Intimidation causes me to tolerate the thief.
The thief is the spirit behind all that is evil.
Letting others steal from me is not love.
Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
I will not tolerate the thief in myself or my world because Christ lives in me.
I will stay in life-union with Jesus and let his words produce generosity in me.
I mentioned a week ago that I would write about my experience with trusting God. The prophet Isaiah wrote prophetically that God’s people were planted by God for the display of God’s splendor. (Isaiah 60-61) Over time they would become “oaks of righteousness”.
We need to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us. Under the title, “God’s relentless display of beauty… You” I want to share my experience in trusting Jesus with my life. So, you will be seeing a series of posts under that heading. From my earliest memories, I have heard that I am indeed “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) Knowing that and then trusting the process has become a lifelong project for me.
I was blessed to be raised in a pastor’s home. I don’t want to leave you with the wrong impression about what I was “blessed” with. The gift of being the fourth of five children in a pastor’s household was not a life of ease. The term “pastor” is taken from a
My parents were shepherds to the families in our innercity church. So, in a sense, I was raised as a hired hand of a couple of shepherds. That meant that I lived and breathed the good, bad, and ugly about how people can behave. It wasn’t always pretty. But, it provided me with a front row seat to the human experience of trusting that God would cause his will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven”.
Thanks for your patience as I search through my memories for the keys of the kingdom God left for me to find. Yes, he does that. The Lord hides things from us. But, it’s not because he wants you to lack any good thing. It is because he wants to bless you in your searching. When you put your faith in Jesus as a living presence with you and you allow his words to infiltrate your mind, keys of heaven get stored away for you to discover along your journey.
You and I have been entrusted with life. Congrats! That is a big deal. Don’t miss the truth that you weren’t given the gift of life because you deserve it. God has taught me that his gift of existence to me makes me worthy of showing up each day for his glory. I get to do this!
To live with Jesus means that we possess eternal life in him. That amazing, transcendent, life of God was made available to me through living as a pastor’s son. By loving and bearing with humans that were under our care, I was driven deep in the ground so that like a seed, I could die and then begin to grow into something amazing.
I resisted that process most of the time as a kid and then as a teenager. But, God was relentless in his pursuit of my heart. Take courage today in knowing that in every moment of every day there is a spiritual dimension to your life. The Spirit of God will meet you there. Holy Spirit brings the living presence of Jesus to you. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life in every moment and the door is always unlocked to you by faith. Young or old, rich or poor, success or failure, the One who designed you for his splendor is available.
You are a blessing!
I had a “prayer warrior” friend say to me recently that the problem with Christians in western culture is that we won’t humble ourselves enough to receive the living word of the Lord. I was intrigued and provoked (in the best way) as I have wrestled with this very thing for many years.
I have discovered a new favorite phrase from “The Passion Translation” referring to how Jesus calls us to live. He urges us to “remain in life-union” with him. For many of us, we will remember hearing about this as “abiding” in Jesus.
When it comes to being prophetic, no matter your age or culture, you must relate to Jesus as a person and you must receive his words. Both are far more than an idea, a concept or a set of beliefs.
What would happen if we gave our lives, surrendering ourselves to Jesus in order to remain in life-union with him? It would require us to embrace him as a living person present with us and his living words as something active inside us.
We would stand out as a bit strange at times… but “wonderfully” strange.
Maybe you have that same desperate hunger gnawing away in your gut as I do for God to be known on earth as in heaven. And you aren’t sure what to do with it. I encourage you to ask the Lord to make remaining in life-union with Jesus a priority in everything you do. Watch for him to show you the implications of his living presence with you and in you. Anticipate that you will experience him and his living words as active transforming agents in your life. Let your life-union with him expand your worldview.
As you do, you will find yourself prophesying more and more with your words and even your actions. Here is John 15:1-7 from “The Passion Translation”:
“I am a true sprouting vine, and the farmer who tends the vine is my Father. He cares for the branches connected to me by lifting and propping up the fruitless branches and pruning every fruitful branch to yield a greater harvest. The words I have spoken over you have already cleansed you. So you must remain in life-union with me, for I remain in life-union with you. For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intimately joined to mine.
“I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches.[e] As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless. If a person is separated from me, he is discarded; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire to be burned. But if you live in life-union with me and if my words[f] live powerfully[g] within you—then you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done.” (John 15:1-7) TPT
You are a blessing!
Lately, I have been writing more my journey in the prophetic. I’m not sure of all of my motivations behind this. But, I know that I want to help us all (including me) receive and declare the living word of the Lord in this time we have been given.
In a church prophetic prayer session recently, one of our prayer warriors was crying out to the Lord, saying, “We want the pure prophetic, Lord!”. As she prayed I began to see a picture of myself wearing a cloak. As I wore it, I disappeared. So, I said to the Lord, “Oh… a cloak of Invisibility”. I sensed from him that I wasn’t exactly right. So I waited. What came to my spirit was the word “Transparency”. As I engaged with that word, I began to see myself on the stage of our worship center. I realized that people could see the outline of my shape… enough so that I was recognizable. But, I was see-through. People could easily look into me and even through me. I was wearing a cloak of Transparency.
