Showing posts with label purpose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label purpose. Show all posts

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Warriors Creed: I Am a Soldier


[from http://www.warfaresaint.com/print.htm]


I am a soldier in the army of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, Prayer, and the Word are my weapons of Warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity, and tested by fire.

I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.

I will either retire in this Army or die in this Army;
but, I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out.
I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable.
If my God needs me, I am there.


I am a soldier. I am not a baby.
I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up,
pumped up, picked up, or pepped up.
I am a soldier. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.


I am a soldier. I am not a wimp.
I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders,
praising His name, and building His kingdom!
No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.
I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.


I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.
When Jesus called me into this Army, I had nothing.
If I end up with nothing, I will still come out even. I will win.
My God will supply all my needs. I am more than a conqueror.
I will always triumph. I can do all things through Christ.
Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me.
Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me.
Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy me.
Governments cannot silence me, and hell cannot handle me!

I am a soldier.
Even death cannot destroy me.
For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield,
He will promote me to a captain.
I am a soldier, in the Army, I'm marching, claiming victory.
I will not give up. I will not turn around. I am a soldier, marching Heaven bound.


There are four kinds of soldiers:
1. Active Duty: Serving the Lord faithfully, daily, and on duty 24-7-365.
2. Reserve Status: Serving only when called upon,
or twice a year: Christmas and Easter.
3. Guard Status: Backing up the Active Duty group.
4. AWOL! Absent With Out the Lord.


Which kind are you? Be an army of one for an audience of One.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Ojos y Alas


The cleanness of your hands can deliver even those who are not innocent.

Even if no one is praying for you.

Go to a quiet place. Get some rest.

Great patience. Careful instruction.

Command and teach.



What to do and how to get there.

Friday, October 31, 2008

What You've Been Prophesying

Paul Keith Davis:
"God Tabernacled in His Bride: It is TIME to ARISE from the Wilderness and SHINE"


First-Fruits Bridal Company

In his classic book The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer wrote, "The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart."

Although this objective appraisal was written a generation ago, its truth is still pertinent to our day. Even so, hidden among us there exists a company of people who will never be satisfied substituting religious activities for intimacy with Christ and the fullness of His stature.

For a season, God concealed David in the Cave of Adullam. At the appropriate time, he and his mighty band emerged in strength to execute God's commission. So shall it be with this company. God knows how to groom and release champions who embrace and embody righteous standards of leadership.

Many called to play key leadership roles in the Bride's preparation are not even widely known on earth; but they are recognized in Heaven. They are spiritual warriors who have received God's imputed righteousness and carry His influence. Having captured Heaven's attention, it is now time to arise like Moses from the wilderness and shine like a bright evening star. Only then are we qualified to exercise the Lord's delegated authority to usher in a wave of harvest. Daniel foretold that:

"Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of Heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." Daniel 12:3

We are presently called to a heightened place of intimacy and fellowship with God. Our covenant is built upon better promises than that of Moses. Even so, Moses was required to veil his face because of the residue of God's glory resulting from his close encounter with God. How much more should we experience His glory in the new covenant and the literal fulfillment of the spiritual implications associated with the Feast of Tabernacles!

New Seven Year Cycle

Rosh Hashanah 2008 ushered in a new seven-year season in God; it will be much different from the previous seven-year cycle that emphasized warfare and preparation. Substantial fruitfulness and restoration will characterize those who are spiritually mature and strengthened to become trustworthy stewards of His mysteries and power. A first-fruits company will begin to experience heavenly realms and embrace great insights from the now "opened book" containing notable strategies and revelations of the Lord. (See Revelation 10)

There is a present Word being released in God's people that is preparatory for the impending outpouring. It is through His Word abiding in us merged with the Spirit that makes us "Sons of the Kingdom" and the "Tabernacle of God." To espouse manmade traditions, doctrines and perceptions of men rather than the true revelation of the Word, will only become cumbersome weights that interfere with our ability to meet the challenges of this new day.

"Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:13

For years, the Lord has been nurturing and empowering many people in anticipation of this hour. We are now at a crossroad in His blueprint with great change on the horizon. As we determine to worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth, we will also draw nearer to His heart with greater levels of revelatory insight. This model is essential to be entrusted with keys to the Kingdom that unlocks Heaven's greatest resources.

Deep to Deep

This group, by responding to "deep calling unto deep," is being prepared to travel in a new way not yet known to the Church. Our call is to be prepared to carry mantles of power that will be unique to the harvest generation. These things will be called forth by the Spirit of Prophecy. According to Isaiah 48:6-7:

"You have heard [these things foretold], now you see this fulfillment. And will you not bear witness to it? I show you specified new things from this time forth, even hidden things [kept in reserve] which you have not known. They are created now [called into being by the prophetic word], and not long ago; and before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, 'Behold, I knew them!'" (Amplified version, emphasis added)

A fresh prophetic word is being delegated to the Church to articulate Heaven's desire. When a clear directional word has been imparted, it is our place to announce it through an atmosphere of His anointing. This will be part of the Bridal calling.

Those anointed with this Spirit will begin to speak against sickness, sin and spiritual corruption. This past season of grooming and refinement has been for this purpose. There has been a sifting of our soul and the establishment of contrition and humility essential to embody extravagant levels of power and authority. The Spirit of Understanding will bring illumination to this reality and mobilize God's people for this great task.

Sanctified in Truth

An issue of great importance consistently emphasized by the Lord is the full manifestation of the Spirit of Truth. As the emerging army of Believers, we must learn to embrace Truth so the "fog" of deception and delusion would have no place to flourish in the Church.

By girding our loins with the "belt of truth," our foundation in Christ is firmly established, allowing us to be leaven-free and fully released into His anointing for this seven-year spiritual season. When wonderful reports began to circulate out of Lakeland, Florida, and it seemed a revival was on the horizon, I asked the Lord about it and received an unusual response. The Spirit impressed upon me the phrase, "It is the last of the old order." Initially I did not fully understand its implication, but greater clarity has developed in recent months.

Based on a prophetic word, our ministry co-sponsored with MorningStar Ministries a conference in March entitled "Honoring the Fathers," with the promise that a spirit of revival would follow. We felt what was developing in Lakeland could have been the initial response to that promise. In retrospect, I do believe that revival was God initiated and the last of an old order.

