Downshift

We are entering a time when there will be great acceleration in the gifts and ministries God has given. This means you! God is getting His people ready to do some powerful things in the earth. However, there may need to be a downshifting first. In a vehicle, downshifting is necessary if you are in too high of a gear for your speed. When this happens, the car sputters and stalls. This can be very frustrating. Especially if you really want to go somewhere! Do you feel as if there has been some sputtering and stalling out in your life and call? You might need to downshift.

Downshifting means you pull back from doing things. You slow down. Oftentimes, we get so excited about what God has called us to, and rightly so, but we try to go out and do everything all at once. We know we're supposed to be flying down our life's road at 80 mph, but we keep stalling out! What's happening is that we're trying to do it in our own strength. We have great motivation to do what we're called, but we don't have the power of God backing us. We need to slow down, get into His presence, and allow ourselves to be driven and empowered by Him.

You may have a great desire to move in a higher gear of the Spirit, but take the time to sit before the Lord so you can become motivated, driven, and led by Him. Get rid of all the attempts to self-accelerate. You might have great ideas and plans, but you'll stall out if they are not in alignment with the heart of God. Be led and driven by the Spirit (Romans 8:14).

Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness (Mark 1:12). We need to allow ourselves to be driven, led, and motivated by the Spirit of God. It's great that we have desire and passion to do what we're called to do, but we also need His drive in order for us to accomplish what we need to. If we are so stubborn that we keep trying to accelerate while in too high of a gear, we will encounter failure over and over again.

Think of it as the speed you are going is the motivation and passion of your call. You are called to do a certain thing, at a certain speed so to speak. The gear you are operating in is like the motivation and passion of God. If your speed is not in sync with His gear then it won't work. You'll stall out. If you're trying to fly forward without the heart and passion of God driving you, then you won't have His power backing you. This really is a good thing because without His heart and power motivating you, you could be dangerous.

However, once you align your passion and call with His heart and nature, then you can accelerate quickly. You will be able to shift gears at the proper time, your speed in alignment with the heart and power of God. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power and went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him (Acts 10:38). The Spirit of God and power of God always go together. The fruit of the Spirit reveal God's nature (Galatians 5:22-23). Because Jesus had the Holy Spirit, He had the heart of God, His character. Along with that came the power, and He was able to go about and "do" what He was called to do.

Line up the passion for your call with the nature and character of the Spirit, and you'll have the necessary power to fulfill your ministry. You'll be in proper sync and timing, and will accelerate at just the right time without the frustrating process of stalling out!

The Throne is Not Empty!

"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

I suppose I could call this Faucets of Grace part 2, (with part 1 being here), but I like the title "The Throne is not Empty" better instead. That's how the Lord got my attention for this blog, was by saying that to me. I was in the kitchen and He said, "The Throne is not Empty!" I love how He gets my attention. How does He get yours?

Anyway, after He got my attention He began to talk to me about His throne of grace once again. He showed me that when we come to the throne, it is not an empty throne. On it is a living and loving God who is able and willing to meet our every need. Let that sink in a bit. In fact, I'll say it again.

When we come to the throne, it is not an empty throne. On it is a living and loving God who is able and willing to meet our every need.

 What He emphasized to me, besides the fact that the throne is not empty, is that He is not only able, but WILLING to meet our every need. He is. God wants to give you everything you need. He is not withholding.

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11

Are you walking uprightly? It doesn't say, from those who never slip up or make a mistake. You are the upright--the righteous--if you believe in Jesus Christ. If you have been washed in His blood, then you have been made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21) and God is not withholding anything good from you!

So if we approach His throne for help, mercy and grace for our every need is flowing. But we must approach the throne. Go to Him. He will help.

As the Lord spoke to me about this, He showed me that many people are envisioning an empty throne. Some won't even try to approach it because they don't see Him sitting on it. They see an empty throne. They expect that nothing will happen if they go there. They don't see Him as being able and willing to help. They don't even see Him there! Others will at least approach the throne, but they still see it as empty. They just hang out like they're waiting for something to happen. They're waiting for Him to show up when He is right there in front of them waiting for them to ask Him for help!

God is not withholding, and He is not hiding from you. He is not a vacant or absent Father. He is a good God. He is a good, good Father. That's who He is. Approach His throne confidently. Do it by faith. Stand up, take a step forward and tell Him you're there. "I'm here daddy!" See Him there. Don't see an empty throne. See Him giving you what you need. He is not withholding. He sees you through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Faucets of Grace!

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 2 Corinthians 9:8

There is a grace that God gives that enables us to have "all sufficiency." This sufficiency means that we are self-sufficient, or that we are not dependent on others to take care of us. Not only are our own needs taken care of, but we have an abundance so we can give to others. Paul is talking to the Corinthians about giving to the needs of the saints when he says this. He goes on to say that God supplies both bread and seed. Bread for you to eat, and seed for you to sow--or give to others.

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10

There may be a time and place for sacrificial giving, such as the widow who gave her last two mites (Luke 21:1-4), but there is a grace that God gives which brings abundance, so that your needs are taken care of and you have extra to give. This is what I call sufficient grace.

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness... 2 Corinthians 12:9

This grace comes from God, and we can approach His throne to obtain it.

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

The reason we can approach the throne of grace confidently is because of Jesus, our High Priest, who took our sin upon Him, purchasing with His own blood the right for us to approach this throne. We don't have the right to approach based on our own righteousness, but because of the righteousness Jesus provided for all who believe in Him. At this throne of grace, we find help in our time of need. This help is not limited to what we can supply for ourselves. This help is based on the riches of God in Christ Jesus.

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

It's important to know that this grace to help us is not in response to our need. It meets our needs, but it doesn't come just because we have a need. It comes because we approach the throne of grace. It comes because we are looking to Him, and not at our problems.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

All of our needs are taken care of when we get our eyes off of them, quit fretting over them, look up to the Lord, and approach His throne confidently according to the righteousness Jesus has provided for us. We go to His throne and we stay there until we receive His sufficient grace.

