V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

PART 11

LET GOD BE TRUE AND EVERY MAN A LIAR

“What if some did not believe and were without faith? Does their lack of faith and their faithlessness nullify and make ineffective and void the faithfulness of God and His fidelity to His Word? By no means! Let God be found true though every human being is false and a liar, as it is written, That you may be justified and shown to be upright in what you say and prevail when you are judged by sinful men.” (Rom. 3:3-4Amp.)

My heart aches and I am angry at the same time. I was nearly in tears last night and as I sit here now, I feel a sense of urgency for us all to KNOW our “legal” spiritual rights of God’s Divine Reality. When death, destruction and crisis falls upon us we are reminded how ruthless our adversary is and how this spiritual war is fierce – and I am in WAR-MODE! Let us prepare NOW to know how to handle the storms so that we will not be ambushed. It is not the morbid details of the battle that will dictate what happens – it is how we respond! Study the seemingly hopeless situations in God’s word and notice what brought the deliverance. Revelation knowledge, walking in God’s presence, fervent prayer, holy humility, repentance, falling on God’s alter, trusting His word, determination, focusing, worshipping, confessing and most importantly KNOWING God personally. All of these acts of yielding on top of our intimate relationship with Him is what releases Him to move on our behalf. Yes, but brother, God can do whatever He wants. (Oh really, you had better meditate on that one for a while). His sovereignty does not go against His own promises and the oath of His covenant. His sovereignty leads us and guides us into His perfect will so that we can fulfill our chosen destiny! Do not try to use God’s word against Him because it only brings confusion to our faith and cancels our miracles. Let us confess everyday with a pure heart that GOD IS the definition of VICTORY! Shout it until you KNOW it! Proclaim that He lives in you which means if you BECOME ONE with Him – then you also are constantly and consistently victorious! There is no defeat, fear or corruption in heaven and heaven is God’s atmosphere. Heaven is God’s presence! This environment lives in you because in your conscience is where Jesus dwells as Lord!! If the old nature is really dead in you, then you are IMMUNE from the laws of the default system. No excuses – no whining – no exceptions! All of the religious doubting and compromises of the dark kingdom do not come from God because they are opposite to God’s nature. Our flesh can murmur for eternity about how weak it is and how we must surrender to the curse of this world but it is a LIE! We are not of this world – we are heavenly beings visiting earth! Not earthly beings trying to visit heaven! “THEY (us) ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD, EVEN AS I (Jesus) AM NOT OF THIS WORLD”. (John 17:16) Brother Billy, are you trying to say we will never die? We will go to be with the Lord when HE calls us – NOT BECAUSE THE DEVILS KILLS US! The Lord does not need us in heaven right now – He needs His warriors on the battlefield! If His church throws up their hands and gives in to the deception of the default system and accepts all the voices of defeat, the entire Kingdom of God would be taken prisoner and that is the intention of Satan. He already has blinded the eyes of the religious world and now is focused on the remnant. It is time for the true disciples to rise and WALK in the revelation of absolute truth! Jesus Christ shed His blood so that we could understand His words that can make us free! If you do not want it or believe it – you are not a part of it. If you would rather live according to the default system of a fallen race then by all means help yourself to an extra portion of misery.

At Reality Church last night we came into the building where there had been a funeral visitation with an open casket and the church that we rent from was having a fellowship meal in the other section of the church. The deceased was a local pastor in the community and had been battling cancer for quite some time. I had actually attended his church briefly years ago and ministered there in music a couple of times. He believed in the full gospel, taught about divine healing and prayed for many during his ministry. But I believe that dying at sixty years old and going through much suffering does not line up with God’s perfect plan for any of us. I am angry because a fellow warrior was stolen from the Kingdom of light and I am angry because God’s people act like it was God’s will. Well, Brother Billy, there are so many things that you do not know about this situation and what God’s sovereign desire is for that specific individual. And for you to say things that condemn this person’s faith and imply that it was his fault that he died is very judgmental and uncompassionate. Who told you that? I understand exactly what you are thinking but let me make myself perfectly clear. Four hundred thousand pages of possible “reasons” can be written by the default system about why things happen BUT God cannot be accused of going against His own word! I do not want to read a library of humanistic philosophy about the failures of faith – I just need to know what God say’s. I do not have all the answers – I have ONE ANSWER – God! If anything goes wrong it is us – not Him that dropped the ball. I want a mind that knows His thoughts – I want an ear to hear His voice – I want His discernment, wisdom and anointing to do the impossible and see the invisible on earth as it is in heaven.

God’s word is TRUE and it is TRUE for YOU, ME and every person because that is what makes it a perfect “Divine” Reality. Listen to these synonyms of the word “true” and meditate on them for the purpose of pounding the absolute truth of God’s person into you as an “intravenous” line of encouragement. “Real, reliable, honorable, accurate, trustworthy, honest, exact, veracious, dependable, sincere, actual, veritable, loyal, genuine, positive, precise, absolute, factual, uncontradictable, unimpeachable, definite, valid, truthful, faithful, punctilious, legal, rightful, scrupulous, just, incorrupt, upright and righteous. He is always on time – never late – and never forgets.

God’s will is His Covenant and His words are promises that cannot be broken. If we as His disciples cannot take God at His word and put our faith in who He is – then there is no holy justice, no Divine order and God is not the Almighty. The perfection of God’s word defines His nature and the total authority of His character and identity. He has never sinned, never been defeated or worried and He CANNOT fail! I want us to observe Hebrews chapter six and verses 17-19. I am going to use a combination of several translations that come from a study volume “The New Testament from 26 Translations” by Curtis Vaughan. Allow these words to saturate your mind and spirit. “So in this matter, God, having an extreme desire to demonstrate more convincingly and show with unmistakable clarity unto those who were to enter in the enjoyment of what He had promised which was the unchangeable, irrevocable character of His purpose. That by His immutable promise and His guaranteed oath in which it is IMPOSSIBLE for God to lie or deceive us, we might have a mighty indwelling encouragement and strong consolation. Those of us, who have claimed His protection, taken refuge in His presence and fled the world’s system, have seized and laid hold of the hope that has been appointed for us and offered to us, which hope we have as an eternal anchor for our lives starting right now. This anchor cannot drag or slip or break but is the steadfast foundation of our spirit as Jesus connects us with God Himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven”.

When Jesus stood in front of the tomb of Lazarus (with all the people who were watching) and said, “Come forth” it was an act of faith and authority. He knew God’s mind and the call to ACT in this particular divine appointment. There were not 28 other occasions (that were not recorded) when he spoke out for miracles and they did not happen! His ministry was not “hit and miss”. Why? Because God is perfect. He walked not according to the thoughts of the default system – He walked in the constant Divine Reality of the Fathers person. He knows when to step out and when to be silent and if we are saturated (filled) with His presence we will also operate perfectly in the signs, miracles and wonders of HIS will. This is the mind we have been called to obtain. This is what we are trying to be transformed into. Knowing God’s word, knowing His voice and having the courage to obey IS walking in His Spirit. It is the difference between life and death – not only in our life but in the lives of others. Are you saying that we will never face sickness? No, of course not, but I also know that God’s word does not mention Jesus ever being hindered with a disease. Oh, that’s because He was God – he was immune to germs. So, if Jesus had diplomatic immunity over the curse of the fall and was not subject to the bondage of sin, then why are we? You are half-correct! Jesus was completely God but He was also completely human. HE WAS WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE – A Divine reality inside a glass jar! Jesus was a representative of His Fathers Kingdom of which divine health, favor and authority are conditionally included but the enemy has deceived the secular and religious masses into believing the world view of Que Sera Sera. Will you side with God’s truth or the bondage of error?

We will know how to live Godly when we know God. Let us walk in holiness and agape love as we refuse to be tolerant of ignorance. May we resist being conformed by choosing to re-format our mental hard drive. Those who are slaves to the carnal default system (the religious are included) are spiritually subject to all of the negative forces associated with that system. Those who are disciples of the Divine Reality abide within the absolute truth of the principals and covenants of God’s government and are representatives of that dimension.

