Receiving the grain, New wine, and oil!!

 Deuteronomy 11:1-7

"Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always. Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm; the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country; what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots, how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea as they were pursuing you, and how the LORD brought lasting ruin on them. It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the desert until you arrived at this place, and what he did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them. But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the LORD has done."

We have seen over the past 200 years across the world more movements of God than I can count and more ways of His manifest power showing up than we can fathom. Have you experienced one? Have you been so moved by God that it radically altered how you interacted with Him? The stories some must have; the testimonies that could be shared. This prophetic message from God starts here.

God is saying to this new generation,

"Do not squander the foundations laid by your fathers and mothers!"

But to do this they must be told stories of God's moves in your life! He calling out to the elders, "Tell them of my greatness!! Teach them that through me, the impossible IS possible!" We can read stories. We can Wikipedia or Google it, but that is only knowledge. Impart to us what God has given you! Lay hands on us that we can continue this work. Help us to go beyond knowledge into His revelation understanding!!! Help us to move forward as the Church!!

Where we find the encouragement to continue on.......

 2 Timothy 1:3-10

"I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.  So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

 So often we find ourselves looking through fractured glass into our lives. The enemy loves to see his attacks become cracks that don't allow us to see the world in the way God does. There is no better example than Timothy. In Paul's first letter, he lays out a big task for Timothy in Ephesus,

"As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm."

I could easily see a young man, on possibly his first solo task, running across some tough moments. How easily would it have been to feel defeated and have those moments of conflict become fractures in his glass on which he views his situation. Paul must have understood because he knew what needed to be done. He started by reminding Timothy of his identity, not just in Christ, but also his testamony walking with Christ!

"and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also."

How good is it to have a friend there to recount all God has done in your life and sees who you are even when you don't, but Paul doesn't stop there. He reminds Timothy to fan the flames of the gift God gave him. Continue in study of the word, seeking revelation, and prayer by sharing a relationship with God. Remember not only the calling, but what fuels the calling!
Then, as if that wasn't enough, he beginnings to remind Timothy of what empowers him in this calling,

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."

 Wow!! What a power sentence! He reminds Timothy that he has no reason to fear because it was no longer apart of his identity in Christ. Then he lays out the three things God has given him to stand as a witness in this world.

1. Power - As a believer, he has through the Holy Spirit the power to heal the sick, raise the dead, and many other miracles, signs, and wonders. He can be a healing force in his community showing the power of the Gospel!!
2. Love - In a world void of Agape love - unconditional and able to cover a multitude of sins and wrongs. As he shares with his community, he shares a love that can break the chains of strongholds, bondages, and family devastaiton!
3. Self-Discipline - God has made him a new creation able to live by His grace, joy, and peace. Those spiritual states are unshakable! When he stands in that place, God has renewed his mind to be able to stand in the face of disaster and chaos. His ability to make wise decisions and walk a righteous path makes him a force of stability in a shaken spiraling world!

Paul ends this great moment of encouraging with a statement that gives the reality of their situation. Paul wasn't sugar coating the truth as we so often hear it today. He say,

"So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace."

How would you feel if someone said come join me in suffering? But it is the truth! Jesus said (I paraphrase), "There going to hateyou because they hated me first so be ready for opposition!" But the greatest hope we have is in sharing in those sufferings with Christ for the Glory of God in our lives. When we stand in Power, Love, and Self-Discipline, and come out the other side ready for more......... that's when we know our life has become a testimony of God working through us. Continue on Brothers and Sisters. As Paul so perfectly stated:

2 Timothy 4:1-8

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

Selah

You are an Oak in the Desert!!

::If you saw a big oak tree growing in the desert, you would have to ask yourself, "In a barren wasteland, with nothing else growing, how is it growing? From where does it get it's water?" When you dig under ground to it's roots, you would find a river of water not seen from the surface giving life to the tree. Before you would have said, "Look at the mighty oak that gives the birds a place to live. In a wasteland, it is the tree that gives life!" Now you know that life comes not from the tree, but from the river of living water!::

Allowing God to clear and build new

Have you felt the clearing? I know I have!! God is revealing things that hinder complete relationship with Him. I dare you today, if you haven't, to ask Him to reveal those things that are holding you back. The things we hold onto from our old personality....the old man! It's a dangerous prayer and risk is not part of the "normal christian life", but God always does what is right when you ask Him to come into a situation. 

Matthew 7:7-11

 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

He loves to see His children pray the risky prayers. The prayers that give Him the "Yes" into your life!! Let us this week begin to ask for all He has for us. Let us live Romans 12 as a living sacrifice, but that's for the next blog!! :-)

Clearing the way!!

Praise God for His goodness and His clear voice speaking out in this world! If you read the last post, it was just the beginning. God IS saying,"Lift it out!" But he is calling us to the beginning of this work he has for us today.
If you read the passage from scripture, before the Axe Head could be used for it's purpose, these men had to recognize the change in the landscape around them! They saw the need to clear and build. God's looking right now to clear and build within every one of us.

2 Timothy 2:20-21

"In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for honorable purposes and some for dishonorable. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for honorable purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work."

The first step is calling to us is,

"Give me permission to clean house! Become a living sacrifice Holy and step apart for my purposes!" 

We must begin to daily ask God to reveal the places and vessels of dishonor in our life, so we are ready to take the Axe Head to every low and high place the enemy has placed a stronghold!!! Thank you Jesus!!

Reclaim the Ax Head of God's Power

I am so excited for what God is speaking right now in this time. We live in a world in decrease and decay. A world that desires to see the power of the church snuffed out. It's not a big church that satan fears or bible carriers. What he is truly afraid of is the body of Christ walking in the full power of the Holy Spirit! It is time to reclaim the power of God's Axe Head! He is speaking to you right now saying, "Lift it out!" Take the Axe Head that will cut the strong holds at the very root in Jesus Name!!!

2 Kings 6:1-7

The company of the prophets said to Elisha, "Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to live." And he said, "Go."

Then one of them said, "Won't you please come with your servants?"
"I will," Elisha replied. And he went with them. They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. "Oh, my lord," he cried out, "it was borrowed!"

The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. "Lift it out," he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.