The Transgender Truth

Tags

Children of God, church, fruit, Identity Issues, Image, Prodigals, Roots, Transgender

Hot button subjects are not waters I like to wade into, but they are crossing over into mainstream life which will begin to alter the way we think if we do not hit it head on. Deception has a way of subtly sneaking into our thoughts, through music, movies, books, newspapers, and television shows. Whenever you add a message to music or a movie it solidifies that message in our thoughts in a way that just reading does not do. So, with this issue going public, I decided it was time to address the truth about the transgender issue.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.” (The Message)

I like the way the Message bible translates this verse, because most Christians are really good at recognizing whether they believe fruit is good or bad and if it is bad they want to pluck it, throw it away and think by doing so it is gone. But the reality of a tree is that bad fruit is the product of a rotten root, the issue is not the fruit, it is the root. That is why in this translation it says, God goes to the root of things, for it you go to the root, you can change the fruit. So, as this pertains to the transgender issue what we are seeing is the fruit of a deeper unseen root.

The root of the transgender issue is one of identity. Transgender people are manifesting because people have an identity crisis. They don’t know who they are. But the root goes even deeper, the reason they are having an identity crisis is because people have grown up fatherless. Fathers instill identity, so when fatherlessness is rampant, identity issues will take root and the fruits they produce are countless, but the root is an identity issue that came from fatherlessness. Now this is not a slam on men, for most men are products of fatherlessness themselves and they too have their own identity issue, that is why they don’t themselves know how to be fathers.

I believe the reason God is releasing the revelation of the Father, that songs are rising about Him being a good good Father is because, we are so in need of a Father, who will instill identity into us as sons and daughters. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 we see the 5-fold restoration of God, the first thing a Father restores is relationship, no shame, no condemnation, no questions, no scolding, just an embrace, a restoration of the relationship. Next we see the restoration of identity, by the placing of the robe on the son, I Peter 2:9 says, we are a royal priesthood, the robe is a symbol of identity. Once the relationships is restored, the Father restores our identity. The only way this happens is by spending time with the Father. When we are fatherless, we fear getting close to the Father, so we talk about Him, sing about Him, but do not let our hearts get close to Him.

Jesus said, You honor me with your lips, but your hearts are far from Me (Matthew 15:18). The invitation from heaven is to come near, come to your senses, you are a son, you are a daughter of God, every human being was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), if you would turn toward Him He will run to you. Prodigals are not in the streets only, they are in the church and if we would return, we could show those in the streets who our Father is and then He would restore their identity as a son or daughter designed in His image. The transgender truth is not about malicious sexual, deviant or heinous sin, it is a cry for identity, it is a call for someone to show them the Father!

Separating the Spies

Separating the Spies 5.21.16
In the book of Numbers there is story about Moses sending out 12 spies, one from each of the tribes of Israel to see what the land God is sending them into looks like. These spies were to come back and report what they saw as they searched the land. Here is what Moses instructed them to do according to Numbers 13:17-20, “See what the land is like and see whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor?” Moses was seeking a detailed report of what they saw as they spied out the land God was giving them. 
The Lord has sent out spies across America, He has instructed us to search the land and to bring back a report to the people of God. What kind of land do we have? What kind of country is America? What do you see? What are you hearing? What report do you have about the land, we call America? Whether people were professionally or publically commissioned to do this or if it was just in their heart to pay attention to America through the news, travel, other people’s experiences or what they are hearing in the Spirit, God has sent out spies into the land. And now they are returning in droves with their report about what they saw. When the spies return, there is a separation of the spies. 
In the book of Numbers 13, the bible says that 10 of the 12 spies came back with a bad report. That means the majority of people that went to spy out the land came back with a report that was negative based on what they saw in the natural. Many people are speaking about what they see in the natural and the report they are bringing back about America is negative. They proclaiming judgment, destruction, and a variety of other negative reports about this land we call America. Even people from other nations that hear about the decisions our nation makes are speaking one of two reports. But remember, the majority came back with a bad report and those who did were not allowed to enter the promised land. God does not like negative reports, no matter how factual they may seem to the person bringing it. 
The spies are being separated right now, they are proclaiming out of their mouth what is in their heart and for the majority it is negative. But God, see something different for this nation. God sees the covenant that was made by the founding fathers, God sees who He created this nation to be, God sees the people in this land and the fruit of this land as a good thing, God sees America through the eyes of the minority that are speaking life, speaking blessing, speaking restoration, speaking the Truth as God sees it over this land. Isaiah 53:1 says, “Whose report have you believed?” The answer to this question will be critical in the very near future. 
The spies have been separated, 10 have brought back a bad report, which produced fear in the people of God and 2, who are said to be of a different spirit, brought back a good report and they are the ones that get to lead the people of God into the promised land. It has been said many times that there is no promotion without a test. Well the test we just went through was the spy report test. I know many did not know they were taking a test, but the tests God gives us is to reveal what is in our hearts, so we can either make excuses or make adjustments once we see what is in our hearts. The test has been completed because the reports have come in and even though the majority speak things that produce fear, there are a few who say we can take this land. Whose report are you going to believe? I am going to believe the report of the Lord. We can take this land, it is a land flowing with milk and honey!