To You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He is gracious to us. Psalm 123:1-2

We look to Him until we receive His grace--His sufficient grace which brings an abundant flow into our lives! Yes this may have to do with priorities, but its more than that. God is trying to teach us to walk in the ways of His kingdom. He wants us to be more mindful of His glory and grace, His provision and righteousness, His plans and purposes, than being overcome with worry about our bills. We drown in our need when our eyes are on them and our own ability to meet them. We need to get our eyes on the Lord and receive His grace.

...it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace... Hebrews 13:9

Grace strengthens your heart. If your heart is weakened by worry, grace will strengthen it. Lift up your eyes. Approach the throne of grace. Receive His grace which is not only sufficient for your needs, but brings an abundant overflow for you to bless others with! His sufficient grace gives you both bread and seed.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.  Malachi 3:10

The Lord Himself will open the windows--the floodgates--of heaven and pour out an overflowing blessing on you! You can test Him in this by bringing your tithe into His house. Bring it to the throne of grace as an offering as you approach Him. These blessing don't flow just because you have a need. You have a part to play in it. You need to approach Him. You need to turn on the faucets of grace!

The Call of the Wild

The wilderness is not what it used to be. It’s shrinking, in both size and appeal. There are not as many pieces of land to explore, and discover, the secrets of survival. The desire to go there is not as strong. Yet, the hearts of some still long for it, for God drives us to it. He drives us away from the familiar and comfortable so we may explore, discover, learn, grow, enjoy, teach, and rest. 

The solitude of the wilderness refreshes us, yet, we can’t have the wilderness to ourselves. Nor, deep down, do we really want that. We want family and community--someone to share our wilderness with.

One says, “I can do it! I can live off the land by myself. I can survive, without help, without others, without cities, and conveniences.” But, when another, who is surrounded, no drowning, in conveniences sees this one, they laugh. “Why?” They ask. “Why do you do it?”

“Because. Just because. I can. ‘I can’ makes me happy. It makes me…alive.” They laugh again, and so I ask myself why. Do I turn away from conveniences just because they are convenient? No, for even in the wild we learn that some ways are ‘better’ than others if it makes survival easier.

So, where to draw the line?

Should we draw the line when conveniences become a snare, and cause us to lose our skill, making us dependent on them? But who, or what, do they make us dependent on? With almost every convenience comes a little more dependency on others. Ask yourself, who is it you are becoming dependent on, and what is the cost—the real cost? The reality is, we are all dependent on others to a certain degree—some more than others. Somewhere between total independence and total dependence is…life. 

Adam and Eve were told to fill the earth, with people. And with people come skills, art, sharing, community, and conveniences. Dependency, or trust in others, enabled us to do more, and do it better. Yet, some wonder, is this right? What about the tower of Babel?

The exploring, expanding, pioneering heart is in all of us. God put it there. But when the earth is filled, then what? Where do we go? What is calling us, driving us to fulfill that desire to explore and expand? All is full. Do we go back to the overcrowded cities, and save people from that jungle—those who are caught in the snare of too much, or wrongful, dependency? Do we choose a simple life, enjoying some conveniences, but refusing the ones that steal our skill, our art, our life? Just because we can, some say, doesn’t mean we should.

So where does this leave us? Do we abandon our quest for the wild and return to settle in the land of our ancestors, or our birth, is that now our calling? We all come from the same place originally, so yes, we find purpose when we return to the God of our creation spiritually, if not geographically. Yet, in this vast earth where do we settle? Do we settle, or do we press on, continuing to seek out some wild place to explore? Our hearts long for a land. For in our land we find the buried treasure of our purpose. We find home.

The fathers looked forward to the other-world country. They longed for it here knowing it is a land that satisfies. God truly is preparing a place for those seeking His kingdom--our true and permanent home. Until then, some here on earth look for the most original version of what God made. The most “untouched by humans” place. For too many people in a small space tend to make a mess of things. 

Everyone wants their own space, and when too crowded, we lose that feeling of “ownership.” Our home feels suffocating instead of refreshing, and we don’t value it as much. The land becomes stripped of its beauty when we don’t value it, care for it, or cultivate it properly. So many leave the cities and if they don’t go to the untouched wilderness, they at least search for that new suburb that will satisfy.

Yet, some find purpose in the cities, surrounded by people. Architectures that build in a way that enhances the natural beauty of a region, instead of spoiling it, have truly found their land and their purpose. Cities are full of people and within people is a “land.” Our bodies come from the earth, and we are to care for them, and see the value in them. But this includes caring for our gardens—where we live and work—for that nourishes our bodies and gives us purpose. Is that really the appeal of the wild—purpose? In the wild we rediscover the joy of simple living, and don’t take anything for granted—food, clothing, shelter, people, and the grace of God.

Listen, wherever God is calling you, go. Go to that land and meet Him there. Listen for the voice crying in the wilderness, your wilderness. Go and live in that land. Breathe, explore, and expand by teaching the next generation, as there is joy in watching the young learn and discover. As you teach children to settle in the wilderness you pursued and survived, they will build upon that. Teach them to value their land, no matter how big or small, no matter how populated or wild.

God knows when the earth is full, when the time is right for this age to end, and for the heavenly city to come. Until then, listen for the call of the wild, and settle there.

The Pillars that Stopped the Wordicanes (Hurricanes)

The other morning, as I woke up, I had a dream-like vision. I saw something happening to the words people spoke. There were people speaking words, which were words of death. These were not life-giving words, but words which would bring destruction. At first, these appeared to be fairly "harmless" words that people casually spoke. As these words were spoken, God would send them out over the seas--oceans--to prevent destruction from coming on people. The power of these words had to go somewhere, so by His mercy He sent them out to the waters. There they would swirl around over the waters until they died out and stopped. At first they were small swirls that didn't hurt anything too bad.

But then, I saw many words--a multitude of words. Words of death and destruction. Particularly from the hearts of people in turmoil. With violent turmoil in their hearts they would speak these words of death. Others would join them and repeated their words. This was a serious problem as others joined them--those who didn't have the same extent of turmoil in their heart--but they agreed with them and spoke their words. These words were also sent out to the seas and swirled around, but there were too many. They gathered and created a storm. Their mission was to accomplish the death and destruction they were sent to do--particularly in America. They rose up as storms--hurricanes--over the waters.

As the "wordicanes" (hurricanes made from words) raged, I saw pillars begin to form. Cloud pillars began rising straight up through the hurricane clouds. They were the prayers of the saints. As these cloud pillars rose up they slowed down the hurricanes over the waters. The more pillars that popped up, the more the winds slowed down. Even though the pillars were made out of clouds, they were thick and strong pillars that interrupted the flow of the hurricane. The pillars were prayer and repentance. Repentance for the words of death, and more. There were several strong ones at first, and then some smaller ones began to pop up too. All of them helped stop the force of the hurricanes.

After a bit, I saw the hurricanes flatten out, getting thinner and thinner. Then I saw rainbows coming down from them. The rainbows, as it says in the Bible, were a reminder of God's promise that He would never again destroy the earth by flood. Reminded by God's rainbow promise there was repentance for sin, particularly sexual sin--the LGBT movement that uses the rainbow as a symbol of wickedness, throwing it in God's face, testing His mercy. This may have also included any mishandling of God's mercy--taking advantage of it by accepting what He does not accept. Repentance for accepting the homosexual movement, as well as repentance for spoken words of death, were the pillars that stopped the storm.

Dissolving Racism at The Call

The Call 11/11/2011

Almost six years ago, I went to The Call--Detroit which was a 24-hour prayer meeting held at Ford Field. It was a time of addressing racism in many forms. There were a few instances during the meeting that really touched me. One was the Indians. A group of Indians (sorry I don't remember which tribe or type) were on stage in their dress having a time of celebration with white people, some who were the leaders of the event. It was a lot of fun, yet part of it included a time of repentance for taking their land.

Next, there was a time of repentance from white people towards the black people represented there, for the slavery our ancestors inflicted upon them. It was very touching, and a little surprising to me when a young black minister repented to the white people for the grudges he held against them, causing racism in his own heart. You could see an older black minister surprised by this, and trying to process the whole idea himself. At one point, I made I saw him watching me (I was in the front row) and made eye contact with him as he saw me talking and laughing with the black girl next to me.

The most powerful time, I thought, came when a former Muslim terrorist was on stage with a Jewish Rabbi, and got on his knees to ask for forgiveness for his hatred and treatment of the Jewish people. The Rabbi sobbed uncontrollably and the moment was a powerful one.

These public displays of repentance caused the Indian girl standing near me to approach me. As she said who she was I immediately asked her for forgiveness personally, to which she replied, "No, I have people ask me for forgiveness all the time. I forgive all of you. What I need is for you to forgive me for the attitude I've held against the white people." It was a moment of awareness for her, and a very humbling time for me.

The whole event, with all of the walls coming down, and repentance and forgiveness flowing both directions, was amazing. I pray we stir up this time of attitude in the church, flowing out into the world, so the love of God can touch every heart.

Proclaim His Word with Authority

As the ekklesia, the governing body of the Lord in the earth, we are called to steward His Word here. He has already spoken His Word, and it's up to us--His body in the earth--to continue to speak it so it reverberates throughout the earth. God's Word doesn't die. It's still alive and powerful, and He is watching over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). When His people speak His Word with the authority He has granted to us, He sees it, and His power backs His spoken Word, to bring it to pass. When you proclaim His Word, He's watching over it, and He will do it.

The Bible also tells us,"This is the confidence which we have before Him that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us, and if we know that He hears us...we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him (1 John 5:14-15). We have to know that He hears us, and we will know that He hears us if we know that what we're asking for is His will. So when we ask for something, when we pray, when we make proclamations here in the earth, we need to know that what we're saying aligns with the Word of God, which is the will of God. His Word is His will.  And when we speak the Word of God, He's listening. We have His attention. The eyes of the Lord go back and forth across the earth and when someone speaks His Word from a confident heart, knowing that it's His will, He hears and He answers. He needs His Word to be spoken from someone with a believing heart in the earth, in order to back it with His power from heaven.

So when we pray for America, concerning the condition of our government, our schools, etc. we want to pray according to the Word of God, we want to be releasing the Word of God into the earth--proclaiming it with authority--and declaring what His Word says into the atmosphere. This is what it means to be the ekklesia, the church, the governing body. We release His Word into the earth, and as we do, He is watching over it to bring it to pass.

Any issues of concern in your life, in your family, you community, or country, pray, proclaim, speak, and believe according to the Word of God. Jesus said all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him, and then He said for us to go in His name. He's given us authority in the earth. (Matthew 28:18). If we take that authority, and believe, having faith in His Word, knowing that it is His will, then we will be able to pray and proclaim accordingly. But if we begin to doubt that this isn't His will, then we're not going to be able to receive anything from the Lord (James 1:6-7).

He needs us to speak and release according to His Word, but he needs us to do so in faith, confidently knowing that this is His will. In order to do this we have to know His Word, so read the Bible. Start by praying and proclaiming the Psalms over the earth, your country, your state, and your community. Know what His Word says, so you can release it confidently, with authority, in the earth.

Discernment in the Spiritual Realm

Seeing into the spiritual realm is a gift from the Lord that His people can pursue and grow in. However, once you see into this realm, it's important to realize that not everything here is to be embraced. Just because something is spiritual, or supernatural, doesn't mean it should be accepted. It depends on the spirit it originates from. Ask yourself, is this from the Spirit of God, or another spirit?

The two trees in the Garden of Eden were the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Notice it was good and evil. Even though this second tree had a certain amount of knowledge of good, it was still contrary to the will of God for them to eat of that tree. He wanted them to partake of the tree of life instead. Something, or someone in the spiritual realm, may appear to be O.K. or even good, but is it God? All that glitters is not gold, and even Satan himself appears as an angel of light. There are counterfeits in the spirit that try and present themselves as "good" so you will accept them, giving power to them in the earth.

Not only is it important to discern where this thing you're seeing originates from, but the desire and pursuit of your heart is important as well. Is it your desire to encounter God and to hear from His heart, His Spirit; or are you so fascinated by the fact that you have an encounter with the spiritual realm that you don't really care, or think about, whether this thing is from God or not? Don't be so "wowed" by the spiritual realm that you accept something that is not from the Spirit of God. There is both good and evil there. This is the difference between the "second" and "third" heaven. The second heaven is used to refer to that realm where the devil and his cohorts hang out, and the third heaven is the heavenly realm where God is. Ask the Lord to give you discernment into the difference so you will not be impressed by the supernatural nature of things, and as a result deceived into selling out to something that is not from the Spirit of God.

