Showing posts with label will of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label will of God. Show all posts

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Discerning God's Voice: Does He Usually Speak to Me This Way? - KATHY DEGRAW CHARISMA MAGAZINE

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You just received discernment and believe it is from the Lord. Your concern is: "What do I do next?" My concern is what you didn't do next.
The next step is not taking action on the discernment you received, but testing it. Ask yourself questions such as: "Will this bear fruit and glorify the name of Jesus Christ, or will it distract and detour me from my godly assignment?"
When receiving discernment that you believe is from the Lord, you should stop and verify it is from the Lord, and not your flesh or the enemy trying to distract you. It is wisdom to verify the word (not analyze it) before you take action. Taking the word at face value without seeking confirmation and direction can detour you from the will of God.
We can prematurely act on a word because we feel it makes sense and we have comfort proceeding. We think, "I can do this." We are comfortable because it makes sense to us in the natural, but the question is: Do we have peace proceeding forth in the spiritual?
We are not natural people; we are spiritual beings. Moving forward with an idea because of our natural comfort is one of the main ways the enemy and our flesh can cause us to proceed in a wrong direction.
When you receive revelation, a prophetic word or an answer to prayer, take the next step. Discern it. Dissect it. Don't overthink and don't analyze. Test it. Bring it back to the Holy Spirit through prayer and test it against the Word of God.
We hear from three sources. We can hear from the Spirit of God, our own thoughts and the enemy. We hear God more clearly than we think. The challenge is sometimes we hear Him so clearly that we doubt what we heard and then we ask a person their opinion—leading to confusion. The enemy can send thoughts, which are lies, into our minds to confuse and distract, and our flesh can get involved by being analytical and letting our imagination take over.
God's Thought Downloads
God speaks to us through thoughts dropped in our spirit. When God speaks to us, we need not try to figure out the revelation, but rather receive the revelation He is giving.
You may have heard God's voice before saying, "Don't do that," "Take this road instead today" or "Give this much as an offering." You have heard God as you have prayed and felt you received your answer. However, don't just feel you have received the answer. Rather, know you have received the answer.
When you receive discernment, ask yourself, "Is this the way God usually speaks to me?" Verify it. He may speak to you in different ways, but He usually speaks to you the same way for a season. Ask God, "Why do you want me to head in this direction?"
Test the Scriptures to confirm if the revelation aligns with or contradicts God's Word. God will not tell you to do something that is against His Word. I once knew a woman God had been convicting regarding giving. She felt led to write an offering check for $5,000. She wrote the check in advance of a business transaction that was being completed. The deal fell through and she ended up in debt! That contradicts God's Word. If she would have tested the discernment, she would have stayed out of debt.
The Flesh Blocks Revelation
Our flesh gets involved in receiving revelation because we think about it instead of pray about it. When thinking about whether a thought is from God, we tend to overanalyze it and get impatient waiting on God for an answer.  
Analytical people can plan out the answer instead of praying and receiving the answer. During prayer time, analytical people have difficulty shutting down their minds to receive from God. When analytical thoughts come into your mind, transfer those thoughts to your heart, to the place of love, where the Father is.  
When you receive discernment and you are unsure about it, or even when you think you are sure of its source, ask yourself, "Is this the way I would think?" You may think you heard from God when really what you heard were your own thoughts.  
Deceptions and Distractions
The enemy speaks to us with thoughts such as: "They don't like you; they are over there talking about you," or "You'll never lose weight; you can't do it." We have all heard the lies of the enemy. If you pay attention, you will be able to discern when and how the enemy speaks to you. When he speaks to me, I will hear, "Listen to me," in the sentence. God knows I hear His voice and doesn't have to say, "Listen to me."
If confusion is present in times of discernment, it is from the enemy. "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace" (1 Cor. 14:33).
The enemy will attempt to distract. When we don't pray about things in advance, it leaves the enemy an open door to sidetrack us.
Testing the Spirits
When testing the spirits, ask yourself if you are feeling convicted or condemned. Conviction from the Holy Spirit is quick and calls you to action. He presses you until you confess or act. Condemnation is from the enemy and makes you feel numb. Feeling heavy and bad about yourself produces complacency.
When you are confused, under pressure, scattered, stressed, oppressed and going through heavy trials and tests, your soul is highly activated and you could be experiencing demonic opposition.
As spiritual warfare occurs, you cannot automatically assume that you can hear God with the same clarity as in other times. All of us have heard wrongly at one time or another, and have regretted the decisions we made in the flesh.
In 1 John 4:1, the Word of God instructs us to test the spirits. If we are instructed to test the prophetic words given by prophets, then shouldn't we also test our own words and discernment?
There are times our flesh gets involved in the outcome. Increase discernment and cast down your flesh by being in the Word, praying and being around prophetic people who know how to test the spirits—people whose discernment produces results that are evident through the fruit of their ministry.
When you receive revelation from God, keep it in front of you and consistently pray it through.
Ask for His will to be further revealed and for Him to give you the spirit of revelation, knowledge, wisdom and understanding (Is. 11:2).
Be in tune and sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading.
You can and do hear from God. You just don't know how simple and clear it really is.

