. LOVE GOD. LOVE PEOPLE.

My Walk Just Transformed Into Running...

2010-08-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

Reflecting on Philippians 3:10 today, I sought to uncover a deeper understanding of God's purpose in my life. Wanting to "know Christ and the power of his resurrection" is wonderful, albeit incomplete. I must desire to know His PLAN and thereby my purpose. If I seek His Kingdom and righteousness it is inherent that my call will be revealed. That is our heart for the labor of the ministry; to KNOW HIS VOICE.
While praying and meditating on this, I heard the Holy Spirit ask: "Is My 'WHAT' greater than your 'HOW'?" It absolutely floored me. I have tried in so many instances of ministry to relay or execute His plans for my life with focus on the Vision or Plan of Attack. I relate a formula given me by an excellent teacher of "Personal Mastery"- Brian Klemmer who teaches "Intention + Mechanism = Results". It has been an invaluable part of our style, approach and fruit. The formula is scripturally sound and there is no doubt in my spirit that God wants us to be pragmatic and plan out our course of attack.
But that Word from the Holy Spirit shook me. As simply posed as it was, it arrested me and took all of my thoughts captive. In a moment, I saw every major decision, good and bad from my salvation on in an instance. Then it struck me what separates the fully effective decisions from those that struggled to survive, or lacked the anointing... The God-given revelation of "WHAT" always weighed more than the "HOW". And Mr. Klemmer teaches that as a primary to the aforementioned formula. Your INTENTION is the "WHAT". My "WHAT", our "WHAT" is His assignment for us. When the Lord speaks to us, we must move, we must actively pursue His command. Delayed obedience is still disobedience... When we were in the midst of a major move early in ministry, we received a Word relating directly to obediently following His direction. A man of God preached: "If God tells you to go to New York, Get on a plane and go to New York. If you can't fly, get in a car and drive... If you can't drive, get on a train... If you can't take a train, get on a bike... If you can't ride a bike there, Run!! If you can't run, walk... If you can't walk, crawl... If you can't crawl, FALL!!! FALL IN THE DIRECTION THAT THE LORD TOLD YOU TO GO!" What a powerful understanding of obeying His call with immediacy!
While it is obviously important to "write out the vision and make it plain" it is of primary, paramount importance to first OBEY the move of God. If you delay when He says "GO!" in an effort to order your own steps, how is the Holy Spirit able to be the one who orders the path? This takes GREAT FAITH. It takes taxed, tested, seasoned and mature faith to do this, but it also takes the faith of a child... Mysteriously paradoxical, I know... But Jesus meant it when He said "If you do not receive the Kingdom as a child, you shall never enter it." Obedient children do what their Father tells them IMMEDIATELY.
My faith in Him is what is often being tested before the super meets the natural, thus confounding all of my best laid plans... Dr. Oral Roberts once wisely compared faith to one "climbing out on a tree limb with a hand-saw, cutting the limb he is standing on from the tree and watching the rest of the tree fall down, while the limb remained in the air." It doesn't make natural sense... but HIS "WHAT" never has to... His ways are not ours, His thoughts are higher than ours.
Something to ponder as you obediently move upon His call and assigning. He'll give you all that you need to accomplish His will for your life and your assignment. I have always said that He gives us information on a "Need to Know" basis... Sometimes, all we need to know is obedience, then He'll give us the rest.

Hide Thyself By The Brook Cherith...

2010-08-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

In 1 Kings 17:3-6 the Lord tells Elijah to "Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook."

Elijah, whose prophetic ministry is perhaps the most viceral and most memorable amongst the major prophets in the Old Testament, is sent by God to a craggy, dry desolate secret location in biblical Samaria immediately after he prophesied and said unto Ahab, "As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word."(1 Kings 17:1)
Miraculous... God sent the prophet to the wilderness where he was to be fed by ravens and have his thirst quenched of the brook. Several ingredients into this rich text strike me as miraculous; It was by the prophet's word that the drought began, it was by the word of the Lord that he was sent into protective exile, and it was by the power of God that in the midst of a terrible drought, Elijah remained quenched and fed by supernatural provision.

If you have been in the Word for any tenure of time, this is not revelation. I share this with you because of the immense personal revelation that the Lord has given within this chapter. Pastor Benny Hinn related Cherith to my wife and I as "the place of a cutting away", meaning that Cherith was a location of spiritual surgery and preparation for the prophet before going into the next season of his ministry to face the powers of Hell themselves.

God's purpose in putting you and I into "Cheriths" in the midst of our seasonally oriented lives is mysterious, but potent. I have been in Cherith many times so far in my walk. I have been in a place of asylum from the enemy, where God supernaturally feeds, provides and gives me rest all the while protecting and preparing me for the next season. I have personally found that these times have always involved a "cutting away" of some sort or another. The Lord uses these times to perform surgery on my core beliefs, my bad habits, my sin nature. Each time as the brook dries up, and the ravens stop coming I find that I/we are ready for the next push in the journey. After all, Elijah did not stay in Cherith. God had explicit and specific plans for him to fulfill. God led Elijah one step at a time, and on a "Need to Know" basis. He did not tell him to go to Cherith until he first delivered the message to Ahab. He did not tell him to go to Zarephath until the brook dried up at Cherith. God led Elijah by faith, one step at a time, and Elijah followed in faith.
While he was in Cherith, he was in the deepest place of communication with God. I like what John Trapp said of the prophet's exile: "Elijah could not be alone, so long as he had God and himself to converse with. A good man is never less alone, than when alone." And perhaps that is God's greater purpose for placing us in those "Cheriths" of our lives. Perhaps the most difficult seasons cannot be conquered without the Lord's excision of certain hinderances. I know that He speaks in a still, small voice to direct us. With all the noise and stimulae of the contemporary age, I imagine that God has a greater need for Cheriths in the life of His people; particularly when the enemy prowls about seeking whom he can devour at a frequency not seen since the likes of Sodom and Gomorah.

So, have you ever been in Cherith? If you have, or are, has it changed you? We would encourage you today to discern between God's call to "Hide thyself by the brook Cherith" and the enemy's accusation of "You will never get to the next season." And embrace the "brook" for the time appointed. It is our prayer that whatever season you are in, God uses each moment, whether Cherith or Zarephath, Gilgal or Jericho, to refine you and your walk.

New Every Morning...

2010-08-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

The hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness" rings a glorious chorus that proclaims "Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided— Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!"
Every single day, God provides everything that we need, new, fresh and relevant. His provisions both spiritual and physical are new as the fresh manna that the Israelites received from the heavens each day. "When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, 'What is it?' For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, 'It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat'."(Exodus 16:15) The Hebrew translation of "manna" is "What is it?". That strikes an interesting chord with me. As a believer, it is a pillar of my faith that I expect God to provide "fresh manna" every day, that is to say, fresh revelation and provision without fail, every single day of my life. I, like the wandering Hebrews oftentimes ask "What is it?" in expectation and observation of that manna. That question comes from both a desire to receive or from an occasional lack of understanding pertaining to His Word or supply. Most days, I find the tone of "What is it?" to be one of exuberance and expectation. It never ceases to amaze me how God can speak so specifically with perfection into a situation or need. But even the Israelites needed to take the manna specifically made for that day. "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days'."(Exodus 16:4)

The Word, the anointing, the spiritual need for the day needs to be sought after daily. If the Hebrews tried to hold onto the manna for more than the current day (or days when it was sabbath), it decomposed and became fetid and rotten. God did not wish for them to feel in any way self-reliant when it came to provision. When we attempt to "hold onto" that which was pertinent in another day in an effort to sustain the current day, it rots, or it is at the very least, ineffective. One cannot rely on old words to sustain the new day. One cannot rely on old anointings to supply the breakthrough for the current day. For the spirit IS a current, ever-moving, ever flowing. That is why, on a broader scale, tradition can stifle a move of God, or kill a new culture of the spirit with formulaic religion. We must place the same level of weight upon allowing the Holy Spirit bring new anointings and fresh words that Jesus did in His ministry here on Earth. "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined."-Luke 5:37

Even as the Lord used this parable to describe the old laws not applying in the midst of the new covenant, it is an excellent and valid image to relate to the importance of a new vessel for a new Word. Even a new anointing demands a new vessel. That may mean a new being entirely or a new creation, or a transformed version of one's self, matured into the current season. But the new anointing will never flow into the old wineskin. The fresh Word will never hold in old wineskins. Again, using the broader perspective of the church itself, there will always be leadership that seeks to claim a new move of God, while never changing the actual being of the vessel that must hold the anointing of the new. That is perhaps, why older anointings clash and even battle with younger ones.

