Eyes to See and Ears to Hear

Have you been praying and seeking God for a greater ability to hear His voice and see in the spirit realm? If so, this is a desire of the heart that the Lord is gladly satisfying in this critical hour. We find one of the keys to our prayer in scripture:

Matt.13:13-15 - "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
'You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive. For the heart of this people has become dull.....'"

"Perceive" - to become aware of through the senses

Nugget of Gold: Pray for the Lord to increase your awareness of what you're seeing - for help focusing on and recognizing that which He is showing you. Pray for the Lord to increase your ability to separate His voice from all the other voices you hear ("My sheep hear My voice" - John 10:27). Then, ask Him for increased understanding of what you hear Him speak. Pray for your heart to be awakened to Him as in Song of Songs 5:2.

This is a time when we must know the voice of our Bridegroom and see what He desires us to see - not only in the natural realm, but IN THE SPIRIT! Thus, we need our spiritual senses awakened and trained to discern.

Heb. 5:14 - "But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses (spiritual) trained to discern good and evil."

The River

I believe we are in a time when the Lord is releasing the River that flows from His sanctuary in such a measure that we'll have to SWIM in it. No longer will we be able to just get our feet wet or wade in the shallow waters. We'll have to be in "the flow of the Spirit", or we'll remain on the sidelines watching what the Holy Spirit is doing in this time. Worse, we'll be in a dry place that isn't receiving the life and healing that these waters will bring to us, our families, our businesses, and those around us.

Rev.22:1 - "And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb."
Ezek.47:9;12 - "And it will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there, and the others become fresh (are healed); so everything will live where the river goes."
"And by the river on its bank.....will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing."

I had a dream two years ago in which I was on a raft in a swift moving river. There were people on either side of this river sitting in lawn chairs just watching and waving to those of us who were floating by.

Nugget of Gold: I believe that the pattern we see in Ezek.47 has culminated in the time of the river that we have to be completely "in". No longer can we just "get our feet wet" in the things of God, or go out just so far before we run back to shore where it's "safe". The Lord is calling us to be more than spectators in that which He is unfolding. If we find ourselves in a "dry" place in any area of our lives, we need to find the flow of the Holy Spirit and jump in with both feet! Only then will we prosper spirit, soul, and body.

Whirlwind (Part 2)

I believe the Lord is saying that this is the time of His whirlwind (see previous post on August 21st). The whirlwind of the Lord is destructive to the wicked, but it serves as a means of deliverance and salvation to the righteous.

"Destruction is coming, but today is the day of salvation."

Nugget of Gold: Destruction is coming for those who have built on any foundation other than Jesus (1Cor.3:11), but His whirlwind will pick up and propel His righteous ones to the place that He's prepared for us. This will be a place of safety and of being in the flow of His covenant blessings!

Prov.10:24,25 - "What the wicked fears will come upon him, and the desire of the righteous will be granted. When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation."

Babylon

I believe I hear the Lord saying,
Rev.18:4 - "Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues."
Rev.18:2 - "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she has becoma a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit...."
Rev.18:10 - "For in one hour your judgement has come."

Nugget of Gold: I believe the Lord is causing His people to "come out" of the Babylon world economic/financial system - first in our hearts, and then for some, also with regard to jobs, etc. God's judgment is on this world system, which is under the rule of Satan (1 John5:19). This cycle of judgment begain on Sept.11, 2001, and is about to enter an even more intense period. According to the Book of Revelations, we know that the Lord's judgments will only increase in severity as we approach the end of this age. Now is the time to quickly obey what the Spirit of God is saying to us individually, as He's been preparing our hearts for "such a time as this". His grace is available to us as we step out in faith! His provision is for those who will allow Him to be Lord with regard to finances.

Question: "Where are we placing our trust? What are we depending on for our future? Is it the government, our 401K, our retirement fund, our ability to work as we have in the past?" It's time to settle these things in our heart, and then to ACT accordingly!

Whirlwind

Two weeks ago, while praying with several friends about a ministry we know the Lord is about to birth, I found myself prophesying the following:
Ezekiel 37:9 - "Thus says the Lord God, 'Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.'"

