Are you having an identity crisis?

October 30, 2005

Are You Having an Identity Crisis?

By Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
www.frangipane.org




As Christians, our faith tells us that Christ died as payment for our sins. We believe He actually rose from the grave as proof that He was, indeed, sent by God. Yet, it is also our conviction that, upon this resurrection event, not only were the sins of mankind atoned for but through Christ a second Genesis began.

Paul explains, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit" (1 Corinthians 15:45). The word Adam means "man" and is representative of "mankind."

There are now two Adams or two species of man. The first species of man is the descendant of sinful Adam. His life orbits around his carnal or "natural" desires. He carries both the DNA of Adam's nature and the consequences of Adam's sin. This natural man is focused upon fulfilling the needs of his soul. He is, indeed, a "living soul," but he is controlled by fears, physical needs, intellect boundaries, cultural environment, and sin.

The second species or race of man is Spirit-centered. His thoughts, dreams, and experiences originate primarily from the Holy Spirit, who lives in union with him. The highest aspiration of the Spirit-centered man is not on attaining natural successes, but upon attaining conformity to Christ.

While the first man lives to experience what the world around him can give him, the last species of man, the Christ-man, lives for what he can give to the world -- he is a "life-giving spirit." The first Adam engendered descendants with problems; the spiritual descendants of the last Adam, Christ, provide the world with answers.


New Creatures

While men divide over many things -- culture, skin color, language or social status -- from God's view, mankind is only truly divided into two subsets: those controlled by their souls and those controlled by the Holy Spirit. One race is dead in sin; the other is alive in Christ. One species of man is destined to perish; the other will live forever. Just as the first Adam passed sin, weakness, and death on to his children, so the second Adam, Christ, passes virtue, power, and eternal life to the children of God.

"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." -- 2 Corinthians 5:17

"For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." -- Galatians 6:15

We are not merely men of flesh temporarily acting spiritual, but we are spiritual beings temporarily living as men of flesh. If you have received Christ into your life, you are part of the second Genesis. You possess a new nature which, like Christ's, shall live forever.


Identity Crisis

Yet, too many of us suffer from an "identity crisis." We are confused about who we really are. We attend church, but internally, we are still deeply identified with the traits and expectations of the first Adam. Paul rebuked the church in Corinth, which suffered with fleshy attitudes, saying, "are you not walking like mere men?" (1 Corinthians 3:3).

Hear me well: if you have received Christ, you are no mere mortal. The very same power that raised Christ from the dead abides also in you. While you may experience many of the same trials that the descendants of the first Adam face, you are buoyed by God's Spirit as He faithfully works all things for good in your life. On the other side of your trials is not death but resurrection!

"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you." -- Romans 8:11

We may look human, but abiding within us is a treasure more valuable than the earth itself: resurrection power.

"And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power." -- Acts 2:24

Just as it was impossible for death to hold Christ in the grave, so it is impossible for the substance of "death" still in us -- our sins and failures -- to hold Him as well. Christ conquers death as readily as light drives out darkness. Indeed, in all things we are "more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37 NIV).


Seated With Christ

As I was engaged in a particular struggle, a friend asked me, "How are you doing under the circumstances?" I answered, "I'm not under the circumstances; I'm seated with Christ in heavenly places. My Father is God. There is no weapon formed against me that can prosper. I'm born again from above, a new creation; I am a partaker of the Divine Nature."

Everything I answered came directly from God's word and represents the reality granted me by faith in God's promises. Faith unlocks the power of God's promises.

So, beloved friend, you are not under circumstances or "the weather" or pressures or curses; you are alive together with Christ (Colossians 2) and positioned in the shelter of God's domain. Yes, we face conflict which God uses to perfect our character, but He also "always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place" (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Beloved, if you are not using God's word to define and shape your spiritual identity, you will, in fact, be under circumstances and clouded by the oppression that abides on the first Adam. You may still be a Christian, but you will suffer from your identity crisis.

This is why Paul said, "put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth" (Ephesians 4: 24). You must accept, believe, and then apply the word of God until you are fully established as a new creation.

"Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren." -- Romans 8:29

This quest to walk in your new nature is the crux of your primary battles in life. This is not just a war between your virtue and your vices, but it is a war between your identity after the flesh and your true identity as a new creature in Christ. "Faith," John tells us, "is the victory that overcomes the world" (1 John 5:4).

You are a citizen of a new realm. As such, you must learn the customs and understand the language. In the kingdom of God, everyone believes what God says about them. When God speaks, His words create realities. Our faith accepts the grace and truth of God's word, and in so doing our lives are transformed.

Yes, we will still fail, but Christ is greater than our failings. True, we will still err, but in all things, God works for the good. Indeed, we pass through hard experiences that God uses to conform us to the character of His Son (see Philippians 3:10), yet He also brings us through such things so we can possess the power of Christ's resurrection!

Consider Paul's analysis of his personal journey:

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." -- Galatians 2:20

Again, he wrote:

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day." --2 Corinthians 4:16

Let us ask ourselves: is our spiritual consciousness focused upon what is inwardly "decaying"? Or are our hearts lifted to that which is "being renewed day by day"? Are we living as mere men or as new creatures, fashioned after the likeness of Christ? Would you agree that it is time to get over your identity crisis?

Lord, forgive me for dwelling in the basement of my old nature rather than the penthouse of Your love and promises. You have chosen me to reveal Your life; You've given me Your Holy Spirit and spoken to me through Your word. I am Your child, born from above and destined to inherit Your glory. I worship You, my Lord and King.


By Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
www.frangipane.org

Fruit Grows on Trees, Not on Small Plants

October 28, 2005

Rick Joyner: Fruit Grows on Trees, Not on Small Plants -- a Word About the Fruit of Faithfulness

By Rick Joyner
Morningstar Ministries
www.morningstarministries.org





October 24, 2005

The fruit of the Spirit is "faithfulness" (Galatians 5:22). The characteristics of the Spirit are called "fruit" because it must be cultivated and grown. It takes faithfulness, which is demonstrated by endurance, for any of the fruit to be grown. But how is faithfulness grown? This is important for us to understand if we are going to bear any fruit.

Fruit grows on trees, not small plants. A small plant may sprout and produce vegetables in a single season, but a fruit tree takes years to develop before it will bear fruit. This is why we are told it takes "faith and patience" (Hebrews 6:12) to inherit the promises. One reason why there is so little true fruit of the Spirit in the body of Christ today is because of the lack of faithfulness; faithfulness is demonstrated by endurance over time until fruit is produced.

I hear many complaints about how pastors and leaders tend to interpret faithfulness as how committed people are to their own vision. This may be true, but this is not necessarily wrong. In fact, to be faithful to someone else's vision is crucial for developing the maturity in Christians so that they too can bear fruit.


Know Your Own Purpose & Destiny

For many years, I have championed the need for people to know their own purpose and have their own vision, but this vision, if it is real, must fit together with a corporate vision. Also, the more significant the calling that we have, the longer and more difficult the time of serving someone else's vision will usually be before He will free us to pursue our own vision.

This is because we are the branches, and He is the vine. A branch cannot bear fruit without abiding in the vine, so His life must flow through us. We receive His life by grace, and we are told plainly that "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6 NKJV). It takes humility to serve someone else's vision. Without humility, we cannot expect His grace.

The greater the purpose that you have, the more difficult you can expect your call to serve someone else's vision to be. Because King David was called to not only be a king but to establish a throne that the Scriptures say even the Lord Jesus sits upon (see II Samuel 7:12-16), the greatest level of humility and faithfulness was required of David. He had to remain faithful to serve a king who not only had drifted from the will of God but began to oppose the Lord, killing his priests and even trying to kill David. However, David remained faithful to Saul even after Saul died.

It is an amazing thing to see how King David rewarded those who honored Saul by recovering his body and giving him a proper burial, but he went even further than this. It was the practice of kings who ascended a throne in those times to kill all of the offspring of any potential rivals. King David did the opposite and actually honored Saul's offspring, even allowing them to eat at honored positions at his own table. David remained faithful to Saul, even when Saul became unfaithful. By this, King David became one of the greatest examples of godly faithfulness in the Scriptures.

Of course, one who exceeds even David in faithfulness is the Lord Himself. He has remained faithful to man, even through all of the unfaithfulness and opposition of man. As the primary work that the Lord is doing in us is to conform us to His image, we can therefore expect to be called on to remain faithful to those who have been unfaithful to us. How many of us, knowing that our best friends were all going to deny us and betray us that very night, deserting us when we needed them the most, would still desire to have one more meal with them and even wash their feet to demonstrate our commitment to them?


Conforming to His Image

If we react to those who disappoint us or are unfaithful to us, then we are still immature. Everything that the Lord allows in our life is for the purpose of conforming us to His image, and if we want this to happen, we can expect to have to go through the same things that He did.

Paul the apostle prayed to be conformed to the image of the Lord's death (see Philippians 3:10), and his prayer was answered. He died with all of his unfaithful friends having likewise scattered from him, and most of the churches he had given his life to serving had already gone into apostasy. Paul probably died wondering if he had really accomplished anything through his life of sacrifice, but true sacrifice has a power to bear fruit that actually cannot be destroyed.

