Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Let Food Be Your Medicine - "Forks over Knives"


Please check out a documentary movie called "Forks over Knives" - If you have www.netflix.com you can watch it - Also you can go on www.youtube.com and check out some bites on the movie. You can also buy the DVD on www.amazon.com - People are being healed and restored from cancer, heart problems, diabetes etc by changing their diet. - Wow! What we eat is the main weapon that the devil is using to steal, kill and destroy. 

Jesus said in Luke 4:4 that, man shall not live by BREAD (Food - Diet) alone but by every word the proceeds from the mouth of God.

In other words, we need a healthy diet plus the word of God to live healthy - kingdom lives. 

1 Corinthians 6:20 - For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Interesting Quotes from the documentary:

Quote was by Dr. Terry Mason - His advice on what we put into our bodies - (food)

"If it walked, hopped, swam, crawled, slithered, had eyes, has a mama and a dad, don't eat it." - Dr. Terry Mason

Another quote by Hippocrates is; "Let food be they medicine"


www.amazon.com

Please check out the following links below:

https://shop.forksoverknives.com










May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD make HIS face shine upon you and be gracious unto you; may the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you PEACE.

Friday, September 28, 2012

WALKING IN KINGDOM AUTHORITY


Abiding in KING JESUS Produces Kingdom Authority

He who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood abides, dwells continually in Me, and I [in like manner dwell continually] in Him. John 6:56 Amplified - The POWER of COMMUNION
John 15:4 - Abide in me, and I in you; as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me.
John 15:7- If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.

John 15:5 -I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

1 John 2:14 - I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.

The word ABIDE means to LIVE IN – SUBMIT TO – YIELD TO – DWELL IN – STAY IN – REMAIN – TO COMPLY so in other words when we live in Christ – submit to His Lordship, word and His Holy Spirit – Yield totally to HIM and His Spirit and word – Remain in HIM constantly and comply with His word and will, the end result is fruitfulness, power, walk in HIS Kingdom

The Kingdom of Heaven has authority over the earth and over all natural laws. The miracles of Jesus were a demonstration of how the authority of the Kingdom of Heaven has dominion over any condition on the earth. To the degree that we abide in the Kingdom by abiding in the King, we too can walk in authority over any condition on the earth. As we approach the end of this age, this will change from "can" to "must."

In 
John 14:12 the Lord said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father." Jesus demonstrated this with His life, and this is what He has called us to walk in. It is a high calling, and such authority can only come from abiding in the King who is above all rule, authority, and dominion. So our primary goal should not just be power or authority, but the One who has all power and authority. Even so, at the end of this age, His Body is going to demonstrate His power and authority to prepare the way for His coming Kingdom.

I sincerely believe we (Body of Christ) are about to experience the greatest move of God ever upon the earth and the greater works that Jesus promised. We will walk in our full kingdom Authority and demonstrate His Kingdom Power as Kingdom citizens. So prepare yourself – purge yourself -
Make 1 Thessalonians 5:23 your focus -And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)

Before the end of this age, there will be some who say to mountains 
"be plucked up and cast into the sea" (see Matthew 21:21), and the mountains will obey them. This must be done to prove that His Word is true. There will be those who see every miracle Jesus performed and even more. Some are already growing in authority and will one day walk in authority over every disease or affliction.
Unity of His People
This authority of the Kingdom will coincide with the Gospel of the Kingdom being preached. One basic characteristic of those who walk in this authority is that they will be in unity with one another. This authority can only come from abiding in the King, and those who are rightly joined to the King will also be rightly joined to His Body.

There is no greater adventure one can have in this life than the true Christian life, and there are no more exciting times to have ever lived on the earth than those we are entering. Even so, the greatest miracle of all will be the unity of God's people and their love for one another. The miracles will be exciting, but the unity and the love that makes it possible will be even more important and more wonderful. Above all things, and above seeing great miracles, we must pursue loving God and demonstrate this love for Him by loving His people.

From the time that there were just two brothers
(Abel and Cain) on the earth, they could not get along. One basically said, "The world is not big enough for the both of us." People, clans, and nations have been in conflict since. When the Church matures and becomes what she is called to, it will be in such unity that the world will marvel. The Lord Jesus Himself prayed to the Father in 
John 17:22-23 -"The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You did send Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me."

