I Am a Son, Not a Slave – Frank Work

Ephesians 1:17-19
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power

This portion of scripture really opened up to me this past week. I remember years ago we had a four day conference at my church, and there were special speakers throughout that time who ministered and shared the heart of God concerning the “now “days of the Lord. What always comes to mind when talking about the “now” is how it pertains to my life on an everyday basis is Matt 6:34;

Matthew 6:34(NKJV)
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:34(NIV)
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I personally am trying to remember that I can’t live on yesterday’s blessings but must live in the now, especially in these perilous days. Perilous because our society is decaying in and around us, and we are walking in a state of purposeful unawareness. We do this willing because we aren’t asking our Father, but we are begging Him. If I can remember that I am no longer a slave to sin, but I am a son of my heavenly Father and co-heir in the body of Christ, I am assured by the Word of God, and His Holy Spirit that if I ask, then it will be given (Matt 7:7-8, 21:22). I look at it this way, a slave begs, a servant begs, a son ask.

When I was a slave to sin, I had no one to ask, so I had to beg of the world to obtain what I wanted. Now, I don’t have to beg of the world, I only need to ask of my heavenly Father. Now, now that I am in the kingdom of God I don’t ask for myself, because I do not know what to ask. I must take my lessons from Jesus when He said in John 5:19, “Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” I must hunger and thirst after the desires of God’s heart for my life, and not my own.

When scripture speaks of God giving us the desires of our heart, it’s not about our own selfish desires and wants. It’s about being in alignment with His heart and yearning to know what is on His heart, then when our hearts are in alignment with His heart, then and only then do we receive the desires of our heart. Because it’s no longer our desires that we long for, but Jesus.

I believe it’s essential to live in this day, this moment, this second. How am I to know what I am to do, unless I know what the Holy Spirit is saying to me? All dependency must be on Jesus.

Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Should Women Keep Silent In the Church (Part 1) – Gary Florence

I believe before we dive into this very controversial topic, I need to put a disclaimer out here. I am by no means claiming to have all the answers on this topic. This is one person’s opinion on the matter. You may agree with it or you may not agree with it. There may be portions you are ok with and others you are not ok with, and that is ok. We have to come to a place in the body that it is ok at times to disagree with one another in love but in our society we focus more on the disagreeing and proving we are right rather than on the loving part and that really needs to change in the body of Christ.

Now with that out of the way let’s begin shall we. If you read 1 Timothy 2: 11-12 out of the NKJV it reads,

“Let a woman learn in silence with all submission and I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.”

Taking this scripture out of context and at face value one would think that Paul has a problem with women. Yet in some of his earlier writings he talks about women who are apostles and prophets. He also makes mention “I wish that you ALL would prophecy.” So what is going on here? Is Paul in his older years changing his mind or what? I have watched and heard from both sides of the aisle concerning this issue. As I stated earlier this is only one person’s opinion, who just happens to be a man. This is why grabbing a scripture out of context and inserting it into a circumstance and situation or even in our modern culture can at times be detrimental to us or to others. I know in my own life there have been many times depending on what was or wasn’t happening in my life I would grab a scripture out of context only to find out later that it really wasn’t for that moment in my life. Ok now I know some of you might be scratching your heads thinking to yourself “I thought the word was the same yesterday, today and forever.”

The next time we get together I will pick up right here where we left off because I want to explain myself a little better and clearer. Then I will give my answer, which is an opinion “Should Women Keep Silent in the Church”?  So you can put your hot buttons away for a few more days because this can be a very hot button topic.

I Believed and So I Spoke – Frank Work

2 Corinthians 4:13-14(ESV)

13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.

These two verses really stuck out to me. It’s not a big secret that what we hold in our hearts we will also speak and do. I know Jesus said the same thing about the treasures of our hearts (Matt 6:21). What we believe, we will hold true to our hearts in all that we say and all that we do. If I hold malice and discontent, that will be evident in my actions and thoughts. If I hold joy and love, that also will be evident. Belief though, that’s a game changer. Belief can cause us to do some fantastic things, but it can also cause us to do some really questionable things. Belief can drive us to help the poor in spirit and minister to the widows, orphans, and the homeless. Belief can also drive us to darker times, like hate, jealousy, envy, and war.

Even though everything I am is given over to Jesus, I still must ask myself…”Frank, what do you believe?” What do I believe about Jesus? What do I believe about my heavenly Father? Are my beliefs in line with scripture or am I straying away from the foundation of the word?

Romans 10:8-10 (ESV) speaks to the exact concept of belief;

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word [the message, the basis] of faith which we preach— because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.

We can talk all day about what we believe and who we believe in and how we believe it. But truly everything comes from our heart, the innermost core of who we are. Our thoughts are constantly changing, but our belief system is constant. I really have to ask myself; What do I really believe about my faith and my walk with Jesus? How is my belief system affecting my walk and more importantly, who is affected by my belief system? Because what I believe will spill over to my family, friends, and people I meet.

My beliefs will also cause me to do things I shouldn’t do, but because I have such a strong sense of belief in what I am doing, I will justify it as being right and true. I believe..(haha), but really, I believe that accountability will help me stay true to the very nature of Jesus. Not just accountability from family and brothers/sisters in Christ, but accountability from the Holy Spirit. Honestly, the only way I am truly going to know if I am hearing God correctly is to bring it before my trusted brothers/sisters and give it over to prayer. The Holy Spirit will then begin to give me the Father’s truth.

When I am going through trials and tribulations I must ask the question, “What do I believe about this?” My beliefs will dictate my prayers and how I respond. I need to respond with the heart of God and according to the foundation of His word. Any other way is soulish and selfish and will cater to my flesh and not strengthen my spirit.

God is Really in the Details – Frank Work

This morning I am reminded about details and how important it is to remember that I can move and work and have my being in this life, without remembering that the details of my life are easily over looked. I constantly have to ask the Lord to show me what I am missing, but my finite mind cannot comprehend the majesty of His love for me, so I have to constantly ask Him to open my eyes to see and my ears to hear what the Spirit is doing and saying within my heart and life. It’s the little things that trip us up and cause us to stumble. There is an old saying “The devil is in the details”

Song of Solomon 2:15 (NKJV)

15 Catch us the foxes,
The little foxes that spoil the vines,
For our vines have tender grapes

Not only is Jesus concerned about the details of our lives, but there is another who is in direct opposition to Jesus, who is trying to cause us to stumble through the details of our lives. Satan is the master accuser. He is legalistic. He is more cunning than any lawyer, and completely committed to seeing the children of God stumble. There is an old saying, “The devil is in the details.” The master of lies wants to see us fall, he wants nothing more than for us to lose our focus on who we are in Christ. More importantly, who Christ is in us.

Revelation 12:10 (NKJV)

10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

“When the solution is simple, God is answering.”

You know who said that? Albert Einstein. I am constantly over thinking many things in my life and leaving out the smallest detail and playing this recording in my mind like a broken record, “God will figure out the rest.” When in reality I am not listening intently enough, and missing the most important parts of what He is trying to tell me. The details.

Pretty amazing isn’t it? God is very interested in the details of our lives when we are not. He reminds us in scripture that we are to be concerned about the details, because in the details is where Satan works. Satan is legalistic and will corrupt our hearts in the details that we over look.

Psalm 37:23 (NLT)
23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives

Paradise lost? Or we just can’t see it? – Frank Work

STOP! stop right now and do me a big favor. Just stop what your doing, which is reading this, and sit back, relax, quiet your spirit and ask God to give you His shalom peace. Don’t talk, unless it’s your prayer language. Don’t raise your hands, unless you feel the unction of the Holy Spirit, and just be still. No music, no outside distractions. Come back in 5 minutes or if it is longer, come back then. But just take 5 minutes and seek God and see what the Holy Spirit shares with you.

Welcome back, how was your experience with God? Did you hear him? Could you feel the power of His love over you? Is your spirit man at peace? If the answer is yes then you have found something that probably half the people you know can’t seem to find. Paradise.