Paul had probably forgotten long ago about the few letters he had written from prison. But because Paul lived for the eternal instead of the temporary, there was an eternal quality to those letters that made it impossible for them to be destroyed. Those few letters with eternity in their hearts are probably still bearing more fruit for eternal life than all of the efforts of all who are in ministry today. But would they have been remembered if Paul had not been so faithful, even to the end, even unto death? Probably not.

We must resolve that our own faithfulness will not be determined by what others do. We must resolve to remain faithful, simply because it is the right thing to do. Even if it looks as if we will be alone and we cannot see any fruit from it, it is still the right thing to do.

Of course, the ultimate test of faithfulness would probably be in relation to a spouse. But is this not what the Lord Himself is daily going through with His bride? How many of you would have liked to have heard from your fiancé on your wedding day, "Darling, I am going to be totally faithful to you 364 days a year. I only want one day a year to mess around."

"You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." -- James 4:4


What's Your Focus?

How many of His people have not devoted themselves more to being joined to this world and successful in the world than being joined to Him? Is this true of us? Then we, too, are being unfaithful to the One who in all of creation deserves our faithfulness the most.

If you have a question about whether this is you or not, ask this question: what do you spend most of your time on, and what has most of your attention? Are you more focused on how to get ahead in your job or profession, making more money, or acquiring the things of this world more than knowing the Lord, getting closer to Him, and doing His will? If so, then at the very least you have lost your first love, and you are in spiritual adultery with the world.

It is also possible to be more devoted to our church or our ministry than to the Lord Himself. As ministers, we are called to be the friend of the Bridegroom who is helping to prepare the bride for Him, but how many in ministry are really just using the bride to serve themselves and their own ambition? Isn't this the most profane of all unfaithfulness?

In this way, we are not only unfaithful ourselves, but we are seeking to have the very bride of Christ joined more to us than to Him! By this, we are committing adultery with God's own wife!

This is a trap that causes many in ministry to fall, and this may well deserve the worst judgment on that day. What husband would want a wife that was so busy serving him that she had no time for him? What husband would want a wife that loved her job or her house more than she loved him? This, too, is an issue of faithfulness.

Many of us in ministry are disappointed at the lack of faithfulness of the people to our vision, when we ourselves are basically being unfaithful to the Lord, and the people can see it. They will ultimately be as faithful to us as they can see that we are faithful to Him.

Why do we so easily desert Him for that which has no true satisfaction? For the last three years, Jack Deere and I have scheduled an around-the-world ministry trip each summer to try to serve as many countries as we could in the few weeks that we have.

Each year, Jack is usually in the middle of some study that we spend time talking about, while sharing dozens of hours in airports and on airplanes. This year, Jack found a study on "happiness." The findings of this study were not only very interesting, but they were quite surprising. The study revealed that the amount of material possessions, or the lack of them, actually had no real bearing on a person's happiness.


Materialism is a Trap and a Deception

I pondered this quite a bit on that trip, especially in Africa, where it seemed the majority of the population had so little. Then, as if to emphasize this, while we were in Johannesburg, South Africa, my wife and daughters visited the famous township of Soweto. They had a wonderful guide who took them to Nelson Mandela's house and to the other historic sites of this shanty town where the revolution in South Africa had begun.

The guide was showing them the typical house, which usually had two rooms. One room was the kitchen where there was an open fire and where all of the children usually slept. A friend, who was on the tour, remarked how sorry he was for them to have to grow up in these conditions. The guide was surprised by this comment, saying that they should not be sorry for this because they had a very happy family, and the memories of his childhood were not of deprivation, but of all the good times they had together.

I grew up in a very unhappy family, with difficult and confusing problems, one of which was continued and serious financial stress. Because of that, I have been driven to do better for my own family. However, three times we have had to move from "dream homes" to much smaller and more difficult conditions, and every time I have witnessed the barometer of our family's happiness go up instead of down, and often quite dramatically.

Our over-devotion to materialism is a trap and a deception that is robbing us of true life. So, how is it that we could be more faithful to that vision than to the Son of God? It is a righteous thing to want to provide well for your family, but we must guard against this becoming an idol that eclipses our devotion to the Lord. When it does, the fruit will be bad for ourselves and those we are providing for.

We were all created to have fellowship with God, and there is never going to be anything else more interesting or fulfilling than this. The main thing in our life is to keep the main thing -- the main thing. How is it that we are so easily distracted from this? Unfaithfulness.


All True Ministry is Servanthood

The Lord develops faithfulness in us in many ways. One primary way is by having us devote ourselves to the visions and purposes of others. This is what all true ministry is: servanthood. This is quite a lost art in ministry today, but it will be recovered. When it is, we will discover that there is really nothing as fulfilling as serving the Lord and helping others succeed in their purpose. It is hard for the immature to see this, but this is actually the path for us to succeed in our own purpose.

Paul the apostle lamented that there were many teachers but not many fathers (see I Corinthians 4:15). That is true. A true father will get far more satisfaction from seeing his children succeed than even from his own success. This is why the true measure of an authentic New Testament ministry is for one to reproduce their ministry in others and have them succeed. If it was the nature of God to empty Himself of all of His glory and to lower Himself to become a man to serve the very ones who had rejected Him, then, we who were made in His image will also do this.

So, if the Lord requires the immature to go through a time of serving someone else's vision before letting them pursue their own, and if we are on the true path of true ministry, then our main devotion will not be to get others to support our vision as much as being devoted to helping those entrusted to our care to be prepared and released into their own purpose.

True ministry is never just faithfulness to our own vision, but serving others. In the Lord, that is the only way to fulfill our own vision: by serving Him and serving His people -- servanthood. True faithfulness to the Lord is just as He stated in Matthew 16:24-26:

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?'"


Faithfulness to a Corporate Vision

Faithfulness to someone else requires the laying aside of our own self-centeredness, even the fulfilling of "our ministry," and giving ourselves to the purpose of another. The Lord has made us so that this is the only way we can truly find our own purpose and fulfillment. There is no greater bondage than self-centeredness and no greater freedom than being the Lord's slave. However, the truly faithful will remain steadfast when it becomes hard, regardless of how much time it takes. True faithfulness will see the job through to completion.

Every leader learns fast that it is quite easy to get people motivated to start a job, but there will not be many left to see it through the hard work to completion. The resurrected Lord told five hundred people to go back to Jerusalem to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit, but after just twelve days there were only one hundred twenty still there. The Lord knew this would happen, and He often causes things to take longer than we would like to thin out the crowds, getting rid of the unfaithful because anything of true significance must be built on faithful people. This is why He requires that we not only have faith but also patience to inherit the promises.

True Christian maturity requires that we learn faithfulness to a corporate vision, something that originated in the heart of someone else, which may or may not be the main thing on our heart, but this is needed before we can expect others to be committed to our vision. Few visions and purposes of the Lord can be accomplished by just one person, so it does require a joining together of others to accomplish them. However, the basis of our faithfulness must be to the Lord Himself above all other things, keeping Him as our first love. That is the basis of all true faithfulness.

One of the primary areas that demonstrates faithfulness is in our financial giving. Most Christians even have a knee-jerk negative reaction to this, but it is true and biblical. This is the reason why the Lord Himself was watching those who were giving in the temple. Jesus, being the true representative of the Father, demonstrated by this that this was something important to the Father. This is because where a person's treasure is, there will their heart be also.

When I was once inquiring of the Lord about how to know who to add to our staff for a position, the Lord said that I should look at his record of giving to see if his heart was really with us. Since then, I have concluded that this probably is truly the best barometer of a person's faithfulness. If their hearts really are with the Lord, they will put their treasures into His work. If their hearts are with you in what you are doing for Him, they will invest there. If they will not put their treasures there, then you can be sure their hearts are not really there either.

The very thought of this will cause a strong reaction in some, but those are the ones that you do not want to count on because they are the ones who will demand the most and give the least. When difficulties come, they will be the first to become disgruntled and the fastest to desert. In my observations, this has been true every time. Money is usually the ultimate idol -- what we put our trust in above the Lord, and where we put our treasure, this will be where our hearts really are. That's why if we are true shepherds, we have a basic responsibility to teach financial faithfulness to those entrusted to our care.





Rick Joyner
Morningstar Ministries
www.morningstarministries.org

Cloud of Witnesses Travail for This Generation

Cloud of Witnesses Travail for This Generation

By Ryan Wyatt
Abiding Glory Ministries
www.abidingglory.com





Naked Before God


With all that is going on in the world right now, I really feel that we are in a season of stripping and refinement before the Lord. God is confronting the church and the world in this season and challenging us to lay down all the worldly things that we have covered ourselves with and allow Him to strip us and cover us with His glory. These are serious times and God has incredible plans to fulfill through this generation, but the church seems to be asleep and God is waking them up. We have come to a fullness of time juncture, and God is accelerating His plans in the earth.


