Slaying the Octopus…Accessing Abundance

Tags

Abundance, Increase, prosperity, riches, Wealth, Yahweh

It was only two days ago that the Lord revealed to me an octopus that is in the lives of His people. This octopus is one of the gatekeepers to abundance. Once the Lord slays the octopus in our lives, we will have access to abundance, but it begins with slaying the octopus and we cannot slay what we do not see. That is why Solomon is penned as saying, “For where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). What we can’t see, we can’t deal with, that is why God exposes in order to dispose. So, often we don’t want to hear the truth, see the truth or know the truth, for we tend to see it as a way to shame us, condemn us or somehow criticize us. However, the Father in heaven, is way to kind to do that, He only exposes things in our lives in order to dispose of them from our lives. He is so generous that He will expose anything that is hindering us from accessing abundance. This is why He is exposing the octopus.

 

On the news about a week ago, they showed a blue ringed octopus and said it is deadly to humans. I looked it up, as I was sensing some prophetic relevance to this, but did not have all the pieces to see the picture God was releasing to me. Then while reading in Matthew 13:18-23 about the explanation Jesus gave to the disciples in regards to the parable of the sower, the word octopus came into my spirit again. I was befuddled and decided to check out Google to see what are the characteristics of an octopus, for obviously God was seeking to expose something in order to dispose of it. Here is what I discovered about octopuses.

 

Octopuses are soft bodied, eight armed mollusks whose mouth is in the center point of the arms; the body can rapidly alter shape and can even squeeze through small gaps; they have excellent sight; are one of the most intelligent and behaviorally diverse invertebrates; they live in water, grow fast and mature quickly, but they are short lived; the males die after fertilizing the eggs of the female; the female dies right after the hatching of the fertilized eggs; they camouflage themselves and are described as sea monsters in mythology (Wikipedia).

 

With that being said, let’s tie the characteristics of the octopus into Matthew 13:22 “The one on whom seed was sown among thorns, this is the man who hears the word, understands the word, but the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth, choke the word and it becomes unfruitful” (NASB). The choker is the octopus, who has camouflaged itself as worry, that has snuck in through small gaps, that has its mouth in its arms, so the words spoken suffocate or strangle the word and it cannot produce fruit. The octopus is worry and it is choking the word in our lives and making us unfruitful.

 

But you may say, it says thorns and the octopus is a soft bodied sea monster. You are absolutely correct, thorns above ground are hard, but below ground they are soft for their roots which are below ground are what is choking the word in us. Jesus said in this parable, the word took root in the thorny soil, but it did not produce fruit, for it was being choked at the root level, for roots produce fruits. Now to take this one step further, this octopus the Lord is wanting to slay called worry is camouflaged and we often don’t recognize it, but it is there and it is linked to the spirit of mammon, who is another sea monster. That is why Jesus said, it is choked by worry of the world (the octopus) and the deceitfulness of riches (spirit of mammon). The Lord is seeking to slay the octopus in our lives, so that we can access abundance.

 

Abundance is the kingdom of God, abundance is Jesus, abundance is wisdom, truth, life, grace, hope, love, peace, joy, wealth, signs, wonders, miracles, it is abundant life in every way, abundance is Yahweh.

Abundance on Arrival

Tags

Abundance, Bob Jones, Increase, Johnny Enlow, Lance Wallnau, prosperity, Repentance

Is it just me or do you sense something has shifted in the spirit toward a move of God like we have been praying for, believing for and hoping for? Many have tried to describe what they see coming. Bob Jones’ prophecy is lingering that a billion-soul harvest is near; others have said the death of Billy Graham will usher in a worldwide revival; Lance Wallnau and Johnny Enlow are declaring the taking over of the 7 mountains and still some are speaking of a financial windfall for the advancing of the kingdom of God on earth. Sometimes I think we hear what our heart beats for, our heart desires, our dreams that long to be seen and that is not wrong, it’s just our desire. So, what actually is coming that all of us can jump into and see on a macro level that will affect us on a micro level? I can only share what I am seeing in the spirit and what I am waiting for the manifestation of on the earth. I see abundance coming and upon its arrival it will release a repentance that only abundance can bring. Look at these two scriptures:

Isaiah 6:1-5 says, “I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Luke 5:4-8 “When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”  When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.  So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

When Isaiah saw the Lord as a victorious king, for the train of a kings robe is a statement about all the battles they have won, of which we know the Lord never loses a battle, so the train filled the temple, he had won a lot of battles. This vision of the goodness of God, the victories of God, the picture of God as victorious, didn’t bring pride or arrogance into Isaiah, it actually brought humility, repentance and a returning to the Lord God Almighty. The same thing happened to Peter, this professional fisherman, who worked all night and caught nothing, was not puffed up when the nets full of fish were breaking, he was actually humbled by the abundance on arrival.

What I see coming is an abundance of God’s goodness that is going to lead people to repentance not to arrogance. It is going to come with an abundance of healing, finances, reconciliation of relationships, return of prodigals and salvation of loved ones. God is going to shower us with an abundance of rain and upon its arrival, we are not going to rise up in pride, we are going to fall to our knees in worship. Weeping will proceed dancing, not out of sadness, out of being overwhelmed at how good He really is. We have a generation that believes God is mad, distance, untouchable and not interested in helping them, but God is about to show up and show out in a way that, like Isaiah and Peter is going to cause us to repent then rejoice because of the abundance.

Remember Paul said in Romans 2:4 “do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” I believe abundance on arrival is going to bring us to our knees in worship like wrath, judgement and condemnation never could. Honestly, we all know we have fallen short of the glory of God, but how many of us know that He wants to pour out His abundance on us anyway? This unexpected, undeserved act of generosity from God is going to turn nations to the Name that is above all Names. Are you ready for abundance? It’s going to be bigger than you could ask or even begin to imagine.

Seismic Shift

Tags

Abundance, Body of Christ, Christianity, church, kingdom of God, life, Religion, Ressurection, Shift

seis·mic

relating to earthquakes or other vibrations of the earth and its crust.

• relating to or denoting geological surveying methods involving vibrations produced artificially by explosions.
• of enormous proportions or effect.

 

I see a seismic shift coming to the Body of Christ. It is a shift on a proportion not seen in our generation up to this point. It started that day Jesus died when the tectonic plates shifted and the earth began to quake (Matthew 27:50-52), it had its first manifestation with the sightings of the resurrected Christ (1 Corinthians 15:6), the outpouring of the spirit on the day of Pentecost and the birth of the church in Acts 2. It has been building momentum since Peter and John healed the man at the gate beautiful (Acts 3). It refused to be stopped at the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7, but gained momentum when Saul became Paul in Acts 9. Then it progressed with the planting of Apostolic Centers in Jerusalem, Caesarea, Antioch and beyond. Josephus wrote about it in his historical records of that day, the church fathers tried to describe it by making it a creed or a doctrine, but it is so much bigger than that. Tyndale and Guttenberg accelerated it when they took the Word of God out of the hand of certain people and put it into the hands of all people. Can you see how this has been building over the years. Setbacks became set ups; hindrances became hemi power; persecution became promotion of the gospel of the kingdom; Marie Woodworth-Etter carried it, William Seymour preached it, John G. Lake manifested it, John Wimber and Billy Graham advanced it, Kenneth Copeland and Myles Munroe promoted it, and many today are speaking it, but all of that was only is a glimpse, for what is coming is glory!

This seismic shift is going to do immeasurably more than you could ever ask for or even think (Ephesians 3:20); we are living in the days of Noah, yes there is water coming on a level that will blow your mind, and just like in the days of Noah it is going to wash away evil, but this time, this wave is not going to only save 8 people, it is going to save whole nations; this wave of glory has been building for over 2,000 years not to destroy us but to redeem us. This seismic shift is going to change the nations on a level that many cannot even dream of, it is going to change the way we think, it is going to wash away the ceilings of unbelief and launch you into realms of faith that you did not know existed. Small minded thinking is going to be washed away and believing that anything is possible will be released. The years of disappointment are going to be replaced with dreams and desires God has put in you are going to become a reality. We are going to shift from the evangelistic approach that tells people that they need Jesus to people coming to you and asking who is your God?

