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Faithful & True

Monday, December 31st, 2012

Each week Our Heavenly Father has had me focus on one particular aspect in our Bible study.  Yesterday at 6 AM HE awakened me with this word “Faithful and True”.  I was groggy and fell back asleep.  At 7 AM I was awaken again with “Faithful and True”.   This time I got out of bed and went to study this out.  Sure enough, HE wanted me to focus on the Second Return of Jesus Christ found in Revelations 19 to 21.  I believe this to be noteworthy.  This Bible study is moving us toward an understanding of the preparation of the Bride that demands the attention of the saints.

Is it coincidental that this Word has come at this time?  I think not.  After just completing seven years the month of focusing on the revelation of Love, this Word comes.  As Kemper said in yesterday’s Bible study, “You have to see it in order to be it”.  First, revelation must come in order for you to lay down your existing belief or doctrine for the manifestation of the revelation to come to pass.

Peter represents “revelation” and John represents “Love” and the following passage makes Kemper’s point:

John 20:

3 Peter (revelation) therefore went out, and the other disciple (John,Love), and were going to the tomb.

4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple (Love) outran Peter and came to the tomb first.

5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there;yet he (Love) did not go in.

6 Then Simon Peter (revelation) came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw (enlightenment) the linen cloths lying there,

7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.

8 Then the other disciple (Love), who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.

The revelation of Love, being the key, is necessary before the manifestation of the Baptism of Love can occur and fulfill the Second Coming:

Rev 19:6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying,  “Alleluia! For the  Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”

Selah!

I recommend that you watch this Bible study.  If you have not watched any of these, it would be beneficial to get caught in the order they appear.  You can view these at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-baptism-of-love

Posted in Bible Study, Love, Prophetic | Comments Closed

Do you know Our Heavenly Father?

Saturday, December 29th, 2012

What a simple question but what an all encompassing one.

1 John 4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

If you don’t love other people, you must question how well you know Our Heavenly Father.  Do you look for opportunities to bless others or do you look the other way?  Are you a good listener or are you so busy making your point, you fail to listen to what the other person is saying?  What was your emphasis this holiday season?  To give, or to get?  The end of the year is upon us, did you financially assist anyone this year or did you judge everyone around you to be unworthy of your support?  Did you spread some kindness to others?  Did you sacrifice time or other resources without any expectation of return?  Did you ask forgiveness for doing harm to someone this year?

These are tough questions for all of us.  Each of us must do a personal assessment of our growth.  We must put away the childish things and deal with more mature matters.  If we are to be as HE is, our fruit should pass inspection.  One of the goals of our Bible study is to pursue the fullness of Our Heavenly Father’s character.  As you better understand HIS character, you will begin to understand that every word given to us in Scripture has Love as its core intent.  This will open the door to greater revelation in the coming year.  May 2013 produce a fruitful harvest!

Our Bible study broadcasts are at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-baptism-of-love   We welcome your participation.

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The Need of Miracles

Wednesday, December 19th, 2012

Occasionally it is good to get back to the basics of the focus of our primary example: Jesus Christ. His ministry contained the miracles listed below.  Healing the blind men at Jericho is believed to be three different occasions even though it is listed here as one.  It is important to consider the emphasis of miracles by category.  Jesus ministered healing as first priority followed by taking command over nature.

 

Nature Miracles Matt Mark Luke John
1. Stilling the Storm 8:23 4:35 8:22
2. Feeding the 5000 14:13 6:30 9:10 6:01
3. Walking on the Water 14:25 6:48 6:19
4. Feeding the 4000 15:32 8:01
5. Temple Tax in the Fish’s Mouth 17:24
6. Withering the Fig Tree 21:18 11:12
7. Draught of Fish 5:01
8. Turning Water into Wine 2:01
9. Second Draught of Fish 21:01

 

