ARE YOU IN BITTERNESS OF SOUL?

Though I have been put on the shelf by God for a while, my heart still beats hard and robustly to the drum of the Holy Spirit calling his church to repentance, to an act of renewal and rebirth.  The article below written by the wonderful David Wilkerson, who is no longer amongst us but whose spirit lives on, has touched me deeply and filled me with hope.  I hope it does that for you too.

GOD’s POWERFUL ARMY -by David Wilkerson.

Something very powerful and awesome is going on in the world today —something beyond human comprehension—something that will affect the whole world in these last days.

God is preparing a small but powerful army of Christians, the most dedicated army on the face of the earth. The Lord will come forth to command them to do exploits; He is going to close out the ages with a pure, devoted, fearless remnant.

All my life I have heard stories about our godly forefathers who hated sin. These men and women knew God’s voice and spent hours, even days, in fasting and prayer. They prayed unceasingly and had the power and ability to successfully stand up against immorality in their day.

These forefathers have long since passed on. But God is in the process of raising up another army and this time His warriors will not be made up only of elderly, gray-haired fathers and mothers of Zion. This new army will be composed of both new and seasoned believers, both young and old, ordinary Christians who lay hold of God! A whole new realm of ministry is about to come forth!

The denominational church system appears to be in the throes of death. It has almost no influence in the secular world, no mighty power in Christ. Some accuse me of being “hard” on pastors. But I am in touch with many godly pastors who grieve as I do over the backsliding in the ministry today. There is a holy remnant of godly pastors in the land, and I thank God for every one of them. Yet, it is still a fact that more and more ministers are racing down the road of compromise.

The Bible warns that we are not to fret! God has a plan and it is being manifested. It is put forth plainly in Scripture, mostly in the first four chapters of First Samuel.

The prophet Samuel is a type of God’s last-days remnant. The Lord chose him amid the worst of times and hid him away in training until it was time to bring forth His new thing. God told Samuel, “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle” (1 Samuel 3:11). What would so amaze and startle all who heard it? It was the judgment of God on the backslidden religious system and the raising up, training and anointing of a new, holy remnant!

What God did in Samuel’s day, He does in every generation. Indeed, in every generation there has been a remnant, a praying people after His own heart.

BIRTH OF the LAST-DAYS REMNANT

The prophet Samuel is a type of the last-days holy remnant—a prepared body of believers that rises out of the ruins of the old, decadent church.

Hannah, Samuel’s mother, birthed her son through bitter tears and much prayer. “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish” (1 Samuel 1:10).

Try to imagine the scene: Hannah was at the temple every day, on her knees before the altar, crushed and broken because she was childless. As she wept, her adversary—her husband’s other wife— made fun of her. “And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb” (1 Samuel 1:6).

There are three important things I want to point out from this passage:

    * First, the remnant that Samuel represents is born in grief and intercession.     * Second, those who pray and grieve after God’s heart will be provoked by adversaries.     * And third, God’s remnant is always going to be misunderstood!

Note what happened to Hannah as she prayed: “And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, ‘How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!’” (1 Samuel 1:12-14). Eli and his sons represent the dying, corrupt church that has forsaken the Lord’s way. Eli was so out of touch—so dead in his spirit—he thought Hannah was drunk!

When Hannah was praying, she was filled with grief, burdened for the birth of a son. All she could do was move her lips because of her groaning in the Spirit. She prayed, “If You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and . . . will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life” (1 Samuel 1:11).

Here are two distinguishing marks of God’s holy remnant:

    * They pray like Hannah. Their burden is deep and their heart is stirred because of the wickedness in God’s house.     * Like Hannah, they give themselves to prayer every day of their lives.

God wants to make you like that. He wants you to be able to touch Him and hear from Him. He wants to give you a ministry to others who will come to you with their burdens and trials. And as you pray for them, His Word will come forth!

SO BOLD, SO BLATANT.. THERE IS NOWHERE TO HIDE ANY MORE.

It is amazing the things that one learns when the lens through which we look at Scriptures is no longer the perspective of man, or the regurgitated food of another, but simply the voice of the Holy Spirit within each and everyone of us who choose to follow the Good Shepherd.

I must have read the gospel of John a dozen times and yet today for the very first time I have seen something which I had never seen before.  Each word filled with fresh revelation and the power to break strongholds and the religious spirit which is deeply rooted in our generation’s understanding of what The Body of Christ is and how it should serve in this world, a revelation which in previous years I was unable to see, because I could not filter through the impurities of men’s interpretation, men’s desire to control and manipulate, to own one’s freedom which was ransomed by the blood of Christ alone and given freely and unconditionally, one of the main pillars which sustains the Christian faith.  Jesus spoke of not wanting to disclose certain truths to his followers because they were not yet ready to hear certain things, not ready to accept the truth.  I now see that had I  had this revelation years ago, I would have not accepted it as the truth because my paradigm for The Truth was not the voice of Jesus himself, but that of men and their own interpretations.

John 10

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

¹ “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

   ¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

   ¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

There are various darts that pierced right through my spirit as I read these words.

It has always been understood within the institutional church, or at least many of the churches here in the UK, that when Jesus spoke of “The thief” who comes to kill, steal and destroy, he is referring to the devil in this particular passage.  When I was an “infant” Christian and I relied on the nurturing of those whom my local church had appointed, accepted and entrusted with my spiritual development, I was taught that “The thief” in that particular passage refers to the devil.  Whilst I don’t discount that these three purposes sum up pretty well what the devil is intent on accomplishing on this earth, it is not him whom Jesus refers to in this passage, and Christian leaders today do Jesus’ message a great injustice and disservice when they assume that this is what is being spoken off in this message. Indeed, it is my belief that in assuming it is the devil whom Jesus speaks of in this passage, Church leaders are masquerading their own responsibility to their congregations and to Christians all over the world.