Cloud of Witnesses in Travail For This Generation

In September, I was ministering at a Joel's Army conference in England and had an incredible encounter in the midst of worship. The worship band was playing, and the people were loudly praising God, and I began to hear people shouting my name. I audibly heard people shouting, "RYAN, RYAN, RYAN." I looked all around me and found no one calling to me.

I then realized that I was having a spiritual encounter and entered into an open-eyed vision. I saw the Cloud of Witnesses and God's Generals from the beginning of time, and they were lined up side-by-side in a very long line. Every generation from the beginning of time was represented in this line. Every person was someone who, during their life, had pressed into their promised land and tasted of the powers of the age to come and like the spies, they brought something back that touched their whole generation with the love and power of God.

I noticed that the space in the line between each person represented many years, and the line came up to this present day. It was obvious to me that with each previous generation, there were very few that affected a whole generation. I then noticed that the line continued on past this present day with forms of people but there was no one to fill those slots.

I then saw the Cloud of Witnesses enter into a state of travail as they were vigorously interceding for this present-day generation. They were not just calling my name but countless thousands of names. Suddenly, I saw the hand of the Lord come and very quickly begin to pick people up out of the world and fill those empty slots in the line of God's Generals. There was a massive acceleration that was taking place as God began to fill each slot with thousands of revivalists and nation shakers from our time.

Things are accelerating in the earth, and for this reason, God is pulling out all the stops and calling upon this generation to wake up and lay hold of Him like never before. For this reason, God is beginning to strip his church of every worldly thing that keeps her from full devotion to Him. It is only when the church comes to realize her nakedness that she will begin to cry out in holy desperation for God to fascinate and empower a whole generation. We must first be stripped and come to realize our dire need for God.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." -- Matthew 5:3

The message of the hour is that, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Being poor in spirit is realizing our level of emptiness and crying out for His fullness. The eyes of the Lord are roaming to and fro throughout the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are completely loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9).


The Hand of Grace is Being Pulled Back "Slightly," and the Shaking of the Lord has Come!

For many years, I believe the hand of the Lord, in the form of grace, has covered us and allowed us to continue on our own path. During this time, God has given the church a chance to repent and turn whole-heartedly to him on their own. However, the church and the world have continued to slip further and further down hill and away from Him.

The church has cried out for the Lord to come, and He has come and is coming. And now the church is being faced with the results of the coming of the Lord. Look with me at Isaiah 64:1-3:

"Oh, that you would rend the heavens! That you would come down! That the mountains might shake at your presence -- as fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil -- to make Your name known to your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down; the mountains shook at Your presence."

When the Lord begins to come He brings a shaking and a melting away of everything worldly in our midst. Look at Malachi 3:1-3:

"Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold He is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness."

When the Kingdom of God begins to come, it shakes everything off of your life that is not of God, and it leaves only those things behind that God has worked into your life (Hebrews 12:25-29). I firmly believe that God is in the process, right now, of actually preparing us for the next great move of God to sweep the earth. However, before He can clothe the church with another level of His glory, He is first stripping us of every worldly thing that we have held onto.


The Laodicean Age

We are currently in the time of the Laodicean age. This generation is one of the most messed up generations to ever walk the earth, yet we are also the generation that has the potential to walk in the most unprecedented level of power and glory, however, only if we submit to the current pruning of the Lord.

God is pulling back His hand just enough for a small portion of His judgments to touch the earth. He is doing this because what He might have allowed in the lives of believers in times past, He is no longer allowing. When God begins to pull back His hand of grace, you find yourself in a moment of great decision. This is not a time when God is going to allow nominal, middle-of-the-road Christians in "His" church.

Those believers that will not embrace the Lord in this season will most likely grow more and more hardened to Him. Remember that as soon as Jesus came to earth in the flesh, it was the religious people that hardened their hearts and persecuted Him. It will be no different in these days. Those that have been lukewarm will either grow colder or burn hotter for the Lord.

We are in a time of decision. Many in these days are coming to a place of realization that their life is empty, and they are feeling the burning of the Lord upon their hearts. These believers are turning closer to Him and learning to live a life of intimacy and passion with the Lord.

The Bible says in the book of Joel that many are in the valley of decision, and we have always preached that as meaning unbelievers are in the valley of decision. However, I also want to say that many believers are in the valley of decision, as well, and the Lord is no longer giving the church the option to just sit in the middle of the road. Battle lines are being drawn, and we must choose to either grow colder or hotter for Him.

When the Lord spoke to the church of Laodicea, He rebuked them because they thought they had everything together, when in fact, they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. First, God had to alert them of their desperate status before they would repent and follow whole-heartedly after Him.

Most of the church, right now, has sunk into a state of apathy and passivity because, for the most part, the western church lives a life of self-sufficiency.

I was really struck with just how self-sufficient the western church really is after I ministered in Jakarta, Indonesia, this last January. I have not seen a hunger for God, like that of the Indonesians, anywhere in North America or Europe. The Indonesians prayed and sought after God as if they were absolutely spiritually bankrupt and could not live another moment without a touch from heaven.

Most pastors in the western church have to poke and prod the people to even act like they are hungry for God. The church in North America is sitting in the middle of the road and has grown self-sufficient, thinking they need nothing. Below is the address that Jesus gave to that church:

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' -- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked -- I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent." -- Revelation 3:15-19


Not a Heartless Rebuke But Rather a Loving Warning

I don't see the above passage from Revelation as a heartless rebuke. It is actually a loving warning from a loving God that wants to alert His Bride of her state, so that she might wake up and turn and seek the Lord.

The admonition from the above reference in Revelation is that if the church will realize her nakedness and begin to seek the Lord with desperate hunger, then the church will hear the sound of the Lord knocking on the door and dine, rule, and reign with Him.


Seek First The Kingdom of God

In a day where everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes and just seeking to live the American dream, God is looking for a Bride that will do the exact opposite. One of the greatest enemies to the western church is "how blessed we are." The western world has lived under such a state of grace and blessing for so long that it has caused the church to slip into a state of apathy and passivity. The church has joined the rat race of the world that says, "Do what you have to do to not only make it but to be on top!" So we have become a generation totally consumed with "self".

The Bible calls believers "pilgrims" in this world. We are citizens of another realm and are to live our day-to-day lives from the place of abiding in heavenly realms and ruling on earth with heavenly love and power. The challenge for the church in this hour is to submit to the pruning and stripping of the Lord, to turn our eyes and affections from every temporal thing, and to begin to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness."

When the church begins to live for heavenly things rather than for earthly satisfaction, then the grace and favor of heaven will be poured out upon us abundantly.

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." -- Matthew 6:31-33


Our Response to the Shakings

I know that people are trying to figure out why all these hurricanes and earthquakes and tsunamis and all the other disasters are happening on the earth at this time. Some believe it is God judging us, some believe they are the result of man's sinful actions, and still, others believe they are attacks from the devil. I believe they are a result of all three.

Yes, I believe that the devil is trying to wreak havoc. Yes, I believe that some of these disasters are occurring as the result of the world's sinful actions. And yes, I do also believe that God is using them to teach the world righteousness and lead them back to Him.

"With my soul I have desired you in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek you early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." -- Isaiah 26:9

Instead of joining the rest of the world and allowing our emotions to get the best of us in response to these world shakings, let's allow these events to awaken us to the reality and seriousness of the times we are living in. Let's allow these things to cause us to seek the Lord with all that is within us and lay hold of our divine destiny to walk upon this earth fully clothed in the glory of God!


Nakedness Provides Opportunity for Fullness

Let me close with this. Before the fall, Adam and Eve were naked and did not know it. I believe this was because their minds and hearts were so enthralled with the Lord that they were literally clothed with the glory of God. All they knew was 24 hour a day God-consciousness and face-to-face encounters with Him.

After the fall, the first thing they realized was that they were naked, and they were ashamed. They immediately looked for something to cover their nakedness and wrapped themselves in fig leaves. God came to visit with them as He normally would and found them hiding and ashamed because of their nakedness. One of the first things God did was take off the fig leaves and clothe them with skins of animals.

God clothed them with animal skins because it required blood, and the shedding of blood was the only thing that could cover their sin. God's divine design was to send Jesus to shed his perfect, sinless blood to cover and wash away our sins forevermore. This was so that we could again have our nakedness covered by His Glory!

God is again looking throughout the earth for those who have not covered themselves with the things of the world but for those who are willing to submit to His stripping and pruning work and be clothed again from glory to glory! Are you naked before the Lord? Do you need to be awakened and come to a realization that you are nowhere near laying hold of your high calling? Are you truly poor in spirit and desperate for a touch from heaven?

Allow the Lord to touch you afresh and put his finger on those areas of your soul that are not of Him. This is the season to invite the refining fire of God into your life because He is a consuming fire, and He is jealous to lay hold of you!


By Ryan Wyatt
Abiding Glory Ministries
www.abidingglory.com

King of kings Lord of lords

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him [are] called, and chosen, and faithful.

We are part of a most unusual Kingdom. We are kings and lords with a servant's heart. This isn't some future event. If you are with Him. You are a king and a lord. The word king means leader of the people, prince, commander, lord of the land.

