Month: May 2025

Placing a premium value on independence has done as much, if not more harm than good. Independence is actually a sign of distrust, immaturity and pride. Why do I say this? Because when we live with a high value on individuality, we actually miss the opportunity to come into the kingdom of God on earth.

The kingdom of God is a dependent culture of honor. We are to enter like little children. Children are called dependents. We are invited to come into a kingdom that has a King and others who are children. Children is not childish, it is childlike. Our independence has hindered our ability to enter into the kingdom.

Another challenge we face is we do not value legacy. We expect our kids to chart their own course, pave their own way, create their own path. It sounds so fun, but it is the hardest thing to do and it actually does not allow us to advance, because we always have to learn it on our own.

When we surrender our independence, lean on others, trust the Lord and His people, we will enter the kingdom, embrace legacy and three generations will walk together to advance the kingdom. The older generation has wisdom we need, the younger generation has energy we need, the middle generation gets to glean from both and together all three advance the kingdom.

Psalm 105 says it this way, “He has remembered His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded to a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac. Then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan As the portion of your inheritance.”

There are no self-made people in the kingdom of God. It is a culture of dependence and honor. To enter you must lay down your culture of independence, for in the kingdom we are dependent on our King (Jesus) and each other.

Did you know that how you see something determines what you believe about what it is you are seeing? More often than not we see something and do not think much about what we see, because we are so familiar with what we see, so we assume what we think about what we see is correct.

One of our challenges is we do not challenge our own thinking, therefore we remain in a state of stagnation because we live without dated information. Have you ever asked yourself when is the last time I did an update on the way I think? We update our phones, our computers, our televisions, but the greatest technology we have is our thoughts, yet many of us never update the way we think.

God has released some incredible updates for the way we think, but we must hit the install now button in our heart, so He can download some new ways of thinking inside of us. This will also remove some bugs that have hindered our operating system. He is Ancient Intelligence and He knows everything, His updates are always upgrades for our benefit, if we will take the time to receive them and let Him restart our systems.

Here is the upgrade I received today from Proverbs 14:11 “The house of the wicked will be destroyed, But the tent of the upright will flourish.” A house sounds more stable than a tent and yet it is not about the structure it is about who is dwelling inside of it. No matter how stable, strong and settled wickedness looks, it is going to be destroyed. The Lord said, “Don’t let the structure make you think one is stronger than the other.”

My upgrade is I would rather be with the righteous in a tent and flourishing than be with the wicked in a house that looks stable but is being destroyed. We cannot be moved by what we see, but rather we need to be upgraded in the way we think. Say it with me…”UPGRADE MY SYSTEM!”

Proximity is about power and responsibility. When we are gifted with proximity to people, it is not something to be treated lightly. Proximity is not given freely, it is given over time. It takes time spent to gain proximity in someone’s life. There is an investment made; sacrifices are given; trust is built; before proximity is granted.

Proximity is power, not because we are associated with their name, their resources or their influence, it is power because we have been given the privilege of being brought near to them. With this power of proximity comes great responsibility. We are responsible to care for their heart, protect their secrets and treasure the trust they gave us.

Many people desire proximity, but not everyone is willing to pay the price to have it; most are not willing to invest the time and energy to obtain it. Most people want the benefits they see that come from proximity, but they are not willing to make the investment to obtain it. This goes for people and God.

Deuteronomy 10:8 says, “At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD to stand before the LORD to minister to him and to bless in his name, to this day.” God chose one tribe out of twelve to have proximity to His presence, but it came with the three distinct responsibilities.

1. To stand before the Lord (intercede)
2. To minister to Him (worship)
3. To bless in His name (speak over others blessings)

Every tribe had a different role to play in the nation. The tribe of Levi was given proximity to the ark of the covenant, the presence of God and it came with great responsibility. Many people want access to God’s presence (proximity) but they don’t want the responsibility of interceding for others; ministering to God in worship; and blessing people in His name.

God is generous, loving, patient, kind, gracious, powerful, strong and nothing is impossible with Him, so when you have proximity to Him there is responsibility expected from Him. We must be like Him if we want proximity to Him, for we represent HIm. Proximity is available to all who are willing to die to themselves in order to represent Him. He is always wanting us to come closer in proximity to Him.

What feels like walking in the dark is not evil darkness it is the darkness called the unknown. Interpreting correctly the darkness we are walking through is important. If you are living in sin, yes it is evil darkness, but if you are following the Lord and it is dark, that is the unknown, not evil.

In prayer this morning the Lord and I were discussing this and when He showed me the darkness is the unknown not evil, He started speaking to me about the Abrahamic Anointing that is on people right now who are walking in the dark, but it is not evil, it is unknown.

Hebrews 11:8-10 says, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”

The Abraham Anointing is what is on the those who are obeying God, but still feel like they are not clear, can’t see where they are going, and don’t understand what they have done wrong. You know who you are. But the Lord would say to us today, it is not evil, it is not delay, it is not denial, it is unknown, because of the Abraham Anointing on us.