Clearly great spiritual outpourings are forecast for the coming days. We will see more tent meetings, evangelistic crusades and powerful gatherings in stadiums and churches. However, despite our great appreciation for the healings, miracles and salvations, what we saw demonstrated in Lakeland did not model or demonstrate the "new thing" that is promised. There is more...much more!

Leaven Free

Pentecost was the only of the Lord's Feasts that allowed leaven. What is coming will maintain an emphasis on the extraction of spiritual leaven. Jesus said:

"'How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Matthew 16:11-12

We have seen the realization of Passover, the Feast of the first month, and Pentecost, the Feast of the third month. Now, we are poised to see the literal fulfillment of the Feast of the seventh month - Tabernacles. God will tabernacle in His Bride to do through her all the great and wonderful things He did while on the earth in human form.

Of the seven Churches outlined in Revelation, the Laodicean Church most accurately defines this present age. Like Laodicea, our admonition is to be clothed with white garments that the shame of our nakedness would not be revealed; these are representing priestly and divinely powerful apparels by which we clothe ourselves spiritually. To experience Tabernacles is to be "clothed with Christ."

"The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." Romans 13:12-14, emphasis added

Our ultimate calling is to be like Him and display His garments of righteousness, sanctification, revelation and power. This is only achieved through the union experience and God Himself tabernacled in His Bride. Isaiah prophesied this saying:

"I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10

If we put on Holy array then our motives will carry no misrepresentation or selfish ambition. Either we must learn from history or we will be doomed to repeat it. In times past many wonderfully anointed leaders stumbled because of the failure to be completely clothed in Christ. We are commissioned at this time to embrace His offering of grace to "become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust." (See 2 Peter 1:4)

We are to be "galvanized" with Christ! An iron chain is a very powerful tool; however it can be compromised through corruption and rust. When the iron chain links are galvanized they are coated with zinc, which is non-corruptible. Galvanized iron then becomes much more powerful because it is no longer subject to corruption; it will endure under the harshest of conditions that would otherwise compromise its integrity.

Likewise, when we "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" our spirits are "galvanized" with Christ and our flesh is coated with the anointing. Corruption will then take on the incorruptible nature.

Removing Mixture

The Feast of Tabernacles is referenced more often in the Bible than any of the other feasts and is recognized throughout Israel's history as the greatest of her festivals. It is also known as the Feast of the Open Book.

When Moses came to the end of his journey the Lord commanded him to open the Book of the Covenant and read it to the new generation since the former generation perished in the wilderness because of unbelief. Only in the Feast of Tabernacles was the book opened and read before the people as a symbolic gesture of the great revelation that will come to the generation that literally fulfills all that this Feast represents.

Not only are we called to access the revelations of the "open book" but also devour them and prophecy them to this final age, that the fullness of the Gentiles may come in. According to Revelation 10:10-11:

"I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they said to me, 'You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.'"

This is none other than the book concealed in Daniel's day and revealed to the end-of-time generation. It is the full stature and revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Like the sons of Zadok, the Bridal company will minister to the Lord and dine at His table in order to emerge with the discernment necessary to separate the precious from the profane and the clean from the unclean. (See Ezekiel 44)

From a practical point of view, we should expect tremendous revelatory teachings to surface in the coming days that will take us deep into God's Word and the full revelation of the wonderful things concealed through Daniel but revealed to the Bride. This will present her without spot or wrinkle and cleansed of spiritual leaven.


Paul Keith and Wanda Davis
WhiteDove Ministries
Email: inquiries@whitedoveministries.org


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

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Focus, Man!

Do not let the enemy succeed in distracting you from your purpose.

Keep your eye on the main thing -- your relationship with God!

All else is secondary.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Commissioning a Vigilant Warrior

Ephesians 6:10-18 [Amplified Bible]
[for Vigilant Warrior]


In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].

Put on God's whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].

Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God,

And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the [a]firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness [b]produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.

Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit [d]wields, which is the Word of God.

Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people).

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Flush Your Past

Bob Jones: Past Disappointments and Expectations
[ another prophetic word from Elijah List that confirms what the Lord has been telling me in the bathrooms of the place I currently work - Mike ]

In a vision on August 31, 2008, Bob saw that many people were imprisoned by their lost expectations. What they expected out of their lives had not come to pass.

Past disappointments or expectations for our lives have imprisoned us. And when you look back to your past expectations, you have no vision for your future.

Your failures were steppingstones from your past; steppingstones into His presence and your future. It's time for you to flush your past and let it be gone from you. The Lord is commissioning you - giving you a mission; vision for the future.

There is a remnant left who remain; they really believe God and have kept their spirits and consciences clean. The Lord is not disappointed in them. However, they've become disappointed in themselves. But the Lord says to you that your disappointment was His opportunity.

So our past disappointments rob us from our future vision because God is saying:

"I'm not disappointed in you because of your failed expectations, for they were My opportunity to change your life for My purpose.

"Your disappointments or expectations were stepping stones to My presence and now - I'm going to demand that you flush them and look to the future - not the past, for those who look to the past have no future! I now have My Spirit in many of My people
."

In the vision, Bob saw that many of God's saints' consciences (or their spirits) were clean, but their minds weren't. And the Holy Spirit is dealing with the mind of those who have not come to the place where they thought they should be.

God says, "Their conscience is clean and now I'm going to cleanse their soul, because I'm going to use their soul and their spirit to reveal My Kingdom. So now I begin a work of cleansing their soul, so their soul might be a partaker of My Divine Nature.

"You're actually ready in the spirit. Now I'm preparing your soul, for I'm going to use both soul and spirit. And the soul is what I'm preparing.

"I just want you to know that I'm not disappointed in you and I've brought you to the place where your future in Me shall be fruit."
Amen.


Bob and Bonnie Jones
The Prophetic Ministry of Bob and Bonnie Jones

- - - - -

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

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Love is the Reversal

Rick Joyner: "Love is the Foundation, Door and Path"

Last week we ended our study by asking the questions about knowing our purposes, ministries, gifts, etc., which we have been given by God. If our Word for the Week readers are typical, only about 2 percent could answer all of these questions with "yes," and less than 10 percent could answer any of them with "yes." This is remarkable because studies have concluded that the number one question that people have is what their purpose is in life. Every human being knows inherently that they are not here by some random accident, but they have a purpose. Yet most tragically, less than 10 percent of Christians, who know their Creator, have the answer to this.

