Author: lisagreatenebeli

I am a wife, mother, author, speaker, blogger, and Founder of the Apostolic Resource Center www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

Out of Order

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On Periscope @lisagreat
 
On the bathroom door at our church, there is a sign on one of the stalls that says, OUT OF ORDER, in big bold letters. This sign is meant to let people know that this stall is inoperable at this time. It is not that it will never work again, or that it is damaged beyond repair, but to inform those who come in the bathroom, that this one stall is out of order. No one is mad at the stall, saying, I will never use that stall again, or that somehow this church has issues because there is one stall that is out of order. Common sense tells the reader, this stall is unable to function according to design at this time, but will be back in operation as soon as it is fixed.
 
This sign caught my attention on Sunday after church, because, the Lord has been speaking to me about order and how many people are living lives that are out of order. What He has been showing me is that when we are out of order, we are ineffective, we are not producing based on design and even though we hope no one notices, others often see that we are out of order even before we do. So, what I am sensing is we need to admit to ourselves, the Lord and others that we are out of order.
 
1 John 1:8-10 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.…” Then James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.” Finally, 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 says, “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
 
Because people are living lives that are out of order, our nation is out of order and the nations are out of order for people make up nations. So, if we want to see a change in our nations, we need to start with something changing in us. I am hearing a lot of people talk about the problems in our nations, there is a lot of blaming going on as to why things are the way they are right now, but I believe we need to take a look at our life and realize we are out of order, that is our family is out of order, our city is out of order, our money is out of order, our health is out of order, our nation is out of order. The issue is not global, national or even local before it is individual. We have a corporate problem, yes, but it is because we have individual problems that come together and reveal a national problem.
 
So, what do we do, I believe as believers in Jesus Christ we need a chiropractic adjustment from the Chief Cornerstone. We are out of plumb line (Amos 7) individually, so the first order of business is for me, is for you to return to the Lord. We must repent of our lifestyle that has compromised the word of God; we must repent of living self-centered lives; we must repent of our disobedience; because disobedience to the word of God what got us out of order and obedience to the word of God is what will bring us back into order.
Many men and women who are in pulpits and have platforms today are crying out for fresh voices to arise, not because we need more preachers, but because we need new preachers, ones who can bring the old truths of the gospel in a fresh way. We must go back to the foundation of faith in order to get back into order. This may mean, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to do a spiritual detox of choices of movies, music, and spending habits; we may need the Lord to convict us of the way we treat other people with our words and attitudes, especially those that live with us; we may need Jesus Himself, the lover of our souls to create in us a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit in us (Psalm 51).
 
Ladies and gentlemen, you can try to act like it’s not true, but the reality is, we are out of order and God is bringing a reformation of truth to put us back in order. He wants us to produce fruit of righteousness, live in safety and peace again, and experience the presence and power of God in our lives, our families, our churches and our nation again. We may be out of order right now, but it is temporary, for the Great Physician is on the way to heal our lives, if we will surrender, not resist His way of putting us back in order.

Summer of Shaking

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Turn on your television, go to the mall, meet a friend for coffee, go to church, everywhere, everyone is aware this summer has been and continues to be a summer of shaking. Someone will let you know about the latest attack, whether in Kabul, Afghanistan, Baton Rogue, LA, Dallas, TX or Munich Germany. The attacks are seemingly more often, more publicized and more unexpected. Shopping malls, peaceful protest rallies, random traffic stops, you name it, something unexpected is happening in the least expected places. If the shootings were not enough, we have weather patterns bringing intense heat which is producing wildfires, droughts and evacuations. Let us not forget the mosquito’s and the many exposures of people who have been involved in corruption being brought to justice and not being brought to justice. This is a summer of shaking, can we agree on that?

Most would say, yes this summer has been shaking, and many are trying to explain what the shaking is for, what brought on the shaking and what is God doing with the shaking. Depending on your biblical worldview, the shaking could be the judgment of God on the nations; it could be the consequences for our sin; it could be the days of Noah, which usher in the second coming of Christ; or it could be something else. I would like to present to you a potential something else thought as to what has brought about this summer’s shaking. I, in no way am saying this is the final word on the subject, but I do believe it is a word on the subject of this summer’s shaking.