Healing Miracles

 Matt Mark Luke John
General Healings
1. Cleansing of a Leper 8:02 1:40 5:12
2. Healing a Centurion’s Servant 8:05 7:01
3. Healing Peter’s Mother-in-law 8:14 1:30 4:38
4. Healing the Sick at evening 8:16 1:32 4:40
5. Healing a paralytic 9:02 2:03 5:18
6. Healing the Hemorrhaging woman 9:20 5:25 8:43
7. Healing Two Blind Men 9:27
8. Healing a Man’s Withered Hand 12:09 3:01 6:06
9. Healing the Gentile Woman’s Daughter 15:21 7:24
10. Healing the Epileptic Boy 17:14 9:17 9:38
11. Healing the Blind Men at Jericho 20:30 10:46 18:35
12. Healing a Deaf Mute 7:31
13. Healing a Blind Man at Bethsaida 8:22
14. Healing the Infirm, Bent Woman 13:11
15. Healing the Man with Dropsy 14:01
16. Cleansing the Ten Lepers 17:11
17. Restoring a Servant’s Ear 22:51
18. Healing the Nobleman’s Son (of fever) 4:46
19. Healing an Infirm Man at Bethesda 5:01
20. Healing the Man born blind 9:01

 

Resurrections
1. Raising the Ruler’s Daughter 9:18,23 5:22,35 8:40,49
2. Raising of a Widow’s Son at Nain 7:11
3. Raising of Lazarus 11:43

 

Casting out Demons
1. Demons entering a herd of swine 8:28 5:01 8:26
2. Curing a Demon-possessed Mute 9:32
3. Casting Out an Unclean Spirit 1:23 4:33
4. Curing a Demon-possessed, 12:22 11:14
    Blind and Mute man

Jesus spoke of the need of miracles as evidence:

John 14:11 "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves."

John 10:37,38 "Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."

John 20:30,31 "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

These were His actions behind the words He spoke.  Should we become like Him?  Is this the fruit of His ministry?  Should our fruit be similar as we are transformed?

John 14:12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Selah.

Posted in Bible Study, Love | Comments Closed

Your Reasonable Service

Friday, December 14th, 2012

In Romans 12, Paul sets the standard for us to live by:

1   I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

2   And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

We are to present our bodies a living sacrifice.  As you study the Laws of sacrifice in the Old Testament you find that the lamb should be without blemish.  The Blood of Christ insured that we are seen without blemish.  A living sacrifice denotes that our presentation of ourselves should be on going.  “Holy” is a pure and cherished walk and “acceptable” is well pleasing.  This walk is attainable because it is described as being reasonable.  If it weren’t reasonable then we would not be expected to achieve its goal.  So… set the expectation!

Presenting yourself is an action and this is the most basic way to serve Our Heavenly Father.  Are you focused on “you” or others?  Are your actions holy by all accounts?  Do you attempt to control of manipulate others for your own gain?  Sometimes its tough but we must look into the mirror and do a personal assessment.  Only then will we change.  Review your words from the last few days.  Were those words of life or death?  Were they uplifting or destructive?  We have a reasonable service to promote and pursue life in ourselves and others.  This must be an ongoing pursuit, not just on Sunday.  When we are in the trenches of life and being tested, that is the time to see what our character really reflects.

Be not conformed to this world.  Peer pressure attempts to manipulate us into accepting the current state of affairs, submitting to the current system.  If you look around, the current system isn’t doing well so why should you conform to this world.  Heaven, on the other hand, is doing quite well and is without scarcity, wars, sickness, etc.  Our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom is one of life and fruitfulness, not death and destruction.  The current system is designed to stroke your ego and create problems to be fixed.  It dangles a carrot in front of you to lead you to a life of subjection and slavery.  To be conformed is to take on another’s pattern, fashion or way of life.  When you do this you move away from your calling.  Your calling has a unique anointing that empowers it from On High.  When you move away from your unique calling, you lose that power.  At the same time you subject yourself to the risks and challenges associated with the calling that is not yours.  Without the anointing or empowerment, you will not be properly equipped to deal with those challenges.  Thus you will fail.

The three levels of Our Heavenly Father’s will is progressive, just like the three feast of the year- Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.  HIS “good” will is of of good constitution or nature.  When Our Heavenly Father spoke for creation, HE said it is good.  Life begets life thus seedtime and harvest perpetuate life.  This is akin to a thirty-fold return.  Next we have the “acceptable” will of Our Heavenly Father.  It is well pleasing and denotes progress.  The alternative is unacceptable or no fruit.  The judgment seat of Christ will objectively differentiate between the two:

2 Corinthians 5:10   For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad.

Don’t you think we ought to deal with what is acceptable now rather than later?  It is better to take your pain early.

