Never Forget His Word

March 11, 2010
"When you sin against God, you sin against man; which includes ALL friends AND acquaintances. "  Pastor Jesse Duplantis

Every thing you do affects others.  Whether you see it or not, your actions have impact others' lives.  We cannot live unto ourselves exclusively.  We MUST live with an awareness of how we affect others. 
Sin is born of selfishness and makes its home in narcissism. 

In the coming days, we will take a close look at our responsibilities as leaders and as Christians in an effort to help up come into alignment with God's design.

March 6, 2010

When the heart of man is in alignment with the heart of God, things are seen from a different perspective.  God so loved THE WORLD that He GAVE...He always considers what happens to man!  He never acts without considering the outcome and how it will affect His people.  He doesn't rule or judge based on the popular opinion, He does so from His Word.  This is how we are expected to live.  Yet, countless lives are being utterly destroyed because of the lack of knowledge...not the fact that we didn't know better, but because we IGNORED the Truth of God and did what pleased US.  But because God's Mercy and Grace continues to shine down on us, often producing what we see as blessings, we become immune to the conviction and correction of God---taking His Grace and Mercy for granted.  We act as though we have the right to receive from God...when in reality, all we deserve is His Judgment.  Whether realized or not, the good things coming from the Mercy and Grace of God are merely precursors to the judgment of God.  He loves us SO MUCH that He gives us every possible opportunity to receive correction, repent and change our ways of behaving.  But when we refuse to do so, He allows us to embrace the consequences of our choices. 
We MUST return to the Lord...rending our hearts and not just our garments; we MUST submit ourselves WHOLLY to righteousness and renounce EVERY hidden and deceitful work of darkness.  Remembering that when we return to sin AFTER we've repented and turned, every spirit we've been delivered from brings 7 friends and family back for the "reunion."  Every generational curse is reactivated and we are worse off than when we first received Christ.  No amount of religious talk and belief will change what God's Word outlines for those who choose to walk contrary to God's Instructions. 

February 16, 2010

Today, IF you will hear AND obey the voice of The Lord, you will become increasingly aware of the importance of choices.  You have a free will and are given the freedom to exercise that will to do what you CHOOSE to do.  But while executing  said freedom, it's imperative that you understand that just because you can do it, doesn't mean it's right, lawful or acceptable to God.  There are consequences--good and bad--for EVERY choice you make.  You many not see them now,  or even soon, but KNOW THAT THEY WILL COME.  Allow the WORD of God to guide your decisions.  Then and only then can you be assured that God's blessing and favor rests upon you AND your decisions.

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February 2, 2010

NIGHTFALL,  PART 2

While walking through the valley of my own nightfall, David's familiar words come to mind:

Psalm 55

(Amplified Bible)

    ²Attend to me and answer me; I am restless and distraught in my complaint and must moan

    ³[And I am distracted] at the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression and threats of the wicked; for they would cast trouble upon me, and in wrath they persecute me.

    ⁴My heart is grievously pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

    ⁵Fear and trembling have come upon me; horror and fright have overwhelmed me.

    ⁶And I say, Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.

    ⁷Yes, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

    ⁸I would hasten to escape and to find a shelter from the stormy wind and tempest.

    ⁹Destroy [their schemes], O Lord, confuse their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

    ¹⁰Day and night they go about on its walls; iniquity and mischief are in its midst.

    ¹¹Violence and ruin are within it; fraud and guile do not depart from its streets and marketplaces.

    ¹²For it is not an enemy who reproaches and taunts me--then I might bear it; nor is it one who has hated me who insolently vaunts himself against me--then I might hide from him.

    ¹³But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my familiar friend.

    ¹⁴We had sweet fellowship together and used to walk to the house of God in company.

    ¹⁵Let desolations and death come suddenly upon them; let them go down alive to Sheol (the place of the dead), for evils are in their habitations, in their hearts, and their inmost part.

    ¹⁶As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord will save me.

    ¹⁷Evening and morning and at noon will I utter my complaint and moan and sigh, and He will hear my voice.

    ¹⁸He has redeemed my life in peace from the battle that was against me [so that none came near me], for they were many who strove with me.

    ¹⁹God will hear and humble them, even He Who abides of old--Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!--because in them there has been no change [of heart], and they do not fear, revere, and worship God.

    ²⁰[My companion] has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; he has broken and profaned his agreement [of friendship and loyalty].

    ²¹The words of his mouth were smoother than cream or butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.

    ²²Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail).^(A)

    ²³But You, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in, lean on, and confidently rely on You.

Psalm 91

    ²I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!

    ³For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

    ⁴[Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.

    ⁵You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,

    ⁶Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.

    ⁷A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.

    ⁸Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.

    ⁹Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,^(A)

    ¹⁰There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.

    ¹¹For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].

    ¹²They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.^(B)

    ¹³You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot.^(C)

    ¹⁴Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].

    ¹⁵He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

    ¹⁶With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.

Matthew 5:44-48

(Amplified Bible)

⁴⁴But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,^(A)

    ^45[a]To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike].

    ⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward can you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that?

    ⁴⁷And if you greet only your brethren, what more than others are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles (the heathen) do that?

    ⁴⁸You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete ^[b]maturity of godliness in mind and character, ^[c]having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.^(B)

^{Remember, your nightfall is necessary.  It's part of YOUR growth and development.  Betrayal by those close too you is vital in your journey to fulfilling your destiny.  Once you learn how to love your enemies, love those who have taken your weaknessess and used them AGAINST you, love in spite of...THEN you will have gained the ability to love like ME and will be prepared to go forth and make EFFECTIVE disciples of My people.  No more of these soft, weak, temperamental babies that never learn to eat table food.  No more of these fly by night "servants" who only serve as it provides for their fleshly desires.  You'll learn how to love as I love and understand as I do.  You'll be the epitomy of wise as a serpent...yet harmless as a dove.  It's always darkest before dawn.  The winds will get stronger and the night will become darker.  BUT I, YOUR GOD SHALL KEEP YOU AND DELIVER YOU AND PRESENT YOU FAULTLESS BEFORE MY FATHER AND THEN SHALL THE MANIFESTATION OF MY FAVOR BLESSING ON YOUR LIFE BE SEEN IN THE EARTH.  It won't be much longer, just stay close to Me and Allow Me to walk you through...NIGHTFALL.}

January 31, 2010

Nightfall

All too often, we find ourselves in the heat of difficulty and we recall the Word of God and the Promises of God over our lives.  What often happens is we tend to want to rush toward the triumphant conclusion of the matter while hurrying through the difficulties.  As I began one such journey, I came to the realization that no matter how much I want the hard times to be over, and the pain to be short lived, it's all a part of the necessary process of accomplishing God's assignment on my life. 
As the sting of rejection marked the beginning of my night season, I began to cry out to God and He answered:

ME:  I know Your Word, Father; and I trust every promise you've made to me.  There is no shortage of scripture that comes to mind which encourages me to hold on to Your hands.  But God, the grief is so real and the loss seems so great.  While hearing in my spirit, "The best is yet to come," I'm finding it difficult to see beyond where I am right now.  You see, the sun isn't out in its bright glow.  The clouds are thick and gray.  There is but a sliver of light piercing through the darkness.  Yet why can't I focus on the that tiny light?  Why does it seem so dark all around me right now?