Last week I was reading through the book of Nehemiah and I stopped at a friend’s house for our children to play, while there I shared with her this revelation and she added insight to it, which confirmed to me, what I was sensing was more accurate than I first thought. So, here is what I think the summer of shaking is possibly about.

In the book of Nehemiah, we see that Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king and he got word about the condition of Jerusalem, so he asked the king for permission to leave his post as cupbearer and go to Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s request was granted and resources were sent from the king and his kingdom to help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and repair its broken down gates. My first thought is that Jesus, the cupbearer to the King, our Father, has gone to His Father, by making intercession for us and the kingdom of God has released resources for the rebuilding of the walls and gates around nations. I believe the shaking we are experiencing this summer is because heaven has heard earth’s cry for help.

Once the kingdom Nehemiah worked for, agreed to resource the project to rebuild Jerusalem, Nehemiah and the people began to rebuild the walls and repair the gates. Not long after they started this project, Sanballat and Tobiah, began to mock, ridicule and sought to dissuade them from rebuilding, but Nehemiah and the team could not be persuaded otherwise. My second thought is, Dutch Sheets and the Appeal to Heaven team, along with Lou Engle and the Azusa Now team and the many Pastors and leaders who met in Washington, DC for the Call prayer rally, have been the ones, along with intercessors worldwide and prophetic voices like Lana Vawser, Cindy Jacobs, Doug Addison, Kris Vallaton, and many others who are not known to the public have kept building with their words, despite the enemies mocking and ridiculing.

Finally, Nehemiah 4:7-8 it says, “Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.” I believe this is why we are having a summer of shaking, because we have been rebuilding the walls of protection around our nation and nations of the world. This rebuilding we have been doing in prayer and prophesying, has made the enemy very angry, because heaven has sent resources to help us build. I believe what we are seeing around us is evidence of the walls we are rebuilding and the gates we are repairing.

The final scene before the wall is built and the gates are repaired according to the book of Nehemiah is a company of people who can pray, prophesy (build) and can wield the sword (word warriors). I believe the word warriors are being released for the finishing of the rebuilding of the walls of protection around our nation and other nations of the world. The enemy is increasing his attacks, because he sees how much progress we have made on the walls and the gates. Jesus is our cupbearer, He drank the wine of the wrath of God, so we could be redeemed, revived and renewed. Keep praying, keep prophesying, keep speaking life, the evidence of an enemy in the summer of shaking is proof we are near completing the rebuilding of the walls and gates around our nation.

Stronghold or Strong Tower

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Stronghold or Strong Tower? 7.19.16
As I have been in prayer for America, Europe, Turkey and the world, I have been praying that the Lord of the harvest, would sending workers out into His harvest field (Matthew 9:38) and the Lord spoke to me saying, “Word Warriors are arising”. He said “they have Matthew 28:18 authority; they have put on the Ephesians 6:10-18 armor; and they have been given the assignment to move people from strongholds to the strong tower”. As I meditated on these people that God was raising up, their preparation clear and their assignment was succinct. One of the things about God is He never goes outside His word, but His word is very deep and wide, filled with mysteries many have not seen yet. So, when he speaks something that I think I know about all ready, I don’t assume what He means, but I study what He said. This is what I learned about the assignment of these people. 
The war we are in is a war of ideologies as our President says, but what the President has not said, is that we are in a spiritual war, that is why all our human reasoning, political rhetoric and natural means are not working against this enemy. This war, that the nations are engaged in, is a spiritual war, it will take spiritual weapons and the leader of this war is not the President, but the church. That is why God is raising up Word Warriors, for truly our battle is not against flesh and blood, even though it is manifesting in a physical battle, our battle is for people’s mindsets, belief systems, and thought patterns.  
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”
So, when the Lord told me the assignment for the word warriors is move people from strongholds to the strong tower, I knew we were in a battle for people’s beliefs. The challenge is, a stronghold and the strong tower can feel the same, but the results are very different. In both places you can feel safe, hidden, comfortable, but the results of a stronghold are death, destruction, loss, pain, and soul sickness. While the results of the strong tower is safety, love, joy, peace, prosperity of soul, body and bank account. So, what is a stronghold…
Stronghold: an area where most people have the same beliefs, values, etc. : an area dominated by a particular group (Merriam Webster)
Strongholds are belief systems we hold to that don’t bring about our desired results and actually manifest in a form of destructive behavior. Like attracts like, so when we find others with the same stronghold as us, we are attracted to them and then it strengthens our stronghold or belief system about and issue, idea or experience. When others are living in the same stronghold as us, it can be very difficult to see that we are in a stronghold and not the strong tower. Remember, I am talking about Christians, not those who do not profess this faith. Christians are living in strongholds and they don’t realize it, but the bible says, we will know them by their fruit (Matthew 7:16) and out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). 
So, God in His mercy is sending word warriors into every street and corner, so that He can rescue us from the stronghold and bring us into the strong tower. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe” and Psalm 61:3 says, “Indeed, you are my shelter, a strong tower that protects me from the enemy”. God is releasing word warriors to change the way you think so He can move you from the stronghold to the strong tower. When you make this move, you will see the results change. If we do nothing different, nothing will change, but if you change the culture, you can change the results. God wants to move you from your stronghold to the strong tower, but you must be open to the new wine that He is pouring out in this hour and the new wine skins He is sending to you, for you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free (John 8:32).

