Mark 12:1-12 “Then he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. And again, he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so, it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally, he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So, they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?” When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So, they left him and went away” (NRSV).
History has a way of being cyclical, it repeats itself, therefore, it is imperative that we learn from history, in order to not repeat the things in the past that were not effective as it pertained to the advancing of the kingdom of God. As we read the gospels, it is easy to just see them as stories, but they were actually a reconfiguring of ideas, thought patterns and ways of doing life as a spiritual being. If you aren’t careful, you can read the gospels and miss the messages that Jesus was telling them and that He is telling us.
In this parable, Jesus was letting us know that we were given a vineyard (a group of people, family, community), that we were invited to be a steward over a vineyard, but when it came to harvest time, He (the Father/owner) could take from His vineyard whatever He wanted. The challenge was then and is now, that many who have been called to be vineyard stewards, have actually become vineyard owners. In the process of stewardship, the subtle shift to ownership took place. This is understandable, for those who really want to give their best to anything need to have a sense of ownership in that thing. The challenge is, once you crossover into ownership, you now believe the vineyard is yours and the fruit of that vineyard belongs to you.
I believe we are in harvest season right now in the kingdom of God. I believe God is harvesting grapes (people) from His vineyard right now as we speak. I believe, what many see as a harvest of unbelievers coming is correct, but I think there is a harvest happening right now of believers. God, the owner of the vineyard (Psalm 24:1), is coming for His fruit, those who are mature, those who are ripe, those who are prepared to be gathered. Many leaders are wondering why so many people are leaving their churches, I believe this is why. It is harvest time! People are hearing the voice of God calling them out of the religious systems they have been in. Calling them to follow Jesus, not a church leader, calling them to discipleship with Jesus Himself. They are hearing the words of Jesus, “Follow Me!”
Just as in the parable, the workers crossed over to believing they were owners and therefore, could control the vineyard, control the temple and control those who were coming to it. Mark 12:12 says, “When they (the temple leaders) realized that He (Jesus) had told this parable against them…” The temple leaders of that time knew Jesus was speaking about them. This is how we know that leaders are the ones who have subtly shifted from being stewards of people and places to believing they are the owner; the one who decides how things are going to go; when, where and for how long. We say we want to be led by the spirit, but our services are completely scripted. God is harvesting His people out of these systems.
Luke 4:18-19 says, “The spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor, He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” Who are these people? I have heard many times they are unbelievers, outsiders, Gentiles if you will, but Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep in Israel” (Matthew 15:24). So, is it possible, that Jesus came to preach, release, recover the sight, set free and proclaim favor to those locked in a system that was not producing life? If we look at all the people Jesus encountered in the temple and in the land of Israel, we see the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed are those He set free. I think Luke 4:18-19 is a salvation declaration for the nation that was locked in a religious system.
So, why was He calling them out of the system? What we see in scripture is that Jesus called them out, to reconfigure the way they think, so they could join a movement, that would advance the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. He moved them out of the temple and into a kingdom, a movement, that would be quoted in the Acts 17:6 to have turned the world upside down. I believe what we are seeing is not people who are weak, rebellious, or unspiritual leaving churches, but rather those who are hearing Jesus say, “Come, follow Me!”. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day did not like Jesus coming to reap His harvest anymore then church leaders like people leaving their church now. History is repeating itself, because we have yet to learn the lesson that it is about stewardship not ownership.
Author: lisagreatenebeli
I am a wife, mother, author, speaker, blogger, and Founder of the Apostolic Resource Center www.apostolicresourcecenter.org
What Are You Hearing?
Is God saying more than one thing at one time? Is He declaring one thing to you and another thing to me about the same nation? Is the Lord the author of confusion? In a social media world, there are many benefits, people who do not have a platform for a variety of reasons, can use social media to get their message out. But social media is extremely dangerous as well, for it is riddled with confusion as many self-proclaimed and self-appointed prophets are saying, “Thus says the Lord.” With many people on a spiritual quest, one of the places they are looking for spiritual insight is online, but the challenge is, the church, Christians are proclaiming many things that are not biblically accurate. This is both dangerous for the hearer and the speaker, for the Bible is not silent on the issue of making declarations that God did not make.
