Pipes of Provision

I have been having the privilege of housesitting for some friends of mine here in the Nashville area and at their house they have a prayer garden. The previous owners of the house were Presbyterian ministers and they created this prayer garden and when I was being toured for the housesitting opportunity the person that knows me well told me about this prayer garden and said I hope that you use it while you are here. I have been out in that prayer garden every day and absolutely love it out there. And I have blessed and prayed for the Presbyterian ministers that used to live here that built it and thankEd God for them for it because I knew I was standing on an altar of prayer in that location.

On Saturday while in the prayer garden the Lord spoke to me and this is what I wrote based on what He said…Pipes of provision have been pinched in order to hinder the flow that is meant to go to the people. The Lord is opening the pipes of provision for the people. The Hydro plants that are supposed to distribute provision to the people are getting their power turned on. The problem has never been with the pouring out, the problem has been the pinching of the pipes and the powerlessness of the plants. But God has opened the pipes and powered the plants in order to resource the people.

The scripture that kept coming to my spirit as the Lord was speaking these things to me was Malachi 3:10 “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, but there may be food in my house, and try me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”

Then on Sunday morning I was driving to a friends house for a barbecue and as I was going down the road there was a huge orange sign that said, pipeline construction ahead. It was as though the Holy Spirit winked at me so as to say “I told you”. I love the voice of God and how He confirms for us what He said. The pipes of provision are open so that the resources that were meant for the people can get to them. Be encouraged my friends help is on the way.

Ebenezer Stone Day

Men in uniform, visible to the naked eye are being honored today for their service to this country. We salute you and thank you for all you have done, even to the point of giving your life for our freedom. In addition, since this is a Memorial Day, I want to remember all the intercessors that have spent hours upon hours, drove miles upon miles, served in the secret place we call prayer, stood in both public and private locations to pray for this nation. Without the prayers of the intercessors in this land, both known and unknown to the naked eye, they wear a uniform as well. I salute you intercessors, for you are true warriors in the kingdom of God.

Whether you are a member of the US Government military or the Kingdom of God military, both are fighting on the ground and in the air, some are even fighting underground for our freedom and I want to say thank you. The weapons used by the US Military is different than the ones used by intercessors, for 2 Corinthians 10 tells us, the weapons we fight with are not carnal, but they are powerful, for they pull down strongholds, arguments and every lofty thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. We need both the US Military and the intercessors. Together they keep our nation safe.

I also want to thank the prophetic voices and apostolic leaders who give insight and instruction to the intercessors. People like Dutch Sheets and his team who faithfully has led the charge with his Give Him 15 daily briefing; people like Lou Engle and his team who do stadium events for massive prayer and sending gatherings; for people like Mike and Cindy Jacobs, Chuck Pierce, Johnny Enlow, Greg Hood, and Patrick and Susan O’Marra who faithfully gather teams of people to do intercessory prayer assignments around this country and the world. We salute you.

Finally, I want to thank God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, who watches over His word to perform it in our nation; who does not allow the enemy too much access to us knowing we are but dust; and who is our Father in heaven, that commands the hosts to guard us in all our ways. Our nation may not be perfect, it may be in a great time of transition, recalibration, kingdom destination, but it is all for the glory of God and this is what I remember on this Memorial Day 2022.

Shalom

God is not running to the rhythm of our noise or busyness. The rhythm of God is found in the stillness, the silence, the sound of the wind, the songs of the birds, the rolling of the river. If we want to run with the rhythm of God we must make time to recalibrate often. Artificial noise, unnecessary busyness, excessive scrolling, mammon driven stewardship, and the need to make a name for ourself scratches the record and keeps us stuck in one place. But God lifts the needle ever so gently, removes the record of sin, striving, strife, and struggle, He then plays the sounds of salvation, so your soul can rest, recover and recalibrate. The desire of God is that we would align with the rhythm He releases not the fabricated rhythm we create.

Simplicity is where you find significance. Silence is where you hear the voice of affirmation that heals your soul. Solitude is the space carved out for creativity to flow. It is no wonder that we are called to a weekly Sabbath. All of the activity has wore us out, caused us to feel lonely, created a culture of addiction, and manifests in strife in the streets and homes. Have you ever asked the question where is everyone running to? What are so many people in hot pursuit of? How come all of the activity is not satisfying the longing of the soul?