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PART 10

THE MYSTERY

God is absolute truth. When we stray from the Divine, we end up with the default and there are no other options. If we operate in our own understanding and follow our own will, we automatically represent the default system. The default is a system built upon human nature with those who refuse to surrender their life and embrace God’s perfect instructions. Our brain is directly connected to our will and they love to work together in the default. It really messes with our carnal nature when we attempt to unplug the “hard drive” that controls our desire and install a new operating system that functions only with God’s will. This old nature is nicknamed the “old man” because it is the spirit we were born with and who controlled us until we were born again. Human intelligence has been very comfortable working with our emotions and the world’s system of spiritual independence from God. With the devil’s influence as ruler of the dark kingdom along with the willingness of humans to rebel against God, together they formed a belief system based on the pride of their intelligence. This is the system we face everyday with our legal system, our education system, at work, with fellow employees, with family members, the news and the constant bombardment of political correctness – and yes even in the church. This is the enemy we are at war with because it is trying to force us to obey its knowledge that is built on rebellion. It desires to tempt us, provoke us and control us to bow down and worship its image. But just like the Hebrew children we must resist its persuasion even if it brings persecution because if we are living in God’s Divine reality then Jesus is standing in the fire with us! Amen!

The religious world has always been an imposter of the church like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It incorporates some of God’s word like icing on a cake to make it look beautiful but the cake underneath is filled with fleshly control and sinful carnality. Religion tries to do good things without sacrificing the default system in their own heart. Instead of laying down their will and allowing God’s presence to live through them they operate in the deception of double-mindedness. Of course when someone lives a hollow shell of truth and a crisis comes they have no spiritual substance to believe and no faith to extend because they have not built a personal relationship with Jesus. “Naturally” they turn to the default system in times of trouble and follow the directions of those who live according to this world’s knowledge which is the opposite of God’s solution. Religion teaches it is alright to sleep on the couch and watch tv and indulge in the pleasures and distractions of sin. Religious people love the easy, comfortable lifestyle where the bible stays on the shelf. They do not worry about decrees or confessing their destiny or being constantly aware of God’s presence. They were taught that miracles ceased when Jesus died and that Pentecostal power is only for the fanatics, the weird and the uneducated. They were not instructed about having the mind of Christ, how to pray or worship in Spirit and truth because they were promised they held the golden ticket to heaven. It is very sad to realize that the masses are being brainwashed by the default system and are being destroyed from the lack of knowledge of God’s truth.

Satan is doing everything he can to slap God in the face. He already holds the world in darkness but is putting all of his resources into preaching defeat into the ears of God’s people. He wants the Christians to believe they are peasants, begging and crying with depression and discouragement. This is an insult to God and makes His word appear to be untrue. The devil’s strategy is to cause the church to go to sleep and be crushed while the victory lives inside of them. All they need to do is believe it, speak it and walk it! God say’s there is nothing that cannot be accomplished in the Divine reality of His presence and as a man thinks in his heart – so is he! But, the devil knows that for Christians to stagger around in despair and ignorance, is the greatest insult and defeat to God’s plan for His church. You see, when the world sees a Christian they should observe The Father and His Divine reality which is FULL of positive power, glory, victory and truth! Not spiritually sick, weak, confused, lethargic and defeated. Satan hates to see God’s people living the abundant life in front of the world because he knows their witness will prepare divine appointments for the Holy Spirit’s conviction work. He knows the world desperately needs to SEE Jesus and that is what he is fighting night and day to stop! If the devil can hinder God’s people from actually living out what they understand – he can keep the world in bondage and cause the most damage to the development and progression of God’s Kingdom. The Lord is waiting for His remnant to rise up and REPRESENT who He is! It is time the pastors of God’s churches throw out the human default programs and allow the super-natural manifestations of God’s anointing and Shekinah Glory. The church has been taught that the devil is lurking in the shadows of a dark alley; they cannot see that he went to seminary, put on a suit and became a teacher of “default” theology. Pastors who are not on fire and completely sold out for God’s presence will teach the lukewarmness of a dead religious illusion. Leaders are always RESPONSIBLE for what they say and how they live. Selah.

The default system is the nature of the anti-christ! It has brushed the truth about living perfect before God under the carpet and replaced it with secular programs as a way to kick God and fight against His cause. The religious church is deceived as they stand looking up at the sky waiting for God to do all the work. They hold the golden ticket waiting to be rescued while He waits for them to do what He died for them to do. But, what happened to the Covenant keeping God that longs for an intimate relationship with us like He had with Abraham? What happened to the God of war that blessed and encouraged David to victory over ALL of his enemies? What happened to the God of Elijah that had the faith to speak God’s truth and call down fire from heaven to prove God was real? What happened to the Jesus that healed ALL who cried out to Him in faith, who raised the dead and spoke to the wind? HE IS THE SAME as He has always been; it is the people that have accepted the lies that we can live the way we want without consequence. He has always desired to intervene in our conscience and bring His heaven to earth. He sent Jesus to die so that He could live inside of us and bring His Kingdom and do His will on earth as it is in heaven. Yet, the people are just as blind now to this mystery as the disciples were when Jesus was trying to explain it when He walked the earth. He wants those who call Him Lord to RELEASE Him! And that can only happen when we understand the revelation of the mystery of identification. The cry for God to open the floodgates of heaven is not for us to receive the material blessings of this world but for Him to INCREASE inside of our temple and EXPAND His glory in us. The more presence we have in our life the more the world can see and touch and know who He is! As we lay down who we are and decrease our identity the more JESUS can be revealed. God is not holding His church back or limiting their opportunity to glorify His name – they are! He has not locked up the spiritual gifts and tools of triumph in the closet but rather has UNLOCKED the miracles of His power and is waiting for them (US) to step out with RADICAL, AGGRESSIVE faith!

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PART 9

IT IS TIME TO RISE UP AND WALK

If you are tired of the demons harassing you, just ignore them and they will eventually become bored and leave. They will realize you have discovered the secret to victorious living. But if you are satisfied with having your buttons pushed and going around the same mountain everyday – disregard this message.
The devil knows that only a handful of Christians have ever advanced beyond the finger foods of religion to the meat of living in God’s presence. “That’s just too easy”, many will say, (because the default system teaches that mortals have no resistance against curse of this worlds order.) We have been taught that we crawl through this life receiving the attacks and accepting defeat as a part of our “suffering” but where do you hear about living perfect within the glory of God’s person? The true reality is that God lives in us, around us and through us and has provided the ability to be completely saturated with His presence – inside and out? “For in Him we live and move and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also His offspring.” Acts (17:28) Anything we do or say that is not based on His nature and character is rebellion. There cannot be 40 different reasons or justifications about our actions; there is only God’s will or our carnality.

Let us ask ourselves the painful self-examining questions; are we actually moving forward in our sanctification? Are we growing stronger and learning from our mistakes? Are we stumbling then repenting to not do it again or are we committing the same sins whenever we choose? If we are still yielding to our fleshly desires – we are not growing in God! Are we in a place of stagnation where we are staying the same? Are we in a place of retrogression where we have slipped and actually are going backward? God’s perfect plan for our destiny is a daily progression into His strength, joy, love, power, wisdom and the glorious peace of His presence. Living perfect is keeping our mind on God every minute – which is another way of saying that we are walking in His Spirit. Can we actually do that? Well, let’s take a look at Galatians five seventeen, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.”

So, how do we live like this around the clock? I am so glad you asked. We must want to DIE more than anything else in the world! Until we come to the point to where our carnality makes us nauseated we will not become sold out to Jesus! If the “old nature” is really dead – how can he make decisions? When the plug is pulled to our old default system our temptations will not have the powerful influences on us like we have been used to. When you were baptized you were a living “picture“, or testimony of being identified with Christ in His resurrection. This resurrection is twofold; the new man walking in the power and authority of God on this earth AND living with God eternally in heaven. The BURIAL is also not referring to just physical death only – this is also talking about the death of our old sin nature so that we could have the ability to do all things THROUGH Christ. Of course we make mistakes but we are not supposed to habitually sin after we have obtained the revelation knowledge of who we are in Christ. “Therefore we are buried with him (Jesus) by baptism into “death”: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so WE also should “WALK” in newness of life”. (Romans 6:4) Pastor Chris is always making the statement about how God has done so much to get us to heaven AND to get heaven into us. This is the revelation of learning how to be an overcomer. The religious world focuses on our victory after we die but ignores the responsibility to live obediently in our journey. The prize for the high calling of Christ Jesus is discovering the revelation of His word and manifesting God’s presence through our life. When He say’s, “well done my faithful servant in whom I am well pleased” it will not be because of our church attendance. It will be how much we allowed our minds to be transformed so the light of God’s Kingdom realities could be seen in us. When we “decreased” it was for the purpose of increasing God’s image in us. We became transparent with our identity so when the world looked at us they could clearly see the perfect Christ! “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin (carnal nature) might be destroyed, that henceforth WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN. For he that is DEAD (not physically but mentally) is FREED from sin.