However, on a more direct, personally effective level, we must individually seek to become vessels that are seasoned and ordered in line with the will, Word and plans of God. All the while, seeking to be in His timing when receiving the fresh revelation or provision for the day. That is why a genuine, healthy prayer life is essential for the development of His servants. I wish to seek Him constantly. Not merely daily, and not simply to receive from Him. There lies the quandary of many believers: To seek first His hands and not His Face... His Face is what must be sought after when we "diligently seek Him". I like what our friend, Prophet Manasseh Jordan says: "When we are 'SEEKING' Him, we 'SEE the KING'". I also desire to be fully prepared to receive new Words, new anointings, "fresh manna" in their due course and not fail to perfect His will in my life by having inconsistent "patches" holding my wineskin together when I should become a new vessel entirely. Jesus will was for each of us to become "new creations", and the Word tells us to be "transformed by the RENEWING of our minds". Yes, His mercies, provision, direction and ordering are NEW EVERY MORNING. But, we must seek Him daily in order to be fed and provided unto daily. Great is His faithfulness.

The Better To See You With...

2010-07-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

"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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."-(Hebrews 12:2)

"What are you looking at?" I heard in the still small voice that arrested my spirit. My heart was racing in a rush of adrenaline, "You know Lord." A few moments after returning to my anger-driven, self-destructive inward rant of criticism aimed at my disappointment in my then, current situation, I heard it again. "What are you looking at?" I timidly replied, "You are God. You know." I had been driven by the toxicity of my environment to feel utterly disgusted and despondent about my individual call and future in ministry. It was a dark valley at the deepest crevasse along the journey to the base of that particular mountain of faith. I had declared mere hours before at the top of my lungs before God, my wife and an imaginary audience most definitively-"I quit!". I did not intend to resign from life itself, simply ministry. I had allowed my environment to attach itself to my thoughts, and my spirit had become drained in the process. I had gotten alone and began to pray, very selfishly, with misguided motive to be avenged in the midst of the unrighteousness. Rather than seeking the Lord with my Spirit-Man, I sought Him with my barbarian-flesh-man. When I had finished venting my frustrations in poorly crafted confessions, it became silent. Many moments passed, and the echos of my tirade had settled. After I allowed the quiet to fill my senses, I heard Him speak once more. The third time it was not the still small voice that had nudged my intellect earlier. This was an awesome rush of crashing thunder and the power in it stole my breath- "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" I was stayed to say the very least, and I stood absolutely still, knowing that an answer was required of me. "I... I am looking at my environment." At once I felt a quickening of revelation shake me. I saw in a glimpse of time the positive in the negative and recognized my folly. I received a tremendous moment of reflection from the Lord to recount my behavior, my words and most importantly, my sightlines. Later that night, after having ministered before Pastor Tommy Barnett spoke, I felt a sharp regret for my words, but no release to have them relented and removed from the record of existence. It was as if the confession of resignation was impermiable, irrevocable and although incorrect, unforgiveable. As we joined the congregation, and Pastor Barnett began his message, I was absolutely floored by his opening words. As I began settle into my chair, he uttered two words that I believe were sent from God's mouth to his mouth to my ears:
"DON'T QUIT". He then stunned me into tears. "There is someone here tonight that said that they were giving up. They told God that they were quitting ministry." I felt as though he overheard me, but that was absolutely impossible. "I want you to know that the Lord is telling you DON'T. I also want you to know that He is telling you to stop looking at your environment and start looking at HIM." I was in an instant, renewed.

I realized from that moment, that God is so very gracious to his children, who, for lack of understanding and battle-weariness from the ongoing stretching and trevailing, grow vulnerable. He cared enough for my walk, my purpose and His hand upon my life, that He used that great General of His to speak directly to me. I cannot quite explain in words the impact that has had on me. One specific article of wisdom that was crafted anew in my understanding that day changed my entire walk. I will never again be able to see my environment as the reality of God's economy, intent or plan. What I look at had become of paramount importance. I realized that "what I was looking at" was what was seen. The issues, the challenges and the inconsistencies of my outward environs set the standard for my perception. But what God wants us to look at is what is unseen. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."-(Hebrews 11:1) I wonder how often we fall into the treacherous plot of the enemy found in our eyegate's perception of our surroundings before we gain the ultimate understanding of our perspective's importance. I have written before that our friend and one of our mentors, Dr. Myles Munroe states that "Sight is a function of the EYES, and Vision is a function of the HEART". The sight of the Spirit is SUPER-natural and with the EYES of our heart we see God's truth and our destiny. We become what we see. We absorb what we see. Our eyegates will connect our spirits to our surroundings if we use only our intellect and natural eyes to perceive.

God wants us to remember that this is a temporary state, and that what He sees for us is ultimately ALL that truly matters. We are at a severe disadavantage when we judge our ends by our current states in the natural. Take for instance Abram. In spite of the promise of God to be his shield, his great reward and the previous promise of a son, he does not hear God's prophetic promises. "Behold, (or LOOK) You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." But God's plan is greater, and therefore His understanding of perception is also grander. "Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."-(Genesis 15:3-5) God's answer to him is to "LOOK" onto that which God has the vision for. He set a tremendous example for those of us who look at what is surrounding us, rather than what is SUPERNATURALLY SURROUNDING US.

Throughout the Word of God, He shows us by way of a plethora of examples that we must not judge our natural surroundings to be sovereign or final. God is the only sovereignty, His Word is FINAL. I meditate on 2 Kings 6:8-23 as a reminder of His ultimate and infinite power that is usually unseen by the natural eye. "When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his EYES so he may SEE." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he LOOKED and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."-(2 Kings 6:15-17)

Your challenges today may seem, by NATURAL SIGHT, insurmountable. It may appear that you are overwhelmed by the onslaught, the terror and the sheer size of the forces poised against you. But I know that "My God shall supply ALL of your needs according to HIS riches in Glory in Christ Jesus"-(Philippians 4:19) I also know that He does not want you to quit. He does not desire for you to surrender to the enemy. God did not lay down His Son as a sacrifice for ALL TIME so that we would fall victim to the piercing lies of the adversary's abuse of the eyegate's perception. We must endure as Christ endured. Knowing that the same architect of our lives and our faith is faithful to perfect and finish them. He will never leave you nor forsake you. God's ideal is that we don't not operate with the eyes that are merely planted in our flesh. He wills that we should be gifted with larger, more powerful eyes, in our hearts, souls and spirits that guide our attitudes, choices and confessions of faith. "For we walk by faith, not by sight."-(2 Corinthians 5:17) The eyes of our faith differ so vastly from our natural eyes. They are much larger, more powerful and by far superior, because they are able to see JESUS. So, as we develop onward with our faith, our sight, our vision in HIM, let us be able to LOOK UNTO JESUS and believe. He alone is the Author and Finisher of our Faith, and with the eyes of faith, we see His plans, His will and His Power... BETTER.

The Wind of the Spirit- Part II

2010-07-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

"Only the Eagle knows the way the wind is blowing!" Pastor Benny Hinn passionately admonished his new music minister. Moments prior to his rebuke, the young man had decided to alter the music in the midst of the move of the Holy Spirit. Under the anointing, the somewhat reserved man of God is a fiery instrument of the Lord's power. When he gave that rebuff, it had been momentarily uncomfortable for all, but as the Spirit acknowledged the validity of the correction, it became a valid learning experience for us. It is for God to choose and appoint a specific timing and vessel for His anointing to flow through. In the midst of the presence of the Holy Ghost at work in many different meetings, we experienced the wind of the Spirit in multiple capacities. But I can personally attest that for the appointed times of our leadership in the ministering of the Gifts, it is a weighty responsibility to properly obey the prompting of the Comforter. It cannot be manufactured, manipulated or put into a formulaic equation. The Wind or Breath of the Spirit is as the natural wind itself. One cannot instruct the Wind to blow westerly or southerly, but rather must allow the rudder and the marriage of wind and sail to propel his vessel. However, with reference to this point, it is only for the Captain to steer his ship, not the boatswain.

