Author: lisagreatenebeli

Do you ever wonder why some people live big lives and other people live small lives? Some would say it is an introvert versus extrovert thing; others would say it is based on how much money some has or does not have; but what does the Bible say?

Proverbs 11:24-25 says, “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.” What if the size of your world is based on the measure you pour out?

The enemy of our soul wants us to believe we do not have enough time or money to be generous. The world tells us when you are rich you can be generous, when you are retired you can help others because now you have more time. The truth is, we all get 24 hours in a day, same measure for everyone, yet some are generous with their time and others are not.

In the kingdom of God, generosity is not a number we see in our bank account, it is an attitude we carry. 2 Corinthians 9:11 says, “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” In the kingdom of God we multiply our money by giving it away not by storing it up.

Our generosity causes others to give thanks to God. Then Amos 9:13 adds, “The days are coming, declares the LORD, when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.”

Friends, Isaiah 54 tells us to extend out tent pegs, make room for more. More people, more money, more blessings, more time, more grace, more truth, more of it all. But the more is waiting for us to pour out what we have on others so God can pour out what He has on us. Generosity is the kingdom’s idea of giving.

Voices…we listen to them everyday. We hear what people say, we hear what God says, we hear what the media tells us, we read books and billboards, voices are everywhere. We cannot escape voices. Loud voices, quiet voices, spoken voices, written voices, social media voices, still small voices. Everyone is talking and everyone has something to say.

Do you know why this is a good thing? God gave us a voice and He did not just give men a voice, He did not just give women a voice, He gave all of creation a voice. Birds sing, geese trumpet, ducks quack, turkeys gobble, bears growl and dogs bark. Trees clap their hands, winds blow, waves crash and fires crackle. Everything that is created has a voice.

Our voice is our ability to utter sounds that communicate messages. Nobodies voice is unnecessary, but not everyone’s voice is beneficial. How we use the greatest gift God gave all of creation, which is our voice, is of the utmost importance. Only you know how you use your voice, because only you are with you 24 hours a day.

Abagail is a woman in 1 Samuel 25 who used her voice to bless king David, so much so it says, “David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.” The king of Israel listened to her voice and did what she said. She added value to the kings life and he knew it and obeyed it.

My dad told me years ago, whatever you do Lisa, don’t lose your voice. He saw something coming in my life I did not see and I lost my voice for a season. That season was very dark for me, but God has restored my voice and I will never lose it again. Our voice is a gift from God, may we use it to be a blessing to others, to build up others, to add value to others. You have a voice, use it for the glory of God and never lose it, just like my dad said.

Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s on the Northside of Minneapolis, we knew all our neighbors. We knew when the street lights came on we had to go home for the night. We knew the sound of everyone’s mom’s voice calling them in for dinner. We spent so much time outside, playing kickball, kick the can, hide and seek, so much fun from the moment we got home from school until those street lights came on each night. We rode our BMX bikes, jumping man holes in the street and we skitched behind the bus on those snow packed streets of Minneapolis. I loved those days with those people.

This memory came to my mind this morning as I was reading Proverbs 8 when it says in verse 14 “You will find true success when you find me, for I have insight into wise plans that are designed just for you. I hold in my hands living-understanding, courage, and strength. They’re all ready and waiting for you.”

Wisdom is playful, she loves to play hide and seek. She doesn’t hide so we can’t find her, she hides so we can show we love the pursuit of finding her. She says of herself in verses 30-31 “I was there, close to the Creator’s side as his master artist. Daily he was filled with delight in me as I playfully rejoiced before him. I laughed and played, so happy with what he had made, while finding my delight in the children of men.”

When we find wisdom we find enjoyment in life. When we discover who wisdom really is, we will find our lives filled with laughter, delight and a childlike joy that others will see in us. Wise people are fun people, they love to laugh, dance, rejoice and they delight in others. If the church needs anything it is wisdom, because wisdom will make us fun to be around. I pray the Lord gives you a spirit of wisdom as Paul said in Ephesians 1.

If you want to join me, I am going to play a game of hide and seek with wisdom; then we will hit the dance floor and sing, I got joy; before ending our day smiling at the people God has placed in our lives because games are more fun with others than they are alone. Come on friends, let’s pursue wisdom, she is a lot of fun, I know you will like her, she adds value to everything we do.

The landscape of the world is changing in such a way it will be unrecognizable to those who lived in the world before this change of epic proportions. There are massive earth moving shifts taking place behind the scenes which are going to change the landscape above ground for the better beyond all we could ask, think or even imagine. There are no words to describe the kingdom of God activity happening on earth right now.