Training or Entertaining 

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Being a parent is the most rewarding and challenging thing a person can ever do. With no manual on this child, one is left to navigate through principles how to discipline, love, bless, encourage and correct this child in a way that is most effective for them. For parents that have more than one child, this becomes even more challenging, because this child is now multiplied by two, three, four and sometimes even more. In a culture of counseling, it can be even more difficult to raise a child, because we are being given all these psychological thoughts about what we are doing or not doing to our child’s self-esteem. The struggle of parenting is real.Being a youth pastor for 25 years, I watched a lot of different parenting styles, growing up in a single parent home, I saw a unique parenting style and now being a mom, I am doing a parenting style. Like many of you, I fail daily, I seek counsel from other friends and family members and as a Christian, I am scouring the Proverbs, Psalms and all of scripture for parenting tips, principles and practical advice. With a myriad of books to buy, it can be challenging to know what is the right way, the most effective way to raise our children. So, what I am about to say, is not a criticism on someone’s parenting style, but rather a simplification and hopefully liberation for parents.

I have had multiple talks with my son about his time watching movies, playing video games or being on his iPad. One of the challenges of parenting today is all the technology that is available to them and at such a young age. My 8-year-old can work an iPhone better than me. But with that said, what I sensed the Lord say this morning to me was, “You are called to train, not entertain your son.” I said, excuse me Lord, can you say that again, He said, “you are called to train, not entertain your son.” Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” I was relieved to the point of embarrassment, as I felt like, part of training was entertaining. If he did not know what to do, it was my responsibility to find him something to do. But, God said, “you are called to train, not entertain your son.” Hallelujah!

Now I know I could be the only one that needed to hear this from the Lord, but I felt the desire to share it anyway, as it is so liberating for me. My job is to train up my child, not entertain my child. Yes, part of training will include entertaining, but I have sensed in our culture that we are supposed to be entertaining our children. This may be just me, since I only have one child, but if it is not just me, I wanted to encourage you with this word from the Lord, you are called to train your child, not entertain your child. So, with that being said, I believe it is time we ask ourselves our we training or entertaining our children? The answer to this question will either confirm or course correct you, because God said, “you are called to train, not entertain your child.”

Tongues of Fire

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Everything that has come down, was put within us, now what we are waiting for, is it to come out of us.

Jesus instructed His disciples to wait in Jerusalem, until they were endued with fire, Acts 1:8 says it this way, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, AND you shall be my witnesses…” What came down was the Holy Spirit, in the form of tongues of fire, those tongues of fire are in our mouth, they are not coming down again. Jesus said in John 16:7, “”But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” Just as the dove came down and rested on Jesus at His baptism in Matthew 3:16, the same Holy Spirit came and rested upon people in the upper room in Acts 2, but in the form of tongues of fire.