Obedience is key to flowing with Him. It may be intellectually uncomfortable or pragmatically odd to be moved to and fro in the midst of the current, yet, when we allow our intellects or flesh to dictate the atmosphere of the anointing, it dissipates. Church bodies and gatherings where the Spirit is not flowing are almost inevitably lacking in the atmosphere of faith and therefore, allowance of the flow itself. Although we may be certain that God will move, that does not mean He is WILLING to move in the particular way we are desiring. Our ways are not His, and His thoughts and motives are higher than ours. It is not for us to place boundaries or theorems on Him. There is an entirely different teaching buried here, dealing with distinguishing God's LAW from man's FORMULAS, but let us uncover that treasure at another time. Just as Wind does not respond to the calendars, clocks or impatience of man, so neither will the Spirit of God be bound to our defined borders. A service where there is a time-limit for reasons of popularity rarely sees the type and degree of power that is wrought from open hearts and schedules. Please, understand that I do not attest universal truth to the idea that if a service is 6 hours as opposed to 1 it will rend more anointing. That is not necessarily the case. Some of the shorter services we have ministered in have seen greater moves than some of the marathon services we have experienced. Some of the longer services where the intent is to "tarry" can also lead to a fruitless time of, well, "tarrying" when the waiting is without faith, expectation or anointing. Waiting on the Lord in not passive. When our faith is stirred and the agreement of all is a level above the natural, then the supernatural comes to our revelation. God is always working, and our reception or acknowledgement of His work is dependent more on our openness to bear witness in SPIRIT AND TRUTH, rather than our "show me Lord" spectatorship. It takes a genuine HUNGER for His presence and a thirst for His Spirit to be truly obedient. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."-(Matthew 5:6) When we thirst for Him in obedience, spirit and truth, we witness and receive His POWER.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."-(Acts 1:8) We are given the POWER of the gifts of the Spirit, as well as the evidence of the FRUIT of the Spirit, for the express main purpose of being Christ's witnesses to and throughout the ends of the Earth. We are given wisdom and providentially provided with exactly what to say in the operation of testifying to the Gospel when we flow with the Spirit. When Stephen was seized by Jewish authorities, they witnessed that power firsthand. "These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke"-(Acts 6:9-10) Even before Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, and before the Great Commission, the Spirit of the Living God bore witness to Himself and His Power in multiple instances through this same medium of potency. And when Moses fearfully complained of his lack of eloquence and his speech impediment... "The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."-(Exodus 4:11-12) God imparts different gifts for specific needs and missions in the process of building His Kingdom through the working power of the Holy Spirit. "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men."-(1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

"The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life."-(Job 33:8) "The Spirit of God" or "Ruach Elohim" is transliterated from Hebrew as "Breath or Wind of God". The Breath of Life itself, comes from and IS the Holy Spirit. The WIND of the Spirit, IS the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of the Living Lord. How marvelous. How truly magnificent. The Person of the Holy Ghost is God's very breath, He is GOD. When we experience the Wind of the Spirit, the breath of God, WE EXPERIENCE GOD. We cannot, in our mortal bodies experience the Father, the Godhead directly. We would disintegrate in His presence. But our Spirit-Man is blessed to commune and receive from the awesome, loving presence of HIS SPIRIT. We are blessed to be given CREATION- the Spirit of the Lord is the likeness in which we were created , "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness."-(Genesis 1:26) We are blessed to be given REVELATION- God reveals Himself and His Plans through the prompting of the Holy Ghost. We are blessed to be given REDEMPTION- The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, then the Holy Spirit leads us to the repentance of our sins. We are blessed to be given the INDWELLING- We are Born Again by His Spirit, and become vessels for His inhabitation. "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? "-(1 Corinthians 3:16) We are blessed to be TRANSFORMED- "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."-(2 Corinthians 3:18) We are blessed to be FILLED, to be given OVERCOMING POWER and thereby testify to His GLORY. The Ruach Ha-Kodesh or "Breath or WIND of the Holy One" is the most amazing, active and POWERFUL GIFT we as believers receive from God following the vicarious atonement that we have been given through the Savior's sacrifice and blood.

The Wind of the Holy Spirit is blowing. In it is the very power of God made manifest here and now on Earth in the land of the living. Miracles did not cease with the death of the Apostles. On the contrary, through the currency and power of the Holy Ghost, the greatest miracles are still yet to come. "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."-(John 14:12) If you have never experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit, evidenced by speaking in other tongues, you have not yet experienced the Spirit-Filled Life. Jesus came so that we would have Life and have it more abundantly. If you seek to have this "abundant life", you must receive the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit. Ask God to direct you to a strong and pure Spirit-Filled Church and speak with one of the servants of Christ there about receiving the Comforter yourself. I promise you- your life will be forever changed and altered to the most incredible level of faith and growth when you do this. If you are already a blood-bought, Spirit-Filled Believer, then let us join in absolute and total agreement together right now, that God is still doing great things! Where there is agreement and the atmosphere of Faith, the Wind of the Spirit is FLOWING- And then let us all proclaim as Kathryn Kuhlman so often declared- "I believe in MIRACLES, because I believe in GOD."

The Wind of the Spirit- Part I

2010-07-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

"And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."-(Acts 2:2-4)

Almost 10 years ago, I stood alone under a crystal-clear starlit sky in the middle of the desert in Palm Springs, waiting on the Lord. The air was still and absolutely silent. The man-made lagoon was as glass, placid and undisturbed- a perfect mirror of the cosmos above. This was no ordinary time in the presence of the Lord. I had sought Him in the privacy of my prayer closet and had experienced powerfully intimate encounters before, but this night was singularly different. Weeks prior to this very night, my bride had heard from God as to the future He desired, and had appointed to us in ministry. She had heard very clearly that the first step was to leave both our careers in the entertainment industry and New York City itself and move to Tulsa, Oklahoma to launch out. He would then order our steps and direct our future. Upon receiving this directive, she said "I am willing and obedient Lord. But you are going to have to confirm this by telling him yourself." She knew that in order for God to be obeyed, we would both need to have individual recognition and confirmation of this incredibly weighty directive. Without prior knowledge of her experience involving God's direction, I began in the days before this starlit night, to hear very clearly in my spirit- "Tulsa". When praying about my flourishing career in the Theatre, I heard, very simply- "Go". It had rung as clear as the peal of a chapel bell to my Spirit-Man, but the ears of my flesh and my intellect were not so certain. My career was active and full of choices. While others were starving, I was having my pick of the Lion's Share in roles. My Agent was positive that this was my time for immense breakthrough into the higher echelon of both finance and future. It made no sense in the natural; but I have found that when stretching our faith, God's directives very rarely do make any intellectual sense. "Please forgive me Lord, but I need you to show me this is your will". Looking skyward into the depth of His majestic creation I heard a second time, "Go". I pressed again for more clarification- "Please Father, be clear with me." Again I heard "Go". I was stirred, my flesh became anxious at the immensely challenging idea of leaving all that I had worked toward and what I considered at that point to be my dreams and aspirations. Suddenly, it became so silent, that it seemed as if there was not only the absence of sound, but a deficit thereof. I felt as if I were in the vacuum of Space itself. As my intellect and my flesh squirmed in the challenging discomfort of the admonition of the Lord, I dared once more to press Him. "Lord, if it is your will that we should uproot and move to Tulsa to launch into full-time ministry, show me..." Before the words were finished, and before I was through annunciating the request, a torrential wind crashed down onto me and my surroundings. What had been so still had become in the blink of an eye, as a Hurricane rushing the environment. The force of the winds blew the waters of the lagoon to overlap and splash the shoreline. The rush of gusting power toppled over chairs and lounges. It knocked down potted palms and flowers throughout the yard where I stood. Frightened at the power of God, I cried out- "Yes! We will GO!" and as immediately as I uttered the words, the wind fell silent. I had been in the very presence of the Holy Spirit Himself as confirmation of God's hand on our lives, and I was in an instance, forever changed.

The impact of the Wind of the Spirit was, in that case, literal and tangible. But it awakened in me a knowledge of His currency, His flow and POWER. That experience was impressive and inspiring, but I knew within that it was nothing in comparison with the unseen move of His Spirit. Jesus describes the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit as such: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”-(John 3:8) I am constantly in awe of the powerful, multi-layered plans of God. Not only had He brought a life-altering witness of confirmation to our entry into ministry, He had demonstrated something in the natural that Jeni and I are now blessed beyond measure to experience in the supernatural every day. The flow of the Holy Spirit IS AS WIND. It is for the Holy Spirit to decide which direction, which measure of pressure, or force to demonstrate and act through to touch or direct God's people. "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left. "-(Isaiah 30:21) The flow of the Holy Spirit is perhaps the most effective and active tool for God to lead His beloved to their destiny. It is a constant flow. Never does the Holy Spirit stagnate. We do. Our understanding or perception of the flow of the wind of the Spirit can become dampened or hindered, but the Spirit Himself will not be restrained. It is rather for you and I to be obedient and willing to hear, acknowledge and act upon the unction or promptings of the Holy Spirit. It is for that reason and necessity that we MUST be open conduits available to God's activity, use and impartation. Why? Because precious people, God is handing out gifts on a constant basis to all who are open to receive them.

