4-29-2017            New Beginnings

Before I arose from my bed the other morning, Father was playing some things through my mind which He has been mentioning to me recently.  Several times, now, He has given me the thoughts of checking into renting our city’s park band shell and doing a combination of music and sharing His word.  Using the music to show people God enjoys a variety of music styles and most music is OK with Him.  I said ‘most’, not all.  There is music out there that generates confusion, anger, hatred, etc. – not OK.  But music that is joyful, peaceful, praiseworthy, edifying, relaxing and so forth comes in many genres even some which may seem a little boisterous.  No, I’m not going to talk about music today.  BUT, Father has been giving me a different (for me anyway) approach to sharing His word.  So I thought I’d just mention it.

The early entries on this blog helped readers understand a little about where I come from.  I shared somewhat of who I am and what I felt the Lord has called me to do. 

I always ask Father what He wants in the blog before I write and I’m persuaded that what has gone into the entries is what He wants, so far. 

I am a part of the ‘prophetic’ movement.  I talk with Father and I hear from Father.  Especially when I write or speak and I seek His direction in that which I do.  I don’t want to be writing what I want, but what He wants. How does that prayer go?  “Father, not my will but your will be done. (in my life and through my life), then I sit down and let the Spirit write through me.  However, He still has to filter what He says through my system.

In the header to the blog is a disclaimer that what we talk about is not a complete argument or presentation on what is being said, but rather enough to get the ‘juices’ flowing so you might be inspired to want to learn more and thereby ask Father to guide you in your personal understanding in further research. 

I love the Bereans (Acts 17:10-12).  They received Paul’s preaching but searched the scriptures for themselves to see if what he said were true.  Seeing that Paul’s words were true, the Bereans not only accepted but believed the words they heard (from Paul) for they agreed with scripture they read.

I KNOW the day Father brought me into His fold (saved me) and I know, beyond a shadow of any doubt, that was when I gave my heart to Him.  But, I’ve spent more years than I care to admit learning how to give my life to Him.  Yielding our lives to Him, then serving Him as He has called us is our task in this world.  Our growth is predicated on our desire to walk closer with Him and to strive towards that mark, knowing His presence and our calling.

I received the baptism of the Holy Ghost about six years after my salvation experience.  And as I said, it has been a long, excruciating (for me) experience (not earth-shattering,but tough) in learning how to give my life over to Him.  I mean REALLY give my life over to Him.  Not just attending church.  Not just reading a few passages from the bible whenever the mood strikes.  But since Father took my beloved wife to be with Him, now more than a decade ago, Father has been teaching me what it really means” to “yield” my life to Him.  Don’t get me wrong, I know I still have a long way to go, but today, I am leagues, miles, ahead of where I was even just a few years ago. 

What Father has been showing me, teaching me, started to ‘snowball’ a little over two years ago.  After He gave me the ‘word’ on the Watchman’.  That was the beginning of His saying “It’s time to get busy and quit lollygagging around.”  I have a task for you.

The process of yielding to Him will continue until either the day Jesus comes back for us all or, at least, until He calls me home.  But this year that snowball has been getting bigger and rolling faster.  At times I feel like I’m going to burst with what He has been showing me.  If it weren’t being able to release some of that pressure through this blog. Sometimes, I think maybe I might explode.

But Father is telling me to start doing that for which He has truly called me.  Am I now a biblical scholar with umpteen degrees in theology, ready to go out there and shake up the world?  “I” don’t think so, but Father says “Let’s get the ball rolling and shake the world up without the degrees!”

I follow the lead of the Holy Ghost so I’m not sure how things are going to come out as time goes on, but today, I’m going to start sharing some of what Father has been putting on my heart.  The approach to what He is starting to unfolding in my life:

In the beginning God.  End of discussion.  Nothing more can or needs to be said.  There was nothing until God started creating it.  In the book of Genesis, we see that God spoke words to create light and dark, night and day.  He spoke words to create the sun, the moon, the stars in the heavens and the earth.  He spoke words to create the waters upon the earth and the air above its surface.  He spoke words and land masses appeared.  Again God spoke words and all the plants started growing upon the face of the earth.  And again God spoke and there were animals, fish, birds and all kinds of living things upon the earth.  Finally God spoke, again, and out of the dust of the earth, He formed man – both male and female, as He had already done with all other life forms He had created (Gen. 1:1 thru 2:25).

