What Can God Do In A Moment of Your Time?

Miracles usually happen through desperation.    Desperation is not the key to miracles, so just because we are desperate that does not qualify us for a miracle.  But desperation often precedes most miracles.   Daniel was in a desperate spot when God shut the mouth of the lion.  He had troubles and problems and daily prayed for deliverance, but the actual  miracle did not take place until the height of the conflict.   The Three Hebrew children were in desperation when they saw the fourth man in the fire and was delivered from the king's wrath.    Moses was in a moment of crisis when he received his miracle of the parting of the red sea.   Esther was in deep conflict with Haman when God came through for her and her nation.  

All of the above mentioned people served God and honored God faithfully all of their lives and yet somehow this service to God did not stop their life from coming to a point of crisis. I talk to people that get discouraged because they have served God and yet things still seem to get messed up.   Why did Joseph have so many problems?  why did Moses go through so many trials and test?  Why did Noah have to see the destruction of the whole world?   Just imagine a flood in your life time that wipes out everything and everyone except you and those that took shelter on your boat.  That is trauma right there, and yet, Noah served God.  

Just because bad things happen and things are going backwards does not mean that God has neglected you or failed you, or has not heard your prayers and cries for help.   In every situation you find yourself in remember that one moment Daniel was about to be lion food, and the next moment an angel was there to shut the lion's mouth.    In one moment the three Hebrew Children thought they would perish in a fiery furnace but in the next moment there was a fourth man in the fire and they did not burn.   In one moment there was a sea in front of Moses and an angry army behind  him, but in the next moment the sea parted and they escaped.  Never lose faith.  Never give up hope.  No matter how bleak your situation you are only one moment away from complete victory.   God's ways are not our ways...He doesn't stop us from going through the fire, but, he keeps the fire from destroying us.

The Only Real Hope in This Life

25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 

The Word of God will cleanse us and keep us pure.   I have been doing a lot of studying and meditating on what it means to repent.   The Bible says that if we repent of our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us AND to cleanse us of unrighteousness.

But what if we do not repent?

What is we see what Jesus said about worry, and yet we make some excuse and worry anyway, refusing to let the water of the word wash us clean of it?

What if we see what the Bible says about gossip, and yet we do this sinful practice without restraint.

What if we know what the Bible say about loving our brother and we chose to despise them instead.

What if the Bible is speaking against immoral living and we chose to mock God and despise his Word and treat it with contempt?

I have come to realize that repentance means that we acknowledge that our ways are wrong and sinful, and we ask God to change us, to transform us by the power of His Word so that we can be obedient to His Word.  When we justify our sin, make excuses for our sins, ignore what the Bible says, or chose to disagree with the Bible or treat God's Word with contempt we have failed to repent of our sins.  

We have this promise, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

For far too long the church has worried, murmured, walked in strife and contention, and failed to love their fellow mankind.  In short the church has walked in sin and have refused to call these things sin or acknowledge their need for repentance.  

God wants to cleanse us of all unrighteousness and to present us to himself without spot or wrinkle.  Have you ever had a spot or wrinkle  you were trying to get out of a garment?  It takes effort to get a spot of wrinkle out of your clothes.  It doesn't just happen on accident.   Can we join together in a time of repentance?   Sometimes we look at that little spot or wrinkle in our lives and we think it is OK, it's not that bad and yet that is the very thing that is destroying us and making us unhappy and unfruitful.

PLease join me in repentance today:  Lord, search my heart and cleanse my life.   Let my heart, mind and soul be pleasing in your sight.  May all my actions glorify you, and forgive me of those things that grieve you.  I believe your Word and I ask you to line my life up with your Word, change me and mold me into the image of the Word of God.  Sanctify me Holy and keep me by your grace.  In Jesus name.  amen.

How to obtain VICTORY in the midst of OPPOSITION!

One of the biggest issues with childhood is when we stop believing.   When a child stops believing in their family, their church, their politicians, their abilities to learn, live and grow they are in danger.  Danger of what?   Of falling victim to the oppression of this world.  Fear and panic begin to replace faith and hope.  Rebellion and pain begin to replace obedience and safety.   I'm talking to more than one person that this process happened to you as a child.  Things went wrong, people around you failed, life got painful and you lost your ability to have child like wonder and belief.    When this happens we absolutely get totally lost, and unless these things are restored we will not find our way in this world again.   Just look at the things Jesus taught us, and realize that when our child-like faith, hope, belief and wonder are restored, then our life is restored!

Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.