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."-(1 Corinthians 12:7-11) The GIFTS of the Spirit are the very reason that we must be open conduits free of hinderance for God to impart to. It is through these Gifts that we build His Kingdom, whereas it is through the Fruit of the Spirit that we see the evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit. "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."-(Matthew 7:16-20)

My Father-in-Law composed an anointed song "He's Here Right Now" which expresses "He's here, right now. Here right now. We don't need to wait, we don't need to beg. He's passing out gifts for all to receive. He's here right now to meet every need." And so He is. And truly, when we become cognizant of His omnipresence and His glorious Love for us, we can become open to receive His GIFTS. They come on the Wind of the Spirit. When the Disciples were gathered on Pentecost they were all together and in agreement, ready to receive. At that moment, the entrance of the COMFORTER, the parakletos, the Holy Spirit entered with a MIGHTY WIND and began freely granting gifts. While we are ministering in the power of the Holy Ghost, we are privileged to witness firsthand the awesome gifts of the Spirit. The environment is bathed in God's presence and the atmosphere is one of FAITH. Without FAITH it is impossible to please God, and without pleasing God with our faith, we quench the Spirit. But we manufacture NOTHING. We cannot force His hand nor create His gifts. It is the prerogative and the authority of the Holy Spirit to decide who, what, when, where and HOW. The WHY is for God alone to know. But it is our initiative to flow with the WIND of the Spirit that enables us to minister effectively to the gifts and callings imparted to others. Everything and everyone must be as He wishes, or we miss the outpouring. Sensitivity to this is a process which we as believers are never finished with. It is a constant learning process, and the depth of the mystery and complexity of the Person of the Holy Spirit is BOUNDLESS.

Fear & Fear

2010-07-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."-(2 Timothy 1:7)

A wise man once told me "Fear is the Mind-Killer." This is an absolute truth... But it would have edified my growth as a believer exponentially, if they had taken the time to dissect the veritable dual-meaning behind the noun itself. Fear, for our purposes of investigation, has two very different meanings by the English definition. First, it is identified as "a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. Second, it is identified as "reverential awe, especially toward God". Fear in the former sense is the same fear the Apostle Paul identifies in 2 Timothy when referring to the "spirit of fear" which would keep us from spreading the Gospel. The latter identity is essential, if not all-empowering to our journey and development in Faith. To be a relative semanticist and honor my God-given affinity and mechanical need for etymology, I believe the responsible approach, before we delve into the value of scriptural understanding, would be to scrutinize the Greek and Hebrew forms that were originally intended. The Greek "PHOBEO" is cited as "fear, extreme fear of; morbid, excessive, irrational fear, or terror of something or someone", the Hebrew word (transliterated as "YIRAH") which can possibly mean fear in this same sense, but ALSO means awe, reverence, respect and devotion. When the Word was translated into the Greek, something very interesting happened. The word which means "reverential awe" in Greek "Eulabeia", and the Greek word "Deilia" which means simply "cowardice" were inferred into the use of "PHOBEO" without specific differentiation applied. Whew. Now, if you are still with me...

The FEAR which we teach as being "a disease" and "a Mind-Killer" is very clearly the terror of impending danger, evil or pain and distress. But there is incredible power in the reverential awe or "FEAR OF GOD". "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever."-(Psalm 111:10) In the English Standard Version, the precise phrase "fear of the Lord" occurs 27 times. There are a plethora of other passages which refer or allude to the reverence or "fear" of God. The Spirit of Fear which is mentioned in Paul's epistle, is the same type which is referred to over 366 times throughout the King James Bible when variances of the words "FEAR NOT" are employed. Which leads me directly back to the unction pressing the purpose of this assignment through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I heard in my spirit while praying regarding this quandary, "The FEAR of the LORD is the weapon that destroys the spirit of FEAR that the enemy is attacking My people with". Pondering and absorbing that, it struck a vibrant chord in my spirit-man. In order to "Fear not", we must understand in Spirit and Truth, the FEAR OF THE LORD. There is POWER there.

I was then drawn to the famous example set by Franklin D. Roosevelt in his inaugural address when he iconically stated: "Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." Later into the address, he identifies very clearly how to defeat said fear: "In this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing of God. May He protect each and every one of us. May He guide me in the days to come." He shows that self-same FEAR OF THE LORD which defeats the spirit of fear. "If God is for us, who is against us? "-(Romans 8:31) When we cast aside fear, and embrace the reverence of our powerful God, we literally disarm the enemy. "In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; YOU WILL HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you." -(Isaiah 54:14) God promises us that when we are founded IN HIM, through His righteousness, fear is banished. Consider it an evil exile to which you have been given the King's authority to cast hence to the outer bounds of existence, never to encounter again. Yet, we are the only border guards with sentry-like authority to patrol the outer boundaries of our territories who will either stave off the return of the exiled fear, or foolishly allow it to breach the sovereignty of that which the Lord has declared trespass.

Sadly, the adversary infiltrates delicate and ill-prepared minds, poisoning the valid understanding of the Fear of the Lord. The forces of evil would confuse every thought in regard of the true understanding therein, and mislead these dear ones to gather that God often acts as the perpetrator of an attack in order to bring witness to His authority. But the wiles of the wicked one are transparent to God's Armed force of hearers and doers of the Word. "If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you."-(Isaiah 54:15) God will not be the dispatcher for the attacks of the spirit of FEAR on His righteous; moreover, He promises that whoever encroaches and attempts to rend harm will literally bow in surrender to you. Remember- this is when we are grafted into the rock of revelation that God is to be reverently "feared". We activate His power in our defenses when we recognize His Glory. And God then grants the advocate to crush the enemy who spews the spirit of fear on our behalf. "See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc; NO weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD."-(Isaiah 54:16-17)

Every time you defy the spirit of fear by operating in faith, no matter the prior circumstances, nor the environment of oppression that may cloud the truth of God's power, you gain ground back to the fortitude of the throne. Following their exile, the Israelites, who were in captivity for 70 years in Babylon, returned to rebuild the Temple. They had most definitely faced and stewed in the spirit of fear. In spite of their blessed exodus out of captivity, they no longer had the protection of the wall which had previously guarded Jerusalem. They had no vineyards, no crops and no army. They were practically sojourners at that point. All they did possess was what they brought out of Babylon and their faith... Their Fear of the Lord. "Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening burnt offerings.-(Ezra 3:3) They defied the spirit of fear and instead focused on their reverence and obedient worship of God. In their obedient sacrifice, they re-established and re-acknowledged the revelation that NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST THEM WOULD PROSPER. The Fear of the Lord had superseded and nullified the creeping fear of re-invasion that could have crippled them.

While we, who are the redeemed of the Lord through Christ Jesus have no need for burnt offerings, we must instead build tabernacles of obedience and altars of sacrifice unto God within our very hearts. The reverence of God is our answer to the spirit of fear. The gap to the foot of the throne is bridged by power, love and a sound mind which are the tangible rewards granted by the blood.
Bear in mind, that we need an advocate to stand in this gap for us before the awesome power of God the Father. We could not commit to be in His reverential presence in our sin nature. We must understand that the true Fear of the Lord is as unfathomable as our inability to conceive His incredible, glorious POWERFUL person in this, our temporal consciousness or flesh. WE NEED JESUS. He is the only one worthy to stand before the Father and claim our benefits. And in His Lordship, we are bound to the dynamic truth of our FREEDOM. You see, Christ did not fulfill the Law and the Prophets, stand accused unjustly before the Sanhedrin, Pharisees and Sadducees, suffer mockery and flagellation at the hands of the Romans under Pilate at Antonia, walk the Via Dolorosa and willingly be nailed to the same cross he carried to the Skull so that we should FEAR. "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we were healed."-(Isaiah 53:5) The punishment which brought our PEACE, our strength and resilience to the spirit of fear was literally purchased by our savior. Jesus paid for us to be freed from fear. "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, FEAR NOT; I am the first and the last."-(Revelation 1:17)

So beloved, as you charge on in the name of Jesus Christ today, receive His freedom. Activate the liberty granted at calvary through His nail-pierced hands and feet. His blood is to be revered, His sacrifice and atonement must not be ignored. If you do not know Him yet or if you do and still live under the weight of the spirit of fear- Cast aside every weight and embrace JESUS. Knowing that "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!"-(John 8:36)

The Role Of Your Lifetime...

