Posted in Prophetic Notes

Posted in Prophetic Notes

The Song Of Deborah
Painting by Donna Smallenberg
Found at Elijah List

This painting stirred something deep within me when I saw it.  It is a painting of Deborah, and notice she is wearing her armour, which is a sign she is under the covering of the Lord, and shielded under His authority and protection, and completely dependent upon Him. Her eyes are also looking toward heaven, and into the heavenlies, so it almost appears that she is waiting and ready for a command from her heavenly Father telling her where to go and what to do next. 

My prayer is that our eyes will always be on our Heavenly Father, and not on circumstances, and may we always be ready to fight the good fight of faith; bringing light to a dark world.  May God recieve the Glory and honor, in Jesus name. This is truly beautiful :-)

Posted in Prophetic Notes

This is a powerful reminder of who the real Jesus is and what He calls us to do in the middle of the storms that life can bring. May you be encouraged today :-)

<>< Kelly

___________________________________________________ 

April 26, 2007

Francis Frangipane:

"THE REAL JESUS IS CALLING US TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STORM"

"The real Jesus will require you to look the impossible straight in the eye and believe God for His power."

Not only is Jesus our Savior, He is also the "Author and Perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). Grab with both hands the thought that He is the "Perfecter of our faith." The faith Christ started in you, He is now working to perfect.

The fact that Jesus is the "Perfecter of our faith" is important because even if we seek to move in prayer and spiritual authority, even if we fearlessly continue to persevere, even if we continue forward with motives purified by love, it is the power of faith that undergirds all.

Now the idea that Christ seeks to perfect our faith makes a fine doctrine, but in the practical outworking of our lives, we deeply resist the idea. For we know that faith, in order be perfected, must be tested.

When I speak of faith, I do not mean a thorough compilation of Bible facts or an intellectual assent to our need of salvation, both of which are elements of spirituality, but not the very substance. To amass Biblical knowledge primarily takes time; to possess true saving faith, I will tell you again, takes courage. Christ desires we obtain a trust in Him that can actually withstand and overcome the terrible storms of life--faith that brings the reality of Heaven to earth.

Faith, therefore, is more than head knowledge; it is our lock upon the goodness and power of God so that no matter what we face outwardly, inwardly we stand secure. And no matter what the world looks like outwardly, it has the potential to be transformed by our faith. As Hebrews 11 makes clear, all those who possessed true faith changed the world around them.

Perfect or Protect?

Knowing that faith is much more than religious doctrines, I wonder: Do we truly know the Jesus of the Bible and what He seeks to give us? Too often, I think, we desire a Savior who, after assuring us of eternal life, leaves us alone until our next crisis. We want Him to comfort us but never convict us; we desire Him to heal us but not inhabit us. We want the Holy Spirit to help us obtain the "American dream." Yet what we have is a Holy Spirit who, instead, seeks to give us the dream of God: man living in the image of Christ (see Genesis 1:26).

This means that God's goal is not merely to save us, but to conform us to Christ. He seeks to perfect us, not merely protect us. To perfect faith, God intentionally allows conflicts to storm against our souls. I know we picture Jesus gently holding us, patting us on the back, saying, "There, there, it'll be all right." Listen, that is not the voice of Jesus; that is the echo of your mother speaking. Thank God for mothers, but Jesus is seeking to get us to stop being such babies. He wants us to grow up into His image.

Remember, I am talking about the real Jesus now, the one who said, "All things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23). If the Jesus you are following is not leading you into the realm of the impossible to make changes in your world, you are probably following the wrong one.

You see, we do a disservice to people when we tell them, "Give your life to the Lord and He will keep you from trouble." That is not true. We would be more honest to say, "Give your life to Christ, and He will empower you to overcome trouble and adversity." Yes, He will take care of you. But He will not do so by putting you in a harmless world void of problems; rather, He will perfect virtue in you by developing character and by requiring faith--all of which creates the spiritual shelter of a transformed life.

A Storm, a Ghost or Jesus?

Get used to the idea that Jesus is seeking to perfect your faith. Plan on the fact that He will probably set you in some otherwise impossible situation to force your faith to the surface. Sooner or later, the real Jesus will require you to look the impossible straight in the eye and believe God for His power.

Consider the incident when Christ sends His disciples ahead of Him by boat across the Sea of Galilee; that night He crosses this same sea Himself walking on water (see Matthew 14:22-33). Yet, He decides to wait until a storm is rolling in with contrary winds and waves before He sets out. He could have waited for a calm day or simply arrived at the other side, supernaturally, without stopping alongside the boat in the middle of the sea. No, He comes to the disciples with something in mind--He comes to teach a lesson on trust.

Please note that this is a violent storm and that He offers no preliminary instruction, no "Basic Water-Walking 101." He doesn't let them practice on puddles or wait until winter so they could walk on frozen water first. He waits for a storm to teach water-walking, which is by all accounts harder to do on rolling waves than on a placid sea. Then, on top of that, He does not come in daylight; He comes at night. So Jesus comes to the disciples in the middle of the sea, in the middle of a storm, in the middle of the night to teach them to walk on water. He doesn't make it easy. But this is the real Jesus with His real disciples. And we can add to the degree of difficulty the probability that they are physically tired and more than a little fearful about the storm.

Scripture says that the sight of a figure walking on the water, coming out of the blowing wind and spray in the darkness of the night, turns the disciples' fear into terror. They cry out, "It is a ghost!" (Note: Some of the things we label as "ghostly" or demonic are really the Lord stirring life to set the stage for a lesson on faith.)

As Jesus approaches the roll of the boat, He calls out, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

When Jesus says in the midst of your storm, "It is I," it is a call to faith. When He says, "Take courage," it is a call to action: True faith will always, at some point, require courage.

Peter says, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."

This is wonderful, really. Here is an insight not only into Jesus Christ, but also into Peter's relationship with Jesus. Ever since Peter has known the Lord, Christ has required him and the disciples to do impossible things--heal the sick, feed multitudes with a lunch pail of food, and raise the dead. Over and over Peter has seen Jesus work miracles; over and over Jesus has empowered Peter to do what he saw Jesus just do.

That night on the stormy sea, Peter has this amazing discernment: "If it's really the Lord, He will tell me to do what He is doing--something impossible. If it's the Jesus I know, in a moment, He will be telling me to walk on the water, too." And true to form, Jesus calls out to Peter, "Come!"

Now Peter is not about to walk on the water, not really. When he steps out, he is walking on the word "Come." He knows that the power to accomplish the impossible resides in Christ's word, and it is this supernatural reality upon which he steps.

You see, this is all about trusting the integrity of Jesus Christ's command. Do you think Peter feels power when he steps on the water? I don't think he feels anything besides the storm. No goose bumps. No "glory chills." Peter sits on the topside rail of the rocking boat and swings his legs over the churning water. Peering through the wind and rain, he looks at Jesus. Then he slips down, stands upright in the water, and begins to walk!

Splash! One step. Splash! Then another and another until Peter walks right up to Jesus. This is no little walk. Admittedly, anyone can walk on water for the first step. It is the second step and beyond that is difficult. Peter walks until the waves grab his attention; then he begins to sink. Jesus saves him, of course, and when they get into the boat the wind stops.

Maybe we would expect the Lord to say, "Peter, you did it!" Maybe Peter was expecting praise for his short water-walking career, but no, Jesus rebukes him saying, "Why did you doubt?"

Christ sees the beginning of something great within Peter and He does not want it contaminated by pride or self-pity. Most of us want a medal every time we do something for God, but He is not about to let Peter or us build a monument to our accomplishments, especially when we are just beginning. If this miracle of Peter's were done by some of us here in America, in two weeks we would have tours, T-shirts and commemorative celebrations of the day we walked on water. But Jesus will allow none of that for His disciples. He sees greatness emerging in Peter and He will not press any of His disciples toward anything other than full conformity to His image.

Remember: God's goal is that we become Christlike. The real Jesus is going to call us to do the impossible. This means that we will be called to do what we have never done before. You will see Jesus ahead of you, probably in some kind of storm, but it will be the beginning of a miracle that will change you--and the world around you.

Let's Pray: "Lord, forgive me for seeking a safe life instead of a supernatural life. I want more of You. Call me out of the boat of my familiar, predictable world. Master, for the sake of reaching the lost, increase my faith until I am standing with You on the water of divine potential. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email: francis1@frangipane.org

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Posted in Prophetic Notes

Ryan Wyatt: "THE NEW BREED--YOU WERE CREATED TO LIVE IN TWO REALMS"

In this hour, God is restoring His purpose to His people, and He is making it very clear to those who will listen. God is refining His people in the earth because He is going to present us to the world as His "jewels." He is revealing our true identity to us as "His nation" within the nations of the world.

