I am grieved to even have to write this entry--and on my Project Gideon blog, nonetheless. But what has happened this week, at a so-called spiritual conference called "Strange Fire," and what has been methodically coordinated, is nothing short of the beginning of a widespread, destructive move of the enemy to attack the growing Charismatic/Pentecostal Movements globally.
In my spirit, I feel that this conference and this speech made by a well-known and -respected man who has a global ministry, books, and radio shows on NFR is an End Time attack of the enemy on the Global Church.
The Real Church of Jesus has made great strides in tearing down walls, uniting, connecting, breaking the centuries of barriers that have stood between us--with the express purpose of reaching out to others, bringing God's Hope to the world's populace.
This man's conference and speech was heard by 4,000 in attendance at the conference and countless others on the internet. This one speech, and every speaker who spoke after at this conference designed to undermine the efforts of the global Church of Jesus Christ--if not outright destroy the movements--has the potential of empowering the enemy.
The kind of speech used by this man was violent in nature. The words he used is, historically speaking, a first step in an effort to annihilate people for their beliefs. One step further, and your stringing up, shooting, imprisoning the "heretics." (He, in fact, uses these terms in his speech at the conference.)
I think back to Saul and the other Pharisees, the leaders of the Church when Jesus came, died, rose again. Those who were infuriated that their church wasn't popular, embraced. That people--everyday people--were embracing the Move of God that happened on Pentecost, and miracles and signs and wonders followed those who believed. "How dare they believe God would do something new? How dare they believe that the Church Jesus started would be allowed to GROW, to SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ and His saving power?"
Isn't that what's happening here?
It makes me wonder, then, if we are at the last and greatest time of the Church before something else happens: the Coming of Christ to get us.
In my frustration with the man's toxic ideology, in my struggle to understand how anyone who knows the Hope of Christ, His Love and Peace, could undermine fellow believers in such a way and still claim to know The Lord--I pause to remember what happened to the man named Saul. He was a man hell-bent on stopping the Church of Jesus Christ. But God stopped him.
In Acts 9, we read about his journey to "snuff out" the ever-increasingly popular Jesus Movement--filled with all sorts of Charismatics and Pentecostals. And God arrested him. Stopped him in his tracks. Fed him humble pie. And then used him to set the world on fire for Jesus Christ.
Do it again, Lord, with this man, John MacArthur. Please, do it again.
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Prayer for John MacArthur and every person he has damaged because of his toxic doctrine. Lord, help him--and, indeed, ALL OF US--to "know you and the Power of your Resurrection." Help him--and all of us--not to be a Modern-Day Pharisee. DEMONSTRATE your love to him, Lord. Arrest him, Lord, and show Him who you are. Whatever demons he is wrestling with--whatever this motivation stems from (Mother issues? Father issues? Grandparents? Wife or Wife's Family?), Lord, please SHOW HIM Who You are.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Morning Devotion: Called Out
“Joshua, be strong and brave! You must lead these people so they can take the land that I promised their fathers I would give them. Be strong and brave. Be sure to obey all the teachings my servant Moses gave you. If you follow them exactly, you will be successful in everything you do. Always remember what is written in the Book of the Teachings. Study it day and night to be sure to obey everything that is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything. Remember that I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go.” (Joshua 1:6-9 NCV)
"Joshua, be strong and brave!"
God knows us by name. He knows who we are, our hearts, our willingness to obey--even if we think we are lacking. When The Lord tells Joshua to "be strong and brave," it's no doubt because these are the areas he feels lacking in. (The Lord would have said something else if that were not the case.) Joshua struggles with self-doubt: he doesn't see himself as being a strong warrior--physically or spiritually. He doubts his own strength. And yet that's exactly where God wants Joshua. So Joshua will rely solely on the Lord's strength--because that's what it's going to take to accomplish the Plan. Joshua also struggles--or will, and God sees this and needs him to "get this" from the commissioning--with courage. Again, the things that Joshua has been Called Out to do will take a supernatural COURAGE to accomplish.
