Posts Tagged ‘discipleship’

The necessity of Spiritual Discernment

Posted: January 23, 2023 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Remnant, teaching
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The presence of the “outlaw” is apparent by the activity of Satan, who uses all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs, spurious wonders, and every form of evil deception in order to deceive those who are perishing because they rejected the love of the truth that would lead them to being saved. Because of this, God sends them a powerful delusion that leads them to believe what is false. So then all who found their pleasure in unrighteousness and did not believe the truth will be judged. ( 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, TPT)

The enemy is thriving in the area of division and rebellion. Many being disenfranchised regarding the institutional Church have now taken the position of being God’s critics regarding any “Church” setting. Yet Holy Spirit is able to move in any setting so long as the hearts are hungry.

Because of bad leadership, they disregard the call to submit to authentic Kingdom leadership (Eph 5:21, Heb 13:7). And upon their rejection of that they forgo sound Spiritual counsel and lose out on the opportunity to grow with true Spiritual fathers and mothers mentoring them. Instead, they walk in the garments of rebellion, believing they are an authority unto themselves or one could say that they are walking under a strong fog of spiritual delusion.

I thank God for those whom the Father has placed in my life for sound counsel and brothers whom I submit to for ministry guidance.

Yes, there is a place for being a watchman of God moving in the breath of the Spirit bringing Glory to the Father, sounding the alarm, and warning others of false teachers and ministries.

As well there are false watchmen, eating from trees filled with spiritual rot totally vacant of anything regarding the true Kingdom. however, such may well appear to be authentically dressed as though they are of the Kingdom, yet Holy Spirit can see right through their disguise.

For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:24)

For there are true miracles, signs, and wonder just as there are false miracles, signs, and wonders. The issue is having Holy Spirit discernment rather than discerning from a religious heart filled with pride.

Having been in ministry for close to 20 years now and having witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly in churches & ministries, I am very cautious to give Holy Spirit the opportunity to verify the authenticity of a ministry as well as those claiming to be of the Kingdom, and being seated in a leadership role (1 Thessalonians 5:21, 2 Peter 2:1, 1 John 4:1).

Thus, when I hear someone saying such things as “A Prophet told me God has called me to be an Apostle” I check that with Holy Spirit. Why? Because I still believe there are Apostles today, yet when people say a prophet told them so, then they go on to say that the Father told them to build His church and through that Church, He will bring revival. A number of red flags start flying as Holy Spirit says “No, that isn’t of the Father, for Christ alone builds Hos Ekklesia”.

Now, in today’s age of social media one can find many whose ministry has been pumped up via Hollywood-styled staged videos including deliverances, and miracles, and with no discernment whatsoever, people flock to follow them.

Dare we forget Jim Jones and David Kuresh?

Are there legitimate ministries on youtube and other social media platforms?

Yes, there are many authentic ministries out there. Yet, let us remember, we have been blessed with Holy Spirit to look to and to authenticate. For just as there are legitimate miracles, signs, and wonders, we still have the enemy who is very skilled at showing up with imposter miracles, signs, and wonders. #SELAH

~WindWalker

Time to come out from the Compromised Church

Posted: January 4, 2023 in disciples life, Prophetic, teaching
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Get off of the defensive, and get on the offensive! It is time to go after the devil and go after sin. The devil has quickened his efforts to defeat the Church. He is bringing every kind of corruption into our homes, schools, and communities, even into our Churches. It is time we fought him back. It is time we determine where his strike will be and get there ahead of him, instead of playing catch-up all the time. ~Lester Sumrall Militant Church 1990

Since Lester wrote this book the attack of the enemy has increased into a much larger crisis stage. An all-out assault is what we are seeing in this nation, in his attempt to silence the only thing standing between him and world dominance, The Ekklesia of Jesus Christ.

God has been training and stationing His Remnant around this nation in out-post that most of the compromised Church thumbs their religious hardened noses at, as puppets of the devil steeped in religion, they try to discredit the Radical Wild Ones of the Lord.

Sound familiar? One only needs to study the scriptures to see how the religious elite rose up in opposition against Jesus, His disciples, and the message of His Kingdom.

