The Perfect Storm

One of the things I enjoy doing, is watching game shows. I spend most of my day reading, studying, praying, processing what God is saying and ministering to many people, so when I get down time my go to is a television show that doesn’t need me to think, I can just relax, laugh and enjoy the show. This is why I love watching sports as well. One of the shows I used to watch when I lived in Malaysia was Wipeout. If you have never watched this game show, it is really funny and very entertaining. It is basically an obstacle course for adults, who have chosen to dress up in some very creative way to run the course. They have water being shot at them, big balls to jump on, spinning things to get over, all in an attempt to knock them off the course. Many fall down on the course and others fall off the course into the water below. It is a see it to fully understand it kind of show.

The Lord brought this game show to mind this morning as I thought about the reality that today is the last day of Tishri (Hebrew month); there is a new moon tonight: there is a solar eclipse today; there is a war happening in Israel; there are protests all over the world; there are attacks happening in France; and their are rockets in the air and boots on the ground in Israel. Signs in the heavens above and signs on the earth below. It can feel, look and sound like the perfect storm in the natural. Yet the Lord reminds me of a game show called Wipeout.

Life has a lot of things thrown at us to get us off course; the news sprays us with bad news all day long; people fight; money rises and falls; moons are new every month, suns go dark, but they are not to be ignored, nor are they to be feared. The enemy is trying to throw you off the course, but the Lord is trying to get you to the finish line to declare victory over the enemy. Now the choice is yours, will you let the many obstacles being thrown at you take you out, or will you lift up you eyes to where your help comes from (Psalm 121)? It’s a lot I know, I feel it too, but there is a God who has seen the end from the beginning and if He is not scared, neither should we be. The enemy is trying to wipe us out, but God is raising us up for such a time as this. We were born for this day, arise and shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord is rising upon us. Rejoice!!!!!!

Where Peace Is Found

We have heard the phrase “rest in peace”, but have we ever really considered what that means. I hadn’t until this morning when the Lord said to me, “Peace comes from dying to yourself, while anxiety comes from promoting yourself.” There was no context for this conversation, my prayers were actually about how amazing God is and I was thanking Him for various character qualities I love about Him. Then the Holy Spirit says, “Peace comes from dying to yourself, anxiety comes from promoting yourself.” Wow. Just wow.

What I love most about God is that He always speaks the truth. Therefore, whether I understand fully what He is saying or not, does not change the truth He is speaking. I walked and pondered this thought this morning and as I was, the phrase, “rest in peace” came to my attention. We love our lives so much, we we love ourselves so much, we love to promote ourselves, talk about ourselves and tell others about ourselves. Then the church catches on to this and adds to this love of self theme and yet we are the most anxiety ridden culture in my lifetime. With so many self-help books, so much self- discovery, self-promotion, my truth, talk, why are we so anxious, lonely, depressed, addicted and angry if self is so wonderful?

Self is like the leech in Proverbs that cries give, give. Self is never satifsfied, self will never say enough. Self always has to have more. Self is the root of anxiety, fear, control, and all the other destructive issues people are dealing with, but when we hear we are to die to ourselves so we can live, we poo poo that idea, for it does not benefit self. Paul said in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” If you want peace you have to die to yourself and live for Him. We Rest In Peace when die to ourselves. Peace comes from being dead to me not promoting me.

Winds of War

I was walking the dog and praying this morning and the words of Chuck Pierce wafted through my spirit saying, “The war is over the harvest.” Then the message from Jane Hammon I listened to yesterday came to rememberance as she spoke about watchmen on the wall, watchmen at the gate, and watchmen of the harvest. The Holy Spirit put those two things together and began to share with me how the battle has shifted.

For the past 10 years the battle has been about standing our ground, persevering through the wilderness, not quitting, not giving up, it was a stand and keep on standing season of contending for the promises of God. We learned so much in the past war season, we gained much stamina to stand. It was a time of 2 Samuel 23:9-10 “Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day.” For many our hand felt stuck to our sword for the battle kept raging. But something has shifted, the winds of war have changed. It is no longer a time to stand our ground, a new command has been released.

We have a posture shift that has happened, from standing to pursuing, to advancing. The enemy is on the run, which is evidence that we have won., but the battle is not done. I can see the victory, I know we are not fighting because we are being attacked, we are fighting to possess the land, the people and the resources we’ve been promised. Oh that feeling of pursuing to possess is so different than standing to defend. The war is over the harvest, purse and overtake, that is the command on us now. We are in a 1 Samuel 30:8 time “So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” The winds of war have changed and we use go the way of the wind for we won, but its not quite done. Pursue, overtake and recover all!

Mining For Gold

What do you look for in people? What do you hear when people talk? What do you see when you look at people on the news, in church, on the street? The more hurt you are the more negative you are; the more healed you are the more gold you see in people. Self-protected people are deeply wounded people. Can you see past their walls to the pain they are seeking to protect? Can you see past their behavior, bad fruit or sin and see the person inside crying out to be set free?

