The Gate Called Wait

Doug Addison, a prophetic voice out of California released a blog and said, we are at the gate called wait. When I read that my spirit leaped, for I had felt like I missed something when we crossed over into 5778, the year of the open door. I checked my heart, asked my confidants and mentors to inspect me and I laid out before God, but all I kept hearing is “not everyone is here yet, just wait”. Being concerned I can say what I want to hear, I struggled for almost a whole month, but then this word came forth, that we are at the gate called wait. I knew this was true, for that is what God told me and I am confident many of you are exhaling like I did saying, yes, that is where we are.

After I rested into this word that we are at the gate called wait, God spoke to me and said, “Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory”. I tried to remember the details of the movie, but knew I would not obtain the prophetic significance of it without watching the movie. So, off to the Thrift Store I go, and sure enough there is an original copy of the movie, not the Johnny Depp version. I come home and watch the movie and what I learned expanded my understanding of this gate called wait. The first wait in the movie is waiting for all 5 golden tickets to be found, we know 5 means grace. That means we had to wait for the grace upon people to run its course before we could meet at the gate of the “kingdom”, which opened in the movie on October 1 at 10am.

This of course caused me to leap, because we entered the through the open door late September and October 1 was a significant date for many of us. I know I personally had a showdown come to completion on that date this year and had a miracle happen that week, so for me that date was more confirmation that we are at the gate called wait. Then the 5 children and their one family member enter in, not knowing what they will see and the first place they go is through a very narrow door, again very biblical, we must enter through the narrow gate that leads to life (Matthew 7:13). Once through the door, they see the kingdom, but as they are going through the tour of the kingdom, the issue the children came in with, hooks them in the kingdom and they have to go through a process to remove that issue from them. One fell in the chocolate river and he loved to eat, another was addicted to chewing gum and she blew up like a blueberry, you get the point.

Even though we are in the gate of the kingdom, now that we are in there, God is removing from us the issues that plagued us before we entered. So, we are waiting because He is wanting to remove the issue that will hook us if not removed. For 4 of the 5 children, they got hooked and could not complete the tour. But one boy, though hooked in the carbonated room, burped and came back into the tour. By the end of the tour, only one boy, name Charlie (means man of God) and his grandpa Joseph (means blessing (Genesis 49:25-26), finish the tour and want their reward, but Willie Wonka sitting as his desk reminds them that they broke the contract by drinking of the carbonated beverage. Angry Charlie and Joseph are about to leave, but before they do, Charlie puts the everlasting gobstopper on the desk of Willie Wonka. Remember the man that was Wonka’s rival, wanted that gobstopper and they would be paid handsomely for it. But, Charlie gave it back and in that moment said, I want nothing from you Wonka.

The movie ends with Wonka saying to Charlie, “you passed the test! The whole kingdom belongs to you!” Charlie was stunned, then the supposed rival who wanted the everlasting gobstopper recipe actually worked for Wonka, for Wonka wanted to know who he could give the kingdom to, that would run it the way he does with integrity. Oh it is powerful, prophetic and explains even further why we are at the gate called wait. God is testing us to find out if we want Him or money, ministry, something else. When everyone makes their decision about what they want, the gate will open and we will go in lay it all at His feet and say, all I want is you. Once we get there, the wait will be over and He will give us the kingdom. For it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

The gate called wait is where we are right now, but it is not where we are going to be for much longer, my heart is crying out for Him, not ministry, not money, not anything else. He is who I want. He is teaching us that He is the reward, He is the destination, He is the promotion, He is the provision, He is everything we long for. When we are secure there, He will give us the kingdom, for it will not be about anything but Him, our cry will be like David’s when we say, I would rather be a doorkeeper in the House of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. It really is all about a Man, named Yeshua, He is what we really want and we are the gate called wait, until we are rid of every other want. He truly is in the waiting (Kristi DeMarco).

Where Did You Stop?

Where did you stop?