As we see here, the glory that will be revealed on God's people as in
Isaiah 60:1-2 and other places is so we can be one. When this happens, the world will know that Jesus was indeed sent by the Father, and that He loves us just as He loves His Son.

Those who experience the glory are bonded in a special way that is hard to describe or understand until you experience it. The glory simply erases the pettiness and lack of forgiveness that separates so many Christians. It is by beholding His glory with an unveiled face that we are changed into His image.
Our first calling is to be like Him and our second calling is to do the works that He did. If we are like Him, we will walk in love, and when we walk in love, He can trust us with the power. For those who walk in love, it becomes the greatest treasure that allows us to be who we were created to be—the image of the One who is LOVE. 1 John 4:8 -Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 - And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love

Friday, August 24, 2012

Focus on Christ


One of the hardest lessons we will ever learn is how to take a negative situation and turn it into a positive experience. 

In Psalm 23, King David reminds us that it is all a matter of faith and perspective. He writes, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me” (v. 4). David’s words are stepping stones to a great faith. In fact, if we practice the principle that he lived, God will develop a conquering faith within our lives.

David lived with adversity and, from time to time, we will too. No one escapes difficulty. It is a part of life lived in a fallen world, but we do not have to live with feelings of defeat, discouragement and criticism.

You may be thinking: But you don’t know my circumstances. There is no way for you to understand the pressure I feel or the discouragement that plagues my heart.
While we can’t truly know or understand the hurt another person may be experiencing, we do know that there is one person who understands perfectly and that is Jesus Christ.

He was rejected, betrayed, criticized and crucified. If you are looking for someone to identify with the pain that you are feeling, do what David did—realize there is One who is walking through the valley with you. No matter how dark life becomes, He will lead you on to ultimate victory in Him.

Prayer: God, as I face trials and discouragement, help me to remember that You understand what I’m going through. Help me to focus on You and to remember that I’m not alone. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Monday, July 2, 2012

THE REALITY OF OUR REDEMPTION

SPIRIT AWARENESS
 When we hear the word spirit, the Holy Spirit comes to mind immediately. This is so because a good percentage of believers do not have the faintest idea of their own spirit. The breath of life that God breathed into Adam was his spirit; it was not the Holy Spirit. We are baptized by the Holy Spirit who comes to live in our regenerated spirit at the New Birth.
The Holy Spirit can only work through our spirit, so if we have no knowledge of our spirit, there is bound to be confusion or at best, a mixture in the church life.  According to Hebrews 4:12, the spirit must be severed from the soul in order to avoid a mixture; and so that the spirit will be free to be joined to the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17)
 The human spirit has a mighty potential. It is the breath of the Eternal God, hence Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, He has put eternity in our hearts.

 MATURITY BEGINS AND CONTINUES WITH AWARENESS
Spiritual awareness results in seeing, hearing and discerning the Lord. Developing awareness enables one to bridge the gap between the seen and the unseen, bringing us into living in two realms. God created us to be dual-dimensional persons, but most of us do not live that way. By default, we live in the physical ‘body’ dimension, and we take our directions from our minds and emotions, which represent the dimension we call the ‘soul’ and  we pay only limited attention to our spirits, which limits our daily life to the material world.
Your human spirit is your connection with God. His Spirit communicates with your spirit. Therefore, it is important to learn about the three-part nature of human life -spirit, soul, and body, if you have a desire to walk with a supernatural God.
To hear from God and act on it requires the use of your spirit. The spirit relates to the spirit realm and gives us God consciousness. Since most believers do not even know they have a spirit, they have no contact with it. That is why most believers think they cannot contact God. God cannot be apprehended by our thoughts, our feelings, or by our intentions.
 In the tabernacle in the wilderness, there was a veil between the Holy Place and the Holiest. This veil separated the two realms. The Tabernacle was a picture of the tri-partite nature of man, spirit, soul and body; the outer court representing our body, the holy place our soul, and the Holiest, our spirit. It is evident that the veil is between the soul and the spirit.
The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that the veil is over the heart but it is taken away in Christ. When we turn our heart to the Lord; we can behold the unseen realm, the glory of the Lord. There the Lord is not veiled.