God, Father, spoke everything into existence.  As we continue to read Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, we see God speaking as to how He wants the earth and existence to function and the guidelines for how He expects man to live and behave.  The rest of the bible explains how He expects us to interact with His creation and most of all, with Him, the Creator, our Lord and Savior.  We gain insight as to how He feels about everything and what kind of relationship He desires to have with us.

Then in the Gospel of John chapter one we the read words “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”.  Understand, the Word’s unity with God was not just something for waaaaaaay back then.  We probably, and rightfully, could change that little word ‘was’ to that even smaller but more powerful word ‘is’!   As we continue to read chapter one we see that the Word is the Light of men.  John (the Baptist) testified that ‘he’ (John) wasn’t that Light, but the one who comes after him is and that Light is the Word made flesh which lived amongst men giving those who believe on Him and receive Him into their hearts, the power to be the sons of God.  This Word, this Light is our Savior, Jesus Christ.  That little baby boy who was born in Bethlehem and who died on the cross in Jerusalem to redeem us back unto the Father by cleansing us of all our sin (s) nature and individual commissions (Gal. 3:13).  And to the glory of God (the Father) this Word, Jesus, rose from the dead and the grave on the third day showing us the way to that eternal life and He is now seated at the right hand (power and authority) of the Father, waiting to come back for us so we can be with Him throughout all eternity (Eph. 1:20-23).  Amen!

Jesus preached the “kingdom of God”, true love (Mark 12:30, 1 John 4:8), while He was physically on this earth.  But, He also preached that there is a life to live (John 14:15) to please the Father (through Jesus) because Jesus is the doorway into the Father’s kingdom (John 10:9, 14:6).  He also taught about a relationship between the Creator of all that is and man (focus John chapters 14-17) Peter, John, Mathew, Paul and all the disciples since have also preached the resurrected Jesus.  For without the resurrection, our hope for eternal life would still be just a scholastic hope and not a real anticipation (John 11:25).

Now, what Father has given me to say today.

The Niocene Creed establishes what we, as Christians, believe.  Three councils convened between 325 AD and 451 AD to determine what our Christian faith and beliefs are.  Niocene, Constantinople and Chalcedon.  About a century later (@540 AD) we see the Anasthasian creed mentioned, which expounds, goes into more detail than its predecessors but wasn’t widely accepted by all the church. 

As we read the creeds remember that for the first millennia (1000 years) the Christian church was one church.  The Orthodox churches didn’t split from Rome until the eleventh century and then the Protestant Revolution brought on what has been a continuing split since the sixteenth century which has resulted in the various Protestant denominations.

I mention this because in these creeds you will see the referenced ‘catholic’.  the word catholic used in these creeds is the Greek word “katkholikos” or the Latin word ‘catholicus’ both (or either) which mean “universal”.  In our ‘mind sets’ when we see the word ‘catholic’ we  automatically go into ‘denoominational’ mode and think 'the Roman Catholic Church', the denomination.  But, even in Rome,’catholic’ still means universal or world-wide, the church collective, they just seated it in Rome.  However, when we see ‘catholic’ think the whole Christian church collective, Roman Catholic and all the protestant denominations which have emerged therefrom.  Okay?     

The Nicene Creed (325 AD and 381 A.D.)

The first Nicene Creed was formulated at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD to help settle issues of the trinity and the divinity of Christ.  A second Nicene Creed which would be more correctly called the Constantinopolitan Creed was based on the 325 Creed but was formulated at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD.  The Creed was again modified to its current form at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD.  All referred to as the Niocene Creed and all convened to resolve issues like the divinity of Christ and the unity of the Godhead.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

The only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.

He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Chalcedonian Creed

The Council of Chalcedon, the fourth ecumenical council met in 451 AD to resolve issues of the trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ, specifically whether Christ had both divine and human natures. 

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.

The Athanasian Creed

The Athanasian Creed is attributed to the Alexandrian theologian Athanasius but may well be the work of several theological scholar groups.  Its origin is placed sometime after the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) and was first mentioned as a creed in 542 AD.  The creed focuses on the trinity and the divinity of Christ and is accepted by some, but not all Eastern and Western churches.

Whoever wants to be saved should above all cling to the catholic (universal) faith.

Whoever does not guard it whole and inviolable will doubtless perish eternally.

