Greater Things Are Still Come!

Jeff and Kathi Pelton: God's Gracious Dealings: Another Great Move of God Will Be Birthed in Great Humility
[from the Elijah List website]

"All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers. You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not."—Deuteronomy 8:1-2

"Why, God?" are two words that both of us have heard and spoken many times this past year. Since 2009 began, it has been a year of "whys" for many of God's people who have gone through a deep and extended time of testing—lasting years in some cases. But, for all of our questioning "why," the only answer the Holy Spirit has given us has been, "Trust Me."

Deep within our spirits, we knew that God's people were being tested and prepared for the days ahead. But what we haven't understood has been the severe and total stripping of resources. For our family, we are experiencing a life of praying and watching for our daily bread, since every natural resource has dried up. We never have the comfort or security within our own strength to know where the next meal or next day's provision will come from. After seeking much counsel, after countless hours of prayer, and after exhausting all human reasoning, over and over we still hear: "You are right where God wants you to be; continue to wait upon the Lord."

But now, the last month of the year, it seems that the Lord is giving us greater understanding into the work that He has been doing within our hearts. The answer is found in chapter eight of Deuteronomy.

You Are Not a Failure

Recently we were with a Christian man whom we know quite well. He stated that he had failed his family because of circumstances they have encountered. This man has worked hard all of his life and has followed the Lord in all that He had asked of him, but still has lost his job and all of his resources to provide for his family. We knew that this man was not a failure, but he believed it so strongly that it began to be the reality of his identity in his own eyes, rather than what his family knew to be true. It was a devastating conclusion. God loved this man deeply as a dear son, but he was not able to perceive that love, or really recognize his sonship.

As we have thought and prayed about this, we realize there must be many other men and women dealing with similar thoughts. They look into the eyes of their loved ones and realize they have nothing within themselves to offer their families or change their painful situations. (This is especially discouraging during the holiday season, when the pressure to have provision escalates.) Many others have stepped out in faith, believing for great things, only to find their best efforts have seemingly produced no fruit.

In trying to find some insight regarding the difficulties in our lives and the lives of others, the Holy Spirit led us to Deuteronomy eight as an answer to the question, "Am I a failure?"

Let's read further into Deuteronomy 8 and see what the Lord says: He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord... (Verse 3)

Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. For the Lord is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you shall eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.

When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and you have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Verses 5-14)

Here's the dilemma: if you believe that your weakness can make you a failure, then you probably also believe that it is by your strength that you can be a success. The people of Israel were disciplined and humbled by their time in the wilderness, but were they failures as they followed the cloud and pillar of fire, or gathered manna for their daily sustenance? Then, was it their strength that ushered them after forty years into the Promised Land and won the battles they fought to posses the land? No—it was God's strength that provided for them, led them, and gave them victory and prosperity.

Does a parent discipline his child because he believes his child is a failure? No! We discipline because we know that our children were created for great things, and we want them to know how to listen and obey our words so that one day they will listen and obey the word of the Lord. So, to all of you men and women who have believed that this season of discipline has been due to your failure: You are not a failure. You are a loved Son or Daughter whom the Lord is teaching to hear and obey His voice.

God Alone Gives the Power to Make Wealth

In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, "My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth." But, you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (Verses 16-18)

This season, in which many Believers have wondered if it was their end, has actually been the threshold to the greatest move of God we have ever seen. The wilderness has been the beginning of the move of God we have all been praying for; it has just come differently than we expected.

Why did people have a hard time receiving Jesus as the Messiah? Because He came in very humble means. His life began in a manger made for animals and ended on a cross made for thieves and murderers. His coming was the pivotal point of history for all mankind. But many did not see, and still have not seen, who He really is.

Will we not see that we are in the beginning phase of another great move of God that has been birthed in great humility, as well as adversity? Whether we are entrusted with great wealth or many souls saved (or both), our hearts must be prepared in humility, so that we can truly say in the midst of what many would categorize as "success" that it is God alone who gives us the power to do all things! We have been and are being tested so that in the end we will not believe that it was our strength or power that caused these things to come about.

Do Not Touch

"It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God." (Verses 19-20)

We cannot count the times in raising our children that we used the words, "Do not touch!" They wanted to touch everything and own everything. It seems one of the first words all of them learned was "Mine!" Everything we owned was "mine." In their little perspectives, all items in the house were theirs to touch and possess. It took our parental discipline to teach them not to handle something when we said, "Do not touch!"

The same is true of us during this time. God is teaching us what He means when He says, "Do not touch!" We are not to say, "Mine!" about the move of God that will bring forth salvations, wealth, and influence. We are to remain humble and not become our own gods or worship the success.

The story of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 4 is an illustration of the results of claiming honor for ourselves. The Lord graciously gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream warning him against pride. Daniel interpreted the dream and offered the king sound wisdom as to how to avoid the scenario he had seen. Obviously, Nebuchadnezzar did not take the warning seriously enough to allow any lasting heart change, for as the story continues, we read what happens to him:

Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. The king reflected and said, "Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?"

While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice came from Heaven, saying, "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind...until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whomever He wishes." (Verses 29-32)

We all know what happened next. After the voice spoke, Nebuchadnezzar lost his sanity and lived like an animal for seven years, as the Lord had warned him. When that period of humbling was completed, Nebuchadnezzar's reason, his sovereignty and his splendor were restored, but he now had a completely different perspective:

"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of Heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride." (Verse 37).

Most of us have not come to the place of testing because we were overtly proud and cruel, like the king. Nevertheless, God knows the preparation that must take place within us before we are entrusted with great success in any arena. The most seemingly humble men and women have fallen prey to the seductions that come with power, wealth and accomplishment. While it is true that God desires to work in us and through us for astonishing purposes, it is by His power that we succeed. Because we are in the beginning of an unprecedented move of God's Spirit, it is absolutely vital that we understand this truth. He will not allow us to carry any trace of pride in our own efforts or strength into this new season.

So, we would say to you: if you feel that you have been stripped of everything, and all your best efforts seem to amount to nothing—rejoice! Begin to thank God for His discipline and humbling because it proves your sonship. Ask Him to forgive you for believing the lie that you are a failure, or that He has failed you. He is preparing you for the greatness that was always meant for His children. Remember, it is in our weakness that He manifests His strength.

