Month: March 2025

Giving is a kingdom principle that does not need to taught to people who love the Lord their God and love their neighbor as themselves. Lovers are givers. If you struggle with giving the issue is not with giving the issue is with love. Fruit inspectors want to know what is being produced because fruit is an indication of the health of the tree. You my friends are trees, you are called to bear fruit, but many Christian trees are bearing bad fruit, because they have lost their first love.

Love unlocks in us the ability to respond to the voice of God, the voice of people, and the voice of culture. When we return to our first love, we activate our ability to respond to what we hear. Our response is to be generous on all occasions for when you know you are loved, you will freely give of yourself to others and to God Himself. In this giving of yourself, you reveal that you have access to abundance and no one needs to tell you to give, for you have nothing to fear, for perfect love has cast out all fear.

In Judges 8 there is a story about some men of Succoth (booths, tents, tabernacles, crowd, multitudes) who would did not love their fellow countrymen and it was evidenced in their actions. “Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. So he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” And the officials of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?””

The men of Succoth could not see the victory about to be experienced, so they did not support the ones who were in hot pursuit of the enemy kings that were stealing their harvest. Instead of loving their neighbor, they ignored the need and refused to sow any seed. It wasn’t about the bread, it was about their lack of love for their neighbor and for God who was defeating their enemies.

Friends, we must return to our first love. We must remember what we did when we first got saved. We must love abundantly both God and or neighbor by being generous on all occasions with our words, our works and our wealth. We are one holy nation, one royal priesthood, one people who belong to God and each other. Please, return to your first love, we need your love unlocked so we can advance the kingdom of God together.

Battles are exhausting, but they are necessary for us to overcome an enemy. Apathy is the reason we do not have victory over the enemy. Jesus defeated the devil on the cross. Jesus disarmed him, making a public spectacle of him according to Colossians 2:15. We have been deputized by Jesus Himself, not to defeat the devil, the devil is already defeated, we are called to enforce the victory Jesus won on the cross. We are deputized as enforcers.

When we refuse to enforce what was won, we then have a battle on our hands, because we have not kept Satan under our feet. All is not lost, for most of us have not been taught how to be more than a conqueror, how to be an overcome, how to operate as a deputy for the kingdom of God. But it is a new day and there is a new sheriff in town. Christ in you is the hope of glory and you have been authorized to put the defeated devil back under your feet.

Judges 7 lets us know we will first conquer the princes, before we get to the kings. The two princes we must put under our feet are the spirit of Oren and Zeeb. Oreb means raven and Zeeb means wolf. Oreb and Zeeb are the princes seeking to block your blessings of water and wine. “They captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.” Once you put these two princes under your feet the blessings of water from the rock and wine from the press will flow again.

Judges 8 then says, we may be exhausted from the battle but we must keep pursuing until we defeat the two kings Zalmunna and Zebah whose names mean deprived of protection. These kings will be defeated for they are without protection, but we can’t settle for only defeating the princes and being blessed, we must conquer the kings who are deprived of protection so we are not robbed by the spirit of Midian anymore. Come on warriors with shofars, don’t stop the pursuit, we have kings to overcome.

A Psalm a day I pray, a Proverb a day I read, before going into whatever book of the Bible I am saturating myself in. I have consistently done this for years and I have found the Lord has themes aligned for specific moments and specific situations. I could not orchestrate it if I tried, for the Lord is omniscient, all knowing. He knows who I love and who I pray for and what they need, so He throws truth on my path so I know what He is wanting me to pray, wanting me to say, to encourage them I am standing for and with.

Today was no different, I was praying Psalm 58 and it speaks about wicked people, who breath out lies and who are seeking to destroy people’s lives. Then it speaks of the decree I am make so justice can be seen. Here is how Psalm 58:6-7 says to decree it, “O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD! Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.” When someone is seeking to destroy someone you love, we know it is a spirit not a person, so we deal Biblically with the spirit of wickedness in the spirit.

After making this decree, I wrote…when you pursue justice it will not come without a battle, because thieves and robbers love to steal, but they don’t like to experience recompense. Unjust judges love to take bribes, but they hate righteousness, which is true justice. Just like when Paul cast the demon out of the slave girl in Acts 19, it disrupted the corrupt cash flow in Ephesus. Paul started a fight when he sought to restore righteousness to the region.

I then turn to Proverbs 28 and it says in verse 5 “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.” We serve a God who loves justice, who has a throne that is seated on righteousness and who is declaring the thief has been caught. It is a battle, but the victory is won. Entering a battle that is already won does not mean we do not need to fight, but it removes the lies rob us of our peace.

To all those in a battle, I am here to tell you, righteousness is the rule of the day. Justice is prevailing. The wicked are fleeing at a pace that is unprecedented. Fear not, go to war, take the land, follow the Lord Sabaoth, for He is fighting for you and you will see these enemies no longer after this battle is over.

