by Patricia Backora
Part 5 - My Power Prevails
There’s Power in My Name
Psalms Chapter 20
I am so tired of seeing My people pushed around by the devil! I am
grieved that so many dear saints are chewing their nails worrying about
which part of their lives satan might wreck next. Will he attack their
marriage, health, finances, or even their physical safety? I did not put
you here on this earth to be abused by the devil, or to provide amusement
for him, but to overcome him through the Blood of the Lamb.
So many Christians are forced to focus on defending themselves
against a vicious devil for most of their lives, and it takes just as long
for them to recover from a lifetime of devastating onslaughts by the
powers of darkness. Some never recover at all, till they leave this
world; especially in cases where they are not being fortified by sound
ministry from a church rooted and grounded in My faith, love, and power.
So many cry: "Where is the power You promised us, Lord? Why is the devil
having such an easy time of it? Why can’t I ever score any significant
victory over him?"
Remember, the devil is a liar. He’ll send his imps to lie to you all
day, seeking to wear you down and get you resigned to a life of defeat.
But I have already triumphed over those forces of darkness, and in My Name
you will see the outworking of that victory in the physical realm where
your earthly life is played out. By faith, receive the victory I have
already won for you through My death on the Cross. Receive My
resurrection power in your soul, and in your earthly body. Proclaim to
saint and sinner alike that I alone am the Lord of Hosts Who fights on
behalf of My loved ones to restore all that was lost through the Fall of
Adam. Don’t try to triumph in your own name, or in your own ability, for
you cannot do this. By faith, seize upon that victory Christ has
already won. Proclaim to the enemy his defeat, and I will honor your
confession by releasing My power on your behalf.
The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength
Nehemiah 8:10; Psalms 66:8-9; Romans 15:13
A certain cynical saint observed the joy of a new convert and thought:
The poor thing. His joy is like a shiny new penny now, but just wait
till the trials come. He’ll wind up like me in a few years, just barely
hanging on by a thread to his sanity.
This older saint, a veteran of many battles with the devil, was astounded
to see signs and wonders follow the new ministry of the younger man.
Whenever the new convert prayed for sick people, he’d get quick results,
whereas the older saint found praying for miracles a daunting challenge
he’d given up on a long time ago.
The difference? The battle-hardened veteran of trials and testings
had been wrongly taught that the Christian life is a heavy burden, rather
than a joyful gift I bestow. He thought it was up to him to produce the
fruits of that life, period. He’d been taught that joy is a mere fringe
benefit that comes with the Christian life, and it comes and goes like the
wind. But it is my joy that gives you the victory, for it is an inner
witness that I am in control of things, and will solve the problem at
hand.
Your joy is always there, though it is not always at the forefront of
your consciousness, especially in times of stress or sorrow. But it lies
deep within the core of your being, in the deep chamber of your spirit,
where My Spirit is constantly upholding you and renewing your inner life.
Within your soul lies the outer periphery of consciousness which deals
directly with the world. Sometimes you feel your joy has been tarnished
from having to interact with such a soiled world, though that doesn’t
necessarily mean you’ve sinned. Whenever you feel your joy receding and
heaviness coming to the forefront, ask Me to cleanse away the tarnish of
this tainted world you must come in contact with everyday.
Joy is not a mere frill you can dispense with. The Joy of the Lord
is your strength!
I MAINTAIN You in Blessing
Job 1: 9-10; Psalms 16:5-6
Many Christians have little to do with Me unless they are in need of My
supernatural help. They are what I call Sunday saints. I am gracious, and
willing to act on behalf of those souls who call upon Me. The vast
majority of Sunday saints’ prayers are prayers of petition for earthly
things, chiefly for themselves, or for a few loved ones. Even then they
tend to come to Me only when money or other natural resources run short.
Rarely do I receive heartfelt prayers of thanksgiving or prayers of
consecration from such lukewarm souls. These people find it burdensome to
offer up such prayers, and usually attempt such spiritual exercises only
when a gnawing sense of guilt impels them to do it.
I often feel like a hard-working mother who toils all day to provide
a special meal for her family, only to receive little appreciation for it
afterward. My lukewarm children eagerly flock to My Table of Blessing,
greedily wolf down the pleasant things, then rush away, until the next
time they decide they need Me. Satan lulls them into a false sense of
security, as they set their heart more and more on earthly things.
A wise believer will realize that he or she must lean on Me at all
times, even when things seem to be going well. Since the Fall of Adam, the
universe has degenerated steadily into decay and disorder. Ideal life
circumstances in this world are fleeting, and you will always need My help
to counteract forces of chaos coming against the blessings I have already
provided for you. Remember Job. Once the hedge of protection was
temporarily removed from his circumstances, everything fell apart. In the
end, I restored that hedge, and he ended his days in prosperity.
I must uphold you in blessing continually, through the Power of My Holy
Spirit, that the powers of darkness may be rendered powerless to harm or
rob you.. During times of stress or trial, I must maintain you in peace
until the trial is over and My peace once again rests upon your
circumstances.
Your Deliverance is Maintained by Faith
Deuteronomy 28: 27-28,63-68; 32:20-21; Psalms 5:12;
Chapter 106
I would never want My people to live in daily anxiety about My
faithfulness, because that can never change. I cannot deny Myself. It is
people who wander away from Me, and the blessed sphere of My Presence,
either through rebellion or idolatry of some sort. Then they no longer
enjoy the Rest of Faith I have called them into. They become easy prey
for the devil, who is eager to rob them of victories I have already given
them.
How jubilant were the children of Israel when I had just delivered
them out of the Land of Egypt. They were set free from their captivity of
400 years.
It was through forgetting the mighty works of God that discontent set
in, and their hearts grew colder toward Me. I warned them repeatedly
through My servant Moses what would befall their nation if they stopped
loving Me and worshipped other gods, which were no gods at all but demons
in disguise.
I warned them that if they did not serve me with thankfulness and
joyfulness of heart because of all the good I had done for them, evil
would come upon them. I had promised them that so long as they remained
faithful to Me, there would be no danger of their being taken captive
again. They would never even see the Land of Egypt again. But if they
rebelled against Me and My commandments, they would return to their old
captivity in Egypt. They would be scattered all over the earth, and be
heavily oppressed by their enemies. They would return to a life of fear,
bondage, and anxiety, because they had forsaken Me, their Haven of Rest.
Once Israel rebelled, I called them "children in whom is no faith".
I have seen so many of my saints lose their answer to prayer, or be
bound once more by a captivity situation. They become ensnared in the
same old situations they were in before; because once they got their
prayers answered, they forgot all about Me. They went back to their old
destructive ways and thought patterns instead of walking in close
communion with Me. I am a shield to those who trust in Me, but I cannot
do this for those who forsake Me.
Weapons of Faith
Prov. 14:4; Romans 15:18-19; I Corinthians 2:5; and
12:7-11; II Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 3:7
What army on earth is more demoralized than My own? For I behold My
own Church laying down the weapons of the Spirit in the most critical
moments of the battle. Even now your enemy satan is frantically
deploying the most hideous weapons in his own arsenal, which he has
largely reserved for these end times.
Except for certain church properties and homes, the entire earth is
yet under his usurped dominion. He is the prince of this world, while My
people are strangers and pilgrims in it. The enemy continually strives to
tear down My beloved ones at work, at school, in every circumstance of
life. The eyes of the saints are assaulted by pornography on newspaper
racks in supermarkets and elsewhere, and the very atmosphere of this world
reeks of Sodom. I continually receive evil reports from My holy angels
about the unutterable wickedness of this present-day earth.
My Church is meant to be an oasis of refreshing in the wasteland of
this world, a wellspring of Living Water to revive weary souls, and a
place to fortify saints to engage in spiritual warfare.
I gave the nine Gifts of the Spirit for the edifying of My Body the
Church. They were meant to be an expression of My Love manifested through
the workings of My Holy Spirit.
I long to speak to My assemblies through the utterance Gifts of
Prophecy, Tongues and Interpretation. Many a weary, discouraged saint
has been uplifted and encouraged by receiving a word in due season through
these verbal gifts. Many lethargic believers have been inspired to renew
their first Love for Me and to forsake lukewarmness through the ministry
of the Prophetic Word.
There are times when the battle gets so heated that the human spirit
would fail if I did not impart a special anointing of faith for victory
over the works of satan. Ordinary faith will not suffice for every
situation. Let there be those in your midst who seek Me for the Gift
of Anointed Faith, so that victory can be achieved every time on
behalf of weaker saints who might grow discouraged and fall by the
wayside.
It took a miracle to part the Red Sea. It took an even greater
miracle to raise the shattered form of My precious Son from death. There
are times when one must operate by faith in the supernatural realm, when
the laws of nature are suspended for the outworking of My own purposes.
Let those held captive by satan find deliverance from his prison house
through the operation of the Gift of Miracles.
Let My Church be a place of healing. I have no hands in this world
but those yielded to Me, hands which are willing to anoint the sick with
oil and pray the Prayer of Faith, that these afflicted ones might
recover. Sometimes the healing will be instantaneous; other times it will
manifest itself gradually. At times I will empower one saint to pray
successfully for the healing of cancer; at other times, some other saint
might have the anointing to pray for the healing of chronic illnesses or
even blindness. In time of need, there should be manifestations of the
Gifts of Healing, imparted to consecrated believers by the Spirit
as He will; But My spirit is a Gentleman. He will not force My Gifts
upon those unwilling to accept them.
Every army needs its intelligence operation, keeping track of enemy
strategy, and planning its own strategy accordingly. Through the Gift of
Divine Knowledge, My Spirit imparts crucial information on people, places,
and things. He sheds light on hidden needs and areas of conflict. He
uncovers the secret workings of satan, who has often tried to infiltrate
My Church with false brethren and damaging heresies. Lives have been
preserved from natural disasters and from criminal attack because of the
working of the Gift of Knowledge.
Through the operation of the Gift of Discerning of Spirits, My
Spirit can reveal the demonic origin of illnesses. I can help you detect
a false, deceiving spirit trying to make inroads into the life of a person
or an entire congregation. I will bestow an anointing upon believers to
empower them to take authority over the evil spirits, and cast them out in
the Name of Jesus. Many people have been set free from physical and
mental disorders through the operation of this gift. Many churches have
avoided splitting over doctrinal disputes or turning into cults because
the insidious workings of satan were detected in time.
If wisdom was needed in the days of King Solomon, how much more is
it needed now in these days of gross darkness. Far better that a believer
seek MY way out of a deep difficulty than to resort to hit-and-miss
tactics to repulse the attacks of the enemy. My special Anointing of
Divine Wisdom will preserve lives from needless tragedies and help
saints to steer clear of spiritual or circumstantial shipwreck.
Supernatural works of the Spirit were part of My commission I gave to
My disciples just before ascending to heaven. Not for the sake of
vainglory or show, but because the multitudes are perishing for want of
deliverance from the works of satan. I came to destroy the works of the
devil!
Yet My Church is rapidly veering away from My original commission to
engage in spiritual warfare against the works of the devil. Genuine
interest was shown by saints of the previous generation, and a beginning
was made during that last great outpouring of My Spirit.
But now apathy has set in. My services have been "dressed for
success", choreographed and even planned in advance down to the minutest
detail and I can’t get a word in edgewise at some places. Just as
businessmen are trussed up in their suits and ties, My anointing has been
bound by the prevailing "success" culture. The flavor of the world has
seeped into the sanctuary. In the interest of preserving so-called
"order", My Spirit is quenched. Often, very little effort is made by My
pastors to even study about the operation of the Nine Gifts of the
Spirit. There is a deeply entrenched fear that chaos and confusion would
result if My people were set free to actually begin to move in the Gifts
of the Spirit. So My soldiers are obliged to throw down their weapons.
Only the devil benefits from that!
When an ox stall has no ox in it, there is never any mess to clean
up. If the gifts are banned, no mistakes can possibly be made in their
use. But the power a church gains from them is missing.
It’s so easy to fall into the "someday" trap. SOMEDAY the Glory will
fall down. SOMEDAY God will do great and mighty things. SOMEDAY the
multitudes will be delivered, and a mighty work will be accomplished for
the Glory of God.
This complacency has resulted from a loss of the expectancy of the
imminency of My soon Appearing to receive My people to Myself.
Predictions of My Appearing in the last generation failed to materialize,
because My Father had other plans. So there is a false belief that you
will be here many more years. But I would have you all to seek My face and
plead with Me to send a fresh Revival of the Spirit among My people, even
greater than the wonderful Jesus Revolution of the 60’s and early 70’s,
which fizzled out because satan sneaked the false Prosperity Doctrine into
My ranks, so that My people got too obsessed with earthly desires. Error
has no power, and it diverts you from what I really want to accomplish for
these last few days of your sojourn on earth. I would love to impart a
fresh anointing upon you all to do My wonderful works of deliverance on
behalf of the multitudes bound by satan.
Sickness: A Fish or a Serpent?
Matt. 7:7-11; John 11:1-46; I John 3:8
Some skeptics argue that you’ve got to accept all illness as being
from my hand and give Me thanks for it because Paul said in Ephesians
5:20: Give thanks for all things. Truly when you receive a gift of
love from someone, you thank the one who gave it, not the one who didn’t
give it.
Every good and perfect gift comes from My hand, saith the Lord. But if
you ask Me for a fish, would I give you a serpent instead? If you pray
for health and satan tries you for a time with a severe illness, who gave
you that sickness, Me or the devil? And if you are blind enough to you see
your condition as a precious gift from My hand, are you not contradicting
yourself when you pray for deliverance from it?
The wrong interpretation of Paul’s message is ludicrous. Taken to
extremes, it means you could thank Me for every abortion, blasphemy, rape,
murder, carjacking, drug-dealing, robbery and war going on in the world
today. No, that verse means you should give Me due thanks for bestowing
kindness and favor I bestow upon you as a child of God.
It was a sad day when Lazarus died of illness. But Jesus was still
able to give Me thanks. He thanked Me that My glory would be manifest in
the situation by raising Lazarus back to life in perfect health. Jesus
did not thank Me that Lazarus had had such a miserable time, and did not
thank Me for the illness itself. Christ knew it was the devil who had
kept Lazarus sick, not Me. But because of the mighty miracle Jesus
performed, many believed unto everlasting life. That which the devil
meant for harm was used for good.
My Son came to destroy the works of the devil, not give thanks for
them!
Mighty Works: Essentials or Extra Frills?
Matt. 10:8; 11:21; 24:12; Rom. 15: 18-19; I Cor. 2:4; II
Tim. 3:3
For many centuries My Church has, on the whole, been hobbled by
unbelief in My miracle-working power. Evangelists have faced the daunting
task of trying to reach the lost multitudes without convincing evidence of
signs and wonders or visible miracles. This lack of outward signs did not
discourage the most faithful of soul winners, although they had been
conditioned by their churches to believe that the age of miracles was
past. These men and women continued to pray and travel to the ends of the
earth to spread the great glad message of My love. I, in My great
compassion, would still give them fruit for their efforts. There were
always hurting, lonely souls who needed to be reached with the Good News
that there was a Friend Who sticks closer than any brother, and a Savior
Who could redeem them from the wretched lives they had been leading. Such
people as this would respond to the Good News of Salvation and pray for My
mercy so they could go to be with Me in heaven after death.
Telling the multitudes that I love them is wonderful and necessary,
but many missionaries miss the other part of the Great Commission
altogether: Multitudes need to be delivered of actual physical diseases
beyond the power of medical science to heal. Millions need to be set free
from demonic oppression. I could even raise the dead if My power were
sought for and received in the modern church.
Souls are hardening in resistance to the Gospel because the love of
many is growing cold and mankind in general is becoming deadened to the
ability to feel even natural affection toward others. Sinners are
involved in all sorts of occultic activity and are no longer impressed by
mere tenderness of heart. They demand to see evidence that the true God
of heaven is still powerful and able to make a difference in their lives.