2010-07-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

On one of our more recent guest appearances on Trinity Broadcast Network's "Praise The Lord" here in the Northwest, we were blessed to be on with our dear friend and a tremendously anointed man of God, Reverend Emmanuel Ziga. We met him as we were ministering at one of our conference appearances with Pastor Benny Hinn, and soon after ministered for him alongside one of our spiritual fathers, Steve Brock. It was as if we had known one another always. I can reflect on about a dozen instances in my walk where the Lord had skillfully designed a divine appointment wherein I would be united with a cohort of destiny. With Emmanuel, Brother Steve, our Russian Brother Dmitry Shatrov and a precious handful of others, I had felt from the very introduction, of the same ilk. It was a reuniting rather than initial introduction. The flow of the Holy Spirit in our friendship is powerful, and so therein is the ministry that we share together; powerfully appointed. In this instance, the interview was spontaneous and charged with His presence. We spoke of God's GLORY, and how the body of Christ NEEDS to experience the wind of the spirit and the glory of God like never before.
Having experienced our original Easter Rock Musical- "The Kingdom" only weeks before, Emmanuel asked me to recount what it was like to "play Jesus". I could reply the only way I knew how: Humbling, life-changing, awe-inspiring and full of tremendous burden. I explained that in the spirit, I had experienced on a microscopic level of consciousness and understanding the amount of weight the Lord endured for you and I. I went on to tell him about what was perhaps the greatest revelation of the experience for me- that was that each of us, is inherently called to "play Jesus" everyday. We are to be Jesus in flesh, spirit and action, every moment of our lives. He agreed and the Holy Spirit then ministered greatly to the viewing audience as we discussed the rigors and importance of penetrating the entertainment industry for the sake of the gospel.

But as I reflected on the main theme of that interview, it overtook and overshadowed my every thought. WE ARE TO BE HIM. It should never be a foreign concept to be as the Lord Jesus, here and now. I recognize that we are mere mortals, simply man or woman and not Christ, but I identified prophetically during that taping, how we are given to the title "Christian" and that in the original Greek literally means "Little Christs". It can be argued that the truer meaning is "slaves of Christ", but the purveyors of that rendering of the definition are mostly agnostics, atheists or those with offenses toward the Way. I prescribe to the former. And as "little christs" we are to be multiplying representatives of Him, His glory and goodness. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."-(2 Corithians 5:20) An "ambassador" is defined more specifically as a diplomatic official of the highest rank appointed and accredited as representative in residence by one government or sovereign to another, usually for a specific length of time. And so we are... "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."-(Romans 8:15-17)

I have been immensely blessed in my former career (and life) to have played countless roles. I have been a hundred different identities, some based on real people, others invented, fictitious creations. I have been cowards and carousers, villains and heroes, idiots and geniuses, madmen and maniacs, sinners and saints. I have swam the icy shores of the outsider and known the emptiness of the unloveable. I have been immersed in the heights of infatuation and felt the adoration of others, seeing the fullness of unconditional love. I walked the path of adventure and invention, tasted and seen and lived to tell about it. I was the author of the "Last Temptation of Christ", Nikos Kazantzakis, the height of anti-conformity- Huckleberry Finn and then of course, I have been the accuser of the brethren- Satan, himself... The list goes on and on... In each instance I learned something that God needed me to grasp and hold within out of preparation for the work of the ministry ahead. It is amazing to think that even then, before I was His, He knew how to work all things together for His glory. Each role was a building block in my understanding of the human condition. Every performance granting a different perspective, not only of the characters, but of myself, and my undeniable NEED for HIM.

During the run of Roger Miller's Musical "BIG RIVER" in which I portrayed Mark Twain's unruly, rebellious yet affable and forgivable character Huck Finn, I had one of the most intense and utterly memorable experiences of my life. In my off-time I had been studying Eastern Texts and Books of Religion. I was half-way through The Koran, having finished reading the Dhammapada, the Bhagavad Gita, and was inquiring of Allah, Buddha and the Pantheon of Hinduism for the identity of the supreme being. The character of Huck was one that I could whole-heartedly identify with at the time. He was somewhat lost in a world where he was constantly being told things like "be good" and "read your bible or you'll never get to heaven". He was repelled out of disgust by the boundaries and hypocrisy of religion, yet nevertheless unknowingly watered a desire for grace; Well, more correctly the desire for grace and playing "hookey". He had a heart of gold, though, that throughout the book proved that there was hope for him still. He wasn't quite sure how to communicate his goodness, when he tried he failed, when he tried to do "no good" he was hijacked by providence, and the Lord acted through his deeds without his knowlege nonetheless. I felt for him, and identified with him on a spiritual level. One of the songs I was privileged to sing was "Waiting For The Light" The lyrics testified "I have lived in the darkness for so long, I am waitin' for the light to shine..." I lived that song. I had been working long days in a compressed period of time (as is the case with many rehearsal periods) and had gone directly to my room out of exhaustion and laying down, was deep asleep before the second breath on the bed. It is important that I state that I had, at that point in my life, not yet met the woman of my dreams, and was deeply seeking a revelation of who God was. I promise to share my full testimony sometime in the future, but for now be reconciled that I did not, for many reasons, ever touch a bible or consider Christ, until after the following:
As I slept, I dreamt so vividly that to this day I can recall every second, it was as real as any waking moment. In truth, I believe that this moment was MORE REAL than my waking cognizance, it was beyond describable reality. I saw a desert surrounding me. I could identify each individual grain of sand, and even remember the scent of sandalwood in the warmth of the soothing winds. I looked heavenward and saw an ultra indigo-blue colored sky, without cloud or blemish, with the illumination of a bright and glowing sun, yet I could not, as I scanned the horizon and the breadth of the sky, find the sun. As I peered into the distance, I saw through the nearly invisible waves of heat, a figure approaching. I was not apprehensive. Instead, I felt a peace like never before in my life. As the body gained ground toward me, I began to see the shape of a man, cloaked in white linens from hood to drape of tunic to his sandals. The closer the man got, the more I began to consciously reel over his bearded likeness. He was the most incredible conglomeration of identifiable visions of the Lord Jesus Christ from within and without my knowlege of art, film and imagination that I had ever seen. I knew without asking anything- this WAS Jesus of Nazareth. This WAS Him. He was within arm's reach when gazing through me He offered me as He held out a wooden dipper-"Drink". I looked down into the cup and at once saw the whole of the cosmos stirring in the purest water I had ever seen. I remember thinking in that instance, that the water looked as though it was actually ALIVE. For whatever reason, conditioning, fear of the unknown or stark ignorance, I answered- "But, I'm not thirsty." He smiled at me and said "You will be." And with that I woke up suddenly. I was dumbstruck. I could not utter a word for several hours after, nor could I sleep for the remainder of the night. I have never been the same.

About a year and a half later, I met my love and, fast-fowarding into our relationship, having never disclosed that experience to anyone, shared it with her. Jeni fell silent. She then, after taking it all in, began to explain the meaning of "living water" and then showed me that without any prior knowlege of the scripture, the revelation I had was directly from God Himself. I had, as I believe, an exclusive, intense person to person with the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Why? Because from that moment forward, in spite of my shortcomings and failures I knew that I had a higher calling. I foolishly did not act on it until years later, but I knew. Ultimately, in my spirit, I knew that the greatest role of my life, was to daily play the role of Jesus Christ. William Shakespeare is renowned for the statement from As You Like It-

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts"

It is absolutely true. No, it is not scriptural, but there is great wisdom there. We choose which of these parts we play. Some play many and avail no fruit whatsoever throughout their lives. Others play only one and lead meaningful, stable existences. But the truly advanced, the ones who have genuinely tasted and seen that the Lord is GOOD- They play the greatest role of all- They are Jesus, the Son of the Living God, embodied here in this contemporary time, healing, ministering, preaching the good news with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, empowering their roles to the glory of God until His triumphal return.

So, when you put your costume on today, rather than donning the attire that simply defines your likes, dislikes and predispositions of fashion and age, PUT ON CHRIST. Wear HIM. Be HIM for this lost and dying world. Play the part of Jesus to the unloveable miscreants and losers who have forgotten hope. Be Christ to the child without a father, the widow without husband, the sons and daughters without joy. I encourage you, rather than play an existential and ultimately meaningless lifetime out, make the decision to receive direction from the eternal and Magnificent Director, God Almighty. Play today with all of your heart- The Greatest Role... The Role of Your Lifetime- JESUS CHRIST.

The Winepress Giant

2010-07-08T00:08:00.000-07:00

"And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.
And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, 'Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? Am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.' And the Philistine said, 'I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.'"-(2 Samuel 17:4-10)

While traveling recently, I was praying and distinctly heard in my spirit "Champion". Now immediately, I began to pray broadly for my dear friend's infant son, whose surname is Champion. In the midst of focusing on my contemporary's progeny, I felt a tug of correction and then almost involuntarily turned my eyes toward the newspaper in the hands of the man diagonally across the aisle from me, and the first thing I saw was the word "CHAMPION" in bold capital letters. There it was again. Stark and bare to my gaze in a newsprint black and white. At that point, my prayer became a request for revelation. I was quickened to my bible, where I went directly to the concordance to find in both the King James and the New King James Versions, only ONE entry for the word "Champion". It is the mention of the Philistine Giant who has became the proverbial picture of the adage "The BIGGER they are... The harder they fall". The use of the word is singularly assigned to the mammoth brute who held the self-same role of "champion" for Philistia. It can be deduced through the description in the text that, Goliath stood at a great height. By way of Hebrew measurement, he stood six cubits and a span tall, with a Hebrew cubit equalling roughly 18 inches and a span being the equivalent of about 9 inches, that would set his height roughly at an impressive 9.5 feet. His armor, weighing in at an anthropologically estimated 125-194 pounds and his spear's head at 20-30 pounds, indicates that he was not merely a giant in stature, but rather a hulking beast of physical strength and stamina. Goliath was built for destroying his opposition.