The earth is groaning for the revealing of the sons of God. The Bible makes it clear that God is bringing many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10). God will have a generation that lays hold of His fullness and aggressively advances the Kingdom of God on the earth. God is waiting for it, we are waiting for it, and creation is groaning in birth pangs for it (Romans 8:18-30). The time is Now!

THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS

The Bible says in Acts 3:19-21, "Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom Heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time."

I believe this literally means that Jesus Christ is "retained" in the Heavens "until" there is a restoration of all things on the earth. Restoration of what? It's the restoration of God's original plan and intent for His people on the earth. God's original purpose for Adam was to be a carrier of the fullness of His glory, to be an ambassador of the Kingdom of Heaven, and to bring Heaven to earth daily.

Adam was created in the image of God and was told to have dominion, subdue the earth, and fill it. Fill the earth with what? Adam was to fill the earth with the Kingdom of God. Adam was God's agent and ambassadorial representative on this earth. Let me continue by describing the way Adam was created...

CREATED FROM TWO ELEMENTS IN ORDER TO LIVE IN TWO REALMS

Genesis 2:7 says this, "Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

Adam was absolutely perfect in every way. He had a perfect body, perfect soul, and perfect spirit. God first formed Adam from the dust of the ground. This was an earthy substance that formed the part of Adam's being that gave him access to the natural realm. In his body, Adam had his five natural senses--seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting.

The fact that every human being has a body is very important--I believe no "spirit being" can function on the earth without flowing through a "human being" who has given that spirit permission to function. In Genesis 1:26, God delegated the authority over the earth to human beings. This means that humans have authority over the earth and spirit beings flow through them to further their purposes. This is true both for the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of darkness. I believe demons need humans with bodies to flow through in order to function in the natural realm.

In the same way, the Holy Spirit is looking for a person who is yielded to Him in order to fill that person and flow out through them. This is the reason why our prayers are effective because as delegated authorities on this earth, we open up our lives by asking the Lord to come and flow through us in the earthly realm.

We give this authority either to God or the devil very easily. Our bodies are gateways. Gateways are opened for spirit beings to flow through us because of what we set our five natural senses on. What you set your eyes upon gains entry into your soul, your mind, and your heart. The same goes with your other four senses. Have you ever heard the expression, "You are what you eat"? Well, what you open yourself up to is what comes into you and flows and functions through you.

An Understanding of the Breath of Life

Genesis 2:7 goes on to say that God breathed the breath of life into Adam. This "breath of life" is a Hebrew word for "spirit." This does not mean the Holy Spirit, but rather a supernatural element that came straight from God to form the "human spirit" within man. This very element within man disproves evolution. If you believe that human beings have a human spirit, as the Bible states, then evolution is impossible because there is no evolution of the human spirit. The human spirit is a supernatural element that came straight from the very breath of God.

The breath of life, or the human spirit, is what gave Adam access to the supernatural realm. Adam was essentially created from two elements--the earthly (dust) and the supernatural/spiritual (spirit). So from the very beginning, Adam was created as a dual-dimensional person with the ability to live and operate from two realms at one time. In fact, every human being, whether born again or not, is created with the ability to operate in two realms at one time because every human being has a human spirit within them.

In the beginning, Adam was perfect in every way, and His relationship with God reigned supreme in his life. There was absolutely no barrier between Adam and God. Adam was so God-conscious that he did not even realize that he was naked. I believe that Adam functioned in full capacity in the spiritual realm as well as physically, in the natural realm. This is one of the earmarks of a fully mature son or daughter of God--one who is fully functional in the natural and the spiritual.

This was one of the issues of frustration for Paul the Apostle. He longed to come to the church and feed them solid food but they were not mature enough to receive anything but milk. He called them carnal. We have plenty of people in the Body of Christ that are good at being carnal, but very few who have learned to truly be spiritual and mature. Adam functioned in an incredible realm of the glory and Kingdom of God. However, Adam made a decision that would change the course of humanity for many years to come, until Jesus arrived on the scene. Jesus came to restore the Kingdom of God to the earth.

THE DECISION

God did not create robots; He created human beings with free will. One of the greatest acts of grace of all time is--God created Adam with the ability to turn away from Him. God is not looking for robots He can control. He is looking for voluntary, laid-down lovers of God who will completely yield their lives to Him in a divine romance that ushers in the eternally powerful Kingdom of God into the earth!

Adam had a decision to make. When God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, Adam was neutral. Nothing had become internal within Adam at this point in time. God placed two trees in the garden--the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam could, either eat from the tree of life and receive eternal life, or he could eat from the tree of knowledge and accept the nature of satan. We know that Adam never ate from the tree of life because Genesis 3:22-24 says this:

"Then the LORD God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever'"

"--therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life."

Adam had already eaten from the tree of Knowledge, and God clearly states that He had to drive Adam out of the garden. I believe if Adam would have eaten from the tree of life in his fallen state, he would live forever in that fallen state. At the very moment that Adam ate of the tree of Knowledge, not only did he and Eve become cursed, but the earth became cursed as well. Before this time, Adam did not have to toil and till the ground. Everything was just blessed and plush and overflowing with abundance. But when the earth came under the curse, Adam had to sweat in labor to toil the ground (Genesis 3:17-19).

Adam had just lost the ability to fulfill the original mandate given to man because he was no longer a perfect man. This is why Romans 8 states that creation is groaning in birth pains for the revealing of the sons of God in the earth. Creation yearns for the sons of God to arise because only the sons of God have the authority to reverse the curse on the land. Jesus came as "The Son of God" to show us a prime example of the authority that a son of God can have over the earth.

THE LINE OF ADAM

We are all separate, unique individuals, but at the same time, we are all one. We are all part of the same family tree. Adam was the first prototype of a new race--human beings. When a prototype is wrong, then all the others that follow after it will be wrong as well. When Adam fell, he brought all of humanity into the fallen state with him. Every human being born after Adam was corrupted because Adam himself, as the prototype, was corrupted.

Genesis 5:3 says, "When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth."

Adam's first son was born in Adam's image and likeness. This was a bad deal because Adam was no longer living in the image and likeness of God because he was corrupt. All of humanity is born in Adam's image with a fallen nature.

This spoiled God's plan of having a perfect race of people on the earth, filling it with the Kingdom of God. However, God is never caught by surprise and had a plan to reverse the curse, and redeem humanity even before the foundation of the world (John 17:24).

After Adam's fall, God gave Israel a set of rules, or laws, to live by, and if they believed in God and lived by the laws, then it would be accounted to them as righteousness. Everyone who died before the resurrection of Jesus, who believed in and obeyed God, went to paradise, where they would await the savior of the world who would raise them up and take them to their eternal home in Heaven. I believe no human being who had died before Jesus, ever lived in Heaven until Jesus died on the cross, plundered hell, and led captivity captive (Ephesians 4:8).

JESUS CAME TO BIRTH A NEW BREED

Jesus Christ was sent and lived His life as a prototype of what is possible and available for each one of us as believers. Jesus lived His day-to-day life out of the intimate voice of God and carried His Kingdom--the supernatural realm of Heaven on the earth with miracles, signs, and wonders following Him.

Jesus came to birth a "New Breed" on the earth and restore the Kingdom of God to them. This new breed is a remnant of people recklessly abandoned and in love with their God, who through intimacy, will destroy the works of the devil, and bring the realm of Heaven to earth daily.

This new breed will continue the mandate originally given to Adam: Fill the earth with the Glory of God.

