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The Choice Is Yours

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I spent 19 years pursuing the counterfeit thinking somehow, someway it was going to meet my need, satisfy my desire, heal my pain. I kept going back for another drink of that bottle, another hit on that pipe, another encounter with a man, only to leave empty every time. Yet somehow, the cycle of death would not let me go, it kept convincing me the counterfeit, if given another chance, would produce the results it promised, but over and over again, I received the same results, nothing the counterfeit offered brought about any change in my life. I became more and more numb, until I could literally not feel anymore, so thought what is the point of anything.

The counterfeit will have you continually coming back for more, while the authentic will fill you to overflow and produce in you a gratitude that will keep you full.

The authentic is legit, it does not lie, for the authentic is Jesus Christ, the God man, who came in the flesh to die for the sins of the world. He is the only way, the only truth and the only life, there is literally no other way to the Father of lights, but through Jesus Christ the son. It is a one way, narrow way, but it is the authentic way and when you surrender to His way, you will truly want no other way. Psalm 16 says, “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” It is the cycle of life and Jesus Christ is the gift that keeps on giving.

If you want to get out of the cycle of life you can, but it takes a choice. I made my choice when I was 19 years old, I am now 53 and I am so thankful everyday for that decision I made so many years ago. When you make the choice it does not matter, but making the choice is literally a life and death decision. You can choose life right now, but it is your choice. It is not one time choice, it is a daily choice to live. You were created for life, but you must choose life. Death is an enemy, not an ally. The Bible says, the grave is one of the four things that never says enough, death will continually seek to keep you in the cycle of death, but Jesus is inviting you into life. Today, I pray you choose life, whether you are a Christian or not, today is the day of salvation, choose life and get in the cycle of life!!!!

Unlock For The Walk

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When we know the why behind the what it gives us understanding and removes frustration. When we see the what but don’t understand the why, it can challenge us to the point of not wanting to be involved in that which God has invited us into. We see this in community, family, marriage, work enviornments, churches, cities, nations. People see the what, but if they are not aware of the why, they don’t understand and cannot add value to the what because they don’t understand the why. As leaders we need to be crystal clear in our communication about the why so when people see the what, they can partner with what is being done, what is being asked and what is being built.

God is the most prolific communicator any of us will ever encounter. Now learning His language, character, nature takes time, so there are challenges even with God, not because He is not good, but because we don’t know Him well enough to understand all He is doing unless we invest copious amounts of time learning to hear His voice, see His signs, sense His movements. But when you begin to get in a rhythm with the voice of God, you will start to hear and see puzzle pieces that reveal a picture of the likes we could not have seen or heard if someone had told us. Now with all that said, here is what the Lord spoke to me this morning while praying Psalm 15. “I AM UNLOCKING HUMANITY SO THEY CAN WALK WITH DIVINITY.”

The enemy has bound us, imprisoned us, taken us captive through deceptive philosophies, well crafted arguments, sickness, disease, temptation that leads to sin and ignorance, but God is unlocking us, delivering us, setting us free. Psalm 15 says, “O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart.” God is inviting us into integrity, righteousness and truth for that is the code that unlocks humanity in order to walk with divinity. My friends, we are going through a door into a world we have only heard about but are about to see, touch, taste and hear. We are being unlocked in order to walk with God again!!!

Whole Lot Of Shaking Going On

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Prophetic people love the numbers 222/2222. Many go to Isaiah 22:22 which says, “Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, When he opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one will open.” This verse becomes a prophecy about keys, God is giving us the keys to open and to close. Others go to Revelation 22:2 and receive it as a sign of healing for it says, “In the middle of its street, either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” I have come to believe every 222 or 2222 scripture we love to quote is a nod to Jesus. For He is the key of the house of David; He is the tree of life; He is the healing of the nations. So, when I find a 222 or 2222 sign God highlights to me, it reminds me of Jesus and who He is.