We see a more common example of this when someone first begins to develop in spiritual discernment. They become aware of a spiritual influence in a situation, but stop short of responding according to the Holy Spirit themselves. For example, let's say you see a person who seems to be sincere in encouraging someone, but it becomes obvious to you that he is more interested in drawing attention to himself. You see this, and recognize the ungodly influence over him, but become critical of him in your heart, maybe even verbalizing that criticism to him, or someone else, rather than asking the Lord what you should do about it. If your discerning "revelation" about that person prompts you to respond in a way that is contrary to the Spirit of God, then something is off--either the origin of your discernment, or the attitude of your heart, or both.

To check out your heart-motivations, ask the questions:

• Is my love and passion for the Lord at such a point where I will reject what is not from Him, even if it appears impressive?
• Is my desire to be like the Lord, and to flow with Him by His Spirit only?
• Is my desire to honor the Lord, worship and glorify Him, rather than draw attention to myself and my gift?
• Is my desire to build His kingdom, not a ministry for myself?
• Does what I am seeing align with His nature, which is His Spirit?
• Does what I am seeing align with His Word?

We should all pursue spiritual gifts, and seek to grow in what the Lord has called us to, but we must stay sincere in our hearts so we stay in sync with His Holy Spirit. This is for God's glory, and our protection, so we are not led astray by seductive and flattering spirits.

Genesis 2:9, 2 Corinthians 11:14, 2 Corinthians 12:2, Ephesians 6:12, 1 Timothy 4:1

America and the American Church

The United States is a Christian nation with separation of church and state, which means that the government doesn't dictate how the church is run. Churches have the right to operate free from governmental interference, and what that really means, is that the people have the freedom to live their lives in worship and obedience to God without the government passing laws that would oppose. In fact, the government is to protect the right of the people to live, work and speak as they believe.

The church is the ecclesia, or governing body of the Lord in the earth. The constitution was written to protect the church and the freedom of the people to worship freely. People are allowed to worship freely in their homes, their churches, and in the "public square" and business. These freedoms were given to the church at its founding. It was presumed that we would always remain a Christian nation.

So what do we do when an ideology which opposes both the church and the constitution, calls itself a religion and tries to claim the same freedom that the constitution provides to the church? Our government should recognize that these attempts are direct attacks on our freedom and oppose them. It should not open its arms to "religions" who oppose the constitution, such as Islam's Sharia law. Their goal is to remove and replace the church in America, not simply get in on the freedom of worship, and they will do that by force if it comes to the point where they feel they could.

As the ecclesia in America, the responsibility of the American church (or American Christians) is to prohibit anything that opposes this freedom from infiltrating or gaining a foothold in our land. Some of this is done spiritually in prayer and proclamation, yet as Americans who have both the right and responsibility to vote and hold our legislatures accountable, we are to take action through "non-spiritual" means as well.

In the Old Testament, we see that God's people got into trouble whenever they wouldn't tear down "the high places" or when they would allow those who worshiped false gods to remain in the land after He told them to go in and possess it. In the same way, if we allow those who oppose the Lord to promote their ways, and increase in both number and influence, then we are removing the protection and blessing that He has placed over us. Our own actions (or inaction) will be the very thing that becomes a snare and takes us down.

Compromise is not the answer. Political correctness is not the answer. This isn't even about immigration or refugees. It's about protecting the Judaeo Christian values that we were founded on, and not being so naive as to think that we are somehow immune from having enemies who hate us, just because we're "nice." Do we love our enemies as Jesus said? Absolutely, but we love God more, and work to build His kingdom, defend the faith, and the land He's entrusted to us.

A New Season of Seeds

It's Spring time! It's time to examine our soil and prepare for a new season of seeds! This is a spiritual season as well where we need to allow the Son to warm the soil of our hearts, so we can nurture the seeds He desires to grow within us. Both the written and spoken Word are destiny seeds planted within us that will cause us to be fruitful in everything the Lord has planned for us in His great garden! (Matthew 13:19).

The challenge is that the enemy will try and plants seeds within our heart as well. Seeds of resentment and a host of other related seed get thrown at our hearts through various ways. As a means of self-protection, the temptation might be to harden the ground of our hearts to keep the bad seed out. However, this keeps our soil in a frozen, winter state--a barren place where the good seed cannot grow either. Instead, we need to allow the sun to warm and soften our heart-soil, so we can nurture the fruitful seed of the Spirit within. (Galatians 5). So how do we protect our soil from bad seed?

Watch over your heart with all diligence,

For from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23

Once seed is planted, you don't dig it up. If you try and dig up the bad seed, you will dig up the good seed with it. It does no good to dig through the soil trying to separate good seed from bad seed. By the way, you don't want to dig up the good seed to try and examine it and see what kind of seed it is either. You need to nurture it, and let it grow or it will never bear fruit! You will see the fullness of what God has called you to as long as you nurture the seed, keep your soil soft, receive the sunlight and water necessary for growth!

You need to catch the bad seed before it even hits the soil or has a chance to penetrate! However, the enemy makes it very difficult at times, throwing seed at you from several directions, when he does, we don't want to harden our hearts. We want to continue to nurture the good seed, properly caring for our heart-soil, remaining on guard over it, so we recognize any seedlings of the enemy that might have gotten through as soon as they spring up. In this stage, they can be easily pulled out, root and all, as long as our soil is still soft. The softer our hearts, the surer we are that all the seedling is removed.

We must not neglect the guarding of our heart, because we don't want any bad seed to get the chance to develop a root system. If it does, it requires much more working of the ground to remove the root, which delays the growth of the good seed, and the fruitfulness that will come from it. Happy gardening!

The Priestly & Prophetic Assignment of the Church in America

There are things that happen in the natural that reveal what is going on in the spiritual realm. Currently, President Trump is building up the U.S. military, which had been downsized over the last several years. There's a valid reason for strengthening the military. When the military of a "good" country is strong, evil is kept in check. If a bully is going to pick a fight, he won't normally choose the biggest kid on the playground to fight with. Strength is a deterrent. In the same way, when the power of God is known, it puts evil in its place.

