A Ministry of Love

Just an observation from my study: it was not the world that hated Jesus; it was the religious people that schemed, plotted against Him and eventually manipulated to see Him crucified. It's of no consequence, though. He died for them too.

It's strange to me to hear of Christians who want to send me back to Africa, or put Islamic folk in concentration camps, are abusive to the LGBT community, and want to enact laws that force everyone to follow their rules. I'm just making an observation, but that sounds a lot like the Islamic extremists that Christians stand  against.

Jesus didn't force me to love Him. He drew me out to the desert place and spoke to me tenderly (Hosea). He didn't expose me, He picked me up and told me to go and sin no more (the woman caught in adultery). He gave me a drink of His living water, and made me an evangelist (the woman at the well). He let me worship him by allowing me to wash His feet with my tears and anoint Him with the best of what I had to offer. He knew that he who had been forgiven much loves much (Mary Magdeline). He knew that I would get so caught up in my foolishness that I didn't know how to get out on my own so He took my sin as His own and He died for me, so that I would always know the way home (Calvary). The foundation of His ministry was love.

Religion always wants to control, always needs to dominate, always accuses and shames. Religion enslaves and isolates, legislates, and overtakes. It quantifies, categorizes,  and  it qualifies. It demands that the surface always be perfect, even if the vessel is rotting from the inside out. If this is who I must be,  then I don't think I want to be a Christian anymore.

It will suffice to be a follower of Christ. I want the foundation of my ministry to be love.

Love takes a lot longer, and it's a lot scarier. It means that I must deal with my shortcomings first before I set to work on others. But it enboldens me to climb down out of my ivory tower. Love is intentional and is insistent that i make relationships, and cover the mistakes of others just as Jesus covered mine. It brings me out of hiding, it lifts me out of lying, and gently reminds me that I was once lost too. Love tells the truth, but doesn't force its hand. It's power under control.

It urges me show patience and to give grace, and strengthens me to do battle where it really counts and where it's only effective: in my prayer closet. That's where darkness is unveiled and the schemes of the enemy are thwarted. That's where I become bold and protective of the lost; I take captivity captive. In the secret place I make a show of the enemy and expose his lies. My fingers battle and my hands make war. I trouble the principalities and rulers of darkness and I strip them of their power. There I stand between the living and the dead, and I decree their ressurrected, abundant life. I worship the one whose crest I wear enblazened on the flag of my heart, and I am restored.

When I emerge from that secret place, I am victorious, and alight with glory and prepared to go out into this dark world again; to love.

#followerofchrist #sippingteawithjesus #john316

I am Giving Up Christianity Part One

I Am Giving Up Christianity

Part One

Authors Note:  This is my personal blog.  Because I am a prophet, I will sometimes release a prophetic word via this venue. However, for the most part, A Cup of Coffee and a Slice of Heaven is meant to be one’s peek into my personal discourses with the Lord.  With that having been said, the following discourse is not necessarily a prophetic word per se.  It’s just a discourse and my struggle with the season. If anything confirms in your spirit; amen.  If not, I prayerfully suggest you tuck it away for a later time. We test all things by the Spirit of God and keep the good (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

I have been struggling with some things for some time now.  By now most of my sphere of influence knows this.  I have been disappointed and angry.  I am frustrated and a little confused.  Today, I finally admitted what I have only alluded to in cryptic (and sometimes not so cryptic) posts and prayer.  I finally admitted for the first time out loud, that I am embarrassed to be called a Christian.   I said as much to the Lord. To my surprise, He sighed and said, “I can’t say that I blame you.”

I still love Jesus. I will always preach that He is the only way to eternal life.  I grew up in church, but I didn’t actually receive Him as my Savior until I was twenty-one. I couldn’t really figure out how to make Him Lord, so I backslid.  I tell people that although I knew that I had eternal life, I did not have a conversion experience until I was in my early thirties.  That’s why I love Luke 7: 36-50. The woman in that story reminds me of me.  I was so desperate for love and healing. When the Lord converted my heart, I was forever grateful. Jesus has forgiven me much, so I love Him much.  To this day, I still weep grateful tears at His feet, and I worship Him with tearful abandon. 