I intuitively understood that this really blessed the Lord and it is what he wants for me. He wants me to walk boldly in transparency. There is a burden in my heart, that tells me that he wants that for all of us who want to grow in the prophetic.
Lord, give us the pure prophetic. And, begin by transforming me and clothing me with your transparency. – Amen.
You are a blessing!
Anyone who dedicates their life to God’s kingdom manifesting on earth as it is in heaven will need the span of their life to complete the journey. And even then, they will realize somewhere along the way, that they have been consumed by a vision of something that may not be experienced in their lifetime. Your children’s children could be the ones to actually live out the scenes that play out in your soul as you pray for the unprecedented move of God on earth as it is in heaven. This can’t stop us from praying or discourage us. It needs to actually fan into flame the gift of prophecy as we pray for keys to be released to all nations and generations. As they fulfill their God-designed mission we will all be able to celebrate it together literally for eternity. Keep praying for more workers to be sent to the harvest!
I was deeply encouraged and blessed this morning as I read the following from “The Passion Translation”, “Then Jesus gave this illustration: ‘Imagine what would happen if you were to go to one of your friends in the middle of the night and pound on his door and shout, ‘Please! Do you have some food you can spare? A friend just arrived at my house unexpectedly and I have nothing to serve him.’ But your friend says, ‘Why are you bothering me? The door’s locked and my family and I are all in bed. Do you expect me to get up and give you our food?’ But listen—because of your shameless impudence, even though it’s the middle of the night, your friend will get up out of his bed and give you all that you need. So it is with your prayers. Ask and you’ll receive. Seek and you’ll discover. Knock on heaven’s door, and it will one day open for you. Every persistent person will get what he asks for. Every persistent seeker will discover what he needs. And everyone who knocks persistently will one day find an open door.'” Luke 11:5-10 TPT
You are a blessing!
We all need strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. That’s what prophesying is all about. (1 Cor 14:3) The first time I intentionally reached out for prophetic ministry was in the mid-1990s. A small conference I was attending offered the opportunity to sit with one of their prophetic teams in order to receive a word from the Lord.
I excitedly jumped into line. Hearing from God is something I could never get enough of. There have been many times in my life when I wouldn’t have been able to identify that. But, it has always been there. There has always been a relentless hunger and thirst for more.
I sat down with three wonderful women of God… ordinary people, like me, but so beautifully intent on getting a message from God that would strengthen, encourage, and comfort me. I still remember the three prophetic words they spoke into my life:
1. They sensed the Lord’s great favor over me and on me. He really likes me, enjoys me, and lights up every time and any time he sees me coming to him.
2. They saw me as a farmer, an ordinary man who is intent on being authentic. They sensed that the authenticity on my life was anointed and that God was going to powerfully use it to help others.
3. Seeing me in the Spirit as a farmer also spoke to them about my devotion and loyalty to the Lord and my commitment to stay at the work he gives me through all of the seasons, including the harvest. The Lord wanted me to know that I am a man who does what I am told and will stubbornly complete the work.
That was almost thirty years ago in a church facility less than a mile from where I am writing right now. But, there is still life coming from that encounter. The Holy Spirit moved me deeply and quietly that day. They were prophesying to me. They recorded it on a cassette tape and sent me on my way. I’ll let you know if I find that tape some day.
If you know me, you may see some of those same things in me that they saw a few decades ago. I have learned that once a prophetic word is spoken to you and you can tell it is the Lord speaking, it then becomes your work (sometimes painful work) in the vineyard of your life to encourage yourself with it and use it to help you take your stand in your everyday life.
I am so grateful for the blessing of that day when those three friends of Jesus prophesied to me. But, unless I worked with it by faith, you wouldn’t be able to see any of the fruit of it in my life today.
Do you have some strengthening, encouraging, and/or comforting things that have been prophesied to you in Jesus’ Name that you need to go back and work with again? There is still life from God in them.
To be prophetic is to synchronize through surrender. It is recognizing that Jesus is knocking at your door in everything. By faith, his knocking is transformed into his voice. You hear it because you are listening for… Him. Just open the door.
“Behold, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If your heart is open to hear my voice and you open the door within, I will come in to you and feast with you, and you will feast with me. And to the one who conquers I will give the privilege of sitting with me on my throne, just as I conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. The one whose heart is open let him listen carefully to what the Spirit is saying now to the churches.” Rev 3 – The Passion Translation
Prophesying or “the prophetic” is receiving the living word of God and sharing it in the power and authority of Jesus’ Name. I remind myself often that my identity is in Christ. As a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, I have authority to pray that God’s kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven and to fully expect to see it happen increasingly.
Lately, I have found that prophesying in prayer is a powerful way to grow the gift of prophecy in my life. A few months ago, the Lord challenged me about praying prophetically through Jeremiah 1:7-10, “But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.
Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.'”
I am learning to go (in the Spirit) to everyone he sends me to and prophesy (in my prayers for them) whatever He commands me with faith and boldness in the Name of the Lord Jesus. I feel like I am only beginning to scratch the surface on being sent in the Spirit to prophesy in prayer over people and places.
I have begun to have more faith when I pray, that he is putting his words in my mouth. He does that primarily while I am reading, recalling, or meditating on scripture. The Holy Spirit can use what I have read in the Bible to impress the living word on my mind. I then intentionally prophesy His word in prayer and try not to mix in too much of my own words or agenda. I don’t expect perfection out of myself, just growth in grace. I also remind myself by faith in His word that I am appointed in Christ to prophesy over nations and kingdoms in order to see a transformation occur in those nations and kingdoms for the glory of God.
If you begin to prophesy in prayer, declaring alignment with the living word of God in the unseen realm, you likely will find that your awareness of God’s presence will increase. You may also have more vivid and detailed dreams, impressions, and visions.
So, enjoy the fact that you have been designed by God to receive the living word of God and share it in the power and authority of Jesus’ Name. Have fun!
You are a blessing!
Growing in the prophetic has required me to surrender my conversations to the Lord. And by that, I do mean surrendering them over and over again… sometimes daily. Better said, I surrender by letting him put his words in my mouth. The prophet, Jeremiah had his life-altering encounter with the Lord when he was young. In his opinion… TOO young. In the middle of one of the most amazing visitations from the Lord (you can read about it in Jeremiah 1), this young man got distracted and he almost derailed God’s appointment with his own words… “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”
In order to grow in the spiritual gift of prophecy, I have learned over many years to trust God’s living word more than anyone else’s opinion, including my own. I have learned to cooperate with him as he puts his word in my mouth.
Jeremiah tells us more about his encounter with God,
“But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘I have put my words in your mouth.'” (Jeremiah 1:6-9)
When I prophesy, I know according to God’s word that he wants to strengthen, encourage, and comfort people. (1 Corinthians 14:3). Right up until this morning, just before I began to write, I had to intentionally reject the limiting, negative words (objections) I wanted to speak over my own life. I have my own set of excuses of why I should not be able to prophesy. I get too easily distracted by the limitations, fears, failures, and weaknesses that I see. But, I need to have God’s words in my mouth instead of my own. I am who he says I am!
I process it this way: How would I fill in the blank if I were Jeremiah? “Alas, Sovereign Lord, I do not know how to speak, I am too _______.” How would you fill in that blank for yourself? Whatever it is, you, by the grace of God, must let him confront it with, “Do not say you are too ______.” He is not pitying us when he confronts us this way. He is lovingly rebuking our limited vision of ourselves and calling His design up from within us.
I have learned that growing in the prophetic is a patient growing process. It involves not just reading and knowing what the Bible says. But, it is the daily habit of surrendering your words, objections, and opinions to the Lord who is sending you and longs to put His words in your mouth. Don’t rush the process. There will be many learning experiences. That means you will make a ton of mistakes as I have. Our Father is patient and calls us to go work in the vineyard of our lives every day. He is always full of joy and hope for you.
Still, my words… your words will not release God’s transformation in people or nations or even ourselves. But, thankfully the Spirit of God longs to fill our mouths with his words. His word is living and active! (Hebrews 4:12)
If you hold a dime in front of your eye, you can block out the sun from your vision. Are you blinding yourself from seeing who God has appointed you to be with your own words? If so, let me urge you to surrender to the Lord and let him touch your mouth. He created and redeemed you to do good works for His reasons. (Ephesians 2:10)
You are a blessing!
“God cares so much about you that He will bring deliverance keys to you while you sleep.” Sandie Freed
Here is a profound encouragement to those of us whose dreams are vivid and memorable on a regular basis. I have been reading a book on dreams by Sandie Freed. From my earliest childhood memories, I have always been a dreamer. Literally, from birth, I was exposed to all of the stories of dream encounters with God found in the Bible. It has never been a stretch for me to believe that God reveals things to me in my dreams. But, I have not been aware that dreams can be keys to open doors of deliverance for me.
It has been so encouraging here this morning to read Sandie’s testimony. One night a few years ago, I dreamed of finding money and keys that were left for me to discover within holes in the ground. I am beginning to sense that the Lord has been giving me dreams that are deliverance keys to open doors of freedom in my life. Amazing!
If you are one who remembers and regularly experiences vivid dreams, I want to share this encouragement today. “I was finally free! And my complete freedom came through the voice of God in the night season… I was delivered because of the Word of the Lord delivered through my dream. God cares so much about you that He will bring deliverance keys to you while you sleep. Dear one, He delivered me. He set me free. He healed my mind and my body. Nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27). And, precious one, He wants to do the same for you. Yes, keep dreaming!”
Freed, Sandie. Understanding Your Dreams: How to Unlock the Meaning of God’s Messages (p. 220). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