Today, like in the day of Joshua as Israel was posed to take possession of the promised land, the Children of God are at a crossroads. We either enter the fight for the soul of this nation, or we let the enemy take full possession and deny the promise of the Father with regard to His Ekklesia in full possession of America being His lit city on a hill.

As for myself, my family, and our Church family, today we choose to stand and fight – we choose the war for the promises of God for our families and for this nation. We will not remain silent and we are taking the fight to the devil.

What say you, fellow Saints?

With regard to the compromised Church and those who can’t decide to break free from the illusion of comfort they offer, listen to what Holy Spirit is saying today:

Wherefore Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch not the unclean thing; And I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, And ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:17-18, KJV)

WindWalker

Remnant Warrior Ministries

The Watchmen of the Lord have been dispatched

Posted: November 16, 2022 in Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, Remnant, wilderness
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I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, (Isaiah 62:6)
Son of man, I have placed thee as a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from me. (Ezek 3:1, JUB)

According to 2 Timothy 3:1, we should know that we are living in perilous times. Now more than ever, it’s vital we understand our role in the earth as ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Having been assigned and commissioned as His Remnant Warriors of this generation’s Ekklesia, we are duty-bound to watch & to warn the Body of Christ.

We must not be deterred by the spirit of religion’s attempt to silence us, charging that this was an Old Testament assignment. As we can clearly witness in the scriptures, He spoke through the pen of the Apostle Paul in writing:

Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. (Colossians 1:28, NKJV)

The realm of darkness has launched an all-out war against the Bride of Christ, attempting to steal the very soul of this nation. We must stand and occupy giving no ground to the enemies of this nation, in fact, we must press forward, taking back that which has been lost over the past several decades.

Though it appears to be a battle that can be won politically, it can only be and must be won spiritually. Whether this includes the use of politics, voting the Righteous ones into political offices or not, the real truth is that we are ordained ambassadors deputized to render the decrees of a superior supernatural government, that of the Kingdom of God.

~WindWalker

20 YEARS OF SOAKING IN REVIVAL STREAMS…

Posted: August 2, 2022 in Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, wilderness
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I was hanging out with Holy Spirit yesterday afternoon reflecting on the past 20 years of being in Jacksonville arriving here on January 1, 2002. He began reminding me of all that has happened since then and how it was designed by the Father for my preparation for the NOW:

In 2002 after arriving at my sister Roxanne’s house, for what I had thought would be a short visit to obtain my class A driver’s license before heading back home to Maine. Within a month I found myself, rededicating my life to the Lord. A few months later I started ministry school. Shortly afterward, I met and started dating a beautiful godly woman from the Philippines. At that time she was attending Brownsville School of Revival, which led me to the opportunity to attend the Revival on a number of occasions before it ended.

In June of 2003 I married that same beautiful godly Filipino girl, and that fall I started my 2nd year of ministry school.

In June of 2004, we were blessed with the gift of a beautiful son, which the Lord showed me in a vision would be a godly man walking in His ways. In 2004 I also got ordained and my wife and I started Mighty Arm Ministries.

In 2005 I came under the mentorship of Dr, Don Lynch being groomed as part of the leadership of a powerful Apostolic international ministry with a vision of bringing revival to the nations.

In 2006 our ministry Mighty Arm Ministries launched an online ministry school, “Rushing Mighty Wind School of Ministry”.

In 2007 my wife and I were ordained by Dr. Don & Ruthanne Lynch as part of the first ordained leaders in that same ministry, Ministry Matrix. During our time under Dr. Don’s leadership, we witnessed powerful meetings filled with the presence of the Lord and we learned how to go after the things of God to see His will happen.

In 2008 Rushing Mighty Wind School of Ministry established two brick & mortar schools, one in India and one in the Philippines.

In the summer of 2009, I was invited to visit World Revival Church in Kansas City. A couple of months later in early fall, I flew out and while I was there, I was blessed to be able to visit IHOP. As well I had the opportunity to attend two nights of revival, giving my testimony at the Friday night service. I also was afforded the opportunity to attend a couple of the revival school classes.

In 2010, I was invited to be a volunteer advocate for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs

In 2011, my wife and I felt the Lord moving us in ministry in regard to ministry and after much prayer we stepped out of the leadership with Ministry Matrix, entering a time of waiting on the Lord for our next assignment. It came later that year as we found ourselves being part of a leadership team that launched Presence Church here in Jacksonville. We experienced God moving in special ways over the next couple of years.