By Ryan Wyatt
Abiding Glory Ministries
www.abidingglory.com

Posted in Prophetic Notes

Rick Joyner: "HE MUST BE OUR FIRST LOVE" By Rick Joyner : Aug 15, 2006 http://www.morningstarministries.org

August 15, 2006 "The daily prophetic words that are sent to our 132,000+ subscribers are made possible by the purchase of products like those featured in this email. You may purchase them directly from this email, or visit our online store at www.elijahshopper.com." Rick Joyner: "HE MUST BE OUR FIRST LOVE" Five Basic Principles As we proceed toward how we can help build the highway for our God, we want to occasionally fortify the foundations of our own spiritual lives. Just as there were five pillars at the door of the Holy Place in the tabernacle of God and the Holy of Holies, there are five basic principles that enable us to enter the deeper realms of the spiritual life. These are basics which we should have growing in our lives, regardless of how mature we become. They are: 1) To continually grow in our personal relationship to the King. We must never forget that loving God is the highest calling and our main purpose on this earth. Seeking to continually know Him better, and love Him more is the most important element of our lives. If we are not growing in these, then anything else we are pursuing will be shaky at best. 2) To continually grow in faith. Hebrews 11:6 states, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." Therefore, it should be a basic devotion to also be growing in our faith and trust in Him. 3) To continually grow in effective prayer. As it is said of the Lord, "...He always lives to make intercession....", Hebrews 7:25. If we are abiding in Him, we, too, will be making intercession continually. This is why we are told in I Thessalonians 5:17 to "pray without ceasing." However, the evidence that we are truly abiding in Him will be answered prayer, not just prayer activity. 4) To continually grow in our knowledge of His Word and sound doctrine. If He who was the Word would continually stand on, "It is written..." (see Matthew 4), when challenged or tempted by the devil, how much more should we, knowing the Bible is fundamental to a strong and successful Christian life. 5) To continually grow in and strengthen our relationship to the body of Christ. It is not possible to be properly joined to the Head without also being properly joined to His body, the church. In truth, the strength of our relationship to the Lord will be revealed by the strength of our relationship to His church. To be effective members of the body of Christ, we must also grow in the knowledge and exercise of our own spiritual gifts and ministries. This is stated succinctly in Ephesians 4:15-16, "But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." Just as a hand could not function without knowing it is a hand and being properly joined to a wrist, we, too, must all know our own function in His body and be joined rightly to it. True vs. Pseudo There are true Christians and pseudo Christians. There are true churches and pseudo churches. As we proceed into the times ahead, both will become increasingly manifest. By the end of this age, there will be a church on this earth that is a worthy bride of the King. We can expect the Head to be joined to a body, which will be more perfect in beauty and function than any human body. His church will be a city set on a hill, which can be beheld by all because of her great light in the midst of the darkness. The church will be a clear demonstration of His Kingdom on the earth, the ultimate fellowship of the citizens of another realm--the realm of Heaven. Ultimately, every citizen of the Kingdom will walk in all of the benefits of that citizenship. By this, the church will help to establish a highway between Heaven and earth that all may enter and likewise be elevated and transformed. This cannot happen without the church becoming the community of those citizens of the Kingdom that she is called to be. Those who are growing in their purpose will become increasingly identified with the Kingdom above all other relationships. The community of the saints will become the greatest and most powerful community the world has ever seen. Ultimately, this community will even eclipse the great community that the church was in the first century, which was but a seed of what will come to full maturity at the harvest which is the end of the age. From this community, which will also be an impregnable fortress of truth, will extend righteousness and justice to set others free. In the foundational pillars of a healthy Christian life, many include being a witness, and this is a result of a healthy life more than a discipline. However, if our life is not a witness--a demonstration of what it is like to be a citizen of the Heavenly Kingdom, then something is certainly awry in our walk. Our Life Must Be a Witness Our witness should be on two levels--the personal and the corporate. A strong church will be a strong witness to individuals. A strong church will be a strong witness to its community. When the church worldwide becomes strong, then the whole world will see the light of the gospel. This does not mean that those who see the light will necessarily come to it. Those who love darkness more than the light will react viciously to the light, but they will see it. We are commanded in II Corinthians 13:5: "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!" It is right that we should regularly evaluate our lives to ensure that we are growing in these basics. If we are growing in these, we will be bearing fruit. Just as biology teaches that once any living thing stops growing, it starts the process of deterioration and dying; the same is true of us spiritually. If we are not continually growing spiritually, we are dying spiritually. The process of dying spiritually begins with slipping into lukewarmness. How could anyone who knows the living God be lukewarm about Him? This is an ultimate insult and affront to the One who would even give His own Son for our redemption and restoration. Is He Our First Love? If He is our first love, then seeking Him and doing His will is the most basic devotion of our lives. More than advancing in our profession, more than accumulating wealth or any other accomplishments, we will measure the success of our lives by how close to God we have become, and how much more we love Him above all things. If we love Him as we should, we will love everyone and everything more than we would otherwise. What we really love and esteem is measured by what we devote most of our time and efforts to. We will discipline ourselves for what we truly love. Tragically, many who start to seek God are led only to religion, and there are few things more boring than religion. However, there is nothing in creation more interesting than God, nothing we can experience more fulfilling than a relationship with Him, and there is no adventure greater than the true Christian life. The true Christian life is the greatest quest, the most noble cause. There is nothing more exciting than following the King. However, just as in any sport, the two or three hours spent in the game are backed up by many, many hours of disciplined conditioning and practice, the same is true of the Christian walk. For every pass a quarterback throws in a professional football game, he has probably thrown thousands in practice from the time he was a child. The Christians who will do great exploits are those who have devoted themselves to being ready. Worldly Team vs. God's Team I have occasionally spoken to NFL teams in their chapel services. One team asked me to eat the pre-game meal with them. As I sat with some of the best players in the game, I asked some of them how they had risen to the pinnacle of their sport. Each one described having a dream of playing professional football from the time they were very young. Through their teenage years, they spent hours a day practicing. While their friends spent their time in various pursuits of entertainment, they worked at developing their skills, and building up their bodies for endurance and strength--hard work. Most had started to focus on a single position they wanted to play while a young teen, and had not deviated. There are millions of kids who dream of playing professional football, but not many have the discipline, focus, and resolve to actually get there. Anyone who plays any sport at the professional level has accomplished something truly remarkable. However, just as Paul the Apostle pointed out, these do so for "a perishable wreath" (see I Corinthians 9:25), just a few moments of fleeting glory, but we are running the race for eternal rewards! What would happen if Christians began pursuing their purposes, their place on God's team, their place in His body, with the kind of discipline, focus, and resolve that athletes do for their team? If a sports team reaches its goal of winning it all, their reward may be an occasional rerun of the game on ESPN, but ours is an eternal reward--a wreath that will never perish! True faith is recognizing who the Lord is. Those who recognize Him, serve Him accordingly. His team is far more glorious, fulfilling, and wonderful than any human team. To acquire any position on His team is the highest purpose that one can have in this life. When His people wake up to this reality, and begin to order and focus their lives accordingly, even two from this team will be able to again turn the world upside down, and shake the mightiest empires of man. That is precisely what we are soon to witness--God's people waking up to their high calling in Christ and giving themselves to their calling in Him with the resolve and focus that it deserves. Rick Joyner MorningStar Ministries www.morningstarministries.org

Posted in Prophetic Notes

May 28, 2006

Robert Ricciardelli: "Our Identity As Sons"

Much of the body of Christ is caught up in an identity crisis. A worldview of God, absent of the full revelation of who we are. Without the full revelation of who we are, we live our lives as spiritual orphans, rather then manifesting the presence of God in our lives. Do we see God as a loving and just Father, or do we see Him as only a master of an earthly orphanage, ready to crack the whip when we mess up? A loving and just Father will discipline us, because of His love and tremendous plans for us. A true son knows that they are dependent on the Lord, and goes throughout the day acknowledging need and direction from their Heavenly Father. Those that have an orphaned mentality, rely on their own ways and only seem to turn to Him when condemnation overwhelms them.

Living By the Love of Law

Living by loving the law as a foundation of theology, produces orphans. By following the rules, they strive for praise, approval, and the acceptance of man, which breeds insecurity and lack of peace. An orphan will have a selfish desire for personal achievement as they seek to impress God and others. Many times they will have no motivation at all to live a life of service in His Kingdom.

Orphans feel that they must be holy in order to earn God's love and acceptance, which mostly produces feelings of shame and guilt. Their self-image is in their own value, and perceived comparisons with others. This is the foundation that the enemy uses to birth false comforts. They will often find comfort in addictions, counterfeit affections, compulsions, escapism, business, and the tremendously popular "hyper-religious activities".

Living By the Law of Love

A son will live a word-principled life, while loving God and loving those around them. They find great joy and peace in the approval of their Heavenly Father. They are secure in God's love and justified by grace. Sons will live a life of service, that is motivated by a deep love and gratitude for being unconditionally loved and accepted by their Heavenly Father. They desire to be holy and do not want anything to hinder their intimate relationship with God.

A son feels loved and affirmed, because they know they are of tremendous value to their Father. Not because of what they do, but because of who they are in Him. Their desire for obedience in a word-principled lifestyle, is out of pleasure and delight in their Savior, rather then a sense of duty or trying to earn God's favor.

A son finds comfort in knowing the Father--being known and loved by Him and resting in His presence and love. They will seek out intimate moments and a time of divine downloads from the Father, so that all activity is God-ordained and all steps are ordered by Him.

Peer Relationships

As a son, you learn to value others, even those who think differently then you or follow a different stream.