THE PRACTICE THE PRESENCE OF GOD
This is the key to virtually everything spiritual. You must believe that you can come at any time into the presence of God. The more time you spend in the presence of God, the more conscious you become of your spirit. The more conscious you become of your spirit, the more conscious you become of God in your spirit.
Your unworthiness does not handicap God. Learn to stand in the presence of God knowing that He loves you, that you are accepted and welcome. We are told to come boldly into His presence. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). We obtain mercy and grace. Mercy is not receiving what we deserve and grace is receiving what we don’t deserve. This is a good reason for going into His Presence more often.
To many believers this is difficult, because we are dealing with and developing a relationship with someone who is invisible. This is why it is very important to know your own spirit and develop it.  Hebrews 11:6 says that ‘he who comes to God must believe that He is’.  Nothing can behold anything else except there is a likeness. God appears to and fellowships with that which is like Himself. Man has something in him that can see God and that must see God. We are created in the image and likeness of God.
The Apostle Paul also said that we can see or look into the invisible world. While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18)        
Of Moses’ faith, Hebrews 11:27 tells us that ‘he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
 David also said in Psalms 16:8 ‘I have set the LORD always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
The ability to use one’s imagination to transcend the natural realm has been given to us by God. We have five senses that enable us to go beyond the veil. We must exercise our senses to enable us to access the unseen realm.
But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Hebrews 5:14)
Taste, sight, touch, smell and hear; these senses can be trained and exercised to enable us to connect with the spiritual realm of God. What these senses pick up beyond the natural is important for the development of spiritual awareness.
We need to develop an awareness of the Lord’s presence. He said He would never leave us nor forsake us. God is everywhere and in everything. However there is a difference between the omnipresence and the manifest Presence of God. His manifest Presence is activated by our awareness of Him. This is picked up by one or more of our five spiritual senses. The Israelites referred to the manifest Presence of God as the Shekinah glory of God.
God is everywhere, but He does not turn His face and favor everywhere; that is why Bible tells us to seek His face. That is why King David said in Psalm 16:8 ‘I have set the LORD always before me.’ Psalm 24:6 speaks of the Jacob generation as those who ‘seek His face’.
True ministry flows out of awareness. Jesus ministry was an example for all of us. You must become aware of the Christ in you. You must be God conscious. You must be aware of who God is in you. As I said previously, if you do not know your God, you will not know yourself; if you do not believe in yourself, you are not going to believe in the God in you.
BELIEVE AND SEE
We must lay scriptural foundation for everything we do so that Satan does deceive us. Picture in your mind everything that is yours in Christ Jesus. Visualize the Lord. Picture in your mind the will of God for you. See it; believe it, live it. When based on God’s Word, or on a given word, your imagination is not an illusion; it is a reality. Use your imagination to break through the natural barriers to reality. You are made to walk in the spirit with the Lord. Read the word, meditate on it; visualize it and see yourself being or doing itBelieve that God is more powerful to protect you than the devil to deceive you. Use your sanctified imagination as a means of experiencing God.
(Please read Genesis Chapter 28 – Jacob’s Ladder)
What we desperately need in our cities today is more than one or two churches experiencing visitations. We need to establish habitations, or places of open heavens. The church needs to rise up and become ‘Bethels’ – places where God can be found, the places of His manifest Presence.

Friday, June 22, 2012

KEY WORDS of our FAITH



DELIVERANCE – JESUS delivered YOU
– Means to be rescue from something or somebody
– Means to be liberated – Means to be emancipated
– Means to be saved from something or someone
– Means to be released from something or someone

SANCTIFICATION - JESUS has made provision for YOUR total continual sanctification by His BLOOD
– Means to cleanse
– Means bring back to original state
– Means to set apart

RECONCILED - JESUS reconciled YOU to your HEAVENLY FATHER and to HIMSELF
– Means to win over
– Means to reconsecrate
– Means to be brought back into fellowship; harmony; agreement; alignment

RESTORATION - JESUS has paid the debt and made provision for YOUR complete restoration
– Means to reinstate
– Means to refurbish
– Means to redeem
– Means to return to its original State 

REDEMPTION -   JESUS has paid the price to buy you back – YOU are His possession – HE owns YOU
– Means to buyback
– Means to exchange
– Means to recover
– Means to make amends