Ezekiel 13:1-3 says, “Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, Listen to the word of the LORD! ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing.…” (NASB). Jeremiah 23:15-17 says, “For from the prophets of Jerusalem Pollution has gone forth into all the land.'” Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD. “They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD has said, “You will have peace “‘; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’…” (NASB).
Yahweh speaks with clarity, not confusion. He is not speaking many things at the same time, He has so much authority He only needs to speak one thing at a time. One word from heaven has the authority and power to transform the earth. As prophets in training, the first thing that must be learned is how to discern the voice of God, amidst all the other voices. Many people who prophesy, don’t know the word of God in context, so their prophecies are of their own making. One of the greatest challenges we face in Christianity today is the inability for people to hear the voice of God. Because this is an epidemic in the church, many people are looking to those who say they hear God to tell them what God is saying. The challenge with this is, if God is not saying it, but they are told God said it, then they get disappointed for they thought God said something God never said.
1 Corinthians 14 says, all should desire to prophesy and in the book of Numbers, Moses said, he wished all of God’s people prophesied. But in order to prophesy, you need to know the word of God, for that is the first step in hearing the voice of God. The second indicator of whether you are hearing God is if what you are hearing is being confirmed by those who are seasoned at hearing the voice of God. For example, the Lord spoke to me and said, 2017 is a year of Victory, I posted this on January 1st on my Facebook page, then today, Chuck Pierce came out with a video today that declared 2017 the year of Victory and Bill Johnson of Bethel Church in Redding, CA said at their Sunday morning service on January 1st, that the word God gave him for 2017 is Breakthrough. So, when men and women that are known for hearing the voice of God are saying the same thing you are hearing, it is a good indicator you are hearing God and not your vain imagination.
The Bible says to whom much has been given, much is required. If you have not been given much, not much is required of you, but if you want to be given more, than be a good steward of what you have been given. You have been given your Bible, it is the voice of God to you and to the nations, but it must be righty applied. 2017 is a year of Victory, for you to experience victory, you must learn to hear the voice of God. You hear the news, you hear your family and friends, you hear what others are saying on social media, but can you hear the voice of God in His word? What are you hearing? Hearing the voice of God is the key to the abundant life. He loves to talk, that is why you have a Bible, my prayer is that this year, you will hear His voice.
Double Doors
Psalm 24:7-10 “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. Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—he is the King of glory.”
In Luke 1 we read about two women, one is older, married, barren and of the priestly line of Aaron; the other woman is young, a virgin, and engaged to someone of the kingly line of David. Two women, both childless, one older, the other younger, as I am reading about these two women, Elizabeth and Mary, the Lord speaks to me and says, “DOUBLE DOORS”. I had recently listened to a sermon where the Rabbi said, women are doors that open us to new dimensions, so the idea of women as doors was not uncommon to me. The story of Elizabeth as the future mother of John the Baptist and Mary the future mother of Jesus was not foreign to me either, but when the Lord put it all together in one phrase, double doors, I knew He was speaking something significant for this hour.
Throughout scripture we see pictures of people who could be considered double doors, such as: Deborah and Jael (Judges 4); Naomi and Ruth (Ruth 1); the 12-year-old girl and the woman with the 12-year issue of blood (Luke 8); so the idea of double doors is not rare, but rather common in scripture. Paul talks about a spirit of wisdom and revelation; Jesus spoke about the two greatest commandments and Moses came down the mountain with two tablets of stone. But, what I wanted to know is, what these double doors signify to us prophetically in this hour.
As I was in prayer about this phrase double doors, I began to think about what double doors represent. The first thought I had was they represent a wider entry way. If you have double doors on a house, the entry way to that house is double the size of a single door dwelling. The next thought I had was the types of houses that have double doors. In my mind, they are for wealthier neighborhoods, houses that are larger. I then began to think about William and Kate in England and the double doors that were opened as they stepped out on the balcony as husband and wife. This thought of the royal couple was the key to unlocking what I see as the prophetic significance for where we are with the idea of double doors.
I asked the Lord, what the double doors represent and who was going to come through those doors. Asking the right question, will unlock the right answer. The Lord began to share with me, that the double doors are revelation and demonstration. The Lord said, He is about to raise up leaders who carry the revelation of the Word of God and can demonstrate the power of God. The double doors are revelation and demonstration. This was incredible to hear, then the Lord went on to show me that when the doors of revelation and demonstration open, they will reveal the administration of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, because the King of Glory will come through the double doors of revelation and demonstration. I dropped my pen!