Mark 9:38-40: "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in Your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us." "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in My name can in the next moment say anything bad about Me, for whoever is not against us is for us."

The body of Christ has had more competition than unity, especially in the western culture. We have made rivalries, or as leaders, we have been jealous of another leader's success. In our worldview, we see others who may think differently then we do as opposition. We may even find Scriptural references and spend a tremendous amount of energy to accuse and bring down the very people the Lord told us were our brothers. If Jesus is exalted as King, and the ministry of reconciliation through the blood of Jesus Christ is their doctrine, then they are with us and NOT THE ENEMY. We can go on and find faults or we can proceed as sons and find unity, working together in winning our cities.

We must embrace humility and unity, as well as submitting ourselves to one another in the bond of peace. As we learn to value one another, we can then rejoice together in our blessings and successes in life and ministry. If someone has lost their way, we are to pray for and restore them in the spirit of love and gentleness. Some will not want to receive admonition in love, so we continue to pray and be about the Father's business.

Godly Authority

The Lord has put natural and spiritual parents in our lives for nurturing, equipping, and walking beside us as we follow after Jesus. A son will see these people that are placed in relationship with us, as ministers of God, for the good in our lives. We will embrace them, and their Godly admonition, as a need in our lives. In relationships, they will also learn from us as we submit ourselves one-to-another, and fix our eyes towards Him.

We all must be willing to lay down our lives for one another. We must be open, patient, and affectionate as we lay our lives and agendas down to meet the needs of others. We must help others with the vision and purposes the Lord has planned, and in return, we will see our plans and purposes unfold. We must trust the Lord for the work in others lives, and create freedom for them as they walk out their Spirit-led assignments.

We can all agree that ungodly authority can create pain and distrust. We are to remember to please God and not man, as many times He will call us to go through some relational injustice to test and strengthen us. We must not run from offenses, but ask the Lord if we should go, or what He desires for us as we go through it. Orphans will have a skewed view of Godly leadership regardless; maybe because of past pain. They will have a tough time receiving Godly counsel. It is hard for orphans to admit their faults, so their spirit is closed to Godly correction and discipline. They will often run from adversity and look for comfort.

Orphaned hearts will be guarded and conditional, based on someone else's performance. Instead of being open and understanding that even leaders will fail, they continue to be disappointed as their needs continue to be left unmet. This continues to cycle in their lives until healing, wholeness, and Sonship take place. They will go from church to church, looking for the leader that will either tell them what they want to hear or find fellowships where relational accountability is void.

My Prayer for God's People

I pray that His people will continue to grow into Sonship where God's love is close and intimate, rather than continue in bondage as slaves engaged in religious activities. I pray for all, to experience daily, the Father's unconditional love and acceptance. May the foundation of His love rest upon us as we engage with others in bringing His relevant Kingdom upon the earth.

Robert Ricciardelli
Visionary Advancement Strategies
www.vision2advance.com
Robert@vision2advance.com

Posted in Prophetic Notes

April 20, 2006

Chuck Pierce:
"From Passover To Pentecost--Staking Your Claim For The Future And Opening Supply Lines"

Dear Friends and Devoted Warriors:

Remember, we are still in the process of coming full circle. We are also still in a war season. So do not slack up, but be vigilant and keep boldly going into the Throne Room.

Last year was our “hurricane year” when God was blowing down from Heaven and stirring up the waters of revival. This year is the year of Heaven and earth connecting, and staking our claim in the midst of the whirlwind. That is why we must pay attention to all the tornados that are happening in the Midwest. When you see a state filled with tornados, know that is a revival center God is looking at. This prayer focus will help us move from Passover to Pentecost.

The purpose of this prayer focus is to bring us from a place of “leaving the old season by crossing over and staking claim to our future.” This prayer focus will also confront us with the necessity of unlocking and realigning our emotions, so the function of our “expectation” is restored and receptive from Holy Spirit. This will cause our vision to be redefined and established. “Without a vision (prophetic revelation and utterance) a people perish”.

This prayer focus will take us into the Feast of Weeks, or as Christians know and remember, Pentecost. One key aspect of understanding the shift from the Church season to Kingdom expression is the need to unlock the supply lines for our future. This will entail warring to break the conformity of our thinking processes, and it will entail developing a harvest mentality. This will also include understanding the dynamic of warring with structures that would stop the transference of wealth. I decree that after doing this prayer focus your “end will be greater than your beginning”. The Prayer Focus is in five 10-day segments that include:

• 10 Days of Crossing Over to Press into Your Promise
   

• 10 Days of Decreeing Your Land or Boundaries will Rejoice
   

• 10 Days of Developing an Expectation for the Future
   

• 10 Days of Restoring, Redefining and Establishing Vision
   

• 10 Days of Warring for Increase and the Transference of Wealth

The Elijah List will be sending emails to cover each of these 10-day segments as they occur. 

Why This Timing? Why The Feasts?

The Word of God revolves around the Feasts. They were holy assemblies for holy rehearsals. The remembrance of these physical events causes us to understand the spiritual significance of what came and what is to come! The Feasts forecasted His sacrifice for us. Also, they foretell the full redemption of His people and the alignment of all nations, which are His inheritance. When we participate in the waving of the First Fruits at Passover time and then receive the anointing to gather and increase at Pentecost (Feast of Weeks), our faith is displayed and our confidence rises for our provision to be released.

Today, there is a futility in legalistically participating in the Feasts. We cannot legalistically keep the Feasts, but we can honor the Father by remembering Him and receiving from Him at these appointed times (Galatians 3:10). No longer do we have to seek an ultimate Sacrifice--He was given on the Cross. This broke satan’s headship over us personally, as well as mankind corporately. However, we must “enter in” to the fullness of this plan. By participating and remembering the Feast times NOW, they cease to be shadows of things to come. They actually cause us to see our future path to our promise.

May you eat the Word below, and journey closer to His plan of Fullness for your life. Psalm 34 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

10 Days of Crossing Over to Press Into Your Promise

Day 1: Read Genesis 11-13; Luke 14:25-33. All Biblical understanding revolves around covenant. Notice in these passages, Abram came out of one societal structure and began his journey of faith. He then left his halfway mark and family ties to receive God’s Promise. Notice also how he received prophecy from the Lord along the way. Retrace your journey. Make sure you have not stopped halfway to your “there.” This is a year to be positioned properly.

Day 2: Read Genesis 14-17; John 2:23,24. Abram becomes Abraham. The more we come into agreement with the Lord’s plan and follow Him, the more we reflect His identity for us. Notice in Genesis 14:13 that Abram is referred to as the Hebrew, “the one who crosses over.” Because we are grafted into the Abrahamic covenant, we are a people who are constantly crossing over. When Abram went to war and gave to Melchizedek, God made covenant with him. He moved from promise and prophecy into covenant alignment. Be sure you keep going! Confess the sin of any time you have resisted moving forward.

Day 3: Read Exodus 2:23-25 and Exodus 3. Cry out for your future, and watch the Lord acknowledge your cry. He will then start your deliverance process which includes plundering the enemy’s camp. Ask Him to deliver you from any oppression or hard labor that the enemy has unjustly put upon you.

Day 4: Read Exodus 6 and Exodus 12-14. Find your place in the army. The Lord brought them out by armies. Decree that anything that has blocked your way will be removed. Do a faith exercise: extend your hand and decree that your way will open up.

Day 5: Read Exodus 15-16, Matthew 14:13-21, and Revelation 15. Rejoice and sing the song of the Lord. Thank the Lord for your deliverance. Meditate on the song of Moses. The suffering covenant people sang this at their time of deliverance; we as Christians will sing it again. Thank Him for all the provision that you are receiving. Even if it is “wilderness” provision, thank Him! Let Him take what you have and break it open and multiply it.

Day 6: Read Exodus 20 & 23, Matthew 17:5 and 28:20. These are key chapters in understanding justice. Ask the Lord to give you revelation of Feast times. This will cause you to understand God’s timing for your life, as well as unlocking supply. Ask Him to make you aware of angelic visitation and leading. Confess as sin those times when you were resistant to being led properly. Ask Him about a First Fruit offering for the Feast of Pentecost. Much promise will be unlocked to you in these chapters.

Day 7: Read Joshua 3-5. These are chapters on preparation, and how to follow (the ark and the priests) into your future. Let me suggest a day of fasting. Focus on your place of crossing over for this season. Also, ask the Lord about those who you have relationship with that are helping you move forward. Let the Lord revive your life by re-circumcising your heart. So many of us hang onto last season’s provision. Declare that new provision will begin. The manna ceased, and they had to learn to use the provision in their Promised Land. This allowed them to reinstate the Feast of Passover to get them back on track. They were unable to do Passover for 40 years since all they had was manna and quail. God changes our provision many times to get us back in synch with His full plan. Get ready to face that thing that has always seemed invincible to you.

