Tag: Truth

Pride and Patience

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The Lord our God is creative beyond comprehension; majestic beyond description; and perfect in the ways He deals with us as His children. People that don’t know Him are truly missing out on the adventure of walking with Him, for there is really no one like Him. I was in prayer last night while listening to Paul Wilbur sing, Spirit of the Sovereign Lord, come and make your presence known, reveal the glory of the risen King. For you that don’t know the song, it goes on to say, let the weight of your glory cover us, let the life of your river flow, let the peace of your kingdom reign in us, let the weight of your glory, let the weight of your glory, fall. For you that do know the song, I am sure you are singing along as you read this. I love these songs that we used to sing, for they carry a substance that is not seen as often in today’s worship music, but that is another blog.

As I was praying, the Lord spoke to me about someone in my life and the Lord said, “Their pride, produced in you, patience. Now let patience complete its work and you will be complete lacking nothing.” I was stupefied by this statement for it was true. I have someone in my life that is proud, their pride manifests in being stubborn, and unwilling to be transformed. Little did I know, their pride, which is still in operation to this day, has produced in me a patience that I did not see until the Lord revealed it last night. James 1:4 says, “Let endurance, steadfastness, and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfectly and fully developed, with no defects, lacking nothing (AMP).”

Maybe you have someone in your life, usually it is someone you are with daily, a boss, a child, a spouse, a family member, who is proud. They refuse to change, they do not see in themselves what others see in them that is hindering their relationships with God and others, they do not recognize how their pride is blocking their prosperity and they just frustrate you to no end. What if instead of getting frustrated with them; what if instead of nagging them; what if instead of focusing on them; you allowed God to work in you, patience, so you are complete, perfect and lacking nothing? What if, God’s was using that person to develop something in you that you did not recognize you needed? The Lord showed me that when we are lacking something, we look to others to fill that lack or meet that need. It is not the other person’s job to fill a lack in your life, that is God’s job.

The Lord says in Isaiah 55:8, “My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts are higher than your thoughts”; He says in Romans 8:28, “For all things work together for the good of those who are called according to Christ Jesus”; therefore, God knows something we don’t know and we as people (stubborn, disobedient, just to name a few things) have already worked in God patience, so He is complete, perfect and lacking nothing, now He wants that worked in us. We are created in the image of God, we are to be a reflection of Him to others and the only way to do that is to let Him work in us patience, so we are lacking nothing. Who would have ever thought the person that is proud, would be used to work patience in you, in me. God did, for He sees the connection between pride and patience. Can you see it?

The Swordsmen Are Coming

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The Swordsmen Are Coming

During the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the famous words, “The British are coming, the British are coming!” was heralded among those preparing for the battles they were about to engage in. I hear in the spirit the Lord saying, “The swordsmen are coming, the swordsmen are coming!” I believe this is being heard in the camp of the enemy, but may not be being heard in the church. But I believe the Lord is saying this to both the enemy and the church, “the swordsmen are coming, the swordsmen are coming”.

Judges 7:19-22 “Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.”

Gideon is an Old Testament example of the swordsmen that are coming. They are coming with a sound of salvation for the nation. When the sound of these swordsmen is heard, the enemy will turn on themselves, because it is not the sound of men they are going to hear, it is the sound of God. Another example of these swordsmen is found in the New Testament, where Jesus was in a discussion with His disciples about the kingdom that is coming, on earth as it is in heaven.

Luke 22:35-38 “Then Jesus said, “When I sent you out and told you to travel light, to take only the bare necessities, did you get along all right?” “Certainly,” they said, “we got along just fine.” He said, “This is different. Get ready for trouble. Look to what you’ll need; there are difficult times ahead. Pawn your coat and get a sword. What was written in Scripture, ‘He was lumped in with the criminals,’ gets its final meaning in me. Everything written about me is now coming to a conclusion.” They said, “Look, Master, two swords!” But he said, “Enough of that; no more sword talk!”

The year 5778 is the year of the open door, Chuck Pierce at the Head of the Year Conference said, it is the year of a living 8 and it is the gate of 8. 8 as we all know means new beginning, God is inaugurating something new, but it is old, but it is new. It is new because we may not have seen it before, but it is old, because to God nothing is new. The year of the open door is opening for the Word Warriors to enter in. These are swordsmen who have learning to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15); they know their sword is not a carnal weapon of war (2 Corinthians 10:4-5); rather they have been in swordsmen training for years, for they were willing to sit down, wait on the Lord and in the waiting, they sharpened their double-edged swords (Hebrews 4:12).

The swordsmen are coming, the swordsmen are coming for the only weapon that is going to win this war is the Sword of the Lord (the Word of God). The only weapon against deception is TRUTH, and TRUTH is a person, not a ministry, not a calling, not a title, it is a person and these swordsmen that are coming know Jesus, not in theory, in reality. They hear His voice and another they will not follow (John 10:5); they have not sought their own glory, their own ministry, their own way, they have laid down who they are completely for Yahweh. Their call is not to make a name for themselves, but to display the glory of God on earth as it is in heaven. They know who they are, but more importantly they know whose they are and in that they rejoice: Luke 10:19-20 “See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 

The swordsmen are coming, the swordsmen are coming! For the Lord has heard the cry of His people and He is sending help from heaven. The swordsmen are coming, the swordsmen are coming!

What Do You See?

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Jeremiah 1:11-12 says, “The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied. The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” (NIV)

We are living in a time in history where God is asking the question of His people, what do you see? If God were to come to you today and ask you, what do you see, what would you say? What answer would you give God? Some would say they see politics; others would say they see a world leader or leaders; still others would say they see a mighty move of God that is going to change history. What do you see? When you peer into the spirit realm, when you lean into the heart of God, when you take your seat in heavenly places and look upon the earth, what do you see? Do you see anything? Do you see darkness or light? Do you see destruction or construction? Do you see life or death? What do you see? This is the question of the hour and the answer is telling.

It is undeniable that we are living in the revived hour of the prophetic. Five minutes on Facebook and you know that many people are prophesying what they see, what they hear, what they believe. For some it is confusing, for others it is confirming, it just depends on what you see. The gift of prophecy, according to 1 Corinthians 14:3 says, “the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.” If this is what the gift of prophecy is biblically designed to do, does what you see strengthen the body of believers, encourage the believers or comfort the believers? If it does not, it may not be the gift of prophesy but rather a personal opinion based on what you are seeing.

In this season of seeing, it is imperative that we see clearly. When God asked Jeremiah what do you see, Jeremiah responded by saying, I see the branch of an almond tree and the Lord replied to him, you have seen correctly. My question to us is, are we seeing correctly? Pulpit or periscope, microphone or iPhone, face to face or Facebook, wherever you are speaking, what you believe God is saying, the questions must asked what are you seeing and are you seeing correctly? In an age where Facebook does not hold you accountable for what you say, where your opinions on Periscope can be deleted after 24 hours, and where people can share whatever they want whenever they want, we must seek out others to hold us accountable to see if what we are seeing is correct.

Now, with that said, I believe God is speaking through people who do not have a church they preach in weekly, who do not have a platform in which they are well known, who genuinely hear from God and post those words on open platforms, but there is a lot of people who are not seeing clearly so we must see clearly so we can eat the meat and spit out the bones. Freedom without responsibility and accountability is bondage and even though you love your freedom of speech, just like Gamaliel said to the religious leaders, if this move is not of God it will not succeed (Acts 5:39), but if it is of God, which many arising leaders are not recognized yet, it will be unstoppable.

The reason we are seeing so much fake prophecy, false teachings and self-promotion is because we are in the middle of a transition of historical proportions. We are going to see a move of God that is unprecedented in our generation and it is going to have one name that is lifted high: the name of Jesus, one man that is going to get all the glory: the man Jesus and one message that is going to be preached: the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, don’t be moved by all the negative, destructive, political, things you see. Desperate people go to desperate measures to be seen and heard, but honorable people wait their turn, knowing full well that it is God who lifts us up, and then no man can bring us down. The uprising has begun, can you see it?

Abundance on Arrival

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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.

