Bible

Peace as a Weapon (Part 3) Karen Austin

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Wherever we walk in peace, i.e. our job, home, it will crush satan’s plans. True peace is the condition of a heart that trusts God, regardless of our circumstances. The peace of God is the power that will lead us to victory over ourselves and the strongholds of the enemy. Peace is a barometer of our trust faith and trust in God.

“Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.” Philippians 4:6-9 AMP

“And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall GUARD your hearts and minds (THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS) through Christ Jesus.” Guard – Mount, guard as a watcher, to protect, to hem in, keep with a garrison, Picture a fort build around your mind that is what peace will do!

“The Lord will give strength to His people, the Lord will bless His people with peace.” Psalm 29:11

We must seek peace because, as we all know, it does not just fall on us in times of trouble. Remember that our words and our actions must sow peace and unity. When we don’t know which way to go, this scripture is key: “For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace...” Isaiah 55:12. Our knees may be shaking, but we will have a supernatural peace within.

It seems like every day, more and more fear is being unleashed upon the earth. Television and social media are now big proponents of spreading fear. There are no natural solutions to things we are facing and will face in the future. But as we, His Bride, walk in peace, we will not only receive our answers but we will shine as a light in dark places. In this hour, I believe His Bride will know unprecedented peace. ‘He will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3. This peace will be a fortress to many. A true sanctuary on earth.

Now is the time to be armed with the peace of God. This peace will be a profound contrast to the fears that are coming upon the world and causing men’s hearts to fail because of fear. It is through abiding in His supernatural peace, we will crush every manifestation of the enemy in our lives.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

Peace as a Weapon (Part 2) – Karen Austin

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When we continue to abide in the peace of God, regardless of our circumstances, it crushes the enemy’s plot to use those circumstances against us. Abiding in His peace also allows us to see God’s plan and, at times, His purpose in them. Our Father is not in heaven wringing His hands. He knows the end from the beginning. His plans and provision are already in place to turn the situation around. Just as the enemy has a plan for our situation, our Father has a greater plan! All our days are written in His book [Psalm 139:16] and we will succeed if we come into and remain in agreement with His plans and follow His instructions, no matter how much they may offend our mind. If we are abiding in Him and seated with Him in heavenly places as we been given access, we have ability to remain in perfect peace.

The attacks of the enemy are first intended to rob us of our peace. The secret is abiding. So how do we abide? The word “abide” is a word that means to “remain” or “stay”. 1 John 4:16 says that we abide in Him and He in us. To abide in Him is to remain in constant fellowship, our hearts fixed by trusting Him and resting in His ability to keep us in all our ways.

“Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.” Philippians 4:6-7 TPT

Isaiah 26.3 “You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You and hopes confidently in You.” AMP

Peace (Shalom) means being safe, well, happy, friendly, also our welfare, good health, prosperity, favor, perfect peace, rest and wholeness.

I believe we can all use more peace!

~~to be continued

Jesus Really Does Have a Plan – Frank Work

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Today, today I have this overwhelming feeling of sadness. I feel a sadness as though my heart is broken. I don’t feel this often, but when I do and there is a sadness and heartache to the core of my being, I know that I am feeling God’s heart on a matter. When Paul the apostle said that our war is not against flesh and blood, that is precisely what he meant. My battles in the natural are carnal and therefore contrary to how God intended me to accomplish warfare in the spirit. If I truly believe in the power of Christ, then I need to believe that no matter what I see with my natural eyes, that God’s hand is somehow in it, and I need to ask for the eyes to see and ears to hear. Today I am being reminded that no matter how heart breaking the things of this world are, my Savior has a plan.

I don’t know how many times I have heard the age old saying, “If there really is a God, how come He allows….” And the list is endless. Our Father in heaven is not an angry tyrant who paces back and forth, throwing curses down upon man because they continually mess up. He doesn’t look upon this earth and scream, “You deserve what you get!” No, I believe that our heavenly Father cries out to His son Jesus and says..”Save my children, bring them back to Me.” Then Jesus tells the Holy Spirit, “Go, teach them the love of the Father and the Son. Give them wisdom and understanding. Give them what they seek most, though they do not even know it. Give them the heart of the Father and of the Son. Give them Love.”