The call to those who have the Abraham Anointing is to obey God and keep pressing on to the city that has foundations whose designer and builder is God. The city is not something man built, that is why it is unknown, they can’t look back to find it, they must keep their faces forward and their feet following the Lord in obedience. The Abraham Anointing is on a company of people on earth right now and they must not settle, they must keep moving, for the city is a bride and she belongs to Christ and this is what God is building.

Growing up in North Minneapolis, we would cut through yards to get to our friends house. My back door was only one cut through yard to my dear friend’s house. He and I were tight, we went to school together, we hung out together, our families were friends, it was so nice having him only one street over from me growing up.

Being teenagers in the 80’s was so different than today. Our parents disciplined us, and sometimes even publicly without shame. I would get a pinch under the arm, a swat on the butt or even a look while in the mall that I knew I was to get back in line immediately. It was not abuse, it was called discipline and it trained me to be responsible, it caused me to mature, and it taught me how to treat my mom and other people.

My friend across the street had a similiar upbringing. I remember one time coming through the yard to come see him and his mom was disciplining one of the kids in the front yard. I knew to wait til she was done, so I paused before preceeding over there.

Discipline is where the word disciple comes from. If we don’t want to be disciplined we are not disciples. Then if we are leaders, we are under even stricter discipline first privately, but if we don’t respond, then publicly. We are living in a time of public discipline by the Lord on His leaders in both church and culture. It has gone public for some and is happening privately for others.

Psalm 99 says, “Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon his name. They called to the LORD, and he answered them. In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them; they kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them. O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.”

We love God’s forgiveness but He is also an avenger. An avenger means “God held them accountable not to destroy them but to discipline them —- especiallly since they were leaders. God held them to a higher standard. Discipline was correction not destruction. God as an avenger means accountability.” (ChatGPT)

The God who is an avenger is disciplining not destroying people publicly. It is time for us to pause, hold our tongue and watch, not comment, criticize or condemn those who are being disciplined. If you grew up with discipline, you know both biblicallly and personally we only discipline those we love. God loves us so much He is being an avenger with His leaders in church and culture, because He has forgiven them but He needs to discipline them to show them He loves them.

When something is allusive, hard to figure out, confusing or a mystery that seems confounding there is a good chance it is because either the truth has yet to be revealed or there is a deliberate concealing taking place.

For years I wondered what does the phrase, “the fear of the Lord” mean. Was I supposed to be afraid of God; was God so awesome and powerful, that I was to live in fear of Him. Oh the many thoughts I struggled with wondering what does this simple yet profound phrase actually mean.

Then you add that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and now if I want wisdom, I need to understand the fear of the Lord and the puzzle seemed to get more and more hard to assemble in order to see the truth about this phrase, the fear of the Lord.

Throughout the whole Old Covenant, the message about Jesus as the coming Messiah was always there. It was hidden until Jesus Christ was revealed on earth as noted by the gospel writers. They knew the words, for the Hebrew people were avid readers of the Torah, the Psalms, and the Prophets, but it wasn’t until Jesus was revealed, that they saw the truth that was always there.

We are living in a time in history where the truth that has always been there is being revealed. What used to be hard to understand because of deliberate concealing, is now being revealed and setting people free. It is happening everywhere. We are in a holy visitation.

What then does the fear of the Lord mean? Proverbs 8 tells us, “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” Not only does Solomon tells us what the fear of the Lord is, He tells us what evil we are to hate. Simple, straightforward and right there in Proverbs 8.

The body of Christ is about to have a revelation of the fear of the Lord and as we do, the honor of God will be restored to the house of God, so we can experience a biblical move of God. Mystery solved.

When I first became a Christian, back in 1989, one of the first lessons I learned was about the body, soul and spirit. What I was taught was, the spirit is supposed to lead, the soul and body are to follow. I was told if the body or flesh leads then we will get into situations that are challenging for the spirit will not follow the flesh. It was a simple teaching, but it helped me understand with a visual, like that of a train, how to be led by the spirit and not by my flesh. Maybe you were taught something similar many years ago. 

This morning, I am praying Psalm 97 and the Holy Spirit reveals to me, not a train, but a processional. This procession is Psalm 97:3 “Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.” What I saw was fire in the front, then the Lord next and finally I saw the body of Christ following behind the Lord. It was a processional I saw in the spirit. 

The Lord began to speak to me and said, “If you stay in your place in the processional, I will deal with the enemies before you even arrive.” I immediately saw how the fire of God leads to consume all the adversaries, so when the Lord goes in the enemy is already dealt with and then we follow. I sense we get into battles we were never meant to fight because we are in the wrong location in the processional. 

Fire goes first, then the Lord, then us. This order keeps us safe, keeps the enemy dealt with by the Lord and then we walk in the victory He already won for us. The challenge is we like to run ahead of the processional, for we do not like the pace, nor the timing of God. We think He is moving to slow and we think we know more than He does. We must get back in the processional of God and follow, not try to lead. 

