Prepared For Wide Open Spaces

Familiar scriptures are like trodden paths that we walk on without even considering where we put our feet. We have heard them preached so many times, we think we know what they mean when we hear them. John 3:16 is so common you see it at sporting events on a placard or on a bumper sticker. People know words, but they don’t know revelation. Words are the surface level, revelation is the well that springs forth living water. If God speaks a familiar scripture to you, there is a really good chance He is not just taking you on a stroll through a well trodden path of which you know what it means, He is inviting you to dig a well, for He has living water for you to find and share with others.

Last night I kept hearing in my spirit, “He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies.” I didn’t get up and write it down, for I know it so well. I wake up and same words are reverberating in my spirit, “He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies.” My first thought while laying in bed was, is the enemy plotting something and the Lord is saying, don’t worry, I have a table prepared for you in the midst of it. But it kept echoing in my spirit, so I got up and went to my desk to dig into this verse in Psalm 23:5 that we all have heard so many times, but what I learned was surprising.

Breaking down the words prepares, table, presence and enemies, in the Hebrew, unlocks a whole new way to hear this verse, I call it revelation. Here is what the Lord said to me, “I, the LORD, your God, have announced your sending out in the midst of your narrow places, because I have ordained it”. My friends, God does not want you in confined narrow places, He made you for wide open spaces. Fear, anxiety, depression, addiction, poverty, they all come from cramped spaces, for the enemy wants to shut you up and make you small, but the LORD is abundance, He wants to open you up, expand your territory, make you bigger. “He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies.”

Tree Of Life

We have all heard “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13) This morning the Lord had me break down this scripture word by word to hear what it is actually saying. We know deferred means to delay, to prolong, to drag along, but did you know it means to scatter, to remove. Interesting added definitions for this word deferred. Then the word sick, which is connected to deferred means weak, rubbed, worn, afflicted, wounded, sore, grieved or diseased. Therefore, when what we hope for prolongs its arrival in our life it actually afflicts us, grieves us, and can disease our heart. No wonder we are told to guard our heart with all diligence for it is the wellspring of life.

The second half of this verse is about desire and fulfillment that produces a tree of life. Desire is delight, longing, pleasant, wish, and an object of desire. While the world fulfilled is what really got me thinking this morning, it means, to go, come, abide, send, attain, come to pass, to be introduced. What? Oh yeah, fulfilled is a sending, introducing, coming to pass word. We are not fulfilled in the sitting, we are fulfilled in the sending. Is it possible, many people have sick hearts because they are not being sent anywhere, they are not being introduced anywhere, they are not going anywhere?

The contrast between a sick heart and a tree of life is so obvious and to think part of healing has to do with sending, makes me realize why the Lord is raising up apostles and prophets in this day, because they are the sending ones. Pastors love for you to stay with them, snuggle into the flock, they don’t want you to leave, go do. The evangelist wants more people to come to church, come to Jesus and then come to church, the teacher wants people to teach in church. But the apostle and prophet, they see the future, they send the people, they are the ones that create movement. My friends, I see us moving as a body of Christ from sitting sick to moving, going, doing, so we can be a tree of life and Ezekiel says, then our leaves will heal nations.

Who You Follow Matters

Who you follow matters!!!!! No matter what they promise you in order to get you to follow them, is of little consequence, knowing who you are following is what really matters. I was praying Psalm 72 this morning and the psalmist says “Let the nomads of the desert bow before him, And his enemies lick the dust.” We live in such a “soft” culture that most of us would just breeze over this statement as harsh and move on. The Lord would not allow me to do that, for my brain is wired biblically, so my neuropathways jump from scripture to scripture until the message is clear what the Lord is speaking to me in now time.

Genesis 3 says, the Lord cursed the serpent, the devil to be on his belly and lick dust all the days of his life, so when the psalmist says let his enemies lick the dust it is a nod to Genesis 3, its not harsh. As I was praying into this which the Holy Spirit was showing me, the Lord said, “Those who follow the devil will become dust lickers dwelling in desolation locations.” He went on to explain to me that the devil will present illusions of grandeur, offering things he cannot deliver, for it is just an illusion. Those who can be lured away will find themselves licking the dust, just like their belly dust licking master, Satan himself.