Public display and acceptance of evil has been increasing rapidly in the United States, especially in the last 20+ years. This is the result of a decrease in the church's knowledge, release, and display of the power of God. In the 1940's and 1950's there was a great healing revival which displayed the power of God, resulting not only in healing, but salvation as well. (See link here). The Jesus Movement of the 1960's and 1970's, along with the Charismatic Movement, brought both "hippies" and many from denominational churches into a born-again, spirit-filled life. The power of God in the church accomplished much for the kingdom, and evil was kept down.

The Decline of Power
During the healing revival, and beyond, we had the Word of Faith Movement which, in spite of the good it did for the body of Christ, eventually led to many who were immature in the faith to distort the message, causing a pursuit of worldly goods, rather than building the kingdom of God. Eventually came the Hyper-Grace Movement, which, once again, takes a vitally important aspect of God and distorts it into a slap in the face of the Lord by not taking a stance against sin. While faith and grace are both important to salvation, healing, and all of the blessings of God, the enemy brought an influence into the church which distorted both. Many in the faith movement who had been "burned" by the message, turned against faith altogether and took the opinion that "whatever will be, will be." They felt their prayers were ineffective, and they turned away from speaking powerful words of faith or prophetic declarations.

The Rise of Idolatry
While this turmoil was going on, Islam and socialism were rising in the United States, and our kids began being indoctrinated in the public schools. As the power of God declined in the church, these weeds were planted, and we're seeing the result of their growth today. Of all the immigrants and refugees who have come to America, none have desired to change the core foundation of beliefs of the U.S. like Islam. Of course, many of these people are pawns of those who will use whatever means they can to take America down, yet, this too is a symptom of what is going on in the church. The church has committed adultery, worshiping idols in place of the one true God, causing a compromise of the Christian faith, and of course the power of God.

What do we do? We stay close to the heart of God, seek Him daily, and take our place as both priests and prophets in His kingdom.

In the days of Joshua, Israel entered the Promised Land after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Yet they didn't walk right in without a fight. There were many battles involved in possessing the land. The Lord told them at times to kill all the inhabitants.1 This sounds so cruel, yet it was necessary to keep the nation holy. (I'm not saying to kill anyone, I'm relating this to the spiritual battles of today!) When pulling out weeds that have infiltrated, we need to do a thorough job. This is what has been happening, and needs to continue, in the church. We are beginning to see its effect in the natural realm in our government. Keep praying!

The Priestly Assignment
There are two things we need to do to possess the land God has called us to. First involves a priestly assignment. As a priest, we can intercede and repent on behalf of the church. We can repent of having a form of godliness, but denying the power. We repent of not allowing the power of God to be fully displayed in and through us. Whether its because of fear, unbelief, or complacency, we repent and turn from it. We also repent because of our compromise and failure to surrender our heart completely to the Lord. Putting other things as a higher priority than Him. Being afraid of hurting people's feeling we turned to political correctness, trying to be "nice."

When we function as a priest, repenting on behalf of all, we are interceding. Jesus is the greatest example of an intercessor. He came to take our sin on Him so we could be forgiven and our relationship restored with the Father. He stood in the gap, taking our sin on Him. In the same way, we repent of all of the sins of the church, examining our own heart, but praying on behalf of all. Our prayers will benefit the entire church, and the country.

As we intercede, and repent, on behalf of the church for our foolishness and all of that, we truly turn around ourselves, and ask God for forgiveness. I believe this is why the election went the way it did--God's mercy in response to this kind of intercession. As we intercede, we are cutting the weeds off at the roots. We are pulling them out of the ground and removing them from our midst--as they did when they took possession of the Promised Land.

The Prophetic Assignment
After repentance comes the prophetic. As we prophesy the will and Word of God, by His Spirit, we are planting new seeds into those areas that were infiltrated by weeds. Our intercession removed them, but new, godly growth needs to occur. The barren land needs to be inhabited by the righteous so the enemy does not return even stronger. Those who hear, and believe, our prophetic words can run with this, cultivating the seed, and building the kingdom of God in their region.

After all of this, we must be diligent to maintain the land. Weeding the weeds (intercession), and planting the seeds (prophesying) are to be an ongoing part of maintaining the land. To do this, we must stay in the presence of God, in His Word, surrendering our hearts to Him always. Don't think your part is too small. When you cut off a weed root, it affects the entire plant. You're cutting off the "supply line" to an area, and many will be made free by your diligence to pray. However, don't forget to seek the Lord for the prophetic word, and plant the seeds in this area!

1 For example, Joshua 6:17-27, Joshua 11:10-12

The Story of Jack

This is the story of Jack. Jack was the youngest of four boys. He didn’t have an easy life growing up. His dad was an alcoholic and his parents divorced when he was three years old. Jack lived with his mom and brothers. They never had a lot of money, and his mother never seemed to stay at one job for very long. She was depressed often.

Jack’s older brother Zach constantly picked on him, making fun of him and sometimes beating him up. At first, Jack would hide from Zach, always afraid when he was home. But after a while Jack learned to fight back. The harder Jack fought, the more Zach left him alone. Pretty soon, Jack started fighting with anyone who disagreed with him at school. He was always in trouble and eventually dropped out of high school. He began drinking and using drugs, and turned to a life of crime to support himself and his habit. At age 16 he left home and took to the streets.

Inwardly, he longed for attention and acceptance, but he never let his guard down. If he softened just a little, someone would take advantage of him. When Jack was 37 years old, he was in prison for murder. He had been in jail before for drugs, theft, weapons, assault, and even rape, but this was his longest sentence so far.

One day, he was told he had a visitor. Surprised, because no one ever visited him, he went into the visiting room to see a smiling, old lady waiting for him. He stopped for a minute, wondering what she could possibly want from him. Curious, he went and sat down across from her. The woman was probably about 70 years old with white hair, deep eyes, and a smile that never stopped. Jack felt a warmth come over him, but pushed it aside. “Don’t be soft.” He told himself.

