So, it's been a few months since I've written. The truth is, life has been dramatic here lately. I was traveling over the summer and ended up arriving at the beach, which has finally felt like a home. At least, it's beginning to feel like home. See, I've lived in cities, small towns, and the mountains, but my favorite has ALWAYS been the ocean. I just never could have imagined I would be blessed enough to actually live here one day. But God is so good to me!
And here I sit, staring out the window of a stranger's house. Well, not so much a stranger anymore. But it's a new job, watching a tiny tot (kid). Yes, I am so, so, so grateful that the GOOD Lord has given me a new home (across from the water), a wonderful job, and is introducing me to amazing, kind, and caring people here. I really CANNOT complain at all!
So with that being said, in an attitude of gratitude, let's talk about the Promised Land. In my story, I hope to God to not be a kind of Moses that only saw the promise from afar. I have been on the mountain of God, and I DO hope to inherit His promises over my life. But the wilderness has been rough, and I even feel like sometimes I've turned around and hid back in Egypt, which was familiar, but I felt bound there. Like Joseph, I felt like God had given me a BIG, God-sized dream and then I was immediately thrown into turmoil, from the pit to prison.
But here, now, I stand. I stand and I look at the ocean and I am reminded of all the promises over my life. I can't afford to run back to Egypt now and be enslaved to lies from Hell. I do NOT have time anymore to hide in a cave and act hopeless and pathetic like Elijah, who had just seen a mighty move of God through him, granted, and then ran and hid for his life from a controlling spirit. I've been there too. So like Moses, Elijah, and Joseph, I want all my promises and dreams to come true and I want to see fire fall from Heaven through my life.
I desire to set the captives free, heal the sick more, and even raise the dead. My hope is to express the love of God that changes lives, through following the example that Jesus demonstrated for us to follow, during His time here on Earth. "On Earth as it is in Heaven," must be my life-mantra. I long to see Heaven come and His Kingdom manifest right here, right now, with miracles, signs, and wonders...glory galore! If folks do not SEE the power of God demonstrated, how can their eyes be opened to see He is real? This is the hour...
This is the hour to step up, mount up, rise up, and build up His Body, Church. We can dream, and we can hide under the shadow of His wings for a season, but we MUST get ready in this "Secret Place." While there are still a few days of peace left, we HAVE to get trained, equipped, and empowered to advance His Kingdom here on this planet. Church, wake up. Get a vision, pray, pray, pray and LEARN to hear HIS actual voice, put on your Armor, and then GO. Go make disciples. Go do what Jesus did. Go be His hands and feet. Go love.
Love like Jesus. Live like Jesus. Walk like Jesus, with Jesus. But some of you still aren't ready yet. Some of you are like I was for way too long, wandering in circles through the wilderness, even running back to comfort and familiarity (Egypt), but it doesn't have to be that way. Thank God we're living in the Age of Grace (Jesus-New Covenant), so there is mercy, but there is still responsibility and accountability to be maintained, if we want to see the greater measure and produce good fruit. This is important. If we have the Holy Ghost baptism, our lives truly should be evident of this.
Whether it's subtle kindness or bold preaching, we should look different than the world. We are in it, but not of it, remember? We don't condemn and we don't shame, but we live lives worthy of the calling to which we have received. We look like Jesus, we talk like Jesus, we serve, give, and teach and love like Jesus. For if we are not representing the fruit of His Spirit AND manifesting His presence through the gifts, what are we doing? Something is wrong....
Now, I'm willing to bet for many of you, it's just simple immaturity. You are still growing in your faith walk, and that's okay. Some are still baby Christians, and nothing wrong with that. You need milk before meat. But many of you should be more grown by now and need to stop acting like little children when you know better. It's time to grow up Church! It's time to evolve and mature. A Christian is always meant to be growing, from the moment you get born again.
So, I challenge you Church. Are you lost in the wilderness? Are you stuck in Egypt? Are you on your way to the Promised Land? Which one are you? Because you ARE one. It is time for us to truly prepare (whatever that looks like), specifically for you. Maybe you need more milk. Maybe you need to start eating meat. Maybe you need to mount up on wings like eagles and fly. Maybe you need to run the race. Maybe you need to fall on your face and seek His face.
Maybe you need to rest in His love and get a vision for your life. Maybe you need a healing miracle or deliverance. Maybe you need the baptism of fire. Maybe you need to learn to hear His voice clearly. Maybe it's time for you to live by faith, or maybe it's time for you to plant seeds. Maybe it's time to build; maybe it's time to lay down your life. What time is it? If you don't know, you need to know. Go knock and He'll open the door. Seek Him and you will find Him, when you seek Him with your WHOLE heart, beloved. GO now, go talk to God. Listen.
Yes, LISTEN. He wants to speak to you. He wants to plant a beautiful dream in your heart and help you conquer the battle within. For the war is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual beings. The voice of the Accuser (Satan) is loud and proud but God is that still, small voice, like a whisper. In order to hear the Lord more clearly, you have to get quiet and get the enemy out of your head. Renew your mind with the Word of God, spend hours in prayer, turn on the worship music and just soak, but pay attention and get your head right. Be sober-minded. Be of a sound mind and do NOT, I repeat, do NOT come into agreement with lies.