Who we follow matters!!!! When we follow the Spirit of God, the LORD God Almighty, Jesus the Christ, we will ascend the hill of the Lord, we will stand on the heights and call out to others come up here (Revelation 4). Yahweh is a God who calls us up, doesn’t push us down, He corrects us up, doesn’t condemn us in shame, He is the lifter of our heads. He promises and delivers, He speaks and does what He says He will do. He is trustworthy. If we choose to follow HIm we will rise and shine, we will be blessed and highly favored. But it all comes down to who we chose to follow.

Dust lickers are following the devil and become enemies of all the mountain climbers, hill ascenders. The enemy promises illusions up front in order for you to fall on your belly and lick dust with him, but the LORD makes promises that may take time to manifest because we have to grow into who He is calling us to be so we can carry what He is making us to be. As for me, I am going to ascend for I follow Jesus the Christ. Who do you follow? Trust me it matters not just in eternity, but now.

Powering Cities

Words words, words, written words, spoken words, thought words, so many words. They come through media, they come through education, they come through family, they come through billboards, they come through technology. You can’t escape them, they are everywhere. Your phone is pushing them at you all day long. You are speaking them in many forms all the time. So many words. The waters in you are the words that come out of you and the waters in others are the words that come out o them. The question is what kind of water are you sending out and having come in?

Every city is near a river, because rivers power cities. We talk a lot as the church about reaching our cities. We have our plans, ideas and even blueprints of how to reach a city, but how many of us realize the river inside of us is what is either building up or tearing down our cities? Proverbs 11:11 says, “By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.” When we bless our cities, we exult our cities, when we curse our cities, when we speak what we see in our cities, we tear down our cities. The words a believer speaks either builds up or tears down its city.

Can you look at your city and find the gold in it? Can you be the river that runs through your city that blesses it, so it is exulted? I went to the Cumberland River which is the main river that runs through my city and I blew the shofar over the river, for water carries sound and I wanted the sound of salvation flowing through my city. I know about Broadway and what happens down there, I know the history of our city as it pertains to prostitution and trafficking, I am not ignorant of the devices of our city. However, I chose to use the river inside of me to bless the city in which I live and not curse it. For I want my city saved, I want my city healed, I want my city exulted and exalting the name of the LORD.

My friends, you are the river of your city. What type of water is flowing through your city? Are they drinking the bitter waters of judgment, condemnation and the wrath of God or are they drinking the blessing, the provision, the righteousness and justice of God? Your words are the river your city is drinking. I want fresh water flowing in my city, I want justice rolling down like a river in my city. I want my city to be blessed, so I bless my city. Nashville, TN you are blessed and highly favored, a sound is coming out of you that will be righteousness that exalts this nation, this is how I speak to my city, what about you and your city?

Invitation Then Command

Invitations are not expectations, they are invitations to participation, to partnership, or to relationship. A command, on the other hand, is an expectation based on an agreement that has already been made to be in a certain kind of relationship. If the relationship is not clearly defined up front, the command may sound like an invitation, when in reality a command is an expectation that the command will be executed, based on relationship.

I give commands to my son because I’m his mom; the Lord gives me commands because I have agreed to be His servant, follower, daughter. I accept or deny invitations from people based on my schedule, availability or desire to do what I was invited into. However, when I get a command from God, I am expected to execute what He has commanded, for it is a command not an invitation. I obey the command because I know I am His daughter, I already agreed to be His servant, and I love following His orders for they are always for our good or the good of someone else.

I have found believers take God’s commands as invitations. He invited us to follow Him, Matthew 4:18-20 “Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” Once we accepted the invitation to follow Him, now based on relationship with Him, He will command us to do things and He expects us to execute whatever He commands.