God Almighty is creator of everything. Some of His creation He has used to work for His people and other things in creation He has used to discipline His people. But whether working for or against God’s people, God Himself stayed in charge over His creation.

In prayer this morning the Lord spoke to me and said, “What came to devour has now become power.” He went on to say, “The locust that came to devour are now a mighty army of power, working for you not against you.”

Friends, locusts are under the control of God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. The Joel 1 locusts, “What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.” They came to devour the land as a form of discipline, but have now been sent to devour our enemies not us.

The Joel 2 locusts, “Their appearance is like the appearance of horses, and like war horses they run. As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble, like a powerful army drawn up for battle.” These are for us not against us, they are working to devour the enemy surrounding us.

God is using the same locusts for two different purposes. The enemy is being consumed by the locusts of the Lord. “What came to devour has now become power.” The power of the Lord is being seen as the Lord is cleansing the land with the locusts that once sought to destroy us, but are now working for us.

Like fresh cut grass, the smell of spring is in the air. The sound of salvation is in the streets. The rivers of God are making a highway of holiness and many many many are leaping, dancing and praising God. The land is rejoicing for the locusts are not here to devour, but have come as the power of God to heal not harm.

What we are accustomed to is what we listen to. The voices we believe are the ones that affirm our history, rather than pave our future. When we got saved, our confession of faith made our spirit brand new (2 Corinthians 5:17); but we must read the word of God in order to renew our minds (Romans 12:2).

Our minds are like railroads of thinking, thoughts come barreling down the tracks like trains. Whistles blowing, lights flashing, warning anyone nearby to watch out, stay off the tracks or get run over. The Lord is inviting us to lay some new tracks in our mind, so we can allow the glory train to run on our tracks. The glory train picks up passengers along the way it doesn’t run people over who get in our way.

I see the land being healed, but a healed land needs a healed people. We salt rivers, blow shofars, pour oil on the soil, all in preparation for a healed land to receive the gift of a healed people. Our healing as people is critical, because the land is being healed and we are the perfect match for the land.

Joel 2 says, ““Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things!”

The Lord is simulataneously healing the land and people, so when the people take the land for the glory of God, everything will produce life. Our words will be filled with life, our thoughts will be running on the tracks the glory train rides on and everything will come alive.

I can hear the train whistle in the background, and it is evidence of God doing great things for the land and for His people.

For about a week or more I have been hearing the Holy Spirit whisper, “The enemy is at the gate, seeking to intimidate, so you do not enter the gate and begin to dictate what God is going to do.” It has been over and over again that I am hearing this gentle whisper, “The enemy is at the gate, seeking to intimidate…”

Listening to people, I hear the enemy at the gate. Knowing what is happening in my own life, I hear the enemy at the gate. This morning an article pops up on Facebook, the truth of it is hard to find on official websites, but the message was clear. The enemy is at the gate.

“Bears Form Unprecedented Blockade at Yellowstone Entrance
Yellowstone National Park – Tourists hoping to take in the breathtaking landscapes and geothermal wonders of Yellowstone were met with an unexpected natural phenomenon Monday morning: an impenetrable wall of bears. Hundreds—possibly thousands—of grizzly and black bears have gathered at the park’s entrances, blocking all roads and refusing to budge, causing traffic delays, camper evacuations, and an existential crisis among park rangers. “We’ve seen bears near the gates before, but never like this,” said Yellowstone wildlife biologist Dr. Henry Clawson, watching nervously from a safe distance. “It’s almost as if they’re organizing. And that’s… deeply unsettling.”

Here is the good news, if the enemy is at the gate, you are about to enter in and possess new land, new territory, new opportunity. If the enemy is at the gate, there is a fear tactic released to keep you from possessing what God is promising. Fear not, press in, don’t stop advancing.

Psalm 24 says, “Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.”

Isaiah 62 says, “Go through, go through the gates, Clear a way for the people! Build up, build up the highway, Remove the stones, lift up a flag over the peoples.”

Matthew 16 has something to say as well, “And I tell you that you are Peter,and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Friends, the enemy is at the gate because you are at the gate. You are entering in with thanksgiving to possess the land, the territory, the opportunity. Do not fear the enemy at the gate, his intimidation is because of his fear of you. Crush his head, crossover, go through, the land is waiting for you to come in.

When we read our bibles, we come across verses that on the surface seem to be hard to understand, but when we lean into them they unlock insight into situations we may have never considered before. Most people don’t read the Old Testament because they don’t know the character of God, don’t know the culture of the East, and don’t have anyone to teach them what God is saying through Israel’s history and journey with God.

I was reading in Judges 1 this morning and I came across verses 6-7 that says, “Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. And Adoni-bezek said, Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” Now on first glance this verse may not have much meaning to the causal observer, but when we lean into it there is something powerful the Lord is saying.

If you cut off someone’s thumbs and big toes you render them limited at least, but unproductive for sure. Our thumbs and big toes are major players in our functioning as a body. If you can’t use your hands and your feet it hinders your ability to produce. Therefore, this act was done as a way to render this evil king unproductive in his pursuit of Israel in battle. Then to read this evil king did this exact thing to 70 other kings is insightful as well.

