I have never thought of myself as the smartest man in the room, I don’t have that mindset because I do know my limitations. To a point. I have learned, more through trial and error, what it means to make mistakes, and continually making mistakes, sometimes the same one over and over again. I am fallible. I am weak. In and of myself, I can’t stop the sin which wells up within me on a continuous basis. I battle the urge to not sin, my flesh wants to sin, because that is what the flesh does, it sins and it rebels against the precepts of God and His Holy Word. What I want to say is that I am broken in my desire to fulfill the will of God through my own accord. I can’t accomplish anything that God has set forth before me, because the flesh has no desire to seek the will of the Lord.
I know I am not alone in this. I am not alone as the enemy will assault my mind with the, “What could have been.” I lose my ability to reason, because there is no reasoning in the flesh. The flesh is filled with it’s own desires, it’s own plans and scenarios. Trying to reason with the flesh is like trying to reason with the wind to change direction, it’s impossible. Impossible, unless there is a power above the wind. A force that controls the wind. A Father who has spoken the wind into existences with a small exhale of His nostrils. In the flesh, we are lost in a cave with no light.
This page was a vision I had to bring the word of God to life in some form or fashion. To see the living word of God manifest in reality for those that read it’s articles. I heard today that the church has lost it’s way in seeking the true prophetic word of God. I as the church have lost my desire to hear the real truth of God. Why? Because the prophetic word as we know it today has been prostituted for gain of wealth, fame, and notoriety. Accountability of the prophetic has been lost. What once was, has grown dark. Matthew 5:47 to me, sums it up.
Matthew 5:47Amplified Bible
47 And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that?
Don’t get me wrong. I do believe that God still speaks to His church. I do believe that the same Spirit that is in Jesus, is the same Spirit that resides in those who call Him Savior and Lord. We prophesy to those we know, because it’s comfortable to us. The enemy knows this, and exploits a weakness in us. It’s call insecurity of worth. If our only desire is to speak to the same 5-10 people over and over again, because we know they will agree with us, then we/I have lost my way into true intimacy with the Lord. I can only gain intimacy with the Lord by spending time with Him and in His presence. Getting to know who He is, and why He chose to save a poor sinner like me. Listen, the reason why Jesus saved me is just as important as the next question. What now?
What is the next step to understanding and walking in true and mature relationship with Jesus? Hopefully in the next several weeks, you and I can help one another understand the true nature of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and how the Holy Spirit works in and through us. I don’t have any answers. I have a lot of questions. I have been following the Lord 20+ years and I am still asking questions. Is the prophetic still true and alive in our day, or have been duped by the charlatans who have tarnished it because of insecurity of worth? Help me with this journey and join me on this adventure.
Today I want to address something that is very important for the days that we live. This subject was spoken of as a warning repeatedly in the Scripture. What I want to address today is the wolves in sheep’s clothing infiltrating the church and social media. I came across this very subject three times today so I know it is on the heart of the Father.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack.”
As believers, we inherently want to think the best of everyone and that everyone else who claims to be a Christian has the same character qualities that we work to reflect. It is actually difficult to even write about anyone who would pretend to be a Christian so as to influence others’ lives, decisions and morals negatively. I remember when I was first saved, I believed every Christian was as passionate about Jesus and wanted to reflect His character as I did. I was so disheartened when I found out that wasn’t always the case.
Some of these wolves are very easy to pick out. The mistruths they slyly speak are so out of line with Scripture, that if you read the Word at all, you will quickly recognize them as false. Religion is quick to quote the Word in situations, but it is absent of the heart of the Father. Love always overcomes law. This is another excellent example of why it is so very important to read and study the Word. Here you will not only read about His will, but you will get to know His character. This makes it quicker to discern the true followers of Christ from the false.