Prayer

Father—
In my weakness manifest Your strength
In my pride manifest Your humility
In my lies manifest Your truth
In my need manifest Your power
In my poverty manifest Your riches
In my sickness manifest Your health
In my hunger manifest Your fullness
In my loneliness manifest Your presence
And in my death manifest Your life!
Amen

Merry Christmas. Rejoice in this wonderful season—Jesus truly is the humble King!

Jeff and Kathi Pelton
Light Streams Ministries
Email: jkpelton@sbcglobal.net

TKB Notes on Humility

Notes on the [The Kingdom Builders] cell group discussion on humility.

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+ The quality or condition of being humble, meek, subdued, modesty, lowliness


+ Just like faith, humility is attractive to God. If faith moves the hand of God on our behalf, I believe humility turns the face of God toward us. Several passages in the Bible show the appeal humility has on God.


+ The attitude of humility has turned God away from His anger.

2 Chronicles 12:7 – When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: "Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.

2 Chronicles 12:12 – Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the LORD's anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed.


+ Humility in God’s people has caused Him to turn His ears to their prayers.

2 Chronicles 7:14 – If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 34:27 – Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD.


+ God finds humility a very desirable character in a man and as a result, He does the following for those who are humble hearted:

God saves them
2 Samuel 22:28 – You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
Psalm 18:27 – You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.

He guides them
Psalm 25:9 – He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

He sustains them
Psalm 147:6 – The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.

He crowns them with salvation
Psalm149:4 – For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.

He gives grace to them
Proverbs 3:34 – He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.

He esteems them
Isaiah 66:2 – This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.

He makes them greatest in the Kingdom
Matthew 18:4 – Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

He exalts them
Matthew 23:12 – For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

He lifts them up
Luke 1:52 – He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
1 Peter 5:6 – Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.


+ Other benefits of humility include:

Wisdom
Proverbs 11:2 -- When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Honor
Proverbs 15:33 – The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor. (First you learn humility, then you experience glory.)

Proverbs 18:12 – Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

Wealth and life
Proverbs 22:4 – Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.

Reconciliation Favor Peace Security


+ We can see the importance of humility throughout the Bible when God’s word instructs us to:

Seek it
Zephaniah 2:3 – Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger.

Serve the Lord with it
Acts 20:19 – I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.

Matthew 20: 26-28 – Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Treat others in that attitude
Philippians 2:3-4 – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Clothe ourselves with it
Colossians 3:12-13 – Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

1 Peter 5:5 – Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

Show it to all
Titus 3:1-2 -- Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.


+ Humbling situations are a test of what’s in our hearts

Deuteronomy 8: 2-3 – Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.


+ God has the ability and the authority to humble and lift up his people

1 Samuel 2:7-8 – The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. "For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; upon them he has set the world.

Warrior of the Royal Meadows

[for Warrior of the Royal Meadows]

Go find your rest and find your peace
In pastures green and coolest breeze
Your Shepherd leads to quell your soul
To royal meadows, be made whole

Your praises raised and heart in place
Your hands stretched out, receiving grace
No fear at hand, save for your Lord
His boldness in your heart restored

Like sheep so meek and lamb laid down
Your strength in humble heart be found
And as you rise, your warrior eyes
will further see no compromise

In peace and comfort find your force
In being still you'll find your course
You know His voice, you know the choice
He'll show the way as you rejoice

Rise up, young man -- a warrior, stand!
Your warfare weapons are at hand
You're trained the shadows dark to fight
Equipped with armor shining bright

For such a time as now you are
Brought forth to take His kingdom far
Stand strong among your saintly fellows
Go forth -- Warrior of the Royal Meadows!

The Cost. The Reward.

JoAnn McFatter: "Positioning For His Presence is Costly...But the Rewards are Beyond Our Comprehension"
[from the Elijah List website]


One With God, Having the Mind of Christ

It is beyond my comprehension to think that God has made available for us to have the mind of Christ. Whenever I hear that I always think, "Oh, the beautiful mind of Christ," as I think of the expression of truth, humility, righteousness, holiness, meekness, wisdom, understanding, and, of course, the endless list of words describing how He thinks. Yet still, this is truly what is being extended to us - the invitation to be one with Him who is one with the Father, by His Holy Spirit, even to the extent of living life out of the mind of Christ.

"For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart." 1 Corinthians 2:16

Unimaginable, and even a bit scary to think about, nevertheless, accomplished by His grace and Holy Spirit. However, there is one catch...one that most of us conveniently forget. That would be the process of dying daily until it is not I who lives but Christ who lives in me.

"[I assure you] by the pride which I have in you in [your fellowship and union with] Christ Jesus our Lord, that I die daily [I face death every day and die to self]." 1 Corinthians 15:31

It is ONLY by this process that we are able to obtain the mind of Christ, thank God. Otherwise, we would have a lot of dangerous people running around with the thoughts of God, using them for their own agendas...hmm...sound familiar? God help us all! There but by the grace of God go I!

The set pattern is for us to become foolish in the eyes of the world, not with the intent to be goofy, but rather to live life according to Kingdom mentality. That would be a Kingdom in which up is down; in which the way to the top is by getting up underneath others to serve them in whatever capacity is needed. Jesus clearly presented this to the disciples as the pattern to live out this life. Why do we always forget this?

Blessed Are the Meek, For They Shall Inherit the Earth

It's interesting in Matthew, just as the crowds are getting huge and "His fame went throughout Syria," Jesus climbs to the top of the mountain, sits, waits for the disciples to come to Him and begins to speak. It's as if He realizes that fame has now hit and it's time to talk to the guys about how to posture themselves through all of this. They are probably thinking about their ministries they are about to launch and all the perks that come with that (just putting it in today's scenario).

Jesus just wants to bring a reality check in the guise of some Kingdom perspective as to how this thing should play out...how they should posture themselves. And in fact, how we should ALL posture ourselves in these coming days as He releases power and authority never seen before in the earth.

"Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous - with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven!

"Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!

"Blessed (happy, blithesome, joyous, spiritually prosperous - with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the meek (the mild, patient, long-suffering), for they shall inherit the earth!" Matthew 5:3-5

The word meek here means "humble by affliction." Ouch! I know very few people who aren't experiencing some kind of affliction these days, or have just been there. It certainly does develop character, though, when walked through rightly. There's a saying, "What doesn't kill us will strengthen us," but I guess we should be saying, "What DOES kill us will strengthen us," since the point is to die daily! Again, God help us all - to die gracefully, that is!

