Speak, Lord, for Your Servant (church) is Listening (1 Samuel 3:10)

Inspired by 1 Samuel 3

This has been a historic era when we have been trying to have all of the benefits of the kingdom of heaven on earth without the King. The nations of the world have bought into the lie that says even if there is a God, He is distant from us and uninvolved on earth.

Most, even in the church can relate to 1 Samuel 3:1, “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.” Eli’s house was corrupt and he himself was allowing unethical and immoral things to happen. God was about to judge his household.

In the middle of the mess, the Spirit of God broke through and caused the boy Samuel, to hear from heaven. That encounter under the coaching of Eli (even though he was coming under God’s judgment) launched Samuel into an unprecedented prophetic ministry.

We have come to such a moment right now. I submit to you that the Coronavirus Pandemic has become a moment when what we hear has awesome potential to launch the restored prophetic voice of the Church for the glory of King Jesus.

This is a moment when I am choosing by the grace of God to be intentional about how I respond to what I hear. I am joining with young Samuel and praying, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening”. The Church in all nations is going to shine powerfully in 2020 and beyond in an unprecedented way. Our service to God, today, is to listen only to Him.

In Christ, You are a blessing!

Jesus’ Word to You When Dread Approaches

I love the living, active, grace (ability) that comes from the Holy Spirit to prophesy to each other. 1 Corinthians 14:3 reads, “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.” For me, it’s all about building up, stirring up, and cheering up.
There is a dread creeping in on the world due to COVID-19. But, there was and is a MASSIVE network of people and communities united and connected in Jesus across that same space. We are one in the Spirit and we are united in Christ’s glory and love (John 17:20-26).

Today, I declare Jesus’ prophetic word to stir us up again. He still shows up when the thick clouds of dread creep in on our communities. He says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. (Matthew 5:14-15)

We have a powerful advantage of hope with which we can bless people who come into our place and space today. We don’t need to hoard it. It actually increases the more we share it. That advantage is the living word of the Lord. The light that will drive away dread is actually the living presence of God released in us and through us as we choose a grateful, thankful attitude.
No matter what threats arise (real or just hype), Jesus’ word over us is, “You are the light of the world.” Be bold in love, genuinely encourage people, and trust Jesus to shine more and more through you.

In Christ, you are a blessing!

God’s Vindication Assumes God’s Government

I have learned that God’s agenda for me is freedom. Legit freedom that breaks every restricting chain of control away from me. There are weapons forged against me. But, in Christ, those weapons are not effective. My defense is the vindication that Jesus provides by his presence in me and with me. Vindication is the action of clearing someone of blame or suspicion. The prophet, Isaiah wrote, “no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17) In Christ, I am cleared of blame and suspicion.

Jesus is present in me according to his promise to come in, stay with me and to do life with me. (Revelation 3:20) His presence with me governs me. I have been captured by the goodness of his kingship over me.
He trains me day by day to freely surrender to his ways. There are days when I cooperate well with the training and others when I tend to resist. Jesus disciplines me and calls me higher on those days. A good day is not always a fun day with Jesus. But, he reminds me endlessly that in him I am vindicated (cleared of blame and suspicion).

I am learning to trust his vindication of me more every day. He is showing me the ways I foolishly take that vindication and use it to get what I want. Freedom doesn’t work that way. The more I let him govern me from the inside-out, the more I experience his release from fears of blame and suspicion. The more I trust his vindication of me and not my own, the more courage I find to live in true freedom.

I pray the same for you in Jesus’ name.

In Christ, you are a blessing!

The Fear of the Lord Releases the Unprecedented

Over the past few years, I have been creating a prophetic word. It is in response to the journey I have taken with God. First I need to say that I am convinced we are living in an unprecedented move of God around the world. If you have eyes to see it and ears to hear it, you would be wise to make the most of it in your life.

The Lord is moving in unprecedented ways and bringing people into His family at an unprecedented rate. And he is doing it in and through the church, his family. It seems that the “new wine” of God’s renewal is being carried by his “new wineskins”… his children in Christ. The word that I have been crafting has to do with the ability or grace that God is pouring out to the church. It is the grace to release the Unprecedented move of God in all nations and generations.

I believe that mothers and fathers have been rising up that will not only carry this grace but will also effectively train their sons and daughters on how to carry it as well. The Lord of the harvest has been intentionally calling these leaders and preparing them for this moment.

So, by God’s grace, I see in the spirit, thousands if not millions of us around the world who right now are carrying the grace to release the Unprecedented move of God. It is time for us to own that gift in Jesus’ name and lay down our lives in releasing it. God will be with us and will help us take every step on the mission.

