New Beginnings -- Entering His Rest

  Back in April of last year, I posed the question, Will we cross over??  (you can go back in my blog and read it if you have not already)  But I believe the answer came on 7/7/07.  The Call took place on that day and I say thousands upon thousands who came to represent themselves, their churches, their cities and their nation.  It had been 40 years (a prophetic time) since the summer of Love when a false love was introduced into american society.  40 years of decay brought in by following after the wrong kind of love.  Seven is the number of covenant and on 7/7/07 almost 100,000 people gathered in Nashville and were joined by people around the word who were fasting and praying and seeking God.  It was a time to look at our part in this disception.  It was a time to look at how we as "the church" have moved far from God and far from being Holy as He is Holy .  7/7/07 started with a repentance march at 7am.  I am just guessing at numbers but I would say around 50,000 people participated.  I thought I was towards the end of the crowd because as I looked forward I could see them passing through the large skyscrappers in the city, but when I looked back they were so far behind I could not see the ending.  We marched silently -- not pointing fingers, but looking at our own lives, and the lives of "the body" and asking God to forgive us.  We marched down Church street in Nashville and when we came to Hwy 40, I believe it was a prophetic sign of crossing over.    Can you imagine the impact of all those people, representing themselves, their churches, their cities, their nation -- marching in total silence thru the city??  All you could hear was the sound of marching.  Kind of made me think about Jericho.   I heard bystanders say "WOW, I have never seen anything like this in all my life!" in total amazement.  We are not looking to bring the city down but to see God raise it up!!  We are believing in HIS promises!   In the picture you can see the people passing thru the city.  I thought we were towards the end but when I looked back I could not see the end.  The people of God just kept coming! When we reached the stadium, we (like Miriam) rejoiced in our crossing.   There was praise, worship, more repentance, dancing, declarations, more prayers, more praise and I believe something done in the spirit that will soon manifest in the natural as we began to bear the fruit of our repentance.  Can you imagine a statium filled with almost 100,000 people who were praising, and worshipping the One True God and who were saying "By Your Grace Alone, we desire to turn away from all our other gods and idols and recovenant with You Jesus!  It was a "remarrying" of the Bride who had been unfaithful, to the Groom who had already provided grace.  The Night before the call, I had a vision of the skyline of the city covered in dark clouds, but then I was flooded with the love of God for the city (a love more powerful than anything I have ever felt in  my life) and then I saw the clouds open up and rays of light flood down on the city.  I had a chance to see in the natural the next day, what I had seen before.  It was the most amazing sight and I tried to capture it on film.  (see my photo album).  The call lasted until 10 pm that evening and the next day, as we  were about to head back to the stadium for the praise and worship, we were across the river walking down the street and had people coming to us asking what was happening at Titan Stadium because you could hear it for miles.  We told them that it was a time of praise and worship and everyone was invited.  They asked if it was part of 7/7/07 and we said yes, and they asked if they could come and was it free.  We told them yes, please come.  Talk of what was happening was filling the city.  The homeless were so being touched that they were trumpeting the sound across the city, as people coming to the call were seen buying them meals, praying with them and loving them.  God was doing amazing things.  I saw a new generation arising in unison, as a corporate army -- one who has none seeking to be a star but is willing to die to all so that all could arise and shine and do greater works.  I saw young men, falling on their knees in parking lots of waffle house, crying out for those who thought they had gone to far from God to be redeemed, but knowing that their Father in heaven has Grace that is more than enough!    Even after I got back home, struggling with the flesh, as flights were delayed and tempers tried to rise, I cried out that we would truly bear the fruit of repentance.  That we would become all that He has called us to be, but what I was seeing in the natural (in myself -- my own life) was not showing much fruit, so I wept and cried out.   Later that day I saw a truck pulled over by a police car -- lights flashing and on the side of the truck it said "Image Design".   I asked God what it meant and He said to me "I am arresting (making inactive, bringing into My rest) my people, for I am the author and finisher and I am the only one who can manifest the Image Design, for I am the original Designer"  showing me once again that it is a work that He alone can do in us.  We cannot do it but He is able.  He who has promised is faithful, and He will complete the work He has begun in us.  We cannot allow ourselves to get our eyes off Him because It is His finished work that will make us that spotless bride.  We must remember, that the battle really began when the Isrealites crossed over into the promised land, but the BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD and He has already won!!  Hallelujah!  But we are called to pray until we see His Kingdom come on earth as it already is in heaven.  Seek God For the City!  The Nations for an Inheritance! 

