DRAWING NEAR – PART 13

A CLOSER LOOK AT JOHN 6:44

I realize that many of you do not consider yourself as having a public “ministry” and that is fine but let us at least acknowledge that God has called all of us to do something. When I say “public ministry” I am referring to leading others in some type of capacity that identifies you with a noticeable particular calling. Hopefully, we all are serving the Lord in the way that we believe is the Lord’s will but it certainly does not need flashing lights or billboards. Our service to God was never meant to draw attention to us and certainly does not need to be “noticed” in order for us to be faithful and effective. Besides, it is not our accomplishments, an “I love Jesus” bumper sticker or even our church attendance that “proves” we are a Christian – it is the way we LIVE! If Christ has truly been invited to come into our heart and be the LORD of our life, then we are going to demonstrate and manifest a noticeable change! We are not to be “spiritual spies” that work undercover without anyone ever seeing or knowing that we follow Jesus. Having the wisdom and sensitivity to be quiet while allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our steps actually goes a lot further toward earning respect from the world than a “bull in a china shop” Christian that does more demolition than construction! Our works are not counted necessarily in quantity but rather in the area of obedience and how and why we are doing it. If receiving a pat on the back means more to us than helping and loving others then this is most likely the only reward we will ever receive.

It is common when someone discovers they have been given a gift and talent, to make sure that everyone knows what they can do. Of course these people are zealous and energized with the idea they are good at something and this is normal, but it is also important to remember that we do not need to “overly” push and promote our abilities. Deep down within our nature we are adequately equipped with a marketing department and a fully qualified and experienced staff that will work night and day to make sure we are noticed. The danger with these “internal imaginations” comes when we allow our flesh to lead our religious ambitions which will cause us to completely miss the Lord. We all can see that when the church becomes filled with these types of attitudes and “game playing” then the church is no different than any other organization.  Leaders are many times arrogant and controlling as they try to show off and impress the congregation with their political and social skills. Then we have those that are trying to compete with the leadership that are bringing in more negative emotions of jealousy, envy, being critical, judgmental, back-biting and strife because they also want to be seen, respected and admired. For example, it is nearly impossible for religious leaders to attend meetings where other people are ministering and not judge and analyze the content along with how it is being presented. It is just a strong human temptation to compare ourselves with others. The same is true with worship leaders, singers and musicians as they also inspect, dissect, scrutinize, evaluate and methodically examine every note and every decision! One sad consequence from all of this is that many actually “miss” what God is trying to minister to them because they are more concerned with technique and ability than with the message or the presence of God. These are the ingredients of a perfect storm called “carnal religion” and in these assemblies I am sad to say the Lord is removing or has already removed His candlestick. Without the Holy Spirit leading and moving in any gathering or church we will have the same old crowd trying to see who can appear to be more spiritual then everyone else all the while living in the blindness of deception.

Allow me to clarify; there are two churches. The true church is holy and filled with God. It is led by the Holy Spirit and is the glorious representation of Christ and His Kingdom. However, this is not to be necessarily identified with buildings or manmade denominations. The body of Christ is the collection of all true disciples and this remnant group is THE church. He does not have 417 different kinds of churches Praise His name! He has ONE church and it is identified in Ephesians 4:5-13. There are thousands of different assemblies, but these are only gatherings of people that contain a mixture of saved and lost individuals. All church “members” are not born-again because many are confused and have been deceived with what being saved means. I personally believe there is a broad misunderstanding when it comes to the church and salvation. I have written about this before and do not believe this is something that will just go away or that we should ignore. To me this subject is one of the most serious problems within Christianity because people are dying without the Lord. It seems that instead of God’s true family members loving each other in the unity of the faith and the bond of the Holy Spirit, we have a huge multitude of lost “church members” fighting against one another in the spirit of pride, ignorance and strife!

Prayers for salvation can be used as a way to confess and accept Christ into our heart but one of the problems today is how people believe that all anyone needs to do is just “say a prayer.” For example, if we stood in front of a stadium of people with a microphone and announced for everyone to repeat after us, and led them in a prayer for salvation, do you think that all of them are saved? Of course not. We must understand that salvation is NOT received by just reciting a prayer or uttering certain words. The Biblical method of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ! When a person hears the gospel of how Jesus shed His blood on the cross and rose from the dead, we sometimes forget just how miraculous this is. The conviction from God’s Word and the Holy Spirit is the only power that can literally change a human being from the inside out. When anyone is being “pursued” or DRAWN by God, they are faced with a decision to submit or run from Him. Some believe we are selected by election and that individuals do not have a choice in the matter, while others believe that God has given free-will to follow Him or reject Him. Whatever the case, the point is that people do not just say, “I think I want to go to heaven” and magically everything is OK with their soul. Sadly, many have lived their entire lives in deception by putting their trust in something similar to this. These are the ones that have never truly experienced the presence of God and are convinced that the emotional feelings they sense are spiritual in nature. I have prayed with several people on their death-beds and I have come to the conclusion that we do the best we can in these situations and that only God knows everyone’s destiny. The only “acceptable” salvation is receiving His divine invitation of grace. Amen.

 

DRAWING NEAR – PART 12

FOUNDATIONS THAT MATTER

 

We spoke in last week about being dogmatic with certain spiritual beliefs and I firmly agree with this position. When we compare Christian absolutism with moral relativism we see a major contrast of view. Christian absolutism believes that morality relies completely upon God’s universal principals and that He is the perfect, ultimate and never changing source of absolute truth. On the other hand I want us to see the other side of the argument how moral relativism claims that any type of ethical “truth” including morality is NOT based on any standard whatsoever whether divine or manmade but rather is based on constantly changing variables like culture, emotions and unique situations. As we said earlier, the world is a fallen environment that began as a Monarchy (where supreme authority and sovereignty is held by a single ruler) and then began to change into a democracy where everyone believes whatever they choose. The word for democracy comes from the Greek word, “demos” which means “the people” and “kratia” which is defined as (power and authority). So, we understand that when God gave mankind the free-will to think and believe however he wanted, He knew it was only a matter of time (especially with Satan working overtime to persuade the blind) when the revolt against absolute truth would become accepted by the majority and considered politically correct.

It is ridiculous to imagine that weak-minded humans could rule themselves and come up with their own creeds and doctrines. Blueprints and compass have been provided for our destiny – God never intended for man to make his own. We are weak, helpless and vulnerable little creatures that are filled with such arrogance. We stump our toe and cry for days yet we are convinced we are so independent, intelligent and capable of ruling the universe. The deception has always been about doing whatever we want as can be traced all the way back to the serpent in the garden. Remember, when the woman said; “if we eat of this tree, we will surely die” and the serpent said “YOU SHALL NOT SURELY DIE.” Satan was launching his propaganda that God is a liar and that He is only trying to trick humans into believing that HE is absolute truth. The devil was revealing his campaign agenda to denounce trusting in God’s Word while promoting the evil doctrine of relativism. Actually this has worked very well and is successfully leading the world today straight into the bottomless pit of eternal darkness and death. Humans are hard-headed and are convinced they all have the “correct” view and that everyone else is wrong. The “relativism camp” is pushing this view very strongly and is aggressive about forcing everyone to accept and respect this correct way of thinking. However, this chaos does not prove that there is no such thing as “true truth.” Christians believe they have this absolute truth with the Lord and that whoever chooses God’s truth are rewarded because of their obedience and faithfulness. So, what we end up with is that both sides of the spectrum are dogmatic according to their convictions leaving not just one but both camps guilty of absolutism.

