The absence of love is fear. The absence of grace is condemnation. Without the love of God, we are as good as dead. It is our life-flow in which we can live out every day life in relation to Him and to others. Without God's saving grace, we are condemned to eternal seperation in an abyss of lonliness, pain and suffering--- a place called hell. We experience one of the two (life or death) when we pass on from this earth. Heaven is very real and so is hell.
Concerning the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness on the earth today, there is war over the souls of men that is fought with unseen eyes. The devil knows that his time is short so he is roaming throughout the earth, seeking to steal, kill and destroy the souls of men. Battles are fought through every day life with words that are spoken, actions taken and the thoughts of a man. Cities are contended over, leaders rise and fall, God is sovereign.
But the good news is that the Kingdom of God is slowly taking over the earth. Love is as strong as death! Grace comes and rescues the accused! "The conquering lion will break every chain. He will wipe every tear away. He will take all our hurt and pain." He came the first time as a baby in a manger and He is coming again as a mighty warrior, KING JESUS, riding a white horse and He will reign forever and ever! His love is fierce and His anger is holy. "Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved." "TODAY is the day of salvation"!! To our KING and to our God, the only One and true God.
Come, LORD Jesus. Come to this city. Come to this region. Come like the rain and reign victoriously. Let this be a place of safety, a flame of fire. Let Your kindness lead many to repentance. Let the prayers of the saints be as incense going up before Your altar. LOVE, GRACE, let it abound in all of Your fullness.
Every prayer, every hug, every smile, every tear, everything matters. You see it all, God.
I like the song by Jason Upton that says, "Hear the sound of the Lion of Judah. See the fire and the fear in the enemies' camp. Hear the sound of the Lion of Judah roaring again. There's a new generation rising. A nameless, faceless, placeless tribe. All they fear is the fear of Lord. All they hear is the Lion of Judah. Raise up an army, raise up an army, raise up an army, like Joel saw..."
Also, I had written a song last summer that says, "He is roaring. He is calling forth His army. He is roaring. He is calling forth His army. Arise."
We have a national conference here starting tomorrow called Desperation. It's a big deal for our church to be hosting it. I think back to when a prophet came to our church and spoke over it saying full of youth going in and out, in and out. I am leery of conferences, maybe it's because I've been to so many concerts (I was concert junky as a teenager), events, conferences, special meetings, etc. and as a teenager went through a lot of "roller coaster" highs and lows. But I really believe that it's not going to be just another conference. This city and region will be changed by God answering the prayers of young people, desperate for Him. It may not happen over night, but God's ears are not deaf. He hears every cry, every prayer and He sees every tear.
I am encouraged to see leaders rising up within the youth group. Last night, I gathered with 30-40 young people in the upper-room for prayer and worship. I remember when I was a teenager, gathering in an almost abandoned church every Friday with my brother and our friend Richee, crying out for God to bring about change in our city. Usually when I visit my home town; as soon as I pass the county line, I can feel oppression so strongly. This past weekend, I went to my home town and crossed that line and felt that the oppression was less than before! Praise the Lord! He hears our prayers! The oppression will continue to be lifted until His light infiltrates the darkness! I am also encouraged by Pastor Lee and how he prayed over his high school many years ago and today there is fruit coming from prayer!!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Love & Grace- Part 1
I'm reading out of a couple of books right now: "Entirety: Love Gives All" By: Dana Candler and The Ragamuffin Gospel By: Brennan Manning.
I would like to share some quotes that I grabbed out of my reading-----
The Ragamuffin Gospel
"We believe that we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps---- indeed, we can do it ourselves. Sooner of later we are confronted with the painful truth of our inadequacy and insufficiency. Our security is shattered and our bootstraps are cut. Once the fervor has passed, weakness and infidelity appear. We discover our inability to add even a single inch to our spiritual stature."
"My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it."
"Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when, year after year, the longed-for perfection does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage. Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: 'You are accepted. You are accepted, accepted by that which is greater than you, and the name of which you do not know. Do not ask for the name now; perhaps you will find it later. Do not try to do anything now; perhaps later you will do much. Do not seek for anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted.' If that happens to us, we experience grace."