Many people are looking up, waiting for something to come down. We pray out of Matthew 6, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as though it is something outside of us. We are looking up for God to send something down, but the Lord is looking down, waiting for something to come out…of us. I wonder if the reason we are not seeing a breakthrough, is not because something has not come down, but rather because something has not come out. In the past season we would sing, Holy Spirit Rain Down, but I believe the song of this season is Spirit Break Out, break our walls down. Christ in you, Christ in me, is the hope of glory! He must come out of us.

While I was in worship on Sunday night at Bethel Church in Redding, CA, the spirit of God spoke to me and said, “You have been given tongues of fire, your words light up the nations!” The Lord has given us tongues of fire and in the midst of darkness our words of life bring light and truth to build up the nations not tear them down. The very next thing I saw was choirs of nations, singing, Great Are You Lord, it was a picture of whole nations lifting up their voices in one song to the Lord. I was calling to the various nations, to join in the song of the Lord.

Isaiah 60:1-3 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has broken through!

The Eternal One’s brilliance has dawned upon you.

2 See truly; look carefully—darkness blankets the earth;

people all over are cloaked in darkness.

But God will rise and shine on you;

the Eternal’s bright glory will shine on you, a light for all to see.

3 Nations north and south, peoples east and west, will be drawn to your light,

will find purpose and direction by your light.

In the radiance of your rising, you will enlighten the leaders of nations. (the Voice translation)

I believe now more than ever before, we have a mandate from heaven to let our tongues of fire out, so the nations can sing Great Are You Lord. As we speak life, we light up people’s lives, we light up nations with hope, peace and joy, we bring healing through the fire of our words of life. We have been given tongues of fire, in the past many have used their tongues to burn up what they deemed wrong, but today, we are being commissioned to use our tongues of fire to light up the nations with the light of the life that comes out of our mouths. You have tongues of fire, light up the nations!

Baton Rogue, Minneapolis, Dallas, Orlando, San Bernadino, Paris, Brussels, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the World

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July 8, 2016
Everyone is going to have a different response to what is happening in our world, and as I prayed for the nation I love and the world I love, this is what came out of my heart for our nation and the nations of the world. Oh that we would “Love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and love our neighbor as ourself.” For my prayer is that “you may prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers.” Because “it’s His kindness that leads us to repentance”, and we need “His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.” For with “the increase of lawlessness the love of many has grown cold,” so “the devil is seeking to steal, kill and destroy, but You are giving us life and life abundantly.” 
My prayer is that, “the eyes of our hearts would be opened, so we could grasp how wide, how, long and deep the love of God is for us.” He said, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard what God has planned for us,” but we know, “the plans you have for us are for good and not for evil, to give us a future and a hope.” 
Therefore, we will remember, “our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, powers, and spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.” We will also remind ourselves that “our weapons are not carnal, but they are mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds.” 
Our response to the earth’s pain will not be blame or shame but a cry for the Lord of heaven and earth, “to forgive us, for we know not what we do” and “to send laborers out into the harvest field for the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” 
“Now may the God of peace, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” and “may the peace of God that passes all understanding” be your portion. “For if God is for us, who can be against us.” “To God be the glory in the church, forever and ever, AMEN.”

The House of God 3.0

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Matthew 21:13/Mark 11:17/Luke 19:46
“And Jesus said to them, It is written, My house shall be called
a house of prayer; but you are making it a robbers den.”
 
In the Old Testament we read of two houses that were built for the Lord, both temples for God. Places of worship, prayer, offerings and fellowship. Both were destroyed and the desire to build a third temple is on the radar of some even at this time in history. But what if the house of God in the New Testament was not a building, but a person? What is the house of prayer Jesus referred to in the gospels was not about some physical location, but rather some person or persons? What if you were created to be a house of prayer, what if I was created to be a house of prayer?
 
Colossians 1:27 says, “God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
 
What if you were the house of God 3.0? The bible says, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19). But what if you were the house of God that Jesus called a house of prayer? What if you were truly a living a sacrifice holy and acceptable to God as spoken about in Romans 12:1? What if what we have been taught about the house of God being somewhere we go is actually someone we are?
 