GOD:  I'll tell you My child.  It's because right now, for you, its nightfall.  Just like My time spent in Gesthemane, you have been brought to the place of full obedience--where the choices you make now will impact eternity.  Though you are feeling the crushing weight of grief, fear and pain, remember:  After the determination of full obedience--comes betrayal.  After betrayal comes the intense suffering for My Name's sake (2Timothy 2:12).  Then comes the crucifixion of your life's plans, thoughts, ideas and intents (Galatians 2:20).  Then and ONLY then, can resurrection come (Romans 6:8 and 8:10). 
You can't experience resurrection without death.  You won't experience death without suffering.  You wont experience suffering without betrayal.  You won't experience betrayal without a stand for COMPLETE obedience--no matter the cost.  You see, My child, nightfall is necessary.  My nightfall produced My greatest Victory...for it was then that I conquered, hell and the grave (Ephesians 4:8-10, Revelation 1:18).  During My nightfall, I made an put your eternal enemy to an OPEN shame AND triumphed over him and his chorts (Colossians 2:15).  It was during nightfall that I FOREVER altered the course of YOUR life and ensured your VICTORY and guaranteed your status as MORE than a conqueror (Romans 8:37). 
So you see, if you will but embrace your nightfall; from My perspective and in the safety of My loving hands, you will see the manifestation of the Victories I've promised you--while being resurrected in the newness of life IN ME!  Remember My servant's admonitions to you:

1 Peter 4:12-13 "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."

James 1: 2-12 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."

2 Peter 1:4-12 "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

Psalm 91: ALL "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation."

Your joy and victory is assured and My promises to you are yea and amen.  This valley you are currently walking through will indeed prepare you for reigning in the earth.  You WILL see My mighty hand of salvation and My love shall cover and shield you.  You will not only survive, but live to accomplish all that I have ordained for your life IF you embrace TOTAL OBEDIENCE and allow Me to walk you through this, your NIGHTFALL. 

May God's richest and best be yours no matter where in journey you find yourself today.  May you be strengthened and empowered to arise to your appointed destiny in Christ.

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January 13, 2010

Many have questioned why nothing was updated concerning New Year's and the Words God would say to us as we begin another year.  The reason is simple:  God's "New Year" actually began in October of 2009!  Where we are now is in His DIVINE CONTINUUM!  Many speak of the new things and wonderful things God is going to do this year and all of the promises for this year and the like.  But I would like to challenge you on that.  Why so we so quickly buy in to the notion that on December 31, the Words that Our Father has spoken the entire year somehow are no longer relevant?  Why do so many run after the cliches and the nifty slogans in an attempt to make their positions and decisions right? 
As this new calendar year has begun, I have been horrified to realize that those whom I thought really wanted God's heart actually want their own way.  I've had to see the results of "speaking The Word of God" not being enough to keep man's heart...OBEDIENCE to that spoken Word is what gives it Power!  I've had to listen to the voice of those who once proclaimed righteousness and holiness--now speak hate and bitterness.  I've had to resign myself to the understanding that there are many who should be in line for the collective blessings God's releasing into our lives--WILL BE LEFT OUT!  What I thought was progress has actually been pretentiousness in action.  But don't think it's only been about others...I've been faced with having to see things about myself that made me less than comfortable.  I've had to see how I have wounded people and caused them great distress...and for what? Because I insisted on having my way!  I have been given the opportunity to see my actions and my decisions from a different perspective...and it wasn't always pretty!  Yet, the awesome love and grace of God as loving Father and as Sovereign Lord has given me the courage to see myself--THE REAL ME...through His eyes.  I learned that while is forgiving and merciful, He still doesn't compromise and He doesn't change...NEITHER is He a child abuser!  He is allowing us to do exactly what we want to do...in spite of His Will!  He desires that we ALL come to the place of total transparency before Him and allow His Light to shine into our lives to reveal everything that displeases Him.  God isn't looking for servants who can look the part but never fully make the transition towards righteousness.  He's looking for those who are willing to humble themselves under His mighty hand so that when we are lifted up it is in and through Him...to be exalted in His due season...so that when we are placed in the position to rule and reign; to carry out our assignment of dominion--we can do so with Righteous Integrity and Unquestionable Character.
This is indeed the season of the Manifested Promise!  Only to those who are LOOKING for Him will He appear!  The best place to look for Him is on your face in repentance and humility.  Deliberately fall face first into the fire as our comrades Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael and watch Him be the fourth man in YOUR furnace!
Know the difference between what you want and what is righteous...realizing that they are often very different.

This REALLY is the Season of the MANIFESTED Promise...

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December 28, 2009
Today's Word from Bill and Marsha Burns so beautifully coincided with yesterday's Word that I knew God was still dealing with our hearts concerning moving forward.  Let us continue to be prepared with Holiness, Righteous boldness, determination and fearlessness!  For indeed, this is the season of the Victorious Warrior!

THE TRUMPET by Bill Burns -- Dec. 28, 2009:

I would prophecy to you in the name of Jesus Christ that He is for you and not against you.  He knows what you have gone through, and He knows where He is about to take you.  He wants you to know today that out of the bad will come the good.  And, out of that which is weak will come the strength.  Out of the trouble that has come into your life God Himself will make a judgment in the heavenlies and overturn Satan's ruling.  The glory of His majesty will be found as a canopy over you.  The Lord says to you today, do not be disheartened, do not be discouraged, My children.  Only believe, rise up in faith; rise up to your kingdom position; rise up to a new level of faith.  Rise up, I say, and know that I am for you.  I am leading you and guiding you into the fullness of your destiny, and I will be with you on this journey until the very end of the age.  Your destiny has already been sealed; it has already been written and it shall come to pass if you will only believe.  Abide in Me, walk with Me, stay with Me through the storms of life, and the greatness of the kingdom shall be your gift.  Out of that kingdom shall flow all that you need, all that you require, all that you desire, says the Lord of Hosts.

SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns -- Dec. 28, 2009:

I kept hearing *gun-shy in my spirit. Then, I heard the Lord: You keep recoiling at the first hint of adversity because of all that you've been through. But, I'm calling you forth to a new level of boldness so that you can press through with power that comes from the assurance that I am with you and will give you the strength to overcome.

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

*gun-shy: distrustful, afraid, cautious.

December 27, 2009

As the Holiday Season continues, many are preoccupied with what they got or didn't get, who they saw or didn't see, and where they went and how they got there.  In all of this, how many thoughts were genuinely shifted towards what pleases God?  How much time was spent giving Christ the gifts He deserves?  How far did they travel to minister to Him or to just commune with Him? 
As the new year approaches, much of what we see, hear, do and say will DRASTICALLY change.  The KINGDOM of God is advancing and will be made visible in the natural in 2010.   The framework for the SPIRITUAL and NATURAL manifestation of Generational Promises has already been established.  The Foundation upon which these manifold blessings shall rest has already been laid.

As I ponder on this, my mind shifts towards some natural preparations that I have participated in regarding legal matters.  A time line was established for the completion of some documentation.  The courts admonished those involved in this legal proceeding to obtain legal counsel.  A date was set to hear the matter.  Now, people are being told and reminded that they must follow the guidelines set forth in order to receive representation.  Those who have not done so will NOT be represented in court and therefore have no claim to what is at stake. 
As I think about this, I see such a spiritual application.  God has been telling and reminding US to make sure that we have adequate REPRESENTATION---by and through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ---in the Courtroom of Heaven.  Without meeting the requirements---holiness and righteousness---we have NO legal representation!  As God judges our hearts, thoughts and actions and prepares to render His findings, we NEED to have our Advocate; our Intercessor, our Mediator in the Courtroom.  Without One, our sins will condemn us to death---without any real hope for appeal or parole!  With One, we have access to mercy, grace and forgiveness!  We are properly represented, we are found to be rightful heirs to ALL of the promises of God!