But the good news is that, as a result, THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH!!! We will get back to the original mandate that Adam was given to take dominion of the earth.

There is coming a day and an hour when all manner of this physical realm will be subject to our authority. Some will come to a place in oneness with God that when they say, "Mountain, be moved," it will literally be moved. Others will not be subject to the laws or limitations of the physical realm and will step out onto the water and walk across it. Not for some sensational display, but for the work of the Kingdom.

Many will be translated from place to place. The list is endless and unimaginable that we will participate in as we die to self, serve others and become one with Him as we submit ourselves to this death process. Count it all joy! This is the destiny of this last generation! This is YOUR destiny in and through God!

Consider it Wholly Joyful and Be Thankful!

"Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience." James 1:2-3

We can't go around it, can't go under it, and can't go over it; we must pass through it and overcome the adversity. Likewise, we must overcome the tendency to want to be recognized and celebrated for what we have done, though it really is only what the Lord enables us to participate in as He moves through us. Even above that, we are told to not only embrace and move through it in love and dying to self, but also to be thankful in it!

"See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody. Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]." 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18

I know we all have heard this and we know this in our minds, but walking it out is a whole other thing. We must encourage each other in this - that as many as possible will overcome and become the friends of God in the earth! Most precious in all of this is to become the friend of God.

God Entrusts His Secrets to His Friends

This is the pathway that leads us to becoming His friend. He tells His friends His secrets - those who will pick up His Cross and follow Him even into the sufferings of Christ Jesus. We must become ones who He can trust with these secrets, who will not put it out over the internet every time He tells us something or gives us an experience in Him. If you tell a friend a secret and they share it with others, you learn that you can't trust them so you stop telling them intimate things.

"He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy and faithful in spirit keeps the matter hidden." Proverbs 11:13

"He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore associate not with him who talks too freely." Proverbs 20:19

The point is that God is looking for people He can entrust some astounding things to in the days ahead, over and above any other time in history. We get excited about this, but tend to not talk about the fact that there is a price. We must be ones who have truly died to self, are seeking Him in prayer and relationship, and can be counted on to not tell everything we know.

Jesus said He did only what He saw the Father do. He only said what the Father told Him to say. That does not mean that is all that He knew or all that He could have done, only that He was obedient and could be trusted to engage only when told to by His Father. Can we get by with anything less than the very Son of God, Himself?

Oh, to be the friend of God! That is the cry of cries in this hour! Everything else will flow out of that place with Him. Posturing ourselves for His presence is costly but the rewards are beyond our comprehension. Oh, for the day when it will be cried out in the streets, "The tabernacle of God is with men! These are the ones called the friends of God!"


JoAnn McFatter
WhiteDove Ministries
Email: contact@joannmcfatter.com

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ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

True Disciples are Students

Rick Joyner:
"True Disciples are Students - Ever Learning, Growing, and Seeking More Knowledge of Their Callings and Purposes"

[from Elijah List]

Leadership comes on different levels. Armies tend to have ranks; Moses broke it down into leaders of tens, hundreds, and thousands. In Exodus 12:38, we are told that Israel left Egypt as a "mixed multitude," but then they were quickly formed into "martial array" (see Exodus 13:18), which means military order. This was the first thing the Lord did to prepare Israel for making it through the wilderness and to possess their Promised Land. We can soon expect this to also happen in the Church.

As we have stated, there is a reason why He uses the title "Lord of hosts" or "Lord of armies" more than ten times as much as any other title. He is a martial God - a military leader. His people will become the most awesome army the world has ever seen. We can expect a military demeanor to permeate the advancing Church throughout its ranks and a new breed of leader to arise.

Great Captains

Every great captain of thousands almost certainly began as an immature captain of tens. Maturity can only come with the passage of time and experience. In time, someone who began as an immature leader of tens will become a mature leader of tens. Then he will likely get promoted to a leader of hundreds. The Captain said: "If we are faithful in the little things, He will entrust us with greater things" (see Matthew 25:21).

However, that does not mean that person will now be a mature leader of hundreds when promoted. He will, in fact, be an immature leader of hundreds. He will not start as immature as at the previous level because he has the experience of the basics of leadership. Even so, there are dynamics of leading hundreds that will stretch our abilities to be leaders, regardless of how well we understand leadership.

This anointing for leadership is not just about how many people we can lead. Leaders of tens in some places are much better and more mature leaders than those who may be leaders of thousands in other situations. The same is true in our military. A small group of Special Forces may be a far more valuable and potent force than a much larger force of standard troops, so one who can lead the smaller Special Forces group may be a much more effective and valuable leader.

There is an anointing or grace for leading numbers, but there are special mandates and commissions from God that may take an even greater type of leader.

In every kind of leadership, we must be able to evaluate the status of the people we are leading so we can lead them further, but we must also be able to evaluate ourselves. Those who become great leaders of tens may think that they now understand leadership, and they may, and may be doing it well on their level.

However, there can be a huge difference between leading ten people and leading a hundred. Then there can be another big difference between leading two hundred and leading five hundred or seven hundred. Leading hundreds can prepare us for leading thousands, but there is a big difference that few can comprehend until they are there.

Understanding Something and Doing It

There can be a big difference between understanding something and being able to do it. As a flight instructor, I learned quickly to watch out for students who had read the training manual. These came for flight training with a cocky edge which was apparent by them constantly trying to show me how much they already knew.

These students were dangerous, maybe not unteachable, but at least much harder to teach. This always made it take longer to teach them how to fly the airplane. Also, something had to scare and humble them before they could fly solo or they would be dangerous.

Being able to explain the mechanics of how to land a plane and actually being able to land one are different things. As a Christian, I have also watched many gain knowledge about the manual, the Bible, and that knowledge would puff them up because they could not distinguish the difference between having intellectual knowledge of a truth and actually living that truth. In fact, some of the people I've met who have the greatest knowledge of "the deep things of God" have been some of the least Christlike people I've met and have little of His life and power.

However, reading the manual before beginning their actual flight training worked differently for some. Some were not puffed up by their knowledge, but rather humbled by it. These were the rare ones who cared less about impressing their flight instructor, but were more concerned about learning to fly the airplane. For these, their knowledge of the manual actually aided and sped up their training. Humility makes everything in life easier.