It is my belief that when Jesus spoke of “the thief” in this passage he was not exonerating today’s church shepherds who are in essence its pastors or pastores as we call Shepherds in the Spanish language, from their responsibility to lead the sheep in a manner which honours and is faithful to the example set by Christ himself of how to lead the sheep.  In this episode Jesus is not exonerating those called to lead by putting the blame on the devil for those sheep who are attacked by wolves and scattered. No, he is clearly calling to account, to integrity and to the truth, those who have been granted the honour and privilege to follow into Jesus’ steps in leading, protecting, and guiding HIS SHEEP.

I believe Jesus is not only referring to the time during which he speaks these words, but that this is a prophetic utterance giving us a glimpse into the deception which many Christians are part of specially today. Jesus said:

“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.  All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.”

The point Jesus is trying to make is that He is the ONLY way to salvation, to freedom, to grace and to the forgiveness of sins.  Many shepherds today contradict and do a great disservice to the concept of grace when they set in place hoops through which their sheep have to jump in order to feel apt, worthy and deserving of being a member of that pen.  The loyalty to the human shepherd himself and his vision for his congregation, and not faith in Jesus Christ, become the ultimate test whereby an individual is deemed to be deserving of being a member of Christ’s body, appointing the human shepherd instead of Christ himself  as the gate through which the sheep must enter. This is the ultimate and most despicable of idolatries for it comes at the hands of those whom God entrusted with the most honourable of crusades.  I equal it to the spy who joins the enemy’s ranks to gain a vantage point over their primary threat, they get up, close and personal pretending to be someone they are not and when they have what they came for, they kill the very ones whom they claimed to want to protect.

Like thieves, false shepherds will often be subtle,  cunning and manipulative in their approach to the sheep, but ultimately, the depths of their hearts are revealed when they see “the wolf coming” and they abandon their sheep and run away.  One can clearly see in this picture that it is indeed the wolf that represents the devil here and not those whom Jesus referred to as thieves and robbers.  The thieves and the robbers are those false shepherds who will put a price on salvation, forgiveness of sins and on grace rendering Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross meaningless and worthless.

My spirit also felt greatly stirred as I read: “The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice”.

Indeed, we see from both the Old and the New Testament that God’s leading of His sheep is always preceded by the warnings of His prophets who pave the way by preparing the heart and spirit of men to receive what it is that God has to say to His people, to the churches.  These are often individuals who are set apart for a very understated and often unrecognised and thankless task, but it is that very humility, isolation and the utter death to validation from others required that qualifies them for such a mighty and most worthy task.  This is why God’s watchmen will always be taken out, exiled into a different spiritual realm where any pulls of the flesh will be exterminated through the antidote of death to self, persecution and rejection by those whose opinions most matter to them.  It is an arduous process, not for the faint-hearted, and only those who obey the voice of the good shepherd to pursue that calling will survive the furnace that transforms hearts of stone into pure gold, a gold which glorifies in nothing of itself but will only serve to reflect in its entirety the glory and goodness of God himself.

I was equally intrigued and stirred by Jesus’s repetition of the fact that he is the gate through which His sheep come into the pen to then be led out again.

“He calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them and his sheep follow him because they know his voice” John 10, 3-4 and then “I am the gate; whoever  enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture.” John 10, 9

Tell me, how many shepherds do you know in today’s Western church who make it their life’s purpose to not only draw the sheep in but more importantly, lead them out into green pasture?  For is it not fair to say that many shepherds today only draw the sheep in so that they can call it their own, claim it as a trophy, a reflection of their own wise and efficient leading skills, their closeness to God as they deceive themselves in believing that many sheep means they were anointed by God more than anyone else, in believing that many sheep translates into God’s reward for their good works, and good use of their authority given from above?

There are two clear ways to discern whose ministry honours God’s Good shepherd:

•  One is to see what a shepherd does once the sheep has come into the pen.  The Western Church has come up with all sorts of formulas and enticing ways to draw the sheep in and get them to confess publicly that they believe in Jesus Christ and make a commitment to follow in his footsteps, but one can easily see whether the sheep did indeed come into the pen through the right gate that leads to life, a life to the full or instead through the empty promises and deception of the thieves and robbers who stand to gain something for themselves as they draw the sheep into the pen.

• The other way of testing whose shepherding is rooted in following the voice of Jesus Christ is observing whether any given shepherd walks the walk along with the sheep through thick and thin, through green pastures and thorny bushes too.  To this day I cannot understand how pastors justify hopping from one pen to the next, casually disentangling themselves from the sheep that have been put under their care, clinically washing their hands off, severing spiritual bonds established by God himself.  I find it bewildering that the institutional church has set in stone a system whereby shepherds get promoted like CEOs, whereby shepherds can climb up the success ladder and be relocated to lead bigger numbers which produce bigger dividends.  Please someone, put me out of my misery and tell me where in the bible such fallacy came to be justified? And please do not mention the example of the apostle Paul.  A bigger salary or a greater reputation and fame were not the incentives that led him from church to church, but his calling to oversee and nurture those put under his care who in turn continued what the Holy Spirit started through him.  Nowhere in the New Testament we see a pastor who once he ceases to shepherd a church, all contact, leadership and nurturing of that church is severed to the point were limbs are amputated, sheep scattered and the body is left to gradually bleed to death.  This is a common occurrence in the Body of Christ today. Trust me, I have experienced this first hand.  The reason why church leaders have come to accept this as the truth, to tolerate such carnage and often be at the forefront of it is because Christ is no longer the gate through which their sheep are called to come through but the tight and controlled hoops they have established to secure their own control over a precious flock they understand to belong to them and not to be owned by Christ alone: “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays his life for the sheep.  The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep.  So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away.  Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.” John 10, 11-13  So bold, so blatant.  There is nowhere to hide!