Deborah’s Arising

Tags

Authority, Deborah, dream, Jael, Prophecy, Prophetic Word, Signs and Wonders, women

A prophetic word spoken through Elaine Tavolacci…

 

The past few months there has been an increase in spiritual warfare against women. The Holy Spirit brought me back to a prophetic word that I had received last year. I had a dream of a great swarm of large, brightly colored yellow and black bumble bees flying around in my room as I was reading my bible. When I woke up I first interpreted the bees as being symbolic for spiritual warfare, but after further study the Lord revealed something totally contrary to that. In the book of Judges the prophetess Deborah’s name means “Bee”. The Lord also revealed to me that honey represents revelation. This is the word that the Holy Spirit gave me for the Deborah’s who are arising.

 

The Lord says, I am raising up the Deborah’s who will be leaders in the days ahead. They will become My voice as they carry My prophetic word to the nations. As they release My word, it will be as honey, bringing revelation. They will be righteous judges of the land, and bring a word of morality to the nations. They will move in great authority with signs following. As they set the captives free it will bring conviction and transformation. As the days grow darker, they will bring comfort to others as they distribute the milk and deliver the honey. They will shift the atmosphere wherever they go, and as they worship, strongholds will be destroyed. They will instruct others how to walk, how to war, and how to resist temptation. They will bring direction to those who are compliant to My word and correction to those who are in rebellion. They will carry a clear stream of My river because they are not tainted by the influence of darkness. Their eyes are clear because they are not being defiled by unclean images.

 

These women will no longer be dishonored or rejected as leaders. They will not be silenced any more by the church or by the media because I have placed My anointing upon them, and My authority within them. Do not refuse them as they will carry a two edged sword to divide the religious traditions of man, from the truth of My word. They will bring a clear distinction of the genuine prophetic word and uncover that which is deception and counterfeit.

 

These Deborah’s will arise and defeat the taskmasters and those who are oppressing the body of Christ. They will always be successful in annihilating and exposing the assignments of the enemy. They will walk in a spirit of love and forgiveness and will not take offense when being confronted with opposition. You will know them by their fruit as they release My word to the nations, bring deliverance and release those who are bound says the Lord……

Breaking Horses

Tags

American Pharoh, Heaven, Horses, Nyquist, Prophecy, Training, White Horse

  Every horse that has the potential to be a champion, to be ridden, to be showcased, or to be used to pull something must be broken. When horses are born they are wild, they are reckless, they are unbroken. An unbroken horse is useless for service, but is comfortable, content and craves the wild. Wild horses run free, they have no rules, no constraints, no boundaries, but they also have no rider. An unbroken horse cannot be ridden, cannot be controlled, cannot be used in palaces, race tracks, stables or commercials. Unbroken horses must be broken in order to be ridden.

 

Revelation 19:11 says, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True…”

 

One of the scenes John saw in his heavenly visions was that of a white horse, whose rider was Jesus Himself, the verses go on to talk about the armies of God, following him, also riding on white horses. Every horse that has a rider on it, is a horse that has been broken, from the white horse in Revelation 19 to the newest Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. A horse without a rider is unbroken and this is where we all started, but God in his wisdom, found a way to get us close enough to Him, so He could break us.

Once we are in the hands of the Master Trainer, Jesus, He must put a bit and bridle in our mouth. But His desire is not to keep it in our mouth, as Psalm 32:9 says, “Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.” You see some horses never leave the bit and bridle stage, because they will not obey without being forced to do so.

 

But the Lord’s desire is to train you with bit and bridle so you have understanding, so you are broken. A broken horse is one that hears the voice of God and obeys immediately, there is no resistance, no rebellion, no reason to control them by bit and bridle. Even though horses have a rider on them, if they still have a bit and bridle on them, then they are not safe without those constraints.