Open the eyes of our Understanding Lord!

Broken and Contrite

Although I do not live in South Dakota, my heart is broken over their decision to sacrafice the unborn on the altar of convience.  The selfishness of our society breaks my heart.

Oh, Father, my heart is truly broken.  Broken for my nation and the decisions we make.  How can we choose our own convience over another life?  How can we have become so selfish that we would sacrifice children on the altar of "choice".  Father, forgive me for my own selfish ways.  Holy Spirit let me die to what I want and implant in me the Fathers love so that I would love as Christ did.  Forgive us God for as a nation we have turned our back on all you have done.  Father, you have given us everything for life and godliness and we have been like the prodical and squandered all we have and now we are miered in all our selfish choices.  God bring us to the place that we as a nation will once again turn our hearts toward you.  I thank you for your mercy and grace and how faithful you have always been to us, even when we are unfaithful.  Break our hearts Oh, Lord and take us from glory to glory according to your purposes.  Father, you honored Moses request for mercy on Israel when they built the golden calf.  Oh God have merccy on us for we have gone even farther -- sacrificing our children on the altar of convienence and choice.  Forgive all those who have dishonored you and turn their hearts.  Father, only you can change their hearts.  I thank you that mercy triuphants over judgement and that today is still the day of grace.  I thank you that because of your heart of love for us that you keep giving us time (for you are not slow in coming as some consider slow).  Let not this time be wasted -- raise up labors for the harvest field.  Give us boldness to share your love with others.  Do a suddenly in your church and transform us so we can become the light that glorifies you.  Judgement must begin in the house of the Lord, because in your judgement we understand your abiding love for us.  Your mercy endures forever.  Father, I pray for our supreme court justices.  They are hearing the partial birth abortion issue beginning today Nov. 8th.  Lord I pray that they hear clearly your voice.  Speak to them Father.  Dreams, Visions, Audiably.  Let the eyes of their understanding be opened concerning the decision they must make.  Father I desire to say "let them be held accountable for their decision for all eternity" but I know that You have given Your only Son for them and your desire is that none should perish and all would come to the knowledge of You.  Father, for those in our supreme court who may not KNOW you, I pray that You would woo them by Your Holy Spirit.  Father prepare their hearts to receive so that the seed planted will not be stolen away or spring up and wither, but that it will grow and bear fruit for Your Kingdom.  Send those who sow and those who water and Father I trust You for the increase that only You can bring.  Let them all know the depth, breath and width of Your love.  Forgive me for my own hardness of heart and the desire sometimes for judgement when You desire mercy.  Root out of me those things that make me a hypocrite and bad ambassitor of who You really are.  I thank You, that You who have begun a work in me -- are faithful to complete it!  And not just in me but in all those You have begun a great work in!!  Thank You Lord!   I declare that although the powers and principalities may have rejoiced in the choices we as a nation have made that I trust in You -- My Awesome, Faithful God to turn even this for good, because I trust in You!  Have Your way in us Oh Lord!  In Jesus mighty name and finished work -- I pray and rejoice!! amen.  

Crossing Over??

