Fire of God

Anchors in the Storm of Life (Part 2) – Barbara Potts

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This is the conclusion of Barbara’s article “Anchors in the Storm of life. If you haven’t a chance to read part 1, you can find it here, Anchors in the Storm of Life (Part 1)

Anchor 5: The deepest darkness cannot overwhelm the Presence, peace, or the love of God.

Verse 5 of Psalm 23:  

“You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight.
You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit;
you give me all I can drink of you until my heart overflows.”

John the Baptist said to those gathered to hear his message of repentance, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16) Jesus is not only our Savior, but the Baptizer of power that the enemy cannot withstand.  

Paul said to the Corinthian Church that the Holy Spirit in us is to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. (2 Corinthians 2:15)

Isaiah speaks for the Lord: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’(Isaiah 41:10)


Anchor 6: He anoints and empowers me, and surrounds me with His comforting, strengthening, and overwhelming Presence.

Verse 6 of Psalm 23

“So why would I fear the future?
For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life.

Then afterward, when my life is through,
I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!” 

Isaiah prophesies to us: 

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1-3)

Psalm 136 is a psalm of thanksgiving to God for His enduring mercy.  It begins with:

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.”

The Apostle John  tells us of God’s unfathomable love:  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Anchor 7: My future is safe and secure in His goodness and love – and I will be with Him forever! 

In summary, as we embrace these ANCHORS of FAITH we will find stability through the storms of life:

1- Our God is a God of Safety and ABUNDANCE! – With Jesus as my friend and shepherd I will always be safe in his arms and have what I need; even more than enough!

2 – God offers me a quiet place of peace and rest in Him at all times, for His Presence restores and revives my life.  Do I go there often to commune with Him?

3 – God’s pathways bring pleasure and joy, and His Word lights my path with revelation. He leads me on a path of righteousness so I can bring Him praise and honor 

4 – I am empowered by God to endure and prosper in every temptation and trial of life, and to navigate through the deepest darkness.

5 – The deepest darkness cannot overwhelm the Presence, peace, or the love of God.

6 – He anoints and empowers me, and surrounds me with His comforting, strengthening, and overwhelming Presence.

7 – My future is safe and secure in His goodness and love – and I will be with Him forever! 

Becoming a Move of God – Karen Austin

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As we await a tearing down of evil laws and unrighteous influencers in our nation, many believe as we sit and wait, it will all just happen. I speak of both Republicans and Democratic political parties. Many believe if we get the right people in office things will change, and they will to a certain degree. But dare I say, this is what got our nation where it is today. Now, we are to absolutely vote for political leaders who share our Biblical worldview. It takes not only righteous leaders, but it takes us, the church, to pray and be a beacon of light to our nations. We are not to be a light-filled city hidden under a basket. It takes us, His representatives, to be His voice of righteousness. God paid a great price for His church to carry and release His governmental authority in our nations. Political leaders can only do so much. We, the people of His Kingdom, have the responsibility to regulate the spiritual temperature of our nation.

While this is true of our nation, my focus is on the church. Our nation will change when the church changes. All of us are praying and desiring a great spiritual awakening. I do know it is going to happen! But I also believe to accomplish all the Father desires to release, we must change our focus from waiting and depending on our spiritual leaders to be the only catalyst. Absolutely, they carry great weight in the spirit and are vital! To fulfill the magnitude of what God desires to release around the world, it will be impossible for our Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers and Evangelist to do it all. It must also be, we the people, just as for our nations.

It is a time for a “Let My People Go” movement. Each one of us have gifts and talents that the Lord has given us to use as we represent Him in the earth. We must stop seeing ourselves as “less than” when it comes to being used by God. Every one of you were chosen by our Father in Heaven. He looked down through eternity to this day and He chose you to be alive and to be a part of the end-time generation. I believe those who have gone on before us, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and others longed to see this day that we have been given the privileged to not only see, but to be an active participant. Just imagine, many of them prophesied about this very day that you are living in!

This will take us departing from our spiritual cruise ships of comfort and spiritual apathy to step out into the deep with Jesus. Anything achieved, which has resulted in a lasting value, had a price. It is time for us to count the cost and rise up to obtain our inheritance and give Him the reward of His suffering!