While there is still time, we must remind and encourage one another towards Godliness, Holiness and Right Relationship with God and man.  Without these things being our primary pursuit, we will fail to meet His requirements to receive The Promises He has prepared for us.

As we approach the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, let us be mindful that there is ALOT at stake!  It's not solely about one person or group of people.  It's about generations!  Our generational inheritance is at stake and now, more than ever before, we MUST pursue God and His Righteousness so that the things that are added to us are bathed in His Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness---which will produce wealth, BOTH naturally AND spiritually! 

During this season of giving, let us remember that GOD has GIFTS FOR US...BUT...the conditions set forth in His Word MUST be met...THROUGH JESUS...His most generous gift.  Once we receive Him, we also receive all that God has in store for us!

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December 14, 2009

Job 27 (The Message)

No Place to Hide

   "'This is how God treats the wicked,
   this is what evil people can expect from God Almighty:
Their children—all of them—will die violent deaths;
   they'll never have enough bread to put on the table.
They'll be wiped out by the plague,
   and none of the widows will shed a tear when they're gone.
Even if they make a lot of money
   and are resplendent in the latest fashions,
It's the good who will end up wearing the clothes
   and the decent who will divide up the money.
They build elaborate houses
   that won't survive a single winter.
They go to bed wealthy
   and wake up poor.
Terrors pour in on them like flash floods—
   a tornado snatches them away in the middle of the night,
A cyclone sweeps them up—gone!
   Not a trace of them left, not even a footprint.
Catastrophes relentlessly pursue them;
   they run this way and that, but there's no place to hide—
Pummeled by the weather,
   blown to kingdom come by the storm."

Joel 3:1-21 (King James Version)

 ¹For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

 ²I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

 ³And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.

 ⁴Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;

 ⁵Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:

 ⁶The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.

 ⁷Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:

 ⁸And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

 ⁹Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:

 ¹⁰Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

 ¹¹Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.

 ¹²Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

 ¹³Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

 ¹⁴Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

 ¹⁵The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

 ¹⁶The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

 ¹⁷So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

 ¹⁸And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

 ¹⁹Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

 ²⁰But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

 ²¹For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.

December 11, 2009

Today, God brought back to me the bleeding of His innocent ones.  He is incensed with the willful disregard of His people's lives and souls.  This travesty is being carried out in what is being called "His House" by those sworn to protect them and defend them. 
His judgment has begun on those who continue to slaughter the innocent ones with their selfish pursuits; perverted speakings; and wanton arrogance.

Ezekiel 34-35 (Amplified Bible)

    ²Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them, even to the [spiritual] shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the [spiritual] shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the sheep?

    ³You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you kill the fatlings, but you do not feed the sheep.

    ⁴The diseased and weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the hurt and crippled you have not bandaged, those gone astray you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought to find, but with force and hardhearted harshness you have ruled them.

    ⁵And they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts of the field.

    ⁶My sheep wandered through all the mountains and upon every high hill; yes, My sheep were scattered upon all the face of the earth and no one searched or sought for them.^(A)

    ⁷Therefore, you [spiritual] shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

    ⁸As I live, says the Lord God, surely because My sheep became a prey, and My sheep became food for every beast of the field because there was no shepherd--neither did My shepherds search for My sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves and fed not My sheep--

    ⁹Therefore, O you [spiritual] shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

    ¹⁰Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My sheep at their hand and cause them to cease feeding the sheep, neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more. I will rescue My sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

    ¹¹For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I Myself, will search for My sheep and will seek them out.

    ¹²As a shepherd seeks out his sheep in the day that he is among his flock that are scattered, so will I seek out My sheep; and I will rescue them out of all places where they have been scattered in the day of clouds and thick darkness.

    ¹³And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and will bring them to their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

    ¹⁴I will feed them with good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be; there shall they lie down in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

    ¹⁵I will feed My sheep and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord God.

    ¹⁶I will seek that which was lost and bring back that which has strayed, and I will bandage the hurt and the crippled and will strengthen the weak and the sick, but I will destroy the fat and the strong [who have become hardhearted and perverse]; I will feed them with judgment and punishment.^(B)

    ¹⁷And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between the rams and the great he-goats [the malicious and the tyrants of the pasture].

    ¹⁸Is it too little for you that you feed on the best pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture? And to have drunk of the waters clarified by subsiding, but you must foul the rest of the water with your feet?

    ¹⁹And My flock, must they feed on what your feet have trodden and drink what your feet have fouled?

    ²⁰Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I Myself, will judge between fat sheep and impoverished sheep, or fat goats and lean goats.

    ²¹Because you push with side and with shoulder and thrust with your horns all those that have become weak and diseased, till you have scattered them abroad,

    ²²Therefore will I rescue My flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

    ²³And I will raise up over them one Shepherd and He shall feed them, even My Servant ^[a]David; He shall feed them and He shall be their Shepherd.^(C)

    ²⁴And I the Lord will be their God and My Servant David a Prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.

    ²⁵And I will confirm with them a covenant of peace and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land, and [My people] shall dwell safely in the wilderness, desert, or pastureland and sleep [confidently] in the woods.^(D)

    ²⁶And I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing, and I will cause the showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing [of good insured by God's favor].

    ²⁷And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit and the earth shall yield its increase; and [My people] shall be secure in their land, and they shall be confident and know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them out of the hand of those who made slaves of them.

    ²⁸And they shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the earth devour them, but they shall dwell safely and none shall make them afraid [in the ^[b]day of the Messiah's reign] ^(E)

    ²⁹And I will raise up for them a planting of crops for renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land nor bear the reproach of the nations any longer.

    ³⁰Then shall they know [positively] that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are My people, says the Lord God,

    ³¹And that you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are [only] men and I am your God, says the Lord God.

Ezekiel 35

    ²Son of man, set your face against the mountain [range of] Seir [in Edom] and prophesy against it,

    ³And say to it, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you, and I will stretch out My hand against you and I will make you a desolation and an astonishment.

    ⁴I will lay your cities waste and you shall be desolate, and you shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].

    ⁵Because you [of Esau] have had a perpetual enmity [for Jacob] and you gave over the sons of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, when they were suffering their final punishment [the Babylonian conquest],^(F)

    ⁶Therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, I will expose you to slaughter and slaughter shall pursue you; since you could not bear to live without bloodshed, therefore bloodshed shall pursue you.

    ⁷Thus will I make Mount Seir an astonishment and a desolation, and I will cut off from it him who passes through it and him who returns [that way].

    ⁸And I will fill [Edom's] mountains with his slain men; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines shall those fall who are slain with the sword.

    ⁹I will make you a perpetual desolation and your ^[c]cities shall not be inhabited. Then you will know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].

    ¹⁰Because you [Edom] said, These two nations [Israel and Judah] and these two countries shall be mine and we will take possession of them--although the Lord was there,

    ¹¹Therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, I will deal with you according to the anger and envy you showed because of your enmity for them, and I will make Myself known among them [as He Who will judge and punish] when I judge and punish you.

    ¹²And you shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service], and that I have heard all your revilings and scornful speeches that you have uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid waste and desolate; they are given to us to devour.

    ¹³Thus you have boasted and magnified yourselves against Me with your mouth, multiplying your words against Me; I have heard it.

    ¹⁴Thus says the Lord God: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you a waste and desolation.

    ¹⁵As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so will I deal with you; you shall be a waste and desolation, O Mount Seir and all Edom, all of it. Then they shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service].

