Archive for the ‘disciples life’ Category

Is it worth your Life?

Posted: March 9, 2011 in disciples life, teaching, wilderness
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If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his [own] father and mother [[a]in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God] and [likewise] his wife and children and brothers and sisters–[yes] and even his own life also–he cannot be My disciple.(Luke 14:26)

What is Jesus really saying here? Are we to truly hate our family, our wives and even our children? Or is this merely a figure of speech?

I believe what Jesus is doing here is calling for a commitment that is so great that anything by comparison will be deemed as hatred. This is in contrast to the parable in the previous verses where one of the invited guests declined the invitation because he had recently married a wife (14:20).

Do you really, with all your heart want to be a disciple of Jesus?

Then you must give Him preeminence. You must recognize His sovereignty and His Lordship. You must give Him your devotion and your love. You must put Him first in every area of your life. You must be even willing to wake up this morning, turn to your wife and children and say “I love you all, there is a good chance that I will not be returning as I more than likely will be killed for proclaiming the gospel message out there today”!

Today, many desire the presence of the Lord, they want all the blessings of His Kingdom, but they are unwilling to sacrifice anything. Now, they consider the time they go to church on Sunday and Wednesday a great sacrifice – but that is the extent of their service in the kingdom.

Jesus call’s us to lay our own lives down – this isn’t a popular message in the church today – most hireling’s (paid clergy) will tell you that is not what Jesus really means here – I guess several years in the theological cemeteries has birthed this “dead religious” theology in them.

Yet the truth be told, Jesus made a very strong statement that discipleship involves a willingness to come and die. One German theologian seeing the truth of a disciples calling stated that “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die”.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.“(Luke 14:28-33)

The message in these two parables is the same. It is that you are called to count the cost of discipleship and to make a determination as to whether you will see it through to the end.

This is quite different than the watered down gospel invitation that suggests that you “give Jesus a try” in much the same way that you test-drive a sports car. Jesus says, “Only come if you are going to come for keeps.”

Many preachers today when calling people to come to Jesus, come across as a used car salesman: “Don’t read the fine print; we’ll get to that later.” But Jesus tells unbelievers to count the cost before coming to Him.

Jesus calls all who follow Him to recognize Him as the Lord of your life. He wants it all. He refuses to be the Lord of a small portion of your life. He refuses to be a weekend God. And so, He calls for you to count the cost. If you are going to be a Christian, be a real one.

“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out”. (Luke 14:34-35)

There is nothing more useless that salt that is not salty. It is only fit to be thrown out and discarded. That is the picture of the person who says that they are going to follow Jesus but who does not follow through on that commitment.

Have you counted the cost? Have you determined to follow through to the end, to be salty salt? Your call is to hold to a faith of the heart, not merely of the attendance role.

Jesus calls you to do that which He first did on your behalf. He put you before…

Family
Possessions
His own life.

And He calls for you to do the same:

“Whoever does not persevere and carry his own cross and come after (follow) Me cannot be My disciple“.

Does it take a commitment?
Yes it does – a 100% commitment.

Is it easy?
Not in the least – but praise God for He has sent the Promised one who will walk every step of the discipleship path with us!

We as well have brothers and sister who have walked before us who are there to help along the way – Most importantly is the promise that our Lord has giving us – No matter how hard it gets, no matter how dark the trail appears at times, no matter if even feels as though we are walking it alone – we are never alone for He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us – He is personally there every step of the Way.

We simply need to put doubt to death and walk in total surrendered faith!

For indeed we serve an Awesome God!!

Jesus established a New Radical leadership!

Posted: March 8, 2011 in disciples life, teaching, wilderness
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In the Word we find that Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of spiritual leadership. When most people think of leadership, they picture a military general handing out orders or an employer closely supervising his employees, making sure all the work gets done. These aspects can be part of leadership, but they are not the essence of spiritual leadership.

The truth is that Spiritual leadership is the opposite of what most people think. The essence of true Spiritual leadership is based upon servant leadership. Jesus Christ Himself taught us, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Jesus was most definitely a leader. He was the leader of the twelve disciples and a much greater group of followers beyond them (Luke 10:1-17). Jesus did not lead by giving out orders or by supervising. Jesus led by being a servant and serving alongside of His followers.

Spiritual leadership involves humbling yourself and doing the tasks that no one else wants to do. In Jesus’ time, the act of washing feet was to be assigned to the lowest of servants. However, at the last supper, Jesus humbled Himself and washed the disciples’ feet. Afterwards he declared, “Do you understand what I have done for you? … You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:12-17).