Why are we so full of negativity when all things are possible to him that believes?   Why have we lost hope of a brighter day and a better tomorrow when all we have to do is believe?  Why is it so hard to believe that things can and will get better?  It is because we have experienced the pain of disappointment so many times that we cannot stand the thought of experiencing it again! 

Proverbs 13:12  Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

deferred?   Deferred hope doesn't necessarily mean it was stopped, but that there was a delay.  To defer means to delay!   When we make a plan, and things get in a knot and it takes longer than we expected it makes the heart sick.   When we make a plan and unforseen expenses or opposition arise it makes the heart sick.  I have lived a life of hope, dreams and plans and there are times when those become a reality, but I have yet to experience when any of my  hopes come to reality without some kind of opposition, deterrent, or unexpected challenge coming my way.  Yes, this is SICKENING.  So what do  you do?  You push past that and keep going anyway.   I have had many times that I have kept on in the midst of my heart being crushed, broken, sick, and discouraged.    One thing I have learned though is that a broken, sick or discouraged heart cannot stop you if you keep moving forward in spite of it all!    And you have to keep you eyes on the second half of the verse above!   BUT WHEN DESIRE COMES, IT IS THE TREE OF LIFE!   I cannot tell you  how many times I have pushed past opposition, pain and obstacles to see a dream fulfilled!  Many times!  And I can tell you this, the greater the challenge, the sweeter the victory when you obtain it.  The more you are hurt and wounded the greater that God rewards you when you stay on the path and obtain a more excellent promise.  

Everyone faces opposition, hardships and hope that gets deferred, but only those who are victors press on in spite of those challenges.  They will taste the sweet taste of victory as they obtain all that God has promised, and Oh, how sweet it is!  

You Are Living in an Uncommon Generation and You Have An Uncommon Purpose!

I hear the Lord saying, "An Uncommon purpose"    You are on the earth not as a common clay vessel, God has put you here for and uncommon purpose.  There were a few people in the Bible that had uncommon purpose.  Noah, Esther, Abraham, Joseph, Moses...We are living in an entire generation of uncommon purpose.  Our generation is like no other that has walked the face of the earth.  The speed at which we can contact others around the globe is uncommon to the earth.  The speed in which news media and productions can travel are also uncommon.   When you realize that the first man and woman walked this earth about 6000 years ago, and the advances mankind has made in just the past 100 years it is amazing to realize that our generation is experiencing things that no other generation have been able to experience.   In the past 100 years there has been an acceleration of inventions and the world is moving forward at a fast rate.   All of this leads to change, and just in the past five years that change has accelerated even faster across the face of the earth.    God waited until this time, this century, this place, these circumstances so that you could be born with an uncommon purpose.   

Do not allow the enemy to distract you, or entangle you with the gadgets and things of this world or ensnare you with the easy access to sinful behaviors.  Keep yourself pure and set your heart on things above and not on this world.  I hear the Lord saying that He has saved back uncommon mantles, anointing's and gifts for those of us that were born in this uncommon generation to be a witness to the nations that God is good and He is Lord of all.  

The Keys to Happiness

Psalms 23:1  The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.  

When we look at this verse of Scripture we see the keys to happiness.  First we must REALIZE THAT THE LORD IS OUR SHEPHERD.   Shepherds tend Sheep.  We are called the sheep of God through out the Bible.   Sheep are defenseless animals.  They have no way to protect themselves, provide for themselves or figure out where they are going.  Without the Shepherd they would end up lost and make a nice meal for the wolves.  Have you ever just felt lost and like the wolves were closing in?  Often people find themselves in panic, fears, stress and cares.  But a sheep depends on the Shepherd.  When you stop watching over your own life and learn to depend on the voice of the Shepherd to lead and guide you, you will find you stress levels going down.  You will find the peace of God which passes all understanding filling up your soul.  I remember the day I realized the LORD is MY Shepherd.  It revolutionized my life.  He not only leads me but he keeps me safe and where does he lead us?   It says this throughout the rest of the Psalm.

If the Shepherd is going to lead us than we must be willing to go where the Shcpherd wants,  do what the Shepherd wants and be what the Shepherd wants.   Often a sheep will stray off, and the Shepherd has to come find that one.  Why does this happen?   Why do we stray from God, from peace, from His path and His ways?  We do so because we WANT WHAT WE WANT!  That leads to the second half of the first verse.  I SHALL NOT WANT.  David knew the importance of that statement I SHALL NOT WANT!  He had tended to sheep all of his life.  Why do the wander off?  Why do they get lost?  Why do they go astray, out there for the wolves to destroy?  It is because they WANT to go somewhere besides that place of safety that the Shepherd leads them too.  As the Shepherd David would lead his flock to a nice green meadow where they could eat and drink, and where he was able to see them all and protect them.   But there would always be that one that would wander away.  He would go get it and it would wander away again.  IT ALWAYS WANTED TO BE SOMEWHERE ELSE BECAUSE IT WANTED WHAT IT WANTED! 