Now this is the catholic faith:  We worship one God in trinity and the Trinity in unity neither confirming the persons nor dividing the divine being.

For the Father is one person, the Son is another and the Spirit is still another.

But the deity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coeternal in majesty.

What the Father is, the Son is and so is the Holy Spirit.

Uncreated is the Father, uncreated is the Son, uncreated is the Spirit.

The Father is infinite, the Son is infinite, the Holy Spirit is infinite.

Eternal is the Father, eternal is the Son, eternal is the Spirit.

And yet there are not three eternal beings, but one who is eternal.

As there are not three uncreated and unlimited beings, but one who is uncreated and unlimited.

Almighty is the Father, almighty is the Son, and almighty is the Spirit.

And yet there are not three almighty beings, but one who is almighty.

Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God.

And yet there are not three gods, but one God.

Thus the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord and the Holy Spirit is Lord.

And yet there are not three Lords, but one Lord.

As Christian truth compels us to acknowledge each distinct person as God and Lord, so catholic religion forbids us to say there are three gods or lords.

The Father is neither made, nor created nor begotten.

The Son was neither made nor created, but was alone begotten of the Father.

The Spirit was neither made nor created but is proceeding from the Father and the Son.

Thus there is one Father, not three fathers, one Son, not three sons, one Holy Spirit not three spirits.

And in this Trinity, no one is before or after, greater or less than the other.

But all three persons are in themselves coeternal and coequal and so we must worship the

Trinity in unity and the one God in three persons.

Whoever wants to be saved should think this about the Trinity.

It is necessary for eternal salvation that one also faithfully believe that our Lord Jesus Christ became flesh.

For this is the true faith that we believe and confess:  that our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son is both God and man.

He is God begotten before all worlds from the being of the Father and he is man born in the world from the being of his mother

Existing fully as God and fully as man with a rational soul and human body,

Equal to the Father in divinity, subordinate to the Father in humanity

Although he is God and man, he is not divided, but is one Christ.

He is united because God has taken humanity into himself, he does not transform deity into humanity.

He is completely one in the unity of his person, without confusing his natures.

For as the rational soul and body are one person, so the one Christ is God and man.

He suffered death for our salvation.

He descended into hell and rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

At his coming all people shall rise bodily to give an account of their own deeds.

Those who have done good will enter eternal life.

Those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.

This is the catholic faith.

One cannot be saved without believing this firmly and faithfully.

I had come other things to say, but for this entry, Father said cite the creeds and let the readers seek Him about them.

Pretty lengthy, huh?

Be aware that there are two other creeds which we won’t cite today, but only mention.

One is the Old Roman Creed

The Old Roman Creed seems to have been based on a Greek formula of faith dating from the 2^nd century AD but is clearly identified in writings from the mid 4^th century.  The biggest argument against the Roman Creed is that if the apostles had actually used it as such, greater efforts would have been taken to keep it as it was originally cited and not leaving room for later modifications as noted with the subsequent creeds.

And, what is referred to as, the Apostles’ Creed

A brief statement of belief originally attributed to the 12 apostles.  According to legend each Apostle contributed one clause, but later scholars came to think that this creed was actually geared off of the Old Roman Creed.   But, now it is more widely agreed that the Apostles’ Creed developed as a baptismal confession of faith. Three primary sections (beginning with clause 1, 2 and 8) correspond to each aspect of the trinity and correspond with the three questions asked at baptism.  Even though similar forms were present in the early church in the 5^th and 6^th centuries AD, what is now called the Apostles’ Creed didn’t really emerge until the early 8^th Century AD and may very well be a culmination of attempts to unify the creed which was first referenced in writings as early as AD390. 

During this season (7 year period beginning in Jan. 2015), Father is preparing His children for a mighty task in the next season.  A huge, Spiritual explosion which will impact the whole world.  He is raising a ‘lot’ of children who will know that He is the only true and living God and who will be the true reflections of the ministry of Jesus Christ.  That is, we will see the things that Jesus did and more as Father draws souls into His kingdom and who will allow the Holy Spirit free reign in their hearts.

But we need to truly understand what we believe so we can yield our hearts to His will and defend our stand, the things we know to be true, to the world.  Just as Paul and the apostles did over two thousand years ago.  We also need to have a good handle on what the bible says for it is what we have today to justify our faith.  as we grow in the Lord, nothing can match our ‘personal’ experiences with Jesus.  People may not be able to understand our relationship (with experiences) with Him, but they can’t take that relationship away from us.