This brings us to an interesting discussion concerning the idea of “universal morality.” So-called relativists actually reject relativism in most cases because they would not say that a murderer, rapist or child molester is free from guilt because the perpetrator considered this acceptable in their own belief system. To argue that everyone should be able to do whatever seems right in their own eyes would be to cast the world in complete barbaric chaos which goes back to the beginning of how we need to accept divine universal absolutes.  If culture determines right and wrong, how could we have judged the Nazis? After all, they were only following their culture’s morality. Only if murder is wrong according to God – were the Nazis wrong. The fact that they had their own ideas of morality does not change that. Further, although many people have many different practices of moral consciousness, they still share a common “absolute” morality. For instance, abortionists and anti-abortionists agree that murder is wrong, but they disagree on whether abortion is murder. So, even here, absolute universal morality is shown to be true.

It is a fact that all people are born with a conscience, and we all instinctively know when we have been wronged or when we have wronged others and we expect others to recognize this as well. Even as children we knew the difference between “fair” and “unfair.” It is empty philosophy attempts to convince the world us that absolute truth is a myth and that moral relativism is correct. We have compassion on those that are not saved because we realize they are blind to spiritual truth and cannot see deception. However, when a person becomes born-again in Christ Jesus, they now have the Holy Spirit guiding them beyond their natural conscience as the Lord is bringing them into the highest level of revelation, wisdom and understanding. I pray this short explanation of the differences in these two camps of thought has provided want us with a greater comprehension of the driving forces behind the global struggle of good and evil and is at the center of our spiritual warfare every day. In the last article, we started with “JESUS IS GOD” and now I want us to simply make a list of some other crucial foundations of divine truth that are absolute and cannot be altered, compromised or modified.

THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD – AND NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH HIM

GOD IS PERFECT – SINLESS – KNOWS ALL THINGS (OMNISCIENT) – TOTAL AUTHORITY OVER ALL THINGS (OMNIPOTENT) – PRESENT EVERYWHERE AT ONCE (OMNI-PRESENT)

GOD IS SPIRIT – HE IS INFINITE AND ETERNAL – ALPHA AND OMEGA (HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AND DOES NOT HAVE AN END)

GOD IS THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS – AND HE IS SOVERIEGN

GOD IS LOVE – HE IS JUST – HE NEVER FAILS – HE IS THE ONLY HOLY RIGHTEOUS JUDGE – HIS PEOPLE ARE THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH, THE HOLY BRIDE OF CHRIST

THE TRINITY IS ONE GOD IN THREE – FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT

THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS BEEN SENT TO HELP, GUIDE AND COMFORT US

ANGELS, HEAVEN, DEMONS, HELL, SATAN AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE ARE REAL

JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GOD THE FATHER AND THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN

ALL PEOPLE HAVE SINNED AND SIN SEPERATES MAN FROM GOD

JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS TO PAY FOR SIN AND REDEEM THE LOST – SALVATION IS BASED ON THE POWER AND AUTHORITY OF THE BLOOD OF JESUS ONLY

JESUS RESURECTED FROM THE DEAD AND ASENDED TO HEAVEN

THE BIBLE IS ALIVE AND IS GOD BREATHED “INSPIRED” ABSOLUTE TRUTH – HIS WORD IS HIS WILL AND SHALL ENDURE FOREVER

THOSE WHO TRUST JESUS AS THEIR LORD WILL LIVE FOREVER IN HEAVEN AND THOSE WHO REFUSE HIM WILL EXIST FOREVER IN THE TORMENT OF HELL

GOD HATES SIN – AND IS THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN FORGIVE SIN

JESUS IS COMING AGAIN – THERE WILL BE A FINAL JUDGMENT

Are there more subjects connected with the Christian faith? Yes. But as I said earlier, the doctrines that so sharply divide us are usually the smaller details of practices and theological persuasions that are important but not critical to our salvation. We have more to be united with than to be arguing about but pride-filled human nature cannot resist trying to prove who is right and wrong. The conflicts among brethren have been going on since time began and it is very difficult to see the unity of the faith being demonstrated. If we throw these foundational truths out the window and consider them archaic stories and fables, then we are left without hope. The traditional generation is an extension of the past that studied God’s Word and experienced His presence. But, as these saints fall and fade away, we must pray that their children will consider absolute truth to be WORTH standing for. All it takes for truth to be lost is for a generation to neglect teaching its children. Think about it! The chain is only as strong as its weakest link and if there is a generation that would rather watch TV at night than train their children and depend on the public education system to form and shape the worldviews of their little ones then we will reap what we have allowed to be sown. When lies are sown into the heart of a child it is very difficult to change them and it is deceptive to claim that we are too busy to teach the children because our spiritual responsibility should be our highest priority. Many today are only worried about material security and do not really care about the future of the world. It does not matter what the government says or what the media declares is politically correct, it is all about how we respond to what THE GREAT I AM – IS! How many will compromise? Who will boldly stand for truth? Are we as God’s light holders going to be dictated by a blind and deceived society?

DRAWING NEAR – PART 11

THE BALANCE OF BEING DOGMATIC

 

We are living in a time when there seems to be a dwindling amount of people who believe in absolute truth. The traditional generation is becoming older and becoming less vocal and persuasive in our cultures belief system. In other societies around the world, the elderly is treated with respect and recognized as individuals that have learned much wisdom and can be trusted as having a vast amount of knowledge and maturity. Respect and honor is valuable and should be given to those who have experienced many interesting things in life and in their senior years they should be highly valued. Culture has much to do with how society values their elderly as we can see that in several traditions the older people are highly respected because wisdom is considered a very high priority. The experience that comes with long life is admired in these places and the younger generations are taught to recognize these attributes with high esteem and distinction. Anywhere that respect for the elderly is NOT taught, there arises an arrogance among the novice rebels that is opposite from the correct order of divine truth. Today, the older ones are considered a burden and are of no value or worth. This attitude is convinced that the old ways are “out of date” and that a new way is the answer to re-defining forward progress. Sadly, as the Bible has been the standard of living for those who love spiritual truth, even this is now being cast aside as archaic and unreliable and needs to be replaced with a world order based on human intelligence.

The “New World Order” is anything but new. Lucifer was the first independent thinking philosopher that stepped forward in false confidence to challenge absolute truth and he has certainly not been the last. He has the nickname “the father of all lies” and rightfully so because though he failed to overtake heaven and become equal to God, he has never stopped teaching the masses as a professor of twisted, rebellious, insulting and distorted ideas. He is the prince of darkness and the head promoter of chaos that constantly attempts to influence the impressionable mind with the message that it is perfectly normal and acceptable to intentionally make choices that are contrary to God’s Word. As this growing world-view has become like a contagious infection, the young people of this system believe they are MORE wise than the ones that have gone before them and more determined to silence their critics. It is this political system of the “beast” that is in direct competition with God for souls. The concept that truth is relevant to the individual may be partially true in the fact that someone chooses what to believe and according to their “opinion” it is true to them. However, what makes the difference between being right and wrong is whether or not an individual has received and is following GOD’S absolute truth.

When God is NOT recognized as the ONLY perfect judge of all creation there is a tendency to be open minded to other avenues or options of truth. There is a “good” way to be open minded by allowing the Lord to reveal His revelations and mysteries to us and then there is a “bad” way to being open minded when we do not use discernment to “try the spirits” to see if they line up with His Word. When rules and LAWS proclaim that truth must be respected in every different god, idol and religious view, then this supports the message that mankind can live however he wants without feeling guilty that he is making a mistake or being deceived. This is a glimpse of what the lost world is trying to build! This political, acceptable order does NOT respect God as the one and only TRUE God and is becoming a sobering reality that is growing stronger every day. When Christians declare there is only one true God, we are also saying that every other god is a “false” god and this makes the world furious. Human nature hates to admit it is wrong about anything, but especially when it comes to something as important as spirituality because it is connected with the deepest part of our existence. Since many hate the term, “absolute truth” they also abhor the idea of anyone being “religiously dogmatic” unless of course they are explaining about what they believe. The world without Christ does not hesitate to establish laws for example that declares how it is perfectly acceptable for a woman to kill her unborn child simply because she does not want it. Nothing wrong, no regrets or convictions for doing evil; just upholding the legal rights that humans have to kill one another for no reason (?). And of course, those who fight against this evil tragedy are labeled as narrow-minded, dangerous religious extremist.