The Faster We Humble Ourselves the Easier It Will Be For Us

Even so, as a flight instructor I was just as resolved to get the proud ones to be good pilots as I was the humble ones, and I would give the same effort to each. In my observations of how the Lord deals with us, I don't think He gives up on people either just because they are proud. It may be harder and take longer for the proud ones, but He loves them too. However, just as my effort with the humble produced much faster results, the faster we humble ourselves, the easier it will be for us.

Higher levels of flying are identified by higher licenses, such as Commercial or Airline Transport Pilot ratings. In a sense, these are like being captains of tens, hundreds, or thousands because with each higher rating, there is likely a bigger aircraft which will carry more people.

There is a world of difference between flying a Cessna trainer and flying a Boeing 747, even though they both have the same basic controls and flight and navigation instruments. It may take pilots to fly both of them, but there can be a huge difference in them. Likewise, we may all be leaders, but at what level? What do we need to do to be as effective where we are called, and if we are going to be promoted, what do we need to do to go to the next level?

True disciples are students - ever learning, growing, and seeking more knowledge of their callings and purposes and using the experience to grow in wisdom. Let us be a true disciple every day we are in this life. It is all for the purpose of preparing us for the greatest promotion of all - to rule and reign with Him.


Rick Joyner
MorningStar Ministries
Email: info@morningstarministries.org


- - - - -


ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

God Has Not Given Up On You

Victoria Boyson:
"NO MATTER HOW YOU THINK OR FEEL, GOD HAS NOT GIVEN UP ON YOU!"

An Abundant Life

God has not given up on you. Quite the contrary, actually. He's waiting in breathless anticipation for the dreams He's placed in you to come to pass. He's watching you...waiting, hoping - preparing to give you a bright future with abundant LIFE. You are His precious child and He watches everything you do with the expectant hope that you will realize your need for Him and turn and give yourself to Him.

God has promised us an abundant life. He wants us to live our lives experiencing every promise He's made to us and every blessing He has in store for us. The Lord dreams of us walking in the destiny He has planned for us and living fully in the abundant, extraordinary life He has destined us to have.

As our Father, God has made plans for us - a destiny for us to realize. From before our birth, He's waited anxiously to watch us live our lives having everything we could dream of and more. But the catch to all this goodness is found in Jeremiah 29:11: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" They're His plans for us, not our own.

The only way to live an abundant life is by following the plans He's made for you. You are His precious child and He watches everything you do with the eager hope that you will need Him and turn and follow Him.

Surrender

One day, I had had a difficult time with my children. They were somewhat defiant and disrespectful to me. But most of what I didn't like in their behavior was their desire to stay in control. I tried to show them what they were doing wrong and how they were coming across, but it didn't work. So, the harder they pushed to show me they were right, the more determined I was to see a desired change in their attitude.

What did I want from them?

Surrender...full, absolute, complete and humble surrender. Their punishment continued and became more restrictive until at last they humbled themselves and submitted. It was really beautiful to see the change in them and sense the change in their spirit.

I said to God, "Wow! That must be how You feel when we finally let go of our 'need' to be right and in control, and just let You have Your way with us."

So often when we've blown it, we either tend to justify or condemn ourselves. But God doesn't want that anymore than He wants us to rebel. True repentance is basically saying, "God, You're right and I'm wrong." There's no justification needed with Him because He already knows our hearts thoroughly. We don't need to worry about how we appear to Him because He's seen it all and loves us anyway.

God doesn't want to crush or annihilate us. His goal is to correct us. He wants to bring us into right relationship with Him so He can, once again, walk with us. Like He walked with Adam in the Garden of Eden, that's paradise to our Father and it's the only place of abundant life for us.

How terribly silly we must look to God when arguing with Him and stubbornly wanting to be right, or even when we hold on to just a little bit of control. "Can't you see, God, this is how I felt?" or "Do you not see this is how I was treated?"

But our Father has seen it all - He's not blind. Indeed, He sees more correctly how we're feeling than we'd like Him to. He sees straight through us to all that we truly feel inside. Yet, we still try to convince Him that we know what's best for our lives, that our motives are pure and our feelings are justified.

Thank God He loves us enough to stand His ground and continue to require us to act right with righteous motives. He loves us enough to expect the best out of us.

It's God's love for you that keeps Him hoping for your destiny; it's His love that makes Him committed to the development of His heart in you. He doesn't want to dominate you. He's waiting for you to give yourself to Him in complete and beautiful surrender.

God's Plan

God knows you will never fulfill His destiny for your life without following HIS PLAN. So He's determined to keep you close to Him. He won't let go of you. He'll just draw you even closer until you collapse in His embrace. Our Father sees what's around the corner for you - He is excited to bless you with it. He knows it's what you need and He wants to give it to you.

Yet, before the fulfillment of the promise comes our humble submission to His Lordship. We can squawk and squirm all we want, but what He's waiting for is our sweet surrender.

The essence of repentance is our surrender to Him. He wants us to obey!

Learning to obey our Father is one of the most essential lessons we can learn. We must learn to hear His voice and surrender to His leading. The days ahead of us will be perilous and we absolutely must stay rightly aligned with Him.

We can have paradise on this earth; indeed, He's our Garden of Eden if we walk with Him and not off on our own. Going our own way can quite literally lead to misery and disaster.

There's a good reason why the Word says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean NOT on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6). Ahhh...doesn't that sounds nice? Straight paths?

Take a moment to think about it...with Him we have everything we need. But without Him, we can do nothing. And unfortunately, I have to say we've all produced a lot of "nothing" in the Lord's name. When we believe we know what we're doing, yet feel no need to acknowledge God and seek His will, we will accomplish nothing. Often, we've proceeded in our own propose, believing we are working hard for the Lord, only to end up producing nothing of eternal value.

There's a reason why God wants us to call Him "Father." If He's our Father, that makes us His children. And children do best when they exist in humble surrender to their Father, obeying His leading. The plans He has for our lives and the promises God's made to us can only be found where He leads us. If we move away from Him and try to make His promises come to pass by following our own initiative, we will be wasting our time. We lose sight of our Father and get royally messed up.