This reveals what is probably the greatest failure of present church life, but we can expect it to be changed - soon. When this is corrected, and Christians begin to perceive their purposes and the gifts or tools that they have been given for accomplishing their purpose, as well as the corporate purpose of the Church in our time, the result is going to be the release of the most powerful spiritual force the world has seen.

Seeing our own purpose can have the single most powerful impact on our own life after coming to know the Lord, being born again, and being baptized in His Spirit. Every Christian knows they are called to be a witness, but we have a calling in His body that is more specific than that. Every Christian is called to function in at least one spiritual gift, which is the tool that we are given for fulfilling our purpose. So how do we come to the knowledge of these? There is a clear and easy path to it. My purpose for this study is to make it as clear and easy as possible.

How To Know and Fulfill Your Life's Purpose

I say easy, as in easy to understand, but it can be more difficult to actually walk out. However, not walking this out will result in a much more difficult and frustrating life. Let me first give you an outline of the following factors:

#1) Resolving to live to do the Lord's will as the chief pursuit of our lives

#2) Beholding the glory of the Lord

#3) Honoring our spiritual fathers and mothers

#4) Finding and becoming a committed part of the Body of Believers we are called to be with

#5) Receiving the ministry of the five equipping ministries listed in Ephesians 4

#6) Being recognized, trained, and discipled

#7) Engaging in our calling

These are necessary for us to accomplish the purpose for which Christ called every one of us and to be a successful human being. The most basic criteria for success as a human, becoming what we were created to be and doing what we were created to do, is loving God. We were created for this and known by God before the foundation of the world. If there is any measure of success for us, it will be to hear from the King on that great judgment day, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (see Matthew 25:21 NIV). Therefore, to hear those words should be the chief pursuit of our lives.

Our Chief Pursuit

Anything that eclipses our devotion to knowing and serving the Lord is an idol. An idol is anything that has more of our affection than He does, and it is also anything that we put our trust in above Him. The Word makes clear no idolaters will inherit the Kingdom of God (see I Corinthians 6:9). In Revelation 21:8, we are told idolaters will be thrown into the lake of fire and suffer the second death. Being an idolater is not something we want to be! That is the negative but, nevertheless, a true and necessary warning, so it is imperative that we not let anything eclipse our love and devotion to the Lord.

The positive is that keeping the Lord as our chief love and devotion is not only the path of life and the true fulfillment in this life, it also leads to eternal life that will be more wonderful than our minds can even now perceive. This present life is but "a vapor," a wisp that passes with remarkable speed. What we do here on earth establishes our eternal destiny, so we should not take this life or our calling and responsibility lightly but rather with all the seriousness and devotion that it deserves.

The Scriptures are also clear and we can totally trust in the truth that God is good - He is good to all and He loves all, wanting the very best for all. If we do not fulfill our purpose in life, it will not be His fault, but ours. We must want Him and His will enough to seek it.

He wants the best for us; living in His will and doing His will is the best life that we can ever live. This life that has been chosen for us could be hard at times and could even end in martyrdom, but if that is the case it is still the best life that we could ever live, and much better than any other option.

Love is the Foundation, Door and Path

Of course, the most basic calling for everyone is to love God above anyone or anything. Therefore, growing in love for Him is the foundation upon which every truly successful life is built. If we love Him above all and keep Him as our first love, then He will be the continuing devotion and pursuit of our lives. After that, we must love one another. So loving Him and one another is the foundation.

A foundation is something we not only walk on every day and build everything else on, but it must be the strongest part of the building. Since "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing," this is the main thing that we must always keep the main thing. Everything else is dependent on this. We must never be beguiled from the simplicity of devotion to Christ (see II Corinthians 11:3).

Love is both the door and the path to everything else. One who loves is not only the happiest human being, but the most fulfilled, as long as we keep the order of love right - God first and then people. It is not wrong to love things, but it is right to love the good things God has given to us, receiving them with thanksgiving. However, we must keep our love for the Giver first.

As we grow into the army we are called to be, one of our most powerful weapons is love. In many ways this army is like other armies in devotion, discipline, focus, training, seriousness, and so on, but in some basic ways it is unlike any other army. The weapons of this army are not like any human weapons, but are divinely powerful. We do not hate our enemies, but we love them! We do not fight to kill but to give life - not to conquer, but to set others free.

And this you can count on - you are going to love this job!


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

Thursday, July 31, 2008

A Mighty Wind

Cindy McGill: "FACE THE WIND – IT'S A FAITH WALK"
[from Elijah List]


The Winds of Change are Blowing

Does it feel like everything in our lives is being challenged? Sometimes it seems like our spiritual compass is spinning out of control and we can't find our direction. We put one foot down and the ground moves under the other foot. There is no doubt that we have crossed over into uncertain times. The certainty in uncertain times is to keep our anchor in Jesus.

Isaiah 41:10 says, "Do not fear for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

It's time to walk by faith and not put a lot of trust in our own understanding. The winds of change are blowing and everything in our lives is affected. These winds will show us where our house is built.

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus is teaching about the two houses:

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

"But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."


Two houses and two foundations. Often we feel that the winds are adverse times and difficult seasons of our lives, but what if the winds actually represents the Holy Spirit?

God is redefining His Church. God is directing the wind and we find ourselves faced with two choices. We can either turn our faces to the wind or turn our backs on the wind.

If we turn our backs to the wind, we lose sight of things to come and can become rigid and unmovable, possibly even fighting against God. If we face the wind, we find ourselves positioned to have old things blown off of us, capture new vision, and become strengthened for the days to come.

LET THE JUNK BLOW OFF YA!

This shift and change is from God and we must face this wind to get to our next place. He is getting old stuff out of us. Old mindsets, old methods, old comfortable paths and predictable lifestyles are being blown off of us in this wind.

We must avoid trying to reconstruct things God is dismantling. This change is essential. We cannot move forward without it.

God is challenging us to increase our faith. We must ask ourselves this question: Will we choose to be a people of faith or familiarity?

The truth is we cannot keep going like we are going to arrive at the place God wants us to be at. The path is turning. We have to follow Him to arrive at our destiny. We are faced with an opportunity of setting the stage for the greatest visitation of His presence that the world has ever seen.