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December 7, 2009

Today, let us examine ourselves...THOROUGHLY!  Every decision, motive, action, reaction, thought, pursuit, goal and intent.  Every thing we do and every thought we think gives honor to someone.  We are in the final moments of the "Season of Determination."  God is weighing our lives' works.  We are preparing to receive the fruit of what we've sown...therefore, it's time for us to evaluate our own lives with His Word and His Way as the guiding light!  Don't be found "wanting" now.  Don't be found drowning in the flood...when the ark is still open for you to run into...

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December 3, 2009

"FILTERS, Part 1"

"Because of disobedience in the Garden, man was reduced to having to toil in his flesh (the ground from which he was made) in order to survive.  Because of man's determination to live as he pleased, the world became increasingly evil.  In order to restore order, I used a MAN (Noah) to demonstrate My Mercy (by building the Ark); YET because no one had ever heard of nor seen rain, man refused My Mercy...and drowned!  The same is still true today.  Because of man's determination to live as he pleases, the world has become more evil and vile than ever before.  I have been Merciful...continually sending My people out to demonstrate My Love and My Compassion...and they have been met with fierce resistance.  In government, My people are censured.  In the church, My people are ignored.  In the earth, My Presence is waning.  Yet many declare, "God can deal with me himself!  I don't want to hear anything from people because...."  Do you not understand that if I God show up independent of people...you will die? Look at the children of Israel.  They wanted  to have their own way and didn't obey Me.  So each time I bypassed Moses and Aaron, death came...it took Moses and Aaron positioning themselves between Me and the people to stop death!  The same is true today.  Jesus made it clear that you can't come to Me unless you do so by Him...which still is Me...filtered!  Without the filter of My Son and My people, NO MAN CAN STAND IN MY PRESENCE!  I never intended for you to become so independent that you forsake relationship!  I never intended for you to become so "religious" that you'd think that you can bypass the system of protection that I set up for you!  You don't want to fall into My hands when I'm angry because of your sin.  You NEED the protection of My Mercy through others!  You NEED the filter of My Son, Jesus...HE is the intercessor...I AM the judge, jury and executioner.  If you want to experience My Mercy and My Grace, then you must learn to embrace My Process and My Protocol!"  says the Lord.

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December 2, 2009

Today, God told me to read Ezra 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7.  As I meditated on the written Word, He said to me:  "Prepare!  Prepare to build and rebuild.  Prepare to turn and return.  Prepare to come and overcome!  Prepare!"  This is a season ripe with the bountiful harvest of God.  We must be prepared to face the opposition, character assassination and false stereotypes of others as we move out of the season of bondage, INTO FREEDOM!  Read this passage and allow God to illuminate new meaning to you for your journey..."A Victim is one who failed to prepare!"

Ezra 3-7 (Amplified Bible)

Ezra 3

    ²Then stood up Jeshua son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and they built the altar of the God of Israel to offer burnt offerings upon it, as it is written in the instructions of Moses the man of God.

    ³And they set the altar [in its place] upon its base, for fear was upon them because of the peoples of the countries; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord morning and evening.

    ⁴They kept also the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the ordinances, as each day's duty required,

    ⁵And after that, the continual burnt offering, the offering at the New Moon, and at all the appointed feasts of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the Lord.

    ⁶From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, but the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.

    ⁷They gave money also to the masons and to the carpenters, and gave food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the seaport of Joppa, according to the grant they had from Cyrus king of Persia.

    ⁸In the second year of their coming to God's house at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak made a beginning, with the rest of their brethren--the priests and Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem out of the captivity. They appointed the Levites from twenty years old and upward to oversee the work of the Lord's house.

    ⁹Then Jeshua with his sons and his kinsmen, Kadmiel and his sons, sons of Judah, together took the oversight of the workmen in the house of God--the sons of Henadad, with their sons and Levite kinsmen.

    ¹⁰And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their vestments with trumpets, and the Levite sons of Asaph with their cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the order of David king of Israel.

    ¹¹They sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid!

    ¹²But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house [Solomon's temple], when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice, though many shouted aloud for joy.

    ¹³So the people could not distinguish the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far off.

Ezra 4

    ²They came to Zerubbabel [now governor] and to the heads of the fathers' houses and said, Let us build with you, for we seek and worship your God as you do, and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.

    ³But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel said to them, You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.

    ⁴Then [the Samaritans] the people of the land [continually] weakened the hands of the people of Judah and troubled and terrified them in building

    ⁵And hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose and plans all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius [II] king of Persia.

    ⁶And in the reign of Ahasuerus [or Xerxes], in the beginning of his reign, [the Samaritans] wrote to him an accusation against the [returned] inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

    ⁷Later, in the days of King Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the letter was written in the Syrian or Aramaic script and interpreted in that language.

    ⁸Rehum the [Persian] commander [of the Samaritans] and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king of this sort--

    ⁹Then wrote Rehum the [Persian] commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates--the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,

    ¹⁰And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the city of Samaria and the rest of the country beyond [west of] the Euphrates River, and so forth.

    ¹¹This is a copy of the letter which they sent to King Artaxerxes: Your servants, the men beyond [that is, west of] the River [Euphrates], and so forth.

    ¹²Be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have come to Jerusalem. This rebellious and bad city they are rebuilding, and have restored its walls and repaired the foundations.

    ¹³Be it known now to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, then they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be diminished.

    ¹⁴Now because we eat the salt of the king's palace and it is not proper for us to witness the king's discredit, therefore we send to inform the king,

    ¹⁵In order that a search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers, in which you will learn that this is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it of old. That is why [it] was laid waste.

    ¹⁶We declare to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, it will mean that you will have no portion on this side of the [Euphrates] River.

    ¹⁷Then the king sent an answer: To Rehum the [Persian] official, to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria and in the rest of the country beyond the River: Greetings.

    ¹⁸The letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me.

    ¹⁹I commanded and search has been made, and it is found that this city [Jerusalem] of old time has made insurrection against kings and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.

    ²⁰There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem who have ruled over all countries beyond [west of] the [Euphrates] River, and tribute, custom, and toll were paid to them.

    ²¹Therefore give a decree to make these men stop, that this city not be rebuilt, until a command is given by me.

    ²²Be sure that you do this. Why should damage grow, to the hurt of the kings?

    ²³When the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews and by force and power made them cease.

    ²⁴Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped. It stopped until the second year of Darius [I] king of Persia.

Ezra 5

    ²Then rose up Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel [heir to the throne of Judah] and Jeshua son of Jozadak and began to build the house of God in Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God [Haggai and Zechariah], helping them.

    ³Then Tattenai, governor on the west side of the [Euphrates] River, and Shethar-bozenai and their companions came to them and said, Who ^[c]authorized you to build this house and to restore this wall?

    ⁴Then we told them [in reply] the names of the men who were building this building.

    ⁵But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so the enemy could not make them stop until the matter came before Darius [I] and an answer was returned by letter concerning it.

    ⁶This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor on this side of the River, and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the Apharsachites who were on this [west] side of the River, sent to Darius [I] the king.

    ⁷They wrote: To Darius the king: All peace.

    ⁸Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, with timber laid in the walls; this work goes on with diligence and care and prospers in their hands.

    ⁹Then we asked those elders, Who authorized you to build this house and restore these walls?

    ¹⁰We asked their names also, that we might record the names of the men at their head and notify you.

    ¹¹They replied, We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, rebuilding the house which was erected and finished many years ago by a great king of Israel.

