4/15/2016

Since September 2014 Father has escalated my spiritual growth, that is this past year and a half and counting.  I believe He has taught me more in this time span than all my years before, or at least He has brought it together for me so my understanding and realization has increased immensely.  Don't get me wrong, even now when I read  passage in the scriptures Father continues to give me a deeper understanding.  Every time I think I'm getting a good handle on things, Father take me a little deeper.  I guess this is why He says to 'stay in the Word', reading it, rereading it and letting it permeate into our hearts.

He has confirmed what He has told me through ways I would never have guessed.  He has taught me to take confidence in what He tells me through that confirmation.  If you've read some of my history, I spoke of the doubts I started to have (Sept. '14 - Dec. '14) after having received the word on the 'Watchman' and how Father brought me to the point of understanding how He confirms things (at least with  me in Jan. '15).  And I must admit even through much of 2015 I wrestled with doubt off and on with "is this really You, Lord?'  But as with Samuel (1 Sam. 3:1-10), I too have learned to hear God voice most of the time.  Occasionally I'm still not sure, but then I run the 'glory check'.  With what I believe is saying to me, who gets the glory?  God?  Or me?

For myself, I do have one major check and that's what I used to call the 'zone'.  I've learned that what I call the 'zone' is truly an anointing from Father.  I've read Kenneth Hagin's books "Understanding the Anointing" and "The Ministry Gifts".  Father explained a lot of things I have been experiencing over the past several years to me through these books.

With the "Watchman" I explained that I was fine as I was writing everything down but when I went to get out of my chair, I couldn't.  I inched my way over to the steps from my computer and had to literally crawl up the steps.  I crawled into the kitchen upstairs an after a while, with great effort I was able to draw myself to my feet using the refrigerator.  It only took me about ten minutes to shuffle the twelve feet to the bathroom, another ten minutes (or so) to shuffle to my chair in the living room where I flopped (literally) and was unable to stand back up for about forty or forty-five minutes.  No joke.  My body felt like jello and wouldn't support me during that time.  Whenever Father 'gives' me something, I experience the similar scenario, but to varying degrees and I might add that over the past several months it's been happening even during my normal prayer time.

I've learned that when I'm in the 'zone', Father is dealing with me, usually something He wants me to write down and share, something He wants me to experience or learn or a prayer for someone that's more than 'Father meet their need'.

Between Hagin's books and Father coming back to reaffirm what He has taught me, I know that what I'v been experiencing is 'an' anointing from Him.  Not 'the' anointing but a'n' anointing.  Different anointings can come upon us at different times to accomplish different tasks.  Some anointings may come back regularly or as with Kenneth, may come upon us maybe only once or twice in a lifetime.  Depends on the need.

The really neat thing about hearing God is that the Holy Ghost speaks to us and too many people don't even realize it.  Have you ever started to do something, then you just had that nagging feeling or thought "maybe I shouldn't do this?".  Have you ever come to a crossroad and had that feeling to go 'this' way as opposed to 'that'?  Have you ever had a 'premonition about something happening (good or bad) or after something has happened or has started to unfold you feel like you've been there, done that before (deja vu)?   Has someone told you something, warned you or counselled you about something and it came to pass?  Have you ever read a scripture passage and you just knew 'that' was for you? Have you heard a voice in your head (or heart) and the only thing you were sure of is that it wasn't Your own?  God speaks to us in may ways but His goal, His desire is to interact with us one one one, mano e mano, face to 'face' (so to speak)(Romans 8:26-27, 1 Corinth. 2:10-13).

One of the greatest concepts that came out of the middle ages,that is the Protestant Reformation and humanism, is that God is personal.  He desires a relationship with each one of us, individually as well as collectively (the church) and the closer we walk with Him, the stronger that relationship.

Read the Gospel of John for in it John goes into great depth how we can improve our relationship with the Father through Jesus.  The Pauline letters, as well as the others, remind us of the love Jesus has for us and how we can improve on that relationship by returning that love - and how then do it, put it into practice.