What we are about to see is the King of Glory, the Lord Almighty, come through the double doors of revelation and demonstration to reveal the administration of the kingdom of God. Get ready for the revealing and opening of the double doors.
Symphonic Sound
1 Corinthians 13:1-4 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
The kingdom of God is arising in a way that is creating distinction and separation. Distinction for the sound of the kingdom is love and the sound of the kingdom is service. Separation because those who are not of biblical love, which is actually service to others, is being not separated from the community, but separated from the distinct sound. The bible says, that if you have not love, you sound like a clanging symbol. As the sound of the kingdom, which is love, continues to increase, the lack of love is evidenced in the sound you produce.
In years, past, you could get away with being selfish in a service, whether in church or the community; in the past your selfishness was common, it was a choir of clashing symbols, so no one really noticed that you did not have love, for they did not have love either. But it is a new day, and there is a new way. No wonder Jesus said that new wine needs a new wineskin, for you must be a lover to release the sound of love. You cannot fake love in an atmosphere of love. The kingdom of God on earth, is an atmosphere of love, of service to one another, of 1 Corinthians 13 manifested.
While in a church service, I heard this separation of sounds, this new distinction that is upon us. Being in a service where there is liberty to be the community, means some can prophesy, others can speak, and many have to learn to follow the lead of the one who went before them in order to transition the service well. But when someone does not have love, they are selfish, they want to say their own thing, they want to have their own way, they do not want to join the symphony of sound that is being created in that service, by the Spirit, then they sound like a clanging cymbal or clashing brass. It is no wonder they do not have cymbals in the symphony, they are truly out of place.
The kingdom of God is like a symphony, with one conductor, Jesus, and many instruments, that have different sounds, but work in connection with the other pieces of the orchestra to create a symphonic sound that is pleasant to the ears of the hearers. If you have not love, in what is here and coming in greater influence, you truly will sound like a clanging cymbal. In order to operate like the kingdom of God on earth, we need love, we need to listen to one another and to the Spirit of God, so we can join the song that is being played in that situation. Selfishness, which is you saying what you want, spouting your agenda, passion or personal preference has no room in a symphonic service.
Our conductor, Jesus, will call for different instruments at different times, for He knows the song structure and style. For us to be a success in the kingdom, we must listen to one another, we must be willing to not be heard, we must follow the flow of the sound that is being created in that symphonic service.
What Are You Tapping?
Before I became a Christian, I used to go to parties at people’s houses. At those parties, you would pay for a cup, and then with that cup you could drink whatever beverage they had bought. But, to do this it required you going to the tap, which produces the beverage you were seeking to consume. Depending on the number of “tappers” the host had, would depend on the number of kegs that were tapped at a time. So, you would see kegs without a tap and know either that keg was empty or it was yet to be tapped. No matter how many kegs the host purchased, eventually, the beverage would run out, for those kegs, even though they were tapped, were temporary, there was an end to what was inside of them.
I share that experience because I was listening to a podcast on the way home from the gym today and the preacher, who is well known, very passionate and has a large church, was speaking on being planted in somewhere bigger than you are, so you can grow the greatness inside of you. He said, that small places grow small people, that is why many, despite their titles in small churches, left the small church, to come and sit in his church, because they knew they needed to be planted in something bigger in order to grow. His passion, makes you want to shout AMEN, but the spirit of God spoke to me and revealed that anything we tap other than God Himself is temporary and will eventually run out.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”
God has planted eternity in our hearts, so anything you tap that is not God Himself is an idol and it will eventually run dry. Remember when you bought that new car, you were satisfied temporarily; remember when you got that new job with that big salary, then over time you began to want something more; do you recall when you got married, why over time did you long for a deeper love, more passion, something more in that relationship, that the other person was not capable of providing for you? The reason is because God has set eternity in our hearts, He has created us with an insatiable desire for more. Some may call it greed, but I call it eternity and I have learned that no matter the size of the church, no matter the amount of money you make, no matter how big the house is, or how amazing the marriage may be, there is something in our hearts that is eternal and only God can meet that need.