No Delay

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“There is no such thing as delay, there is a lack of understanding the day.” This is what the Lord spoke to me this morning while in prayer. It has become popular to tell people they need to bind the spirit of delay; they need to prophesy, no more delay; and a variety of other variations of this vein. But, the Lord said to me, “there is no such thing as delay, there is a lack of understanding the day.” As I pondered these words, I realized we feel like there is a delay, because we put a time frame on the promise God has spoken. That is not delay, that is us not understanding the day.

In Joshua 6 the Lord speaks a word of promise to Joshua and the children of Israel about the city of Jericho, saying, “I have given Jericho, its king, and all its soldiers into your hands.” When God says something, it is going to happen, but when it happens is in the following verses, for the chapter goes on to release the strategy that needs to be employed for the promise to be actualized. Joshua 6:3-5 gives the strategy, “Every day for the next six days, you will march once around the city walls with all your fighting force. Seven priests will go in front of the covenant chest, each carrying a trumpet made from a ram’s horn. On the seventh day, you will march around the city walls seven times, and the priests will blow their trumpets.  When they play a long final blast, then all the people will give a mighty shout. The city walls will collapse in front of you, and all the Israelites will charge in and take the city.” Anyone of those soldiers could have decreed no more delay after day 1, 2, 3 or more, but it was not a delay, rather they were unaware of the day. If it is day 3, 4 or 5 there was not going to be any sign of victory for it was not the right day.

When we are unaware of what day we are in, based on the strategy God has spoken to us, we will cry, delay! But it is not a delay, we just don’t understand what day it is. People do this with so many things. We do it with prophesy, we do it with scripture, we do it with our end time ideas. If we don’t know the day, we won’t know where we are, but one thing is for sure, there is no delay. Joel 2 says, “In the last days…” (plural); Matthew 24:36 says, “On that day…” (singular); Galatians 6:9 speaks to a “due season”; whereas Romans 13:11 says, “now is the time and the hour…”. There is no such thing as delay, but there is a lack of understanding the days, day, season, time, or hour.

Many of us have a promise from God, we know that we know, God said…but the timing is where we are off. If we were honest, God did not give us a when it would happen, He only told us what would happen. For maturity to take place, it is important that we stop imposing our thoughts, our time frame, our faith in ourselves, rather we must listen not just to the promise, but the strategy about how to employ the promise and then we will better understand the day we are on, so we can be patient in the process, for the promise will not delay. Remember Habakkuk 2:3 “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.”

“Don’t yell or shout. Don’t let your voice be heard until the day I tell you. And then I want you to shout with all your might” (Joshua 6:10).  If you are still in the silent stage, don’t worry it is not a delay, it is just not the day. Once the day arrives, trust me, you will shout, the walls will fall, the victory will be sure and the battle will be won quickly, for the Lord will say, NOW! Shout unto God with a voice of triumph! (Psalm 47:1). It is not a delay, it is design, because with God there is no delay.

Have You Been Bit and Don’t Know It

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Have You Been Bit and Don’t Know It?
 
Matthew 12:25, “Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”
 
James 4:1, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?”
 
As I listen to the news, as I listen to church people, as I counsel married couples, as I listen to parents with their children, I cannot help but notice we have been bit and don’t know it. What we have been bit with is a venom that comes straight out of the mouth of that ancient serpent, the devil. I call it the disease of denominationalism. One may wonder how marriage, church, parents and politics can all be bit by the same disease, for the categories are rarely listed together? Yet, the devil is no respecter of persons, all he wants to do is steal, kill and destroy us (John 10:10). Have you ever noticed how the devil treated Judas? He bit him with the venom of destruction at the Last Supper, then he sent him to do the bidding of the religious leaders, who were also bit with the same spirit, allowed him to be paid for his service, but once Judas recognized how his actions decided Jesus crucifixion, he was remorseful ((Matthew 27:3). Yet, the religious leaders did not care, for Judas was just a pawn they needed to use to accomplish their demonic purposes. What they didn’t know is that the devil was going to do to them, what they did to Judas.
 
