Spirit

A Prelude To Four Years Of Warfare

There is more to prayer than all too often meets the eyes of our understanding. I was out on the west coast and at a prayer center where I had spent most of the day in prayer. It had been a wonderful time of resting in and before the Lord Jesus. It was beautiful day, warm and quiet and, re-enlivening.

2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (ESV) So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.

Yet what made the day even more wonderful and life-giving was having spent it in prayer, in worship and in the word of God, quietly and physically alone. I was so very grateful for this time of solitude in and with the Lord Jesus as I was not very familiar with this area and needed His perspective regarding it, for we were still very new there.

After several hours I got up and went outside. This place of prayer was on a small rise. I stopped and looked around at the surrounding hills, the valley ahead and the river running past. As I stood there, I was suddenly caught up in a vision. I could see mighty angels on the ridges of the hills, on both sides of the valley, east and west. They were definitely at the ready. The horses were eager to go forward into whatever battle that lay just ahead.

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Categories: Absolute Dependency, Angels, Anointing, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Darkness, Dependency, Divine Encounters, Empowerment, Fear of God, Following Through, God's Love, Obedience, Prayer, Prophetic Revelation, Revelation, Spirit, Spiritual Warfare, Visions, Wind of the Spirit | 2 Comments

His New Adventure

We have begun a new chapter in our lives. We are now pastoring a small rural Assembly of God Church in a small town in Ohio. We are truly looking forward to this with all of our hearts in the Lord Jesus Christ! We have no clear idea where all of this will lead us for certain, however we have a very real confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ that He has His plan and purpose for us all, in and through this. May it all be, from beginning to end, for His greater glory, honor and praise!

There was for us, from the very beginning, only one true desire, that only His will, word and ways would be accomplished in and through this whole process. Having walked it out, we rest in the truth that He is most certainly in this new adventure, His new adventure. To what end you may ask? Well, to His end. We have no idea for certain, as I have already said, where specifically this will lead, but we do know that it is in His very capable hands and not ours. This is His work, even as we are all His people. Letting Him has His way in, to and through us all, is our primary goal and aspiration.

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Authenticity, Awakening, Belief System, Benefits, Breaking Forth, Christian Maturity, Hope, In Spirit and In Truth, Ministry, Pastor, Prayer, Resurrection Life, Simplicity, Spirit, Spiritual Hunger and Thirst, Transcendence, Wind of the Spirit, Word, Work of God | Leave a comment

Will The Real Church Stand Up?

There is truly only one universal church. This universal church is, in spirit and in truth, The True Church or The Body of Christ Jesus. It is made up of many and varied members. These members are those found throughout the world in various local church fellowships, missions, organizations and denominations, etc.; a scattering of salt throughout the world. They may not be fully aware of their place strategically within the Body of Christ Jesus, but as genuine believers in Christ Jesus they should be aware that they are indeed a part of the Body of Christ Jesus. It is in so many ways a church without boundaries, for it is a church of the Spirit. For me, this is the bottom line.

Not everyone who says they are a believer is a believer in spirit and in truth. This is also true of the church, not everyone or every church, mission, organization, etc. is actually a genuine part of the Body of Christ Jesus just because they claimed to be. Having said all of this I am aware of a very real danger. This danger is that one would leap into trying to discern that which is the true church and that which isn’t? I am saying that this is a danger in that we are not exactly called to this. We could say as scripture says, that we shall know them by their fruit and this would also be true for the church or churches as it is for individuals or even nations, etc.

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Authenticity, Awakening, Being Built Up, Belief System, Believer, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Christian Maturity, Church, Death, Dependency, Disobedience, Dying to Self Will, Empowerment, Family, Fear of God, Finding the Right Church, Flesh, Genuineness, God's Righteousness, Grace, In Spirit and In Truth, Last Days, Loving One Another, Ministry Motivation, Now Word, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Presumptions, Priorities, Process, Prophetic, Readiness, Repentance, Simplicity, Spirit, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Surrender, Teaching, The Power of God, Training, Truth, Word, Word of God, Work of God, Worship | 2 Comments

The Great Falling Away

The Lord Jesus Christ one day while he was teaching asked a vitally important question. This question is almost too easily overlooked because of the way that it came forth. His question arose at the end of his teaching. He was telling a parable of the importance of persevering in faith, in earnest prayer, of how we need to be those who learn the power of and value of our praying through until we have what we are seeking the Lord.  For in Spirit and Truth, He is willing, just and ready to answer our prayers. As the Lord was finished sharing his brief parable, suddenly, almost as a passing thought Jesus says, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8 ESV)

Will we as believers persevere in faithful prayer, in genuine faith, while waiting for the Lord’s return? Or will we give up and walk away, throwing in the towel, turning around and no longer walking in the faith, hope and love of the Lord Jesus Christ?

