Five-Fold Today - Let God Be God - In His Image - Trust - It's Enough! - New Levels, The Unfamiliar Place - Honoring the Truth-teller, part 3 - Speak My Word and Don't Hold Back
Let God Be God
Mike Forest
There is a fresh wind of the Spirit blowing in many churches today.
We are no longer satisfied with church as usual. We are no longer
content just to go through a service that is programmed and
orchestrated by man. Yes, it is the very best that man can do. The
best choirs, the best sermons, everything nice and comfortable and
organized, designed especially not to offend, and to attract man.
Yet, the best that man can do is so very insignificant when compared
to what God is doing in those places where men have come to the end
of themselves and realized that without Him we can do nothing. Yes,
the best show that man can put on cannot save a soul, it cannot
deliver a single person from the bondage of sin, it cannot heal a
single person.
What we need in our churches is not more of what man can do, (we have
seen what man can do), but what God can do. Our center and emphasis
has got to change from being man centered to being God centered.
Chruch is not a place to come only to get, but it is a place that we
come to give something to God (mainly ourselves). It is the presence
of God that men are hungering and thirsting for. When we seek to
touch God with our praise and worship and to satisfy His heart, then
our needs will be met also. God desires to meet all of man's needs.
He even wants to satisfy the desires of our hearts, but God doesn't
like to be used. How many of us go to Him when we have a need, but
yet we do not spend quality time with Him in intimate communion and
fellowship? I have found that the biblical principle of seeking first
the kingdom of God and having all of my needs met a reality in my
life. There is nothing that satisfies like the presence of God. The
problems of life grow increasingly dim in the light of God's presence
and glory. The real secret to getting our needs met is to get our
eyes off of ourselves and onto Him, who is our very life, the source
of all things, our all in all.
God is wanting to manifest Himself to His people. Only those that are
hungering and thirsting after Him will be filled. God takes the
initiative and draws us to Himself, so even those that are complacent
and indifferent to the things of God are being drawn by the Lord to
open up their hearts and let the Son shine in. We can no longer be
satisfied with the status quo. Are we desperate enough that we will
put it all on the altar in order to have more of Him? We have got to
ask God to change us. Only those that seek after God with all of
thier hearts will find Him.
In His Love,
In His Image
Luz Cintrón
Some time ago I had a vision-teaching about us mankind, from the
Father our maker. The Lord took me to the time when He created man in
His own image. See, it has always been kind of mysterious to me what
is the meaning of that phrase “in His image”. But we were created in
His image and we carry it.. There are many things I don’t exactly
understand but this one He started to unfold. I still do not
understand it all, but I started to see.
I saw how man was in His heart. He showed me the Glory of God in man
and the glory of man in Him. At the moment of creation, He fashion a
living tabernacle for Himself in man. He showed me a body that look
transparent, as seen with the eyes of the Spirit. It reminded me of
those plastic figures used in the science class to teach about the
internal organs in the body. But this one did not showed any organs,
instead all that could be seen was an opalescent fluid which filled
it and it had movement showing all colors of the opal as it would
move inside of man. We were fashioned by God to carry His glory on
earth into the physical realm. A way was made between the physical
and spiritual in which both realities would meet in the natural and
the clash between the two realities was not there. Instead there was
a perfect flow of the two realities and was no clashing even though
they were not one, for they were different but not opposed. The Lord
spoke to my heart and told me He was showing Himself to me in man
and He was the opalescent presence inside the body. And it was
glorious in beauty beyond words.
As an artisan of crystal fashions from sand an expensive crystal
goblet He fashioned man from the dust of the earth. I saw how fragile
crystal is and when pulled by the edge of the cup, if hold rightly
it would sound musical. We are like that in His hands and He makes
music out of all the pulls of life in us, because He holds us in the
right position in His hands, always, never letting go, whether we
know it or not. Our relationship with Him was not based in knowledge
but on trust. We were fashioned as creatures of trust, His creatures
of trust.
