The Other Side of the Lake Part 1 - Doug Fortune

The Other Side of the Lake Part 1 by Doug Fortune

By Doug Fortune (Identity Network)

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"Now it came to pass on a certain day, that He went into a ship with His disciples: and He said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth." 

(Luke 8:22)

 

I love the way this verse begins, "Now it came to pass..." It is important to note that the first word is NOW. 

When I read that I know that this is a NOW word for us! It is a proceeding Word, however it comes to PASS, it does not come to stay, it denotes movement. Religion seems bent on taking a now/ proceeding Word and embalming it, memorializing it and propping it up way past its' usefulness. 

Remember, Father is in the NOW. One of His redemptive Names is Jehovah Shamah, meaning "The Lord, The Ever Present." That does not just mean that He is always present (which He is) it also means that He lives in the present.   He lives in an eternal "now" outside of time. 

"On a certain day..." This was not just ANY day, this was a certain day. I believe that this CERTAIN Day we are reading of is a spiritual picture of where the Church is now, and that there is a spiritual principle we can glean from. You see, our ultimate destiny is not determined by our natural circumstances! In fact, many times our natural circumstances are at odds with our ultimate destiny. That is because Father calls us to something much higher than our natural capabilities requiring us to overcome our natural circumstances. 

A Certain Day 

Contrary to everything we hear from so many sources, I prophesy to you that we are NOT in a day of uncertainty! We are in a CERTAIN Day that Father has had planned from the beginning of time. Are these troubled times?  Most certainly they are troubled times, but they are filled with certainty and Father's purpose. 

Our verse goes on to say, "He went into a SHIP with His disciples..." I believe that this is a CERTAIN Day because He is IN the ship with His disciples. 

What kind of a ship is it, you may ask?  This ship is a WorSHIP! "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel." (Psalms 22:3) Many churches have a similar paradigm of worship, and it is based upon the belief that praise and worship in a congregational setting serves as a plow to break up the ground of the peoples' hearts in preparation for the Seed of the Word that will be delivered in a message. 

However, in our local fellowship, I believe that we are not there to "plow" hearts, although that can happen in a corporate gathering. If that is what people want, there are other churches that are better suited for that, and I don't say that to belittle other churches...it is just that is not our calling. 

The Frequency of Heaven 

I believe that we are there to tap into, to access the frequency of the worship that is already happening in the heavenlies, resonate that worship and bring it into the earthly realm. We are there to bring the Heart and Word of the Lord and declare it into this realm to bring a collision of heaven invading earth. We are to be a conduit of Heaven! 

Our objective, as it were, is to facilitate the establishment of the Kingdom of God by resonating the frequency of heaven in the realm of the earth... to BE the Throne of God (the seat of authority) in the Tabernacle of David; "And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness." (Isaiah 16:5) 

As we do this, the "message," the Word of the Lord, the Seed is going forth. We believe that Father has already been speaking all through worship, communion, prayer, etc. Our gatherings are basically a prophetic expression of His Voice.  In other words, we are there to apprehend and declare the Word, the Voice of Father, to express Him, and that Voice/ Message comes out in many different forms, not just in the preaching. If you wait until the "preaching" for the Word of the Lord, you have already missed half the message! 

As we WorSHIP, we also become a WARship!  However, spiritual warfare is not a matter of us standing on the earth, our praise ascending to the heavens and piercing the spiritual darkness. Rather, it is much more a matter of US descending, bringing the GLORY of the Third Heaven (epouranos in Greek) where we are seated in Him, to invade the earth and therefore displacing principalities and powers by His resonant Word of power. 

Hidden in God 

What kind of a ship is it, you may ask?  This ship is also a FellowSHIP.  "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 3:9) 

The fellowship of the mystery is simply the manifold Wisdom of God (which is Christ Himself) being revealed and displayed BY the Church because the Church becomes totally hidden IN God! "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints... which is Christ IN you (the plural corporate fellowship of the Mystery), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:26-27 my input in parenthesis) 

What kind of a ship is it, you may ask?  This ship is also a StewardSHIP; "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." (1 Corinthians 4:1) 

The word translated as "steward" is oikonomos in Greek and it means a manager, superintendent to whom the head of the house or proprietor has entrusted the management of his affairs, the care of receipts and expenditures, and the duty of dealing out the proper portion to every servant and even to the children not yet of age. We are entrusted with the affairs of the Kingdom, the expenditures and dispensing of the mysteries of God as Christ through us reveals Himself! 