We tap so many temporary things and then wonder why we struggle, fight and compete with each other. James 4:1-3 says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” You are tapping the temporal and it’s not satisfying!
God has created you to be an eternal being, but to tap into your identity, your design, your image, you must tap into the God of heaven and earth, the Lord of all creation, the Master of everything. Your battle is not with other people, it is with yourself and God. The Israelites rejected the invitation to tap into God Himself and instead chose someone temporal, Moses to tap into, which eventually led them into tapping into another temporal thing, the golden calf. We do the exact same thing, we tap into people, thinking they have what we are looking for, we tap into stuff, thinking it will satisfy our longing, we tap into a company or church, thinking that is the answer to my eternal itch. But the truth is, the only One who satisfies, the only Person who is lacking nothing, the only thing that can quench the insatiable need inside of you for more is God, Yahweh, Yeshua, because He alone is eternal. Until you tap into God, you will always be tapping something temporal and you will live a life of want, lack, or deficit.
The question I want to ask you, honestly, what are you tapping? If it’s something temporal, it will run out, but if you tap into God, He is eternal and to Him and His kingdom, there is no end, that is where I am tapping into and I am still hungry for more, but there is no end, so I can stay hungry, because I tapped Who I was made in the image of and so can you. When you tap into the temporary, it is like sugar, it will give you a spike of satisfaction, but it won’t be long until you are seeking something new to tap, but if you tap into the Lord, it is like tapping into the eternal in which there is no end.
The Darkroom
Psalm 27:5 “For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.”
When I was in high school one of the electives I chose was photography. In my naïve high school mind, I thought it would be an easy class to get an A in, for it was just about going around and taking pictures or so I thought. Little did I know that now over 30 years later, this class would have such spiritual significance. Paul Manwaring says, “God wastes nothing and uses everything,” this is one of those moments for me. Here is what I heard the Lord say yesterday… “I WANT TO TAKE THE NEGATIVES INTO THE DARKROOM TO DEVELOP THE IMAGE ON THEM AND THEN BRING THEM OUT INTO THE LIGHT.”
After hearing these words, I immediately flashed to my time in photography class in high school, because we were required to develop negatives that we took with our cameras. We would enter the darkroom with our negative. Next we would take the negative that was black and we were required to put it in a bin of water to clean the negative; then we would put it in the developer for a set amount of time (if it stays in the developer too long it will become over exposed); next it went into the stop bath, to halt the developing process; then it went into the fixer; before entering a final time in another bin of water for one more rinse. We then would clip the negative to a wire for it to air dry. Once the negative was dry, the image was visible and the ability to make a print was ready.
We are God’s negatives, we are without the obvious image, but even though it is not visible, the image is still there, so God calls us into the darkroom, the secret place, the prayer closet, where others cannot see us. We are called out of the public eye not for our destruction, but for our development. You cannot develop negatives in the light for you will destroy the image. You must bring it into the dark, so it can work through the process of development (Selah). Many of us have been invited into the darkroom, we have not been able to see anything, we have no idea what is really going on, but we know we are not alone, we know God is with us. We have been in the darkroom for the sake of development.
God Himself has invited us to His darkroom so He can develop the image of Himself in our lives. Many refuse this process, but those who said yes, not knowing what they were getting into, just knowing they heard the voice of the Lord, went in and we are about to be put on display. His image is visible, He can see Himself in us, the negative that was once just a black film, now has the image of God on it. It is still dark, we are still not clear yet where when we are coming out, but we can know for certain it is in the dark that He develops us into His image.
One final thing I remembered about my high school dark room, the only light in that room was a red light. It was in the red light that we would look at the image to see if it still needed to be in one of the tubs to bring forth the best image possible. The Lord is looking at our image through the blood of Jesus and once we are the best image of Him, we will be brought out into the light, not for our glory, but for His because we will now be an accurate image of Him in the earth. This is the reason for the darkroom!
The Witness Gap
1 John 5:6-8 “This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.”
Did you know that water, blood and Sprit are what testify to the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God? Did you know that those three witness are the same witnesses inside of you as a human being? Did you know that you are made up of 70% water, 7% blood and 7% air (spirit, breath)? Did you know that Jesus was made up of the exact same percentages when He was on the earth in the body of human being? Did you know that 777 means spiritual perfection multiplied in both power and completeness resulting in a rest found only in Jesus the Anointed One? Did you know that in your humanity, God made you perfect in Jesus the Christ?