The enemy will stop at nothing to get his agenda accomplished…even deceiving well-meaning Christians. For many, many years he has been quoting scripture with a twisted application. This is what is hard for immature believers to discern. They reason, “Well yes, the scripture does say that so it must be true.” His goal is to mislead and manipulate the Word to lead many astray. The problem is, many wolves know the scriptures better than most would think. Their goal is to get us to question ourselves and what we really believe.
When we begin to see the miraculous, signs and wonders, we must look at the fruit of the one ministering. Who do they associate with? I have witnessed so many humble ministers who that are so easy to know they walk in purity and the fear of the Lord. I’m not speaking of false humility…that is another subject. We know even the enemy performs signs and wonders. Remember the miracles the magicians of Pharaoh performed at the time of Moses.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,”
Matthew 24:23-25 “…false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.”
Time marks the realm of man. Eternity marks the realm of God. We are always in a state of transition, ever changing, ever growing. Your destiny is not far away in your future. You are living in the present, which includes your past, as you are entering your future. You see glimpses of your future, even as you live in the present, and have stones of remembrance from your past. Can you look back and see where your past has thrust you to where you are now? Are there places in your life that seemed impassable, but you overcame which placed you in an area where you may never have dared otherwise?
Our lives may look like a patchwork. But as we trust Him, the Father will take every part of our lives and sow them together to make something beautiful. He desires to redeem every pain and every failure and turn them into our greatest testimonies. His design for our lives are originals and are so very precious to Him.
His timetable is not like ours. Forty years is not a long time to Him. We are the ones with a microwave mentality. We call it delay. He calls it perfect timing. We call it slow. He calls it just right. Your journey will last your lifetime. There is always something going on in the spiritual realm. We do not always see this in the natural. This is a faith journey. If we try to make it happen in our own strength and in our timing, our dreams may suffer.
When we allow others to squelch our dreams or determine what we can do, it is like a slow poisoning, We are not being who we are created to be. No one benefits from this. We are not being who we were created to be. The measuring rod for our life is God’s Word and His intent for our lives…not anyone else. If we really knew how much our Father loves us, our lives would be dramatically different. We would know who we are and what our purpose is. This is why He desires for us to spend time with Him, so He may tell us who we really are.
God once told Jill Austin, “Your dreams are like a cup of water, but My dreams for you are like the vastness of an ocean.”
These are the days of dreams and destinies coming to pass. God wants to partner with you in your dream. He gives you the ability to imagine, to create, and then He speaks with gentle whispers in His still small voice – all the while teaching you to trust His perfect timing.
Jesus is calling you to come forth, to take off the grave clothes as He did Lazarus. He is saying to put on your running shoes. It is time for the adventure to begin. This is the hour for the adventurous and not the faint of heart. Come and run with your Heavenly Daddy.
Psalm 20:4 “May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose.”
Hebrews 11:6 “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”
In order to please God according to the scripture above, we must believe that He is and that He desires to reward us as we seek Him. It pleases God when you and I live by faith. Faith is not to be released only regarding His promises for our lives, but also we are to partner with heaven in faith for the harvest of souls that are to come in. The Father desires that we pray and stand in faith for the protection of the unborn and for the young children to be delivered from sex trafficking. There are many injustices that are happening in our world. As the Father places that burden on our hearts, we are to pray in faith for His will to be done.
When we put the Kingdom of God first, all the other things we are stressing over the Father said will be given to us. When I only had a short amount of time to get some things done, I decided to put spend time in prayer. Later, I was amazed at how much I got done in a short amount of time. He multiplied my time!
Galatians 5:6 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”
Faith works by love. So in order for our faith to function as He intended, we must check our love walk. A lot of us have to change the way we see others. Jesus saw the tax collectors, the fishermen, the prostitutes from the Father’s original design for them. He treated them as if they were already restored to Him and His will. I believe this is just one of the area His Bride will have to mature in these last days. We must be looking through the lens of the Father’s heart to love people into the Kingdom as Jesus did.
I really believe that the Father is putting His finger on the prophetic culture today. Pure heart prophecy will be key in reaching the goal of bringing in the harvest. We cannot afford to have our personal judgment or opinions get in the way when the Father desires to release His heart to the world. Yes, we will see judgment come upon the earth, but this amazing love of the Father is going to shock the world. I believe it will even shock some church folks too.
He is looking for those who will partner with Him in faith and make a determined decision to love. This will pave the way for the outpouring of His Spirit upon all mankind. Can He trust you? Can He trust me?
Isaiah 62:10 “Pass through, pass through the gates, and go from old to new. Prepare a new path for thepeople. Build! Build up a highway for them to come to me! Remove every hindrance and unfurl a banner for the nations!
Most of us go through our day-to-day lives not giving much thought to the spiritual influence in our lives. We tend to just go along with daily events and not think of taking authority over what is disrupting our day. We may think we just are having a bad day or so-and-so was in a bad mood. While these things are true, a lot of them are affected by spiritual influences. We can affect our atmosphere by what we choose to think upon or say. You have probably walked into a room after the ones in the room had an argument. You could sense the heaviness without them saying a word about their disagreement.
During the time of our son’s illness, I was shown and experienced the effects of yielding to His Spirit and the effects of when I yielded to the enemy. The difference in the atmosphere in our son’s hospital room was evident when I came into agreement with the enemy and began to grumble and complain. I learned real quick that I could not afford to allow my emotions to agree with the lies of the enemy! Even though there was truth to what the enemy was saying and in the natural I had every right to get bitter, I had to release the situation to the Father. It was a lesson in dying to self. I could not afford to yield to my feelings or my “rights” if I wanted the atmosphere of heaven, the atmosphere of healing in his room.
I’m sharing these things so you will understand, as I came to understand and am still learning, the reality of how darkness in our attitudes, moods and words that are spoken affect the atmosphere around us. They attract light or darkness to us and those around us. They hinder our going deeper in the spirit to work in coordination with heaven.
It was during a time when I was frustrated and grumbling that I heard Him say, “You must not allow the external (world) to become internal. But instead, you must allow the internal (spirit) to become external.” The inner force of His love, light and power to change our outer world is within us. We must understand that as a news commentator says. “I’m Walter and this is my world.” We must say “I’m God’s agent and this is my world.” We have Holy Spirit influence in us to change our outer world. We must become conscious of what we are releasing.
We must guard our hearts and create a place to be a holy womb for His Spirit to possess. Even in Charismatic circles, we tend to think we only need to guard our actions, words and flow in the spiritual gifts….these are what is important. We can confess and preach the Word, but if we have envy, jealousy, rage or bitterness in our hearts, our spiritual power is diluted. We are coming into a time that our spiritual power cannot be diluted!
It truly is a time of “coming up” as spoken of in Revelation 4:1, to learn what He desires to show us. But this “coming up” is more than that. It is a coming higher to walk in holiness of mind, imaginations, thoughts and beliefs. It is a time to come up out of fear, self-pity and negative speech. So it is not just word and deed, but also, it is what we allow to rule in our heart. It’s being aware of our moods and attitudes that are affecting our spiritual atmosphere…that weaken us spiritually and can also affect us physically. Proverbs 4:23 “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”
Realize it is in the times when you are tempted to get an attitude, to think evil of another, that God is wanting to use you to bring heaven into the situation. I remember Kenneth Copeland told of a story of him seeing a swarm of flies in the area where he had a freezer of meat. The freezer that had gone bad along with the food in it. The rotten meat released the smell of death and attracted the flies, even though the lid was closed. We are instruments of attracting heaven’s fragrance or hell’s stench. We are partnering with light or with darkness.
So I ask myself and I invite you to ask yourself, “What have I been releasing this week?” If we sow into heaven, we receive heavenly rewards. We are constantly attracting one of two kingdoms. Our spiritual weapons against darkness are prayer, worship, thanksgiving and the Word of God. These keep us wrapped in a protective garment of light….the Kingdom of Light.