What kind of a ship is it, you may ask?  This ship is ALL His WorkmanSHIP; "For we are His workmanship, created IN Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10) 

Father is the author and builder of this "ship" that we are being made into, therefore this "ship" is built to sail into the deep and withstand any storm of life. 

When Jesus Speaks 

"And He said unto them..." You know, when Jesus speaks, people should listen! I don't know that He was one to just ramble on with inane frivolities. In fact, here is what is recorded concerning what He spoke; "... the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63) His words are spirit and life... that means His words originate in the Spirit and they produce Life and action that impacts this natural realm. 

Here is what He said, "Let us go over unto the other side of the lake..." Keep in mind that if Jesus said they were going to the other side, that meant they were absolutely going to the other side. Nothing could stop His words from coming to pass because they originate in the Spirit and they produce Life and action that impacts this natural realm!...  

To be continued... 

Doug Fortune

www.dougfortune.org

 

 

 

 

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The Spirit of Truth by Barbie Breathitt (Identity Network)

The Spirit of Truth by Barbie Breathitt

By Barbie Breathitt

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The Holy Spirit is the Paraclete or Comforter who dwells inside of us, to lead us into all truth. He brings all things to our remembrance and empowers us with grace and heavenly authority. Holy Spirit although a still small voice, must become the strongest, loudest, clarion voice directing our lives. 

There is an art to listen to God's voice. Practicing His presence enables us to receive from God; entering into peace, trusting and resting in His arms knowing He has all things under control. Bold faith opens our eyes to see, enabling God to show us, the right paths to take and the open doors that are waiting for us to walk through. 

As we learn to discern the Holy Spirit's voice Isaiah 45:3, says "I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name." There are many hidden secrets and treasures that will be revealed to those who seek after God's face with their whole heart. God shares His secrets with His friends.

God is omniscient (all knowing) and omnipotent (all powerful) there is nothing impossible for Him. In God's mercy He has reserved treasures and stored up opportunities for believers. These resources, ideas and provision have been hidden from the world because they do not know the ways of God. 

Dreams, Visions, Prophecy and Miracles 

In Acts 2:16-21, the prophet Joel declared that in the last days, "God says, 'that I will pour forth of my spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my bond slaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of my Spirit And they shall prophesy. 

And I will grant wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" 

The last days began during the outpouring of Pentecost in the book of Acts. Through the centuries God has continually poured out an increased measure of His Spirit on all flesh, both the saved and the unsaved. The revelatory realm has increased the level of visions, dreams, prophecy, and miracles taking place today. 

God's anointing is on the rise. "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Isaiah 60:1-3, tells us, "Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising." 

Moving in the powerful gifts of the Holy Spirit makes it more fun than ever to fulfill the Great Commission that was given to us in Matthew 28:18-20 "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 

Separate from Detractors 

Some people are givers of themselves and their possessions while others are selfish hoarders and takers. The detractors in our lives won't leave on their own. They will continue to take, destroy, and drag us down as long as we allow them to. The wrong people in our lives will encourage us to make erroneous decisions. God's plan is always abundance, to exceedingly bless and prosper us. 

To obtain the innovative increased levels of prosperity, we must be willing to let go of the old comfortable ways and familiar relationships in order to add the new. Encouragement and hope comes from God and following His plans and purposes. Hearing God's voice clearly, knowing the Word and then walking in obedience will bring a greater wisdom and ability to discern the thoughts, intent and motives of people's hearts. 

Favor Brings Promotion 

God's favor will catapult us into the next level of blessing. Remember to keep your eyes focused on God not on your situation. Get into position to listen to God's still small voice because promotion is knocking at the door. By removing the portion of the populace that resists and fights against God and the negative situations that detract from our lives we make room for new relationships and strategic people to enter our lives. 

Their godly influence will sharpen us. We can't allow fear to keep us from acting in faith. Fear will cause many to miss greater opportunities for increase. A true covenant relationship with God removes lack and removes a victim mentality of poverty. Realize God will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory if we continue to sow into His kingdom. If we allow fear to close up our giving or stop our sowing; God will also shut up the windows of heavens that provides us with wisdom and wealth. 

God Wins Battles 

In life we will continue to learn, grow, and gather wisdom through life experiences. The difficulties we overcame in the past have made us stronger and prepared us for more success. God is the answer! He is more than able to handle the major struggles we face with our associations, assets, hindrances, loss of jobs and sickness. 

If we will trust the Holy Spirit to guide us in prayer, God will fight our battles for us and silence our enemies. Vindication will come for the false accusations that came against us, restoring some broken relationships. God knows how to right every wrong and turn every situation to our advantage. God has a plan and divine strategy for our present and future success. 

Seeds of Faith 

God said, in Genesis 8:22, "While the earth remains there will be seedtime and harvest." The Apostle Paul said, Galatians 6:7-10, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith."  

We are told to be good to everyone, even our enemies. It is the goodness of God that leads people to repentance. 

Jesus taught His followers about the power of fasting, prayer, and faith enabling them to cast out demons even if their faith was the size of a mustard seed. 

Matthew 17:19-21, "Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, 'Why could we not drive it out?' And He said to them, 'Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.'"  

But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.  Fasting and prayer not only benefits others but it is health to our body and spirit too! 

Godly authority has given us the power to speak to any physical mountain or spiritual opposition in our life. If we exercise our faith and believe God's Word that mountain will be removed and cast into the sea. The sea often represents humanity. 

When the right sea of people come and surround us, they will help us remove the mountain that has barred us from moving forward. If we have sown doubt and unbelief in the past, it is time to repent. Ask God to uproot and destroy that negative harvest. Now sow seeds of faith and believe God for an abundant harvest. 

Barbie Breathitt

www.BarbieBreathitt.com

 

Moving on from Jabez by Ian Johnson

Moving on from Jabez 

by Ian Johnson

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A few years ago people were praying the prayer of Jabez made popular by Bruce Wilkinson's book "The Prayer of Jabez" based on 1 Chronicles 4:10

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested.

It works because God desires to "Bless you" "Expand your Territory" "have an intimate relationship with you" and "keep you free from evil."

There are a number of folk who have prayed this prayer for a number of years who are now wondering what has happened to the initial outpouring of blessings, or the receipt of things, they received as a result of asking for blessings..

Questions arise in their heart like has God now abandoned me? The answer is of course not, He is taking us into His ultimate blessing and expansion of our territory. Into the realm of Glory, into the full revelation of the love of the father for His Children. The natural outcome of a prayer asking for blessings is that God will take us into His rest..

God's Multi-dimensional Love

Programs and religion don't transform. Only a revelation of the multi-dimensional love of God as expressed in Jesus truly brings transformation in our world and in our surroundings. This is a season when we will get beyond our earthly requests and desires, to a place that starts to shake us free of one dimensional mindsets and remove things that are in the way of a radical revelation of the love of God. It's time to change your seasonal clothes.

How many times have you had a breakthrough and then reverted back to the way things were? We worry about receiving the approval of man rather than expanding beyond our current limits. But expand we must, into the freedom of rest in the Father. Freedom from religious mindsets and heavy yokes of dead works.

God's word is clear. Isaiah 54:2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

Religion hates it when anyone is set free. Present things are being challenged by the eternal Father. "Let them stretch forth the curtains of His habitations" Make room for the heart of the Father and enter His rest, be seated in heavenly places with Jesus our savior.

You can't qualify for further expansion, because the love of God has already qualified you as a Son or Daughter. The expansion of territory opens our eyes to the love of God, and the love of God reveals blessing untold. The love of God Transforms and draws us into His breast, to a place where the heartbeat of God is heard, so that our heartbeat and Gods heartbeat, beat as one.

Eph 3:17-18 And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.

Expand Your Thinking

Many know about the love of God from an intellectual point of view; but few experience it because we get stuck in the limitation of our mind. We have set ideas of how our world works and where we fit into the scheme of things, however today is the time to expand our thinking. To move our tent into the glory cloud to the place of infinite provision, a place of supernatural food and supernatural drink that satisfies our hunger and quenches our thirst.

The biggest weapon the enemy of our souls has is to make us think that we have somehow failed God. Our adversary the Devil knows that if he can keep us pre-occupied doing "things", even if these "Things" appear to be Godly. He will prevent us from entering the chambers of glory, into the Fathers love, where we fall in love with Jesus.

Even if we don't mean it to be, much of modern Christianity is based on us "Doing Stuff". These are called dead works. The Lord is calling us out of the "Stuff" and into intimacy with Him! When Jesus died on the cross, He won for us everything that we will ever need. Satan's plan is to make us believe we are missing the mark! and then become pre-occupied trying to find the mark, and never enter a place of intimacy and rest with the Lord!