In 2013, I accepted the position of associate pastor at Highway to Heaven Church.

Then in 2014, I received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree for my ministry work in India, the Philippines, jails, and nursing homes.

In 2015, after a number of years of studying in several different ministry schools, I received a doctorate in Theology. At the end of that year, in December I was part of the leadership that launched an Apostolic ministry in Jacksonville called “The River House” along with Doug and Jennifer Snead.

A lot happened over these first 13 years however inside I felt drained, discouraged, and had little true peace. Something was missing, I had felt the Lord’s presence on many occasions, but it had to be more than occasional. I wanted what the Disciples had, an ever-present witness to the presence of the Lord. I would soon find that the spirit of religion had somehow been able to chain me deep down in a dark spiritual prison.

In 2016, while at a ministry retreat in Saluda North Carolina, I had a powerful in-person encounter with the Lord that radically impacted and changed my life. That encounter with the Flames of His love totally undid the religious theology I had been a prisoner too, unknowingly for so many years. And on the very next day on my drive home, Holy Spirit led me to listen to a video on youtube “Damon Thompson at the Carolina Revival May 2, 2015“. It was that video that the Father used to seat me under the Apostolic teachings of Damon Thompson.


In 2018, as part of the Riverhouse leadership, we launched the North Florida healing rooms.

In our 4 years with the RiverHouse, we saw many miracles as the Father poured out His love on His children, deaf ears opened, eyesight restored, and many other healings and miracles. Almost every meeting was filled with a tangible presence of the Lord

On Valentine’s weekend of 2020, having taken a two-month sabbatical from all ministry, and after my wife’s continued encouragement to go, we went to Panama Beach to listen to Damon Thompson at the “Rock of Bay County Church”. From the moment Ana hit the first string on her violin, waves of the Father’s glory flooded the room.

At the end of the meeting, Damon called for an alter call to all who wanted to be refreshed. I was one of the first to charge upfront. After standing there for a few moments with my head bowed, I felt this huge hand slam into my chest followed by the words “The Father wants to refresh His fire in you” and wham, the fire of God began to flow throw every cell of my body. A few days later I watched the video, and even though I thought I recognized his voice, saw that it was pastor Bryn Waddell who had prayed for me.

Two weeks later I started volunteering full-time at a local mission in Jacksonville beach after a week or so in prayer following an invitation of a sister in the Lord, Dawn Hare to check the place out.

On August 6th of 2020, my son and I visited Cane Ridge on the 219th anniversary of the outpouring of the Lord there which is believed to have been one of the sparks that made way for the 2nd Great Awakening. Upon leaving Cane Ridge after several hours of praying there, Holy Spirit said the Father had commissioned me to disciple disciples in the same way His Son did. Then about 3 weeks after returning home I was invited to become the director at Beaches Rescue and Recovery Mission.

And finally in 2022 after resigning as the director at the mission, I accepted the position of Senior Pastor at Highway To Heaven Church.

Feeling completely blessed right now. Especially seeing the streams of revival that the Father has seated me in since 2002. I am filled to overflowing with a deep & increasing hunger to see His Kingdom being established in this city and America in the now. I feel almost on edge of something great with Spiritual anticipation for the Revival Fires of Reformation which have been purposed with an eternal destiny for such a time as this are about to break out.

Over the past 20 years, Holy Spirit has been whispering to me about the Remnant, ever since the first time, I heard Dr. Don Lynch teachings about the subject. Over the past several months He has been getting louder and He has been showing me that the Remnant shall be those who carry the flaming torches of Revival Flames of Reformation, through the night while the complacent compromised Church sleep. And blessed will those be those hear the flames and are able to wake up, repent and become prepared.

For those who slumber shall see their candles removed, for the profane vanity of their religion will cause them to miss out on the greatest revival this world has ever seen….”Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent”. (Rev 2:5)

He has also been speaking to me about the establishing of the discipleship community to where I can through the leadership of Holy Spirit, disciple men using the same methods that Jesus used to disciple His disciples. This community will be set on a piece of land with the ability to grow gardens. Holy Spirit has shown me how this will provide powerful visuals when teaching the parables. Not only that, these gardens are purposed as well to the feeding many.

