Prepare for Takeoff

Tags

Airplanes, Bride of Christ, church, maturity, Preperation, Travel

If you have ever flown on an airplane before, you know there are some mandatory preparations that must be made before the pilot will allow the plane to leave the runway. Some of those include the reality that you must have your seat belt on, you must have your tray table up and in its locked position and you must have your bags securely placed in the overhead bins or under the seat in front of you. If these things are not done, by even one person, that whole flight will be staying on the runway until everyone complies to those orders. Many in the body of Christ have been feeling the engine running in the spirit, they know they are in their assigned seat on the plane, and they have been waiting for the plane to take off. Some people have gotten frustrated by the delay, others have given up on it ever taking off and still others have fallen asleep in their seat.

 

My question for you is, are you ready for takeoff? Not your neighbor, your pastor, your spouse, your friends, but you. Are you ready for takeoff? I am wondering if some of the delay we have been experiencing is the patience of God, who is waiting for everyone that is assigned to this plane to get themselves ready for takeoff. I am not saying this is the answer, I am just wondering, so instead of complaining, declaring and prophesying, the delay is over, I have chosen to make sure all the preparations I have been called to make are completed, so I am ready for takeoff.

 

In the spirit, I have been hearing the Lord say, prepare for takeoff! In I Kings 17, Elijah has an exchange with a widow from Zarephath while in the middle of a famine. Here is what their exchange is, “Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’” So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.” (v.8-15).

 

The woman was gathering sticks in preparation for her death, but God was preparing her to live an abundant life. Much of the church is looking around them and they are preaching preparation for death, but there is a small company of people that are preparing themselves internally to live, not in heaven someday, but on earth in a powerful way. I believe we are about to takeoff on the greatest adventure of our lives. I believe we have been in training for this moment in history that we are entering. I believe we have moved from training to preparation for we are about to takeoff. While in church yesterday morning, the Lord showed me a rocket on a launch pad, and I heard a voice that said, get in. Many people are not preparing for they have been in the rocket before and it exploded on the launch pad, or shortly after takeoff it exploded in the air, but I believe the spirit of the Lord is inviting us to get in. This time is going to be different, once this rocket leaves the launch pad, it will not return without images of life, testimonies of healings and stories of deliverance.

 

It is time to prepare for takeoff, I can hear the captain telling us to take our seats, secure our bags and make sure our tray tables are in the locked and upright position. We are about to have the time of our lives! Prepare for takeoff.

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People Are Portals

Human beings live in two realities, we live in the physical reality of which most people are aware of, but we also live in a spiritual reality of which many are either uncomfortable with, unfamiliar with or unaware of. The physical world is where our five senses operate and from which we make decisions based on those senses. But the spiritual world is a realm from which we have our authority. Many people are unaware of the authority of the spirit world and how it operates, but the apostle Paul said, “Don’t you realize that you can choose your own master? You can choose sin (with death) or else obedience (with acquittal). The one to whom you offer yourself—he will take you and be your master, and you will be his slave” (Romans 6:16). So we get to choose our spiritual master, but once we make that decision, we then become a portal for that master’s operation in our life and in the physical world in which we live.

A portal is defined as a doorway, gate, or other entrance, especially a large and elaborate one. In Psalm 24:9 it says, “Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.” The Psalmist is inviting us to be a portal for the King of Glory, He will not beat down the door, He must be invited in, we see this in Revelation 3:20 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” The Bible uses imagery, symbolism and word pictures to describe our lives and so when it is said, people are portals, this is a biblical idea, not a humanistic one.

 

As a portal you are given the authority to determine what has access into your life and through your life. We cannot control other people’s access that they grant in and through themselves, but we can control our own. Being able to discern what spirit world we are allowing to flow through us is critical. The Lord, the King of Kings, He wants to access us so He can release His glory through us. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says we are ambassadors for Christ, we represent His kingdom here on the earth, but there is another master that is seeking to use your life as an access point for his operation. His mission is clearly laid out in John 10:10, where it states, the devil comes ONLY to steal, kill and destroy. As people when we allow our lives to be a portal for the enemy’s activity we see an increase of this threefold plan in operation on the earth.