REVIVAL – JESUS has given YOU HIS Precious HOLY SPIRIT to revive and keep reviving all that was dead
– Mean to make alive or resurrect 
– Means to stir up
– Means to reignite
– Means to brought back to life

RESURRECT – JESUS brought you back from the dead and provided complete resurrection for all things
 – Means to rise from the dead
– Means to bring back into use
– Means to renew

RECOVER - JESUS has made provision for your total complete recovery of all that was lost in your life
– Means to regain
– Means to redeem
– Means to obtain by Judgment
– Means to reclaim 

Monday, April 30, 2012

The Splendor of a King

Words of Wisdom - Vitamins for the Mind by Jim Rohn

Education/Learning
Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.
We must learn to apply all that we know so that we can attract all that we want.
Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.
If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around.
Don’t see the mind for more than it is, but don’t misread it for all that it can be.
Sharpen your interest in two major subjects: life and people. You will only gather information from a source if you are interested in it.
Education must precede motivation.
While you are in school, make sure you get the information. What you think about it, that’s up to you. What you are going to do with it that will soon be up to you. But while you are there, make sure you get it. In fact, my advice is, don’t leave school without it!
Never begrudge the money you spend on your own education.
If you step up the self-education curve, you will come up with more answers than you can use.
"Vitamins for the Mind" is a weekly sampling of original quotes on a specific topic taken from The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn. The burgundy hardbound book with gold-foil lettering is a collection of more than 365 quotes on 60 topics gathered from Jim's personal journals, seminars and books and spanning more than 40 years. Click here to order The Treasury of Quotes.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Conference In DC - Awesome Time in the LORD

 
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Prayer Changed the Mind of God

The visible glory of God descended, then manifested, on the top of Mt. Sinai. As many as six million Israelites heard the audible voice of God speaking to them from the majestic fire. The entire nation quaked and trembled in holy fear. In response, Israel's leaders begged Moses that no further words be spoken to them by God. Moses agreed, then turned and ascended the mountaintop and entered this frightening holy blaze where He remained for forty days. (See Exodus 19:17-20:19; 24:18.)

Incredibly, when Moses delayed his return, the Israelites began to rebel, making for themselves an idol, a golden calf, similar to the idols of Egypt. They did this in full view of the glory of God, defying His glory with their outrageous idolatry. (See Exodus 31:1-8.)

Nothing angers the living God more than man's idolatry, and this brazen act was enough to have destroyed all Israel, both the sinners and also those who saw their sin and did nothing to stop it. In response, the Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them, and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation"(Exodus 32:9-10).

This is an amazing verse. It reveals something of the inner workings of the divine mind. I am thinking in particular of the Lord's statement: "Let Me alone." The implication is that if the Lord is "alone" – that is, without an intercessor to appeal to His mercy – divine wrath can be fully expressed. Conversely, the opposite is also true: wrath can be restrained if we, as intercessors, do not withdraw our entreaty. As long as Moses does not withdraw from prayer, there is a mercy opportunity that is being made possible.
The goal of an intercessor is to remain in prayer; i.e., to "not let God alone." This is not to imply that we are more merciful or forgiving than God. That would be quite untrue. What is true, though, is that some measure of divine grace and forgiveness – an unreasonable measure – is reserved in God's heart and is only escorted to earth by human intercession. God's holiness demands that sin be punished; His mercy, however, triumphs over judgment and can be enlisted by prayer.
Our quest is to unite in oneness with the mercy of God. Conversely, the devil's goal is to create the opposite relationship between us and God, where we accuse people for their sins and failures. Satan seeks to embitter us against our loved ones and associates, neighbors and nation so that our desires are not redemptive but accusatory and judgmental.
Peter tells husbands to not be embittered against their wives so that their "prayers will not be hindered" (1 Peter 3:7). Underline this truth: bitterness hinders intercession. The Lord desires we climb into His very thought-processes in extending mercy to earth. In this, the mercy-oriented intercessor attracts the full attention of God.