One of the new things that God is doing is opening up the windows of revelation and pouring out fresh understanding about His word. Mysteries that many of old longed to peer into we are being invited to seek and find. As the new leaders who are not just anointed but carry authority, begin to appear, many new ways of seeing the scripture will come forth. The truth they are going to bring has always been there, but it was veiled to us in past seasons, but is being revealed to us in this season.
 
Some will reject the fresh revelations that God is presenting, because religion, even charismatic, tongue talking religion does not like to look like they don’t know something. But with great humility, which is godly confidence, and precise wording, which is rightly dividing the word of truth, they will display anointing plus authority with messages and miracles that the world and the church are hungry for. One of those revelations is that you are the house of God, you are a house of prayer, which means you need to ask yourself, have you made God’s house, which is you, a den of robbers? You are the house of God 3.0.
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Proverbs 18:16 “The right gift at the right time can open up new opportunities and gains access to influential people.” (The Voice Translation)

We are on the verge of the greatest breakthrough our generation has ever seen, experienced or participated in. There are more people that we know who have been in a place of hiding, not out of fear, but out of preparation for what is coming. Since being in Redding, CA for the past two weeks the Lord has revealed things to me, that words cannot utter at this time, but what is coming is going to be visible to believers and unbelievers alike. This is not going to be a one nation, one region, one city, one church, one ministry event. This is going to be of global proportions and we are going to say with Job 42:5, “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.” Yes my friends, it is going to be that big, that is why we have been learning, as Bill Johnson so eloquently said last night, “bold faith stands on the shoulders of quiet trust.” We have been learning to trust quietly, because our faith is going to be extremely bold.

Now that we can see in part what is coming, what do we need to be doing, what understanding is the Lord releasing to us as we press in just a little while longer? I believe we need to hear the truth once again that the right gift, at the right time, can open up new opportunities and gains access to influential people. But here is the unique twist on this that the Lord revealed to me in worship yesterday morning. He said, “a song is a gift; a tithe or offering is a gift; a word of encouragement is a gift; a kind word or gesture is a gift.” When we offer gifts to the Lord or to other people, one of those gifts is going to open doors for us. We have been taught a resume opens a door, the right network opens the door, but the Lord says, the right gift at the right time is going to open the door.

We need to listen to the songs we sing, because some songs are our gift; we need to pay attention to the offerings and tithes we sow, because some of them are gifts we give; and we need to listen carefully to the voice of God as He speaks through us to other people, because our words have the power to activate greatness in other people and this is our gift. I felt like the Lord said, we need to be prepared to give gifts in every situation, because the right gift at the right time is going to open doors and usher us before people of influence in the natural, but even more so in the spirit. Remember what the Psalmist said, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! (Psalm 100:4). Your gift will usher you into places you only dreamt of going, so don’t leave home without your gift, for it is what will begin opening doors.

Two Roads, One Choice

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The body of Christ is in a paramount shift like one we who are alive today have not ever experienced. The Spirit realm is electric with anticipation of what is coming. Because we are in a place of such great transition, it is paramount that we are patient, not pushy, and we flow, not force our way into what is about to take place on the earth. What God has planned for ages will be manifest on the earth, for this is His idea, not ours, His plan, not ours, His way, not ours. Remember Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”

What God is about to do is so big, that many are sensing that something is coming, and with this sense comes a desire to be in control, not out of control. So, what I have noticed is two roads that the Lord is laying out before us. This is in line with scripture, for there were 2 trees in the garden; 2 choices in Deuteronomy 30:15; and two sons in Galatians 4; God always gives us a choice, He never forces us to do anything. So, we have two roads laid out before us in this unprecedented time in history, the road called familiar or the road called forward. In Luke 11:31-32 Jesus talks about how the people of God were so familiar with God they missed Jesus, but the outsiders traveled from far away to come and see this man who was greater than Solomon or Jonah. The outsiders took the road called forward, while the people of God preferred the road called familiar.

We are sitting at a crossroad, the choice is yours will you follow the road called familiar, which is low risk, low reward, or will you take the road called forward that is high risk, high reward. The road called forward is a walk of faith, it takes trust, you cannot always see what is ahead, but you have decided to put your hand to the plow and not look back. You may be afraid at times, but courage keeps you moving forward. You may not be able to identify what this move is going to look like, but you know it is like nothing we have ever seen before, so you press forward. Or are you going to choose the familiar. Looking back at past moves of God and trying to recycle what has already been done. Will you choose the familiar out of fear of missing the mark, believing a lie or out of sheer laziness. The familiar road is the easy road, the broad road, there will be many who take it. This is not a salvation issue, this is a traveling choice.