 

Many people are seeing the destruction of the nations, the rise of enemies we had not known before and the increase of wickedness in our world, but very few know what the solution to these problems are. Some would suggest gun laws, others would say we need to build a wall, still others think a different President is the answer, but what is the real solution, what can you do, what can I do? I believe the solution is you, the solution is me, Psalm 68:1 says, “May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him.” As we let God arise in us, as we open our gates to Him, as we become a portal for His presence, power and promises on earth, the enemy will scatter, the darkness will flee. We are partners in the advancing of the kingdom of God on earth, we are the access point God uses to accomplish His will, so open up your life and remember people are portals.

Embrace the Grace for Your Race

Tri-Fold Plan of the Enemy

Tags

History, Strategies, Tactics, Unforgiveness

Tri-Fold Plan of the Enemy 2.21.16

 

Sports teams, political rivals, and military strategists all have one thing in common, they are aware of what their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses are. This is why teams study the game tapes, why politicians listen to the comments of their rivals and why militaries spy out the land they are seeking to take. If you don’t know what your enemy is doing, you will not be as victorious as could be if you did know what he was doing. Many people go into war without all the information, which is a critical part of the preparation and that is why they lose more battles than they win. Now this is true on a nation, international and individual level, but today we are going to speak to individuals, for I see a tactic of the enemy in scripture that has plagued Israel and the church since the beginning of our existence as people.

 

The tri-fold plan of the enemy against believers is unforgiveness, forgetfulness and fear/unbelief. These are the three strategies the enemy uses against people in their relationship with God and others.

 

2 Corinthians 10-11 “But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

 

Psalm 78:11 “They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.”

 

Psalm 78:22 “They turned away from faith and walked away in fear; they failed to trust in his power to help them when He was near.”

 

Historically with Israel, realistically with the church and identifiably with us as individuals we can see this trifold plan of the enemy in operation in people’s lives and that is why we are not as powerful as we could be, as loving as we are called to be and as courageous as we are supposed to be. The enemy begins by either getting us or someone we love in unforgiveness in order to destroy our relationships, for the enemy knows, sometimes better than us, that we are better together than we are apart. Living with unforgiveness on any level is destructive to relationships, they enemy knows this, so it is one of his tactics. Secondly, the enemy uses forgetfulness in order to get us to question the character of God. If we forget our history with God and His faithfulness toward us, we will begin to question what He is doing with us when we can’t see, hear or understand. The third tactic the enemy uses is fear or unbelief, which is a lack of trust. Trust is the most vulnerable thing we are called to do and many people refuse to do it for when they have tried to trust, they were hurt, so they have resolved not to trust people or God. The enemy is such a strategist, he knows if he can rob you of your ability to trust, he can keep you in unbelief and render you powerless.

 

The enemy knows, sometimes better than we do, that we are powerful. Christ in us is the hope of glory! If God arises in us, the enemy will be scattered, so the enemy uses a trifold plan to keep us from being powerful. But God, who is slow to anger and rich in mercy, has not given up, He is relentless in His pursuit of us, He knows we are His ambassadors on earth, He knows He paid a price for us that no other person on earth would be willing to pay and He knows how to win our hearts again. So, we can have hope, even though we may have fallen prey to one or all three of these strategies of the enemy, the Lord is our deliverer and He is still releasing the prisoners and setting the captives free. You were created to be powerful and now that you know the trifold plan of the enemy, you can defeat him by forgiving everyone, remembering your history with God, and walking in faith, trusting God with all your heart. This is how we overcome!

What the Church Can Learn from Apple

Tags

church, Ideas, Innovation, kingdom of God, Movement, Prophecy, Revolution

As someone who is not tech saavy, nor am I a product ambassador, but I am an observer of culture, systems, and organizations. Kris Vallaton of Bethel Church in Redding, CA recently said, prophetic people are not as concerned about the what, but they are very concerned about the why. I guess there is some prophetic giftings in me, for I love to know why something works. My friends will tell you that I am constantly analyzing the church and seeking to understand why so many people are leaving the church, are done with the system, but are still lovers of God and people. This question, that resonates in my spirit and mind on a daily basis, was illuminated in a powerful way when I entered the Apple Store in my city.