We do have the authority of Jesus yet history itself shows that authority in the church can lead people down the wrong path if it used in the wrong way or used with pride and out of step with the Lord. Yet being armed with this knowledge in regard to the pitfalls of false authority can help us to recognize how the leadership of Jesus should be in all that we do. One finds that the as disciple in spiritual unity, the more we grow together in humility, the more authority God will be giving us. God is truth and we are seekers of the truth, we can not concern ourselves with the wisdom that the world gives us but as obedient servants we must always seek to decrease and allow the Lord to increase in each one of us.

It should be a clear cut goal in each of our lives, especially those knitted together in localized branches of the Bride that every one of us must desire to operate in the prophetic and bear witness to each other. This is the way it should be.

Now in regard to spiritual authority, it is ultimately ours through faith, God has given us the authority over spiritual wickedness in high places, we have the authority to cast out demons, to bring down the high places and to cause destruction to strongholds. And it is with the same authority that Jesus had, He spoke as a man having authority but He did not speak on His own authority while He was here on earth but what authority that His Father had given Him.

The scriptures clearly show us that Jesus has shared His glory with us and in His name, we have the authority to bless and rebuke, to intercede for others, to establish, to break down, to build up and to rule over the earth as our dominion. We have the power to stretch out our hands and allow the blood of Jesus to course through our veins and out of our bodies in spiritual power to heal and to deliver and to fill others with His spirit. We have the authority to release the mandates of God that will cause signs and wonders to bare witness to their divine truth, God speaks and lives through us through the death and resurrection of His Son and in the power of His Holy Spirit. This is true authority but it is derived authority, not assumed.

I true disciple comes to that place where it is a reality that we are nothing without Jesus, it is not our authority, dominion or glory, it is His. We have no righteousness in ourselves, we cannot save others and for sure we are not to rule over them in the church.

Let us all come to the truth that we are never called to lead apart from total submission to the Holy Spirit. He is the Promised one who leads us with all Spiritual truth and we are not part of a worldly army but a spiritual one that must march as One in unison, marching in one rank shoulder to shoulder behind Jesus, not one another. We should only submit to others that have the humility, love and servant attitude that we have been taught from the beginning.

God is moving an His Spirit is declaring that we are to be restored to the original purity of the early church. How can we submit to each other as in the Lord if we differentiate between leaders and followers among us? To be one body, we must submit to One Head. Let the fragments fall where they may but they will be devoured by the dogs. Jesus want us to be perfect, without spot or wrinkle and ready to meet Him in the air.

Through out the past generations we have all seen pretended watchmen of the walls that think they have a ministry of tearing people in the church down instead of building up. This is not the character of a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

A true disciple must be strong in the spirit, accept the authority themselves and submit one to another. They need to acknowledge that Jesus wants our eyes focused on His leadership and that we are not to put our confidence in man. They need to know that Jesus is the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne and He is the One that shall feed us, and lead us unto living waters. What could be the motivation that any one of us would follow any other than Jesus unless you don’t have the faith to know that He is among us when we gather together!

The sons of God are not the ones that are being led by men but rather the ones led by the Spirit of God.

Regretfully, much more than simply causing division, the problem with the question of authority has caused mass confusion. Yes, there is leadership in the church. But it is only true leadership if it is Jesus living through us. The problem is in the fleshly leadership that has manipulated, controlled and dominated the church and brought it into the mess that it is in and saturated it with the traditions of men and the doctrines of demons. Wanting to be a leader in the church is a hard bad habit to break. This is the spirit spoken about in Rev when the Lord is addressing the seven churches, it injures and alienates the same ones that the church was supposed to have served and ministered to, not ruled over.

The spiritual sin that a disciple must guard their own hearts against is pride and the power of the flesh taking control instead of the power of the Holy Ghost. To have leadership in the church that does not take into account the service and ministration necessary to keep it pure is to allow pride to creep in, corrupt it and leave us in confusion.

If Jesus is truly operating His will through us, then He is the leader and still the only leader, we are only operating according to His purpose and He is living His leadership through us through our submissive service and ministration to others. This is why we are to submit to each other, because He is living His shared leadership through us – but be careful, not all are following Him in the spirit. As a true disciple of Jesus, do not seek to promote yourself or your ministry but rather act upon the spirit and allow others to do the same in order for that position to be manifested. If God is truly speaking and acting through you then His sheep will hear His voice and the words and actions will speak for themselves.

Jesus is still the only leader.

For Jesus to share that leadership with us is to give us the responsibility to continue in that spiritual service to the point that we do not seek titles, exalt ourselves, lord it over others, act in pride, operate in the flesh or any such thing. To be in a leadership position requires you to operate totally in the spirit. And it is shared leadership only among us that are living in the spirit, there are no chiefs here, no rulers outside of that spiritual authority, no pecking order; we are to submit to each other and not to seek others to submit to us. We must have the mind that Jesus had to be effective.