This is how we are.  We start wanting this, that or the other thing, and BAM the next thing you know we are not following the Shepherd but our own desires and wants.   The Bible says he grants the desires of our hearts when we are FOCUSED on him.   The moment we are not focused on HIM and our hearts turn towards what we want and we put our focus on those things we want, that is the moment that like a sheep we go astray.   David said it well:

The Lord is My Shepherd; I shall NOT want! 

You see the key to happiness is no longer living for what you want, but living entirely for what God wants.  Lord Jesus, I ask that my desires and wants would NEVER lead me, but only let your voice lead and guide me.  The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want!  

Paying the Price To See God Move

I was reading an article written by Joe Joe Dawson in which he was given a dream by God.   In  his dream he was at a restaurant eating and it came time to pay the bill.  He took his ticket to the counter and paid the bill in full.  The waiter then looked at him and said, "Sir, you need to pay the bill."  He replied, "I have already paid the bill in full."   Three more times in the dream he was in a restaurant eating and paid the bill only for the waiter to ask him afterward to pay the bill.   When he awoke he realized the Lord was showing him that there is a price to pay to see the Lord move upon our lives and often we have not paid all the price we need to pay as Jesus said for us to lay down our lives, take up our cross and follow him.

As I began to meditate on this dream the Lord began to show me more revelation in the interpretation of the dream.  For instance each time he had already paid the bill, the waiter showed him there was more to pay.   Yet, he is looking at the price on the ticket and the amount he paid and they are the same.   What this means is that we are often unaware that our commitment level to God is not great enough to see the things happen that we want to see happen in God.    Would this not be the fault of the waiter?  After all, when we go to a restaurant we count on the waiter to write our items and to total those items up for us in accordance to the price of the meals.  We seldom add those cost up ourselves, we depend on the one serving our food to tell us the price that should be paid.

In the church it is the Pastor's and leaders who serve up the food.   They are the ones that wait upon us and nurture us and lead us into the things of God.   I am telling you today that the current leaders and Pastors in the church are falling short in preaching to us and making us aware of the full price and sacrifice that it takes to see a real move of God in our lives, our churches, our homes and our community.

If the leadership is not asking you to spend hours in prayer that does not mean this is not necessary to see God move.   If the leadership is not asking  you to visit the lost, pray for the sick, feed the hungry and visit the poor that does not mean that these things are not necessary to see the hand of God move.  If the leadership is not asking you to fast, act on the Word of God, and love your neighbor that does not mean these things are not necessary to see the hand of God move in your life.

We have had faulty leadership in the churches, that have cared more about church attendance and church offerings than they have about true righteousness and the move of God and it is time to realize that if we want to see more of the hand of God move in our lives we must go beyond what our leadership has taught us is the 'price' to see God move and actually live out the Words of Jesus and lay down our lives and take up his cross and follow  him.

The Enemies Plan to Destroy Us

I had a dream in which God exposed the plan of the enemy.  All I can say is  hold on child of God because the floodgates of perversion that has entered into the world has not finished it's course yet.  In my dream I saw the enemy sending spirits of lust, and perversion, deceiving spirits to the Pastor's all across the USA.   This not only lead many Pastors to sexual sin, but it caused them to think they were correct in committing these sins.   It was a deception and heresy.  The Lord spoke to me and said, "Keep watch on  your life and doctrine closely, spirits have been released to lead the shepherds into HERESY, and those who do not have a love and devotion for the truth are going to fall into this trap.

Do not be surprised when you see leader after leader not only falling to sexual sin, but telling others it is OK if they do the same thing.  We are living in the time of a great falling away.  When men will no longer endure sound doctrine, but will go after those speaking heresies, with itching ears.  Please understand that deceiving spirits have been sent out in the spirit realm right now in this hour and time in history to pervert and twist the belief and doctrines of the shepherds of God's flock.  Keep an eye on your Pastor, and the people you watch on Christian TV.  Do not sit under the mantle of anyone that falls to this tide of perversion.  Anyone who sits under their teaching is also going to fall to the same heresy within a period of time.   Do not associate with those who fall to these heresies.  This is the time of testing for the church world wide and we must not fail this test.