Since the system is desperately trying to “educate” our children (the future leaders of the world) with the denial of absolute truth, it is not difficult to see where the world is heading. If we think that Christianity is a voice crying in the wilderness now, how faint will the voice be 20 years from now? Those in public school and the older ones in the Universities are being trained to see the Bible and what Jesus taught as just another religious group among thousands. It is a disgrace and insult to a holy creator to teach that the world was created without God and that it is the result of an explosion and everything was created by random chance. When it comes to salvation, the idea of lowering Christ down into being an “option” instead of being required is so that every human idea can become another justifiable road to eternal life. The deception is that whatever path a person chooses will be honored by the powers of the universe and one is as good and true as the other. Many are teaching that EVERYONE is a child of this divine power and that ALL will have eternal life automatically. In this view, there is no such thing as eternal death but rather each person continues their spiritual development with many different progressions and advancements as they learn and grow in the cosmic afterlife. There is only one being that would have a motive to teach this doctrine – Satan! The strategy of Satan and his demons is to deceive as many as he can by influencing them into false theories but there is ONLY life and opportunity to be born-again and the devil is perfectly aware that if we miss God and die – it is too late. It is the goal of Satan to take as many people to hell with him as he can because we have read that his agenda is to steal – kill – and destroy! We know that people do not go to hell because of what they do or have not done – people go to hell because they do not have Jesus Christ as their Lord. The devil will do everything in his power to stop people from knowing Jesus and the confusion from religion is a very clever way! THE one true God was from the beginning! There was not 150 different god’s that all took part in creation because they could not create themselves. ONE God created everything and that GOD is the ONLY way to eternal life.

A great example of how that one way is not as good as another is found in Daniel chapter 3 with the story of the three Hebrew children being thrown into the fiery furnace. King Nebuchadnezzar had created a golden image 90 feet tall and made it a LAW that when everyone heard the music play, they must bow down and worship the image – or be thrown into a fiery furnace and be killed. Of course these men that followed God knew better and refused to serve any other god but the one true GOD of Israel. They were bound and thrown in the fire – but the king could see through the flames that they were NOT being burned and there was another image in the fire with them (Jesus). He called them to come out and they walked out without even smelling of smoke. The king declared that NO OTHER God could do something like this and he said that anyone who speaks anything against this one true God will be killed. Now, if worshipping the golden statue was acceptable as an alternative way to heaven, then why didn’t these men just go with the flow, bow down and not make a big deal out of it? Because there is only ONE God and He is the ONLY way to heaven. When it comes to this subject we MUST be dogmatic or we are lost forever. Sure, we can throw the Bible away and believe whatever we want, but if we are truth seekers and want to find absolute truth – the Bible is the ONLY living Word that has the power to transform a mind, heart and spirit from death into life. Every other religion that does not have Jesus Christ as the King of Kings is an imposter and is being empowered by the spirit of anti-christ! There are not many roads to heaven! “There is only ONE body, and ONE Spirit, even as you are called in ONE hope of your calling; One Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and Father of ALL, who is above ALL, and through ALL.” (Ephesians 4: 4-6)

As we have been saying, being dogmatic about certain pillars of the faith is crucial to our salvation. There might be minor or secondary doctrinal differences that we can discuss in love and we may not even know about these completely until we get to heaven but we must stand strong in basic fundamental truths that we cannot allow to be altered. There are no arguments to these foundations – these are absolute truths. Let us begin

JESUS IS GOD. “I and my Father are ONE.” (John 10:30) We could write books about this absolute truth but for the sake of time and space let’s just say that it would be difficult to be any clearer than this verse. The trinity is impossible to comprehend with the natural brain and must be accepted by faith into our spirit or there will just be endless arguing. We TRUST that God is true and we believe and KNOW with our heart that Jesus was all man and all God. You see, the gospel is the story of Jesus coming (as GOD) to save and ransom sinners, and is the core of our redemption. “And every spirit that denies and does NOT confess that Jesus is come in the flesh is NOT OF GOD: this is that enemy spirit of anti-christ whereof you heard that it should come and even now already is in the world” (I John 4:3). Since there is only one true God and Jesus is that God, we can know and trust by the Holy Spirit that we are in God and He is in us! Those who deny that Jesus is God are trying to lower Him into the role of a prophet and teacher while NOT acknowledging Him as divine deity. This is clearly another huge lie from Satan.

 

 

 

DRAWING NEAR – PART 10

HAVE WE BECOME NUMB TO SIN? – JAMES 3:9-13

 

What is evangelism? Evangelism is the announcement, proclamation, and preaching of the GOSPEL the good news about Jesus Christ. Therefore, the gospel is a communicated message of warning people about the consequences of carnality, rebellion, embracing the dark-side and includes the call to repent by turning away from sin and turning toward God. The English word, “evangelism,” comes from the Greek word euaggelion. Most literally translated in the noun form, euaggelion means: “gospel” or “good news.” In the verb form (euaggelizesthai), the meaning of the word changes slightly to “announce” or “bring good news.” The Greek word in its various forms appears fifty-five times in the New Testament. In addition to the before-mentioned translations, the Greek word is also translated as “preach.” In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 we see Paul reminding the listeners about what the gospel is by declaring in verse 3, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. And that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” So we understand that this explanation of the gospel is the MOST important message in the world because it has the power to rescue humanity from an eternal hell. “For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL of Christ: for it is the “power” of God unto salvation to EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVES: to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Brother, I think this is very elementary, every Christian learns about the gospel and evangelism at an early age. Well, it may be true that we have heard about this with our ears – but it is likely that many have never actually received the revelation of it in their heart.

When trying to figure out why many Christians do not tell others about Jesus, we could say that maybe since evangelism IS listed in the 5-fold ministry offices, that many believe this is a special calling and that “average” followers of Jesus are not required to do it. This goes back to the same old comfortable attitude that is present in the religious spectator when it comes to all of our other responsibilities. Let me ask you (and myself for that matter) a question. Do we realize that nice people all around us are lost and when they die they are going to spend an eternity in a burning eternal hell? Brother this sounds awful harsh and bold! I like to hear messages about peace and love. I understand – so do I! However, the sword of God’s Word has two edges and we must find the BALANCE of His truth or we will plod through life with a distorted view of His divine reality. This may also sound elementary, but if you and I are truly born again, we have been given the ONLY solution that can save the lost from this tragic ending – the gospel of Jesus Christ! His blood is the ONLY payment for sin in order to redeem a soul from being hopelessly lost and WE have been commissioned to tell this story like a farmer sows seed. We are to not only have an active prayer journal for all those we know but we are to be preparing and becoming aware of divine appointments that God is arranging for us. You see, prayer and evangelism work together! If we choose to NOT be spiritually sensitive, then He will not be able to count on us to help others. He will use us according how much we WANT to be used!

We have said this before, but if the world was dying from a terrible plague and you had the medicine that could cure them, would you give it out or keep it hidden? I would hope that we would help as many people as we could but this is exactly the way it is in the spiritual realm. The world is infected with the curse of the fall, and that means we are all born with a fallen spirit that needs to be transformed into rescued spirit. There is no such thing as naturally “good” people because unless we are born-again – we are lost and filled with darkness. I am in nursing homes nearly on a daily basis and the people seem nice and friendly but obviously they are not all saved. I asked a 93 year old man today if He was ready to meet God and if all was well with his soul. He shook his head up and down and continued to tell me his war stories. The gospel is the cure for mankind’s “fatal” disease and we have an unlimited supply of this gospel in God’s WORD! The problem remains that we all have a Bible but very few choose to use it! Matthew chapter 9 and verses 37-38 says, “Then saith Jesus to His disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send out laborers into HIS harvest.” He is saying there is much work to do but very few who have the burden to do it. Are you prepared to go even deeper with this subject?