Consider the creeds and what they mean.  

There is so much more to say, but that is for another time.  Father is talking, are we listening?  Many of the things written in this blog are to inspire the reader to learn to hear our Lord and Savior and to be obedient to His Word.

Should our prayer be:

Shekinah kavod Adonay Elihuw bo shalach anokiy amen  (in Hebrew)

Loosely said: the glory of God in our midst (we [I] are His friends), my Lord, my God, come.  Send me.  Let it be so.

                                                That Which is Needful

Luke 10:38-42

Now it came to pass as He entered a certain village (Bethany), a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. 

She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.

But Martha was very busy with much serving and came to Him and said “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore, ask her to help me.”

And Jesus answered her “Martha, Martha, you are meticulous and concerned about many things.

But one thing is needful and Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.

Now, Martha and Mary were the sisters of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead.  They all lived in Bethany which is thought to be located on the slopes of the Mount of Olives looking towards and 
about two miles from Jerusalem.

According to the timelines I found, this event seems to have taken place about six to seven months (thereabouts) before Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  However, as I look at the account in John 12:1-3 where Martha serves Jesus and Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with spikenard and wipes His feet with the hairs of her head, an event which takes place just before the entry into Jerusalem, I wonder.  

Lazarus is also there and those curious to see the man Jesus raised from the dead (John 11:1-44) and most likely His disciples, were there as well.  If this is the same event as recorded in Luke 10:38-42, this would have happened just before Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday).  Why?  Because John 11:45-57 describes Jesus’ intent to go to Jerusalem for the (His final) Passover (in this world) and John 12:4-15 describes that ‘Palm Sunday’ event.  John’s account would imply a very short time span the two events (the meal and Palm Sunday).  Whereas Luke implies some sort of time lapse between the meal and Palm Sunday.  I can’t determine.

All I know here is that Martha had invited Jesus to eat with her and her sister.  In Luke, it would appear that this happened before Lazarus was raised from the dead but even with that, most likely occurred after the feeding of the four thousand.  So Martha would have been aware of that event. 

Nonetheless, in any event, this is the deal with this meal.  We see two ladies with different sets of priorities.  Understand that both Mary and Martha believed that Jesus is the Messiah and both loved the Lord (John 11:20-29).  But, Martha was more concerned about setting enough food out for people, whether there were just a few or a large crowd.  And it was a demanding task, a lot of preparation and so forth.  I mean, after all, don't you think she wanted to impress Jesus?  That’s why she came to Jesus complaining that while she was ‘slaving away’ in the kitchen – alone – Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and not helping in the preparation.  

Martha was concerned about meeting people’s needs in ‘her’ strength.  She was preparing the meal and she was setting it before those there.  Had she forgotten the four thousand?  So no matter when ‘exactly’ this event took place, the feeding of the four thousand preceded it.  Martha was doing things in ‘her’ strength, even though she believed Jesus (she acknowledged that she ‘knew’ that Jesus is the Messiah (John 11:21-27), she was concerned about getting things done in the ‘natural.  Otherwise, she also would have been sitting at the feet of Jesus, as Mary, and trusted that Jesus would have provided that which was necessary?  (Matt. 6:25-34)

Mary, on the other hand, not that she did or did not care about others, was more concerned with being fed with the words of Jesus, being spiritually fed, than taking care of ‘natural’ needs (Matt. 6:33).  Perhaps, in her heart, she was already trusting Jesus to take care of all their needs.  Not being selfish, rather realizing that her spirit needed nourishment more than her natural body, she sat.

All too often, we get wrapped up in the situations around us and lose our focus on what is truly important.  Like, when Jesus bid Peter to come out onto the water with Him.  As long as Peter kept his eyes focused on Jesus he was fine but when he refocused on the circumstances around him (the waves lapping up at his ankles), he started to sink (Matt. 14:22-32) and Jesus took his hand.

After setting the blog entry aside for the evening (unfinished), I’m back on the computer and it’s a little after five AM.  Father has just shared with me the crux of the situation with Mary and Martha.  In my heart, I knew it was about the depth of a relationship and this AM Father just confirmed that.