I can hear you asking me, where did I stop what? Where did you stop loving? Where did you stop forgiving? Where did you stop trusting? Where did you stop believing? Where did you stop learning? Where did you stop giving? Where did you stop  _____________? Rick Joyner said in February 2017 that the Lord spoke to him a 4 phrase prophetic word, “To infinity and beyond!” I did not know until today that God spoke that to Rick, but about 3 weeks ago, God spoke to me and said, “where did you stop?” I believe these two, four phrase prophetic words are connected, for you cannot go to infinity and beyond if you stop. So, where did you stop?

The reason I believe this question is so important is because the Lord is inviting us yet again to “Come up here!” Revelation 4:1 says, “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” Couple this with the call out of Jeremiah 33:2-3 that says, ““This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” One observation I have made in the body of Christ is that when we get a revelation, we tend to camp on that revelation as though it is a final destination. Now, I realize that many people like to build settlements so they can feel secure, but the God we serve is continually on the move.

What I have noticed is that many have stopped at their last book, their last marriage, their last success, their last theology, but God is inviting us to keep going, to keep pressing, to keep moving. We are not to leave those things behind in the sense of we forget what we learned, but Hebrews 6:1 encourages us to press on, keep going, don’t stop. God invited Moses to build a tabernacle, it was a mobile tent, so they could keep moving; He made an ark of the covenant, that was to carried on the shoulders of the Levites, so it could be on the move; He called Abraham to keep moving until he found the city, who’s builder and maker is God; Jesus Himself, never built a settlement, but rather walked with His disciples, they were on the move.

I don’t believe God is anti-buildings, but I believe that many of us have stopped, settled, set up camp with no intention of moving on from where we are. Faith is movement! Like a river, we need to keep moving in our faith, in our love, in our pursuit of the Kingdom, we have done ourselves and others a disservice when God moves but we remain.

So, where did you stop? I can feel the resistance to this question, because if you answer it honestly, you will have to admit you stopped. But, I believe God is releasing a fresh wave of grace (empowerment) to get moving again. He is inviting us to believe again, trust again, love again, give again, because He is on the move. Whenever the cloud moved, the Israelites moved, I’m concerned the cloud has moved but many in the body of Christ have not. We are being invited to learn again, listen again, obey again, because He is speaking again!

If you stopped, you can start again, but you realize you stopped. Others see where you stopped, but many times you can’t see it, but today is the day of salvation, so pick up your mat and walk, for God is on the move and He wants you to move with Him.

Massive Shift

The era of big ministries is coming to an end and the era of big people is arising!

Genesis 11:1-4 says, “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.  As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

The era of big ministries began as a mustard seed of faith, trust, truth, and authentic hunger for God, His word and His people. However, as the building got bigger, the ministry did not keep going back to the foundation before it built another layer, so now the ministry is so far from the truth, that they do not even know truth when they hear it or the building is big but the presence of God is minimal to non-existent. Before the temple was destroyed in AD 70, it was already corrupt and left desolate (Matthew 23:38 and Matthew 26:64). They did not destroy a living entity, they destroyed an already desolate artifact, that had the appearance of godliness, but denied its power (2 Timothy 3:5). And Jesus prophesied this would happen in the gospel of Matthew, saying, not one stone would be left on another (Matthew 24:2).

We are living in the end of an era just like they were in the gospels. Jesus was the beginning of a new era, He said, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is here (Matthew 3:2). Prophets in our day and age have been saying this for years, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. They have been trying to tell us a new era is here, the kingdom has come, the church age is over, but we can’t comprehend what they are saying. So, we continue to try and be the next big name with the next big building, so people ooh and ahh over us; so people buy our books; want to have us come and speak in their church. I’m telling you what they have been telling you, the era of big ministries is coming to an end, that is why you are being halted, stopped, you feel stuck, because those days are over.

Here’s where we are, God is building big people. They are huge on the inside, they don’t have a big building, they don’t have a huge following on Twitter, Periscope or Instagram, but they are huge on the inside. You see the saying is still true today, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7). Man will always look to see how big your church is, how many books you’ve written or how many souls you’ve saved, but God, is searching to and fro for a heart that is completely His (2 Chronicles 16:9). Many are discouraged because they are not getting the big break, the big book deal, the big phone call and many are promising you still, this is going to happen, but the truth is, God has been and continues to, look for those who are big on the inside, not big on the outside.