Most everyone sits around and watches television. This is not big news because we have been doing it since we were born (or since it was invented). The real problem has always been the same for the Christian and that is the question whether or not it is right to watch it. Now brother, here we go again with your religious laws and fanatical extremism! Maybe you should go and join the Amish. Well, to be honest maybe some of these groups have the right idea. I am not advising us to go off grid and join a commune but I want to explain about the conflict between television and prayer. The closer we become to God – the further away from the world we will pull away. Spiritual sensitivity has everything to do with being “aware” of His presence and how serious we are about our love for Him. It is not really rocket science – sin causes us to become numb and drawing near to God makes us on guard to anything that offends His holiness. When we see someone that we know is lost, we should be convicted that this person needs prayer and the gospel in order to be ransomed from dying and going to hell. But, is this how we feel about actors we watch on television? I have a serious question; how can we that have been given the responsibility to witness and pray for the lost, pay to laugh and be entertained by those whom we are called to be interceding for? How can we go to church and agree with a sermon about the darkness and sinful abominations of the world and then go home and spend the rest of the day being thrilled, laughing, loving and enjoying what we see on TV? Hmmmm…. do you see the conflict? This is not condemnation but rather an honest examination of what we are calling the “cross bearing” Christian life. Maybe the Holy Spirit is trying to expose our priorities and how calloused we have become. We wonder why the churches are cold and lifeless and then discover that hardly anyone has ever kept a prayer journal or witnessed to anyone. Souls all around us desperately need Jesus and we are either too numb to sense it – or we do not care. When sin causes us to weep, be heartbroken, offended and nauseated, we will certainly not pay to watch it.

 

 

DRAWING NEAR – PART 9

THE DECISION TO BE JOYFUL

 

Brother that is a ridiculous statement! Don’t you think if it was that easy, everyone would be filled with joy? Well, I do agree that humanity is searching as hard as they can to find peace and happiness and desperately longs to discover joy but rebellion and the lack of knowledge is preventing them from having it. What type of knowledge are you talking about? Spiritual understanding, “holy knowledge” about God and His Word! The Bible describes the human civilization as being “destroyed” because they do not know about the divine realities of truth. Oh sure, people exist and live their daily lives but most have never experienced a real encounter with the one that made them. On the outside they might seem to be fine but on the inside they are dying. God says that, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (Hosea 4:6) The reason why people do not have joy is because they are dirty on the inside. The other reason is because they want to live their way and not God’s way. This passage refers to these individuals as HIS people and how upset He is with them because they no desire to live for Him. So, if He is this angry with His people, where do you believe this leaves the blinded world?

 It is very important in our study to realize three important pillars; Joy is spiritual strength, joy is easily accessible and joy is our responsibility to maintain. Let us look at the first one in Nehemiah 8:10, “Then he said unto them, go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Scholars agree this verse is probably Nehemiah telling the people to enjoy themselves on this day and be happy as they celebrate the abundance of God’s blessings. He also reminds them that sharing and blessing others is a vital part of our Christian demonstration of love. The last part of this verse is where we want to focus and that is where joy is associated with our ability to stand strong in our faith. There are also several commentaries which reveal the original language to be, “Delight in Jehovah as a strong refuge or stronghold” which makes wonderful sense and continues to bring an emphasis to having confidence in His Word and to trust that He desires us to be filled with HIM. When we begin to have a vision of this revelation, we realize how crucially important joy is within the life of the believer. It is NOT an option where we can pass on it or try and operate without it. If being filled with joy makes our spirit strong “in God” and fills our mind with confidence then we must conclude that being empty of joy causes us to be spiritually weak, lukewarm and non-effective for His Kingdom. But how does joy transform into strength? Well, this is an excellent question. I think we could sum it up by saying that we cannot have joy and sin at the same time. Joy and purity go hand in hand and it goes all the way to back to when we were innocent children. We had no evil motives, hidden secrets or dark deceptions and generally speaking we were happy. This clear conscience can be maintained when we are adults IF we choose to live holy and be ready to repent when we cater to our flesh. A consistent prayer life will make sure that we are on the right path as it keeps us in constant communication with God and the awareness of His presence. This is the joy that enables us to keep going and to rest at night with the peace that passes all understanding in knowing that all is well with our soul.

If living in joy is easily accessible then why does it seem that very few have it? Because they are not willing to let go of their will! It is their “will” that prevents them from entering into the deeper chambers of spiritual intimacy – the heart of our relationship with Jesus. It is like trying to belong to an organization without ever officially joining or participating yet wanting all the benefits and to be recognized as a member. Holding on to our will sends an aggressive message to God that we have no intention of listening to Him, obeying Him or following Him. (This is a rebellious signal from someone that is actually blind, weak and helpless). This attitude of independence is actually becoming a dark and oppressive enemy against everything God is trying to do in the earth. A person that chooses to not abandon their will is being rude, offensive, arrogant and obnoxious to the very one that created them and blessed them with a wonderful life. In essence they are saying, “I do not need you or want you and – I hate you!” “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Luke 16:13)

So brother, how does a person find this joy? Is this joy a gift that is handed out by God or a state of mind that is attained through a process of learning? Well, I believe the answer could be both. No doubt joy comes from God and is experienced only through HIS love and grace but whether or not we have it depends on our decision to “catch it and keep it.” Joy can be attained and can be a way of life if we commit to it becoming a part of who we are but if we do not get serious with developing a “whatever it takes” attitude, it will just remain a cute Sunday school song to us. This character trait will not just fall on our head – it must be hunted down and captured like going on a safari for the only reason because we are hungry and thirsty for God’s presence. Joy is knowing God and having a revelation that He knows us! Joy is not just dreaming about the Holy of Holies but allowing ourselves to be transformed so we can actually live there. Here is a very important pillar of wisdom; “joy is walking in the Holy Spirit no matter how we feel emotionally.” If we are planning to live in joy while being controlled by the way we feel – we are going to be very frustrated and disappointed because it is impossible! Being carnal while trying to follow Jesus is like building a fire in the basement then going upstairs and pretending that everything is alright. Allowing our feelings to control us is SIN and causes the communication between us and God to grow silent – and there is nothing joyous about that! Repentance brings holiness and in turn this purity brings forth joy because it breaks the bondage of rebellion and the misery of unforgiveness. God wants to fill us with the light of his love so He can accept our thoughts and deeds. As Psalm 51 declares, He accepts the prayers and cries from a “broken spirit and a contrite heart.” Joy is living under the shadow of His wings, and where is that; it is developed in the secret place of intimate prayer, worship and meditation. Our spiritual hunger and thirst is increased with fasting because it crucifies the flesh and puts it in its rightful place as a servant to our spirit man. Our spirit must be stronger and have control of our being or the flesh will rise up and dominate our mind and our actions. The denial of our fleshly desires and the sacrifice associated with allowing our appetite to suffer can bring us deep joy within our heart and spirit. We must step forward and take control or we will be controlled! As God say’s in Romans chapter six, “we are servants to whom we obey.” This is talking about the inner battle between our flesh and our spirit and how we constantly choose which one we will follow. How far we advance with yielding our will toward God depends on how much fleshly sacrifice we are willing to endure. We have established our mental and emotional parameters and built a personal customized box for God that perfectly fits within our comfort zone. When we feel the conviction to spiritually “stretch” beyond our emotions we are faced with the decision to yield in obedience to Him or remain in the emptiness of our religious rebellion.

