Everyone Is A Candidate ~ Bill Johnson

Everyone in our community is a target for God’s love. There are no exceptions. The testimonies of radical transformation come from every sector of society and every conceivable place—school, work, home, the malls and stores, and even the parks, streets, and homeless camps. Why? There is a growing company of people who have the Father’s business in mind. They consciously take Him wherever they go. When Jason, one of our students, was asked to come to the courthouse to serve on a jury, he went with the Father’s business in mind. As he walked from the parking lot to the jurors’ building, he saw two young men who looked troubled. The Lord began to talk to Jason about the older of the two. As Jason ministered to him, he addressed specific problems he had with his father. He realized that Jason couldn’t have known this information without God showing it to him. Therefore, the young man received Christ. Jason finally made it to the jury selection building.

During a long break he began to pray for God’s leading. He noticed a man on the other side of the room seated in a wheelchair. It was the electric type that moved by a toggle switch on the armrest. After a brief conversation with him, he found out he, too, was a believer. Jason encouraged him with God’s promises and then asked him to look at him. They held hands and prayed. Strength came into the man’s body as the pain left. Jason told him to stand. The gentleman asked, “What if I fall?” To which Jason responded, “What if you don’t?” It was enough to bring the courage needed, and in plain sight of all the others in the room, this man stood to his feet, waving his arms about. It had been years since he was able to stand. Jason turned to the crowd and declared, “God is here to heal!” Before the day was over, two others had received the healing touch of Jesus. That is the Father’s business, and every believer has a part to play in carrying out this privileged assignment.

Johnson, Bill (2005-01-28). When Heaven Invades Earth (pp. 77-78). Destiny Image. Kindle Edition.

Are you believing a lie?

I am reading this book; "10 Lies the Church Tells Women" by J. Lee Grady.

Lie: A woman should view her husband as the authority/leader of the home.

Quote from page 83-84:

"When church leaders raise the issue of male headship, they are referring to two passages in the New
Testament: Ephesians 5:23 ("For the husband is the head of the wife") and 1 Corinthians 11:3 ("the man is the head of the woman"). Some people have assumed that this means men have been designed by God to be the leaders in society, while women are called to be followers. And they assume this is God's model for the church as well."

"But we need to be careful here, noting that in both of these passages Paul is discussing a wife's relationship with her husband, not a woman's relationship with all other men."

"If we investigate these two passages deeper, we discover that the concept of headship is not really about authority at all. It is about intimacy, mutuality, and the unique connection that exists between a husband and wife. The word used here for "head" in the Greek is kephale, which can be translated "source", as the headwaters of a river are the source of the river. If Paul had meant to say, "The husband is the boss of the wife," or "The husband is the leader of the wife," he would have used the Greek word archon, which is often used in the New Testament to denote authority. Instead he uses kephale, a rarer term."

"Why would Paul say that the husband is the source of the wife? In both passages, he is referring to the origin of woman in the Garden of Eden. Adam was the "head," or "source," of Eve because she was taken from his side. And because she came from him, she as the wife enjoys a unique connection to him that cannot be paralleled by any other human relationship."

"The headship principle, therefore, really has nothing to do with authority in the home. It stresses, rather, the mutual dependence that a man and wife have on each other, and it calls on husbands to nourish and cherish their wives since they have such an intimate connection with them in a spiritual sense."

Daily Exercise

To stay fit as a Christian we need daily exercise and healthy food just like our bodies do. We need to eat and drink the spiritual flesh and blood of Jesus, his word, truth and life. Exercise by jogging in faith, throwing off sin by confession and forgiveness, and running toward Jesus, receiving and wearing God's armor, praying always using our words to bind evil, loose love, praise God, and encourage others. Keeping in mind that our fight is not in this world of flesh and matter, but in the spiritual dimensions where forces fight for control and power over us.

The Power of a Thankful Heart ~ Rylisms, by James Ryle

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” Col 2:6-7

Several extraordinary things happen to us when we purpose to always be thankful.