She introduced herself as Carol and said the Lord sent her to talk to him. Jack said he wasn’t interested and their conversation was very short. After she left, Jack couldn’t shake the warm feeling and wondered if he should have listened to her more.

Weeks passed and Carol visited again. This time Jack listened longer and enjoyed the warm feeling a little more. As time went on, Jack began to look forward to Carol’s visit, her smile, their Bible studies and the warm feeling when she prayed. One day, Jack gave his heart to the Lord. He was amazed that God could forgive him of the horrendous things he’d done. Carol assured him He did, and after a while, Jack believed it himself.

Jack loved God with all his heart, forever grateful for His love and forgiveness. One day, Jack had a new cellmate named Ron. Ron said he was a Christian and Jack was happy to have a Christian cellmate. Yet, he wondered about him. Ron said he didn’t do anything that bad, and couldn’t believe God let him get arrested. When Jack talked to Ron about God’s great forgiveness, Ron said he was happy for Jack, but he had lived a pretty good life and didn’t have much to be forgiven of.

Jack invited Ron to come see Carol with him, but Ron refused. Jack also noticed that Ron never read the Bible and didn’t seem all that interested in spending time in prayer.

One day, after Ron called Jack a Jesus freak, Jack laid on his bunk and opened his Bible. He loved the fact that he no longer wanted to beat someone up for disagreeing with him. He came to Luke 7 and read:

36 Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”

40 And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”

Jack looked up from his Bible as he realized that he loved the Lord so much because he was forgiven of so much. Yet, Ron did not love the Lord very much. It wasn’t because he didn’t have much to be forgiven of, but because he didn’t see that he had a lot to be forgiven of. Ron was a sinner, just like Jack was, but Ron saw his sin as “not so bad.” “We all have a lot to be forgiven of,” Jack thought to himself. “Some people just don’t know it.” Jack took a moment to pray for Ron, that he would realize the depth of forgiveness available to him through Jesus Christ, and then he continued reading:

44 Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47 For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”

Jack thanked God for his forgiveness and wept tears of gratitude.

The Oak Tree Dream

I had a dream on June 6, 2013 which I have felt impressed to share here. Here it is:

I was with some people in a place outside somewhere. It was just beginning to get dark out and we were heading towards a body of water. We were going to investigate something that we'd heard others talk about. We came to the edge of the water and a huge monster type thing rose up out of it. Everyone ran, but I stood there for a minute wondering if I should take authority over it in the Name of Jesus. I felt that I should stand and fight. The monster seemed small at first as I contemplated this, but then as it rose up higher out of the water I could see that I was no match for it. Yet I still considered staying and fighting in the Name of Jesus, but then felt the Lord say I should not stay and fight. I needed to take cover. 

We ran into a hollowed out tree. It was a big tree, with enough room for all of us. Besides myself, there was four or five other family members with me. We all got inside and I was standing by the door. It was an actual door that was over the opening in the tree. I shut the door. There was a light on inside too. The monster was making a lot of noise outside, looking for us, and it came close to the tree. I was thinking once again about praying out loud, taking authority over him, but then considered that the noise would attract him. I knew that he was going to give off a deception which would affect anyone who was outside overnight. It didn't matter who it was, if they were outside they were going to be deceived by this monster. I just said 'Jesus' very quietly.  

A couple of my family members began to get noisy because they were afraid, and I looked at each one, making a "shh" very quiet sound with my finger over my lips. I looked at each one to make sure each one understood they had to be quiet. The thought went through my mind that it looked like I was trying to take charge, but I couldn't be concerned with that right now. It was vital that we all were quiet. 

Finally, the beast got quiet and people slowly started talking but I told them to shh. One of them said, "She can hear something." And it wasn't so much that I could hear something but I knew we needed to wait a bit. I felt a bit distracted by the others with me in the tree and at one point I felt that if I were too worried about trying to keep them quiet, I would lose my perspective/perception for what was going on outside the tree. I couldn't physically see what was going on outside. I was relying on my perception by the Spirit of God. I needed that perception to help keep us safe, so I couldn't get too distracted by them. 

At a certain point in time, I sensed it was starting to get light outside, so I shut off the light inside the tree and started to open the door. I didn't want the light inside the tree to call attention to us as I opened the door, but when I shut the light off, one person started making a lot of noise, he was scared--claustrophobic. I knew it was uncomfortable for him, but I also knew I had to keep going and slowly open the door. I knew he would see what I was doing and that it would be O.K. I couldn't take the time to stop an explain it to him, I just had to show him. 

We went outside and the monster was gone. It was just before dawn. It had spread its deception throughout the night to whoever was in the street. We ran up the street, aware that we could be a target for something else--from one of the deceived.

We entered a building. It was kind of dreary building, and more like a partially outdoor hallway. It appeared to be a central station of some sort--people were coming and going in all directions. There were a lot of people around who were dressed the same. They were all saying or singing something that sounded like words of praise and worship to the Lord. But I knew by the Spirit that some of these were fake Christians. They did not have the Spirit of God in them. I told everyone very seriously not to just follow anyone but to make sure they had the Spirit of God in them, and they would only know that by the Spirit. You could not tell outwardly. Once again, I thought it sounded like I was trying to take charge but the message was so important that I had to make sure they knew. I knew that anyone of them could perceive this for themselves, but because it was so important, I didn't want to assume that they had. 

Thoughts regarding the dream:

God prepared a safe place for us. We needed to get away, out of the influence of this spirit. This spirit influences and deceives the whole world. We needed to get out of its path and not try to fight against it. Arrogance would have had us try and fight against it and we would have been squashed. As it was, I felt that at any time we could have been squashed by this thing while inside the tree. I had to have faith and trust in the Lord. I could have been fearful for not being able to see outside the tree, and it was tempting to open the door, but I had to rely on faith in Him instead. It was important to wait and listen. To be quiet and listen. To not be anxious, or fearful, or arrogant, or get into disputes. The tree I believe represents righteousness--our righteousness in Jesus. 