And the word Lord means to be lord of, to rule, have dominion over things and forces, to exercise influence upon, to have power over. This is what God has given you through Jesus. What do you take rule or dominion over? Well, one thing is Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue [that] shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This [is] the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness [is] of me, saith the LORD.

You have that kind of authority. Another is authority in your work place, your neighborhood, your circle of influence. You should influence your circle of influence by the authority and power God has given you. How do you do this? By doing what Jesus did. He did the things He saw His father doing. Go to the secret place and then do what your Father is doing. You take dominion by knowing his voice, and not by trying to do everything putting yourself in bondage to ministry works.

Now, there are some things that we are always suppose to do. We are suppose to share the good news with others and feed the power. To love. There is no law against such things. You don't have to have a personal prophecy to do them. Just go.

But there are other times when it is a direct command. Maybe you work at a place where Christians are looked down upon. Go to the Father and He will give you a strategy to take dominion. His strategy may be to be a servant. To show love and kindness to those who have persecuted you. His strategy may be that it is time to leave and go somewhere else. Your work is done here.

What do I mean by taking dominion? Do I mean being a control freak? No, I am talking about the Kingdom of God. If someone where you work is sick and you take dominion over the sickness, then the Kingdom of God has just manifested. If the person turns to the Lord, the Kingdom has just expanded.

What if you are somewhere were many people has the revelation? How can everyone be a king? How can everyone be a leader of the people? By listening to the King. By being lead by His Spirit.

Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

You may find yourself being the leader of the people at a bus stop, maybe a young pregnant teen who needs to be mentored or a homeless man who needs to be lead to the Lord. The Kingdom will manifest and the Kingdom will expand.

You are also lord over the land. You are lord of things and forces. You have power over things by hearing the voice of God.

Let's say there is a lot of strife where you work or go to school. Don't go to the phone, but go to the throne. You can feel negative forces rising against you. You know it is demonic. You have power over those things. Why do you have power? Because you are a lord and a king. Spend time in you prayer closet. Pray about your circle(s) of influence and see what happens.

ROBBERS OF THE KINGDOM

Mat 13:1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

Mat 13:2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

Mat 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

Mat 13:4 And when he sowed, some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Mat 13:5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

Mat 13:6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

Mat 13:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

Mat 13:8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Mat 13:9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

Mat 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Mat 13:16 But blessed [are] your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

The Evil one comes to you with lies. You wasn't really healed. God can't use you. Once you believe the lie the seed is stolen. You begin to walk in fear, worry, and doubt. Those are not manifestations of the Kingdom. You can't dwell there.

Mat 13:20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

Mat 13:21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

This is when you don't allow the seed to take root. Going from conference to conference to have another prophet lay hands on you and tell you who you are. The freedom feels so good at the prophetic meeting and when you feel His presence. But what happens when the meetings are over. What happens when persecution comes? God told you you have the gift of healing and you prayed for five people and they are not healed.

People have begun to make fun of you. God told you you are an evangelist. You went to the local bar to save souls and you only were laughed at. No power. No manifestation of the promise. God told you, you were healed. You ran across the stage at the crusade, but now the symptoms are back. What do you do? Do you hang on to the seed or do you quickly give up?

Mat 13:22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

God called you into the ministry, but you began to realize the pay isn't really that great. You made more money and less heartache doing your old job. But God called you to be a pastor, or God said you are going to do this, this and that, but it has been awhile. Years have past and you are becoming older. You are starting to worry. Is it ever going to happen? Do you hang onto the seed or do you let it go?

All of the above examples are when you know that God has spoken to you. Guard your heart. Enter the Kingdom.

Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

If you hang on and continue to press in and seek God. If you continue to enter into the Kingdom of God. You will produce more fruit than you can imagine. Hundred times, sixty times or thirty times more.

THE GARDEN


Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Gen 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

Gen 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Notice how subtle the serpent is. He is attempting to have Eve believe the lie that God is holding out on her. That God can not be trusted. Maybe you are dissatisfied with the garden that God has placed you in. God has you there for a reason. Even if you don't understand it.

God will move you out when it is time to go to another garden. He will let you know. Maybe you want to be like God and do what you want, but you are already like God. Just be still and hear His voice.

Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

See what the snake does here. He is making the tree of good and evil seem desirable. He tempts her by saying you will be like God. That is what he does to us. But we are already like God. We are in a process of being formed to manifest what we already are. We do that by obeying His voice. By allowing Him to form and shape us even though we may not understand the process. Allow God to form you in your inner garden. As you allow Him to form you, your outer garden will change, because the Kingdom will influence those around you. The Kingdom will manifest through you. If you don't allow Him to form you, you will still be formed, but it will be a much more painful process.

Be like Jacob and receive the revelation of how wonderful is this place.

Gen 28:16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."
Gen 28:17 He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
Gen 28:18 So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top.
Gen 28:19 He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz.
Gen 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear,
Gen 28:21 and I return to my father's house in safety, then the LORD will be my God.

We know the rest of the story. They eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil and they become naked. If you want to keep from being naked and ashamed continue to eat from the tree that gives life. As you do this, you look at all circumstances a little bit differently. You see light and not darkness. Day and not night.

As you continue to walk in the light the little foxes can no longer steal from you and destroy the vine.

1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

PRAYER: I ask you Father to burn out all the thorns of everyone reading this newsletter. I ask for a fresh fire, fresh anointing and Kingdom encounters. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Thanks for your prayers and donations. Please send all prayer request to ringofwarriorprayer@yahoo.com Thanks for your generous support.

If you have been blessed by this newsletter and would like to invest in souls. Please donate to me through paypal to this email address fries1973@hotmail.com

Thanks to all of you who donated to the New Orleans trip. I will be leaving Nov 2.

Make checks and money orders out to Kevin Frasure and send to the following address:

Kevin Frasure
Post Office Box 2075
Murfreesboro Tenn 37133-2075
USA

God Bless You, Kevin
May you soar like an Eagle and all your dreams come true

http://warriorsabode.blogspot.com

Teaching By Craig Kinsley

Date: October 20, 2005

FAITHFULNESS & PROMOTION

By: Revivalist Craig Kinsley




There has never been a more exciting time to be living in than today! We have already seen so much restoration take place and now, I believe, we are beginning to see the Day of the Saints. Each member of the Body of Christ is now realizing that he or she has been called of God. Yes, YOU have a destiny to fulfill. Many of you have had prophetic words over your life and have begun to dream about what God will do through your life. You want to be a history-maker, and rightly so. God wants these things for your life. He wants you to be one of the champions that will destroy the kingdom of darkness and establish the Kingdom of God in the nations of the earth. But before history books are written about your life, there are steps of faithfulness that you must take. The good news is that you can begin to take these steps right now! With so many prophetic words being released, I don’t want to share a prophetic experience with you right now. I want to minister as a teacher to share how you can step into your own prophetic destiny.



THE NATURAL vs. THE PROPHETIC WORD

Each of you has probably at some point in your walk with God had your destiny called forth either by a prophet, another believer, or even in scripture. God has said you would be a “prophet to the nations”, or “a David”, or an “evangelist to the masses”. Each believer has a specific call and heart that is God given and is made known only by God. But most of you have never resembled that call and destiny in your life. God has called you with a prophetic anointing, but you can’t seem to hear Him say anything. The prophet prophesied that you would come into “Kingdom wealth”, but you don’t know if you will be able to pay your rent. Scripture has called you a “joint heir with Christ” (Romans 8:17), but you can’t imagine feeling much lower than you now do. The natural world (the world in which our flesh lives; the one we can see with our natural eyes) always opposes the prophetic word of God. At first, you never seem to resemble the person that God calls you to be. You couldn’t have a more exciting and dramatic calling than Gideon in Judges 6:12. “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!’” Gideon looked nothing like a “mighty man of valor.” In fact in verse 15, Gideon himself confesses, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” God was speaking to Gideon’s potential through the working of the prophetic word and God’s power, not Gideon’s present situation, which was his “natural” circumstance.

Because of this principle many Christians find that from the beginning they have no real faith in what God says about them. They believe it can only happen if God sovereignly changes their circumstances and situations. We wait around for months and years for a lightning bolt to strike, the hosts of heaven to come down, and for God to supernaturally drop us into our destiny overnight. Because God’s destiny for our lives doesn’t work in this manner, over the years we become increasingly frustrated and begin to disbelieve God’s plan altogether.

In Exodus, the children of Israel received a promise from God through Moses that they would soon inherit the Promised Land. However, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years! They were being tested to prove whether or not they were trustworthy. “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2) Those 40 years could have been shortened significantly, but they did not understand that they had a part in the plan of God being played out. It was up to them as to whether they would remain faithful in believing that the God who brought them out of bondage would also keep His promise for their lives.

As co-laborers with Jesus Christ, we must begin to lay hold of our destiny by making something happen. We must as they say, “take the bull by the horns.” Now I don’t mean just doing anything that we can think of, but there are certain things that we really don’t have to pray about. We don’t have to ask God whether to share the Gospel or not. We don’t have to fast and pray about studying His Word. It’s not much of a decision as to whether we should take care of orphans and widows or feed the hungry. Instead of just waiting for destiny to happen, begin to make destiny happen. God desires to partner with us in seeing our destiny fulfilled. He has put desires in your heart. Put action to your destiny.