Kathy DeGraw is passionate about releasing and empowering people to share the love and power of God. She is the founder of DeGraw Ministries, a prophetic healing and deliverance ministry. DeGraw has written several books, including Flesh, Satan or God?: Who Are You Hearing From? Follow her on Facebook or online atdegrawministries.org.

Kathy DeGraw teaches you how to declare and decree your prayers so you can unleash the power of God through faith at degraw.charismamag.com.
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Monday, July 27, 2015

Sharing Love From Sweden - FREE TO DO THE WILL OF GOD by Eva Haglund


FREE TO DO THE WILL OF GOD
Eva Haglund, Sweden

A bird flies free without anything hindering it. God wants us to fly free like birds without anyone hindering us. We need to be free from control by anybody else. We need to make our own decisions in what we feel peace in and not let other people rule over us who want to control. We must not do what we do not feel peace in. We need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

There are some people who are very dominant and want to rule over others by controlling them. I am not talking about the usual way of being submitted to leaders you have confidence in but when a person wants to control a person in a wrong way.

There are certain people who want to take over the leadership in a congregation if they are allowed controlled by the spirit of Jezebel. We must not be bound but must say no when it needs said, and not let any one rule over with this spirit.

Christ has called us to freedom. There are certain Christian leaders who do not know the heart of the Father with love and compassion. They have hard hearts and are controlling the members in certain congregations. Some members do not dare leave the congregation or to say no. All leaders do not know God's heart of love and do not have love for the sheep. We need to choose a congregation where the leader/leaders love Jesus and have His love for the people. By their fruit you will know the tree, as Jesus said.

As Christians we also can hear from God. We can get teaching from the Word. We also need good advice from spiritual mothers and fathers in Body of Christ who are mature persons in Body of Christ. I believe there needs to be more spiritual mothers and fathers after God's heart in the Body of Christ. In some congregations there are just young people, but old and young need each other. Jesus says in John 19, "Mother, see your son!" and "Son, see your mother!"

In Proverbs 29:25 is written, "The fear of men brings a snare" but we need to be like eagles who fly high. We all have our unique calling and it is written in Joel 2:8 "They do not push one another.
Everyone marches in his own column."

There are some people who are manipulative and who have egoistic motives. They want to control others. We need to say no when we sense it is wrong. It is more love by saying no because then you can teach that person that this behavior is wrong. It is good to help other people but it needs to be in a right way.
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Parents ought to be the ones who are the ones who decide and not the children who rule over the children. God wants us to have have our freedom in Christ and not let our wings be bound and heavy.
We also need to tell the truth in situations as Paul did to people.

Esther, Stephen and John were also bold and we can learn from them. There are situations when we also need to be quiet as Jesus was in Mark 14:6, where we read that He "kept silent and answered nothing."

In another situation Jesus spoke as in Luke 16:14: "Now the Pharisees who were lovers of money , also heard these things and they derided Him. And He said to them, "You are those who justify themselves before men, but God knows your heart . For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God." Jesus told the truth. We can also be bold and say the truth in situations, but it is good to have patience and not be angry and condemn anybody.

In Luke 6: 22 is written, "Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven. For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets."

We can sometimes get badly treated following God but then the reward is great in heaven. It is good to know when it is tough that God gives back. God is faithful and good to know that Jesus suffered most and suffered this because of His so great love to us.

He gave also His life for all people. We read in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." 

In Yeshua/Jesus name is salvation.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The Elijah List - Wade E. Taylor: Understanding the Will of God - Stand in the Presence


Wade E. Taylor:

Understanding the Will of God 
- Stand in the Presence

Wade E. TaylorAnd we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.Romans 8:28

This does not say that all things are good, but that even terrible things (all things – without qualification) can work together to produce "good." This good (God) is not these "things" in themselves, but rather, that the "image" of our Lord Jesus Christ is being wrought into our being, and these "all things" have become a tool to accomplish this.

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:13

We are to grow into the "measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." We begin our spiritual journey as a "spiritual baby" at the time of our salvation, and then grow toward spiritual maturity. On the Cross, Jesus said, "It is finished." He lived a perfect life and fully accomplished the will of His Father. Thus, Jesus came to full spiritual maturity
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We also are to grow into this level of maturity in which our life "measures" up to His life. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, our life will be measured against His life. To prepare us for this, the Lord works within the daily circumstances of our life experience. Our part is to submit ourselves unconditionally to allow Him to do this, and then cooperate with Him in whatever He may do.

God has made us what we are, creating us in Christ Jesus for the good deeds which are prepared beforehand by God as our sphere of action. Ephesians 2:10 Moffatt Bible

Conformed to His imageThe will of the Lord for us then is not "where" we are to be, or "what" we are to do, but rather, that we will live and function in the place where there is a set of circumstances that will best enable the Lord to accomplish His purpose within us (our being conformed to His image through our yielding to the outworking of His will and purpose for us).

If we rightly understand this, then it can be said that it is possible for us to be "in" the will of God, while seemingly, being "out" of the will of God. This can only happen if our heart is unconditionally set toward the Lord. 

Then the Lord is released to use these "all things," whatever they may be, to bring us into spiritual maturity, and also, to prepare us to be brought into the place where He can accomplish a higher purpose through us. But, first we have to be "made ready."

Made Ready

This principle can be seen in the life of Moses.

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian... Exodus 3:1

Moses knew that he was called to deliver his people, Israel, but in an attempt to fulfill this calling, He failed and fled.

And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not... Then fled Moses at this saying... Acts 7:22-25, 29

Called to the sheepAs a result of being rejected, Moses is "ministering" in the wrong place to the wrong people – Jethro's sheep. Today, there are those who are in a similar situation, feeling that although they have missed the best, they are doing the best they are able to do; or there are some who have listened to the enemy telling them that they missed, and have given up.

No matter how "out of place" we may feel, if we will desire "something more" and push forward, the Lord will bring us into the level of spiritual maturity so He can use us in the outworking of His purposes. Thus, these are "in the will of God" while being "out of the will of God."

Moses clearly fits in this second group. He was not feeling sorry for himself, nor was he sitting and doing nothing. The original vision was still alive within him, and he was doing the best he could with all that was available to him.

Moses was called to the "sheep" of Israel, but instead, he was faithfully leading the "sheep" of the priest of Midian toward the mountain of God. This moved the heart of the Lord, who made an arrangement (a burning bush) wherein He could meet with Moses. Thus, all this was "working together" for good. 

Seemingly, being "out" of the will of God, Moses was "in" the will of God, as he was being brought to the end of his own ability, which prepared him for his meeting the Lord at a "burning bush."

Willing To "Turn Aside"

Burning bushThe Lord revealed Himself to Moses in a flame of fire. Thus the bush burned, but was not consumed. It can be said that it is yet burning and available to us – if our attitude is as Moses' was, and we become willing to turn aside into the Lord's manifested presence.

It would have been easier for Moses to remain in the wilderness with these sheep than to go back and face his past failure. There was no one in the wilderness to whom he could complain so they would feel sorry for him, nor to criticize what he was doing. Jethro's "sheep" were obviously much more cooperative and appreciative than the "flock" of Israel had been.