No one has seen what is coming, no one can plan it out, prophesy it, or even prepare for it, for this is a God plan not a man’s plan. This is not some past awakening, revival or healing movement, this not anything we have seen in the past, this is a kingdom invasion with a love we have never known before and it is tailor made by God Himself.

Psalm 37 gives us some insight into how to navigate all we are seeing, hearing and sensing. “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.”

Those who will govern the new world of love God is establishing on earth will be meek (humble, gentle, those who put themselves after others in importance); they will be peacemakers for they are people of peace for they do not fret (burn, blaze up, kinde, angry, zealous or jealous).

Love covers a multitude of sins, that is why Jesus the Prince of Peace was sent as God’s only son as the exact expression of love the world needed. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. This is the world God is establishing on earth as it is in heaven. We are not going to heaven, heaven is coming to earth. Peace and love is the air we must learn to breathe.

Whenever there is a building project under way, there is a lot of movement. Something’s are being moved out of the way, others things are being brought in to help prepare the way. When you hear of and see a lot of movement that means a building project is under way.

People who have been in a place of stagnancy will be surprised when movement begins to take place. Not because they will not like what is being built, but because they have been lulled to sleep by the narrative of retreat, rather than seeded with the narrative of build and plant.

The awakening is a building narrative of hope, joy, peace, prosperity, truth and healing. In a land where nothing changes, decay advances, neglect is obvious, it takes a minute to make the shift to new life coming forth. Some people are suspicious and out of their mouth comes seeds of suspicion; others are skeptical; still some are apprehensive. These are all natural reactions to major changes.

Not everyone can get a Birds Eye view of what is happening, that is why it is drip, drip, drip of changes taking place in every area of society. Television is changing, government is changing, education is changing, ministry leaders are changing, business is changing, entertainment is changing, the media is changing. It was a slow turn away from one thing, but it is a quick pivot to the new thing.

Isaiah 57 says, “And it shall be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people’s way. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near, says the LORD, and I will heal him.”

God is building not tearing down, planting not uprooting, harvesting not rapturing. Everything is becoming new, shake off the old, open your eyes, the kingdom of God is at hand!!!!

God is no respecter of persons. We all have the same access to Him through the blood of Jesus. The same offer of intimacy and authority is given to every person. There are not favorites in the kingdom of God; there are not some are chosen others are not. God loves and chooses all of us, He has already made His choice.

People wonder why some people seem to walk in favor, while others don’t. Others notice certain benefits yielded to some and not to others and wonder why is that? The answer is not in whether or not God is for us or not, the answer lies in our choices. Not everyone chooses the same thing, that is why not everyone accesses the same things.

Our choices about who we spend time with, what we speak, how we treat people, how much we want or don’t want God, is all our choice. Some people forgive quickly, others hold grudges. Some people prioritize time with God, other people do not. Some people are generous on all occasions with all things, others withhold unduly. The choice is ours.

We are very powerful people, so powerful we get to choose what we do. However, we are also so powerful we are responsible for our choices. If we don’t have what someone else has, it is not because we are less loved or favored, it is because have made other choices than someone else. The best news is, if we want what someone else has, we can have it if we want to make the same choices they made.

Cain was jealous of Abel in Genesis 4, Saul was jealous of David in 1 Samuel 20, but both Cain and Saul could have made different choices and had the same favor Abel and David had. The hardest pill to swallow is the truth that our choices are our responsibility. No one chooses for us. No wonder Moses said in Deuteronomy 32 “Choose Life!” The best thing about choices is you can change what you are choosing. I did, years ago and now I am living really living.

It all began with a choice to love, to forgive, to be generous always and to invest in people. I chose to speak life, to find the gold, and to be generous on all occasions and that choice has changed my life. Choose wisely friends for our choices yield fruit we eat either sour fruit or fresh fruit. I have eaten both and I will never choose anything but life ever again for the fruit of the tree of life is so good, I have no appetite for the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil anymore. I am so grateful I could make a different choice and so can you.

Shaking off man made theology is difficult. We absorb more culturally than we realize and we don’t recognize our culture until we live in another culture. This goes for people who have lived over seas or for those who have chosen to live in the kingdom after being dipped in religion.

Our culture is like our skin, it is so much apart of us we do not even realize what we think, what we say, what we believe is cultural not biblical. Western culture has taught us that the end of times is the darkest of times. We have been dipped in a left behind theology, a fear mongering messaging that has altered our way of reading the word of God.