KINGDOM PRINCIPLE: FAITHFULNESS

In order to truly access the keys to each of our destinies, we must begin with a kingdom outlook. The Kingdom of Heaven, or the realm and rules of heaven operating here on the earth, has certain principles that govern the way the kingdom operates in the natural realm. “So, the last will be first and the first last…” (Matthew 20:16); “Give, and it will be given…” (Luke 6:38). These are teachings of Jesus that brought understanding to us about how His kingdom operates contrary to how the world tells us to operate or even how our flesh feels we should operate. Jesus was the greatest revolutionary of all time. Even to His own people He brought radical ideas that were contrary to the teachings of the society in which He lived. To illustrate these ideas, Jesus would use natural means, parables, to explain the mysteries of the Kingdom. It is no different with the law of faithfulness. Jesus knew that society, even today, would tell us that in order to gain a promotion you must fight and claw your way to the top. No matter what it takes, who it hurts, or what lines of compromise you have to cross to get there, just get there! Attempting to get ahead in this manner, will always lead to competition, stress, bitterness, jealously and many other factors that always pull you away from God’s destiny for your life.



THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

Jesus knew the devastating effects of using the world’s system to move forward in God’s will for your life. Jesus began a parable in Matthew 25:14 this way, “For the kingdom of heaven is like…” By this statement we know that He is about to explain how the Father’s kingdom operates here in the earth. The parable begins with a man delivering “talents” to each of his servants to care for while he is away traveling. In verse 15 notice, “[he gave talents]…to each according to his own ability.” God has a specific destiny for each and every believer. He has given us each dominion and authority with which to rule, and He has placed in our care specific kingdom assignments. The call is never beyond what we can faithfully handle.

Verse 16 reveals the first servant who received five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. He was faithful with what the master had given him. Jesus actually seems to say that this was the immediate response of the servant. As soon as he received the five talents, he did something with them. He made use of what he had been given and thus made another five talents. Because he was faithful in what he had been given, he received double back.

The same is true with the second servant. “And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.” (Matt. 25:17) This one actually received less than half of what the previous servant had received, yet he was faithful with the two talents he had been given. If it were one of us, we probably would have complained and become jealous of the first servant’s five talents to the point that we would have just wasted what was sitting right in front of us, much in the same way the last servant acted. “But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.” (Matt. 25:18) The last servant didn’t feel that what he had been given was worth very much. He probably didn’t figure it would go very far, so he just decided to waste the potential of what was given to him. What he had been given was now dead in the ground.

After a long while, the master came back to see what each had done with what they had been given. One by one they each came out to present to the master what they had done with what they had been given. The first two servants presented before the master the talents and the increase they had gained. Here is his response. “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things…” (Matt. 25:21) Even though the first servant was given more talents than the second, through their faithfulness they both stepped into their reward of having “rule over many things”. Their faithfulness was accounted to them and because of their faithfulness(;), they soon were exercising dominion and rule in areas that had previously been unattainable.

The last servant, however, came back to report that the talent he had been given was put into the ground and absolutely nothing had been done with it. Because the servant had been lazy and unfaithful even what he had been given was taken away and he was left with nothing. “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” (Matt. 25:29)



FAITHFULNESS & PROMOTION

Even though each of us has an ultimate, awesome destiny that we seek to live out, God gives us each portions of our destiny with which to be faithful day by day, week by week, month by month, and so on. He expects us, from the moment we begin to walk out our destiny, to be faithful with what He gives us. Many times we expect promotion to our ultimate destiny without first being faithful with the little things He gives us everyday. The first servant was faithful with what the master gave him, and thus he stepped into a destiny unheard of for a servant. He was made to be a ruler because he was faithful in the little.

The second servant didn’t receive as much as his fellow servant. He only received two talents. What would you do in a situation like that? Let’s get real. Many of us would be so jealous over the fact that “John” or “Lindsay” was given more to begin with, that we would despise what was given to us. This guy was not only thankful for what had been committed to his trust, but he was faithful in the use of the talents. Because of this he stepped into the same caliber of reigning and ruling (kingship) as the previous guy. The first servant began with more, but they both ended up as rulers over many things. We have to be careful to look at every little “talent” the Lord gives us as an opportunity to advance the kingdom and prove our faithfulness. Then promotion will come. It’s a kingdom principle.

Jesus speaks of the last servant as the “unprofitable servant”. The Master had a plan to promote him as well. The Master had a plan that he would step into the fullness of his destiny, but he proved unfaithful. In fact his whole destiny vanished because of his unfaithfulness over one talent. Only one little talent! It cost him everything. You know I meet millions of men and women who talk about all the prophetic words that they have received concerning their destiny and calling. They talk about all of the experiences they have had and all the plans of preaching and reaching entire nations with revival. Yet, they don’t seem to be doing anything. I ask many people that I meet, “So what are you doing right now?” The response is usually, “Well I’m just waiting for my time.” Just waiting for your time will never produce promotion in your life. The prophetic word speaks to your potential, but your destiny comes to pass when you take steps of faithfulness in your everyday life.



THE JOURNEY OF FAITHFULNESS

We can all find elements of ourselves in the life of King David. This was a man after God’s own heart that despite mistakes walked a life of servant hood and devotion to the Lord that would be hard to find today. David’s journey to the heart of God and into the fullness of his destiny as King over all of Israel didn’t exactly happen overnight. It started as a journey when the prophet Samuel called him out from a pasture. We find the account of David’s anointing as King in 1 Samuel 16.

As Samuel is seeking who the Lord would have him anoint as the next king of Israel, he seems to come to the end of the line. It appeared that there had been a mistake somewhere. He had already been warned by God not to look at the outward appearance, but at the heart. From what he could tell, he had been through all of Jesse’s sons. Where was the mighty man of God? He was out tending the sheep; the runt of the family and last one in which anyone would see destiny. Yet, this was God’s chosen vessel.

“And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all the young men here?’ Then he said, “there remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.’ So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.” (1 Samuel 16:11-13)

The most notable prophet in all of Israel called David out from the midst of his brothers and declared him as King over Israel, and the anointing from the Spirit of God came upon his life from that day forward. Wow! Isn’t this everyone’s dream? There was no higher calling in ministry. To be King over Israel was it. David had received that calling. Don’t you see yourself here? The prophet called you out from everyone else and began to describe how you were going to effect nations. He began to speak the Word of the Lord about your ministry touching the nation of China. He talked about the miracles that would be worked by your hands. He began to speak about the Joel’s Army generation, how the same anointing that was on the life of John G. Lake would be on your life, and on and on.

The same happened for David that day. Not only did the prophet call him out, but the Spirit of the Lord came upon his life for the task that day. Yes, it happened that very day. Nothing on the outside looked any different, but in his spirit he was king. I remember when God began to speak over my life of the destiny he had for me, how I was going to be a revivalist, touching the nations, and seeing the end time move of God. I knew from that time that I was who He said I was. I knew I was called and I knew that giftings and anointings I needed to fulfill the destiny already rested on my life. But it sure didn’t look like it in the natural. You see I was without a job, living with my parents, had no college degree and was without any real direction.

It was the same with David. Though he was anointed King that day, nothing in the natural resembled (that he was) a king. He didn’t have an international ministry. In fact, he didn’t even have influence over one single person. So how did David come into all that God had planned for him? He was faithful.

David endured the trials and wilderness experiences with courage and faithfulness in order to see the prophetic words over his life come to pass. It was not an easy road. He fought a giant, wandered in the wilderness, and escaped death by the hand of Saul. Even through these times, he endured and pressed on to the high calling of God on his life.

Eventually David did come into kingship. He was made king over Judah (2 Samuel 2). This wasn’t exactly what God had told David. You see he had received the anointing as King over all of Israel. This was a promotion because of David’s faithfulness. It wasn’t the fullness of what God had said, but it was a promotion and another step in the journey of faithfulness.

From the day that he received the anointing as king, it took 13 years for David to actually step into his kingship. He took a journey of faithfulness. “Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, ‘Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel.” (2 Samuel 5:1-3) If you look closely at verse 2, you will see David’s faithfulness very clearly. Even while Saul was technically still king, David did the work of a king. He decided that before he was actually made king, he was going to function as the king. How are you functioning in comparison to what you desire to be? We have many apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, but how many are actually functioning in their anointed role? David functioned as king and acted like the king. This faithfulness led to his destiny being fulfilled.