Are you crossing over??  or will you wonder the wilderness for another 40 years??  While recently studying Deut 31, the Holy Spirit revealed that we too are at a critical crossroads.  Will we cross-over into all God has for us or will we wander the wilderness forty more years??  I believe we must have faith just like Caleb and Joshua and we must recognize just like they did that it is a land YOU are giving us!!  We cant be like those with a bad report -- we must quit looking at our circumstances and seeing ourselves as "grasshoppers" --It is time to realize that in our weakness He is made strong, and that IN Christ we can do ALL things for it is not our strength but HIS!  Deut 31:3 shows the You promise that You go before us and that You destroy the nations (our old nature and impure thoughts and actions -- the old man -- our flesh) from before us & that we shall disposses (casting down imaginations, renewing our mind) them.  It is an exchanged life (Not I who live, but Christ IN me)  Romans 7 talks about the war we are in -- The battle of flesh and the new man.  We must recognize the victory of Christs finished work and realize that we must perceive it and I know your faithfulness to complete what is begun in us!)  Romans 6:16 reminds us that whatever we continuely surrender ourselves to is who we are a slave to.  We have a choice -- obedience and life or disobedience and death.  vs 19 reminds us to yeild ourselves as servants of righteousness and Rom 7:25 poses the question "who will release and deliver me from the shackles of this body???"  vs 25 "Oh, Thank God!!  HE WILL through Jesus Christ our Lord."  -- the thing is He already has, we just have not perceived it yet and so we are not walking in it!!!!   Romans 8:9 reminds us that we are not living the life of the flesh but of the Holy Spirit and vs 15 tells us "the spirit which you have NOW received is not a spirit of slavery but a spirit of adoption in which we cry, abba Father!"  vs 18 reminds us of the Glory that is about to be revealed IN us and conferred on us!!!  vs 25 reminds us if we hope for what is unseen by us, we wait for it w/patience and composure (knowing He who has begun a good work in us is faithful to complete it)  Romans 8:29 says those who He foreknew He also destined from the beginning to be molded into the image of His Son, that He might become the firstborn among many brethern.  The KEY is FAITH -- FAITH that He goes before us -- FAITH in the finished work -- FAITH in His Faithfulness.   Why did they roam the wilderness for 40 years??  because the majority did not have Faith to believe what God said!!  Remember -- He who has begun a good work in you is faithful to complete it!!  We will be that spotless bride!!  Hallelujah!  Tired of trying to be good??  Learn to rest in the finished work and in the hands of the Master Potter!  Jesus was the firstborn of many brethern -- are you one of the brethern?

WHO DOES HE SAY YOU ARE??

Who does He say you are??  Living in the revelation of who we are In Christ Jesus!  Before we can understand who we are, we must have an understanding of who He is.  How well do you know God??  Who has formed your image of God??  To many times we have allowed those around us to form our image of who God is.  We have listened to pastors and preachers, evangelists or maybe just aunt Judy.  We have allowed our image of God to be built by those around us rather than seeking out who God is for ourselves.  Sometimes this can lead to a distorted image of who God is.  Maybe there was a teacher who told you that miracles have ceased and so your image was built on what they taught.  Or maybe you had someone close to you pass away and you overheard a relative blame God in their grief.  Not even realizing it you have allowed your image of God to be built by those around you.  Maybe you know God as.... King of Kings?  Lord of Lords? Master? Savior? Prince of Peace? Creator? Almighty God? The One who sits on the Throne? High and Lifted up? but what about as..... wanting to walk with you in the cool of the day?  desiring to be in the midst of His people -- so much so that when they were a nomadic people He had them build a tent of meeting -- which was portable so that when they moved He went with them -- or when they became a nation, He had them build a temple so that He could dwell in the midst of them.  Do you know He often cried out for His people to know His ways and walk in them?  His desire has always been fellowship and now we are that temple!  Wow what a wonderful new covenant we have.

Do you know Him as author and finisher or author and perfecter of our faith??  Hebrews 12:2 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." or Hebrews 3:4 calls God "Builder of all things and furnisher of the entire equipment of all things"

It is His grace that takes us from glory to glory!

What is Grace??  Is it forgiveness??  Unmerited Favor??  Yes and Yes but so much more.  It is the ability to live the exchanged life!  As we humble ourselves before Him (seeing our need -- how short we fall -- that our own righteousness is as filthy rags -- acknowledging that without Him we can do nothing!) The exchanged life is nothing more than being crucified with Christ so that it is not I who live but Christ IN me!  It is a finished work.  The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us!  We must perceive what we have already received! 