When the scales of culture fall from our eyes, when the kingdom awakening happens in us, we will see the Word of God in a way we have never seen it before. The Word will actuallly be able to say what it says to us, not what man has taught us.

Proverbs 4:18-19 says, “The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine. But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker— travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces.”

We don’t like demarcations, for we have been dipped in cultural socialism in a way we don’t even understand. The kingdom of God is not diminishing it is increasing at least that is what Daniel 2:44 says, “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.”

This morning I am singing a new song, I am singing, “I shake it off and say You are good; I shake it off and say You are good; I shake it off!” Maybe you want to sing along, for it is time to shake off cultural theology and join the kingdom awakening.

Can you hear the sound of the Lord in the midst of us? Can you discern His distinct voice among all the other voices? Are you able to tune your heart to the frequency of His sound, to the reality of His voice? Individually and corporately, we tend to be one volume people.

Churches tend to have one volume. For some churches it is the roar of the lion of the tribe of Judah, for others it is the resting dove who is gently cooing. Both are the sound of God, but He is never just one volume, never just one sound. We can miss so much because of our preferences, proclivities or even personalities.

Psalm 32 says, “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.” Some people will miss God’s deliverance today because they are not used to the shout of deliverance. It is not their preferred way of deliverance. This is not the only way God delivers people, but the Bible says it is one way.

1 Kings 19 says, ““Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.”

In some churches today, there is going to be a still small voice, a whisper in the midst of the noise, it will not be a shout, it will not be loud, but it will be God. It will not be hype or emotional, but it is 100% God.

No matter if you worship with the roar of the lion of Judah or if the resting dove enters the room, listen for the voice of the one that calls you by name. It may come with a shout of deliverance or it may come in a still small voice. It is our God who wants to speak to His people and have them hear Him.

Ecclesiastes 5:1 “1Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen.”

How you see something determines how you name it. When you name it that is how you will remember it. If we name it based on what we expeienced personally, versus what God did there will be significant. History is the fact about what happened in any given situation. We give names to situations we have experienced and therefore we remember that situation based on the name we gave it. 

Did you know every situation you have been through has had a negative name attached to it and a position name attached to it. How you choose to remember it will determine how you remember it. Just because you name it negative does not mean it was all negative. Just because you name it positive does not negate there were negative or challenging things that happened during it. 

In Exodus 17 there is a story of Israel in the wilderness called Rephadim. They have left Egypt, but they are not yet in their promised land. At this camping location, there is no water. The people are thirsty and they are upset with Moses because he is their leader and they expect him to provide for their basic need for water. Moses agrees, so he cries out to God asking him what to do. 

Exodus 17 says, “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”

Two things happened at this location. One the people quarreled with Moses and they tested the Lord asking is the Lord among us. Two the Lord released water from the rock and declared THE DROUGHT IS OVER! Moses named this place Massah and Meribah for the strife and testing, so every time they revisited that place they were reminded of the strife and testing. 

What if they named that place THE DROUGHT IS OVER or JEHOVAH JIREH the Lord provided? Both happened in that location, but the naming of it is what was linked to the memory of it and throughout the Bible it is called the waters of Meribah, rather than THE DROUGHT IS OVER. Be mindful of how you name things in your past, they will either invoke shame, anger, bitterness and other negative things or they will remind you of the faithfulness of God. How we name historical markers in our life matters.

I was talking with a young couple yesterday as they asked me to blow the shofar and pray for them to have a legacy jubilee. I was honored by the opportunity to do this for them, for I love sowing the sound, so others can reap the substance.

We talked for a little bit before we prayed and I said to them, when abundance breaks into your lives, you are going to have to shake off the dust of survival mode; take off the clothes of poverty thinking; and manifest the abundance God is giving you. They said, that is challenging for we have been struggling for so long. I said, I understand, but a new season requires a new look.

Now this morning I am reading Isaiah 52:1-2 and it says, “Awake, awake, Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; For the uncircumcised and the unclean Will no longer come into you. Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.”

Friends, we have a responsibility to wake up, get dressed, shake off, loose ourselves and get to manifesting the abundance God is pouring out upon us. God will bring the breakthrough, but we must loose ourselves from the mindsets that limit, the dust that lingers, and we must change our clothes from beggars to royalty. It is time to manifest the goodness of God.

Isaiah 52 tells us why as it says, “How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, They shout joyfully together; For they will see with their own eyes When the LORD restores Zion. Break forth, shout joyfully together, You waste places of Jerusalem; For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD has bared His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, That all the ends of the earth may see The salvation of our God!” Manifest the good news my friends, manifest!