Five-Fold Today Direction - To Rebuild the Walls - Love Triumphs Over Darkness - Be Encouraged - Beauty In Submission - The Value of a Soul - The Right Kind of Leaders - Goliath Had a Brother
Direction
You know that thing you keep asking Me about? That direction you need
from Me? I have already told you the direction I want you to go yet you
continue to ask me to tell you one more time – just to be sure. I am
pleased that you ask me for guidance, but it seems you sometimes
continue asking as if to postpone doing it. It is time for action. Go
– and trust me to continue guiding you as you go. Trust me to stop you
if you turn in a direction I do not intend. I will not leave you as you
step out in obedience. I will continue to guide you as you move
forward. Continue to seek My will, but do it as you go. The time to
move out is now – trust me as you go.
The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for
your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8
Kathy Bohlin
kbohlin@flash.net
To Rebuild the Walls
by Jan Ross
The Lord woke me up in the middle of the night recently, and as I was
praying, the Lord showed me the walls of Jerusalem that were torn down .
. . the gates of the city which had been trampled upon by their enemies
. . . the scattering of the peoples of Jerusalem. He showed me a
glimpse of the heart of Nehemiah who loved Jerusalem and whose heart was
burdened for reconstruction.
Then the Lord showed me His Church . . . the walls have been broken down
by her enemies, she has been trampled upon and beaten down and lays in
ruins by the hand of her enemies . . . her inhabitants have been
scattered.
He showed me that in these last days He is raising up a company of
Nehemiahs who would take the task to heart to rebuild the Church, to
reconstruct the walls of the City of God, to set a watchman at each
gate, to establish companies of worshippers to do service before Him
during all watches.
He showed me that the materials and equipment needed for reconstruction
have been released into our hands through intercession, fasting,
separation, and consecration. He showed me that the Ark of His Presence
would soon find a dwelling place in the midst of His Church, in the
midst of the reconstructed
City of God! That the latter house would indeed be more glorious than
the former!
He showed me that He has raised up people who would accept the task of
being gatekeepers, guarding each gate, hindering the enemy's attempts to
enter and destroy. He is sending forth companies of scouts to search
throughout the land for those who have been scattered and to escort them
back within the gates of the Church, the City of God's Holy Dwelling!
The time is now for restoration, rebuilding, and strengthening the walls
of the Church; there is a mighty move of God throughout the earth to
prepare for Him a dwelling place in the midst of His People!
Intercessors have been sent forth and commissioned to clean up the ruins
and to set the City in order, redeeming that which has been destroyed by
the hands of the enemy.
The call to intercession is a Nehemiah calling; those with a heart for
restoration and rebuilding have been called to intercession as God is
seeking a habitation among His people. He will not inhabit a City whose
walls have been crushed and lay in ruin, but His dwellingplace will be
seen in the midst of restoration and reconstruction.
In these last days, we are all challenged to be Nehemiah's . . . busy
working to restore the Body of Christ (the Church), reclaiming it from
the ruin brought about by the works of the enemy. We are called to
unity and to call those back who have been scattered. We have been
called to intercession, through groanings and birthings in the spirit
through prayer.
I pray that we will all be sensitive to and answer the call!
rross@columbus.rr.com
Love Triumphs Over Darkness
Yolanda Ballard
Deep within the heart of man is a calling......deep calls unto deep at the sound of thy waterspouts. The calling is to bring glory to God. How can we lift Him up
higher so all the world can see and know that He is God? How can we truly lift up our Lord and Savior? In the Word says that if we love one another, we are
lifting up the love of Christ so all the world can see and be drawn to this same love. But if we give into the enemy and let him harass us and cause offense and then
division among the brethren, then how can the world see and know of His love? For some we are the only example for them to follow. We are to be living epistles
for all to see the true fruit of Christ among His people. But if there is bickering and there is back biting, gossip and hurt feelings, then how are we doing our part as
being the Bride of Christ? How are we drawing the sea unto the Savior who loves them so?
So rise up mighty people of God. Rise up and take a stand against the enemy of our soul and the enemy of God. Join ranks with your brothers. Cast down the
hurts and resentments, the jealousies and competition and unite together in the Spirit of love and grace with one purpose and that is to promote the kingdom of
God....righteousness, truth and joy in the Holy Ghost. Rise up and take a stand this day to unite and be in agreement with our Lord's prayer to the Father that we
would be one as He and the Father are one. That is our greatest weapon against the enemy....our love for one another. It is our one and only true command to love
our Father with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbor as ourself.