“Be transformed” indicates that we are not destined to live in the muck and mire of our current situation.  It is a command to change.  If we weren’t able to change, the Most Holy Spirit would not have placed those words there.  The disciples changed from a rag-tag group of guys to an empowered staff that spread the Gospel with signs and wonders.  We should expect change as we renew our minds.

The biggest enemy to the renewing of your mind is the acceptance of your current understanding being the final and complete belief system you need.  If you assume that your current actions and beliefs require no further study or assessment then you will not renew your mind.  How does your fruit stack up to Romans 12?  Are you serving your brother, your community, your country, the globe?  Instead, are you serving yourself?  Do you wake up everyday with a renewed strength and anticipation to what life will bring you or to another day of drudgery?  If there is anything certain, things are constantly changing.  If you have had no new revelation in the last week, month, year, or decade, then you are your own worst enemy.  One of the primary reasons we have our Bible study is to pursue the unfolding revelation of Our Heavenly Father for this specific time in history.  I look back over the last four decades and see many revelations appropriate for the time.  I have read or listened to many who prophesied the imminent return of Christ.  1986, 1988, 1996, 1999, 2000, etc.  Our Heavenly Father will transition us in HIS time, not ours.  Our daily focus should be to move to HIS perfect will.  Acceptable or pleasing denotes the sixty-fold increase whereas walking in HIS perfect will denotes a hundred-fold increase.

How can I walk in HIS perfect will?  By walking in the fullness of HIS Love, the bond of perfection.  As we pursue the fullness of Love, our mind is transformed.  It becomes good ground for a greater revelation of Love.  As we Love more, we produce more fruit.  Our calling is empowered from On High.  We become reliable to be used for Kingdom business rather than consume Kingdom resources for selfish purposes.

Our Bible study is all about the pursuit of walking in HIS perfect will, not just HIS good and acceptable will.  I urge you to join us on this path to a greater understanding which leads to greater fruitfulness.  I also urge you to ask others to join in on the broadcasts whether live or recorded for later viewing.  Your contacts list reflects your sphere of influence.  Why not promote the Kingdom instead of just sending emails complaining about the current system.  Take a position of growth rather than stagnation.

Our Bible study broadcasts are at:  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-baptism-of-love   We welcome your participation.

Posted in Bible Study, Love | Comments Closed

You who fear God, listen!

Thursday, December 13th, 2012

Now is the time!

It is only the wisest of men who truly fear GOD. I am speaking of reverence and honor. Only when disasters come does the average man have a reality check of his position in the universe. This should not be.

After the apostle Paul spent about fourteen years in preparation to preach the Gospel and empowered by the Holy Spirit, he and Barnabas went to Antioch. He was empowered to speak boldly the words given to him by the Holy Spirit. Notice the first thing he says:

Acts 13:16 Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:

It was needful for the listener to pay attention. Paul was about to make some very important points.

:17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it.

:18 Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness.

You will notice Paul’s understanding of the problem in the wilderness. Our Heavenly Father had also "put up" with Paul when he was Saul persecuting Christians. Our Heavenly Father had delivered the children of Israel from Egypt only to endure their unbelief for forty long years. HE then sent them on to the Promised Land where HE delivered all seven nations unto them:

:19 And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land to them by allotment.

Seven happens to represent spiritual perfection or maturity and the seven nations could be seen as the seven continents of the earth. Ultimately, the whole world is to be the Promised Land when the Stone Kingdom consumes all of the other kingdoms.

:20 “After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

:21 And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

The time of the Pentecostal age was represented by King Saul and Our Heavenly Father takes credit for removing him from the throne.

:22 And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’

What a critical statement!  David was said to do all the will of Our Heavenly Father. Moreover Paul states how Our Heavenly Father describes David, "A man after My own heart". There was only one aspect of David that qualified him to do "all My will".

1Samuel 13:14 "But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."

Because of that one attribute, a covenant was made:

Psalm 89:3 "I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David:

:4 ‘Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.’ " Selah

Man goes about his daily business trying to make ends meet in his world of scarcity while a Kingdom of peace and abundance is so close. If you are not focusing on Our Heavenly Father’s heart you are missing an opportunity to be a blessing to mankind. What is at the center of Our Heavenly Father’s heart? Love.

