The Glory of Standing

Tags

faith, kingdom of God, Military, Perseverance, Standing

When I first got married my husband would tell me I lacked patience. I did not know what he was talking about, I was passionate, zealous and honestly in a hurry. Possibly the greatest lesson I have learned to date being married is the need for patience. I thought I was patient, I mean it is one of the fruits of the spirit, so it is a requirement for me to be patient. But the truth was, I was not patient, I prayed for patience, but then I was still in a hurry. Impatience is one of the hallmarks of the church today. We get a prophetic word and we want it fulfilled right now; we give our tithes and offerings and we believe we should see 30-60-100 fold return this week. We don’t wait well as believers and I was and can still be guilty as charged.

The Lord is working with us more corporately than many of us realize, because we are so individualistic in our desires, but corporately I believe we are seeing two major themes playing out. One is God is teaching His people patience, for He is God and we are not, so no matter how much we beg, decree, quote and cry, we will not get what He promised us, until He wants to give it to us. Our promise, revival, awakening, whatever it is we want is not stuck in the second heaven as noted in the book of Daniel, it is deliberately being held back by God. But why would the Lord make us wait, because there is a bigger picture going on that we could not see if we were not waiting.

As believers we say, God, we want you to get all the glory! Then we turn around and say, why is this taking so long, where is the manifestation of the promise, and we get disappointed, mad and even want to quit thinking it will never happen. But remember we said, God, we want you to get all the glory! May I suggest He is getting more glory in our waiting than He is going to get in the manifestation of the promise. You see when the promise is manifested we get to share in the glory, for we get to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, we get to access supernatural finances to advance the kingdom. God loves to partner with His people, He is not insecure about sharing His glory with us, that is why He made us in His image, so we can carry His glory, which means share His glory. We are His children, He gets glory when we get glory, He has no deficit or deficiency in us getting glory as we advance the kingdom of God on earth.

So, why the long wait, why the call to Ephesians 6:13-14a “take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm…” and Exodus 14:13 “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today;” The reason I believe we are called to stand and keep on standing is because God gets more glory in our waiting then He does in the manifestation. Here’s why, because if we believe even though we have yet to see, if we stand and keep on standing, it tells the devil, our adversary, we trust the Lord even when we have yet to see the promise manifest. Our standing says, God is good, He is a promise keeper, we will not change our mind about Him, even if we do not see what He promises us here on earth.

Hebrews 11:13 says, “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” We say we want to live in Bible days, well guess what, that is exactly what we are doing. As we stand and keep on standing, never changing our mind about the character of God, no matter what we see, that is faith. Faith is the ONLY thing that pleases God, faith is what Jesus asked if He will find when He comes back to earth. So, as we stand and keep on standing, God is getting glory in a way that can only come from standing. Like soldiers in the military, we are trained, equipped and ready for battle, but we have to keep standing until our Commander in Chief gives the call the command. Don’t break rank, don’t tap out, stand and keep on standing, for God is getting glory in your standing and He promises we will see the salvation of the Lord! This is the glory of standing!

Who’s Serving Who?

Tags

Discipleship, discipline, Humility, leadership, Servanthood, Service

Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Each generation seeks to give their children something they did not have. My grandparents gave my parents 3 meals a day, clothes on their backs and a roof over their head. This was a step up from the depression through which they lived and wondered where their next meal may come from. My parents’ generation gave us bikes to ride, video games to play, phones to talk on and televisions to watch. This was a step up from the radio they listened to and the games they made up in the neighborhood like kick the can or hide and seek. Now my generation has given the next generation maid service, abundance of food, money and computers (including $500 phones with unlimited data). Each generation since the early 1900’s has prospered greatly and this is a sign of a growing nation that has been blessed in ways that many take for granted.

