Love of Christ

We Are Not Alone – Frank Work

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Alright, let me be the first one to say that I have not always been one who enjoys fellowship. In fact, I could say, besides being around my wife, children, and grandchildren, I was pretty much a loner. Sure, I had people I was acquainted with and sometimes hung out with, but really other than that, I was a lone wolf. Now I am sure some of you are quoting this scripture out loud or in your head, Hebrews 10:24-25;

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Let’s look at verse 24 for a moment. I love “And let us STIR up one another to LOVE and good works.” One of the reasons we are to come together is not just for church on Sunday morning, but also because we need to be stirred up during the week. We need our fellow brothers and sisters to STIR us so that we know what the love and heart of Jesus is. He shows us through His bride, and His bride is US! Some of you who may read this have that lone-wolf mentality. You may really believe that you can only accomplish the works of God on your own. No one else understands you, right? Only God really gets you, am I right? I am going to say this as nicely as I can, and with as much love as I can put into words..ready? You are allowing yourself to be deceived by the enemy and allowing yourself to succumb to his lies if you believe for one minute that anyone is a one-man army. You cannot, and will not, accomplish your true destiny in the Lord unless you come alongside other believers to accomplish the will of the Father. Those of us who do this have an Old Testament mentality, while prostituting New Testament grace. What does that mean?

In the Old Testament God would use individual men and women to accomplish whatever mission He had. The people were scattered and prone to the worship of idols on their own. God was distant from them because of the sin in their lives, and because of that sin God could not see them, it was only by His divine and Holy Spirit could He see man in the Old Testament. There were times when God would, through the power of the Holy Spirit, meet face to face with man, i.e. Moses. Or God would communicate through His angelic messengers much like He did with Daniel. God would choose men and women whose hearts were turned towards His, and their desires were His desires, even from their birth. Joseph, Samuel, and Daniel are a few examples. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention David, who had a heart after God’s own. That isn’t to say that they were “prepared” when called, for God knows the heart of men, and sees the wickedness it could achieve. So God has to teach us and fill us with His wisdom, so that when we turn, much like King Saul, we have a new heart.

1 Sam 13:14 “But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Now though we have the gift of salvation and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. It is only because of that shed blood, that now, the Father can look upon His people, and gather them to Himself. It’s the only way God can see us, is by the very blood that Jesus shed upon the cross. Without the blood of Jesus, we are far from God because God cannot look upon sin. It is because we are covered in the blood of He who is without sin, that the Father can now look upon us. Acceptance of Jesus as our Savior is more than just entering into the kingdom of Heaven, it’s also about being in a relationship with our heavenly Father and acknowledging that Jesus is Lord over all. See though here is the kicker in all this, Jesus came and is now, preparing His bride for His coming, the bride being the body of believers who have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. Romans 10:8-9

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

We are all joined by the blood, therefore we are joined together as the bride. We cannot possibly function effectively apart from the rest of the bride, since we are joined in the spirit by the blood of Jesus. We are not to be alone in this fight, we are not be subject to the trials of this world as individuals, but as joint heirs, Romans 8:17 speaks specifically on this,

17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The enemy wants you to believe that you can do this on your own. You can’t. The enemy wants you to isolate yourself from the body, you should not. The enemy wants you to be ineffective in your calling, I beg you not to listen. Trust me from one who knows, has been there, and has bought the t-shirt. Being alone in the body of Christ is a surefire way of allowing the enemy a foothold in your life. You have no accountability, you have no support system and you have no one to encourage you. Yes, you can say Jesus can do all that, and He can. He does it through His bride; when you separate yourself from the bride, you separate yourself from Him. We are not to walk this earthly world alone, I am learning this anew every day.

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! 

Return to Your First Love – Karen Austin

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“I am loosing and removing the ropes that have had you bound. Just as there is an “unraveling” taking place in the earth, there is an “unraveling” taking place in My church. Things that wrapped you and confined you are being loosed. Bondage to tradition, false doctrines and beliefs are all breaking away as My truth is being revealed.