Amid the coronavirus shut-in orders, on May 22, 2020, President Trump declared churches as “essential places that provided essential services”. He had no idea just how “essential” they would be just three days later. Essential means “absolutely necessary, extremely important”.
We, as the church, have been declaring it is Isaiah 60:1 time…and it is! “Arise (stand up-Strong’s #6965); shine (be or become light-Strong’s #125) for the glory of the Lord has risen (to come forth-Strong’s #2224) upon you.” So we could say, “Stand up! Become light! For the glory of the Lord has come forth upon you!” This is a time of great darkness. It is the time for the glory of the Lord to be seen upon His church. Everything we do as His body must be for His glory and to reveal Jesus to the world, not to exalt ourselves…how much power we walk in; how many attend my church, what great prophecies I give, etc. Our walk is to be a walk of authority, but first must be a walk of love and humility.
The last book of the Bible is the “Book of Revelation”. It is the revealing of Jesus Christ. That is our mission as His body…to reveal Jesus to the world. We are seeing the manifestation of a world that does not know Him. Some have not truly even heard about Him. They may have heard about religion, but not the true nature of Jesus and His love for them. Some have heard about Him, but rejected Him. When we are left to ourselves without God, sin abounds and is abounding more and more as the day of His coming approaches. But we know the Word says where sin increased, grace increases so much more [Romans 5:20].
The world needs an encounter with Jesus! They need to experience His love for them. They need to know they are accepted and not rejected. They have the choice to be adopted into the family of His Kingdom and not rejected as they feel from the world. We, the church, have a lot that we can give to these lost, misguided, wounded and hurting people. Can you even imagine when they take the passion they are showing for justice and turn it to a passion for Christ? I believe they will be just as radical for Jesus as they are for evil right now. Remember how radical Paul was for religion until he had an encounter with the power of God. He became so radical for the Kingdom of God that he risked his life over and over to keep proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom.
We accepted Jesus as our Savior and hopefully you have made Him Lord of your life. Our life is not to be our own, but to be laid down for the cause of Christ, to reach those who are lost and dying. It is not about using our faith for the beautiful mansion down the street. Yes, He wants us to have homes and all the other things we need for life. He said all things will be given to us as we put first His Kingdom and His righteousness [Matthew 6:33]. But His gifts are to draw hurting people to Him that they may receive healing and to find their true purpose, destiny and ultimately eternal life. His nature is to become our nature so we will be changed into His image and likeness….this is the revealing of Jesus….Christ in us, the hope of glory!
I sense that the church is about to have a deep encounter with the Lord. This may very well come as the “Spirit of the Fear of the Lord” as He enters His church. We will come away from this standing up and no longer laying down being complacent. We will become light and shine; not just blending in with the world. One portion of scripture that I desire to be said of us is Acts 4:13-14 “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.”
There is so much yet to be done before Jesus return, which is very soon. Let’s make a decision to walk in unity and love with one another. We, the church, are essential to the turning around of this world around with the love, power and authority we have been given. Let’s allow Him to direct our path and determine to allow our light to shine brightly in this dark and angry world.
I was recently meditating on the scriptures in Exodus when the Lord was inviting Moses to step into his destiny. During his day-to-day tasks, tending his father-in-law’s flock, he saw a burning bush which was not consumed by the fire. Scripture says that Moses turned aside to look at this strange sight. It was out of this burning bush, which was aflame with the fire of God, which Moses was told to take off his sandals because it was holy ground. Taking off his sandals could be viewed as taking off the residue of his natural walk. As he was stepping onto this holy ground in the presence of the Lord, he was also stepping into his holy assignment. God was now calling him to walk in a place of spiritual authority which would cause the people of Israel to be set free from their four hundred years of bondage in Egypt. God said he was sending Moses to bring His people out from the control of Pharaoh and into the land that He promised them years ago.