Problem is man likes to find his own way and then blame God when it suits him. It’s easy to blame God, because it takes responsibility off my shoulders. Instead of blaming God for the problems I see around me, I should be asking God how I can be a part of the solution. The song I am sharing is perfect. One of the lines in the song is…”I shake my fist at heaven and yell , God why don’t you do something… and He says I did, I created you.”

We live in a Hellenistic society where the motto is, “If it feels good, do it.” Or “Don’t deny yourself your indulgence, you only live for so long.” Then with the same breathe I will curse God because He isn’t answering any of my prayers. You can’t serve yourself and then expect God to work like a fast food burger joint, “I want it my way.”

Our Father in heaven did create a solution to the lost and dying world around us. It’s you and I. Not because He had to, but because He wanted to. He wants to include us in the plans of heaven. He wants us to be the weapons of His warfare. He wants us to cry out to Him in prayer and intercession to be a light to the dark places of this world.

The following song really ministered to me.

Peace as a Weapon (Part 1) – Karen Austin

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Today I am going to begin a short series of blogs regarding peace. Not a natural peace, which can change in a moment, but a supernatural peace which is part of what makes up His Kingdom and stands forever.

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” Romans 14:17 NIV

Just as there are natural weapons, we who have given our lives to Jesus have been given spiritual weapons. One that is often overlooked is the weapon of peace – even though it is one of the most powerful weapons. We may think that it is not a weapon, but Paul wrote about it in Romans 16:20- “And the God of peace shall soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

CRUSH- the base meaning is to crush completely, that is, to shatter – break (in pieces), broken to shivers, bruise.

It is the God of Peace who will crush the enemy when we abide in the peace of God. It is a fortress and a weapon that the enemy has no power against.

Think about the times you have been under attack, i.e. a family issue, car problems, sickness or serious medical diagnosis. The first thing that happened was your mind began to go in a million directions at once…thinking of different scenarios. Confusion, anxiety and fear tried to settle in. We then begin to contemplate how we are going to fix this problem. Do we have the means to correct it? Do we know anyone who can help us out of this? Our minds begin frantically seeking an answer that is within our own abilities to solve.

I know I have a tendency to become frustrated when I first come under attack. It is a great temptation to step out of peace and step into anger and then anxiety. Our ability to reason with Holy Spirit influence becomes difficult because confusion and chaos flood our minds. Our ability to see the situation through His eyes becomes difficult. It is hard to hear God when we are in a state of anxiety.

Once we lose the peace of God, we quickly lose our patience which affects our love walk. This in turn affects our faith because faith works by love.

But know this, the peace of God is the anchor that will hold all of the fruits of the Spirit in place. Peace will give us the ability to search the heart of God for an answer.

~~to be continued

Rejoice His Spirit is Moving – Karen Austin

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So many of us have longed for years to see the lame walk, the blind to see, for the multitudes to come into His Kingdom. Sometimes we wonder if we will see it in our lifetime. I don’t think I am alone in this. But I sense from the Lord, that these shall surely take place as He has promised in His word…greater works…greater works we would not only see, but we will be a part of.

I sense He is saying to not give up believing for His signs, His wonders and the mighty miracles to manifest upon the earth in greater measure than we have seen before. For when these miracles begin to take place, we will quickly forget how long we have waited. It will seem like it was just yesterday, for we will be caught up in this move of His Spirit and no longer will our focus be on time as it is on earth. We will be caught up into eternity time where everything seems now.

I have been getting glimpses of this that is next on our Father’s agenda. I tell you it truly is above anything we can imagine! There is much that He has stored up for the times that are upon us. When it begins, it will be like a flood that cannot be contained! All we will be able to do is jump in and allow the flow of His mighty Spirit to sweep us up in what He is doing upon the earth. This move will not be by the sweat of man, but a sovereign move, a holy flow of His Spirit. Oh, the rejoicing that shall take place as we enter into His glory…such overwhelming joy!

So I say to you today, remain faithful. Keep believing. Keep dreaming. For it shall all be worth the price we have paid to be a part of this last days movement and the demonstration of His power! Shout Hallelujah!!!!

I have included a clip of prophetic worship with JoAnn McFatter and Andre Ashby. Be prepared to enter His Presence!

Divine Signals (Part 2) – Karen Austin

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There is a pure river of revelation flowing to those who are pure in heart. Contend for this. Rid yourself of the tares in your soul. It is time to release those things that hinder our walk with Him.