Do you realize that even grace is given according to the measure of Christ Gift?? (Eph 4:7  Yet grace was given to each of us individually in proportion to the measure of Christ's gift) WOW!  He gave ALL and it is according to that measure!!  Resting in the finished work is when we cease from trying to do it and stop our own works and rest in the finished work, knowing that He is faithful to complete that which He has begun in us!

The more time I spend in the Word, the more I see it is ALL Him!  When He said "it is finished" he meant it!!  Even our faith is from Him (Romans 12:3 says "in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you" and remember what Jesus said about faith??  Even faith the size of a mustard seed??  But how does God give things to us??  More abundantly that we could ask, think or even imagine!! Hallelujah)  2 Peter 1:3 says "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."  He called us!  He has given us everything we need but what does it say -- through our knowledge of Him who has called us -- we must know Him!  "My people perish from lack of knowledge".  

   Remember the measure of grace is according to Christs gift -- but what was the purpose of that grace??  according to Ephesians 4:12 "His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints".  His grace is for our perfecting and full equipping, but if we can not perceive our own need (humility) we can't receive his free gift!!  But once we recognize our own need we can rest in His faithfulness!!

    Eph 4:23 tells us to be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind.  We must learn to take every thought captive and to cast down imaginations -- standing on the word of God.  Do you know that when the armour of God was written about, that they wore sandals on their feet to go into battle?  Feet shod with the gospel of truth -- these were special sandals -- they had what I believe I heard a preacher once call hobb nails in them.  These nails where in the souls of the sandal so that when they got into battle they would dig in those nails so that when they drew their sword (the word) they could stand and not back up in the battle!  gives a whole new visual to "standing on the word of God!!"

   Spending time in the word is crucial -- we must know our God!  Jesus told us in John 15:4 "Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5I am the vine and you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing"

He is our source -- we must abide in Him.  When we become disconnected, we wither and die.  He is life to us and that more abundantly!

   Eph 5:25-27 is not just so we can have an understanding in the natural about husbands and wives -- it is so we can have an understanding of He who does the work in us.

    vs 25 reminds us that because He loved us He gave Himself up for us

    vs 26 says "that HE might sanctify and cleanse us with the washing of water by the word

    vs 27 "that HE might present us to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that we would be holy without blemish"

It is a work HE does and it is a finished work!  Next time you look at the church and shake your head because you are looking in the natural -- remember what HE said and begin to enforce and declare His finished work on earth as it is in heaven.  Eph 3:10 tells us it is our responsibility --

"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places, 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We have stewardship of the mystery -- the fullness of Christ -- to enforce what is already done.  The work that has been completed, Jesus said "It is finished" --- Jesus taught us to pray that His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, we must declare it on earth and we will begin to see the manifestation of the finished work!

When Paul said "not I who live but Christ in me" do you think he had perceived the finished work??  Remember he called himself the least of all sinners (which we are), but now He is acknowledging CHRIST IN him.  Do you think maybe he recognized the fact that God has already given us everything for life and godliness?  That the fullness of the Godhead dwells in us, but that we must perceive it to receive it?  Do you think that he realized that it is Christ in us, the hope of glory??  That when the bible said we would do greater things --- that is was talking about Christ being manifest IN us??  Do you think that when they went to the gate beautiful and said "what I have I give to you"  that they were releasing the Christ in them to manifest in the lame man??  What about Peter??  The bible says in Acts 5:15 that people were healed when his shadow passed by. 

Psalms 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Could it be that he came to rest in the shadow of the Almighty and so it was not his own shadow but the one abiding in Him??

Are we not crucified with Christ??  For it is a self dies and the husk of self is removed that the likeness of Christ in fullness is made manifest.  Then it is no longer I who live but it is the I AM that is revealed!

We must realize that we are a new creation -- old things have passed away and all things are made new in Christ Jesus!  To many of us allow our old nature dominate us -- the word tells us to "Strip yourselves of your former nature"  we must be clothed in Christ Jesus!!  Does not the word say that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us??  We must know HIM!  Seek first His Kingdom!  Quit letting others build our Image of God!  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you who God is!!  For it is only when we know Him and His ways and believe His word that we can have an understanding of Christ IN US.

1 Thes 5:23  "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  24 The one who calls you is faithful and HE will do it."