    ¹²But after our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried the people away into Babylon.

    ¹³But in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, the same King Cyrus made a decree to rebuild this house of God.

    ¹⁴And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon and delivered to a man named Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor.

    ¹⁵And King Cyrus said to him, Go, take these vessels to Jerusalem and carry them into the temple, and let the house of God be built upon its site.

    ¹⁶Then came this Sheshbazzar and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem; and since that time until now it has been in the process of being rebuilt and is not completed yet.

    ¹⁷So now, if it seems good to the king, let a search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon to see if it is true that King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.

Ezra 6

    ²And at Ecbatana in the capital in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was recorded:

    ³In the first year of King Cyrus, [he] made a decree: Concerning the house of God in Jerusalem, let the house, the place where they offer sacrifices, be built, and let its foundations be strongly laid, its height and its breadth each 60 cubits,

    ⁴With three courses of great stones and one course of new timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury.

    ⁵Also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple in Jerusalem, each put in its place in the house of God.

    ⁶Now therefore, Tattenai, governor of the province [west of] the River, Shethar-bozenai, and your associates, the Apharsachites who are [west of] the River, keep far away from there.

    ⁷Leave the work on this house of God alone; let the governor and the elders of the Jews build this house of God on its site.

    ⁸Moreover, I make a decree as to what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God: the cost is to be paid in full to these men at once from the king's revenue, the tribute of the province [west of] the River, that they may not be hindered.

    ⁹And all they need, including young bulls, rams, and lambs for the burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the word of the priests at Jerusalem, let it be given them each day without fail,

    ¹⁰That they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

    ¹¹Also I make a decree that whoever shall change or infringe on this order, let a beam be pulled from his house and erected; then let him be fastened to it, and let his house be made a dunghill for this.

    ¹²May the God Who has caused His Name to dwell there overthrow all kings and peoples who put forth their hands to alter this or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be executed speedily and exactly.

    ¹³Then Tattenai, governor of the province this side of the River, with Shethar-bozenai and their associates, diligently did what King Darius had decreed.

    ¹⁴And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished their building as commanded by the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.

    ¹⁵And this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

    ¹⁶And the Israelites--the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles--celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

    ¹⁷They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 young bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and, for a sin offering for all Israel, 12 he-goats, according to the number of Israel's tribes.

    ¹⁸And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.

    ¹⁹The returned exiles kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.

    ²⁰For the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together; all of them were clean. So they killed the Passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their brother priests, and for themselves.

    ²¹It was eaten by the Israelites who had returned from exile and by all who had joined them and separated themselves from the pollutions of the peoples of the land to seek the Lord, the God of Israel.

    ²²They kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the Lord had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria [referring to Darius king of Persia] to them, so that he strengthened their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Ezra 7

    ²The son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,

    ³The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,

    ⁴The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,

    ⁵The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest--

    ⁶This Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a skilled scribe in the five books of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given. And the king granted him all he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was upon him.

    ⁷And also some of the Israelites, with some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servants, went up [from Babylon] to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

    ⁸Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king.

    ⁹On the first of the first month he started out from Babylon, and on the first of the fifth month he arrived in Jerusalem, for upon him was the good hand of his God.

    ¹⁰For Ezra had prepared and set his heart to seek the Law of the Lord [to inquire for it and of it, to require and yearn for it], and to do and teach in Israel its statutes and its ordinances.

    ¹¹Now this is the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe [occupied with] the words of the commands of the Lord and of His statutes to Israel:

    ¹²Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, scribe of the instructions of the God of heaven: Greetings.

    ¹³I make a decree that all of the people of Israel and of their priests and Levites in my realm, who offer freely to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you.

    ¹⁴For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem according to the instruction of your God, which is in your hand,

    ¹⁵And to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, Whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

    ¹⁶And all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylonia, with the freewill offerings of the people and of the priests, offered willingly for the house of their God in Jerusalem.

    ¹⁷Therefore you shall with all speed and exactness buy with this money young bulls, rams, lambs, with their cereal offerings and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.

    ¹⁸And whatever shall seem good to you and to your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.

    ¹⁹The vessels also that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, those deliver before the God of Jerusalem.

    ²⁰And whatever more shall be needful for the house of your God which you shall have occasion to provide, provide it out of the king's treasury.

    ²¹And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province beyond the [Euphrates] River that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the instructions of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it shall be done exactly and at once--

    ²²Up to 100 talents of silver, 100 measures of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt not specified.

    ²³Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done diligently and honorably for the house of the God of heaven, lest His wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons.

    ²⁴Also we notify you that as to any of the priests and Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on them.

    ²⁵You, Ezra, after the wisdom of your God, which is [in His instructions] in your hand, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people [west] of the River; choose those who know the instructions of your God, and teach him who does not know them.

    ²⁶And whoever will not do the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him exactly and speedily, whether it be unto death or banishment or confiscation of goods or imprisonment.

    ²⁷Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers [said Ezra], Who put such a thing as this into the king's heart, to beautify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem,

    ²⁸And Who has extended His mercy and steadfast love to me before the king, his counselors, and all the king's mighty officers. I was strengthened and encouraged, for the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered together outstanding men of Israel to go with me to Jerusalem.

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December 1, 2009

"I, Pastor Andrea Marie Jones-Scipio, do solemnly affirm that I will support and defend the Word of God; The Kingdom of God and the People of God against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the instructions of God--as written in His Word and revealed through His Servants; and that I will remain accountable to the same; So help me God."

What does this mean?  This means that I am prepared to defend RIGHTEOUSNESS against any demons from hell (foreign) and against the religiosity of the church (domestic)!  I am poised for battle and thoroughly equipped to stand on God's Word...holding the line of HOLINESS in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds!
When I open my eyes each morning, I want the kingdom of darkness to shrink back in fear!  Not because of Me, but because of the DEMONSTRATION OF GOD'S POWER AND AUTHORITY operating in and through me. 

Just in case you hadn't noticed:  THERE'S A WAR GOING ON!!!  There is a sudden rise in spiritual POW's, Injuries and Casualties in the Body of Christ.  Friendly fire is taking out units left and right!  But there has arisen a new breed of warrior--whose assignment is clear and whose allegiance has been tested and proven!  This generation of "SUPER POWERS" are taking their position on the battlefield and are taking NO PRISONERS!

The recruitment process is an arduous one and is by selection only...those who are willing to surrender ALL to follow Christ; those who are willing to stand even when it seems they have nothing to stand on; those whose desire and pursuits are towards Christ and pleasing Him and Him alone; those who have a passion for souls and a hunger for reconciliation; those who are willing to lay on their faces morning, noon and night; those who are ready to stand for TRUTH and HOLINESS while compromise is the order of the day; those who will WORSHIP the Father in Spirit and in Truth--these are the ones being called into battle in this hour. 

It's time to recognize the seriousness of the hour and make prayer and intercession a top priority!  Then and only then will you hear the heart of God, see the face of God and feel the Hand of God move you into YOUR rightful position! 
Seek Him while He may yet be found!  Don't wait...you may have less time than you think!

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November 30, 2009

John 4 (Amplified Bible)

    ²Though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples--

    ³He left Judea and returned to Galilee.

    ⁴It was necessary for Him to go through Samaria.

    ⁵And in doing so, He arrived at a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the tract of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

    ⁶And Jacob's well was there. So Jesus, tired as He was from His journey, sat down [to rest] by the well. It was then about the sixth hour (about noon).