The property will also have buildings that can house 12 – 20 men. With the whole property be established in prayer to having a sound atmosphere supercharged with His presence equipping each discipler in the methods of Jesus in order to train each man into becoming a Mountain Moving Disciple. This mandate from the Lord is so real to me that there are times I can feel the ground of this property under my feet, hear the animals singing their daily praise to Heaven, and literally smell the air of the land bursting with the fragrance of fresh fruit & vegetables

And all I can say is:

“Here I am Father, sitting still in Your presence with a heart-filled commitment in total surrender with a willingness to do all that you ask of me, I haven’t come this far to stop, for my heart belongs to you alone and no matter what the devil throws at me I shall not change paths nor turn back. To You be the Glory, Honor & Praise, Amen”

~Russ G. Welch, A.K.A. Windtalker

The Remnant Brigade of Revivalist Minute Men

Posted: July 22, 2022 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, wilderness
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“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:25)

Could it be that we do not have many in the Church today who are burning ones, due to the fact that many lean not upon the empowering presence of the Fiery One, Holy Spirit?

Instead, we find a majority of Christian Churches leaning upon the recital of a prayer that is not found anywhere in scripture?

Does not the scriptures clearly state that unless one be born from above?

Are not these quotes found in the Word: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.” “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Yet seldom do we witness one’s life being radically changed after the prayer is said.

Wait a minute. Has not the Church modeled the world in building Biblical education institutes modeled after the world with the goal of producing individuals, who are proficient in religious intellectualism?

The most exalted intellect, and the most attractive, natural disposition, reach no higher than the earth itself.

The Kingdom of Heaven consists of the family of God, those who have risen to an entirely different sphere, and received a nature as much above the intellectual and the moral as God is above an angel.

It is not a prayer that is needed, it is not religious intellectualism.

No, my friends, it is the power of the Gospel drawing one to their knees where they surrender all and having done so receive the seal of the Kingdom via the baptism in FIRE that is so desperately needed in our day.

Enough of the religious games, enough with the wasting of the children’s bread (Finances) on worldly education models meant for the store-house for God’s family.

We can not lose another generation to a stick, hay, and stubble religious system lacking in Holy Spirit empowering fire.

We need a reformation of spiritual fathers and mothers!!!

It is time for the Bride to wake up, time for the Remnant to stand up, and time for the Church to return to the foundational teachings of Red Letters and put ALL of our trust in the hands of the promised One, Holy Spirit.

Release the hounds of Heaven to rout out the foxes and send them fleeing from the Father’s houses across this nation.

It is time for a major rallying of the revivalist minute men, sending them from town to town ‘Get ready for the day of Salvation has come!!!

WindWalker

“Shutting the door to the enemy’s stealing our peace”

Posted: July 20, 2022 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching
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“You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]. (Isaiah 26:3)

There are many in the Church today who are filled with fear, stress, anxiety, and a host of other unbridled emotions which operate totally opposite of the peace this passage describes.

Jesus taught His disciples foundational keys to be able to live in the overflowing abundance of peace in His Kingdom that so many miss. Sermons and memorized passages do not do that which Holy Spirit can with scripture as in Spiritually tattooing it upon our hearts.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24, KJV)

Here is a verse that people quote all the time, yet many of those who quote this are in deep prisons of fear and anxiety when it comes to finances. Many families, friendships and marriages are destroyed over finances.

Jesus follows this passage with a key to peace when He said:

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? (Matthew 6:25, KJV)

This often read yet faintly practiced truth is an amazing key to the peace of the Kingdom. Yet when one’s heart is ensnared with the worldly belief that money is where peace is found, they are blocked from experiencing the peace of God.

Then the Lord goes deeper, to the root of one’s heart as He states the following to His disciples:

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. (Matthew 6:26-32, KJV)

My friends, these teachings of our Lord when taking and put in to action are vessels of spiritual truths and are weapons against the enemy’s traps of stealing our peace. When it comes to financial matters as well as other areas in our lives, these truths when blended with faith will destroy the stronghold of Satan, which are fortified forts in our thinking blocking us from seeing and experiencing the peace of God.