"Come Child, I'm Waiting"

The Lord won't force you to follow Him; He simply waits for you to come back to Him. He won't yell at you or try to manipulate you. He holds out His hand to you and simply says, "Come Child, I'm waiting."

Your Father is waiting for you to turn and take hold of His extended hand so He can once again walk with you making straight paths and experiencing an Eden-like relationship.

Let Him carry you and watch with utter amazement where HE takes you. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4).

Pray this with me: Dearest Father, I want all that You have for me. I want to walk with You and experience paradise on earth with You daily. I repent of walking out my own plans for my life and I choose to give You control.

Help me to walk with You Lord. Keep me close to Your heart and increase my capacity to hear Your voice speaking to me. Guide me Father in every aspect of my life. I want to live for You, love You and know You.

In Jesus' name, Amen.


Victoria Boyson
Speaking Life Ministries
Email: victoria@boyson.org


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ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

Job's Security

Job 5:8-27 [New Century Version]

"But if I were you, I would call on God and bring my problem before him.
God does wonders that cannot be understood; he does so many miracles they cannot be counted.
He gives rain to the earth and sends water on the fields. He makes the humble person important and lifts the sad to places of safety.
He ruins the plans of those who trick others so they have no success.
He catches the wise in their own clever traps and sweeps away the plans of those who try to trick others.
Darkness covers them up in the daytime; even at noon they feel around in the dark.
God saves the needy from their lies and from the harm done by powerful people.
So the poor have hope, while those who are unfair are silenced.

"The one whom God corrects is happy, so do not hate being corrected by the Almighty.
God hurts, but he also bandages up; he injures, but his hands also heal. He will save you from six troubles; even seven troubles will not harm you.
God will buy you back from death in times of hunger, and in battle he will save you from the sword.
You will be protected from the tongue that strikes like a whip, and you will not be afraid when destruction comes.
You will laugh at destruction and hunger, and you will not fear the wild animals, because you will have an agreement with the stones in the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
You will know that your tent is safe, because you will check the things you own and find nothing missing.
You will know that you will have many children, and your descendants will be like the grass on the earth.
You will come to the grave with all your strength, like bundles of grain gathered at the right time.

"We have checked this, and it is true, so hear it and decide what it means to you."

Kathi Pelton: "AM I ENOUGH?"

from the ElijahList website:


"I waited patiently for the LORD. He turned to me and heard my cry for help. He pulled me out of a horrible pit, out of the mud and clay. He set my feet on a rock and made my steps secure. He placed a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see this and worship. They will trust the LORD." Psalm 40:1-3

The Rock and the Waves

Living in Northern California near the Pacific Ocean, I am privileged to be able to visit the coast on a regular basis. Our coastline here is quite different than the coastline in Southern California, which has long smooth beaches where a person can walk for miles. Here, we have small secluded beaches, rough surf and rocky cliffs. If you sit on a beach and look out over the water, you will see it crashing and foaming about the tops of many rocks, jutting above the surface.

Recently as I sat and watched one of those rocks as it was hit endlessly by the turbulent waves, I began thinking of the above verses in Psalm 40:1-3: "...He set my feet upon a rock and made my steps secure..." Yet these rocks certainly didn't look as if they would provide secure footing!

In the past couple of years, my life has felt somewhat like I had been placed on one of those small rocks while the waves pounded all around me. At first I would flinch and try to move away from the crashing waves (leaving me worn out and storm tossed) but as time has passed, I find myself more and more at peace in the midst of the storm.

I have found that my Rock is secure and no harm will come to me as long as I stay upon it. There are times that a large wave will come and take me by surprise and cause me to lose my footing a bit, but I quickly remember the lessons that I've learned while upon this Rock and begin to rest again.

The truth is that Jesus, our Rock, is not small and jagged. Instead, I have learned that my trust in Him has been small and jagged. It seems that the more I learn to trust Him, the larger and more level the rock gets beneath my feet, even to the point that I can move around on it without slipping. Actually, the Rock was always spacious and secure—it was merely my perspective that made Him appear smaller than the waves.

He Will Complete the Work in You

For me, these past two years have been all about learning to trust! I thought I had trusted the Lord prior to this season—to the degree that I understood. But the Lord has wanted to take me to a place of unmovable trust so that I will not be swayed by the storms and the waves that this life brings. I have not arrived at the place that He longs for me to be, but I am confident that He will complete the work that He has begun in me.

"I'm convinced that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it through to completion on the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

I am encouraged that God does not begin a work in us unless He intends to complete it. Learning to trust may not come overnight because trust takes time. All of us live in a fallen world and learning to trust has its challenges. We are raised by imperfect parents, we have imperfect relationships, we have never had a perfect day and most of us have even been wounded along the way by someone that we trusted.

So to trust God, even though we know that He is perfect in all His ways, takes time. We have natural reactions to situations, to trauma, to relationships and to life that all plays into our relationship with God. Though we long to trust Him, pushing through the fear of past experiences or natural circumstances can be difficult. We first learned to walk according to what we saw and felt, and we are now learning to walk by His Spirit, often having to ignore what we see and feel with our natural eyes and emotions.

God Does Not Promise that We Will Not Suffer

The difficulty for us is that God does not promise us that we will not suffer. In fact, He promised quite the opposite. Though we will experience some suffering in this life, we are comforted by the promise that His Spirit will always be with us, that we will never be left alone and we are loved. Not even death can separate us from that!

We are placed on this Rock in the midst of a turbulent life that is always shaking and shifting, and it is there that we learn to trust. Though our spirits know the Rock that we live upon is so much more vast and secure than the raging sea around us, still our eyes and emotions sometimes cause us to believe the opposite, giving us the feeling that God is small and we fear that the storm will wash us out to sea.

In my younger years, I often waited for God to stop the waves of circumstances so that I could live my life protected from any pain or opposition. (This will only come with the new Heaven and earth!). But as I have grown through the years, I have learned that God was patiently waiting for me to learn to trust Him in the midst of the waves of life. It is in this place where the work He has begun in us is perfected and matured until the day of Christ.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you are involved in various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But you must let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to everyone generously without a rebuke, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, without any doubts, for the one who has doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. Such a person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he undertakes." James 1:2-8

Trusting Him with Our Pain

Whether it is relational difficulties, financial need, loss or sickness, God is always trustworthy. Most of the trials that I face are actually the "trials of doubt and unbelief." These are self-inflicted trials due to a reaction caused by the fear that "He will not come to my aid."