There are too many deceitful shepherds out there who sadly are deceiving themselves first and foremost, as they claim to be following the apostle Paul’s model of “being The Church” in this world, when in reality only seek to make a name for themselves and pride themselves in having started a church which has in turn birthed many others.  No piece of evidence illustrates this point better than another ongoing fallacy: denominationalism which has been used by the devil to destroy the unity that Jesus called His Church to display which emulates  his bond with the Father, and to discredit in this way the love of Jesus in this world through His sheep.

Our Father, who are in Heaven….

Today we celebrate Father’s Day in the United Kingdom, and seeing as my father is Spanish and in Spain Father’s Day falls on a different day, my thoughts are not so much with him this morning, but much more so with my Heavenly Father.

I would like to share with you one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written.  As I was listening to this song this morning, I reflected on its beauty, harmony, gracefulness and splendour, and the manner in which its melody softens my heart to the point where I am lifted up from the monotony and  defiance of my circumstances.  If I had to equal how I feel about my Heavenly Father to a song, this is probably the one that comes closest to that description, for He too is beautiful, graceful, harmonious and splendid, and He too fills me with comfort, peace, tenderness and the knowledge that though in the natural I may feel as if my circumstances are getting the better of me, in the spiritual the Father’s hand is holding me steady, and never lets go, so there is nothing to fear.

Please meditate as you listen to this song and if you wish, do share how the Father spoke to you through it.

Happy FATHER’s Day!

http://youtu.be/PGd4Rs-O3ws

CHURCH OF CHRIST, ARE WE LISTENING YET?

In memory of those lost as a result of the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand back in February, and those affected by the tremors once again yesterday, I have decided to republish an old post again today.  Originally I entitled this post  “The shaking of Christchurch yesterday.  Is there more to this than meets the eye?”.  Today, I am calling it:

CHURCH OF CHRIST, ARE WE LISTENING YET?____________________________________________________

Original post published on 22nd of February 2011

“The shaking of Christchurch yesterday. Is there more to this than meets the eye?”

My heart breaths heavy again this morning as I read in the news about the earthquake which caused such destruction yesterday in Christchurch, New Zealand.

I am sure I am not alone in wondering whether this earthquake manifested in the natural is symbolic of what is currently taking place in the spiritual realm and foreboding of what the Spirit of God is beginning to do in His Bride.  Is this mere coincidence or are we truly living in the days prophesied by Jesus himself in Matthew 24? Is the shaking of Christchurch yesterday literally announcing the shaking of Christ’s Church today?

I do not mean to be insensitive to those who have lost a loved one yesterday during the earthquake.  Far from it, as I myself know of  two families who may have got caught in the disaster.  I am yet to find out.  But for those of us who are Christians and say we believe the word of God, we cannot continue to cover our eyes and our ears in the hope that these things will pass, when many of the natural disasters, wars and general chaos taking place in the world today are clearly spoken of in the word of God as the birth pangs of a new world order which will be established with the second coming of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.  Jesus very much insisted on us being ready for such a time.  Though he clearly said no one knew when it would come, he insisted with equal emphasis that precisely for that reason, we should always be prepared, keep watch.

Sometimes I find it overwhelming and astonishing how clear and straight to the point the word of God can be.  Often we hide behind the excuse that the Bible can be ambiguous in some passages, and blurry as to the meaning of some of its content, which I agree it can, but I fear that in some instances, particularly in the very relevant passages which concern us as the Christians of this generation and those to come, God is clear, transparent, resolute and firm in his statements. When Jesus speaks of the impending disaster and chaos to come in the last days, he immediately warns us all to be ready at all times ensuring then that we are proved loyal and faithful to his commission and commandments as the children of God.  And then he goes on to sum up how our faithfulness and obedience will be measured on that final day.  He says:

When the son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.  All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25, 31-36

If you are a Christian reading this, how are you faring in those areas?  Clearly our faithfulness and obedience will have nothing to do with church attendance, how many church rotas you have your name on, how many committee meetings you attend or how many prayer meetings you religiously are a respected and trusted part of. It simply boils down to this as far as Jesus is concerned: What did you do for the least of these?

There is also nowhere to hide from the candid warning from Peter in 1 Peter 4, 17-18:

“For it is time for judgement to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

It is time to begin to look in the mirror as Christ’s Church and to face some very hard questions and deal with the even more disappointing answers.  Only the months to come will tell whether this shaking taking place in Christchurch yesterday is indeed the blowing of a trumpet which brings tides of judgement and justice being established on this earth.  In any case, Christians must know that for the ungodly to have any kind of hope of redemption, we must first begin to put our own affairs inside God’s family in order.  God in his grace and mercy has granted us a long, long time to repent in humility and seek Him with all we have for direction and obedience of His will, but The Church in many instances and countries continues to follow the will of men.

Has the time now come for God to intervene for once and for all?