The saints of the New Testament walked in the understanding that Jesus was the true leader and His true followers were given gift’s which allowed them to function as servants in the church. The elders and overseers among them were divinely inspired and endowed “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ.” Way too many in leadership positions in the church today are acting in the flesh according to the pride of their calling. It is important that we not step out of Gods will into any kind of presumption through leadership.

If we are to meet Jesus as His Bride, we need to have a mind-set that we only want to follow the Bridegroom. The best that we can do to get others into the kingdom is to point them to our leader Jesus Christ. The carnal mind will never understand what we are trying to do here. Jeremiah prophesies of the last days,

A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so: and what will you do in the end thereof?

It is time for the true disciples of Christ to stand up and declare through sanctified and holy lives the call of Heaven – Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church and He alone. Let us fall on our faces and cry out to heaven for the restoration of the first church, the true apostles assigned to the Bride in this hour step forth, that the true prophets assigned to this hour step fourth and that the true watchman of this hour take to the walls. Teachers of purity and truth step forward, Evangelist of the Kingdom, step forward and let the air be filled with the “Kingdom Message:.

And as true disciples of Yahushua, we must all realize that we are given to humanity as a sacrifice offering. Just as Jesus laid His life down for the brethren, we are to lay our own lives down. Jesus did not come to lord it over humanity, but to lay His life down for it; we could never do more yet no less is expected.

For indeed we serve an Awesome God!

The Rise of a radical army of Saints

Posted: March 8, 2011 in disciples life, wilderness
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I hear the sound of a radical Christian army rising up – Fueled by the same Fire that blew through the upper room – walking with the same authoritative understanding that the men and women from the book of Acts walked in.

They have heard the Masters call to lay down all the things of this world, denying even the desires of their own heart, and picking up the cross prepared for them before the world was formed, they are about to blaze new trails across the Globe – in their wake shall the Fires of Revival burst forth, having been touched by the embers from the Fire of passion that is within their hearts.

This global radical onslaught of God’s saints armed with His Word, commissioned by His Spirit – shall cause the Fires of His revivals to burn intensely, with ocean wide and mountain high Flames, consuming the impure things in His House, refining the gold and silver till that which can not be burnt breaks forth – Vessels radiant with His Glory!

This is the Army of the last days – True sons & daughters of the King, like Daniel refusing to bow to the Babylonian governments presently set up in Yahushua’ House – These last day warriors of the God of the Angel Armies shall walk clothed in the Armor of His righteousness – possessing clean hands and pure hearts. They shall not forsake His commands or commit spiritual idolatry – They shall be of one mind and purpose, even as is the Lord Himself – To rend the heavens and release the Fathers commands here on earth that like in heaven, His “Kingdoms Will” shall be established.

Only those who are willing to lose their lives for His name sake shall be in the ranks of this last day warriors army – those who have denied self, left behind all that was of this world, that His Kingdom may be glorified!

Are you ready to join?
Are you willing to forsake all, including your own life?
Are you willing to face death and not renounce your King?

Those who answered yes shall be put to the test!

What was your answer friend?

Are you a victim of a Dictator leadership!

Posted: March 7, 2011 in disciples life, teaching
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But He said, Leave the children alone! Allow the little ones to come to Me, and do not forbid or restrain or hinder them, for of such [as these] is the kingdom of heaven composed. (Matt 19:14)

Today there is in heard in heaven a cry thundering from the world – It is a tremendous cry from the people of God, a travail coming forth touching the very heart of God. The shepherds are not leading the sheep into this outpouring so the people are entering in spite of the restraint that the shepherds are trying to put on them. These Shepherds do not lead in the premise that Jesus is speaking of here at all.

The blind leading the blind have for too long demanded to have praises sung to them. Now is the time that if a man is a prophet he should be saying like Zechariah, “I am no prophet, rather a tiller of the ground.”

Leadership and Authority:

There has been such a strong tendency for authority in any measure to be misused that one might wonder if there is any way that it can be used righteously. Of course there is but is this among the new thing that Jesus would have us learn? Are we singing a new song or the same old tired one that brought the church into the lack of knowledge.

We read in Mark 13:34 the parable of, ” It is like a man [[a]already] going on a journey; when he leaves home, he puts his servants in charge, each with his particular task, and he gives orders to the doorkeeper to be constantly alert and on the watch”.

Jesus has gone and left us His authority?

We are warned not to be found sleeping when the master comes back but we are also not to abuse the authority and mistreat the servants.