Its time to cast down our petty differences, the pride and competition, to take off the masks and be real, and let God's love flow between us. And then and only
then will we see true revival. Then we will see our differences cast down and true unity take over. And then we will see Light triumph over darkness, Truth over
unrighteousness. By His love alone shall we overcome and be the army He has called us to be.
So wake up to the wiles of the enemy to separate the Body. Wake up to the snare of the fowler to pull down prayer in unity. Wake up for this is the day of
salvation. This is the day to reign victorious in Christ. The choice is yours! Choose to win and by love is our only way.
gloryfirerain@earthlink.net
Be Encouraged
Betty H.
What is the Spirit of the Lord saying to you today?
Lift up your eyes and behold and see that I am doing a new thing and you
will see it shortly, be not discouraged, but be encouraged in the word of
the Lord. For have I not said and will I not do it, that I will bring a
change and that you will walk in it. It is for my pleasure that I do this
thing. Don’t look to what the people are saying but look to what I am
saying. I created the light and the darkness and I when I speak I don’t
speak in some dark corner, but I speak very clearly so that my servants
can know what I am about to do. I am calling many back to the fold and
you will see them come, but it is I who is causing this to happen, I will
call forth a righteousness in my people, and I will bring a revival and it
is happening already, my thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are
not your ways. Don’t look neither to the right nor to the left, but look
straight unto me for I am in the midst and I will work and who can say not
so.
Some will question my move, but I have been preparing this for a while and
I have seen what has been going on and I will cause them that have cause
discord to repent, and I am bringing a godly repentance to my church and
there will be a mighty move of my Spirit when the wind blows it will blow
in that godly repentance that is am causing to arise in my people. Many
have went on in their own will and way and thought nothing of it, but now
it will be different and this will not be a wild fire of repentance but
this godly repentance will bring a change in my people a change for
holiness even the holiness that I am calling forth. It will be the fire
of my holiness that will issue in the very glory God. it is time to
awaken and I will work in the leadership first and then I will work in the
whole body.
The wind of holiness is starting and it is calling forth an obedience that
works by faith in love. It will not be a glorious thing to some, there
will be a cry in the midst of the night, when everything seems dark and
they will cry out even as Israel cried out to be set free from the bondage
of Egypt. I am still the same today and in the right time I have heard
Israel’s cry even though it took years, but according to what I have
spoken to my prophet Abraham that they would be in Egypt for so many
years, and when the right time came I released my power to set them free,
I even prepared a man in the wilderness, even as I have been preparing a
man in the wilderness a many member man to come forth and be the deliverer
for my people. You will hear the cry, prepare the way of the Lord return.
Yes there will be a revival of the excitement of the return of the Lord.
Many have lost that excitement and therefore sin has crept into the camp,
but when that is restored there will come a purity in my people who will
be looking for the return of the Lord and will not tolerate sin in their
lives. But they will purify themselves even as I am pure.
It will bring a new refreshing fear of the Lord back into my church.
There will come a godly fear, but keep your eyes upon me and my word.
All who love me will keep my commandments and there will be a restored
love back to me, there will be an assurance that I love them and they are
loved by my Father and I will show myself to you in the midst of the
wind. I will reveal my glory and many will say we have been waiting for
this a long time. It is like a dream, but we know this is the right time
for this to happen. I will bring out of disaster a beauty of holiness and
in that fire that purifies and devours you will see that only the chaff
will be devoured.
Know that I am for you and not against you. Even though you may have
thought differently. Know that you are in my hand and I have not
forgotten you.
A Handmaiden of our Lord Jesus Christ
Beauty In Submission
Ras Robinson
There is beauty in submission. All of creation is built
upon it. Without it there will always be chaos. And chaos reigns on
the earth in this hour. Life in interrelated and interlocked based upon
this foundational principle. Therefore quickly now humble yourself and
enter fully into a lifestyle of submission. Humble yourself under my
mighty hand and I will lead you in submission. When your submission is
complete, I will exalt you that you may “see” what you could not before
see. I have placed the governments where they are. The magistrates,
governors and all kings are in my hands. I make the mountains and the
streams, the birds and the reptiles. When my order is observed then my
power and my all-encompassing love can flow freely. I am calling upon
you to raise up the age-old foundations, the restoration of all things.
But this must be done in submission to the spiritual oversight that I
have placed in the earth. You already know who they are and some will
yet be revealed. Be ready for some surprises in whom I reveal. My ways
are not your ways. My way is the way of submission. Anyone not in
submission is out of order and is a limiting factor in my plans. When
my order is established, there is beauty in submission.