"Let Me alone," the Lord said. Yet Moses refused. Instead, he reminds the Lord of His promises for Israel as well as His relationship with Israel's forefathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 32:11-13). Too many intercessors misinterpret the Lord's initial pushback and report, erroneously, that God has exhausted His mercy. He has not. In fact, His mercies are new every morning. Moses' response to the pushback was to prevail upon God's love. He reminds the Lord of His purpose, repeats the Lord's promise, and he does not stop praying for Israel.
Moses became a mature intercessor. He stayed close to God, prevailing in prayer. Even though the Lord said He would make of Moses a great nation, Moses ignored the prospect. He knew all people would have times of sin and failure. Moses had come too far to start over. This journey was about a covenant that was made with Israel's forefathers.

Remember, the assignment is to bring an imperfect people with a promise from God into fulfillment. The intercessor's role is to pray from the beginning of that journey, through the valleys of sin and setbacks, and continue praying until the promise from God is obtained.
You may be a pastor of a church, or an intercessor, or a parent. Regardless, whoever you are praying for, you must have this attitude: "Lord, I am not letting You alone concerning my loved one."
When I pray, I never pray for divine wrath to fall; I always pray for mercy and grace. I agree with God that wrath is justified because of man's sin, yet I plead with God for mercy and correction.
The Result
The result of Moses' intercession is utterly amazing: "So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people" (Exodus 32:14).
May this be a revelation to us all! Moses' prayer changed God's mind!
Much of how God relates to the future of a nation is based upon how the people in that society pray. The Spirit has made one truth plain to me: The future of a society does not belong to sinners; it belongs to those who pray. Thus, Jesus tells His disciples that whatever two of them agree on "about anything that they may ask" (Matthew 18:19), it will be granted by the heavenly Father. Two or three servants of God who refuse to abandon their faithfulness in prayer can release the mercy of God into their world.
For Moses and the Israelites, the outcome was profound: "the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people" (Exodus 32:14
Think of it: prayer changed the mind of God.

Lord, thank You for always remaining open to our cries. Help me to persevere, to give You no rest, until You fulfill Your highest purposes with my family, church and nation. Thank You that one voice is not too feeble that You cannot hear it. Master, I stand in the gap for those I love. Reveal Your mercy to them.


Monday, February 27, 2012

Tested by God’s Promise

Psalm 105:17-19
[God] sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They afflicted his feet with fetters; he himself was laid in irons, until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him. NASB
    
The life of Joseph began with great promise. Earlier in his youth, the Lord gave him a dream that showed him that he would be elevated to a position of great authority. He would rule over his brothers. Even his father and mother would come bowing down before him. What happened next? The very opposite of what God had promised. His brothers betrayed him, sold him as a slave into Egypt, and, because he was faithful to his Egyptian master, he eventually ended up in prison. He was in fetters, his soul was in iron.

 How did Joseph respond to that situation? Did he say to himself, “Everything’s gone wrong! The Lord’s promise will never come true”? No, I don’t believe that. It says, “Until the time that the promise came, the word of the Lord tested him.” How important it is to see that when the Lord gives us a promise, many times everything that happens next will seem to be the very opposite of what God has promised. It’s so important that at times like that we don’t give up on the promise, we don’t say, “God has forgotten; God has failed.”
 
 You see, that promise that God gave us is testing us. It’s testing our faith and our constancy to see if we’ll hold on in the darkest hour. And when we pass the test, then, like Joseph, the promise will be fulfilled.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

2012: The Year of God's Favor

   

      20120119LeapintoFavor  
leap year is a year in which an extra day is added to the calendar in order to synchronize it with the natural seasons. It is a shift that moves our measurement of time into harmony with the cosmos.

In Scripture there are two kinds of time. One, kronos, is linear and measured on the calendar in days, hours, and years. The other, kairos, speaks of seasons. It is a quality of time—God’s opportune moment that is outside of our linear framework. It is the time God refers to as His “set time.” Psalm 102:3 says, “You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come.” Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son” (NIV). Kairos is the opening through which the arrow of God’s favor flies from heaven to earth and makes a shift.

This year is your spiritual leap year. God is about to shift your calendar, your circumstances, and your personal history into synch with His season of favor! This is a prophetic picture for us individually, and it is a picture of what God wants to do for His Church corporately. Don’t look at the natural circumstances or the date on your “calendar.” We are going to leap into favor in 2012.