I celebrate these advancements and thank the Lord for them, but I have noticed something, we do not have the faith we used to have when we had less. We have become comfortable with divorce, homosexuality, sickness, rebellion and both blatant and subtle disrespect of authority of all kinds from police to parents. We have not disciplined, trained, nor equipped this generation for a life of service. One thing that got passed down in my family line was a work ethic, whether we had a lot or a little, we always were taught that a work ethic is critical to success, so when I became a Christian that did not change, that same attitude continued. Being a servant is part of having a work ethic, for when there is work to be done you do not sit on the couch and wait to be served, you get up and find out what needs to be done. This is sadly lacking in our current culture and it is not the “kids/teenagers” fault, the adults are modeling this type of attitude and the “youth generation” is adopting what they see many adults doing.

Deuteronomy 8:11-14 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

My concern is we have forgotten who is serving who. We pray prayers that make it sound like God is serving us. Bless me, heal me, help me, prosper me, awaken me, pour out your spirit on me, we pray for God to do things for us, as though He is serving us. The challenge I see is a passionless church who is standing with their hands out waiting for God to come down and fix everything for us. While I was in worship today, the Lord showed me a butler. When we see a butler’s suit, we know he is there to serve. He stands at attention, waiting for the master, king or whomever it is he is serving to give him orders, he is there to serve the master, he is not waiting for the master to serve him. We are God’s butlers, we are His waitresses, we are His servants, He is the King, we are the servants. In a culture of abundance, in a church that loves to be the head and not the tail, we must be very careful for some have crossed the line of thinking they are the king and that God is their servant. This is dangerous territory, for in this place we can do whatever we want and still be convinced we will be blessed.

The Lord has extended extreme patience to Christians, but make no mistake about it, disobedience will be punished. 2 Thessalonians 1:9-10 says, “On that day—when the clouds draw back displaying His powerful heavenly messengers in a fiery blaze, Jesus the Lord will appear from heaven dealing out perfect justice to anyone who doesn’t know God and anyone who disobeys the good news of our Lord Jesus. And what’s to become of them? They’ll pay for what they’ve done; their punishment will be eternal destruction. And what’s worse? They’ll be banished from the Lord’s presence and glorious power.” We have entered a new season in the spirit, the shift from the last season to this one was quick, but we are in a new day and the warning lights are flashing, God is not here to serve us, we are here to serve Him, not out of fear of punishment, but out of love for Him. Our only job as believers is to obey. Obedience is how we show love, obedience is what servants do, they obey the orders of their King, their Master, their Lord. Disobedience brings distance between us and God, many have lived in disobedience for so long they don’t even recognize they are not in the presence of God, but when the shakable mountain they are living on shakes, they will know that disobedience has brought separation. But thanks be to God, if we are judged on earth, we still have time to repent, return and be restored back to a place of obedience. Your butler suit is hanging on the hook in the Father’s house right where you left it and the only thing you need to do is repent, return and obey, then we will see the restoration of wealth and health that is desired. We’re serving Him, He is not serving us!

The Meat and The Heat

Tags

church, Counterfeits, Discipleship, passion, Truth, Wineskins, Word of God, Zeal

The shift is taking place, many are feeling the change in the atmosphere, as though momentum has turned in favor of the advancing kingdom of God on earth. Prophecies are coming forth, Azusa Now is over, wells are being dug, many have made their choice and are making their choice of who’s side they are going to be on. We are on the verge of the greatest move of God we have seen in our lifetime on earth, it is going to be powerful, exciting, challenging and all God. But as we all know, wherever there is the real, a counterfeit will rise.

 

I was at a birthday party yesterday and they had cake and ice cream. I noticed they had two brands of ice cream, Bryer’s which was in its typical packaging and Blue Bunny. As many of you know Blue Bunny ice cream went through some listeria scare and had to ban all their ice cream from the shelves. This hurt their company to say the least. But what they have done is changed their packaging so people begin to buy their ice cream again. It is so subtle that very few would even notice. It looks like a brand new brand, but it’s the same company. In the midst of the excitement, don’t stop being discerning; in the midst of the outpouring, don’t stop listening; in the midst of the new voices rising, don’t forget the Word of God. I say all this, because I have noticed new voices rising, they are passionate, they are “on fire”, they get the crowd going, but they are not meat and heat. Some of the new voices are recycling old wineskin messages, they are packaged differently but it’s the same brand.