Also, there were two or three generations in the tree. We must teach the next generation both wisdom and courage. If you have wisdom without courage you'll know what to do, but buckle under the pressure and become paralyzed with fear. On the other hand, if you have courage without wisdom, you'll be willing to die for your faith, but may end up dying needlessly when you should have stayed alive and continued your work here! Wisdom comes from listening to the Spirit of God.

It was important not to call attention to ourselves while we were in the tree, for this would attract the monster. Fear will cause you to cry out and when you do, you are calling attention to yourself. The same is true with disagreements. Also, the light in the tree, or our own light, opinion or illumination on things, will also call attention to ourselves. We need the light of the sun (Son) to see clearly, and to walk in the humility which will keep us safe. We need to wait for the dawn--enlightening from the Sun.

Once outside the tree, waiting to hear the Lord was important then too. We could not rush into following a certain group or forming relationships. We couldn't use reason to determine why we thought one group was better than another and follow them. We could not tell by outward appearance who was truly a Christian and who was fake. Everyone looked alike and sounded alike. We couldn't use comparisons etc. but instead we were to follow and wait on the Spirit--the true Holy Spirit. 

The Healing of our Memories

"By faith we understand..." Hebrews 11:3

"So faith comes from hearing..." Romans 10:17

 If we don't understand the Word of God when we hear it, it won't take root in our lives. It becomes seed sown by the wayside as described in Matthew 13:19, so understanding is important. Understanding not only involves the ability of the physical ear to hear, but the brain's ability to interpret the words. So, understanding is a two-step process of physically hearing the sound, and then interpreting the words/language. Pretty simply--the words find their way to you, and you know the language so you understand. However, to properly understand the meaning of God's Words, we need to learn His language and definitions so we interpret them correctly. His thoughts are not like ours.

For example, you might define patience as an intense time of suffering through a difficult situation. You come up with that definition based on past experience and what you've been taught. Yet, another person may define patience as stepping out of the limitations of time and into God's eternal realm where the things that are not yet seen are accessed. Two very different viewpoints.

Paul told the Corinthians if a bugle sounds and the tune is unfamiliar to the soldiers, the hearers won't know to prepare themselves for battle. We too, need to learn God's language so we may properly understand the meaning of what He's saying, and live accordingly. Learning the language of God involves reprogramming our brain to think like Him.

This reprogramming or renewing of our mind means that not only do understand His language, but we also accept His thoughts as truth, and judge our prior thoughts and experiences according to His truth. Normally, your brain will judge what it hears according to what it (you) already accept as the truth. It will judge according to the "pre-existing conditions" that influence your thoughts. If what you hear conflicts with what you consider to be true, you won't accept the "new" truth UNLESS you are humble enough to admit you may be wrong about something, and seek the Lord for understanding, being willing to accept His thoughts as truth.

From the time you were in the womb, you could hear the sounds around you. Words were spoken which, as you grew and experienced life, defined your understanding of those words. Often, we come to false conclusions because of erroneous teaching, misconceptions, and misunderstanding of events. With these kinds of deceptions lodged in a person's mind, they will reject what is contrary, even if it's the truth. It takes a heart willing to surrender to the truth in order to live free from deception.

To live in the ways of God, we all need a renewal of our minds after we are born again. Daily meditation of the Word will reprogram our brain. Even after that, there may be times we discover strongholds/deceptions that need to be pulled down out of our thinking. But for that to happen, we must be willing to surrender to God's truth. Praying in the Holy Spirit also helps to keep us from rejecting God's words and overcome misconceptions.

But there's more! Not only do we flush out the old, erroneous thought patterns, we also learn how to partner our thoughts and memories with the Holy Spirit to access the eternal realms of heaven where fresh new memories replace the old, deceptive strongholds. How do we do that? Not only with our heart, but with our memories.

When you dream, you create memories. The same thing happens when you activate your imagination--you create memories. These memories are just as powerful as ones created from experience. All memories are powerful. They are eternal. They are the substance of the heart. Like faith, they are the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit brings things to our remembrance, and shows us things to come--memories of the past and the future. These memories are outside of the defines of time. They are in the eternal realm. The thing is, we can intentionally access this eternal realm. We use our thoughts and memories/imagination to do so. We're told to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Rather than waiting for God to do something for us or to us, we can take the initiative.

Take a minute to close your eyes and imagine a room of your home (that you are not sitting in). Envision the walls, doors, windows, furniture, floor and get as detailed as you want. Now do the same thing with a Scripture. For example, Revelation 21 describes the New Jerusalem. In Revelation 22 he describes the river coming from the throne of God. Read these Scriptures and envision what it looks like. In the same way, you can close your eyes and behold the Lord. As you do, you are changed into His image as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:18.

Learning to do this will cause you to live an overcoming life. Don't think that the battles you face are not important. Every time you overcome a personal battle in your life, it affects the spiritual climate around you--you are weakening strongholds of the enemy. This affects your life, but also what is around you and what you are praying for--your family, workplace, community and nations. We need you to learn to access the heavenly realm for the kingdom of God! Remember that we...

"...look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

Other Scriptures: Isaiah 55:8, 2 Corinthians 4:1-4, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, 2 Thessalonians 2:10-13, John 14:26, John 16:13, Hebrews 11:1, Joshua 1:8, Jude 20, Ecclesiastes 3:11

Time to Shine!

In the Bible, we read that Daniel was shown in the end time, there would be a period of great distress, but everyone found "written in the book" will be rescued. The angel who told him this then said:

"Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." Daniel 12:3

Jesus also said that in the end time, after the wicked (tares) are removed:

"Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father..." Matthew 13:43

Those who have insight, and the righteous, will both shine in the end. The righteous are meant to have insight, for the righteous hold to the truth. Concerning the Day of the Lord, Paul told the Thessalonians: 

"But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;" 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5

As children of God, we are children of light who are meant to shine. When light shines, there is an effect upon darkness. It disappears. As long as we stay in the light, we will overcome. When the clash between light and darkness occurs, we want to stay in the light. We don't want to give in to a dark spirit--hate, fear, revenge etc. We may feel the emotion, but we don't react in sin. Instead, we continue to shine with truth and love. 

There will be temptations to respond to accusations made against us, or to get sidetracked with the distractions thrown our way, or to take things personally and fight back personally. But, instead of giving in to those temptations, we continue to shine. We shine with the Light of God which has substance and power.