Some have said the thumb and big toe is representative of the apostolic ministry in the church. The 12 disciples were called the 12 apostles of Jesus. Paul was considered an apostle who carried the revelation message, Christ in you the hope of glory to the Gentiles. If the apostolic is cut off so is the spirit of wisdom and revelataion given to the church, which makes us unproductive.

I heard the spirit of God say, “I have given the church back their thumbs and big toes, the apostolic has been restored to the church”. Not everyone believes this, but it is the truth and the restoration of the apostolic to the church is increasing our productivity as the body of Christ. This is not a title, this is a function, and with the restoration of the apostolic comes the ability to function by design as a body. Thank you Lord for restoring the apostolic thumbs and big toes to your church and for removing the thumbs and big toes of our enemies. This is a bigger deal than many realize.

I don’t know what you are waiting for, but I am waiting for glory. I was reading Titus this morning and when I got to chapter 2 I was shouting Hallelujah, send your glory, I want to see your glory. Listen to what Paul says to Titus, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:9-11)

Friends, some people are pointing you to look for gloom, but the Bible is pointing you to look for glory. I don’t know about you, but what I am looking for determines what I want to see. If I am looking for gloom and doom, I am going to see everything negative happening in the world. I am going to speak all the bad things I see. But, if I am looking for glory, I am going to see all the gold in the earth, in people, in the age in which we live. I am looking for glory, not gloom.

Moses said in Exodus 33, “Show me your glory!!!!” Ruth Heflin was a woman who was in pursuit of the glory. Everyone of her books has the word glory in the title. Revival Glory, Harvest Glory, Golden Glory, River Glory, she wanted to see the glory and so do I. Friends, pray for the glory to be manifested, the glory to be revealed, the glory to come. Jesus Christ is the glory of God and He lives in you. Can you see that you are a carrier of glory? It is time that we the church, ask for glory, look for glory, cry out for glory. It makes me shout “GLORY!”

Loving people, pulling the gold out of them and building them up not tearing them down is what we are called to do as believers in Jesus Christ. The Bible says “A bruised reed he will not crush, a smoldering wick he will not put out.” (Matthew 12:20). Jesus was a people builder. Everywhere He went He was raising the dead, casting out demons, healing the sick, giving recovery of sight to the blind, teaching the truth about the gospel of the kingdom, rebuking the devil and training the people of God to do the work of the ministry.

Jesus modeled what loving people looked like. He let women sit at His feet. He called fishermen, tax collectors and bible scholars to follow Him. He went to people’s home and ate meals. He taught in synagogues. He sat in boats and on mountain tops in order to liberate captive people. He would pray at night while others were sleeping and He would fast while others were eating. Jesus loved His Father and He loved people.

Insecure people manifest arrogance because they think so lowly of themselves, so they have to think more highly of themselves. Romans 12:3 says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” When you see arrogance you are actually seeing insecurity.

Insecurity comes from being criticized and tore down in the formative and consecutive years, rather than being built up. Tearing down arrogance is not how we handle insecure people, building them up is how we handle them. Confident people are humble people, because they know who they are internally. They have been built inside strong.

When you meet people, listen to what they say, so you can either reinforce their confidence with words of life or build them ancient ruins others tore down with words of life. We are an Ephesians 4:29 people, “And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them.” We are builders of people!

Time…it is a bigger word than any of us realize. I was driving home this morning from dropping something off and I saw a sign that said, “Make the most of today, for it will never happen again.”

Time is always moving forward and never looking back. We as people have been placed in an earth realm that is governed by time. We have times we regret, times we cherish, times we missed and times we will never forget. Everyone has the same amount of time in a day, but not everyone uses their currency called time the same way.

The challenge with time is we cannot blame anyone else for what we chose to do with our time. We can explain ourselves, we can get mad at others or ourselves, but the truth is, time is a currency and we choose how we spend it everyday.

On March 24, 1994 in a Sunday night service in Smithton, MO, the people in attendance at that time, witnessed the power of God in a way that changed their lives forever. Those in that first service, were eye witnesses to what God did in what they thought was going to be an ordinary Sunday night service, but God had other plans.

There are moments in time when God chooses to do something with a group of people. We are not privy to it being on the calendar, it is spontaneous to us, but planned by God Himself. Those times happen and if we miss them we wished we had been there.

Friends, the apostles of Jesus, who began as disciples, said yes, when this rabbi, who was the Messiah, invited them to come follow Him. Everyone of them dropped what they were doing and followed immediately. This was the best decision of their lives in ways they could not see at the time.

I pray you do not miss moments in time where God comes down in a room of people and does creative miracles. I pray you spend your time on what has eternal value. I pray you prioritize what you value, so you are in the right place at the right time, for the kingdom of God is breaking into rooms in ways I have not seen since those days in Smithton, MO. It’s time!!!!