I consider myself to be pretty conservative. If the bible calls it sin; I call it sin. As a minister, I don’t have the luxury of making exceptions based on my opinions. However, as one who was like the woman in Luke 7, I struggle with disregarding or rejecting anyone; whether I agree with their lifestyle choices or not.  It has taken YEARS for the Lord to bring me to the place where I am, and He continues to work on me daily.  I can’t afford to be judgmental, or to try to control another’s journey with Him because I know the process: It’s easy to make Him Savior.  That’s a gift. It takes a lifetime to make Him Lord. That’s a choice. Jesus gives us all choices, and spiritually we all have a level playing field.  Either we want the life He offers, or we don’t.  I believe that as followers of Christ our job is to be living epistles. To be men and women of God who sometimes get it right, but who often get it wrong. We have one thing in common.  We have been forgiven much, so we love much. 

 I have been confident and proud to call myself a Christian until recently. I have watched as a movement that began as followers of Christ, who wanted a voice in government, become twisted into something else.  I love the idea of Christians living in the world wanting the impact the world through Christ; however, the moniker “Conservative Christianity” has taken on a meaning that does not reflect love, acceptance, and liberty. What started as a movement to change the world is…well, I don’t know what this is, but it is not Christ-centered, nor is it is changing the world. When did Christianity become a political machine that makes deals with the devil in order to gain control and political influence?

One of the reasons that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day did not believe he was the Messiah, was because Isaiah prophesied that the “government would be upon His shoulders (Isaiah 9:6).  Because Jesus did not come to overturn the oppressive Roman government, He could not possibly be the Messiah. They didn’t understand that Jesus did not come to upset the natural government. What need did he have to forcibly take a government that was created by human hands?  He said it in Isaiah 66:

This is what the Lord says,

“Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.
Where, then, is a house that you could build for Me?
And where will My resting place be?
² 
“For all these things My hand has made,
So all these things came into being [by and for Me],” declares the Lord.

 He came to establish a new government; one in which anyone who would believe could be a citizen. That’s why Paul writes that Christ in and among us is the hope of God’s eternal glory.  As believers, our job is to build a spiritual Kingdom, not overthrow a natural one.  Our bricks are the people who come into relationship with Christ. Our mortar is the Holy Spirit.  Our cornerstone is Jesus Christ. Our current plan to dominate this natural kingdom called the United States through legislation and scheming is rooted in religion and idolatry. It is a testament to the futility of humanity, not the glory of a risen Christ.

I believe that God knew that the hearts of men were inherently wicked. He knew that they would create doctrines and denominations that were rooted in the spirit of offense, fear, religion, and control. He knew that as the Body of Christ, we would not even be able to agree on what day to worship. He knew that we would build churches that were split by doctrine, race, and class. So He gave businessmen the wisdom to establish a country where one could worship when and how they chose without fear of control by the government. 

He gave fallible men an infallible plan, and it worked. We have this wonderful country that relies on a system of government that limits power, but gives voice and opportunity to its citizens. He provided a country that assures equality despite not offering equity and promises liberty and justice for all.  Despite God’s infallible plan, the founding fathers had the same issue that men have struggled with from the beginning of time. The struggle of man is arrogance, willfulness, and self-deception and idolatry.   When we open these doors, we cannot control what comes in as a result.  Americans ascribed to a doctrine called Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny is the belief that our nation is God-given, therefore it is justified and inevitable that expansion in the U.S. would occur.  We killed in the name of God.  We enslaved in the name of God.  We destroyed an indigenous people and their resources in the name of God.  We stole the civil rights of others in the name of God.  We went to war in the name of God.  And now we want to legislate morality in the name of God. We repeatedly repent on behalf of the sins of our nation, but we fail to turn away from our idolatry.  Each time we justify an over-policing, we bow down to an idol god. Each time we voice disapproval at a mass killing but refuse to regulate gun laws, we sacrifice to an idol god.   When we let a child die in poverty and refuse to help the homeless because “they ought to get a job”, we sacrifice to an idol.   When we justify  the evil actions of an elected official because he’s willing to accomplish the agenda we set, we sacrifice to an idol.  When we tolerate or even- God forbid celebrate racism and sexism, we bow down to an idol. Every time we build another edifice or host another conference but leave a trail of broken, unhealthy, unloved and unrenewed souls in the wake, we sacrifice to an idol.