I am not saying that money is bad, neither was the Lord, He is equipping the disciples to walk in Kingdom stewardship. When we trust in God we should be able to create wealth in ways the world only dreams of. But our peace cannot be in the wealth, it must be centered in the Kingdom.

This is witnessed in Jesus bringing this lesson to His disciples with:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33, KJV)

He goes on to add the icing on top of this lesson with:

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:34, KJV)

When we focus on the Kingdom and His Righteousness, we demolish the powerful spiritual lure of cultural trends which reek of worldly philosophies and are grounded in selfish thinking, robbing us of his peace. The “Like the Jones’s” or “better than the Jones’s” mindsets are all birthed in the fallen nature thought process. It feeds into the spirit of envy and ultimately feeds the spirit of pride. Keeping us entrenched with everything but the Kingdom and His Righteousness.

So today, brothers and sisters, seek after His Kingdom and His righteousness first, trusting every area of your life to the hands of our loving Father. Ask Holy Spirit for divine encounters and wisdom from on high. By keeping your focus on the Kingdom and the King, the enemy will have no access to steal your peace.

Russ G. Welch A.K.A WindTalker

Do you know the cost?

Posted: July 15, 2022 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching
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 Anyone who comes to me must be willing to share my cross and experience it as his own, or he cannot be considered to be my disciple. So don’t follow me without considering what it will cost you. For who would construct a house before first sitting down to estimate the cost to complete it. (Luke 14:27-28, TPT)

I was getting a drug test today and ended up waiting for a little over 1 1/2 hrs. During that time I took a stroll through the past 2 years. In March of 2020, I started volunteering at a rescue mission in Jacksonville beach. At the same time, I was looking for employment as my time working for my previous employer had come to an end.

Every time a door would open, Holy Spirit would tell me this is where the Father has assigned you and I  volunteered for a little over 40 hours. I had some support coming in through our ministry and had a contract with a company that was paying me $1200 for consulting and training their technicians which generally took 4 to 5 hours per month.

In August of 2020, my son and I vacationed in Maine, spoke at a few Churches while there, and then went to Cane Ridge in Kentucky where the spark was lit for the second great awakening.

The presence of the Lord was so powerful there. As we were leaving I heard Holy Spirit say “The Father wants you to go back and start discipling others as did His Son”. I answered with I will.

30 minutes into the drive I asked Him “What does that look like” He had a long answer but the short end of it was “Pour into others everything the Father has poured into you via daily interaction”.

Now some contend this never happened, howbeit for 18 months they referred to me as such. The founder of the mission asked me if I would take charge of the mission, to which after seeking the Father I agreed. From August 2020 until February of this year I was considered to be the director of the mission. Even those who today say I was never asked to be that referred me to others as the director.

During that whole time, I spent anywhere from 40 to 60 hrs a week there, including times when I had to go in on my days off or in the evening to deal with situations.

And during this whole time period, I never collected a salary, however, my wife and I via our ministry put a little over $25,000 into the mission via food, clothes, training supplies, and personal items for the disciples there. We had a website built and covered the cost. We had a promotional video made and covered the cost.

The money didn’t matter because we knew I was positioned to impact lives. Towards the end of 2021, I came under severe attacks from two members of the staff there, launching one lie after the other. To me this was life-changing as I feel that through all of that the Lord was able to do some inner surgery, removing areas of pride and religion that had remained hidden in my life.

Now towards the end of January, these attacks got even worse, the enemy had aligned me with an individual who played both sides and spewed out a long list of lies to both sides. So I went to one of my mentors and several other seasoned ministers.

These were men who had prophesied as to what the Lord wanted to do there, and they all came back with “The Father is releasing you from your commitment there”.One said to listen to the Spirit and trust the Father in vindicating my name and in doing so walk away with a heart of forgiveness”. Valuable advice which I have gleaned from.

The first few weeks I decompressed from a lengthy battle. I spent much time in prayer and fasting as well as keeping busy working through my “Honey-due-list” which my wife had built since buying our home back in 2020.

I had to reevaluate my situation as I had planned on being there for at least 5 years. Along with that, the cost of living has skyrocketed and my income hasn’t increased to match it.

In fact, due to the cost of gas and other goods going up I find myself short of about $1200 per month. So I’ve been seeking a part-time job that will leave room for ministry.