I believe that when Jesus suffered on the cross, even His pain could not diminish the heavenly peace of victory and joy that He felt in his heart. We read where the martyrs sang praises to God while being burned at the stake and this could only happen with a heart filled with joy because they KNEW that all was well with their soul and they felt God’s presence and realized they were only a breath away from embracing Him in the wonders of paradise. We must find our way back to the simple ways and thoughts of a little child wherein lies the keys to the kingdom. Jesus is calling out to us this hour to repent and allow Him to purify us and create within us a clean and holy conscience. I believe the more pure we become – the brighter His light of love illuminates from us. Is your light shining like a bright beacon into your network? Do people have to put their sunglasses on when they come around you because God’s Spirit is shining so brightly? Is this the prayer of your heart today? Do you want to be a person that everyone runs to when they have a problem because they are convinced that you KNOW God? When the world falls apart will you be the first person that comes to mind with everyone that knows you? Having joy is attainable but demands that we have a vision to seek for it and an intentional plan to find it. If we truly want it – we can have all we want! Do you want it? “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” (Proverbs 29:18). Our decision is choosing what to let go of and what to embrace. Amen.

 

DRAWING NEAR – PART 8

A KINGDOM OF MINISTERS

A mystery that has been hidden from the church world is that ALL of God’s children are called to His ministry. Each disciple of Jesus has been given talents and unique abilities that are a part of their divine destiny. Many leaders have intentionally portrayed the ministry as only pertaining to the paid clergy, fearing that if Christians considered themselves a minister it would seemingly diminish the significance of those in charge. It is true that not all have been called to be a pastor because this is a particular office the same as prophet, apostle, evangelist and teacher however, the general “ministry” has to do with being trained to DO the work He has called us to do. We have mentioned before about how the church has fallen into a mindset of seeing the congregation as spectators and the clergy as the laborers but this is a trap from the dark side to eliminate the power of the church! The idea from Satan is to reduce the army of God from the potential of millions of soldiers to only a handful of leaders – all in the name or organized religion. When will Christians realize that if a person is truly born again, that God has a highly detailed mission for them to accomplish and it has everything to do with knowing who they in Christ! The revelation that God is waiting for the “sleeping giant” to awaken and get to work must be the message of this hour! The church is wasting too much time talking about things that are NOT preparing God’s people for battle and instructing them how to ACTIVATE their ministry.

Alright, so what are the important guidelines for Christians to consider when learning how to fulfill their calling? Well, there is a library of details about living in God’s will but let us just mention a few of the pillars that are crucial to our success. First; we can never over emphasize the importance of PRAYER. Since we are filled with the Holy Spirit – we must allow Him to lead us into God’s general and specific destiny for our life or we will be like a blind man helplessly stumbling through life. The Lord is waiting for us to acknowledge Him and depend on His wisdom and power but if we think OUR talents and abilities is enough we will eventually learn after we fall on our face enough times that we must have His assistance. The closer we can become connected to Him the more effective we will be! The Bible says to “pray without ceasing” and rightly so, because we need spiritual clarity every moment to walk in His Spirit.

TIMING is one of the most difficult aspects of Christian living especially when it comes to the ministry. Maturity is crucial and I Timothy reminds us that the ministry is not for the novice because of the dangers of pride. OK, so we learn some things (maybe even go to seminary) and get our feet wet with doing some religious activity or we are given the opportunity to use our spiritual gift and we automatically think we are ready for a salary and an office. This is NOT how it works! To begin with, very few Christians have been called to be paid or hardly even recognized for their labor. We serve the Lord because we love Him not because we want to be validated or compensated. We are not trying to make a living out of serving Him – we serve Him so that He can make something out of our life! (I think I’ll write that down). I personally have struggled with timing and to be honest I still am. Recently I have been pacing the floor waiting for opportunities to arise and open doors for me to go through. This is very difficult and frustrating because many times we believe we are ready – when maybe we are not. One way to explain this is to use baking as an illustration. If I take a pan of brownies out of the oven 15 minutes before they are done, the end result will still taste like chocolate – but they will be an overall failure. People may taste them but they will not continue to eat them or recommend them. When God reminds us to trust Him and wait on His timing, we just need to relax and know that His ways are much higher than ours and that He has everything under control. Remember He is the one that drew our blueprint and He has a perfect plan of how He wants to use us. He knows the perfect time that we will be the most effective and does not want to put us in a situation where we will fail. He wants the best for us and the best for His Kingdom! God wants to use us to bless His people and also be a strong and mature witness to the world when He finally releases us to do HIS work. It is His ministry and not our own as we are bought with a price and are instruments to be used in the hands of the Master builder. When the time is right we will be anointed and others will discern that we are in the perfect place at the appointed time.

Another guideline that is also associated with this point; we must be pure and holy. Oh, sure we can fake it and put on a show in front of people but it can only last for a season. This is like trying to build a house of cards and expecting them to stand solid through severe shakings and strong winds. ALL Christians have been commissioned to be a representative of heaven – this is NOT an option or open to debate but we CANNOT be led by the Holy Spirit if we are distracted and a servant to willful sin! Mathew 6:24 reminds us that “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other…” Hypocrites are like a sparkler on the fourth of July, you light them and they fizzle for about a minute and they are burn out and gone. Someone that does not have pure motives and a heart of Agape love will never be able to sustain wearing a mask or be satisfied living a lie! If a person becomes satisfied with being carnal and living in a lukewarm religious attitude, it would be better to not tell anyone they are a Christian because instead of helping the cause of Christ they have become His enemy. We will be exposed as Luke 12:3 explains that “what is whispered in secret will be shouted from the housetops.” Only God can build a ministry and He will NOT help us if we are a dirty vessel that has no intention of going through His refining process. Of course He has patience and will gradually work with us where we are but this is conditional on our motives and how serious we are about purity. Yes, we are all sinners but the key is the passion within us to love Him and to yield our will in order to LEARN by our mistakes and become the witness He has called us to be. There is no place for a carnal leader in God’s Kingdom because they have no intention of surrendering their will and eventually something terrible is going to happen. (This may be why many talented people are NOT allowed to become leaders). Whether we have been called to be a missionary in Africa or to bring toys to the children’s cancer hospital, every child of God is a minister! Our spiritual “incubation” is all about preparation and development so that we can emerge as a trustworthy and faithful servant.

DRAWING NEAR – PART 6

ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER

 

I want to speak a word of encouragement to those that have been called and anointed to accomplish a mission for the Lord. This includes every child of God because He has drawn a blueprint for each of His children’s destiny even though it seems at times that many do not realize it. Sitting around on the couch waiting for Jesus to come is NOT exactly being faithful – because it is NOT doing what He is saying to do and this is just plain old disobedience to Jesus (and on top of this it is NOT demonstrating love!). If you consider yourself a Christian and do not have a burning passion for lost souls then repent. Why? Because your burden is the thermometer for your love. It is clear that if you do not care about whether people go to hell or not – you do not have love. And if we do not have love – we are in a serious condition. We have thought for so long that all of the fruits and character traits of Jesus automatically manifest themselves in our lives as a part of the package of salvation. Yes, Jesus comes into our heart and of course He is filled with the glory of God because He is God – but the transformation process and the hard work of renewing our mind have only begun! Amen! This is a whole lot better preaching than you are reacting!

After we repent we can simply pray and ask God to light our fire today – and amazingly by His grace…He will! However, let us not even mouth the words if we are not sincere, God is tired of hearing people pray the sleepy prayers and sing the songs that declare how they have surrendered ALL when they have no intention of doing it! If you have no desire to ask God to get you excited about Him then you need to prepare how you are going to explain it when you see Him face to face. I’m not trying to be mean or rude – I am just saying it is time we lay all of our cards on the table and for once in our life be honest. My brothers and sisters, our brains have been molded a certain way and to be truthful, probably not much of it is going to be altered. Why do you think rehab is so difficult? We want what we want and (with very few exceptions) we choose every minute exactly what satisfies us and makes us content. The Lord keeps reminding me that simply raising our hand and requesting the free gift of eternal life has very little to do with salvation because everyone wants to avoid an eternal hell. God knows that changing our HEART has everything to do with taking up our cross and declares that straight is the gate and NARROW is the way that leads to everlasting life and FEW there will be that find it. He does not lower His standards for the lazy and mercy was never intended to be a compromise of His truth.

