prayer

Crossing into the Promise – Karen Austin

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I believe this Pentecost will be one that we will look back and see a demarcation begin to take place in the church. I sense that He is not only desiring to fill us to overcoming, but He also desires to rest upon those who have set themselves apart and laid everything else down to follow Him. I believe as we yield even more into what He desires, a tent of His Presence, as it were, will rest upon those who have consecrated themselves…upon those who have said “Yes Lord!” This covering will be as the Spirit of Holiness.

A dove was sent out at the time of Noah and did not find a place to rest. When the Son of Man came up out of those baptism waters at the river Jordan, scripture says the dove (symbolic of Holy Spirit) rested upon Him and did not leave Him. “Then, as John baptized Jesus he spoke these words: “I see the Spirit of God appear like a dove descending from the heavenly realm and landing upon him—and it rested upon him from that moment forward! And even though I’ve yet to experience him, when I was commissioned to baptize with water God spoke these words to me, ‘One day you will see the Spirit descend and remain upon a man. He will be the One I have sent to baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ And now I have seen with discernment. I can tell you for sure that this man is the Son of God.” John 1:32-34. I read somewhere that if we want the dove to stay, we must have the nature of the dove.

I find it interesting that Jesus’ baptism was at the place of the crossing of the Jordan River. Historians say this was likely the same area where the children of Israel crossed into the Promised Land. The River Jordan parted as the priests stepped into the waters and the Israelites then crossed over on dry land. Israel crossed over into the promised era. It was the place of them leaving the leadership of Moses to the leadership of Joshua. The River Jordan also was the place where Elijah struck the waters with his mantle and the river parted so he and Elisha could cross on dry ground. We know that transition took place when Elijah went up in a chariot of fire and Elisha picked up his mantle. This place of crossing over was chosen by God for Jesus to step into the baptism waters. This time the waters didn’t part but the heavens did! “The moment Jesus rose up out of the water, John saw the heavenly realm split open, and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and rested upon him.” Mark 1:10.The Jordan River is a place of transition. Transition took place from John to Jesus. “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30. Jesus’ mission was to transition from the Old Testament into a new era of the New Covenant.

So it is now, Holy Spirit is hovering over and preparing His Bride to be ones that He will rest upon. These will be days of His power enabling us to breakthrough and breakout from where we have been into this season of change. We are going to go from glory to greater glory. We will look back at where we have been and think “We thought we were walking in such revelation, but compared to where we are now, that was such a small measure!” He is pouring out His Spirit upon His sons and His daughters. The world will finally see the mature sons of God rising upon the earth.

Finally the prayer Jesus prayed in John 17 will begin to be fulfilled. “And I ask not only for these disciples, but also for all those who will one day believe in me through their message. I pray for them all to be joined together as one even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one. I pray for them to become one with us so that the world will recognize that you sent me. For the very glory you have given to me I have given them so that they will be joined together as one and experience the same unity that we enjoy. You live fully in me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity, and the world will be convinced that you have sent me, for they will see that you love each one of them with the same passionate love that you have for me. “Father, I ask that you allow everyone that you have given to me to be with me where I am! Then they will see my full glory— the very splendor you have placed upon me because you have loved me even before the beginning of time.” John 17:20-24.

There is coming such a union between the Jesus and the Bride of Christ that we have not yet seen. Come Lord Jesus!

Going Beyond the Veil – Karen Austin

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As I began reading some of my earlier journals, I found this entry written September 3, 2001. I had been crying out to the Lord to go beyond the veil…into the Holy of Holies. This concept was very new to me but it was a deep, burning hunger and desire in My heart. I knew there was more and I must pursue Him! It has definitely been a journey since those early days. I share below what the Lord said to me that day, in my early days of pressing in to abide under the shadow of the Almighty. My prayer is that this blesses you no matter where you are on your journey with our Lord.

“I have been taking you step-by-step from the very beginning. This is what I do with all My people. Your desire for Me must be greater than any desire of your flesh- your desire for sleep, for food, for relationships – anything you place before Me in your life. When your desire for Me reaches a place where all these other desires of the flesh are put aside, this is when you will enter in beyond the veil. “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24

For the veil of the flesh must be crucified. “The cravings of the self-life are obvious: Sexual immorality, lustful thoughts, pornography, chasing after things instead of God, manipulating others, hatred of those who get in your way, senseless arguments, resentment when others are favored, temper tantrums, angry quarrels, only thinking of yourself, being in love with your own opinions, being envious of the blessings of others, murder, uncontrolled addictions, wild parties, and all other similar behavior.” Galatians 5:19-21.

As I empower you to deal with the lusts of your flesh, an exposing of your soul, the hidden things of the heart,will also be healed as you yield them to Me. Then and only then will I truly be Lord of your life. Then you will be free to do only as the Father does and you will see purely. “It’s true that all is pure to those who have pure hearts, but to the corrupt unbelievers nothing is pure. Their minds and consciences are defiled.” Titus 1:15. During this process motives will be exposed. Do not fret when something is exposed. My grace will be there to heal and to comfort. Just ask Me.

Only the pure in heart shall see Me. Come, do not hold back. Come to Me daily and allow Me to reveal those things which are hidden. I will be working in you even throughout your day, if you invite Me. Some things take a while to come to the surface. This will be a life-long process as you will never “arrive” this side of glory. So do not get discouraged. Remember, I look at the heart and I see your desire for Me. What you don’t see yet, is My desire for you.”