Try your best to not open a door to the enemy to come and influence your life negatively. Stay away from evil and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you, so you have His help coming from within. You need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire. You need to have Him working not just around you, or with you, but actually THROUGH you. Trust me. I spent my whole life feeling like God was with me, and even showing me things, but it wasn't until I got baptized and FILLED up with His very Spirit that my life really changed for the better. Now, I had help.
I had help coming from within myself, instead of trying to do it all in my own strength. I had reached the end of myself and I was tired and that's when I found Jesus, really met Him, really let Him all the way in, and gave Him my whole life. I was baptized in water, fire, and the Holy Spirit and I was then gradually transformed from the inside out. It no longer was me trying to always keep the outside of the cup clean, but rather letting Him be the one to clean me up, internally first. And some of you have unclean spirits tormenting you that need to go.
Some of you have broken hearts that need to be healed and some of you have broken bodies that need to be fixed. Is there anything too hard for our God? Let Him have ALL of you. Let Him ALL the way in. Don't hold back. Give Him EVERYTHING. Lay down every burden at His feet, cast every care on Him, break agreements with dark spirits, receive your healing, surrender all and yield to the Holy Spirit. Let Him be Lord of your life. Don't just follow Jesus, let Him become one with you, through Holy Ghost fire. Let Him burn within you, friend.
Stop, please STOP, fighting this battle in your own abilities. You will fail. Eventually, you will end up exhausted, broke, spent, and just plain, wore out from life. Take it from someone who has been there. But don't give up though, and don't do that. Don't wrestle with God, like Jacob. But surrender and submit to Him. Let Him fight through you. Let Him move those mountains. Let Him be God and you be you. Trust me. You CAN'T really do it without Him, beloved.
If you don't know how to wait on the Lord, it's as simple as being still. Turn off the lights, turn on some light worship music, lay on the ground, get alone, and do whatever you have to do to hear His voice and feel His love. And then wait, wait until He comes, because He will. You will feel His stirring, His peace, His warmth, His power, joy, love, and maybe even hear Him speak. But you have to learn the discipline of reconditioning yourself from American culture and learning how to do NOTHING. Yes, NOTHING. Sit at His feet like Mary. Don't be anxious.
Please don't be too busy for God. Please don't quench His Spirit. You must wait and not get up too soon. It will get easier and easier to tune into Him and feel, sense, and hear Him, the more you do this. If you want to overcome obstacles in your life, you really do need to learn how to do this...how to wait on the Lord, properly. It's time to hear His voice more than you ever have in your life. This is how we get ready for what's coming, my brothers and sisters.
So, we've got to live by obedience, for that's even better than sacrifice. It's time to be led by the Spirit of God (like Jesus), not our own emotions, thoughts, and ways. In order to obey and follow, we have to trust and know. We have to know Him; know that He is good and He is for us. He died for us, after all, gave His own life for His people. You can be His child, if you'll just accept this reality, that Jesus became sin, so that we no longer had to be slaves to sin.
He took our mistakes on His body and buried them in the grave with Him, and now He lives, so we can be resurrected to new life too! The life He has for us is free of torment, worry, hopelessness, and despair. He gives us cures for our bodies, mends our hurting hearts, and renews our thoughts to be more like His. He is so good, wonderful, and kind. He can ALWAYS be trusted. So do you trust Him? Do you really know Him, family? Are you really living for Him, with Him, like Him? Are you doing what He's called you to do?
I truly believe that this is an hour for the Church to make sure she is healthy. It is a pivotal moment in our history for us to check ourselves. What are we struggling with? What areas are we broken in? What parts of our lives do we need to fully hand over to the Lord? What lies are we believing? Do we need healing or deliverance? Are we growing and maturing in wisdom? Do we actually hear HIS voice or are we being deceived? Do we believe the WHOLE Bible? Are we baptized and committed to Him? Do we love Him with everything and do we love others? Are we seeing miracles?
So, I close with this. Let's focus. Let's not look to the left or the right and start sinking like Peter did when he stepped out by faith at first. Let's KEEP walking by faith, not sight. Did you hear that? Did you really comprehend that, friends? Let's choose faith, not our own human knowledge and limited, cultural insight. Do NOT be conformed to the patterns of this world, but change the world. Change the world by loving your neighbors. Accept the truth and let God have HIS TOTAL way in your life. See things the way He does, have His mind, and concentrate, zero-in on hearing that sweet, kind voice that whispers to you in the storm.
There's a lot to be done still and we have a long way to go, but the Church of God, the true Church (like in the book of ACTS), needs to be the one to do it. We should be partnering with the Savior to save lives and really making a difference. Our mission must be to keep people out of Hell and introduce them to Heaven on Earth. It's not His will that any should perish. It's His will to be thankful in all circumstances. So, the will of God is to preach the Gospel and DEMONSTRATE it (words and deeds) and to have an attitude of gratitude (thankful hearts).
But remember, in order to do what God has created us all to do (love people through works of faith and teaching), we've got to first be strong and good ourselves. So, go get your miracle, go get your blessing, go get touched by God, if you need to be. Let go of whatever your clinging on to that is keeping you from inheriting His promises over your life. Stop living in fear and throw every trouble and worry at His feet. He is big enough to handle it all.
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