Democracy has not failed. The day that Christianity became an organization instead of an organism, we failed.  The day the national anthem became more important than Amazing Grace, we failed. We fail because seventy percent of the women who have chosen abortion identify as Christian.  We fail because fifty-four percent of Christian men look at porn at least once a month. We fail because half of all Christian marriages end in divorce. We fail because there are pastors bragging about their racist theology on social media.  We fail when we justify a rape culture, and ignore the abuse of women. When prophets create video messages instructing Americans who to vote for, but will not leave the lucrativeness of the church to witness to a dying world, we fail.  We fail because we curse the LGBTQ community and drive them from the ONLY one that can help them.  Yet the church’s perversion rivals the hedonism of Babylon. Epic Fail. We fail because we hate everyone else’s sin, but we justify our own. We fail because we build expansive campuses on the backs of people who are living in poverty.  We fail when we travel to the ends of the earth to build a well, provide schools, or rebuild a city, or to worship in Israel, but we ignore the cries of the broken hearted and the impoverished in our own country. When we reject those whose religion we hate, but refuse to evangelize, we fail. When we call the social justice that Jesus taught us “secularism,” and “cause oriented,” we utterly fail. Jesus said we should have done one without neglecting the other.  We get an F.

The legislated sin we see in our democracy is the result of a broken and hardened heart of a people who have traded prophecy for politics, reputation for repentance, events for evangelism, a ministry for money, and judgment for justice.  We have seen only fruitlessness in our ranks because our best efforts are missing one thing: The Christ, and the government that is upon His shoulders.  A conservative platform cannot fix that.  Deals with ungodly men cannot fix that. Religion cannot fix that.  Another legislative action cannot fix that.  As a nation, we are in trouble, and the Christians have to own their part. The church isn’t a reflection of the world. The world is a reflection of the church. We did this, and we will reap the full harvest of what we have sown. That’s not the Christianity that I signed up for, and I quit. 

To Be Continued in Part II

Out of the Chaos, We will Rise!

Out of the Chaos, We will Rise!

This morning I prayed (as I often do) for the nation and our election.   I felt led to pray for Donald Trump.  I have sensed for some time that God wanted him to be the President.   I began to pray for his relationship with God, and I saw clearly that the warfare taking place in this election was not to KEEP him from office  but to place him in office. The election will be hard-fought up until it is over.  Once again, the fight is for Florida and Ohio, as the territorial spirits battle to keep him from being elected, but he is God’s man.   

I fully understand that  even if for some reason HRC is elected, we will only be delaying the inevitable. God will only raise up another to takes Trump's place.  All of these things must happen so that the Kingdom can come forth.

With that having been said, I believe that it is the Lord’s will that he be given that appointment. I have reviewed many of the prophetic words that have gone forth, and the prophets have been very positive about his presidency. God has really had to minister to me about the future.  Although I see God’s ultimate purpose, the process for us to get there could be violent, divided and broken. I admit that when I took the first glance, I became frustrated and scared. But we don't have to fear in this temporal affliction because God is still in control. God has always used the chaos of man to birth out his best-kept secrets in plain view!  Out of utter chaos will come great glory. Even so, there are some things that the Lord desires for us to keep in mind. When we get out of step with God there are some very real consequences.

A Warning to the Body  1 Samuel 8: 1-21

 In 1 Samuel, leaders of the people of God demanded a King.  The Lord agreed, saying that Samuel should tell them what was going to take place.  Samuel warned:

¹⁰ So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked of him a king. ¹¹ He said, “This will be the ^[d]procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. ¹² He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to ^[e]do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. ¹⁶ He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and ^[f]use them for his work. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. ¹⁸ Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

¹⁹ Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, ²⁰ that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” ²¹ Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the Lord’s hearing. ²² The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and ^[g]appoint them a king.

The people's hearts were hardened toward God's system of doing things, and they elected to do things the way other communities had done them.We are not electing a king, but we must be wise and refuse to be guilty of  the same sin as Israel. We cannot look to man for what only God can do. There is NO MAN that can bring about the promises of God.  We must look to Him and only Him for what has been promised. 

Many of our hearts became hardened in the frustration of the past season, and we have selected a candidate that fit what we have come to expect from our leadership. If he gets elected, we will get a leader who will:

Turn on the very people who elected him to the office.  He will blame the conservative, evangelical movement for the troubles in the nation. He will blame a mostly conservative senate and congress for not supporting him.