At my tender age, I lose track of time concerning things unless I can relate them to something I’m sure about.  My age is an example.  As long as I remember in what year I was born and I know what year this is and what month, I can tell people how old I am.  If I lose sight of one or the other I’m in trouble.  When we lose sight of who Jesus is, it is easy to get sidetracked and we get into trouble.

I was exposed to the concepts of ‘Sonship’ about four or five years ago (now you know why I made the preceding comment).  To me, it sounded as though sonship was the ultimate goal for Christians.  Realizing that we are sons and daughters of the living God, in our adoption through Jesus Christ and thereby heirs to the kingdom of God, that is eternal life along with its promises and benefits.  I AM a citizen of the kingdom of God and though I’m not there yet physically, I am spiritually.  I’m there physically when Father calls me home (1 Thess. 4:16-17), but I’m there spiritually since the day I accepted Jesus into my heart (Romans 10:9) and as I live for Him.  “Live for Him” (John 15:10).  A process (Phil. 3:13-15).  An ongoing process, which means, at first, I wasn’t so close to God, but as I continue to grow in His knowledge (the bible) and in His Spirit (learning to truly praise and worship) I can get closer and closer to my Lord and Savior,.

It’s like when a son or daughter is born into a family.  My son.  My daughter.  But as infants, they have a whooooole lot to learn.  As they grow, we (as parents) teach them the responsibilities and the benefits of being part of ‘our’ family.  This includes fringe benefits (blessings) and whatever.  The point being is that we teach our children, so that upon reaching maturity, physical and emotional, (James 4:7 & 1 Corinth. 9:27) they can be responsible adults living in this world enabling them to effectively interact with situations that come before them. 

But, both naturally and spiritually, we grow as we accept those responsibilities and implement them into our lives so we can then also reap those benefits (Gal. 6:7-8).  That means yielding our will to God’s will.  

In the natural, hopefully, by the time we graduate high school or college we have not only learned something to help us earn a living, but we can effectively interact with those whom we come in contact.  And as we grow ‘in the Spirit’, we can be more effective servants for our Lord in this world.

The more we come to understand who God IS and how we should interact with Him it helps us to effectively deal with those spiritual forces which we encounter (Ephesians 6:12-13).  Just as Jesus has authority over sickness and devils, likewise (Matt. 8:16), He gives us that same authority (John 14:12).

However, that authority comes through our obedience and our relationship with the Father through Jesus.  We find that our relationship grows as we yield more and more of our lives over to Him.

The son is no different from the servant until he reaches maturity, subject to rules, regulations and direction.  But when he reaches maturity he is expected to be able to function as an individual (Gal. 4:1-2).  This means that even though we are our Father’s children, our relationship changes.  It becomes more than “Johnnie don’t do that.” Or “Johnnie, do this.”  

My grandsons are ten, nine and three.  I have a relationship with each of them but my relationship with the ten and nine year olds is different than with the three year old.  Communication and approach is different.  I have a relationship with their father, my son and that is different yet.  He's an adult, though he's still my child, and I treat him as an adult, not as a child.  My daughter is given the same approach as my son.

As we mature, we find ourselves ‘doing’ the right things, not because we have to but because we want to.  Even though we’ve become joint-heirs with Jesus (children of God), Jesus tells His disciples that He tells them all that the Father has told Him because they are his ‘friends’ (John 15:14-15, The Greek Greek word used in this passage is philos – 5384 – which implies a close friend).   

A while back (Sept. 2016), I talked about Herod’s temple (in the time of Jesus) and how it represents our walk with the Lord.  New Christians would come into the ‘women’s courtyard’ because we are ‘just saved’ and don’t know much (a little child).  But as we grow, we eventually move into the ‘priest’s courtyard (spiritually speaking). Then into the Holy Place, which includes the ‘sanctuary and the “Holy of Holies”.  We move through the sanctuary to the torn veil, the entrance into the Holy of Holies and a lot of times, we peek in, but don’t dare to enter because that’s where God is (in the temple).  Yet!  God beckons us to come on in because that’s where He wants us.  IN His presence!  We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinth. 6:16).  Getting any ideas?

As I grow in Christ, I find that I can experience the Father, through my faith in Jesus, because His Holy Ghost resides in my heart (John 14:15-16).  Not only can I learn about the responsibilities and benefits God has for me, but I can experience much of it.  Here.  Now.  In this world.

