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Dreams . . .
And afterward I will pour out My Spirit upon
all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men
shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. Joel 2:28 (Amp)
God speaks to His people through the written Word
of God and through dreams and visions. He visits those who wait on Him
with revelatory truth that will bring both individual and nation into the
plan and purpose of God.
Jacob, Laban and Joseph received instruction,
protection and prophetic insight through dreams. Jacob saw the Ladder at
Bethel, Laban was warned in a dream to do no harm to Jacob and Joseph saw
the prophetic promise of the salvation of his father, brothers and their
people.
The Pharaoh of Egypt dreamed a dream that could
only be interpreted by God's chosen vessel. Both Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar,
king of Babylon, found themselves in the same situation.
The Lord used dreams to bring Joseph, Gideon
and Daniel to a place of prominence. He will do the same thing today to
bring His chosen into places that will serve His prophetic purpose.
He uses the supernatural giftings of "an excellent
spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, clarify riddles,
and solve knotty problems" so that the man or woman of God can "show the
interpretation" to a world devoid of spiritual insight (Daniel 5:12 Amp).
Many shall be the world leaders who come
to the prophets of the Church in these next few years to bring illumination
to the complexities of world governance gone awry.
Visions . . .
God spoke to Abraham, our father of faith, by means
of visions (Genesis 15:1). He also spoke to Israel (Jacob) in visions of
the night (Genesis 46:2) as He did Samuel as recorded in 1 Samuel 3:1-15.
We can also see in 2 Samuel 7:17, that by means of a vision, Nathan the
prophet exposed the sin of King David.
Why would we think it strange that the Lord would
speak to His spokesmen in the same way today? After all, He said, "Hear
now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make Myself known
to him in a vision and speak to him in a dream" (Numbers 12:6 Amp).
We are told to pay close attention to visions that
issue from God and to keep them in our hearts as we await their fulfillment.
For the vision is yet for an
appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive
or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will
surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day. Habakkuk
2:3 (Amp)
Visions have a divine time table attached to them
and they will bear fruit in their season. In fact, we are told that
if there is no vision, there will be no life or progress, only death and
destruction; but if there is a God given vision, there is abundant blessing:
Where there is no vision [no
redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the
law [of God, which includes that of man]—blessed (happy, fortunate, and
enviable) is he. Proverbs 29:18 (Amp)
Don't seek dreams or visions. Seek to meet with
Jesus and learn His ways (Matthew 6:33). Let the Holy Spirit bring you
into an encounter with Him. Then, dreams and visions will come.
Is it not because there is no God . . ?
Everyone seems to want to know what lies ahead in their
lives. Palm readers, psychics, tea leaf readers, mediums, seers, and all
manner of prognosticators are sought out in order to peek into the future.
Even Christians chase after prophets, both real and counterfeit, to catch
a glimpse into what is in store for their lives. Tarot cards, Ouija boards,
and all manner of devices are used to know what is not yet revealed to
the senses.
There was a king in Samaria by the name of Ahaziah who
injured himself falling and became extremely ill. He sent some of his men
to inquire of the god of Ekron, Baalzebub, to see if he was going to live
or die.
The one true God took note of it and sent one of His
prophets, Elijah the Tishbite, to go and meet Ahaziah’s messengers with
the following word:
And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch
as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron,
is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore
thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt
surely die. 2 Kings 1:16 (KJV) [see also v. 6]
We see in verse 17 that, “he died according to the word
of the Lord which Elijah had spoken.” This is one of several incidences
where we can see that God is against those who seek to know the future
by means other than His Holy Spirit.
It never ceases to amaze me, how people in this, supposedly
“enlightened” society, are still seeking after the dead, as though that
were possible, and/or demon spirits, knowingly or unknowingly, to know
what would be freely given if they would just seek the face of God.
Why would anyone want to traffic with a “bottom of the
food chain” spirit of any kind rather than the all powerful Holy Spirit
of God?
Did you receive . . ?
Jesus declared that he was, and is, and ever will be
“the Way and the Truth and the Life” and that “no one comes to the Father
except by (through) Me” (John 14:6 Amp).
After He defeated death, hell and the grave and rose to
the right hand of the majesty on high, He sent the Holy Spirit to be with
all who believe. Subsequent to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at salvation,
He also provided [sent] the promise of the Father” mentioned in Acts 1:4.
We can read of several instances where this “promise” was realized as the
baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues.
There is the Jewish Outpouring of Acts 2:1-4, the Gentile Outpouring of
Acts 10:45, 46, and the Ephesian Outpouring seen in Acts 19:6. It was during
this Ephesian Outpouring that the following was recorded:
And he asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit
when you believed [on Jesus as the Christ]? And they said, No, we have
not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. Acts 19:2 (Amp)
The answer to the question, “did you receive ... when
you believed?” was answered, “No, we have not even heard that there
is a Holy Spirit.” Unfortunately, many Christians are in the same condition
today.
If you have never heard, I’m glad you have read this article.