When Satan, tempted the woman in the garden, (Gen 3:6) it wasn't with great theological issues or points of doctrinal difference that he spoke to her about. Rather it was an appeal to her senses. He said; "Look! Doesn't that fruit look good! And the taste! Surely a loving God wouldn't keep something this good from you! You must have misunderstood his instructions!"

He used that strategy then and he uses it today! Satan says, "If you work hard for God and do everything with Excellence he will accept you" it's an appeal to your emotions and your senses and sounds good, but it keeps you from entering the rest found in the Glory cloud.

We need to expand our territory by abandoning ourselves to the purpose of God, and enter the rest Jesus has won for us.

Gal 2:20-21 I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die.

Hebrews 4:8-10 This new place of rest was not the land of Canaan, where Joshua led them. If it had been, God would not have spoken later about another day of rest. So there is a special rest, still waiting for the people of God. For all who enter into God's rest will find rest from their labors, just as God rested after creating the world

Romans 4:4-5 When people work, their wages are not a gift. Workers earn what they receive. But people are declared righteous because of their faith, not because of their work.

It's All About Faith

If you believe your evil works can disqualify you from God's blessing, then you must believe that your good works qualify you!  However nothing can qualify you! Jesus has made the way for you, not one bit of your work will stand on the day of judgment. It's not about works it's about faith in what Jesus has done for us!

I know this is hard to swallow in our "He that works hard gets a lot" world But asking for blessings will bring you to this place of rest. Don't fight the blessings, but abandon yourself to His blessings and dwell in His love.

Many are afraid to enter this place of rest because they somehow think that if they don't do some "works" God will consume them. You must learn to trust the fathers love and compassion for his sons and daughters.

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; Lamentations 3:22.

Overwhelm us Lord in your love, a heart overwhelmed is transformed, a transformed heart loves, Love overwhelms our surroundings, Transformation continues, Our territory is expanded and Blessings flow

Ian Johnson

ianjohn@xtra.co.nz

www.hisamazinggloryministries.org

 

 

  

Get Over Yourself!

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Coming into the Light! By James W. Goll - Identity Network

Coming into the Light! By James W. Goll

By James W. Goll

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Can you imagine, after Adam and Eve had known God, and He knew them, how quickly the spiritual climate changed? As a result of their disobedience, they experienced instantaneous barriers to their intimacy with Him. Walls shot up. After their sin, they plucked leaves off the nearest bush as quickly as they could and sewed coverings for themselves. They were hiding from the Lord their Creator for the first time in their lives.

But God, in His passionate pursuit, was still drawing close. A new reaction stirred within them as He drew near. Previously they had run toward the sound of His footsteps. Now they ran in the other direction. Before, their response had been joy: "Oh, wow, it's Father!" Now it was dread and fear: "Oh, no, it's Father!" They were guilt-ridden. Never had they had such an emotional reaction or even such a thought before! They had not known condemnation or fear or shame. Now, as a result of their disobedience, they ran and hid from the voice of God.

Obviously these were real leaves they picked and sewed together for their coverings, we pick and choose covers and hiding places as well. And the moment we hide behind our defensive "fig leaf" mindsets - from the revelatory voice of God, the heart of God, the acts of God and the power of God - it starts getting extremely complicated. We might not sew actual fig leaves, but the obstructions to fellowship over our hearts and souls shield us just as effectively (or ineffectively) from God's approaching presence.

May I point out some of the leaves we hide behind? They are progressive; hiding behind one set leads to our concealment behind the next as well.

The Ditch of Guilty Feelings

The first set of leaves that many hide behind is guilt. This hiding place is the breeding ground for condemnation, accusation and other ugly attitudes. But all these can be avoided through old-fashioned confession of sin and cleansing by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are various categories of guilt: real guilt due to real sin; exaggerated guilt due to the combination of real sin and the work of "the accuser of our brethren" (Revelation 12:10); and false guilt as a result of the voice of the destroyer, releasing condemning, lying spirits (1 Kings 22:21-23; John 8:44; 10:10). All these forms of guilt are very real in the realm of our emotions.

The cure is simple and direct. First John 1:7 gives us the remedy: "If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." Step into the light. That is where we find cleansing. So I have a "word from the Lord" for you; climb out of the ditch and run to the light of God's Word. "The truth will make you free" (John 8:32). Forgiveness, cleansing and healing love are waiting for you there.

The Masquerade of Hurts from the Past

The second layer of leaves that hides us from the love of God and keeps us from intimacy with Him is the religious masquerade, concealing deep-seated hurts from the past. Religious people wear masks quite well, pretending all is well with their souls while holding the Lord, the very Lover of their lives, at arm's length. We become pretenders, masquerading in the parade of hypocritical "churchianity".