We were not created as creatures of knowledge, it came to us by our
choice through deception. Like the birds were made to fly not knowing
nothing about aerodynamics man was fashion to carry the glory of
God. I saw such a fragile creature, carrying the only power there is
in the whole universe. For there is no power that can confront God’s
and overcome Him, then all others are void, null and the only
prevailing power there is, is in God. Man creature as fragile as
crystal was like a show case for God. A creature of trust and
innocence was fashion to carry the All Knowing, but in ourselves
there was not even the awareness of knowledge and what it was. That
simplicity was not a weakness but a point of strength against pride,
for pride was unknown and not found with the nature of that creature.
Then He opened my eyes and I saw that simplicity that could be seen
now as a weakness, was His glory in man. Because it displays the
order of things as they really are in the true reality of God.
Any day we would strive to be strong and hide our weakness, but at
the moment of creation, man was fashioned fragile. Without knowledge
but able to learn, for that would come through our fellowship with
Him. Amazingly shielded from pride because he was not to interfere
with the glory pertaining to God, even though he would be His living
arc of testimony. A creature without strength, for the elephants
were made stronger than man, would carry the power which created the
universe just by His word. And that was the glory of man in God and
the glory of God in man, and they were one even though different. In
our weaknesses He is shown strong in His strength.
We were created for fellowship with Him and when exiled from that
place of communion, chaos was the result in the inwards parts of men.
We live longing for things we are not aware of, that is why there is
the believe of God in each and every culture on this earth. When man
try to be sophisticated, they may become agnostic and if “strong” and
intellectual even an atheist, but the void within the creature
remains in spite of all the things we may obtain. When the purpose
for which we were fashioned does not comes through a void settles in
the heart of man, in his inward parts because the glory of God in him
is missing the glory of man in God is not manifested either, and all
that remains there is a void. Imagine a bird traumatized, trying to
resolve the laws of physics before taking off in its first flight.
Nonsense? But I tell you when sin entered this world, the fear of
death came down upon all creation. Isn’t that what we do in our
pursuit of knowledge, that is according to our natural minds, trying
to explain the spiritual realm? The kingdom of God will be
manifested once again through His children in the power of His
Spirit, in His presence dwelling in us, it will be unveiled, revealed
and knowledge is not the chosen tool. If not, why is it that we cant
explain why some are healed and some are not and all the mysteries of
God. But let me also tell you, it is His pleasure to reveal His
secrets and share them with His children, that is within the purpose
for which we were created, called and destined and we shall received
them and even understand them through trust.
Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, man can not reach God and his
destiny in Him by knowledge in the same way a bird can not go deep
by swimming like a whale in the depths of the ocean, for it is a
creature of land and its glory is to fly high deep into the sky even
though they ignore all there is about how to fly and the law of
gravity etc, etc. That is the glory of God in the birds He made to
fly .
We are called to love Him with all our hearts and minds, for we were
given a mind and that mind is called to serve God too, but since the
great deception in the garden, when we chose to believe the lie
against God, that He didn’t want us to be like Him and was
withholding the best from us, that lost of trusting innocence have
been replaced with the poison of suspicion. We cling to knowledge
as a panacea to all our ailments. We seek to know as if by knowing we
could balance what is broken within. But our knowledge is a
deception. It was based on a lie and denial have sprout from it to
the point it makes us unable to recognized the truth anymore.
Knowledge of man is blind and crippled.
Man was given a mind able to learn, to receive knowledge from his
fellowship with God. That is why Jesus said, “you shall know the
truth and the truth shall make you free”. And, what is that truth? we
may ask. Do you know why we ask? We ask because we are blind to both,
the truth and our need of freedom. We are born dead but we can not
see it. The death of a body is only the last stage, and one that is
not even decisive in man history with God, since we all know there
will be a resurrection and those who have receive Him will live
forever with Him.
Doesn’t the knowledge of the spiritual refutes the premises of the
knowledge in the natural mind of man, driven only by his crippled
physical senses? Know the truth and the truth shall make you free.