Being a Champion! – Karen Austin

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“A Bridal Company is what I am gathering in these days, those who will do my bidding upon the earth. Their desires will be My desires. Their passion will be My passion! They will have doves eyes for only One. These will be ones who have heard My call, allowed the process to become single minded and have laid aside all..only to walk with Me. Oh, it shall not be in a small way that I shall use them, but they shall be mighty upon the earth. They shall be My dread champions!


And know this, I shall preserve them from all that would attempt to come against them to stop their Kingdom mission. It shall not be so!! My banner of love shall be over them. My Word shall be in their mouth, and their garment of praise shall defeat every enemy. The enemy shall not even find them as these ones shall be hidden in Me.

So come to My table and feast in My Presence for the time shall soon be upon you to suit up with My glory and reveal to the world that I AM is performing His Word for these days have been already been determined in eternity.


I AM the first and the last, the beginning and the end. These shall be days of My glory and days of My power on display for all to see. Miracles abounding! Signs in the Heavens and the earth have already begun. These shall be the greatest days of days for My Bridal Company says the Lord.”

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

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.

Anchors in the Storms of Life (Part 1) – Barbara Potts

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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 are pleasures 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,
And I 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.”

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!

What Happened to Being a Light? – Frank Work

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I watched an interview with the rapper Snoop Dogg concerning the remake of the movie “Roots”,  that really spoke to me about a mindset of how we view a past that we were never part of. And how that past can affect a culture that is hundreds of years removed. Snoop Dogg goes on to say;

“I’m sick of this. … How the heck they gonna put Roots on Memorial Day?” a subdued Snoop Dogg asks in the selfie video. “They just going to keep beating that stuff into our heads as to how they did us, huh?”

He goes on to say…

“I don’t understand America. They just want to keep showing the abuse that we took hundreds and hundreds of years ago. But guess what? We’re taking the same abuse,” he says. “Think about that part. When you all going to make a series about the success that black folks is having. The only success we have is Roots and 12 Years A Slave?”

Now don’t get me wrong, I in no way thinking that we should be oblivious to our past, in fact I know we can learn many things, both good and bad, from our past. I remember in Orlando Fla., we saw a very great tragedy. Anytime human life is lost, its a travesty against us as a nation. It wasn’t LGBT’s who were lost, it was people, lives, living, breathing, human beings who are now lost because of one man’s inability to see past his own hate, or should I say, his own self taught hate. Look I am not advocating a lifestyle here, I am advocating my belief as a Christian that Jesus views all life as sacred. Again I say, let’s remember what Jesus said in John 3:16-17

16 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. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Somehow those words, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world” are lost. Jesus reprimanded the disciples for judging wrongly when they wanted to call down fire, Jesus said in Luke 9;

54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”
55 But He turned and rebuked them,and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.

Which to me means, we don’t really have the mind of God and what His purposes are in many area’s of our lives, I know I don’t. Chick-fil-a helped the victims of the Orlando shooting during a time when the light of Christ needed to pierce the darkness. If your conviction is to not associate with people differing from your belief system, and anything associated with them, then I guess your time at Chick-fil-a is done. Again, this isn’t agreeing with a lifestyle, if anything this is being in agreement with the word of God.

Let’s just remember who we are really fighting here. It’s not a people group, it’s not a person, it’s Satan. It’s the accuser of the brethren, it’s the hater of our souls and the who despises our love for God and the love God has for his children. Time to grow up people, we aren’t fighting a natural war here, we are fighting a carnal war, we are fighting a spiritual war, a war that is claiming lives everyday. Doesn’t God have a desire that ALL should be saved? How are you going to do that when condemnation is the first thing we speak when we wake, and the last thing we speak when we sleep?

I for one am not going to put up with it, you want to vomit your hate monger words across your Facebook page, feel free, it’s your page, I will kindly remove you from my feed. Seriously, let go of your hate, we aren’t called to hate, but to love. Stop using the Old Testament mindset to justify your abuse of God’s people. Stop prostituting God’s grace and embrace the cross for what it really means. It’s a sacrifice we can’t repay, an embracing of death that we don’t have to walk through. A gateway to God that we could not find, except through the blood of Christ.

What’s going to happen when the pagans, the witches, the satanist, the LGBT community, the lost in Christ, come banging on the doors of your church, wanting to be saved, wanting to know Jesus. When they are drawn to the power of His blood and are seeking redemption and healing? Will you turn them away? Will you tip your cap of pride and tell them to go away for they are “unclean?” Remember we are being watched as Christians. When you tell someone you are a Christian, or profess that you are a follower of Jesus, you are being watched and observed on how consistent you are to His word.

That big building you go to every Sunday is not a fortress to keep you safe from the world, it’s a place that is suppose to be a city of refuge to the lost and broken who want to find Jesus, and HIS BRIDE WITHIN. Stop holding on to the gift of salvation like it is yours to hold. It’s not. Remember what Peter said in Acts 3:6

6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

Be a light that those in the dark who want to come and see. Thank goodness that Jesus didn’t respond to the lepers, the harlots and the tax collectors like we do to people in today’s world. Who can be saved indeed.