Also in John 5, Jesus said that: “For even as the Father has life in Himself and is self-existent, so He has given to the Son to have life in Himself and be self-existent. And He has given Him authority and granted Him power to execute (exercise, practice) judgment because He is [d]a Son of man [very man]”

We are His brothers and we are to be the representatives of Christ, so do we in truth have that authority?

We also know that we will have the authority in the kingdom, but is that the kingdom of now or the kingdom to come?

In Luke 19 we find another parable that states the Lord has given us the authority over cities, if we have been faithful, we will have authority. Saul (Paul) had authority before He encountered the Lord but that was temporal authority from the high priests. Once He became a Christian, he talked of himself being a minister and servant and even a slave.

We read in 1Cor 15 how Paul when speaking of the second coming of our Lord states that Jesus will “put down all rule and all authority and power.” Paul beckons us to pray for kings and those in authority, is he speaking of ministers? He does however tell Titus “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.”

• What kind of authority is Paul speaking of here?
• Elders are to rule well, what does that mean?
• Is Paul teaching differently than Jesus?

Paul speaks of us following him as he follows the Lord as if in leadership but he also tells us that it is his example that we are to follow.

There is much teaching today in the church with regard to leadership – Yet most of what we hear is a world based understanding however so cleverly woven around the scriptures. One finds that many of the “shepherds” will give just enough to give the feeling of freedom, yet it is a short rope that is quickly jerked back when they feel that they are losing control!

They will go into depth about Kingdom leadership with almost pin-point accuracy, of course it is based upon the understanding that they are part of such leadership and must be respected as such. Not quite what the Lord had in mind when He speaks of humility with regards to leadership in His Kingdom – but there is where the doctrine of the Nicolaitans comes in to play. (Rev 2:6,15)

For now, there is enough here for one to pray and meditate on – if your in leadership now, ask yourself these questions;

1. Am I leading according to the leadership model the Lord established?
2. Or am I leading according to what the church has taught?

If your not in leadership but feel the Lord calling you into it pray and ask Holy Spirit to revel to you a true revelation of Kingdom leadership according to God’s plan.

In the next blog we will take up where we have left off here with “Can we have order without rule”?

For now just remember that – We do indeed serve an Awesome God!

Is the Lord’s House filled with a loveless generation?

Posted: March 6, 2011 in disciples life, teaching
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We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love other believers. The person who doesn’t grow in love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers. Now, suppose a person has enough to live on and notices another believer in need. How can God’s love be in that person if he doesn’t bother to help the other believer? (1John 3:14-17)

What is the apostle John saying here?

I believe a key to understanding it is mentioned by John when he pens:

“we have passed from death to life“

Death to life?

Yes, for the old nature is baptized in Christ death when we accept the Lord in truth. The New creation now is motivated by the heart of the Father (one of the fruits of our salvation) and in this state we are able to look at our brothers & sisters  viewing them with the same passion and love the Lord has.

For by nature we are born of a corrupted nature – feed by hate, fear and every other detestable way of selfish thinking – yet once born again we are now alive by the infusion of the Lord Spiritual DNA, living a life with an incorruptible nature being feed by Love, Hope, Joy & Peace.

Now in all honesty history shows that the “Church” has not lived in this regard of which John is speaking of here – we can look down through the generations and witness all the atrocities committed against others all in the name of Christ. While at the same time we must realize that the Lord has had those who live according to what the Lord taught as well as by the example that John is presenting here, a remnant who has held to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The truth is that in our own strength it can be tough to love when every thing about a person just seems to rub us the wrong way – this is the place that we must apply the death of our carnal nature and pick up the New Life in Christ, to walk in our Spiritual man.

There is no gray area here when we are discussing love –We must walk in true God like love – We see how Jesus was quick to point out its importance when He stated;

“And you shall love the Lord your God [a]out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your [b]life) and out of and with all your mind (with [c]your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. [d]This is the first and principal commandment.(A)The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these”. Mark 12:30-31 AMP)

Now think about this for a moment and look at the setting that this message was giving – scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the Sadducees – though there all professed to serve the same God. So this answer in their presence is like a rebuke of their actions not only against one another – but their actions that they display when they walk as though they are better than those around them.

We must at all cost let the Love of Christ be as a cloak about us, fashioned to every aspect of our lives – for dear friends the world has not developed a thirst for the Lord for they have yet to see His nature being lived out in His called ones with any great measure – they have witnessed far more infighting, hypocrisy. We spent more time pointing fingers and throwing spiritual mud at the different factions of the Kingdom that have been illegitimately established by the whims of hell to cause such divisions that the Lord’s house appears to be in a divided state!

Within our own factions when a brother our sister falls we act like spiritual vultures tearing them to shreds, when the Love of Christ calls us to hold them up, pray for them, minister to them that they might be restored.