Oh that we would return to the truth of the most sold book in the world. The very words of God penned on the pages of scripture that invite us into a rhythm that releases the abundance of rain so there is no famine in any area in our lives. It takes going against the grain of culture that is constantly in a hurry to go nowhere. But if you can seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt 6:33), He promises that all these things you desire will be added unto you. David said it this way, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6). What carries real significance will chase after you if you will seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Shalom!

Wide Open Spaces

In the church we hear words like revival, awakening, religion, glory, it’s literally a language for the most part that has stayed compartmentalized in the four walls of the church. But God never intended to stay in the box called the ark of the covenant, nor the temple of Solomon or Hezekiah. The kingdom is not for limited spaces, but wide open spaces. Next time you get a minute to just stand outside, stop and look around, take in the beauty, majesty and abundance of wide open space. It will cause your lungs to expand, your heart to calibrate and you eyes to see the magnitude of possibilities.

I wonder if God has cabin fever, if He feels cooped up inside of you, wanting to break out, expand, express Himself through you in ways you struggle to even dream about. Religion and religious people tell you the same thing over and over again in different ways, because religion and religious people think they know it all. They would rather master the small than loose control in the abundance. The root of small is fear, but God is not afraid of your dreams, your personality, your volume, He says there’s plenty of room, come out here. What is awakening? It’s seeing what you haven’t seen before? What is revival? It’s hearing what you haven’t heard before. What’s Glory? It’s the presence of God in abundance inside of you, outside of you, all around you.

Don’t let religion make you a know it all, for that is what keeps you small. Lift up your eyes, open up your ears, return to awe and wonder. Our God still parts seas; He still calms storms; He continues to heal the sick; the demons still manifest when He is near; He has not changed His nature, but He has changed His location. He is now seated at the right hand of God and His spirit is living in you and me. Divinity in humanity is the authority that determines reality. Follow Him into His kingdom and watch Him make you into a mature son who is given the keys of the kingdom to bind and loose. It’s who your called to be but it starts with following Jesus into wide open spaces.

We Are The Solution

In the shadow of the Uvalde, TX school shooting yesterday I wanted to share some thoughts that I have been sitting on for the past 12 hours. I turned on the news yesterday and this story was the breaking news, but for many in America this is not new news for we have had many school shootings in our recent history. Quantity does not nullify reality, therefore, the correct initial response is always empathy and compassion for the families who lost loved ones yesterday. But it cannot stop with empathy and compassion, we cannot just put another ribbon on our Facebook picture saying we stand with whatever, or Uvalde Strong. School shootings are not an issue that can be dealt with politically, that is why neither the Vice President who spoke first or the President who spoke last night, have any real solutions. Politicians can only deal with the fruit, but the church is called to deal with the root.

Yesterday’s tragedy was in the same vein of other school shootings we have heard about, the issue did not start at the school, the issue started in the home. The issue politicians cannot help with is the home, the family, for that is a church issue. God is the author of family, so the church is to be the authority on family. Until we come to the root of the issue the fruit will never change. We as the church must recognize our authority as ones who can heal the home, find solutions for the family, for our God says, we as the church are the family of God. The school shooting yesterday overflowed to the school, but it did not start there, it started in his family.

Do we need soft targets hardened with armed security, yes we do. Do we need to address the mental health crisis in our nation, absolutely. Do we need protocol for the purchase of guns, yes. But the root of the issue is anger which is directly connected to hurt. If we don’t deal with the hurt people have underwent, which has brought about the anger, which leads to murder, we are dealing with symptoms, not root issues. Church, we are called to deal with the root issues in families and the atmospheric issues in regions. This is where we have been given authority and we must exercise our authority in our own families and then help other families with these root issues.

This is not an issue for politicians to try and solve, for they are not called to be the specialists in family matters, the church is. It is way past time for the church to take the lead on the family, in our own lives first, then in the lives of our neighbors. People are hurting, the root is a family issue that overflows into society, but it starts at home and this is where we are suited to help make a difference. Become friends with your neighbors, they need us; see people, listen to what they say, their hearts speak, and know that Jesus has equipped us with His Word to first do the Word in our own lives and families so we can manifest the Word to those around us.