First – the power of a thankful heart keeps you from the destructive influence of bitterness, for it lifts you to a higher perspective and lets you see things from God’s point of view. Yes, people will treat you badly and unjustly; but the Lord works all things for your good. Be thankful, and watch Him work.

Second – the power of a thankful heart prevents you from falling into pride; for thankfulness presupposes humility. A grateful man is a humble man; and a humble man receives the grace of God to face and overcome all things.

Third – the power of a thankful heart cultivates peace of mind and composure of character. When your life becomes rooted and built up in the truth of God’s word, there is very little that can disturb your spirit.

Fourth – the power of a thankful heart increases your sense of purpose in God’s work, for you know that He has plans for you; plans to bless you, to prosper you, to use you as a blessing for others, and to bring your life on earth to a happy end.

Fifth – the power of a thankful heart gives you a confident assurance for the future — not only for the life you live on earth, but after you pass from this world into the next; you will enter His presence with thanksgiving, seeing you’ve practiced it your whole life.

Sixth -  the power of a thankful heart permeates the atmosphere with positive energy. Your outlook of faith is empowering for others who may not be able to see things so clearly. Your glad disposition brightens their dark moments, like Paul and Silas singing praise to God in the Philippian jail.

And finally - the power of a thankful heart honors God, for it dares to look beyond the obvious to see the actual. Circumstances may be bleak, and things may be bad; the economy of your life may be teetering on collapse, and situations may seem all but hopeless — but God is still in control. Your thankful heart demoralizes the powers of hell and glorifies your heavenly Father.

Abound in thanksgiving today and you’ll see I’m right. All these things and more will be yours!

"Your Sins are Forgiven"

I have understood the principle of forgiveness for many years, and practiced it regularly...but God led me to begin to take it a step further. So yesterday I started to forgive everyone's sins...and it was fun! Haha! Something amazing began to happen, as I thought of different people and said, 'your sins are forgiven!'
I hadn't realized how I had held bitterness towards people in government, TV shows, news media, internet meanies, and all those in the world that seem bent on hate, greed and power. I forgave all their sins. I feel so free, and I know that it has changed the atmosphere on earth and in heaven! I got it! Yay God!

Luke 5:20-24 And when he saw their faith, he said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, "Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he said to the man who was paralyzed--"I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home."

Mark 11:24-25a "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone..."

My Story

I wrote most of this in a message to one of my friends that asked to know more about me...and decided to post it on my blog.

I have led a very full life with tons of experiences and adventures. I grew up with semi 'hippy' parents on one side and a 'executive' father on the other. No abuse, as a child, except maybe neglect and encouraged to drink, and smoke marijuana. I was a very shy, quiet child, and spent a lot of time alone. I was not raised with any religion, and minimal moral foundation. My parents were wrapped up in their own lives of resisting most forms of structure, expressing 'free love', getting high, and the 'open marriages' of the 70's. Except my Dad who was an executive at Boeing. He came across as a cold, highly intellectually intelligent person, yet every other weekend he would take us to do stuff; skiing, kayaking, scuba diving, camping. We went on so many adventures with him. Yet, I could never 'talk' to him, and used to joke about him being like Spock on Star Trek (not to him of course). The adventures were great, but he never taught me anything about 'right or wrong'.

Somehow I survived the drugs and alcohol (I assume my real Dad didn't know about), but I got married at 16 and divorced at 19, then went crazy with men. I didn't understand that I could say 'no', and I had a terrible need to be loved by a man, so it led me down a path of destruction. I was raped, conned, lived in my car, had 5 abortions, and was contemplating suicide, after being choked by an abusively insane boyfriend. I called a hot line and got some help. I started to learn from my counselor my 'rights' as a human being. By the time I was 21 I was so sick of the bar scene, I decided to quit smoking, using drugs, drinking, and got a boyfriend. We lived together for 2 years, at the end of which I got pregnant. I decided to keep the baby and gave birth to my sweet daughter (who is now 26). She was the best thing that happened to me. I took parenting seriously, even though I was a single Mom on welfare.

