Covering

The Gathering Storms, Now!

Posted on August 3, 2012 by mcalmond

Please Note: I received this word from the Lord, Sunday am, April 29th, 2007 and thought that it was time to post it here.

*****

I realize that this is rather intense and most assuredly and briefly to the point. I really believe that this is simply reflective of the urgency and immediacy of the hour, moment and reality of the times in which we are living. Please do not simply shrug this off because it isn’t what you want to hear or to presumptuously dismiss this as too over the top. If we are only willing to listen to the positive, encouraging and wonderful words of the Lord Jesus Christ, what then does this genuinely say of us. At the very least there is the need for each one of us to search our hearts, lives and souls, in and before the Lord Jesus Christ, in spirit and in truth.

Here is what I received as I was in prayer and a vision of gathering storms clouds overhead unfolded before me:

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Accountability, Awakening, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Commands, Covering, Darkness, Deliverance, Dependency, Disobedience, Dying to Self Will, Prophecy, Repentance, Spiritual Desperation, Visions, Wind of the Spirit | 1 Comment

The Dismantling

Posted on July 22, 2012 by mcalmond

Note: This is a personal post written by my daughter Dana Summers ***

I wanted to share with you that the Lord has been doing in my life over the last year and half.  This has been a trying year for us, as a couple, a family and for me personally.  The Lord began this year by revealing to me, by His mercy, what he was doing.  In January 2011, as I was sitting in a Bible study, I heard one word to start off my new year: “dismantling”.  “What?  I knew that this word was for me, however I hoped it was for someone else.  What does dismantling mean exactly?    The dictionary defines Dismantle as  1. to deprive or strip of apparatus, furniture, equipment, defenses, etc.: 2. to disassemble or pull down; take apart: 3. to divest of dress, covering.  He then gave me the rest:  Embrace the dismantling, Deal with fear of exposure, Remove walls of protection, Begin to see weakness as strength, Be thankful for the past, repent of regret & disappointment, Let go of expectations, Receive new directions, Receive new wisdom and  Restoration.

Apparently I had been holding on to some things and the Lord thought it was time to deal with them.  His timing is perfect, I had to remind myself of that over and over.  I am not going to lie, this has been a really difficult year/season for me.  The Lord didn’t have to let me in on what He was doing.  I am thankful that He did, but still do not have total understanding.  I have learned not to try to interpret what God is doing but to trust him in the unfolding, because it never looks like what I expected.

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Categories: Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Accountability, Anointing, Being a PK, Being Built Up, Belief System, Breaking Forth, Changes, Character, Christian Maturity, Core Values, Covering, Dependency, Divine Encounters, Encouragement, Family, Genuineness, God's Faithfulness, Hearing The Lord, Honesty, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Misplaced Dependency, New Beginnings, Prayer, Presumptions, Timing, Transcendence, Victory, Work of God | 2 Comments

A Fresh Vision of Spiritual Covering

Posted on March 11, 2012 by mcalmond

Psalms 27:5 (ESV) For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

I want to share with you something that the Lord shared with me. It has to do with Spiritual Covering. While I admit that this phrasing has met with a lot of distortion and abuse over the years, I genuinely believe in the truth and principle of our need to cover those whom the Lord has given us. Covering has to do primarily with protection. It is in this light that I desire to share with you Spiritual Covering.

It was 1985 and my lovely wife was in Sacred Heart Hospital for surgery on a brain tumor. I had been with her for much of the time during her surgery and in recovery with very little sleep. So, I finally went to a nearby motel. As I was at the motel, I suddenly found myself under attack, spiritually. This attack was concerning things that I had long thought were taken care of. I began to cry out to the Lord concerning these things. My question was why I was suddenly vulnerable to these attacks. The presence of the Lord came and was powerful, precious and very comforting. It was then that the Lord began to grant me some clarity regarding that which I was crying out to him about.

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Categories: Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Awakening, Calling, Covering, Empowerment, Family, Genuineness, God's Love, Hearing The Lord, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Seeing, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Inner Healing, Intimacy, Paradigm Shift, Prayer, Testimony, Thanksgiving | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

Getting Ready, To Begin!

Posted on March 2, 2012 by mcalmond

In so many ways I feel like I am being called back to studying like when I was first starting out in the ministry so many years ago. This is very surprising at 61 and counting. There is so very much floating around within me that apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, it is quite difficult for me to sort it all out, but I love what He is doing in me right now. For weeks now there has been a very real spiritual awakening taking place within me.

Yes, it is all quite exciting, stimulating and invigorating. It is just like being awakened out of a deep sleep. I am so thirsty and hungry for more of the Lord Jesus Christ, His Holy Word, His presence, for He who is my very life and breath. I find that I want to study, pray and prayerfully read more than my eyes and time will allow me. I want to pour through so much material all at once, devouring it and by the grace of God processing it through and through, that the sheer scope of it seems ever so unrealistic, to say the least. But I am pressing on, for I deeply want to and truly know not what else to do but go with Him to His end and for His greater glory, honor and praise.