I declared in My Word that seeing the wonderful works of God often
leads sinners to repentance. So how can signs and wonders be considered
extra frills you can just forget about? There is power in My love!
Recklessness Vs. Valor
I Samuel 17:47; Matthew 6:13; John 15:5; Romans 16:20;
Ephesians 6:10; Hebrews 4:16; James 5: 16-18
My beloved Son was brave in his fight against the devil, but He was
never reckless. Before He undertook the greatest battle of His life, He
humbly sought Me, His Father, in prayer, acknowledging His utter
dependence upon My help. He certainly had no shortage of love for you as
He contemplated going to the Cross to die for your sins. But like every
other man faced with martyrdom, He had to overcome the very necessary
survival instinct which I built into every living creature on earth.
Christ harboured no illusions about the bitterness of the battle which lay
ahead of Him, or the impending pain He would suffer on your behalf. And
He knew that vicious demons of hatred and malice would come against Him to
tempt Him, and struggle against the goodness of Christ in an effort to
gain the mastery over His emotions so that He would become furious with
His persecutors and hate them.
The devil wasn’t trying to get Christ’s enemies to kill Him in order
to provide an Atonement for your sins. Satan and his demons were shut out
of the councils of heaven where I designed the marvellous Plan of
Salvation and its mysterious outworking on the stage of history. All
satan knew was he wanted to bully Jesus and kill Him in the most merciless
way, he despised Him so much.
Having come from heaven, where My Love permeates all things, the kind
of hatred Christ experienced hurt Him even more than the whipping post and
the cruel nails in His hands and feet. Apart from My help He could never
have won the victory and stayed on that Cross to provide salvation for
you! He could have called legions of angels to set Him free and destroy
His tormentors.
A false teaching is circulating in these last days. Some contend
that ever since Calvary, I have done all I’m going to do about the devil
until My Son returns to this earth to imprison satan for 1000 years.
Until then, it is strictly up to you to do all your fighting on your own,
simply by confessing My Word.
But Who breathes upon that written Word to give it life? My Spirit
does. You must resist the devil by using the Sword of Truth, which is the
Word of God. But truth twisted or carried to extremes gives rise to
heresy. The danger lies in relying on yourself to win the war.
Without Me you can do nothing. You are to be strong in Me, and in the
power of My might, not in your own self.
Many a saint has ceased to labour in intercessory prayer. Why?
Reckless, impulsive self-confidence is one of the greatest pitfalls
Christians must resist in the Life of Faith.
Some are misled into believing that the devil has been so completely
divested of his power that even the weakest believer can whip him with
one hand tied behind his back. In many fellowships, emphasis has shifted
from fervent prayer to positive confession. Endless intonations into the
air have replaced intimate communication with a loving Heavenly Father Who
alone is able to dispatch mighty warrior angels to defeat the forces of
darkness. Saints have been made to feel ashamed that they have to ask Me
to deliver them from evil, although Christ taught His followers to pray
that way. Instead, they are taught by "faith" teachers to rely solely on
the power of speaking the Word, rather than approaching the Throne of
Grace for My help in time of need. Thus, faith is directed at the Word of
God printed on a page rather than the One Who inspired that Word. In their
zeal to prove themselves mature saints who can stand on their own two feet
and easily handle any situation, some Christians shoot themselves in the
foot spiritually. They to take a shortcut to victory by neglecting prayer
and focusing solely upon proper confession of Bible verses. Thus they
bypass the Throne of Grace where they ought to approach Me to find help in
time of need. It is even possible to make an idol out of the printed
Bible, in your zeal to prove to others that your confessions are even more
powerful than petitioning Me for help. Satan is a very religious guy, and
that is one of his most subtle and ingenious latter-day deceptions.
Self-sufficiency hamstrings many churches which otherwise could bring
glory to Me, if only they realized the crucial importance of effectual
fervent prayer.
This dangerous doctrine of self-reliance can be so thoroughly
instilled that a Christian may resist the enemy with a false bravado
gained by psyching himself up on popular catch-slogans. Clever confession
is an anaemic substitute for the anointed faith which comes from seeking
Me continually. One erroneous doctrine is that all believers have to do
is mouth the right platitudes at the devil and he’ll take off running,
regardless of the quality of their prayer life.
Some saints get tired of resorting to tried-and-true Scriptures in
their war against satan. They’re so frustrated by their trials that they
end up calling the devil dirty names or using some catchy barb they
learned at church. That is just as stupid as firing a pea shooter at an
angry bear. Oh, you might sting him a little, but you only rile him up
and get ripped to shreds for your trouble. It is like an army private
grabbing his gun and charging a line of enemy troops without first
awaiting the orders of his commanding officer. Discretion is truly an
essential part of valor.
It is I alone Who bruise the devil under your feet, and subdue the
giants which come against you to trample you underfoot. Remember, the
battle is the Lord’s.
Cutting Giants Down to Size
Numbers 13:33; I Samuel
Chapter 17
The Philistines were grinning with self-assured smugness. They saw no way
they could lose. Saul, who once had fought valiantly in the Name of the
Lord of Hosts, was too scared to take up their challenge himself, as were
all his men. There were daily skirmishes in the valley between the two
opposing armies, whose camps were situated on opposing hills. But no
decisive victory was being won by either side. But it was only a matter
of time, the Philistines thought, before Israel would give up completely.
How could the powerful Philistines, with their superior technology,
possibly be defeated ?
So confident were those heathens that they got to slinging crass
insults at the Israelites and making fun of the Holy One of Israel. Now,
isn’t that just like the devil?
The psychological warfare being waged against the Israelites was wearing
King Saul down. This man been told by My prophet Samuel that I would no
longer be with him to fight his battles, and he would soon be deposed as
king. This happened to Saul because of his stubborn disobedience and
rebellion against My expressly revealed will. Sin will rob a saint of
holy boldness in the face of any enemy. The vision of such a one becomes
distorted. Then the problem appears much greater than the Lord.
Something had to be done to dispel any lingering doubt that the
Philistines were invincible. This was their challenge to the men of
Israel: "We’ll make it easy on you," they said. "Instead of prolonging the
bloodshed, let’s solve the problem this way: Let each army send its
champion down into the valley. Then they’ll fight each other till one of
them dies. If your man kills our man, we’ll serve you. If our man kills
your man, you’ll be our slaves." How reasonable the devil always seems to
be. He is such a crafty deceiver.
But the Israelites had seen the size of Goliath. Their already low
morale had plummeted to zero. Not a single man had the guts to go down
to the valley to do battle in My Name. Goliath was a thick-set, brawny
giant nearly ten feet tall, encased in a massive coat of armor. His spear
tip alone weighed some fifteen pounds.
King Saul, a man once admired for his great bravery and tall stature,
sat trembling in his tent. Having lost the favor and the anointing of the
Lord, he was in no position to encourage his men to believe in their God
and take up the challenge. He even offered tempting rewards to any man who
would go kill Goliath and restore Israel’s honor. But there were no
takers. Without faith in My might, any challenger Saul could have sent
against Goliath would have been killed, and the people of Israel would
have remained under the tyranny of the Philistines, enslaved by them.
Forty days went by. Still no takers. A young shepherd boy came to the
Israelite camp to deliver food for his elder brothers who were in the
army. He overheard the loud boasting of the big noisy braggart, and was
incensed that no one would go kill the one who was insulting the Nation of
Israel and her God.
Without hesitation David offered to do it himself, small though he
was. By faith, he considered not his own diminutive size in the face of
such a powerful giant. He considered only the victories I had already
given him in so many other dangerous situations. Through the eyes of
faith, he saw only the size of the God he served. He refused to wear King
Saul’s armor, relying instead upon the protection of My Presence.
The anointing which I had placed upon little David not only enabled
him to defeat the Philistine, but dispelled the spirit of fear hobbling
the Israelite soldiers. Through the godly example of their future king,
they were greatly strengthened in their hearts, so that they completely
routed the enemy.
By faith, David had already won before he even cast the stone at the
giant.
Faith Works By Love
John 13:35; Acts 4:32-33; Galatians 5:6; I John 4:7-8
Some churches ignore the centrality of My Love to the outworking of
My divine will and purposes in the earth. These groups are unaware that
outsiders perceive their churches to be cloistered social clubs closed to
those who are unable to merge into their exclusive cliques.
Once My Glory has departed from their midst, there comes a persistent
dryness in the life of such a church which will alarm any of its members
who are still sensitive to the voice of My Spirit. They are shocked to
realize the fruitlessness of their church in the things of the Kingdom of
God. They are driven to despair by their own powerlessness to win the
lost; and their inability to see signs and wonders occurring in their
midst to meet needs.
Unless they care enough to prayerfully examine their collective
condition in the light of Scripture and discover what the root of the
problem is, they will bypass My solution: keeping my most fundamental
commandment, which is: Love one another as I have loved you.
Instead, I have seen desperate measures taken to try to remedy the
problem of a powerless church. Lengthy fasts of many days’ duration in
which some saints try to go the whole period taking only water or fruit
juice. Frequent prayer vigils in the sanctuary. Surely, those saints
think, if they impose enough discomfort upon their flesh, the Lord will
take notice and transform their churches into replicas of the
first-century churches.
I have already shown you what the problem is. I cannot operate
effectively in any church where cultural and social strictures stifle the
flow of My Spirit of Life and Love. I absolutely will not be hidden
beneath a bushel basket of carnality any longer. I will pour out My
Spirit of power upon those assemblies which conform not to the cold,
uncaring apathy of this present evil age, but to that Spirit of Love which
so transformed the early believers that outsiders testified of them:
Behold, how they love one another!
Diverse Ministries of My Body
Exodus 17:8-13; Numbers 11:16-17; Ephesians 4:11-13
Many congregations have perpetuated a tradition that one man_the pastor_is
responsible for all the spiritual work of the Church, while the deacon
gets the church bulletins printed up and oversees the janitorial work.
This is all wrong. I have set office ministries within My Body to teach
and edify My other sheep, but I never ordained the man-made pecking order
of clergy and laity in My New Testament Church. My Church began to lose
its power when carnal clergymen began to substitute man-made structures
for the Church blueprint which had originally been ordained through
apostles and prophets, using the excuse that My Divine Order for the
Church had been "done away with" with the death of the original twelve
apostles.
All of you who belong to My Church are given a place and a ministry
to fulfill. Not everyone is placed in one of the full-time Office
Ministries of the Church, for these carry a heavy weight of responsibility
and authority. Although women are not to rule over men and everyone is to
pay due respect to godly leaders, operation of the spiritual gifts is open
to all to whom I impart them. I anoint many for the performance of
specific types of tasks in My Body. And when I give you a task to do, I
expect you to be faithful in executing it, not to use the excuse that
you’re just an ordinary lay-person and haven’t been ordained by an earthly
theological school. I Myself have ordained each one and every one of you
to impart to others that same degree of blessing and wisdom which I have
shared with you. And I will give you discretion and specific guidance as
to how, when, and to whom to minister.
No, I never intended that the pastor should bear the burden alone.
My original plan was that there should be seven office ministries and many
other supporting ministries in the Church. Five of the office ministries
comprise the fundamental Five-fold Ministry, fulfilled in the life of
Christ on earth. These are:
-
APOSTLE-One of the two Foundational Ministries upon
which the Church is built, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone
(Ephesians 2:20). The Apostle Paul was divinely appointed as an Apostle
to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13). He was given the oversight of many widely
scattered churches. These congregations would
receive periodic visits from him, in order that he might strengthen them
in their faith and impart new revelations to them for their edification
(Romans 1:10-11). He would also minister rebukes to backsliders whenever
necessary (I Corinthians chapter 5). Christ Himself is the Apostle and
High Priest of your profession as a believer (Hebrews 3:1).
-
PROPHET-The other foundational ministry. Together with the
apostle, the prophet has the authority to set foundational truths in the
Church. While the foundation of My Church has already been laid by the
original apostles and prophets, modern apostles and prophets wisely build
upon the originally laid foundation in the edifying of My Body the Church,
without adding to or changing the explicit instructions of My Word already
given. While all believers may seek the Gift of Prophecy and exercise
this gift to edify the Church, the Office of Prophet carries
leadership responsibility with it. This anointed minister may be given
visions of catastrophes to come affecting the congregation, or divine
insight into steps which ought to be taken to forestall problems brewing
within the Church. At times the Holy Spirit will address particular
issues or spiritual matters affecting the Church of that place or time in
history. The Holy Spirit revealed to Agabus the Prophet that there would
be a widespread famine. Because of this revelation, believers prepared to
send relief to their persecuted brethren in Jerusalem (Acts 11:237:30).
That same prophet later gave Paul the Apostle a special sign. He bound
his own hands and feet with Paul’s belt, and proclaimed that that the
Jewish authorities in Jerusalem would bind the owner of that belt, and
turn him over to Gentile authorities to be tried as a criminal. Thus Paul
received advance warning of what would happen if he took a planned trip to
Jerusalem. His brethren wept and pleaded with him to heed the warning
and not go, but Paul decided to go anyway, his sense of duty outweighing
concern for his own safety. Christ Jesus is My divine Prophet Whose words
must be heeded. Eternal life is forfeited by those who reject or rebel
against His message (Deuteronomy 18:15,18-19; Acts 3:22).
-
EVANGELIST-He is specially called to minister on the
mission field. A very special anointing to harvest souls rests upon him.
Philip was called an evangelist. He had four daughters who prophesied
(Acts 21:8-9), although they did not hold the Office of Prophet. Philip
was one of seven deacons who had been appointed to relieve the Apostles of
the details of food distribution (Acts 6:1-6), With maturity, he was given
the greater task of a full-time evangelization and healing ministry. He
converted many Samaritans, and I confirmed My Word by pouring out miracles
of healing upon the afflicted (Acts 8:5-7). Because of this great
visitation of My Holy Spirit, Samaria was filled with joy. Gifts of
Miracles and Healings were manifested through this faithful man. Philip
was specially directed by the Holy Spirit to join an African official in
his chariot, explain to him a Scripture he was reading, lead him to
Christ, and baptize him (Acts 8: 26-40). Christ fulfilled the calling of
evangelist during His own ministry, for He came to seek and to save those
who are lost (Matthew 18:11; Luke 19:10).
-
PASTOR-Oversees a local congregation. He is a shepherd of
souls, and ministers under the authority of Christ, Who is the Good
Shepherd (John 10:11); Who alone is the Chief Shepherd ( I Peter 5:1-4).
The pastor is set into the Church by the Lord to feed his flock with
knowledge and understanding of the Word (Jeremiah 3:15). A good shepherd
is vigilant, and will guard against the intrusion of false teachers
(Galatians 2:4-5; Hebrews 13:17). He is to minister to those of his
congregation who are in need of wise counsel, or beset by either spiritual
or physical sickness (Ezekiel 34:4).
-
TEACHER-Occupies a position of authority in My Church, and
is anointed to expound upon the Scriptures. New revelations come to him
from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Fresh insights are given into My
Word. It comes to life in the congregation as My revelations are
prayerfully applied to individual lives, and to the operation of daily
Church life. The main goal of a teacher should be to impart to his hearers
a clearer understanding of the nature and workings of Christ in and
through His Body. The Apostle Paul was a teacher of the Gentiles, who
generally had no prior teaching about the God of Israel (I Timothy 2:7).
Jesus faithfully taught His flock the precepts of the Kingdom of God as He
received the from the Father (John 7:16; 8:28; Matthew 7:28-29).
The other two anointed office ministries assist the pastor in the
work of the local congregation. These are:
-
ELDER-Under the authority of the pastor, he helps tend to
the spiritual needs of the Church. They are to anoint sick saints
with oil and pray for their healing, and for forgiveness of any sins the
sufferer might have committed (James 5:14-15). There are times when sin
brings on sickness (John 5:14; Isaiah 33:24), and this type of prayer is
necessary. Peter exhorted elders to be faithful to feed the flock. Not
for money or out of a grudging sense of obligation, but with a godly
attitude. These were not to lord it over My heritage, but to walk as
living examples of My grace. A Crown of Glory is promised all faithful
Church elders (I Peter 5:1-5). Christ is your elder Brother, the Firstborn
among many brethren (Rom.8:29).
-
DEACON-He is responsible for fulfilling practical duties in
My Church. Even Christ fed His followers bread and fish on several occasions, even
prepared a meal for the Apostles after His resurrection (John 21:9, 13).
Indeed, He speaks of Himself as a Servant (Matthew 20:25-28; Luke
22:24-27). I demand a high standard of godliness in the lives of men
called to this office, just as in all the other ministries of My Church (I
Timothy 3:8-13); for if a deacon fails to keep his own life and house
in order, how shall he take care of the House of God (I Timothy 3:5)? Blessed
is that man who is faithful, even in seemingly insignificant things.. His
Lord will give him authority over even greater things (Matthew 25:23).
Every Believer is Important to Me
I Corinthians 12:31
All believers are called to serve Me, whether or not they occupy one
of the seven office ministries. There has often been a misconception about
the significance of subordinate ministries, particularly the Ministry of
Helps (I Corinthians 12:28). I’ve heard many women complain that it’s the
men who get to do all the important things, because only they can be
church authorities. Some have even said: "Helps? That’s what’s left
over after all the other ministries have been taken."
I can foresee what will happen at the Believers’ Judgment Seat, held
just after the Rapture of the Church. Many a woman’s face is going to
light up with joy when she realizes just how highly I valued her lonely
prayer vigils for foreign missionaries. That dear saint who contributed
her sewing or cooking skills to aid in a church charity project. That one
who baked an extra plate of cookies for a lonely shut-in, or delivered a
big bag of foodstuffs to a hungry family. That skilled typist who labored
over boring church reports in order to free up her pastor for other
duties. Nothing is more precious to Me than the faithfulness of My
people. I have not called you to be a superstar, but to be faithful, and
to keep on keeping on being that way.
The Ministry of Helps is an honorable one, and is carried out by
faithful individuals who love their Savior and His Church. Some
mistakenly think Paul considered women second-class Christians, just
because they are not called to authoritative office ministries. But he
knew My divine order, and he faithfully stuck to it in his teachings.
Paul was grateful for the help of women disciples (Romans 16:1-4, 6;
Philippians 4:3).
Everything I call you to do in My Name, I grant you a special grace to
do it. Indeed, it is a wonderful gift I have bestowed upon your life
(Romans 12:6). Even giving and showing compassion for others are
extremely important expressions of the Life of Christ (verse 8). The
disciple Dorcas was loved by many because of her works of charity in
distributing handmade garments to the poor (Acts (: 36-42). Someone who
gives a cup of cold water in My Name will be rewarded for that (Matthew
10:42). I treasure all your kindnesses toward other believers, and I will
never forget them (Hebrews 6:10).
No, your pastor can’t do the entire job all by himself. Moses was
physically unable to attend to the needs of all his people
single-handedly, and began to unravel from the stress. He cried out to Me
to relieve him of the practical burdens of people’s whining demands for
food and reassurance. I appointed seventy men to help him, and put the
same anointing of My Spirit upon them for their task as was upon Moses.
Moses was saved from a nervous breakdown, and the people’s needs were
attended to (Numbers 11:10-17). These men were Moses’ faithful elders,
and they also performed a Ministry of Helps.
The Amalekites came to Rephidim to fight a battle with the Children
of Israel. Moses, along with Aaron and Hur, climbed to the top of a hill
overlooking the battleground. So long as Moses held up his rod, Israel
prevailed against the Amalekites. But when Moses’ arms grew weary and he
had to drop them, the Amalekites got the upper hand. Finally, Moses just
had to sit. Hoping I would understand Moses’ human weakness, his friends
brought him a large stone to sit on, and held up his hands for him. I was
gracious toward My faithful servants. Those who supported Moses’ ministry
merited the same reward for service as he did, for he could not have
completed his ministry without their faithful, consistent help. It was
needful that My standard be lifted up to defeat the enemy, but I never
insisted that one person should bear the burden all alone. Because of
this vital Ministry of Helps, Moses didn’t fail in his own ministry and
the Israelites were able to win the battle (Exodus 17: 8-13).
Never forget, My people, the great need you have of one another.
The Spirit of Prophecy
Proverbs 14:4; I Thessalonians 5:19-21; Revelation 19:10b
The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. I long to impart a
fresh Word to encourage My embattled people, but all too often My voice is
silenced by church leaders who fear the misuse of the spiritual gifts.
Several of my anointed saints out in the congregation might feel My
message of love burning in their hearts and long to share it with people
who need to hear it. But they are implicitly or expressly forbidden to
do so by their leaders. My people long for refreshing from heaven, but the
avenue of prophecy has been sealed off by pastors over-zealous to keep
their sheep fenced in.
In a desperate bid to prevent the barn from getting dirty, the ox is
sold down the river. The pastor then wonders where the power has gone and
why the harvest fields are left unplowed. Such leaders fail to realize
that I am able to forgive even slips of the tongue and errors made by
devout Christians in their first efforts to move in the gifts. When you
first began to walk, weren’t there occasions when you stumbled and fell?
But you got right back up and tried again until you acquired correct
balance. So long as prophecy is open to judgment and correction, no one
will be any the worse because some saint obeyed Me and began to venture
out in faith to speak in My Name.
My Spirit of Prophecy will not be extinguished from the earth just
because men try to quench it. A fresh word is always needed to impart
strength to the weary, and hope to the failing soul. I will not be
stopped by the repression of lukewarm church leaders. If I cannot operate
within the context of a formal church setting, I must speak to My children
outside the church building. But I will not be muzzled.
Remember how David was driven from the congregation of Israel by a
jealous Saul? He had temporarily lost access to the rituals of the
Tabernacle of Meeting. But he was in danger and needed to know that I was
still with him and willing to guide him and protect him. Out there in the
wilderness, Abiathar the priest used the sacred ephod to obtain help for
David, for that was an important way of obtaining My guidance during that
Old Testament dispensation. I did not refuse David My succor just because
he had been cut off from formal church services. Nor will I withhold
divine help from My children, just because their pastors do not really
believe that My supernatural power is relevant in modern times.
Indeed, there is coming such a mighty outpouring of My waters of
blessing that it would be just as futile to try to dam up the waters of
the sea as to try to keep it under wraps.
Set My Spirit Free
II Corinthians 3:17 I Thessalonians 5:19
I say to My lukewarm congregations, who claim to possess the Full
Gospel: Why are you so ashamed of Me? With every head bowed and every eye
closed you wheedle and beg sinners to get up out of their seats and come
to the front to repent.
Must you encourage timidity in new converts from the very outset of
their walk with Me? If these spiritual babes lack the courage to
acknowledge Me before the congregation, how will they bear witness of My
salvation before this lost and dying world?
Why should any of you be ashamed of Me to begin with? I certainly
wasn’t ashamed to die for you on the Cross of Calvary. If you act ashamed
of Me before men, then I will also be ashamed to acknowledge you before
the Throne of My Father in heaven.
If you claim to be a Full Gospel congregation, why are you always
looking for ways to put the damper on supernatural manifestations of My
Life? "We don’t want to offend visitors," you say. So you quench the
Fire of My Spirit in your service as you preach your powerless,
non-offensive message in a well-modulated tone which only serves as a
lullaby for slumbering saints.
What good is a perfectly formed corpse with no life in it? Many
churches are beautiful mausoleums devoid of My life-changing Power. Not
because I am withholding it, but because you just won’t let it in the
front door. I can barely sneak in through the back to take My rightful
place in your church! The Power of the Gospel has been banished and
barred by pastors who want to keep the atmosphere of the Sunday morning
service "nice" for visitors dead in sin. They really need to be
resurrected to newness of Life.
I can barely get a word in edgewise even on Sunday evenings, or
during the midweek service. I just don’t get star billing on your
program.
Far better that you be cold or hot, rather than lukewarm. At least
if you’re cold, you have no excuse to be complacent, and will more likely
seek Me for the Fire of My Spirit. Lukewarm souls congratulate themselves
on not being so deficient as others, and able to squeeze through the
Pearly Gates "by the skin of their teeth."
But I said in Revelation that I’ll spew you out of My mouth if you
settle for a lukewarm condition. Nothing is more dangerous to a Christian
than to lose his awareness of his continual need of me!
I hold the pastors responsible for discouraging the flow of the
Spirit in My congregations. I command them to seek Me for wisdom and
guidance on the operation of the spiritual gifts. They are responsible to
incite My people to boldness, and to encourage them to glory in the God of
their salvation before a lost and dying world.
Shutting Me Out
Matthew 13:22; John 15:4-5
Oh, the myriad distractions that divert My children from Me!
Television programs. Radio. The stereo. The Internet. Work projects.
Hobbies. Other people. Worthless books and empty novels. Social
engagements. Whenever I call My people to seek My face, there are all
sorts of reasons to put Me off.
You’ve often wondered why your prayers lack power, why the answers
don’t seem to come quickly enough. But you have distanced yourself from
Christ, your Source of power.
When I try to speak to you about sin in your life, you shrink from
Me, tune Me out, and tune in the TV instead, just to create a welcome
diversion. But the joy of your salvation is missing.
When a miracle is needed to solve a pressing problem, it is often the
result of ignoring My clear warnings about smaller problems which weren’t
nipped in the bud and had time to grow into great difficulties.
Repent now, you who have put me last on your "TO DO List". I would
have our broken fellowship to be restored, that our joy may be full and
your prayers be not hindered.
"If It Be Thy Will"
Exodus 15:26; 23:25; Isaiah 53:4-6; James 1: 5-8; Hebrews
11:6; I Peter 2:24 ; I John 3:8b
There is no place for vacillation in the Prayer of Faith, for true faith
imparts a deep certainty in your spirit that I have heard you, and will
grant your petition. It is the earnest Prayer of Faith which will raise
up the sick from his bed of suffering, not a feeble prayer which makes
allowances for possible failure of that prayer. If you think your prayer
will probably fail, it will fail, because you don’t really have that deep
knowledge in your spirit that I will answer it! Before you go to pray for
someone to receive a miracle,draw aside to be alone with Me first, that I
might infuse into your heart My Assurance of Faith that I will be present
in power to bring healing, or grant any other miracle which is needed to
resolve a crisis.
My sovereign will must always be respected, and when I do not give
assurance of immediate healing, there is always a reason for it. But I
have promised in My Word to heal My people, and to forgive their sins.
Stripes were laid upon the back of My own precious Son to provide healing
for the total person, for there was no sickness in this earth before the
Fall of Adam. Through Christ’s sufferings for sin, He purchased your
right to be made whole, and to walk in divine health and healing. He came
to earth to destroy the works of the devil, among which are sicknesses and
diseases of every sort. The Children of Israel were promised freedom from
sickness and disease, so long as they remained obedient to Me.
Sometimes healing is gradual, or there is a reason it doesn’t
immediately manifest. I had My reasons for not removing the Apostle
Paul’s thorn in the flesh, even after he had petitioned me three times to
do it. Your body is still awaiting its redemption, and is still
corruptible. I must constantly renew your strength.
I have seen many ministers pray over sick folk, but these servants of
God possessed no more faith than the afflicted one. Some are bound by the
constraints of their denominations, and will not receive certain promises
of My Word. These men fear invoking the displeasure of their church board
or other earthly authority.
I have always taught My people to be submissive toward duly appointed
authorities, whether secular or in the Church. But I am the ultimate
Authority, and every one of My people must first answer to Me for what
they believe, teach and practice. Whenever My Truth is suppressed, My
people always pay a bitter price, and the enemy triumphs. Many
well-meaning saints have died prematurely because they thought divine
healing was no longer for today. It rejoices My heart when one of My
children comes home to heaven and is finally freed from earthly
suffering. But it is never My perfect will for a life of service for the
Kingdom of God to be cut short by sickness and disease.
There are even those preachers who insist that I find sickness a
valuable tool to make saints more patient, or to get sin out of their
lives. Their faith in the power of Christ’s Blood to sanctify a soul is
weak, and they cannot pray for a sick saint’s healing with any
confidence. They themselves have been wrongly taught that it brings Me
great glory to see My people patiently putting up with the attacks of
satan, so it must be My will for them remain ill indefinitely. But these
same preachers will rush to the medicine chest whenever they get the
slightest headache or feel the first signs of flu. They will pay high
insurance premiums so they can rush to their doctors at the first sign of
a complaint. If they truly believe that sickness brings Me glory, why
don’t they pray for an even worse headache, instead of taking aspirin?
My Son instructed His people to pray that My will would be done on
earth as it is in heaven. Are there any sick angels in heaven? Are the
saints in Glory sick? If it is My will for them to be well, why shouldn’t
you desire to be whole also?
That’s why the spiritual gifts of healing, faith and miracles must
be sought for by My people.
Put No Confidence in the Flesh
Philippians 3:3
Do not depend on the gifts of nature to maintain your health day by
day. If you reject the healing Christ, you must, of necessity, place your
confidence in something far inferior, the flesh. Some will reason: "I
don’t believe God heals anymore, so it’s a good thing I’ve got good genes
and won’t end up as sick as some people. At least that’s in my favor."
By all means eat properly, rest and take daily exercise in
moderation, but don’t put your confidence in the flesh. Let your
confidence be in the power of Christ within you to strengthen and enable
you to be well and strong enough to complete what I have given you to do
in this world. Remember that even the most dedicated and skillful of
doctors are also created beings, bright though they may be. Appreciate
them, for they have their place in My scheme of things. Don’t look down on
them, for even the apostle Luke was a physician and served Me in that
capacity. Yet remember that while their understanding of how the body
ticks is great, My own is immeasurable. Always pray at the first sign of
illness or trouble and I will show you what further steps to take. Never
treat prayer as a last resort, though I in My mercy will always receive
your petition because you are My dear child.
The old order of things shall soon pass away. You shall soon be
completely rid of the weak cocoon of the flesh nature and clothed in
glorious immortality. Then it will be easy to trust only in Me to
maintain you in eternal health and life.
Getting There Quicker
Jeremiah 1:12
Through the operation of the Gift of Faith I would even cause answers
to come to prayers you prayed long ago, prayers you felt like giving up
on. This Gift, when activated by My Spirit, gives the saint confidence to
see mountains of great difficulty moved.
It is true that sometimes in My wisdom certain prayers take a great
while to be answered. Other times I would do a quick work, and the Gift
of Faith is often the channel through which this comes about. When the
answer seems to come more quickly than usual, with far less struggle in
spiritual warfare, this can be compared to the difference between getting
to California by travelling over the Mojave desert in a covered wagon and
flying over it in an air-conditioned jet.
Either way you get there, but the Gift of Faith is a miraculous work
of my grace in the life of any believer through whom it is manifested.
Sickness is No Virtue
I Corinthians 11:30-32
Many preachers insist on extolling the power of sickness to work the
fruits of the Spirit into a person’s life. Therefore, I am said to use
pain and sickness to make a person more Christlike.
Sickness does not sanctify an individual, although maintaining faith
in Me in the midst of suffering has sometimes served to provide a good
testimony to others. Conversely, a person who feels terrible may take it
out on others, or even accuse Me of being unfaithful to My Word. A sick
person may become more self-centered and cantankerous than ever, and so
engrossed in his own world of pain that the needs of others are far from
his mind.
Certain individuals, like Job, have endured terrible trials, in order
that My own purposes for them, in them, and through them might be
realized. There are mysteries of My will which mortal saints cannot
fathom in this present evil world. Through Job’s suffering, an enduring
testimony to his faith in God was left behind for the blessing of future
generations, and his eternal reward for his faithfulness is very great.
No, it was not because of sin that Job was sick for a long time.