But the real Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and set at liberty those who are bruised (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18-19). Jesus is our Healer. We must take off our masks and let Him dig deep at times, touching the very source of our pain. Let Him probe and even pierce through the festering wounds to allow the light of His unchanging love to penetrate your being. Expose it to the light. Surrender. Forgive. Sow blessings to others instead. This is the way out of the masquerade - remaining open-faced before God, releasing mercy and forgiveness for hurts from the past and letting Him do the same.

The Onlooker's Bench of Fear

Let's consider a third tier of camouflage. At times our woundedness-made more raw by the taunts of the enemy - keeps us on the bench looking on while others are enjoying being in the middle of the game. We become cautious observers afraid to run onto the playing field.

This is the area I have struggled with the most. What will I look like if I do this? What will others think of me? How well will I perform? But if we allow ourselves to be held back by the fear of rejection or the fear of authority or the opinions of others, eventually we will become people-pleasers, strangled by the anticipation of their opinions.

Hear me in this; if God can help me off the spectator's bench, He can help you, too. Fear can paralyze us while authentic faith propels us forward. So trade in those fears and exchange them at the cross (Isaiah 8:12-13). Be bold like a lion for Jesus' sake. Jump off the bench, tread on those spirits of intimidation (Luke 10:19), and be more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37).

Truly, the remedy is our Father's great love. Bask in the light of His unfathomable devotion - what the King James Version calls lovingkindness. Soak in the reality that "if God is for us, who is against us?" (Romans 8:31). He does not just tolerate you. You were created in His image and for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11). You are the object of His consuming love.

Negative Criticism

There is a fourth layer of fig leaves that we can use to protect our image. Before you know it, you are not only a spectator sitting on the bench, you are the umpire of the games. First you develop an old wrinkled-up prune face, then you begin operating out of a religious spirit called criticism. You have your ten points by which you judge everything around you. Like the judges at the Olympics, you even give scores to the participants of the games. You leave a particular gathering or event and say, "Well, it could have been better, if only. . . ."

Sorry, but these are the has-beens of yesterday's moves of God. They stopped moving forward and now they hold the job of negative, critical overseers of the playing field of today.

Ouch! Those are some tough words, but it takes the penetrating light of truth to blast away our protective shields. Truth may hurt for the moment, but when it is prayed and spoken with the motivation of love, it cleanses and sets us free.

The Stronghold of Imposed Limitations

This brings us to the fifth layer of leaves we hide behind; that of imposed limitations. In this stage we start believing the ridiculous lies of the devil about ourselves, and those lies become negative strongholds of the mind (2 Corinthians 10:4-6). Words not in alignment with the will and Word of God are transmitted from the enemy's camp to attack our minds. Their effect is to confine us in spaces with low ceilings and false expectations. As we believe those evil reports or actual word curses spoken against us as "the way it will always be," we are shut into cramped, dark boxes.

A spiritual stronghold is "a mindset impregnated with hopelessness that causes us to accept as unchangeable situations that we know are contrary to the will of God." (Rev. Ed Silvosa)

As we acknowledge as hopeless what God declares is changeable, we have come into alignment, at least in part, with the devils thought processes and plans for us. In this fifth stage, we go way past the realms of guilt, woundedness, fear, and criticism. We no longer want to step out into the light. We flat-out don't even think He accepts us, loves us or has any plan for us; not even a Plan B.

But this is simply not true. God loves you and He loves a fighter. You need to know that there are times you will have to wage war with the name and blood of Jesus to break out of your box of imposed limitations. But there is a way out. The gateway is the cross of our lovely Lord Jesus!

Opportunities and Temptations

As we back up in the book of Genesis, we hear the serpent telling Adam and Eve, "God knows that in the day you eat from [the fruit] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…."(Genesis 3:5). So what did Eve do? "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise"(verse 6), she partook.

There are three statements here that represent both opportunities and temptations: the forbidden tree was good for food; it was a delight to the eyes; and it was desirable to make one wise.

We find similar enticements in 1 John 2:16-17: "All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." The original temptation is still centered in these very things: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the boastful pride of life.