I got into the 'New Age' movement as I was searching for more meaning in life. I was disgusted by what I heard about religion as it seemed to me just a way to control the masses through fear and guilt. One day when my daughter was about 11 months old, I was sitting on my bed by myself and asked Christ to be Lord of my life. One of the new age teachers I listened to on tape said something that prompted me to do this. At that moment, something supernatural happened to me. I knew something had changed in me, and from that moment on I began to pray out loud everyday and change...inside! I had never been to church and didn't even see the connection. All I knew was I wanted to be like Jesus. I began to feel a love and joy that I had never felt before. I didn't really know what had happened at the time. Many years later I realized this was a 'salvation experience' and that Jesus will meet us anywhere we are at.

My first daughter was 3 years old when I sold my only possession (which was my car), for 1/2 the down payment on some land (5 acres) with a well. My mom and I had reconnected (she was single now), and we wanted to build our own places. So that is what we did. We lived in a tent, got library books on building, and started our first building which I now live in today. Five years later I had my second daughter (different boyfriend). My second beautiful daughter was born in this house (more like a cabin), she is 20 now. My daughters are, and have been, an incredible blessing in my life.

It wasn't until 7 years after my experience with Jesus, that I stepped foot into a church building. I decided to take my two girls to a local church one day. No one invited me. When I walked in the doors I began to cry as I felt as if I had come home. Someone gave me a NIV bible, and I began to devour the words. It was as if they jumped off the pages into my heart. For the first time I had some guidelines to live by. I understood that these were not 'rules' to be forced on me to follow, but loving guidance to help me live life to the fullest. The religious words that I had so despised, in an instant, I began to understand a deeper meaning. I loved the music and as the words of the songs sunk into my heart, I began to have more faith, joy and love than I ever knew were possible. I kept hearing Jesus say, "It's time for the body of Christ to come together."

I did marry again in 1995. I met him at church. I thought if I married a Christian that everything would work out, and we could overcome any obstacle in our marriage. We had the dream wedding, but about a month after we were married he turned away from God, and became emotionally abusive, and sometimes physically. He did turn back to God, only to slide back again and again. We went through years of counseling but separated in 2000 after the hardest 5 years of my life. Something in my body changed during that time. I began to have panic attacks and the stress of feeling like I was always 'walking on egg shells' began to take its toll on me, emotionally and physically. I started taking anti-depressants so I could cope with life. They did help a lot at first. We got back together for a few months after he had had more counseling, but he began the same things again, so I told God I would rather stay single the rest of my life, and save my children, than stay married to him. So I divorced him, and we began the slow process of healing. I continued to take the anti-depressants for 6 years, but after a while they seemed not to work as well.

I had never had a full time job in my life at this point, but in 2000 when I first separated from my ex-husband, I got a job at a bank as file assistant for the accounting department. God blessed me with incredible favor and knowledge. In six years I was promoted 4 times and by the time the bank was bought out, I was 'Assistant Vice President and Finance Officer' at the bank. I had no college degree; in fact I had dropped out of high school in the 10th grade and only had a GED. But God gave me incredible knowledge and favor. If I didn't know how to do something, I would pray and ask God to show me, and in a few minutes I would get an idea and figure it out. I was in charge of moving millions of dollars of the banks money, everyday between investment accounts. I really gained confidence in God and in myself during this time. When the bank was sold, our department was going away, but we all got large stock options paid out, and I was offered 9 months severance pay, if I would stay on long enough to help the new bank convert their systems. They used a software that I had become very good at using. In fact on my last day, I received a job offer as a Controller and Office manger for the software company that the bank used. I still work there today.