I’ve got over 35 years of customer service skills, cooking, management, pest control, driving, WDO inspections, and a few other small trades. 43 yrs total in working and as my Dad used to say “Jack of all trades, Master of none” Searching for work hasn’t been easy for when I put down my experience they come back with my being overqualified, or they are looking for someone who wants to make a career with them.

I sought counsel and those who know me said “I think you’re supposed to preach the gospel” or “You’re to dedicate your life to helping others”. When I ask Holy Spirit, He responds as He has for several years “Trust the Father”.

Three areas that I am highly trained in don’t offer part-time positions and most would shut me out of ministering because I will not sacrifice my marriage for anything.

Am I discouraged?

Not really.
And I will tell you why in a Paul Harvey fashion of “Now for the rest of the story”

As I look back at the hardship of the past 2 years, I have to smile and tell the devil “You lose”.

Although I don’t know what harvest the many seeds I sowed in a number of lives in the past 2 years of those who came through the mission I do know about 3 specifically.

The 3 individuals that I am speaking about the Lord has graciously allowed me to love on, counsel, and speak life into each of theirs, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to encourage and introduce them to the real Jesus. Two were addicts, one being so bad they were sent to the hospital several times for overdosing on pain meds. Yet, Praise God, they both are completely free today.

The 3rd one was just tired of life but now he looks forward to every day as an opportunity to speak life into others’ lives.

These lives are priceless and their happiness is totally worth the cost of a little suffering I’ve endured, especially considering the cost of our Lord to save all of us.

I don’t know what the future hold but one thing I do know is that I am going to continue to take every opportunity to sow into other people’s lives no matter how much it cost me. 

Russ G Welch

A.K.A. Windwalker4Life

Sow into this ministry

A different kind of discipleship

Posted: October 29, 2021 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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“He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

There are two Universal Spiritual Principles found in John 3:30 that express two very fundamental truths.

First, that Christ must increase.

This is a principle that most Christians can agree with.

Are there any Christians who do not desire more of the Lord?

Are there any believers who do not long for a greater expression and revelation of Christ – in their personal walk, as well as in the world around them?

It is easy to align ourselves with this principle and pray in agreement with God’s Will – that Christ would be increased, and that the knowledge of Him would continue to grow and expand.

What is more difficult to affirm is the decrease of Self.

Yet this principle is as powerful and as sure as the first.

With more of Christ, there is less of me.

With more of me, there is less of Him.

And so, in order to cooperate with the first principle, we must overcome the “but” that stands between the two. “He must increase, but…”

Something hinders.

What gets it the way?

What prevents the increase of Christ?

It is me – or more accurately, the “I”, or the “Self” keeps getting in the way. And so, “I must decrease.”

The Disciple’s Journey

The Self-Life resists the Christ-Life.

The Holy Spirit seeks to increase Christ, while the human spirit seeks to increase Self.

We can have either one, but we cannot have both.

As Christ is increased, Self is decreased.

As Self is increased, Christ is decreased.

We begin our journey through life in a self-centered existence instead of a Christ-centered existence.

This is why we must be “born again.”

To be born again is to interrupt the self-centered pattern of our lives and open us up to the possibility of taking a different route and living a different life – a life that is Christ-centered instead of Self-centered.

Until this happens, it is impossible to love God and love our neighbor.

These two great commands are impossible to those who maintain a healthy connection to their Self-Life.

Loving others is impossible for ones who mostly love themselves.

This is the way of the world.

The way of a disciple of Jesus is a different way.

It is a way that cuts at the heart of self-love by making it possible for us to rise above Self-centeredness through Christ-centeredness.

Jesus describes it as a difficult, narrow way that few find.

Why is it so difficult? Because it strikes to the very core of who and what we are.

Even our very desire to follow Jesus can be self-centered.

Of course, we want to serve God; but we also hope to get a little something for ourselves.

Many people are drawn to the Lord with mixed motivations.

For example, the promise of a home in heaven is very appealing, as is avoiding the fires of hell.

But the Self-life is revealed in these subtle expressions that often appear spiritual and religious.

To follow Jesus for nothing other than the love of Jesus is the way of the disciple.