Now, when the world looks at the House of God they do not see Love according to the Kingdom, they see the nature of the world at work as they many of the leaders sit about playing playing religion.

It is time for the true disciples of Jesus Christ to rise up – to be the Joshua’s and Caleb’s pointing out that it’s time to come out of this wilderness that religion has encased the Body into and start walking in the fullness of Christ, adorned in the armor He has provided for us, empowered by His Life and clothed in His Love.  And doing so in the spirit of love, not condemnation – For it is the Love of Christ which shall be as a healing balm, opening their eyes for the first time that they may see the beauty of His Bride and their ears for the first time that they might hear the whole truth of His Kingdom in purity!

John is very specific in here and he has provided a spiritual scale for us to measure our own lives:

“The person who doesn’t grow in love remains in death”

So ask yourself today – Am I growing in the love of God towards my brothers and sisters, or am I growing colder, less patient, less forgiving and ever so quick to cast forth an unjust judgment against them?

Do you see a brother in need and pass by without lending a hand, casting judgment upon their situation? This is not the love of Christ!

A loveless leadership produces a loveless people!

What about those we appear lazy and lag behind in spiritual matters?

Some of today’s leaders would say “leave them on the roadside – they are but a casualty and they will eat what is meant for the strong”? This is not the love of God friends, as taught to us by the very life of the Lord Himself – He said we must even go after the one who has strayed, whether it be because laziness, hardheadedness or what ever we must not leave a brother or sister behind.

A true brother in Christ would blow upon the coals that where once the Flame that at one time caught their eye and brought them to the Lord!

This example is portrayed in the Bible with reference to Mark – Paul wrote him off – yet a brother in the Lord came alongside Mark and nurtured him. This is the love of Christ – this is going that extra mile which many leaders in the house of God will not go – they want the glamour yet never wishing to get in the mud – for in their minds they have arrived at spiritual stardom – A total display of the worlds nature and total disregard of the Kingdom culture!

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1John 3:18)

Let today be a Spiritual check point – Is your heart filled with the Love of Christ – or is your life running on vapors – lacking in true Christ like love!

Pray, asking Holy Spirit to fill up that well till its over flowing – for this shall be a reflections of God’s love to the world, when you,  disciple of the Most High God,  can love others regardless of the situation or the cost you will be releasing the very nature of He who gave His all even unto to death that we might be saved for all of Eternity basking in the presence of His love, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!.

For we indeed serve an Awesome God!

The violence of transformation

Posted: March 5, 2011 in disciples life, teaching, wilderness
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Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want. (Peter 4:1-2 The Message)

The process in which we must all go through, as the old man (Corrupted sinful nature) dies and the new man (incorruptible – rebirth’d into the Spirit of Christ) takes over can be a painful time – Yet in the wake of such a death lies something beautiful.

Picture for a moment, a caterpillar inside its cocoon, there is a transformation or metamorphosis taking place – a time of stretching, awkwardness as it’s form is being done over – it would almost seem a painful impossibility that this caterpillar could turn into a beautiful butterfly – Yet if this almost violent process does not take place- this caterpillar will die in a state that it was never created for – a lowly insect, crawling about the dust & dirt of plants and trees. Never to experience the heights for which God created it to experience.

But if this little caterpillar will enter into the cocoon, the transformation process after a period of time, of reconstruction – in an almost violent acts it breaks forth from the period of transformation and then stretching its wings start a New Life in the beauty that God created it to become – it’s ultimate purpose stepping into it’s destined beauty and now flying higher and higher over the prison of it’s former state that once bound it to a life of dirt and danger as it now soars in it’s New Reborn Life!

A disciple life is likened to this – at first we come into the kingdom in the form of the Old creation and we start the process of a spiritual metamorphosis – at first we run around telling every one that we have changed then we enter into a season of the spiritual cocoon if we surrender ourselves to the will of the Father. It can be a very painful process because it is a season of painful stretching – it is a period of a down right violent war between the Old mans nature and the New mans claiming his rightful place.

One of the greatest errors in a new Christians life is the unwillingness to submit to this process – Or even worse having those who are not matured in their walk come up and tell you that this process is just an attack of – telling you to rebuke the very situation that God has allowed to come upon you as a refining fire – they lead you to a terrifying position of where your not rebuking the enemy your attempting to rebuke your God!

Another error in our day is that of the half- truth’s being preached – a watered down gospel totally opposite of the Kingdom Message that our Lord and His disciples preached – it paints a picture  of how when one comes to the Lord everything will be easy– you’ll never again experience pain, no more storms in life – you can lay hands on the house, the car, the job and even the new spouse and WHAM they will magically appear. But oh how they will soon take a different position when you face a storm or a trial, like Job’s friends they will be at your side telling you its because you have sinned – its because you lack “faith”.