After God began to reveal my destiny, I determined within myself to begin to act as though I was already sparking revivals and touching nations. My first ministry opportunity was as a recreation director for a weekly children’s Bible school. I treated this responsibility as if the children’s very soul was at stake even as we played softball or kickball! As I continued to be faithful, I was offered a part-time position starting an inner city children’s ministry. For two years I poured myself into about 20 African American children, week in and week out. From there I helped to plant a revival church and was soon a full-time associate pastor. As I was faithful in serving the people and the pastor, God sent me to intern with Todd Bentley and Fresh Fire Ministries for a period of six months. Now, as the 6 month period is ending, I am preparing to begin traveling all over the globe as a revivalist with Fresh Fire, touching nations and seeing the first fruits of the end-time move of God(;)- all in a period of about 4 years! Do you see the principle of faithfulness and promotion? As far as anointing and gifting, I am the same person today that I was when I was helping children to swing a bat or kick a ball. The anointing and calling came to me. It was a matter of taking the journey of faithfulness and being faithful with everything God gave me to do each day.



FAITHFULNESS OF THE APOSTLES

Even the early church and the apostles proved their faithfulness. They were given a mandate in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” They received the power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. However, they still had to be faithful in being witnesses and working the power that God had given them. They partnered with what the Holy Spirit was doing, went out and literally changed the world. It started with Jerusalem. This was the city where it began. This was the beginning of the journey of faithfulness for the early church. Soon, they would take the Gospel out to Judea; eventually move to the larger Samaria and now literally to the ends of the earth. Once again this shows the process of faithfulness and promotion.

Even Paul proved his faithfulness. “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.” Paul was enabled by God to perform miracles, pioneer, reach the masses, plant churches, raise the dead, endure hardships, and write most of the New Testament because of his faithfulness. If anyone was called of God because of grace and the sovereignty of God, it was Paul. Yet, he still had a journey of faithfulness to take in order to come into the fullness of his destiny.

In the book of Acts chapter 6 both Philip and Stephen were chosen as servants to take care of the widows. This wasn’t exactly the kind of ministry that most would see and be envious. It probably didn’t seem like the same call that they knew to be inside of them. Yet, they were faithful. We know this because they both went on to destroy the kingdom of darkness. Stephen went on to be a man of signs and wonders, and to become the first Christian martyr. Philip saw an entire city reached by miracles, signs and wonders and became a mighty evangelist. Both of these men of God began as simple servants to widows.



FAITHFULNESS TO ANOTHER'S VISION

In 1 Corinthians 4:17 Paul promises that he is sending Timothy to the church. Paul mentions that one of Timothy’s credentials is that he has proven to be faithful to Paul. Before we can be trusted with the great destiny God has planned for us, many times God will ask us to prove our faithfulness to someone else’s vision and destiny. As Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms for battle (Exodus 17), God is looking for those who will support others as an act of faithfulness.

Again in Colossians 4:7-9 Paul sends two ministers to the church. (Both he declares) He declares both to be faithful. It seems that the only ministers that Paul trusted enough to send as ambassadors for him are those who have proven to be faithful. “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2) Even Timothy was told to make sure that those left in his ministry were first and foremost, faithful. It wasn’t until Elisha proved faithful to Elijah that God could trust him with Elijah’s mantle. “…As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!...” (2 Kings 2:6)

Are we willing to lay down our own visions and dreams in order to remain faithful to another’s? I believe that if we are not faithful first to another’s vision, then we risk not having other’s to help us fulfill our own vision. “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” (Luke 16:10)



FAITHFUL TO THE END

We must remain faithful to the end. In these last days, with the excitement of the prophetic promises, we can get in such a hurry to “get on with it” that while we accept being chosen, we totally miss being faithful. Jesus declared in Luke 12:48 that to whom much is given, much is required. Too quickly we want to jump into something that will require much. “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14) Those that will be part of this end-time army are not those who are only chosen. Those that are chosen must also be faithful. Faithfulness does not always have to take a long time. As with me, the process of faithfulness and promotion came rather quickly though the process is still taking place. This does not mean that we can ever skip the journey of faithfulness. Every great man and woman of God has proved faithful.

Maybe God has not called you to the masses. Maybe you don’t have a desire to influence kings and dignitaries, but deep in your heart you have a desire. God wants to see that desire come to pass even more than you do. The Lord wants to use you to shake cities and destroy the works of the devil, but he has set certain principles in place. “…you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things…” (Matthew 25:21) The journey to fullness is a journey of faithfulness. I know that today the Spirit of God will speak to you. He has an assignment for you. If you are faithful with that assignment, you will see promotion in your life. Before you know it, God has fully released your destiny and nations are being changed because of your faithfulness.



























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Back To The Top

Exd 3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which [are] in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;


Exd 3:8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.


Exd 3:9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.


Exd 3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.


Exd 3:11 And Moses said unto God, Who [am] I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?


Exd 3:12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this [shall be] a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

God believes in us more than we believe in ourselves. I believe that some of you reading this newsletter are in a place of giving up. You have lost hope in the promise(s) God has given you, and others of you have been brought into a new level of leadership or anointing and you don't know what to do. You don't know if you can handle it. God believes in you. He formed and fashioned you for this day, time and hour. He will speak to you and will renew hope within you. God has not brought you this far to let you down. His word and destiny for your life will be fulfilled!

EGYPT

Some of you are going to be sent back to the very places that has bound you. This is making some of you fearful. What if I become bound again? Do not be afraid. God is with you. This may be a state, or city that has caused you much pain in the past. It may be going back to the bars or a people that God delevered you from. You are now going back with the word and fire of the Lord.

Exd 3:12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this [shall be] a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

God is sending you right back where you started. For some of you that may be a place of worship or prayer. A place you use to be, but not anymore. A place where your spiritual senses are sharp and you have an edge. God is sending some of you back to that place where the thoughts of God are revealed to you. It is in that place where destiny is unfolded.

Others He is sending you back to a place where you were once in bondage, but now you are going back with the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. Up, up, up! The presence and the power of the Holy Ghost. Go ahead and say it. Yell it out! God is taking me back with the presence and the power of the Holy Ghost. Everyday you should anticipate, the inevitable, supernatural intervention of God. Everyday see hope. Everyday see faith. Today could be the day to see the miraculous, to see dreams fulfilled and doors of opportunity opened. Today could be the day to walk in your inheritance. So, come on up. See a little higher. Come on up. See a little further. Come back to the mountain top. Come back to the mountaintop.

1Ki 19:11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; [but] the LORD [was] not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; [but] the LORD [was] not in the earthquake:


1Ki 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

1Ki 19:13 And it was [so], when Elijah heard [it], that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, [there came] a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

The Lord is asking you today. "What are you doing here?" It is time to get back to the top. Get back where you belong. Get back to the top. Get back to the top. Get back to the top, right now. Get back to the place where you can have vision. Back to the place of freedom. Get back to the place where you can hear the word of the Lord. So, you can here God's still small voice. Because that is where God is.

1Ki 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Prayer: Lord Jesus I release joy, vision, and revelation into all who are reading this newsletter. Let your spirit come! Fill us overflowing with you Lord. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Thanks for your prayers and donations. Please send all prayer request to ringofwarriorprayer@yahoo.com Thanks for your generous support.

If you have been blessed by this newsletter and would like to invest in souls. Please donate to me through paypal to this email address fries1973@hotmail.com

Make checks and money orders out to Kevin Frasure and send to the following address:

Kevin Frasure
Post Office Box 2075
Murfreesboro Tenn 37133-2075
USA

God Bless You, Kevin
May you soar like an Eagle and all your dreams come true


http://warriorsabode.blogspot.com

Tongues

1 Corinthians 12:10
Still another person is given the ability to speak in tongues.

This week I felt like writing about the gift of tongues. I have spent hours in prayer using this gift and at times it has ignited other gifts like prophecy, word of knowledge, and word of wisdom. I remember a season of my life of speaking in tongues four to eight hours every day. Afterwards I could read people like a book. Tongues build up your inner man. You are also speaking mysterious of God.

1Cr 14:2 For he that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth [him]; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

You can also prophesy or interpret your own tongues to hear what God said to you. So, it is good to do both.

1Cr 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

This is to be done in relationship with the Holy Spirit. I speak in tongues often because I enjoy it, not because I feel like I have to. If you rarely speak in tongues I don't want you to feel condemned. But it can become addictive if you press in and the things of this world become less and less important. If you want to speak in tongues or prophesy just ask God. And earnestly desire spiritual gifts and He will reward you.

PRAYER: Father God I ask you for a fresh filling of the Spirit of all who are reading this newsletter. I ask for all who want to speak in tongues or prophecy, do so now in the name of Jesus. I ask you Father to give them the desires of their hearts.

I pray that they begin to overflow with your Spirit. I speak freshness and life into them in the name of Jesus. I plead the blood of Christ over them. I speak health and life. For some of you who has never spoke in tongues, you are feeling a bubbling up in your belly. Let it flow. Let it out.

Jhn 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:


Jhn 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life

Drink of the water from within. Don't be afraid. Drink. Drink. Come and drink. There are others who are feeling heat. Intense heat. Step into it. Some are being healed and others are about to speak in tongues. Let the fire out. Fire. Fire! Fire. Burn with passion for the Lord. Burn with passion! Some of you are seeing the color red. That is the passion of the Lord. Others are seeing flames or smelling smoke.

