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.

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.

Called to Lead…Chose to Follow

Tags

Blessings, Christianity, church, Kingdom, maturity, prosperity

I was watching a documentary called Broke the other day, the premise of it was about NFL players who made millions, but went broke or had to file bankruptcy and what they did was dig into the reality of how and why this happened. How could someone making millions of dollars one year be broke the next? Here is what they discovered, what the Lord spoke to me and what I learned after meditating on this.

In the mid 1990’s NFL players went from making tens of thousands of dollars to making millions to multi millions of dollars. It was such a drastic increase in pay, that no one was prepared for the problems it would bring to the players. At the same time in history, President Bill Clinton declared the country was at an Apex of financial prosperity, the housing market was booming and people were spending at unprecedented rates. Everything looked and sounded it of prosperity. In Silicon Valley the technology boom was born, Microsoft was growing, Google came on the scene, Apple was arising, money was pouring into our country, our lives, our businesses from every direction. Everything we touched as Americans was turning to gold, the keeping up with the Jones’ was alive and active and we as a nation looked and sounded prosperous.

There was just one problem, it hit us so fast and furious, that many were not prepared to handle the prosperity that was being poured out, others wanted to look prosperous, so they bought houses they could not afford and got into insurmountable debt. As a nation, as a people we did not have the infrastructure in place to handle the blessing (or what we thought was a blessing) that was being poured out on us. NFL players who had no financial training, but were making millions, spent all the money they made, The documentary said, many players were living from paycheck to paycheck and they were making hundreds of thousands of dollar each check. One guy said he got a black American Express card, that arrived in a silver briefcase and he spent $108,000 in one month on that card, when he got the bill, he was in shock and asked himself, what did I buy.

Millions of Americans during the prosperity of the 90’s and early 2000’s went into debt in order to keep up with the lifestyle that was being displayed in rap videos like Mo Money, Mo Power and Let It Rain, which spoke of money raining down. What we did not see coming was that as fast as that balloon of prosperity rose, it would pop at the same rate. In the late 2000’s the housing market crashed, Ponzi schemes were revealed, professional ball players were going bankrupt and people lost millions.  

While watching this documentary, the Lord spoke to me and said, “The Church has been called to lead, but they chose to follow.” After I heard the Lord say this, I immediately went to the internet to find out when the prosperity gospel began. Here is what Wikipedia says about when it began, “In the 1990s and 2000s, it was adopted by influential leaders in the Charismatic Movement and promoted by Christian missionaries throughout the world, sometimes leading to the establishment of mega-churches.” God knows everything, He knew exactly what I would come to discover, I was blown away. The Church has been called to lead the world, but we have chosen to follow it.

In the 90’s and 2000’s the Church began to preach the prosperity gospel, many people jumped on this bandwagon, for a variety of reasons, many of which they are not even aware. Churches began to make millions of dollars, making promises of prosperity if only the people gave. Many verses we quote today, became popular then, making promises to people about what God would do for them financially if only they “sowed a seed”. The message worked then, because everyone was trying to not miss out on this season of prosperity that was being poured out, I mean look at how the Pastor dresses, what the Pastor drives, where the Pastor lives and the people wanted a piece of the pie. The problem is, what we sowed then we are reaping now.

Due to the fact that many of the verses that were quoted, which convinced people they would prosper were taken out of context. Meaning,  the verses did not promise what we were being told they would, in context and so now people have given more than they could in order to get what they were being promised. However, since they did not “reap what they sowed”, we have a generation today who does not believe the word of God works, is trustworthy or even applies to them. Many Christians are spiritually bankrupt, they are broke or broken, because the Church did not lead, but chose to follow.

BUT GOD…

God has opened a new door of opportunity for the church to lead, yet again. We are being called to lead by throwing our whole selves into the presence of God, by trusting Him with our hearts, not our heads. He is revealing that perfect love casts out all fear; that He is a loving Father, who wants to bind up the broken hearted, set the captives free, and pour out blessings on us that will make us rich forever. He is revealing what real prosperity looks like, He is making us lovers of God and of people, He is establishing the infrastructure of our lives, our families, our communities, our countries, our churches. He is not mad at us for the mistakes we made in the past, for the kindness of God leads us to repentance and He has opened a door for a relationship with Him that is more intimate, more passionate, more powerful than anything money could buy. This is the day we live in, right now. All you have to do is believe again, trust again, love again, forgive again.