Today, too, God knows us personally, individually. He knows our NAME, He knows our area of struggle, of lack, of fear. He knows, too, what we are capable of with His help. (And the Bible says, in multiple places, that that is ANYTHING.) Today, too, these words resonate with those of us He Calls Out. "Be strong. Be brave." We have His strength in us when we walk after Him, when we follow His lead, when we allow Him to be GOD in our lives. And He gives us the COURAGE it takes to meet any foe--forces of darkness, ginormous mountains. He walks with us. He goes with us, before us. There's nothing to fear.
"You must lead these people so they can take the land that I promised their fathers I would give them."
We are Called Out to do a job--not because we are uber-wonderful--but because God is faithful to His plan. We are part of a Great Chain of God's Children. We are not the first generation. We are not the LEADERS of this family of God. We are a part of His Plan, we are generations in the making. He will use us to fulfill promises He has made to His children; He will use us to answer prayers and visions of those in former generations. We are PART OF THIS--it's much BIGGER than we are.
Those who are Called Out to lead a Movement of God TODAY will have to rely on The Lord. And they will have to be motivating enough and passionate enough to rally others to follow. Leaders are responsible for conveying the passion of the Vision to the faithful followers. Every single church, ideally, is a part of the Body of Christ waiting to be activated to Some Specific Part of God's Plan.
We have LAND to take. Have we really talked about this enough? Land? That's about POSSESSION, taking what the enemy has or has stolen. It means there are AREAS that God wants us to go into, to be brave and strong and TAKE with His Help. There is TERRITORY to be gotten. It's waiting for us to be ACTIVATED. It's waiting for the Leadership to Trust God for the Vision He has given them and to go forward. This is His Plan--not ours. And it has been part of His Plan for generations.
We are called out today--as both individuals and groups--to lead, to work together, to fulfill the Plan of God. This Plan has been envisioned by many before. What are Visions--through all generations, even our own!--but glimpses of His Precious Plan?
We are Called Out to fulfill the Plan of God for this generation. We must hear Him, trust Him, obey Him, and MOVE...
"Joshua, be strong and brave!"
God knows us by name. He knows who we are, our hearts, our willingness to obey--even if we think we are lacking. When The Lord tells Joshua to "be strong and brave," it's no doubt because these are the areas he feels lacking in. (The Lord would have said something else if that were not the case.) Joshua struggles with self-doubt: he doesn't see himself as being a strong warrior--physically or spiritually. He doubts his own strength. And yet that's exactly where God wants Joshua. So Joshua will rely solely on the Lord's strength--because that's what it's going to take to accomplish the Plan. Joshua also struggles--or will, and God sees this and needs him to "get this" from the commissioning--with courage. Again, the things that Joshua has been Called Out to do will take a supernatural COURAGE to accomplish.
Today, too, God knows us personally, individually. He knows our NAME, He knows our area of struggle, of lack, of fear. He knows, too, what we are capable of with His help. (And the Bible says, in multiple places, that that is ANYTHING.) Today, too, these words resonate with those of us He Calls Out. "Be strong. Be brave." We have His strength in us when we walk after Him, when we follow His lead, when we allow Him to be GOD in our lives. And He gives us the COURAGE it takes to meet any foe--forces of darkness, ginormous mountains. He walks with us. He goes with us, before us. There's nothing to fear.
"You must lead these people so they can take the land that I promised their fathers I would give them."
We are Called Out to do a job--not because we are uber-wonderful--but because God is faithful to His plan. We are part of a Great Chain of God's Children. We are not the first generation. We are not the LEADERS of this family of God. We are a part of His Plan, we are generations in the making. He will use us to fulfill promises He has made to His children; He will use us to answer prayers and visions of those in former generations. We are PART OF THIS--it's much BIGGER than we are.
Those who are Called Out to lead a Movement of God TODAY will have to rely on The Lord. And they will have to be motivating enough and passionate enough to rally others to follow. Leaders are responsible for conveying the passion of the Vision to the faithful followers. Every single church, ideally, is a part of the Body of Christ waiting to be activated to Some Specific Part of God's Plan.