 

Jesus has been breaking horses, you may feel as though this is what you have been going through. You have wanted to quit, you may have stopped and said, I have a rider on me, I can live with the bit and bridle, but I am here to tell you, He is breaking you not only so He can ride you, but so He can showcase you like a Clydesdale, so He can make you a triple crown champion like American Pharoh, and so He can use you to pull chariots. His desire is to get glory with you, but for that to happen He must break you. Many have been in pasture, in the stable, in the pen and it can be frustrating, but He is breaking you, He is training you, He is preparing you to cross the Jordan.

 

Jeremiah 12:5 says, “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” 

 

You’re a horse, Jesus is your jockey and your trainer, you’re in God’s hands, don’t worry He would not put this much work into you if He did not know you were a champion, so take heart, He’s just breaking horses.

Trading in Swords for Lightsabers

Tags

Lightsaber, Spiritual warfare, Star Wars, Sword, Weapons

I love how God uses everything and wastes nothing. My son, who is 8 years old is a Star Wars fan, so the other day we went and bought a lightsaber. He explained to me why he had to have a blue and a green one, but not a red for that is the enemies light saber, he was on the side of Luke Skywalker, Yoda and Obie Won Kenobi. So, after getting a refresher course in Star Wars, because I was a kid when the original came out and we had lightsabers as well, we came home. A couple days later as I was in prayer the Lord spoke to me and said, “It is time to trade in the swords for lightsabers.” At first I thought it was just me making up things in my head, but when I did some research on the word lightsaber, I became more and more convinced this was the word of the Lord and not just Lisa’s hair brain idea.

Here is what I learned about a lightsaber: 1. An elegant weapon; 2. It is used to cut through and blast doors or enemies alike; 3. It is the weapon of a jedi knight (trained warrior); 4. Used for close combat; 5. It can cauterize (removes undesired growths, used for treatment of wounds, stops severe bleeding loss, closes amputations, prevents infection) 6. Can be used to weld metal substances together; 7. Gives off a distinctive hum; 8. Everyone is a little different based on who built it.

As you can imagine my spiritual antenna is now up and I am listening more closely to what the Lord is telling me and I believe the body of Christ. We are according to Ephesians 6 in a spiritual battle that manifests in the natural, but nonetheless it is a spiritual war we are fighting. When swords are used, they are for natural enemies, like we see in Braveheart or Gladiator, with lots of bloodshed and loss of life. But in Star Wars it is a cosmic war, it is more like a spiritual battle and so the weapons we fight with are different than when we are fighting in a physical war. Selah!

Now days later, I realize the lightsaber is our new weapon for this war. It is going to bring healing to those who are bleeding; it is going to sharpen those who are dull; it is going to open doors, defeat enemies and join people together. It will give off a distinct sound of authority that will be heard in the spirit, and each one is going to be a little bit different, because Jesus is the Master Builder and we are his lightsabers. I believe the warriors that have been trained in the word of God, will be the ones who you see and hear in the spirit with lightsabers. They will destroy the enemy with the word of God, while they heal the people with the same word. It is a double-edged sword in the spirit. It destroys the works of the enemy, while healing the wounds of people.

Not everyone will carry a lightsaber, because the old wineskin likes their swords, their harsh words, their promises of destruction. But the new wineskin warriors have been trained with elegant weapons, new lightsabers and they are coming to heal the nations, set the people free, bind up the wounds of those who are bleeding and destroy the enemy in the spirit, not people in the natural. Their words will be kind, compassionate and tender, their love with be fierce, their mission clear and their Commander is Jesus Himself. For those who have been trained and equipped in the desert, in the cave, in the secret place, you know who you are and you know what the Lord said is true, we have traded in our swords for lightsabers, for we are fighting a new war.