The religious leaders, the politicians, the people, all were bit and didn’t even know it. I would suggest the same is true for people today. Most have been bit and don’t know it. Bit with what you may ask. The spirit of denominationalism, which is the venom of the devil himself. It bites politicians, parents, church people and leaders alike, spouses and anyone else you can think of. It divides countries, churches, families, companies, races and people in general. It is a spirit that so many people are bit with, they do not even think to deal with it when they are doing spiritual warfare. It is demonic in origin and manifests in destruction of relationships on every level. LIke the religious leaders did with Judas, by throwing him away after he did their bidding, this spirit will use you to its advantage and then spit you out as though you have no worth.
 
Most people have been bit by it and don’t even know it, that is why they can’t recognize it. It is subtle, it is sneaky and the only vaccination against it is love. Not that cheap love, not that weak love, not that love wins kind of love, only love for God and love for people, that is rooted in biblical understanding of love as noted by Jesus when He said, if you love me, you will do what I command, that kind of love. Love that trusts God even when you don’t understand. Love that is passionate, powerful, and doesn’t throw people away. That kind of love, which very few know is the only vaccination for this spirit of denominationalism.
 
What is the spirit of denominationalism? In its simplest form, it is the belief that if we do not agree we cannot walk together. It demands that we agree on everything in order to go to the same church; eat at the same table; live in the same house; it demands submission to one person’s ways, thoughts and beliefs or it says without words, get out, you’re not welcome, I don’t want you. In politics, it manifests as Democrats who will not confirm Republican cabinet picks; in churches, it manifests in not letting certain people in leadership roles; in families, it manifests in one person as the final say on all things; all in all, it seeks to silence any voice that does not agree with it.
 
The reason there are over 43,000 different organizations under the banner Christianity is because we cannot agree, so we cannot walk together. Amos 3:3 says, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” Amos said, we have to agree to walk together, not agree to agree. If you went to the temple during bible days, you would have heard arguments on doctrine, beliefs, theology, etc. on a level that many could not handle, but once they debate, the argument, the discussion was over, they walked out of the temple arm in arm, for they were brothers first and had not been bit by the spirit of denominationalism.
 
The church is divided, that is why it lacks power, it lacks authority and it lacks authenticity. If we disagree, we leave and find another church where people believe the way we do or we start our own church. Jesus said, the church is to have one voice, one message, one call, “REPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS HERE!” Division has never been God’s plan for the salvation of the world, the kingdom of God has one King, Jesus the Christ the son of the living God, one book, the Bible, one way, one truth and one life; it is a narrow road, very few want to travel on it, that is why they create their own way, their own church, their own whatever, but there will be a bride for Christ and she will speak with one voice, she will live in plumbline with her husband Jesus of Nazareth, and she will only listen to one voice, His.
Have you been bit and don’t know it?

Word Reformation  2.22.17

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www.apostolicresourcecenter.org

 

During worship a couple of weeks ago I had an open vision where the Lord showed me a banqueting table filled with delicacies, dainties and delightful foods from all over the world. It was a true International feast, with many people sitting around the banqueting table. As I observed this scene the Lord said, can you hear them pray consistently? Can you hear them sing so beautifully? I said, yes, it is truly amazing, what I am hearing and seeing. Then the Lord said, but they are very weak, because they refuse to eat the food I have laid out before them. As I looked closer at the banqueting table and the magnificent place settings in front of the people sitting at the table, I did notice that they had not even taken one bite, even though the food was within arm’s reach. They loved to pray, they loved to worship and they loved to fellowship, but they did not want to eat, so they were weak.

 

I knew immediately what the Lord was showing me, if we do not eat, if we do not partake of the Word of God, we will pray, we will worship, and we will fellowship, but we will remain weak, because only the Word of God makes a person strong. People that don’t eat, no matter how much they pray, how much they worship or how much they fellowship, still remain weak, because they refuse to eat the Word of God right in front of them.