"Never confuse your perception of yourself with the mystery that you really are accepted."
Entirety: Love Gives All
"As He gives His life entirely, He invites me to give my life entirely, and in this mutual emptying, there is great convergence. Herein, we find the union of God and man."
"God is love and this we know, but before you and I were brought into the knowledge of this God that we love, this God that has first loved us, He was love from everlasting. He was love from before time. Love unending and love all-consuming. And this love, that was Himself, was a billowing violent flow between Father, Son, and Spirit. Love unyielding, unwavering, untiring, and unrelenting. And though our minds are fractured and frail and our hearts distant and far, though we know that this eternal exchange is beyond our comprehension and surpassing our understanding, what we know in certainty of the nature of this love is that from eternity ti is a love that pours itself our wholly and entirely (Eph. 3:19). We know and recognize love by the face that it always wears, the essential quality that it always exudes: the laying down of itself on behalf of another (I John 3:16)."
"Creating mankind in His image, He carved within every human soul the yearning to be loved wholly and to love wholly, even the capacity to love Him with the very same love He has loved us (John 17:26)."
I would like to share some quotes that I grabbed out of my reading-----
The Ragamuffin Gospel
"We believe that we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps---- indeed, we can do it ourselves. Sooner of later we are confronted with the painful truth of our inadequacy and insufficiency. Our security is shattered and our bootstraps are cut. Once the fervor has passed, weakness and infidelity appear. We discover our inability to add even a single inch to our spiritual stature."
"My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it."
"Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when, year after year, the longed-for perfection does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage. Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: 'You are accepted. You are accepted, accepted by that which is greater than you, and the name of which you do not know. Do not ask for the name now; perhaps you will find it later. Do not try to do anything now; perhaps later you will do much. Do not seek for anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted.' If that happens to us, we experience grace."
"Never confuse your perception of yourself with the mystery that you really are accepted."
Entirety: Love Gives All
"As He gives His life entirely, He invites me to give my life entirely, and in this mutual emptying, there is great convergence. Herein, we find the union of God and man."
"God is love and this we know, but before you and I were brought into the knowledge of this God that we love, this God that has first loved us, He was love from everlasting. He was love from before time. Love unending and love all-consuming. And this love, that was Himself, was a billowing violent flow between Father, Son, and Spirit. Love unyielding, unwavering, untiring, and unrelenting. And though our minds are fractured and frail and our hearts distant and far, though we know that this eternal exchange is beyond our comprehension and surpassing our understanding, what we know in certainty of the nature of this love is that from eternity ti is a love that pours itself our wholly and entirely (Eph. 3:19). We know and recognize love by the face that it always wears, the essential quality that it always exudes: the laying down of itself on behalf of another (I John 3:16)."
"Creating mankind in His image, He carved within every human soul the yearning to be loved wholly and to love wholly, even the capacity to love Him with the very same love He has loved us (John 17:26)."
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Dominican Republic
Wow! Only 18 days before we fly out for the Dominican Republic. I'm so excited to see what God is going to do there. Anyone that knows me well, knows that I absolutely love Africa and really am not ashamed to admit that I'm a little... okay, a lot biased toward that continent. But the Lord has been working in my heart and has been expanding it beyond just America and Africa. Honestly, in no way have I ever wanted to travel to any other foreign country unless it was on the continent of Africa. When I found out that we were going to the Dominican Republic, I was excited but dismissed the fact that I would actually be going. I thought, "Oh, yah, I'd love to help with the prep work, but going... eh, nah." So before a decision I prayed, "God, if You want me to go, I'll go, but I'm okay if I stay here, too." That same day I got a $300 check in the mail for the trip!!! I hadn't even sent out one support letter and I don't even know how they knew that I was even planning on possibly going on a trip!! WOW!! God, You are amazing. Since then, the Lord has been opening up the flood gates and I've actually had to set up a seperate account with my bank for missions because I have more than enough money coming in from faithful supporters and partners in ministry!! I'm so thankful. This year when I wrote my support letter, I really felt like I should share the gospel in most of it and then briefly share about the trip at the end. Some of my biggest supporters are not Christians and I thought, "Wow, I know that they've heard about Jesus, but I want to share my life in Christ with them." I absolutely LOVE writing support letters. (Okay, MOST of the time I do. In South Africa, I had to write a letter every month and sometimes that got a little old, but I would say most of the time it's very enjoyable =) I love to share what God is doing in my life and I really feel with all of my heart that the people that pray and/or give are REALLY a HUGE part of ministry. I get excited when it's not just a check in the mail, but also an encouraging note. I love that!