Today I was reading Haggai 2:22 and it is not a frequently quoted 222 verse, but it does carry promises I believe are happening right now in our midst, we can feel them but not necessarily see them…yet. “I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, everyone by the sword of another.” Haggai is releasing a prophetic word of encouragement to the exiles who returned from Babylon and were rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem as stated in Ezra 4. This is a word of encouragement because it was a nod to what God did to Pharoh when Israel exited Egypt. I believe it is a word of encouragement for us today as well.

Church, God is shaking the heavens, not to harm us, but to help us. There have been powers, principalities and rulers in the heavenly realm orchestrating rulership through people in the earth realm and the Lord has been watching it for decades, but has decided in His sovereignty during our lifetime to shake them out of the heavens again, overthrow them again, and rescue us as the nations from their grip again. We are in the midst of a rescue mission from an enemy we did not even know we were under. Yahweh is doing this, Yeshua is restoring nations to righteousness, Jehovah alone is behind the shaking. I can’t say it enough, be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). When the dust settles we will see the King of Righteousness was behind the shaking and we will celebrate!

Access Denied

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Love does not mean access! This is what the Lord said to me as I was reading Ezra this morning. He said, “You can love your enemies without giving them access to you and what you are building.” Enemies appear helpful in order to gain access, but once access is denied we will see they are an enemy and not an ally. Enemies can masquerade as polite, helpful, or even beneficial for a moment, but tell them no and you will see they are still an enemy.

Now listen to Ezra 4:1-3 “Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”

The church hears the word enemy and immediately hears the words of Jesus, “Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28) Then we argue in our heads with the words, “Love does not mean access.” Jesus was speaking in the context of the beatitudes in Luke, the parallel passages are in Matthew 5. The kingdom of God does not hate its enemies, like the world hates those who do not agree with them, align with them or do what they say. The kingdom of God can say no to their enemies when it comes to access but still love them. This is hard for a humanistic culture, because we equate love with access, but 1 Corinthians 13 says, “Love protects!” When you love someone you protect them from the enemy that comes to steal, kill and destroy them (John 10:10). This is why love does not mean access.

Decision Time

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Fence sitters cannot see a demarcation between the righteous and the wicked. The reason being, as they sit on the fence they see the benefits of both people. Fence sitters desire the wealth of the wicked and the future of the righteous. When you straddle the fence it can feel like you are experiencing the best of both worlds, the challenge is they are actually not experiencing either world.

Elijah climbed a mountain called Carmel, built an altar to Yahweh, prepared it and then called the prophets of Baal to build an altar to Molech/Chemosh or whatever god they chose and the prepared their altar as well. One was an altar to a righteous God, the other other was an altar to an idol or demon god. Elijah had made his decision as to who he was, the prophets of Baal and Jezebel had made their decision as to who they were, but the nation of Israel could not decide which God/god they wanted to serve. Elijah said it this way, “How long will you waver between two opinions, if Yahweh is God serve Him; if Baal is god, serve him.” (1 Kings 18)

We are living in a culture in which fence sitting seems to be desirable to many. The challenge is, those who are wavering in the valley of decision as to who is God/god only see the benefits of both sides, they do not see the destruction that is taking place in our nations as the wicked are destroying the foundations. Psalm 11 says, “If the foundations are destroyed,

What can the righteous do?” Foundations in Hebrew is stay of society, political or moral support. Destroyed in Hebrew is to throw down, overthrow, tear down, ruin. The wicked are after the foundations of the nations for if they can destroy the foundation, they can destroy the nation.

The wicked are on a mission of destruction but fence sitters cannot see it. Until those who have called on the name of Jesus, get off the fence and take a stand for righteousness, the wicked will prevail and there will be a showdown shaking to get the fence sitters to pick a side. This is not a battle in which you don’t have to choose. You must choose this day whom you will serve!