We live in crucial times with rapidly accelerating darkness and sin all around us. We live in a time that all too quickly approaches, what the Word of God refers to as the time of The Rebellion, The Apostasy, The Great Falling Away.

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Categories: Anointing, Apostasy, Awakening, Being Built Up, Belief System, Believer, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Darkness, Dependency, Disobedience, Dying to Self Will, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Faith, Fear of God, Flesh, Following Through, Genuineness, God Faith, God's Faithfulness, Grace, Growing in Faith, His Chosen, Holy Spirit, Hope, Knowledge, Last Days, Mercy, Ministry, Noise and Distractions, Now Word, Obedience, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Paradigm Shift, Persecution, Perseverance, Prayer, Presumptions, Priorities, Process, Profession, Promises, Readiness, Relationship, Rest, Righteousness, Rock, Salvation, Saving Faith, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Source, Spirit, Spirit of Truth, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Teacher, Teaching, Tenaciousness, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, Victory, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Witness, Word, Word of God, Work, Worship | Leave a comment

Is The Church Worth Saving?

Matthew 16:18 (ESV) And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

I confess that I love the church and the people of God, how can I not? They are my Lord and Saviors children. I also confess that I do not always like the church or what is going on in it. My heart, however, when it is said and done is pro-church and therefore pro-people of God.

I am concerned about what is going on today throughout the world of the church. Statistically, there seems to be a very real departure or exodus of people from what has been frequently referred to as the Institutional (IC) or Organized Church (OC). Now what I can surmise from this term as it is being used over the web is that we are speaking of any church that has its own church building, which is dedicated to the purpose of being, doing and having church with those who enter within. It can refer to denominational churches, regardless of the denomination. It can also refer to those who belong to or are a part of these churches. This seems too broad for me and evades the complexity of what it is that truly is the Body of Christ.

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Absolute Dependency, Authenticity, Being Built Up, Belief System, Believer, Benefits, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Christian Maturity, Church, Churches, Commands, Dying to Self Will, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Faith, Family, Following Through, Genuineness, Grace, Hatred, Healing, Holiness, Hope, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Inspiration, Loving One Another, Mercy, Ministry, Openness, Perseverance, Prayer, Preaching, Presumptions, Prophetic, Reconciliation, Relationship, Remembrances, Repentance, Resurrection Life, Revelation, Sacrifice, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Separatism, Simplicity, Spirit, Spiritual Warfare, Steadfastness, Stirrings, Teaching, Tenaciousness, Thankfulness, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Transformation, True Love, Victory, Witness, Word, Work, Work of God | Leave a comment

The Vitalness of His Manifest Presence

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

I’m No Scholar, I’m Just a Guy

Acts 4:13 (NKJV) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

I can think of no greater compliment than that one was recognized as having been with Jesus. I believe that for me, this is genuinely my goal in life, to become one who is recognized as having been with Jesus. To become one whose life was so changed and impacted by the Life of Christ Jesus that while my other deficiencies may be noted, Christ Jesus is still readily visible and evident in and through my life.

 As was true of Peter and John, I would find myself, in regards to ministry, as fairly uneducated and common. I come from a line, albeit brief line (grandpa, dad and myself), of uneducated and common men who loved the Lord and believed that Jesus had called them to follow Him and so they picked up their Bibles and did so.

 My grandfather was saved out of the Navy shortly after World War 2 under Amy Semple McPherson’s ministry. He believed that he was called into the ministry as preacher of the Lord Jesus. He bought a tent, a flatbed truck (to use as a platform for services and to haul the tent), picked up his Bible and went preaching the Word of God.

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Categories: A Simple Faith, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Authenticity, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Being Built Up, Belief System, Benefits, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Christian Maturity, Church, Churches, Confidence, Dad, Dependency, Empowerment, Encouragement, Faith, Family, Father, Following Through, Foundations, Genuineness, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Growing in Faith, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Benefits, Holy Spirit Hearing, Holy Spirit Listening, Holy Spirit Seeing, Hope, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Inspiration, Ministry, Ministry Motivation, Now Word, Obedience, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Pastor, Pioneering, Prayer, Preaching, Priorities, Process, Promises, Reflections, Relationship, Rhema, Righteousness, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Simplicity, Source, Speaking in Tongues, Spirit, Surrender, Teaching, Thanksgiving, The Power of God, Theology, Training, Transcendence, True Love, Truth, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Word, Work of God | 2 Comments

Are We Really Ready For His New Wind?

I believe there is hope for the church and the people of God. I also believe that we need very real change. Could it be that in spirit and in truth we need a reformation, a rebuilding from the foundation (1 Cor 3) of Christ Jesus and up?

Reformation: 1) improvement (or an intended improvement) in the existing form or condition of institutions or practices etc.; intended to make a striking change for the better in social or political or religious affairs 2) rescuing from error and returning to a rightful course.