Our lives only contain so many hours and each one that passes by is one that is subtracted from our total. I heard a preacher say the other day that most Christians have never witnessed or presented the gospel and only 5% of Christians have ever LED another person to Christ in their life. Allow me to say, if you believe that what you have inside of you is NOT worth telling others about, then you need to ask just how important Jesus is to you! Or maybe many Christians are embarrassed to declare that Jesus is their Lord and love Him with all their heart. I am reminded of Mark 8:38, “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”  Christianity is not waiting in an airport holding a one way ticket to paradise! Christianity is being so excited that Jesus lives in our heart that we are climbing up on the roof so that we can tell everyone that Christ died and resurrected to rescue and save the lost! Is this the way you look at it – or is this being too radical, extreme, off the deep end or overly fanatical? Also let us not condemn Peter for denying Jesus. He had just seen Jesus be nearly beat to death and when someone recognized him as being one of His disciples – he became afraid. Are we positive how we will react if there is ever a sword held against our neck? Let us pray that God will give us the strength and confidence to stand peacefully in the face of death as we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord. This passage in Matthew 10: 32-33 just came to my mind, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.” Every child of God (whatever their calling) should be ready to give an account of their faith. All Christians are not preachers or teachers so to speak but all should eventually be able to give their testimony and present the gospel. Soldiers are NOT prepared to fight on the front lines until they are trained and that is the reason we read and study our Bible and pray. Likewise neither is the Christian prepared to advance into higher realms of spiritual responsibility until they understand what God requires. The idea is to grow in spiritual maturity so that God can use us. Help us God.

If you are sensing today that it seems very few are excited about what you are doing, and maybe you have been in the ministry for a long time and are disappointed with your effectiveness and what you have achieved – remember that God created you to be an instrument for HIS purpose. He is the one that has placed the burning passion within you so that you might fulfill HIS calling. He anointed and empowered you to accomplish His SPECIFIC will. You are unique and no one else has been called to do what JESUS has called YOU to do! Never give up on the holy vision that He has placed within your heart. You see, He does not look at things the way we do because His ways and thoughts are much HIGHER. If He has called you to minister to 50 people and you obey Him – then He absolutely counts that as being faithful and holds you in high regard with honor and respect. If He calls someone else to minister to 10 million people and they do it – that does not mean that God is MORE pleased with them. He loves and considers BOTH of you equally pleasing. We stumble with things like “numbers” and become discouraged when we look over the fence and see someone that seems to be accomplishing MORE than we are. But it’s not about how much or who is doing more – it’s all about doing what He is asking US to do! Amen! Remember the parable in Matthew chapter 20, where the land owner hired workers throughout the day and at the end of the day He paid them all the SAME? We always want to argue and tell God what to do and how to do it when we just need to listen – trust – obey – and be happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DRAWING NEAR- PART 5

ARE YOU READY TO LEAD?

 

I have had a great life and I thank God for His mercy and love. As many of you know, when my wife Cheryl and I married, we began to seek the Lord and searched the Bible together at home. We were convinced there was more to the Christian life than just going to church and even though we had a wonderful foundation of Biblical information we wanted to experience the higher levels of spiritual truth. We were hungry to learn about subjects like divine revelation, being filled with The Holy Spirit, the gifts and miracles, the anointing and spiritual authority within the blood covenant of Jesus just to name a few. So we decided to branch out and listen to other teachers while praying and asking the Holy Spirit to lead us and instruct us. There is a beautiful illustration found in Ezekiel 47 about spiritual growth that reveals God’s revelational truth being represented as a river of water and as the “measurements” are made, we see the potential of spiritual progression and the potential to advance starting at the ankles, then on to the knees, the loins and eventually swimming in the depths of His presence. These types and shadows help us understand that we CHOOSE our spiritual growth with our free-will decisions. As I have said before, when people are taught that eternal life is simply believing in Jesus, the passion to grow and serve Him seems to be unnecessary. In other words, our nature begins to have a heart to heart talk with our mind to ask why we should sacrifice our life when our salvation has already been paid for and our seat is already reserved for us in heaven. Thus we have one reason why 95% of the church world is perfectly willing to let the five percent do all the work. Will spectators be honored? Only God knows but it seems highly unlikely.

The truth that needs to be taught (but many times seems to find its way at the bottom of the requirement list) is that true Christianity will cost us everything. God’s concept is that salvation is free – but NOT cheap! He gives us a new life in EXCHANGE for our old life. The problem is that people want the promise of heaven but do not want to surrender their will. When our maturity level is somewhere in the middle, we actually believe we can make everyone happy and be loved and embraced by the world with open arms and still give Jesus everything He wants also. This is only an illusion. Yes, God will take care of us but there is a deception if anyone is convinced that we can love and serve the world AND love and serve Jesus at the same time. I see it in the way of percentages. If we are 60% dedicated to Christ that leaves us 40% committed to the world and ourselves. Of course God’s plan is that we learn as a student under His direct teaching and that as we become more wise in His Word and receive the revelations from His holy knowledge, we will begin to grow in His absolute truth. The goal is to filled “100%” with God which will cause our identity to “melt” within Him as we become one with Him. Allow me to add that seeing is one thing but doing is another and the ultimate goal as we run the race of our destiny is that we might DO what He says instead of just discussing it. In the book of James we see that it is much better to DEMONSTRATE our faith by our works. And in Romans chapter 6 it says that we are all servants to whom we obey which reminds us that we ALL obey someone in this life. There are no independents, no self-made people and no one that is NOT accountable to someone. If we are NOT trusting in God – we are trusting in some other power.

One of the greatest personal revelations in my life is that we can HAVE as much of God as we want! I realize we hear these words frequently but do they pin us up against the wall and leave us breathless or do they just roll off our intellect as we yawn and eat another pretzel? There is something wrong with anyone that declares they are a remnant disciple of Jesus if they are not pierced with conviction when faced with that statement. Those who are backslidden and lukewarm may not be excited about anything associated with the Lord – (including reading this article) but absolute truth enlightens us to a higher dimension of consciousness and causes the seeker to step back and consider that God is literally waiting for us to advance toward Him. We have the choice to come as near to Him as we desire every minute and this is more profound than we are reacting! This is NOT a theory, a possibility, a fantasy or a psychological illusion – this is a divine REALITY that we will be demanded to give an answer as to WHY we did not have the desire to advance toward Him and ABIDE in His presence after we understood this wisdom. Since Luke chapter 12 declares that “to whom much is given, much is required” we understand that when we learn and know, there are no more excuses as to why we do not walk accordingly. The more we know the more we will held accountable to and we should begin now trying to think about how we are going to answer WHY we did not want more of Him in our life. Since I realize that I can have as much of Him in my life as I choose, my only reason for not abiding in the Holy of Holies with Him constantly is because I do not want to.

As many of you know I was told years ago through a prophetic word from the Lord that I would be required to walk out the words that I write (you can listen to this prophecy on my website) and as I have said all along – it has been some HARD WALKING (and it is NOT becoming any easier as time goes by). Please do not misunderstand me – I have NOT arrived by any means and fail miserably all the time. In fact I have only scratched the surface of understanding and still fall prey to the devils attacks, snares and buttons that cause me to fall on my face. BUT – lately I am crying out to Him and seeking Him as diligently as I ever have and He is responding to my pleas for help. HE WILL COME if we are truly sincere and are serious about change. This is what He waits for all of our lives! He wants us to realize that we CANNOT truly live for Him until we learn, that the less there is of me – the more of Him there can be. How can we be filled with God’s perfect “will” when we are filled with our own? The surrender and abandonment of our will are the keys to Jesus becoming our LORD and until we embrace this revelation we are in danger of being calloused beyond restoration and this opens the door to devastating judgment from HIS hand. “And do not fear them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear God which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28). What does this mean? Men have very little power to do anything especially when it comes to eternity but GOD is the master of all things and should be feared with reverential respect as the one who holds the keys to eternal live and eternal death.