Join us each week at 3PM CST at:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-baptism-of-love

We are sons and daughters after GOD’S own heart!

Posted in Bible Study, Love | Comments Closed

Speechless!

Tuesday, November 27th, 2012

 

The parable of the Wedding Feast contains much revelation and we are admonished to pay close attention to its contents.  Our Heavenly Father sent HIS Beloved Son to speak these words and have them recorded for our use today.  In the previous blogs “Come!” we have been summoned to the Wedding Feast.  Other dispensations had the opportunity to participate but failed to respond.  We are now at the center of this parable and it is our destiny to attend this great feast.  The only question is what condition will we be in at our arrival.

Each of us is accountable for our own actions.  You can sit around and blame others for your situation but in the end… you are accountable.  You will stand before The Throne, not your parents, not your spouse, not your friends nor your enemies.  Just you.

If you were summoned to the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22 today, would you be ready?  If not, why?  Have you been busy with all of your attention on the world and its trappings?

Once the people had been summoned to the Wedding Feast, Our Heavenly Father arrives, “The king came in to see the guests”.  There was a formal assessment of the guests.  The king righteously judged each attendee and HE specifically approaches one who was not wearing an appropriate wedding garment.  Can you picture the scene?  All eyes were on the King as HE walked among the attendees.  HE specifically eyes the one without a wedding garment.  The servants had not perceived the issue or they would have surely not invited the man.  Other attendees had made no attempt to warn the man.  The man may have appeared acceptable to all except for the King.  So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’  Not good!

A Wedding is a consummation of Love.  Two become one and begin a life that promotes and perpetuates life.  The marriage of the King’s Son is the first step to fatherhood and accepting the full authority over all the kingdom.  The bride is given an equal inheritance as well.  The importance of this event cannot be overstated.

And he was speechless.  At first glance, it would appear that the man was unknowingly unprepared and then he knew not to respond out of embarrassment.  However as we look at the word “speechless” we find that it means:

1) to close the mouth with a muzzle, to muzzle

2) metaphorically:

a) to stop the mouth, make speechless, reduce to silence

b) to become speechless

3) to be kept in check

The man was restrained from replying to the question.  Our Heavenly Father already knew the answer but posed the question to make HIS point.  There will be no acceptable excuses for being unprepared at a personal level.  Many voice their desire to be an Overcomer but your wedding garment will tell the story.  Let’s now focus on this wedding garment.  The wedding garment is defined in Revelations 19:

7   Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”

8   And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.  NKJV

Your righteous acts will be your wedding garment.  You will not be able to attend the wedding by riding the coattails of someone else.  Each of us must have our own garment.  What are righteous acts?  The word ‘righteous’ comes from the root meaning:

1) righteous, observing divine laws

a) in a wide sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God

1) of those who seem to themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves in their virtues, whether real or imagined

2) innocent, faultless, guiltless

3) used of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God, and who therefore needs no rectification in the heart or life    a) only Christ truly

4) approved of or acceptable of God

b) in a narrower sense, rendering to each his due and that in a judicial sense, passing just judgment on others, whether expressed in words or shown by the manner of dealing with them

What is even more important is to understand that righteous acts are not only those acts that are according to the Law but are done with the intent of Love.  If your heart is not right, your acts will not be acceptable for Jesus said that Love fulfills the entire Law and the Prophets.  Personal preparation precedes the activation of your calling.  If your heart is properly prepared, your acts will be acceptable.  If you are walking in Love, you will properly respond to Our Heavenly Father’s voice and only do those things that HE calls you to do.  You are not required to perform based on peer pressure.  Each of us must restrain ourselves from being tempted to be swept into someone else’s calling or path.  Each of us has a personal mandate given to us by Our Heavenly Father.  Our wedding garment while acceptable will look different and unique versus someone else’s garment.  That is the beauty of a Wedding Feast.