This applies to many true-hearted believers who are resisting the devil
and standing on My promises in this war zone of a world. My promises may
not always manifest immediately in the visible realm, but ultimately they
must be proven true, and My Word must ultimately triumph.
Unfortunately, there are times when a believer rebels against My
Lordship and refuses to humble himself before Me. As a result, he removes
himself from under the Blood Covering and leaves himself wide open to
satanic attack. Sickness can come as a result of unrepented sin, and be a
chastisement for it. Only when the backslider gets his priorities
straight with Me can I undertake to heal him.
While much sickness springs from direct demonic attack, sometimes
it comes from natural causes like strong resentment toward another
person, smoking, alcoholism, bad nutrition, or overeating. I am able to
show each person where the problem lies, so appropriate steps can be taken
to resolve the situation. Insufficient intake of pure water has caused
much physical infirmity.
Victory comes to all My children who trust in Me, though sometimes
the manifestation of the promise is delayed. Remember that your ultimate
victory, and the total redemption of your body, will only be realized when
you are changed into immortality. Never let another Christian make you
feel like a failure just because you have prayed for healing and are
still waiting for it to manifest in your body.
Eating for Spiritual Health
Numbers 11:4-34; Psalms 78: 20-31; Eph. 4:14-16; Col. 2:8;
Heb. 13:9
Many of My people tend to be far more concerned about their overall
diet quality and the types of food they put into their bodies than the
sort of stuff they take into their soul. And they will go to great
lengths to insure the purity of their groceries, making sure there are no
artificial additives and chemicals. They will keep their refrigerators
and kitchenware scrupulously clean, they are so cautious about what goes
into their mouths.
But they can be indifferent about the quality of their spiritual
nourishment. Pure truth can become tainted beyond recognition. Even after
I provided manna for My people in the wilderness to satisfy their hunger,
they did not rest content. The bread which fell from heaven met every
nutritional need they had, but they aroused My wrath by demanding flesh
food, because its taste was much more exciting. Many are turning back to
go sit by the flesh pots of Egypt once again. They forsake from the Bread
of Heaven in favor of exciting fleshly doctrines of men which cannot
satisfy the deepest needs of the soul. Only Jesus is able to impart
eternal life. Substituting carnal things for Him leads to perdition.
Even if a doctrine or teaching is partially based on the Bible,
undiscerning saints are liable to swallow a lot of New Age error mixed
into it. Strange doctrines spun from personal speculation or popular
philosophies are passed off as gospel truth by ministers who often don’t
know any better themselves, the enemy has them so blind. That is just
another of satan’s tactics to move Christ out of the center of your focus,
and to confuse you as to what My Word really does say on an issue.
Beware of spiritual junk food!
A Time to Ask Abundantly
John 16:23-24; James 1:5
You never have to back off from Me with the reserve you sometimes
show towards human friends. People love to play cat-and-mouse games with
each other. A lack of openness can damage or even destroy human
relationships. Some transparent souls never master the shadowy art of
tit-for-tat, give-and-take personal interaction. That’s why their
"friends" are so few, and why the world looks down on them. Worldly
people are very careful about which buttons they push in the give-and-take
of human friendship. They are calculatedly cautious about how they
approach even those who profess to like them.
You’ve heard this one countless times: "Oh, no bother at all. Ask me
anytime, night or day. I’ll always be there for you, you can always count
on me."
But if you take their promises at face value, you pay a heavy price
for being so naive. Those people usually begin to freeze you out. Or,
they’ll just drop you abruptly. Alas, you can seldom trust people to say
exactly what they mean, or mean what they say, can you?
Oh, My precious child, I am not that way. Although many well-meaning
Christians will tell you: "Be careful not to present too many petitions to
God in one day, or He might consider you a spoiled brat instead of a
dutiful child of His. After all, you mustn’t treat God like your personal
errand boy."
There are lots of Christians who act just that way, begging Me for
material "blessings" for no higher reason than to keep abreast of all the
latest fashion trends and innovations in consumer goods. I am not
interested in pandering to people’s lusts for unnecessary things.
How true, Paul’s inspired words: "Having food and clothing, let us be
content." So long as you and your loved ones are well and able to serve Me
in this world, you should never see a half-empty cup, but be grateful that
I have made your lives complete in Myself.
But there are times when genuine, pressing needs pile up in your
life. When your personal well-being is truly at stake, or you lack
something you need to serve Christ effectively, you must give extra
attention to prayers of petition. It is then your cup must be viewed as
partially empty.
No, I don’t get irritated when you come to Me again and again and
again to meet your personal needs, nor does My supply ever fall short of
your need. Human love and patience are indeed limited, but My love for you
is infinitely more wonderful than human love!
Don’t ever be ashamed to ask. Come to Me with all your needs, both
great and small, and I will gladly meet them all.
Take Time to Plant a Tiny Seed
Exodus 4:10-16; I Cor.3:6-7; II Cor.3:5
My dear children, so many of you tend to look only at your personal
shortcomings, and focus on your lack of talent and abilities in the area
of people skills. You find a ready-made opt out when it comes to
witnessing because you are shy, or inarticulate in speaking, either to
individuals or crowds. You somehow have bought into satan's suggestion
that only trained, certified experts have the right to share the Good
News. After all, whispers satan, what if you make a big blunder and do
far more harm than good?
Even the great prophet Moses pleaded earnestly with me to be let out of
his assignment. He had been caring for dumb sheep in the wilderness for
forty years, hardly uttering a word to a solitary soul. His public
speaking skills were abysmal, he pleaded, so can't You please appoint
someone else to do this difficult job, O Lord?
I found a ready mouthpiece for Moses in Aaron, though Moses retained the
position I'd chosen for him. Moses' very humility was a tremendous asset
to him. I never could have used a proud, haughty man to lead multitudes
of Israelites out of the Promised Land.
Yes, you are but dust. But I have breathed My own everlasting Life into
your nostrils and I have anointed thy tongue to speak a word in good
season to him that is weary. There are those who will coldly rebuff you
when you get past a certain point and throw up defenses of all kinds. But
at least say something which glorifies Christ and what He has done for
you, and how you could never get by in this difficult world without Him.
Perhaps the other person is a stubborn intellectual or other type who
seems hard as a rock and cold as ice. But all people want to feel loved
and secure, especially where it pertains to their ultimate destiny.
Don't fool yourselves, my people. These so-called atheists will ofttimes
lie awake at night and wonder, "What on earth am I here for?" There are
secrets lurking within their consciousness which they would never dare
tell even their own mother. People of this age are extremely proud,
boasting of their self-sufficiency, that they are full, and rich, and in
need of nothing. But when infirmities, weakness or creeping age eats away
at their self-bravado, it is then they feel their fragile fortress of
pride beginning to crumble and it is then they just might remember the
word of encouragement you shared concerning Christ. It is then the seed
begins to sprout.
Spiritual Toadstools
Romans 8:1-2; Gal. 1:6-9
A certain couple sallied forth into the woods to collect mushrooms
for supper. The husband was a stubborn fellow, too proud to take advice
from his wife, for he thought he knew everything about mushroom hunting.
The wife was a more prudent person, willing to wait until she was certain
she’d found the genuine article.
The man spied some pretty fungi beneath a tree. Swayed solely by
their appearance, he picked a few and tossed them in his basket.
"Leave them alone," said his wife. "I just know they’re poisonous!"
"No,’ said the man, "these are rare morels. You can’t get them at
the supermarket."
"Well, I’d rather stick with mushrooms I know for sure to be safe,"
the woman said, "and I’d rather do without than risk poisoning."
"Not me!" said her husband. "I didn’t come all the way out here for
nothing. We’ve been out here for an hour and I’m not going home without
any mushrooms."
"Harry, please," she begged. "Really, it’s just not worth the risk."
But he refused to heed her warning. He argued that the fungi were so
beautiful they couldn’t possibly be harmful, and it would be a waste not
to eat them. That night, he cooked them up and ate them over her
protestations. He ended up being driven to the hospital to get his
stomach pumped. Harry lived, but he was mighty sick for several days.
Lots of my children swallow religious teaching that appears
breathtakingly beautiful, deeply stirring a person’s religious sentiment.
It might even be flashy and exciting, such as the get-rich-quick gospel.
Or it might be on the opposite spectrum and lay heavy emphasis on denying
the flesh and asceticism to gain points with Me. Either way, it is harmful
and often deadly to your faith. Satan often appears in gorgeous religious
robes to get you to veer off the Narrow Way to Life, faith in Christ and
Him Crucified.
Spiritual Rat Poison
Psalms 58:4-5; 140:3; Eccl. 10:11; Jere. 8:17; Matt. 12:
33-37; 17:21; James 3:1-12
Any expert toxicologist knows how hard it is to remove all traces of
poison from a person’s system. Even after death arsenic remains in the
corpse. It can even be detected in the bones and hair centuries after the
person was poisoned. The passage of time fails to flush poison out of a
system.
How much more insidious is spiritual poison left in hearts by
insensitive individuals who systematically ridicule and berate others?
Especially if the offender is a professing Christian who ought to know
better. You can much more easily brush off digs and insults from an
unbeliever, but when some professing believer piles on the abuse it sinks
deep into the marrow of your psyche.
The spirit and soul comprise that part of a person that endures for
eternity. Why should you think it is easier to recover from spiritual
abuse than physical? Whenever you notice yourself spitting up poison you
swallowed years ago, it’s time to seek My face for deliverance from the
power of satan. Fast, pray, at least for a few solid hours a day until
you feel My power is at work in your innermost parts to completely cleanse
you of poison some spiritual viper injected into you.
Beware of Spiritual Butchers
Matt. 5:7, 44-45; 9:12; John 8:1-11; Acts Chapter 10; Rom.
2:4; 12:14; Gal. 3:13; I Cor. 6:17; 13:1-7;II Cor. 5:17; Col. 2:14; II
Tim. 1:16-18; I Pet. 2:20; 4:8
Beware of which pastures you graze in, and I speak especially to those
who are geographically cut off from true agape fellowship, those people
who must glean what prayer support and edification they can through means
other than a sound local church.
Some of those who claim to be "deliverance ministries" are little
better than spiritual butchers, the clumsy way they handle hurting,
seeking souls. They know much about the fearful penalties cited in the Old
Testament for breaking My Law. But they know precious little about My
grace and willingness to forgive. Those with plenty of knowledge but no
love minister hopelessness and fear to hurting people who seek from Me a
word of reassurance, comfort, and hope.
One problem is the way the curse of the Law is held over the head of
people whom I have redeemed, who have diligently prayed for and pleaded My
Blood over the souls of their loved ones. People being what they are,
sometimes these much-prayed-for souls will stray into occult practices
despite the warnings and prayers of saints who love them.
If you have received a word of reassurance in your spirit about your
son or your daughter or your spouse concerning their salvation, then I
will be true to My Word and will be gracious unto them. I see not only
their sin but the motive behind it. If a person is deeply troubled,
grief-stricken or confused, the enemy will rush in to take advantage of
this. This is a different case from when a person hates Me and dabbles in
the occult to spite me. Many of the children of Israel tired of Me and of
My rule over their lives. So they opted for demonic "gods" who gave them
plenty of excitement but made no inconvenient demands on their lives.
This led to sorcery, witchcraft, astrology and even to human sacrifice.
My punishment upon those apostates was very severe. Even then My goal was
to lead the nation of Israel back to Myself by withdrawing My blessings
and protection for a time.
If your troubled loved one strays into any occult practice, don’t
give up on them. Keep on praying for them. I am able to save them just
as assuredly as if the offense was non-occultic in nature, such as as
lying, swearing, cheating, adultery or theft. I have even forgiven and
restored murderers at various points in history.
Some people have gone to the wrong ministry for prayer for their
loved ones. Instead of getting reassurance of My power to save and restore
sinners and backsliders, all they have gotten is reassurance that I have
already put a terrible curse on their loved one for the offense committed
against My Word.
It would be grossly unfair for Me to demand a higher standard of
conduct from human beings than I do from Myself. I have commanded My
people to bless those who curse them , and pray for people who
despitefully use them and persecute them. Why? In order that you might
act like the children of your Father Who is in heaven: for I make My sun
to rise on the evil and on the good, and I send My rain on both the
righteous and the unrighteous. And I have said: Bless those who persecute
you. Bless, and curse not. Why, then, should I expect fragile human
beings like you to bless hostile brutes who curse you, but you should
expect Me to be eager to curse people who stumble in other ways?
I know the frailty of My people, and if people who walk closely with
Me can be tempted, why should I not expect that unconverted people and
backsliders will be even more apt to sin because of fallen human nature?
In many cases the offender has shown vastly more kindness and charity
toward the saint praying for them than the saint has received from other
believers. And when that lost loved one shows kindness toward you, He is
also ministering to My own need. Will I repay evil for good, and bite the
hand that feeds Me?
A thousand times, no. Truth spoken without love and carried to
extremes can be mingled with unscriptural folklore and mysticism to make
it even more sensational. It is then that a so-called "deliverance
ministry" strays into harmful error. Whenever unbalanced "deliverance
ministers" tell someone that I have already laid a curse upon their erring
loved one to several generations, satan feels like popping open the
champagne. Not only does this create despair in the heart of the
intercessor and makes that saint feel like giving up on the person he’s
praying for, it diminishes his faith in My mercy and grace and can even
put a distance and coldness between us. Religious deception is satan’s
favorite crowbar to pry people apart from an intimate love and trust
toward Me.
Love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things. Time and again I have asked My people to dare to
believe that even the very worst sinners could be saved. When I promise
one of My children that I will eventually save their loved one, no matter
how impossible a case that one seems to be, I ask My child to see that
person through eyes of faith, rather than give up on him or her. That is
love "believing all things and hoping all things" As for bearing all
things and enduring all things, one prime example is the way Peter taught
Christian slaves to patiently endure the abuse of cruel masters. Now if I
am so patient with belligerent people like that, why wouldn’t I also show
compassion toward a person who has been good to you, but has made a bad
decision, not out of meanness or malice, but because the enemy sowed seeds
of confusion in his or her mind?
I didn’t consign Cornelius to hell because he had been a heathen Roman
who believed in many gods before he sought the true God of Israel. Even
when he was still unconverted, Cornelius’ many acts of charity arose
before My Throne in heaven as a sweet savor of delight. I went out of My
way to make a means to save that man, and he responded to me in faith.
And when Paul evangelized the Gentiles and many of them came to Christ,
Paul did not say to those new converts: "Fine and well you’re saved, but
now God must lay a 160-year curse upon you for your earlier sorcery and
divination! If he had, Christ Himself would have shared in that long
curse, because when you come to Christ in repentant faith, you become one
spirit with Christ the Lord. And if I can see your loved one’s salvation
from afar off, why would I lay such a terrible curse upon someone who is
destined to be made one spirit with My own dear Son?
From My own perspective in eternity, I can see the entire length of
the train track of time, even the end of it, all at the same time. But
you dwell in the dimension of time. Unless I anoint your eyes to see as I
do, all you can see is the point in time where you stand now. Because I
dwell in eternity I can see from afar off the outcome of a situation. I am
able to give you bedrock-solid reassurance about specific promises you
have received from Me, for I have already witnessed the fulfillment of
them all. I have already seen the eventual salvation of that person you’re
praying for through eternal eyes of faith, and that is why you can see in
this way also.
Religious extremists make the Law My master, not the other way
around. If I choose to be gracious and defer judgment as an act of My
grace, who in heaven or earth can stop Me? The law demanded that a woman
taken in adultery be stoned to death. But what did Jesus do when
self-righteous men (who harbored hidden sins of their own) asked Him what
should be done about her? He forgave the woman and said: Let him who is
without sin cast the first stone at her.
Christ has already redeemed My people from the curse of the Law and
nailed the Handwriting of ordinances that was against you to His Cross.
Included in your deliverance is redemption from every curse which comes
from breaking the laws against divination, witchcraft, sorcery, or
mediums. By faith your slate is wiped clean. By faith you are made a new
creature in Christ Jesus. Old things are passed away, and all things are
become new.