The stock options allowed me to buy a nice home and take a trip to Paris with my youngest daughter. My oldest daughter was in college by then. The only negative thing during this period was fighting depression and anxiety. The anti-depressants made it possible for me to keep going to work everyday, but as they began to not work as well, it was very hard to get up and go to work. The drive to work was a battle and I sometimes would think of driving my car under a semi truck just to get out of it (once I would get to work I would be fine). This scared me, so I went to get some counseling. I discovered RTF (Restoring the Foundations) again, and went through an Issue Focused Ministry session that helped me immensely. I went off anti-depressants, and began to eat healthier. I still struggled off and on, but not like before.

Both my daughters are very smart, they love God, and they both graduated from high school early. My oldest daughter went to Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK when she was just 17, after a year at a community college. She had wanted to become a teacher ever since she was in 3rd grade, so that is exactly what she did. She was married two days after she graduated from college to a boy who also had graduated early and whom she had met when she was 15 in drivers Ed class.

She taught in a public school in Tulsa for 5 years, has two sons, and now is a stay at home mom living in Little Rock, AR. Her husband went on to get his masters degree and is now a Lead over an Apple store in AR. My youngest daughter went to two years of college, but then decided to work for a while until she figures out what she really wants to do. She lives on her own in a nice apartment in Kirkland, WA and works at a Christian collage as an office assistant.

I have been single now for 11 years. I am used to it now, but it was very difficult when my youngest daughter moved out and I didn't know what to do with my life. I really am not the 'career woman' type and so after working two jobs for about 4 years, I quit one of my jobs, sold my house, and moved back to the little cabin I had built. My mother still lives on the property, but in her own house that she built many years ago. I had rented this cabin out for almost 15 years, so it was pretty run down. I started coming down on weekends and remodeling it. I put in new hardwood floors, cabinets etc. I have been back here almost 2 years now (April 15th), and love it out here in the woods.

My life is slow now, and I work mostly from home. I have two miniature schnauzers that I adore. The last two years has really been a healing time for me and a time to get closer to God. I have gone through more RTF sessions and some training to help others. I rarely feel depressed anymore. It is also good to be close to my Mom, who is now 77. She has hardly been sick a day in her life, and is still very active.

God keeps telling me to 'rest in His presence' so that is what I have endeavored to do since I moved back here. I know He is preparing me for something good. As I get more of a vision for the future, I get excited about it. I am excited to see His kingdom manifest on earth, as even with all the 'bad stuff' going on in the world, I know that there is more good. I know that Jesus wins the battle and faith, hope and love remain.

For more information on RTF (Restoring the Foundations) visit rtfi.org or restoringyourlife.org

Inspirational Video on Sex, Marriage & Fairytales

Troubled

I keep hearing crazy stuff from people I thought were solid Christians. Here I thought I was the one 'way out there'. I don't want to go into each item, and I don't want to debate...I just want to pray that Christ will prevail in their lives, and in my life. Sometimes it seems like I have the plan all figure out, and the next moment I feel like I know nothing.

Oh God have mercy on us. Guide us and lead us into all truth by a continual filling of the Holy Spirit. Give us discernment and wisdom to know what is true, what is religious and what is not truth. Love you so much, my God and my Savior Yeshua Messiah.


But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 
(John 4:23-24 ESV)

Redemptive Gift – Prophet

She has the Redemptive gift of a prophet and sees things in black and white:

There is right and wrong, good and bad. It’s a very simplistic world view. She can assess a

situation in about 3 seconds and tell you whether it’s good or bad.

She tends to take initiative and enjoy things that are new.

If someone else is not making something new around them she will. The prophet does a terrible

job of maintaining something that is running well. If you put a prophet in an organizational or

administrative position with a program that is running well, she will do one of four things; she

will improve it, change it, enlarge it or quit. (I have actually done this in the work place)

To maintain status quo absolutely totally cuts against the core, the grain, the spiritual DNA of

how God made a prophet. They do not maintain, they make new. You bring a prophet into a

situation where there is chaos, they can be quite cheerful for awhile as they restore some order,

establish a proper framework, but as soon as the thing is fixed, they want out.