Proverbs 11:27 says “He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.” What if your favor that you desire to have with God and man is directly tied to how you see people? Most of us don’t recognize how interconnected everything is. We have been taught favor is not fair, but it is fair, because Solomon says what you look for you find and if you look for gold in others you will find favor with God and people. Luke 2:52 says “Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Jesus always looked for the gold in everyone He met, no wonder He continually increased in favor.

As I sat with six other women for hours the past couple of days, I saw gold in every story they shared, painful stories, powerful stories. Then as they asked me to share my story, I watched them see the gold in me, despite my history. They gained favor with me because of what they saw in me and I hope I gained favor with them because what I saw in them made me love them so much more. My friends, our favor with God and people is directly connected to what we see in God and what we see in people. This can happen when you are watching the news or sitting across the table from someone. Where are the gold diggers? Where are those who can see the gold in people no matter what fruit they are producing? Remember bad fruit Is the result of a hurting/unhealed root.

Off The Grid Was Good

These women are must have in a girls life. They are mature, they are passionate, they are leaders, they are authentic, they are vulnerable, I mean I really do not have words to descibe the depth of who they are, but trust me they are a treasure I hold with a high value.

We embarked on an island camping trip with no running water, no electricity, and no men and it was an adventure of the likes we can try to share, but some experiences cant be told in words. We took Kathy Tierney Cuaderno’s boat to the island with multiple boat loads of supplies. Carrie Carullo is a camping extroidanaire, we literally lacked nothing. Once camp was set up we sat around the campfire and just talked. We went to bed all at the same time and we woke up at the same time. It was so much synchronicity between us only God could have orchestrated it.

We had our morning coffee or tea and sat around the campfire and talked. Each conversation building on the other. We took the boat out and had a picnic on the boat in a cove and talked some more. Then we came back sat around the campfire and the continual conversation with all 7 of us continued without a hiccup. We went to bed, the birds with us, yes we shared the island with minimum of 50 birds. We got up this morning and we had the apex conversation of the 3 days 2 nights one continual conversation. I have never experienced anything like this before. It was rich with truth and trust.

I think you can hear we had a great time. Then driving home on the radio they say, community is not something you find, it is something you build. I just smiled and thanked God for these women who I built something very special with the past couple days. We must be vulnerable if we are going to be healed, and my friends, I’m coming back more healed then when I left, thanks to these fabulous females.

Watch and Pray

If you have ever been in an argument with someone, you know the best thing to do is keep your mouth shut if you want the argument to end. If you are one who has heard an argument, you know that to try and speak into it is what we would say, “its none of your business”. This happens with people all the time. I remember in high school when a fight would break out in the hallway, we would all gather around and watch in a circle, but no one got involved and very few of us had a clue as to what started it. A fight always draws a crowd, but most people don’t know the history that brought about the current reality of the fight we were watching.

A war was declared yesterday and it grieves me that prophets are showing how they prophesied this would happen, as though this is a badge of honor to prove you are a prophet. Prophets are first and foremost to be intercessors, not to prove you are a prophet. Others will listen to the news and parrot them as though they are experts on a land they have never been to or know something about a people they have never met. My friends, there is a fight happening in the Middle East. People are circling around it watching a war between two people groups. We know very little, even though we think we know so much.

I was reading Leviticus 25 today because this war is happening 50 years after the Yom Kippur War of 1973, so it speaks to me, Jubilee, henceforth why I was reading Leviticus 25. The verse the Lord highlighted to me is “For the sons of Israel are My servants; they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” (V.55). Israel is a covenant nation with God and they are God’s servants. God sees, hears and knows everything going on there and why it is happening. Let us not speak about things we know little about, we are called to be watchmen on the wall and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, this is what we pray, as we watch from afar.

Eyesight Is Precious

If you love to talk; if you believe what you say is right; if you only know what you know based on what you have read; if you love hearing more on what you already know; you have stopped learning, you are proud and you don’t realize it. Self-deception is the greatest deception there is and many more people are self-deceived than we realize. Our need to be in the know, to not already know something, is a layer of our self-protection. It reveals we are wounded, insecure and scared, but don’t want anyone to know it. No wonder the Bible says, Knowledge puffs up. Knowledge makes people proud and hinders their ability to learn. Knowledge is surface level that is why so many people have knowledge, truth takes some digging, truth takes time, Truth is a person.

I was reading Proverbs 7 this morning in the Message translation and it says, “Dear friend, do what I tell you; treasure my careful instructions. Do what I say and you’ll live well. My teaching is as precious as your eyesight—guard it! Write it out on the back of your hands; etch it on the chambers of your heart.” Who is speaking here? Yes it is Solomon but parabolically, poetically it is Lady Wisdom speaking. Wisdom is a deep truth that very few find, because knowledge makes them feel so informed they never pass the layer of knowledge to hear the voice of Wisdom. if knowledge puffs up, wisdom humbles you. Wisdom is like Mr. Miagi it says, paint the fence, wax the car and you are like for what, only to find out it was training you to win.