Don’t we fear truth? If someone would tell us that all the truth
about ourselves is to be revealed before all the people, wouldn’t
that be received with a tug of fear within you?
When our Lord presented Himself as our truth, our way and our life,
I bet you He had that in mind. We need to learn to love truth,
because since we embraced deception in the garden, we are delivered
into deception from birth to the grave. Jesus came to become our
life, and our way and yes, our truth. We are called to love God with
all of our hearts and all of our minds with all of our strength. We
must love that truth that is in God, which is no other but Jesus,
that when all that there is in us, is announced to be revealed before
all men, we can say Maranatha, Lord Jesus! and find no tug of fear
in us.
But man can not come to this point until Jesus have become His way in
death to pride and self, breaking the way of deception off from
within us and embracing Him our cross, as a daily way of life , a
life most real, not this mirage of life we are born into. Our love of
Jesus should become a cross where we die to the fear of death for
only then we can be delivered into life. Our love for Jesus should
become perfect trust until the eyes of our spirit are opened and our
hearts prepared to learn, receive, and love truth. He is our Truth
that delivers us…. He is our life and our way…
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be
in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble
shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let
us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard Me, and
delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant.
And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the
Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of
the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who
trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want
to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger, But
those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. Come, you
children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who
is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may See
good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking
deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The
eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to
their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut
off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry out,
and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as
have a contrite Spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous but
the Lord delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not
one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate
the righteous shall be condemned. The Lord redeems the soul of His
Servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
Psalm 34
Your servant in His love;
Trust
Jane Larsen
Trust me. Put your house in order. I have been telling you to clean and
clear and put your house in order. I am the searcher of hearts and have
brought to the surface that which must be discarded. I am the one who has
searched in the painful places, who has unlocked the hidden places, who has
touched the empty places, and I am gentle, I am loving, I am calling you to
trust in me. I am exposing that which holds you down. That which slows
you, that which distracts you. This is a time of cleansing, of deep
cleansing, of breaking from the past and making way for today. I desire to
fill the places I am exposing. I fill to overflowing. I fill with light,
with joy, with good things.
See, the clouds are parting and even now the sun is starting to shine.
Trust me. Trust the work I am doing in you. I am bringing forth new. New
and wonderful. New. Delight in my working.
In His Name and to His Glory
jlarsen65@hotmail.com
It's Enough!
Maria Magruder-Taylor
Elijah was at the end of his rope here. He had just finished doing the
Lords work or “ministry”, he took out the prophets of Baal, and even after
doing the Lords work the religious still wanted to KILL him. That’s when
you find Elijah shouting, “It’s enough! Take my life Lord!”
Have any of you ever felt that way? You’ve been doing everything God has
commanded you, yet religion still pursues you as Jezebel pursued Elijah.
You come to that place where you are just so tired and you feel defeated.
Elijah couldn’t even take care of himself at this point. He had to have
an angel touch him and say, “Arise and eat”, and there he found food. For
he couldn’t even feed himself!
Many say Elijah went into the cave to hide, but he didn’t go in there to
hide, but to DIE. He was truly through when he said, “It's enough, take
my life, Lord!” Caves in the bible were only used for two things: to
hide or for a burial site. Elijah had picked out his burial site and was
laying down to die, it was to be his grave. He had lost sight of “who he
was” and his calling in God, he had lost his vision. “For my people
perish for lack of vision”
Again, the angel comes and says, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too
great for you”. That’s where many people are right now... the journey
seems far too great to ever accomplish, so much so you would rather throw
in the towel and give up, there seems to be no hope. I assure you, there
is an angel for you, an angel that will bring you heavenly food for your
spirit, that you can go on, that you can accomplish the journey that God
has set before you!
Then God says to Elijah, while in the cave, “What are you doing here,
Elijah?” and Elijah has this whole list of problems... which actually
ends up sounding more like whining in verse 10. The funny thing is God
never responds to Elijah’s whining…God’s response to the whining is “GO
OUT!” God doesn’t even acknowledge Elijah’s whining.