Ephesians 5:21 …and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
Fullness in Christ Church, Pastor
The Value of a Soul
By Chad Taylor
Satan comprehended the value of one soul. He was willing to pay any
price to secure that eternal transaction. This same dynamic is in
action today within the echelon of the rich and famous. Satan has no
limit to the price that he will pay for a human soul. A billion
dollars is not enough to expend in Satan's passion for souls. Yet
today the Church is rarely moved to see even one soul saved. Usaully
uwilling to expend the means to capture the heart of just one that is
lost and dying. We have lost the value of a soul.
When Jesus confronted the rich young ruler He said, "Sell all that
you have and distribute to the poor." But the young man was already
bought. Satan had already paid his own ransom, the riches and wealth
of this present world. Every second another soul is purchased and
paid for with the "kingdoms of this world and the glory of them." Yet
so little is expended by God's people for the purchase of even one
precious soul. Satan has the riches and wealth of the world. We have
the blood of Jesus. The reason we do not give our very lives and
wealth for the Son of God and His epic passion for souls, is because
we have not grasped the great value of a soul. Satan does, and alas,
the very mouth of hell expands to accommodate the influx. O that the
church could understand even half of what Satan does the nations
would be won in a day!
"There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine
clothes, and lived in splendor every day. the rich man also died and
was buried, and in hell he lifted up his eyes." (Luke 16:19-23).
Satan courted this man with his wealth and fame seducing his soul
into hell. There is no price tag too large that Satan is unwilling to
pay to secure one soul into damnation. Tragically today we will
hardly give our time and energy, not to mention our money, to see
someone saved. Every day we walk past the priceless treasure of souls
unwilling to pay the price to see them saved. Satan does not.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son."
Heaven also understands the value of a soul. The Father paid the
highest possible price to apprehend one soul for eternity, His only
Son. What will we do? What price is too much for us to give for
missions and harvest? Where is the limit in our giving to see our
cities and streets won to Christ? Where do we stop to see the widow
and the orphan delivered from their affliction? It cost Jesus
everything. It will cost us no less. The burning question in God's
heart is, "What will you give for a soul? What have you given lately
for a soul?"
"The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he
said, this will I do, I will pull down my barns, and build greater.
And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have so much wealth stored up
for many years, take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry." But God
said, "You fool, this very night your soul shall be required from
you." " (Luke 12:16-21). The only value in wealth is to use it for
the furtherance of the Kingdom of God. To enable it to be the
catalyst that empowers outreach and revival. "Lay not up for
yourselves treasures upon the earth. but lay up for yourselves
treasure in Heaven" was Jesus' strategy for prosperity. Treasure in
Heaven will equate the souls that were saved and the hearts that were
bound up with His eternal love during our lifetime. "For where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matt. 6:21).
Chad Taylor
www.consumingfire.com
The Right Kind of Leaders
A.W. Tozer
I believe that it might be accepted as a fairly reliable rule of
thumb that the man who is ambitious to lead is disqualified as a
leader. The Church of the Firstborn is no place for the demagogue or
the petty religious dictator. The true leader will have no wish to
lord it over God's heritage, but will be humble, gentle, self-
sacrificing, and altogether as ready to follow as to lead when the
Spirit makes it plain to him that a wiser and more gifted man than
himself has appeared.
It is undoubtedly true, as I have said so often, that the church is
languishing not for leaders but for the right kind of leaders; for
the wrong kind is worse than none at all. Better to stand still than
to follow a blind man over a precipice. History will show that the
church has prospered most when blessed with strong leaders and
suffered the greatest decline when her leaders were weak and time
serving. The sheep rarely go much farther than the Shepherd. The
Warfare of the Spirit, 191,192.
"Give me the heart of a servant, Lord, that I might be the right kind
of leader. The world lauds the take-charge, aggressive driver; You
ask for humble servants. Make me Your servant today, I pray in Jesus'
name. Amen."
Goliath Had a Brother
Pastor Francis Frangipane
Here's the scene: You're in a battle with sickness, oppression or some
similar need. However, you seek God and, in some way, the grace of God
touches your life. Your victory may have come through a word or prayer or
some other encouragement, but you absolutely know the Lord delivered you.
Using the five smooth stones of divine grace, you defeated your Goliath.