The seismic shift is going to reveal to us the reality of how much we possess and call us to increase our occupation. As children of Abraham, we were promised many things we have not occupied, but as you realize how much you have been given as a possession, but have yet to occupy, it will ignite a passion in you to occupy until He comes (Luke 19:13). Once you see how much God has for you, it will cause faith to arise in you and your desire to obey will come from His goodness, not from fear of punishment. When God reveals His goodness on you, it will soften your heart; give you the grace to surrender, knowing He is good, really good; and will draw you near to Him not push you away from Him; His generosity on you is going to break the spirit of lack, which is rooted in an orphan spirit; His goodness is going to propel you into your possession.

This seismic shift is going to start as a sound that comes out of me and you, then it will be seen on us, in and through us. I’m ready for the seismic shift, are you? Ready or not, here it comes!

Bait and Switch

Tags

Abundance, grace, Intimacy, kingdom of God, Party, Surprise

Bait and Switch 6.1.16

 

In the truest definition of bait and switch the promised product is greater than its value therefore, giving the purchaser a sense of getting a deal. But when God does a bait and switch, the action of advertising goods that are an apparent bargain, is coupled with the intention of substituting inferior goods for more expensive goods. May I propose to you that many of us have been lured into the wilderness by a good good Father who has a bait and switch operation going on. He lured us in with the promise of a ministry, money, or a calling that resonated in our spirit, because we believed Psalm 37:4 that says, He gives us the desires of our hearts. We know who He made us to be, we know there is greatness inside of us, so we accepted the invitation to the wilderness with the intention of getting a promotion to showcase our gifting.

 

Jesus is a Master Teacher, He knows how to use the word of God to show what He has been and is doing in our lives. If you cannot locate yourself in the word of God, it is time to do some relocating. If we are walking by the spirit and not the flesh, we will locate ourselves in the word of God. As I was listening to Ron Carpenter from Redemption Church in Greenville, SC today, he said something that located me in the word of God and I jumped for joy. He was preaching on the story of Elijah and Elisha, when towards the end he unlocked the word of God and revealed me and I believe many of us that have been in the wildernesses’ location.

When Elijah threw his mantle on Elisha in 1 Kings 18, Elisha burned his job, fed the people and followed Elijah, with the desire for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. But in 1 Kings 19 when Elijah was taken up to heaven, Elisha was not interested in a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, his hearts cry was my father, my father, not my portion, my portion. As Ron spoke these powerful words the Lord spoke to me and said, “it is my bait and switch. I called you into the wilderness with the promise of greatness and you followed, but during your wilderness training I showed you who I am and you fell in love with me, not your ministry”. (Selah)

 

I believe many of us, like Elisha, have discovered that what we came into this process for is not what we found, we found a gift of far greater worth than gold, we found a relationship with the King of Kings, our hearts our exploding with a love for the Lord that money cannot buy, we have found the pearl of great price, we have found that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him and that He is the reward. We found the lover of our souls, we found why we were made, we found a relationship with God that is honestly, indescribable in natural words, but seen in our love for Him and others.

 

Not realizing it upon entrance, God Himself was inviting us not into a ministry, money or any other material thing, He was inviting us into a relationship with Him. He was what our hearts desired, we just did not know it when we started. He was the one we were looking for, He has stripped away all the facades, preconceived ideas and premonitions and He has shown us the Father and we can honestly say, all we want is You! It was the best bait and switch that could have ever happened to us. He switched our shallow desires for our heart’s desire. He switched our desire to be something to a desire to know someone. He invited us into a relationship with Him and we could not have been given a better gift.