Elijah goes out on the mountain per Gods command and then a great wind
tore into the mountain, and a great earthquake and great fire... but God
was in none of those! All those earthquakes and fires you have been
experiencing, God isn’t in those, everything that has shaken you,
everything that has burned you hasn’t been God, but He is in that still
small voice, saying “Elijah, what are you doing here?” Again Elijah
spouts off his lists of complaints and self pity, and God does not respond
to the whining, but He responds with a simple “GO”!
For many of you have given up, come to that place of where you want to
die, there seems to be no hope, and you have found yourself a nice little
cave to die in. You have creid, “It’s enough!” You’ve been waiting for a
“lightening bolt” to come down from heaven with an audible voice to
prophesy to you. You have looked into the earthquakes, fires and strong
winds in your life, yet God hasn’t been in those.
God is calling you, calling you in a STILL SMALL VOICE, out of that cave
and He is telling His people to “GO”. He is sending you food that you
know not of, for the journey is too great for you. Some of you have been
in the cave so long you aren’t even sure you are still “called of the
Lord”.
Again I assure you that your calling has not left, it is still there, for
the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29) The
calling is still the same, and God’s word to you is true, no matter what
has come against you.
The JOY of the Lord is your strength, and the WORD of God is your food.
God will see you through! Listen for God’s still small voice that will
guide you and deliver you
maria@lifelineoutreach.com
New Levels, The Unfamiliar Place
Undrai Fizer
New Levels in the Father not only shows our diligence in ministry, it
shows hidden "devils" as well. It shows the things we have not yet
conquered and defeated. It shows our comfort in our present ministry and
anointing. It shows that we were used to a certain flow and environment
for ministry. Even if the environment was less than satisfying, it was
something we were used to.
New Levels expose what we are still used to in life and ministry. It will
expose our security to who we thought we were. That's what New Levels will
do, create a realm of "past tense" in your life. We are still used to the
past, which we still feel is the "present."
If we are going through a terrible process of getting things together and
it seems like there is a barrage of problems and things falling apart,
this could very well be a confirmation of us not being used to a new level
in the kingdom. It does not always bring peace initially. We may know
what we are called to be, but may not be used to the environment that our
destiny is assigned to at the moment. It can be frightening.
New Levels expose the things we are still hooked to. It exposes where our
ministry is presently. It exposes the fact that we are trying to get used
to a change of mantles and new maturity. It shows that we are used to
defeating "certain principalities," but now, we must get used to facing a
different circumstance and outlook to life. We may not be ready for this,
but it's the truth.
New Levels in God is a fulfillment of promise from the Lord. But, it also
exposes our fear and apprehensions to change. It shows us that we really
appreciated our lives the way it was. It shows us how quick we got
settled to "being settled" in a 'tabernacle style" assignment.
Our diligence in God will promote us to a life that we may not be mentally
ready for at the time. But that is the work of the Spirit, to prepare us
for the unfamiliar and the unknown. We will remember times when things
just flowed. And now, we look out among us and do not "recognize
anything." We look back at past relationships and wonder what went wrong.
Things felt so right. We were doing fine, we thought.
However, we kept progressing in the revelation and life of Christ. We
grew in Spirit and in life. Our ministries changed and we changed as
well. The "skins" got old and we went through a period of shedding. We
were purged and provoked by the Hand of God. We grew some more in the
Spirit. Now, we are here. In this unfamiliar place.
A place called a new level. Another floor in the building. Another place
in the kingdom.
We will get it together in a little while. It will make sense in time...
It will.
Undrai & Bridget Fizer
Honoring the Truth-teller, part 3
Roger W. Sapp
When Loyalty Overcomes Truthfulness
Loyalty and truthfulness are two covenant values that must be held in
tension against one another. Loyalty binds us together. The truth sets
us free. If one value is emphasized over the other, then serious
problems develop and both values will become distorted. If loyalty is
overemphasized, then only affirmation will be given and heard as
feedback. If truth telling is practiced without love and without
loyalty, it does not build but tears down. If truthfulness is
considered a fundamental component of loyalty, then the organization
will be built on integrity. If loyalty is considered a fundamental
component of truthfulness, then the organization will have true unity.