Rarely does God answer or come through in the way I expect, but His ways are always good and right. If only I could not fret, not worry, nor lose my footing, but just take the posture of rest and trust! How easy life would be!

Even when we are faced with our worst fears, it is then that we move into a new realm of trust. This is when we learn to trust God with our pain. The nature of pain is that it hurts, and often hurts badly! Trusting God with our pain—even when He could have prevented the pain, but didn't—can be hard. We must remember that God does not cause bad things to happen. Troubles come because we live in a fallen world; but God is the Healer of our pain and our broken hearts.

"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all." Psalm 34:18-19

The Gain of Knowing Him

Recently I was talking with someone who had faced many painful things in his life. His pain was very deep, and although he greatly loves the Lord, he was finding it difficult to see beyond the pain and wondered if his life was defined by "losses." As I began to ponder my talk with him, I realized that in Christ, losses and gains are very different than for those who have not found their life in Christ.

Philippians 3:7-11 states:

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."

What losses can be compared with "the gain" of knowing Him and being found in Him? This does not mean that we will not feel pain when losses come, but we can always find comfort in the true perspective that through it all, we have the great gain of knowing Him. Nothing can take this away from us...nothing and no one!

Trust Him With Your Pain

"What can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us? God didn't spare His own Son but handed Him over to death for all of us. So He will also give us everything along with Him. Who will accuse those whom God has chosen? God has approved of them. Who will condemn them?

Christ has died, and more importantly, He was brought back to life. Christ has the highest position in Heaven. Christ also intercedes for us. What will separate us from the love Christ has for us? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or violent death separate us from his love?

As Scripture says: 'We are being killed all day long because of You. We are thought of as sheep to be slaughtered.'

The One who loves us gives us an overwhelming victory in all these difficulties. I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love which Christ Jesus our Lord shows us. We can't be separated by death or life, by angels or rulers, by anything in the present or anything in the future, by forces or powers in the world above or in the world below, or by anything else in creation." Romans 8:32-39

This is where we put our hope and trust during times of pain. The love of God will carry us through this life, even through the painful times. We can trust Him with our pain because not even pain can separate us from His love. He will meet us in the most painful places and comfort us with His love. I personally find His love to be most keenly felt in the midst of painful times. It is as though He wraps His love around us like a blanket and holds us near. If you are in pain right now, allow Him to wrap you in His love and comfort you. He is very near to you.

Independence or Dependency

God has been speaking to me a lot in this past season regarding the subject of "independence versus dependency." I have personally experienced as well as watched others fight for control over potentially painful circumstances currently before them. In asking the Lord for wisdom as to why we so quickly move into a "default mode" of trying to control the outcome of our lives and relationships, He was quick to answer me, "It is because you demand independence rather than embrace dependency."

In our fear that God will not be enough or will not give us the desired outcome in life's situations, we quickly leave our posture of dependency (trust/intimacy) and run to independence (control).

I have been asking the Lord to change my "default mode" so that I will quickly embrace dependency when life and relationships are unsure and invoke personal fears. We are learning to live in the fear of the Lord rather than the fear of pain. Independence merely ushers us into a place of trying to "control and manipulate" while dependency ushers us into "relationship, intimacy and truth."

"The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?" Hebrews 13:6

The words that the Lord spoke through Moses to the children of Israel before they crossed the Jordan River still ring true today as we cross into the river of independence into the land of dependency:

"The LORD is the One who is going ahead of you. He will be with you. He won't abandon you or leave you. So don't be afraid or terrified." Deuteronomy 31:8

Am I Enough?

One of our dearest friends shared a question with us that the Lord had asked him, "Am I enough?" His initial answer was, "Of course, Lord." But as the days rolled by, he began to be challenged on every side and found that, though his belief is that the Lord is enough, his life was not being lived out that way. This question really challenged me, too.

Do I live as if the Lord is enough? In some ways I do, and I believe in my heart that He is...but in reality I don't live it out as a lifestyle. I often find myself restless if I'm not "doing" something or don't have something that I desire. I still get bored and restless and look for "things" to fill me. Can I really say, as Paul did:

"Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13

Do we trust the Lord to be enough when all else fails? God longs for a people who can enter into the relational dependency that His Son lived in while He walked on this earth. This is the place where all that we need is provided by Him. I have not arrived at this place, but by faith I will continue to allow Him to take me there until my independent will gives way to dependency.

There is a Rock that can be trusted, depended upon and stood on to face times of pain. He never changes and never withholds love. He is faithful and true and always enough! He is inviting us into the land of dependency where we can eat of the fruit of intimacy and relish the bounty of His love.

Pray this prayer with me: "Father, I want to answer the longing of Your heart by entering into true dependency with You. I want to live in the unity that You share as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Forgive me and free me from my independent ways. I want to quickly embrace dependency and trust in both times of joy and times of pain. Usher me into the place of trusting You that frees me from the winds of doubt that have left me double-minded. I want to live what I believe and I want to live in the truth that YOU ARE ENOUGH. Thank You for Your patience with me and that You will complete the work You have begun in me. I love You! Amen"

Kathi Pelton
Light Streams Ministries
Email: jkpelton@sbcglobal.net

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ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

Taking Back What The Enemy Has Stolen

[notes taken by Arlene del Socorro from Pastor Jerry Berenguer’s preaching Tuesday, July 8, 2008]

We had the privilege of still having Pastor Jerry with us to share God's Word in tonights' revival meeting, and we basked in the river that night. It was soul-refreshing and mind-renewing. But so you understand what I mean, I am sharing with you my notes from Pastor Jerry's preaching that night and I pray God's living Word will become a "rhema" to you and bless you.

1 Samuel 30:3-10 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David's two wives had been captured — Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue." David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some stayed behind, for two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the ravine. But David and four hundred men continued the pursuit.

1 Samuel 30:18-19 David recovered everythingthe Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.

Trouble's EFFECT in our Lives:

1) Troubles in life can wear us out, and it doesn't matter if we are faithfully serving in the ministry or not. When troubles come, they can wear us out. David was a man after God's own heart and yet trouble came upon him. The enemy weighs us down with troubles so that we are unable to move and accomplish what God has called us to do. David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep, much more do what God has called them to do.