 

Once you see Him, know Him, walk with Him, you realize He is an all consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28), He is your heart’s desire and there is nothing that can compare to Him, for He is…I AM that I AM (Exodus 3:14-18). We used to think we were created to do something, but now we know we were created to be someone, someone who knows her God, someone who loves people, someone who is loved by Him. He always has been and always will be all about relationship that is why the word first, in Matthew 6:33 means only, in the Greek, Seek only the kingdom of God and all these things will be given unto you. The things we longed for and didn’t know it were the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22) and they all come from a relationship with Him. He did the best bait and switch and it was all for His glory and our enjoyment. Thanks a million Jesus!

Look Again at Jabez

Tags

2016, 5776, Abundance, Ayin Av, Blessing, Identity, Pain, Prayer of Jabez, prosperity

5776 is the Hebrew year; 2016 is the Gregorian year; but the meaning of the year is the same, Ayin Av. Ayin means to see, to look again, Av means tent peg, hook, plumb line, connector. Today I hear the Lord saying, look again at Jabez, see him today in the year of Ayin Av, 5776, 2016, so on this first day of 2016, I looked again and what I saw blew my natural mind. I trust it will explode in you like it did in me.

I Chronicles 4:9-10 says, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.” Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested.”

Jabez means pain, but it also means abounding or abundance. Jabez’s mother named her son based on her current situation (intense labor pains), not based on a prophetic destination. So, Jabez became a self-fulfilling prophecy, because names are powerful. But Jabez as he matured, realized his name meant more than pain, even though “honorable” actually means burdensome. So Jabez brought more pain to his family than his brothers. The duality of meanings of words is all over scripture and that is why we need the knowledge of God to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14), for there are hidden meanings to discover that will unlock treasures untold.

Jabez grew up in pain, but his name also meant prosperity, abounding, abundance, so there was a side of his name he had yet to experience, but when he discovered the other meaning of his name, he prayed for 4 things: 1) Blessing; 2) Enlargement; 3) Hand; and 4) Keeping. These requests carry such significance, they were so aligned with the Av (plumb line, tent peg) that God granted his request. So, what exactly did He ask for and when we pray this prayer, what exactly are we asking for?

1. Blessing – Jabez asked for the blessing of Jacob(Genesis 32:24-31), he asked for the blessing of a name change. He, like Jacob wanted to be blessed with the other meaning of his name. Jabez knew pain, but he was requesting to know prosperity. Pain prepares you for prosperity, so prosperity won’t bring you pain, for pain and prosperity are connected. (See Joseph for another example of this).
2. Enlargement – Jabez asked for land, to become many, to increase his territory, (Psalm 16 is what Lance Wallnau has prophesied as the word for 2016). Jabez was aligning himself with the blessing of Abraham (Genesis 12). Isaiah 54 speaks the same request, and Isaiah says the key to increasing influence is worship, sing my friends, sing!
3. Hand – Jabez wanted God’s hand to be with him, this was a request for the authority, influence and leadership of Moses (Exodus 33:12-23). He wanted the glory (weightiness) of God. His name meant a heavy burden, but as he discovered the truth of his name as weighty, he requested the weighty glory of God that Moses experienced in the cleft of the rock.
4. Keeping – Jabez wanted to be kept from harm (evil, misery, distress or injury), he was requesting to be aligned with someone in the future, he was wanting to be in alignment with Jesus and His kingdom. Matthew 6:9-13 is a prayer with the same request, and Revelation 21:3-5 promises the same thing. He wanted to be healed of all pain, so he would not hurt anyone.

The prayer of Jabez is a prayer of alignment, he requested he would be aligned with the blessings of Jacob, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. He was a tent peg in the sense that he hooked or connected himself to the past and the future. In this year of Ayin Av, we need to look again as there are connections that God is making, just like he connected I Chronicles 4:10 to Isaiah 54:2-3 to Matthew 6:9-13. We also need to look again, for we are not recycling the old, we are entering a new wine skin with new wine.

Jabez teaches us through his prayer that identity precedes destiny which will usher in prosperity without pain. I hope you take the time to look again at Jabez.