But then, a few weeks or months later (or perhaps, years), suddenly all
the old symptoms return with a vengeance. If you were struggling with an
illness, it manifests now worse than ever; if your battle was regarding a
relationship, it seems like all progress has been lost and you are back to
square one.
Have you ever been there? These negative experiences can drain the faith
from your heart to such a degree that you feel you'll never recover the
anticipation of faith again. A spiritual paralysis immobilizes your soul.
You may still attend church, but your faith is unresponsive; when others
testify of a healing or deliverance, you secretly wait, measuring the time
until they, too, lose their healing.
For many, the result is one of severe disillusionment. The scripture says,
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Prov 13:12). How can you trust God
when it seems like He let you down? You wonder: Did I lose my breakthrough
or was I only deceiving myself and never really had it?
But, dear one, it is very possible that what you are experiencing is an
entirely new spiritual battle, not a loss of God's blessing. This new war
is a very clever and effective deception that Satan uses to try and worm
his way back into the lives of those delivered by God.
I had been praying about this very thing, this returning battle, when the
Holy Spirit spoke to my heart, "Goliath had a brother." I was immediately
reminded of David's war against the Philistine giant. We all know that
David became a great hero by trusting God and defeating Goliath. However,
later in his life other giants showed up to war against the Lord's
servant. Amazingly, all of them were related to Goliath! Three of these
giants were Goliath's actual children; one, was Goliath's brother (See 1
Chr 20.). So, after defeating a giant once, David suddenly had to face
another giant.
Get this point: Goliath had a brother that looked like him. We can imagine
that the giant talked like Goliath, fought like him, and probably even
smelled like him. Other than saying David was weary, the Bible is silent
as to what might have been going through the king's mind. Perhaps he
wondered, "I thought I killed you. What are you doing back?" But, Goliath
hadn't come back. It was the giant's brother and children that returned;
it just looked like the same battle! The truth was, Goliath was dead.
Likewise, you also have had many successful victories.
JUST BECAUSE THE CURRENT GIANT YOU ARE FACING LOOKS LIKE
ONE YOU DEFEATED IN THE PAST, DON'T BUY THE LIE THAT YOU
NEVER REALLY WON THE FIRST BATTLE! By the strength of God's grace,
you trusted the Almighty and conquered your Goliath. The first giant is
dead. Satan is masquerading as your former enemy so he can slip past your
faith and regain entrance into your life. Resist him. Stand in faith (Eph
6). Don't accept the lie that you were never delivered. The victory that
overcomes the world is our faith (1 John 5:4). The Living God who helped
you conquer Goliath will empower you to overcome his brother as well.
Father, I bring to You Your servants. Lord, some have fought battles that
seem to have reoccurred. Like David, they have become weary with fighting
this enemy. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, I expose the lie that they
had not previously conquered this enemy. In Jesus' name, I rebuke the
enemy. I ask You Lord to send angels to strengthen supernaturally Your
people, just as angels often strengthened Jesus. In the name of the Lord.
Amen!
A service of In Christ's Image. Please visit our website at
July 9, 2001
The Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?
Tell the people to get moving.” Exodus 14:15
Betty
http://joyofthelord.org
bless@chartermi.netIsaiah 58:12 And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the
repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.
http://www.fullnessonline.org
rasrobinson@fullnessonline.orgAgain, the devil took Him up into an exceedingly high mountain, and
showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and
said to Him, "All these things will I give You if you will fall down
and worship me." (Matt. 4:8-9).
For what does a man profit if he gains the whole world but loses his
own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matt.
1:26).
Heaven and hell understand this principle and the value of a
soul. It was this principle that compelled Jesus to the cross. It is
the same force that will move us to take up our own cross and follow
Him into the harvest fields. We must comprehend the value of a soul!
Only then will we move with the perseverance to see souls saved and
set free. Only then will we break out of the confinement of human
limitations into the divine presence of revival. God give us passion
for souls!
lionheart@gci.netShepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers,
not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly,
nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples
to the flock. --1 Peter 5:2,3
_______________________________________________________________
Read "Insight for Leaders" online at:
http://www.litmin.com/tozer.php3
http://www.inchristsimage.orgFive-Fold Today Archives
The Lord has given us the grace to reconcile the children to their Fathers
As One Body
Issue Oriented Discussion Newsletter
Index | Search This Site | Aristide.Org | The Latter Rain | Babylon the Great | The Kingdom | The Nicolaitans | Jezebel
The Baptism With the Holy Ghost | The Grand Delusion | World Trade Org | Liberation Theology | Jay Atkinson | Alphabetical Index