Now if we be dead with Christ we believe that we shall also live with Him.” (verses 6-8) These spiritual parallels are so amazing let us continue. (Verse 11), “Likewise reckon also yourselves to be DEAD indeed to sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Praise God!! did you hear that? If the devil gets in – then you let him in! What do we expect to have in our life if we open the door and allow hell to come in? If we do not want hell in our life then we must chase it out and never invite it back! The devil CANNOT make us sin!! We CHOOSE to open the door!! Whew, let’s go on; “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither let your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but YIELD yourselves unto God, AS THOSE THAT ARE ALIVE FROM THE DEAD, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin SHALL NOT have dominion over you: (Only if you have made up your mind that it will not! WHEN THE HEAD GETS RIGHT THE BODY WILL FOLLOW!) for you are not under the law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Verses, 11:16)

Can you see how the religious church over the years has taught everything in the light of “I’ll fly away up yonder some day” and has neglected the crucial truth of knowing how to accomplish God’s will NOW? They realized it was just too painful to deny the flesh the control it wants, so they “dumbed” the Christian life down to a lower more comfortable level of understanding. Satan has influenced the teachings of the lukewarm to not worry about rising up and fighting against the old nature. They subconsciously agreed that it is much easier to adopt the “worm” mentality and stay beat down (because evidently a twisted form of humility is something to be proud of). They shriveled in the darkness to the default system instead of representing the Divine reality. If the old man is dead he will not have a vote – he will not have a comment, suggestion or argument, neither does he have the power to perform a deed. But when given the green light to dust off his grave clothes and sit at the decision table, the old nature becomes more than a voice – he becomes a prison warden. If we allow him to lead us, (even in the small things) we willingly become in bondage to the sins of doing what we should not do or not doing what we should do. The captivity of habitual sin is what keeps us from the freedom of being who Jesus died for us to be. Be aware that heaven is within God’s glory and it is inside of us. There is NO corruption, sin, filth, imperfection or curse in God’s glory.

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PART 8

THE AGONY OF REMAINING THE SAME

Being willing to change is (and always has been) the foundation of Christian growth and our obedience measures how much God can use us. Being able to hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit will depend on how desperate we are to know God’s will. Those who want to go deeper in God, who choose to look at themselves in the mirror before grabbing the binocular to criticize others, that resist the temptation to enjoy their own pity parties and blame everyone else for things that was their own fault, are at least heading in the right direction. Religion loves stagnation – God wants progress! There are many reasons that people refuse to change like; fear of the unknown, denial, its comfortable staying the same, pride, greed, security, the need to be in control, weakness and laziness, ego, carnality, peer pressure, family issues, and politics. But of all the many excuses not to change, one heads the list; it is thinking that change will come while we stubbornly refuse to do anything different than we always have.

Human nature is not completely ignorant as it knows the word change is another way of referring to “death”. The flesh realizes that for our will to surrender its control – the “old man” must die. But our carnality is equipped with a built-in “survival mode” and this fighting and scratching to “live” is the strong resistance we feel when we try to move closer to God. We hold on to the internal agony of sin because it has become a form of “default” security. We embrace what is known because we can see it and feel it while the proposal of a new way of living is invisible and needs faith to succeed. To trade a guaranteed pleasure for what is unknown is not a good deal to our flesh. Our old nature is so familiar and comfortable with the “merry-go-round” of sinning and repenting that it dreads the idea of having the problem fixed permanently. This is because we have become very attached to the “problem” and actually have fallen in love with it. Even though we love to hate it or hate to love it, we put up with the guilt because on the scales of anguish, the sin becomes more bearable than the miserable side-effects of it. Change will begin when the hatred of being in bondage to our carnal nature becomes STRONGER than our willingness to remain a prisoner. An amazing truth about a spiritual P.O.W.; they hold the key that can unlock their own cell door. Selah.

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PART SEVEN

GUARDING THE TEMPLE

How in the “world” can we live protected from the powerful influences and constant distractions of this life? I am so glad you asked! Through the same discipline that is required to accomplish anything that we set our focus on! No one has you bound or is causing you to be exposed to sin against your will. You are not in prison being forced to think or do evil things – it simply comes down to the choices you make everyday. I realize this is going to hurt but, it is our responsibility to not only learn the importance of guarding the portals to our soul – but to do it! “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass. For he beholds himself and goes his way and straightway forgets what manner of man he was. But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed”. (James 1:21-25) We can have long discussions about how the battle is increasing and continually ask questions about how we going to do to survive – and then actually go about our lives without changing anything. Let us all realize one thing; the word for the hour is to stay focused on God and listen to what He is telling us to do. We know the world is falling apart but the key is not to allow it to drag us down with it or discourage us to the point of giving up. We live in a dark world and its confusion is all around us but we must stand firm trusting in God’s truth. We come in contact with many things that we cannot prevent that stays on our mind’s hard-drive and wounds our spirit but we certainly do not need to intentionally drink in poison through our senses.

When we understand that God lives in us and that He is waiting for us to turn inward (toward Him) we will take larger steps in the process of transforming into His image. When we decide to allow Him to sit on the throne of our heart and be our Lord then the aura of God’s presence will affect the external atmosphere everywhere we go. God’s presence generates from the inside out! If He is not the Lord of our life then we are being deceived by our emotions that love to figure out ways to compromise and “water down” His word. Easy religion is so comforting to our flesh because it provides an escape from paying the price of sacrificing our old nature. The devil developed religion as an imposter to God’s truth to ease the human conscience so they could enjoy their carnality. He knew with man being vulnerable to pride, that it would be a great success and of course the old nature approved it with a unanimous reception. The problem is that God has never been amused or impressed with mans cleverness as He can see the sincerity of everyone’s words and the motives of their deeds. He hates religion because it impersonates truth – similar to how we feel about identity theft. The Lord does not want to see people deceived with something they “think” is real, and then face eternal separation from Him because they were not born again. The sad part is how the religious world is so blind they believe Mathew chapter seven, verses 13 and 14 applies only to those who have never made a profession of faith and cannot see they are also included. “Enter ye in at the straight gate: for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be which go in thereat: Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leads to life and few there be that find it.”

One of the most crucial aspects of spiritual warfare is being super-sensitive to what we see and hear. Like “deflecting arrows” with our shield we must pray for wisdom and live with discernment every moment. Since we are the temple of God’s Spirit, we must understand the temple has a sanctuary with Jesus sitting on the throne of our heart. “Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me”. (Revelation 3:20) But do we ever think that He might be offended at what is coming in or going out of His temple? Are we so calloused that we do not even notice the impurities? We do not own ourselves which is why we are not to be in control but we have been given the command to protect it. “What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God’s”. I Corinthians 6:19, 20) The closer we stay in His presence the more convicted and grieved we will be to sin. This inner chamber is within the conscience – the holy place where our thoughts and attitudes are clearly exposed before Him. We see Jesus running the moneychangers out of the temple and with natural realm thinking we apprehend that he is trying to preserve the integrity of the local church. But, if we go deeper we notice that it is a “spiritual type” and is really demonstrating the importance of keeping our heart pure from the death of sin. He is showing us that we also must be aggressive to not allow negativity, confusion, greed, envy, jealousy, lust and pride from ruining our relationship with Him and ruining our peace. He knew the devil would use the world to bring the chaos and attributes of sin into our heart and this in turn would bring lukewarmness into His Kingdom. The Lord knows the eyes and ears are the doors or gates to our sanctuary and how crucial it would be to defend and protect. We must become angry at the world that wants to defile our temple and we must become angry at ourselves for wanting to allow it. We will only change the way we live when we become sick of the way we are! When our desire to be holy becomes more precious to us than the sins we are entertaining – we will go to the next level with God. Whatever has become our highest priority now – will be our possession in eternity!