Today the phrase..."and these signs will follow them that believe..." kept coming up. I thought, "Hmm... I know that's a bible verse." So I looked it up. It's Mark 16:17-18,20- "And these signs will follow them that believe: in My Name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover...and they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word through the accompanying signs. Amen." I felt this verse strongly for the Dominican. Wow, this is the great commission. People sometimes get freaked out about the part that says, "casting out demons", but I believe as we draw closer to the second coming of Christ that this will be common as well as laying hands on the sick and seeing many more people recover---I'm believing for 100%!! I love listening to Pastor Bill Johnson (a pastor in California) and hearing of testimonies of God's goodness and healing power on a weekly basis. I'm believing for my friend Grace's healing and I know that God is more than able to do a miracle. Miracles, signs and wonders.
It would be so easy for me to say, "Oh, this isn't Africa" and maybe slough it off as not as important. But God is not interested in our biases (even though He has given me a HUGE heart for Africa and I love that!!!) He loves ALL people.
When Pastor Lee prays for a country usually week, I raise my hands and begin to pray over that country as he is praying. In the beginning, I would raise my hands and sometimes think, "But this isn't Africa and I don't really have a heart for these people like I do Africa." After a while, I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit and now I purpose in my heart to love the nations that aren't in that specific continent as well. The meek shall inherit the earth; not just Africa. =)
So I pray for the Dominican Republic. I pray for the rains of the dew of God's presence to come and saturate the dry and thirsty in that land. God smiles at the Dominican and He loves them so much. God, shine through us the light and the love of Jesus to those beautiful people that feel, taste, hear, smell, touch and see just like us. We are not so much different.
Today the phrase..."and these signs will follow them that believe..." kept coming up. I thought, "Hmm... I know that's a bible verse." So I looked it up. It's Mark 16:17-18,20- "And these signs will follow them that believe: in My Name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover...and they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word through the accompanying signs. Amen." I felt this verse strongly for the Dominican. Wow, this is the great commission. People sometimes get freaked out about the part that says, "casting out demons", but I believe as we draw closer to the second coming of Christ that this will be common as well as laying hands on the sick and seeing many more people recover---I'm believing for 100%!! I love listening to Pastor Bill Johnson (a pastor in California) and hearing of testimonies of God's goodness and healing power on a weekly basis. I'm believing for my friend Grace's healing and I know that God is more than able to do a miracle. Miracles, signs and wonders.
It would be so easy for me to say, "Oh, this isn't Africa" and maybe slough it off as not as important. But God is not interested in our biases (even though He has given me a HUGE heart for Africa and I love that!!!) He loves ALL people.
When Pastor Lee prays for a country usually week, I raise my hands and begin to pray over that country as he is praying. In the beginning, I would raise my hands and sometimes think, "But this isn't Africa and I don't really have a heart for these people like I do Africa." After a while, I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit and now I purpose in my heart to love the nations that aren't in that specific continent as well. The meek shall inherit the earth; not just Africa. =)
So I pray for the Dominican Republic. I pray for the rains of the dew of God's presence to come and saturate the dry and thirsty in that land. God smiles at the Dominican and He loves them so much. God, shine through us the light and the love of Jesus to those beautiful people that feel, taste, hear, smell, touch and see just like us. We are not so much different.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
We Belong to Him
Today I just want to share out of my notes from what Pastor Lee spoke on this morning. It really hit home with me. The name of the message was FUEL: Holy Spirit- The Connector:
Three things the Holy Spirit comes to do:
1. Reveal Who God is
(Ecclesiastes- God has deposited eternity in our hearts)
2. Reveal who we are. WE BELONG TO HIM. (John 14:15)
3. Reveal what is ours. (I Corinthians 2:12)
Untrue Views of God:
1. He is angry with me
2. He is distant and not concerned
3. He doesn't care what I do. Anything goes.
4. He loves everyone else except for me.
The Holy Spirit is going to help us move beyond our barriers to reveal the Father to us. (I John 3:1)
Open our spiritual eyes to the vast richness and beauty and justice that God offers us.
The first thing that the Holy Spirit teaches us is to say, 'Abba (Daddy) Father.'
I'm reminded and have been thinking a lot about a song that my sister-in-law to be (Abbey) has written. Part of the song says, "You are not hiding. You show Your face. You want to be found and embraced. You gladly open, open Your heart. And unlock the mysteries. You want to be found."
The Holy Spirit is not hiding from showing us the Father heart of God. Today I layed on my floor and looked out my window and saw the wind blowing in the trees. At that moment, I could sense the Holy Spirit in a tangible way. He is a wonderful counselor, comforter and friend.
"Every day with Jesus is better than the last." =)
Three things the Holy Spirit comes to do:
1. Reveal Who God is
(Ecclesiastes- God has deposited eternity in our hearts)
2. Reveal who we are. WE BELONG TO HIM. (John 14:15)
3. Reveal what is ours. (I Corinthians 2:12)
Untrue Views of God:
1. He is angry with me
2. He is distant and not concerned
3. He doesn't care what I do. Anything goes.
4. He loves everyone else except for me.
The Holy Spirit is going to help us move beyond our barriers to reveal the Father to us. (I John 3:1)
Open our spiritual eyes to the vast richness and beauty and justice that God offers us.
The first thing that the Holy Spirit teaches us is to say, 'Abba (Daddy) Father.'
I'm reminded and have been thinking a lot about a song that my sister-in-law to be (Abbey) has written. Part of the song says, "You are not hiding. You show Your face. You want to be found and embraced. You gladly open, open Your heart. And unlock the mysteries. You want to be found."
The Holy Spirit is not hiding from showing us the Father heart of God. Today I layed on my floor and looked out my window and saw the wind blowing in the trees. At that moment, I could sense the Holy Spirit in a tangible way. He is a wonderful counselor, comforter and friend.
"Every day with Jesus is better than the last." =)
Monday, June 9, 2008
Lift the Veil
I've been thinking a lot lately how our relationship with God is directly coorelated with our relationships with others. For example, if we feel as though God is angry with us or very disappointed we may be in angry with others and in turn believe that they are angry with us, because at the core, we don't believe that God is really good all the time and we believe that there are times when He is angry or disappointed. We may not say it with exact words of the world around us ("God is going to strike me with lightning"), but we live as though He really isn't for us. Psalm 56:9 says, "My enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I know that God is for me." Eve in the garden believed that God was witholding something from her, so she rebelled and did things her own way. She didn't believe that God had her and Adam's best interest at heart.
If we could lift the veil and see into the spiritual realm, we would see a war going on between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of God being played out in our every day lives when relating with others, in mundane tasks and habits, etc. The sinful human flesh is waring against the spirit every day. Just the other day I woke up and this independence came over me and I stopped and thought, "How could I ever think that one day I could wake up and not need God?" Yet sometimes we live our lives like He isn't there and that surely this time He will leave us and that He truely doesn't have our best interest in mind or things would have never turned out this way. Like one day we will wake up and He won't be there for us. Yet we look back and instead of seeing only the "hell," we realize that He truely has always been there and has never left us alone to fend for ourselves. Great fear yet great love. Great ashes yet great beauty. Great fire yet great cleansing and purifying. Great attacks yet great vengeance of the Lord. Great war yet great victory and triumph through KING JESUS. NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING can seperate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:31-39) And there is no place that we can go that His presence is not there (Psalm 139:7-12).