The Lord is maturing His sons and daughters, so they are lacking nothing, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. All you have to do is return the embrace, for His arms are stretched wide to us, yet again. The call to lead still remains, but it looks very different than before. This is not about one man, one woman, one ministry, it is about the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. It is about the restoration of the five fold ministry, the revalidation of truth, the renewing of our minds and the love of God being shed abroad in our hearts. We will lead as lovers and the world will follow. It is a great time to be alive!

 

Not First…Only!

Tags

Christianity, Contentment, Empowerment, grace, healing, Jesus, Joy, maturity, prosperity, Truth

When we as people hear the word first, it denotes order, priority, some form of list. We see first as there is something that comes second. Most of us, when we read Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33, it says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you”, we take that as an order of way to prioritize our lives.Therefore, what we do is our quiet time first, pay our tithe first, give God our first, whatever. Then once we have done what we were supposed to do first, we do whatever we want, second, third, and so on. While I was fasting and praying with a group of people last week, the Lord began to speak to me that first does not denote there is a second, first actually means only. To God, when He says, seek first, He means seek only. We are called to seek only the kingdom of God and His righteousness, not first, but rather only. As I began to meditate on this idea of only, rather than first, it made me realize how many idols we have in our lives and we do not even realize it.

If we pursue anything in addition to the Father, it is an idol. An idol is anything we look to, we pursue in order to meet a need we have. Look at Matthew 6 again, it says in verse 1, “Take care not to do your good deeds publically or before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward  with and from your Father Who is in heaven”. The good deeds Matthew is referring to are noted in the following verses, he says, when you give, when you pray and when you fast, do it in secret, why, because you need affirmation and if you seek approval or affirmation from men, it is an idol and the Lord does not compete with idols, so you lose your reward. 

In the former age of Christendom seeking God first was acceptable, it was expected, but we have crossed over into the kingdom of God age, and in this new normal we have entered, we are to seek the kingdom of God only. That is why the call to secret is so critical, because our affirmation needs to come from the Lord only. If others affirm us, it is appreciated, but it is not needed. This is powerful, because if you need the affirmation of man for what you do, you will eventually do what man expects in order to get their affirmation, instead of what God wants and then man becomes an idol.  

Seeking the kingdom of God only, means the only one in front of us is the Father and everything else is behind us. It can be likened to driving a car, if you spend your whole drive looking over your shoulder behind you, you are going to crash, but if you are facing forward, looking forward and your focus is forward, then if you glance in the rear view mirror now and then you can see what is following you, but you are not focused on what is behind you. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first (ONLY), the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (your needs) will be given to you.” Your needs are behind you, when you are seeking the kingdom of God only, they are not in front of you as something you pursue. When we seek only the Father, everything we need, want, desire, dream about will pursue us, as we pursue the Father.

To seek God only takes a lot of trust, you have to put all your attention on Him only. No pursuing your career, a spouse, a promotion, prosperity, nothing. Everything must be literally behind your back and the only thing in front of your eyes is the Father. Most people cannot do this, many will not agree with this, some will not have the courage to try it. But to those who have ears to hear, the Lord promises you, if you pursue Him only, obey His voice always, your reward will blow your mind. Because when our worth is found in the love of God, when our fear is swallowed up in the presence of God’s perfect love, when our trust is in the heart of God, we will find the rewards of God taking us over. The Father is looking for those who only want Him, not in words, but in hearts desire, because then whether we are in a job or without a job, whether we are married or not, our needs our met in God alone.

I close with the words of the Apostle Paul, “I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want. I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me!” (Philippians4:12-13)

Money: Your Servant, Not Your Savior by Lisa Great

Tags

life, maturity, Money, power, prosperity, Savior, Servants

  

Money is the talk of every town around the world. Some people are complaining that they don’t have enough; others are declaring and demanding they want and need more; still others are worried about money; and some are arguing over money. Possibly one of the most discussed subjects around the world, in the church, in companies, in cities and in countries, is the subject of money. Some are saying we spend too much, other are upset we save too much, some move for money, others suffer unduly for it, really there is no escaping the discussion of money. With all this focus on money, it is no wonder, whether known or unknown to many people, money has become their savior.

A savior is someone or something we look to in order to get us out of a mess, to bring us satisfaction, to meet our needs. People are asking for money every day, they are praying for money continually, and they are in need of money all the time. Whether it is to buy this or buy that. Everyone needs more money. If you were new to this planet, we call earth, you might wonder if this is our god, based on the amount of time and energy we spend on this very subject, we call money. However, this should not be for those who are in Christ. Money is not to be our savior, it is to be our servant. The only reason we should be discussing money is because we need to tell it where to go.