Things are being removed and things are being added to our lives. The choice is ours. Do we turn our back on the preparation process or do we face the wind and let God reshape our lives, circumstances and mindsets for His purposes?

The very wind He sends, prunes, protects, directs and guides us. There is a higher plan in place. It is God sending this wind.

THERE GOES THE ROOF

These windy times are seasonal, but our faith must increase right now. God is blowing the lid off of our little world. When the roof is gone, there is no obstruction to seeing the Heavenly realm. Things are getting exposed. We are able to see things from God's view.

When the wind dies down, we will have a clearer picture of God, of ourselves, our assignment, and a deeper dependence on God with new levels of trust and faith. Honestly, most of the stuff we thought we just had to have, we discover we just don't need anymore and when it's gone, we won't miss it - stuff in the natural and in the spirit realm.

WHERE IS OUR FAITH?

God is taking over. He is directing the ship. As this storm comes up, will we remember God's words to us or will we be like the disciples who woke Jesus up in the boat, telling Him they were going to die?

Luke 8:22-25, "Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, 'Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.' And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, 'Master, Master, we are perishing!'

"Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, 'Where is your faith?' And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, 'Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!'"

We are going to make it to the other side. The process may take us in a way we didn't see coming, but the end result is that we will be in a new place with new perspective and INCREASED FAITH!

Face the wind. It is a good thing and a God thing.


Anchored on the Rock,


Cindy McGill
Hope for the Harvest Ministries
Email: dreaminslc@hotmail.com

- - - - - -

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

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

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

Friday, July 25, 2008

A Prayer for a Warrior


[from the 18th Psalm; for Warrior and Follower of Christ]

The Lord is your strength. The Lord is your rock, your fortress and your deliverer. God is your rock, in whom you can take refuge. He is your shield and the horn of your salvation, your stronghold. Call on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and He will save you from your enemies. The cords of death may entangle you; the torrents of destruction may overwhelm you. The cords of the grave may coil around you; the snares of death may confront you. In your distress, call to the Lord; cry to God for help. From His temple He will hear your voice; your cry comes before Him, into His ears.

He will reach down from on high and will take hold of you; He will draw you out of deep waters. He will rescue you from your powerful enemy, from your foes, who are too strong for you. They may confront you in the day of your disaster, but the Lord will be your support.

He will bring you out into a spacious place; He will rescue you because He delights in you. The Lord will deal with you according to your righteousness; according to the cleanness of your hands He will reward you. So keep the ways of the Lord; do not commit evil by turning from your God. All His laws are before you; do not turn away from His decrees. Be blameless before Him and keep yourself from sin. The Lord will reward you according to your righteousness, according to the cleanness of your hands in His sight.

To the faithful He shows Himself faithful, to the blameless He shows Himself blameless, to the pure He shows Himself pure, but to the crooked He shows Himself shrewd. He saves the humble but brings low those whose eyes are haughty. The Lord will keep your lamp burning; God will turn your darkness into light.

With His help you can advance against a troop; with God you can scale a wall. God’s ways are perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except God? It is God who will arm you with strength and make your way perfect. He will make your feet like the feet of a deer; He will enable you to stand on the heights. He will train your hands for battle; your arms can bend a bow of bronze. He will give you His shield of victory, and His right hand will sustain you; He will stoop down to make you great.

He will broaden the path beneath you, so that your ankles will not turn. You will pursue your enemies and you will overtake them; you will not turn back till they are destroyed. You will crush them and they will not rise; they will fall beneath your feet. God will arm you with strength for battle; He will make your adversaries bow at your feet. He will make your enemies turn their backs in flight; you will destroy your foes. They will cry for help, but no one will save them— they will call to the Lord, but He will not answer.

You will beat your enemies as fine as dust borne on the wind; you will pour them out like mud in the streets. He will deliver you from the attacks of the people; God will make you the head of nations; people you do not know will be subject to you. As soon as they hear you, they will obey you; foreigners will cringe before you. They will all lose heart; they will come trembling from their strongholds.

The Lord lives! Give praise to your Rock! Exalt God, your Savior! He is the God who will avenge you, who will subdue nations under you, who will save you from your enemies. He will exalt you above your foes; He will rescue you from violent men. So, praise the Lord among the nations; sing praises to His name. He will give you great victories; He will show unfailing kindness to His anointed.

Monday, July 21, 2008

God's Viewpoint - A Coalition of Time and Eternity

Kim Clement: "God's Viewpoint - A Coalition of Time and Eternity"
[from Elijah List]

When God speaks, He removes all doubt that our circumstances will control our freedom, however it does require a certain condition: our compliance to make it possible for Him to do it.

Lately, I've been thinking about our "point of view," and the fact that we are each a point of view. Every single person is a point of view. I am a point of view, you are a point of view. And from that angle, we see things based on our belief system, our education, our spiritual perception, our history - good or bad - and very importantly, our present circumstances. This point of view may be a healthy one, or a view based solely on our small thinking. God comes along and changes our viewpoint with a divine viewpoint.

Divine Perspective

When God speaks to us, it is an exegesis of existence from a divine perspective, which is a complete explanation and interpretation of a particular perspective. Why does God have a specific viewpoint and, is my own point of view at odds with His? This could happen. Another aspect of God speaking to us is the fact that if we believe it (while living in time and space, bearing all the restrictions that come along with time and space, like weariness, sickness, depression, opinions, etc.), then HE is able to make it happen.

You may ask the question, "Why would God be restricted in any way, considering that He is God?" Well, the answer is easy. God lives and exists in eternity, or timelessness, and has made human beings rulers in time and space. They manage it, redeem the time, and occupy the space with very little help from eternity. The only thing they have to assist them to bring some eternal power and help into their restricted world is...faith.

Faith can move a mountain. Jesus spoke to a tree that was unfruitful and the next day it was dead. He spoke to winds and storms commanding them to be still. What Christ was doing was using the eternal power that existed in His BLOOD to make adjustments in His restrictions (time and space). We all have the same restrictions that He had. Based on the fact that if we accept Him and the Holy Spirit, we would have the same power and no possible restrictions could hold us back from our destiny.

Remember the story of Simon Peter in Matthew 16, as he stood with a bunch of disciples ready to answer the question Jesus had posed to them? "Who do men say that I am?" They all answered Him in parrot-like fashion and basically gave Him the opinions of the people saying, "You're a re-incarnated prophet - Jeremiah, Elijah, John the Baptist." Then Jesus, obviously wanting to see what their viewpoint was, posed the following question, "Who do YOU say that I am?"