Decree And You Will See

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When you are a listener to the voice of God, there does not need to be any context for what God may speak, but when He speaks and you lean into what He says, it opens up realms of revelation you would have not have known if He had not spoken. This was my reality this morning, the Lord said, “Declarations are for manifestations. What you decree you will see.” No context, no adjoining prayers around the subject, just a phrase God spoke to me this morning, but what it opened up was understanding on the subject about which He spoke. The voice of God is an invitation into relationship and God knows I love to dig into the word to know what He is saying, so for me this was a morning of treasure hunting with God and we struck gold.

Job 22:28 says, ““You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And light will shine on your ways.”

Decree has always meant something I said, a declaraton I make, this is what I thought this word meant and it does, but in the Hebrew decree means, to cut, divide, slice off, cut off, cut down, decide, exterminate, quarry, separate. This changes everything, this word decree connected to the word established in this passage is not about a verdict we are making, it is a about seperation, dividing, cutting off that has to happen in order for something to be established. Established in Hebrew means, stand up, arise, perform, come on the scene, appoint. Again, not the definition I assumed it would be. This is why when God speaks we should not assume what He is saying, but should do some research for He knows things we don’t.

What the Lord said was, “Declarations are for manifestations. What you decree you will see.” Now after leaning into these words, here is what that means. A decree will precede a standing, for something has to be cut off in order for something else to arise. Many times we want to arise before we separate, slice off, decree the removal of something. The decree makes room for what God wants to have come on the scene. Decree then you will see for declaration releases manifestation. It’s time to decree so we can see!

Arise, O God!!!

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In September 1999 I stepped foot in a little country church in Smithton, MO a town of 532 people. I was a big city girl, who had a bible school degree and was working as a full time youth pastor in Seattle, WA. I was a tongue talking, hand raising, bible believing youth group growing believer. In my Lutheran Church I was considered radical, charismatic, and to some of those choir robe wearing friends of mine, probably a little bit crazy. So, when I walked into that little country church, I thought I knew all about God. Little did I know, how little I actually knew. I walked through that door with a big spiritual attitude, minutes into that first service I realized, these people knew something about God I did not know.

I saw things in that building I had never seen before, I heard things from that preacher I had never heard before and I, honestly, was afraid of God’s power that I witnessed in that place. It wasn’t scary like I was going to get hurt, it was scary like, there is a power greater than me that I did not know existed until that day in September 1999. I went home that night shaking on the inside. I was there for the weekend to attend a pastors and leaders conference, but this youth pastor was not returning to that place ever again, at least that is what I said. The next morning, I was in line with the other hundreds of people waiting to get inside, but the day sessions were not as scary to me, so the Lord was gracious to me. But Friday night was power like I had never seen before, heard before, experienced before and though I still had the fear of the Lord, I no longer resisted it, now I wanted it.

I tell you that story because we think we know God more than we really do. We as humans have a tendency in our short term earth existence to think we are so powerful, but when we encounter the God of power it puts us and all who think they know so much in place. The fear of the Lord is a good thing, for it reminds us that we are not God, there is only one God, one Way, one Truth, one Life, one King of kings, one Messiah and when He arises, we will all fall down. Our world and church is in need of an arising God and a falling down people.

Two Winds

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My dear friend Carmen Howard has been on the theme of “WIND” as a word from the Lord for a while now. Because of her passionate pursuit of this word and what God is speaking to us through it, whenever I see the word wind, I pause and ask the Lord what is it you are saying about the wind to us? This morning, I was reading in James 1 and the word wind showed up and I immediately thought of Carmen, but it was way to early to call her and share some thoughts with her about this word. Therefore, I decided to write this mornings post with my thoughts on what the wind is saying in James 1.

James 1:5-6 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”

Doubt drives us and tosses us with the wind. Immediately as I read this I realized if we feel driven or tossed to and fro by a wind, which can be words, circumstances, people’s expectations, etc. then the wind we are being driven and tossed by is not the wind of God. The wind of God doesn’t drive us or toss us, it lead us and guides us. Romans 8:14 says, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God;” and Galatians 5:16 says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” The wind of God does not drive us or toss us here and there, it leads us and guides us in the way we should go.