2) Troubles can take away our focus and make us blame and fight one another. At every sight of trouble, the Israelites blamed Moses whom God used to lead them out of bondage in Egypt. David's men were bitter for their loss and blamed David who led them in many victorious battles and thought of stoning Him.

3) Some people become bitter in their spirit when troubles come. A lot of couples find themself in this situation and their marriages break because they have allowed the enemy to confuse them into blaming and fighting each other. When we allow bitterness to cloud our decisions, we lose because we cannot fight the enemy in the condition of bitterness.

How do we RECOVER?

1) Don't give up. David did not give up when trouble came upon him. Giving up is easy - staying on is the hard part - it's going to require everything we've got. God has a great plan for you and me (Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.). But we have to be moving on in our journey to discover His plan. If we are to recover everything the enemy took from us, we must not give up. Jesus is seated on the throne beside the Father - we are victorious and more than conquerors in Him.

2) Remain focused on what God wants you to do. David knew who his enemy was, and it wasn't his men who were threatening to stone him. We must get to the source of the problem for the enemy wants to destroy our life. Let us not allow bitterness to settle in our heart like that which happened to David's men. Bitterness ruins relationships and splits them up. We must be focused on our goal and the plan of God in our life. Instead of looking at our troubles, let us look on what God wants us to do at that particular time.

3) Find your strength in the Lord. In the face of trouble, David turned to God, not man. He knew who could restore him.

Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalms 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail ,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Nehemiah 8:10 ...Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength .

We should not go out and try to do something ourself - let us find our strength in the Lord - He is our best encourager. The devil will weigh us down with troubles and will even use loved ones against us but the LORD IS OUR STRENGTH.

4) Pray and seek the Lord. David prayed and sought the Lord instead of taking a position of revenge. When we just run after, we make mistakes and fall because we have not inquired of the Lord. David asked for the ephod (a sacred garment worn by a priest when he comes before the Lord) instead of his armor, and went before God's presence to inquire of the Lord what he should do. Troubles cloud our decision and we make mistakes when we react and just go after. God tells us to call upon Him.

Psalms 50:15 ... and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
Jeremiah 33:3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'

When we inquire of the Lord instead of going in our own knowledge, God reveals things to us when we come before Him. We need to hear the Lord because His Word will bring victory, breakthrough and confidence to go and pursue.

5) David pursued. After praying, move - do something. We must focus on what God has called us to do and take back what the enemy has stolen. David fought till evening and recovered everything. When you hear from the Lord, go and pursue and take back everything. God caused David to win even with fewer men, 400 instead of the original 600 with him. David heard from the Lord and he acted on it and God gave him victory.

Have you ever lost something in your life? in your family? Have you lost peace and joy over something? Because I lost them for a time... but praise be to our God and Father who is in the business of restoring everything to us through Jesus Christ. Dominion, power and authority, which have all been stolen from us through Adam, has been restored to us through Christ. If God has restored these to us, how much more is He able and willing to restore whatever was stolen in our life? He has restored to me joy and peace and freedom in worship. He is in the business of restoring and He wants to restore what has been stolen from you. Don't give up - set your eyes on the Lord - strengthen yourself in Him - pray and seek His face - then when you hear from Him, go and pursue! God bless you richly.

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine , according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Every Christian is Called to be a Warrior

Rick Joyner: "The Army of God Mobilizes--Every Christian is Called to be a Warrior" {from the Elijah List website}

Quality of Warriors

We have been blessed by a core leadership team and staff that have been together many years. As a result, we have been through many battles together. I don't think anyone enjoys conflict, but they nevertheless thrive on it. They come alive with focus and resolve when there are attacks.

Even so, we have some that I have watched recoil with every new attack. Their first tendency is to draw back and retreat, but when they fortify themselves in the Lord, they tend to be the ones who stand with great endurance. On the other hand, the ones whose first tendency is to bow up and fight sometimes tire the fastest. For this reason, I try not to judge the quality of warriors by their first response to conflict, but by how they fare over time.

Those who can quickly engage and stand their ground and those who take a little longer to have resolve, are important to gaining success in the battle. Just as the natural Special Forces are now the tip of the spear in military campaigns and can accomplish things that would often take forces many times their size, these would be wasted and not fare well in the day-to-day fighting in the trenches. Few wars will ever be won just by Special Forces, but used rightly, they can help prepare the way for a much more swift and total victory.

My point is that we need to discern what kind of battle we are in or are going to be in. At our home base, we are doing some things that are considered radical and threatening to many other Christians - such as laboring to see an authentic prophetic ministry raised up in the Church. As we see in Scripture, this stirs up the wrath of those who serve other gods, or those with a Jezebel spirit, and we must have many who will fight with great endurance.

We also have a Special Forces Missions group being raised up that we deploy mostly in special missions. These are adventure junkies who do not do well sitting anywhere for long periods of time, so we use this characteristic and see it as a part of their missionary gifts.

Every Christian is Called to be a Warrior

Every Christian is called to be a warrior, but not all warriors are the same. I do not consider myself to be smart enough to really know people with much depth until I have known them for a long time. I am constantly amazed and surprised at people. One thing I have learned over time is to not try and fit people where I want them to be, but to let the Holy Spirit place them in the Body where it pleases Him.

I can discern the kinds of battles we are likely to be in by the type of people the Lord sends to us. We do not try to fit people into Special Forces Missions (SFM), but we put out a call. Those who respond to this type of training and danger will come. Our goal is to then provide the training that will help them to understand their own gifts and callings, and some learn that the SFM is simply not for them.

As we mature in age and experience, our callings can also change. I used to thrive on the edge of danger much more than I do now. When I was a young pilot, I gravitated to aerobatics and would get bored to tears flying a long, straight, and level flight. I was more of the fighter-pilot type, not the long-range bomber type.

When I owned an air charter company, I gravitated toward taking the freight runs that were going through challenging weather, rather than taking the passenger flights where smoothness was far more important. I knew the pilots who were more tense in the challenging situations would stay clear of them and were therefore better with passengers.

We all have our gifts, callings, and places, so we do not need to force others into trying to be something they are not. Therefore, one key element after mobilizing people is to discern what they have been created by God to do and help prepare them for that, not forcing them into something they are not called to be or do.