Posted in Bible Study, Love, Prophetic | Comments Closed

The Human Agent of the LORD

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

After his conversion and fourteen years of preparation, the Apostle Paul was now in the midst of his calling- to preach the Word of GOD to the Gentiles. He had already made his first missionary trip from Antioch to Cyprus then southern Asia Minor. As mentioned in a previous blog, Paul dealt with Elymas the sorcerer.

In Acts 16, Paul is given a vision:

9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A (certain) man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

The Holy Spirit had already prevented Paul from preaching in Asia and Bithynia:

6 … they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit did not permit them. It was ordained that Paul go to Macedonia to preach and Our Heavenly Father placed roadblocks in front of Paul when he had attempted to go elsewhere. When doors are closed to us, we must conclude that Our Heavenly Father will open other doors for us to enter through. Paul was attempting to carry out his broad mandate to preach the Gospel but he had not been given the directive to specifically go to Asia or Bithynia. Many of us tend to go and do before we receive the Word of Our Heavenly Father. On the other hand, Jesus only proceeded as He was directed by Our Heavenly Father and He only spoke the words of Our Heavenly Father. He was fully led by The Spirit.

Paul, Timothy, and Silas headed to Macedonia to preach the Gospel. That seemed simple enough. At Philippi:

14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.

15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

The Lord will open our hearts as HE did to Lydia, to hear the Gospel thus we should pray that HE further open our hearts to hear the fullness of Love and other mysteries that have been held until this specific time in history. Lydia immediately wanted to serve the team by extending them hospitality.

Now things get a little dicey:

16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days.

Paul has been called to preach in Macedonia and this slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination is now proclaiming a truth. On the surface, we ought to be excited. However this is an example of distraction and misdirection. "She did this for many days." Here we have a vessel of dishonor apparently going before the Disciples and proclaiming a truth. She was a fortune teller by trade and generated much profit for her masters. She was actually perpetuating her trade by using Paul’s anointing. She was using the Gospel to make money.

This girl had the spirit of Python. In Greek mythology the name of the Pythian serpent or dragon that dwelt in the region of Pytho at the foot of Parnassus in Phocis, and was said to have guarded the oracle at Delphi and been slain by Apollo.

This spirit was actually there to discredit Paul by foretelling. Stephen Jones wrote the following concerning his encounter with Python (the red dragon):

"The Dragon Wars really began as early as July of 1996, immediately following our decision to move from Seattle to Minneapolis. Our final decision was made on July 5, 1996, and we physically left Seattle on August 5. But before we left, we made a special trip to Sidney, on Vancouver Island (British Columbia), to visit Margaret Price, whose name means "Pearl of Great Price." She called on July 11, and we made arrangements to visit her and have a short vacation before leaving the area.

We arrived in Sidney on July 15 and returned the 17th. After she had called to invite us, and before we arrived, she was attacked spiritually in her feet by the spirit of Python (Acts 16:16, puthon, "divination"). We only learned of this after arriving there. We immediately went on high alert, because we recognized that we were up against a major spiritual power, which is pictured in constellation Draco, the dragon, who seeks to devour the Manchild. Gen. 3:15 spoke of the dragon (serpent) being bruised on the head, while in turn inflicting a bruise on the heel. Thus, Margaret’s feet were attacked."

Stephen was called by Our Heavenly Father to do battle with Python. Our Heavenly Father uses HIS "secret" agents to deal with the evil spirits that plague mankind and attempt to undermine the Gospel. Python wants to consume the Pearl of Great Price.

Further, Stephen wrote in The Dragon Wars:

We set the boundary on Padre Island on August 21 (1997), and then spent the night in Corpus Christi. The next day we drove to Victoria, Texas, where Bob Henley performed a New Covenant wedding ceremony for Darla and me, with Bill and Joan Thorpe as witnesses. This fulfilled the word about us coming into true unity.

In his first encounter with Python, Stephen was given a gold coin by Margaret as a token of appreciation and Love for dealing with Python. This gold coin represented authority over Python. Since China is known as the land of the dragon, we must conclude that Python is given authority as a Principality over that country. That gold coin became the symbol of "economic" authority over the Red Dragon. Our Heavenly Father led Stephen to present me with that gold coin as an act of Love for conducting the New Covenant wedding ceremony. Immediately Our Heavenly Father spoke to me and told me to carry the coin with me everywhere I went.