 Make enemies of our allies.  His history of strong-arming his opponents and bullying those he considers weaker will continue.

 Engage in petty squabbles, and try to use military force to get his way for personal gain and ego points.  The military will oppose him.

Systematically remove anyone who instructs or opposes him from their position.  He will not allow himself to be advised.

Will abuse his power, and his personal scandals will follow him into the office.

Surround himself with people who will do his bidding, some of whom will have questionable pasts and be woefully unqualified for their positions.

Overspend government money for his personal comfort and gain.

I hope to be wrong, but I believe his presidency will end in scandal (like Nixon). Pence will have his own issues with scandal, as some personal wrongdoing comes to the surface. It may not be very serious, but I am not sure.  However, I  do believe that eventually Trump will be humbled (and is being humbled) and yield his heart to the Lord.  We must begin to lift his case to the Lord and keep him in prayer.

We can expect in this next season that:

Race relations will dissipate as racists who believe they have an ally in office will begin to make war upon minorities.  Some minorities will reject peaceful protest and respond with violence. We will see chaos and division from the White House to the church house.

The nation will begin to turn on Christianity. The fight against radical Islam will actually create more Islamic sympathy. We will begin to see persecution of the saints like never before (http://coffeeandheaven.blogspot.com/2014/12/what-is-god-saying-for-2015.html).

The face of terrorism will not be Isis in this country. The face of terrorism will become radical grassroots coalitions/factions that will target the church and the government for its troubles.  Martial law, recession, and chaos will ensue. Some of these radicals will do heinous acts in the name of God.

The church will become divided as God exposes the spirit of religion in the church.  Religion is the enemy of the church, but it is the most insidious spirit in the church. We will see will known church leaders exposed for having ties to White Supremacy groups. Many other pastors who have become lukewarm and/ or weary in their assignments, will take their hands from the plow and leave the church.  More scandal involving church leadership will be exposed, others will unwittingly expose themselves in their behavior or social media rants. We will look raggedy and torn before the nation.

Many will leave the church and return to cultural and ancestral worship because they will not feel as if they "fit" in the church. 

I have prophesied this since 2008, but God is going to do a cleansing in the house of God. Millennials and the Gen X will exit the church in droves. This is already beginning as people seek the purity of God in action.  They want a church that does something. A line in the sand is being drawn as many begin to seek the Kingdom.  The traditional church will label these people as rebellious, liberal, and worldly.

Our God is Greater, and He is Mighty to Save!
This next season may prove to be daunting for all of us, but we must remember that our hope is in God, and the assignments that he has given us.  We must use the current season as a time of reflection and repentance. We must align ourselves with the plans and the purposes of God so that when we emerge from such a great transition, we emerge with the world's eyes searching for the church to bring hope. Above all things, we must pray. Perhaps some consequences can be abated or even avoided! Let's come boldly before the throne of grace and make petition to He who alone can deliver us. 

Rending our Hearts 

2 Chronicles 7:14

As Christians, we think that this election is about the lost.  It is not.  This election is about the FOUND! It is the hardness of our hearts that has created a platform for Trump, and there must be a repentant heart that begins in the house of the Lord. God is using the troubled time to expose the dross in our hearts and to bring those places of brokenness and sin to the surface. God is merciful and gracious! He is faithful to forgive us of all unrighteousness. However, we must see it for what it is and we must first tell the truth. Those places exist in even the most steadfast of us! God is calling us to shed all of our preconceived notions, biases, traditions, and stagnated mindsets.   I believe that while the nation is steeped in havoc, the Lord will be reconstructing our inner man.  He will deal with the hardness of our hearts, and heal our broken places. Those who have an ear to hear and a willing spirit will repent and turn away from their fleshly ways, as we are admonished to do in 2 Chronicles 7:14 As a result, God will heal our land.  He will heal not just our physical land, our spiritual landscape will be healed as well. Personal revival will begin to take place as people leave the place of complacency, stagnation, and compromise, and come into a place of passion and purpose for the things of the Lord.

Destinies  Fulfilled, and Room Made!