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Absolute Dependency, Authenticity, Awakening, Being Built Up, Benefits, Calling, Core Values, Covering, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Genuineness, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, God's Faithfulness, Grace, Growing in Faith, illumination, Obedience, Open Ears, Readiness, Timing | Tags: , , , , | 2 Comments

Let Us Arise, Yet Again!

Posted on October 8, 2011 by mcalmond

There is so very much more than we are experiencing in and of Christ Jesus. There is so very much more of the Kingdom of God than we know or understand. There is so very much more of life in the Spirit than we are living out on a daily basis. There simply is so very much more yet to do and that needs to be done; I for one, long to know, do and experience the more. I also am haunted by what I have known, have accomplished or think I know. I also understand how tempting, as I get older, it is to remain in what I have come to know and experience.

What I mean is, that what I have known, done or think I know of Christ Jesus and the Kingdom of God, seems at times to get in the way of the more. It gets in the way by having captured my attention, my heart and the battles that were for or needed to contend for it has passed. Yesterdays victories become all too easily today’s excuses. As I look forward to the more, this means more battles, contending, more stretching, more dying, more of that which we already and all too often resist in our growing in the Lord Jesus Christ. This looking forward seems to be less and less attractive when I honestly consider the cost of the past. While I know that nothing of what life and ministry has cost us compares to that sacrifice of Christ Jesus, it still, for us remains a very tangible, real and essential counting of the cost. We have given our all so many times, yet the call remains, to surrender our all yet once again.

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Awakening, Belief System, Believer, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Christian Maturity, Church, Commands, Confidence, Covering, Dependency, Dying to Self Will, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Faith, Family, Father, Fear of God, Flesh, Following Through, Foundations, Genuineness, God's Faithfulness, God's Love, Grace, Healing, His Chosen, His Gift of Love, Holiness, Holy Ghost Burdens, Hope, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Inspiration, Light, Ministry, Mother, Noise and Distractions, Now Word, Obedience, Persecution, Perseverance, Pioneering, Prayer, Priorities, Process, Promises, Readiness, Relationship, Rest, Resurrection Life, Righteousness, Sacrifice, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Self Justification, Selfishness, Selflessness, Separatism, Simplicity, Spiritual Fathers/Mothers, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Tenaciousness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Lord's Fullness, The Power of God, Timing, Truth, Victory, Wind of the Spirit, Witness, Word, Word of God | Leave a comment

The Vitalness of His Manifest Presence

Posted on October 1, 2011 by mcalmond

Exodus 33:14-16 (ESV) And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

Here in Exodus we see that the presence of the Lord was so vital to Moses that he said to the Lord that if the Lord was not going to come with them, then don’t send Israel up to the Promise Land. The Lord offered earlier to send up an Angel who would assure them of the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise in providing them the Promise Land. For Moses this was not enough. He wanted the Lord’s presence, not simply the presence of an Angel no matter how great the Angel was.

I find this so very significant for us today as well. The evidence of Gods manifest presence with and amongst His people is both that which confirms the favor of God concerning His people and that which makes them distinct from the rest of the World. This distinction is vital for us as the people of God. We’re to be in, yet not of the world. The question remains however, how far shall we go without His manifest, evident, or tangible presence?

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, A Simple Reminder, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Angels, Anointing, Authenticity, Belief System, Benefits, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Church, Church Forms, Churches, Communion, Confidence, Core Values, Covering, Dependency, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Family, Father, Genuineness, God's Faithfulness, God's Love, Grace, Healing, His Chosen, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Mercy, Ministry, Prayer, Presumptions, Relationship, Rest, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Signs & Wonders, Simplicity, Spirit, Spiritual Hunger and Thirst, Stirrings, Surrender, Teaching, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Transcendence, Truth, Waiting on the Lord, Witness, Word of God, Work of God, Worship | 2 Comments

Bring It On World!

Posted on September 18, 2011 by mcalmond

It wasn’t all that long ago when I was reading an article on the World Magazine web site titled “R is for Religion[1]”, written by Gene Edward Veith. He was making us aware of the very real possibility of a day sometime soon when we will find ourselves as Christians rated in the same way that sex, nudity and violence is rated, with a warning, “you are entering a strongly religious zone in which the messages are from one religion and therefore might indeed be offensive to those of other faiths or even those with no faith at all.”

Within this article the question is asked, “Why are references to Christ so offensive?” and then he goes on to explain, “In today’s climate, religion is relative. According to the conventional wisdom, no one religion is true for everyone, and all religions are equally valid. Mention of a generic “God” is acceptable, as long as He is not defined. So is invocation of other concepts common to various religions, such as prayer, spirituality, mystical experiences, and salvation by good works.

But Jesus Christ is too specific. God in the flesh is too tangible. And He says, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). That Jesus—despite His goodness and love—offends people is simply more evidence that the Bible is true. He is “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” (1 Peter 2:8). That He died on the cross for our sins is especially offensive (Galatians 5:11).