Jesus knew demons were out there. But He also knew Who the demons
were afraid of. He ate with publicans and sinners. Christ did not
cloister Himself to hide from their demons. Instead, He reached out to
heal those people spiritually just like He reached out to lepers to heal
them. And if any demons were present, Jesus had the power to cast them
out. Christ’s critics asked Him: Why do you eat with such people? And
He said: They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are
sick. The Good Shepherd did not go out to curse sinners and backsliders
but to gather them into His fold.
What about sins still unrepented-of by weak souls who don’t know any
better, especially people who are not deliberately defying Me in an
attitude of hardened rebellion and malice? Indeed, you must personally
repent and trust in the Blood of Christ to have your sins removed as far
as east is from west. In this case, you can’t remove the cat mess out of
the house till the cat repents of making it. But you can cover his mess
over with cat litter until he does repent, and fervent love covers a
multitude of sins. Before the coming of the Savior to make atonement for
sin, the ancient patriarchs would offer up sacrifices to plead with Me for
mercy for their erring loved ones. They intreated Me to cover those sins
and not look upon them, that their loved ones might be granted space to
finally repent. And I heard their entreaties, for I am gracious. I did
not immediately punish the wicked Jezebel of Revelation with sickness and
death, or immediately afflict her followers. Rather, I gave her extra
space to repent. Jezebel didn’t repent and had to suffer the
consequences. But who will tell Me, the Creator of all flesh, that I have
no right to be gracious toward saint and sinner alike?
It is My goodness which leads men to repentance. Don’t give up,
whatever the sin your loved ones have committed. Keep bringing them
before My Throne of Grace in prayer and I will surely hear you on their
behalf.
Kingdom Victory
Isaiah 33:24; 35:4-10; Matthew 10:7-8; 11:1-6; 12:28;
Mark 16:17-18; Hebrews 13:20-21
There is a widespread belief that although Christians have been
redeemed from the Curse of the Law through the Blood of the Lamb, they
must suffer a penalty of physical infirmity for being descended from Adam
and Eve, who fell in the Garden. There is much teaching today on how I
can use weakness, tragedy or sickness to make a person more Christlike, so
it is assumed that personal suffering is indispensable in sanctifying My
people and I can do it no other way. Many even think I cannot be pleased
with them unless they are in a state of continual pain or distress. Such a
viewpoint robs Me of glory, for the central focus ought to be on the
merits of My suffering on the Cross of Calvary, and the power of the Blood
of the Lamb to purify your inward parts.
The mortal believers who shall be born into My Kingdom during My
1000-year Reign will be physical descendants of Adam and Eve, even as
saints of today are. They also will have to strive to overcome the
resistance of the Adamic flesh nature. Yet they will not have to suffer
physical infirmities or tragedies in order to be perfected into My
likeness. During the blessed Kingdom Age, all faithful believers will live
out their lives in perfect health, contentment, and joy. The devil will
have been banished from the scene, and so will not be there to put their
faith under fire through burdensome trials.
In this present dispensation the righteous do suffer, though you
will not always understand why until you see Me face to face. When he
was thrown into prison, John the Baptist wondered why I did not use My
power to release him from captivity. He needed further assurance that I
was indeed the promised Deliverer. John received a reply which satisfied
him: He was told of how I raised the dead, restored sight to the blind,
made the lame walk again and the deaf to hear, and how the poor were
hearing the Good News of Peace With God. These are the signs and wonders
of My Kingdom which has triumphed over that of satan, and will soon be
fully manifest in the earth.
I sent My disciples to proclaim the glad tidings of the coming of My
Kingdom on earth. Physical healing is one of the many benefits of My
Gospel message, along with salvation and daily sanctification. Even now,
in these last days before I return to personally rule over this world, I
want My people to have a foretaste of what Paradise on earth will be like.
I want them to be healthy and strong, to receive miracles of intervention
in time of need, and to go from strength to strength each day. I want
them to experience Kingdom Victory in their lives right now.
Do Not Ascribe Omnipotence to satan
Judges 16:4-19; Luke 10:18; Col. 2:15; I Pet. 5: 8-9
I warn you in My Word repeatedly to beware of the wiles of the devil,
to be sober, to be vigilant in a world full of deadly snares. But one
common misconception about satan is that he is all-knowing, all-present,
and all-powerful. The devil is nothing more than a fallen cherub assisted
by other fallen angels who were cast out of heaven long ago. He lost the
brightness of My glory. He was defeated at Calvary by My Son the Lord
Jesus. He cannot be everywhere at once and he does not know everything.
I am about to ambush him from every side, in preparation for the day in
which his illicit kingdom on earth will be totally demolished. He will
look for My attack to come from one direction and it will come from
another. He will strike out at Me from one side but be hit from seven
different vantage points in heavenly places. He who has sown seeds of
confusion and destruction in My earth will be totally confused and
dismayed as I launch My heavenly missiles at his kingdom of darkness from
every side.
You have often felt intimidated by the devil’s people. But they are
not all-knowing or all-powerful either. Take Delilah as an example. She
had no idea where the mighty Samson got his strength, how he could
successfully fend off so many attacks at the same time and kill so many of
the Lord’s enemies in one fell swoop. Her own strength lay not in her
tiny arms but in the enchanting wiles she used on this great warrior. Had
Samson steadfastly clung to the Word of the Lord against intermarrying
with the heathen he would never have fallen into her dainty hands and
suffered disgrace and defeat.
In great measure the battle is against your own human frailty. You
must resist the temptation to push the parameters of My patience with you,
the temptation to play with fire.
The Thief
John 10:10
Satan is like a thief who siphons gas out of people’s cars in the
middle of the night, and like a cockroach who grows bolder under cover of
darkness. Gross darkness is his domain, and his sphere of operation.
Little by little he’ll siphon off your joy in the Lord and faith in
My Word, if you do not exercise daily vigilance against his wiles. He’ll
rob you of inner vitality and whisper subtle lies about My faithfulness as
you contend with daily problems or deal with difficult people. He’ll do it
so gradually that you’ll hardly know what you’ve lost.
Satan’s Cluster Bombs
I Samuel 30:6; Psalms 91: 13-15;Galatians 6:2; James 4:7
The devil inspired the invention of napalm, nuclear weaponry, and
"smart" war technology. Parallel spiritual weapons are in his arsenal, and
he does not hesitate to deploy them against My people.
Whenever satan spots a believer who is not getting the love and
prayer support he needs from other saints, he takes advantage of this by
setting off his own brand of cluster bombs in the life of that believer.
A particularly nasty trial may strike, which leaves the believer feeling
shattered enough. But many devastating repercussions follow the original
strike. He is left feeling helpless and unable to cope, and hopes to find
someone spiritually strong enough to confide in.
Other saints, whose trials are of a more "respectable" variety,
recoil from him and leave him feeling very much on his own. Thus the
enemy steals solid friendships as well as rest and peace from the saint he
has targeted. Whenever I manage to restore such a wounded individual, it
is always a miracle of My sovereign grace.
O My people, regardless of how terrible you feel, don’t ever give in
to satan’s lies. Build yourselves up by praying always in the Spirit
and meditating continually upon those portions of My Word which are
applicable to your situation. David, My mighty warrior, was sometimes
discouraged and greatly misunderstood even by his friends, but he learned
how to encourage himself in the Lord, and thus gain victory over daunting
foes. He said: I will go in the strength of the Lord my God. Even
as David emerged triumphant, so I will enable you to trample underfoot the
minions of darkness. In the midst of sorrow I will even give you a
supernatural anointing of My joy, fill you with hope and drive away the
spirit of heaviness which besets you.
Pray one for another. Bear one another’s burdens in love, as I
impart the ability. Corporately, as well as individually, take up the
mighty Sword of the Spirit, resist the Thief, and he will flee from you.
I Work Behind the Scenes
Romans 8:28
Not all My mighty acts are dramatic events. Daily I work in less
conspicuous ways to protect you, often from dangers you are unaware of. If
I waited until you became aware of the danger to intervene, it would be
too late. I miraculously order the right set of circumstances to bring
about answers to urgent problems or needs. Many tragedies and accidents
have been prevented by angelic intervention.
Sometimes you recover from an injury or illness much more rapidly and
completely than you would have, had I not infused My Resurrection Life
into your body. During times of stress, I am able to infuse a pervasive
peace into your soul. There have been occasions when it was miraculous
that you did not break down and cry or lose your temper. It was I Who
gave you the strength to endure, not nature.
The next time satan tells you your faith has never once resulted in a
miracle, encourage yourself in Me by remembering My behind-the-scenes
faithfulness.
Your Impossibilities: My Opportunities to Work Miracles
Matthew 5:5; II Corinthians 3:17;
I am not limited by the barriers you confront every day, for where
the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. I am not bound by time and
space, or by the sordid state of this world’s economy. I know that a few
evil men think they have commandeered the lion’s share of this world’s
wealth to hoard for themselves, but they are only laying it up in store
for the meek who shall inherit all things. It has even been argued that
there is only one pie, and many of My people are only poor little pilgrims
just barely scraping by, marking time till they are cut loose from the
fetters of this world’s cares, and finally get to walk the streets of
gold.
My people need eyes of faith to see the reality of the Kingdom Life
which transcends the wretched way this present evil world system puts the
squeeze on My weary ones. Ask Me for an anointing of faith which enables
you to see that you are receiving the benefits of My Kingdom, to know that
you have an enduring substance in heaven which is impervious to the ups
and downs of this earthly economy. I would even have you to remember that
I inhabit the Glory World, where there is never any scarcity, and where
righteousness reigns.
Proclaim that you are a citizen of My Kingdom, an heir of the Father
of Light, and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ. Even Paul, when he was
severely tried in material things could say: Though I seem to have
nothing, yet I possess all things.
In times of vexation or trial, draw upon My resources, for I have
promised to always meet the needs of My faithful ones. I will make a way
for you where there seems to be no way.
If it is beyond the range of human possibility to meet the need, then
you must petition Me for a miracle. With Me, nothing shall be
impossible.
Hindered by Unbelief
Mark 6:1-6
When you pray for a need to be met, let your subsequent words and
actions reflect the faith which is within you. If, following your
petition for success, I have imparted to your heart the assurance that all
will be well, do not make contingency plans in case of failure. If I have
matured you spiritually to the point where you have full inner assurance
of possessing divine health, do not contradict this by acting as if you
expect to get sick or stay sick . If you are certain I have directed you
to go pray for a sick person, do not rehearse an excuse to offer him "in
case he doesn’t get any better".
There is no sadder scene than an unbelieving preacher visiting a
member of his flock who lies sick in bed, only to have that person end up
in worse condition after the visit. In studied religious vernacular the
faithless preacher tells the patient that the days of miracles are past,
and he must accept his disease as part of My sovereign will. Sometimes a
prayer is offered up that I will give attending doctors and nurses skill
in performing their duties, and will make the medication work to maximum
effectiveness. This kind of prayer shows a degree of care and concern,
but is sometimes just thinly veiled unbelief. Some preachers feel they
are on a very tight leash and dare not step beyond the boundaries of faith
and practice permitted by their church board. They stop well short of
petitioning Me to intervene directly and touch the patient with My healing
power. They want to make sure their prayers are "fool-proof", and that
the answer is not beyond the scope of modern medicine.
When the modern marvels of science fail, where will deniers of My
power turn for help?
Do Not Limit Me to Natural Possibilities
Psalms 78:41; Mark 9:23; John Chapter 11: 1-46
It isn’t much of an exercise in faith for a rich man to pray this prayer
over a bountiful table: "Father, give us this day our daily bread". Nor
does it take much faith for that same man to pray for a new automobile or
computer when he already possesses the funds to go out and purchase it.
A less affluent believer might need a hundred dollars to meet an
emergency. This, of course, would take some faith to obtain if all a man
has left over from paying his bills is a ten. If he knows there are ways
he can earn or borrow the hundred in time to meet the need, then he finds
the prayer relatively simple.
But if he isn’t truly moving in faith, he will be floored by
the enemy when a crisis arises which requires thousands of dollars to
resolve. He looks all round him, but knows there is no way he can even
come close to getting such a large sum in time. True faith in Me is
always accompanied by the realization that apart from Me, you are
completely powerless and have nothing!
So long as a sick person is alive, people can cling to hopes of a
breakthrough. But once death comes, hope for a continuance of that one’s
mortal life is vain. When Lazarus died, there was no natural way his
friends and family could have brought him back to the world of the living.
When life hits rock bottom there seems to be absolutely NO hope of
improvement. Your back is against the wall, and there’s no light at the
end of the tunnel.
What anguish it brought to My heart to see his dear sisters crying.
For much of Lazarus’ life, they had been concerned over his fragile health
and the possibility that his life might not be a long one. Martha, the
elder sister, and hardiest of the three, had had to assume the lion’s
share of the responsibilities for running their home and business. How
depressing for the two sisters, that in spite of all their tender
solicitude for this weak man, he had died.
When I delayed coming to them for four days, I met with all sorts of
criticism. Why, they wanted to know, hadn’t I come to work a miracle
when it was still within the pale of reasonable possibility?
How human it was for those people to be so short-sighted. Had I arrived
on the scene to resurrect Lazarus just immediately after his death, the
authenticity of the miracle could have been called into question. My
enemies could have cast doubts on My integrity, and accused Me of
chicanery.
Sometimes a situation get so hopelessly bad it stinks, and you’re
simply tired of praying about it. Martha was right when she told me
Lazarus’ corpse had already begun to stink. The climate was a hot one,
and decomposition had already set in. I didn’t even have decent-looking
remains to infuse life back into. I looked unto My Father in faith,
knowing that only through His mighty power could the dead one return to
life. I depended on the limitless power of My Father to create new life,
not what was available in the hopeless circumstances surrounding the
problem. I spoke these few words of faith: "Lazarus, come forth!". And
it worked, to the greater glory of My Father.
Don’t Depend on Pretty Props
Isaiah 53:2; I Corinthians 2:3-5
When I appeared on the scene to resurrect Lazarus, I did not make a
very impressive entrance. I was not introduced with great fanfare. Nor did
I enter that tragic scene with self-assured air, smiling and waving
greetings. My head was bowed with grief, much more for the wretched
spiritual condition of those about me than for the departed man. My eyes
were red with weeping, for I, the Great Shepherd, felt great compassion
for those wandering sheep of Mine. My heart was so heavy. I knew that
Lazarus would be resurrected, but I also knew he would return to this
world only to be hated by evil Pharisees who would want him dead again.
There was no flowery music playing to create the mood for a
miracle. I did cut a very dazzling figure. I had just travelled down
dusty roads, and My homespun garment reeked of sweat. Not everyone was
pleased to see Me, and I received no wild applause. I was not introduced
by a silver-tongued promoter, but faced despairing tears from mourners and
scattered jeers from skeptics. Only My faithful disciples and the two
sisters of the dead man still believed in Me. But in spite of those
unpolished circumstances, the power of God was present, and the miracle
came.
An Evil Heart of Unbelief
Matthew 27:50-53, 62-66; 28:11-15; Mark 15:37-38; Luke
23:45; John 11:37-50; Hebrews 3:12; 4:16; 6:19-20; 9:1-15
The Way Into the Holiest had been opened at terrible cost to Myself.
Because of this wondrous display of divine love, many believed on My Son
and acknowledged that He was truly the Promised One of Israel. Not even
His enemies could deny that a notable miracle had been performed, and it
could not be explained away. But the chief priests and the Pharisees
wanted to maintain the status quo, and they perceived My Son as a threat
to their way of life. They cared not that I had come to visit their
nation in mercy, or that the Son of the Blessed was walking among them.
They were willingly blind to the truth. They were without excuse.