But the physical description of the "champion" of the pagan Philistines is not what pulled me deeper into the Word. His name simply means "Great" or "Very Large" in most translations, and such has the legend given value to his name and size, coining in itself a descriptive quality of massive men and challenges. We see that his name is followed immediately by the disclosure of his birthplace. "Goliath, of Gath". Gath (or in Hebrew "Geth") of the Philistines' was one of the five Philistine city-states, established in northwestern Philistia. It was a city about midway between Bethlehem and the Mediterranean Sea. It means "Winepress". What an amazing God we serve that He allows us to glean immense revelation from even a detail such as this. The "Winepress" is such a vital place of metaphorical and practical significance throughout the scripture and in God's Plans. After all, it is in the winepress that the grapes of wrath are stored... "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."-(Revelation 19:15) And it is the winepress which serves Jesus' parable of the wicked vinedressers or tenants as the metaphor for the "fruit of the Kingdom". "And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it."-(Matthew 21:34) It also sets a vivid vision in one's mind of the wine or spirit being pushed, crushed or transformed under the pressure of change and challenge of transfiguration that the process of making wine is often defined by. A great wine must be crushed into juice at the correct time, and with the appropriate pressure, or it will spoil the outcome of the fermentation, thus destroying the destiny of the grape itself. The beautiful use of Wine as sacrament in the eucharist and symbol of the Blood of our Lord is deserving of an individual encounter, and must be focused upon with consecrated attention; however, we do recognize the importance of the foreshadowing. Jesus is of course, from the line of David. And so, we come to it. David was fighting the Champion of The Winepress. I imagine that at that particular moment, no one identified the immensely symbolic meaning of it all, but rather with great trepidation, saw a nine foot tall madman who ate Hebrews for lunch. But David did not.

David saw only his destiny. It was a challenge that he had been training for. He had slain a bear. He had killed a Lion. He was faithful and willing to die for the God of his fathers. He was so whole-heartedly committed to being the willing hand of the Lord, that I believe heaven and the earth and it's fullness stopped for that moment and peered upon the occasion with awe. Prior to this dynamic milestone, David had been anointed by the Prophet Samuel upon the command of the Lord, out of the sons of Jesse. The Spirit of the Lord came upon David and left Saul that day, creating an opportunity for the young shepherd to minister to the now demon-plagued King with his renowned musical skills. I find it poetic that the presence that was removed from Saul was the only thing that could soothe his trouble. It was through this union that God divinely prepared the opportunity for David to step forward and volunteer to smite the giant on behalf of Israel. The Lord God was most certainly with him. David also recognized the great reward awaiting any who slew the beast. The divine time had arrived. Goliath had come day and night for forty days to taunt the armies of Israel. No man was of the mettle to meet the challenge and face their champion. By appearances no man was the clearly chosen "Champion" of Israel. But appearances were never what God had in mind with David. "Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to."-(1 Samuel 16:12) But the Lord was not concerned with his outward visage. "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."-(1 Samuel 16:7) And his heart was ready.

The fullness of the showdown is marvelous and rich. David is given Saul's armor which is too heavy and "unproved" by him and so discarded. Instead, he takes only his sling and five smooth stones with him. The giant mocks him and he rebukes the Philistine. "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel."-(1 Samuel 17:45-46) And he does just that. The renown of David grows, built upon his victory against the impossible through the intercession and hand of God upon him. David becomes great. David, the musician and shepherd boy, becomes the CHAMPION of the God of Israel.

He faced the Winepress Giant and utterly defeated him. But the purpose behind this meditation is not to merely revel in David's victory and profess that "we all have giants to face and conquer through preparation and a heart that is after God". While that is absolutely true, it is incomplete. For you see, David did become great, King and perhaps the most feared King-General that Palestine and the Middle-East had ever seen, but he had great human error. His failures teach us more than his successes ever could. It speaks to me that we all learn more from our failings than the moments of greatness, as the moments of greatness often are borne out of the training we receive falling on our faces. David would be known as an adulterer, a murderer, and the ruler of a reign of blood. But this day, I was drawn to the mistake he made in fleeing from Saul to the land of the Philistines. Ironically, he not only returned to Philistia, David went to the winepress itself. "But David thought to himself, "One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand." So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath. David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him."-(1 Samuel 27:1-4) While Saul discontinued his search for David, it was to be, in broad perspective and in my opinion, a poor decision on David's behalf. Before this, he actually attempts to flee there and upon arrival at the city gates acts as a madman. "That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, "Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances: 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'? David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard."-(1 Samuel 21:10-12)

It was FEAR that drove David to Gath, and FEAR which made him to feign insanity. It was also FEAR of Saul that leads him there again 6 chapters later to hide under the cover of Achish thus making David and his men into raiders for that season. Do not misunderstand my tone; I do realize that God made the best of all of his shortcomings and failures. However, FEAR is never of God's will. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."-(1 Timothy 1:7) Fear is a spirit, and it is a contagious disease. I have witnessed fear destroy men and women's lives. I have unfortunately also witnessed the enemy use fear to destroy entire churches and labors of the Kingdom. It was not to condemn that God brought me circuitously to this re-revelation. You see, we all must face fear and either fight or fly. Fear is inevitable in our walk. But it is not final. We have been delivered from fear from the very stripes and crucifixion of our Lord, Jesus Christ. "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."-(Matthew 8:17)
FEAR IS A DISEASE. If you do not believe me, look into the fruit of fearful leaders. Look into the Word and witness what fruit comes of fear. David's examples of failure root inevitably out of fear and insecurity. Yes, he lusted for Bathsheba, but is not lust a condition and sympton of insecurity, and thereby fear itself? I believe it is a sister spirit to that of fear, and that perhaps, all sin roots from our vanity. Fear is a spirit that roots like a tick into the fabric of a person's insecurities and vanity. When we are entirely committed to seeing the assignment of the Lord completed, we fear nothing. Rather, we embrace everything, counting it ALL JOY. "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;"-(James 1:2)

Fear is a disease. Insecurity is a condition wrought out of selfishness. Jesus bore our grief, our fear, our doubt- Do not re-crucify Him. Whatever befalls you, do not return to dwell in the land of the evil that you previously defeat. Do not remove that same mantle that God bestowed unto you as "Champion" over a challenge by delivering yourself to the birthplace of the enemy's weapons. Although the Lord uses all things together for good, it is preferable that we get, attain and use WISDOM. With wisdom, we can avoid "failure-based learning" altogether. When you go to the battlefield and face and through the favor and anointing of the God of Israel, decimate your "Winepress Giant", keep his head as David did. I assure you that the souvenir of victory will bar you from falling into the hands of the enemy as easily as forgetting it would. Above all else, seek the Lord when you are tempted to run out of the spirit of fear from that which He allowed to stretch you and make you a "Champion".

The Anointing Of The Lord

2010-07-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

"At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him."-(Mark 1:9-13)

After the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove, and then led him out into the wilderness to be tested, the Lord returned to the civilization of Galilee to begin His ministry. "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."-(Luke 4:14-19) And He returned in the POWER of the Spirit. Jesus began His ministry with the empowerment and authority given through the anointing. The glorious witness of every act of grace, power and the miraculous borne of the anointing of the Lord.

Jesus IS the anointed one of God. He is the Messiah. The word "Messiah" (Hebrew 'Mashiach') comes from the verb mashach, which means to smear or anoint with oil, usually for the purpose of dedicating or consecrating something (such as a temple vessel)or someone (such as a prophet, priest or king) for the service of Adonai, the Lord God.

The power of His presence, the very being of His grace was and is surrounded by the substance of the anointing. What is more wonderful, and perhaps most impressive to me, is the revelation that Jesus was anointed by God, the Apostles were anointed by Jesus, we are the recipients of the anointing by way of the sacrifice and substantiation of the new covenant. "He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. Remember His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac,
And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel for an everlasting covenant"-(1 Chronicles 16:14-17) Through the shed blood of the lamb of God, we are heirs to the Abrahamic Covenant, and through the anointing we also gain divine consecration from the Father: " He permitted no man to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, Saying, 'Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.'"-(1 Chronicles 16:22)

"Anointed" renders one to be definitively sanctified, consecrated and set apart for a task or a position by God. We find this same word used for "anointed" in the Old Testament termed for prophets, priests, kings and judges. Their anointings were often temporary, empowering them to accomplish their assignment. These offices were types and shadows which pointed to Jesus, THE anointed one. Jesus is singularly perfect in fulfilling all the offices; He came as a prophet-"The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren."-(Deuteronomy 18:15), He is now functioning as our high priest-"You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek"-(Hebrews 5:5) and when He returns He will become judge and reign as our king-He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."-(Revelation 17:14)
Today, we believers who are purchased by the blood are anointed priests who are able to transport people to be cleansed by the very same blood of Jesus Christ, our high priest by way of the powerfully anointed message of the Gospel.