My people have walked in only a measure of freedom, but that is changing! They have become dissatisfied with the lack of power and the lack of not seeing what they believe. My church is pressing in. Former patterns of thinking, patterns of doing that which has not brought much fruit are breaking off. They are finding it is not in a doctrine. It is not in a “style” of ministry. It is not in what they can do, but it is only in what I will do! My church is coming back to their first love and making it once again only about Me.

When the focus of My church, their passion, their dreams are for Me alone, then comes all that they have desired. I must first have their heart. If I had released what was desired before My people were ready, it would have fallen to the ground and not produced the harvest that I desire. The power they sought would have destroyed them. My love for My church is too great to let this happen. Instead, I have allowed their “works” to become stagnant – until the desires of their hearts turned towards Me.

It will, it can only be, by My ways and in My timing. To know My ways and My timing, your eyes must be upon Me. But you must know this one thing: I must remain your One thing or what I desire you to move in will once again become stagnant. I must be your only source. I must be the One you seek, not just My gifts and My power. I desire that the fruit of My Spirit become so ripe in your walk that many shall partake of. I desire the fruit of My character be represented by those who are Mine. For to truly represent Me, you must walk in holiness. Yes, repent when you misstep and I will restore you.

Worship Me in the beauty of My holiness and I will shall wash away the things of the past…the pain, the losses, the failures, the betrayals. In the beauty of My holiness I will apply My eye salve upon your eyes that you may see clearly. I shall open your ears to hear My voice with clarity. I shall draw you near until your heart beats in time with Mine.”

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering and come before Him; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.” 1 Chronicles 16:29

It’s Time for the TRUE SONS of God to Arise – Barbara Potts

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“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.”                                      

May the sons of God arise!

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.

Enoch Generation – Karen Austin

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“Who is this coming out of the wilderness leaning upon her Beloved?” Song of Solomon 8:5

Now that we are close to coming out of this time of hiddenness, I have been asking of the Lord. “How do You desire that we, Your Bride, come out of this time? What truths are we to have learned? What do You desire to see in Your Bride that wasn’t there before?” I have heard several others saying they do not want to waste this time we have been given to come away with Him….to allow Him to works in us what He desires.

While I believe there are individual lessons that we have learned in this time, as well as revelations of things that were in our hearts that were not pleasing to Him, I believe that corporately, we have been brought to another way of seeing. Seeing what is really important in our lives. Seeing how we have put “doing” things for Him above just “being” with Him in the secret place. Seeing where we have put doing the church routine above desiring Him over anything else in our gatherings. Seeing our need for family and one another. Seeing how valuable and precious life really is. Seeing that the things we ran to before that really do not satisfy the longing in our hearts for peace and hope. There is another “seeing” that I am beginning to understand further, but that is for another time.

As I was researching the scripture above, I looked up the Hebrew words in the Strongs Concordance and where available, the root of each. I was surprised to find a deeper meaning to this verse than I previously knew. Stay with me because I found this very interesting to where we are in the timing of God.

The words “is this” means “with me is God”, from the root “eth” meaning “with” as in Genesis 5:22 “and Enoch walked with God…” and “el” meaning “God”. Hebrew meaning for “coming” is “to go up” or “to ascend”. Hebrew for the word “wilderness” is “dabar” which means “to speak”.

So I read this as to say to me, “Who is this (walking with me is God) coming (ascending) from the wilderness (where God spoke with me) leaning (supporting myself only) upon my Beloved”. I believe if we have processed all that He had in His design for each one of us, the world will ask these questions. “Who is this one that is so different from the rest? Who is this one who walks with God and hears Him speaking?” For you see, these ones have ascended from places of complacency, lethargy and being lukewarm to ones totally passionate for Him. These ones totally rely and lean upon this One whom they love.

There is Revelation 4:1 “Come up here” that has taken place in those whose desire is for Him. He has called us to walk in an elevated place, higher that where we have walked before. I truly believe we are an Enoch generation that will walk with God as Enoch did! It will be in this ascended place that He will speak His mysteries and teach us His ways. It is here, as we behold Him, that we will become like Him. My brothers and sisters, it is time to arise and come out of this place of hiddenness and to truly reflect the character and heart of Jesus Christ to the world!

Have we, as His body, learned these things well? Only time, circumstances and trials will reveal. My prayer is that we have. The world is waiting upon us…

“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” Romans 8:19