We need to get this right as believers who have said yes to follow Him, to serve Him, to love Him. The kingdom of God has one King and His name is Jesus. Once we agree He is our king, we now are commanded to do things He expects us to execute for the effectual operation of all in His kingdom. We need to tell people the truth about what following Jesus is all about, not just get them to say a prayer, come to an altar or raise their hand, so our ministry looks successful. The invitation to come follow Me is not an easy decision, for it is an invitation to be in a relationship with a King, who will issue commands He expects us to execute. He is a Father and we are His children who He expects will obey His voice. He is God and we are expected to do what He says, because we said yes to the invitation He extended to us through His Son Jesus. The invitation is only the start of this amazing relationship. He is more amazing than you know, but to discover this you must do what He says.

Root Is Reason For Fruit

The longer I walk with Jesus, the more I realize how much “culture” hinders us from obeying the voice of God. Amplified voices in the church love to invite us to repent of identifiable sins like sexual immorality, drunkenness, abortion, thievery, murder, and identifiable list goes on and on. But Jesus never told us to repent of those things, not because they were not sins we needed to repent of, but because they were all fruit, that had a root He was after. Jesus never plucked bad fruit, but He always went after the root.

Here is an example of this in Jesus’ very own words, “After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, Hear and understand. It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” (Matthew 15:10-11). The Pharisees were fruit inspectors, not realizing they had rotten roots. Fruit is the food they put in their mouth, Jesus was not worried about what they ate, He wanted them to hear what they say. Paul even says in Romans 14:17, “The kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Jewish “culture” was very focused on obeying the law. Any law breakers were considered, not of God. Henceforth, why they struggled with Jesus, because He was not submitting to what their “culture” demanded. The same is true with all “cultures”, in America independence is a value in this “culture” therefore, to let someone tell you what to do is not an option. Everyone of us must repent of obeying our culture if we are going to walk with Jesus into His kingdom, for the kingdom of God is not American culture, African culture, European culture, Asian culture, Australian culture, the kingdom of God is its own culture.

Jesus said, Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand! I believe many of us need to repent of disobeying God, because it doesn’t align with our culture. Our culture is keeping many from blessings God has for us individually and corporately. It is subtle, because we are born into a culture, but it is just another reason why we must be born again, for the kingdom is its own culture. Once you can die to your culture and live for His kingdom, everything changes and your life will truly never be the same again.

It’s Psalm 67 Time

The Holy Spirit is hovering over Psalm 67:6-7 this morning. The hovering of the Holy Spirit has caused a pondering in my heart about what is being said. It sounds good to the ears, but the hovering tells me there is a message being spoken that is yet to be heard. When the Holy Spirit hovers over something, lean in to listen, for He has something He is trying to say. Listen to Psalm 67 “The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us. God blesses us, That all the ends of the earth may fear Him.” Selah

The blessing of God on one, causes the fear of God on another! The blessing of God on one, causes the fear of God on another! The blessing of God on one, causes the fear of God on another! This is what it sounds like when the Holy Spirit is hovering, He repeats it until it sinks inside of you and you hear what He is saying in His hovering. Not everyone is going to receive the blessing of the Lord, but the blessing of the Lord is going to bless us all. The blessing of the Lord on one, causes the fear of the Lord on another.

The blessing of the Lord comes from obedience to the words of the Lord. Deuteronomy 28 says, if this then this. John 15 says, if this then this. Obedience to the words of God are a declaration of our love for God. The fear of the Lord is obedience to the words of the Lord. Exodus 9 says, “The one among the servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; but he who paid no regard to the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.” The blessing of God on one, causes the fear of God on another.

Some are about to be blessed in a way that it will cause others to fear the Lord. We do not know what will lead others to repent of disregarding what God has told them to do and they haven’t done it. God wants us to obey Him because He wants to bless us, but it is a partnership that is why obedience unlocks blessings. We want God to answer our prayers, obey what we say, but we don’t want to obey what He says, that unjust. My friends, we who call ourselves believers, must obey what God has to say, for obedience is faith and faith is believing. He wants to bless you, but it takes obedience to unlock blessings. God is about to bless some people in a big way and it is going to cause others to fear the Lord.

Flip The Ship

Sometime in the early hours of this morning, I heard the words, “Flip the ship!” Immediately it was brought to my attention this is related to the ship being Babylon that sits on the seas, which are people. Revelation 17:1 says, “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters.” Psalm 65:5-7 says, “You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea; Who establishes the mountains by His strength, Being girded with might; Who stills the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.”