So no one should be surprised when secularists react to Jesus with shock and outrage. But “blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Matthew 11:6).”

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, A Simple Reminder, Absolute Dependency, Authenticity, Awakening, Baptist Theology, Believer, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Christian Maturity, Church, Commands, Confidence, Covering, Encouragement, Following Through, Genuineness, God Faith, God's Faithfulness, God's Love, Grace, Growing in Faith, His Chosen, His Gift of Love, History, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, No Other Name, Noise and Distractions, Obedience, Persecution, Perseverance, Political Correctness, Process, Profession, Promises, Prophetic, Protection, Readiness, Relationship, religious idolatry, Resurrection Life, Sacrifice, Salvation, Saving Faith, Separatism, Spirit of Truth, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Transformation, Truth, Victory, Waiting on the Lord, Word of God, Work of God | Leave a comment

Personal Mentoring/Discipleship, Pt Two

Posted on May 1, 2011 by mcalmond

We need to disciple/mentor those whom the Lord Jesus would have us to. Therefore we need to seek the Lord as to whom He wants us to disciple/mentor and then how He wants this person to be mentored. It is then that we can begin this process with the confidence of His blessing and provision. We may and most likely will, stumble around at first. We may make it too academic and not enough of a relational experience. We may, depending on who we are, go the other way and want to make it so relational that we fail to hold our mentoree accountable and disciplined along the way. Regardless, if we will obediently give ourselves to this wonderful, albeit sometimes very trying process, we will discover the wonderful fruit of it; the joys of watching those entrusted to us, growing up into their role within their own lives, families and the Body of Christ Jesus at large. We will also have the wonderful hope of building a relationship for life.

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Categories: Anointing, Awakening, Being Built Up, Belief System, Believer, Benefits, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Christian Maturity, Church, Commands, Core Values, Covering, Edification, Elders, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Family, Father, Fields of Ministry, Following Through, Foundations, Grace, Growing in Faith, His Gift of Love, History, Holy Ghost Burdens, Hope, Humility, Lost and Alone, Loving One Another, Mentoring Children/Youth, Mentoring Men, Mentoring Women, Mentoring/Discipleship, Mercy, Metron, Ministry, Mother, Obedience, Openness, Perseverance, Prayer, Preaching, Priorities, Process, Promises, Protection, Remembrances, Sacrifice, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Selflessness, Spirit of Truth, Spiritual Fathers/Mothers, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Surrender, Teacher, Teaching, Tenaciousness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Timing, Training, Transformation, True Love, Truth, Word of God, Work of God | 1 Comment

Natural Vs. Spiritual Living

Posted on April 9, 2011 by mcalmond

Why we do what we do, is so very much more important than simply what we do. This is especially true in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ! It isn’t enough, that what we do is simply scriptural, traditional, denominational, or even the product of our personal opinion of how things should be said or done, etc. Why did you do that? Why did you say that? Why are you doing that, saying that, being that, etc? These questions are important and need to be genuinely more about our hearts and motivations than our feeling compelled to justify our actions or simply a calling to explain ourselves.

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Categories: A Simple Reminder, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Awakening, Being Built Up, Belief System, Character, Christian Maturity, Confidence, Core Values, Covering, Death, Dependency, Dying to Self Will, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Flesh, Foundations, God's Righteousness, Grace, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Mercy, Ministry, Priorities, Righteousness, Sacrifice, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Simplicity, Spirit, Steadfastness, Surrender, Tenaciousness, Training, Truth, Word, Word of God | Leave a comment

Enfold Me Lord

Posted on January 30, 2011 by mcalmond

James 1:12 (NKJV) Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

When walking through a time in the desert, for me there are no more comforting words than to hear that the Lord Jesus Christ is there with me, gracing me, strengthening me and faithfully seeing me through this trial of life. This is especially true when I feel or sense His presence the least. My father has written a wonderful song called “Enfold Me” that speaks to this time and seasons of life. We all face them every now and again. Some of us face them more than others and yes, even more negatively and destructively than others.

These words below, in my father’s song, indeed speak of the trials of life and living, yet also of the hope and promise. He who is our very life and breath is our very hope and promise. His strong arms of love, His strength of loving faithfulness and sensitivity to the very depths of our hearts cry, all add up to tremendous comfort and encouragement, especially in these seasons of trial and deserts. I would pray that I could provide this music for you, so that you could hear it for yourself as well. But, alas, I know not how, therefore the words will have to speak for themselves.

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Categories: A Simple Faith, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Belief System, Breaking Forth, Communion, Core Values, Covering, Dad's Songs, Dependency, Encouragement, Faith, Father, Foundations, God's Faithfulness, Grace, His Chosen, Hope, Humility, illumination, Intimacy, Isolation, Light, Lost and Alone, Mercy, Perseverance, Prayer, Promises, Protection, Rest, Simplicity, Songs, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, True Love, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord | Leave a comment

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