How great is His vengeance, His holy anger, His unfailing love and mercy, His overwhelming grace and beauty, His forgiveness, the wonderful conviction of the Holy Spirit and kindness that leads us to repentance. When we come boldy before His throne of grace and say "Create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit in me," we see a picture of His overwhelming love for us and all arguements are dropped as we stand at the foot of the cross, unashamed and in the fear of Lord. He loves, He convicts, He forgives and He wins over and over and over again. Thank God we don't get what we deserve. There's a song by a lady named Kim Walker and part of the words to the song say, "If grace were a notion, we'd all be sinking," and she chuckles after she sings that part. =)
I have just started a life group called Ragamuffin Gospel that my friends Kristin and Kelly are heading up and we are going to be talking a lot about the grace of God in the next coming weeks, so maybe I will put some nuggets from there on here.
God, let us go from glory to glory with You (II Corinthians 3:18). And only through Your love and grace can we be changed.
If we could lift the veil and see into the spiritual realm, we would see a war going on between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of God being played out in our every day lives when relating with others, in mundane tasks and habits, etc. The sinful human flesh is waring against the spirit every day. Just the other day I woke up and this independence came over me and I stopped and thought, "How could I ever think that one day I could wake up and not need God?" Yet sometimes we live our lives like He isn't there and that surely this time He will leave us and that He truely doesn't have our best interest in mind or things would have never turned out this way. Like one day we will wake up and He won't be there for us. Yet we look back and instead of seeing only the "hell," we realize that He truely has always been there and has never left us alone to fend for ourselves. Great fear yet great love. Great ashes yet great beauty. Great fire yet great cleansing and purifying. Great attacks yet great vengeance of the Lord. Great war yet great victory and triumph through KING JESUS. NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING can seperate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:31-39) And there is no place that we can go that His presence is not there (Psalm 139:7-12).
How great is His vengeance, His holy anger, His unfailing love and mercy, His overwhelming grace and beauty, His forgiveness, the wonderful conviction of the Holy Spirit and kindness that leads us to repentance. When we come boldy before His throne of grace and say "Create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit in me," we see a picture of His overwhelming love for us and all arguements are dropped as we stand at the foot of the cross, unashamed and in the fear of Lord. He loves, He convicts, He forgives and He wins over and over and over again. Thank God we don't get what we deserve. There's a song by a lady named Kim Walker and part of the words to the song say, "If grace were a notion, we'd all be sinking," and she chuckles after she sings that part. =)
I have just started a life group called Ragamuffin Gospel that my friends Kristin and Kelly are heading up and we are going to be talking a lot about the grace of God in the next coming weeks, so maybe I will put some nuggets from there on here.
God, let us go from glory to glory with You (II Corinthians 3:18). And only through Your love and grace can we be changed.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The Vision
It's amazing how God can use things that you have written in the past to encourage you in the now. Today the Holy Spirit reminded me of a journal entry that I had written when I was 15 years old. It was December 11, 1999 and it's called "The Vision." I had been praying and interceding over my school and then later on, my city. I don't know when I started writing this, but it finished when I was 15. I don't know if I would call this a prophesy, but I believe that whether it is or not; God wants to move and shake in this city and region.
"As I walked up to Mrs. Boone's house, she was laughing and crying uncontrollably. God is moving across the small poor town of _____ like never before! Revival is breaking through. People are getting healed, the chains of sin and death are being broken, uncountable people are getting saved... murderers, thieves, idolators, liers, atheists... are falling on their faces before the throne of God and crying out to Him for the mercy and grace that they longed for.
God is moving like a rushing river, flowing into people's lives and using them to be bold witness for Him. It's an uncontrollable, unquenchable, unimaginable wildfire that keeps spreading and quenching hearts non-stop!
The devil is attacking the people constantly and with great force. But His power doesn't even come close to comparing with the power of the Almighty God! Anything that he attacks God's people with becomes powerless and useless.