It is time we took hold of the scepter the King is extending to His Bride and accept our God given destinies. We will accomplish much together as we wield our Sword of the Spirit – the Word. As each of you step into your position, whether as an executive, a worshiper, a child care worker, a janitor or if you are called to the five-fold ministry, we ALL have a place as a dispenser of His Kingdom authority.

Every one of your prayers can shake nations. Every song of the Lord you sing releases His frequency to shift atmospheres. You are a light being and when you enter places of darkness, you are to release your light and darkness must flee!

Rise up and ask the Father to allow you to see yourself as He sees you. You are a mighty warrior! You are a Kingdom carrier! You are destined to be an overcomer and to change the world around you! You are a move of God! When we finally come together with this mindset…look out world! We will shift the culture. The biggest wave of His Spirit will flood this earth to rescue and reap a harvest of souls!

“Your lives light up the world. Let others see your light from a distance, for how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-17

The Quest (Conclusion) – Karen Austin

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We then moved into the “Charismatic Circles”. We were baptized in Holy Spirit and began to speak to move in the gifts of the Spirit. We had the power and we had arrived! We cast devils out of everything that moved. We were now the “elite”…even though there was a little pride in it all. We now had it all. We got our identity from our gifting’s and we could still have somewhat of worldly life. We had now moved into the Inner Court. But still…if we were honest…something is still missing. Something or Someone was drawing us…there was more.

We began to be uncomfortable with things we always did. It somehow did not seem right. Time came where we had to make the decision…to move on or stay where we were, content, spiritual…just like most around us. We were still hanging onto our own successes as our identities. Still, there was a wooing. A hunger for something more.

The only thing…this required dying. Dying to ourselves, to the way we wanted it, to what was comfortable. It was no longer our choices, but we chose what pleased Him. It was costly. It required us to get out of the boat and walk on the water of the unknown. We were entering territory that was not familiar. We ran the risk of being called “too religious or spiritual”. Still we pressed through because what we found is worth the cost.

We can look at the life of Paul and although he was as scholar and had a pretty good position in life. He surrendered all this to life a life for Christ and to become His bondservant. “I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 2 Corinthians 11:23-27.

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” Philippians 3:8-10

Paul said all he had before he counted a “dung”. I’ll let you look that word up. But because of His total submission and passion for God, he moved in such demonstration of the spirit and of power that no one could say it was man doing these things. It was raw power of God. Paul even was even caught up into the third heaven to hear of heavenly mysteries.

It is at this juncture, that many decide to remain where they are. But to those who dared to answer the call of this drawing of Holy Spirit, it was time to go for all He had for you. You yielded and said, “Yes Lord, I surrender.” Now came the time that He revealed Himself to you in a way that you never imagined. The power of His Holiness caused you to prostrate yourself before Him. His love and acceptance enveloped you and gone were the laws of man you thought you had to adhere to. Here was pure love. That which you have been seeking…you never want to leave. This was it!

You now have entered beyond the veil, into the Holy of Holies. It is a place where you have lost yourself as you once knew yourself, but found yourself in the embrace of your Heavenly Father. It is a place of true contentment and joy. There is nothing in this world that compares to what you have found with your Father. Your creation began and is fulfilled with the love that you have been searching for and will continue on throughout eternity. You are loved more than you can imagine!

I hope while reading this, you have located yourself on your spiritual journey. My prayer is that you don’t stop. In the Father’s heart are things for you that you have yet to discover. He has more of Himself that He desires to reveal. This is the deepest place of fulfillment that you will experience this side of heaven. Even when we enter eternity, we will still be learning the vastness of His love and His power. I encourage you my friends, continue on for He has much that He wants to show you and for you to experience.

The Quest – Karen Austin

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From the moment of our birth upon this earth, the quest for acceptance, true unconditional love was already beating in our very being. We came from a place of unconditional love, as we were created and formed by our Father’s loving hands. “You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside,
and wove them all together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13.But how could we be searching for something that we never knew existed?

My belief is that we knew the pure love of our Heavenly Father in the realm of eternity. Then when we were born flesh and blood, we instinctively knew we were missing something that made us whole. We quickly learned though how to make our parents jump and give us what we wanted.

As we grew into a toddler, the closest thing to fulfilling the empty place in our hearts was our family. Some of us were blessed to live in a family that affirmed us, many did not. Still, even the best of families could not fill that which we sought.