Matthew 25:14-46 is a portion of scripture known as the Parable of the Talents. In this story, servants are given a promotion by their master. The master gives the servants ownership of some talents, which more often than not has been translated money. One servant is given 5 talents of money, another is given 2 talents of money, and 1 is given one talent of money. In the story, 2 of the 3 servants put the money to work for them and by doing so they produce more talents. 1 servant hides the money, out of fear, and upon the masters return, he gives back the one talent of money he was given. This story is a great example of the call for us to make money our servants not our savior. Servants go to work for you, they do what you say. If servants are sent to proper places, they will produce, for they by design were created to work for you.

Every person that makes any amount of money is a master of that money. By design, we were given the authority to rule over everything on the earth (Genesis 1). Each month every person is given a certain number or servants to rule over. For me I am given 1700 servants a month, how I use these servants will determine whether or not I am given more servants. These servants are my money. I send some servants to the mortgage company; I send other servants to the grocery store; I send some servants to the gas and energy company; and some servants are sent to church. But each servant is sent in a direction to work for me. I do not work for my 1700 servants, they work for me. How I put them to work, will either produce more servants for me, or I may lose the servants I already have, if I do not use them wisely.

We have been given the ability to rule as masters over servants (money). We are more powerful than we realize, if you see your monthly income as a number of servants, you will see that God is using those servants to test your faithfulness. Some people are given more servants to start than you are, but everyone is being tested to see how they use those servants. Then based on what we do with them, will determine if we are given more servants to dispatch.

Money is our servant, not our savior. We are rulers over more than we ever realized. It is time we start using our servants to produce more servants in our lives, so we can do more with our lives. Money is your servant, not your savior. You don’t look to money to get you out of trouble, you look to the Lord. You don’t worry about, fight about, lose sleep over, stress over, money. It is not your savior, it cannot get you where you need to be. Put your money to work, it is your servant and you are in a position of power, authority, and rulership, so, steward well, rule well, and you will be given more servants.

Wisdom, Along With Everything Else is God

Tags

Christianity, God, grace, healing, life, love, prosperity, wisdom

Job 28:23, 28 “God understands the way (to Wisdom) and He knows the

                             place of it (Wisdom is with God alone. …But to man He

                             said, behold the reverential and worshipful fear of the

                             Lord – that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is

                             Understanding.”

 

Preachers all over the world offer the character traits and attributes of God separate from God Himself. This is not intentional, but it is done weekly in churches all over the world. We promise people prosperity, wisdom, grace, healing, you name it, as something that God gives, rather than as something that God is. For whatever reason, we have taken who God is and made Him into something He does. To God, there is no separation between who He is and what He does. He is One through and through and he has made us as humans the same way.

We cannot give money away without being a person of generosity; we cannot say words of comfort without being a person of compassion. What we do is who we are, they are not two separate things. Just as we cannot show love to our spouse or child without being love ourselves, God cannot do anything without it being who He is, in His divine nature. So, when we tell people God wants to prosper them, many are looking for money to fall out of the sky, but God is looking for people that want to know Him as one that loves to see His people prosper.

To try and get something from God without wanting God, Himself, is a violation of design. In human language that is taking someone for granted. So, when Job declares Wisdom is with God alone, he is saying, God is wisdom, it is not something He does, it who He is and if you want wisdom you have to want God. Unfortunately, without realizing it, we have been offering people what God is without sharing with them who God is. So, we have perversions, like people that name it and claim it, thinking that is the key to prosperity. Or people who are walking away from God because they did not get the healing they were praying for. God is not a vending machine and our prayers are not the coins that activate it. He is God, He is good, He is healing, He is wisdom, He is truth, He is generous, when we want Him, not for what He has, but for who He is, we will eventually see in our lives all He is.

The reality is, God wants us to know Him, want Him, need Him, in our lives and if we were honest and stripped it all away, that is what we are longing for. Our spirits are crying out for an intimate, passionate, fervent relationship with God, His stuff is nice, but when you have Him, you are not even thinking about all those other things. When people know you want them, not what they have, they open up their hearts and their treasures to you, but if they perceive you are after their stuff, they will withhold themselves and their stuff. It is a law of the kingdom that cannot be broken, God is wisdom, they are one in the same person. May you desire God, not what God gives or has. Remember Matthew 6:33, seek first (as your only desire) the kingdom (the king’s domain) and all these things (whatever you think you need) will be added unto you.

I know from experience that when I get God, His presence, His power, His face, nothing else has any significance. He is truly All I want!