Life has a way of focusing us on our weaknesses, our sin, our depravity, our lack, our insecurities, but God by the very design of your human body made you perfect, powerful and complete, so you can rest. This is good news, this is something only God can do. By your very design as a human, God made you a witness that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God because your water, your blood and your breath/spirit testify to this truth. So, where is the gap, where is the disconnect, where is the challenge in our witness?
While in prayer and studying, the Lord revealed to me that every person has a framework in their brain that determines how they think. He invited me to consider that we as people are a witness to who God is, but the way our minds are framed is hindering our witness. You see your mental framework is determined by what you have been taught. I chose an image of framework, for this blog so you can see how the unseen is what is framing what you think and if you want to operate by design and bridge the witness gap between your design and your mental framework, you have to change the way you think.
Most people do not have a kingdom worldview or even a biblical worldview. How do I know this, because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. People speak what they think. Most people have a worldview that has been shaped by the media, the culture or religion, but not by the Word of God and definitely not by the kingdom of God. So, our challenge is not that we are not a witness, our human body, which is blood, water and spirit testify that Jesus is the Christ, it is our mental framework that is betraying our witness to the world.
As people that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is imperative, that we deliberately work on our mental framework. This is your building project, if you chose not to work on this issue, you will live with a witness gap. However, I will say Jesus is a Master teacher, a Master builder, and a Master constructor of mental framework, but you must submit yourself to Him and His word, with a YES in your spirit and attitude that says, Your way, Yahweh! When you allow Him to reconstruct your mental framework to a kingdom worldview, you will no longer have a witness gap and you will begin to operate by design. We are a witness by design, now we need our mental framework to align.
Redefinition of Words
Redefinition of Words 11.11.16
Isaiah 5:20 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
America is going through what some perceive as a national crisis with the election of a billionaire business man to the highest office in the land, the President of the United States. But what we as American’s don’t recognize is that the crisis is not because of who was elected, but because of what God is going to use him to restore. It does not take any discernment or wisdom to recognize that Trump said somethings on the campaign trail that were off color, inappropriate and in some instances, downright mean. However, before you cast a stone, ask yourself if you have done the same thing a time or two in your life. I know I have, so I adhere to the words of Christ which say, “He who is without sin, go ahead and cast the first stone…” (John 8:7). I would like to propose that some people’s issue with Trump is not his rhetoric or hyperbole, but rather his policies, his principals, his call for law and order.
Over the past 20 plus years, our nation has gradually and systematically been changed in a way that many missed. With the propagation of proposals came a redefinition of words. We redefined what marriage is with the acceptance of homosexuals into the word marriage. Marriage by definition around the world is the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Another word that was redefined is that of love. Love is defined in culture by many as getting your own way, being able to do whatever you want, by a feeling or an emotion. With this redefinition of love our divorce rate has skyrocketed to over 50%, because people say, I no longer love that other person. We have redefined truth. In John 18:33, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” Jesus in John 14:6 said, “I Am the way, the truth and the life.” In the movie A Few Good Men (1992), Colonel Nathan R. Jessep Addresses the Court on “Code Red” and says, “you can’t handle the truth!” Truth in a postmodern era has decided it is dependent on what you believe it is. Finally, we have redefined what grace is. The church at large has defined grace as the freedom to be you, do you, love you, accept you, without judgment, consequence or question. But biblical grace is defined as the empowerment to succeed. Jesus gave us the grace to repent, to change, to be transformed. Grace is an empowerment, not a freedom from consequences.
I recognize there are many other words we have redefined as a culture, but these are enough to establish the point being made. So, what are people protesting, what is their angst about with the election of Trump? I believe it is the reality that law and order is about to be restored to our nation. One of the greatest assets of America, which is unique to many places around the world, is the adherence to law and order. We are a nation of laws, which produce order and keep all the citizens safe. Romans 13:1-7 says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.” Civil authority is for our protection and if you are not in compliance with the laws of this land, there truly is reason to be afraid, not because the law has not always been there, but because some thought they could avert the law or redefine it.