Of course, first you must receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then,
receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with
other tongues. How? Just ask Jesus to baptize you in the Holy Spirit.
He is the Baptizer. Then, you can ask the Lord to show you things to come.
But when He, the Spirit of Truth . . .comes, . . .
He will announce and declare to you the things . . . [that will happen
in the future]. John 16:13 (Amp)
Confession Deferred ...
John 6:63 gives us a graphic portrayal of why our confession
does not always produce the fruit, or harvest, desired.
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh
profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and
they are life.
The Spirit (or our spirit by the Holy Spirit) is the only
thing that really matters in the scheme of human affairs. It is the
Spirit that quickeneth (vitalizes, revitalizes, gives life [zoe: God life;
God time], makes alive!
Flesh (sarx: the human nature; carnal mindedness; human
reason without the Holy Ghost), on the other hand, has no value or profit
in the least.The carnal reasoning of the human nature, and it's words,
are profitless,useless, impotent and do not benefit at all.
You see, only the words that Jesus speaks to you are of
any value!
Consider with me, if you will, the word zoe. Zoe
includes in it's meaning of God Life the idea of God Time. The quickened
words [hrema] that Jesus speaks to YOU are supernatural life and the time
of vitalization [lifegiving] of those words given to you.
This is what happens when you read a verse of Scripture
and it jumps off the page at you. Suddenly it takes on a personal touch
and immerses you in it's promise. You have then received the fruition of
it's creative power and potential.
Confession Obtained ...
The Bible is the Word of God. It is declared to be quick
[living] and extremely powerful [Heb. 4:12]. The Scripture also declares
itself to be a dead letter.
2 Cor. 3:6 ... the letter killeth, but the Spirit
giveth life.
Which is it? What, then, is being said? How does that
which is dead (in it's legalistic sense) become living and powerful?
The fleshly [sarxist] nature of man attempts to manipulate
the letter of the law to justify himself and to have what he wants. Confession
is made without real understanding of spiritual truth and seeks to satisfy
self. This is defined by the Word as lust. The flesh parrot's [or echo's]
the Word but does not abide, nor have any part with it, in it. The confession
is useless, impotent, and has no benefit at all. It is not mixed with enabling
faith because there is no real relationship between the One who gave the
word and the one who repeats the word.
It takes revelation [quickening] of the Spirit to bring
the dead letter to life in each individual situation and circumstance of
a person's life.This is as true for those lost souls who respond to the
Gospel as it is for we Christians who expect results from our confession.
Romans 10:17 teaches us that faith comes by giving audience
to what was heard and that hearing comes by the God Words quickened by
the Spirit.Having heard what Jesus said, we can then speak. This is the
confessionof faith that will bring the manifestation of the thing spoken. |
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Consider The Christ
...
Luke 2:11 For unto you is
born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Just as it was prophesied by Isaiah,
the Savior as born of a virgin and announced by angels.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the
Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive,
and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us].
Luke 2:10-14 And the angel
said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ... And suddenly
there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God,
and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men.
Never has love been so displayed
than that God came in the Person of His Son to redeem mankind.
John 3:16 For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Consider the Christ of God....
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon
his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty
God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Celebrate
The Birth ...
Psalm 150:6 Let every thing
that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
Isaiah 38:18 For the grave
cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into
the pit cannot hope for thy truth. With the understanding of what God has
done, How can we do anything but praise Him. How can we not set aside a
special day to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child?
Don't you know that Satan and his
host are incensed when we take time to celebrate the birth of God's only
begotten Son?
The secular world wants every mention
of Jesus taken out of the Christmas season. As if this was not bad enough,
many Christians have joined them by refusing to celebrate because they
feel that the whole celebration is pagan. Beloved, don't be
deceived and trapped by mans legalistic will worship. Though pagans and
Christians have brought their traditions to bear on the 25th of December,
the world has come to know that Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth
of Jesus, the Christ of God.
Christians walked away from politics
giving the Country over to perversion. Believers walked away from the media
giving Hollywood the right to produce pornography. We must not walk way
from any day that God has given us as a tool to proclaim Christ to the
world.
Let us Celebrate the Christ! |
Don’t Be Anxious ..
The Lord is against worry. He knows that
it does not produce anything but stress, strain, and death in those who
entertain it. Jesus, Paul, the whole Bible teaches us to refrain from entertaining
worry because its author is Satan.
Worry is a form of faith. It’s faith that
the devil has more power to bring about evil than God has to bring about
good. Anxiety is the emotion that accompanies the anticipation of some
(usually ill-defined) evil or harmful event.
It is caused by worry (constant touching of the thing
imagined). Worry comes when we don’t trust God; when we don’t have faith
in Him.
In Philippians 4:6-7 we are commanded:
"Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of
God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus."
In the Amplified Bible it reads,
"Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything."
We are told in First Peter 5:6-7 to cast all (not three-quarters
of, not everything but our finances, not everything but our kids) but all
of our care upon Him:
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may
exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him."