Paul said it this way, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26-27). Jesus said, “You have heard that the ancients were told, you shall not commit murder…but I say to you, do not be angry with your brother.” (Matthew 5:21-22). My friends, anger protects a broken heart, Jesus said in Luke 4, He came to bind up the brokenhearted and we are His ambassadors, so it is time for the church to mobilize as well as empathize with situations we see in society. Family is an area we are specifically called to minister to. Come on church, we are equipped for this calling, and we have a Father in heaven who speaks to us so we know what to do and say. People need the church to arise for they are hurting and we are the solution.

You Are Not Fatherless

On Sunday morning in church the Lord spoke to me and said, “Tell the men they are not fatherless. They don’t need to carry the burden of being the provider, I Am their Father, I provide for them, I Am protecting them, I Am their Father in heaven. They are not alone, I Am with them.” So to all the fathers, to all the men, the Lord says you are not fatherless!

I did not get to release that word publicly on Sunday but another man named Chuck, in our church spoke a word to men 50 and older, telling them, “The Lord says you are strong on the inside.” It was a powerful word. But I was in prayer this morning and the Lord said to me, “Tell the men what I said, they are not Fatherless!” I didn’t know where else to share it, so here it is for the men who are providing for their family, God is your Father and He is providing for you. You are not Fatherless. The Lord sees the load you carry and He says, “Let me carry the load, for I Am your Father. We will carry it together, you are not alone, you are not Fatherless.”

Matthew 6:9-12 “Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

I also heard “Supernatural debt cancellation.” I sensed that with breaking off of the spirit of fatherlessness will Come supernatural debt cancellation, so I decree it, you are not fatherless and I release supernatural debt cancellation in Jesus name. Men, you are blessed.

Ancient Accusation

Mind control, it is the weapon of choice for our enemy the devil. It is truly psychological warfare we are in, that is why it is so hard for people to win this war. It is truly a battle for your mind, your soul, your thoughts. If the enemy can convince you of something, he can control you. His whole strategy from Genesis to today is to control the minds of people. It is called deception, false teachings, false prophets, half-truths, lies, strongholds, no matter the name it takes on, the goal is the same to control the way you think, so the enemy can control what you do. It’s actually a very simple and very ancient strategy, but it works generation after generation, that is why it is still employed to this day.

Psalm 3:1-3 says, “O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah. But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.”

Same adversary David dealt with is the same one we are dealing with. The enemy told David, “There is no deliverance for you in God.” In other words, God is not going to help you, you are all alone to deal with this, you must fight this battle by yourself, if God was going to help you, you would have been healed by now, your marriage would have been restored, you would not be in debt, you would not have lost that job. You name it, the enemy is going to blame God for it. From the simple to the complex, the enemy will always accuse God for not delivering you, for not delivering me. It’s an ancient accusation, it is the adversaries way of controlling our mind and then getting us to act independently, to isolate, and to self-destruct.

But, we are not FATHERLESS, we have a Father in heaven, and we say hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. He has not left us alone in this psychological war, His word is stll the truth, His promises to you are still going to come to pass, it is still a season of Jubilee, we are not FATHERLESS. It is time to join David and declare, You are a shield about me, You are my glory, You are the lifter of my head. This war is hard because it is psychological, but it is not going to have the final word, for our FATHER, is coming to our rescue!!!

I Know Who I Am

This morning I was praying Psalm 2 and it opened up like a flower in the spring. Did you know that our identity as sons and daughters is a today decree God is making over you? Today is always today, it is never yesterday, nor is it tomorrow, it is today and today the Lord is saying, “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, you are my son (daughter), today, I have begotten you.” As I was praying this, the Lord revealed so clearly our identity is a today word. Today you are His son, today you are His daughter, today you are begotten, today! Hebrews 3:15 says, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as did in the rebellion.” Today, His decree coming from His throne today, is you are my son, you are my daughter, today I have begotten you.

This is huge, because without a today knowing of your identity, you will not be able to exercise your authority. Identity always precedes authority. Psalm 2:8 says, “Ask of Me and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession.” When you know who you are, you inherit nations, for you are an heir of Christ, and you possess the earth. What? Yes, it’s absolutely true, people become our inheritance, and the earth becomes our possession. Genesis 1:26-28 establishes our identity as male and female, sons and daughters and then gives us the command to inherit people and possess the earth. My friends, when we know who we are we exercise our authority biblically. When we don’t know who we are we seek to control, possess and plunder people, and relinquish the earth. But God is decreeing today, today, today, our identity and authority, so we can be in alignment with His word.

Now do you understand why the enemy attacks your identity? Because he knows then he can hinder your authority to inherit people and possess the earth. It is time to align with God’s order, receive your inheritance and possess your possessions. Time to sing, I know who I am!

Faith and Flourishing

Two words the Lord spoke to me about this morning, one is faith and the other is flourish. Faith if the only thing in your life that is substantive and cannot be shaken. Now, what your faith is in, determines what is unshakable. I cannot be shaken when it comes to my faith in God. What your faith is in determines what is unshakable in you, but nonetheless it is the faith that is unshakable inside of you. Therefore, determining what your faith is in, will make sure you are not moved in that area. If your not sure what your faith is in, listen to what you defend fiercely when the enemy or others attack that very thing. For me my faith in God is the umbrella which has other unshakable things under it. For example I cannot be shaken when it comes to the word of God both spoken to me personally or written in the Bible. I do not doubt what God has said, now this does not mean I always understand the timing of when it will come to pass, but I do not doubt what He said. My faith is in His word, both spoken and written so I am unshakable in these areas. What about you, what is your faith in, that is unshakable?

The second word He spoke to me about is flourish. Now this is not a word in my vernacular that I use, so I knew it was time to learn what this word meant. Flourish is a bible word, and is tied to the almond tree, which is connected to the word of God. Jeremiah 1:11-12 has God asking Jeremiah, what do you see and he says, an almond tree, then God says, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.” This has a direct connection to Isaiah 55:11 “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Jesus then picks this up and says in Matthew 4:4 “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”

All that to say, I believe we have entered a time of flourishing. The word of God is about to manifest, not what we have said, but what He has said. His word is about to flourish, proper, become highly productive, effective and influential in our lives. The almond tree is blossoming and the Lord is performing His word. The days we have lived in up to this point have been extremely challenging, frustrating and down right exhausting emotionally, physically and mentally, but Lord God of Heaven and Earth has not forgotten what He has spoken over the nations, over peoples, over places and He is going to do what He said He was going to do. God is watching over His word to perform it and we have entered a season of flourishing because our faith which cannot be shaken is what pleases Him. Our best days are beginning, everything is changing and God is overseeing it all, so its going to be so good!

Throne Surfing

I woke up this morning at 4:30am singing Psalm 24, “Lift up you heads, be lifted up o ancient doors; Lift up your heads, o you gates, be lifted up; that the king of glory may come in!” Singing is not my go to, but this morning a song came out of me and so I sang with it. After singing, I opened my bible to Psalm 24 sensing the Lord was on this psalm this morning, so I began to pray the psalm and the words were dancing on the page as I prayed. This is a psalm I know well, but today it was rhythmic, radiant and releasing revelation of the likes I had not seen before. The word of God is truly a live and active (Hebrews 4:12).

While praying Psalm 24, the Lord reminds me of what He showed me and spoke to me on Sunday morning during worship just a few days ago. I saw in the spirit that as we had our hands raised, the throne of God was resting on our hands as a congregation. Then the Lord showed me that as we raise our hands, it opens up our hearts to worship not with lips alone but with heart as well. When our hearts began to sing with our hands raised, the throne we were holding up with our hands began to move, similar to someone crowd surfing at a concert, but it was the throne of God moving among us. It was as though the throne was flowing with the songs our hearts were singing as our hands were raised.

I had never seen a connection between our hands being raised and our hearts opening until Sunday in church and then the Lord establishes this was His voice I was hearing when I read Psalm 24:3-4 this morning. “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully.” Clean hands an a pure heart, there is the hands and heart connection. It was a beautiful picture I saw as the throne moved among us. Throw up your hands, it opens your heart and it moves the throne of God over your head.