I walked into this store, that is only identifiable by a symbol of an Apple with a bite taken out of it. This alone is genius, to be known for something as simple as a symbol and to have it represent so many different thoughts, emotions, ideas and opinions is fascinating to me. Then we walk through the door and the Apple experience begins, we are immediately greeted and ushered to the place we need to be for maximum service. Then once checked in, we are invited to explore the store, which is very hands on, you can touch anything, ask anything, engage with anything in the store. My son, is immediately drawn to the new iPhone, me, I sit down and people watch in utter amazement.

Old and young, rich and poor, white, black, Asian and every other color is in this store. I immediately ask, how did they do this, how did they create a company that brings every race, every color, ever gender, every socio-economical status and every age together under one roof, while keeping everyone engaged? I then want to know, how they created something that people are willing to pay so much money for. I sat across from an older woman who was buying an upgrade as her phone was out of date, to my left there was an elderly couple getting educated by a young millennial man on the ins and outs of their new iPad, and right next to me was a middle aged business man transferring all his information from his iPad 2 to his iPad Pro.

There was a buzz in this store, people were laughing, information sharing, complaining, communicating and all under one roof. It was electric from start to finish. One of the things I noticed was the flow from the front door to the back wall, there was no hierarchy noticeable, but there was incredible organizational synergy and order. I sat there, watching all of this go on and I thought, this is what the first century church must have been like. It would have been electric with the excitement about the innovative teachings that Jesus brought about the kingdom of God, it would have been touching every race, age and gender. My experience in the Apple Store reminded me of what church is supposed to be like. Here are some things I think Apple has that the church needs to rediscover…

1. Innovative, forward thinking that keeps people excited and interested in what God is about to do next.
2. A hands on experience for everyone.
3. A Person that evokes a willingness to sacrifice for because of the high value He carries.
4. An organization that is not hierarchal, but synergistic, organized and highly effective in its execution.
5. The simplicity of the Kingdom of God and the message of the gospel.

If we are willing to open our eyes, ears and minds to the limitless world in which we live, we will be able to see, hear, sense the kingdom of God in operation in some of the seemingly most unlikely places like an Apple store in Leawood, KS. I sat there and imagined what the church could learn from Apple and I got excited at the possibilities that are before us.

Humility Looks Good on You

Tags

Humility, Increase, Pride, success, wisdom

Proverbs 12:15 “A fool is in love with his own opinion, but wisdom means being teachable.”

Proverbs 12:1 “To learn the truth you must long to be teachable, or you can despise correction and remain ignorant.”

One of the things I love about being a woman is other women. As women we love to ask each other their thoughts about how we look in this outfit or those shoes. One thing I love about men is that they tend to say what we want to hear when it comes to how we look in an outfit we may not be confident in. Men are amazing cheerleaders for women’s confidence and women are amazing companions in the process of exploration and discovery of what works and what doesn’t. When we as people seek out each other’s thoughts, advice or counsel, we are at our most attractive state.

One of the gifts the Lord has given humanity is the ability to make things beautiful. We paint, we write, we create, we build, we design, we communicate, all expressions of beauty in a world that can be very ugly at times. One of the enemies tactics that goes undetected by many is his desire to destroy beauty. The bible says that Lucifer was the most beautiful of all the angels, until pride was found in his heart. It is no wonder that the enemy uses pride as a way to make a beautiful marriage, a beautiful job, a beautiful family, a beautiful church, a beautiful career ugly.

Pride is many things, but at the core it is the thought that I know too much for you to teach me anything else. Pride is a way of protecting ourselves from feeling stupid, from letting others see our weakness, and pride tells us we must be at the top, be the head, be the senior, be the place where the buck stops. Pride creates a dog eat dog world, where competition is the highest value, where individuality reigns supreme, where we puff our chest out so others can see our greatness. Pride is ugly, it doesn’t look good on anyone, but very few people are willing to say it doesn’t look good on you, and even less people recognize in themselves.