Every morning we should get up with a declaration of
faith in God that sounds something like this:
"Today I don’t have to worry, I don’t have to feel anxious, I don’t have
a care, because it has all been cast over on my Lord!"
Too often people want God to supernaturally deliver them
from worry. But that’s not how we get the peace of God.
We appropriate the peace of God by exercising the faith
and authority we have been given in Christ the Anointed One and in the
word of His power [Hebrews 1:3]. We cast down imaginations through the
power of His Word of love:
2 Cor. 10:5 (KJV) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing
that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Psalm 119:165 (KJV) Great peace have they which love thy law [precepts
or statutes]: and nothing shall offend them.
Be Worry Free!
We are to act on the Word of God that says
to cast all of your worry and anxiety over on Him. Much like tossing your
car keys to a friend for safe keeping. They are your keys and you can have
them back whenever you want. The
difference is that your friend is in control of them.
You can have them back whenever you want but if someone wants them they
will have to go ask your friend. He has the keys, you don’t. Our cares,
worries, etc. should all be given to our Friend, God Almighty.
We must learn to replace worrisome, tormenting
thoughts with the Word of the Living God. It is the Word that gives us
life (quickens us) and keeps our focus on things true, honest, just, pure,
lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy. These are the things
Philippians 4:8 tells us to think on.
When we do, we will have control of our
minds and the peace of God will stand guard over our entire being [Phil.
4:7].
Instead of worry tying the hands of God,
His power will begin to operate in our behalf.
Begin now to appropriate the powerful peace
of God. Start filling your mind with the engrafted Word which is able to
save your soul (the seat of your will, emotions and thoughts). Meditate
in the Word day and night and act upon it [Joshua 1:8]. Declare the Word
of Love that never fails and experience peace that passes all understanding.
Begin to say, “I humble myself under the
mighty hand of God Who cares for me and am lifted above worry and fear
because I cast all my care upon Him” [1 Peter 5:6-7].
Declare, “I have no fear or anxiety because
God has not given me a spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of
a calm, well-balanced mind that is disciplined and under the control of
the Holy Spirit” [2 Timothy 1:7]
Decree, “I have brought every thought to
the obedience of Christ and therefore have cast down every imagination,
thought and emotion that would dare to exalt itself against the knowledge
of God. He has given me great peace and I cannot be offended because I
love the precepts and statutes of God” [2 Corinthians 10:5; Psalm 119:165].
The Good News in Christ Jesus is:
You don't have to worry again!
The greater One indwells in you.
He is able to keep you on the Victory side!
Commit to it. You will never worry again!
Did you sense it?
The moment the Presidential Inauguration began - the
Heavens began to open over America!
The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure,
the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all
the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou
shalt not borrow. [Deut. 28:12]
There was a paradigm shift in the spiritual atmosphere
of our nation. It is exactly what happened in Nigeria over a year
ago and in the Philippines this year as the leadership changed. Revival
is sweeping Nigeria like never before. Prosperity is rampant in the Church.
The Nation is turning from corruption to integrity, poverty to prosperity,
vulnerability to strength.
Righteousness exalteth a nation: but
sin is a reproach to any people. [Proverbs 14:34]
The people are rejoicing in the Philippines with renewed
hope and the Church is pressing forward with renewed vigor. Those in Nigeria
who understand the promises of God are watching intently for every opportunity
to bring the Word of God to bear on every facet of life.
Prayerfully, we in this Nation will also grasp the significance
of this window of Providence and fan the flames of revival in every arena;
taking hold of every opportunity to further the cause of Christ by prayer,
word and deed.
When the righteous are in authority,
the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
Proverbs 29:2
I am thrilled for what is ahead for you during this season
of favor. This is a time to birth new vision, and a time to die to past
failures and disappointments: a time to pluck up that which is not producing
in our lives and ministries, and a time to plant new churches and ministries;
a time to kill the old man once and for all, and a time to heal old breaches
and forgive old offences; a time to break down walls and barriers that
divide, and a time to build up the waste places; a time to weep with those
who weep, and a time to laugh at the futility of Satan's devices, a time
to mourn no more, and a time to dance the dances of victory; a time to
cast away the stones that hinder progress, and a time to make straight
the way of the Lord for the lost and to gather the living stones of God;
a time to embrace each other and all that God has for us, and a time to
refrain from embracing all that would hinder our relationship with Christ;
a time to get our inheritance, and
a time to lose the attitudes that would stop us from
getting; a time to keep the faith, and a time to cast away fear;
a time to tear up old wine skins, and a time to sew the new, a time to
keep doubt and unbelief in silence, and a time to speak as an oracle of
God; a time to love with the love of Christ, and a time to hate sin and
it's hold on others; a time of war in the realms of the spirit, and a time
of establishing peace through
the power of the Prince of Peace. [Eccl. 3]
Promises like Open Heavens, Transfer, No Limits, Acceleration,
etc. permeate the prophet's vocabulary during these times. One thing is
certain this is going to be the best year ever! Open your heart and
let God expand your capacity and vision for these glorious days of harvest
under Open Heavens.
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