Often in an organization, whether it is the local church, a business, a
denomination, or a fellowship of churches, loyalty becomes the
overriding value and begins to overcome truthfulness. This is often
revealed in private words, actions and attitudes rather than the
official position of the organization. The leaders of an organization
may say that they value truthfulness but reveal in their actions that
this is not really so. There are several predictable results when this
happens:
Truth-Tellers are Unappreciated.
Individuals who strongly value honesty and truthfulness are
unappreciated, and often rejected as disloyal. Some people are
particularly oriented to truthfulness and may be seen as not being team
players by those who highly value loyalty. This may create a value
conflict in the organization between the truth-tellers and those who
highly prize loyalty. The loyalty value normally wins over truthfulness
in these kinds of situations because those in authority will often value
loyalty over truthfulness.
When the loyalty value wins over truth, it often takes the form of a
suppression of free expression, particularly dissent. This does not
make the elements of truth in dissent go away; truth will surface again
and again in different, even more destructive forms, until it is dealt
with properly. This is precisely why political tyrants are unable to
completely silence free expression and why they feel the need to silence
it. The truth will find a way to express itself simply because it is
the truth and God stands behind it.
Unintentional Training of Subordinates
Every time loyalty wins over truthfulness, loyal individuals are
unintentionally trained by the leadership to hide the truth or to put an
organizational spin on it. Truthful individuals are trained that they
are not really welcome. Perceptions are created that success and
promotion in the organization comes by telling the leadership what they
want to hear rather than the truth. Loyal yes men can seem to become
valued over those who have strong individual integrity and truthfulness.
Maintenance of a False Righteousness
The loyalty-based local church or any organization can defend its
righteousness at a high cost to the reputation of individuals. Often
the organization fails to deal with its failures in a scriptural way.
Instead the organization may blame its failures on the person it failed,
even unfairly damaging the person’s reputation. The truth is sacrificed
to the need of the organization to maintain a false appearance of not
making any serious mistakes. Organizational problems are defended when
they are brought to light by distorting the truth by putting an
organizational spin on it. In contrast, the balancing value of truth
persuades all Kingdom organizations to repent, confess their failures,
fix their problems and seek forgiveness of the persons that they
failed. When failures are handled in a godly way, grace, forgiveness
and mercy flow into relationships and healing occurs. When the
organization defends its failures at the cost of the reputation of
individuals, then it becomes a revolving door type of organization.
Revolving Door Organizations
Weakness in the value of truthfulness produces a revolving door type of
organization over a period of time. Individuals come into the
organization, then after perceiving the truth, they try to adjust the
organization or adjust to the organization. Often after becoming
disillusioned by the reality, they leave the organization. Those who do
stay long-term within the organization may also prize loyalty above
truth. However, because problems are hidden and often neglected, they
create hidden turmoil and strife for these people as well. Hidden
disunity becomes a way of life for the loyal members of the
organization. They tolerate each other for the sake of the
organization. Only open conflict is considered disunity after a time.
Key Leaders in Crisis
The revolving door organization becomes a house of cards over a period
of time because of hidden problems and disunity. A key leader may have
a profound dealing from the Spirit of Truth and wake up to the
seriousness of the organization’s hidden problems. This can create a
destructive crisis between leaders as a key leader begins to speak the
truth in a loyalty-based organization. Truth must be highly valued or
the integrity of an organization becomes weakened and cannot maintain
its membership. Loyalty alone cannot keep an organization together.
Truth will always be necessary for long-term success.