We then became of age to leave our secure home, our dependence on our parents and off to school we went. We believed everyone would love and dote on us as our parents. We believed everyone was just like us. We had not been harshly judged, told we looked funny, or didn’t wear the latest fashion. For the most part, we had been happy.

Once again, we looked to be accepted. The games we played with our parents to get what we wanted didn’t work with our teachers. We were just one of many who were a little “princess” or “prince”. We began playing sports or joined clubs – or wished that we did, but maybe we didn’t have the money or talent to be included. We wanted to belong to something so much and be like everyone else, so we would fit in and be affirmed. By this time, we were willing to try anything to be loved and accepted. Some of us studied hard to make perfect grades. Others joined every extracurricular activity they could to be “in the crowd”. Though some of our attempts we stumbled on to some things we were good at. Little did we realize that these were a gift that our Heavenly Father deposited into us for His glory.

All the while, our Father was watching over us…seeing the wrong choices we made, seeing the hurt and rejection we endured. He saw some of us ended up hiding from others, even ourselves. Still, in His love, He was always lovingly reaching out to us…longing for us to turn to Him.

We went on to search for the exact career that would fill that still aching need to be loved as we had experienced by our Heavenly Father. We thought being fulfilled was being successful – making it in the world so we would have the acceptance of our peers and our neighbors. We met Mr. or Miss Perfect, got married and had children. All this is wonderful but still….the longing remained.

Somewhere along the way, we finally heard the call of our Father. We accepted Jesus as our Savior. His Presence enveloped us and the pure love. That which we have been seeking our whole life was now not only revealed. Unfortunately, many of us learned more laws than unconditional love. We then began again looking for acceptance from our Pastors and those we deemed “spiritual”. We volunteered for everything there was to do. We worked in the nursery, parked cars, cleaned and did lawn work. We fed the poor, joined the choir and went to nursing homes. Still…we knew there was more. We accepted Him as Savior, but had yet to allow Him to be Lord. Still, all of this is just the Outer Court.

Abundant Life is Revealed in the Spirit – Karen Austin

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When Jesus walked the earth, we read in Scripture there was such division among the people over Him. “So the crowd was divided over Jesus,” Luke 7:43.Some believe He was the Messiah. Otherswere offended by His teaching. They said “How can He say this?” The religious leaders even went so far as to say about ones who followed Him, “They are all cursed”. The people had an understanding of the Bible, but still missed who Jesus was and what He was saying. Unbelievable…but is it really?

Unfortunately, this will be so in our day. There are scriptural truths about to be revealed that some will again say “How can this be true? I believe the Scripture means this…” There will be things that take place that some will cry out, “How can God let his happen?” But what many fail to understand, and honestly have not been taught, is the foundation of His throne is righteousness and justice [Psalm 89:14]. All throughout history, time and time again, God does what He does because of love. He hates evil. We know that the enemy’s goal is to steal, kill and destroy. God is very, very longsuffering giving mankind much time to repent. We, too, are told to hate evil [Psalm 97:10].

Jesus came so that we may have life and life abundantly [John 10:10]. Abundant life does not mean that we have the coolest car on the block. It does not mean that we have a lavish home. Life abundant means life free from the law of sin and death. It means we have eternal life. It means we have our needs met, not our wants. It means walking in wholeness; spirit, soul and body. It means walking in the light as He is in the light. It means hearing and being obedient to His voice. It means being led by His Spirit. We must understand that this life of freedom Jesus paid the price for does not come just because we go to church once a week. It comes because we choose to live a life of obedience and holiness. This is a season where we are seeing the dividing of the wheat and tares and of sheep and goat nations.

Just because our nation was founded upon Christian values established by our founding fathers, does not mean we automatically live in the liberties that were intended. No, we must fight to maintain those freedoms in our nation. So it is spiritually. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1

My brothers and my sisters, we are about to find out who we really are and what God created us to do. We, who yield to the dealing of Holy Spirit, are soon to find out what a major part we are to play in this culmination of history as we know it. The curtain of this new season is being pulled back, ever so slightly. We are getting a glimpse into this new era. Again, some will not understand. Some will be offended. His light of revelation is uncovering hidden truths in His Word, which will reveal not only His majesty, but also our assignment destined from the beginning of time.