God is looking for big people. The kingdom is a government of big people, not big ministries. The kingdom of God is filled with big people, when they speak the hallways of heaven echo their words, when they pray sickness is healed, relationships are restored, finances recovered and the presence of God comes in power. These people are unassuming, not self-promoting, they are not trying to make a name for themselves, for they are secure in their identity as son or daughter or God. They dwell in the shelter of the Highest, they don’t live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, they know their God and they will do great exploits. These big people live in condo’s, companies, churches, and communities as everyday people, because outwardly they are not flashy, showy or seeking attention, but oh if you get a chance to hear them speak, if you spend any time with them, you will know they are big on the inside and these are the ones that are arising. These are the diamonds in the dirt that many have walked over, but who God was forging in the secret place when no one was looking.

The era of big ministries is over, the era of big people is arising. If you’re looking to be a big ministry, you are going to be looking for an old wineskin, but if you are willing to be a big person, there is no telling what He will do with you, as a vessel of honor fit for the Master’s use!

Abundance on Arrival

Is it just me or do you sense something has shifted in the spirit toward a move of God like we have been praying for, believing for and hoping for? Many have tried to describe what they see coming. Bob Jones’ prophecy is lingering that a billion-soul harvest is near; others have said the death of Billy Graham will usher in a worldwide revival; Lance Wallnau and Johnny Enlow are declaring the taking over of the 7 mountains and still some are speaking of a financial windfall for the advancing of the kingdom of God on earth. Sometimes I think we hear what our heart beats for, our heart desires, our dreams that long to be seen and that is not wrong, it’s just our desire. So, what actually is coming that all of us can jump into and see on a macro level that will affect us on a micro level? I can only share what I am seeing in the spirit and what I am waiting for the manifestation of on the earth. I see abundance coming and upon its arrival it will release a repentance that only abundance can bring. Look at these two scriptures:

Isaiah 6:1-5 says, “I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Luke 5:4-8 “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”  When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.  So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

When Isaiah saw the Lord as a victorious king, for the train of a kings robe is a statement about all the battles they have won, of which we know the Lord never loses a battle, so the train filled the temple, he had won a lot of battles. This vision of the goodness of God, the victories of God, the picture of God as victorious, didn’t bring pride or arrogance into Isaiah, it actually brought humility, repentance and a returning to the Lord God Almighty. The same thing happened to Peter, this professional fisherman, who worked all night and caught nothing, was not puffed up when the nets full of fish were breaking, he was actually humbled by the abundance on arrival.

What I see coming is an abundance of God’s goodness that is going to lead people to repentance not to arrogance. It is going to come with an abundance of healing, finances, reconciliation of relationships, return of prodigals and salvation of loved ones. God is going to shower us with an abundance of rain and upon its arrival, we are not going to rise up in pride, we are going to fall to our knees in worship. Weeping will proceed dancing, not out of sadness, out of being overwhelmed at how good He really is. We have a generation that believes God is mad, distance, untouchable and not interested in helping them, but God is about to show up and show out in a way that, like Isaiah and Peter is going to cause us to repent then rejoice because of the abundance.

Remember Paul said in Romans 2:4 “do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” I believe abundance on arrival is going to bring us to our knees in worship like wrath, judgement and condemnation never could. Honestly, we all know we have fallen short of the glory of God, but how many of us know that He wants to pour out His abundance on us anyway? This unexpected, undeserved act of generosity from God is going to turn nations to the Name that is above all Names. Are you ready for abundance? It’s going to be bigger than you could ask or even begin to imagine.