Even as the nation is in turmoil, many of us will find our place in the Lord. We will walk into our destinies, redeem the time and fulfill the longing and purposes the God has given us. Our gifts will make room for us! Those who have been faithful to a personal business or ministry will find that their platform has been established and our opportunities will abound. We must keep our eyes focused on the Lord as he transitions us.
God wants the Church to BE THE CHURCH! 

We are not called to dominate through strong-arming a country to bend to our will. We can only conquer darkness with light. We are called to be salt that seasons and light the brings illumination. If we do not use the principles and the word of God to direct our paths we become the very thing we hate: the American version of Isis. The government was never meant to save us, nor was it ever formed to teach us to live morally.  It is our purpose as Christians to bring the gospel to the world. The Lord is calling us to rise out of our complacency, leave the security of the four walls of the church, and BE THE VICTORIOUS, PECULIAR PEOPLE that He has established. 

The Kingdom is in us!

Joel 2: 16-17

In this passage, the ministers—those called to tend to the fires of the Lord, were instructed to weep between the porch and the altar.  They were called to worship, intercede, and make atonement there because it is a place where they could be easily seen. A remnant generation of ministers will emerge full of fire and purpose, but they will be full of the humility and love of the Lord.  They will stand up for the lost and the least, they will fight for justice and equality, and they will call the people to repentance and revival without apology. They will not hide behind their pulpits!  They will be seen in the community as more than "superstars of Christianity".  Signs and wonders will accompany them as they did with Peter on Solomon’s portico in Acts 3 as he healed the lame man, then preached the people into repentance.  These  emerging voices will be sold out to the Lord and will know no compromise.

He or she will not look like the norm.  They will be a multitude of races and cultures. Many of the fiercest evangelists will arise out of the Islamic nation. That is why we are must to WITNESS to them, not incarcerate them. In order to witness to them, we must be willing to show them the love of Christ.  One young woman I know has seen many Islamic women become open to the gospel because she was willing to make a relationship with them and simply share her love of God with them.  It was her passion for Christ that has won their hearts!

 Many of our most powerful intercessors and prophets will come out of witchcraft and the occult and out of the indigenous tribes. They will be tatted, and pierced, sleeved, and unusually clothed. They will come with signs, wonders, and miracles. Some of the most powerful of pastors and leaders will arise out of the African-American and Latino churches. That is why God cannot tolerate even passive racism in the pews. They will take to the streets, and be a beacon of light to a generation of millennials that have never experienced neither can they understand the division of race, sex, or culture which is our nation’s past.

God will raise up people who identify as homosexual, transgender, and lesbian, yet they will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and they will see many come to Christ. They will be a light of Christ to other LGBTQ people who search for the Lord with all their hearts. We will see a generation of LGBTQ people flood the pews.  As The Kingdom, our job will not be to judge them or try to “fix” them in their process. We must trust the Lord for their victory, for we will KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUIT.

What the enemy means for the bad of God’s people, He will turn for our good.  What seems sold away from us will be redeemed, and what seems lost will be restored.  Out of this chaos, will the Kingdom EMERGE!!!

A Cup of Coffee and a Slice of Heaven: What is in store for 2016?This is the season of re...

A Cup of Coffee and a Slice of Heaven: What is in store for 2016?This is the season of re...: What is in store for 2016? This is the season of restoration and manifestation Joel 2:25-27:  24  The threshing floors will be filled...

What is in store for 2016?

This is the season of restoration and manifestation

Joel 2:25-27:  24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. 25 "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten-- the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm-- my great army that I sent among you. 

26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. 

27 Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.

How will this work?

Let’s look at some definitions: restoration 

noun res·to·ra·tion \ˌres-tə-ˈrā-shən\

: the act or process of returning something to its original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc.

: the act of returning something that was stolen or taken

This is the season where new processes begin!  God is acting on your behalf to restore your life to its original design.  Look at it like this: If you put an address in your GPS and head out on a journey, the GPS doesn’t factor in distractions, fill-ups, car problems, etc. It just calculates a course.  Along the way; however, we may get distracted by a new restaurant, or an unexpected accident.  Sometimes we miss our turn because we couldn’t get to the exit ramp because of traffic,or because we weren’t paying attention.  When the GPS figures out that you have gotten off course, it says: RECALCULATING. God is recalculating your journey to get you back on track to the original destination that he set for you! Now that is praise worthy! Go take a lap.  I will wait.