Then, as now, class divisions permeated society. Most of the
influential men of wealth would not tolerate a man from the working
classes preaching about a God Who highly valued poor saints, One Who
condescended to call Himself their Father. The blind leaders of the blind
had reinvented Me to suit themselves. When Lazarus was raised, it did not
soften their hearts one bit. It only hardened their resolve to fight that
much harder against the Truth.
I tell you truly, I could inundate the entire earth with spectacular
miracles if I so chose. But there would still be a sizable majority of
people who would reject faith in Me. These self-obsessed people fear
that if they were to embrace the life of faith, they would also have to
acknowledge My Lordship, and submit to the teachings of My Word. Most are
not prepared to do this. Those wicked chief priests and Pharisees were
much too proud to own the lowly Christ as their Master.
Consider the awfulness of such an evil heart of unbelief. It is
deliberate enmity against My love and holiness. It is not even content to
confine its depravity to itself. Those wicked men knew they were lying to
themselves about My true nature, even as they lampooned and scorned "that
carpenter yokel from Nazareth". They had their own program of
evangelism-in-reverse, lying to others about Jesus, maligning Him and
mocking His miracles. They were even determined to murder both the
Miracle-worker and His living evidence.
A most wondrous miracle occurred at the moment of Christ’s death.
He, the spotless Lamb of God, had just made atonement once and for all for
all the sins of humankind. Animal sacrifices had served as temporary
promissory notes pointing toward the final payment for sin. At the moment
of Christ’s death, these were no longer needed. Now the Way into the
Holiest Place of all had just been opened for all who would come to Me for
everlasting life. No longer was access to My Presence severely
restricted as it was before. So the heavy curtain concealing the Most Holy
Place in the Temple was ripped in two from top to bottom.
The chief priests knew this miracle had transpired. Moreover they
knew there was no rational explanation for it outside of a miracle. Not
even the recent earthquake could have caused such stout fabric to rip
apart. They even understood the spiritual significance of the divide
between the Holy of Holies and the outer courts of the Temple. These
learned men understood that the function of the Temple Veil dividing the
Holiest Place from the outer courts had been to isolate the Holy Glory of
the divine Presence from sinners, lest they be slain in My Presence. So
these religious leaders should have acknowledged the true meaning of the
tearing of the Temple Veil. They should have fallen on their faces in
worship, praise and thanksgiving for this unspeakable sign of grace
and favor on My part. The breach between a Holy God and repentant worshippers
had finally been healed through the death of My own precious Son.
For centuries saints and prophets had yearned to be brought into a
greater intimacy with Myself, for the distance between God and man to be
bridged by a Final Atonement for sin which would remove it from My sight
forever. But instead of giving Me thanks for this unspeakable grace, these
murderers of Christ were angered that they had not heard the last of
Someone they viewed as their rival. They refused to acknowledge that I
had torn the Veil of Separation Myself and opened the Way into My Holy
Presence. Instead they either attributed this miracle to satan or came up
with other ludicrous explanations. Not only did these evil men refuse to
enter in themselves, but they blinded the people in unbelief with their
deceptions, thus sealing the doom of their City of Jerusalem and its
Temple.
A word to the wise: Beware that you never despise or war against the
supernatural side of My nature.
My Power is Priceless
Acts Chapter 3; 4:1-4
When Peter and John approached the lame beggar at the Gate Beautiful,
they had no extra change to spare. "Silver and gold have I none," said
Peter, "but I’ll give you what I do have. In the Name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, rise up and walk."
Not only did that beggar walk, he leaped for very joy, praising Me as
he entered the Temple with the two apostles. This miracle opened up an
opportunity for Peter to share My Gospel with unbelievers, and many were
converted that day.
Today money-obsessed congregations can boast: "Silver and gold have
I plenty." The love of money can take souls captive, but money cannot
ransom the captives of satan.
Your Privilege is Unspeakably Great
Joel 2: 28-29; Matt. 11:11; Luke 7:28; Gal. 5:6; 6:15; II
Cor. 5:17; 6:16; Eph. 3:16-21
Some of My people bemoan the fact they live in the Last Days rather
than in the ancient dispensation of the Law. They’ll say: "If only I had
been in Moses’s shoes, or in David’s. Such saints have but a superficial
understanding of My Word and so they focus only on the glorious highlights
of these men’s lives. They forget the deep, dark, dangerous valleys which
separated the mountaintops of their greatest achievements.
If either of these men could speak to you today, they would say they
envy you your greatest privilege, one which they did not enjoy or have
the benefit of during their mortal lifetimes: the personal Indwelling of
My Blessed Presence. During their time on earth they had to approach Me
indirectly through the outward symbols of ritual and sacrifice. Only
after the sacrificial death, burial and resurrection of My dear Son made
the continuance of animal sacrifice obsolete were My people brought into
the secret Place of My direct Presence. Only then did I breathe upon them
from on High and fill them with the Life of My Spirit. Only then was it
no longer Law written on tables of Stone which governed their lives; now
it was the Law of Love operating within their hearts by faith through the
Power of My Spirit.
No Room for Me on The Program
II Corinthians 2:4; I Timothy 3:5
How do you think the present state of affairs makes Me feel? Some
modern congregations are so determined not to believe in My supernatural
workings that were I to walk into their churches, I would be taken aside
and briefed on how to comport Myself in order to "establish rapport with
the congregation, and avoid offending anyone’s finer sensibilities". Some
ministers are in a perpetual state of denial. Deep inside they know that
in spite of all their fancy education, they are spiritually bankrupt.
They also know that because they reject the supernatural element of the
Gospel, they have nothing of lasting value to offer those who carry a
weight of care on their souls. When they fish for souls, they go without
proper bait, then wonder why so few enthusiastically support the church
evangelistic program.
The best these skeptical ministers can offer the anemic souls out in
the pews is the possibility of a more pleasant afterlife in store for
good people, to compensate them for the troubles of this present world. As
faith-denying ministers pontificate endlessly on all the reasons why
miracles "are not for this dispensation", the hands of the Great Physician
are tied.
The Foolish Fisherman
There was a religious fisherman who didn’t believe in live bait
because he considered it too unrefined and messy. He went to a pond at a
time of day when the fish weren’t biting, because it was inconvenient to
go when the fish were hungry.
These particular fish were way too smart to get hooked on the
artificial lures the fisherman used.
The man sat by the bank for hours with hardly a nibble. Finally he
got up and preached the fish a rousing sermon: "Fish, I take authority
over you and I command you to bite! This bait is the very best human
ingenuity could invent, so why hasn’t God rewarded me with a big catch?"
Angered, he began to dress down the fish with a vehement voice. He
used his fishing rod to flail at the water, as if punishing it for
refusing to yield up its bounty. His shouts of rage only drove the fish
away.
If you want to catch souls for Jesus you’d better lure them with the
same bait Jesus used.
Water Into Wine
John 2:1-11; 16:24
Many of you hesitate to offer up prayer petitions which seem too
self-centered, in view of the fact that others have much more pressing
needs. But remember, I am a personal God Who is present everywhere at the
same time. I have millions of children, but still have lots of time for
each one. And I am not limited like some weary healing evangelist praying
for individuals in an interminable line, one by one. I invite you to come
into My Holy Presence any time, night or day, whenever you sense a need in
your life, either great or small. Even a seemingly tiny problem can
hinder your life. A minuscule pebble in the bottom of your shoe can
hamper the race you are running, and you need to take the time to have it
removed in order to make further progress.
I love to shower gifts upon My loved ones, although I do not spoil
them to the point of ruination. I sometimes surprise you with blessings
you did not pray for or expect. I turned brackish water into rich wine
for a wedding party which had run dry. I know that had I not done this,
no one would have died of thirst. But I wanted to show you in a practical
way that My will is for My Wine of Joy to fill your life and make your cup
overflow with thanksgiving, to replace the brackish water of sorrow.
I Deliver From Evil
Jeremiah 1:8; Matthew 6:13; John 17:15
Millions are crying out for deliverance, wondering why they feel
themselves perpetually beneath a crushing weight of gloom, unable to break
free of bad habits or overcome temptations. Many wonder why thoughts of
suicide burst in on their consciousness at unexpected moments.
It grieves Me to see even Bible-believing Christians hounded by the
devil to their graves, beset by chronic afflictions and obsessions,
literally worrying themselves to death, because of satanic oppression.
How absurd, how tragic, the way ministers try to sermonize,
rationalize, and theorize the devil away. He is not afraid of liberal
theologians who relegate spiritual warfare to a "less enlightened era" of
church history. But he is terrified of those whose hearts are receptive
to My Word, and have prepared themselves to do the will of their Heavenly
Father.
Sighs and Wonders
Mark 16:17
When will My people put less emphasis on staging "orderly" services,
and more on fearlessly doing the will of their Heavenly Father? Jesus
promised that signs would follow those who believe; and when He made that
statement prior to His Ascension to heaven, He did not restrict that
promise to the twelve apostles or believers of the first century only.
But I am continually hampered by unbelief. Instead of signs and
wonders occurring in the church, the Lord is left on the sidelines. He
sighs and wonders when the anemic church service will end.
Exorcism: A Socially Unacceptable Ministry
Matthew 10:8; Mark 7:9
One of the most important assignments I gave My faithful ones before
My ascent to heaven was to cast out devils. Yet there is a woeful
shortage of anointed men and women who are willing to be used to deliver
those who are bound by the devil.
The greatest hindrance to the manifestation of this vital ministry in
My church is cultural bias. It simply isn’t a "nice" ministry, and few
want it. Those who believe in a literal devil, and demonic possession in
particular, are apt to have their intelligence or educational credentials
questioned by their peers.
There have been many centuries of opposition to the miraculous
outworkings of My Spirit, particularly those things which are labeled as
uncouth, and unbefitting the refined atmosphere of a setting of worship.
Many otherwise devout ministers shudder at the thought that they could be
labeled as fanatics, if they take the directives of Christ too literally.
They fear being placed in the same category as snake handlers or other
cultists if they get down to the nitty-gritty of casting demons out of the
lives of sinners or oppressed believers.
It is much more respectable to tell a severely depressed person that
all he needs is a good psychiatrist to make his troubles go away. It is
easier to tell a person whose sleep is disturbed by hellish nightmares
that all he needs to do is practice more positive thinking. But in the
case of demonic oppression or possession, that dear one is powerless to
pull himself up by his own bootstraps.
The devil is at work in the lives of many distressed people, and my
anointed ministers must not whitewash him by calling him by such names as
a negative attitude, or a mild personality quirk. He laughs at Christians
who ignore or explain away passages referring to the deliverance ministry,
although they know My Word, and are well aware that Christ and his
disciples cast out demons.
In seeking to preserve their own dubious reputations, fearful
ministers are downplaying the viciousness of the Prince of Darkness.
Satan in the Sanctuary
II Cor. 12:20; I Tim. 4:12; 5:2
My, but the devil loves to go to church. Nobody is more religious
than he is. Wherever meetings are filled with foolish frivolity and
humanistic oratory instead of fellowship around the Lord Jesus Christ,
satan can and often does infiltrate the gathering of church people. He
will even linger for after-church socialization.
This happens for several reasons. One problem is My people neglect
to pray for the service. This can be done at home, or a few minutes at
church, before the formal meeting begins. And it needn’t always be a long
prayer session. I appreciate a few minutes of heartfelt intercession from
busy saints who have little control over how hectic their schedule is. I
ask for what you can give, not for what you can’t.
It is hard to shift gears to an attitude of communion with Me when
you are still feeling steamed from an argument in the car on the way to
church. But when such problems occur, don’t let the devil hassle you
about it. Just join hands as a family and pray a quick prayer of sincere
repentance and reconciliation before you get out of the car and go into
the sanctuary. I will forgive you and you will feel clean again.
Another reason satan gains easy access to the sanctuary is ignorance
of the Gift of Discerning of Spirits. This Gift makes a saint sensitive to
the workings of evil spirits in the congregation, such as destructive
spirits of obsession. It has occasionally happened that the line between
acceptable behavior and foolishness is blurred in the minds of those who
let down their guard and let their human passions gain control. I have
seen cases where a rash of obsession breaks out among the unmarried
members of the congregation that they must find a mate, and soon.
Friendly greetings between brothers and sisters in the sanctuary can
easily degenerate into subtle flirting. Some examples might be: "I love
you in the Lord, brother", or "I can see the love of Christ in you,
sister." Or "I really get blessed by your ministry." These are perfectly
legitimate expressions, but they can also spring from a subconscious
stratagem to overcome the other person’s reserve, so as to pave the way
for carnal lust. Sometimes people of opposite sexes will look for any
excuse to be alone with the object of their desire, or to follow them
around the church to keep talking with them. This causes the pursued
person to feel intimidated and irritated. In the meantime, I am all but
forgotten about.
Another example of enemy infiltration is a spirit of gossip going
around. It reaches the point where parishioners genuinely hope the pastor
or elder is guilty as charged. And when this problem affects a number of people in the church, and not just one or
two individuals, the spirit of malicious gossip needs to be bound in the
Name of Jesus and cast out.
My Word Must Always Have the Final Word
Ex. 20:4-5; Deut. 6:4-5; Psalms 14:1-3; 138:2; Isaiah 53:
6; Jere. 7: 18; 44:17-19; Matt. 4:10; 23:8-9; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 11:27-28; Acts
10:25-26; 14:8-18; Romans 3:9, 23; 11:32; Galatians 1:6-9; 3:22; I Tim.
2:5
Beware, My children. Judge all things in the light of My Word
illuminated to the eyes of your understanding by My Holy Spirit.
Regardless of how beautiful a spiritual experience seems to be, it must
pass muster with early apostolic teaching to be acceptable to Me.
I say this in love, for I love even those who are led astray by any
sort of doctrinal error. Where, oh, where do you ever read in Scripture
that I exalted Peter to a place where he ought to have men kneel before
him and kiss his ring in submission as the one true vicar of Christ on
earth? Where is he appointed as the first ‘Father of the Faithful’?
Rather, I said: "Call no man on earth ‘Father’, for you have one Father
in heaven." When Cornelius the Roman centurion knelt before the humbly
clad Peter to reverence him, Peter rejected his homage and said, "Stand
up. I AM ONLY A MAN!"
And as for Mary, the mother of Jesus; if, as many claim, she is
appearing in visions to teach men doctrine today, why didn’t she do that
while she was still alive on earth? If her authority is second only to
Christ’s, why didn’t she preside over the councils of the early apostles
who studied My Word so that they could guide the churches of God in
doctrinal matters? Not only was she not able to impart quick and easy
answers to the apostles to save them days of prayerful deliberation over
complex issues, she wasn’t even present in those councils. But she was
present at Pentecost to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit along
with the other believers, both great and small.
Does even one New Testament apostolic epistle ever enjoin obedience
to Mary, or quote any doctrine set forth by Christ’s earthly mother, much
less invest authority in her to rule over My churches, either on earth or
from heaven? Christ alone is Head of His Body the Church, under the
authority of God the Father.
On one occasion Jesus was notified that His mother and brothers were
standing outside waiting to see him. Rather than deferring to His mother
as the Queen of heaven (a pagan Babylonian concept) He turned to His
disciples and said: "Behold, my mother and brothers.Whoever does the will
of My Father in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother."
When one woman proclaimed a blessing on the womb which bore Jesus and
the breasts which nursed Him, Christ replied, "Yea, rather, blessed are
those who hear the Word of God and do it." Christ was far more concerned
with spiritual than physical kinship.
How repugnant it would be to Mary or other original believers in
Christ to know that statues have been erected in their honor! These people
were Jewish, by race and upbringing. They knew the Law of Moses
prohibited the making of graven images of any living creature, much less
veneration before them. Paul the apostle rebuked a group of Gentiles who
wanted to do him homage. He certainly would not be pleased to see
statues of him in churches today. And he knew by divine revelation and
Scripture the need of every descendant of fallen Adam to be saved from
sin, with no exceptions. Only Jesus never sinned.
My Word says: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is One, and Him ONLY shalt
thou serve." And: "There is one mediator between God and men, the Man
Christ Jesus."
Liberty is Not the Same as Carelessness
I Cor. 11: 23-32
Sadly I behold in certain churches a slipshod attitude to the
ordinance of Holy Communion. Some groups who could easily afford grape
juice, substitute water or soda pop for the fruit of the vine in their
ritual, and then pass it out as indifferently as they would hand out
flyers, with no preliminary teaching and no prayer to speak of. People
are not instructed in the meaning of eating and drinking Christ’s Body and
Blood by faith to gain strength from it, nor are they taught to see by
faith the Bond of the Spirit which knits My people together in Love as
they partake of the elements. They are not warned about the dangers of
having the wrong attitude to the Body and Blood of Christ, nor are they
taught about the mysterious union of the members of My Body with one
another and with Me. People whose minds are still full of pre-service
chitchat carelessly swallow the bread bits and soft drink. These things
hold little meaning for the participants except it is a regular ritual.
In their zeal to cast off conformity to the legalisms of large
institutional churches these groups go to the other extreme and fail to
remember that if you seek to build up My Body in the faith it must be
done according to My instructions. This applies to every other part of the
service as well.
That is why those particular churches are withering away and drying
up. Because they do not seek to partake of and share My Life.
Cutting Off the Flow of My Life
Isaiah 58:6; Luke 12:47
Why are so many millions of devout Christians leaving the organized
church? Because of a great tragedy taking place in My Body the Church,
which ought to know better.
Instead of godly humility and reaching out to men of lowly estate, I
behold haughtiness of mind and arrogance as Christians go through the
motions of "doing what Christians are supposed to do"; i.e.showing up at
meetings, paying their money, listening to sleepy sermons, slipping home
before they get caught in traffic.
But don’t suppose for one moment that this applies only to nominal
churchgoers. A spirit of elitism and snobbery is manifesting itself even
among those who seem to be on fire for me, those who hop from conference
to conference to "get recharged for Jesus". There are many I called into
the deliverance ministry years and decades ago who have not taken the
first steps to prepare themselves for My call on their lives, and woe unto
the servant who knew his Lord’s will, yet prepared not himself to do it.
Why? Because of fear of being branded as a fanatic by carnal men. Woe,
woe, woe unto religious leaders who have denounced the ministry of untying
the heavy yokes, that ye may let the oppressed go free.
The church of today is likened to a once healthy and beautiful body,
which used to continually minister nourishment and life to all its many
diverse parts, so it could live and ward off diseases and thrive. But
then an evil deceiving spirit came and told Christians to apply tight
tourniquets to less favoured parts of My Body. Once in awhile the tight
bands would be loosed just a little to allow life-giving blood to just
barely keep these My members from dying and dropping off. Satan lies that
it’s "good discipline" to see how long certain believers can take this
neglect and abuse, while all along all he wants is to destroy them and
persuade them that I no longer care for them.
How I lament over millions of My sheep who get only very sporadic
nurture and love from My Body on earth. It has gotten so bad that they
are being driven back out into the world as occasions where they can see
Christ in the gathering of saints become fewer and fewer. It’s not that I
don’t dwell in the hearts of My people; they are being bound by apathy and
traditions of men so that they cannot let My five-fold ministry and other
manifestations of My divine love flow through them. Where it concerns
working through bound members of the Church, I have effectively been bound
Myself!
I will untie all those perverse tourniquets which cut off nourishment
to very necessary parts of My Body and cause them to die and drop off. I
will infuse New Life into those who have fallen under satanic oppression
because of this spiritual famine of "faith which worketh by love" in the
midst of My congregation. Even if I the Head of the Church must go it
alone, I am determined that the heavy burdens shall be undone and the
bands of enemy oppression shall be unloosed so that My beloved ones may
live and not die.
Driven out to the Mud Puddles
Ezekiel 34:17-22; Luke 6:24-26; I Cor. 12:23
Those deemed unattractive, or poor, or uninfluential are often
shunned by the "elite" of My church as not belonging in their pretty
scenario. I see the spiritually fat sheep jetting around from one
spiritual high to another, "soaking up My Word", surrounded by friends who
love them and pat them on the back all the time for being spiritual
giants.
In the meantime, I see isolated saints who felt unloved, took a hint
and left the institutional church. They feel like they have to fight
their spiritual battles all alone. Satan often attacks them with health
problems they never had before, bad finances, marital breakups, family
disputes, calamities which come out of nowhere and there is not a single
soul who cares for them or intercedes for them. No one is around to stand
with them in the furnace of trial to hold up their weary hands or dry
their tears or encourage them in the Lord. These valiant souls are
struggling for their very spiritual life, bitterly tried but determined
not to die in their own personal wilderness. They are determined that
even if the whole world disowns them because they obey My will for their
lives, My Love will suffice. Far better that the whole world hate you and
I love you than that the whole world love you and I turn My back on you
because you compromise the truth of My Holy Word!
Others, not nearly so strong, abhor the vacuum that lack of true
fellowship brings. So they’ll suck in every religious error that happens
along. They may be outwardly obese or physically thin, but all of them
are spiritual skeletons who have been shoved out of the way by spiritual
gluttons who are concerned only for their own eternal and temporal
well-being. Thus, they are relegated to quenching their thirst at
spiritual mud-holes fouled by the feet of hypocrites who miss the whole
point of what My church is supposed to be about: Church is not something
you go to, but something you are: a family of believers united in the
Spirit of My Love.
Behold, I shall save My flock, and they will no more be a prey to
every wild beast that comes along. Many who are famished inside shall be
nourished and strengthened, even without visible human help, while a few
of My blind carnal saints will be jolted out of their comatose state and
realize at last that even though they stuffed their heads with truths and
filled their belly with "fellowship", they are spiritually poor, blind and
naked in My sight.
I give more abundant honor to the part which lacked, saith the Lord,
and those who have been desolate shall feel that they are especially close
to the bosom of the Great Shepherd Who nourished and preserved them in the
wilderness, even as I did for Elijah the Tishbite.
The Works of the Devil
Isaiah 42:7; 61:1; Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38; I John 3:8b
What are some typical evidences of demonic oppression or possession?
Whereas I give sleep to My beloved, the enemy will rob his victims of it,
often causing severe persistent insomnia which has no underlying medical
cause. He’ll keep a devout believer awake nights, accusing him of sins I
pardoned years ago. He’ll make that precious one worry that he can’t pay
his bills on time. He’ll make a godly woman worry that her spouse is being
unfaithful behind her back, or that others are gossiping about her. He’ll
make tomorrow’s anticipated difficulties loom so large that rest is
impossible. Instead of sleeping, that person will toss and turn fitfully
all night, and be drowsy and irritable all the next day.
Other common symptoms of demonic oppression: Hideous nightmares;
Gnawing feelings of spiritual uncleanness, although that person knows he
has repented before Me; Inexplicable urges to do something malicious or
self-destructive; Impulses to do or say rash, foolish things; Other
personalities supplanting that of the victim; Severe asceticism or
pitiless self-castigation resulting from a false religious spirit in a
believer’s life; Inability to show compassion or love; Uncontrollable
lusts; explosive temper tantrums; Frequent use of foul language; Contempt
for holy things; Aversion toward prayer or devotions; Overpowering,
unfounded fears of carrying out daily activities; Sudden panic attacks;
Obsessions and superstitions of every sort; Psychosomatic illnesses;
Precognitive abilities; Dark premonitions of disaster, accompanied by
feelings of helplessness; Powers of witchcraft.
If you are bound by any of these works of the enemy, call upon My
Name for deliverance. Ask Me to dispatch My warring angels to do battle
against the devil on your behalf. Ask Me to guide you to someone who is
imbued with My holy anointing to tear down the strongholds of satan and
set you free.
Open Doors to Demonic Oppression
Ephesians 4:27; 6: 10-18
Satan is still furious that My Son defeated him on the Cross, and
that the Blood of Jesus has set many of his prisoners free. He wants to
regain at least some of the territory lost to My Son. If he cannot snatch
back a redeemed soul, he will at least try to render that Christian’s life
and ministry as ineffective as possible. If the devil cannot regain total
custody of his erstwhile prisoner, he will strive to keep as many areas
of that person’s life under subjugation to him as he can. Partial sway
over a soul, he reasons, is better than none at all.
The devil is more slippery than an eel, and will do his utmost to
slither into any unguarded area of your life. He seeks lodgement anywhere
it can be found, for where he no longer has a legal right to be, he
resides as a squatter with squatter’s rights. Many Christians wonder why
they are entangled in so many bondages and messy situations, why their
lives are so powerless and unfruitful.
Although My Holy Spirit indwells the heart of a true believer in
Christ, there remains the element of free choice. I did not create robots
to slavishly serve and obey Me. People are still free to choose so many
things which can influence them for good or evil. Ungodly companions or
unwholesome recreational activities can provide a wide-open door for the
enemy.
So many things can do this: Violent sporting events or films; Horror
movies; Soap operas; Lust-arousing films or videos; Any style of music
which promotes immorality, crime, perversion or lust; Mind-altering drugs;
Dirty jokes; Pornography; Gambling; Sexual perversions; Drunkenness;
Malicious gossiping; Secret societies; Astrology; Necromancy; Palmistry;
Ouija Boards; Tarot Cards; Phone Psychics; Phone Sex lines; Internet
porn; Shamanism; So-called spirit guides; Mantras; ESP; False religions;
"Healing" methods or philosophies which oppose My Word; Persistent
disobedience to Me; Failure to repent of any known sin; Rebellion against
My duly appointed authorities; Clinging to old grudges instead of nailing
them to the Cross of Christ. All these and any similar things will serve
to give the enemy entrance into a believer’s life to oppress him.
Satan Swoops In: Taking Full Possession
James 5:16; II Peter 2:20-22
Satan has gained near-complete control over millions of individuals
throughout the earth. He doesn’t just have his foot firmly in the door,
but he has set up housekeeping in the body and soul of the totally
possessed individual. Usually, a possessed person is either an unbeliever
or unconverted religious person. But it is also possible for one who once
knew Me to rebel against My Lordship and abandon His Holy Faith. Woe unto
Him! His final condition is far worse than before he knew Me. It would
have been better for that one if he had never known of the Gospel, than
that he should desert Me to give his allegiance back to satan. Once the
devil gets his slave back, he abuses him to make up for lost time.
The devil delights in a terminal backslider who postpones repentance
until his deadened conscience will no longer respond to the promptings of
My sweet Spirit of Grace. Remember how Judas Iscariot fell, how he
exchanged the Lord of Glory for a bag of coins. The enemy enjoyed driving
Judas to his doom afterward. Always keep short accounts with Me, lest you
become hardened in heart and give satan inroads into your life.
Only Jesus Can Deliver
Matthew 12:43-45; Mark 5: 1-20
The Gadarene demoniac was powerless to help himself. So overpowered
was he by an infestation of demons that he wandered in burial grounds,
howling like a wild animal and cutting himself with sharp stones. He was
too far gone to realize he needed help.
Jesus was there for him, when he was unable even to pray for My help.
Jesus took the initiative and exercised His authority over those demons.
He served an eviction notice on satan, and the evil spirits were driven
out. The man was restored to full sanity, and became a devout witness to
the power of Christ.
Those of you who are empowered by My Spirit and are taught in My
Word, pray for those whom satan has bound. Some of your relatives,
friends, acquaintances, or co-workers might be enslaved to powers of hell
and not even realize it. Plead the Power of the Blood of Christ to break
every chain of darkness. Hold your ground against satan and stand upon
the victory I have won over the Gates of Hell. Anointed, earnest prayer
in the Spirit is mighty, even to the pulling down of strongholds. Tarry
long at prayer when the need merits it. Some of you will be led to fast
meals until the victory is won.
Don’t back down. Order satan to pack up and get out. If you yourself
have given ground to the enemy in times past, confess that sin to Me and I
will blot it out. Once you are certain you have repented of every known
sin, tell the devil you belong completely to Me and he has no further
right to oppress you. He will try to put up a fight, but he must
finally yield to the authority I have invested in you.
Use sanctified common sense in directly approaching individuals who
are under the enemy’s control. If the problem is beyond your present
level of training or faith, be content to pray for them from a safe
distance. Get the support of a wise, mature prayer warrior who has a
special anointing for the deliverance ministry. The devil fights dirty,
and it is dangerous for unqualified individuals to physically approach a
possessed person to attempt exorcism. Instead, prayerfully seek the
intervention of those whom I have already prepared to undertake difficult
cases of deliverance.
I Give Provision for the Vision
Habakkuk 2:3
I have given certain of you a clear vision of what I have in store
for your life, but be patient and wait on My time, that it may unfold
according to My will and providence. Never jump ahead of Me, eager though
you may be. I never send you out to do any kind of job without fully
equipping you for it first. It is the usual practice for earthly
employers to assume responsibility for providing all the equipment and
supplies for their employees. Do you think I would do any less for My own
children who faithfully serve Me?
The Rosebud
John 7:6
A little child looked at a rose bush which was putting out fresh
buds. In his eagerness to present his mother with a lovely rose, he got a
screwdriver out of the garage. Then he began to peel away the
troublesome green part which concealed the glory of the unfurled flower.
He forced open the bud case, but to his dismay, the tiny rosebud so
prematurely opened fell apart.
Sometimes your answer to prayer is already there, but in an embryonic
form which must be allowed to unfurl in its appointed time.
Led By Men, or By God?
The same principle applies to the cases of well-meaning saints who
push and prod one another into ministry for which they are not yet ready,
or castigate one another for not yet attaining to a lofty degree of
spiritual growth. Christ the wise, mature, fruitful minister of the
Gospel already dwells within the hearts of these maturing Christians. He
has already won the victory. But patience must be shown as this victory
unfolds in its full glory.
Foolish Presumption-A Counterfeit of Faith
Matthew 4:5-7; Mark 16:18; Acts 28: 3-6
The devil is out to dupe as many as possible. If he cannot prevent people
from reading My Word, he hopes to at least get them to twist it or
misapply it in order to discourage them or entrap them in dangerous
situations.
One case in point is the promise of Christ that His disciples would
be able to pick up serpents without suffering any harm. Christ never
intended for snake handling to become a church ordinance! Paul the
Apostle was divinely protected from snake bite when he went hunting for
firewood and a viper attached itself to his hand. But Paul didn’t go
hunting for a snake to bite him and try his faith!
Wicked King Herod wanted Jesus to perform a big display of miracles
just to provide cheap thrills for him. I am not in the entertainment
business, nor do I feel the need to do miracles just to prove to skeptics
that I have not lost My power! Miracles are given to meet valid needs in
the lives of those who trust in Me, and the resultant thanksgiving brings
glory to My Holy Name.
The devil tempted Christ to jump off a high precipice, just to see if
I really would break His fall and preserve His life. The enemy was clever
about it. He is quite a religious character, and uses religion to further
his own perverse ends. He even quoted Psalms 91: 11 to My Son, urging Him
to hurl Himself from the cliff. But My Spirit of Wisdom sustained My dear
Son, and in his fast-weakened state He was upheld through My power. He
replied with a Scripture selection of His own: Thou shalt not tempt the
Lord thy God (Deuteronomy 6:16). In the mouth of My Holy Son, Scripture
was brought to life by the power of the Spirit, and the enemy was
defeated.
Sometimes people overreach the boundaries of their faith, and
immediately throw away their medications. This can be disastrous. Unless
there is absolute certainty I’ve directed such an action, it amounts to
presumption. Never do anything rash, just because someone else
pressures you to do it to prove your faith! My Son didn’t resort to such
tactics to put the heat on people’s faith.
Never be presumptuous. If your attitude is other than reverent and
submissive toward Me, don’t ask Me to perform a miracle. I will not do it
to make you fabulously wealthy, to get someone you’re infatuated with to
fall in love with you, to flatter your ego, or impress your loved ones.
I do not grant miracles to those whose petitions are contrary to the
expressly revealed will of My Son.
Beware of Deception
Luke 10:19; John10:10; II Cor. 11:14
Even the sweetest perfumes can be synthesized in a laboratory
without any contribution from real flowers. Satan is oh, so clever.
He’ll introduce an enticing heresy that seems to have the sweet scent of
My Son about it. If he can deceive you into remaining subjugated to his
attacks in the name of patient endurance and so-called Christlikeness, he
can effectively hobble your ministry. He knows you have but a short time
on earth. If he can make you be content with the "ministry of patient
suffering" he needn’t expect serious resistance from you, just a sweet
obliging smile as he chops your life up into tiny pieces.
Beloved, I have given you power to tread on serpents and scorpions
which assail you from the kingdom of darkness. It is not My will that
they tread on you.
As long as you make excuses for the devil he’ll hang around
and make himself at home.
Bring Me into Your Situation
Eccl. 3:12; Matt. 12:43-45
My children, it is not enough to merely order the devil out of your
home and circumstances. You must do this in the strength of the anointing
of the Spirit, standing upon the authority of My Word. Truly satan comes
in as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. More often he might
sneak in as a subtle snake, through bad influences which crowd your life,
such as things friends say, or through bad TV programs or other deceitful
things which seem to be harmless but really aren't. In the power and
might of the Spirit order satan out and tell him he has no right to invade
the inner sanctum of your home and heart. Close off any channel through
which the devil might regain access into your life. Tell satan to let go
of your loved ones, for he is already defeated. Get the prayer support of
deeply spiritual believers wherever you can, for while a single or double
cord is strong, a threefold cord is not easily broken, and there is
strength in unity.
But even if you succeed in driving the devil out of your home and
circumstances, a vacuum must not be left. After the evil spirits are
banished out of a person's life, they can come back stronger than ever if
that life is swept neat and clean, but left empty and unfilled with good
things. Don't just order the devil out; ask Me to fill the void and take
up residence in every area of your life. Invite Me into a tough or
seemingly hopeless situation, that I might take the burden from your
shoulders and carry it myself through My own everlasting strength, where
your own strength fails you.
Spiritual Vacuum Cleaners
Nature abhors a vacuum, and so do My spiritually hungry people. Even
as a vacuum cleaner will suck up anything in its path indiscriminately,
those with little or no access to a loving, balanced fellowship are more
likely to hungrily devour any error, or join any crazy cult that comes
along just to fill the void. Beware of being blinded by the strong need
you feel in your heart. Let Me fill that aching need if you find yourself
in a spiritual wasteland and no one else can.
Just Let it Go
II Kings 5:27; Psalms 41:10; Luke 13:11-13; Eph. 6: 10-18;
I Tim. 6:20
Illness or debility can persist for such a long time that afflicted
saints can begin to feel like it’s become a part of them, not some enemy
trespassing in their bodies or souls. Just as tree fungus clings to a
tree which cannot fend it off, so does a spirit of infirmity cling to
people who cannot cast it out by faith. And don’t feel condemned by My
saying this. The scarcity of miraculous cures is due to a deficiency in
My whole Body on earth, much more than to a lack of faith on your part!
False religious traditions and faith in modern science to supply all the
answers have hurt My Body much more than you realize. Structures of men
have been substituted for the "obsolete" ministries of My Body the church;
specifically the prophet and apostle, which are ministries of
miracle-working power. To say they are no longer necessary is just as
ridiculous as cutting your lung out of your own body, then expecting your
heart to assume its functions. Very few church leaders are willing to
resist satan and break free of wrong ways of thinking and "holding
services", so they end up teaching unbelief to sheep who know no better
than to follow their errors.
The devil churns out the sweetest-sounding heresies to trick you into
hanging onto your sickness: "Even if God no longer heals today, your
sickness can be a blessing in disguise. It’s your passport into Paradise.
You’ll get to see Jesus that much sooner if you stay sick. And why fret
about a body that’s getting old and worn out anyway? It’s only the
eternal resurrected body that counts."
What sugar-coated deception! Everything from My Hand matters to Me.
You should view your present body as a gift, not a nuisance you need to
cast off in order to get into heaven! As for thinking I wouldn’t waste
My power healing your body just because it’s a temporary tabernacle of
flesh, remember the fair flowers of the field which live only a few days.
If they don’t matter to Me, then why do I lavish My artistic talent on
them?
My children are always welcome to come home to Me, and I am always
thrilled to greet them at the Pearly Gates. Within the mystery of My
sovereign will, there are those I take home while they are still young.
But earnestly desire to fulfill your individual missions here on earth
and serve Me to your fullest potential before you retire for greener
pastures in Paradise.
"Prayer Requests" Can Be Lethal
Job 1:10; Psalms 20:7; 33:16; Prov. 25:19; Matt. 6:13; Luke
11:4
Satan has his agents everywhere in the earth. Be careful about
spreading your special prayer request far and wide, thinking it will only
be answered if you muster as many people as possible to pray for it. I am
able to bless you even if just one faith-filled friend prays for you. And
if you don’t have even one prayer partner, My Son ever lives to make
intercession for your needs. I will certainly listen to Him! I am not
impressed by numbers anyway.
Not everyone is a true disciple of mine. Some only join religious
Internet chat rooms or visit church meetings out of mere curiosity.
Many religious quacks have a history of dabbling in the occult and have
never been set free from the spiritual bondages such things engender.
Others are satan’s espionage agents trawling the Net to find out who is
preaching against popular religious heresies and denouncing the error
seeping into the wider church world. Oh, these people might pray for you,
all right. They might pray for satan to be loosed on your health,
ministry or other circumstances. Other people, being well-intentioned but
deceived believers, might pray for trouble to strike your life like what
happened to Job, so that you might be "purified." That can give satan
and his minions an open door to oppress you if you don’t guard your life
by standing against satan in faith through the power of the Blood of the
Lamb.
If you’re undergoing severe setbacks and oppressive trial instead of
being blessed by multitudinous prayer, then earnestly pray for Me to
deliver you from evil. Ask Me to build a barrier of light round about you
and your circumstances, a Biblical "hedge" such as Job enjoyed before he
was struck with misfortune.
Guard your heart with all diligence, beloved. Don’t bare it to just
anybody. Be wary of sharing confidences with people you hardly know or
don’t know at all.
The Great Physician
Ex. 15:26; Matt. 9:12; 15:5; Acts 9:32-42; James 5:15
Some "faith churches" will flatly deny that it is Christ Himself Who
does the actual healing of the sick. Why? They will remind you that
Jesus told the disciples to go forth and heal the sick themselves. "It is
all wrong to pray to Jesus to heal the sick person," claims the most
erroneous "faith theology". God expects YOU to do it!
Jesus said: "Without Me ye can do nothing." It is the Spirit of
Christ in you who imparts healing to those who put their trust in Him.
Even the most prominent of the apostles, Peter, wasn’t above getting down
on his knees to pray fervently for a miracle. And he told Aenas in no
uncertain terms just Who had healed him of paralysis.
Peter gave the Glory to Christ, the Great Physician.
Remember Who I Am
Exodus 3:14; 15:26; Malachi 3:6; John 8:58; Heb. 13:8
I Am is My very Name. And Who I Am is inseparable from what I do.
Meditate on this: I Am the Lord Who heals you. Claim this blessed
promise by faith. Stand on it whenever the enemy swoops in and tells you
healing is a thing of the past.
I also meant what I said when I said: I Am the Lord. I change not.
Dare to Soar to Great Heights
Deut. 32:11-13; Isaiah 40:31
Consider the great difference between a domestic hen and an eagle, I
would say unto My people who are learning to ascend to higher levels of
spiritual understanding and power. A chicken knows its limits. Its wings
are way too weak to gain much altitude because I did not design it for
great heights, just for high jumping. A domestic hen can make a lot of
squawks, ruffle its feathers and spring up onto a fence to escape a fox,
but it cannot take to the skies for protection.
But I have called you to ascend into the heavenlies as an eagle, My
dear ones. An eagle was built for life in the high places. It was not
designed to build its nest on the ground, but to dwell at a higher
altitude in the cleft of the rock. The eagle’s chicks are fed, warmed and
cared for in a cozy nest before their wings are strong enough to fly. But
when the day comes for them to try out their wings, the mother eagle must
shove her reluctant chicks out of the nest to exercise them, first for
short periods then for longer times. At first it seems that the chicks
are at the mercy of the thin air and doomed if they don’t perform well,
but even that chick which takes a bit longer to master the art of flying
will find that its mother is flying beneath it to catch it lest it fall to
the ground.
O My people, fear not to advance to ever higher levels of faith. You
fear sometimes that you will look foolish if nothing comes of stepping out
in faith, but undergirding you is the Power of God, and beneath you always
are the everlasting arms.
I Part the Sea
Exodus Chapter 14
Some ministers dismiss some of the stories in the Bible are being
mere legend. Others undercut the greatness of miracles performed in
ancient times, just to provide an excuse not to believe in the
supernatural. Some even think that it would have been easy for the
Israelites to cross the Red Sea without My miraculous intervention, that
it was really a shallow stream that was just a few inches deep.
If so, then why did the Israelites feel trapped when they were
standing at its very edge, with belligerent Egyptian forces in hot
pursuit? Had the sea been only a puddle, they would have attempted to
cross it, just out of desperation alone. The water was so abundant that
after Moses parted it, it formed high walls on either side of the refugees
trekking across the dry sea bed. Once they were safely across, Moses
lifted his rod in judgment against their Egyptian pursuers. When these men
saw the sea walls collapsing all around them, they panicked. Their
chariot wheels got stuck in the wet sand, and they could not escape. All
of them drowned in the waters of My judgment.
Sometimes satan pulls out all the stops, and nothing less than a
miracle will save you or your loved ones from destruction. Pray that I
will raise up individuals who will dare to buck the trend, faith-filled
believers who will cry out to Me for a double portion of My
miracle-working power. I need a few good men and women who are willing to
be used as instruments in My hands to destroy the works of the devil.
Many of My people have been stranded on the edge of their own personal Red
Sea for years, and it takes an act of My grace to enable them to go on
with Me.
Let Your Prayer Ascend
Matt. Psalms 141:2; Rev. 5:8; 8:3
One day a woman was just about to mail a very important petition to a
very influential official. She shoved it into the slot of the the mail
box but wouldn’t let go of it. Because she considered herself a nobody
she worried her petition wouldn’t even be read unless its wording was
flawlessly eloquent. She took it home and reworded it, then went back to
the mail box. Again she wouldn’t let go of the letter but pulled it back
out to work on it some more. She did this several times. Finally she
just tore it up and threw it away.
Because she didn’t have the courage to let go of her petition, it
never did reach its destination and she never did get her answer.
Once you’ve made your petition just let your prayer ascend like
sweet incense unto My Throne Room. I know My own dear children well
enough that I can read between the lines.
A Clear Receiver
Daniel 10:1-13; I Cor. 13:12
Some of My people wonder why some important promise they’ve received
from Me doesn’t come to pass at the time or in the way they think it
will. The reason lies not with the heavenly Transmitter, but with the
receiver.
Remember what it was like watching an old black and white TV? Some
days the picture was much clearer than others. Other times you got a
rolling picture or fuzzy reception because the next-door neighbor was
running power tools or there was a thunderstorm scrambling the signal.
And noisy static would make the program impossible to hear.
This can be likened to the resistance of evil spirits which inhabit
the earth’s atmosphere. Satan is called ‘the prince of the power of the
air’. He reasons that if he is not able to keep My people from hearing
from Me, the very least he can do is distort their understanding of what I
am saying to them. Due to the resistance of evil spirits Daniel the
prophet had to pray and fast for many days before an answer to an
important prayer petition was able to get through to him. Pray that I
will send warring angels to fend off spirits of confusion which would
hamper your personal ministry in the things of the Kingdom of God.
The television has come a long way. Now you get perfect color
pictures without any problem. In like manner, the day will come when you
will no longer see "through a glass darkly" but your inner receiver will
be perfected so that there will be nothing to interfere with receiving the
perfect knowledge of the Holy. Never again will your tempestuous carnal
nature be present to distort the reception of the signals I send you, but
you will always perceive clearly what I am saying to you.
Consistent in Commitment
I Peter 5:8-9
The Christian life is a battle between the Christ in you and the
forces of darkness without. But lots of My children act like it’s
supposed to be nothing more than one long party. Christians hop from one
exciting conference to the next to get a spiritual buzz on Glory
Mountain. They tend to forget that many of their brothers and sisters are
down in the valley below, waging war with an enemy that hates them and is
out to destroy them.
It’s one thing to do sporadic good deeds to brighten the life of
another believer. You get credit even for that. And it’s easy to make a
commitment to others to always be there for them to hold up their weary
hands and pray for them. But how many good intentions ever translate into
action, especially consistent action?
I expect consistency from My people, not just sweet emotion. The
devil is certainly consistent about attacking you, but you haven’t always
had the prayer support or love you need from My Body to prevail over him,
so you end up wondering why you suffer defeat time and again in various
areas of your life. Some of you have gone weeks, months or even years
without being edified by another believer! My people find it easy to
serve one another in love so long as it never inconveniences them.
Even imperfect body parts can survive so long as blood flows to
them. Take your hand as an example. How long would it live if lifeblood
flowed through it only intermittently? It is only because of My merciful
grace that I can make you survive and thrive in a lonely spiritual
wilderness not of your own choosing. I the Head of the Church must take
up the slack for disobedient members of My own Body, members who are self-centered
and unwilling to go the extra mile to share My Love with a hurting saint.
Many precious saints I dearly love have turned back to the world
because every time they looked for support from My Body all they got was a
cold rebuff which made them feel ashamed for admitting they couldn’t face
the onslaughts of the enemy all alone.
Self-reliance has no place in our warfare against the devil. Even an
earthly army has enough sense to know they can’t win unless they all pull
together.
Who Says I Can’t Use You?
John 2:13-17; I Corinthians 1:26-29
The lady preacher was beautiful, well-to-do, self-assured, and
radiant. She gave an invitation to all those who needed prayer. One
person in particular had been struggling through many deep waters over
recent years, a woman whose eyes were so vibrantly expressive that her
very soul was transparent.
The woman requested prayer for her family’s financial recovery.
Through calamitous circumstances, they had lost their home, and been
knocked clear off their feet. The preacher implied that I could do
nothing for her until her loved ones got sorted out spiritually. Looking
intently at the troubled one, she added: "You can’t minister. You’ve been
hurt."
The woman left the meeting, thinking thus:
I’ve only known her a
short time. She doesn’t know my painful past. I never mentioned the
abuse I took in school, or all the many ways I’ve been hurt, even by
Christians. She must have seen it in my eyes, and I could not hide it.
Well, maybe she’s right. If God can’t use me in this world, He knows
why. If I’ve ever had any notions of serving the Lord in any meaningful
way, I’ll just give them up forever, and He’ll just have to understand.
Serving the Lord is only for the eloquent, the talented, the financially
blessed, the soul unscarred, the glamorous...
For years she was deeply convinced that a person with a history of hurt
could not be used by Me, that I wanted only placid, soft-spoken saints in
My service. There was just too much fire in her soul for her to fit into
that category. She supposed that if there was dirt under the rug in My
House, it ought to be left lying where it was; for on Judgment Day I
could deal with it Myself. But the came when she decided not to keep My
end-time message to herself any longer.
Who feels more concern for My scattered sheep than a soul I’ve
filled with My Holy Fire? Can a person who has known only prosperity,
conviviality, and sweet acceptance know the same degree of compassion as
one whose faith in "Christian friends" has been dashed to pieces? I am
looking for ardent hearts who have had to learn to have faith only in
Christ Himself. I’m looking for prayer warriors and intercessors who
have a zeal to see deliverance come to My Church. I desire to loose My
people from bondages put upon them by the devil, and by other people.
There is a ministry I can use only you to do. Yours.