However, the intention of the Lord is always to prepare us, not only for us to succeed where we had failed, but also for us to go "further." Therefore, the Lord told Moses that he was to go back and face Pharaoh, to bring deliverance to the very people from whom he had fled.

Because the Lord did not expect Moses to accomplish this in his own strength, as he had before attempted, he was instructed by the Lord to "take off his shoes." 

Moses had walked as far as he could go in his own strength and ability. Now, he would walk in the strength (shoes) of the Lord.

This "intervention" did not take place until Moses had come to the full end of his ability, and was willing to turn aside, as an acknowledgement of his need.

And Moses said, "I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt." Exodus 3:3

Moses turned asideAccording to most modern teaching, the burning bush is seen as being in front of us. They say that all we need is more faith, or some new methodology. Rather, the burning bush was off to the side of Moses' progression toward the mountain of God and required a simple action on his part. 

He had to "notice," and then "turn" from what he was doing, and submit himself to the Lord.

The fact that this "bush" burned, but was not consumed, means that it had been there for a long time, unnoticed by Moses as he pushed toward the mountain of God. Finally, Moses became aware that his ability or methodology was not getting him to the goal he desired, and noticed this bush, as it burned.

This concept of "turning aside" is very close to the heart of the Lord, who greatly desires that we both notice and respond to His presence.

My Beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, He standeth behind our wall, He looketh forth at the windows, shewing Himself through the lattice. Song of Solomon 2:9
"He standeth behind our wall." 

The Lord waits in the shadows, to see if we will notice Him, that He might come into our circumstances to bring us into the higher level of His purposes for us. This ability to perceive, and the discipline to respond to His presence, does not come quickly, or easily. 

It requires a "coming to the end" of our ways, and spending quality time in His presence in order to further develop our sensitivity to the spiritual realm, and to the manifested presence of our Lord.

If need be, the Lord has a "Jethro" and some special "sheep" who will help accomplish this in our lives, if we will acknowledge that we have come to the end of our abilities and ways, and cry out to the Lord that we need "something more" beyond that which we presently possess.

Blessed Are the Poor In Spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 5:3

This means that we have become absolutely destitute concerning any ability that we may have and, in desperation, have become willing to turn aside. Only then can we partake of the provision of the Kingdom.
"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

We receive the enabling grace of God's abilityWhen we seemingly become stranded in the wilderness, where none of our "giftings" are able to function, we will mourn. We cannot help it, but the Lord understands and will comfort us. This "comfort" will result from the impartation that we receive from the "burning bush" of His presence, by which we receive the enabling grace of His ability, in exchange for the loss of our abilities.

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5

Only now can we face and overcome the "Pharaohs" in our lives – all those things that actively hinder us from fulfilling the call of God.

If we will turn aside and stand in the presence of this "bush" that yet burns, and receive the impartation that is available to us, this world will yet be turned to the Lord.

Wade Taylor
Wade Taylor Ministries / Parousia Ministries

Wade Taylor graduated to Heaven on February 29, 2012. He served others as a teacher and spiritual father for over 50 years. He was respected and loved by many for his quality of spirit and walk with his Lord. He was an anointed author, bringing forth deep truths of the Spirit with a clarity and simplicity that drew the reader up into a closer walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Nancy Taylor WarnerNancy Taylor Warner, daughter of Wade Taylor, spent most of her childhood in a Bible school environment due to the calling on her father's life. In 1981, the Lord called her to support his message and she since has functioned in a variety of positions. Today, in response to her dad's wishes and the encouragement of its board of directors, she now oversees Wade Taylor Ministries. 

Nancy travels at times to speak and pray for others. She particularly enjoys teaching on intimacy with God and other truths that relate to our spiritual growth. She brings an expectation for the visitation at hand, and prays for the life and ministry of Christ to be imparted by the Holy Spirit each time she ministers. 

Nancy's special gift of relating to and loving people stems from her own love for Jesus and His Kingdom. Her spiritual life messages flow into the hearts and spirits of those to whom she ministers.