Manifest:  verb (used with object): to make clear or evident to the eye or the understanding; show plainly; to prove; put beyond doubt or question:

God is going to make your destiny and your purpose clear, and show plainly to your sphere of influence that indeed His hand is upon you, without a doubt, or a question. It’s a season of elevation, naturally and spiritually. Those who have remained faithful will see God tangibly move in their situation. It’s harvest time.  We will reap what we have sown, regardless of what we have put in the ground. With that in mind, examine your seed!  If you have sown faithfulness, love, loyalty, and even money that is what you will reap.  If you have sown disobedience, complacency, bitterness, and pride, guess what you will reap? This is the time to sit with God, and settle the matter. Though our sins are like scarlet, He can make us whiter than snow (Isaiah 1:18).   There is a grace to meet the new challenges that manifestation presents. There is no room for fear in this realm.  We can be afraid—but God expects us to flow in our new place anyway.  It does not matter how we go; we still MUST GO!  

How will this work in your daily life?

If we were a priceless painting, and we became damaged because we had been mishandled, damaged in transport, or carelessly used, restoration would be needed. If God were the artist used to restore us to our original greatness there would be some undeniable truths that are considered:

1.       The fact that restoration is even considered expresses the value that the Artist attaches to the work of art;

2.       The piece of art is unique, so the materials that the Artist uses to restore it must also be unique and of the highest quality.

3.       Because the work is so valuable, the process to restore it is painstaking, and

4.  requires patience and perseverance from all who are involved.

Because God considers us to be unique and priceless, He is concerned that His masterpiece has been damaged. He is  beginning a process in us to bring us to our original design. This requires Him to use unique experiences, relationships and opportunities that will restructure and rebuild us. This is a painstaking process, and God will spare no detail.  He will do this in the following ways:

A Return to the Basics:    God is calling us back to the discipline of prayer and a more disciplined life. There are many voices speaking in this hour, and the Lord wants us to be in tune to the voice that matters; His. He is also calling us back to corporate prayer.  There is no way that a San Bernardino, a Charleston South Carolina, or a Chicago, IL should go unchallenged by the Body.  It is time that we stop trying to legislate morality, and address these issues where they belong: in the spirit.  We are not wrestling against flesh and blood! If we don’t want governmental measures that compromise the plan of God, we must challenge it first in the spirit realm so that we have the WISDOM of how to challenge it the natural.  We will see a rise in prayer revivals, shut-ins, 24-hour prayer rooms and the like.   By doing the work in the Spirit, we will see an increase of signs, wonders and miracles begin to manifest in the natural, we will see the corporate power of the Body begin to become plainly visible, and the Body will be more effective in the natural realm. Worship will become literally trans-formative; the tangible presence of God will rest in the prayer-filled atmosphere.  Revival is about to break out in Australia; simply because they love worship. 

Faith:. In John 21, Jesus encountered the disciples who had toiled all night and had caught nothing. At Jesus’ instruction they cast their net on the other side of the boat and tried again.  This time they brought up a haul.  God is asking us hope against hope, forget past failures and try again.  The trying of our faith is what works patience in us, and patience brings maturity. (James 1:3)

Maturity:  God is calling the Body to a new level of maturity. We must let go of the past, and all other unfruitful emotional ties. We must let go of self-pity and living like victims.Our God is GREATER! God is going to challenge unfruitful mindsets, habits, and behaviors. If it can be shaken, it will be shaken! God will require us to submit to the gentle pressure of the Holy Spirit, and to refocus our attention to His priorities.  He will also require us to be more corporately-minded. God is calling us to unity.  Unity commands a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 133).

We will also have to erect and respect healthy boundaries within all of our relationships. This is not a call to isolate, but it is an admonishment to make sure that we are not permitting our natural relationships to trump our heavenly relationship with God. There is a difference between meekness and weakness. We cannot be angry when the enemy keeps coming in because we refuse to shut the doors.

Service:  This is the season for faith based outreach programs to MANIFEST and begin to take care of HIS people!   This requires unity, faith, and maturity.  We want to influence; not  be the ones that are influenced!