I personally believe that what the Lord is showing me lately is directly associated with the end time outpouring of the Holy Spirit that is quoted in Acts chapter two from the original passage found in Joel 2:28 that says, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will POUR OUT My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” and so on…I am convinced that God is stirring in the hearts of those who are truly His and awakening them to the importance of holiness so they might become what God is calling them to be. The wedding garments of the bride will be WITHOUT spot or wrinkle and in these last hours we must realize how serious God is about purity and obedience. Those who are NOT born-again will not be interested or even able to hear the still small voice of God speaking within their heart about spiritual renewal and transformation and sadly, they will continue doing exactly what they are doing now until they HEAR and RESPOND to the gospel of Jesus Christ. If a person in this hour continues to run away from God and refuses to listen, they are in danger of having their conscience seared as with a hot iron and their love becoming cold like the wax of a candle that has being extinguished.

Today let us ask God to reveal to anything that is in our heart that should not be there. Do not hold grudges, resentment, offences or unforgiveness – let it go. If someone has trespassed against you – do not hold on to this resentment. It is a snare trap that keeps you in bondage. As you release this from your anger, pain and hatred – you in turn are released into His beautiful and peaceful freedom. Jesus wants to help us become clean, to fill us with His light and purify our conscience. The blood of Jesus is the ONLY power that can wash us white as snow. Whatever you “know” in your heart that is not right – remove it! Whatever God is calling you to do – start doing it now! We do not know how much longer we have. I know we are busy trying to live but we choose our priorities; “That I may KNOW Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His SUFFERINGS, being made conformable unto His death.” (Philippians 3:10) This is NOT the time to FEAR or PANIC! This is the hour for God’s people to rise in the love and wisdom of the Lord Jesus! Fear is seeing God through the eyes of circumstance – faith is seeing circumstance through the eyes of God. For those who know prayer is real, for those who believe in the power of prayer – pray! Make an intercessory prayer journal, a confession list, and find a secret place to take prayer seriously. This will be your precious lifeline now and when the world falls apart. Start now and ask God for an extra measure of faith – we will all need it. Ask Him to help you be a leader when everyone turns to you and wants to know what to do (this will happen). Prepare NOW! We are not stockpiling or “prepping” because we are selfish. We want to be ready to help others physically as we help them find Jesus. The last day revival may not be held in the cathedrals where choirs are in robes and preachers wear $2000.00 suits. The true end time revival may be bringing someone into your shelter that is afraid and starving and God using you to lead them into the Lord’s amazing grace. Whatever the tribulation or trial, we can face it victoriously as long as we are sensitive to His still small voice and holding on to His hand.

 

 

DRAWING NEAR – PART 4

GENERATIONAL CURSES AND FAMILIAR SPIRITS

  We have heard about generational curses throughout our lives and many of us have actually witnessed and most likely even experienced this evil power and influence. We know that all humans are born in sin and have a depraved nature that is contrary and opposed to God and if anyone continues to live without the intervention of Jesus, this default nature will bring the consequence of spending an eternity apart from God’s presence. However, there is also a generational blessing that works the same way and it has to do with saturating the next generation with God’s Word and fervent prayer. When we think about generational curses the first thing that comes to mind is a negative attitude and dark behavior that is passed down from our parents. Some believe that certain abnormalities within the chromosomes causes a distorted DNA sequence (similar to how diseases are transferred) that is duplicated in the offspring which creates a powerful influence in the child. In this light, the next generation face a very strong pull to follow the footsteps of their parents and are faced to fight this drawing power in order to stop themselves from duplicating the past generations conduct. Whatever the physical and mental explanation, we must realize that behind all behavior there is SPIRITUAL warfare that is much more at work than a bloodline. God is light and desires to lead all people to His love, but the enemy uses the familiarity of habits and desires and is definitely focused with continuing the destruction. These familiar spirits are demons that have been assigned to follow and influence the offspring and use the same methods of temptation as a “cycle” of agony and defeat.

Allow me to say before we go any further, I do NOT believe that any individual’s will is controlled by a generational curse. We all have a free-will to make choices and decisions. I also want to clarify that a generational curse does not mean a person is necessarily demon possessed. The world is filled with OPPRESSION and many of us who are trying to serve the Lord face this on a regular basis. There have been wonderful people that have lived holy and dedicated to the Lord that has come from terribly dysfunctional homes. It is because they heard God’s Word and responded and made the CHOICE to follow His voice. They did not give in to the excuses of the flesh and the idea that darkness is their destiny. When we take a closer look at Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 6, we can see that God’s Word is an extremely powerful influence that is the responsibility of the parent to the child. When a parent teaches God’s Word and plants the seed of holy truth within the heart of a little one, this becomes a generation blessing that can enhance the life and save the soul of that generation. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when they are old, they will NOT depart from it.” This is why we teach the accountability to raise up children in the Lord’s presence because it is a serious sin to lead any young one into the devils way of thinking and living. Yes, it is true that many parents that have struggled with alcohol, drugs, lust, crime, violence and laziness have produced children that followed the exact same behaviors. In all of these cases we know that demons are a strong persuasion and in some cases actually possess the individual, however not all demon possessed people act the way we might think. Most of us associate demonic possession with the stories of the New Testament where we see people being violent, wild and out of their mind as it was very obvious these individuals were being controlled by an evil entity. But there are levels of spiritual darkness as there are levels of Godliness and this is where much deception has blanketed the minds of the masses. For example, there are church members that do not have a clue what it means to be in God’s presence or to say more than a casual prayer if they pray at all. It is also very common for some to have never studied the Bible in their life or led another person to Christ. We can safely say that on a level of spiritual advancement that this particular type of person is still sucking the bottle and is not mature enough to be used by God. There are also many that “play” with sin and ride the middle of the spiritual fence with one day going to church and the next day watching pornography or whatever. The enemy is not ignorant but rather is very crafty as the goal is to find an “open door” in a person’s life in order to establish a deeper stronghold within the conscience. This is a warning to all of us; we are constantly coming in contact with those who have been deceived and do not know it. For example, those who claim to see the dead are being deceived by familiar spirit demons in order to manipulate and build a close relationship with that person. Be careful who you touch and remember to pray the blood of Jesus over your life when you are ministering to others. I cannot stress enough how important it is to NOT open any doors or flirt with demonic temptations. The only way we can recognize these spirits is to be so close to God and walking in His presence that our sensitivity and discernment is operating on a high level. Be aware of the tricks and snares of the enemy to get you involved with seemingly “helping” someone when outside forces are luring you to be entangled in chaos. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and He will instruct and lead you in your labors. If He says to dust off your feet and keep going, realize He is protecting you from danger. There are many women that are controlled by these demons that are used to tempt men by distracting and implanting evil thoughts into the minds of those who are weak. The television is filled with demonic activity and is the source of much sin and filth that many are absorbing into their conscience. Matthew chapter 6 and verse 22 and 23 says, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single [clear] thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [terrible] is that darkness.” What is this saying? It is saying that it is VERY important to watch over and guard what we look at. Where do you think all of the images and messages we watch end up? They stay in our heart and need to be purified with His refining fire. Do we really believe that we can fill our conscience with darkness constantly and walk in the holiness and awareness of God?