The Knights of Malta

One of my favorite and, I think, most inspiring accounts from church history is the history of the famous Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes, and Malta, or as they are more popularly called, "The Knights of Malta." They were a small order of monks who are credited with inventing the hospital, which they founded in Jerusalem to care for the sick pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land during the Middle Ages. Because many pilgrims were being attacked on the way to Jerusalem, these monks later formed a military division to protect the pilgrims.

As these military monks became recognized as knights, they started to become renowned for both their courage and skill as warriors. They also focused their resolve to not only protect the pilgrims, but protect Christian territory. They vowed to never retreat before the enemies of the Cross and to die rather than surrender an acre of Christian territory to them. They also vowed to do all that they could to preserve Christian unity and to never take up arms against fellow Christians or the forces of a Christian nation.

Because of this resolve, this little order became one of most important and strategic forces in history, not only impacting their own times, but changing the future course of history to the degree that European monarchs credited them with saving Europe from an Islamic takeover.

At the battles of Rhodes and Malta, there were just a few hundred of these remarkable knights, joined by several thousand militia, who took their stand against the most powerful Muslim armies numbering nearly one hundred times their own. After months of sieges, with some of the most fierce human assaults by numbers many times their own, and when the smoke had cleared, the banner of the knights still stood on the ramparts. The few but bloody knights who were left stood next to that banner.

Their courage and resolve even gained the respect and honor of their enemies. Today there are Muslim leaders who have such respect for this order that they give an audience to the modern knights. One reason may be because these more fearsome and courageous warriors never forgot their calling as healers. After each battle, the knights, even though exhausted and often wounded themselves, would not rest until all of the wounded on the battlefield had been taken care of, even those from among their enemies.

Humbling Ourselves to Serve

To keep their humility, these knights, who were mostly the scions of the most powerful and wealthy families in Europe, and even their leader, the Grand Master of the Order, would spend time weekly in the hospitals serving the sick and wounded, even changing their bedpans. They did this believing that as they served even the least of these, they were serving Christ Himself.

This is something that must be recaptured and maintained. People are not our enemies - we do not war against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers in the spiritual realm. With all of the courage, resolve, strength, and devotion that we have as spiritual warriors, we must also grow in our skills as gentle healers, humbling ourselves to serve in this way even those who are used by the enemy to attack us.

We must always keep in mind that our victory is salvation and the greatest victory of all is the salvation of our enemies. However, even if our enemies do not turn to the Lord and continue to hate us, we must love our enemies, and while resisting their error, we must be open to serve them in any way that we have the opportunity without compromising our message and convictions.

Rick Joyner
MorningStar Ministries
Email: info@morningstarministries.org

Ayuda Me!

The older I get the younger I feel
The false gets replaced by the real
The more I know the more I see
I know nothing of eternity

As days go by my strength wanes down
In lieu of such, the One renown
No more dependency on me
But on Him who will carry me

The closer I come to the Savior
The more I see flaws in my behavior
Totally helpless and lost in sin
If not for Him who had me cleansed

No grip on time, on life, on anything
No hold on anyone except my King
Stripped of all my laurels and pretense
Now worship increased and intense

Falling but getting up more
Wearied but hopeful for what's in store
Running but not feeling faint
Pushing forward with the Saints

Decreasing so He will increase
Intimacy will never cease
Needing Him more with every breath
Learning the art of daily death

So help me God








... TABANG LORD!

Wisdom for War

[for "Mighty Counselor Who Rules With Wisdom"]

“Knowledge is power”, the world always says
Yet wisdom from God is the one that can bless
Not just understanding, perception, or smarts
But deep revelation from Father God’s heart

Counsel with wisdom, the Lord has bestowed
His Spirit upon you, in your name foretold
That you will arise as mighty adviser
To kings and great men for you are the wiser

Wise in dominion, in judgment and power
This is the day and this is the hour
Called up to come and become who you are
A soldier, a warrior, a ruler at war

Weapons of knowledge, of counsel and wisdom
Weapons to use in advancing God’s kingdom
Are all at your beck and call at the Throne
The Spirit reveals it all to His own

From fearing the Lord with reverent fear
Understanding will grow as you humbly draw near
For it’s not by your strength that all these comes to pass
But by Master’s own words, which are true and will last

So, follow your Leader, your Savior, your Friend
For when you do so you’ll be leaving a trend
Of leaders pursuing their God without end
Of rulers who reign with His powerful hand

Of counselors walking in wisdom and love
Of judges declaring, “Thy Kingdom come!”
For you are of such and you’ve been set apart
Rise up, Mighty Counselor! It’s now time to start

Cherished Servant

[for "Cherished Servant of the Lord"]

Apple of the Father’s eyes
Cherished one don’t compromise
Keep the sweetness in your heart
Broken is a place to start

Handmaid in the Master’s realm
Rest and be not overwhelmed
You are greatest when you serve
Grace, the humble ones deserve

Dark you are but lovely still
When His Holy Spirit in you fills
New in Christ and old is gone
Righteousness you now put on

Warrior armed with servant’s heart
Covered by God’s loving arms
Wield your weapons formed of praise
Serving humbly, run the race

Cherished Servant of the Lord
Join the saints in one accord
Take heed to the Master’s call
Rise up; you can conquer all

Humility

Psalm 45:4
In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds.

Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 18:12
Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 22:4
Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.

Zephaniah 2:3
Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger.

Acts 20:19
Paul said: “I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.”

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Colossians 3:12-13
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Titus 3:1-2
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.

James 3:13-14
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

1 Peter 5:5
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Absolute Humility = Obsolete Pride

[for “Humble Gift of God”]

Humility is a virtue that really can’t hurt you
If you just let God search you, His Spirit will urge you
To walk the path of the meek ones – in His eyes, they’re not the weak ones
Your anointing will surely speak once you flow along with the Seeked One
Submit to all His dealings, eschew all of those feelings
Receive what He’s revealing, you are way past concealing
His fire that burns within you, His love is on the menu
Your heart is now the venue for meekness, strength and then you
Will take the oil of gladness to drive away the sadness
Eradicate the madness of pride -- the devil can't stand this
As you walk clothed in nobility He will give you the ability
To make pride a thing of history -- that's the power of humility
It's the kind that draws the attention of God and not to mention
Humility is a warrior's weapon -- go forth to war, God beckons!
Go, gift of God, go boldly! Go walk road of the lowly
Embrace the Father's love wholly -- you can be victor through Him only