The key to our success in every area of life as people is wisdom, but to obtain wisdom you must be teachable and to be teachable you must be humble. Humility makes the world beautiful, makes people attractive, it makes us our best selves. I wonder what we could do together if we were not afraid of admitting we don’t know, we need help, or we want to do it with you. Humility is tied to vulnerability, for you have to let people see you if you want to be humble. Vulnerability is a swear word to most people, so we struggle, fight and work at alone, rather than allow others to come alongside of us and make us great.

Humility is attractive because it is not about you, it’s about what you bring to a situation that can bless others and what others bring to you that can bless you. Imagine how powerful marriage would be if men let women be their helpmate? Imagine how powerful companies would be if we didn’t allow our title to make us think we know so much? Imagine how much of an impact we could make on the world if the church was not a hierarchy but a body of which Christ alone was the head? Pride is destructive to ever part of society, but humility is attractive and humility is being teachable and humility looks good on you!

Wisdom the Way to True Success

Tags

fear of the Lord, success, Wealth, wisdom

Comfortable with Contradictions

Tags

Repentance, Revival, William Branham

One of the signs of the times we live in is that we as believers in Jesus the Christ have become comfortable with contradictions. We believe you can be homosexual and Christian; we think it is okay to be having sex outside of marriage and still believe we are on fire for God; we can go to movies about zombies and attend bible school; we can preach about and pray for revival, but never die to ourselves or make room for God in our services; all with no thought that these things may be contradictions that we are comfortable with, but God is not.

Revelation 3:14-19 says, “Write this letter to the leader of the church in Laodicea: “This message is from the one who stands firm, the  faithful and true Witness of all that is or was or evermore shall be, the primeval source of God’s creation: “I know you well—you are neither hot nor cold; I wish you were one or the other! But since you are merely lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth! “You say, ‘I am rich, with everything I want; I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that spiritually you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. “My advice to you is to buy pure gold from me, gold purified by fire—only then will you truly be rich. And to purchase from me white garments, clean and pure, so you won’t be naked and ashamed; and to get medicine from me to heal your eyes and give you back your sight. I continually discipline and punish everyone I love; so I must punish you unless you turn from your indifference and become enthusiastic about the things of God.” (TLB Translation)

William Branham a well-known healing revivalist says, the seven churches in the book of Revelation are seven church ages and he believes, we are living the seventh church age (the church of Laodecia). Many known and unknown prophets today are declaring there is a remnant of people, who are entering into the promised land of the kingdom age, according to Branham this would be the Revelation 4 age, where His voice is like the sound of many waters. This aligns with the many prophetic words that have been seen and spoken about as a TIDAL WAVE of God’s glory that is coming to the United States and the World. It also confirms what I have seen as a much needed reformation in the body of Christ.

Many are comfortable with contradictions; but some are ready to move into the unknown with Jesus as the head. They have learned obedience through suffering, they have met with Jesus outside the city gates, they have been tested and tried in the fires of affliction and they are still standing. Many have been stripped of everything they once thought valuable, only to find the pearl of great price. They have a fierce love for God and people, but zero tolerance for lukewarm Christianity; they may not be understood, but they have understanding; they live with mystery, because they have a history with God. These ones are not comfortable with contradictions, both obvious and obscure. They have learned to discern the wheat from the chaff; the light from the darkness; the truth from a lie. They are not popular, but they are faithful and they are ready to cross over.

Saul and the army of Israel was comfortable with the contradiction of being dressed like soldiers, but scared of a short sighted man named Goliath. Samson was comfortable with contradictions, so he lost his vision when the enemy poked out his eyes. Solomon was comfortable with contradictions, because he was the wisest man on the earth at that time, but fell prey to the lust of foreign women. If these once mighty men of God could go from humble, hungry and teachable, to comfortable with contradictions and not recognize it, how come we think we can’t become the same and not recognize it.