 

We are blessed to have a Bible in our hands. Some people have more than one bible, but they still do not eat. They go to 24-hour prayer houses, they join worship teams and go to worship events, they have coffee with friends, but to actually spend time in the Word of God, listening for His voice in His word, very few people do this and that is why the body of Christ is weak. Romans 10:17 says, “faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God.” This is not a salvation message, this is how you get strong. Faith is trust, belief is acknowledgement. It takes believing to be saved (Romans 10:9-10), it takes faith to please God (Hebrews 11:6) and Jesus said when I return will I find faith on earth (Luke 18:8), not believers.

 

Today we have a lot of believers, who said a sinner’s prayer, they pray, they worship, they fellowship and they may even go to church, but most believers do not read their Bible and many do not have faith (trust) in God. How do I know, because the church is weak and God is inviting us to be strong, but it takes a Word reformation. In John 14:6 Jesus says, “I Am the way, I Am the truth, I Am the life,” in John 1:1 it says, “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God in the beginning.” Jesus is the Word of God! Bill Johnson says, Jesus is perfect theology, so if we know the Word, we know Jesus.

 

Once believers start reading the Word of God, they will meet the man that is the Word. You can’t trust (have faith) in someone you do not know. With the reading of the Word, will come trust, once trust is established based on relationship, a covenant will be made, obedience will be the result, for Jesus said in John 15, “If you love me, you will do what I command.” Once believers start obeying the Word of God, power will be released, for they will not be ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). Then we will begin to do what Jesus commanded us to do, which is to occupy until He comes (Luke 19:13).

 

What is coming is not another denominational reformation; nor is it some new names on an old system, what is coming is a Word reformation. Believers are going to begin to eat at home, so when they come together they are strong, which will cause leaders to have to steer the rushing river of revelation, rather than pray for one to start. The result of a Word reformation is going to be healing, deliverance, reconciliation, restoration, proclamation and transformation. Everything we are asking for in prayer will be answered when individuals realize authority comes through the word of God and obedience to it. Then we can ask and it will be given to us, seek and we will find, knock and the door will be opened to us (Matthew 6). We won’t need to spend 24 hours in prayer to get an answer, for we will have authority based on relationship that is rooted in trust. I don’t beg my husband over and over for something, because to him that would be nagging, I just ask and trust him for the answer. The same will be true for us as we begin to eat the food on this banqueting table. Everything will change once we answer the call to read the Bible. Let the Word reformation begin!

Love is Kryptonite to the Enemy

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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.

What is Love?

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February is traditionally the month where love seems to be the topic of discussion. With Valentine’s day coming on the 14th, many are thinking about who they love, who they used to love and who they want to love. So, I decided to ask the question, what is love? Many would point to 1 Corinthians 13, the “love chapter” or John 3:16, the “love verse”, but still the question remains, what is love? Is love a noun or is it a verb? I believe the answer is yes! Love is a noun and love is a verb, but one thing love is not, is unconditional. Unconditional means not subject to any conditions according to dictionary.com. So, what is love?
 
Love is a noun and a verb! 1 John 4:7-9 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.…” Love is a noun, because God is love! Love is a verb, because God sent His one and only Son into the world. If love was unconditional, if God could just declare He is love and never show that love, is it really love? The answer is NO! Love cannot be love unless it has a corresponding action of love.
 
One reason people like the idea of love being unconditional, is because they have bought into the lie that something is free. Nothing is free, freedom is not free, just ask the veteran or Jesus who died on the cross for your sins, so you could be free. Your freedom cost Him His life. It may seem like its free or unconditional to you, but someone, somewhere paid a price for everything you believe is free or unconditional. If love was unconditional, why did Jesus have to be obedient unto to death, even death on a cross? (Philippians 2); if love is unconditional, why were there two trees in the garden?
 
I have come to realize that we like staying children in our faith and in our lives because then we think we can continue to receive something for nothing. Look at all the things we believe are free, salvation, grace, love, just to name a few. Salvation is a covenant and ask any married person, covenants are not free, they are very costly; grace is empowerment, not a free for all, just ask the apostle Paul (Romans 6 & 7); and love is not free as we noted above. If we are going to grow up, we must realize that responsibility and requirements are not striving or living under the Law, but rather they come with maturity and a biblical understanding of what love really is.
 