There is a higher way that God is calling His Bride; one that will cause her to walk above that which is to come upon the earth. As a child, when our father wanted us to move along quickly (such as we needed to get out of the way because a car was coming or when we were playing instead of getting ready for school) our father may have said to us, “No Dilly Dallying!” This is what I sense the Father is saying to the church, “No Dilly Dallying with what I have told you to do!”

There are things coming that He needs us to be in a certain position and it is getting late. Things are changing quickly. Things have been set in motion to happen soon upon the earth. They will not wait for us to get into the place He has been calling us to. The Father needs us to be in position, in that place of freedom from the past that would hold us back – hold us down from the place of elevation that He is bringing His Bride.

He is calling His Bride to a place upon the mountain as He did with Moses. Sadly, some will chose to hold onto the things of this world and therefore cannot go. He is sounding the trumpet to assemble, to prepare and to ascend into the Holy Place.

For it shall be there that He will give us instructions for the times that are coming. As we climb higher, as we maintain our clear signal from Heaven, He will send us forth as He did Moses to cause the enemy to Let His People GO! The methods we have used up to this point have been good, but He, from upon His holy mountain, will grant deeper insights which shall enable us to quickly set ones free from deception, sickness, disease, oppression, depression and possession – so we will be able to set multitudes free with a greater effectiveness – for it shall be necessary.

So you may say, “How do we climb this Mountain?” The Father says to you,”It is a mountain that you will climb in worship. It shall be a Mountain of Worship in which you will ascend into the Cloud. In this place, He will speak to us face 2 face, heart 2 heart. Instead of writing His instructions upon stones, He will imprint them upon our hearts.

As we descend from this place, I sense He was showing me that man will come to us and say “Where did you learn this?” and you will simply smile and say, “The Glory, in the Glory of God.”

Should Women Keep Silent in the Church? (Part 3) – Gary Florence

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Yes, finally we are coming to the conclusion “Should Women Keep Silent in the Church.” Let’s ask our questions from Part 2.

  • Who wrote it? (Paul),
  • Who was it written to? (Timothy).

Now we will do a little digging into the historical context. In 1 Timothy chapter 2, Paul is giving advice on how a church service should be ran. Let’s look at something interesting in verse 8 it says “Likewise I want WOMEN to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments.” (NASB) This is how the women who were leaders at the temple of Diana (Artemis) dressed because prostitution was one of the many things that went on there.

Now look at verses 11-12 “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 silence.”

Look how Paul changed from women to woman. Some scholars believe he was talking about one particular woman not women as a whole.

Continuing on, Verses 13-14. “For it was Adam who was created and then Eve, and it was not Adam who was deceived but the woman being deceived fell into transgression.”

Where did that come from and why did Paul have to say that? One of the teachings of Diana (Artemis) was that they believed Eve was created first and that Adam was the one who was deceived in the garden. Therefore they pointed fingers of blame at the men. So when these idol worshipers got saved they brought this mentality into the church and it caused them to have a negative attitude toward men and the men Timothy put into leadership. Could Paul have been pointing out this WOMAN’S inappropriate behavior? People were literally jumping up in the middle of the services and yelling what they believed and were taught to them regarding their false religion that they had now come out of. So if we look at the historical context of what was happening in the services of that day. Paul was addressing women or particular a “woman” that was an outspoken leader of Diana (Artemis) not women of today.

I would like to say as a man if these scriptures or any others dealing with women have been held over you. First of all I want to apologize on behalf of us men and ask for your forgiveness. You are not to be off to the side or in the background but we are to be standing side by side together as one voice. So finally what is my “opinion” on “Should Women Keep Silent in the Church” it is a resounding NOOOOO!!! They should not keep silent in church.

I would like now to speak into the women’s lives “May the Wonder Women you truly are begin to rise within you and may the lasso of truth be wrapped around your minds. May all the gifting’s, callings and your destiny come into fruition and you be those Wonder Women that you have been created to be.” As men we need you ladies and we love you and speak blessings over you. So do not keep silent any longer!!!

Our God is a Deep Well – Karen Austin

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“..And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love];” Ephesians 3:17, 18 AMP

There is a depth of His love that He is inviting us to enter. It will be in this place that He will share the secrets of His heart. This deep place in His heart is not found by casual observer. It is a place that must be purposely sought. It is a place where we lose ourselves and are total immersed in His love…wave after wave. Oh, how I hunger to go deeper into this place of divine love!