I bet you’re saying to yourself right now, “We will only find paradise when we come into His presence in heaven.” I say, that the moment you fell in love with Jesus, and accepted Him as your Lord and Savior is the moment you entered into paradise with Him. The death of our human flesh is not the only time we are in heavenly places, remember what scripture says about this; Eph 2:4-10

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Isn’t it amazing, just thoroughly amazing, that we can be walking in the realms of the heavenly places even while still here in our flesh? I am not speaking some hokey, new age nonsense here. As you read for yourself from the above scripture, that when we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior our spirits were and are, sitting together with Jesus in heavenly places. Oh, are you one of those who think you can’t be seated with Christ? Let’s put it this way, if the simple truth of our salvation is a lie, then our entire concept of Jesus is a lie. Jesus promised us in Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Either Jesus was crucified, died on the cross, was buried in a tomb, wrapped in linen and anointed for burial. As well as descended into hell, took back the keys and conquered hell, rose again on the third day and later ascended into heaven to take His rightful seat as King of kings and Lord of lords and will await the trumpet call of His return, or….or…it’s all a lie, and we have all been fooled. Do you know who wants you to believe it’s a lie? Exactly! The father of lies, the very one who is in direct opposition not only to Jesus, but also in opposition of your destiny in Christ.

I want to encourage the reader that the more time we spend in prayer, in His presence, the more we will have a taste of paradise through the power of the Holy Spirit. I promise you that God is true to His word when He tells us in 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Two Wolves – Frank Work

I was talking to a couple of fellow co-workers the other day, and during our conversation, one of them said out of the blue, “Two wolves”. They both looked at each other with a knowing smile. Apparently, I wasn’t aware of what this phrase meant, especially in the context of what we were talking about, so I asked him to explain. He began to tell me that this phrase was from a movie he had watched with his children called Tomorrowland. I remember seeing the commercial on television, so I knew which movie he was referring to. He went on to say that during the movie there was a dialog between two of the characters and this dialog included the phrase “two wolves.” Now little did I know that this phrase comes from an old Cherokee proverb or fable, and this phrase actually has great spiritually meaning. Below is that proverb.

“One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, generosity, empathy, truth, compassion, and faith.” The grandson thought about this for a minute and then asked the grandfather, “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Interesting that the concept mirrors what Jesus said in the New Testament. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.(NKJV)

In kingdom principles, there are only two mindsets. One that follows God, and one that follows the flesh. I know in my lifetime at some point or another I have feigned confusion about which one I am following, but in reality, I am not confused at all. The reality is that I am just turning a blind eye to the one I am allowing to lead me. My faith is fed by time spent in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, time spent in the Word, and time spent in prayer. What also feeds my faith is time spent in fellowship with my brothers and sisters in the Lord. Many times I will find myself forsaking the latter. Why? There could be many reasons, or there could be one reason, the point is that as a Christian in the faith, I need to be reminded that I am not in this fight alone. Not only should I have fellowship with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 13:14), but I also must have fellowship with the breather of Christ, and honor them above myself. (Rom 12:10)

The real bottom line is though, who am I allowing dominance in my life? Who am I feeding? Am I feeding my soul, with the cares of this world, which leads to death and entices the carnal desires of my life? Or am I feeding my Spirit-man, with the word and breath of God, which is the blood of Christ and the Spirit of God? Doing so brings me closer in relationship with the Holy Spirit, and ultimately to the understanding of true peace and the Father’s heart for my life. It’s a life long struggle between the flesh and our spirit-man, our soul is in flux, but this doesn’t have to be a constant for us as men and women of God.

I like to think of my soul as Switzerland. It’s neutral in all conflicts, it’s neutral in all peace. What my soul wants is a leader. A leader to show it the way it should react, or respond. On one side of my neutral soul is my flesh and on the other side is my spirit-man. Much like the old Cherokee proverb of the two wolves, my soul is looking for which one will feed it. Now before I go any further, I am going to lay down some scriptural references concerning the spirit, soul and body.