Love is Kryptonite to the Enemy

Love is Kryptonite to the Enemy

 

 

Have you ever had a frustration conversation with the Lord? You know one of those prayer times where somethings off, you feel stuck, heaven seems silent on an issue? I had one of those talks with the Lord just the other day. During this, let’s be honest, one sided conversation, I was doing all the talking, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Follow the yellow brick road”. Now for religious people that will be hard to believe God would say that, but to relationship people, they totally get it. God said, “Follow the yellow brick road.” I had just bought the movie the Wizard of Oz, as someone I met is doing a prophetic project in Kansas and asked me to watch it. I grabbed my pen and paper and sat down to watch the Wizard of Oz like I would a sermon. What I didn’t know was how prophetic that movie would be for me.

“Jesus called a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you, He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4). As I watched this movie the Lord began to speak to me from go. First of all, Dorothy was living with her aunt and uncle, so she was either orphaned or some other situation happened to her parents. Next, she had a dream, which is what put her into the land of Oz and she knew she had gone over the rainbow. Upon arrival in her house, which was the vehicle that took her to the land of Oz, she landed on the wicked witch of the East and killed her. With instructions from the leader of the munchkins, she took the ruby red slippers off of the wicked witch of the East and put them on her feet and was told these slippers would protect her, so just follow the yellow brick road. (There are so many prophetic things right here for you to consider).

The story goes on and she meets three men on her following of the yellow brick road, a scarecrow who needs intelligence, a tin man who needs a heart and a lion who needs courage. As each joins her on following the yellow brick road, to Emerald City to meet the Oz, she encounters along the way the wicked witch of the West. The truth that hit me like a tidal wave was, that because she was wearing the ruby red slippers, the wicked witch of the West could not lay a hand on her. When the Lord highlighted this to me, I remembered that in scripture rubies mean passionate love. The Lord spoke to me and said, “Lisa, passionate lovers are kryptonite to the enemy, because he has no love in him”.

Immediately, I began to weep, as I knew that love is the answer to victory in our lives as believers. When we are lovers, the enemy cannot touch us, love is kryptonite to the enemy. No wonder Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Our love for God and for one another is what keeps the enemy at bay, for if we are lovers of God and lovers of people, he has nothing in us to work with. No wonder the enemy had nothing in Jesus (John 14:30), Jesus was a lover of His Father and of us as people. This is powerful to me, for I knew love was the answer, but I did not realize how powerful it actually was.

As the movie came to an end, they arrived at the door of the Emerald City and finally met the Oz, who did not grant their requests as presented for a brain, heart, courage and a home, but he gave them more than they asked for. Not only did love keep the enemy at bay, love kept them on the yellow brick road that led them to the place where they were given more than they could have asked or even imagined (Ephesians 3:20). When we are wearing the ruby red slippers of passionate love for God and for people, the enemy cannot touch us, for love is kryptonite to the enemy.