With the redefinition of words came lawlessness. I know some believe they do not have to adhere to the laws of God as stated in the 10 Commandments, but this nation was formed with Judeo-Christian values in mind, just read the Federalist papers for confirmation of this, but the truth is, we are a nation of laws and with the increase of lawlessness we redefined words to fit our lifestyle. I am so thankful that this nation rose up and said, enough is enough. Lawless people will not throw a party when law and order are restored, but when the benefits of the return of law and order are established, when words are defined as they were originally intended, we will see Yahweh move in our nation with healing, restoration and prosperity again. However, not all will want this as Matthew 24:10-13 says, “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved”. This is not about Christianity, for that too has been redefined, this is about the kingdom of God that is advancing and we are seeing an act of God’s mercy on our land and for that I rejoice as God Himself is releasing a reformation for all.
Why the Kingdom Suffers
Why The Kingdom Suffers 11.1.16
Matthew 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force.”
While in prayer this morning, out of my mouth comes this statement, the kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent take it by force, then I continue to pray. After I was done praying, the Lord highlighted this verse to me, so I sat down to study it and what I discovered opened up an understanding I had not seen before. Here is what I learned…
1. John the Baptist inaugurated the kingdom of God on earth. He was the last Old Testament prophet who spoke of Yeshua and His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
2. Suffers violence means to rush into; seek with eagerness; enter into without information of the price, persecution or pressure of being a kingdom citizen.
3. Violent men means one who uses force, one who hurries to appropriate without measuring the consequences. Those who came to John to be baptized without repenting of their sins. A vehement desire for anything. #strongsconcordance
Therefore, what I heard the Lord say is, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force means, people rush into it with their words, prayers, or actions without counting the cost, knowing the responsibility involved, without repentance or an understanding of the kingdom culture. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence because people want to stay the same and yet claim they are citizens of the kingdom.
The kingdom of God is an invitation to lay down your will, your way, your desires, your thoughts, and to become a kingdom citizen. In order to do this, you need to understand the kingdom’s culture, the way the kingdom operates, what they kingdom says, how the kingdom says it. The kingdom suffers violence because people have forced their way into without repentance and without a desire to take on the King’s culture. They want citizenship, benefits and safety that comes with this kingdom, but they don’t want the customs, cultures and commands of this kingdom. This is why the kingdom suffers violence, because violent men have claimed citizenship without adopting its culture.
Remember Daniel and his 3 friends when they were invited to serve in the king’s court (Daniel 1). They had to be taught the king’s literature and language along with obeying the king’s commands. They had to do this for a wicked king in order to serve in his court, how much more to serve in the King of kings court? The difference between these two kings is that there is nothing to resist in the King of king’s kingdom, because everything gives glory to the King, Yeshua!
Here’s the point, the kingdom of heaven is suffering violence because violent men have taken it by force. Many people who say they are kingdom citizens are not representing the King or His kingdom as it is. They want it their way, their thoughts, their plans, their control, and yet they want to call it kingdom of heaven, so then people who don’t know the King or His kingdom, see “kingdom citizens” and say, there is nothing about this kingdom worth inquiring about or coming to. Until the people who claim to be apart of this kingdom take on the King’s culture and obey the King’s commands, the kingdom of heaven will continue to suffer violence. And honestly, they will never serve in the King’s court, even though they claim the King’s citizenship. We must repent if we want to see a change in our culture, because they need to see people who are representing another kingdom and His culture. This is why the kingdom suffers.
Classified Information
Classified Information 10.18.16
In 1 Samuel 17, King Saul and the army of Israel were engaged in a war of words with the Philistines. Both armies were shooting words at each other all day everyday, at this point for 40 days. Back and forth they would go with their insults of each other, of their taunting, mocking and even verbal attacking of each other. Neither side was ready, prepared or able to engage in a battle other than one of words. Was it fear? Was it poor leadership? Was it no strategy? Was it divine set-up? Was it something else? I think the answer is yes to all of the above. One of the challenges in Christianity is that if something is true, something else must be false, but in Jewish thought, two things can be true, but one carries more value than the other. This is why, I believe, yes, all of these factors played into the tit for tat, word for word, verbal war that these two opposing forces were engaged in.