“For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equalled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” Matthew 24, 21-22

Heavenly Father, we lift to you those lost in yesterday’s tragedy and ask that in your grace and mercy you restore the peace of the families of lost ones, you make your presence clearly felt in their hour of desperate need and brokeness.  It is my heart’s desire that as they seek you with all they have, they will find you and when they do, nothing will be able to separate them again from your love, not even the schemes of the evil one aimed to set unrest, fear and doubt in their hearts and minds. God, we know through your word that the day will soon come when the wedding of the Lamb will take place, when the Bride would have made herself ready, clothed in fine linen, bright and clean. Holy Spirit bring conviction upon those of us who need to repent for not obeying your will, for putting ourselves first, for defiling your holiness with our idol worship and denying you in the process.  Send your fire Holy Spirit, purify your Church Lord Jesus,  open our eyes and our ears, help us to be ready for the coming of the great, glorious and wonderful day upon us. AMEN

The Spirit of Babylon in The Church

I have recently finished reading the book of Jeremiah, and though I have read it a few times before, it has left me a very strong impression of how timely the message of this prophet still is in the Body of Christ, The Church, today perhaps more than ever.  When I have these strong impressions in my spirit after having read a passage in the bible, I often research that idea further. It always amazes me how so many others hear the very same things when reading the same passages, and yet it is very obvious not enough of us are making a stand for these truths or otherwise the face of The Church today would look somewhat different.

I would like to share with you an article which expresses beautifully and accurately what I felt as I read the book of Jeremiah. 

BABYLON AND THE CHURCH by Terry Somerville
Total Change Ministries
www.totalchange.org

And they said, Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. Genesis 11:4,5

The Body Of Christ is being called into the marketplace, the arena that the spirit of Babylon controls. This spirit says “Let us build, let us get a name for ourselves, let us reach unto heaven.” It is easy to mix the spirit of Babylon into our organization and not realize it. We are like the people of Israel who adopted the “practices of the land round about” and couldn’t see the problem. This is why Christians have often been ineffective and irrelevant in our culture.

The Lord wants to reveal His glory to the world through His people and cannot anoint a mixture. As God sends us INTO the marketplace he is also calling us OUT OF Babylon. Here are some observations.

1. The spirit of Babylon causes man to say “come let us build”.

Whenever Christians gather we are the church (Ecclesia) We know the church is not the building, the organization or corporation, yet we need to organize the things we do. As soon as we move from the church being believers “gathered” to creating an organization and corporation, we become vulnerable to the spirit of Babylon. We can subtly shift to a “come let us build” mentality and end up building and sustaining a “religious organization”, rather than extending the Kingdom of God. Human methods then replace the power of the Holy Spirit and selfish ambitions come in along with “every kind of disorder.”

If we take an honest look at the church today where do we see the problems? They are usually centred around the organization! Regarding church buildings and organizations John Wesley adopted the stance “it will all burn”. We must not initiate, but always follow Jesus.

The story is told of Chinese Christian leaders visiting our churches. At the end of their trip they were asked what they thought. Conferring for a moment they replied, “We are amazed at how much you have accomplished without the Holy Spirit.”

We need organization, but it must always reflect Jesus. We cannot build the church, Jesus said “I will build my church…” (matt.16:18) Today the Holy Spirit is saying “repent from dead works, enter into rest and follow Jesus as Lord of the church, in everything we do.

2. The spirit of Babylon causes men to say “let us get a name for ourselves”

This is the real motivation behind much ministry. We have adopted human values of size, fame, youth, wealth, power and recognition! We want the name of our church or ministry to be famous! We operate by control through titles and positions to “get a name for ourselves” , rather having real spiritual authority. The 1995 “Gathering” at Whistler marked a beginning of God’s dealings with personal agendas in ministry in Canada.

I had a dream about the Whistler gathering the year before. In this dream about 2000 people are together. The leader says “The Spirit of God is coming like the rain, but He will be coming like Niagara falls.” Everyone jumps up and grabs their “boogie boards” from under their seats, getting ready to ride the wave of God. These boards represent God’s call on each life, and they were beautifully painted with the names of churches and ministries, honourable titles, and positions. As the rain hits the boogie boards the paint started to run. This is what God has been doing for the last ten years. He’s washing off everything man adds to His work. Those who won’t co-operate will be set aside in the next move of God!

When I stepped out of pastoral ministry last spring the Holy Spirit said forcefully to me “no positions, no titles” The coming generation of believers will be free of selfish ambition and be noted for one thing – The Glory of the Lord. When the bible says “The Glory of the Lord shall cover the earth” it does not mean we will be incapacitated by His presence, rather we will reflect the glory of the Lord in every sphere, because our hearts are one with His. It will be His name alone that is noticed.

3. The spirit of Babylon says “let us reach to heaven”.

The spirit of Babylon is the spirit of religion. It says “let us reach heaven”, and permeates Christians activity with legalism or religious effort. For example, today there is much striving in Spirit filled, revival circles, to “open the windows of heaven”. I know what that means, we all want God’s atmosphere to permeate our cities, but lets look at our methods. We’ve been taught to tithe accurately, adopt new ways to pray, do spiritual mapping and warfare, identificational repentance, quote the right scriptures, continually deal with heart issues, etc.

The problem is, the focus is on what WE do, not on what HE HAS DONE. We are always reaching for one more activity that will break through. Where is the simple unity and oneness with Christ and following the Holy Spirit that opened Jerusalem in Acts? Then they said to Him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent. Joh 6:28

The facts are, Jesus already opened the windows of heaven, they are not closed to a Christian, ever. We need no religious activity whatsoever, only to believe and follow. He is our great high priest who went into the heavens, and we have unfettered access to him. (Heb 4) In fact we are seated with Christ above the windows of heaven, and in a position of rest. We join Him in pouring down his blessing onto the earth with the enemy under our (His) feet. Since I’ve grasped this and simply believed, healings, miracles and spiritual warfare have dramatically changed. It’s so good to stop striving and enter his rest! Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his.

4. The spirit of Babylon inspires hidden idolatry in God’s people.

When Israel was released from captivity, the priests copied the idolatry of Babylon. They painted unclean images on the inner rooms of the temple, and took “idols in their hearts” (Ezekiel 14:3) In many ways we are like the Israelite priests. (We are a Royal Priesthood) We can have idols in our hearts, an image or picture of something we covet and serve. (covetousness is idolatry Col.3:5) The spirit of Babylon is at work in idolatry.

In the early nineties the Lord convicted me heavily of idols in my hearts. I didn’t understand this until He showed me the images or pictures in my heart that I served. One was a picture of what I wanted my ministry to be like. Whenever ministry went according to the image my flesh was pleased. Whenever it went contrary to the image my flesh was upset and depressed. I served this idol of ministry with my flesh.

Until the idols of the heart are cast down (we have to do it) we cannot fully follow the Holy Spirit, or experience His power.

Consequences of Idolatry

1. Spiritual attack.

When there is idolatry in ministry terrible spiritual attacks and oppression will happen, and spiritual warfare can not stop it ! This is what drove me to seek God. Satan took advantage of my idolatry and assaulted me. I could not resist him successfully because I was not really submitted to God. This is why there is so much spiritual warfare and depression in the church today.

2. Character issues in ministry.

When a minister has an idol of ministry in his heart all kinds of character issues emerge. Some may be depressed and discouraged. Others become angry or control people. Still others may use spiritual manipulation.

3. Soulish prayers and witchcraft.

Prayers become very soulish when serving an idol. We ask God to fulfil the picture of ministry in the heart rather than following the leading of the Holy Spirit. When prayers focus making people do our will it becomes witchcraft.

4.Confusions and Division.

The spirit of Babylon is under a judgement that causes confusion and division.

Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they cannot understand one another’s speech. So Jehovah scattered them abroad from that place upon the face of all the earth. And they quit building the city Gen 11:7,8

The Lord declared His judgement on the spirit of Babylon and it stills operates against those under its influence today: Confusion, division, and scattering will always happen where this spirit has influence. This is actually the Lords mercy to restrain mankind and return him to God.

We’ve wondered why the organized church is so prone to division. The truth is that we are experiencing the Lord’s judgement on the spirit of Babylon in what we are doing. Instead of simply praying for unity, (which Jesus even prayed for) we need to repent and remove every influence of this spirit in our midst.

Conclusion

The spirit of Babylon remains largely un-noticed by the church today because we grew up immersed in its practices, and following its ways in our organizations.

Let those who have ears, hear what the Spirit says to the church. And I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that you may not be partakers of her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues. Rev 18:4

The wonder of God at every turn

This post is dedicated to all those who prayed for us prior and during our holiday.  You know who you are. Thank you and God bless you!

Let me share with you some of the wonderful things we have experienced during our last holiday as an encouragement to you of how God loves to engage with us through the personal little details of our life, and to show his love for us by reaching down to us in weird and wonderful ways.

Our adventure began from the very moment we got on the plane.  For days prior to our departure, I had been nagging my husband to arrange the start of our monthly sponsorship of a child in the Kibera Slum, which I had felt the Lord put on my heart ever since I watched the Comic Relief Program all those weeks ago.  There was something in me that felt stirred to have this organised before going off on our holiday.  We so nearly didn’t do it, because we were so caught up in leaving all our workload in order and in making all the preparations for our holiday, but I kept on at my husband and finally, the very day before we took off, we did it: the first payment of our sponsorship for this child went through.  What was our surprise when we got on the plane to discover on the pocket of the seat in front of us a little card with the words “Comic Relief” on it and the picture of the very celebrity whose testimony of his time in Kibera Kenya, brought me to my knees.  On the card it said: “Sponsor a child, save one life at a time”.  (http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/NeilWalker/).  I cannot tell you how that made me feel.  A shiver run down my spine at the thought of how God directs our every step, though we may feel we are ultimately in control.  It felt like God was smiling at us for acting on His prompting to rescue a child from misery, abject poverty and possible death.  The thing is that despite having flown repeatedly as a teenager, even to the other side of the world, I have grown increasingly nervous and anxious about flying over the last few years, and the thought of 9 hours stuck on a plane was not the best start to my holiday.  Having children sure changes your perspective on things. I had however specifically asked many people for prayer about this, and finding that little card the moment I sat down before take off, reassured me that regardless of how I felt, God is always in control and all I have to do is put my trust in HIM.  A few days into our holiday, I checked my emails and there it was: a picture of our sponsored child.  A beautiful girl called Mercy.  My name is Mercedes which means Mercy.  How about that for a special touch from the Lord himself?  Call me crazy.  I know what I see!

It was our second day in Florida.  Once we had got over the jet lag and we were ready to attack all the theme parks, we opened the front door of the house we were staying at expecting to experience new and exciting things, knowing that we were covered in prayer not only for a safe journey but in my prayer requests to my friends I had specifically asked that opportunities would arise during our holiday to experience the presence of the Lord in new and special ways, and so we did!  As I walked out of the front door on the morning of our second day there, my eyes immediately took to the sky.  I often look up being fully aware that we spend our lives looking down, somber and burdened with the worries of the day.  I like starting the day looking up.  It is amazing the things one sees when you search with all your heart, mind and soul. What was my surprise to see this little plane writing letters in the sky.  At first I thought : “It must be one of those romantic souls in love declaring his affection for a particular lady”, but something in me held me still on that very spot whilst my husband and the kids were getting in the car.  After a few minutes I asked my husband to take a look and suddenly, we both saw it:  The word “JESUS” written in the sky at the very moment we were getting out of the house.  How about that for encountering God in an intimate way?  As we left very early every morning to avoid the mad queues at the parks, there was not a soul in our street.  I wonder how many others were out and about looking up at that very moment.  What are the chances of that?  AMAZING!  But it did not end there.  We hanged around and eventually the plane managed to write in the sky the words: JESUS LIVES.  By the time the second word was written, the smoke forming the first word had dissipated and so we decided to just take a shot of the word JESUS.

One day we visited Seaworld and the first thing we did there was of course go and see the killer-whale show.  As soon as we sat down, I was struck by the following:

 

When you look at the center of that picture, you can see the word “Believe” which had been the name of the Killer-whale show for quite some time.  A few days after we were there, a new name was given to a brand new performance.  The Show “Believe” ceased to exist. Again, what are the chances of that?  But here is how reading that word as soon as we sat down spoke to me.  I have had my blog now for 3 years.  For half of that time my blog was called “BELIEVE” but a year ago or so I felt I had to rename it and so went from “BELIEVE” to “The Truth will set you free”.  To the average reader this coincidence may seem very far-fetched, but I know how seeing that very word and the message put across by the whale trainers throughout the killer-whale show spoke into my heart about God and where He is leading me right now. If you look today, you will see that I have changed the name of the blog back to “BELIEVE”.  I feel it is important to make a point of remembering daily those special moments when the Spirit of God speaks right into our life and situation.

Another wonderful moment during our holiday when we felt so close to God was when we visited the Kennedy Space Center.  It is one thing to hear about a shuttle going into space or about man landing on the moon.  It is quite another to actually stand on the very place where much of it got started and continues even today, though due to budgetary cuts may cease to develop.  An unforgettable moment was watching a 3-D video of the adventure of man’s travels into space.  There is a point in the video where galaxies, planets and the formation of stars is explained, and you feel like you are literally floating in the middle of space witnessing the universe forming and evolving.  Tears streamed down my face as at that moment I felt it was just me alone with God.  It suddenly hits you how breathtaking, inexplicable and wondrous is God’s creation and how it is nothing short of miraculous to have a planet amongst the vast expand of the universe with the perfect conditions for human and animal life, and more than that, a paradise that is a delight to the senses and a privilege to live in, a paradise which we are slowly but surely destroying. I refer you to an old post of mine entitled “Stop Press!! This will blow your mind” (http://anewcreation33.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/has-the-global-crisis-got-the-better-of-you-yet/). It is not as good as being at the Kennedy Space Center but you will get the idea.

The wonderful God-encounters continued right throughout our holiday, but without a doubt the highlight for me has to be my dream of encountering dolphins in the ocean coming true.  I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have dreamt about being in the water with dolphins, not just because I have always wanted to do it and it is a thought which has often occupied my mind, but because there was  a spiritual significance to that dream becoming a reality.  During our second week we travelled to the Florida Keys.  Nothing prepares you for the beauty of those islands, of the abundance of marine and bird life and the colours and shades of light reflected on the vegetation, the sky and the water.  There are very few places which I have visited that I would repeat again, but the Florida Keys is without a doubt one of them. The house we rented for our vacation was just by the edge of the water in a secluded bay and so it was imperative that at least for part of our stay there we hired a small boat to explore and move around the area.  First day out on the boat, fifteen minutes into our outing, my daughter spots a pod of dolphins just a few meters away from us.  The reality of seeing these gracious and unique animals in the wild surpassed my dreams and expectations a thousand times.  As they swam in different directions looking for fish, we were able to turn our engine on and off and follow them around, but I was torn between the need to capture the moment on camera and my even greater urge to actually make time stand still to take in every second of that experience.  Eventually, I put the camera down and just watched in awe and utter delight.  After an hour of following the dolphins around, they began to head out to sea again, but just before they did they came right by the boat and one of them popped its head up right out of the water, looked at us and down under he went at amazing speed.  I was bewitched!  I could not speak.  It was everything I had imagined and so much more.  There is a clear connection between these animals and us.  You just feel it as they look right into your eyes.

Angels of the seas

I thought nothing else could top up that moment, but a few days later we were due to go to the Marathon Dolphin Research Center.  I fulfilled my long life dream of swimming with the dolphins and experiencing their intelligence and sensitivity in a personal way.  They do say that a picture speaks more than a thousand words, and because I could write a book just about that experience alone, I would rather leave you with an image.

Dreams do come true, specially when God gives them to us

I leave you with some more images of our God-encounters.

WE NEED TO LEARN TO SEE AND HEAR GOD THROUGH THE SMALL THINGS IN ORDER TO DISCERN HIS PRESENCE AND GUIDANCE IN THE BIG THINGS

Creation as man sees it

Creation through the eyes of God and as God intended it

Throughout my life but particularly as a result of this holiday. I have been left wondering: If the universe, the earth and everything in it is as beautiful, mysterious and captivating as it is, how much more so is the God whose creation is but a mere and minute reflection of His Glory, Majesty and Power?

David Wilkerson – You will always be an inspiration to millions and you shall be missed!

Dear Friends,

It was with great regret and sadness that we got back from our wonderful holiday in Florida to hear the news about the death in a car accident of Pastor David Wilkerson whom I have greatly respected and learnt from in recent years.  I will soon write about the special God-filled encounters we had during this holiday, but firstly I would like to post a video tribute to David Wilkerson which gives only a glimpse of the wonderful legacy he has left behind him.  He has been and continues to be an inspiration in my life and I hope one day my faith in Christ will produce if only a vague reflection of the wonderful fruits found in David’s life, for a life of faith in action transforms the heart more than a thousand sermons, and the transformation through the witness of faith in action is long-lasting and permanent unlike the ephemeral and superficial change which results from a powerful sermon. 

God bless you David!  You shall be deeply missed!

So encouraged to see I am not alone

Mark,

I hope you will forgive me for inserting the video below which you recently posted on your blog, but I felt it was well worth spreading around.

Looking forward to catching up after the Easter break. 

Thank you for your ongoing wonderful encouragement and for your prayers.

The church will go underground but the foundation will be sound

Prophetic word written by Priscilla Van Sutphin two days after I wrote my post “Why did I stop going to church?  Because I was looking for Jesus and I could not find him there”.  I felt compelled to publish it here.  What you do with it is entirely up to you. 

I am now away for a couple of weeks, so have a blessed Easter and looking forward to getting back on the saddle upon my return.

God bless you!

April 7, 2011

Truly you are on the edge of eternity.  There is nothing ahead but difficulties for most in the world.  But for My beloveds, yes, tribulations and trials, but joy and smiles, at what I do in and through you.  HEALING wings indeed are coming.  I AM ARISING…ELIAKIM.

 
[ I'd just read a chapter that mentioned Eliakim and had looked up his name meaning which was God establishes, or arises ]
 

I Will establish MY WILL in your lives.  I WILL ARISE and humble all that needs humbling.
The fear of the LORD will fill MY house and the world again.  Some will still be defiant and scoff, for they are given to the evil one.  They refuse all reason.  I will show Myself faithful to all who have been faithful to ME. I WILL establish you in righteousness which is your heart’s desire.  I will remove the hindrances, and the chains that have bound you.
 

Your houses will be divided for sure in some cases. But for those who have given Me their all, Will I not arise and right all that has wronged them ?  Like the widow with the unjust Judge, surely I WILL BE A BETTER JUDGE than the one who is irritated by the pleas of people.  I am a LOVING FATHER, so I will pour out the light of MY love, and it will shine brightly in all whom I touch !…..   I am establishing proper alignment.  I AM WITH YOU TO ESTABLISH YOUR AUTHORITY in the right place.
 

Do not be dismayed by what seems like slowness on My part.  It is only waiting for proper alignment in the lives of those others involved as well as you.  Your healing is on the way beloved.  Your healing will spring forth as the noon day sun. Declare it !  I will bring it without striving.
As you are aligned properly, the gifts will once again flow like a river. The ways of man are at best limited, but with ME in charge, there are no limits.  I am the REFINER’s FIRE, and as Fuller’s SOAP, and I will help you to clean and equip the fish coming into the Kingdom in this hour.  And they will come like a river.  EVEN as that tsunami will they come, sudden , and with force will the KINGDOM OF GOD be established.  And nothing, not even burning of churches, and killing of leaders will stop it.  The church will go underground, but the foundation will be SOUND.
 

THE CHURCH MUST STOP being a building, and be a fluid form, able to move at MY WILL. Able to bend when I say bend. Able to move when I say move.  Moldable clay does not say to the maker, what are You doing ? It does not resist the Hand of the Maker.
 

Remember the visions long ago given, for ‘NOW THEY WILL SPRING FORTH!”  Disaster upon disaster has been foretold, so hold on for the ride of a lifetime.  For what I lead you to do, I will provide abundantly. Not for selfish goals, but to spread the Kingdom.  Goshens will be established in various places.  I will lead those who are to go in time.  There is yet a bit more time.   All is at hand.”

ONE CLICK OF YOUR MOUSE: THAT IS ALL IT TAKES TO SAVE A LIFE

Some of you may recall that some weeks ago the BBC showed a two part documentary for Comic Relief about the Kibera Slum just outside Nairobi, Kenya.  I was moved and challenged greatly by some of the realities in the lives of the people of Kibera which were exposed through this program.  I felt compelled  to write a post entitled “A desperate plea from the depths of my soul” which you can find in the archives of this blog for the month of March.  By the grace and providence of God a complete stranger left me a comment on this blog with details of a charity called Zelyn Academy which has set up a school to keep young children off the streets in the slum. 

I have managed to find a video with images of the school and a message from the two men who set up this academy back in 2006.  Donating to this cause is easy and straightforward.  Zelyn Academy is now linked to Charity Giving: a UK registered charity.  Simply go to the link below and click donate:

http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/kss_zelac

I have also copied and pasted the info on their Facebook page so that you can know in detail the amazing vision that the founders of this lovely organisation were given by God.

Basic Information

Location	P. o. box 3765 – 00100 G. p .o ., Nairobi, Kenya
Hours	Mon – Fri: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Sat: 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
About	Situated at the very center of the expansive Kibera slums in Kenya Africa. The school cares and supports orphans, destitute, needy and vulnerable children by providing them with Education, feeding and clothing

Public Transit

INTRODUCTION Kibera Slum school, Kenya – Zelyn Academy Children’s education charity is the only school of its kind within the expansive slums of Kibera (with a population of approximately 1 million people). The school runs under BIRECE GROUP , a Community Based Organization formally registered by the Ministry of Gender , Sports , Culture and Social services in Kenya . BIRECE is an abbreviation for Brothers-In-Real-Care for the Entangled . The registration Certificate’s number is 19964 . The charity work was conceived and developed as a result of breathtaking experiences noticed in the community by the founders; children affected and infected by HIV/Aids and poverty seemed forgotten. Child labour, prostitution, drug addiction and street life had been the only option to these precious lives. HOW IT STARTED & OUR GOAL Through its charity work, the institution began by maintaining in school 7 children in 2006. The number had risen to 276 when the term began in January, 2010 . The children are freely provided with education, feeding and clothing. All these are done through in kind donations. The charity would like to assist and enable more children within the slums of Kibera (about 300,000 children still do not have access to education, food and clothing). OUR MISSION AND METHOD The charity believes that the children in the institution will eventually get greater opportunity in the future to find work and support themselves and give back to the community. You will never know what it means to a child to know that someone is caring and loves them enough to assist in their education and support! Within the context of maintaining these innocent children in school, the charity must continue to provide relief and assistance through its feeding and clothing programs. In addition, we need to secure regular funding to reward our experienced team of qualified teachers. Opportunities to sponsor and support a child’s education, the feeding or clothing program and school staff are open. The future of these children depends on us, and with the help of others, they will be able to dream a different future. OUR ACHIEVEMENTS From the year 2006 to date Kibera Slum school, Kenya – Zelyn Academy Children’s education charity has been able to maintain in school 276 children both orphans and vulnerable children coming from very poor families who can not provide basic needs for themselves and the children . The children now enjoy free meals, clothes, shelter and learning materials provided by the charity work. We have also been able to build a half of the school ( stone built ) Their happy faces can tell how they feel! HOW YOU CAN DONATE We have a PAY PAL account! It makes it so easy to donate as little or as much as you want. It is just by a “click”. If you would like to mke a donation of any amount, please open the fan page, click on the ‘>>’ logo next to ‘boxes’ along the top of the page and this will take you to the ‘donate’ button, log into your existing PAYPAL account, or if you do not have one, its a very simple process to create an account. PAYPAL ensures a totally secure transcation. It is completely free to send money with pay pal and it is safe and effective. WHAT WE USE YOUR DONATIONS FOR Your donation could buy exercise and text books for the children, school uniform, pens, pencils , crayons and papers and help keep them in school by feeding them with at least two meals in a day . Even USD10 is a very helpful amount to give because it could either feed 15children on gruel/porridge for two days, or buy a pair of shoes for one child, or buy a short trouser and a pair of socks for one boy. Please, tell others about our cause and how it is NOW easy to donate .Thank you for the support! CONTACT academyzelyn@yahoo.com

 AND FINALLY HERE IS THE LOVELY VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmIqwa7c1Zw

* THIS IS AN UPDATE WRITTEN A FEW DAYS AFTER ENTERING THIS POST:

YOU CAN NOW ALSO GO TO THEIR NEW WEBSITE AT: http://friendsofzelyn.webeden.co.uk/#

It is sickening to think how many millions of clicks of a mouse take place a minute from wealthy people, like myself, who do not give a second thought to purchasing the latest gizmo, gadget, toy, fashion accessory, or luxury item.  And yet for every one of those clicks, we can make the decision to replace that indulgence with rescuing a life from misery, poverty, disease, humiliation, fear, dread, hunger, desperation, a death sentence, a hopeless future. 

We may not have slums in our nearby areas, but we surely have people who are living in poverty and who rely on initiatives like this one to make it through the day.  It is only by the grace of God that we find ourselves in such privileged circumstances. I don’t want the gap between the wealthy and the poor to widen in our own countries, so let’s be generous and compassionate to ensure that the standard of living is more balanced in our communities, and that one day we are not faced with a humanitarian crisis like the one so many countries are having to face right now.  

My mind cannot comprehend why God would allow some countries to suffer so much whilst others indulge in such wealth and abundance, unless it was for the sole purpose of developing in us a more Christ-like character of compassion, generosity and selflessness. I cannot make any sense of so much blessing in some parts of the world, unless it is meant to in turn bless others.  The purpose of one’s life has to transcend beyond our own comfort and pleasure, or else we leave this world just as it was when we entered it and what is the sense in that?

When you next click that mouse, please remember that in your hand lies the amazing power to give someone the very basic things we take for granted every single day.  AND REMEMBER TO GIVE THANKS TO GOD FOR YOUR BLESSINGS EVERYDAY,  because this will keep you humble, grounded and open to the needs of others; this will give your life a purpose that transcends beyond anything else you ever put your mind, heart and soul into; this will forge your character to withstand and overcome the cruel turns of life.  It is that grateful attitude, that humble heart which makes those who have nothing content and peaceful in their hopelessness.  It is our self-absorption, our pride, and our greed which rend us unable to be grateful for all we have, which make us permanently dissatisfied and always wanting more.  The truth is one does not have to look too closely to realise who are truly the poor and who are the rich.  What they have cannot be bought with money.  It comes from putting your life in the hands of Jesus Christ and trusting by faith through the most appalling of circumstances that though Jesus may not give them what they want, He will always give them what they NEED.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waYUzxK8TYA&feature=related