1 Thessalonians 5:23(ESV) “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”


Hebrews 4:12(ESV) “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”


Genesis 2:7(ESV) “ then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”


Galatians 5:16-17(ESV) ” But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

I believe that our soul was created when God breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of Adam (Gen 2:7). This action I believe is what created the soul of man. In Hebrew the word, “ruach” means “breath or Spirit of God”. It was the combination of man’s flesh, and God’s Spirit, which in turn created the soul. So there is a struggle between the flesh, our carnal nature, and our spirit-man for dominance over our soul. These are our two wolves, which battle each other and they are both wanting and needing to be fed. It’s the decisions we make on a day-to-day basis that decide which “wolf” is fed and which wolf takes control of our soul. Is our life filled with hate, jealousy, and strife? Then our flesh is the dominant wolf. Is our life filled with love, joy, and a wanting to draw closer to the Lord? Then our spirit-man is the dominant wolf.

I have been really thinking about something that I heard during a sermon, that the Native Americans are some of the lost tribes of Israel and they already had a concept of the teaching of Jehovah. Maybe, maybe not. I am not sure at this point, but what I do know is that we must not lean on our own understanding when it comes to the things of the Spirit, but lean on the shoulders of Christ and allow Him to show us all truth and knowledge concerning our lives in Him and His life in us.

The God who heals and restores – Karen Austin

I bless you in the name of Jehovah-Rapha, the God who heals [Exodus 15:6]. “The chief meaning of Jehovah is derived from the Hebrew word Havah meaning “to be” or “to exist.” It also suggests “to become” or specifically “to become known” – this denotes a God who reveals Himself unceasingly. Rapha means “to restore”, “to heal” or “to make healthful” in Hebrew. Jehovah is the Great Physician who heals the physical and emotional needs of His people.” [Ref.: Blue Letter Bible]
So from these definitions we can say “Jehovah, the God who reveals Himself unceasingly, heals and restores.”
Today, I bless you with a revelation of the love of the Father who heals you. I bless you with healing from any sickness or disease that would keep you from fulfilling your destiny. I bless you with strength to stand against any attack that may be coming against your physical body. I bless you today with wisdom to know how to care properly for your temple in order that your immune system be strong. May His overshadowing Presence manifest over you as a shield from any harmful elements, contagious disease or virus.
May our Father reveal Himself as Jehovah-Rapha over each of you this day!

 

Will you believe the lie? – Gary Florence

Several months ago I was sitting in church and out of nowhere I heard within side of me “You have no voice.” I knew it was a lie but it was so convincing and felt so real that I allowed it to silence me. If we believe a lie long enough it can become truth to our emotions. Week after week I would go and just be quiet not saying anything, then about 3 weeks ago I heard “If you will humble yourself under God’s arm in His timing He will lift you up.” I kept hearing this verse over and over then one day I believed the Lord said to me “You need to humble yourself and ask your church family for help.”

I grew up in a culture that asking for help was a sign of weakness. When I was younger and played sports I remembered when I would get hurt my coach would say things like “shake it off” or “rub some dirt in it.” So finally at our home group last week I shared with them what was going on in my life and asked them for help. They gathered around me and prayed and spoke words of encouragement and broke the lie off of me. Your breakthrough may be found in a little word like “help”.

There are people all around you that need to hear your voice. You may come in contact with a mother who has had one of those weeks, where all she has done is wiped snot from her child’s nose and cleaned up dirty diapers and she is wondering is there more to life than this. Is this what God has called me do to and you could be that voice to remind her of her destiny and to encourage her. There may be someone who is trying to make ends meet and pay a mortgage and put food on the table. Your voice may be just what they need to hear at that moment. Will we allow a lie in our life that tells us we have no voice and to be silent or will we allow truth spoken from someone else because we have humbled ourselves and asked for help so we in turn may speak words of truth and encouragement to someone else?

Yes you and I have a voice. So if you see yourself in me and that your voice has been silenced ask the Lord if He desires you to humble yourself and ask for help from your brothers and sisters in Christ and then see what He is about to do in your life and the lives of those around you waiting to hear your voice again.