As we receive what He is offering us to walk in such as liberty and authority, as we follow Holy Spirit’s leading, we will walk in the powers of the age to come. We will walk upon the road less traveled. We will say to the mountain before us, “Be removed”, and it will move! We will not be ones who will follow Jesus just because of His miracles. But because of our love and passion for Jesus, we will follow Him. Out of that place of being hidden in Him, we will work the greater miracles that Jesus spoke of.

These are days of great darkness, but for us who are willing and obedient, we will walk in days of great light!

Life Flow (Part 1) – Karen Austin

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How many of you have come into a church service tired, discouraged and just beat down by life? Then as you worshiped, the heaviness began to lift. You connected with heaven and were revived.

Once the Lord asked me, “Why do you think that you feel so good, so strengthened, after being in My Presence?” I know the Word says in His Presence is fullness of joy, but what I was feeling went beyond joy. He then answered His question. “There is a life flow in My Presence.” “For whoever finds Me, finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 8:35. We may read this scripture and think it means whoever finds Him finds salvation, eternal life. While this is true, the word “life” here means alive, live prosperously, be quickened, and revived from sickness, discouragement or even death! It means refreshment. Life to the Hebrews was associated with health, prosperity and vitality. They view man as a whole being – spirit, soul and body. So whoever finds Him, finds healing, hope and prosperity.

Psalm 36:9 says “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”God is the source of life. The book of Genesis tells us that God took the dust of the earth and formed a man and then He breathed into man’s nostrils and man became a living being. Intimacy with man began in one breath – when His breath became ours.

One thing I believe Holy Spirit is doing right now is inviting us to allow His Kingdom rule to grow, mature and consume us. It is then His Kingdom will reach beyond us to touch other people. The Presence of God should radiate from within us to touch those in whom we come in contact with. We are to release the fragrance of Heaven where ever we go. Remember Moses who spent much time with the Father, and when he left that place, his appearance was changed…His face shone, reflecting the glory of God.

David is one of my favorite Bible characters. He was a man of one thing. Even though he became king, had political authority and power, met with important people from other nations, his heart was still to worship God. It was during the time that he spent out on a hillside in worship, he found his life source.

“They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house. and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.” PSALMS 36:8, 9.

I invite you to drink from the river of His pleasures where I have discovered peace and rest…where I have found answers when I didn’t know where to turn. Drink from His river of life, for in His Presence is light and His light brings revelation which we need so desperately in these days and the days that lie ahead.

~~to be continued

My People Called by My Name – Karen Austin

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“I am calling you up and I am calling you out. I will direct you and I will lead you. I have been training your spirit to follow after Me and My ways. Even in times of trouble, your heart was still tuned towards Me. Watch and see what I will do through you as you yield yourself to Me.

Stay pure that I may work through you as I desire. I will no longer be confined within the boundaries of old mindsets. I have been working in those who are Mine, new garments to hold the new wine that is being poured out upon the earth. “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” (Mark 2:21-22, NIV) For I shall do a new thing, such as has never been seen by man. There will be miracles here and miracles there. There will be such an outpouring upon your sons and your daughters that you hearts will overflow with joy. My raw power will be on display.

Even in worship, My Presence will be so heavy, so strong that many will be drawn into that place. Fear, shame, intimidation will not be able to keep them bound as they experience My love for them. For you see, this is the hour of My love being revealed in such a greater measure because the hearts of many are drawing Me near.

Keep your heart continually pure and connected to Mine. You must allow Me to continue a deep work of cleansing in your heart – removing thoughts, ideas, mindsets, traditions and even your opinions. For you to minister from this deep realm – it must come from “the deep” in you. You must continue to walk in humility. Man will only be transformed when their heart is touched with My Spirit delving into the depths of their hidden pain, impurity, anger, resentment and shame to bring healing and restoration. Just as MRIs and CAT scans can see clearly and find foreign matters in the natural body, so shall My discernment increase in greater levels to enable you to see that which should be foreign in the heart of those who are Mine.

A desire for righteousness is rising within My people. There is a cry for truth and no more compromise. These are ones who will stand for justice and freedom. They are not willing to compromise and allow evil to prevail. I have placed destiny within their hearts for the days you are in… a call to change their nation and even their world. Did not My disciples turn the world upside down with My Kingdom truths and My Kingdom authority?