It is true that many follow Him imperfectly, and do so for many different reasons that they cannot fully explain or understand.

Fortunately for us, Jesus does not demand sinless perfection from the ones who follow Him.

His disciples make many mistakes and they often stumble and fall. Nor does Jesus require that we be spiritually mature and perfectly free from our Self-Life before He accepts us as disciples.

Dealing with the Self-Life is part of His discipleship program.

The very act of following Him begins a process that, if followed all the way to the end, results in what I call being reduced to Christ.

What does this mean? It means that when I began to follow the Lord, I may have had all kinds of motivations for doing so, and many of those motivations were self-serving and self-centered.

My very existence was rooted and strengthened by my Self-Life. But as I follow Him, and as He increases, more and more I find my self-centered ways being stripped away.

I find the power of Christ increasing within me, and I also find the power of Self is decreasing. With this process working simultaneously to increase Christ and decrease me, I find my motives are becoming more and more singular.

I am no longer following Jesus for what I hope to get out of it. Even my “mansion in heaven” does not seem so important anymore.

My many needs I find are not as urgent as they once were.

My many questions are not as essential as I once thought they were.

I have fewer questions, and so I require fewer answers.

Where I used to be troubled and vexed and concerned and stressed over “many things” it is becoming easier to focus on the “one thing” that is needed.

Christ is increasing, and everything else is decreasing.

My life, my purpose, my focus, my very existence is being condensed from many paths in pursuit of many things so that I am becoming more and more narrowly focused upon one thing.

Paul expresses it perfectly: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

Power of the LOVE of God

Posted: October 23, 2021 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16, NKJV)

This verse became a reality to me on March 29, 2016 at 1:43 am. It was at that very time that I had a personal encounter with the Lord, for what seemed like several hours even though it was but 2 minutes in our time frame.

He took me back to the youngest age I could remember (around 3 years old) and from that point back to the NOW, He showed me how great His love was.

Through all the pain of a young child being ripped from the safety of family due to divorce, through all the years of drug addictions, ungodly sexual relations and other law-less behaviors.

Through all the guilt, shame and condemnation He showed me His passionate LOVE burning for me and how my actions never once caused His LOVE to loose it’s zeal. Even through all the years of being confined and lead by and even to the degree of operating under the influence of the spirit of religion.

Which was with a totally corrupt understanding and belief as to who the Father was, how He dealt with individuals. Yet He still LOVED me to the same degree of LOVE as when He first thought of me, before I even was a reality in the eternal time line.Since that time.

His LOVE has continued to reconstruct who I am, it still searches out anything within my soul that is not that which the Father desires of me and with spiritual surgical precision removes it.

Today I can attest to the factual truth, that if you are dealing with addictions, shame, guilt and or condemnation, you have never truly encountered the LOVE of God.

Yet when you do…your life will be radically transformed into who He has always purposed you to be – a Beloved child of the Father, walking in the fullness of you inheritance!!!!

~Dr. Russ G Welch, Th.D.

Director of Beaches Rescue & Recovery Mission

Lost Art of Family

Posted: September 13, 2021 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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In studying the scriptures and getting revelation as to the Garden mandate, one thing is clear.

We were all seeded with an innate desire for fellowship in way of family before the foundation of the world was laid. Yet the truth be told – family is a disappearing aspect of our society in so many ways.

Now, Paul taught much in lue of military terms.

With that we must understand that in war there are valued long term alignments as well as necessary short term alignments. The same can be said of the Kingdom, from the man who supplied the colt for the Lord to make His triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

To the man who was carrying the picture of water, tasked with securing the room for the last supper, these were necessary how be it short term alignments.

Whereas Peter, John, James etc, were long term alignments.

We must understand there will be people who grace our lives with their presence who were purposed to be but temporary alignments.

Where as others we will make almost life long alignments.

But lets be nakedly honest. Some people are also rebellious as to the will of God and run from commitment when the fire starts to heat up.

As in all things, we must become extremely skilled in trusting the Lord while guarding our hearts so that we understand that not everyone who is walking with us today, will be walking with us tomorrow.

Not everyone was purposed to take the long path journey with us.