    ⁷Presently, when a woman of Samaria came along to draw water, Jesus said to her, Give Me a drink--

    ⁸For His disciples had gone off into the town to buy food--

    ⁹The Samaritan woman said to Him, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan [and a] woman, for a drink?--For the Jews have nothing to do with the Samaritans--

    ¹⁰Jesus answered her, If you had only known and had recognized God's gift and Who this is that is saying to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him [instead] and He would have given you living water.

    ¹¹She said to Him, Sir, You have nothing to draw with [no drawing bucket] and the well is deep; how then can You provide living water? [Where do You get Your living water?]

    ¹²Are You greater than and superior to our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well and who used to drink from it himself, and his sons and his cattle also?

    ¹³Jesus answered her, All who drink of this water will be thirsty again.

    ¹⁴But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life.

    ¹⁵The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water, so that I may never get thirsty nor have to come [continually all the way] here to draw.

    ¹⁶At this, Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband and come back here.

    ¹⁷The woman answered, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have spoken truly in saying, I have no husband.

    ¹⁸For you have had five husbands, and the man you are now living with is not your husband. In this you have spoken truly.

    ¹⁹The woman said to Him, Sir, I see and understand that You are a prophet.

    ²⁰Our forefathers worshiped on this mountain, but you [Jews] say that Jerusalem is the place where it is necessary and proper to worship.

    ²¹Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither [merely] in this mountain nor [merely] in Jerusalem.

    ²²You [Samaritans] do not know what you are worshiping [you worship what you do not comprehend]. We do know what we are worshiping [we worship what we have knowledge of and understand], for [after all] salvation comes from [among] the Jews.

    ²³A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers.

    ²⁴God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).

    ²⁵The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming, He Who is called the Christ (the Anointed One); and when He arrives, He will tell us everything we need to know and make it clear to us.

    ²⁶Jesus said to her, I Who now speak with you am He.

    ²⁷Just then His disciples came and they wondered (were surprised, astonished) to find Him talking with a woman [a married woman]. However, not one of them asked Him, What are You inquiring about? or What do You want? or, Why do You speak with her?

    ²⁸Then the woman left her water jar and went away to the town. And she began telling the people,

    ²⁹Come, see a Man Who has told me everything that I ever did! Can this be [is not this] the Christ? [Must not this be the Messiah, the Anointed One?]

    ³⁰So the people left the town and set out to go to Him.

TODAY, will you answer His Call To Worship?  Will you allow Him to invade your present situation--even though it's not "customary" to invite Him in?  Will you permit His Love to permeate you inner struggles and expose the pain you are trying so desperately to cover with pursuits that only yield more pain?  Are you willing to accept His loving embrace and welcome His candid honesty concerning your life?  Will you stop running and let down your water pitcher into the Well of Living Water...which will wash you and thoroughly satisfy every need you have?  Are you willing to allow yourself to become so transparent that you'll risk exposing yourself in an effort to tell others what He's done for you?  Can you find the time and the strength to truly WORSHIP Him in Spirit and in Truth? 

November 29, 2009
Today, many paraded in and out of sanctuaries across the globe.  Choirs marched in singing the songs of Zion, while the people clapped their hands, patted their feet and sung loudly from their seats.  The offering plates were passed, some filled--some not.  Ministers of every denominational background gave stirring sermons; hoping to generate approval for their silver tongued efforts. 
What happens when service is over?  What happens when the music stops?  When the choir is gone and the sanctuary is empty...what do you do?  The prayer team has gone home and you still are in need...where do you go?  The next service isn't until Wednesday, it's only Sunday afternoon; what do you do?  After all the meetings, counseling sessions and group chats...you're alone with your issues...what do you do?

Hosea 6:1-3 (Amplified Bible)

    ²After two days He will revive us (quicken us, give us life); on the third day He will raise us up that we may live before Him.

    ³Yes, let us know (recognize, be acquainted with, and understand) Him; let us be zealous to know the Lord [to appreciate, give heed to, and cherish Him]. His going forth is prepared and certain as the dawn, and He will come to us as the [heavy] rain, as the latter rain that waters the earth.

Isaiah 54 (Amplified Bible)

    ²Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; spare not; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes,

    ³For you will spread abroad to the right hand and to the left; and your offspring will possess the nations and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

    ⁴Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed; neither be confounded and depressed, for you shall not be put to shame. For you shall forget the shame of your youth, and you shall not [seriously] remember the reproach of your widowhood any more.

    ⁵For your Maker is your Husband--the Lord of hosts is His name--and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called.

    ⁶For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken, grieved in spirit, and heartsore--even a wife [wooed and won] in youth, when she is [later] refused and scorned, says your God.

    ⁷For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion and mercy I will gather you [to Me] again.

    ⁸In a little burst of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with age-enduring love and kindness I will have compassion and mercy on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.

    ⁹For this is like the days of Noah to Me; as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.

    ¹⁰For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.

    ¹¹O you afflicted [city], storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in fair colors [in antimony to enhance their brilliance] and lay your foundations with sapphires.

    ¹²And I will make your windows and pinnacles of [sparkling] agates or rubies, and your gates of [shining] carbuncles, and all your walls [of your enclosures] of precious stones.

    ¹³And all your [spiritual] children shall be disciples [taught by the Lord and obedient to His will], and great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of your children.

    ¹⁴You shall establish yourself in righteousness (rightness, in conformity with God's will and order): you shall be far from even the thought of oppression or destruction, for you shall not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you.

    ¹⁵Behold, they may gather together and stir up strife, but it is not from Me. Whoever stirs up strife against you shall fall and surrender to you.

    ¹⁶Behold, I have created the smith who blows on the fire of coals and who produces a weapon for its purpose; and I have created the devastator to destroy.

    ¹⁷But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord.

Isaiah 55:1-3 (Amplified Bible)

    ²Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your earnings for what does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness [the profuseness of spiritual joy].

Watching The Sky,

Pastor AJ-Scipio

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November 28, 2009

As I began my time of Worship and prayer this morning, I found myself feeling such grief and pain in my spirit.  I asked the Lord what was going on.  He promptly responded, " My Heart is Grieved over the bloodshed of My innocent ones!"  I instinctively knew of which He spoke.  As I prepared to write this morning, He instructed me to share with you two dreams He gave me in early 2007. While at that time, the dreams were significant to me concerning the house of worship I was a part of, today, they have a much broader application. 

I was in the sanctuary.  There was blood everywhere!  The floors were literally soaked!  So much so that when I walked I could hear the "squish" of blood under my feet.  The blood was all over the chairs, the pillars, and the doors.  This blood was running UP the walls!  As I looked around, I could see DNA strands rising from the floor.  This was the only way I could identify whose blood was on the floor.  The smell in the room was so foul, yet I detected "cleaning" agents and air fresheners being used to try to mask the odor.  In the pulpit, where the podium once stood, was a guillotine (which is a machine for beheading by means of a heavy blade that slides down in vertical guides).  There was blood all over it and running down from the platform. 

A few days later, I dreamed about a woman standing in the same pulpit I'd seen in the other dream.  She was dressed in all white was holding a lamb in her arms.  The image was so sweet and loving.  The woman was smiling and appeared to be cradling the little lamb in her arms in such a loving way.  The sanctuary was clean and very inviting.  Yet as I got closer to her, it was as though I was looking at this scene in the dark with the benefit of luminol.

A simulation of luminol at work: Before spraying luminol, there's no sign of blood. After spraying luminol, the latent blood traces emit a blue glow.