Psalm 18:28-29, “For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.” When God’s favor comes, the impossible becomes possible. Things we can’t do in our own strength, God gives us the power to accomplish. Doors that have been shut open supernaturally. Enemies that have opposed us, scatter, and their plans for harm launch us into greater blessing. This year will be full of challenges, but we are going to see God’s people jump over every wall, and advance against every troop. As we make the LEAP, God’s power will come to bring us into clarity, prosperity, victory, and destiny. This is God’s year to act!


Part 1: Leap into Recovery

This is your kairos time to LEAP into recovery of stolen inheritance, spiritual justice, and material increase. Jacob's flocks multiply to recover all that Laban cheated him out of after God gives him a dream and showed him how to get wealth: “And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you’” (Gen. 31:12). A supernatural strategy and the favor of God gave Jacob his kairos opening to advance from servitude to prosperity and liberty.

At the same time, God dealt with Jacob's character as he had reaped something of what he had previously sown in getting Isaac's blessing, traditionally reserved for the elder brother. Not only did God prosper Jacob, He changed his identity from thief to inheritor, which had been God's intention from the beginning. After that God identified Himself as "the God of Jacob." He ordained the new man to be the father of the lineage that would forever become known by his new name, the nation of Israel. Isra-El literally means, to contend with God. Jacob's transformation is confirmed by his unrelenting faith displayed in his struggle with the Son of God, preincarnate, at the Jabbok crossing. Jacob displayed how greatly he valued the blessing and thus his nature as an heir fit to steward it.

Additionally, we see the character of Christ in him as he approaches Esau in humility. He carries an attitude of laying down his life toward his brother, thus reconciling him to himself and giving payment to seal the deal. It is therefore no surprise Song of Songs recalls that event as depicting the one that captures the affection of the king as bride. Jacob began his hero's journey in darkness, the Shulamite recognizes her own shortcomings for receiving highest favor but goes on to capture the Bridegroom’s heart. Just so, Jacob becomes the highly favored one.

Jacob’s story is a story of exile and return, a story similar to all of ours. There are days when we can all identify with Jacob the trickster, with Jacob the struggler, with Jacob the thief; grasping for things, striving for things, doing the very thing we don’t want to do. But our divine Advocate is also mercifully the divine Adversary of every shadow or kind of turning that would try to rob us, trick us, or cheat us out of our full inheritance. His favor is surrounding us like a shield.

ACTION:

“How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” (Gen. 28:17).

This is your kairos moment. The gate of heaven is open for the shift from your natural abilities to God’s supernatural season of favor, blessing, and promised inheritance. He is bringing His people into their inheritance. Declare the year of God’s favor today. Declare His supernatural wisdom, strategies, and grace to prosper, increase, and return to you all the enemy has stolen. Declare your leap into favor.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for Your Presence. Let Your Presence come as I LEAP into your super-abundant blessings for me, my family, my church, and nation. I thank you that this is the set time for return of the lands, possessions, and inheritance that have been stolen. I declare the set time of favor for my children, and grandchildren, that they would walk in the destiny You have for them. I pray for Your year of favor over America. Pour out Your Spirit that the heritage of godly foundations, blessing, liberty, and prosperity would once again define this land and people. Thank You Father for Your divine favor and justice in this coming year. Amen.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Soaking: The Key to Intimacy with God

Pursuing Intimacy with God is one of the Key Principles 

Draw Near
Intimacy with God begins when we radically pursue Him with our whole heart. King David wrote, "When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, O Lord, I shall seek'" (Psalm 27:8). God invites us in James 4:8 to "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

God is saying to us, "Seek My face! Draw near!" Our hearts are crying out, "YES!" but our flesh is screaming "NO!" The sad part is our flesh usually wins.
We are instructed in Psalm 46:10 to "Be still, and know that I am God." The wording "be still" literally means to cease from strivingIt means to let go and relax, to turn down the volume of the world and listen to the quiet whisper of God.It's getting still and coming into a place of rest. It means "soaking" in His Presence. The result is that you will know He is God.