Moses had all sorts of excuses as to why he could not fulfill this enormous call. He asked God, “Who am I that I am to go to Pharaoh?” In response to Moses’ doubt that the Israelites would believe and follow him, the Lord said to tell them, “The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ Exodus 3:15. Moses then attempted to reason with God that the people still wouldn’t believe him. It was then the Lord asked him to throw down the staff that was in his hand. “Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it [emphasis mine]. Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.” Exodus 4:4-5. There were other signs that God gave Moses to answer his objections and his fears. These signs would assure Moses of these two things: 1) this was his destiny 2) the Lord would be with him. The Father had full confidence in Moses to fulfill his assignment. All He needed was Moses’ obedience.
Moses did exactly what I would have done…RAN!!!! If you know me very well at all, you know that I hate snakes! It was here that Moses had to confront his fear. Can you imagine being afraid of snakes and being told to pick it up by its tail??? Moses first ran in fear, but then in obedience to the word of the Lord, he overcame his fear and picked up the snake. This was not only a test for Moses to conquer his fear, but was also a lesson on the faithfulness of God to supernaturally protect him when he followed His instructions. He saw that God would back up what He told him to do.
You see, the safest place that you can be is in the will of the Lord. It doesn’t mean everything will be perfect. It does mean that the Father will protect you and lead you to a place of victory as you follow the leading of Holy Spirit. Psalm 91 is a Holy Spirit safe zone that we can live from if we are obedient to these two verses: 91:1 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” – and – 91:2 “I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” It is in the dwelling and in the saying what we believe (what is in alignment with His word) that we are protected. I encourage you to read Psalm 91, especially in the Passion Translation.
So I ask you today, what is it that the Lord is asking you to do? You may have been in the secret place with Him or in the midst of your daily obligations that you heard His voice and prompting you of an assignment He has for you. It may be that you know what you are called to do, but ran as Moses did. It may not be to deliver a nation. It may not even be to deliver a city. But whatever He is asking you to do, it is for the expansion of the Kingdom of God!
As I have said previously, you were chosen to live in these exciting final days. We have entered the time of His determined end-time events that are taking place rapidly. I encourage you to take your fears, insecurities or whatever else you envision standing in the way of your destiny to the Father. He will encourage you and bring you truth. When He calls you to fulfill a particular thing in the earth, which He has every one of us, He will be faithful as He was Moses. He will give you everything we need and will empower you beyond your own abilities and talents to complete the divine assignment. He wants to set you aflame with the fire of God. He has full confidence that you can fulfill your destiny. All He needs is your obedience.
“Thy Kingdom come… on earth as it is in Heaven.” We pray it – but are we doing it? Is our focus in life merely trying to “be a good Christian” or to reveal the Kingdom?
Paul identified a group of people that all of creation is waiting to see:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. – Romans 8:18-19
Jesus said some amazing things in John 14, beginning at verse 12:
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. …23 “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
We are called to be awesome!: We are called to do the works that Jesus did; and even greater works! — We are called to pray with the expectation of answers! — We are the habitation of the Most High God!
For several years I have been on a journey of discovery about who we are and what we have in Christ, and how to reveal the Kingdom as a “son of God” according to Romans 8:19. Positioning is the key here. Ephesians 2:6 tells us that we are raised up together with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly places. The reality is that all we have in Christ in the heavenly places can be manifested on earth – now. Jesus didn’t die just to win our salvation, but to give us The Kingdom. He said, “I am the Door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9) We enter by the Door of salvation and then we go to and fro in the Kingdom! Salvation is just the first step into a whole new life! We need to pursue life in the fullness of what Christ died to give us. Luke 12:30-32 tells us:
Your Heavenly Father knows your every need and will take care of you. Every day He will supply your needs as you seek His Kingdom passionately above all else! So don’t be afraid, dear friends, Your loving Father joyously gives you His Kingdom-realm with all its promises! (The Passion Bible)
Let me give you a little Kingdom analogy to put this in perspective. 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 the mountain. This hike along the trail to the mountain affords you a beautiful, yet limited, view. And 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 which you could not see from your earthbound vantage point . This is life in the spirit that reveals the Kingdom! I feel like most of my Christian 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. As He was the Kingdom personified – so should we be!