Paul wrote a strong letter to the church in Corinth, confronting them for being comfortable with contradictions, this is not anything new, but it is just as dangerous. I am pleading with you, because the time is very near for God to sweep across the earth with His glory and for some it is going to be a day of weeping (repentance), while for others it will be a day of rejoicing (rewards), and you decide what kind of a day it will be for you. As for me and my house, we will not be comfortable with contradictions, no matter how unpopular it is.

How To Harness the Power of People 1.3.16

Tags

Christianity, church, kingdom of God, People, Powerful people, relationships, Teenage Rebellion

People are the most powerful people on the face of the earth. When we recognize we all carry power, we will realize that there are people, systems, institutions and organizations that will seek to stop you from being powerful. The only people that don’t want you powerful are people who want all the power for themselves. Most places are one big game of king of the hill. As kids we used to play king of the hill and the goal was to get to the top of the hill and reign as king. From that position on top of the hill you could throw people down the hill, so you could remain as the king. But it usually wasn’t a very long reign because all of our friends were coming for the one at the top of the hill, seeking to be the next king. As a kid, this was a fun game, as an adult this is problematic, because some people will do anything to maintain their status as king of the hill in business, politics, education, religion or even the home.

 

Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 10:42-43, “…You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.” The disciples were concerned that James and John, who just prior to this statement by Jesus asked if they could sit at His right and left hand in glory, those two boys wanted to be the kings of the hill, but Jesus responded by saying, we don’t play king of the hill in My kingdom. As the world is jockeying for position, seeking to maintain hierarchy, control and dominance, the kingdom of God is operating with an underground movement of servants who are laying down their lives for one another, not trying to be the king of the hill, for we know there is only one King and His name is Jesus.

 

So, how do we harness the power of people? No matter your age or your gender, everyone is powerful. Few know how to harness their power, so they cause more problems than solutions, but people are powerful nonetheless. We come out of the womb with the power of our voice, we progress in our power by crawling, walking and talking. As people we are constantly testing the boundaries of our power, unless someone or some system has taught us we are powerless and we believed it. Words are powerful and they can empower you or silence you and cause you to believe you are powerless. So, be careful who you listen to, because they are either empowering you or seeking to silence you.

 

From babies to teenagers, from men to women, from college age to middle age, from youth to the wise, we are all powerful and I want to show you how to harness your power and how to help others harness their power.

 

1. Powerful people live within boundaries.

a. Rivers without banks become floods that destroy things, but rivers with banks give power to cities. Every major city in the world is built on a river. You are that river, you are powerful, but you must live within boundaries.

 

2. Powerful people can control their tongue.

a. Our words are powerful and we can use them to bless or curse others. Being able to control what you say and use your tongue to bless is a sign of being powerful.

 

3. Powerful people correct others up, they don’t put them down.

a. Everyone needs correction, this is how we grow, but being able to correct someone up and not shame them, condemn them or put them down is an indicator of someone that is powerful.

 

4. Powerful people are gold diggers.

a. Anyone can be critical, but powerful people find the gold in others and bring it to the surface so the person can see themselves as the treasure they are.

5. Powerful people are teachable.

a. Living with a constant understanding that what you know is limited at best is the sign of being powerful. Always being willing to listen and learn is how you remain powerful.

 

6. Powerful people are lovers.

a. The greatest invisible power is love, I Corinthians 13 tells us what love is, and if you want to be powerful, you must be a lover. Love will take you places money never could.

 

7. Powerful people are givers.

a. When you know who you are, you do not fear lack, for you know that you are an unending source of tangible and intangible gifts. Generosity is a telltale sign that you are powerful.

 

If we can begin to treat each other as powerful and help each other harness our power for the benefit of others, we will see ourselves gain favor with God and man. Our kids are powerful and if parents can learn how to harness their power, I believe we will see a decrease in teenage rebellion, for all they are trying to do is express their power. When husbands and wives see each other as powerful, we can begin to see that we are stronger together than we are apart, but we both must be allowed to be powerful. Finally, if the church can catch the vision of this, we will train, equip and deploy people to do the work of ministry, rather than just want them to come to church, so we feel powerful. This is how we harness the power of people!

War – Victory – Occupation

Tags

Jesus, Never retreat, Occupy, Stand, Taking ground, Victory, War