Just as Paul had to deal with Python in Acts 16, we too must deal with this principality. The economic power of China has been dramatically increasing and China has become the major lender to the US. However, Our Heavenly Father utilizes HIS human agents to bring forth HIS plan. These agents operate in the Spiritual realm and access the Divine Court and lawfulness to bring forth HIS plan. Paul went through a fourteen year preparation before he was fully commissioned to bring forth the Gospel. This was a time of cleansing and preparation to bring forth the spiritual perfection of Love.

Stephen and Darla initiated the move to unity in 1997. Fourteen years later, unity153 was begun with the proclamation "Now is the time!"

More on the gold coin in a later blog…

Posted in Bible Study, Prophetic | Comments Closed

Distraction and Misdirection

Saturday, November 17th, 2012

One of the greatest challenges aspiring Overcomers must deal with is the subtlety of distraction and misdirection. I can attest to you that looking back over my lifetime I have fallen victim to these insidious twins many times. The adversary uses both of these tools to deceive us and render our gifts and callings ineffective.

How many of us have been on a wild goose chase? We assumed that we were suppose to go down a particular path because it was so appealing to our flesh and we went under the auspices of our calling. We looked for a sign to support our decision and of course a sign was easily provided to support our assumption and desire. What we failed to do was to ask Our Heavenly Father AND hear HIS response concerning the decision to proceed. Am I the only one who failed to do this?

Let us look at the Apostle Paul’s first missionary journey tied to his calling. Paul had spent fourteen years after his conversion in preparation for his calling (Gal 2:1). The number fourteen being a multiple of seven, partakes of its significance; and, being double that number, implies a double measure of spiritual perfection. Fourteen times in the Book of Proverbs the expression occurs "the fear of the Lord" which implies that as we reach spiritual perfection we will truly operate in the fear of the Lord. There is nothing disclosed about those years other than the time frame mentioned by Paul himself. During that time, he was still known as Saul, this name means "desired". King Saul was described in 1 Sam 9:2- "a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people ". It appears that he was somewhat of a celebrity among the people. Many people assume outward beauty is a reflection of some special anointing and recognition by Our Heavenly Father. The beauty is a distraction to shift our focus away from Our Heavenly Father’s perfect plan, will, and purpose. I am sure this description fit Paul’s character before his conversion.

After Paul’s time of preparation he ends up at the church in Antioch where certain prophets and teachers were located. Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch were there with Paul. Up until this time, Paul had not operated in his calling. Until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he assumed his calling in life was to persecute Christians and be an expert in the Mosaic Law. At the time he did not realize that this was simply a period of training in preparation of his true calling- to be sent to the Gentiles and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We understand that he was 62 years old when he died and that he had left on his first missionary trip when he was between 40 and 42 years of age. We would then conclude that he had his conversion around the age of 28. The point is that Our Heavenly Father does not get in a hurry to place us in our calling.

There is an old saying "some were sent, and some just went". So often we get ahead of our calling. We get wrapped up in the excitement of someone else’s calling and we want to be where the action is. This is actually a distraction to the fulfillment of our own calling. Further, by our participation in someone else’s calling and some apparent fruit being produced, we assume we have been enjoined into the other person’s calling. This is misdirection. At Antioch, the men ministered to the Lord (focused only on Holy and Spiritual matters) and fasted. By fasting, they took charge over their flesh. The fleshly man cannot hear the Spirit of GOD and must be put under subjection. By ministering and fasting, they prepared themselves to hear the Holy Ghost. This is a critical point. As you put your body under subjection, you will become more sensitive to hearing. Additionally, you must focus on Spiritual matters which in turn will draw your attention to what the Holy Ghost is saying. By doing this you will eliminate any distraction that would cause you to miss your day of activation. The goal is to be "sent by the Holy Ghost".

Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

"Separate" means to appoint or set apart for some purpose. Paul was finally activated to his calling. He would spend the next 20-22 years ministering life to the Gentiles by preaching Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Miracles would follow him, confirming the Word. Barnabas whose name means "the son of rest" would accompany Paul on the missionary journey. As we enter into our calling, our soul is at rest and peace. When Paul was finally activated, his name was changed to reflect his new nature. The name Paul means "small or little". No longer did his character reflect an attitude of entitlement but now he considered himself a bondservant of Jesus Christ and was willing to serve all of mankind. He made himself of no reputation. When his calling was activated, something happened. Paul was now full of the Holy Ghost:

Acts 13:9 Then Saul, (who also [is called] Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,

This is the first record of his new name- Paul. Fourteen years after his conversion, Paul was now walking out his calling. Those fourteen years included a time of cleansing from the fleshly nature that had guided Paul’s life. His heart had to be circumcised of the fleshly man. Now that he was empowered with the fullness of the Holy Spirit, he was able to confront a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name [was] Barjesus. It is interesting to see the first record of an individual confrontation was with a man named "son of Jesus". Paul knew Jesus and His character so he discerned who this man really served.

A sorcerer is one who practices the use supernatural power over others through the assistance of spirits, i.e. witchcraft. So Paul is confronted with a counterfeit of his own calling. A false prophet is known to prophesy for money. He doesn’t necessarily prophesy falsely or he would not be taken seriously. A false prophet will attempt to control others with his ability to see into the future. He is one who, acting the part of a divinely inspired prophet, utters falsehoods under the name of divine prophecies. Jesus warns us of these false prophets and calls them ravening wolves who shall deceive many and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Immediately Paul’s calling is challenged. The deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood (resisted or opposed) Paul and Barnabas, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Paul was equipped to deal with Elymas for Paul was full of the Holy Ghost. He saw through Elymas and said:

“O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”

Now that was bold! Paul established that Elymas was the son of the devil, not Jesus. Paul recognized the deceit, fraud, and perversion. It was time to remove this hindrance for the man was causing distraction and misdirection, a hindrance to the "straight ways of the Lord". Elymas was struck with blindness.

We must be vigilant in not being deceived by false prophets. Jesus Himself said that they can show great signs and wonders. We must be careful about viewing signs as an endorsement of a path or action to take. We must hear Our Heavenly Father for HE is the source of our calling. HE formed us in the womb for a specific and unique purpose. We must not be distracted or misdirected from our own calling. Identification of specific past distractions and misdirection is the first step to correcting your walk so that you can fulfill your calling.

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Initial Inspection of Fruit

Monday, November 12th, 2012

We have now concluded five weeks of our live streaming Bible study on Love.  Based on the statistics kept at ustream.tv we have about 100 viewers per week join us for this study.  Most watch the Bible study recording.  We thank all of you for joining us in this pursuit of a deeper revelation of Love.  No longer does distance separate us from coming together.  We have comments from Canada, Minnesota, Florida, and Brazil.

We see positive changes among the members who attend here locally.  Our anticipation and expectation is growing as we are being stimulated by the WORD of Our Heavenly Father.  The washing of the WORD does that.  Our Temples are being prepared for the next major Spiritual move on the earth.  Many are called but few are chosen.  One would ask “Who are the chosen ones?”  I would submit that it is those who have prepared themselves for their calling even in the midst of trials and testing.  It will be those whom THE FATHER is well pleased.  Yes, we must be well-rounded in all aspects of our walk but without the revelation of HIS Love I believe we would fall short of the essence of being MY BELOVED SON.

Hbr 10:23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

Hbr 10:24  and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

Hbr 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. NASB

I trust we are helping to stimulate your Love and good deeds!

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Bible Study on Love

Saturday, November 10th, 2012

Tomorrow at 3 PM CST we will have our next Bible Study live on the Internet.  Servias Ministries offers this to allow our brothers and sisters around the world to pursue the most important characteristic of Our Heavenly Father with us.  HIS Love is the primary motivation in which all of creation is framed.  All aspects of understanding the depth of Scripture require us to view revelation from a standpoint of Love.  Without this critical viewpoint, man will manipulate Scripture to fit his own agenda, often centered around money and power.

Love has no opposite.  This week we will explore this reality that goes against the logic we have been taught.  The logic of the mind would have you believe that “hate” is the opposite of Love… not true.  Our fleshly man wants to control us by having us believe Love is a passive, powerless attribute of the weak.  Not so.  It is the most powerful aspect of the universe.  Let us together pursue this greater understanding.

To participate live or watch this Bible study as a recording afterwards, go to  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-baptism-of-love

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