I immediately saw a whirlwind in the atmosphere above our church, and I knew that the four winds of the Spirit had come together to form it. A "whirlwind" is defined by Webster's Dictionary as "a small rotating windstorm marked by an inward and upward spiral motion of the lower air and usually a progressive motion at all levels". A whirlwind is typified by a "rising up" and a forward motion, in addition to speed and force.

Today, as I was praying for a new business endeavor the Lord has birthed, I once more found myself prophesying, "Thus says the Lord God, 'Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.'" I feel the Lord is indicating a work of the Spirit in this hour with regard to the new place He is wishing to take each of us.

Chuck Pierce, in his most recent word entitled "Cut Ties, Cut Losses, and Position Yourself for the Wind of the Future", says the following: "You must bring forth the wind and create the road so you will end up where I have called you to be - new businesses, new alignments, new assignments.......The intensity that is behind the word is pushing you forward at speeds and levels that we know not of...." Sounds like a whirlwind, doesn't it?

Nugget of Gold: Prophesy over the new ministry, assignment, or business that the Lord has put on your heart. He has already birthed it in the Spirit and now is the time for it to manifest in your life. Prophesy over it! Call for the four winds of the Spirit to come and bring breath to it! As you do, you will begin to see "sinews and flesh" come to your business or ministry as it forms in this natural realm. ACT NOW by faith!

Be Alert!

These are perilous times, and the Lord is calling His people to be alert and sober....to PAY ATTENTION! Things in the spirit and in the natural are changing rapidly. There is a shift, a realigning. The enemy is poised to strike, but the Lord knows and laughs at his plans (Psa.2:4).

He has promised to tell us in advance about those things that affect our lives, but we have to be listening and be prepared to act immediately!
Matt.24:25 - "Behold, I have told you in advance."

He warns and instructs us in dreams and visions (often night visions). Have you had a recent dream (or one from months or even years ago that the Lord is quickening to you now)? Ask Him if it applies to this time; ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and understanding to know what you're to do. If your dream can be taken literally, pay attention to it! My daughter, who is two months pregnant with my first grandchild, recently had a very vivid dream in which the Lord spoke a medical term that she didn't know with regard to the baby in her womb. Upon awakening, she looked up the term and realized that the Lord had been warning her about a condition that she needs to come against in prayer, but also to alert her doctor for effective treatment.
Matt.2:12 - "And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way."
Matt.2:13 - ".....an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, 'Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt.....'"
Matt.2:22 - "And being warned by God in a dream, he departed for the regions of Galilee...."
Job 33:14-18

The Lord positions us so that we're not only in a place of safety from the enemy's attack, but in order to be most effective for His Kingdom. This applies to our homes, our jobs, school, the church where the Lord has planted us - every area of our lives. Are you sensing a shift in one or more of these areas? If so, press in to hear what the Lord is instructing you in this hour!

"That which was spoken through the prophets will be fulfilled" (Matt.2:23). The Lord has written in His book all the days that are ordained for us (Psa.139:16). However, He has given us the free will to choose to obey Him. May we receive the grace to respond as Jesus did:
Heb.10:7 - "Then I said, 'Behold, I have come (In the roll of the book it is written of Me) to do Thy will, O God.'"

Authority - The Reward of Faithfulness

I believe this is a time that the Lord is rewarding our faithfulness from the previous season. We are about to enter into the new year on the Hebrew calendar (Sept.18 at sundown - Rosh Hashanah). I believe that the Lord is bringing certain things in our lives (personal and corporate) to completion as He shifts us into that which is before us.

Luke 19:17 - "Well done good slave. Because you have been faithful in a very little thing, be in authority over ten cities."

Pat Hodges, prophet: "God takes us from a place of faithfulness to a place of authority."

Chuck Pierce, prophet: "God is bringing us to a new level of authority. The testing we've been through has qualified us if we've pressed through to victory."

Rev.2: 26,27 - "And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron.....as I also have received authority from My Father."

In Revelations 19:13-15 and Psalm 2:9, we see that the "rod of iron" and the Word of God/Sword of the Spirit are one and the same.

