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.