A prophet processes very quickly and has an opinion on everything all the time and is quite

willing to share it.

The prophet shifts gears very quickly.

The prophet takes the initiative to judge others

There is a compulsion to pass judgment on anything and everything, and hopefully a more

mature prophet keeps his mouth shut most of the time but through my mind I am saying, “right,

wrong, not good, should be better, change this.” The evaluation is always there.

The prophet knows no fear unless she’s been seriously wounded.

There is a basic boldness in dealing with others and with situations. The fact that she hasn’t done

something before doesn’t intimidate her. She just has a confidence the she can figure it out. She

is not intimidated by the unknown.

Another core-value deep in the DNA of the prophet is an inability to tolerate bondage. They

do not like to be locked up, trapped down, set in a closed situation. The whole concept of being

in bondage is anathema to the prophet. They prefer to run rather than be imprisoned.

The prophet is extraordinarily generous, but many times the prophet gives impulsively and

unwisely. The prophet brings her “no fear” attitude alongside her giving and will give her last

dollar without any hesitation. It is amazing to watch how fast a prophet can go from sacrificial

giving, to someone who uses it unwisely, to judging themselves for squandering the Lord’s

money.

There is a need to have vision, a need to have a reason.

Here is an elegant illustration of prophets: If you took a bunch of prophets and put them on a

ship that was loaded with everything necessary for the good life and went out to see, within a

matter of two or three days each one would, one at a time, quietly seek out the captain. They’d

ask him where they were going and if the captain said, “what is it that you need, we have

everything on the ship you need for pleasure?” The prophet would say, “no, it’s not that I need

anything, I just want to know where we’re going.” “We’re going no place in particular but the

ship has everything you need for enjoyment.”

That doesn’t compute with the prophet, and one after another they would go to the rear of the

ship and jump overboard, because the prophet cannot not go somewhere. They cannot be busy

proceeding and not know where they are proceeding to and why. There is a need to have vision,

a need to have a reason even if it is a bad reason. The need to have a deadline, a point, an

objective is non-negotiable with the prophet. Take away the reason to live and the destructions to

the prophet are immense. Where there is hopelessness, where there is bondage, where there is no

future and the prophet feels trapped, it destroys her soul and the prophet can literally will herself

to death where there has been that degree of hopelessness.

The prophet also demonstrates her gift in the area of full disclosure. When selling a used car,

unless she is really carnal, it is impossible for her to cover up the defects. She would rather

discloses them, telling every little defect, doing all she can to un-sell the care after it is sold

because of that compulsion for honesty and integrity.

The prophet is very, very hard on herself.

She is legendary for beating up others for their sins, but very few understand how hard she is on

herself. When a prophet has majorly sinned, like when Peter denied Christ, it is really hard for

her to forgive herself, and to restore her to ministry and dignity, because they are far fiercer in

their own denunciation than they are in reproving other peoples sin.

It is important for the prophet to make sense out of everything.

A prophet tends to hold truth much more tightly than relationships. This is true with family.

It’s not that the prophet is overly rejecting her family, although the tendency to be judgmental

can lead to a lot of family fragmentation, it’s just an “out of sight out of mind” thing. There is the

current world where they live, with two toes in the day and the rest of them in tomorrow, and

worrying about yesterday’s relationships just isn’t part of the prophets DNA most of the time.

The prophet has a passion for excellence in herself and in everyone else.

The prophet has probably the largest range of emotions of any gift.

The prophet is going to have the deepest compassion, the most mercy, and the fiercest

judgmental spirit all in the same person. The prophet is going to have the deepest depression, the

most profound hopelessness, and at the same time the capacity to celebrate God with exuberance,

with an extravagance that no other gift can match.

They run the entire gamut. One of the marks of a wounded prophet is one who has pulled in her

emotions and is only playing on 10 notes or so because she is so afraid of the depression she has

fallen into in the past. So in order to not fall into the depression, she has to pull in and also not

experience the joys. This is sad because God has designed the prophet to be intense, passionate,

and to be extreme in the most emotional settings. Sometimes even to the grief of those around

them.