There is something stirring out there and I pray that what is stirring is the breath of HIS change that we need. Will we see it when it comes or will our hurts, frustrations and disappointments and dissatisfaction’s with the church and the people of God keep us from seeing the changes that are coming or even that are needed? Will our being blinded by what we want or expect to see or have occur, keep us from seeing what really will be happening in the Lord Jesus and his church/body as happened so many times before?

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Categories: The Lord Jesus, Word of God, Truth, Dependency, Spirit, Worship, Confidence, Ministry Motivation, Prophetic Revelation, Believer, Open Eyes, Open Ears, Breaking Forth, Church, Work of God, Hope, Rock, In Spirit and In Truth, Body of Christ, Exhortation, Waiting on the Lord, Ministry, Calling, Simplicity, illumination, Prophetic, Now Word, Rhema, Son and Holy Spirit, Transformation, Mercy, Openness, Surrender, Vulnerability, Humility, Communion, Repent, Priorities, The Power of God, Repentance, Holy Spirit Seeing, Holy Spirit Hearing, Holy Ghost Burdens, Holy Spirit, Transcendence, Wind of the Spirit, Readiness | Leave a comment

Where Do We Go From Here?

Lord Jesus, where do we go from here? You have warned us and continue to do so. You are calling us to awaken to that for which we were chosen for, by your grace and mercy. You are calling us to come up, and behold the greater realities of and the more of your Spirit, to which we have responded by your grace and mercy, with Yes, Lord Jesus, A Thousand Times, Yes! You have warned us of things to come that will stretch us beyond our experience and understanding. You have warned us of the persecution that is yet before us, as your people and we are seeing even on the horizon before us. You have warned us of the significant changes that are going to take place within our nation, to which we said, Lord Jesus have mercy and prepare us as we look and continue to look only unto you, who is our only genuine hope. Still Lord Jesus, where do we go from here?

You have shown us the church, and its condition of deafness and darkness, of light and hope, of its growing apostasy and yet of its calling to grow in the transcendency of your Holy Spirit. You have shown us that which lay behind the presentations in too many professing churches and ministries which is not and are not, of you. We have seen the truth of the lies which are there, of the deceit and deceptions, and of the ease with which too many of your professing believers are being seduced into these falsehoods. Yet, you also have shown us the more of your transcendent promises and of your call to us your people, your children. Oh, again, Lord Jesus, we cry out, where do we go from here?

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Categories: The Lord Jesus, Word of God, Truth, Prayer, Dependency, Spirit, Question, Questions, Worship, God Faith, Prophetic Revelation, Believer, Standing in Faith, Angels, Steadfastness, Awakening, Breaking Forth, Church, Work of God, Hope, Growing in Faith, Faith, In Spirit and In Truth, Body of Christ, Waiting on the Lord, Ministry, Calling, Source, illumination, Revelation, Prophetic, Word, Now Word, Grace, Rhema, Transformation, Mercy, Intimacy, Surrender, Vulnerability, Abiding, Empowerment, Humility, Communion, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Thanksgiving, Light, The Power of God, Loving One Another, True Love, His Chosen, Visions, Quietness, Absolute Dependency, Benefits, Holy Ghost Burdens, Dying to Self Will, Holy Spirit, Christian Maturity, Spirit Word, Selfishness, Prophetic Actions, Genuineness, Authenticity, A Genuine Heart Cry | Leave a comment

A Call To Seeing The More

Acts 22:14-15 (NKJV) Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. 15 For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.

A couple of years ago, we were in another country on a prayer walk. We had left that morning to go on this prayer walk and I was excited because of what the Lord had showed the evening before in prayer. As a result, I was walking rather briskly as we headed out towards the place of prayer that we were going to be at this morning. It was a historical place, an ancient place and a very spiritually strategic place for the area.

We arrived at this high point in the area and we began immediately to engage the Lord in prayer and intercession. As we began to engage the Lord is this place, we sought only to be obedient to Lord, following His leading in how, what and to whatever end the Lord would have us to pray.

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Categories: Truth, Prayer, Anointing, Dependency, Spirit, Worship, Confidence, Ministry Motivation, Witness, God Faith, Signs & Wonders, Prophetic Revelation, Standing in Faith, Angels, Protection, Open Eyes, Open Ears, Awakening, Breaking Forth, Work of God, Faith, In Spirit and In Truth, Waiting on the Lord, Ministry, Calling, A Simple Faith, Training, Teaching, illumination, Revelation, Prophetic, Grace, Transformation, Intimacy, Surrender, Vulnerability, Abiding, Empowerment, Communion, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Thanksgiving, The Power of God, Obedience, Victory, Encouragement, Visions, Holy Spirit Seeing, Holy Spirit Hearing, Absolute Dependency, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Speaking in Tongues, Benefits, Holy Spirit Benefits, Edification, Being Built Up, Holy Spirit, Metron, Boundaries, Prophetic Actions | Leave a comment

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