The past few days one more piece has been added to this prophetic word. It comes from Isaiah 33:6, “He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.” It is the fear of the Lord.

The Amplified Bible defines the fear of the Lord as “worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome”. My working definition is “placing God’s stance and word on everything higher than anyone else’s opinion including my own and surrendering to it”.

Today I can see and know in my heart that the missing piece is being added to my crafted word. The Lord has been showing me that the fear of the Lord is actually THE grace that the church is carrying at this moment… and it is increasing rapidly.

I feel like it has finally come together in me. God is giving it as a prayer call, mantle, and burden of love to carry. This is what I have been hearing in my spirit: The fear of the Lord is the grace we carry to release the Unprecedented move of God in all nations and generations.

If you hear that same call in your heart, don’t lose heart or give up in weariness. Let’s agree together and thank God for building us together in Christ as new wineskins who carry the new wine of the reverent fear of the Lord.

In Christ, you are a blessing!

The prize must be won

Do you think you have arrived? I dreamed last night of playing in a soccer match. As the left-winger, I was watching myself play. It seemed like I kept missing passes. My timing was off and worst of all, I could not seem to summon the burst of energy at that crucial moment to finish the play and ultimately put the ball in the net. Do you think you have arrived? I dreamed last night of playing in a soccer match. As the left-winger, I was watching myself play. It seemed like I kept missing passes. My timing was off and worst of all, I could not seem to summon the burst of energy at that crucial moment to finish the play and ultimately put the ball in the net.

Finally, after staying in the game and fighting through the disappointment in my own performance and my stubborn lack of drive to finish strong, I was able to scrape together a score. To my amazement, my coach flipped out with excitement over me and my ability to be in the right place and the right time and to FINISH the play.

So, today, I want to give a shout out to the ones who are staring down your day feeling the weight of disappointment and the dread of wringing out a few more drops of power to fight to the end. Heaven is filled with anticipation of celebrating you and the prize you are about to win. The Father and all who serve him know that the Spirit of Jesus is in you. They know that whatever giant stands in your way will not be able to withstand the mighty power that is going to outlast and put you in the perfect position to strike that giant down today.

This is your day because Jesus is with you and in you. The prize won’t be handed to you, you will have to win it. You have to show up. But, why wouldn’t you? You were made to not only have the prize but to seize it, to take the enemy out in order to get it, to WIN! THAT is who you are.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)

In Jesus, you are a blessing!

The Tidal Wave is Upon Us (A word from the Lord)

I had a dream last night. I was with a group of Christian leaders in a small boat. A friend of ours (also a leader of a church) was taking us on a quick excursion out on the ocean. We were without life jackets but were unconcerned. We had traveled about one mile away from shore with plans to go out farther. Those of us who were guests had no idea where our friend was taking us. Our small boat was sailing parallel to the shore.

I began to notice a towering tidal wave out on the horizon. It grew quickly and soon consumed the view. The others began to take note as well. My anxiety level increased and my mind began to race. The conversation on the boat was buzzing about whether or not we could survive if we stayed at our current location.

As the discussion continued, I began to hear the sound of the crashing water and I felt the spray on my face from the impending wave. We all knew the tidal wave would soon be right on top of us.

The driver of the boat decided to turn and head for shore. The wave was gaining on us and closing the gap between it and our boat. So, we accelerated and seemed to outrun it.

After we arrived on shore, we began to move through the village warning the inhabitants of the imminent danger and the impending tidal wave. The reactions of the people were mixed. Some began to make preparations and others smugly and foolishly took the liberty to stand and discuss at length whether or not this was actually a tidal wave or if they really needed to be in a hurry to adjust accordingly.

Many in Atlantic Canada have been interceding for an unprecedented move of God to arise. Several words have come over the past few years concerning waves of revival, healing, renewal, and deliverance. Including two powerful visions in my local church where I saw a massive tidal wave of grace hitting our worship center and one of our prophetic team members saw a season of waves of various sizes also striking our worship gatherings.

The Lord has been moving in me with the message that these waves are now upon us and it is crucial for the Church to invite his waves of grace. It is true that the waves will not always look inviting or pleasant. But, if we will trust God’s heart and his transforming power, we can bless the tidal wave no matter how it appears. This is a call to turn and repent of anything on earth that the word of the Lord identifies as out of alignment with heaven. Much like our boat turned and accelerated toward the shore, we must turn from false ideas and teachings and accelerate toward the safe harbor of Jesus who is the Truth.