Being spiritually deceived by a familiar spirit is a very serious problem that I personally believe has become a plague. When we consider that many religious people have never actually been born-again we must face the fact they are open game for demonic activity. As the individual continues to have a relationship with whatever it is they have given their heart to, they become a victim to a process of losing the mental capacity to reason and eventually the power of their will. When a person’s thoughts center on their perverted desires, this new master controls their actions and words as their personality dissolved and another consciousness begins to emerge. Slowly but surely the person allows this new presence to make decisions and lead them without them hardly realizing what is happening. Spirit guides have been acknowledged by the New Age movement and this is exactly what every demon has been assigned to accomplish in the world’s population. The leaders of this age are all controlled by demons and receive their instructions from Satan and the lies of hell. I counsel individuals on a regular basis and I am beginning to recognize these spirits more all the time. I spoke with a person the other day and they were having major mental and emotional situations but when I tried to mention Jesus they would instantly change the subject. They also would not look me in the eye as a strong resistance began to emerge that was determined to only tell about their evil past. After several times of going round and round I realized they really did not want help or to be delivered from the problem but just wanted my attention and brag about how bad they have been. We can only help those who are willing to help themselves and if someone just wants to play games and waste our time, we should continue to pray but we really need to move on. The alarming danger is these people are everywhere and involved with principalities and powers. There have been times I have walked into churches and felt a very heavy, dark and oppressive spiritual presence and sadly it is coming from those who are in the building. “Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing SPIRITS, and doctrines of DEVILS; speaking LIES in hypocrisy; having their conscience SEARED with a hot iron.” (I Timothy 4:1-2)

Allow me to repeat once again, it is very important to have God’s voice in these circumstances and only progress in dealing with these spirits when God gives the orders. With generational curses we can preach salvation and try to explain God’s Word and even offer recovery programs which in many cases has really helped people see the big picture of what has happened to them. This is usually associated with demonic oppression and prayer can definitely break this power and bring deliverance if the person really desires to be set free. But when it comes to possession, we must realize this is very serious and we must lean on the wisdom and understanding of Jesus to help us know what to do. If He is NOT saying to advance into spiritual warfare – do NOT proceed on your own! This is not a movie or a television show. We are not to fear but God’s Word warns us to approach this in a somber and grave manner. We find in Mark chapter 9 the story of a man who brought his possessed son to the disciples for healing and they could not cast the spirit out of the boy. Later, they asked Jesus privately why they could not do it and He said this type can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. There is another story in Acts chapter 19 about a group of Jewish vagabond witch doctors that tried to cast out some demons by saying we rebuke you by Jesus whom Paul preaches. The evil spirits answered and said Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you? And the possessed man jumped on them and beat them up and stripped them of their clothes as they ran away. Walking in the power of God is not a magic formula but a LIFESTYLE and there is no substitute for prayer! Do you believe the devil and his demons respect your spiritual authority with God? Jesus would love to use us in these last days but only the humble and pure in heart will be able to contain this powerful level of anointing.

DRAWING NEAR – PART 3

COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP

 

I have said many times that I am an emotional person and this can be good and bad. Good in the sense that I am still soft hearted and have not become calloused or hardened from sin – and bad because it is easy to become confused with what are fleshly feelings and what is from the Holy Spirit. It is common to have a mixture of both and this is alright because we are a spiritual being trying to live in a structure of flesh and blood and Jesus understands how we feel because He also has actually lived in a human body with all of the pains, disappointments and temptations. On a personal note, being transparent is like therapy for me because when I open my heart and expose its contents, I feel a sense of freedom and honesty that helps me accept and understand where I am failing and what I need to work on. I would not want to be the type of person that lives in the darkness of secrecy and always afraid that my true identity will expose the hidden things within my conscience. However let me clarify, just because any of us share about our weaknesses does NOT mean that we are ready or willing to change. Sometimes people use their transparency to draw attention and love to talk for hours about how “terrible” their life has been because they love being noticed. I counseled a person recently that had gone through horrible situations and it had impacted him a great deal and it truly was an amazing story of someone that has survived much abuse and torment – BUT they were NOT interested in healing. They had been offended so long and filled with resentment that this negative way of thinking had become a trusted “friend.” The thrill people receive from telling their story empowers them by justifying their emotions and even though we explain this sin is costing them their relationship with Jesus, they refuse to let go of their hate because they are convinced it is all justifiable!

Is this the way we all react when we are rejected and offended? When others come to us seeking advice and we ask God to help us, we can usually find all kinds of wonderful things to say, but if we are not careful, we will look past our own problems because it’s easier to tell others what to do than to incorporate God’s Word into our life. Why? Because humans hate change. Even when serious personal issues are causing much pain and tragedy within our soul, we avoid dealing with it just like everyone else. There is not a more serious tragedy than to listen to the dark-side trying to lie and deceive us into justifying the sin within our heart. Instead of us becoming what God has called us to be, many times we settle for becoming what the enemy tells us we can get away with. We are so weak when it comes to transformation we eagerly accept the idea that living with our problems is less painful than being delivered from them. And until the torment of staying the same becomes greater than the agony of change – we will remain in bondage! We think we know what this means but for the most part we do not really have a clue. Here is how the emotional person operates. They gather facts until convinced they have a pretty good grip on what it all means. Then they begin to shape this knowledge according to how they would like for it to be and how it would be more beneficial to them. This emotional manipulation is a coping mechanism which allows the human “nature” to live in a generic peace while doing whatever it desires. This has nothing to do with going to church or how many Bibles a person owns and is not really living but rather it is existing in a make-believe world of fantasy and dreams that most of the time has nothing to do with God. Our old nature uses this strategy to trick the conscience into thinking that all is well as the emotions “hope” that God cannot recognize what is really going on. This is living a life of illusion that will NOT have a happy ending no matter how sincere we seem or how many tears we cry. Actually, this free-will ability was a gift given to humans because God did not want anyone to love and serve Him as a robot. He has always just wanted somebody to step forward and truly follow and live for Him because they love Him.

We cannot walk in the fullness of joy if we keep the chamber doors of our heart locked and refuse to allow Jesus to do routine cleaning inspections. Some are working harder to cooperate with their demons instead of working to get rid of them. This game of denial is what fuels our resistance to deal with being fat and lazy and even though no one wants to admit they are in spiritual bondage, I believe that many even in the church are spiritually crippled within the deepest parts of their being. This is exactly where the enemy loves to hold us and as our most enthusiastic cheerleader, he is constantly trying to convince us that everything will be just fine if we remain exactly the way we are. Look around closely…it is not difficult to recognize that we are witnessing a growing society of paranoid and selfish dysfunctional zombies that is growing worse every day. “This know also, that in the last days perilous [dangerous] times will come. For people will be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent [no self-control], fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (II Timothy 3:1-5,7)

I have noticed when my pride levels begin to rise I usually swing into an over-confident attitude but when I commit myself to prayer and fasting my arrogance begins to melt into humility and meekness. When the child of God is riding high on the waves of arrogance and the deception that they have it going on, it is only a matter of time before God intervenes and brings chastisement in order to save them from destroying themselves. One of the most common complaints from Christians is how the devil is always beating them up when in reality it is God that is trying to get their attention. Amen! The Lord’s concept of the disciple’s life is not a stagnant pond but rather a fresh flowing river. We are to be growing, advancing, progressing and developing into a stronger and wiser servant every day and this is NOT an option. This is all about change and will not happen until we are serious about surrendering. God is saying come out with your hands up, step into the light and drop your excuses, reasons, justifications, explanations, validations and arguments. It is not about how we THINK or FEEL! It is ALL about what He is demanding. Let us look in the book of numbers chapter 21, verse 35 and also in the book of I Samuel chapter 15 and notice 2 instances where the Lord commanded Israel in the midst of battle to destroy EVERYTHING and not leave any trace of the enemy. It is true these were literal accounts of battle but they also contain divine revelations of the spiritual realm as it pertains to the darkness within our own heart. We all battle our “demons” which are our weaknesses and tendencies to favor certain temptations. When the Lord tells us to become holy and allow our conscience to be purified through His refining fire, it is NOT an option or a suggestion.