When I looked at the woman again, I could see the blood running down from her mouth.  The little lamb in her arms was bloody.  Upon further examination, I saw that the lamb, whose head was upright and eyes were open, was actually dead!  The way she was holding it, propped it up and gave the appearance of life.  The woman's beautiful white robe was full of blood...yet to the naked eye, all seemed well!
I was quite disturbed by these dreams.  I thought that perhaps they were coming from my imagination, perhaps I was bitter and angry about the things that had transpired with this woman--who was the pastor of this church.  I searched my mind, and then asked God to search every part of my being to tell me if this was of Him or me!  Oh yes, folks, we MUST be certain to ascertain the origin of dreams, words and revelations! 
However, within days of having each dream, I was in conference.  A woman approached me and told me about the dreams and their meaning!  Without a doubt, I knew that God was speaking!  At that time, I thought perhaps it was specifically to me and about that specific ministry.  However, as time has gone by, I've come to understand that while that was God's way of revealing the gross debauchery taking place in that ministry, the same incredulous acts were and still are being perpetrated in pulpits and churches everywhere! 

Today, God reminded me, again, of this dream and took me to His Word: 

Ezekiel 34:1-10 (Amplified Bible)

    ²Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them, even to the [spiritual] shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the [spiritual] shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the sheep?

    ³You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you kill the fatlings, but you do not feed the sheep.

    ⁴The diseased and weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the hurt and crippled you have not bandaged, those gone astray you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought to find, but with force and hardhearted harshness you have ruled them.

    ⁵And they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild beasts of the field.

    ⁶My sheep wandered through all the mountains and upon every high hill; yes, My sheep were scattered upon all the face of the earth and no one searched or sought for them.

    ⁷Therefore, you [spiritual] shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

    ⁸As I live, says the Lord God, surely because My sheep became a prey, and My sheep became food for every beast of the field because there was no shepherd--neither did My shepherds search for My sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves and fed not My sheep--

    ⁹Therefore, O you [spiritual] shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:

    ¹⁰Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My sheep at their hand and cause them to cease feeding the sheep, neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more. I will rescue My sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

Jeremiah 10:19-21 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁹Woe is me because of my hurt! [says Jeremiah, speaking for the nation.] My wound is grievous and incurable. But I said, Surely this sickness and suffering and grief are mine, and I must endure, tolerate, and bear them.

    ²⁰My tent (home) is taken by force and plundered, and all my [tent] cords are broken. My children have gone forth [as captives] from me, and they are no more; there is no one to stretch forth my tent any more and to set up my [tent] curtains.

    ²¹For the shepherds [of the people] have become like brutes, irrational and stupid, and have not sought the Lord or inquired of Him or required Him [by necessity and by right of His word]. Therefore they have not dealt prudently and have not prospered, and all their flocks are scattered.

The continued murderous intent of the enemy is being carried out in churches and ministries all around us.  The questions that God proposes to us today are:  

What are YOU doing about it?  Are you content to support and cover sinful practices IN the church?  How long will you allow your silence to be your agreement with these evil practices?  Just because it hasn't happened to YOU, or so you think, will you continue to be the audience this insidious spirit of murder enjoys?  Where are YOUR loyalties?  Are you more interested in being perceived as loving and kind...in an effort to keep "friendships?" When will enough be enough? 

God has declared WAR on these vile and repugnant leaders; who have placed position and power over protection and prudence with the things and people of God. 

Today, my heart is grieved, as is the Father's.  The loss of so many of the innocent ones is almost more than I can take. 

I ache at the mere thought of anyone else having to suffer what I have suffered; losing what I've lost!  Oh yes, although you may escape with your life, there is still a price to be paid for your allegiance to and alliances with these murderers! 

BUT, even with that, God is STILL merciful and forgiving and loving and gracious and kind towards hearts of true repentance!

Because of His love and mercy towards me, I can stand today to declare that I am forgiven and restored to HIM! And being so, makes me a tremendous threat to the continuation of this epidemic in the Body of Christ.  Once you get out, repent, allow God to restore and re-establish you, you become a mighty weapon of war!  Why?  Because you know how the enemy works on the inside!  You know where to look for him in the midst of the congregations and you become instrumental in the massive rescue operation that God has commissioned! 

Yes, there is blood and yes there are casualties!  But, if you are reading this, you are still alive and although you have battle scars--you are still here to fight FOR the True KINGDOM of GOD one more day!

Allow your heart to be pricked by Your Father and make repentance and intercession for the innocents a part of your day, TODAY.

For in the words of the songwriter:  "There's Nothing Like Being Free!"

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November 27, 2009

Wait:  to serve
Serve:  to be favorable, opportune, or convenient, to be worthy of reliance or trust.

Isaiah 40:25-31 (King James Version)

 ²⁵To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

 ²⁶Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

 ²⁷Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

 ²⁸Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

 ²⁹He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

 ³⁰Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

 ³¹But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

On this "Black Friday", many stood and waited...for the stores to open...in hopes of getting great deals...Looking for that special bargain that's for "today only."  Much planning and preparation went into devising the best possible strategy to insure getting to the "good stuff" before everyone else.  Perhaps you were fortunate and you get there early enough to get what you wanted and now you're satisfied...or are you?  What happens after you've waited and waited and the items you wanted are all sold out AND there are NO rain checks available? Or, better yet, after you've waited in the cold and in the dark of night, you realized that the advertised bargain was just a ruse to get you into the store?  How would you feel?  What has become of the time and effort you've spent? 

After standing, waiting, walking and running...have you been renewed?  Have you been strengthened?  What have you gained that is of eternal value?

While waiting in line and fighting for that special purchase, consider:  "When was the last time I stood in the Presence of Almighty God and just waited or served HIM?  When was the last time I arose EARLY in the morning to seek His Face? How long has it been since I REALLY spent time developing a strategy for how to capture HIM?  How long has it been since pleasing Him was your FIRST priority?  Have I allowed the cares of life, the pursuits of the world and the seduction of success to make SERVING your God and King more of a chore than a delight?  Have I forgotten that in the presence of The Lord, there are Pleasures...the kind that are never sold out and rain checks aren't necessary?  Have I been tricked out of the fullness of my JOY?  What ever became of my New Mercies that are available to me EVERY morning?"

As we approach the Christmas season, and the lists of who to buy for and what to buy for them...increases...don't forget the importance of taking time to just WAIT ON...SERVE...BE AVAILABLE TO...BE COUNTED TRUSTWORTHY BY...the one whom this Holiday is supposed to be about.

Take time to rediscover your passion for God and watch Him provide opportunities that retailers don't even know about!  Keep Christ FIRST and seek the complete and total restoration and salvation of His Kingdom and ALL THESE THINGS shall be added unto YOU!  Understand, shopping isn't a sinful practice and neither is wanting to give nice gifts to others!  However ANYTHING or ANYONE that you give more time, preparation and resources to than HIM...become IDOLS...

Interferences with your

Dependence and

Obedience to your

Lord and

Savior!

November 26, 2009

***HAPPY THANKSGIVING!***

As I awoke to a bright and sunny morning, God asked me a question:  "Look at how much time My people spend preparing for one meal for this one day...How much time do they spend preparing a meal for ME?"

This question gave me pause...time to stop and consider how much time, effort and money is spent preparing to host friends and family.  YET, the one who spent 33 years preparing for the ULTIMATE Thanksgiving feast--preparing Himself to be the main course--doesn't rate more than a few hours in a week and barely 10% of our resources.  I had to stop and take inventory of my own life and then "fly high" to see His Body from His vantage point. 