Business:  I have prophesied this since 2013 and I will continue to sound the trumpet in this area.  God’s hand is on small businesses.  Business ideas have no better opportunity than now to come forward.  A wise businessman once taught that new business owners should not say “Ready, Aim, Fire”! New business owners should say “Ready, Fire, Aim!”  Just start something; anything!  We will find the niche for our business only when we step out in faith.  I bind the spirit of fear that holds the Body of Christ in bondage.  God wants to bless our businesses, but if we don’t start it, He can’t bless it.  Let’s get it crackin’!

Random Insights: Here are some things that I sense will take place. They are listed in no particular order:

·         We will see a marked increase in the population worldwide. More specifically, we will see an increase in multiple births. 
·         Women who have not been able to conceive will do so this year; again we will see them get “double for their trouble” lots of twins, and other multiple births.
·         God’s hand will be on small business…we will see small businesses explode and become very lucrative (see above). This is especially true for healthcare businesses.
·         Don’t sleep on  Marco Rubio.  I don’t know much about him, but God’s eye is on him. Please pray against a presidential assassination attempt even after Obama leaves office. Regardless of our opinions, such an incident will throw our country into utter chaos.  The intercessors must stay on the wall for the safety of our country. 
·         We will continue to see the exposure of systemic race/culture/economic disparity. A major periodical/media outlet will do an expose’ type of report or film which will cause the rumblings of a paradigm shift in America
·         We will see significant breakthrough in the treatment of HIV and diabetes, and some forms of cancer. 
·         We will also see a breakthrough in technology especially from China. China’s economic progress is a game changer in business.  A few years ago, I saw a red star rising in the east.  The Lord said that this was China. China is about to be a force to be reckoned with! While we are focused on the Middle East, China will double its economic influence.
·         There will be in increase in lawlessness in America; we will see more terrorism and hate crimes in the land.  Some of these will feel like run of the mill terrorism, but they will be less organized and seem more focused on vengeance and hate rather than a political or religious agenda. I feel like there will be an attack on the scale of Oklahoma City, but I think it will be domestic terrorism versus from Isis or the like.  I am not sure this is for 2016, but I sense a major terrorist attack on three major cities; one of which is New York City.  The other cities will be a southern city and a western city. I hope to be dead wrong about this.  This is a job for the intercessors! Get on the wall and give God no rest until the plan of the enemy fails!
·         We will see a “streamlining” in the church.  Many churchgoers will return to house to house worship and small group fellowship, or shift their worship to smaller store-front style churches.  Mega churches that hear the cry of the Spirit will begin to really focus on small group worship.  Christians will begin to reject church programming and will begin to actively seek fellowships that focus on worship.
·         God’s glory will fall in the smaller houses of worship. We will see increases of signs, wonders, and miracles in those places. This is where revival will begin.

God is still working out the last part of this season, so FINISH STRONG!!! Overall, I believe this is a time to celebrate. Restoration and manifestation is not easy, but there is a tangible result to the process.  Let’s set our face toward the new and commit to cooperating with the Lord. He has given us the grace to be victorious over every challenge. I am going to stand on Psalm 66: 8-12: Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; ⁹ he has preserved our lives, and kept our feet from slipping. ¹⁰ For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.¹¹ You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.¹² You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.

Love to all of you!

RD 12/12/15

Random Stirrings

     I had a client yesterday, and as I worked, my mind kept going back to a post in my personal journal that I made on 05/6/14.  I remember praying that day, and I kept seeing a red star.  I remember stopping the prayer and waiting on God.  I heard the Lord say, "There is a red star rising in the east". I began to pray over the United States.  And I saw a red flag waving. The Lord said that China would become a formidable power in the days to come, and that their power would be felt economically first--with the development of some game-changing technology. Last Sunday, I heard a prophet visiting the church that I attend echo the something similar, then a friend mentioned it as he shared what the Lord had shown him for 2015.  With that in mind, I am inclined to accept the word as valid because the bible says, let that facts should be established by the word of two or three witnesses (2 Cor 13:1).

     I believe that prophets should always work to make the word that they give be encouraging, admonishment, and comforting in nature.  I have always been very concerned when I hear prophets only prophesy the judgement of God.  Don't get me wrong; the judgement of the Lord is very real however, He does not wield power impulsively and without purpose in mind.  I say that because I believe that there is will be acts of domestic and international terrorism that will drastically effect the economy of the United States.  I believe that we will see an uprising of right-wing extremist groups that will attack much like the Oklahoma City bombings carried out by Timothy McVeigh.

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