I’ve talked about the ‘zone’(Watchman revelations 11-15-2015) into which Father brings me during my prayer time.  That zone is an anointing from Father.  It is a time that He draws me closer to Him, to experience His awesomeness, His presence, His love flowing into me.  It is a time I can experience HIM.  And when I’m there, nothing else matters.  Often I wish I could stay there, but I would be worthless to the world if I should.

Though Martha loved the Lord, she troubled herself with the things of this world and her time was split, between serving man and serving the Lord.  God does make us effective in this world, but we have to remain in touch with our Power Source and we do that with our personal time with our heavenly Father.  Mary realized that she needed that ‘personal’ time with the Lord.  She realized she needed to be close to our Lord.  She realized that she wanted a closer relationship with our Lord so she sat at Jesus’ feet and received it.   

In a time as we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we need to remember which is more needful, to put on a good show by doing those things which seem to be right?  Jesus tells us we serve Him by serving those in this world (Mat. 25:31-40).  Or do we seek a closer relationship with our Creator (John 15:5)?  Jesus says that we should do works, to show His love working through us (Matt. 23:23), but it is more important to have a close relationship with Him (Matt. 6:33).

What things are more needful in our lives?

Father has brought two songs to my attention, in conjunction with this, which speak to our relationship to the love of God, to Him and then to others.

the first:.
 Go to this link to hear "I Give Myself Away

 https://youtu.be/O7ofQmeao9I?t=17

and the second:
Go to this link to hear "I need You to Survive"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMcJL_UDAvw

4/1/2017  Doubt

    

                   

How often do we have a vision, a dream or even a goal and then begin to doubt if it is really meant for us?

It seems as though every so often the “Watchman” surfaces before me.  In Nov. 15, 2015, I gave an account of the events surrounding the watchman and my consequential struggle within myself about it and getting confirmation about its validity.

With the Watchman, Father shared with me the calling He has placed on my life.   If you’ve ever read my bio (it’s on the blog), you’ll understand my next comment.  Father has yet to ‘turn me loose’ because even at my ‘tender age’ I’m still learning and growing (no, I’m not going to tell you my age).  At the end of 2016 and into 2017, Father has shown me areas in which I need to be ‘solid’ before we can take the next step.  He doesn’t want to put a novice out there to do an old pro’s job.  We can’t send a boy out there to do a man’s job and neither does God.  Obviously I’m not speaking in the natural, my boyhood has been many decades ago, but I am speaking spiritually.  No matter what our chronological age is, our spiritual age begins with salvation and grows at a rate according to our yielding to Father through Jesus Christ – at the leading of the Holy Ghost and our obedience to Him.  Father has given me a couple of tasks to help me mature (spiritually) so I can come to the point at which He wants me.  Now, a quick throwback.  Father gave me the Watchman in Sept. 2014.  We (Father & I) started the blog in Sept. 2015.  So, you might ask, what happened in Sept. 2016?  Father gave me an increased spiritual connection with Himself which has been growing rapidly ever since.  

Read on.

I shared in a post in Nov. 2015 how I entered into a “zone” with each of the three segments (installments) of the Watchman.  I hadn’t notice a thing, each time, until after completing the post.  I went to stand up – and couldn’t.  My legs didn’t have the strength for me to stand up from the chair in which I was sitting.  My computer is in the basement so that’s where I do all my computer tasks.  It was more than just a few minutes before I could get up off of the chair and literally “inch” my way over to the basement steps and then I literally crawl up those steps on all fours into the kitchen.  I lifted myself up from the kitchen floor, using the refrigerator as support and inched over to the bathroom and then, after taking care of business, finally was able to make my way to my stuffed, green chair in the living room.  I live in a small, two bedroom house where the front wall is comprised of the seventeen foot living room wall across the front of my home plus the fourteen foot wall of the bedroom.  So, about thirty feet or so from outside wall to outside wall.  To get from the computer to the green chair took between thirty and forty-five minutes with only a couple of minutes in the bathroom.  I sat in the green chair another forty-five minutes before I could actually stand up without falling back down, that is until the strength returned to my legs to support me.  Father explained to me later, actually just last year (2016), that I was under an anointing.  Not the type of anointing one might think of where a guy can lay hands on others and they succumb to the Holy Spirit, but it was an anointing nonetheless, to accomplish the task Father had set before me (thank You Lord).