The Lust of the Eyes

God wants our vision to be clear and single. He wants His eyes to burn brightly through our own (Ephesians 1:17-19; Revelation 1:14). But when we give our eyes away to the enemy's camp, we are allowing tainted filters and visual obstacles to block the prophetic presence. We are hiding, and the revelatory seer dimension in which the Lord wants us to walk becomes hindered. As we give ourselves to the lust of the eyes, the seer realm starts getting cloudy.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God," Jesus taught in the Sermon of the Mount (Matthew 5:8). This is why it is imperative that we guard the "eye gate" and keep the eyes of our heart clean and pure. This is why the god of this world (John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4) is sending a barrage of filth for the eyes of the world to behold. A battle is raging, the battle of passions. Will we let our eyes get filled with junk and poke out the prophetic gift of the seer in our midst? But if we keep pure eyes, a realm of visionary revelation will open up with greater clarity for us.

I am not trying to advocate earning God's grace and gifts. We cannot earn a present. But we must keep ourselves clean from the lust of the eyes in order to gracefully receive what the Father has to offer.

The Lust of the Flesh

The second tempter mentioned is the lust of the flesh. Oh, the impulses and temptations that this body creeps up and speaks to each of us! We must go through the cleansing and crucifying of the lust of the flesh. Do you know why? Because God wants His power to move through human vessels. He wants our hands to be clean and our hearts to be pure, as Psalm 24:3-4 describes: "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart...."

Romans 6:13 exhorts us not to "go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." The issue becomes one of presentation. To whom you present your members, they become a slave. If unto the Lord, then they become a slave to the Holy Spirit; if unto sin, they become slaves to sin. What a promise! What a warning!

Yes, what a promise. God wants to use our little hands to impart the power of His great presence. Isn't that crazy?  Your hands and mine used to release the power of His presence!

As we present, He sanctifies. What He sanctifies, He empowers. Then, like Isaiah, as we are touched by authentic fire, He will touch others through our lives with His miraculous fire. It doesn't get much better than that.

The Boastful Pride of Life

Then there is the boastful pride of life. Who gets the credit? Who receives the glory? Eve saw that the fruit was desirable to make one wise. But wise in whose eyes? Wise in comparison to ourselves, yes, and wise in comparison to others, but not wise in comparison to God.

If you are walking in the boastful pride of life, ultimately it is an issue of self-exaltation. The basic meaning of worship in the Hebrew language means "to bow down in prostration before." Pride is the antithesis of worship. Worship exalts another, while pride sits on its own self-appointed throne.

The act of worship is one of our most powerful tools of spiritual warfare. It builds a throne in the heavenlies where Jesus' rule can be released and the demonic powers of darkness dismissed. Worship displaces darkness. So when you are walking in extravagant, passionate worship, guess what happens? Your passionate praise of our Lord pushes the throne of pride out of the way, and He comes to take His seat of honor. He draws near. Worship is prophetic action that releases the spirit opposite to the boastful pride of life.

Praise and worship has a whole lot to do, therefore, with a prophetic lifestyle of intimacy and ministry. It is connected with our giving God His rightful place in our lives, in our congregations and even in whole cities. In fact, extravagant praise is a key that unlocks His presence with us.

Take and Eat

As we close today's reading, let's return to Genesis, where the first "take-and eat" is given in the Bible. "Take and eat" was first spoken by the enemy to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-5). They disobeyed God and did as the sly serpent connived them into doing. Sin came, and with it, barriers to intimacy. But the next "take-and-eat" in the Bible is the remedy for us all: Jesus is talking with His disciples.

Jesus said, giving them the bread, "Take it; this is my body" (Mark 14:22). The one great cure for all the barriers we hide behind is the take-and-eat of the cross of Jesus. It is "Take and eat" of the life of God's only Son. "Take and eat" of this glorious Man, Christ Jesus. He has already done it all. He gave His blood to purchase us all. As we revel in who Jesus is, God the Father wraps His arms around us, and we have this warm presence called passion within our hearts, and this thing called revelation that starts bubbling up and happening.

Jesus' friends will draw close to His chest to hear His very heart beat. The lifestyle of a prophet is marked with intimacy, and an intimate life with Christ is available to you.

Jesus is looking for new recruits who will hear the passionate sound of His love beating through their beings. Do you want to lean your ear His way?

Devotional Prayer

Dear Father, I desire to lean in with eager anticipation when I sense You are drawing near to me by Your Holy Spirit. I have covered myself in the past with my own version of fig leaves. I am now coming into Your light-the gracious light of Your countenance that shines upon me. I confess that I have been enticed by the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Forgive me. In response I praise You and thank You for the body and blood of Jesus that have been given for me so that I can walk in newness of life for the glory of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

James W. Goll

www.encountersnetwork.com

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