Know this invitation is not for a select few. No, it’s for whosoever will come..whosoever will die to self….whosoever will lay aside the pull of the world and choose to say yes to His desire to be with you.

I have attached a song of hunger and longing for His love by Alberto and Kimberly Rivera. (I apologize in advance if an ad comes on first). Be blessed.

“Move your heart closer and closer to God, and he will come even closer to you….” James 4:8 TPT

The Blind Shepherd Leading the Blind Sheep – Frank Work

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So this was said by a renown and highly public speaker, of a really big church. She made this statement to the congregation in the church, as well as those listening and watching at home. Not to mention what she released into the atmosphere. We really have to be careful what we are releasing from our lips. Below is what she said on a Sunday morning.

“When we obey God, we aren’t doing it for God, I mean that’s one way to look at it. We’re doing it for ourselves. Because God takes pleasure when were happy, that’s the thing that gives Him the greatest joy this morning. So I want you to know this morning, just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy. When you come to church, when you worship Him, your not doing it for God, really, your doing it for yourself. Because that’s what makes God happy, amen

One of the biggest problems in my opinion is that we as a people still have the mentality that we need an earthly king to lead us. So we will flock like blind sheep to whatever shepherd is saying the things that make me feel right about what I am doing at the time, whether right or wrong. More times than naught in my limited experience as a Christian I am seeing this played out more and more.

It almost seems as though that the children of God don’t want to be children of God, but subjects or slaves of God. We want to be told what to do, when to do it and how to do it. This is a learned behavior that is ingrained into our spirits over time. It’s a long process to unlearn this type of behavior, even longer when we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us as we learn what it means to be children of God and not slaves. Until we are willing to step up and take our rightful places in the kingdom of God, this sort of “Anti christ-like” message will continue to take place.

What’s funny is that I don’t blame the people speaking from the pulpits for the deceit and lies coming out of their mouths as much as I am sadden that people who know the Lord are giving ear to this prosperity message, which is warping , in my opinion , the true message of what Jesus preached, died and rose again; which is to embrace the message of the cross and dying to one’s self, and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.

I am in total agreement with the statement made by a friend of mine,   “God wants to kill us.” Which translate, God wants to destroy our flesh so it can not have sway over our spirit-man and interfere with our relationship with Jesus and hampers communication between the Father and us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not in agreement with these pastors who are speaking in a direction opposite to Jesus and His word, but I know according to the scripture what will happen, Jer 23:1 ” Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord.”

What can I do for them? I can and should be praying for them. Seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit concerning them. So I don’t have to worry about what’s going to happen to them, I just need to ensure that I am doing what I can to make sure I am hearing God. Which also means seeking His truths where they maybe found, and being open and teachable to the love and Spirit of God.

Coronavirus Fears – Gary Florence

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In the natural world we have in place a 911 system where when you have an emergency you can dial this number up and someone will come to your aid. I thank God for this system and all the first responders who give of themselves to help others, but did you know that there is also in place a 911 system in the spiritual world and we can dial it up anytime we need help also.

It is Psalms 91:1 verses 1-3 says;

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”. I will say of the Lord. He is my refuge and my fortress. My God, in Him I will trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.”

There is a lot of fear going on right now, and rightfully so and people are scrambling for answers as to how to combat this virus. What would happen if a company of believers who believe that signs, wonders and miracles were for today? What if we would believe that we can be part of the answer the world is looking for? If we began to believe what Jesus said when He said “And these shall you do but even greater.” That Christ inside of us is the hope of glory that the world needs and right now the world needs hope for a solution to this matter.

I believe that there is a company rising who will declare a thing (revelation) and see it come to pass. I remember the story of the blind man and Jesus’ disciples ask Him “Who sinned his parents or him to cause him to be blind.” Jesus said “neither but it was to see the glory of God take place.” I truly believe that are best days are not behind us but that the best is yet to come and God has and is marking an army for Himself to advance the Kingdom of God on earth and to declare and degree “Your Kingdom come now and your will be done now on earth as it already is established in heaven.”

The question I have to ask myself and you is will we cower in fear, or like verses 14-16 of our 911, “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high because he has known my Name. He shall call upon Me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

Remember Jesus told his disciples “All authority has been given to me now I transfer this authority to you.” The whole earth is groaning in labor pains for the sons and daughters to manifest. Why not now? Why not us? I ask that each one of us all over the world will join together as one body in faith and begin to declare and decree that this Coronavirus must bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Thank you!!!!