Day 8: Read Matthew 14:22-36, John 6, and Exodus 33. Be willing to cross over into the place the Lord is calling you. You might want to pull aside into a quiet place to really seek Father. Declare that you will not move forward without sensing His presence.

Day 9: Read Acts 12 and Esther 9. Memorize Philippians 2:27. Ask the Lord to do a new thing in your prayer life. The beheading of James was during Passover. Ask the Lord to hide you from the religious world. Many times our past failures propel us into a whole new fervency of prayer. Pray and ask God for angelic help to come down, so you can move into the next season. Make a declaration that every decree that is set against you will be exposed and overturned, and that you will advance.

Day 10: Read Ephesians 1-4. Recognize your condition as well as your position. Thank Him for the change that Holy Spirit has brought you. Thank Him for His love that has gotten you through so many situations. Thank Him that we are maturing into the fullness of His plan. Look at the government of the Church. Jesus ascended to Heaven to take His throne next to Father. He gives us access. Ask the Lord to be sure your gift is aligned corporately.

I would like for you to build in a day of reflection and meditation in each 10 day prayer focus to write your observations.

Blessings,

Chuck D. Pierce
Glory of Zion International Ministries
www.glory-of-zion.org

Posted in Prophetic Notes

April 17, 2006

Paul Keith Davis: "The Coming Anointing For Leadership"
 

The Prophet Samuel is a perfect "type" of the apostolic leadership that will be emerging in this generation. The Lord spoke this truth exceedingly clearly in a prophetic experience several years ago. We are now poised to see this as a reality in this fresh new day of God's plan.

Samuel functioned in Israel as a priest, a prophet, and a judge. He was a man of noble character who also carried the clear manifestation of God's Spirit. His ministry was marked by prophetic accuracy and intimate fellowship with the Lord. The Psalmist spoke of Samuel and this anointing saying,

Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called upon the LORD and He answered them. He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept His testimonies and the statute that He gave them (Psalms 99:6-7)

By understanding Samuel's role in Israel's leadership, we can also glean considerable insight into present day apostolic leadership that is being prepared. Of course, this is a process that will take many years for full maturity to be realized. However, we can expect to see the early stages of this leadership during the course of these days. The Lord's people are being groomed to encounter Him in the cloud of His Presence and hear insight and strategy for this pivotal season.

Inspired Priests

The term "inspired priests" is a reference to teachers who receive their understanding of the Word through divine revelation. The Apostle Paul stated that his revelation of the Word came, not by the teaching of man nor by reading a book, but by a divine revelation of Jesus Christ.

The inspired teachers will promote a message of sanctification within the church. This will present consecrated believers as a suitable dwelling place for God's Spirit. It will enable them to become partakers of His divine nature and His Holy character. (See Ezekiel 44:15-16 & 23-24)

It will now become essential for the end-time leadership to be partakers of His divine nature. With this reality, we then bear the fruit of the Spirit as a prerequisite for the release and impartation of the power gifts and of God's highest callings necessary for end-time ministry.

Another predominant function of the inspired teachers will be to Biblically communicate the Lord's requirements for the end-time church. Through their revelation of the Word by the Spirit of Truth, they will teach the church the necessary steps of preparation and consecration in order to be viable participants in the glorious ministry yet to come.

The Prophets

Another essential ingredient in this end-time ministry will be the role of the prophets. The primary purpose of the prophets will be to reveal the 12 primary redemptive natures of God. These attributes were expressed through Jehovah of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New Testament. All of the redemptive natures of Jehovah were found in the person of Jesus Christ who is our ultimate example.

Even as Revelation 22:2 expresses, the 12 manner of fruits bearing in their proper seasons, so shall the Holy Spirit reveal to the church the 12 primary redemptive natures of Christ and their proper Biblical applications.

King/Judge Anointing

It is important to discern that during the first century church all apostles were also prophets. This is a Biblical truth that can be proven throughout all the generations of the church. Therefore, the individuals functioning with the "king/judge" anointing will also bear the spirit of wisdom and revelation, bringing understanding concerning the seven Spirits of God and their importance to the overcoming church now being prepared.

God's manifold wisdom will be expressed through these anointed vessels as they lay the foundation for the end-time church. Ephesians 2:20 declares, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.

Of course, there is no other foundation laid other than Christ Jesus. Therefore, the apostles and prophets will be an expression of the Holy Spirit's work through individuals who embody the merger of the Word and Spirit that produces the life of Christ; that is the foundation for His Temple to be reestablished in the earth.

As the church matures and moves toward perfection, we will then begin to see the priesthood in the order of Melchizedek emerging. He was the king of Salem and priest of the Most High God. Of course we know from Scripture that Melchizedek was none other than God revealing Himself to Abraham veiled in human flesh.

Evidence of the Coming Spiritual Government

The surest evidence of God's true leadership will be the clear presence of the fruit of the Spirit. God's righteousness will begin to reflect the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. The evidence of His character in us is ultimately pleasing to the Lord.

Even more important than revealing the Spirit's power gifts is the revelation of the fruit of the Spirit through a consecrated life of righteousness. This is only achieved by the Holy Spirit abiding in us, and by believers becoming partakers of the divine nature that reveals the Spirit of Holiness.

These men and women will be known by their fruit, and their purpose will be to manifest God's redemptive attributes in the earth. Their anointing will come from Isaiah 11:2, the sevenfold Spirit of God.

Their Identification--the manifestation of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24)

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self-Control

Their Anointing--the Seven Spirits of God (Isaiah 11:2)

1. Spirit of the Lord
2. Spirit of Wisdom
3. Spirit of Understanding
4. Spirit of Counsel
5. Spirit of Might
6. Spirit of Knowledge
7. Spirit of Reverential Fear of the Lord

Their Purpose--to reveal the twelve names illustrating the divine character of God and His primary redemptive attributes manifested in the Person of Jesus.

1. Lord Our Shepherd
2. Lord Our Provider
3. Lord Our Righteousness
4. Lord Our Peace
5. Lord Our Healer
6. Lord Our Banner
7. Lord Who Sanctifies
8. Lord Of Hosts
9. Lord Most High
10. Lord Who Smites
11. Lord of Recompense
12. Lord is Present
 

by Paul Keith Davis
White Dove Ministries
www.whitedoveministries.org

Posted in Prophetic Notes

April 14, 2006

 Compiled By James Goll:
"The Celebration of Passover"
 

How The Passover Reveals Messiah

The Passover Holiday began last Wednesday evening, April 12, 2006.

Passover Symbolism

Much of the symbolism of Jesus' last Passover week is lost to us because we are unaware of the customs of the time. Two examples of many symbols: Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem five days before the lamb was killed in the temple as the Passover sacrifice for the sins of the people of Israel.

Five days before the lamb was to be sacrificed, it was chosen. Therefore, Jesus entered Jerusalem on lamb selection day as the lamb of God. The people did not understand the significance of this, since they greeted Him with palm branches and hailed Him as King, shouting "Hosanna," which means "save us." However, they were not looking for a spiritual Savior, but a political savior. Palm branches were a symbol of freedom and defiance, since Simon Maccabeus had entered Jerusalem with that symbolism.

Jesus' reaction was to weep, since He realized that they did not understand the Messiah's purpose in coming.

Passover Sacrifice

"Good Friday" (so named by the early church) was the day of the Passover celebration and the day that the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed. For the previous 1,200 years, the priest would blow the shofar (ram's horn) at 3 p.m.--the moment the lamb was sacrificed, and all the people would pause to contemplate the sacrifice for sins on behalf of the people of Israel.

On Good Friday at 3 p.m., when Jesus was being crucified, He said, "It is finished"--at the moment that the Passover lamb was sacrificed and the shofar was blown from the Temple. The sacrifice of the lamb of God was fulfilled at the hour that the symbolic animal sacrifice usually took place.

At the same time, the veil of the Temple (a three-inch thick, several stories high cloth that demarked the Holy of Holies) tore from top to bottom--representing a removal of the separation between God and man. Fifty days later, on the anniversary of the giving of the law (Pentecost), God left the earthly temple to inhabit those who call on the name of Jesus through His Holy Spirit.

(Excerpted from www.godandscience.org and IFA Newsletter)


Passover: A Fitting Time To Intercede For Israel

When Passover is celebrated next Wednesday evening with the traditional seder meal, during which the Haggadah, the re-telling of the story of the exodus from Egypt, is read, this would be an especially good time to intercede for Israel's salvation.