Many in today’s world have put too much emphasis on the church building or meeting place and not enough attention to personally living the Christian life. It is far easier to conduct a church “service” than to demonstrate Jesus. We keep saying the true church is the people but this means the true sanctuary in within our heart – not in temples made with hands. People like to put all of the attention on buildings because they can control a corporation. But if church is something we can run with our own intelligence then where do we need God? The reason why many churches are dead is because God has not been invited. It is too late to keep the sin out of the church buildings but the real danger is allowing it to pollute our conscience. In order for God’s remnant to accomplish their mission they must walk pure and holy. The latter rain is being poured out and only those who are in “position” will know, live, move and have their being in His presence. Man’s idea of normal church is a religious organization – God’s idea of a normal Christian is a Holy Ghost manifestation! Laying hands on people and seeing lives changed is God’s normal! People being super-naturally healed and delivered are God’s normal! Religion likes to see money – God wants to see miracles!

To resist the temptations of the world and open the door to Divine reality will take more than just knowing the historical accounts of bible stories. It will take more than memorizing the doctrines and by-laws of religious organizations. It will take more than a false sense of security in something that someone has said. It is going to take a concentration of seriousness far above anything we have ever been involved in or dedicated to. God’s word is only paper and ink to the ones who view Christianity as a golden ticket to heaven. Unless there is birthed a revelation that quickens the mind and heart there will be no reverential fear of a Holy God that demands obedience. Revelation is a personal spiritual enlightenment to the person of Christ and His direct communication. God’s word is only paper and ink to the ones who view Christianity as a golden ticket to the Promised Land. The religious world operates with emotion to the ceremonies and rituals of organized legalism but those who desire to reach into the divine dimension where God lives will never settle for a lifeless program. They have tasted His presence and will not go back to the dry bones of Egypt. They will not return to a phileo lifestyle of game playing politics and white washed tombs. The real disciples of Jesus are worshipping God in Spirit and truth, standing on the shores and walking in the forest, being a lighthouse of safety in the darkness, quietly without recognition. They have let go of the love for the external world and have turned to the internal sanctuary of heaven and embraced the absolute truth that lives inside of them. They know the default system is a mirage and Divine Reality is absolute, eternal truth. He is the King of Glory – Faithful and True –King of Kings – Lord of Lords – High and lifted up and they love Him with all of their strength, heart and mind. The song say’s, “I don’t have to wait to go to heaven when I die – I can go right now”. We do not need to travel thousands of miles, live in a monastery or graduate seminary – He is a heartbeat away. Close your eyes and become saturated in His love. “At that day you shall know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you”. (John 14:20)

Advancing in the levels of our Christian development will be a direct result of just how serious we are about knowing God. Our old nature can only remain dead if we stop hanging out at the cemetery with a shovel. Staying under the shadow of His wings is the only way we will be able to live in His peace. Follow Him, chase Him, embrace Him, hold on tight to Him, talk to Him, walk close to Him, pray, focus, eat and drink Him, breathe Him, concentrate and meditate on Him. Is it possible to become a fanatic? I can only hope so! The martyrs that were burned to a stake were fanatics! They sang worship songs as the flames burned their legs to charred bones. How could they have peace in the midst of the storm? Because they knew Him – not just about Him, but knew Him personally. Now hold on a minute brother, I will go along with this “church stuff” to a point but let’s not get crazy! I am sorry my friend, salvation is an opportunity to receive God’s grace – but to not observe His conditions is to make a mockery of His word. You can write it down; if we are going to be a fanatic and live in His presence it is not going to be in a carnal comfort zone of doing it our way. It will always be directly opposite to what the flesh loves and I guarantee the old man will scream and kick every inch of the journey! God is a consuming fire and we might as well face the reality that we are going to have to surrender something for Him to burn. We all have lots of dross left in our life and He wants “pure” gold! (Rev. 3:18) So, put locks on all of your senses and constantly stand guard at all of the entrances to your temple because sin is like a germ that brings infection and the best way to avoid germs is stay washed in the blood of Jesus and stay nourished with God’s word to build a strong immune system. “For you were sometimes darkness but now you are light in the Lord: walk as children of light: For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth; proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” (Ephesians 5: 8-11)

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PART 6

THE DEFAULT SYSTEM AND THE DIVINE REALITY

In this worlds system which man is temporarily in charge of, we can all agree there is chaos and the inability to execute perfect justice. Anything that man tries to do without being saturated in the wisdom and anointing of Almighty God may technically function but operates in the curse of the fall. There are two governments – one that is spiritually perfect and ruled with the absolute truth of God and the other is a flawed, defective system that is based on darkness and deception. This theological view is not a “new” revelation but it must become enlighten each individuals understanding or the Christian life will be no more than just going through the motions of religion. (God has always desired for man to abide in His presence but the conflict of light and darkness within our own trinity is fierce.) As the earthly dominion is the only system most people have ever known, they have yet to realize it is actually a “back-up system”, an imposter empire and world order whose intention is to undermine God’s authority and distract mankind from God’s glory. This is what I will refer to as the “default system” because as we will discover it is always there to automatically “lead us” if we do reach out by faith and embrace the Kingdom of light. The default system is more than willing to lead us if we allow it to influence us and control our thoughts. (If we do not choose God we automatically get the devil by default.) It has always been operating in human civilization (after Adam and Eve) and will continue with its agenda until Jesus returns to destroy it and establish His Divine Monarchy. The default system is ruled by the father of evil (the devil) and plays on the intelligence of man’s emotions and opinions. This egotistical worldview is birthed in rebellion and the dangerous deception that creation can rule its own world and successfully fulfill their destiny without the creator.

I will refer to God’s domain as the Divine Reality. His perfect Kingdom is a manifestation of His perfect person. He is the Alpha and Omega, the one true God and the Great I am. He designed all things, knows everything, is everywhere at once and is total control of everything – period! The devil and the default system are temporal, corrupt and working on borrowed time but God’s Divine Order is established on the absolute truth of His honor, His word and His Majesty forever. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7) The Divine Reality is walking in His Spirit and living in His presence. Transferring our devotion and love from the default system to the Divine Reality is what being a Christian is all about. The religious world lives with one foot in the default and the other with head- knowledge of biblical history and legalistic ceremony. The true relationship in Jesus Christ realizes that we have been called to “transfer” our complete identity into living each moment in God’s presence. In His presence all fear, worry and doubt is gone because where God lives there is perfect peace, wisdom and victory. “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, (Divine Reality) and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (default system). For the flesh lust against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary (opposition) the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.” (Galatians 5:16,17)

The definition of default from The Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language say’s, “Failure to do or appear as required. Failing to make payment when due. To fail to take part in or finish a “contest”. To forfeit by such failure.” If we can step back for a moment and try to see with our spirit eyes we will attain a very sobering revelation. Default is a result of not changing. Let us say again, if we choose to NOT change directions we will automatically have the default. By staying on the course that has been provided and doing nothing we will experience the consequence of our decision to not change. Those who have won gold medals in world competition sports did not achieve success by lying around on the couch watching tv and eating bags of potato chips – they became focused, dedicated and trained hard to become the best they could be. Every human is automatically born in sin and has the nature of the default system and if their faith and vision does not reach out to change their destiny the default is the only other option they will end up with. “Jesus said unto them, if God were your Father, you would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he that sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? Even because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:42-44)

Let us look at a spiritual parallel of a new born baby taking its first breath and being pushed out of an airplane. At birth our eyes are opened to a prepared environment that is waiting for us to experience all that life has to offer. Every human can grow and learn absorbing information and developing their own views along their journey and make their own choices. All of the years of their life are measured into a distance and each person has a limited amount of time to spend in their visitation on earth. Everyone is offered a chance to be transformed (God’s grace) and is a candidate to be spiritually redeemed and all will be accountable for how they respond. We are being “pulled” from day one to join forces with the default system and bombarded to be a mindless robot.

It is similar with those who are pushed out of an airplane. The natural environment is prepared and designed to be a “free-fall” of going with the flow. The gravitational “pull” is powerful and if we just close our eyes and relax it offers no panic or guilt to change anything (unless the individual realizes that to continue falling will result in destruction.) Free-falling or living in the comfort zone of ones own strength comes with a built in sense of security, pride, dignity and a temptation to believe that nothing needs to be changed – just enjoy the ride. Everyone is falling but how many will awaken to the danger before it is too late? Here is the point; All have been given a parachute (the opportunity to reach out to Jesus) and been instructed about how to use it (the word of God) and all are given the choice to pull the cord or keep falling (whosoever will). We are not forced to pull the cord and if we choose not to, then we will reap the consequence of a life of defeat and eternal death by DEFAULT. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of his flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Galatians 6:7,8)

In life, when we hear God’s call to surrender our will and absorb the fullness of His life into our life then we are spiritually transformed with a brand new opportunity to begin learning how to live in heaven on earth. Those who “respond” and are thirsty to know God intimately must “choose” to break free from the old carnal system of human nature and become saturated in God’s presence. Being sold out to God means we are no longer under the influence of the default system! We have made the choice to embrace God and let go of everything that hinders us from living under the shadow of God’s wings. Will it be easy to function in one realm and “live” in another? Of course not – it will take one hundred percent concentration! “If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world the world would love his own: but because you are not of this world, but I have chosen you out of this world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:18,19) It will take such a dedicated determination and a painful sacrifice to cut ties with what we have been used to and that spiritual warfare will be more than slogan but will become a battle cry of life and death. Some will not really want to go all the way with God because it hurts too much to give up their will. They will become deceived into thinking they can just play the religious games and that God will let them get by with it. God’s people are determined spiritual fighters and must become “aggressive” with their own flesh as well as the enemy of their soul. “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.” (Mathew 11:12)

Bob Dylan’s song said you have to serve somebody and this comes from a basic truth that all humans only have two kingdoms to give their heart to – you guessed it, the default system and the Divine Reality. If you will not give all of your thoughts and devotion – ALL of your life to God, then you actually love the default system much more than you are willing to admit. Actions reveal the motives and intentions of the conscience and as a man thinks (believes) in his heart – so is he. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides forever.” (I John 25-17)

The less you fight against the default system the more you will become absorbed in it. God does not want us to be consumed with the control of this worlds system but to daily meditate and consume His word. This saturation of His word draws us into the holiness of His presence. Every person will be filled with God or the devil and the more of one that comes in, the more of the other is squeezed out. Half and half is happily promoted by the default system but will NOT be accepted by God. If the world loves us then something is very wrong and is a sign that we have fallen into darkness. “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:5-8) The “comfort zone” is when we are choosing to live in the easy path – but God has never said that His will be an easy way. It will be filled with His glory for those who abide in His presence but it will be an agonizing death for the flesh because we must change everything we have learned and submit to His thoughts. “You adulterers and adulteresses, do you not realize that that friendship with the world (the default system) is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4) Resisting the pull of this world will require being AWARE of His constant presence and the amount of victory in your life will depend on just how much of God you really want. (The only thing stopping us from being filled with God is our flesh – Selah). Pastor Chris used the illustration of having a dove sit on our shoulder and living a lifestyle that continually watches over the dove with being alert to move carefully and sensitive to it being there. Jesus is with us 24/7 whether we remember He is there or not and I am sure that if we could concentrate on His presence, our lives would change dramatically. Do you believe your life would change if you could see that Jesus is with you, watching you and listening to everything you say every second? Guess what; He is.

The caterpillar is a consumer with a voracious appetite and has been described as a stomach with legs. Through a miraculous process the earthbound insect becomes a heavenly creation of great beauty that rises above the old limited nature of carnality. Its appetites are transformed and its mind is changed, for that which was earthbound adapts to a higher life that now lives in the heavens. When the transformation is complete, there is no turning back to the bondage of crawling and scavenging. Yes, we are strongly attached to our carnality but our Father has a plan to transform all who are willing to become encased or “cocooned” in His presence to be recreated into the representation of Himself. The world needs to see God’s glory! The instrument of metamorphosis is the cross. It puts to death the old nature that a new creation might be raised up and from glory to glory we shall be like Him. We must die so that we can live. It is time to arise from the spoiled weakness of the flesh and fly with God to the heights of triumph. It is time to shut ourselves in with God and not come out until we have touched His face. It is time to listen and walk out what we know. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1) The Kingdom of heaven is at hand. 


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Part 4

BEING “ALTERED”

Many people know that alters in the church are a familiar part of the “furniture” of the sanctuary as much as the pulpit, pews and baptismal. In our church we use the steps and edge of the stage and I praise Jesus they are used each service. I hope we never develop such a familiarity with alters that we forget why God is calling us to “live” on them. The physical structure itself is just a symbol that represents a consecrated “meeting” place with God. Those who have a serious personal relationship with the Lord have learned that staying on His alter is walking in His Spirit – and the only way to live the abundant victorious life.

We all need to spend more time before the Lord. Ministers of God’s word and all who care about the souls of others are praying the hearers will respond to God’s message and with the conviction of the Holy Spirit will deal with what God is saying to them. When I lead worship or teach the word I trust that God’s power is touching lives. It is a blessing to see people being stirred by God and then have the courage and faith to find their way to an alter. Yes, hands can be laid and words and prayers can be spoken over those hurting and seeking but there is no substitute for the “one on one” intimacy of an individual bowing before God. God knocks but we must open the door.

Alters Can be traced to the beginning of civilization as places of sacrifice along with the concept of pledging allegiance to the one you trust with your soul. So how does the modern prayer alter in the church connect with the Old and New Testament references to alters? The first thing is obvious with both of them; it represents death. We know that alters were used in the Old Testament as a place where blood was shed to cover sin and where animal sacrifices and incense were burned. Our mind thinks of blood drenched boulders or burning coals of fire which can bring intimidation but again these images are an external illustration of the internal work where Jesus changes who we are. In the book of Exodus we see a treasure of spiritual blueprints and mysteries that explain God’s design of salvation. Understanding our faith recognizes the cross is not only the foundation of our righteousness but a “divine” predestined alter that held the ultimate sacrifice of all eternity.

Let us be clear in our presentation of the gospel to the lost; God does not desire to kill us or burn our fleshly bodies but He is dead serious about transforming our spirit, mind, heart and conscience. He knows the only way any of His children can walk in His power and under the control of His Spirit is to cast down the authority and influence of our old nature. Alters can be a place where we crawl into Father’s lap and rest our head on His shoulder. A place of trust and security, where we can pour out our problems, confess our sins, ask for forgiveness, seek God’s face, listen for His answers and feel His presence. It’s not that we couldn’t do the same thing sitting in the woods or walking on the beach, but in church it is a special place we can use to intimately connect with Him. How awesome it is to worship the Lord around the alter. We fall on them as a way of sincerely bowing before God, we cry and seek God’s face and we praise, shout and dance around them. We kneel at them because we know we desperately need Him to help us live the Christian life. It is a place of surrender, a place where we bring serious concerns to the one who made us. It is a place where we pray and petition God, a place where we intercede and stand in the gap for the burdens of our heart. “He that dwells in the “secret place” of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust” Psalm 91:1-2

Sadly many churches have become too proud to bend their knees and have removed the alters to become more dignified. Some of the modern organizations see Christianity as a bloody and dirty gospel and are unfortunately falling away from the foundational truths of redemption. The “new age” religions avoid the alters of sincere meditation in exchange for watching videos about political world events and human philosophy. Technology can help the church but can also distract the masses from Jesus with entertainment and the “feel good” stories that compromise truth. May we stay focused on Christ and never eliminate the need to constantly examine our heart and turn away from sin. Yes, it is uncomfortable to deal with our personal issues and take the bold stand to not allow our flesh to lead us but – our life depends on it! Many Christians have become way too relaxed with their daily sins and are deceived to think they can slide by with a lukewarm religious attitude. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” Romans 12:1-2

Do you ever lie on the bed or on the floor and stretch out before God as an act of submission and reverence? An alter represents a place of our weakness – but a portal to His infinite power. The word prostrate means to, “cast oneself down in humility or adoration, to lay flat on the ground as an act of submission, worship and humility, to be reduced to a helpless condition, a state of coming to an end or exhaustion.” In this we see that God wants us to realize we cannot “fix” ourselves or anything in our own strength and reminds us not to “lean” on our own understanding but on His everlasting arms. He wants us to stop trying to act self sufficient and to allow Him to live HIS life through us. His perfect way is for us to trade our strength and ideas for His strength and ideas. When we lay down our will and ONLY obey His voice – we will become the “vessel” of honor that God can be poured through.

The whole idea of us fighting against our flesh is referring to our old nature not wanting to stay on God’s “fire pit.” “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) Just because a sacrifice is lying on the coals does not mean they stop talking and complaining as the battle never ceases in our mind between our spirit and body about who is in control. We all go through the same emotional roller coasters in our everyday encounters and have the same opportunities to have our private “heart to heart” talks with God, but it is OUR responsibility to make sure our carnality stays on the intense heat so that it can be completely consumed. Remember the song, “Refiners fire – my hearts one desire – is to be holy – set apart for you Lord – ready to do your will.” The refiner’s fire burns away all of the filth and trash of our corrupt, selfish identity, leaving only the clean and pure sparkling gold identity and character of Christ.

Everyone agrees how the “normal” Christian life should be constantly evolving. We start out as a sculptor’s block or a potter’s raw lump of clay and very patiently, Jesus the “Master artist” intervenes each day trying to mold us. He has a vision of what we are supposed to be and does as much as He can to develop His purpose – as we ALLOW Him. If we were an inanimate object it would be so easy to create us and admire us but what hinders our progress is that we have a “built in” will and freedom of thought with the ability to live how we choose. If we obtain the revelation of how life is supposed to function, we can surrender our will and He can move forward with his creativity. But if we are stubbornly determined to live the way we want – our destiny may remain unfinished and the “author and finisher” will be very disappointed. This journey of becoming spiritually mature includes a constant awareness of the reality of “yielding” because it is the only way we will ever be transformed into His image. The alter is God’s workbench where He cuts, grinds and polishes us until He is satisfied.

Another perception of being “altered” is when we remove material or hem a garment in the world of clothing as it is considered as an act of “altering.” Alter means that something has been modified and is now no longer the way it was. Think about the word “repent” for a minute. It does not necessarily mean to cry or fall on our face or roll around on the ground. We may do all these things in the process but the real meaning is to “convert” who we were – into something new. “Turning” to God implies that we stop going away from God and start moving toward Him which is what the gospel, the church and our Christian faith teaches. Our worship songs and the sacraments contain the invitation to personally examine ourselves from the “inside out” and that is where the real alter is! Every sermon should include the invitation to come to Jesus and take care of any spiritual “business” that is needed. Our entire church service should always point to JESUS as HE is the meaning of life. In Joel chapter 2, verse 17 we read, “Let the priest, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the alter, and let them say, spare thy people O Lord, and give not your heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, where is their God?” The priests would come from the porch of the temple to go to the alter and in between this area they were being reminded by the prophet to intercede and weep before the Lord on behalf of the sins of the people. Joel was preaching and compelling the priest to blow trumpets and to call a solemn assembly. He wanted them to sanctify a fast and bring the elders together and for everyone to fall before the Lord and repent. And NOW God is calling His people to wake up, rise up and do the same! Humility is an awareness that we are laying, walking, talking, thinking and abiding on God’s alter of holiness. Lord may our alters not just be pieces of ornate decoration. May our conscience not become calloused but broken with the burdens for souls. Oh God may the alter of our heart stay wet with our tears of love for you and your people, amen.

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PART 3

THE PRESENTATION OF MINISTRY

I have been around a while and seen several different styles of music and speaking ministries and I have noticed something very interesting. Churches are like faces in that all are different yet all have the basic components of singing and someone bringing a message. The difference is “how” the music and sermon is presented and of course the higher the level of anointing the more powerful it will be! For example; one speaker can bring a word that is accurate but in a “low key” delivery and a congregation just sits there yawning. Another speaker can preach the same message but inject high energy and enthusiasm and the people will shout and rejoice, testifying how blessed they were to hear such a powerful message. If both are anointed and both have spoken the divine truth what is the difference? Listen, I don’t care what arena you would like to consider – presentation measures effectiveness and there is not one person that was ever given a vision that did not want to be as effective as they can possibly be. Could a dramatic presentation generate more respect and convince the listener of a higher level of revelation and authority? Could a listener’s interest be increased by a speaker’s level of passion?

Who said Jesus was quiet and presented boring lectures? When you know that what you are saying is the difference between life and death you will have confidence in your words. When you have been given a divine revelation you are transformed from an orator to a person that holds the antidote that can save the world. Jesus knew that what He was saying was not just a strong conviction – but absolute truth filled with the ultimate authority and power of Almighty God. Each word was dripping with illumination that had the power to pierce the mind and heart and leave the listener dumbfounded – and still does! This is an hour when serving cereal is not enough – God wants His ministers to serve steak. This will not happen when we have too many irons in the fire but only when we let go of this world and become saturated in God’s presence.

There is nothing wrong with examining what we are doing, how we are doing it and make sure we are delivering His ministry the way He desires for us to present it. I realize that many will respond and say, “This is the way I’ve always been and I do not need to change anything” but this may not be as much about changing style as it is allowing God to breathe life into our work. Is being spiritually passionate a “style” or an overflow from a heart that has been to the mountain and seen God? Now is not the time to serve leftovers or just go through the motions! It is time to re-structure the way we think church should be and hand it over to Him. It is time to throw away the religious agenda and remove the bondage of religion. God’s people are thirsty for His presence and want to be free in His Spirit and will search until they find it! I have heard people say they worship the Lord quietly and are afraid of acting fleshly but do you think we will hold in our emotions in heaven? Anyone that has true joy will explode with an outward display of gratitude. If emotions can be manifested with crying when something happens that hurts us or makes us sad then why can’t people release joy and praise to their God? And for those who claim to be quiet natured, do not tell me you are quiet when your favorite team scores or how “low key” you would be if you won the lottery. Whatever means the most to us in our life is what we are going to focus all of our energy and emotion into and what we are going to give our highest attention. If we are low on passion with our ministry it could mean that we are simply being distracted with too many irons in the fire and are splitting the enthusiasm with something or someone else. Walking in God’s presence is our highest priority and He will not share His glory with anything else including how highly we think of ourselves. For example “trying” to pray is very intense spiritual warfare and is no match for the faint hearted. We know we need to seek God’s face and find that quiet place but it is not as easy as it sounds. We will say to ourselves, “after I finish this page I’m typing or after I finish reading this chapter I will pray.” This is a good one; “I will wait until tonight while everyone sleeps.” But many times we end up working late, taking a shower, becoming very tired and mumbling something about trying again first thing tomorrow, and then wonder why our relationship and anointing is growing weak. God supplies the power but we are called to supply the discipline. If we cannot control our flesh then God cannot fulfill His destiny in us. Many wait on God – while God is waiting on them!

You would not think that we could become lethargic with our ministry style but it does happen. We have heard the illustration of how standing water can become stagnant verses the freshness of a moving stream and if you have been around the church world for a while you can look back and see how things have changed from what they were a few years ago. Technology has played a part in the way things are done and styles have contributed also but hopefully the Covenant truth is the same – just packaged in a different container. Knowing when to change and how to change is important to keeping the people enthused and being anointed for new spiritual growth. If we sing the same songs and teach the same message every time it will become boring and that produces a dry, “packaged” heavy atmosphere similar to a funeral home. Many churches need spiritual CPR to “revive” them back from the dead and obeying God is the only thing that will make a difference. Of course the most important part of our ministry is “proving” to people how much we love them. Sheep must know that we will walk across the desert to help them and that we are truly sincere. If we are so busy with our lives that it seems we do not care about people – it is time to start over or let someone else be the Shepard. A true Shepard is focused on God and the sheep!

One way we can pump some excitement in our services is to stop thinking that only one or two people are to provide the entire ministry. Pastors need to mentor other ministers and let them exercise their gifts to bring variety into the mix. Have the worship team learn new songs and encourage singers and musicians to minister special music or do special concerts. Be creative with props, prayer lines and messages from God. Have guest speakers and ministries in to stir up some enthusiasm and get out of the comfortable rut of doing things the same way. This can fall into a traditional, religious parade of going through the motions because they feel of obligation to earn their salary. Pastors that ignore God trying to get their attention and continue being stubborn doing things their own way will live in disappointment. When people are truly seeking the presence of God and are not being spiritually satisfied they will venture out to find the love, joy, peace and nourishment they are craving.

I realize the most important foundation of what we do must be based on the Holy Spirit leading us and moving through us and we can see that God does not just move in one specific type of church. There are times when God moves in Baptist and Methodist churches and there are times when He moves in Holiness and Pentecostal churches even though the styles are like night and day. This can only mean that obedience has everything to do with the level of God’s presence and the pastor has been given the mantle to know what to do. I believe it is purity and sincerity that God sees in the heart of His people that causes Him to want to fellowship and bless those who are gathered in His name. The ones who choose to allow Him to lead their services and that desire to be free in His Spirit prove how much they really want Him to lead the service. We cry out how much God is welcome in our midst and in our prayers we invite Him to come but it seems to be a contradiction when we refuse to let go of our control. We shout about freedom and how we are yielding to His Spirit but with our programs and time limits we hinder Him from doing what He wants to do.

I believe the most important contribution we can make is to pray. When we read about the great revivals we find they began with prayer. The devil is not alarmed with us just being filled with God’s Spirit. But he begins to panic when we start doing something with it. If we know that demons tremble when we hit our knees then why don’t we stay on them? If we believe our prayers can change us and all those around us, then what are we waiting for? Why don’t we open up the church every night for prayer? Because we are too busy with our own life!

All preachers, teachers and worship leaders have natural personalities just like everyone else and the congregation gets familiar with them just like you would with a good friend. Leaders that are involved with public speaking on a regular basis learn, grow and develop their presentation and style of communication over time and that is normal. Not many people really think about it but in a church setting there is a fine line between being led of the Spirit and leaning on the abilities of the mind. Yes, we live in a flesh body and must use our mind in cooperation with our mouth in order to express thoughts but the idea of the anointing is to be used as a channel for God to speak through. Saints do not want to hear a human philosophy – they get ready and drive to church because they want to hear what God is saying. People who are serious about their walk with the Lord will not be satisfied with a dry, boring service because God’s music and words are to be filled with power and excitement. The excitement level of the pastor controls the thermometer of the personality of a congregation. If the pastor is sleepy, the assembly will have a laid-back persona. If the pastor is aggressive, bold, and on fire the people will either get on board or feel uncomfortable. The calling includes spending time in God’s presence and to be fearless as they lead the frontline into battle! Churches that are in the survival mode will be very unlikely to release the power of God while a pastor on fire will ignite an assembly to praise, energy, love, to move in their gifts, labor in the outreach ministries and evangelize the community. As the pastor goes – so the church goes!

V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

PART 2

DESIGNED FOR OFFENSE

The saints of God were never created for just defense. A sports team can never win unless they learn the balance of guarding and scoring – and that is accomplished with the development of an organized offense. We have the shield of faith to defend but we also have the sword of His Word to attack. Mathew chapter 11 verse 12 say’s, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and the violent take it by force.” Jesus was saying that God’s kingdom takes courage, unwavering faith, determination and endurance because of the growing opposition to the kingdom message and those who preach it. John’s ministry had ushered in the kingdom of heaven and it was crucially important to set the record straight about what the saints should expect. Jesus was very serious about spiritual warfare in Mathew chapter ten and was tired of beating around the bush trying to explain the world’s reaction. In verses 34 through 39, we find him saying some disturbing things about our relationships and our dreams of a “happy” ministry lifestyle.

“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that takes not his cross, and follows after me, is not worthy of me. He that finds his life shall lose it: and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.” Jesus is not trying to be ugly or scare anyone. He is not trying to make terrorist out of ordinary people or be cruel for the purpose of stirring up evil. He is trying to be blunt and go where the rubber meets the road and plead with the saints about a “life or death” reality. He is trying to reveal the truth and power of God’s word and the dramatic impact IT WILL HAVE on everyone – even the family unit. The life lived in Christ will always provoke a reaction from everyone good or bad. It can cause hatred, anger and division because the cross is an offense to the carnal mind and enmity to the flesh and is in direct opposition to the devil’s lies and plans. Jesus was not going to paint pretty pictures of sunsets or tell stories about how everyone would embrace us and rejoice with our message because he knew this would rarely be the case. He knew his disciples would experience the same treatment as he had and how the gospel would be an irritation to everyone who is not a devoted follower of Christ. He knew the spirits would clash and how the kingdom of light would be an “in your face insult” that could stir the religious into being a fierce enemy. Yes God’s convicting “two edged” truth carries freedom along with resistance. Those who love this life more than Jesus cannot call Him their Lord. It is dangerous when Christians try to hold God’s hand while holding the world with the other hand. It is called “lukewarm” or “middle of the road” and no matter how you dress it up or paint it, there is no compromise and no special deals. And when the world loves us – something’s terribly wrong. We have so many justifications to stay in a powerless lifestyle but when God said, “fight the good fight of faith” it was not presented as an option – but a demand. “And you will be hated of all men for my names sake: but he that endures to the end will be saved” (Mathew 10:22)

The message is the same now as it was then. Get in Christ – get in faith. Get in faith – get in a fight. Get in a fight – get the victory! If we do not choose to walk in the spirit, we will automatically walk in the old system and we will not be effective in the kingdom. If we war in the flesh – we are already defeated. If we are carnal – we are not in Christ! Threaten the enemy instead of allowing him to bluff you. Tell him that every time he influences or attacks you that you will instantly pray to God in tongues. Then instead of the devil being on offense against you, you have just turned the tables and put the devil on defense because you are now on offence. He will begin to see that trying to hurt you is hurting him much worse. Face the devil and tell him to get out of your life forever – NOW! If he comes back – do it again! It is all based on our faith in Jesus BLOOD and the authority of God. The Almighty never designed us to take care of ourselves or fight in our own strength. Our needs do not move God to act on our behalf. Our FAITH moves God and activates HIS power and this is the miracle that will manifest our confessions and cause our prayers to change circumstances. It is HIS POWER that creates the fruit of our lips and generates the SUPER-NATURAL in the power of our tongue. Let us not cower in fear to him who is already defeated! “I pursue my enemies and overtake them; I will not back down until they are destroyed.” (Psalm 18:37)

V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE

INTRODUCTION

I wanted to begin this year with a new, fresh series of essays and I am excited to see what the Lord has for us. As we continue to learn about faith and are more determined than ever to walk out our convictions, I realize how crucial it is to stay in God’s word and in prayer. I consider each one of you a warrior of integrity and respect your testimony and ministry within God’s Kingdom. I have been praying for a title for the series and it kept coming to me about how each of you are fighting on the spiritual “frontline” in God’s Kingdom and like literal soldiers on the battlefield who enjoy letters from those who love and support them, maybe the Lord could continue using me to send letters of encouragement to you. As I kept searching for something unique with the idea of letters or mail and in a military context, the Lord revealed a true story to me that I found to be the perfect allegory.

When wars are fought in distant lands it is very important to stay connected with loved ones as it allows the bond of hope to remain strong. Mail-call has always been and still is one of the highlights of any soldier’s day but in World War II there became a problem with the tremendous amount of letters that were being sent. The weight of the paper, the space it was taking, length of time to deliver, losing the letters and the work to keep up with it all became overwhelming.

The Airgraph Service was first developed by the British using microphotography as a way to minimize the space and have better organization at the same time. The United States adopted this idea and renamed it V-mail (for “VICTORY” mail) on June 15th, 1942 and used it until April 1st, 1945. A person who wanted to send a letter by V-mail would obtain a pre-printed form from the Post Office or drug store and could write up to a 300 word message. The form was then sent to a processing center where it was opened and fed through a machine that photographed the letters on 16mm film. A continuous 100 foot roll of film could hold 1700 messages and with the metal container it was housed in, weighed 5.5 oz. A sack of mail holding the same number of regular letters would have weighed 50 lbs. When the V-mail reached the destination the process was reversed and the letters were printed for distribution. This is where the idea came from to name this year’s theme, “V-MAIL TO THE FRONTLINE” as a parallel from our modern E-MAIL. Of course the “front line” pertains to those in the heat of battle and I cannot think of a more appropriate symbolism than our daily walk in the fires of spiritual warfare.

We need all the encouragement and spiritual VICTORY-MAIL we can get to bring the strength of God’s Word to you that are fighting the daily battle on the frontline! It is crucial to stay focused on God and gain strength with His daily nourishment. This is the “behind the scenes” story of how the title came about. These writings are not just a glimpse of the intentions of my heart they are given to me through the Holy Spirit. In this light I am just a messenger and give all glory to the real author.
PART 1

MORE OF HIM – LESS OF ME

Washington Irving once said, “Small minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune but great minds have purpose and rise above them.” I have been to the valley of despair; it is the most miserable place anyone could ever be. I do not enjoy anything about it and though I have never seen or felt a literal hell – I would cast my vote that depression is earth’s version of it. Have you ever noticed how discouragement paralyzes and encouragement motivates? I know what it is like to suffer emotionally and to be consumed with the torture that comes from being offended, hurt, neglected, backstabbed, deceived, not appreciated and disappointed. At times we all wrestle with different demons that cause torment within our mind and soul as they are either targeting us as victims or taunting us with our own mistakes. And while we are walking over these hot coals of gloom it usually does not make us feel any better to hear the old saying, “it is not the crisis but our reaction”. But beyond the blinding pain there is a truth in that statement which actually holds the key that can unlock the door to our healing. Jesus stands on the other side of this door and if we can stop crying long enough and let Him in, then hopefully we can also allow Him to fix what is broken. Do we believe He can solve any problem? Most of us believe that but there is a huge difference between acknowledging His power and receiving His miracle. It is the agony of waiting until he does come through that nearly kills us. Is the pain real? Absolutely! Whether it is physical pain in a sickness or injury or the mental nightmares that torture us and keep us in the bondage of anxiety and affliction – it is very real! Here is a huge question; how can we live as an overcomer while we are “in-between” the suffering and the miracle? Somehow, someway we must see ourselves as a little child that has climbed a tree and cannot get down. With “daddy” down below beckoning us to jump and reassuring us that He will not let anything bad happen to us, we take a leap of innocent TRUST.

Faith KNOWS and has confidence in things we cannot see. Is this easy? Absolutely not! It sounds simple for those who are not going through situations because they are not experiencing the trauma and paralyzing desperation. However, just because no one else can relate to our circumstance, does that mean that what they are saying is not true? Selah. If we are walking in a dry and windy desert and others are trying to comfort us, may we not grow bitter toward them just because they are not being tortured also. I realize that many times that we feel worse about how our problems are affecting others. For example if a husband and father loses his income and cannot pay the bills, it is the wife and children that becomes the center of his stress and worries. He not only is ripped apart by the original situation but now has the weight of guilt and failure because he sees himself as the one who is responsible to provide. Even though he “knows” that God owns all the money in the world that does not automatically put money in HIS bank. No, my friend, faith is one of the most challenging demonstrations we will ever face, but again, that does not mean it is not true or that God will not honor it for you. If there is even a tiny chance the Lord could fail, we would not be able to exist. But since He is perfect we can rest in knowing that He sees us, hears us and will rescue us.

I realize there are chemical imbalances and psychological disorders in these fragile housings and times when we are genuinely attacked and wounded but strong soldiers cannot curl up in a fetal position in the foxhole and pull the blanket over their head. Pity parties are where seasoned veterans tie a handkerchief to their machine gun and begin to wave it to the world as a message of surrender. But allow me to ask; how can battles be won when we give up on our faith and confidence in God? There is so much work for us to do, so many which are watching us, so many souls that need Jesus, so much word that needs to be spoken. The only surrender we should ever yield to is – not my will but thy will oh God. Giving up is not the nature of Jesus because people are depending on us, they need our prayers, our time, our help and our encouragement. Yes, there will be hard times when we are punched right in the mouth and there will be seasons when we have done everything we know to do and it seems that nothing is happening. But in these valleys that feel like the shadow of death we must become desperately serious about shutting ourselves in our prayer closet and be determined to not come out until our mind is renewed. He will encourage us IF we ask Him! He loves us and wants to do a deep work in us, but we need to remember that things are not always the way they seem. Ask Him to allow you to see true reality instead of a generic view that leans heavily on our own understanding. After a season of mourning and feeling sorry for ourselves there must be a time when we rise, put our armor back on and return to the battlefield in the confidence that God wants to work through us and be seen in us. How can we be an encouragement to others if we are so sad that we cannot get out of bed?

How many will discover the revelation of seeing themselves in the telescope of the “big picture” instead of focusing in the microscope of self? People who believe that everything revolves around them, who are self-centered and are always only concerned about their feelings usually have a pocket full of tickets to ride the roller coaster of discouragement. At times I have been one of these people and it is amazing how I could not see how self-centered I could be. Serving the god of “self” is idolatry. We all need not just a revelation of Jesus Christ but a revelation of our own heart. Selah. First we must desire to see the reality within our conscience, second we must be willing to deal with it and third we must be ready to pay the price to have it changed. It is unpopular to acknowledge but many times our frustrations are the result of not cooperating with God’s intervention. (I need to write that down) M.D. Babcock was quoted, “The tests of life are to make us, not break us. Trouble may demolish a man’s business but build up his character. The blow at the outward man may be the greatest blessing to the inner man. If God, then, puts or permits anything hard in our lives – be sure that the real peril, the real trouble, is that we shall miss the point if we rebel against it.”

One of the best ways to snap out of depression is to get up and go somewhere with the intent of helping someone. Pull yourself away from the mirror long enough to see how others are living and your problems will begin to fade. Walk through a children’s cancer ward at a hospital or read foxes book of martyr’s and all of a sudden you may think your life is not really as bad as you thought it was. Take a pen and paper and write down all of your blessings and I promise that your glass will appear half full! If we do not learn from our trials then our distress has been a waste. Crisis situations are opportunities to put our faith and patience to work! How can we be defeated when God is for us and working constantly on our behalf? He was even involved in the middle of Job’s trial. Maybe the reason we struggle is because we are fighting Him for the steering wheel. If we let Him drive I believe we would be more likely to enjoy the ride, don’t you? Is there such a thing as counting it all joy when the blacksmith is holding us to the fire and shaping us with His hammer? I’m not saying it is easy but actually, yes. We may suffer trauma, turmoil or even persecution and no doubt a time of being uncomfortable but we must eventually get back up and dust ourselves off in order to get back into the race. Remember when the blacksmith is finished with his piece he does not throw it in the corner and forget about it. He has worked hard to produce his vision because he intends to use it for his specific purpose. God knew you and planned you before the foundation of the world and has been taking care of all the fine details to bring you to this place and has every intention to use you NOW more than ever before! He is trying day and night to polish you and challenge you to be a strong and effective instrument to accomplish His purposes. Sure, the world is falling apart because of sin but that is exactly why we cannot afford to throw in the towel. Do not allow unforgiveness, bitterness or being offended to render you powerless. True healing is all about forgiveness, letting go, turning the page and continuing to move forward. To remain wounded is to be plagued with the ongoing torture of infection. It is time to advance to the next level of maturity and let the wounds turn to scars (from the inside out) that not only remind us how God is our “Jehovah Rapha” but as a vital part of our spiritual education. The deeper the pain the more valuable the lesson and as you learn from the trials, allow them to build your character so you can teach from your experiences. To God you are a masterpiece! Pray for awareness and understanding. Watch carefully for His hand and listen intently for His whisper. “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of His correction.” (Proverbs 3:11)