Birthright

The prophet, if you will, is the research and development scientist in the Body of Christ. The R

& D scientist does not invent any new principles. The laws of science are fixed. She may

discover new ones, but she doesn’t invent any. The prophet is called upon to see new

applications, new ways to implement those principles in new situations. To be able to look at a

new environmental situation, go to the word of God, take a story from there, boil it down to its

principles, and bring that principle back out to a new application.

The reason the prophet does not like to do maintenance is because there is no applications of

principles. Once something is up and running, it’s up and running, there’s closure. The prophet

gets no joy out of standing, watching principles that are already assembled work.

The prophet does not celebrate more than about 10 minutes, “Okay, it worked, that’s good, that’s

fun, next.” The prophet needs an environment, needs either a problem or blank piece of paper to

apply principles, to weave together resources, to make something from nothing based upon

principles.

You also need to understand the boldness and faith of the prophet. The prophet understands the

power of truth. The prophet is the only gift whose faith is based on the principles and not on

relationship.

For the manifestation gift of prophesying, God sovereignty makes known to the individual what

is going to happen in the future. That is the kind of usage we are accustomed to for the word

prophet. But the redemptive gift of prophet does the same thing in a different way. Using

principles, she can know in advance what will happen.

A good redemptive gift of a prophet is someone who can build, not just one who can criticize.

Any carnal, immature prophet can run around and say, “this is broken, and that is wrong, and this

you shouldn’t do” and so on. That is very damaging to the church and very low level. A good

prophet is someone who can embrace the problem and apply the principles in such a way as to

effectively repair the problem.

The prophet is the one that God commissions to know the principles that will rebuild. To know,

not just the evilness of sin, but to know the fullness of god’s grace to be able to restore.

The prophet is one that is drawn to brokenness. You usually find the prophet working on the two

extremes; leaders and those who are broken and want to be restored. It doesn’t matter how badly

they’re broken, or what it is, it doesn’t matter how hopeless they are in themselves. There is

something that rises up within the prophet. There is a holy rage of fierce anger that the devil

would dare to destroy a work of God, a human being, a city, or a community, that God has

created. There is a passion and desire to bring the principles to apply, to restore, to rebuild, to

release into the fullness of the birthright.

So the cult of comfort is the enduring enemy of the prophet and the prophet is not content to

arrive at excellence alone. There is no fulfillment no life for the prophet in merely excelling in

her own right. Her life, fulfillment, joy her exuberance, her identity comes in showing a picture

of God so real, so dynamic, so current, so applicable that it will move people out of the

complacency and comfort of plus 20 to where they possess their birthright. It is in the joy of

others, the fulfillment of others experiencing their birthright that the prophet finds her own

greatest fulfillment.

This is the call of the prophet, to move beyond comfort, to provide the vision and the principles

to bring a group of people to possess their individual birthrights. That is what it is for the prophet

to possess her own birthright.

Keys to the Kingdom ~ by Group 1 Crew

Why I hate Religion, but love Jesus

Amazing God

Last weekend was an amazing lesson for me in being a vessel of God's Spirit. Friday evening I began to praise and worship Him...and soak in His amazing presence. I felt like I was in heaven, laughing and yelling with joy. The power and presence surged through my body most of the night.

The next day was great too, and when it came time to go to my house church, I was ablaze with His love and power. How to contain it? How to express it?
Then as we began to soak together, That still small voice told me to get up, and touch everyone in the room. One by one, so that He could impart...something for each person...something they needed. As I touched each one, I could feel His love and power, and then, as each person could receive, he poured it out of me, and into them. One laughed, one cried, one loved me back. But I felt it when His power left me. And then again to the next it would surge again. Amazing.

