Love is Kryptonite to the Enemy

Tags

Apostles, church, Discipleship, Follow Me, Harvest, Jesus, leadership, Movement, Parables

Love is Kryptonite to the Enemy

 

 

Have you ever had a frustration conversation with the Lord? You know one of those prayer times where somethings off, you feel stuck, heaven seems silent on an issue? I had one of those talks with the Lord just the other day. During this, let’s be honest, one sided conversation, I was doing all the talking, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Follow the yellow brick road”. Now for religious people that will be hard to believe God would say that, but to relationship people, they totally get it. God said, “Follow the yellow brick road.” I had just bought the movie the Wizard of Oz, as someone I met is doing a prophetic project in Kansas and asked me to watch it. I grabbed my pen and paper and sat down to watch the Wizard of Oz like I would a sermon. What I didn’t know was how prophetic that movie would be for me.

“Jesus called a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you, He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3-4). As I watched this movie the Lord began to speak to me from go. First of all, Dorothy was living with her aunt and uncle, so she was either orphaned or some other situation happened to her parents. Next, she had a dream, which is what put her into the land of Oz and she knew she had gone over the rainbow. Upon arrival in her house, which was the vehicle that took her to the land of Oz, she landed on the wicked witch of the East and killed her. With instructions from the leader of the munchkins, she took the ruby red slippers off of the wicked witch of the East and put them on her feet and was told these slippers would protect her, so just follow the yellow brick road. (There are so many prophetic things right here for you to consider).

The story goes on and she meets three men on her following of the yellow brick road, a scarecrow who needs intelligence, a tin man who needs a heart and a lion who needs courage. As each joins her on following the yellow brick road, to Emerald City to meet the Oz, she encounters along the way the wicked witch of the West. The truth that hit me like a tidal wave was, that because she was wearing the ruby red slippers, the wicked witch of the West could not lay a hand on her. When the Lord highlighted this to me, I remembered that in scripture rubies mean passionate love. The Lord spoke to me and said, “Lisa, passionate lovers are kryptonite to the enemy, because he has no love in him”.

Immediately, I began to weep, as I knew that love is the answer to victory in our lives as believers. When we are lovers, the enemy cannot touch us, love is kryptonite to the enemy. No wonder Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Our love for God and for one another is what keeps the enemy at bay, for if we are lovers of God and lovers of people, he has nothing in us to work with. No wonder the enemy had nothing in Jesus (John 14:30), Jesus was a lover of His Father and of us as people. This is powerful to me, for I knew love was the answer, but I did not realize how powerful it actually was.

As the movie came to an end, they arrived at the door of the Emerald City and finally met the Oz, who did not grant their requests as presented for a brain, heart, courage and a home, but he gave them more than they asked for. Not only did love keep the enemy at bay, love kept them on the yellow brick road that led them to the place where they were given more than they could have asked or even imagined (Ephesians 3:20). When we are wearing the ruby red slippers of passionate love for God and for people, the enemy cannot touch us, for love is kryptonite to the enemy.

 

Exploring New

Tags

Brand New, church, Discipleship, iPhone 7, kingdom of God, maturity, Prophecy

When you say you want something new, do you mean you want a brand new version of what you already have or do you want something completely brand new? I guess that depends on what you are talking about. I was in the car driving, meditating on what do we mean when we say we want revival? Are we asking God to make what we currently have, brand new? Or do we really want something new? And when we ask the Lord for something new, what does He think of when He thinks of something new? I know for people that don’t like to think deeply about things, this will be trivial, but for us who are serious about being leaders in the emerging future, we must ask these kinds of questions.

I turned to my 8-year old son, in the midst of this thought process and said, if I say I want a new phone, holding my iPhone 4s in my hand, am I asking for a brand new iPhone 4s or am I asking for a newer version of the iPhone? He said, of course you don’t want a brand new iPhone 4s, you want a brand new iPhone 7. Then he said, why are you asking me this? So, I told him, because when we ask for something new, do we really know what we are asking for? He just stared at me like I was weird, but I think the Lord is probing many of his leaders with this question right now. What exactly are you asking for? Do you want the same version of what you have, but just make it brand new, like it was when we first made it, or do you want something you have never seen before?

If I say I want to buy a new house, I am not saying, I want someone to rebuild my exact house, so I can have the same thing, just brand new. I am saying I love the house I am in, but I am ready for a new house, maybe I need more space, a different location, or just something completely different. We understand what we mean when we speak of things in the natural like cars, houses and phones, but when it comes to asking God to make us new, do we know what we are asking for? 2 Corinthians 5:17, says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (NIV). God does not give us a brand new version of our old self, He makes us into something brand new, something never seen before. Then in Revelation 21:5 we read, “He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true” (NIV).