Nugget of Gold: The Lord is now promoting those who have overcome their testings and trials in this past season. This reward involves increased power and authority in the Spirit, which we are going to need for the battles ahead. Just as Jesus rules with a "rod of iron" and the "sword of the Spirit" that proceeds from His mouth, so, too, will we rule over our circumstances with the Word that we speak and decree.

Psalm 149:6-9 - "Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishment on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron (the demonic); to execute on them the judgment written. This is an honor for all his godly ones. Praise the Lord!"

Abundance

Genesis 39:2,3 - "And the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man...Now his master saw that the Lord was with him, and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand."

Genesis 39:21 - "But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer."

1Chron.4:10 (Prayer of Jabez): "Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, 'Oh that Thou wouldst bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that Thy hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldst keep me from harm, that it may not pain me!"

Nugget of Gold: This is a time that the hand of the Lord is with us to bless us and bring success to all that we put our hands to. The qualifier, of course, is that He has birthed that which we're doing. I believe the Lord is saying two things about His blessings and provision at this time:

1. Our provision WILL NOT RUN OUT according to 1 Kings17:16 - "The bowl of flour was not exhausted, nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah."
2. Our supply will not merely be sufficient to meet our needs, but ABUNDANT! 2 Cor.9:8 - "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed." Isa.60:5 - "Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you."

Prayer/Action Step: Ask the hand of the Lord to be with you. Come into agreement with what the Lord is doing. Declare it by faith! Prophesy over your circumstances, your finances, your supply!

Ezek.37:4 - "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.'"

The Kingdom

Rev.11:15 - "The Kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever."

Nugget of Gold: Though we are "in the world, we are not of the world (John 17:16)". Within our "sphere of authority" (2 Cor.10:13), there is no separation between our spiritual walk and our physical experiences of job, family, home, etc. We have the same Spirit of Wisdom, Spirit of Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge, Strength, Fear of the Lord, and Spirit of the Lord found in Isaiah 11: 1-3. We know that Daniel, Joseph, Queen Esther, and others, walked in this reality in which there was no separation between the two "kingdoms". As they advanced in the Spirit, they were also advanced by God to stand before kings!

See Daniel 6:1-3; Genesis 41:38-44

Prayer: Lord, show me how to walk in the reality of this truth. Grant me wisdom and revelation concerning any separation I've made between my "church/spiritual" life and my responsibilities as wife (husband), mother (father), employee (employer), friend, etc., in the world. May Thy Kindgom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt.6:10) in all areas of my life! May the two become one, that I may rule and reign with Jesus on the earth.

Finalize

I felt I heard the Lord say, "Finalize".

Webster's Dictionary defines this word as meaning: "to put in final or finished form; being the last in a series, process, or progress; of or relating to the ultimate purpose or result of a process"

I was reminded of Proverbs 9:1-6 (see previous Post):

1. "Wisdom has built her house."
2. "She has hewn out her seven pillars."
3. "She has prepared her food,"
4. "She has mixed her wine;"
5. "She has also set her table;"
6. "She has sent out her maidens,"
7. "She calls from the tops of the heights of the city.......Come eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed......"

The Jewish New Year begins on September 19th with Rosh Hashanah. Chuck Pierce, in his "Starting the Year Off Right" conference this past January 1st, prophesied that there would be a month reprieve (pause; break) in the Spirit between August and September.

Nugget of Gold: I believe the Lord is telling us to finalize those things that He has begun in our lives and circumstances (job, family, ministry, etc.) that are within our control. Have we completed all that He has instructed us to do? Have we obeyed Him in every detail? During this "window" of time in the Spirit, let us pray for Him to finalize those things that are beyond our control, such as court decisions, business transactions, divine connections and provision, etc. I believe that His grace is being abundantly provided for this work of the Spirit, and that it is an essential step in preparing us for what lies ahead!

Shift!

I feel the Lord is saying, "Shift!"

Webster's Dictionary defines "shift" as: a change in direction; a change in place or position; a removal from one person to another - transfer (as in "wealth")

Chuck Pierce in his article, "Changing Winds Will Produce New Trade Routes....." says the following:

• "Watch for supply structures to change (shift)."
• "This is a time, no matter where you are positioned, for you to gain your skills for the next season.......This is a new season. Hear Me now: the season has shifted!"
• "You are relying on old supply methods and now they will shift and you will have dreams and visions that tear down old methodologies and cause new systems to come forth."
• "The times have changed. The supply has turned. The flow has shifted. Today is a new beginning for those who have received My word and are willing to shift and catch the wind in their sails. The supply lines have turned. Grab the new lines and enjoy the journey to the destination. Do not worry about how you are going to do this - just receive the grace you will need to make the shift!"