Now, He wasn't asking them for an opinion, or a carnal point of view, but was asking for something eternal. No one answered until Simon Peter spoke out, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." This did something for Jesus and He told Simon Peter, "Flesh and blood (time and space/opinion) has not revealed this to you but My Father in Heaven (eternal) has." Jesus continued to say, "...Simon Peter, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven and whatever you loose (release) on earth will be loosed in Heaven."

Suddenly, there was an understanding in my mind that a "revelation from God," mingled in our mind and spoken out, would bring a harmony between Heaven (eternity/no restrictions) and earth (space/time/restrictions). Simon Peter, because of a "God" viewpoint, could command eternity into any earthly/worldly situation by releasing or stopping/loosing and binding.

Temporal vs. Eternal

Here is the dilemma: temporal and eternal are at odds. God has to find someone in time and space who has moved away from a limited, restricted, spacey viewpoint, and someone who has had a revelation from an eternal viewpoint, and move them to SPEAK it into that atmosphere - an atmosphere of negative energy derived from negative, restricted opinions.

My Grandmother used to say; "Opinion is like a backside - everyone has one and it stinks most of the time." However, let me continue encouraging you in this. Doesn't the Bible teach us in Ecclesiastes 3, that, "God has placed eternity in the heart of man"? The word "heart" there is translated, or correctly interpreted, as DNA.

Therefore, we have absolutely no reason not to overcome the restrictions that exist in our limited time and space. Eternity being in your DNA means that there is something driving you to connect with another eternal being or thing and if you can't find it, then you will find a temporary thing and place eternity into it/them.

Sound weird? Think about this then. Moses is taking the Israelites out of Egypt and away from their oppressors, surrounded by unbelief, fear, anger, and outrage in millions of Israelites that have been oppressed for 400 years. So their thinking is controlled by 400 years of history, slavery, oppression and pain.

Suddenly someone comes along and shows them a few miracles and finally gets them on their journey to freedom. The odds are against Moses performing any great miracle with their faith and expectation level. However, Moses has received a WORD from God, which means that he has an eternal command in his being.

God's word is not temporal, but eternal, and never dies. Moses tried to connect with something eternal in the people and finds nothing but restricted points of view. At one stage, the millions of Israelites (on their journey) run out of water and begin to angrily demand Moses to deal with this and speak to God. God tells Moses that there is water in a big rock close to him. This is ridiculous. Water does not exist in a rock. NO, it doesn't within the restrictions of time and space, but in terms of eternal perspective and God's viewpoint it does!

So what Moses has to do is take the word from God, which has connected with the eternity in his DNA (making it possible in his thinking), and place it into the rock by commanding it. There is no water in the rock. Moses has to place it there with his faith, his divine eternal viewpoint, and then command it with his now supernatural stick.

God tells Moses to strike the rock; as Moses does this, water gushes from the rock, and according to historians, a necessary 155,000 gallons of water gushed out of the rock to make approximately 3.5 million people happy in terms of drinking, cooking, bathing, washing clothes, etc.

Have Dominion

God needs someone in time and space to have a divine viewpoint in order for Him to perform His will on earth. That's the way He made things, and when He created Adam in the Genesis, He never told Adam that He (GOD) would be running the earth, but rather gave that power and authority to Adam by saying, "Multiply, have dominion, fill the earth and subdue it."

Basically, God was telling Adam, "You're in charge of the earth, time and space, and it's up to you to subdue it when problems arise." Have dominion. Dominion means, "to have sovereignty and control." Man's jurisdiction was over the EARTH, not any other place.

In Genesis 11, the Bible says that the various people on the earth decided that it was not the place where they wanted dominion, and so they decided to build a temple so high that the top reached into Heaven. Today this may seem ludicrous, but it's still happening in many different ways. What they were doing back then was trying to have dominion in the Heavens, because their attempts to have dominion over the earth had failed horribly because of Adam's fall.

Sin controlled their thinking and the point of view was limited and restricted to the selfish desires of the heart. They didn't care to use the "eternity" that God had placed within their blood, while under the restrictions of time and space, but sought another place to live rather.

Throughout my Christian life and ministry, I have seen the same problem, especially in the Church. People want to be "taken" to Heaven quickly and have the "Armageddon" attitude, which is, "I'm tired of life on earth, Arm-a-geddon out of here!"

They conjure up all kinds of doctrines to prove that God doesn't want us on this miserable earth, but wants to wipe it out, ultimately placing Christianity as a religion that is at odds with environmentalists who are desperate to save this precious earth that God gave to us. After all, wasn't His first command to Adam, "Fill the earth, have dominion and subdue it"?

Eternity in Our DNA

We have eternity in our DNA, which means that we can prove limitations wrong and WITHIN our circumstances make adjustments so that our restrictions actually become our opportunities and our greatest weapons. If you study God and how He worked historically with great men in the Bible and outside the Bible, you will see that most of these people were in severe circumstances with grave restrictions, and the general opinion was grossly against them.

The "eternal viewpoint" makes it possible for us to go through a transformation of the mind, thereby changing our speech. Once you use the power of the tongue to command your circumstances, your circumstances are converted from temporary distraction to eternal purposes. Moses stood before God at the burning bush and asked God how in the world he was supposed to deliver the people of Israel from Egypt.

Aside from the obvious problems, here are a few of the things that were against him. God speaks to Moses, a fugitive of Egypt and one guilty of murdering while he was a prince in Egypt, and says to him, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob."

In the midst of this breaking of the silence of hundreds of years, this completely unexpected manifestation of continuity, Moshe (Moses), the Egyptian prince who could hardly have been less prepared for such a moment, acts with a terror the patriarchs seldom exhibited, "Moses concealed his face, for he was afraid to gaze upon God" (Exodus 3).

In the same chapter, God speaks again and says, "I have seen, yes, seen the affliction of My people that is in Egypt, their cry have I heard in the face of their slave-drivers; Indeed I have known their sufferings! So I have come down (into time and space) to RESCUE it from the hand of Egypt, to bring it up from that land, to a land, goodly and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey...SO NOW GO, FOR I SEND YOU TO PHARAOH; BRING MY PEOPLE, THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, OUT OF EGYPT."