Johnny Enlow on Revolutionary Reformation

A swirling revolutionary wind of reformation from heaven is about to descend on us in May and we will be under its’ strong grip for the next 5 months. For many of us it will feel like decisions are being made for us and the shifts, changes, adjustments, placements and displacements will seem virtually out of our control. Faith, trust and worshipping God are the appropriate response and preparation for this season. This will be at a personal level, at a church level and at a national level. We are so out of order at every level that the Holy Spirit is coming in to bring order out of chaos. In many instances it will look like He is first bringing chaos out of order- but that would be a misread. Much of the “order” that exists is just the stale status quo. The status quo is about to be broken up in every area and in every way. Church is out of order, state is out of order and in many ways we are out of order.
For lack of expanded language- we are crying out and sensing “revival” but what is needed and what is coming is revolutionary reformation. 85% of American Christians are not regular church goers. Over 95% of the church goers don’t tithe because they are not convinced it is Biblical. 75% of the pastors of these churches regularly think of quitting and struggle with depression. 15,000 pastors actually do quit or are fired every year usually over a moral issue. Without judging either side- this all just goes to establish that church and Christians need more than “revival”. We can call it “revival” but what we need is an overhauling reformation. We are not close to what church needs to look like so reviving what we have is not enough.
Furthermore, perhaps only 1% of churches even attempt their Biblical assignment of “equipping the saints for the work of the ministry”. And then, maybe only 1% of those 1%, actually equip the saints for anything other than church ministry. The saints are to be equipped for their 9 to 5 assignments and that only begins to happen as one embraces some version of the 7 mountain mandate.
If you are shocked at my assessment of church and church life it is actually much worse than what I have so far stated. I believe that 95% of churches don’t even have a grid for the kingdom of God and how it is coming. Additionally it is still more the exception than the rule that the Holy Spirit is given any priority in church settings. The church is also perhaps 100 years behind even society’s light as to properly emancipating and empowering women. Sunday mornings are still the most racist and the most sexist hour in America. Find the list of the top 100 churches of America and you will find almost without exception something very ritualized, male dominated and male driven.
So how are we going to go from assembly-line model, Holy Spirit deprived, non-equipping, personal kingdom building, church- that is burning out both the pastors and the members- to a living, loving, relational, Holy Spirit-presence filled, societally engaged church? Only major Help from above is going to get us there- and that is what is coming. That Help is often going to look like a bulldozer. The Holy Spirit will fall on and ignite the new but it will also come in and just clear out spaces for the new. Most of us are not even in a good enough place to sort out how this will all happen. Blaming pastors is not the answer though it is the easiest thing to do. I was a senior pastor myself for 14 years and can tell you that at least 20% of members are “toxic members” who go around from church to church leaving the debris of their own woundedness. We are going to begin to experience the extreme makeover of the church of Jesus Christ and we ALL need to make repentances and adjustments. We need new models of doing church but then most of all a greater embracement of love and forgiveness. This is a specific job for the Holy Spirit and He will be up for the task. He is going to pour His liquid fiery love over us all and it will be amazing what levels of unity, love, and humility that we will embrace that will allow us to begin to experience the profound changes that are coming. We will soon be doing more good than harm!
This same overhaul is coming now to government as the structural corruption has been made more evident even through this present election season. The underpinnings of both the Democratic and the Republican parties have been exposed as faulty. What the Lord will now allow to arise in government is more of a bulldozer than any sweet, gentle thing we might prefer. Bulldozers are not lovely machines but they are what is required as a preliminary stage to proper building taking place. I think many of you can feel and discern that this election feels totally out of our hands and as if we are just watching something that is taking place. The reason this feels that way is because this is what is happening. WE are not getting a real choice this election. HE is exercising His Sovereignty clause as Ruler of the Nations and specifically as Ruler of America. In the same way we don’t really know how to fix ourselves as the church, we don’t really know how to fix ourselves governmentally. HE does though and so we are going to be the beneficiaries of this outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We have been willing to settle for revival goosebumps, conversions and momentary joy- but what He wants for us is much more extensive. He will no longer just visit us- He is coming to make a place of habitation for Himself. What an awesome overhaul we are about to go through.
Finally, this revolutionary reforming wind of the next 5 months is coming to us personally. I believe most of us are going to feel like we are in a centrifugal force of heaven that we just can not get out of. Doors are going to suddenly close and doors are going to suddenly open. Repositioning is going to hit many of us- some in geographical ways and some just in business or ministry re- positions. Some of you will find yourself going to places you said you’d never go. Some of you will find yourselves voting for people you said you’d never vote for. Some of you will begin to do what you’d never thought you’d never do. So many surprises coming- because He is personally committed to getting us out of the same stale ruts that affect church and government. The new wine is pouring already and He is now coming in with the new wineskins- so that what is being poured out not be wasted. It is all going to be better than we thought – but in the process of getting there the more trust and worship we have for Him the easier it is going to be. Let the revolutionary winds of reformation come!