Two winds, both seeking to determine the direction our life takes. One wind drives us, tosses us and seeks to destroy us, the other wind, leads us, guides us and seeks to bless us abundantly with the fruit of the spirit. My friends, catch the wind of the Spirit of God and resist the wind of striving, It takes discernment to know what wind you are in, but the fruit of the wind will be obvious, for one produces the fruit of the flesh, the other produces the fruit of the Spirit. Thank you Carmen for loving the wind of God!!!

Speak Life

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One of the greatest challenges we face as a church is a double tongue. One minute we are praising God for the victory and the next minute we are seeing the enemy and repeating what evil is doing. James 3:7-8 says, “No one came tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren these things ought not to be this way.” We have been declaring America shall be saved one moment and then complaining about whatever bad news the television tells us is going on the next. My friends, we cannot be speaking two narratives. Either God is redeeming our land or He is destroying it. Either our nation is one nation under God or it is cursed. Pick a narrative, but stop speaking with a double tongue.

We have been told in Joel 2 and Acts 2 the spirit has been poured out on all flesh, your sons and daughters can prophesy (speak, declare, announce good news, words of encouragement, something that edifies those who hear it), so if you are going to prophesy, prophesy, we need to hear words of encouragement. Words of light and life pierce the darkness and destroy the sprit of death. Remember Moses and Solomon said, the power of life and death is in the tongue. Then Toby Mac even wrote a song to remind us to Speak Life!!! If being in the “know” by watching the news is your narrative, then listen, watch and learn, but don’t echo what they are saying, for there is another narrative and it is good news, but you must read your Bible to hear the good news. The good news is the narrative we are to echo, but you must spend time in the word to know the narrative of the kingdom.

Psalm 7:9 is the narrative of the nations, “O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.” The narrative of the nations is that wickedness is coming to an end and righteousness is being established. You are not going to hear that on the local, national or international news, but you will hear it in the Bible. This is our decree, this is our narrative, this is what we are to echo, wickedness is ending and righteousness is being established. It’s the truth and our opinion on the subject does not matter. Speak life, declare truth and watch how God changes the frequency of the narrative you hear and speak.

Strongholds Coming Down

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What if a great deception has been levied against the body of Christ in the rapture theology we have been indoctrinated with? What if we have been watching for it to get darker and darker and waiting for Jesus to come rescue us and Jesus is sitting in heavenly places next to the Father waiting for us to put the enemy He defeated under our feet, which are actually His feet? What a great deception that would be, it would literally keep the body of Christ immobile, just doing religious activity to pass time and yet never mobilizing in power to put the enemy under our feet. I propose to you we have been deceived by a Babylonian church theology that keeps us powerless.

Hebrews 10:12 says, “He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET.”

Jesus forgave all sins past, present and future in His death on the cross. His shed blood spoke then and speaks now FORGIVENESS! There is no other word on the subject of sin that will be spoken for the blood of Jesus speaks forever on the subject. This truth is not a call to passivity, lawlessness, greasy grace or any other license to be lazy and sin at will. No this truth is a call to rise up in power and authority, equipped with the blood of Jesus to put sin in our lives under our feet and to help others do the same. Satan wants us sinning for that keeps us separated from God and others and keeps us powerless in our war against him.

Church the great awakening we need is to the kingdom of God. We have been lulled to sleep by the doctrines of demons and the theologies of men which have taught us to be passive and powerless. Jesus Christ and His shed blood wrote His laws on our hearts and we are powerful over sin, Satan and every system Babylon has created to ensnare us. We must wake up to the truth that will set us free for we have been lulled to sleep in apathy and then we wonder why we are not living life abundantly. It’s a fight to be free, but it is worth every tear, every prayer, every moment spent in the Word tearing down the strongholds Babylon has erected in our minds. It’s demolition of doctrines time so captives can go free!!!