Let go of the pain. Let go of the past. Live in victory. You are an overcomer. Burn. Burn. Burn with the fire. The Spirit of prophesy is falling upon some of you. Speak the word of the Lord! Speak. Speak! Let it out. Let the word out. Speak out your future. Speak out your destiny. Speak of the coming shift. The shift coming upon the world. Spirit of Elijah come. Spirit of Elijah fall again. Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey! Go, in the name of Jesus. Heal the sick, cast out devils, speak in tongues. Freely you have been given, now freely give.

I commission you as the missionary to your territory. Go and sin no more. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, preach the good news. Now go! Go! Go! Go! Fight for it! Fight for your city. Fight for your destiny. Spirit of Elijah come! In Jesus name! Fight for your nation.

Psa 27:4 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.


Psa 27:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Please pray about the month of October. There will be many counsels and judgments in the heavenly realm. Pray for faith, hope and love. For God to have mercy. A shift is coming. The things I spoke about 2008 could come sooner if we humble ourselves and pray. God even now is calling forth prayer warriors. They are hidden away. They will fast, pray, proclaim and speak of the coming judgments and victories of the Lord. Pray against negative curses and strongholds over cites and nations. Pray for it to be replaced with love, blessing, mercy and a passion for Jesus. In Jesus name. Amen.

Prayer Time: Something fun you may try is that while speaking in tongues, speak the promises of God. Pick out a promise God has given to you and speak it out for 3-5 minutes and then speak in tongues for 3-5 minutes. Keep going back and forth and watch what happens. What may happen is that you will begin to feel an atomic bomb of prayer building up in you. When you can't contain it much longer let out. You will begin to speak the word of the Lord, or go into intercession, or something. Now, let your bomb out.

Thanks for your prayers and donations. Please send all prayer request to ringofwarriorprayer@yahoo.com Thanks for your generous support.

If you have been blessed by this newsletter and would like to invest in souls. Please donate to me through paypal to this email address fries1973@hotmail.com

Make checks and money orders out to Kevin Frasure and send to the following address:

Kevin Frasure
Post Office Box 2075
Murfreesboro Tenn 37133-2075
USA

God Bless You, Kevin
May you soar like an Eagle and all your dreams come true


http://warriorsabode.blogspot.com

Vision

9/19/2005
Today I saw a vision in the Spirit. I saw dividing lines in the Spirit. I saw cities broken up by ministry lines. Everyone had their turf. I saw backbiting, jealously and competition with on another. I saw everyone wanting to be the king and no one wanted to be a servant. I then saw a movement of God. I don't know if it is this move or the move after this move. I then received a prophetic word.

For the Spirit of the Lord says: I will be king. I myself will tear down the strategies and plans that are not of me says the Lord. I will bring forth unity and the competition and immaturity of my people will come to an end. It is I who gave you the position and office you hold and yet you think it is of you. It is by my goodness and grace that I have given you these things. But yet the comparisons continue. I will send a fire to burn all of this out and I will see forth that my will is done! Anything that is not of me will fall and crumple to ground like dust. I am the KING of kings and the LORD of lords. I am issuing a call to walk where I lead and for those who continue to rebel. I will set you in the belly of a whale until you learn to listen and to obey.

My heart is to show love and mercy to my people. Spend time with me. Come away with me as I show you things to come as I ravish my love upon you and as I heal those areas of you that has been wounded and that hurts. I will crush your idols and I will exalt you in due time and due season. For it is my will to do so. I am the potter and you are the clay and I am forming my body to be beautiful each in it's proper place and part. I am bringing forth a wave of cleansing and healing to my body. Eat of me and walk with me and I will show you mercy. I will show you love.

PROPHETIC VISONS

I saw a young black child and dome of eagles. The dome was huge and the eagles were locked in cages. A huge eagle flew above the others. The black child could see. He had eyes that could see in the Spirit and he unlocked the prison doors. He said "Some of the eagles have been locked in prison because of religious guards and others have been locked in prison because they refuse to esteem others higher than themselves. They all try to fly to the high place on their own. They all want to be the head Eagle and refuse to esteem the others."

The black child then took me to a cave filled with great riches and pearls. The child told me that God wants to release finances upon his body but too many are too immature to handle them. They become filled with pride and think that financial gain is a means of godliness.

I then saw a desert of broken dreams, visions and mantles. The child told me that God wants to bless His people with a blessing more than they can contain but people have abandoned the promises so the promises has become dead, rusty and broken.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask you to release Kingdom dreams and visions now in the name of Jesus. I ask for each body part to know its place and for them to be filled with joy of being there. I ask for your perfect will in all who read this newsletter. I ask for your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. I pray life. Life and more life. I pray for a release of all that the enemy has stolen. A release of health, dreams and visions. A release of relationships and wholeness. I speak health and blessing upon all. I speak finances. I speak the word of the Lord. Give us insight and foresight and the ability to hear in Jesus name. Amen.

MINISTRY NEEDS

The ministry vehicles we use for outreaches has broken down. We need $200 do have it fixed. If you feel lead to give to this please do so. It will be a big blessing to us and to those who we reach out to.

We also need other vehicles for outreaches and daily living as well. We could use cars, vans, SUV, and RV's. If you have any that is in great running conditions and you would like to donate. This would be a huge blessing. God Bless, Kevin

Thanks for your prayers and donations. Please send all prayer request to ringofwarriorprayer@yahoo.com Thanks for your generous support.

If you have been blessed by this newsletter and would like to invest in souls. Please donate to me through paypal to this email address fries1973@hotmail.com

Make checks and money orders out to Kevin Frasure send to the following address:

Kevin Frasure
Post Office Box 2075
Murfreesboro Tenn 37133-2075

God Bless You, Kevin
May you soar like an Eagle and all your dreams come true



God Bless, Kevin
http://warriorsabode.blogspot.com

The Secret Place

THE SECRET PLACE
OF HIS PRESENCE

BY REVIVALIST TODD BENTLEY
PART 2



God wants to be up close and personal! He longs to be gracious to you and not only that, He waits on high to have compassion on you (Isaiah 30:18). Wow! In His compassion, He wants to give you the gift of "holy hunger" for His presence. When this happens you'll be "wrecked!" By that I mean, you'll be desperate for God; consumed with hunger for Him; "ruined!" On the surface, being wrecked doesn't sound very good, but it is good because increased intimacy with God happens! And when we're ruined like this, an intense longing for God's presence begins to well up inside of us. This needs to be expressed.

Last week we discussed that the Psalms are so popular because they express our deepest longings and our cry for God's presence. It's like the Psalms give us a "kick start" because they help our emotions come to the surface as we identify with the cry of the Psalmists.

We looked at two great verses from Psalms (in Part 1) composed by the sons of Korah. This week I want to share one particular verse by the psalmist Asaph: "My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud. My voice rises to God, and He will hear me" (Ps. 77:1). Listen. When God hears our cry it's like He is saying, "Run into my arms, child." In fact, God is inviting you to run into His arms of love so that He can carry you into the secret place of His presence. It's the place where your relationship with Him can flourish deeply and where you are free to experience the "rapture of love," which is a joyful, passionate love for God. Now that's favor!

And let's not forget that God doesn't ignore those who don't know Him yet. His arms of love are wide open to everyone. He is constantly seeking and saving the lost with a heart-attitude that says, "I am completely aware of that one lost sheep (Luke 15:4-6). I'm going after that one!" And when that lost sheep is found, an opportunity will come for that person to make a decision to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. If they do receive Him, then, as their godly Christian character matures, an appointed time of revelation will come to them too about the secret place—its relevance and its splendor.

And there's more! The favor of God and His benefits toward us (Ps. 68:19) aren't just for us. His benefits are meant for our families too, as a godly inheritance. And His benefits are for our "spiritual children" as well. [Our spiritual children are those whose lives come into greater alignment with the Lord because we have influenced them with our godly character, anointing and spiritual gifts. Perhaps we led them to the Lord and we helped them understand His Word.]

So let's review a segment of scripture from Psalm 45 (from last week's teaching) because it illustrates the principle that favor brings a godly inheritance for our families and our spiritual children.




BUILDING-UP A GODLY INHERITANCE

In verses 10-12 the sons of Korah were inspired to write that the bride (called the "daughter") must forget her people and her father's house because she was about to enter into a marriage relationship with the King in a brand new culture and location. After she obeyed this command "THEN the King will desire her beauty" (v.11). But not only did the King desire her beauty, she received even more favor. Look at this: "And the virgins are brought to you, and with gladness and rejoicing they shall enter the King's palace. Instead of your fathers shall be your sons who you shall make princes in all the earth" (v.15-16).

Think about that. Her former way of life would be overtaken by fruitfulness and blessing after she forgot her father's house. She would concentrate on her sons, making them "princes" in all the earth. Her offspring would be princes. A prince is a royal heir! Now let's apply these verses personally. When you are completely sold out to God's purposes, you can establish a new godly inheritance of revival in your generational line because you're giving up one thing concerning your "father's house" [ where you have come from—your past, your family history] and you are embracing a whole new "breed." By this I mean that God will give you a whole new lineage; a whole new family tree. It's a whole new "revival root system" in which out of your loins your "biological" sons and daughters, as well as your "spiritual" children, will be missionaries, apostles, pastors, and prophets.