Israel's Salvation

Abba, open up Israel's eyes and let them see that salvation came in Egypt through the blood of the lamb. In fact, Lord, help them to see that the Passover is actually the lamb itself.

"And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it (the lamb) is LORD'S Passover.... Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover.... It is the sacrifice of LORD'S Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses..." (Exodus 12:11, 21, 27b)

Yeshua, save unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jews. Be gracious and convict Israel of her sin and her need for You. Pour out Your Spirit on these seders as per Your promise to do to all Israel (Zechariah 12:10). Watch over those parts of Your Word found in the Haggadah, especially in the Hallel Psalms 113-  118. May statements like these from those Psalms come to life on Passover night and open up Jewish hearts to Messiah Yeshua.

(Excerpted from Intercessors for Israel, Prayer Points 7th April 2006, www.ifij.org)


Aliyah--Jewish Immigration To Israel

Jeremiah 31:7, the prayer for Israel's salvation, leads to 8 and 9, God's answer of bringing the Jews home. At the seder, "Next year in Jerusalem" is proclaimed. Lord, make it a reality when Jewish people in exile say it, O God. "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy." (Psalms 137:5-6)

Especially Messianic Jews--please convict them of their prophetic duty to consider before Your throne the necessity to come home. (Isaiah 51:11) Open the eyes of the Jews in exile to see the hunters (Jeremiah 16:16), the rising of anti-Semitism, and to respond by returning to the land of Israel.

Thank You Abba, that You said, You would gather them. This is a work of grace from beginning to end, and we trust You to do it. "For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land." (Ezekiel 36:24); "Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:" (Ezekiel 37:21)

Fulfill your every Word, Oh Lord. Bring Your covenant people home and reveal to them the glorious Messiah. Open the eyes of the church so that we might know the fullness of the days in which we live and carry the Jewish People on our shoulders! In the Messiah's name we pray. Amen!

Passover: Crossing Over Into Your Future

A crossing over time has three phases linked with transition: Death, Confusion, and New. The Hebrew word abar means "to cross over" or "pass over." This word illustrates a motion. It also refers to crossing a stream or barrier ("pass through," Numbers 21:22), invading a country ("passed over," Judges 11:32), crossing a boundary against a hostile army ("go over," 1 Samuel 14:4), marching over ("go over," Isaiah 51:23), overflowing the banks of a river or other natural barriers ("pass through," Isaiah 23:10), passing a razor over one's head ("come upon," Numbers 6:5), and the passing of time ("went over," 1 Chronicles 29:30).

As a verb, the word is used in relationship to transgression or sin, such as transgressing a covenant or commandment. One "passes beyond" the limits set by God's law and falls into transgression and guilt. This meaning appears in Numbers 14:41: "And Moses said, wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? But it shall not prosper." We want to die to anything in the past season that would hinder us in the season ahead. We want to be sure the power of any besetting sin is broken. Go to the CROSS. Resurrection and new life are on the other side.

Passover is a key time for the Church to understand for us to enter into our full redemptive purpose. The Church had continued to celebrate this Feast for over 300 years after the Lord's crucifixion, but then Constantine forbade its celebration in the 4th century. The world and the enemy hates the blood.

God had heard the cry of the Israelites due to the hard labor they were under and remembered and acknowledged His covenant with them. He found a Deliverer, Moses, who would inform Israel that God had come to fulfill His promise to take them to their promised land, Canaan.

Moses, the Deliverer, also had the marching order from God to go to Pharaoh and command him to allow Israel to journey into the desert and worship Him. Israel responded to these changes with great enthusiasm (see Exodus 4:29-31: "and the people believed and heard that God had come to redeem His people...") and joy, but this initial enthusiasm quickly turned into bitter disappointment when Moses' first encounter with Pharaoh resulted in a 'double workload' (see Exodus 5:18-21) rather than redemption. Sometimes things get worse before breakthrough comes. (see Exodus 6:1-9)

The people immediately accused Moses of only aggravating their condition. Be careful not to place unnecessary blame on those who are trying to help you break free. "And they did not listen to Moses, due to their crushed spirits and hard work." (Exodus 6:9) It was just as difficult for Moses to convince the Israelites of God's word as it was to convince Pharaoh. He was assigned to not only inform the people but also to educate them on what it meant to come out and cross over and be redeemed. Therefore, they had to prepare themselves for their redemption. That is what Passover is about.

God had called Israel to repent prior to the Exodus, and to cleanse themselves from idolatry of their Egyptian culture in preparation for their redemption. Joshua did the same thing before "crossing the people over the Jordan" (Joshua 3). We must accept that the Lord has a time of preparation that He takes us through before releasing us into the next dimension of our promise. Celebrating Passover always points us toward our final redemption. This is a season where the Lord wants our end to be greater than our beginning. This Passover is so very important.

(Excerpted from "Passover: Crossing Over into Your Future" by Chuck Pierce)

Blessings!

James Goll
www.jamesgoll.com

Posted in Prophetic Notes

April 9, 2006

Reuven and Mary Lou Doron:
"Passover--Genuine Deliverance or Meager Relief?"
 

"For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (I Corinthians 5:7, 8)

Passover is all about Jesus' sacrifice and our deliverance. Consequently, the Word of God admonishes us to celebrate this reality with a genuine and a sincere heart of reverence and worship, taking in the full measure of grace and truth that the Feast points to.

God believes in refreshing our salvation experience. He knows that the world, the flesh, and the devil continuously war against the new creation in us and will wear us down unless we actively remember and practice the truth. The Biblical Feasts are our reminders.

In just a few weeks, on April 12th, the entire Jewish world, as well as many Christians who worship the Lord with the Biblical Feasts, will be immersed in the celebration of Passover. On this special evening, millions of souls from the four corners of the earth will engage in elaborate ceremonies, proclaiming Scriptures, singing, dining, and teaching God's Word, all focused on the saga of Israel's great exodus from Egypt.

Remembering Our Journey

God commanded Israel, saying, "Observe the month of Abib (Aviv – spring) and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God.... You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd...seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction...so that you may remember all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt...you and your son and your daughter and your male and female servants and the Levite...and the stranger and the orphan and the widow who are in your midst...You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt...." (Deuteronomy 16)

The Passover Feast is intended to inspire Israel to remember where they came from and who their deliverer is. Against the dark background of the oppression, hardships, futility and the desperation of slavery, God's work of deliverance shines brightly and dispenses fresh hope and assurance from one generation to the next. Passover tells us that God knows our fallen state, that He hears our cries, and that He will come to deliver us.

When things go from bad to worse and when all hope is gone, Passover points to our Savior, our beacon of hope and anchor of faith. It is the testimony of His rescue mission; leading a people who are storm-tossed, helpless and lost to safe harbor. Don't you need a Passover reminder every so often? God knows we all do.

Feast of Freedom--Freedom for What?

The key message of Passover was, and still is, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me." (Exodus 8:1)  In other words, it was for the purpose of service and worship that Israel had to be set free from Egypt's oppression. Freedom, in this respect, is not an end unto itself, but a means to a Godly life of service and fruitfulness.

In fact, a careful study of the unfolding of the pre-exodus events in Egypt reveals that the Passover miracle was offered to a people who barely wanted it. Oh yes, the children of Israel cried to the Lord for help in their affliction, but their concept of help was not what God had in mind. All they wanted was RELIEF, but God was offering them DELIVERANCE.

Many of God's children are in the same boat today. We beg God for help in our CIRCUMSTANCES, but resist His deep work of deliverance in our HEARTS. The message of freedom may be popular and politically correct in western culture, but very seldom do the advocates of "freedom" ever lead the "freed" into a life of substance and meaning. Often the newly acquired freedom, be it political, economic, or spiritual, merely opens the door for those freshly liberated to walk into the next trap.

The fact is that freedom for the sake of freedom is useless. Freedom is but a license to become; the rest is choice! Whatever a person or a nation may become, once freed from oppression or deception, is entirely subject to their choices. The nations that the U.S. has liberated in recent years are in that balance today. As is obvious to any honest observer, freedom alone, without taking on the yoke of God, does not solve ones' problems. In fact, the Lord warned us sternly that a freed soul which is not filled with God's substance will eventually end up seven times worse than in its original state. (Matthew 12:43-45)

What Is True Deliverance?