Walking on through this city, I can ultimately see the drastic change of the souls of people... you can see it in their eyes... a void that had once been empty, lonely and sorrowful... was now totally filled up with Jesus!
People's hearts are screaming out saying. 'Jesus! Jesus! I want more and more of Jesus!' It's the fire of the Almighty God shut up in their bones that they can't stand to keep in! (Jer. 20:9). Everything within them is crying out to God and totally reverent to Him.
Mediocrity no longer rules and reigns over people's lives. It isn't even an issue that is heard about anywhere.
By now, the devil and his demons are petrified and trembling. They've tried everything in their power that they can possibly do, but nothing is working. Even their most powerful and greatest schemes and lies that have worked on people in the past, weren't working now, and were labeled, 'useless.'
People are starting to be true to God instead of themselves. Their own 'salvation' was leading them no where at all. The thrills of life lasted for short amounts of time, but when those thrills and rushes were gone, they became weighed down with the cares of their lives, and were 'trapped in a bottle,' waiting for someone or something to set them free.
God's people are tired of going through the motions, and not really knowing why they exist of why they even deserve to exist. They now know that there is more to life than drugs, alcohol, gus, girls, clothes, sex, money, depressing lives. But God's awesome power is so incredibly overwhelming, that even the precious people that the devil thought he had a stronghold in their life, are being set free from their past, and totally renewed and redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb... Jesus Christ!
By now, the religious people are also petrified and filled with anger. There were no 'lambs' keeled over to sacrifice (I don't know where I got that from =), carved images of Mary, Buddah or burnt incense. They say, 'This must stop! You freaks are going way too far! Way too extreme! You're talking to so many unclean people who haven't done any good deeds! Just who do you think you are are, anyway??' But the religious people thought, 'But what ever can we do to stop them? There's way too many of them to control! This whole world is going crazy with this Jesus stuff! These psycho people! Ahhh!' (wow, I was dramatic at 15 =)
So many people have had to face the truth. The truth is, that God is moving and there is no stopping Him and His people! And the question is: Are you going to jump in this mighty move of God or in mediocrity, just making it in life. People's compassion, love, joy, peace, honesty, trust, devotion, respect, commitment, patience... for each other is growing so much stronger. Marriages are becoming inseperable and more and more broken hearts are being mended and the anger, regret and bitterness that people anchored for so long is totally being stripped away.
The signs and wonders, and dreams and visions (Acts 2:17-21) of the end times that God spoke about over 2,000 years ago are becoming reality. All 'hell' is breaking loose in people's lives, yet they never ever give up and keep leaning on the everlasting arms of Christ Jesus. Spiritual warfare is a daily issue in people's hearts, but Jesus always has the victory! And He is fighting the battle for us, and we as always, continue to WIN!!!"
God, I pray for an outpouring of your love, mercy and grace on this city and region. Last week, I had a vision of a straight line of wildfire coming up from Florida and targeting Kalamazoo. God, You are shifting things in the spirit and we don't want to miss it.
I don't think 'sin management' will work anymore. We need You, God. I pray that it won't just be something that will come and go... like Azusa Street. I pray for something to stick. Why do we pursue our flesh and our own pleasures? Why do we think that that aching inside will be filled inside with something other than the love of God? Eve thought that God was holding out on her and we have followed in her example. You are not holding out on us, God. You are good and your love endures. Your mercies are new every morning, every day. GREAT is Your faithfulness. I like Jason Upton's song that says, "I don't know what to do, but my eyes are on You." Not in a despair, but in DESPERATION for God. We're hungry for You, God, to move. Use the upper room this summer as a place of filling the bowls of heaven and come KING JESUS, like the rain. And if it doesn't happen that way, do what You will whatever that looks like.
"As I walked up to Mrs. Boone's house, she was laughing and crying uncontrollably. God is moving across the small poor town of _____ like never before! Revival is breaking through. People are getting healed, the chains of sin and death are being broken, uncountable people are getting saved... murderers, thieves, idolators, liers, atheists... are falling on their faces before the throne of God and crying out to Him for the mercy and grace that they longed for.