I also shared in that Nov. ’15 post, that, being in a prophetic, apostolic church, I ‘knew’ that at least one of the prophets I would be around over the next several months would acknowledge my experience in prophecy.  At least one of them!  Nada.  Not a peep out of any of them, not even my pastor, as to what God had done with me.  I began to doubt myself.  Maybe I really hadn’t heard from God, but my own imagination, seeking recognition, had manufactured what happened, the prophetic word and the experiences.  I shared that in January ’15 post, Father sat me down on my ‘keester’ (back side) and proceeded to show me how He, personally, had been confirming the experience for the past three months (go back and read the Nov. ’15 post to see what He said).  I learned not to expect confirmation on my relationship with Father through man.  That isn’t to say that God would not confirm things through man.  I just shouldn’t expect it.  After all, whom am I leaning on?  

I’ve been in the prophetic movement now for over six years and I can say that all except two of the prophecies spoken over me were confirmation of what Father had already told me, and many didn’t hold a candle to what Father had already said.  Don’t get me wrong, they were good words, God just carried the same word to a higher level and a greater depth than and before anyone else did.

Since then, the enemy has come in multiple times trying to discourage me and get me to back off and shut down.  Oh, did I mention that in Jan. 2015, the reason Father sat me down was I was getting ready to do just that, shut down, figuring I had just been fooling myself with self-grandeur delusions and stuff.

Now, let’s talk some about overcoming that doubt and discouragement.

As I said, I was looking for confirmation that Father had indeed called me to a specific task and I was looking for ‘man’ to confirm it and Father showed me all the ways He had been confirming the calling.  Again, how He had been confirming it.  I just hadn’t been listening ‘too good’.

Since giving me the Watchman in Sept. 2014 and confirming it in Jan. 2015, Father has been expanding my understanding of the depth and breadth of the calling.  Every so often, over the past two years, He has given me little tweaks to that understanding so that I not only know what, but why and how I should be expressing myself in respects to that calling.  And through 2016 to present, He has been telling me where and how I need to grow in order to fulfill the mission.  And that’s where I’m at now, learning some of these additional tweaks so I can be most effective for His kingdom and to be ready to step out when Father does call.

Father has given me two prophetic words from Him and backed them up with scriptures all which He said define the calling He has placed upon my life. One of the scriptures is in Jeremiah 1:1-19 where Father not only defines Jeremiah’s calling, but how He has equipped him and reassures that He is will be with him.  The second is in Ezekiel 37:1-14 Where God takes Ezekiel to the valley of dry bones and has him prophecy to those bones (which are the whole of Israel) to come together, in order (positioning) and be covered with sinew, muscle and skin.  So the dry bones are looking like a body.  Then so God has Ezekiel prophecy to the wind and He (God) will bring breath back into those dead bodies so that they might live again.  God goes on to say that He will bring these people up out of their graves and He will breathe His life into their lifeless bodies and they shall know that He Is Lord!  And Father has shown me how the prophecies and these two scripture apply to today’s world  

Father has added two more scriptures to the mix, not necessarily for me but for the whole of salvation (those called into what He is doing today).  Jeremiah 32:38 “They shall be My people and I will be their God.” and Ezekiel 37:27 “and My tabernacle shall be with them and they shall be My people.  And a third Revelation 21:3 (John speaking) “I heard a voice out of heaven saying “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men and He will dwell with them and they shall be His people.  God, Himself, will be with His people to be their God.”  Of course, Father will be with us in eternity as we dwell with Him forever, but He is with us today, more actively than most Christians allow.  We have to allow Him (give Him permission) to work in us and through us.  Then the angel told John “Let he who hears and is thirsty come and drink of the water of life freely.” (Rev. 22:17).  Jesus knocks on the door and whosoever will let Him in, Jesus will sup with him (Rev. 3:20).  God does not force Himself upon us, but He will answer our call.  This not only applies to salvation but also to our spiritual growth.  As we seek a closer walk with God, He is faithful to oblige us (Matt. 7:7).

Father tells me that the prophecy of the Watchman is not just for me, but He is raising up an army of prophet/evangelists.  God is at work doing something hidden and quiet, for now -- and it is so supernatural that it's beyond human comprehension. Yet He is working a work which will slowly start being manifest as ‘this season’ plays out and is going to affect the whole world in these last days.