As was Israel in Egypt, so are many of us today. We wallow in oppression in the enemy's grip. We cry out for relief. God sends deliverance to not only break our yoke, but also our propensities to become enslaved again--we fuss and complain for fear of change and loss of the familiar--God "turns up the heat" to help us make up our minds--and finally, we are delivered almost in spite of ourselves! Some of you are in this very fix right now, "negotiating" with God over how delivered you really want to be. Pray that when you entreat God for RELIEF, you will also be made willing to ACCEPT His DELIVERANCE. That is what the Passover lesson is all about.

True deliverance, as the Feast of Passover teaches, does not come without conflict and drastic changes. The newly acquired liberty always calls for responsibility, faith, and accountability to a holy God. In Israel's case, deliverance from slavery involved an initial deterioration of their conditions and extreme changes in lifestyle, location, and priorities. The nation was evacuated overnight from its
400-year roots in the fertile land of Goshen and was thrust into an extended wilderness trek. Even more, true deliverance will ultimately lead the liberated soul into purposeful and intense warfare in order to clear the Promised Land and take possession of God's promises, as was the case with Israel in Canaan.

Applying these principles to our lives, one can better understand why the Apostle charged us to, "...celebrate the feast...with...sincerity and truth." He said so, knowing that our instinctive carnal tendency will always follow the "path of least resistance" and keep us content with temporary relief rather than experiencing genuine deliverance and transformation. Is your Passover experience one of lasting deliverance or merely temporary relief?

Jesus--The Lamb of God

The historic Passover, though nearly 3,500 years old, is rich with relevant substance for us who live today in the reality of Christ's work of salvation. The ten plagues, which brought down Egypt's gods, speak of the spiritual warfare that is constantly raging in the Heavens on our behalf. Pharaoh's calculated hardness of heart still served God's purposes in magnifying the power of the Lord and drawing His often-reluctant people to His "exit strategy." The bitter herbs; the roasted meat; the blood of a perfect lamb; the unleavened bread; the terrible night of watching the angel of death passing over the Hebrew homes; the morning exodus carrying Egypt's treasures; and the enemy's last ambush by the Red Sea, all tell of God's great work of salvation and the enemy's fierce obsession to keep us captive, and all of these things point to Jesus.

Not only is the Passover a defining feature in Israel's faith and identity, it was also at the core of the Lord's own calling and mission when He came to earth to save us. Of all of the Lord's majestic names and titles, He was prophetically recognized and celebrated as the Lamb of God when He first emerged from his hidden Galilean life and stepped onto center stage in Judea. Baptizing Israel at the Jordan while preparing the way of the Lord, John saw Jesus descending to the riverbank and proclaimed, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ...I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God." (John 1:29-34) Though slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), the Son of God had to step through the portal of space and time to shed God's blood on our behalf at Jerusalem. His sacrificial death was determined from all eternity and had to take place on the Feast of Passover in order to fulfill all prophecy and righteousness.

Jesus identified Himself as the Lamb of God not only at His initial public appearing at the Jordan, but also at the closing of His earthly mission. It was during the Passover meal at the upper room in Jerusalem that He lifted up the cup, broke the bread, and declared the New Covenant that was soon to be confirmed between Heaven and earth in His own person, and at His own expense (see Luke 22:15-16). It is the blood of God's own Passover Lamb that delivers His people from the ultimate Egypt; our slavery to sin and to the curse of death.

That Lamb has not disappeared following His death and resurrection. He is in Heaven, and His blood is still fresh upon the altar which is made without hands. Caught up in the Spirit, John described what he saw, saying, "… every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea… I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, {be} blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.'" (Revelation 5:13) Not only was the Lamb of God in the heart of Heaven's worship at the time of that vision, but John prophesies that He will be there forever.

Seeing the holy city in eternity, John said, "And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband...Her brilliance was like a very costly stone...I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp {is} the Lamb..." (Revelation 21)

For all eternity, the Lamb of God shall live to make intercession and shall remain Heaven's centerpiece. For all eternity, His sacrificial work will continue to uphold and secure God's new creation. Passover, the Feast of sacrifice, deliverance, and freedom is our everlasting celebration.

Worship the Lamb

This is the season to celebrate Jesus our Savior and worship Him, God's perfect Lamb. He, who brought Israel out of Egypt and sustained her during 4,000 turbulent years, is well able to save and deliver you as well, according to His word of promise.

Passover is meant to help you remember! Remember God; remember His love and faithfulness; remember the Lord's sacrificial death at Calvary; remember His power and intervention in your life yesterday; and remember to trust Him for tomorrow. Whether you celebrate the Feast or not, be sure to trust and worship the Lord as your own Passover Lamb. He, who was slain on that critical evening, paid the price for our sin, brought us out of bondage--is leading us now to the Promised Land. Egypt is behind you, and the Kingdom is within sight. This is not the time to give up!

Blessed Passover season to you,

Reuven and Mary Lou Doron
One New Man Call
P.O. Box 164
Hayfield, MN 55940 USA
Email: OneNewManMail@aol.com 

Posted in Prophetic Notes

Francis Frangipane:
"Measure Those Who Worship"

"Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, 'Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations . . . '" (Revelation 11:1-2).

At the end of the age there will be two types of Christians: those who worship in the inner court and those outside the place of intimacy who are, to some degree, subject to the influence of "the nations." For whatever this verse ultimately means, it tells us now that the Spirit of God is measuring worshipers--those individuals whose treasure is in heaven, who abide in the inner court of God's temple. Beloved, those who worship God dwell in a measured and protected place.

Consider: In our world of terrors, pressures and trauma, our only place of safety exists in the living presence of God. We must not accept a religion about God instead of the presence of God. If we would truly dwell in the divine Presence, one thing perhaps above all others will take us there: we must become true worshipers of God.

True Worship

Jesus taught that "true worshipers" are those who worship "the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:23). In other words, their worship of God flows from their heart unhindered by difficult outward conditions. "Spirit and truth" worship is genuine worship. Indeed, right now on planet earth, the Father is seeking such people "to be His worshipers" (John 4:23-24).

Consider well, the priority of God. He isn't seeking for us to be miracle workers or great apostles and prophets. He desires more from us than the cultivation of good leadership skills or administrative strengths. What does He seek? He desires that, in spirit and truth, we become His worshipers.

Genuine Worship Causes Us To Become Genuine Christians

If we focus on making our worship true, our Bible study, prayer, and extended service to God (whatever that may be) will also be true. Indeed, a worshiping heart floods all other spiritual disciplines with legitimacy and substance. If we bow in worship before studying God's word, His word will plunge deep into our soul; our fruit will be sweeter and more enduring. If, before we open our mouths in prayer, we honor God in worship, our intercession will ascend toward heaven on wings of unfeigned trust and expectant faith.

Worship rescues our spiritual efforts from routine, religiosity, and pride and guilt--it takes our minds completely off ourselves and burrows us into the overwhelming life of God.

We have all heard teachings that God desires to have a relationship with us, and it is true. Yet, the implication is that His relationship with us is perfectly accommodating, nearly casual in its nature, and mostly defined by our terms. Yes, God desires that our union with Him be full and wonderful. Yet, His descent into our lives, His commitment to redeem and restore us has one ultimate purpose: that we can ascend into a relationship defined by His terms.

The Reality of His Presence Transforms Us Into Worshipers

The consequence of possessing such a relationship with God is that the reality of His presence transforms us into worshipers. Indeed, worship is the evidence of a transformed life. Worship may be expressed with tears of joy or silent awe; it may create an abiding gratitude toward God or inspire songs in the night. However the expression, the worship the Father seeks is absolutely meaningful. It turns our complete being toward God in love.

If, however, the idea of "worship" seems to be a strange thing; if it feels mechanical or the words expressed seem hollow (and not hallowed), it is because the soul of the individual has not first been transformed. The closer we draw to God, the more we are transformed; the greater our transformation, and the more completely we respond in worship. You see, true worship deepens and matures as we walk on with God and His glory unfolds before us.

Recall the aged apostle John's testimony. He was in his nineties when he wrote: "We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us" (1 John 4:16). Listen to that first phrase: "we have come to know." When we first come to God, by necessity, we must come as we are with sin and shame. Yes, we seek to repent of our obvious sins, but the work of God is destined to go much deeper. As young Christians, we still carry attitudes of pride, ambition and fear, as well as many other sins that cause us to misrepresent the actual nature of God to others. Though we are sinful, God does not abandon us. Instead His work continues. His illuminating fire enters the darkened caverns of our hearts. Here, in this furnace of divine refinement, stripped of our pretenses and pride, spiritually naked without a rag of self-righteousness in which to clothe ourselves--in this stark reality--we come to know God's unconditional love and acceptance.