No longer look back for the pattern, for the old will not get you to the destiny that I have for you. This must be a walk of faith, trusting Me as I lead you into the land of promise, what I have prepared before the beginning of time. All that has been done before has paved the way for today – this last day move. Be ready. Seek Me.

Are you be willing to be different? To step out from that which was and into that which is to be? Will you allow Me to manifest Myself through you as I desire and to whom I choose? You must not be afraid of the criticism of man. My Word will testify of itself.

Allow Me to work in you, finalizing the work for the building of My dwelling place – you.”

The Call is Coming. Are You Ready? – Frank Work

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I was praying one morning this week and this is what I felt the Lord was speaking to me about the urgency of the body of Christ rising up and taking their place on the front lines.

The Holy Spirit is speaking. The Holy Spirit is moving. The Holy Spirit is empowering the saints of God. We need to stay focused on His word, His heart and His love. It’s so easy to stray away from our focus of Him when we get caught up by fear, panic and confusion. My belief is that one of the greatest silent killers of our faith has been our inability to discern truth. When we find the truth of God’s heart on a situation, we can find peace. When we look for truth from other sources, i.e. television, social media, newspapers and so on, we start to stray away from the truth that the Holy Spirit is trying to infuse us with.

“Well Frank I listen to this pastor, or this prophet or this evangelist and they say…”

I say let’s make sure we are lining up what they are saying with the word of God. I say, let’s make sure we aren’t straying away from the precepts of what God is trying to tell us through His word. Let’s not be a body of believers who are swayed by every wave of teaching (Ephesians 4:14), but we are being transformed and renewed daily by our time with the Lord. That we are testing every spirit

1 John 4:1-3

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”

That we haven’t become stagnant in our faith because of the recent isolation from one another. That Jesus is with us, and for us. Hebrews 12:1 tells us “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

Let that sink in to the very deepest parts of your spirit. That we are being rallied to the front lines, that we being called in to our destinies. That we ARE the light of Christ that goes forth, by the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit, into the enemy’s camp to set the captives free in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord of Host!

Our General and Commander is calling! The trumpets are sounding! The host of heaven are yelling their battle shouts! Will you join them? Will you be saints of God that He has called you to be? The Lord told Joshua to be strong and courageous 3 times. I will respond three times. Say it with me!

YES LORD!

YES LORD!

YES LORD!

Living In the Fullness of the Kingdom – Barbara Potts

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In a sentence, God’s Kingdom is where His government rules and His supernatural life is manifested. 

     In Matthew 13:11, Jesus said: “It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom.”  Jesus personified the Kingdom. He spoke the Kingdom, He lived the Kingdom, and He demonstrated what life in the Kingdom should be like: Jesus commanded the elements, walked on water, exercised authority over demons and sickness, made Himself invisible and walked through crowds, saw inside of people’s hearts, accelerated time, turned water into wine, multiplied bread and fish, and raised the dead!  This was the Kingdom manifesting on earth.  

     For a number of years now I have been on a journey of discovery about who we are and what we have in Christ and how we are to manifest and proclaim the Kingdom as Jesus did. The truth is: because the cross defeated the curse that came as a result of Adam’s sin, we are opened to a whole new realm of living! Galatians 3:22 tells us: 

“Jesus is the Savior who brings the Kingdom realm to all who believe.”

     I would like to share a little Kingdom analogy that has flowed out of my experience of walking in and declaring Kingdom realities: 

My husband and I love to hike. When you are hiking in mountain country, sometimes there is a long hike just to get to the foot of a mountain. This hike along the trail to the mountain affords you a beautiful, yet limited, view. Then, as you are making the ascent, you are so focused on where to place your foot that you only see what is directly ahead of you. When you finally reach the summit and turn around to see from whence you have come, it takes your breath away. A whole new vista is opened up to you that was there all the time, but you just couldn’t see it from your earthbound vantage point. This is life in the Spirit that reveals the Kingdom!

 I feel like most of my life I have been hiking along the valley, and now I am climbing the mountain. I am not talking about having a “mountain-top” experience in the traditional sense. I am talking about gaining a Kingdom perspective that lifts you out of the natural and into the supernatural, out of time and into eternity, out of limitation and      into “nothing is impossible.”