God is moving like a rushing river, flowing into people's lives and using them to be bold witness for Him. It's an uncontrollable, unquenchable, unimaginable wildfire that keeps spreading and quenching hearts non-stop!
The devil is attacking the people constantly and with great force. But His power doesn't even come close to comparing with the power of the Almighty God! Anything that he attacks God's people with becomes powerless and useless.
Walking on through this city, I can ultimately see the drastic change of the souls of people... you can see it in their eyes... a void that had once been empty, lonely and sorrowful... was now totally filled up with Jesus!
People's hearts are screaming out saying. 'Jesus! Jesus! I want more and more of Jesus!' It's the fire of the Almighty God shut up in their bones that they can't stand to keep in! (Jer. 20:9). Everything within them is crying out to God and totally reverent to Him.
Mediocrity no longer rules and reigns over people's lives. It isn't even an issue that is heard about anywhere.
By now, the devil and his demons are petrified and trembling. They've tried everything in their power that they can possibly do, but nothing is working. Even their most powerful and greatest schemes and lies that have worked on people in the past, weren't working now, and were labeled, 'useless.'
People are starting to be true to God instead of themselves. Their own 'salvation' was leading them no where at all. The thrills of life lasted for short amounts of time, but when those thrills and rushes were gone, they became weighed down with the cares of their lives, and were 'trapped in a bottle,' waiting for someone or something to set them free.
God's people are tired of going through the motions, and not really knowing why they exist of why they even deserve to exist. They now know that there is more to life than drugs, alcohol, gus, girls, clothes, sex, money, depressing lives. But God's awesome power is so incredibly overwhelming, that even the precious people that the devil thought he had a stronghold in their life, are being set free from their past, and totally renewed and redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb... Jesus Christ!
By now, the religious people are also petrified and filled with anger. There were no 'lambs' keeled over to sacrifice (I don't know where I got that from =), carved images of Mary, Buddah or burnt incense. They say, 'This must stop! You freaks are going way too far! Way too extreme! You're talking to so many unclean people who haven't done any good deeds! Just who do you think you are are, anyway??' But the religious people thought, 'But what ever can we do to stop them? There's way too many of them to control! This whole world is going crazy with this Jesus stuff! These psycho people! Ahhh!' (wow, I was dramatic at 15 =)
So many people have had to face the truth. The truth is, that God is moving and there is no stopping Him and His people! And the question is: Are you going to jump in this mighty move of God or in mediocrity, just making it in life. People's compassion, love, joy, peace, honesty, trust, devotion, respect, commitment, patience... for each other is growing so much stronger. Marriages are becoming inseperable and more and more broken hearts are being mended and the anger, regret and bitterness that people anchored for so long is totally being stripped away.
The signs and wonders, and dreams and visions (Acts 2:17-21) of the end times that God spoke about over 2,000 years ago are becoming reality. All 'hell' is breaking loose in people's lives, yet they never ever give up and keep leaning on the everlasting arms of Christ Jesus. Spiritual warfare is a daily issue in people's hearts, but Jesus always has the victory! And He is fighting the battle for us, and we as always, continue to WIN!!!"
God, I pray for an outpouring of your love, mercy and grace on this city and region. Last week, I had a vision of a straight line of wildfire coming up from Florida and targeting Kalamazoo. God, You are shifting things in the spirit and we don't want to miss it.
I don't think 'sin management' will work anymore. We need You, God. I pray that it won't just be something that will come and go... like Azusa Street. I pray for something to stick. Why do we pursue our flesh and our own pleasures? Why do we think that that aching inside will be filled inside with something other than the love of God? Eve thought that God was holding out on her and we have followed in her example. You are not holding out on us, God. You are good and your love endures. Your mercies are new every morning, every day. GREAT is Your faithfulness. I like Jason Upton's song that says, "I don't know what to do, but my eyes are on You." Not in a despair, but in DESPERATION for God. We're hungry for You, God, to move. Use the upper room this summer as a place of filling the bowls of heaven and come KING JESUS, like the rain. And if it doesn't happen that way, do what You will whatever that looks like.
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