I recently watched a movie called Joshua (2002) where a man comes into town and shakes it to its very foundations.  In one scene he comes before a bishop who asks him if he understands what the bible is.  Joshua hesitates for a moment and says 'Yes, it's a love letter from God to us."  But in order to get 'into' the love letter (truly realize it), we first have to get beyond the basics of 'do's and don'ts.  We don't keep the law to get close to God.  As we draw closer to God we realize that we automatically keep the law because it' how we can express our love back to Him.  Then we will start realizing how Father pours His love out to us.  The more bible we learn and put into our hearts, the more we learn about God's love and our relationship.

Jesus tells us that the first commandment is to love God ((Matt. 22:36-40) with all our heart, mind and soul and the second is like it which is to love our neighbor as ourselves.  why?  because on these two commandments hand all the law and the prophets.  The first ten commandments which God gave Moses tell us to love and basically how to do that.  the other 603 commandments God passed on to Israel through Moses gives more detail and protocol in how we can express that love.  Don't take my word or it.  Read 'em!  Everything the prophets of both the old and new testaments was God expressing His love towards His children in expressing blessing for following His will or correction to get us back on track.   So the bible, Genesis to Revelation shows us how God expresses his love towards us.

Then we return that love by allowing Jesus to abide in us and through us, helping us to express that love not just to those around us, but allowing it to flow back to Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, because the Holy Ghost dwells in our hearts.  we should reflect the Father just as Jesus did in John chapter 14 - "...if you've seen Me, you've seen the Father ... I don't speak of Myself but the Father who dwells in Me does the work ... ".  and John 8:28 where Jesus says "... I do nothing of Myself, but I speak the things Father has taught Me."  God's desire is that we be one with Him.  Jesus tells us in John 15 that the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit, we are to continue in Jesus' love as He lived in Father's love and we do that by keeping God's commandment to abide in His love.  AND abiding in that love means reading and learning the scriptures then applying into our own lives and allowing the Holy Ghost to operate in us and through us.  He, the Holy Ghost, gives us power and to be witnesses (Acts 1:8) in this life.

I feel a little like Paul when he says 'no man has taught me' (Gal. 1:11-12) and I know that the Holy Ghost teaches us (John 14:26, 1 John 2:27) but I need to study to show myself approved  as Father shows me how to rightly divide His Word (2 Tim. 2:15).  And we don't forsake the fellowshipping together (Heb. 10:25).  Why?   Because we overcome by the blood of the lamb and our testimonies (Rev. 12:11).  Through our testimonies of what Father does in our lives we encourage each other to press on (Phil. 3:14), remember that God is always with us and to strive for the goal (Luke 13:24) which is eternal fellowship with Father, through Jesus Christ and we can do this because the Holy Ghost dwells within us giving us the power to do so (Acts 1:8).

Does this mean I shun teachers?  God forbid!  For, indeed, Father has exposed me to the things He wants me to Know through my interactions with people.  But what He has done is kept me from being polluted by man's prejudices.  I love the Bereans (Acts 17:10-12).  They heard and believed Paul's preaching but they went and checked it out in the scriptures for themselves and because of this, their faith became even more solid.

I don't just accept what I hear someone preach or say.  What they say should confirm what Father has already taught me or I need to be like the Bereans and go check it out in the scriptures.  I like to believe that if someone tries to feed me a bunch of 'hokey', my spirit, prompted by the Holy Ghost will alert me.  Kind of like the old TV show "Space Family Robinson' when the robot would come rolling out saying "Danger Will Robinson (the boy)!  Danger!"  I just need to make sure that I listen.

Are we growing in the Lord, spiritually?  In order to realize our own "Homecoming, a Spiritual re-awakening" we need to be growing towards the Father, through Jesus Christ, our Lord as the Holy Ghost prompts us.  This is the Father's will for every Christian, every believer as He draws us closer and closer into a very close relationship (fellowship) with Him.  Jesus lived for us and died (on the cross) for us.  It is our reasonable service to live for Him by ordering our lives according to His love.

Amen