Wisdom says, my teaching is as precious as your eyesight. Isaiah and Ezekiel says, people have eyes but they cannot see. My friends, don’t let knowledge blind you in pride making you think you are well informed. Knowledge has puffed you up so you do not pursue wisdom. Wisdom is where the real treasure trove of truth is found. But you must be more of a listener than a talker, a learner than a teacher, and it takes humility to recognize when you are being lied to, but didn’t know it because knowledge deceived you. Seek first the kingdom of God and ALL these things will be ADDED unto you. Lady Wisdom will always lead you to the Truth that will set you free.

A Sowing Season

I was praying Psalm 126 this morning and my spirit began to speak thanks to God for the season of weeping, crying, deconstructing, dying to self. It was a hard season, it felt like a long season, over 10 years for me, but today with an honest heart I was thanking the Lord for that season. I realized, based on what the psalmist said, if you have not had this season in your life, then you have not sown those seeds yet. This season was not because of secret sin I could not get over, some huge mistakes I made and I was remorseful, no this was a season designed by God, for He sees the end the from the beginning. It was a season of sowing.

Psalm 126 says, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”

Joy is the harvest of a season of sowing in tears. Shouts come from a heart that has seen the Lord in the darkest nights of the soul. Sheaves are in our arms because we did not quit when we wanted out of that season of sowing. I did not get invited into that season with an announcement that it would be the hardest season of my life, but with an invitation from the Lord to walk with Him, to obey Him into the valley, to continue with Him when I had nothing, literally, when I thought I was going to die, but the living God, the word of God and the people of God who He sent to walk with me, never let me quit. Song of Solomon is about the Shunamite who started out closed off to love, but ended with a heart that was receiving and giving love like she never thought possible. This is what this season was about.

Tears fell as I learned to trust Him. I did not know at that time those tears were seeds. I never did it for anything but Him. Obedience was the motivation, not a harvest, not a ministry, not money, nothing. Once you really meet Him, really know Him, really see Him, nothing else matters. He is truly all I want, all I ever needed. But now the tears are gone and the joy has come, I smile a lot, I feel alive again and I am thankful for the season of sowing in tears.

Redeeming October

Last month people were commenting on how early people are switching into the next holiday. It used to be we would actually celebrate a holiday in the month it was slated for. An example is we celebrate Christmas in December, Thanksgiving in November, Halloween in October, Easter in April, but it seems as though these holidays have crossed their boundaries and are bleeding into other months. Now if it is Christmas, for some it is okay, but when people spread the October holiday into September some were not happy about it. Comments were made about the decorations they were seeing in stores so early and in people’s yards.

I love how the Lord has an answer for every one of our issues. Many times I wished I would have been mature enough to hear His voice like I do now at a much younger age, but maturity has its benefits and one of those benefits is not only hearing the voice of God but knowing His nature. The nature of God declares everyone is redeemable, so when He looks at something He always finds a redemptive way to deal with it. I wonder if this is why He says He works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose? Nonetheless, He has done it again, He has redeemed October for us.

I asked my son to drive by 202 Church Street in Franklin, TN last night, because when I saw this the other day the Lord spoke to me and said, “Prophesy to the dry bones and tell them to live!” I knew this was God’s answer to many of us who do not celebrate this October holiday. Now everytime I drive or walk past dry bones, I prophesy to them and the people who have them near their house, I say what Yahweh told Ezekiel to say, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’ Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.’” So I prophesied as I was commanded” (Ezekiel 37:4-7). Next time you see dry bones, prophesy!

Release The Dove

We are still in the Feast of Tabernacles week, we are invited to dwell in the shelter of the Most High, but my goodness does the news, no matter where you find it, boy does it shake people with fear. The number of messages I have received this morning about this EBS today and shutting off all my devices, shows me whose voice people heed. Wow, wow, wow. But in true God fashion, His voice got to me before any of these other voices. When God speaks every other voice loses authority, power and ability to produce anything in me, for my Father in heaven spoke first, and here is what He said…

I was awakened first thing this morning to an image of a bird flapping its wings, but it was like a butterfly in gentleness, is what I saw, then I heard the words “RELEASE THE DOVE!” Immediately my spirit says, Genesis 8. I get up, grab my bible and start reading Genesis 8, I mean we are in the days of Noah right, these are the end times, end of an era, so yet again God is speaking in now time. I read Genesis 8 and it says: God remembered Noah; God caused a wind to pass over the earth; the water subsided; the flood was over; and then it says in Genesis 8:8 “Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land;” In God’s vernacular “RELEASE THE DOVE”.

God told Noah to release the dove, then 7 days later Noah released it again and it came back with an olive leaf in its mouth. If God is saying RELEASE THE DOVE we have nothing to worry about, the flood is over, we are tabernacling with God, the enemy has been swept away and we are about Genesis 9:1 “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth!” It is the end of the wicked, but it is also the beginning of righteousness building nations. Billion soul harvests being reaped and great exploits being done. God said, “RELEASE THE DOVE” in the week of Tabernacles on the day of the EBS, our God is alive and He speaks in now time, rejoice, the dove has been released.