 

This move of God that many know is very close is going to bring the meat and the heat. It is going to the Spirit and the Word. It is going to be revival and reformation. We need transformation and miracles. Discipleship and evangelism will come from this move of God. Listen for the Word of God in the messages, not just the prophetic hype. The Lord is releasing fresh revelation of His word to His mature sons and daughters, along with prophecy, evangelism, signs, wonders and miracles. Jesus was the Word of God made flesh and He did heal all those who came to Him with diseases.

 

Scriptures that are taken out of context and used for flash are why we have been powerless as a church. Without the meat of the word, there is no new sound from the messenger. I was at a worship event the other day and the leader, Dustin Smith, said, worship leaders are all looking for the new sound, the next sound that will the church will want to hear, but he said, the new sound is the sound of authority. Authority comes from identity, so you will recognize the new sound when you hear it, you will know the meat when you are fed it, and you will feel the heat when the fire falls.

Paul said in Galatians 6:6-8, “The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.…”

 

James said in James 1:16-17, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.…”

 

We are in the midst of a major transition, many of you feel it and have wondered why you are still sitting at home, when there is a word in your belly that is like a fire shut up in your bones. The reason is because it is better to be in the wilderness with God than in the promised land and forget about Him. Be patient, He knows where you are, don’t try to make something happen, you have come too far to build your own thing now. Keep alert, keep watching, keep listening, there are newly packaged old wineskins on the rise, but very soon the Lord is going to release those who have the meat of the Word and the heat of the Spirit.

The Generals Are Breaking Forth

The GENERALS are breaking forth
Posted on 15 April 2016 by Esther Hadassah
“I AM bringing out the new GENERALS – My strong, anointed, bold and courageous ones – the men and women whom I have been preparing in secret are coming out of their camps. They have trained under pressure but kept calm. I have anointed them Myself and now I AM bringing them out of the camp.
“For many months,I have been speaking about what I AM doing-about the new. I have been watching over my word to perform it.
I have been working on my servants – purifying and purging many in the hearts, pulling out all that they had accumulated from the past.
I have made them pass through purifying fires and many have withstood the heat. Many have come out refined and with brand new hearts. The fire is still burning within them-and its causing them to burst in an explosive power.
Yes, they will carry a stronger power than many have carried before. The power will radiate through them especially through their mouths.”
I have chosen these ones to carry the WORD that will change the WORLD. A powerful word that cuts through the hearts of men and penetrates into the bone. Word that will make men’s hearts melt and knees will crumble. A word that breaks stubborn men and makes them reach out to Me.
Many of them will reveal mysteries to men, they will interpret signs and times and they will operate in signs and wonders. They will be full of knowledge and wisdom and their faces will shine as light before men. They will bring out many from the prisons and the sick out of hospitals. They have no fear; no fear of what other men think. Their BOLDNESS will shake and disturb many.
Watch out for faces that look like LIONS.
These are My new generals-tough soldiers willing to take persecution and to serve in pain just for men to be saved. They are willing to give up what they have for another, they are willing to head the battle and to be the first to go against the enemies. They are willing to sacrifice their best for the best to come out of others. They will not give orders to other men to do the hard bit,they will do it.
They are prayer warriors. They are demon offenders.
They know how to connect to Me and how to apply the winning skills.
They do not fear DEATH.
My children will not perish, they will not suffer, they will not remain in prison and deception. They will come out because of the power I have placed in these ones.
The enemy will not touch them as I have put a wall of fire around each of them. I AM their defense and will protect them as they go against the powers of darkness. NOBODY WILL TOUCH THEM.”
“My Generals are ready,” says The LORD. 
~ Esther Hadassah

Revivalist & Apostolic servant of Jesus Christ

His Kingdom Prophecy

“The Final Great Awakening – An Endtime Revival”.