Maybe your generational line has been plagued with poverty, sickness, disease, death, thieves, criminals, witchcraft, or the occult. Perhaps no one in your family knows Jesus; just you and one sister and you're praying for the rest of your family. But starting with you—the royal son or daughter—you can "birth" new sons, a new inheritance and a new generational line. Here's how you can bring this to birth. By making a decree that from this day forward every son, every daughter, every grandchild, every son of my son's, son's, son shall be an apostle, a pastor, a prophet, an evangelist, or a teacher! Your decree actually administers God's justice.




JUSTICE OUT OF THE PALACE

Let's explore the story of Esther's life because she is an example of someone who administered the justice and judgment of God out of the royal palace. This was possible because right from day one the king greatly desired her beauty. Now why did he desire her beauty? It was because he saw that she possessed a beauty and grace that far surpassed any poise that the other beautiful virgins had. Her queenly stature was evident for all to see before she became queen! Therefore the king's servant eagerly gave her the beauty preparations, an allowance, and seven choice maidservants (Esther 2:9). Talk about favor!

How did she enhance her queenly stature and make herself ready to come before the king? She made herself ready by surrendering to the twelve month beauty treatment program—six months in the oils and six months in the perfumes. I believe the oils and perfumes symbolize different elements of intimacy that we experience in the secret place of God's presence. The oils represent: death, suffering, sacrifice, and dying to the flesh. The perfumes symbolize the presence of God and the fragrance of Christ. Actually this beauty treatment process can be summarized by the expression I mentioned earlier when I said, "you'll be wrecked." Let's not forget that the elements in this process will produce the kind of godly character that has the potential to affect many people and nations.

Isn't it interesting that she received an allowance. I want to ask a question. Do you know why there are some ministries that always seem to have enough "allowance" to carry on the work of the ministry? Here's the answer. It's because these ministries please King Jesus. Just like Esther had the royal scepter of favor extended to her (Esther 5:1-3), so do some ministries. This happens because, just like Esther, these ministries made themselves ready, like she did (2:12; 4:16).

You know, out of that place of favor in the palace, Esther saved the Jewish people—her people (Chapters 4-9). She administered the justice and judgment of God out of the royal palace. Like Esther, we need to be in the King's palace in order to administer justice. Yet some of us are trying to administer the justice and judgment of God without any favor because we aren't doing it out of the King's palace in the secret place.

Let's take to heart that ministry comes out of the King's palace, the secret place of His presence. I have always said that everything we have today at Fresh Fire Ministries is because of the secret place.




BENEFITS FOUND IN THE SECRET PLACE

The secret place can be seen symbolically as the bridal chambers of the King. So let's take a look at several areas described in different verses from the Song of Songs and the Psalms that reveal some of the benefits we can enjoy when we abide in the secret place.

1.

The voice of God and the face of God are manifested in the secret place. "Oh my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely" (SOS 2:14). In fact, the secret place of the cliff is translated this way in the KJV: "in the secret places of the stairs…" In Strong's Concordance "the secret places of the stairs" is: #5643 in the Hebrew: "cether"— a cover; hiding place, protection, secret (-ly place). Something happens in the secret place—the voice of God is heard and the face of God is seen. We hear the voice of God in quietness and stillness and we behold the face of God in worship.

It's a preparation place for the bride's future ministry. It's a place in which the hidden life and our secret history with God are developed as a result of being drawn in and responding to the presence of the King. Everybody talks about history makers. Many will say, "I want to be a history maker." But we don't have a history unless there is a secret history that is developed in the intimate bridal chambers of Jesus.

2.

The King's chambers are like a banqueting house with a banqueting table inside. "He brought me to the banqueting house and his banner over me was love" (SOS 2:4). In Strong's Concordance the banqueting house is: #3196 in the Hebrew "yayin"—wine (as fermented); by impl. Intoxication:--banqueting, wine, wine [bibber]. You know what goes in the banqueting chambers? A whole lot of drinking of heaven's wine, and it's a new wine!

3.

The secret place is a hiding place in the secret place of His tabernacle. "For in the time of trouble He will hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He will hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock" (Ps. 27:5). It's a place in which we dwell and where we inquire of the Lord and behold the beauty of the Lord.

4.

In the secret place of His tabernacle we'll be safe and we'll make an offering of the sacrifice of joy, and we'll sing praises to the Lord. "And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD" (Ps. 27:6).

5.

In the secret place we are hidden from the plots of man. "You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues" (Ps. 31:20). Judgment, gossip, or criticism doesn't affect you because you are in the secret place of His presence.

6.

There is divine protection in the secret place. "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. . . . You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday" (Ps. 91: 1, 5-6). This Psalm goes on to say, "Because he has set his love upon me . . . (when) He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him . . . ." (v.15a).



HIDE AND SEEK

Yes! When we love the Lord and we call out to Him, He will answer. But sometimes He doesn't respond to us immediately. If this happens it's like a test. Christians may either cry out louder and press-in more, or they'll withdraw and shrink away from pursuing the Lord.

Keep that in mind as we turn to Song of Songs once again. "By night on my bed, I sought the one I love. I sought him but I did not find him. 'I will rise now,' I said, 'And go about the city; into the streets and in the squares I will seek the one I love.' I sought him but I did not find him" (3:1-2).

Have you ever been in a place of such hunger and desperation that you said, "I will seek the one that I love. Draw me away with You. I will run after You." And you're pressing-in to His presence, thinking: One thing do I desire and I am hungry for is the manifest presence of God. I long to be united, to be one with Him. But even in all that seeking and even in all that crying out—"kiss me with the kisses of your mouth"—it's as if He can't be found. It's as if there is a "divine withholding" of His presence. It's like God wants to be pursued and He wants to "know that you know" that He is worth the chase!

That's what the bride is experiencing. She is seeking, she is crying out, but now the presence of God is withheld. Maybe you can identify with her. Maybe you're in a valley right now, in a dry and thirsty land, and it's like the heavens are brass and there is no breakthrough.

Look. Sometimes there is a divine withholding of the presence of God. The face of God is hidden. But why is God hiding? After all, here she is in the sweetness of: "Draw me away! We will run after you" (1:4). The cry of desire. "Kiss me with the kisses of your mouth" (1:2). "The King has brought me into His chambers" (1:4b). "My beloved arose and spoke to me and said, 'Rise up my fair one and come away, for lo the winter is passed'" (2:10). There is this glorious presence of God, this secret place, the voice of God, the face of God. It's sweet. It's lovely. She's in hot pursuit of God. There is a hunger in her heart. There is this beautiful intimacy, and then He is gone!!




WHY GOD WITHHOLDS HIS PRESENCE

So let's take a look at three reasons why God withholds His presence.

1.

God hides His face so that we will seek Him. He wants to be found! "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (Luke 11:10). How much do we really seek Him? How much do we really hunger for Him?

2.

God withholds His presence so that we'll work on the hidden life—our inner motivations and areas where sin is manifesting. Sometimes when we're in the blessing of His presence, we're tempted to try and ignore the messes in our life. But when God's presence isn't there, we're driven to seek Him, and we find out what's really going on in our heart.

3.

Sometimes God withholds His presence simply because He's okay with what we're doing. We just need to keep moving forward until He re-directs us. Some of us can't even brush our teeth until we hear God say, "get out of bed!"

It's difficult, especially after we've experienced rich seasons with God in the secret place, to find ourselves in a season when His presence feels like it has lifted. There are times when we're hurting because of hardships and testings and we get tired. But know this. God's good purposes are behind this and He will bring you through. He will awaken that fire that you once had in your heart. He wants to awaken lost love. If you're at the point of wanting to quit, don't give up. Rest in the Lord's arms of love and let Him love on you or determine to seek Him until you find His embrace.

And so next week in Part 3 we're going to discuss numerous keys to arouse and awaken love! We'll also take a look at "intimacy robbers."

I want to invite you to join with me in prayer as we close this week's teaching.



PRAYER

O God, we realize that You are inviting us to pursue You. Thank you! We are learning that when You hide, You aren't rejecting us, but You are actually yearning for us to draw closer to You in our hearts. Your Word says that if we draw near to You, You will draw near to us (James 4:8a).

Thank you that You are bent on having whole-hearted lovers and You are not content with just a piece of our heart. You are jealous for our affection and complete attention even at inconvenient times. We want to ask You to work in each of our lives through various circumstances to draw us into the secret place of Your embrace, where You long to reveal Yourself to us in a deeper way. We love You God. In Jesus' name. Amen.

"For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you. It will no longer be said to you, 'Forsaken,' nor to your land will it any longer be said, 'Desolate; but you will be called, 'My delight is in her,' and your land, 'Married'; for the LORD delights in you, and to Him your land will be married" (Isaiah 62:4-5).

Fresh Fire Ministries
PO Box 2525,
Abbotsford, B.C.
V2T 6R3

Tel: 604-853-9041
Fax: 604-853-5077