James puts it this way:

Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)

A true disciple who is willing submit to this process will come to that place where the greatest storms of life can blow upon them – yet like the Master than can peacefully be found sleeping, resting in the Fathers love at the bow of the ship. And when the Father bids, they stand up in the authority of He who has been giving all authority, Jesus Christ our Lord and speaking one word the storm  dissipates!

Not every storm of life is simply an attack of the enemy, though some maybe – But let us enter every one having the mindset of the Lord walking in the truthful realization that nothing happens that the Father has not seen coming and as a good Father, He has already provided a way of triumph for His Children! If you lack in discernment as to what is of God and what is of hell, ask the Father who will have the Promised One, Holy Spirit  teach you how to walk in Spiritual discernment.

Take on the process of transformation friends, with a willingness to lay your lives and your rights down at the foot of the cross – For there you will not only find your calling, you will as well find the hands of the Creator of heaven & earth reaching out, wrapping around you and proclaiming “Welcome my dear Child – I have waited since the world began for this moment when I could wrap my love around – where I could put the robe of courage, of beauty, favor and blessing upon you”.

With courage face these trials , knowing that they will kill the old man – the storms of life will wash away the dirt collected on you from corrupted life replacing the dirt with a robe of righteousness  – So enter them will gladness knowing that in this process the chains of sin are being broken – the desires of the sinful life are being destroyed and Praise God, for you will now experience the rights of son-ship.

For indeed we serve an Awesome God!

Prison Breaking Revolutionary Love

Posted: March 4, 2011 in disciples life, Parents, teaching, wilderness
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If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever–The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you………….The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.] (John 14:15-17, 21)

What is the very core which drives a person to serve the Lord!

If a disciple is driven out of fear of Hell they will consistently walk about under and imprisoned by the weight of condemnation and crawl down the road of works.

But what of the Lord’s words in this verse, are they directing us towards obedience? The key here is love, passionate love – that love that fuels ones willingness to go all out for the person they love regardless of the cost!

Passionate – unabandoned Love!

When I was dating my wife, I wanted to go all out to please her because I was so captivated by her beauty (and still am) and felt like I had to be in her presence every moment of the day. Not only that I just had to tell everyone about her.  I would wait, counting down the minutes for my next trip back to Pensacola to visit her. The time seemed to go by so slow in between trips and ever so fast during our visits but the love in my heart over-road any barriers that might try to deter me.

Now, as I look at my son Joshua I know that I do every thing I can to show him my love, something that was missing in my youth in regards to a male figure. In the very center though is love, I would lay my life down for my wife and son. Regardless of the cost I would pursue them regardless of the distance that was between us not out of obedience as a husband and as a father, it is fueled by a deep rooted passionate love for them. I know their love for me is not something that I have a list of things to follow in order to get their love for it is a gift and I simply do for them out of the love in my heart towards them. Even during the times when I may not be the best husband or dad they still love me!

In the same way it was like this when I first came to the knowledge of Jesus Christ as the one true Messiah at the age of fifteen while attending a David Wilkerson crusade, I was filled with excitement and wanted the world to know. My whole life was captivated by His love – it was so real, so strong, so consuming. I would read His Word because I wanted to know Him more, I would spend time in prayer because I wanted to hear His tender voice.

The prison of religion!

Then for a number of years I had the onslaught of doctrinal teaching in my life that at times, were steeped in (though carefully concealed by the enemy)  a works mentality. This started building a huge gulf between the Lord and I.  Not by His doing, for the whole time as I look back now,  I see that He was patiently, every so lovingly waiting for me with His arms wide open, beckoning for me to look at the bridge He had purchased with His own blood – the cross. For the cross of Christ is that bridge which allows one to escape from the confinement of sin,religion and bondage and step into a true freedom along with a relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Prison doors opened!

Over the past several years Holy Spirit has been stripping me of the religion – that like mud had become cakes upon me. He broke through the prison of religious thinking that became rooted in a “salvation by works” mentality and revealed the mystery and revelation of these verses – Now I see that I had allowed the enemy and myself to take something so beautiful, so free and turn it into something ugly and ever so burdensome.

If a disciple truly loves the Lord they realize that we do not obey all the Lords commands to gain His love and enter into a deeper relationship with Him, we do it out of a passionate motivation of Love. He loves us even before we know Him, while we are still sinners living a life of sin – He loves us because He loves us, there is nothing we can do that will erase that love or broaden that love –He gives it all unabandoned- He showed the ultimate depth of His love for us when He surrendered His own life that we might gain freedom and eternal life. As there Word proclaims – “There is nothing that can separate us from the Love of God”.

Revolutionary Love!