Tags

Azusa Street, Great Awakening, Marie Woodworth Etter, Prophecy, Revival, Smith Wigglesworth

Posted by Michael Edds Monday, March 12, 2012

 

Great Spiritual Awakenings have swept the world over the centuries. They have changed lives and the very culture in which we live. An Awakening is a special time when God comes down and saturates a place and a people with His presence. There is a final Great Awakening coming.

100 Year Old Prophecies of Revival Are About to Be Fulfilled!

 

The great Azusa Street Awakening, which over the years resulted in 600 million being swept into the Kingdom of God and gave birth to the Pentecostal Movement, began in 1906. It was one of the greatest outpourings of the Spirit of God since Pentecost. Multitudes were saved, healed, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Incredible miracles occurred.

 

This great revival moved from Los Angeles to its new focal point of Chicago, Illinois. The two great centers of revival in Chicago were the North Avenue Mission and the Stone Church. Pentecost swept from Chicago to Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. One of the greatest outpourings occurred at Stone Church in 1913. The renown evangelist Maria Woodworth Etter began a revival on July 2, 1913 at Stone Church.

 

The services were to last until the end of July but continued for six months. This was a time of divine appointment for the city of Chicago; God rent the heavens and came down!! Scenes from the days of the Early Church began to occur at Stone Church. Word began to spread throughout Chicago of miraculous healings, deliverance from demonic possession, conversions, and of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit happening in these meetings. Advertisement was no longer necessary! The city was incredibly shaken.

 

 

Word spread of the miraculous intervention of God. Thousands came on trolleys, buggies, and trains, while many walked. Some came from distances of 1,600 miles away. 1200 to 1500 packed into Stone Church each night. The basement was filled and many stood out on the street. Street meetings were held to accommodate them. Three services were held on Sundays!

 

As Christians prayed around the altar one evening, Sister Woodworth-Etter and others gave the following powerful prophecy and divine promise, which they prophesied would occur within 100 years of the 1913 Chicago Visitation. She prophesied of this coming End Time Revival….

 

“We are not yet up to the fullness of the Former Rain and that when the Latter Rain comes, it will far exceed anything we have seen!”

 

Rev. William Seymour, the leader of the Azusa Street Awakening, also prophesied that in 100 years there would be an outpouring of God’s Spirit and His Shekinah Glory that would be greater and more far reaching than what was experienced at Azusa.

 

It has been almost 100 years since these prophecies were given. In my own beloved church, I am seeing the beginnings of this prophecy being fulfilled. Young adults, married couples, youth and older adults are being converted. We have set up a new converts class in which 22 are enrolled! Our nursery, which for so long was near empty, is now crowded. Healing and miracles are occurring! The anointing of the Holy Spirit on the services is heavy and growing each week. Something IS happening!! I believe that we have reached the time of the fulfillment of these 100 year old prophecies. We must be diligent to pray, intercede and protect what the Lord is doing. We must encourage and edify one another as never before. We must crucify every critical, judgmental and religious spirit that may be within us. We must put on the holiness and righteousness of Christ. Our time of divine destiny has come. We are about to experience what Brother Seymour and Sister Woodworth-Etter foresaw. God is about to rend the heavens and come down! The greatest revival in the history of the church is at hand!

Roster Rotation

Tags

advancement, Effectiveness, King David, kingdom of God, leadership, Spiritual warfare, War

It is no secret that the church in America is having minimal impact on our nation, the enemy has pushed us aside and propelled his agenda on many fronts in this nation. The same happened in Israel’s history when Goliath and the Philistine army was in a verbal showdown with the people of God. Israel’s history is to be lessons we learn from and I see a lesson coming that some are not going to like at first, but many others will be so grateful for. There is a roster rotation coming and the older brothers that have been ineffective are going to be replaced by younger brothers that will advance the kingdom of God on the earth.