Also, I shared with you a few months ago I had a vision in which I saw America plunged into perversion, and the church plunged with her.   In this vision I saw there were many conservatives in the Bible belt that over reacted using true hate speech and violence to try to 'combat' the tide of evil.  These conservative leaders became violent and hostile both in speech and in actions and it turned the tide of America even further away from the truth of God.   We must take a stand for righteousness, but we must remember that our weapons are not carnal, but mighty in God, spiritual weapons for the pulling down of strongholds.  In the next decade conservative Christians from the Bible belt are going to react in a harsh and extreme way to the tidal wave of perversion  and that it is going to pull apart the strength of the Bible belt, and the Bible belt as we know it will not exist within the next 15 to 20 years.   What we will see is the pulling away of the Bible belt until it no longer exist, and a host of spiritual leaders who embrace perversions and teach others to do the same.

Four Ways To Use Your Faith and Find the Favor of God

We live by our faith.  No matter what situation you find yourself in you have to allow God to find a way to get  you out of the flesh and into faith.  When  you are calculating what can  be done with what you have you are still in the flesh.  When you add faith to what you have you open up the potential for God to do something extra ordinary with your circumstance.   I am going to share with you some practical ways to share your faith in the middle of your circumstances that will cause the favor of God to rest upon your life.

1.  Share your faith in a big way.  Whatever you are lacking be it health or finances or relationship peace don't allow those things to be the center of who you are in this life.  If you focus on those things you are going to find that those things become unmovable and unchangeable.   When you make sharing your faith the center of who you are provision seems to come from unexpected places.  I have tried this bit of faith over and over again through out my life and it has always proven true as the Scripture says,  But seek ye first the KINGDOM OF GOD, and all of these things will be added unto you.  One thing about sharing your faith is that it also helps you live your faith.  And without faith it is impossible to please God.   If know one you knows wants to hear about  your faith then share it with those you do not know.  

2.  Always be fervent in prayer.   You see when things do not go as expected and the  bills pile up, or the drama starts in the relationships, or your health begins to fail it is ALWAYS a lack of faith to ease up on your prayer right in that moment!  I cannot express this enough.  Continual fervency in prayer NO MATTER WHAT happens in your life is the greatest expression that you can give to God.   When things go wrong people have a tendency to whine and complain to others instead of being fervent in prayer.   How consistent and determined are you in prayer?  Do you consistently fast?  Do  you at time take a day to be with God in fellowship and prayer.   How often do you put on the whole armor of God and really labor in prayer.  If you do not yet do these things on a consistent basis there is room for your faith to grow.  

3.  Take up the authority you have in Christ Jesus.  Lay hands on yourself and command that sickness to flee.  Lay hands on  the people around you and command those rebellious and unclean spirits to leave their lives.   Give to others and it will be given unto you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and flowing over shall men give unto you.   If you do not pray in authority on a regular basis you are not using the faith you have to over come this world.  

4.  Obey God's Word even when it will cost you something to do so.  Obey God even when it hurts. There is no greater expression of faith than when you obey God and take him at His Word.  Eventually obeying God will cause all good things to come into your life, however often when we obey God we suffer or are persecuted for doing so.  There is no greater faith than to lay down your life and being willing to suffer in order to obey the Word of God.   When you do this the Spirit of God will rest upon  your life as well as His favor.  

Overcoming the Attack of the Enemy

We see in the Bible that God's people are often attacked for their faith in God.  It started when Cain killed Able and continues still today.   We see examples of Esther who God used to save the Jewish people when Haman tried to have them all killed.   Daniel who would rather face a den of lions than to deny God's precepts.  And the three Hebrew Children who refused to bow.    To overcome the attack of the enemy first  you have to have a stance.  Our convictions are what make us worthy to suffer persecution for the sake of our Lord.   If we do not have convictions than we have no character.  People who do not live by conviction are people who live by popular demand.  The reason that this world is in such a mess right now is that we have politicians and leaders around the world that are devoid of true convictions.   Instead of governing by the convictions of their hearts, they simply do and say whatever they need to say and do to hold office.   This is the blind leading the blind.    Without convictions we are like the man who built his house upon the sifting sands of the opinions of man.  When problems and trials came that house fell, because it was built on sifting sands.  God's Word does not change.  When we build convictions into our lives and live by those convictions we are building our life upon the solid rock.   When  you live by your convictions your life is solid.