O’ brothers and sister if you can but grasp this revelation your spirit man will step into the radical side of this revolution against religion. The freedom to serve the Lord God, fueled by a deep seeded passion of love will revolutionize your whole life. This Love was and still is a stumbling block to many including Satan himself – The Fathers love for His creation is a mystery that has eluded the enemy from the first time he witnessed it in the throne room – He fully knows about it’s power and has been attempting to conceal its revelation since the days in the Garden. He has used the weapons of selfishness, hate, fear and religion for generations to build a prison about mankind that they might never see the love of God in its purity.

Yet, Praise God for 2000 plus years ago this Love walked willingly up to the cross, willingly laid His life down – allowing His own creation to nail His feet and hands to the very device that would take His life and when it was finished, His last breath poured out the heavens were torn and Gods love broke through in a manner that the world or hell for that matter had never witnessed before. Yet Hell it’s self could not contain and hold this Love – Yes and amen, for it broke through with such a force that the world or hell could never again block its power and authority. For now it has been poured out into human vessels with the same power that spoke the world into being.

Join the revolution!

If you have not experienced this Love, if it has not broke through and freed you from the dungeons of religion, pray and ask the Father to send Holy Spirit, who is The Spirit of Truth – For just one light glimmer of God’s true love will destroy every yoke of bondage that attempts to imprison the children of God.

This love once revealed and received will birth a freedom in the disciple’s life that will push them past a life of burdensome obedience into a life of willing servant-hood – a position where one no longer  serves obediently out of fear, rather serves obediently willingly- birthed from  from a position of passionate Love!

For indeed we serve an Awesome God!

Are you a Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde “Christian”

Posted: March 3, 2011 in disciples life, Parents, teaching
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That no man transgress and overreach his brother and defraud him in this matter or defraud his brother in business. For the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we have already warned you solemnly and [e]told you plainly. For God has not called us to impurity but to consecration [to dedicate ourselves to the most thorough purity]. Therefore whoever disregards (sets aside and rejects this) disregards not man but God, Whose [very] Spirit [Whom] He gives to you is holy (chaste, pure). (1 Thes 4:6-8)

Now,  a student could read this and only look upon the sexual language here and not get the deeper meaning for which the apostle Paul is admonishing the hearers to whom this was written.

One of the greatest travesties in the modern church is the lack of true discipleship and mentoring. Thus we are left with a generation of immature Christians who have all the big words down pack yet they are spiritually void in regards to Spiritual character. We see through out his writings how Paul taught those whom the Lord had entrusted to him as students (disciples) how to walk, not how to talk. To talk well without living well will never bring us to heaven: for the character of those who are in Christ Jesus is this: They walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Yet this is lacking today in the body and Holy Spirit is breathing the fire of the Lord’s passion through out the Bride in this regard in the hour in which we live.  Watchman must rise up, teachers, mentors, mothers & fathers in the faith and come along side the young in faith and not merely be as the leaders of these past generations who have pridefully taught from a place risen above the others. They must be a leader like Jesus Himself and mix in with the people, to be a true servant, serving the needs of others.

In this day we have young men and women who are in leadership positions because they can talk the talk and are willing to nestle up to the “leaders” of the church to gain an important role, yet their character is far from that of Christ our Lord. They defraud their brothers & sisters in the faith. They cheat and steel, they leave their homes like war zones, their children are undisciplined.

Living a life as a spiritual Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde!

I praise God for the work and continued work of Holy Spirit in my own life, who upon shinning the light of purity and consecration on my character exposed a great void from that which the Lord called me to live, to which I was presently living!

I knew all the right words to express in the public place yet in the private place I was spiritually dead with regard to the character of Christ’s expression in my own life.  Anger prevailed in my private life, total disrespect of my wife, not parenting my son in the ways of the Lord, rather displaying for him the ways of Hell.

Praise God for a Father who loves enough to bring down His hand of discipline and through the continued conviction of His Word and Holy Spirit’s drawing, I fell upon the alter of the Lord, crying out for mercy.  From within a depth of my soul  crying out for transformation of my inner man – that the following Word manifest in my life;

“Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! (2 Cor 5:17 AMP)

O’ the years of hell that my wife, son and even myself had to go through before this came to pass – Yet had there been a true discipleship in my life – one where a brother comes along side and requires accountability in relationship one to another the chains that bound me from walking a truly sanctified life could have been broken earlier!

My prayer today is that true mentors of the faith will rise up and those who read this who are lacking in Spiritual character will cry out to the Lord, that He send such a person, matured in the Faith,  into their lives that will be as “Iron sharpening Iron”.