Perhaps the most dynamic and awe-inspiring attribute of the anointing of the Lord is its supernatural power to shatter bondage. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing."-(Isaiah 10:27) My father-in-law wrote an incredibly powerful song that my wife and I minister with, which proclaims "The Anointing of the Lord breaks the yoke of bondage, The Anointing of the Lord sets the Captives free, The Anointing of the Lord brings rivers to your desert, that Anointing is raining on me, That Anointing is raining on me..." I love that song, because as we minister with it, the Holy Spirit brings explosive breakthrough into the lives of those pressing into the flow of the very power of God. I have witnessed the anointing deliver people from addiction, affliction and every type of sin. God uses His power to accomplish His plans and to increase the current of His will.

But the greatest purpose of our becoming the Anointed of the Lord is definitely NOT self-gratification. It is to fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus said "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth in Me, the works that I do he shall do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto My Father."-(John 14:12) We are given the person of the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us here on earth and the empowerment of the anointing to preach the gospel. "And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word with signs following. Amen."-(Mark 16:20)

Peace Speaker

2010-07-04T00:10:00.000-07:00

"Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
And he said unto them, 'Where is your faith?' And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, 'What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.'-(Luke 8:22-25)

If the occurance of storms in the life of a believer were not to be expected, I highly doubt that this event would have been recorded in all four gospels. It is the will of the Lord that we understand that: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."-(John 16:33) In truth, we must cheerfully anticipate the challenges and "storms" that await us along the path of our earthly training for eternity. "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."-(James 1:2-3) If we can learn to be as Jesus in the torrents and chaos of the tribulations that stretch our boundaries, we will become more like the Master Himself, and greater grace will abound in our lives.

A few years ago, a great man of God, dear friend and spiritual father of ours, Dr. Ralph Wilkerson, founder of America's first Mega-Church, Melodyland Christian Center in Anaheim, California (across the street from Disneyland), was traveling with Pastor Benny Hinn and entourage to a crusade on the ministry jet. The weather over the flight path was forecasted as "clear, smooth and docile" and the Captain had even announced that they should arrive early to their destination. Dr. Wilkerson was exhausted from the previous crusade (a state we are altogether familiar with) and decided that this would be a grand opportunity to get some much needed rest. He fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. About a third of the way through the flight, the Captain announced that they were getting reports of a "massive tropical storm". He said they were attempting to fly around it, but that their fuel limited the possibility of out-flying the storm. The turbulence hit hard as it became evident to Pastor Benny and the other passengers that it would not be possible to avert the danger ahead. The Captain let him know that they had no choice but to spearhead into the storm and "hope for the best". The conditions were deadly. The jet was tossed to and fro, sending the passengers, who were being shaken like rag dolls, into panic. The Captain came over the loud-speaker and with a quavering voice said "I don't know whether we're going to hold together here, and we are running out of fuel. Everyone needs to be ready to brace for impact." The attempt to avoid the storm nearly drained the fuel reserves and the situation became entirely grim in an abbreviated blink of time. Pastor Benny recalled to me that people were crying, praying in tongues and some weeping and singing hymns all at the same time. He then related to me that the entire time this was going on, Dr. Ralph Wilkerson remained peacefully asleep. He stumbled over to him to alert him of the imminent danger that they were in, and shaking the sleeping man of God said- "Ralph! The plane is going to go down!! Get up and pray!!" Dr. Wilkerson opened one eye and said very calmly- "Let me sleep. Jesus slept in the midst of the storm, let me sleep. Where's your faith?" Moments after that, the Captain announced that they were breaking through the storm and that they had just received clearance to land at an alternate landing strip to refuel. It was a miracle. God had pulled them out of the grip of death and destruction and safely delivered them.

I often reflect on that situation as the literal contemporary exemplification of Luke 8:22. It forces me to contemplate situations of dire outlook that occured in my own walk and review how I carried on through them. I believe that the darkest instances of challenge we have faced have always equated to the deepest, most substantial growth in our faith and spiritual maturity. As believers, we often pray for "breakthrough" or "revival" or "growth". We ask the Lord for a deepening of our relationships, an empowerment of His grace and glory in our lives. But few and far between recognize that God does not offer developmental conditioning and growth to us without testing. We were never promised total deliverance from trials or tests in this life. On the contrary, we were told to expect them, endure them and finish our races, not for the comfort in the present, but for the "joy set before us"-(Hebrews 12:2). Jesus said as He prayed for us in the Garden of Gethsemane "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one."-(John 17:15) He could have asked the Father to keep us entirely out of the world and its snares. But instead, He asked that we would be kept from the evil one. A request that positions us to ultimately win, but also retain the development and seasoning of taxing and testing.

Knowing that we are victorious in Christ, we are given the power to act with Him at the helm. When we face trials, challenges and tests, we are granted the grace, power and authority to wear Him. "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."-(Galatians 3:27) As we are covered by and in the person of Jesus Christ, we have not only the authority to claim victory over the adversary's plans, but to remain in peace, even speaking peace to and through every storm. "Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm."-(Mark 4:39) So, precious people, as you encounter the storms that will inevitably occur in this beautiful life we have been blessed with, do not curse the clouds and lightning, do not be dismayed by the winds and the downpour, rather, be secure in the knowlege that your faith will grow through each one, as you are ever equipped by Jesus Christ to be a "Peace Speaker".

Cast Your Bread Upon The Waters

2010-07-03T00:13:00.000-07:00

"Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days."-(Ecclesiastes 11:1)
Indeed, Solomon sounds a call to faith. A trumpet call of wisdom that sends the weak of belief into trepidation, trembling and testing. But before one quakes with the insecurity of quavering disbelief, it is important to seek the origin and meaning in a word to in order to understand its power and thereby glean its deepest benefit.

I love the Word of God. It is entirely rich, incredibly beautiful and absolutely perfect. But our understanding of the Word is often poor, our thoughts limiting and our ways flawed. That is why we must seek the fullness of the Word through true examination. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, and seeking Him demands our full attention. I also am a firm believer that the Lord has left us treasure hidden in deep places, fortunes stowed far past the outer, immediate layers of a specific Word. In other words, God WANTS us to "read between the lines". I was in prayer and the Lord led me to Ecclesiastes 11:1. Upon reviewing it I began to meditate on sowing seed into the ocean of need. As I prayed and and asked for further instruction, I heard- "Squint your eyes and look closer." I re-read it again and began to investigate further...

In some dissertations, the meaning is defined as an old Hebrew Idiom meaning to give to charity and it will be returned to you. In middle-eastern history "cast your bread on the surface of the waters," is rendered from the tradition of sowing seed by casting it from boats into overflowing rivers, or in marshy ground. When the waters recede, the grain will fall to the soil and spring up. Some scholars sited the same custom, specifically with the annual overflow of the Nile, and the seed specifically rice, which fares successfully germinating in marshy shores. The interpretation that I felt rang truest in my spirit is a cross-breed of these; The flooding of the shorelines of certain Palestinian rivers (the Jordan,et al) would leave an inch or more of rich, silty overflow on which, wise farmers would sow wheat for the coming seasons. The wheat fared well in germination, growth and inevitably produced a richer harvest. The "bread" is the wheat to become actual bread, and the waters, are well, waters. I believe that the Hebrew translations and the anthropological implications of the latter description to be the most relevant to Solomon the wise, author of this text, and the most appropriate to the time and region. Authors of the scripture operating within the impartation and inspiration of the Holy Spirit often sited contemporary similies, allegories and parallels to enrich the reader's understanding and retention of a word.

After delving into the definitive natural, I sought to gain insight into the SUPER-natural. What did the Lord mean to convey spiritually through this verse? I believe that there is a broad, wonderfully kingdom-minded principle to be obtained here. The world is the ocean of need, our bread is literally the provision that we can give to the hungry and starving to survive. There are over 3 BILLION starving people on earth, TODAY. Casting literal bread out to those in need is imperative, but that is not necessarily a direct spiritual revelation. It is rather, the result of a deeper revelation of the spirit man. I do believe that we, as believers must live to feed the hungry, as we are the hands of Christ here on the earth. But the Lord quickened me to another verse to lead me to the deeper meat being offered. "For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always."-(Matthew 26:11) This truly made me "squint". I heard it. I understood its original meaning and the context that Jesus spoke in. I also know that Jesus himself IS the "Bread of Life". Our daily bread which we are to cast for all to receive is the Christ Himself, and His Gospel. The return that we see after many days will be abundant and eternal. But I reflected on Ecclesiastes 11:1 and then those words, and it struck me- We must be generous to all with all that the Bread of Life has given to us in order to remain in the presence of the King. Casting your bread on the waters had the absolute of being liberally generous with knowlege of a great return, but what became clearer, for me, was God's desire for this to be not simply a wise bit of counsel telling us to hedge our bets because we don't know what's coming, but rather a call to true faith... GENEROUS FAITH.

Like a waterfall, more was flowing to me in the spirit. "The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself."-(Proverbs 11:25) Then the Lord showed me in Deuteronomy regarding the year of Jubilee- "Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him."-(Deuteronomy 15:14)

"Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days." It means that we must absolutely trust God with our entire being. We must trust Him at His Word with our goods, properties, finances and all that we steward over. We must trust God at His Word with our Love, consideration and generosity of emotion. We must, perhaps above all else, trust Him at His Word with our ENTIRE spirit. Truthfully, if we absolutely do trust Him with our whole spirit, the rest is easy. That is why we believe so strongly that if you don't tithe unto God, you simply don't believe Him at His Word. But that is for another time... Nevertheless, the purpose for this exposition is for me to share my heart regarding seeking the depth of a matter, a word or a leading. God is so very detailed in His directions. It is us who miss the contours, specific insights and fine lines hidden within, usually as a result of our habitual superficial humanity. But when we stop and dig deeper, when we "Squint our eyes and look closer"... that is when we glean the best from His Word. So I encourage you today: Cast your bread, your trust, your faith and your depth of desire out on the waters, and be broadened.

Standing Upon or Next To?

2010-07-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."-(Proverbs 22:6)
This verse of wisdom is widely known and quoted with regard to parenting one's children with the love and admonition of the Lord. But I would pose a question to those who sit in the office of parent, mentor or leader to the seeds of our future: Are you standing upon that verse, or next to it? Allow me to clarify myself. If we are "standing upon" this or any other verse from the Word, we DO it, committedly and consistently. If we are merely "standing next to it", we are selective about our execution of it. But if I plant a seed of any sort, whether that is a natural seed in the soil of a garden, a financial seed in the soil of the kingdom, or the seed of the Word into the soul of a person, it has specific needs. In order for the seed to become more than a capsule of possibilities buried in the ground, certain steps must be taken. It must be attended to. I must water the seed, and allow the sun to penetrate the soil. I must be sure to attend also to the soil itself, seeing that no hinderances block the inevitable sprouting of the seed into the birth of direct sunlight. It must be done consistently and diligently. In some instances, I must guard the seed from predators that would cut it down before its time. I must tend to the removal of weeds that would choke it, and pests that would eat it. As the seed becomes a sproutling and then a young creation, I must guide the direction that it will grow with encouragement and support. Without this care, our seeds will not flourish. In truth, without this watering, tending and support, our seeds will suffer stunted growth, or worse still, perish entirely.

It unsettles me to hear from a parent who rings claim to salvation and discipleship of Christ that they will "let the child decide". While I agree whole-heartedly that the decision for salvation must be personal, I also know indubitably that it is our responsibility as believing parents to "raise them up in the way they should go". Their decisions will be based on a core-belief system that is 80% established by the time they reach the age of 5, and 95% established by age 18. It is imperative that our witness by way of our walk, our talk and our genuine spirit life are that of example. For it is by example that Jesus demonstrated how we should live. It is by example also that we need to establish what is good, just, holy and righteous to our seed. Our confession is so very powerful to the little ones that we cover; so much so that Jesus said "And whosoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it were better for him if a great millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea."-(Mark 9:42)

Training them up is an inherent responsibility of parenting and most directly done through our actions, confession and watering of our progeny. But it is also the soil or environment that we place them or allow them to be placed in to grow, that is an incredible influence. The children they play with, the media that they are exposed to; every single social situation will in some way, inevitably sculpt our seed. For instance, the public school systems are not necessarily the ideal place to raise a spiritually healthy child anymore. Don't think I am entirely critical of the public schools. I am a graduate of the public school system. My mother taught elementary education for 37 years in my original home town in the public system, and the lives that she and other great educators touched are and were indeed changed for the better. I also am aware that statistically, public schools in comparison to private christian schools (not private preparatory) typically outrank in the level of education and the scoring curve on national tests. In truth, my children will both be attending public school this fall. But the spiritual risk is HIGH. The total lack or allowance of God's presence in the lives of American children within the school walls is disarming. I realize that there is a separation of Church and State, and neither uniform prayer, worship nor assembling during school hours are allowed, however, the choice to worship, pray or assemble after to praise Jesus should never be questioned. It is part of our liberty as Americans. The fact that we have atheists seeking to gut God out of the American equation is a completely different writing subject that upon the prompting of the Holy Spirit, I shall tackle.

But the reason I bring this up is that Christianity is not an American faith, and the Lord is persecuted by an international span of offended unbelievers who would see God gutted out of ALL public life. For instance, in European courts, right now, there is a case demanding that the school systems of Italy remove all crucifixes from their classroom walls as they "restricted the right of parents to educate their children in conformity with their convictions, and the right of children to believe or not to believe." Now, I am not Catholic, nor do I promote the use of the crucifix, but I see here in spite of denominational difference, a direct opposition to the soil of education in a predominantly catholic nation training up children to believe in Christ. What's ironic here, is that the reasoning and purpose is the same on both sides of the battlefield. We need to "educate our children in conformity with our convictions". We need to educate our children in line with the Word of God, thereby raising them up in the way they should go. As convoluted as that example is, it is an example of the turbulence involved in the exterior soil that we plant our seeds in to be watered by others. Some soil is inherently rich and fruitful, easy to maintain and glean from. Other soil is rocky, parched and without vitamins, minerals and it must be attended to with vigilence.

When we are blind to the Godlessness of certain environments that they are exposed to, we aid the enemy in driving them out of the way that they should be raised to go. I am certainly not condemning either private or public educational institutions, but rather raising the important banner of awareness that shows us to be vigilent on their behalf in all situations. We cannot sit idly by our seed and say "Well, whatever will be, will be..." NO! We must be the reminder that God is real, God is Love and God is sovereign with or without the world agreeing. That is "standing upon" Proverbs 22:6. That is standing upon the Word. My bride and I do our utmost everyday to bring God to the forefront of every situation, every challenge, every celebration and in all things we show and train them to follow Jesus. I have seen in the prophetic that my sons will serve God in magnificent and incredible ways. I have also seen in the prophetic that we as parents MUST be accountable for their main training. We must water them daily, we must expose them to the SON, ever pruning back the enemy, fencing off his attacks, removing the weeds that would choke the Word and supporting and encouraging their growth every day. We must water diligently and leave the increase to God. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:6 "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." So, I commend you who sow seeds unto this earth, His Kingdom and thereby eternity- STAND UPON THE WORD.

Who We Are...

2010-06-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Pastors Brian & Jeni Stivale are both veterans of the professional entertainment industry, having amassed over 125 professional roles in New York City, Los Angeles and Internationally. After God called them from Broadway to Full-Time Ministry, they launched JBS Theatricals, planting Christian Theatre Companies Internationally, raising the quality of theater ministries throughout the body of Christ from mediocrity to “Kingdom Quality”. They have been Pastors of Music & Fine Arts for 3 major Christian Churches/Organizations producing dozens of original musical and worship oriented productions. They now travel the world preaching a life-altering Word to millions. Touring internationally with Pastor Benny Hinn, Brian & Jeni Stivale personally received through impartation and the laying on of hands by Pastor Benny Hinn, the blessing of inheritance, anointing, healing, authority and honor of Pastor Benny Hinn’s ministry to operate in signs and wonders, moving by the power of the Holy Spirit. In addition to this, Brian & Jeni Stivale also directly received the “Kingdom Anointing” from Dr. Myles Munroe, to “reach and penetrate the nations of the world with the ministry of the Holy Spirit”. After these impartations and several other prophetic confirmations, they established STIVALE MINISTRIES. Ministering in anointed worship and moving in the prophetic and teaching ministries, The Stivale’s minister regularly at Churches,Crusades and Conferences Worldwide with many of God’s Generals, including: Dr. Myles Munroe, John Bevere, Paula White, Rod Parsley, Tommy Barnett, Ray Macauley, Steve Brock, Dr. Bob Harrison, Dewey Friedel and many others. To Book Pastors Brian & Jeni at your Church, Conference or Meeting go to www.StivaleMinistries.org