Recently, on Facebook, I got into a discussion where I was accused of being full of hate, narrow minded, knowing nothing, insane, racist, a fool, ignorant etc. I could have responded with personal attacks in return, but I would not shine with the light if I did. The people making these accusations feel that their opinion is truth, where in reality, only God is truth. The truth is what I had to shine with if I really want what is best for them.

We're not in a battle of opinions, it's a battle of light vs. dark; truth vs. deception. We shine with the light and do not allow the darkness of other people's hearts to invade or influence us. Similar to a four year old throwing a temper tantrum and saying all sorts of mean things, we don't get on the floor with them and throw a tantrum back. We stand up and speak the truth. Truth is the only remedy for deception.

"...they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness." 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12

Those who do not love and believe the truth will be sent a deluding influence so they will believe what is false and be judged. The only remedy for this deception is for them to repent of their wickedness, and to love and believe the truth. This is what we must shine with--the truth. We must love and believe the truth ourselves, and then shine with it to others so perhaps they might receive it.

This deception Paul spoke of to the Thessalonians is sent from God Himself. There is also a blinding that comes from the enemy which he puts upon the minds of the unbelieving so they won't see the light of the gospel of Christ.

"...the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." 2 Corinthians 4:4

Whether it's the enemy blinding their minds, or a delusion that comes because of their rejection of the truth, the answer is for us to remain in the light and shine. We love and embrace the truth ourselves, more than we want to prove we are right. More than we want to prove they are wrong. More than we want to take revenge. We shine in a way that glorifies our Father in heaven. 

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

Stay in the light. Live in the light. Walk in the light. It's time to shine!

When Sorrow Fills Your Heart

"But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart."

Jesus, John 16:6

Jesus said these words to His disciples after telling them He was leaving them. He also told them what they would have to suffer because of knowing Him. They would be kicked out of the synagogue, they would be hated, and some would be killed. Because He said these things, sorrow had filled their heart. 

He mentions that none of them had asked where He was going (vs 5). They were thinking more about what would happen to them and how His departure would affect them, rather than taking on a heavenly perspective of what was happening. They didn't stop to ask, what was God doing?

While Jesus was with them, they were safe. Yet, He says it was to their advantage (and ours) that He left (vs 7). Because of His death and resurrection, all who believe in Him may receive the Holy Spirit. The benefit of this is that many believers can spread throughout the world, preaching the gospel of the kingdom with signs following.

Jesus living here as one man could only do so much, but with many filled with His Spirit, the fruit of His life multiplies. This is fundamental to how the kingdom works--a seed is sown and much fruit results.

Are you sorrowful? Try looking at your situation from a heavenly perspective. Ask the Lord "where He is going" or where is He leading you right now, rather than focusing on the difficulty you are experiencing.

Replace the sorrow in your heart with the joy of what His resurrection accomplished. Ask Him about your place in preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Then get ready, because those filled with His Spirit will do the works that He did, and greater works because He left the earth to go to the Father (John 14:12). This is not a time to allow our hearts to be filled with sorrow, but a time to stand up, brush ourselves off, and get to work!

How to Access the Hidden Treasure

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God gives us treasures. He does. He provides for His people. An abundance is available for us. However, He doesn't pour liquid gold from Heaven (usually) to get them to us. He gives us hidden treasure. It might be like an ugly rock with a beautiful gem inside. It might be like a grain of sand inside an oyster. It might be like a lump of matter that needs high heat and pressure to turn into a diamond. God gives you your treasure in a uniquely hidden form, and there is something you do to access it!

How? First, you need to identify where your treasure is hidden. It may not be the most obvious place. If it's in the ugly rock, it might be the thing you keep tripping over. If it's caused by the grain of sand, it might be the thing that is irritating you the most. If it's the lump of matter, if might be whatever is giving you the most stress right now. Ask the Lord to show you where He has hidden your treasure!

Then, you have work to do. In order to access or create your treasure, you need the right tools. The tools to mine our treasures are not earthly tools. These are tools of the Spirit. If you try and labor in the flesh for your heavenly treasure you won't get very far. Our equipping comes from the Spirit of God. The fruits and gifts of the Spirit are tools you use to mine the treasure that's been given to you.

However, what often happens, is that people get angry that their needs weren't met as they expected. They might get mad at the Lord and accuse Him. They might become stingy or greedy, becoming selfish and unkind. They might become depressed and hopeless, and even do things they know they shouldn't. All of these attitudes are contrary to the fruit of the Spirit. Faithfulness, patience, peace, self-control, love, kindness, gentleness, joy, and goodness are tools we use to access our treasure. We need to become kingdom-minded, and think like God does. 

Not only do you access your treasure by the fruit of the Spirit, but by the gifts of the Spirit. How has He gifted you? As you begin to labor in the Spirit, you are mining your treasure. You are working in the kingdom and will produce kingdom results. Don't get mad at God, depressed, or discouraged and stop the flow of the Spirit of God! If you do, you are stopping the mining process. If you give up--whether in attitude or function--you will not produce the kingdom treasure in your life that God so wants to give you!

God has given you treasure. Is it an ugly rock, a grain of sand, a lump of matter? A seed that needs planting and care? Do you see it? You see it by faith. We walk in the kingdom by faith. Consider what Peter said:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. 

1 Peter 1:3-9 

Your faith is more precious than earthly gold which will perish. The outcome of your faith, is the salvation of your soul. This salvation is more valuable than any earthly treasure we could possibly acquire. That alone makes our faith the most precious asset we could ever own. While here on earth, our faith is tested by fire so it will be found honorable at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Whatever we go through here on earth to test/strengthen/purify our faith is worth it! However, in the process of our faith being purified, we receive treasures here on earth as well. As we learn His ways, we begin to access the eternal realms of heaven where we will live forever with Him. 

Jesus said to Martha that if she would believe, she would see the glory of God. Her brother Lazarus would be raised from the dead. (John 11:40). As we believe, we too will see His glory here in the earth. We will begin to access the treasures buried in our midst. Take another look at those irritating, lumpy, stresses in your life and look at them with the eyes of faith. Your treasure is waiting!