I think God is making things new, new like we have not seen before, new like an upgraded version with features we have yet to see, new like you are going to love all the new features I added to the latest version, I think He is making all things new, but we are resisting the new, because we prefer the old. Luke 5:38-39 says, “No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better” (NIV). I think many people want a brand new version of the old, but Jesus is releasing something completely brand new, that has never been seen before. People can feel it, they know there is a paramount change taking place, so they are hanging on to the old because they believe the old is better. But, He is God and does not need your permission or mine to bring something brand new to our planet. Just like in the days of Jesus the old will still operate in their old patterns, but the new is about to come on the scene, so people have an alternative option, because they know the old is not working, but the new has not arrived yet.

I don’t know for sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion just like the new iPhone 7 is going to have a brand new operating system that will not work on any version earlier than the iPhone 6, I think God is releasing a brand new operating system that is not going to work in the older versions of how to do life in the kingdom. God is releasing an upgrade that is going to stir more buzz than anything Steve Jobs released and it is going to cause people to wait in line to get their hands on what God is about to release. It is going to be brand new, a surprise like none of us could have imagined, and it is going to reverberate throughout the nations of the world. I don’t know about you, but I am leaning into the emerging future, by exploring new.

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.

Apostles Are Among Us

Tags

ambassadors, Apostles, Arising, church, city, country, Discipleship

The other day, I heard the phrase, apostles are among us, in my spirit. As I have meditated on it the past couple of days and prayed into it, the Lord began to reveal to me what it means and it brought such freedom to me, that I wanted to share it with you, hoping it will bring some understanding to those that may be wondering what is happening in us, through us and around us. Apostles are sent ones, it is a function, not a title, they are not special in the sense that they have more value than any other person in the body of Christ, they just have a different function. That is why Paul said in I Corinthians, not all are apostles. Remember the context of this statement was about being a body and each having a different function. So, when I say apostles are among us, it is not about hierarchy or pecking order, but rather a function.

Living in a world where the enemy is making it clear through the news that he has agents of destruction planted in the soil of our cities, countries, and churches, the Lord also has people planted among us and they are called apostles. Apostles activate the people of God to do the work of God in order to advance the kingdom of God. The apostolic gift is an activation gift for the body of Christ. Jesus is called the apostle of our faith, He is the one that activates our faith into action through His word. Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles, he activated the truth that Gentiles could experience the same salvation that Jews did. The apostolic function is for activation. There are apostles among us.

A group of people were called to be apostles, but they did not know when they accepted the call to the wilderness training, on the back side of the desert, in obscurity, this is what they were being called to be. They entered this training out of obedience to the voice of God, not sure where they were going, but knowing they heard the voice of Him who called them out of darkness into His light, so they followed. The training has been hard, it has been lonely, it has brought disappointment, discouragement and a desire to quit, but the call to obey was stronger than all of these other things, so they stayed the course. When everyone else was sleeping, they were awake; when others were playing, they were in training; they have been underground this whole time, and yet living among us. Many have never heard there name, most have no idea what they are being called to do, very few have seen them in their assignment, because they have been in training.

Their weapons are worship and prayer, their leaves are their words and they will bring healing to the nations, they bear the fruit of the spirit in every season, they are apostolic ambassadors who take their commands from the Lord of Heaven and Earth. These men and women are among us, they have been rewired and refired for such a time as this. They have been called, consecrated and commissioned for the hour that is coming upon us. They know the voice of God, they know the word of God, they know how to be led by the spirit of God, they are not trying to make their own way prosperous, they are not looking for man to lift them up, they are an army of apostolic ambassadors and they are among us. Their source is God alone, they are servants, they seek first the kingdom of God and they have a helmet of salvation, a breastplace of righteousness, a belt that is truth, shoes that are the gospel, a shield that is faith, and a sword that is the word of God. They are fearless.

The Lord has been teaching them in the apostolic training school on the back side of the desert, they are planted in the soil of every sector of society, they are diverse, yet one. They are dressed and ready for battle, ready to reap the harvest, ready to disciple nations, not for their glory, but for His glory. When the Lord calls for their arising you will know who they are, for they will activate the body of Christ as one unit to advance the kingdom of God. They are lovers of God and lovers of people, but they do not compromise the truth. You will know them when they arise, they are still in training, they are still waiting for the commander’s voice to activate them on assignment, for they are the apostles among us and they are an army that has been trained for the battle that is at hand. The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes. The apostles are among us!

Discipleship Training Camp

Tags

Character, Discipleship, Growth, life, maturity, Perserverance, spiritual growth, Training

Job 5:17 “Truly, that man is happy who has training from the hand of God: so do not let your heart be shut to the teaching of the Ruler of all. Blessed is the person God corrects. So don’t hate the Mighty One’s training.”

When I was a teenager, I watched a movie called The Karate Kid. This was the original version, with Ralph Macchio, 1984. During that movie, Mr. Miagi was an older man who was a master teacher of karate. And Ralph Macchio was this young kid who thought he knew more than he really did. In the movie, Mr. Miagi had Ralph doing some chores, but Ralph had signed up to be trained in karate, so his attitude was sour at times and his understanding was limited. Little did the Karate Kid know that painting the fence and waxing the car was training for being a national and international karate champion.