Ephesians 6:13 Therefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Having heart felt convictions is where you start, then you must put on the armor of God.  What  makes up the armor?   Truth, Faith, Salvation, Righteousness, Gospel of Peace.    Our weapons are not carnal, but they are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.   Why do we take our stand?  Because it is truth and we stand for the truth in spite of those who do not stand for it.   We take our stand because of our faith, we have faith that God is with us and enabling us to stand.  We stand on our convictions for the sake of salvation and righteousness.  These two alone are great reasons to take a stand.   We are salt and light to this world.   This world has no idea how bad this planet would be without those who are taking a stand for salvation and righteousness, for without these two things this world is a cold dark place to live.   And finally we take our stand for the Gospel of Peace.  Our mission is to speak the truth in love.

No matter what the world is doing or saying we do not live by  popular opinions or fads because our desire it to please the Father, we do not have a desire to please this world anyway.  I am reminded of elementary school when we used to have track and field day.  One of the events was team tug-a-war.  We would line up and pull on the rope, and we used the biggest guy in the back to tie the rope around as an anchor.  If that rope was around him and he was pulling back unmovable, unshakable, we knew that we were in good shape.  But once the anchor man began to lose footing and give way it was just a matter of time before we all gave way and it was over.    We must take our stand against the evil of our day, and hold our ground because we are salt and light.  We are the anchor men who keeps us secure as we wrap the armor of God around us and take our stand for righteousness and salvation.  Do not give up the fight but stand fast on your convictions, you never know who else may fall if you begin to lose your footing and slip.

What Is Ahead for America?

The Lord showed me a bit of the future about six months ago and it is good to be aware of what is going to take place.  First Europe, China, Russia and the rest of the world are going to begin falling to financial crisis before America falls to it as well.   When you see these things begin to happen make sure you get some cash to keep with you because some regulations will come to the banks as far as how much of your money you can withdraw.  Second a tidal wave of perversion is going to expand and increase around the world.  Not just sexual perversion.  Religious doctrines are going to be perverted and redefined.  Schools are going to pervert history as well as expose our children to perverted sexual ideas.  What used to be taboo is going to enter into mainline thinking.  This perversion is taking place to get this world ready for the anti-christ to take over.    As this begins to take place over the next decade many of the conservatives around the world are going to over react.  What do I mean by over react?  They are going to over react to this tidal wave of perversion around the world with hatred that is released through killing and violence.    Anyone that is truly from God relies on the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to others as they speak the truth in love.  But there is going to be a large segment of conservatives around the world that are going to resort to violent speech and behavior in response to this perversion.    If you think perversion is bad in the world today, you will think that 2015 is mild compared to what 2020 is going to be.  If you think violence, division, racism, and hatred are bad in the world today, you will think today is peaceful compared to what it will be in 2018.  

This world is on a march to Armageddon.  I believe that what people chose to do can speed up that march, or it can slow it down.  We must speak out the truth in love, but violence and hatred has never healed a nation or benefited a people in the long term.  We must take up arms and fight for our freedoms sometimes, but we must be sure we know our enemy.  Our enemy is not the neighbor next door that may be pushing for pedophile rights, for our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against principalites and powers and wicked beings in high places.

What the Lord has shown me about America is I saw her on fire,  she was burning, and people were fighting in the streets.  Is this really the future we want?  What  the Lord showed me about the church is the next wave of attack is going to come on the Bible belt areas of America.   As many conservatives over react and turn to real hate speech and violence the tide of America's youth are going to turn against us.   The decline in our churches over the next two decades is the design of the enemy to tear the Bible belt apart and make us look like hateful, angry, violent people.

I ask you can we speak the truth in love without using all caps, calling people names, showing disrespect for others or resorting to name calling or violence.  It is my prayer that we can show some restraint and not react out of fear and anger but to react by the Holy Spirit in love speaking the truth so that some might be saved.

God is going to use all of this to make a shift in his churches, not a shift towards perversion but towards prayer, fasting, holiness, true heart felt service where we lay down our lives and walk in the power and love of God.    This is God's will.  Sadly many churches will miss the will of God and they will shift towards perversion and sin.   Either way the church has been lukewarm for decades and that era is over.  Over the next decade God will be separating that churches between those that are  hot and those that are cold.  It's time to live the Word of God and get on fire for God.  Do not chose to depart from the faith and become cold by rejecting the Word of God and changing the truth of it for a lie.   We are going to see a division within the churches between those who become hot for God and those who grow cold and more worldly.   For the Lord says that he has allowed these events to take place in America because He would have us cold or hot, He can no longer tolerate the lukewarm service that so many have come to call righteousness.