Seas in scipture represents people, humanity and ships, vessels, boats represents big ministry, big church, trade, business, wealth, cargo according to The Divinty Code. Therefore, when the Lord says, “Flip the ship” it is a call for the people of God to cast off Babylon. Babylon is a ship that sits on the waters, Revelation 18 speaks of all this mystery city, which is a system, does on the seas. Revelation 19 speaks of the sound of many rushing waters as our praise, as the voice of God. Seas are people. We have heard the phrase a sea of people.

My friends, Babylon is floating on the seas of humanity and the Lord is ordering us to “Flip the ship” to cast her off of us. I sense in the spirit, as we all decree Revelation 18:1 “Fallen, Fallen, Babylon has fallen…” our decrees will “Flip the ship”. Flip means sudden change or shift; loss of control; need to adapt to to changing circumstances. When we “Flip the ship” we are casting off Bablylon’s control over our life. Babylon is sitting on the seven mountains, it is a system of control that all of humanity is under and the Lord is commanding us to “Flip the ship!” So we can sing, Bye Bye Babylon. For Revelation 18:19-20 says, “Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’ Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.”

There Is More…Keep Pursuing

In that valley of the shadow of death, the Lord walked me through it and for 10 years had me learning of Him and Him alone. 8 hours a day just me and my bible, learning about the heart of God, learning the ways of God, obeying the voice of God. Oh the testimonies from this time are too many to count. It was a wilderness I was invited into and it was hard, but it changed my life forever again. Then the day came when I was invited to cross my Jordan into the promised land, and to Tennessee I moved.

The promised land is a land of of milk and honey, it is a land of community in a way I have never known before, it a land of giants I have never seen before and it is a land of manifestations like I have never seen before. I have been through too many transitions to think this is the end, for our God is eternal, but what I do know, is that many people pursue ministry and I did as well, but the wilderness teaches us to pursue a man. Once we learn the pursuit of a man, not a ministry, not a calling, not a destiny, not a dream, but a man, we can say with the David in Psalm 65 “How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You To dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.” And we can sing from our heart in spirit and truth, “Your all I want, Your all I ever needed!”

I have seen a lot, I have heard a lot, I have experienced a lot, but the one thing that I desire, the one thing I seek, is to be with this man, Jesus the Christ, for nothing, I mean there is nothing else I desire but Him and His presence. He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and the reward is Him. He is the reward!

Paint The States

A couple weeks ago I was listening to Dutch Sheets on his Give Him 15 broadcast. In his broadcast called “painting the states” Dutch was sharing a dream that Gina Goldstein had. In the dream, Gina had, there were angels that were carrying buckets of oil with paintbrushes in them. The invitation was for prophetic intercessors, when they cross the state line to paint the border with oil and make decrees. Intercessors all over the United States of America have been sending in pictures and testimonies to Dutch about painting the state with the oil declaring salvation for the nation. If you have the time it is a three part video that it’s worth watching.

Yesterday I got a phone call from my boss asking if I would be willing to drive to Florida with her in order to help her set up a new Airbnb that they bought. I agreed to make the trip and last night when we crossed the Alabama Florida border I asked her can we stop and paint the states? She loves prophetic adventures and so was gladly obliged for us to stop and do that. Thank God we were on a road where we could pull over just after a city later at night so traffic was not an issue. Here we are two grown women with a bottle of oil on the state line between Florida and Alabama anointing it with oil and making decrees. We were honored to be able to join so many other intercessors around the nation by painting the states.

In 2014 the Lord spoke to me and said I have plenty of people above ground but I have very few people below ground would you be willing to go underground for me. I agreed and ever since then I have been on prophetic adventures for the healing of the nation. Being able to stand on certain locations and make declarations is an honor of the likes that I cannot explain. It has been said that the nameless faceless army that has arisen are the prophetic intercessor’s that have been going about healing the land. It is an honor to pray for the salvation of our nation. Alabama and Florida your state has been painted and decrees have been made. In the words of Dutch Sheets America shall be saved!