The word "know" is literally an experiential knowledge of God. It's not being still and knowing about God. It's being still and knowing God experientially. You will experience God. You will know the Presence of God. As we focus our heart, spirit, soul, mind, and body (the whole person) on His manifest Presence, we become oblivious to the natural physical world around us. The key is where your focus is – on the things of God or on things of this world. Bible reading and prayer are not enough. We must take time alone with Him, not asking for anything but more of Him, more of His fullness, more of His Presence in our everyday lives. God releases power through us as we dwell in intimacy with Him. The natural outworking of His Presence is miracles.
How to Soak in God's Presence
How do we "soak"? We soak like a sponge. Put a dry sponge in a bucket of water and slowly the water permeates the sponge. This is the same as soaking in God's Presence. The more we soak, the more we become filled with His Spirit.
I'm often asked, "What do you do in your time of seeking His Presence?" I don't have a set formula. In my life, it varies from time to time, but the basic components are as follows:
First, I go into a private room, lock the door, and get on the floor before the Lord. It doesn't matter whether you sit or lie down. What's most important is the attitude of your heart.

Second, I repent of any sin in my life and I receive God's forgiveness.
Third, I worship the Lord in both my native language (English) and in the language of the Holy Spirit.

Fourth, I do the vital prayer of Romans 6:13 that has transformed my life: "...present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God."

Fifth, I begin to recall experiences with the Lord (i.e., healings, miracles, provision) where He has manifested Himself in wonderful ways. This creates more of an expectancy and awareness of His Presence as I relive these times. I tell the Lord: "God, I want more of You, more of Your Presence, more of Your fullness in my life. Fill me with more of You." I may repeat this statement many times as I wait on the Lord and focus on Him.Then, I get quiet and that's when I begin to hear His voice. Many times, I begin to have visions and supernatural experiences.

The key here is learning to wait in solitude. I cannot overemphasize the importance of waiting on the Lord until I experience His manifest Presence daily. I don't come out of that private room until I have experienced His Presence.During our soaking times, we position ourselves to receive impressions, nudges, quiet whispers, pictures, angelic visitations, and supernatural revelations. Here is a partial list of what to expect:
– Dreams (Job 33:14-16; Genesis 28:10-16)
– Visions (Daniel 7:1-3,9; Acts 16:9-10)
– Trances (Acts 10:9-17, 11:5)
– Out of body experiences (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)
– Angelic visitations (Luke 1:57,11-17; Acts 12:7-10)
– Being transported in the Spirit (Acts 8:39-40)
Experiencing the true intimate Presence of the living God will radically change your life. People describe His manifest Presence in different ways. To some, it is heat, electricity, or shaking. To others, it is lightness, peace, or weeping.
Experiencing the manifest Presence is not the goal but thegateway to the supernatural realm. It's the beginning. We go into the spirit realm where we can see Him, hear His voice, walk with Him, and be empowered by Him. Isaiah 64:4 says God "acts for the one who waits for Him." The Amplified Bible states, "God...who works and shows Himself active on behalf of him who [earnestly] waits for Him." He's waiting on us to wait on Him.

The Cumulative Effect
Sometimes we may feel our soaking time has been unproductive. We ask, "Is it worth it?" because we see no immediate change or benefit. I realized some time ago that there is a cumulative effect that takes place when I spend time in the manifest Presence of the Lord.

From this cumulative effect, God is making a deposit into my innermost being. As I begin to give out, that anointing flows out of the deposit He had been making all along.
We must learn to come quietly into His Presence just wanting more of Him in our lives. We need to "soak in His Presence," extracting more of His fullness into those places where we are barren. The cumulative effect of spending time with the Lord will produce an increased anointing in your life. The release of that anointing will serve as a springboard to a life of miracles.The apostle John offers Believers a mind-boggling statement in1 John 4:17 (NASB)"...as He is, so also are we in this world."

The implication of this verse is clear – Believers should be like Him. That is next to impossible without spending quality time in His manifest Presence. We will never even understand His compassionate nature for a lost and wounded humanity without regular, daily times with Him.

Conclusion
Intimacy with God is the simple means by which we access living in the miraculous. Spending time in His manifest Presence is the discipline we must develop to access all that God has for us. And, the cumulative effect is what happens in our anointing (or gifting) to function in healing or any of the supernatural.
God's timing has come for greater works to be accomplished among His people. Press in for more of God's Presence in your own life!