Wives do you have a husband who is as an Angel in public and a monster in private – Cry out to the Lord that He send a true mentor and friend – Husbands the same can be said in regard to your wives, parents towards your children (grown – for you should mentor your children who are young in age)

We must allow the work of Holy Spirit to come upon us –  birthing the true sanctification of the Lord in our lives or else we will never reach the place of maturity in our walk.

Friends, Pray today that Holy Spirit will search your life and see if there be  any deception, any spiritual lack in your character and allow Him to begin the spiritual surgery to heal and produce a spiritual “make-over” in your life today!

For Indeed we serve an Awesome God!

Generation of vipers……

Posted: March 2, 2011 in disciples life, teaching
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O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (Matt 12:34 KJV)

We could apply this scripture to our own prayers in a reflective manner. What are our prayers to Him like? We must honestly acknowledge that what comes pouring out of us is our heart—either that or God’s Word is not true. What we are is revealed to God by what we say to Him in our prayer. We cannot hide it; we cannot be two-faced with Him.

So we set the stage of understanding that prayer is speaking to God what comes out of our heart. Even as this proverb Jesus gives is directed toward men, it is also true concerning our speech toward God. What we are comes out.

The desire of God us ward is that He wants His will done in every aspect of our life, and He wants our prayers to be according to His will. The truth is that when we ask things according to His will, our requests stand the greatest chance of being answered positively. One might ask the question “Why”? The answer is because, in effect, they are His thoughts coming back to Him. His thoughts having become lodged in our heart, we are now sending a part of Him back to Him. We see this lesson put before our eyes in the Word as we read of the life of the Master while He was here on earth in the flesh!

In this day especially with all the false teachings out there we need to be very cautious as not to think of this as a magic formula of some kind, as if we say certain words and out comes the desired thing. True prayer is —speaking God’s words back to Him. In this regard we come to realize that these are the prayers that have the best chance of being answered positively because it pleases God to see His children develop in His image. He then responds out of His love, even as we would to a child who pleases us.

For Indeed we serve an Awesome God!!!

Captured and Empowered by His Grace!

Posted: March 1, 2011 in disciples life, teaching, wilderness
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After all, God’s saving kindness has appeared for the benefit of all people. It trains us to avoid ungodly lives filled with worldly desires so that we can live self-controlled, moral, and godly lives in this present world. At the same time we can expect what we hope for—the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to set us free from every sin and to cleanse us so that we can be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good things. (Titus  2:11-14)

Here, grace is shown as the power that teaches, trains, disciplines, guides, and leads us. It does not force us. In other places, it is shown as counseling, comforting, encouraging, admonishing, guiding, convicting, rewarding, even restraining. It teaches us that we must deny immorality, exhorting us to give ourselves over to self-mastery, that is, to controlling ourselves. We must devote ourselves to integrity and loyalty to God right here and now, while expectantly and patiently looking forward to the return of Jesus Christ and the resurrection from the dead to glory.

It is such scriptures as this upon which the blocks of Spiritual truth are laid upon the foundation of Jesus Christ – One must read and meditate upon these words, asking Holy Spirit to birth them into our spirit-man.

For in the reading of these scriptures we are bombarding the deception of the world in regard to “self”, tearing down these lies and transforming them into Truth of the Kingdom.

The enemy has done much to infiltrate the church and her doctrines with worldly philosophies. As true disciples we must raise up the standard of God’s Word and battle against such heresies of individualism when confronted with them especially when they attempt to invade our own lives. The selfish mind set is for itself alone, whereas the Kingdom mind set is outward in nature, pointing away from ones self with a mindset of selfless service towards the Lord first and secondly towards our neighbor – trusting in faith that the Father shall meet all our needs.

For the truth is, when one has come to the cross of Christ having realized that He is our Messiah and acknowledging His Lordship in our lives we then surrender our rights unto Him. For we must reach out and grasp hold of the revelation, fully trusting that He is indeed the Good Shepherd whose only desire is for us to experience all that He has for us – the goodness of our God!

As well knowing that He alone is the King, who seeing that  One of His servants lays down their life, their agenda, their dreams for the good of His Kingdom out of love, honor and praise for Him, graciously returns ones life back unto them with abundance.

Glory to God, for He has not left us empty handed on this road of servant-hood,. Rather He has granted unto us the very vehicle in which to arrive at the place of selfless servant-hood , “Grace”.  For by the grace of our Lord we are ushered into the position to walk in the fullness of true servant-hood in the Kingdom. For His Grace is like nitrogen to the Spirit man, once it is deposited into our spirit, it ignites the very Flames of His passion towards God the Father in our hearts empowering us to walk Spirit first lives. Lives saturated in, transformed by, reflective of, and pouring out to all around us, the very Love of God the Father!

For indeed we serve and awesome God!

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