The Lord was stirring the following word in my spirit: “God’s Grace Tidal Wave is upon us. It is imminent. Many have seen it in the spirit. Now we will begin to hear it and feel the spray in the atmosphere. We need to bless this consuming tidal wave though to many it won’t seem like a blessing. It is going to deal with us and assess (judge) us. There will be no time for us to assess the wave. IT is going to deal with US.”

We are in the beginning stages of an unprecedented move of God which will see a larger harvest of righteousness than the world has ever seen. It was prophesied years ago that a billion people will come into God’s family in Christ as a result. I urge you to wake up to the moment we are in, repent of anything in your life that is out of alignment with the word of the Lord, and be ready to bless the tidal wave as it makes landfall.

It’s time!

Don’t Lose Heart! Meditation on Matthew 10

King Jesus is revealed as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He sent his followers intentionally as sheep among wolves in order to display the glory of the kingdom of God on earth. Somehow, the presence of sheep who are filled with the Spirit of the Lamb of God provokes and exposes the deadly wolf-like ways in the world.

As in the days when the New Testament was written, the good news about the arrival of God’s kingdom still causes upheaval. It is good but usually not predictable or pristine. God’s presence exposes everything that is against the New Creation and anti-renewal. In the end, the wolves are seen for who they are in the presence of the Lamb of God.

As I meditate on my life of identifying as a child of God in life-union with Jesus, I need to make a confession. My experience is that the Lamb of God has to expose the ways that I am a wolf in sheep’s clothing. That is the way to enter into eternal life. There is no other way.

The beautiful, overwhelming truth is that my sins have been forgiven and I live in Christ for God’s glory. But, the place of connection is agreeing with his assessment of my ways, even when he exposes what is out of line with His heart in me.

It is a profound thing to invest our lives in God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. We do that only by God’s grace. As we live in the Spirit, the wolf-like ways in the world will come to light. We can’t allow that to discourage us. Instead, we must focus on Jesus, the Lamb of God and trust His presence more than ever. Somehow, He uses our lives in those moments as evidence of His kingdom’s life and resilience. Don’t lose heart!

(Inspired by Matthew 10)

Prayer to SEE in 2020

God, I come before you through faith in Jesus. You have taught me to believe in my heart that I have been rescued out of a dead, meaningless existence. My sins have been forgiven because of your faithfulness expressed in Jesus. I do freely and willingly confess that you are King of heaven and earth. Your kingdom is present everywhere and the increase of your government will never end.

At the beginning of a new decade, I pray that the eyes of my heart would be healed, restored and renewed. I long to see with 20/20 vision on earth as it is in heaven. King Jesus, I long for you to help me admit my blindness in any form and to receive your healing touch. In your mercy, touch my spiritual eyes so that I will see what you see, go where you send me, and say what you want me to say.

May the year 2020 mark a shift in my perception of your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven here and now. By your grace, I admit my need for gold refined in the fire, purified clothes from heaven to cover my shame, and healing ointment for my eyes. These things can only come from you. (Revelation 3:17-18)

Prepare me to serve in your overwhelming season of harvest in all nations. In a fresh way, help me see how you are manifesting the glory of your Name as you flood all creation with your Presence. I hear your knock at my door and your voice asking to come in. In the fear of the Lord, I gladly throw the door open again trusting you to come renovate, restore, and transform my life as a living temple in all that I say and do.

At the start of a new year and a new decade, this is my prayer.

Amen

A thought for those who want to father and mother on earth as it is in heaven:

Fathers and Mothers in Christ are accessible to everyone in the house. Never inaccessible. This is their challenge and joy. The impossibility of this drives them into the realm of the miraculous as they must depend on the resources of heaven in Christ to avoid burning out. Kingdom of God fathering and mothering is accomplished not by might or power but by God’s Spirit in the name of Jesus. It is their responsibility to manage life in such a way that even when their necessary boundaries may make them physically unavailable, their influence is never absent from those who depend on them. It is a high calling but indispensable.

Unrefined ponderings on a tired midweek morning…

Holy Spirit, reside in me, in us.

In Jesus, I am in heaven. Because Jesus is in me, heaven is on earth.
It is a “right here, right now” thing. The living, breathing, moving union of heaven and earth is overflowing with the glory of God.

Somehow to live every moment in the faith that in Christ, heaven and earth have been joined.

Transformation happens at the pace of a plant growing. And it grows up out of the mess and chaos of our lives.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank you, Jesus, for your faithful, undying, life infusing presence in us and with us especially when we think we are at our worst.

Teach us to see in every moment at least a hint of your kingdom flowing on earth as it is in heaven.

Amen