HOLD ON - I thought God said that HE had COME DOWN to rescue them? So why is He asking Moses to do it? Because, God has restricted Himself by giving mankind management of the earth and therefore, will always give a man the job of doing what He in fact came to do. This is exciting because it makes me realize that God transfers that power (that He has to accomplish something) into us and commands us to GO and deal with it.

God Has to Deal with Our Point of View

The only real problem that God has to deal with is our point of view. How do we see it? Can we see it the way He does? His viewpoint is eternal - ours is temporal and restricted by our limited sight. Now God has to convince us that it can be done.

Moses stands before God with a staff in his hand. This is his security and the one thing that he is acquainted with. The staff has led sheep and warred off the various plunderers of the sheep. God asks Moses to throw down his staff, and suddenly, what Moses has "seen" as a mere piece of wood to be used for one specific purpose, is now a serpent. God was trying to show Moses that nothing temporal is what it seems. On the surface it looks safe and predictable, but in actual fact, with eternal viewpoint and command, it could produce many interesting things.

Think about when Jesus was walking the earth. He is faced with a problem; a man is blind and needs to see. Jesus spits into the earth's soil and mixes it into clay, shoves it into the man's eyes, and suddenly, the blind man can see. Earth - trodden on by the feet of men and the paws of animals - suddenly becomes the instrument to open blind eyes.

Whey didn't Jesus do what He normally did? He would've placed His hands on someone, or spoken a word, but instead He used the EARTH and showed everyone that what was a seemingly predictable waste, was in fact a force to be used to heal someone. How? He saw more in the earth than something to be trodden upon or dug up, and allowed eternity to be placed into it when He spat into it.

DNA transferred into the earth! You have that power to transfer the eternity that is in your DNA into another human being. That is the essence of the prophetic. You "see" something greater in a human being, even greater than what they see, and you speak it into their lives. What a joy to see them becoming the eternal beings they were designed to become.

Remember, you have eternity in your blood, your DNA, and you have the ability to change everything. You have a Word from God, which is all that you need.

Kim Clement
Prophetic Image Expressions
Email: hope@kimclement.com


- - - - -


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

Monday, June 30, 2008

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

Monday, June 23, 2008

Spiritual Drowsiness

Francis Frangipane: "For Dreams to Come True - You Must Wake Up!"
[from the Elijah List]

Just because we walk and talk does not mean we are truly awake. Zechariah was not sleeping when an angel roused him "as a man who is awakened from his sleep" (Zechariah 4:1).

Perhaps we too need to be shaken from our slumber to possess the promises of God! Amazingly, in spite of all the signs, wonders, and warnings announcing that we are truly in the last days, Jesus also said there is a mysterious drowsiness that we have to overcome. Indeed, immediately after highlighting the various evidences of the end (see Matthew 24), He compares the Church to virgins who "all got drowsy and began to sleep" (Matthew 25:5).

Virgins sleeping at the end of the age: this seems incomprehensible with all the signs in the Heavens and wonders upon the earth, not to mention the increasing presence of Christ. Yet this phenomenon is something we each battle: the tendency to become spiritually drowsy and lose our focus as we wait for the Lord's return.

There is a subtle activity of the enemy that dulls our perception and seduces our zeal. Our vision takes a backseat to other less important aspects of life. From the beginning, the voice of satan has had this lulling effect on mankind. Eve's excuse for disobedience was, "The serpent hath caused me to forget" (Genesis 3:13 Young's Literal Translation).

This sense of spiritual forgetfulness, of drowsiness, is the cloud of blindness that we each must discern and overcome. It was in regard to this that the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart through the following dream.

"If You Want Your Dream to Come True, You Have to Wake Up"

There was a temple standing in an open field. My view of the temple was from its side, about 200 yards away. I could not see its front, yet it must have been completely open because great light flashed out from the inside; it pulsed like lightning, yet was solid like sunlight. The block of light issued straight out, and I knew this light was the glory of God.

The temple was so close that I knew that with a little effort I could enter the glory of God. His holy presence was clearly within my reach. There were also others directly in front of me that I recognized as people from church. Everyone seemed very busy. And while the temple and its light were visible and readily accessible to all, every head was bent downward and turned away from the light; each was occupied with other things.

I heard one person say, "I have to do laundry." Another said, "I have to go to work." I could see people reading newspapers, watching televisions, and eating. I was sure everyone could see the light if they wanted to - even more sure that we all knew His glory was near.

There were even a few people reading the Bible and praying, but everyone maintained the downward thrust of their gaze; each had a mental barrier of some kind between themselves and the place of God's presence. No one, in fact, seemed capable of standing up, turning, and steadfastly walking into the very near glory of God.

As I watched, suddenly my wife lifted her head and beheld the temple in the field. She stood and walked without pausing toward the open front. As she drew closer to the light, a garment of glory formed and thickened around her; the closer she went, the more dense the light surrounding her became until she stepped in front of the temple and turned completely toward the blazing face of God.

Oh! How jealous I felt. My wife had entered the glory of God before me! At the same time I realized that there was nothing stopping me from approaching God's presence - nothing except the pile of things to do and responsibilities that, in truth, ruled my life more than the voice of God.

Pushing the weight of these pressures from me, I determined to rise and enter the temple myself. But, to my great regret, in my dream as I rose up, I suddenly woke up!

The longing and disappointment within me seemed unbearable. I had been so close to entering God's presence. How I wanted to enter the temple and be swallowed up in His glory!

I cried, "Lord, why did You let me wake up?"

Instantly, the word of the Lord responded to my cry. He said, "I will not have My servant's life fulfilled by a dream. If you want your dream to come true, you have to wake up."

Breaking Passivity - Setting Priorities

Beloved, today, God is awakening us to the reality of His presence. The promises the Lord gives us in the Scriptures must become more to us than dream-like realities only reserved for the hereafter. Moses frequented the glory of God! Israel's seventy elders ate and drank in God's resplendent glory (see Exodus 24:9-11). Jesus unveiled God's glory on the Mount of Transfiguration! Paul says that we all can behold the glory of God and be transformed by it (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).

For this reason, the Scripture says, "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Ephesians 5:14). If we truly want Christ to "shine" upon us, we must arise from the distractions that entomb us in lethargy and spiritual darkness.

Right at this moment, the presence of the living God is near enough to hear the whisper of your heart. But if we want our dream of standing in the presence of God to come true, we must wake up.


Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email: francis1@frangipane.org

Friday, June 20, 2008

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!

Monday, June 2, 2008

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

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

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

Resolute and Absolute


[for "Resolute Covenant"]

No doubt, no fear, no worry, no tear
His promises true and oaths sincere
From age to age, His Word is clear
His covenant -- absolute -- is here

One word won't miss the promised bliss
For He is true and so is this
The God of Jacob won't dismiss
A covenant -- resolute -- is His

The Holy God who condescended
Has spoken words of life and mended
All hurt and pain in you upended
His covenant -- absolute -- to you extended

You can rely until you die
Or 'til you see Him with you eye
He'll keep His word, He cannot lie
His covenant -- resolute -- alive

So rest your case, and set your face
To Savior who abounds in grace
And when life seems a bit misplaced
His covenant -- resolute -- embrace

Now one more thing: you are a king
Called out to war and sword to swing
In Him, sing out prophetic things
And covenants -- absolute -- He brings

You're resolute, in Him arise
Your armor, weapons are supplied
The strength you need is in His eyes
His covenant -- resolute -- abides

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Francis Frangipane: "From Visitation to Habitation--the Goal of a Visitation from God is that We Become the Habitation of God"

There had not been a prophet in Israel for more than 400 years. Now, in the spirit and power of Elijah, John the Baptist stood in the Judean wilderness. Lightning flashed from his eyes as his message thundered across the terrain of human souls before him. The storm of God had returned!

Historians tell us that John's penetrating ministry brought nearly one million people to a baptism of repentance. It was an unprecedented beginning to a time of visitation. It was into this electrified atmosphere of awakened faith that Jesus came, bringing miracles previously unseen in Israel's history. The presence of the living God was flowing through Christ; His message was unparalleled: the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand!

Yet, for all the multitudes, miracles, signs and wonders, incredibly, Jesus lamented over the nation. He wept because, according to His view, they failed to "recognize the time of (their) visitation" (Luke 19:44).

In what way did they miss this move of God? Certainly, vast multitudes responded to John's call for repentance. Clearly, people were in awe of the supernatural: the incurable had been cured and demoniacs delivered! And, what of the multitudes that followed Jesus into the wilderness whom He fed the loaves and fishes--didn't they recognize the uniqueness of this hour?

Obviously, the crowds were very familiar with the healing, miraculous dimensions of a visitation (see Luke 4:14-19; Isaiah 61:1-2). Yet, when God comes in visitation, He is seeking two unfolding realities: to destroy the works of the devil and then build His Kingdom into the lives of the newly healed. He does not come to heal us so we can drift back into our old lives. He heals us so He can transform us into His image. Indeed, the very captives He sets at liberty He then empowers to "rebuild the ancient ruins . . . raise up the former devastations and...repair the ruined cities" (Isaiah 61:4).

To ignore or minimize this transformational goal is serious. When we are given much, much is required. You see, the word visitation not only means a time of healing; it also refers to a time of inspection, of being examined closely. God not only participates in the joy of our deliverance, He is also examining us to see if we will now respond in increasing obedience.

Our obedience actually creates a different future for us, one that is blessed. Yet, if we do not respond, there are calamities awaiting also. He tells the newly healed to "not sin anymore" lest something worse happen (John 5:14). To the delivered He warns that, if their soul remains unoccupied after having their inner lives cleansed and put in order, the "last state of that man becomes worse than the first" (Matthew 12:45).

You see, at the very moment God removes our burdens, He is also removing our excuses. Having now been freed from oppression, the Lord expects that we will put aside our differences, reconcile and unite as a heavenly community, and begin to transform our world.

A New Season of Outpouring

Over the past years, the Lord has raised up an international armada of intercessory ministries. As a result of the prayer movement, especially TheCall and other solemn assemblies, the beginnings of a visitation are emerging. Reports are coming almost weekly of supernatural manifestations and revival. Many feel we are close to a spiritual awakening.

I personally have been following the Lakeland revival on God.tv. Yes, there are minor things I might do differently, but I have been moved by the spiritual hunger of the people and also by the remarkable miracles and conversions. Most importantly, I have been touched by the attending presence of God's glory. Yet, while my heart swells with joy, I also fear. For when we cry for a holy visitation, we are crying for God's Kingdom--the very reign of God to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. My concern is, when we entreat the Almighty for His Kingdom, are we truly ready to surrender ours?

Most in first century Israel did not understand the goal of a visitation; they were blessed, touched and healed, but they did not attain God's purpose, and for them Jesus wept. Nevertheless, on Pentecost Christ's disciples did, in fact, carry the visitation to its appointed purpose: the early church became the dwelling of God on earth. The citywide church was united, committed to prayer and focused on Jesus (see Acts 3:1). Miracles were ordinary, as was extravagant giving to the poor. The early church set the standard for visitation: signs, miracles and conversions, but also Christ-centered unity among church leaders and believers alike.

If there is no functional, Christ-centered unity among the churches in your city, then let's begin by praying for the leaders. Yes, let us rejoice in the beginnings of revival. But, with sobriety, let us also keep in mind that the goal of a visitation from God is that we become the habitation of God.


Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email: francis1@frangipane.org


- - - - - -


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

Protect Your Destiny



[for "Protector of the Land and Those Who Cross It"]


Lance in your hand, courage at heart
Vision is clear, mission to start
Saddle up, soldier; get up in gear
Armor of God will keep focus, not fear

Start from the barn; humbly begin
Shelter from storm – in God you will win
Storage of faith, of hope and of love
Now you’re released with power from above

Rise to your calling, rise to your feet
Stand on His victory and enemy’s defeat
Ride out to battle; ride out in faith
Run to your Savior, find strength as you wait

You are a guard and you are a shield
You are a guide to those crossing the fields
Called to protect the land that you own
Called to defend it from giants who roam

Ford every stream and bring them across
Lead those who follow back to the Cross
Until you find rest in God’s promised land
Encourage your brothers and lend them a hand

Protector of the land, your name prophesies
The purpose of your heart, the goal in your eyes
The Lord has granted you rest and this land
Defend those who cross it to take their own stand

Take up your spear and take up your shield
Lay down your all and all to Him yield
Your destiny beckons and now calls on you
Your God simply asking, “What will you do?”