The Character of My Life Is Measured By My Worship At His Altar

If you have true worship for God it is because you have, indeed, been loved by Him. "We love, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). What once sounded like an impossible command--"YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND"--is transformed from a Law into a promise full of hope, an anticipation that He will transform all that we are and, in the process, create the praise of our lips. It is as though He says, "You shall love Me with all your heart for that is exactly how I love you, with all My heart."

Our worship is the result of His drawing near to us; it is the effect He has upon the redeemed. Yet, it is also a choice we make. I choose worship as a way to demonstrate my trust in God when my circumstances appear hostile. I choose worship as my means of burrowing into the heart of God when all around me is in turmoil. And as I'm lifted into His presence, I am also aware that the character of my life is being measured, and it's being measured by my worship at His altar.

Francis Frangipane
Francis Frangipane Ministries
www.frangipane.org

Posted in Prophetic Notes

March 31, 2006

Bill Yount: "Mapquest Cannot Take Us To Where God Is Calling...It Is Not On The Map"

"Did you know that Abraham did not use Mapquest.com?... HE WENT OUT 'NOT KNOWING' WHERE HE WAS GOING!" (Hebrews 11:8)

Hebrews 11:8 "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should afterward receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing where he was going!"

Abraham probably had the greatest faith testimony of all. He had the favor and blessings of God overtaking him in barren places with his seed destined to inherit the earth. Abraham ends up inheriting that city whose builder and maker is God! Can you imagine when he finally got to where God wanted him to be, he can't wait to tell everyone how it all happened and how he got there?! He opens his mouth and all of a sudden he is almost lost for words. He cannot quite believe himself how he arrived at his DESTINATION! Would anyone else believe him? His secret would unlock eternal blessings in every life after him. As he opened his mouth, I believe he was surprised and sort of felt foolish of what came up out of his spirit man..."I went out not knowing where I was going! That is how I got here!"

If You Honestly Don't Know Where You Are Going Today, You Are Probably In The Center Of God's Will For Your Life!

Recently, on a ministry trip, I used mapquest.com and got my map and directions. It was so easy and convenient--until I got lost! I got to a certain location on the map, and in reality I could not find the road signs that were on this map! I stopped to ask for directions (only after my wife begged me). When I asked about my destination, everyone looked at me like I was from another planet! They had never heard of it!

I would set my mileage gauge and when it showed that I was at such a place to turn on a different road, the road just wasn't there! I kept wanting to stop and ask again but my wife rebuked me. "Be patient and just keep going a little further on! It might be a little further than you think!" (It was a lot further than I ever dreamed!) I felt more lost! I tried my cell phone to reach the pastor of the church I was supposed to be at, and his cell phone was out of range! I finally did get through to him, but he could not figure out where I was either! It was the first church I ever went to where I honestly don't know how we got there! I am convinced that the road signs were lying to us! We finally made it just in time. Only God could have gotten us there!

Many Have Lost The Wonder Of Following Me--The Thrill Of "Going Out Not Knowing!"

This trip was so bizarre that it couldn't have been the devil! He is not that big! I asked the Lord, "What was going on during this trip that seemed so frustrating in getting to our destination!" I sensed the Lord saying, "There are many this hour who know they are called to follow Me into their purpose and destiny. They have started to step out, but they have been distracted and confused by their 'own' directions and asking others on how to get there. They have looked to people and for even signs to lead them on this journey. Many have lost the wonder of following Me... the thrill of 'going out not knowing'. The 'knowing' is in the 'going!'"

Many Want To See A Detailed Road Map Before They Begin To Step Out, But Where God Is Taking Us Is Not On The Map!

Just because He is God doesn't mean that He has to tell us everything! God speaks, we obey, and then He explains--maybe! He knows that if we know too much, we won't need Him! Paul says that "we see through a glass darkly." If we see too clearly His vision for our lives, we will probably mess it up! Psalms 37:23 says "He orders our steps"--not our "spiritual" marathons! His word is a lamp to our feet. As we take one step, then we will see enough light for the next one. We are called to walk more by faith than by sight! "Be anxious for nothing"....including your destiny! He has already been to where He is calling you to go. It may look like you are going into unknown territory, but it's not unknown to Him! He will never lead you where He's never been before!

"Cell Phones, Pens, and Calculators May Not Work In This Next Move Of God!"

After the Spirit had been interrupted in our church many times by cell phones ringing, we finally put up a sign on the overhead..."Please turn off all cell phones!" It is rare to see anyone driving a car nowadays who doesn't have a cell phone on their ear. They are a blessing if you break down or get lost, but these earthly cell phones will be out of range to call for help in the next move of God! Cell phones are not new to God. I found a cell phone in the Old Testament. While Jeremiah was shut up in the prison, he had a "prison cell" phone that he used to open the heavens over him. I sense the Lord is saying, "The only cell phone numbers that will work for My people in the days to come is Jeremiah 33:3. "Call unto Me and I will answer thee and show you great and mighty things that you know not of!"

"What I am doing in your life, and how I am moving you forward will not be able to be figured out on paper. Put your pen away! Calculators may not work either, especially when it comes to finances. Money is now beginning to prophesy to the Body of Christ.... "It is written, "In God We Trust!" Don't count your money...read it! Count on Me!"

It's Not "What" We Know, But It's "Who" We Know That Will Get Us To Our Destination.... We Need To Come To God!" (Proverbs 3:5)

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."


Bill Yount
Email: theshofarhasblown@juno.com

Posted in Prophetic Notes

February 17, 2006
 

"WORSHIP: AN INSTINCT"
By John Paul Jackson

Streams Ministries International
www.streamsministries.com

“By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;
His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?”
—Job 26:13–14

Each one of us has supernatural, deep, internal instincts and motivations that are driving us toward the Holy. These urges are God-given, and each time we fail to respond to the prompting of His Spirit, we become a little less whole, a little less alive—a little less human.

Worship is More than Just A Happening

Worship is an instinct. It is more than just a happening. It is more than a decision you make at a given time or something you know you should do, should you ever find the time to do it. It is an instinct. At any given moment, if you are not worshipping God—if you are not living a life that is intimately connected with His—you are worshipping something else. It all goes back to Jesus’ statement in Matthew 6:21: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

When you stand before the God who, with His own fingers, fashioned everything in existence, the One who calls thunder and lightning into being and holds the sun still in the sky—when you suddenly find yourself the end target of His focused gaze, worship can be your only response.

We are driven to this moment. We are driven to see Him as He is. Not all of us will have throne room experiences like the apostle John did, but all of us will have the opportunity to touch His heart on a daily basis. If we consistently miss the subtle urges of His Spirit, we can feel it. We might not be able to explain what we feel, but the longer we hold Him off, the more we sense that something is missing. Slowly, life becomes just a series of events that leaves us wondering if this is all there is.

We Are Driven to Worship

We are driven to worship; that is how He made us, and we exist on a subhuman level until our heart is in His hands.

No one can blithely hand us this depth of intimacy with God. Though it is not easy to do, we have to find it ourselves—we have to take a risk. We have to dare to change our habits, our lifestyle, our future, our work, our desires, our friends, whatever is necessary—in order to touch what is humanly impossible to touch. This is the greatest challenge, and hence the greatest adventure, we could ever know. We are driven to take part in it. St. Augustine wrote that we cannot rest until we rest in Him.

Worship—the art of touching God—is our life breath, our reason, and our purpose beyond all else.


John Paul Jackson
Streams Ministries International
www.streamsministries.com

Posted in Prophetic Notes

Small Straws In A Soft Wind

Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

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How very true this "now word" is.  Being the sensitive soul I am it is easy for me to fall into offense and unforgiveness, which leads to bitterness, if gone unchecked. 

 I'll never forget the time, about 8 years ago, when my husband took my daughter and I away to a little retreat in East Texas. We rented a log cabin that was in front of a lake.  There was a dock, and each morning I would go down to the dock, while Hugh and Kaitlin were sleeping and spend my time with the Lord.  It seemed, at that time, I was merely going through the motions of spending time with God.  For some reason I just couldn't hear His voice as clearly, and feel His peaceful presence.  At the time I was a SAHM, with a preschooler, and suffering numerous health problems that left me exhausted, worn down and empty both physically and spiritually. There were days I felt I just couldn't go on any longer. 

So it was at that point, while sitting on the dock, that I stared out over the calm water, with the sun rising in the distance.  Silently I asked God what was wrong with me, and why I was so empty, and full of disease. I had a great life, with a healthy daughter, loving husband, and plenty of great friends and a great church.  Why . . .why God am I so empty and dry, so parched and thirsty spiritually? Why was my soul completely lifeless? In all&n