The next day, He wasn't through with me, as my dear Mother came over and asked me to pray for her. She was struggling because someone had robbed her recently, and she couldn't stop thinking about it. She is not even a believer, but said that she wanted me to pray for her, and use whatever words I wanted. I felt the surge of love and power rise up within me, and began to pray. He gave me words, that touched her. Then she asked if we could listen to the song that I had sent her the Friday before (by God's prompting), because her speakers stopped working. Two songs by Jesus Culture; Freedom Reigns, and How He loves Us. As we listened to the music the power surged through my body welling up into bubbles popping with laughter that I could not, and did not want, to contain. When I glanced over at my Mother, tears were streaming down her face. I praised God all the more, because I knew He was touching her. I love you Yeshua, and thank you.

Today she told me how she believes that every person in her life is a mirror of some part of herself. She told me that when she thinks of me, that I represent the Holy Spirit to her. Wow! What an honor. Thank you Holy Spirit for all that you are doing in me, and in my family. I bless you and ask that you pour out your Spirit on all who cry out to you...all who are asking for help...all who are seeking your face.

Beloved,
Debra

Sadness

If you let it in
embrace it like a friend
feel it's depth and pain
soon it has run its course
once you've hit the bottom
there is only up

Don't let the voices lie
they try to make you repeat
but after it's run its course
say 'no' and bind them in a heart beat

As your wings begin to spread
and the wind lifts you up higher
You'll choose life and joy
and peace will be your umpire

Debra

Windy ~ A poem

As I sit in my little cabin

listening to the rain on the glass

The wind whips the trees

in a most amazing dance

and branches hit the roof with a glance

I pray that they will stand firm

and not come tumbling down on my place

I remind myself of their years

of the roots that go deep in the earth

I imagine angels of heaven around

holding their trunks up straight

Though it whips through the tops

it cannot succeed in toppling them down

The sound of the wind is forceful

as the sound of the waves on the coast

It excites that part within me

that yearns for power and change

Not the power of men or machine

but the power of heavenly birth

That will bring forth a new dimension

and establish a new earth

by Debra

War & Violence ~ For my brothers and sisters in Christ that abide in His presence and He abides in them

This morning when I woke up, my body was vibrating with God's love in the new year, I recalled a conversation from the night before about the war, and the presidential candidates. God began to show me things in a different light, and I began to ask why most Christians, including myself, believe that defending our country by physical force is somehow God's will. I do believe that God protects me and my family. but aren't we putting our trust and power in the hands of our government and military when we support war to defend our freedoms? Aren't we supposed to put our trust in God? And why is it okay to murder our enemies, but it's not okay to murder an unborn child? Jesus makes it clear that, not only are we not to murder another human being, but we are not even to stay angry, or curse them.

Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire."

I don't read anywhere in the New Testament where Jesus or any of his followers fought back physically to protect themselves or their families (except for Peter whom Jesus reprimanded, and then healed the mans ear that Peter had cut off). Scripturally; war doesn't add up, at least not under the new covenant of grace. If we live by the law, aren't we subject to it and make what Jesus did of no affect?

Hebrews 8:13  "In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." 2 Corinthians 3:6  "who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Jesus said in Luke 6:22-23  "Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets."

It's as if we value our freedom and comforts more than God's word and His will. True freedom has nothing to do with physical comfort. Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-46  "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?" And again in Luke 6:27-29  "But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either."

Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:17 "For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil."

As followers of Christ, the war we should be waging is in the Spirit. As Paul says in Ephesians 6:12  "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
We need a spiritual military force to pursue the forces of evil and possess the kingdom for our God. As Jesus said in Matthew 18:18-20  "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

The closer I abide in the presence of God, the more I believe we need to surrender to God, and begin to fight the real fight in the Spirit, by the Spirit. We have this notion that America is a Christian nation, but is it really? I think it was a necessary step in our journey toward heaven on earth, but it is not a Christian nation Let's reconsider our position on war, the use of physical violence, and our future. It's not that we do nothing, it's that we do it in love, and the guidance of the Spirit of Christ.

Paul writes in Romans 8:18-33  "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?  Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies."