Month: May 2024

When I was a new Christian, freshly saved from a life of death and destruction, I remember the fire in my belly, the passion in my soul, the joy in my eyes and the hunger in my heart to know this God. I remember saying, here I am send me I will go for you wherever you send me. Oh the joys of unbridled love, oh the willingness to lay it all down and follow this man who saved your life. I remember the colors of the trees, flowers and clouds were so vibrant; the love for people was undeniable; the desire to sing, shout and say things about my God came freely from me. No holds bar, nothing was off limits. Do you remember those days in your life?

Then some years went by and I heard other Christians say things like, I will follow Jesus anywhere, but I am not going on the mission field because He is going to make me live in a grass hut and sleep on a dirt floor somewhere. It was not meant to affect me, but it did. I remember sitting in the chapel at my Bible school in Issaquah, WA and one of our professors said, “If you are not called to stay and pay, you are called to go on the mission field.” I sat in that wooden pew and said in my heart, I am called to stay and pay. The year was 1995.

The year is now 2004 and I have lived in a revival culture for four years and the desire to go and preach what I had learned was burning in me. I remember I had my face against the wall during a prayer time on a Thursday night and I was crying out for God to send me. Little did I know I was about to go on a life changing mission to Malaysia that was to be 4 months but lasted 9 years. I never lived in a hut, never slept on a dirt floor, but I went and it changed me yet again in ways nothing else could.

Now my prayer is for a grass hut with a dirt floor just as the psalmist said in Psalm 61, “Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.” There is no place I would rather be dwelling than in the tent of God’s presence. The habitation of God is more enjoyable to me than anything I have ever seen or heard. He is that amazing, I love being alone with Him. It is in the tent where the fire never goes out, the passion never dies and the songs never cease to stop. It is also where the here I am send me is restored and first love never wanes. Oh that we would be tent dwellers.

Yesterday morning when I began to pray the first thing the Holy Spirit spoke to me was the need to break the multilayered, multileveled spell of witchcraft off of the family, the city, the nation and the nations. I was surprised by what I was hearing, but it was crystal clear, so I made some decrees and agreed with the Holy Spirit about the breaking of the spell off of all the listed areas.

This morning I am reading Daniel 1 and it says, “As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.” The Holy Spirit says, “Wisdom is 10 times superior to witchcraft, wisdom is what breaks the multilevel, multilayered witchcraft off of families, cities, states, nations.”

The curiosity about what darkness is doing is tantalizing to people. But the pursuit of wisdom is such an adventure there is truly no comparison. We cannot purse both wickedness and wisdom. We cannot study both the word of God and the demonic. What we study we will speak. What we study we will teach. Knowing what is happening is one thing, but deep dive studying out of sheer curiosity will seed you with fear, anxiety, stress and trouble. The pursuit and study of wisdom is not eating the kings food (parabolically), just as Daniel and his three friends chose for 10 days to be tested with only vegetables and water, then proved to be 10 times superior to the enchanters.

Friends, wisdom is an adventure in God of the likes that you will never forget. It yields the fruit of love, joy, peace, and prosperity. Proverbs says, riches and honor belong to wisdom. The rewards of pursuing wisdom are innumerable. Then add to that what is said in Daniel, wisdom trumps witchcraft. To me the choice of what to pursue is obvious, but the choice is still yours. I choose wisdom and I want the multilayered, multileveled spell of witchcraft broken off of us now in Jesus name!!!!

Leadership is a gift given to people from God. Whether leadership in a family, leadership in a ministry, leadership in a company, leadership in a city, leadership in a state, leadership in a nation, leadership is a gift God gives to humanity. Leadership is government for the sake of people’s benefit. God is the overall leader of all leaders and He is generous on every occasion, He is good to all. The Bible says, “God sends rain on the just and the unjust; He is no respecter of persons; for God so loved the world He gave…” The issue of leadership is not with God it is with people.

When leaders have been raised under oppressive leaders, they have two choices, they can either do what they saw done, or they can do what they wished was done for them. Fathers who did not have a healthy father as a leaders growing up have this choice. Managers who did not have good managers have this choice. Pastors who did not have good pastors have this choice. Governors who did not have good governors have this choice. Presidents who did not have good Presidents have this choice.

Unfortunately many people are not strong enough to change the way they lead based on what they wanted, so they just repeat what they experienced. This perpetuates what I call lazy leadership. Anyone can be mean, oppressive, stingy, lazy, selfish leaders, but who is willing to stand in the gap, break the cycle of their family, their city, their state, their company, their ministry, their nation? Ezekiel 45 says, “Thus says the Lord GOD, Enough, you princes of Israel; put away violence and destruction, and practice justice and righteousness. Stop your expropriations from My people, declares the Lord GOD.”

There are people who in the secret place have broken the pattern of leadership they have seen or experienced and are going to lead in a way that is beneficial to those who they are privileged to lead. King David led differently than King Saul, and many are about to arise who will lead differently in their family, in society, in their community and in their company. It may be look too good to be true, but there is a whole new way of leading arising in our generation.

Everyone is dressed in something. We are dressed in authority, power and glory or we are cloaked in shame, guilt and condemnation. Some people are dressed in lies and others are wrapped in truth. Some are wearing their history, while others are manifesting their future. Everyone is dressed in something and people can see what we are wearing. This reality goes for individuals, families, cities, states and nations.

When I was a youth pastor at a Lutheran Church in Washington state, that church was cloaked in tradition, but when I went to a small town in Missouri, they were dressed in revival. When I walked into cloaked in tradition, I was not wearing the right garments for the location in which I was standing. The first thing God did for me in revival was give me new clothes to wear. I had to take off the garments of tradition, if I was going to put on the garments of revival. What I was wearing needed to match where I was standing.

Colossians 3 says it this way, “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.” The Lord is calling us to wear the clothes of who we are called to be. This will mean putting off some old outfits that we used to wear in order to put on the new outfit God is giving us.

I was listening to Dutch Sheets on Give Him 15 this morning because the title “It’s Time For Miracles” caught my attention. Friends, we have to put off the cloak of infinity, oppression and iniquity and put on the new garments of healing, liberty and sanctification. God is about to cast off the demonic three fold cord that has bound us, but we must put on garments of praise He is giving us we can live in this new location He is providing for us. Who is ready for a change of clothes?

I walked into a worship night at my church last night and immediately I was greeted by the youth doing a fund raiser for camp. I continued in the doors and it was packed with young adults mingling and munching on food. I preceded to my left looking around and not seeing anyone I knew. I got bumped into by two people as they were on a mission to head to their destination. I proceeded outside to where I found the head of our hospitality team, said hi to her and continued around the outside of the building. I wondered who all these people were I did not know in my own church.

I arrive on the side of the building where I usually sit and I find many people I know. I tap on the window and they wave me in. I come and stand with them as worship is about to begin and I start to look around the room. Sprinkled throughout the room is many I know and many I don’t know. I love churches that are alive for they grow and when they do there will be people you do not know. I smiled as I scanned the room at the many faces then I shut my eyes and began to sing with all my heart.

The room was filled with the sound of worship. Some had hands raised, while others had arms folded. Some had tears falling down their faces and others were bowing down before God. Old and young, brown and white, visitors and members, all singing the same song to the same God. What a sight, what a sound. Then a young adult on the microphone began to sing a song I did not know, saying Jesus you are beautiful, the sound was the youth and young adults lifting their voices to Jesus. What a sound. The next song was about the Lion of Judah who had overcome and our apostolic leader Dustin led that song and the sound was different.

I asked the Lord what I was hearing between these two songs and He said, “It was the sound of the young lions declaring my beauty and the old lions declaring my overcoming glory.” The melding of the songs created a sound that sounded like a young lion and an old lion roaring in unity. The young lion was practicing their sound, the old lion had history with God and was releasing their sound. The two lions in the room released the sound of a roar that reverberated outside of those walls.

Can you hear the sound of the young and old lions? Can you feel the vibrations of the lion of the tribe of Judah marching across the land? Can you join the sound, whether you are an old lion or a young lion? Lions led by a lion is a powerful sound of the likes the earth is longing to hear. Release the sound of the Lion of lions of the tribe of Judah!

The greatest gift we can give each other is authenticity. To be authentic means to be pure in motives, speech, actions and attitudes. What hurts people more than anything is when we say one thing and do another not just in actions but in our hearts. This was one of the main issues Jesus had with the religious leaders of His day, they looked so spiritual but had little true love for God or people.

It is exhausting to be a hypocrite, for you have to continually “act” like someone you know in your heart you are not. This is not a “Christians” issue this is a humanity issue. I was watching Jeopardy yesterday and there was a man who was dressed like a woman with pearls around his neck, flowered dress on and heals. His outfit did not match his gender, which was obvious by his voice. He was acting like someone he was not. Hypocrit is a Greek word that means an actor; to pretend; to answer one on a stage; play acting.

I was praying Psalm 55 this morning when this subject came up in my spirit. Psalm 55:21 says, “His speech was smoother than butter, But his heart was war; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.” The Holy Spirit then reminded me of what Jesus said in Matthew 15:7-9 “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’” (I am not yelling, it is all caps in the Bible 🙂)

For us to be one with others, we must be one with ourselves. If we are saying one thing and doing another, thinking another, that means we are a divided house. As individuals we must be one by having what we speak be the truth about what we think. Our mouth and our motives must agree. We cannot fake it until we make it. We must be authentic because when we are not people can see it, they can hear it and they know we are acting and then they have little to no respect for us. It is way past time we repent of being a divided house individually and allow the Lord to make us structurally sound so we can release a song that shakes nations. No more acting, it is time to be authentic.

It’s a really Good Friday morning! I have been studying this morning and as I was reading Proverbs 24 about what happens to property when it is neglected, the Spirit of God said, “Nehemiah has seen the walls of America and is now getting permission from the king to start the rebuilding process.” Immediately I pivot to the book of Nehemiah and when I get to chapter 2 it says, “I said to the king, Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire? Then the king said to me, What would you request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king, If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” This is where were are right now.

Much more than we realize happens behind the scenes. Changes are happening and we can’t hear it or see it. No wonder we love that song that even when I don’t feel it your working, even when I don’t see it your working, you never stop, you never stop working. But God loves to share with us what is happening in places we can’t see and hear. Remember what was said about Elisha in 2 Kings 6 “One of his servants said, No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” God hears what kings speak about and reveals it to His mouthpieces so we the people can be in the know about what we do not know.

All that to say, this is really good news. The walls of America have been seen, the neglect is known, the Nehemiah is on the scene and when the call goes forth, here will be the response, “I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, Let us arise and build.” (Nehemiah 2:18). We are entering into a building season, we are about to rebuild families, cities, states, regions and nations. The days of neglect are over, the days to arise and build are upon us. Let’s go!!!!

There is a chaos crushing anointing that has been released on the earth. People of peace are crushing chaos in every area of society. Peace triumphs over chaos and the Lord has prepared a people of peace to crush chaos just as Paul said in Romans 16:20 “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”

I was in prayer this morning and the Lord spoke to me that “Waste is evidence of chaos and it takes peace to prosper and remain prosperous.” Anxiety, fear, doubt, shame, guilt, trepidation, arrogance, anger, criticism, bitterness, are all spirits of chaos that rob us of our prosperity. 3 John 2 says, “May you prosper even as your soul prospers.” The enemy loves to throw us into chaos so he can steal from us the resources God has given us. Peace is the answer to chaos. Peace crushes chaos.

Peace is self-control; peace is ruling over that which God has made you responsible for; peace is truth in our innermost being; peace is a mind at rest. Friends if we want to prosper we must be at peace. Peace precedes prosperity of body, soul, spirit and substance. We must be a people of peace and that is why the God of peace is crushing chaos under our feet.

The days of chaos are over and the era of peace is here. However, we must enter into the peace. We are so accustomed to chaos when peace shows up it is hard to enter into because we have lived in chaos for so long. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Striving is chaos; self-promotion is chaos; we must lean on and into the God of peace, who is the Prince of Peace who lives inside of us. Chaos is not compatible with peace this is why we are not operating by design. So, I declare peace be still to every storm inside of you in Jesus name. Peace is your portion and will bring you prosperity.

You know what one of the greatest character qualities about God is? I know there are so many, but one seems to stand out to me more than others. Yahweh, Yeshua, my God, the Lord of heaven and earth, the creator of all things, the Sovereign King, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, is selfless. This to me is the greatest character quality I see in God, not because I get my way every time I pray, but because the God I serve is selfless.

John 3:16 is a very often quoted verse for salvation, but it is a declaration of His character. “For God so loved the world He gave His only begottten Son…” Giving is a selfless act. John 13 says, “Jesus knowing who He was got down and washed His disciples feet…” Another example of being selfless. Paul said in Philippians 2, “Having the same mind as Christ who being in the very likeness of God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but humbled Himself…” There is no other God like this God. He did not come to earth to sit on a throne, to dictate and dominate us, Mark 10:45 says, “For the son of man did not come to serve but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.”

We are created in the image and likeness of this God, the servant, the humble, the foot washing God. This is our role model, this is our example, this is the one we are to emulate. Our God has a desire for us, He knows our desires, but He also has a desire and Psalm 51 says, “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.” The truth is, we have prioritized sitting over serving, fame over following, and receiving over giving. Friends, the truth of God’s character is revealed in the Word, and His desire is that His truth would be in us, so we can be like Him. I pray we would pivot quickly from wanting to be served, to serving so we look like Jesus to the world.

Microphones don’t make you prophetic, apostolic, evangelistic, pastoral or a teacher. Microphones don’t make you anointed to lead worship or make you a good singer. All microphones do is amplify your voice. If you don’t have a microphone, the enemy can tell you no one is listening to you; you do not have anything to say; you are not called. But it is just not true. The microphone is not your calling, it is only a tool to amplify what God is saying to you.

I got a voice message this morning from a friend who does not have a microphone, but she did have a dream from God. In her dream the Lord spoke very clearly to her to make a declaration over this nation and when she did, the decree would manifest immediately. She said the dream was filled with such hope. I shared with her some scripture to establish the truth of her dream, but as I was thinking about her dream, I had a flash vision of a weather radar and a storm is coming.

Her dream activated this flash vision of a weather radar of a storm coming. As in her dream, the storm is coming to cleanse the land, but a storm is coming. Proverbs 10:25 says, “When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.” The challenge is people know a storm is coming, but are not doing anything to prepare for this storm and the Lord spoke to me so clearly and said Luke 12:54-56, “He was also saying to the crowds, When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?”

My friends a storm is coming, my friend saw it in her dream and I saw it on the radar in the spirit. It is not coming to destroy us, but to rescue us from wickedness, but a storm is coming. John Paul Jackson saw it in newspaper headlines; David Wilkerson saw it and wrote about it, it was a long way off then, but according to my friends dream and the radar I saw it is upon us. It is going to wash away wickedness and establish righteousness, but a storm is coming. Fear not, but it is about to hit any day now.