God is a lot like Mr. Miagi, He doesn’t always explain to you why He is training you the way He is, but when we are faced with a fight that is going to require specific skills, we are going to see that He trained us for such a time as this.

Maybe it is just me, but I have been in training for over 15 years now. The training has brought me into a church that taught me how to die to myself and have no opinion; into a country that advanced my training to the back side of the desert, where I learned that God alone is the one I can depend on; and it has brought me through the narrow gate by which I have experienced the reality of the kingdom of God and the love of the Father. But I am still in training and sometimes, I have no idea what all the training is for. Some of the things He has had me do, like write books that no publisher wants, or love people that don’t know how to love back, has been like painting the fence or waxing the car. What is it all for?

Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

When you are in training and it takes longer than you thought, it can cause hope to be deferred, but the thing about hope is that it keeps rising up in your spirit, keeps pushing you to not give up, to never quit, for you know, that a longing fulfilled is coming. Training is never fun, sometimes it is painful and there are even times when you may ask, what is this all for anyway? But one thing I have learned through all this training, is that I have gotten stronger and stronger on the inside. Circumstances don’t move me, people can’t detour me, and the presence of God is more real to me than ever before.

I know there is a championship fight coming very soon and just like David who had to beat the lion and the bear so he had confidence to take on Goliath, we have been in God’s discipleship training camp. It has built confidence in us that God is a good Father; it has taught us self-control; it has trained our ear to hear His voice; and has taught us what is truly valuable. Wax on, wax off, because we are about to defeat the giant and liberate all the people of God. God is a master teacher and we are in discipleship training camp.

Multiply Mandate

Tags

Apostles, Discipleship, Fruitful, Multiplication

Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them (men and women); and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it…”

When we get off even a little bit from the truth of the word of God, it will eventually be that we are way off and noticeable to all. Unfortunately, in the church today, we have gotten off of the mandate to multiply and have engaged in the three “M’s” of ministry. We have moved from the mandate to multiply and we have manipulated, marketed and manufactured the gospel.

Manipulate means to manage or influence skillfully; to adapt or change to suit one’s purpose or advantage (Dictionary.com).

Market means a meeting of people for selling and buying; demand for a commodity (Dictionary.com)

Manufacture means to produce in a mechanical way without inspiration or originality (Dictionary.com)

The reason we like using the three “M’s” of ministry is because it is a great way to make money. The gospel was never meant to be manufactured, but because we have lost connection with the vine (John 15:4) we had to manufacture fruit in order to keep making money. So, we have bookstores filled with books of the same spirit, saying the same thing. We have manipulated the people into believing that the manufactured gospel which is produced in mass for the masses is what the Lord intended. We convince ourselves that if the Apostle Paul was here on the earth today, he would get on television, radio, podcast and platforms to preach his message. But is that really what our mandate is, to mass produce?

When we seek to be restored, God Himself resets us back to the original factory settings and when this happens, everything looks different, tastes different, smells different. God’s original plan was for us to multiply, not to mass produce. He even reiterated his multiplication mandate in Matthew 28:19-20 saying, “Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the Name…teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you…” How do you baptize a nation? How do you understand teaching them to observe?

For us to fulfill the great commission, us, all of us, not just a few certain people, we have to be in the lives of people. To baptize someone you have to be there and to let someone observe you and everything the Lord has taught you, you need to be in their life. Our mandate to multiply is discipleship. No it is not glamourous, no it is not going to make you famous on a national and international level, no it is not going to make you a millionaire, but it will make you rich. We were mandated by God Himself in Genesis and Matthew to multiply not manufacture, market and manipulate.

The storm is coming to soak the soil of people’s heart, so they can receive the word that will separate them from the world and make them into disciples. The only thing that is eternal is people. Jesus said, heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word will never pass away. He is the Word become flesh who dwelt among us (John 1:1). The mandate is to multiply!

Multiply means to make many, increase the number, to increase by procreation or natural generation (Dictionary.com)

Jesus multiplied Himself by 11 and those guys multiplied themselves and on and on it went, so now I am a disciple that is called to multiply. We have got to realize the disciples did not heal the sick to make money, they did not cast out demons to write books, they did not preach the gospel to become a Pastor, they did not prophesy so people called them Prophet or Prophetess, they did it because it is what they were discipled to do. They were not seeking to be rich or famous, they were seeking to make disciples. They were servants who were told to take up a towel, not sit on a certain row.

When we return to our mandate to multiply, we will see the signs, wonders, miracles and greater things Jesus spoke about, not to make us famous or so we can start a ministry, but so we can make disciples and see the crime rate in our city decrease, the fathers stay in the family, the abuse of women and children come to an end, poverty eradicated and safety return to our streets. When we obey the multiply mandate and make disciples, our community, our city, and our country will be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is how you baptize nations, by making disciples in your home, office or school. The day is coming when this dream is going to be a reality, for this is God’s multiply mandate.