It does not take much to understand, we are in a similar war right now today. We have two armies fighting each other in a words battle. But this is a dual war, this is both happening in the natural and it is happening in the spirit as well. Most people can see the natural war, all you have to do is turn on the television, your computer, smart phone or pick up a newspaper and you can see with your own eyes and hear with your natural ears the battle that is being waged. The battle of words. However, there is another battle going on, but it takes those with spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. So, this blog is for those who have chosen to disengage from the natural battle, but are fully engaged in the spiritual battle, that is why it is classified information.
About 4 weeks ago something shifted in the spirit. I know I am not the only one who felt it, but what shifted was a move from being public with words to being private. What shifted was fighting in the natural, trying to convince people with Periscopes, blogs, Facebook lives and pulpit proclamations about the battle, to going underground. Not to hide, but to hear clearly, to get instructions, to attack in a way that actually impacts the natural. In a war of words, the last thing we need is more words. In a world of excessive noise, the last thing we need is more noise. So, the strategy the Lord has been employing His generals in the spirit to, is that of underground and in the clouds warfare. One friend of mine said, “the Lord told me you are at war, I saw you with a huge gun, but you were in a fox hole, just waiting for the enemy to come out, for with one shot you were going to take him out”. I said, yes, you are absolutely correct in what you saw, I am glad you see where I am, lest you think I am hiding out of fear or somehow not engaged in this war. I am more engaged now than I have ever been.
From the underground, here is what I am seeing and hearing, remember, this is classified information. There is a demonic network that the Lord is asking us to dismantle. I picture it as a net, that is scooping up the people in this nation and the nations, seeking to take them where they want them to go. The challenge is the people have no idea they are even in the net. The net is so large, it scoops lots of people at a time and it happens so quickly, most don’t have any chance to escape. This net is both political and religious. Because of this two fold attack, I hear the Lord wanting to dismantle the spirit of the Nicolatians and the spirit of Jezebel. Now, some people have an idea what both of these spirits are, others think they know, and some people need to know what they are.
The Nicoaltians are pointed out by the apostle John in Revelation 2 where it speaks to the deeds and the doctrines of the Nicolatians. The Nicolatians are the conquerors, manipulators, the dominators of the laity. Nico (where we get the word Nike, to conquer, control, dominate) and Latians (where we get the word laity). This spirit is both political and religious. Then Jezebel, is found in 1 Kings 16-21. She is a Baal worshipping, Sidonian princess, who Ahab, the King of Israel at the time, married for political reasons. She had always been and continued to be a Baal worshipper, she was not once a Christian and then changed, no she was always a pagan. She used the worship of Baal to silence the prophets of Israel so she could have her way in both Sidon and Israel. This spirit is seeking to silence the voice of truth inside the church, in culture and in the political sphere. Again, these spirits are on a co-mission and have created a demonic network that is scooping up people without their knowledge.
Now this war, is spiritual, it is Ephesians 6:12-13, our call, our command from the Lord of heavenly armies is to stand in the spirit, stand in heavenly places and dismantle these demonic networks. Even the ones who look like they are surrendered completely to these demonic influences, are not fully aware of what is going on. They are being used for the enemies purposes, so our job is not to criticize them or condemn them, but to dismantle the networkings over their head and beneath their feet.
As Generals, as sons and daughters, who are led by the spirit, not by the flesh, this is not the time to engage above ground in a war of words, for the bullets are flying and as tough as you think you are, you will get shot. That is why, our Father, who is the Commander of the heavenly hosts, has put us underground, it is for our protection, but it is also strategic. Remember, David was hidden until the day the Lord was going to take out the mindset of the enemy and it only took one smooth stone (who I believe, is the Chief Cornerstone) to take out the enemy and activate the whole Israeli army? So, be patient, you are not forgotten, you are not alone, you are not missing out, you are actually strategically placed, for your protection and for your promotion. There is no war our God has fought and lost, He is going to win, He always wins, and when He does, we are going to go and gather up the spoils of war, there will be an increase of territory given to us and we will see what we have been waiting for.
Remember, this is classified information, some people will read it and not understand, while others will find great relief in these words, for they have been wondering what has been going on in this shift. All I can say, is only obey, for there is not other way, when you are at war. Love you all!