It is the same thing I learned when I first got saved. It is always for our safety, not for our stiffling. Get in the procession of God behind the fire, and behind the Lord, it will make this journey a lot less wearisome, because we are not fighting battles the fire of God was created to win on our behalf. Follow the fire friends, even if the pace is not your preference it is leading the processional.

Did you know that everyone has picked the path that they have chosen to walk on? Not everyone is walking on the same path, even if everyone says that they are a Christian.

Jeremiah 6:16 says, “Thus says the Lord, stand by the crossroads and look, and ask for the ancient path, where the good way is, and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” There is always more than one path to choose. The power of choice is a gift from a good Father. There are two paths laid out for us and we get to choose which one we want to walk on.

This is an invitation to Christians, to believers, to those who go to church. The two path choices are actually found in Proverbs 4, where it says, “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.”

One path is always flooded with light, is always about Day and the ability to get brighter and brighter and brighter. The other path is about darkness, it causes stumbling, and it gets darker, darker and darker. Your view of the future or of the current reality in which we live is determined by which path you are on. There are Christians on both paths. There are preachers giving you either a Bright future and present reality understanding and there are preachers, who are giving you a dark, doom and gloom reality and future.

We speak based on what we see, which is related to which path we are on. But only one path was made for the righteous. The other path was made for the wicked. Jesus is on the path that gets brighter and brighter. Following him will lead to more and more light . He will not lead you into darkness for the Bible says that he is the light of the world therefore wherever he is, there will be light and it will get brighter and brighter and brighter. Enjoy your Sunday morning and may you get on the path that is lit with the light of the world.

What never ceases to amaze me is how different destinations and various locations unlock in us fresh revelations. When we live with an open ear to hear what the spirit is saying, He will speak from the land on which you are standing. Psalm 24 tells us “the Earth is the Lords and the fullness there of”. Every land we place our foot on releases to us what is on it and in it if we are open to receive it.

Being in the Houston area this weekend, I have learned much about the land on which I’m standing. With nearly 4,000,000 people in this area the traffic is bountiful to say the least. I asked my host, “Why have so many people have come to Houston?” The answer was one word… Oil. People flock to Houston because there is money in oil.

While in prayer this morning, the Lord said to me, “It wasn’t coincidental that the first place you were taken to was an oil store.” My host took me into a location where anointing oil was made, and it was a pure delight experience for me and the first one I had on this trip. Then we went to another friend’s house and she told me about her Olive tree in her backyard as we did a tour of her property. Yet again, the theme of oil has come up while in this area.

Now this morning during my prayer time, I start singing a phrase, Holy Spirit you are the oil and the wine. While singing this over and over again, the Holy Spirit dropped the verse in Revelation 6:6 into my spirit that says “Do not harm the oil and the wine”.

The apocalyptic literature of Revelation 6:6 has to do with inflated prices and political conflict, but the hope in these passages is that there is a declaration from the throne of God that says “Chaos has boundaries and it is not allowed to touch the oil and the wine”. The rabbinical Jews believed that national or international conflict and chaos was a form of purging or preparing for messianic redemption. No wonder John said do not touch the oil and the wine.

No matter what you may be going through right now, never forget God has put boundaries on conflicts and chaos and has declared over your situation. Do not touch the oil and the wine in that person‘s life, in that nation, in that community, in that church, in that city. The boundary line has been set and will not be crossed so when the dust settles get ready because God is about to unlock the vats of oil and the barrels of wine inside of you.

I am in Katy Texas for a conference in which I will be speaking at this weekend. This morning, while sitting on the back porch, the Lord began to speak to me through Psalm 92 and as I was praying six white birds that look like doves flew in front of me. Nature has a way of communicating with the word of God is saying.

Psalm 92 says, declares steadfast love in the morning and faithfulness at night. Steadfast love is a devoted, loyal love that is not earned. Every morning the Lord is declaring his steadfast love to us. It’s a loyal enduring love that is expressed through action, especially within covenantal relationships. It is the Hebrew word chesed.

What I found interesting is that the word morning carries with it the symbolism of Hope, clarity, and renewal. The Lord is declaring he loves us steadfastly, and he wants us to know it in the morning because it will give us hope and this is not a Love that we earned. It is a love that brings clarity and a love that brings renewal.

But not only in the morning does the Lord make a decree, He also makes one at night. He declares his faithfulness at night. Faithfulness is reliable constantcy, in darkness or uncertainty. It means to be firm, trustworthy, reliable, it is not an internal conviction, but an external dependability. It is the Hebrew word, emunah. It is a relational word, a lived trust, not an abstract belief. It’s a statement that declares he never abandons and never breaks covenant.

When we don’t see his kindness because the morning has given way to night, we can always trust his faithfulness because he is always reliable. Psalm 92 says declare steadfast love in the morning and faithfulness at night. Our God is for us not against us whether we can see it or not.