Chuck released the above in December of 2008. If you look back at your life and circumstances over this past year, you will see that the Lord has been changing the way you think, the way you worship, and the way you view your current job or source of income. You may have learned a new skill, made new connections and formed new relationships (even with people who were already in your life), started a new business. In all these things, the Lord has been preparing us to shift into the NEW!

Nugget of Gold: Make the shift NOW! By prophetic act and declaration, step out and proclaim that you have shifted by faith into the new place the Lord has prepared for you!

Yield

I believe the Lord is speaking to us today to yield to Him.

The word "yield", according to Webster's Dictionary, means the following:

• Submit
• to give up and cease resistance
• to give place
• full surrendering after resistance or conflict to the will or control of another

2 Chron.30:8 - "Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to the Lord and enter His sanctuary....and serve the Lord your God...."

Job 22:21 - "Yield now (know intimately) and be at peace with Him."

Nugget of Gold: Our intimacy with the Lord is determined by the amount of yieldness in our lives - body, soul, and spirit. He desires that we be "filled up to all the fullness of Him", but He is able to fill only those places in us that are completely yielded to Him. So......we have as much of Him as we desire/allow.

Prayer: Lord, grant me the grace to surrender in each area of my life where I have not given You full control. Make me aware of each place in which You are not Lord so that I might repent and stop resisting Your Holy Spirit. Fill me Lord!

What Are You Receiving?

John 14:27 - "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."

Note: In order for a transaction to be complete, there must be both a "giver" and a "receiver".
According to Webster's Dictionary, following are the definitions of these two words:

"Give" - to put into the possession of another for his use; to transfer from one's authority or custody to another's; to yield possession of by way of exchange

"Receive" - to come into possession of (acquire); to permit to enter

Question: If a thief or a murderer came to your door, would you permit him to enter? Of course not! Why, then, do we permit other things that are harmful to us to enter our lives (such as worry, anxiety, anger, jealousy, lust, etc.)?

Nugget of Gold: The door or gate into our "house" is both our mind and our heart. The "world" and those things that are of the world enter in through the door/gate of our minds, but only as we permit them to. The Holy Spirit speaks to our heart (Prov.20:27; 1Cor.2: 9-14).

Phil.4: 6,7 - "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God.....shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

What are we Calling?

Romans 4:17 - "......God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist (calls the things which do not exist as existing)."

According to Webster's Dictionary, the word "call" means the following: to command or request to come or be present; to cause to come; to summon, to invite, to attract

Questions:

• Are we constantly "calling" those things in our lives which do exist (health problems, financial lack, poor relationships, etc.), talking about them, complaining to ourselves and others (or to God), naming the areas of disappointment in our lives, etc.?
• Do we try to deny the current reality by calling the things which exist (in this natural realm) as not existing?

If we answered "yes" to either of the above, we're not walking and talking in accordance with God's ways. In fact, we're actually attracting/drawing those very things that we don't want in our lives! His way is to call "Light!" when light does not exist in the natural realm.

Nugget of Gold: We are made in God's image. As we "call those things which do not exist in this natural realm as existing", we will begin to see circumstances change and our lives will be transformed! We'll cause those things that God has promised to actually come to us. BEGIN CALLING THEM NOW!

Wisdom Has Built Her House (part 2)

Proverbs 9:1 - "Wisdom has built her house. She has hewn out her seven pillars."

(See previous post on July 22nd)

Rev. 21:2;11 - "And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God....having the glory of God."

Nugget of Gold: The Lord has built both our spiritual house as well as our physical house for His habitation. The work He has been doing in our lives through many trials and hardships (body, soul, family, job, finances, health, relationships, past, etc.) has "hewn out" in us the seven pillars of Wisdom. There is now a joining of heaven and earth - the natural and the material - and "the two have become one......forever united in the Son."