The reality is that it is our assignment and the long path ministry vision for which we ourselves must keep our eyes on. If we can maintain that understanding, that comes the peace that is beyond human understanding with birth in us an inner knowing that the Lord will be there with us every step of the way.

We can read in scripture as to how Jonathan was a dear close friend whom David loved and trusted with his own life. I think if we were dive deep into David’s life (and I have) we will find after Jonathans death there were very few that David felt comfortable putting his life in their hands. Yet, he grew in his trust of the Lord’s ability to watch over and keep him safe.

We are all created with a sense and longing for community. Some more so than others. I personally am content being deep in the woods, alone save my dog and there I am at total peace being surrounded by the Father’s creation of nature. An occasional interaction with people is enough to keep me going for days, even weeks. Even with out the woods, I am becoming more and more accustomed to my quiet time with Holy Spirit.

I’ve had a life time of people being there one moment only to begone the next.

Now, unlike many who mourn when someone is taking out of their life. Or walks out of their day to day functions of life, I sense a loss but only for a short time, as I quickly refocus on the assignment the Lord has for me.

Some may call it shell shocked or battle hardened.

Eitherway, for me, the Lord fills the void that others struggle with filling. (It use to be with addictions – Now its Jesus).

In studying the life of George Muller, I find comfort knowing that our lives are so much alike in many ways. He was a rebellious one before coming to the Lord, as was I. He had many alliances but few close friends, as have I. He grew to take the WORD at face value, spending little time in reading other peoples commentary. Instead, he found himself being far more comfortable listening to Holy Spirit’s interpretation.

And as to where his trust would be for financial matters and other needs? He trusted in the Lord to the point that he never publically asked (begged) people for help.

That is where my life is at this time, anchored in the TRUST of the Lord as well as Holy Spirit high-lighting the scriptures for me (I’ve found that fasting is a amazing study hall).

At the end of his life, we was left alone, save the comfort of the comforter.

To be honest, there are times I find myself there as well. My wife is still here and I find much comfort with and from her. Yet, her full-time work schedule and my ministry schedule at times can drain us as to personal interaction.

My son still lives at home, he is 17 and is in his senior year (need I say more).

All this to say, keep your faith in the Lord, love people but trust the Lord. Now you may be completely unlike me needing more interaction with other people. Just be careful and be on guard that they do not rob you of private time with the Father.

Some people can be so busy, even in “doing” ministry that they neglect to spend time with the most important one in their life, Abba.

However, if you are like me, be on guard that your love of solitude not rob others of the love, compassion and wisdom that the Father has poured into you to bless others.

The whole idea of the garden was that of family and its the one place that the enemy has never let up his attack, family. In many ways the art of being family has been lost. Gone with it, I fear so has the spirit of loyalty and commitment.

With so few true spiritual fathers and mothers, those who love as does our heavenly father. Those who are willing to share both a hug and hand of correction. Sadly the God inspired family system has all but become extinct.

Again, there is a place seeded in each one of before the foundations of this world which long for fellowship in way of family.

I recently ended a two year position as director of a discipleship mission. I labored for 18 months to usher in the sense and atmosphere of “family”. We had finally attained it and then the enemy enter a narcissist into the leadership ranks. His demand for control had a road block in front of it. Namely myself and because of that I endured several months of slander and charactor assacination. Add to that a leader who refuses to contront (Not really a leader) and the battle became entrenching.

I sought Godly counsel from seasoned vets who after much prayer said due to the inability of the head and founder of the ministry to discern and confront, the Father had released me from my commitment.

I can’t say it ended in failure on any level, as shortly after my resigning the position the door opened for my current position as senior pastor of a Church that my wife, son and I have been in relationship with since 2013. I was a monthly guest speaker for the past two years and have patiently laid the foundation of “Kingdom family”

We must remeber that not ever ministry that carries the name “Christian” is ordained of the Father. There are a multitude of Ismael ministries and Churches scattered across the Christioan horizon in America as well as abroad.

However, since the creation of the Garden and man it has always been the intention of the Father for a family. As senior pastor the vision the Lord has given me is the Garden mandate, to return to our original design and purpose, to be a family who thrive in the atmosphere of love for one and other and most importantly, love for the Fatrher, Son and Spirit.

Dr. Russ G. Welch, Th.D.

Senior Pastor, Highway To Heaven Church

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