Reputation Saturation Points
The reputation of the organization will begin to suffer for failure to
listen to the truth. Many people will come through the revolving door
over a period of time. They will know the details of the problems of
the organization and the organization’s capacity to hide or to put a
spin on them. They may have become embittered by the organization
sacrificing their reputations to maintain its own. The organizational
growth stops and begins a long and steady decline because of reaching a
reputation saturation point with many people speaking badly about the
organization’s treatment of individuals and failure to deal with
problems. The loyalty-based organization, however, will be blind to the
real reasons for its decline. This is because it has few truth-tellers
anymore. Its spiritual eyes have been dishonored and are now gone. It
will offer alternative explanations and shift the blame once again.
Sincere Relationships in the Church
The concept of sincerity may be the best blend of the values of loyalty
and truthfulness. A sincere person is a person who out of loyalty to
God and others speaks the truth without mixture. The word sincere comes
from the Latin word sincerus. It literally means without wax. This
word comes from the time when the Romans were building great buildings
using marble columns to support the weight of these monumental
buildings. The builders would go to the marble cutters in the quarries
and inspect the columns. The cutters would put wax in the cracks of
columns to make them deceptively appear to be solid in order to sell
them. The builders could only use the sincere columns to build with.
The columns that were what they appeared to be, that were actually
solid, without wax hiding cracks, were the only thing that would sustain
the weight of the building. If a builder built a building using a
column that lacked sincerity, the entire building could fall down. The
parallels are evident. The Spirit of Truth needs sincere people to
build the Church; people that value loyalty and truthfulness in harmony
with each other.
*******************
Speak My Word and Don't Hold Back
Stephen Hanson
And he said to me, "Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. Go now to
your countrymen in exile and speak to them. Say to them, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says,' whether they listen or fail to listen." EZE 3:10, 11
"This is a word for those who would be challenged by my word."
"When I speak my word to many of you, I want that word to "become part of you." It is one thing to speak my
word and to say what I've told you to say, but it is yet another thing for that word to sink into your heart. It is yet
another thing for that word to mold you and shape you."
"I AM glad that many of you speak my word for Me. For many of you have not held back. You have gone where I
have asked you to go. You have not mixed my word with other things. But what good is it if you speak my word
but are not changed on the inside by it? How are you to become like Me? "
"The time is coming, and it is very near the door, when many of you may hold back what I have given you to say.
But I would say, to not hold back. You must be tested; your character must be tested. Work together with those
that you minister together with. Work with those apostles. Work with those other pastors and teachers. Work
with those that I have placed in your midst. You are needed as part of the complete unit. I will tell you that the
enemy has tried to stifle you though. You were deceived into thinking that you were to remain silent. How will my
word get out if your tongue is stilled? The enemy knows the importance of this word, and he will do everything in
his power to silence you."
"While it is true that I want to perfect many of you in your speaking and in your listening. It does not mean that I
want you to STOP. Does a runner stop running so that he might run faster? Does an artist or a musician stop
their endeavor so that the music or the painting would become better?"
"How many more times around the track do you have left before I return? I say that the finish line is not far off.
With each lap around the track that is left a greater opposition will come to you so take courage and say what I've
called you to say. Then my word will go out unto the ends of the earth. Then it will accomplish what I've called it
to do."
"Speak my word and don't hold back."
Stephen Hanson
http://www.angelfire.com/in/HisTruth
May 28, 2001
Mike
MForest585@aol.comI sought the Lord, and He heard me, And
delivered me from all my Fears…. Psalm 34:4
Luz Cintrón
http://www.thepearlsofwisdom.netLet us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage
of the Lamb is come and His wife hath made herself ready
..Revelation 19:7
Jane...And he prayed that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough!
Now, Lord take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!’ 1 Kings 19:4
www.lifelineoutreach.com
www.alaskaalliance.org
Kingpriest@aol.com
www.exploringthevision.org
The European Prophetic College.
EPC@swipnet.se Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to
the house of Jacob their sins. ISA 58:1
inhistruthprophet@earthlink.netFive-Fold Today Archives
The Lord has given us the grace to reconcile the children to their Fathers
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