Paul tells us in Colossians 3:1-5 (The Passion Bible)
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!
As we are one with Christ, all that flowed out of His life should flow out of ours… 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!
Our instructions are to PRAY: “Thy Kingdom come … on earth as it is in Heaven…” (Matthew 6:10) and to DO: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do.” (John 14:12)
Only a supernaturally living people can accurately reflect the image of a supernatural God. — Those who transcend earthly constraints to access the heavenly realm to bring the reality of the life of His eternal Kingdom here on earth – now – as it is in Heaven.
“For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.”
We are living in a time that we have not seen or experienced before…. Within the span of only a few weeks the whole world was thrust into a Pandemic of disease, fear, and economic chaos. Prophetic words have suggested an unsettling scenario: re calibration – reset- upheaval – never the same again!
What should be our response to these things?
I would like to suggest 7 anchors of peace and hope to hold on to, gleaned from the 23rd Psalm in The Passion Bible.
The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd I always have more than enough. 2 He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss. 3 That’s where he restores and revives my life. He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to his name. 4 Lord, even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have! You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way. Your authority is my strength and my peace] The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for you are near. 5 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. 6 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!
Verse 1: “The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd…”
This brings to mind the old hymn:
What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!
Indeed, Jesus is our friend, and He invites us to share our every thought, fear and need with Him.
Psalm 95 says:
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
The best friend a sheep has is the SHEPHERD. Jesus identifies Himself twice in the gospel of John as the Good Shepherd who “gives His life for the sheep.” And Jesus taught in the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18:12-13:
“If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
Our Good Shepherd is very intentional about guiding us and keeping us from getting lost and falling into the pit falls of life.
“…. I always have more than enough.”
In John 10:10, Jesus said He came to give us ABUNDANT LIFE:
“I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!” (The Passion Bible)
In Philippians 4:19, Paul exhorts us:
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Anchor 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!
Verse 2 in Psalm 23:
“He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss. That’s where he restores and revives my life.”
This is reminiscent of the words of Jesus in John 16:33: “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.”
Then Jesus assured us with these words in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
One of the Names of Jesus is Jehovah Shalom – Jesus IS PEACE! And Jesus lives inside of us and fills us with His Peace! And He invites us to come and abide in Him, the Prince of Peace… (John 15:4-7; Isaiah 9:6)
Anchor 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?
Verse 3 of Psalm 23:
“He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to his name.”
David spoke of pathways in Psalm 16:11: “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand arepleasures forevermore.”
The Psalmist in Psalm 119:105 described the Word of God as a lamp that shines to lighten our path: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
And Psalm 118:19 speaks of pathways leading to righteousness:
Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, AndI will praise the Lord.
Anchor 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.
Verse 4a of Psalm 23:
“Lord, even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have!”
Paul admonished Timothy that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” ( 2 Timothy 1:7) Fear is not a part of who we are in Christ. Instead, Paul said in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” There is nothing I will face that will be too difficult for me – for if God is for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31)
In fact, we must see testings and trials as gifts to help us learn to overcome…James said, “My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things.” (James 1:2-3, The Passion Bible)
Anchor 4: I am empowered by God to endure and prosper in every temptation and trial of life, and to navigate through the deepest darkness.
Verse 4b of Psalm 23:
“You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way. Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for you are near.”
Romans 8:35-39 is perhaps the greatest passage on the power of God’s love to keep and to save. Paul’s beautiful words resonate across the millennia:
“What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The prophet Isaiah penned these words on the keeping power of God in Isaiah 26:3-:
“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.”
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.
Whirlwind of Hope 