The War We’re In

One moment on the news and you know we are in a war. One hour in church and you know we are in a war. One post on Facebook, Instagram, Google+ or Twitter and you know we are in a war. One statement that is not politically correct, no matter how truthful it is and you know we in a war. Very few people cannot recognize that we are in a war, but very few people are identifying what that war is accurately. Politicians believe we are in a political war between Democrats and Republicans. Hate groups believe we are in a war over freedom of speech. Terrorist groups believe we are in a war over religion. Other groups believe we are in a war over the color of our skin, the definition of marriage, or the status of your visa. 
Depending on the way you think, you may believe that one of the listed wars are the war we are in. Honestly, I can understand why you would think that, because on the surface that is what it looks like to the naked eye. However, as believers in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God who was manifested in flesh on earth and is seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father, who have a Bible, we must remember 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 “Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes”; 1 John 2:18 “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour”; and 2 Thessalonians 2:7 “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work”. 
The war we are in is an age-old war that began when Lucifer was kicked out heaven (Isaiah 14) for seeking to exalt himself against the knowledge of God. The war has not changed, in the words of Bill Johnson, we were born into this war. Therefore, as believers we should not be alarmed when the anti-Christ spirit manifests in violence of its varying kinds, not just in America, but around the world. We should not be shocked that when law and order are restored, the spirit of lawlessness that has been at work silently in the hearts of men and women worldwide, would begin to put up a fight. The apostle Paul told us in Ephesians 6:10-18, that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against powers, principalities and rulers in the heavenly realms. He then went on in those verses to tell us how to dress so we are ready for the battle. None of this should surprise us. 
The war we’re in is a spiritual one that is manifesting physically. It is not the first time it has manifested on earth and unless Jesus comes back in this war, then it will not be the last time this spirit manifests on earth. The war we’re in right now is the same war, we see all throughout the Word of God. From Genesis to Revelation, we see this war and we see the strategies from heaven on how to win this war. The spirit of anti-Christ, the spirit of lawlessness and the spirit of deception are all three, one in the same spirits. They have the same father of lies as their commander and they seek to counter any activity the kingdom of God makes. When you see anti-Christ manifestations, take heart, for it is evidence of kingdom activity. 
The war we’re in is not one to be afraid of, for fear is a tool the enemy uses to paralyze the believer into inactivity. The way to win this war is to love deeply, forgive consistently, read the word daily, connect with others faithfully and worship unashamedly. The way to conquer the anti-Christ spirit is not to engage in tit for tat arguments, but to “praise until the spirit of worship comes, worship until the glory falls, then stand in the glory” – Ruth Heflin. Your greatest weapons are the word of God and the presence of God, for they protect you from deception. Once you are vaccinated by the presence of God and the word of God, then you can go out into the world and rescue those who are being held captive by the spirit of the world. In the words of the old hymn, they will know you are Christians by your love, by your love, they will know you are Christians by your love. 
The next thing we need to address in a future blog is, what is love? One hint, it is not unconditional.

Double Doors

Psalm 24:7-10 “Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates;

lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty—he is the King of glory.”

In Luke 1 we read about two women, one is older, married, barren and of the priestly line of Aaron; the other woman is young, a virgin, and engaged to someone of the kingly line of David. Two women, both childless, one older, the other younger, as I am reading about these two women, Elizabeth and Mary, the Lord speaks to me and says, “DOUBLE DOORS”. I had recently listened to a sermon where the Rabbi said, women are doors that open us to new dimensions, so the idea of women as doors was not uncommon to me. The story of Elizabeth as the future mother of John the Baptist and Mary the future mother of Jesus was not foreign to me either, but when the Lord put it all together in one phrase, double doors, I knew He was speaking something significant for this hour.

Throughout scripture we see pictures of people who could be considered double doors, such as: Deborah and Jael (Judges 4); Naomi and Ruth (Ruth 1); the 12-year-old girl and the woman with the 12-year issue of blood (Luke 8); so the idea of double doors is not rare, but rather common in scripture. Paul talks about a spirit of wisdom and revelation; Jesus spoke about the two greatest commandments and Moses came down the mountain with two tablets of stone. But, what I wanted to know is, what these double doors signify to us prophetically in this hour.

As I was in prayer about this phrase double doors, I began to think about what double doors represent. The first thought I had was they represent a wider entry way. If you have double doors on a house, the entry way to that house is double the size of a single door dwelling. The next thought I had was the types of houses that have double doors. In my mind, they are for wealthier neighborhoods, houses that are larger. I then began to think about William and Kate in England and the double doors that were opened as they stepped out on the balcony as husband and wife. This thought of the royal couple was the key to unlocking what I see as the prophetic significance for where we are with the idea of double doors.

I asked the Lord, what the double doors represent and who was going to come through those doors. Asking the right question, will unlock the right answer. The Lord began to share with me, that the double doors are revelation and demonstration. The Lord said, He is about to raise up leaders who carry the revelation of the Word of God and can demonstrate the power of God. The double doors are revelation and demonstration. This was incredible to hear, then the Lord went on to show me that when the doors of revelation and demonstration open, they will reveal the administration of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, because the King of Glory will come through the double doors of revelation and demonstration. I dropped my pen!

What we are about to see is the King of Glory, the Lord Almighty, come through the double doors of revelation and demonstration to reveal the administration of the kingdom of God. Get ready for the revealing and opening of the double doors.