As the meals and fellowships draw to a close for this Thanksgiving Day and the mad rush  for Christmas shopping and preparation begins, take some time to evaluate how much time, effort and money you spend to host the most important guest of all, Christ!  How far in advance do you plan for each step in your Christian walk?  Have you fallen prey to the tyranny of keeping up traditions no matter the cost--financially, emotionally and physically?  Christ made the ultimate sacrifice so that you wouldn't have to! 

As you consider these questions, know that no matter what your answers are, Christ loves you and is there to help you make what ever changes are necessary to bring you to the place of fulfillment and peace...while still maintaining His Constant Lordship in your life. 

Be Blessed and Know that you are important to the plans and purposes of God!

November 25, 2009 

Today, there is a powerful unction from the Lord towards PRAYER.  As I laid before Him this morning, He spoke these words:

"Without constant and consistent PRAYER--PRAYER which is in alignment with My Will and Purposes--you'll not see the Victory!  You'll hear the sound of victory and see the subsequent evidence of victory but you will not be a fully ingrafted participant.  This is the time to stop doing so much discussing your issues, but rather hit your knees praying!  I have and will continue to direct your prayers that they shall accomplish what I have intended.  the earth is groaning--shaking on its very axis--awaiting its inhabitants' arrival in the place of prayerfullness!  If prayer does not take center stage, the earth will continue to spin out of control and hasten My ultimate judgment.  I would that none would perish but that all would come to repentance.  Sound the clarion call and alarm for My people to return to PRAYER!  It's time to call more SOLEMN ASSEMBLIES--weeping between the porch and the altar!"

Scripture References:  Romans 8:22-27; 2 Peter 3:9; Joel 2:15-17

May YOUR obedience arise to our Father as a sweet smelling savor and it's fragrance bring His Favor to Your life TODAY!

Watching The Sky,

Pastor AJ-Scipio

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Love Me Where You Are

By Francis Frangipane

I have discovered that, as we seek the Lord, our most difficult periods can be transformed into wonderful breakthroughs into God's love. For me, one such season occurred during the years 1979 to1981. The association of churches with which I was aligned had fallen under spiritual deception. Not only were its core doctrines increasingly seeded with New Age influences, but immorality crept in, and key leaders began leaving their wives for other women. I could no longer remain silent. As a result, in 1979 I left my congregation in Detroit, Michigan, where I had served as pastor, and traveled to the organization's regional headquarters in Iowa. I came to plead for repentance. However, after meeting with the senior leaders, I was asked to leave the group.
So here we were
We had left our church, we had no money, and we had four little children and couldn't afford even basic housing. Desperate for anything, we finally found an old farmhouse in rural Washington, Iowa. The home was over a hundred years old, but it actually looked much older. After negotiating with the landlord, we were given a year of free rent provided I did basic repairs to the house, such as cleaning and painting.
Even so, the house needed more than I could provide. The furnace did not work well, so we installed a wood burner stove in the kitchen. That first winter, it turned out, was one of the coldest in Iowa's history. Frost formed on the inside walls, spreading a foot or two around each window; wind chills dropped to 60 below, and even colder, on several occasions.
To keep warm each night, the whole family cuddled tightly on one large mattress on the dining room floor, about 18 feet from the wood burner in the kitchen. A fan behind the stove nudged warm air in our direction. My nightly project, of course, was to build enough heat in the stove to keep us warm until morning.
While I worked the fire, I also would pray and seek God. The wood burner became a kind of altar to me, for each night as I prayed, I offered to God my unfulfilled dreams and the pain of my spiritual isolation. Yes, I knew the Lord was aware of our situation. Though we had virtually nothing, He showed Himself to us in dozens of little ways. I just didn't know what He wanted of me.
As the seasons came and went, another child was born, and then we fostered a young girl from Viet Nam, giving us six children. Still, as the family grew, the little area around the wood burner became a hallowed place to me. Even in the summer, I would sit on the chair next to the stove and pray and worship.
I would like to say I found the joy of the Lord during this time, but in truth, though I gradually adjusted to my situation, I felt an abiding misery in my soul. Our deep poverty was an issue (I barely made $6,000 a year), but more than that, I felt like I had missed the Lord. My continual prayer was "Lord, what do You want of me?"
Three years of seeking God passed, and I still carried an emptiness inside. What was God's will for me? I had started a couple Bible studies and spoke a few times in churches, but I so identified with being a pastor that, until I was engaged again in full-time ministry, I feared I had lost touch with God's call on my life.
In spite of this inner emptiness concerning ministry, I actually was growing spiritually, especially in areas that were previously untilled. I went through the gospels hungry to study and obey the words of Christ. Previously, I had unconsciously defined a successful ministry as something born of my performance. During this time, however, the Lord reduced me to simply being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Indeed, a number of things I thought were biblical I discovered were really just religious traditions. The Lord desired that I take inventory of my heart and examine those few truths for which I would be willing to die. He said the truths for which I would die, for these I should live.
Frankly, things like the timing of the rapture or nuances about worship style or spiritual gifts dropped in their priority, though I still considered them important. Rising to the top of my focus was a passion to be a true follower of Jesus Christ - to obey His teachings and approach life not merely as a critic, but more as an encourager. I also found myself increasingly free to enjoy and learn from Christians from other streams and perspectives.
Yet, these changes, though deep and lasting, occurred slowly, almost imperceptibly. They were happening quietly in my heart, and only in hindsight did I see what the Lord had done. Throughout this time, I was preoccupied with feelings of detachment from God's will. My prayer to know the Lord's plan for me continued daily.
The Breakthrough
One day, as I stood in the kitchen pantry, I repeated again my abiding prayer: "Lord, what do you want of me?" In a sudden flash of illumination, the Lord answered. Speaking directly to my heart, He said, "Love Me where you're at."
In this time and season, remember, I was not a pastor or minister. I was a television repairman doing odd jobs on the side to provide for my family. I hated what I was doing. In my previous church I taught against TV and now I was "laying hands" on television sets and raising them from the dead! The Lord's answer cut straight to my heart. I was awed at its simplicity! I asked, "Love You where I am at? Lord, is that all you want of me?" To this He responded, "This is all I will ever require of you."
In that eternal moment peace flooded my soul, and I was released from the false expectation of ministry-driven service. God was not looking at what I did for Him, but who I became to Him in love. The issue in His heart was not whether I pastored, but whether I loved Him. To love the Lord in whatever station I found myself - even as a television repairman - this I could do!
A deep and remarkable transformation occurred in me. My identity was no longer in being a pastor, but rather on becoming a true lover of God. Having settled my priorities, amazingly, just a couple days later I was invited to pastor a church in Marion, Iowa. In spite of all my previous anxiety about returning to ministry, I did not jump at the opportunity. For I had found what the Lord truly desired of me. Though I eventually accepted this call, my focus was not merely on leading a church, but loving God.
What God Seeks
More than one's ministry, God seeks our love. His great commandment is that we love Him, ultimately, with all our mind, all our heart, and all our soul and strength. If we love Him, we will fulfill all He requires of us (see John 14:15). And it is as we love Him that He orchestrates all things to work together for our good (see Rom. 8:28).
Beloved, loving God is not hard. We can fulfill any assignment - auto mechanic or housewife, doctor or college student - and still give great pleasure to our heavenly Father. We do not need ministry titles to love the Lord. Indeed, God measures the value of our lives by the depth of our love. This is what He requires of every true God seeker: to love Him where we are at.
Lord Jesus, the revelation of Your love has swept me off my feet. Lord, You have drawn me and I run...