Whether we realize it or not, we have been immersed in a spirit of lawlessness, which is why we want everything for free and when boundaries are set for safety reasons, some will reject them. Love is God and love has requirements. God required Himself to provide a sacrifice for our sins when He loved us enough to give us a free will. Our government loves us, that is why there are speed limits and traffic lights. Love is not lawlessness, love is having requirements. If love was unconditional then there would be no reason to believe in Jesus Christ as the One and only way to the Father (John 14:6).
 
When I was a youth pastor, I would tell the parents of my students, L-O-V-E are the boundaries that you set so your student feels safe. There is a difference between rules and boundaries, but that is another blog. So, what is love? Love is freedom, love is truth, love is grace, love is power, love is life, love is what will grow us up, but one thing love is not is free. You must choose to love, so if it costs you nothing else in your mind, it costs you your will. For Jesus said, If you love Me, you will keep my commandments! (John 14:15)
What the world needs is love, what I need is love, what you need is love, and when we understand love, then we will never go back to something masquerading as love. If it has no cost, it has no value. This is love, God is love!

What Are You Hearing?

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Is God saying more than one thing at one time? Is He declaring one thing to you and another thing to me about the same nation? Is the Lord the author of confusion? In a social media world, there are many benefits, people who do not have a platform for a variety of reasons, can use social media to get their message out. But social media is extremely dangerous as well, for it is riddled with confusion as many self-proclaimed and self-appointed prophets are saying, “Thus says the Lord.” With many people on a spiritual quest, one of the places they are looking for spiritual insight is online, but the challenge is, the church, Christians are proclaiming many things that are not biblically accurate. This is both dangerous for the hearer and the speaker, for the Bible is not silent on the issue of making declarations that God did not make. 
Ezekiel 13:1-3 says, “Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, Listen to the word of the LORD! ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing.…” (NASB). Jeremiah 23:15-17 says, “For from the prophets of Jerusalem Pollution has gone forth into all the land.'” Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD. “They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD has said, “You will have peace “‘; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, ‘Calamity will not come upon you.’…” (NASB). 
Yahweh speaks with clarity, not confusion. He is not speaking many things at the same time, He has so much authority He only needs to speak one thing at a time. One word from heaven has the authority and power to transform the earth. As prophets in training, the first thing that must be learned is how to discern the voice of God, amidst all the other voices. Many people who prophesy, don’t know the word of God in context, so their prophecies are of their own making. One of the greatest challenges we face in Christianity today is the inability for people to hear the voice of God. Because this is an epidemic in the church, many people are looking to those who say they hear God to tell them what God is saying. The challenge with this is, if God is not saying it, but they are told God said it, then they get disappointed for they thought God said something God never said. 
1 Corinthians 14 says, all should desire to prophesy and in the book of Numbers, Moses said, he wished all of God’s people prophesied. But in order to prophesy, you need to know the word of God, for that is the first step in hearing the voice of God. The second indicator of whether you are hearing God is if what you are hearing is being confirmed by those who are seasoned at hearing the voice of God. For example, the Lord spoke to me and said, 2017 is a year of Victory, I posted this on January 1st on my Facebook page, then today, Chuck Pierce came out with a video today that declared 2017 the year of Victory and Bill Johnson of Bethel Church in Redding, CA said at their Sunday morning service on January 1st, that the word God gave him for 2017 is Breakthrough. So, when men and women that are known for hearing the voice of God are saying the same thing you are hearing, it is a good indicator you are hearing God and not your vain imagination. 
The Bible says to whom much has been given, much is required. If you have not been given much, not much is required of you, but if you want to be given more, than be a good steward of what you have been given. You have been given your Bible, it is the voice of God to you and to the nations, but it must be righty applied. 2017 is a year of Victory, for you to experience victory, you must learn to hear the voice of God. You hear the news, you hear your family and friends, you hear what others are saying on social media, but can you hear the voice of God in His word? What are you hearing? Hearing the voice of God is the key to the abundant life. He loves to talk, that is why you have a Bible, my prayer is that this year, you will hear His voice.