      This is how Jesus lived on earth. And since Jesus, the Creator of all that is, lives inside of us, should we expect anything less? 

     As Paul reminds us in the letter to the Colossians: 

Christ’s resurrection from the dead is your resurrection too. This is why we are to yearn for all that is above, for that’s where Christ sits enthroned at the place of all power; honor; and authority! Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm. Your crucifixion with Christ has severed the tie to this life, and now your true life is hidden away in God as you live within the Anointed One … . And every time Christ Himself is seen for Who He really is, who you really are will also be revealed, for you are now one with Him in His glory!   Colossians 3:1-5, The Passion Translation 

      Seated with Christ in heavenly places, at one with Him in His Glory, declaring HIS KINGDOM COME AND HIS WILL BE DONE. This is to be our life in the Spirit!

     This is how we proclaim Heaven to Earth prayers. This is how we are going to demonstrate the Kingdom of Power and Light against the increasing darkness that is coming upon the world in these last days. Only a supernaturally-living and speaking people can accurately reflect the image of a supernatural God and bring the reality of the life of His eternal Kingdom here on earth — now — as it is in Heaven!

The Crowd and the Crown – Karen Austin

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Many of us have had to deal with crowds in our lives. I remember being in a mall right before Thanksgiving and it was so crowded that I had to walk sideways to get through. Finally, I had to go outside and get some fresh air because it was just too crowded for me. Today, I want to talk about the crowds in our lives….things that come to crowd you out of your identity, your place of time in the Word, and intimacy with the Father. Everyone of us are pressing through some things, some sort of crowd is pressing against us to keep us from the place of overcoming and receiving the crown of victory.

To Crowd: to press closely together; force into a confined space; cram; to push; shove; to fill to excess; fill by pressing or thronging into; to place under pressure or stress by constant solicitation.

We must understand our enemy is relentless, but John 16:33 assures us “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me, you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” As He is, so are we in this world! [1 John 4:17] So we have been given overcoming power and authority! Tribulation can be oppression, stress, anxiety, crushing, affliction or squash by distress.

For some of us it is the crowd of our past, and/or bondages from our past. Things that you may be trying to overcome from your past are crowding you from your freedom in Christ today. When you hang out with a crowd, it is easy to be influenced to do what they are doing. It is easy to get caught up with the press of the crowd and do what they are doing.

For others, it is the crowd of sickness, either you or a loved one. Your heart is to do so much for the Kingdom of God, but because of recurrent physical sickness or limitations, this crowd of symptoms and fear keep pushing you back. Well-meaning doctors continue to place you in the category of the crowds…”You have a 90% chance of being in a wheel chair in five years.” I’d prefer to be counted among the crowd of faith to continue to press into the promise of “By His stripes I am healed!” It is so very easy to be influenced by the crowd of infirmity and to not give into the crowd of pain and weakness. But as you step forward in faith, He will give you the strength to overcome.

For others, it is the crowd of emotional pain – the crowd of rejection. Somewhere along the way in this journey called life, things happened. Someone, through their words or actions, told you that you were not valuable…you were not good enough and didn’t measure up. They may have implied you weren’t smart enough or popular enough…you weren’t attractive enough, rich enough or you weren’t as successful as your older brother. You can fill in the blank. Whatever it was, the intent of the enemy behind those words or actions was the same…to cause you to see yourself as “less than” you were created to be.

You were made in the image of God. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27. The enemies plan is to get your focus (what you see) off who God says you are, what God said you can do and instead cause you to focus on (to see only) your failing. Whenever we self-inspect, we will always come up short in every area of our lives without Him. We cannot become all that we are meant to be while we look at ourselves through the eyes of judgment and not through the eyes of grace and the love of our Father. No one knows our shortcomings more than we do – except our Heavenly Father and He is crazy about you and knows your true identity. Do you know that He rejoices over you with singing [Zephaniah 3:17]? Do you know that you are the apple of His eye [Zechariah 2:8]? He is extravagant in His love towards you!

“Can a woman forget her nursing child and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands.” Isaiah 49:15-16.

His love towards you is everlasting, His love for you is constant. When all everyone else fails us and our dreams seem to fade away, He is there. He is secure – always. His love and His mercy towards you are forever.

~~to be continued