Monday, May 12, 2008

Victoria Boyson: "Prisoners of HOPE--What Feels like a Prison Cell to You, God Sees as a FORTRESS"

There are times during the birth of your destiny that you feel as though you would like to give up hope, but God will not let you. It feels as though you are held captive by hope.

"Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope..." Zechariah 9:12

There are times during the development of your dream when your hope seems to have turned into a prison. You cannot make your dreams come true, and you find it impossible to stop believing in them. You cannot go forward any faster than God will let you, and you cannot return to where you once were before you became pregnant with the promise from God. God will not let you give up! During this time you might feel like saying, "Okay, God, this is enough! I don't want to hope anymore! I am tired of being pregnant with this promise! I want out of this prison of hope!"

It is during this time that your dreams feel so real to you, yet to others they are not. The conflict between what you feel in the Spirit and what is evident in the natural grates at your soul. You feel much like you are on a Ferris wheel. You have your up times when you can see your dream's fulfillment far into the future, but you also have your down time when you cannot see anything. You think to yourself, "Am I crazy to think that God could use me?" The enemy comes in like a flood and you begin to doubt, causing anguish to your soul. This is the time when God is doing His greatest work in you.

It is Because He Loves You

You feel as though you are ready for your destiny, but once again God directs you back to the refinery for more tweaking. Oh how weary you are of the awful refinery and that seemingly endless tweaking. "Okay, God, You can stop now," you scream. But He does not stop. You are caught in a prison of hope and He will not let you out until He is finished with what He began in you.

It is like a child who has a sliver. They do not like the pain the sliver causes them, but they hate the misery of having that sliver taken out. Getting the sliver out is important, but they do not necessarily understand that. Even if they did, it is hard to keep still while it is being pulled out. Well, we all have spiritual slivers that we need God to take out, and sometimes it really hurts, especially when the sliver is way down deep in your heart.

This is when the refining process REALLY hurts, because He is getting down to the very core of your soul, to the deep regions of your heart. He is developing things in you that you did not even know that you lacked; things you did not even know that you needed. You think, "Okay, God, this is deep enough." But every builder knows you must dig down deep to lay a proper foundation first, before you start to build upward. And the greater the height of the structure, the deeper the foundation must be.

It is because God loves us that He will not allow us to enter our destiny until our foundation is secure. If He has held you back and you feel like a prisoner, He has done it out of love for you. He does not want to see all that He has worked to build in you crumble, because He did not take the time to develop a sure foundation. He loves you that much!

Even though it hurts you, He needs to hold you in the prison cell of hope until it is safe for you to come out. Even though you are sick and tired of hoping, of believing, of waiting; He will still make you hope, believe and wait even longer. And this can be the hardest thing He has asked you to do yet. But when you feel like giving up, but continue to carry on, you begin to sense a strength rising in you that you did not know you possessed. And really you did not possess it previously, because it was your reward for enduring this painful process. It is a gift from God that the enemy cannot take away from you, because you have earned it.

Held Captive by Hope

In the word of God we can find many people who have been held captive by hope. For examples, there are Moses, Joseph, and Abraham. But I think my favorite is David. It is his honesty in the face of misery that attracts me to him.

God had promised David the Kingdom of Israel, and Samuel had anointed him for it (1 Samuel 16:13). But after he had been anointed as king of all Israel he had to go back to tending the sheep. It was many years before the promise ever came to pass for David, and he spent many of those years being chased by the man whose throne he would inherit. I am sure he never dreamed, back in the pasture on his father's farm, that he would have to hide out in caves or that he would pretend to be a crazy man in order to save his life. After all, God said he was going to be a king. A king does not have to do things like that does he?

In Psalm 119:82, David cries out to God in song and says, "My eyes fail, looking for Your promise." I can relate to that. It feels sometimes as though the promise will never be fulfilled. But in fact, it was fulfilled for David and it will be for you too, if you do not give up.

Hopeless, No. Helpless, Yes!

Do you feel sometimes as though you are hopeless? Well, you are not without hope; you are not hopeless, but helpless. God has put you in a position of helplessness or complete dependency on Him and you are helpless to help yourself. You struggle to gain back some measure of control over your life. But your pride (that you did not even know that you had) is being crushed, and the only thing for you to do is to surrender. You may feel hopeless, but really it is the condition of helplessness that is causing you pain. God wants you completely dependent on Him, and He will keep you a prisoner of hope until you are.

Return to Your Fortress

Your fortress is trusting in a loving God. Trusting Him in spite of all the reasoning of your mind; in spite of the circumstances that surround you. You were content to give God control of your life until He decided to do something with your life you did not like. You were happy to surrender all to Him, until He decided to give your promotion to someone else. You believe in His sovereignty, until His sovereign will conflicts with your will. Then you are sure He has made a mistake. You want to run from Him, but He is your refuge.

How do you run from your refuge? How do you run from the only One who really loves you or understands you? The answer is...you don't. So, return, my friend, to your fortress and remain a prisoner until He is done with you; until He decides you are ready for all that He has for you.
What now feels like a prison cell to you, God sees as a fortress. And of course He is right. He loves you and if you give Him control of your life He will guard it for you. Perhaps what feels to you like a prison cell, may really be your place of safety and protection. David did not like being in a cave, but it saved him from King Saul. You may not like the circumstances you are in now, but do not run from it. It may be what is saving your life!

Double for Your Trouble

The second half of Zechariah 9:12 gives us the answer we are looking for. Why are we going through what we are going through? It says, "Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you."

God says, "Even now I announce to you that not only will I restore to you all that has been taken from you, but I will give you double for all the trouble you have endured." He says, "Don't stop now...keep trusting Me, because I can see your future and it is very blessed. Keep walking with Me and keep trusting in Me and I will give you rest."

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). When we have learned to "rest" in God in the midst of our storm, God is mightily blessed. Because it proves to Him that we trust in His goodness no matter what our circumstances are. It pleases Him very much when we trust in Him, and when He is pleased He will burst forth blessings from Heaven. He just cannot help Himself, He loves to bless those who trust in His goodness.

He, as He did for Israel in Zechariah 9:12, will stand up and announce to all that He is proud of you and intends to restore double to you for your continued trust in Him through all you have endured. And this is the beginning of your dreams coming true. Enjoy it, friend, because you have waded through the river of adversity and your heavenly Father is proud of you.

Return to your fortress, O prisoners of hope...



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