I see pioneers, apostles, prophets, leaders of the next move of God on the road called forward. They don’t have all the answers, but they do have a lot of questions that keep them moving forward. They are lovers of God and lovers of each other, not in competition, not trying to label what God is doing, not trying to be the first voice to speak the next move. They have their eyes fixed on Jesus and they follow His voice only. They know Who they are with, so what they do is inconsequential to them. Their marching orders are forward.

There are two roads laid out before us, one called familiar and the other called forward, the choice is yours as to which one you will take, but as for me and my house, we are going forward.

 

Bait and Switch

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In the truest definition of bait and switch the promised product is greater than its value therefore, giving the purchaser a sense of getting a deal. But when God does a bait and switch, the action of advertising goods that are an apparent bargain, is coupled with the intention of substituting inferior goods for more expensive goods. May I propose to you that many of us have been lured into the wilderness by a good good Father who has a bait and switch operation going on. He lured us in with the promise of a ministry, money, or a calling that resonated in our spirit, because we believed Psalm 37:4 that says, He gives us the desires of our hearts. We know who He made us to be, we know there is greatness inside of us, so we accepted the invitation to the wilderness with the intention of getting a promotion to showcase our gifting.
 
Jesus is a Master Teacher, He knows how to use the word of God to show what He has been and is doing in our lives. If you cannot locate yourself in the word of God, it is time to do some relocating. If we are walking by the spirit and not the flesh, we will locate ourselves in the word of God. As I was listening to Ron Carpenter from Redemption Church in Greenville, SC today, he said something that located me in the word of God and I jumped for joy. He was preaching on the story of Elijah and Elisha, when towards the end he unlocked the word of God and revealed me and I believe many of us that have been in the wildernesses’ location.
When Elijah threw his mantle on Elisha in 1 Kings 18, Elisha burned his job, fed the people and followed Elijah, with the desire for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. But in 1 Kings 19 when Elijah was taken up to heaven, Elisha was not interested in a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, his hearts cry was my father, my father, not my portion, my portion. As Ron spoke these powerful words the Lord spoke to me and said, “it is my bait and switch. I called you into the wilderness with the promise of greatness and you followed, but during your wilderness training I showed you who I am and you fell in love with me, not your ministry”. (Selah)
 
I believe many of us, like Elisha, have discovered that what we came into this process for is not what we found, we found a gift of far greater worth than gold, we found a relationship with the King of Kings, our hearts our exploding with a love for the Lord that money cannot buy, we have found the pearl of great price, we have found that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and that He is the reward. We found the lover of our souls, we found why we were made, we found a relationship with God that is honestly, indescribable in natural words, but seen in our love for Him and others.
 
Not realizing it upon entrance, God Himself was inviting us not into a ministry, money or any other material thing, He was inviting us into a relationship with Him. He was what our hearts desired, we just did not know it when we started. He was the one we were looking for, He has stripped away all the facades, preconceived ideas and premonitions and He has shown us the Father and we can honestly say, all we want is You! It was the best bait and switch that could have ever happened to us. He switched our shallow desires for our heart’s desire. He switched our desire to be something to a desire to know someone. He invited us into a relationship with Him and we could not have been given a better gift.
 
Once you see Him, know Him, walk with Him, you realize He is an all consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28), He is your heart’s desire and there is nothing that can compare to Him, for He is…I AM that I AM (Exodus 3:14-18). We used to think we were created to do something, but now we know we were created to be someone, someone who knows her God, someone who loves people, someone who is loved by Him. He always has been and always will be all about relationship that is why the word first, in Matthew 6:33 means only, in the Greek, Seek only the kingdom of God and all these things will be given unto you. The things we longed for and didn’t know it were the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22) and they all come from a relationship with Him. He did the best bait and switch and it was all for His glory and our enjoyment. Thanks a million Jesus!