Psalm 115:16 says, “The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, But the earth He has given to the sons of men.”

The Lord is in charge of the heavens, we are in charge of the earth and if there is no advancement on the earth, God will rotate the roster for the advancing of His kingdom. But the challenge is, this roster rotation is going to move out the older brother and put in the younger brother. Now this is not an age issue, this is an order issue. The older brothers have been leading for years now, but the ineffectiveness is obvious, so it is time for a roster rotation. But, the older brother is not going to be happy about this, and we see this pattern throughout scripture.

1. The prodigal sons brother was not happy when the younger brother looked favored (Luke 15)
2. Esau was not pleased when Jacob got the blessing of the firstborn (Genesis 27)
3. Cain was so angry he killed Abel when his offering was accepted. (Genesis 4)
4. Simeon and Levi were furious about Joseph’s dreams, so sold him as a slave. (Genesis 37)
5. Eliab and Abinidab, David’s brothers questioned why he came to the battle line. (I Samuel 17)

No one who is in a position likes to be removed from that position, but the thing with God is, we all get to play. When David took the lead and defeated Goliath, the whole Israel army went in pursuit to defeat the enemy; when the prodigal son returned, the party was for the whole family, not just the prodigal son; when Joseph was put in power at the palace, all his brothers got to take part in the land of Goshen. So, God does not rotate the roster to demote someone, He does it to reposition the army for maximum effectiveness.

There is a roster rotation coming, some are going to be mad initially, but when the army starts to win, we all win. The war we are in and the wars that are coming will demand the whole army being in the right position. We are in a time in history where we need to be living by design for maximum effectiveness as a body. I Corinthians 12 says, we all are apart of the body, we all have a role to play, one is not more significant than the other, but some are playing mouths when they are supposed to be hands, so we need a roster rotation.

The church is about to go through a restructuring, this is not a negative thing, this is a positive change that is coming, but the transition is going to be turbulent for very few people like change, it exposes our insecurities and when that happens people say and do things out of fear. So, extend grace to those that are being shuffled. Some are prepared to be put in position, others are not going to see it coming, but this roster rotation is God’s idea, not man’s so it will work together for everyone’s good.

In Need of Nothing

Tags

All Sufficient, Yahweh, Yeshua

Can you imagine being in need of nothing? Many people want to be self-sufficient, they want to need no one. People love the idea of a self-made man. However, the truth is, if you are human, you were created with a need, a deficit, a lack of something. No matter how hard we try to act like we need nothing, the reality is we are a needy people. I believe we are more aware of our need than we care to admit, for to admit need is to be vulnerable and people avoid vulnerability at all costs. I believe we are so aware of our need, that we have come to believe, preach and teach that God has a need too.

It has been taught that God needs our worship, our love, our time, our obedience. But the truth is, God, Yahweh, Jesus, Yeshua, is in need of nothing. The LORD is an all sufficient God. He has no need, no lack, no deficit. He does not need our worship, our money, our time, our obedience, He needs nothing from us. He is all sufficient, complete, lacking nothing. He is light in Him there is no darkness at all. He is love, He is truth, He is power, He is God. He is in need of nothing. Once we realize God is all sufficient, all powerful, all knowing, and in need of nothing, we will realize that we need Him, He doesn’t need us.

We as people are the ones with a need. Psalm 121 says, lift up your eyes to the hills from where does your help come from? Deuteronomy 8 says, obey the Lord your God so that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you. When I realized this just this week, it revolutionized the way I think. God doesn’t need my obedience, if I disobey it does not change Him at all, but it sure does affect me. My obedience to Him is critical for my prosperity. If I obey the Lord, I am blessed, I manifest my love for Him, I am rewarded. If I disobey Him, I am the one that suffers the consequences, I am the one that struggles, I am the one that loses out. God does not gain or lose anything from my obedience, but I do.