God is preparing a small but powerful army of Christians!   As I was preparing this post Father showed me what David Wilkerson (The Cross and the Switchblade and Teen Challenge) wrote on June 13, 1994 “God is preparing a small but powerful army of Christians! This army is going to be the most dedicated on the face of the earth. And the Lord will come forth to command them to do exploits and shake hell.  He is going to close out the ages with a pure, devoted, fearless remnant!" 

What Father has shared with me is that since a little before the Protestant Reformation (about  the time John Wyclilffe produced the first ‘English” bible) up until recently, He has been re-establishing His body.  From that first English bible through the Protestant Reformation, through the ‘Great Awakening’ and the Pentecostal movements, God has been gathering the dead bones of His church and putting them in proper alignment, attaching sinews so they don’t fall ‘out of place, covering the bones and sinews with muscle so they can function and adding that outer layer of skin, so the church can look pretty.  He started putting His Spirit back into the church with the Pentecostal movement, but is now adding the ‘final’ touches today (the current season) which will carry His children into a much deeper relationship with Him.

He is creating an army to the degree that we will know, (not shall, but will) that He is the only true and living God who reigns forever and ever AND we will know that we ARE His people, following Jesus with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, not doubting but pressing forward in the Holy Ghost accomplishing His will.  God’s church will believe (though not having physically seen) Jesus and will do all the things God has called His body to do (in the name of Jesus), just like the early apostles (Peter, James, Andrew, Matthew, John, etc.).  Again, because He has put His Spirit into our hearts and we have joyfully received Him and all the Spiritual power that comes with Him.  This outpouring of the Holy Ghost that we are currently experiencing is the second ‘rain’ (Joel 2:23 & Haggai 2:9) and the second outpouring of the rain shall be greater than the first (the time of the apostles and the early church). 

According to Doug Addison (a prophet in California) a seven year period (a season) of blessing, restoration and restitution started Jan. 2015.  Father has shared with me that there is a second seven year period (season) immediately following this one.  More than one prophet (as I read and hear things) is already talking about a huge spiritual explosion coming and Father has said that these seven years are the preparatory stage for the second seven years.  The prophet/evangelists will start emerging as this season progresses so that when the next season starts, there will be a full blown spiritual explosion such as the world has never witnessed before. 

Now, no part of this army has the whole picture, so this army is equipped with different tasks and different approaches to their callings.  But remember, we see in part and we know in part (1 Corinth. 13:9-12) so one soul does not have the full picture and shouldn’t try to do it all by himself.  Some may see how Father has been rebuilding His church and others may have a burden to assure souls are ‘saved’.  Some may be focusing on spiritual growth while others may be able to see ‘around the corner’ and solidify souls for their tasks in the kingdom of God.  But be reassured that Father is bringing the infilling, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, to a new level these days as He rejuvenates His church, building that army. Make no mistake.  This is NOT the army of Armegeddon (Rev. 7:1-10, Rev. 19:11-16), rather an army of prophetic evangelists who will not only show the love of God to the unbelieving, but will also truly bring the fullness of God’s love back into His church. 

Don’t be like the Pharisees who did things for man’s recognition (Matt. 23:26-31) and their own profit.  But as God puts His Spirit in us afresh, do that which we do from our hearts because we ‘desire to’, not because we ‘have to’ (Col. 3:23) and because the Holy Spirit has called us.  Let us become the fishers of men that Jesus has called us to be (Matt. 4:19)

 So, when I become discouraged and down, Father brings these things back into my remembrance and little things like Doug Addison’s daily word (www.dougaddison.com) where on 3/31 he wrote “God has been pulling you back like a slingshot and it is now time to be propelled forward.”  Things may seem slow, like not much of anything is happening, but I do believe that God is getting ready to propel me forward, and seeing how things have accelerated for me spiritually over this past year, I can see this happening.  There has been too much preparatory work going on in my own life to think otherwise.  And remember, there are many more whom Father is also preparing in similar fashion.

When we are discouraged, Psalms is always a great source of encouragement, but I shared this, today, so we can see that God uses many ways to encourage us on and forward.  Even that to which He has called us to in this life.  We strive to win the prize (1 Corinth. 9:24).  It is not who crosses the finish line first, for those before us have already crossed it, but it is running the race with all that we have and loving Him as we serve Him (Matt. 22:37, Heb. 12:1-3) because everyone who crosses the line is a winner – eternal life with the Father though the Son, Jesus Christ because the Holy Ghost, being with us every step of the way, helps us to get across that line.

Amen