Where will this battle find you?

stand upThe world is turning faster than we can keep up with it. At times, we aren’t even sure if we can keep our balance with all the turmoil that surrounds our lives. The world’s view of relationships, especially marriage, is becoming skewed at best. Divorce rates in the body of Christ are at an all-time high, and we as the church have no one to blame but ourselves. We are allowing the enemy of our souls to rip the very fabric of our vows of matrimony apart at the seams. Marriage is no longer viewed as something sacred or something to be cherished. It’s a checklist of possibilities that no longer hold any value in the culture of today. We laugh away divorce as though it’s no more valuable than a stick of gum or a penny we find on the street. We aren’t concerned anymore about the likelihood that we will find a lifelong mate, in whom we can place our trust, our devotion, and, more importantly, our heart. Why is this? Why aren’t we fighting for our marriages?

Putting things into perspective, though, I can say that my wife and I have been close to being casualties of this war against marriages. This battle has been a long and sometimes very brutal conflict, which has led to the death of many marriages and relationships in Christ. The enemy is constantly trying to rip marriages apart, for one of the foundations of our faith is really based on marriage to Jesus, and an understanding of what it means to be a bride as it pertains to the body of Christ, awaiting her bridegroom, who is Jesus.  We watch with jaded eyes as our young people are being manipulated by the concepts and precepts of this world, who themselves are embracing a Hellenistic society where everything is permissible, and the idea of “living for the day” is being recited in volume that can’t be hushed by standing by and doing nothing.  We are losing, plain and simple. We are losing a battle that should be easily won. We are losing because we want to lose. We don’t want to fight anymore. We have become so exhausted from the trials of our own lives that we aren’t willing to fight for the next generation because the scars on our backs are too deep and too painful.

There is hope, though; there is always hope.  J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “Even Darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it will shine out all the clearer.”

Our light into the darkness is the fire of Christ that burns within each one of us, the light of hope and the light of glory. We aren’t alone by any stretch of the imagination, unless we want to be. Why do we choose to be alone? Because we have allowed ourselves to fall sway under the influence of many possible reasons. Shame, guilt, condemnation, fear, and the list is endless as to what may influence our choices to stand and fight as a congregational team, or stand and fall as an army of one. In the past, I have often thought, “I don’t need anyone else, I can do this on my own.” That, my friend, is a lie, plain and simple, a lie we tell ourselves daily. Either we are choosing to make wrong decisions, or we are being influenced by the power of the air, or really both.

We will struggle in this lifetime; we will struggle as Christians. For us to believe anything different is to believe in a doctrine of demons. This new wave of prosperity Christianity is robbing God of His glory and robbing the believer of the true power of Jesus. Why would James write the following scripture?

James 1:2-4 “2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Our faith must and will be tested. Our marriages will be tested, our relationships will be tested. Our belief system will be tested. Everything in our lives will be tested, so that through this testing, our faith will be established in Jesus, and not in our own strength. We cannot and will not allow this world to catch us off balance! We will stand and fight the accuser of our souls and the enemy of our Lord. We must war for the salvation of our children and our grandchildren. This isn’t a choice, this is a mandate. Do not let the blood be on your hands because you sat and did nothing, when God in His word warns us. Stay with me, folks, don’t let me lose you, for scripture will always speak in ways that man cannot.

Ezekiel 33:1-6

33 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, 3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.

Simply put, if we who know the truth, and the truth is Jesus, and his scriptures are His words, if we sit and do nothing, then the blood of the lost and the broken will be on our hands. If we do not warn those who have fallen sway under the power of darkness, we will answer for not heeding the trumpet call of the Lord.

Is there someone that you know needs your prayers? Pray for them. Is there a co-worker who you know is distraught and struggling? Ask the Lord to give you the words of comfort to speak. Is there a marriage, or better yet, is your marriage breaking apart before your eyes? Stop fighting one another, swallow your hurt, your pride, and your shame, and seek the Lord together. Has your life become cold and lonely? Do not fret and do not fear, because my friend, you are not alone in this fight. The body of Christ will stand with you. The Lord of Hosts will stand with you. I will stand with you. Believe in prayer, believe in scripture, most of all, believe in Jesus, the lover of our souls and the Redeemer of our spirits.