God is all sufficient, He does not need my worship, He has myriads of angels attending to Him, He has elders bowing down to Him (Revelation 4), I need to worship Him, He doesn’t need my worship. I need to worship Him for my spiritual health, for my growth as a person, for my soul to prosper. God does not change, is not moved, does not diminish in any way if I do not worship, but it sure does affect me if I do not worship.

When the Lord revealed to me that He is in need of nothing, I realized that everything I do is for my sake, not for His sake. It is advantageous for me to worship, to obey, to love and to serve God, but if I don’t He does not suffer in any way. Every spirit knows the Jesus is Lord, whether I acknowledge that or not is cause for my blessing or battle. God is God, He has been and always will be God, He is not going to cease being God based on what I do or don’t do. He invites me to worship Him for my sake, He invites me to obey Him for my sake, every invitation from God is for my sake, my blessing, my good. He is a very generous Father and a good God, but He is in need of nothing. Which exposes yet again, my need for Him!

The Ways of Wisdom

 

We live in a fast-paced culture, that believes if you are not going, going, going, then they wonder what is wrong with you. Some people think you are lazy, not wanting to work, not with the times, or they literally will just scratch their heads, because you are going against the grain of culture. Wisdom is a person and this person is not bound by our culture, but rather represents the kingdom of God in the word of God. Wisdom teaches us how to increase, obtain favor, make good choices, live in peace and even be happy. Wisdom says, she is worth more than gold, silver, or even rubies, yet so few people find wisdom. But why? Why is wisdom so hard to locate, so difficult to ascertain? Why does wisdom seem to allude us as people? I believe it is because wisdom is living at a different speed than we are and if we do not adjust to her speed, we will never hear nor heed her voice.

Marriage is one of the greatest gifts God gave me, for it revealed me to me in the face of my husband, that I was impatient. Oh I did not like what I saw and many times did not want to see what I saw, but the Lord used him as a mirror for me to see me. One of the things I knew about me, was that I was impatient, impulsive, always in a hurry. I knew this, but did not realize the destruction this was causing to me or to those I was trying to serve, love and be a friend to. My husband, who is an extremely patient man, showed me the ways of wisdom in his patience and it changed my life forever.

Proverbs 8:34-35 says, “The one who listens to me (wisdom), who carefully seeks me in everyday things and delays action until my way is apparent, that one will find true happiness. For when he recognizes and follows me (wisdom), he finds a peaceful and satisfying life and receives favor from the Eternal.”

There are things 3 we are required to do if we want to find wisdom: 1) Listen; 2) Seek; 3) Delay action until wisdom’s way is apparent. In a culture of unlimited noise, unlimited information and unlimited opportunities to buy something, do something or be something, wisdom is truly a counter cultural experience, which is why so many people choose foolishness over wisdom. Foolishness hears, but does not listen, it sees, but does not seek and it wants it now, and see’s delay as denial or reason to make a decree. Many are living their lives as fools due to their inability to slow down and we are seeing the fruit of this in our relationships with God and others.

The ways of wisdom are listening, seeking and delaying, when we live with these as our highest values, we find favor with God and man, untold riches and relationships that are abundant. Now, let me warn you, this does not come easy, nor is it handed to you. This pursuit of wisdom is hard work, it takes dedication and discipline. You have to want to be wise, to be one that pursues the ways of wisdom. The temptation to return to foolishness is at every turn, but if you put your hand to the plow and never look back; if you stay the course, I promise you will find wisdom and your life will never be the same again.

Yes, you will speak less and listen more, you will enjoy silence over noise, and you will not buy everything that you see, but you will hear people’s hearts and the voice of God, you will live in peace and quiet, and you will not be in debt to any man. The rewards of wisdom are truly better than gold, silver or rubies, for what we really long for is relationship with God and others. These are the ways of wisdom.