We have LAND to take. Have we really talked about this enough? Land? That's about POSSESSION, taking what the enemy has or has stolen. It means there are AREAS that God wants us to go into, to be brave and strong and TAKE with His Help. There is TERRITORY to be gotten. It's waiting for us to be ACTIVATED. It's waiting for the Leadership to Trust God for the Vision He has given them and to go forward. This is His Plan--not ours. And it has been part of His Plan for generations.
We are called out today--as both individuals and groups--to lead, to work together, to fulfill the Plan of God. This Plan has been envisioned by many before. What are Visions--through all generations, even our own!--but glimpses of His Precious Plan?
We are Called Out to fulfill the Plan of God for this generation. We must hear Him, trust Him, obey Him, and MOVE...
Saturday, October 5, 2013
"Sudden, Widespread Increase"
"You need to get ready. Where you are is not permanent. I have explosive blessings coming your way. I will increase you beyond your salary. I will bless you beyond your normal income. I will suddenly change things in your life." --Joel Osteen, I Declare
"sudden, widespread increase" --Joel Osteen, I Declare
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I am sitting here in awe as I read this. Yesterday afternoon, while I was getting my hair cut and colored for the first time in months, my sister-in-law posted about Dillard's having a 50% off sale of clearance.
This immediately got my attention because, a few weeks ago, I was given a $150 gift card from someone at church to help me with my wardrobe. I nearly cried: only God knew that I had been praying about just that thing.
Since I have been married--and, especially since I had a baby--I haven't been able to shop or dress like I used to. I had, before the baby, probably 150 pairs of shoes--NICE SHOES. But when I had Psalm, my foot grew an extra half size, preventing me from wearing any of the shoes I had been blessed with prior. Most of the shoes I gave to my sister, Amanda. Some I sold in the yard sale we had a few years ago. But I have been unable to afford to replace the number and quality of shoes I had before. And I have been longing to get a new wardrobe. I want to look nice again. Even if I am larger than I used to be. I long to take pride in the way I look.
God knew that, and he placed it on that lady's heart to give me $100 and and $150 gift card to Dillard's. I don't have the money to spend on me. I usually buy for Psalm whenever I go somewhere.
That first weekend, I spent the $100 at Penney's, using exactly $97 for three shirts, two skirts, and one pair of slacks.
But when I went to Dillard's a couple of weeks ago, I looked everywhere and did not find anything I had to have. I tried a couple of things on, but something about them wasn't "just right." I haven't had a lot of luck shopping at Dillard's before--not clothes shopping. So I left, wondering why God had led that woman to get me a Dillard's card, instead of Penney's, for instance, where they have business clothes my size.
Until I got that post from my sister-in-law.
When I had seen the clearance racks a couple of weeks ago, they were marked down significantly (up to 50 or 60 percent) but that wasn't enough for me. Clearance shoes for $50? I didn't even spend time looking. This girl couldn't afford that!
But yesterday, after reading Rachel's post, I decided to take the risk, wondering if God had set this up, and driving to Dillard's.
When I got there, there were still TONS of shoes my size--shoes that I can wear now, in my 40s, and to/for special occasions. They had marked everything 50% off the already discounted price. So...I started searching. And before I knew it, I had a huge pile of shoes to go through. I sat on the floor and tried the shoes on, one by one. A handful didn't work for one reason or another: but SEVERAL did.
I bought, I think, 11 or 12 pairs of shoes.
Then, my sister-in-law texted me to tell me to check specific tables, hidden from most people's views. So I went back in.
I bought four more pairs of shoes. The average cost of the shoes I bought? $13.
I BOUGHT 16 PAIRS OF SHOES. Yes, SIXTEEN.
In one stop yesterday, I was able to replenish 1/10th, approximately, of what I'd had before. And I knew what this was all about.
GOD DID THIS.
God is responsible for this "sudden, widespread increase." In one afternoon, I saw the PROMISE of what was lost to me being found again.
On the way home last night, I shouted for joy in my car, playing my tambourine in the car, praising to Pandora worship songs on the radio.
I BLESSED THE LORD, O MY SOUL, WITH ALL I HAD WITHIN ME. BLESS HIS HOLY NAME!!!
Amen and Amen.
"sudden, widespread increase" --Joel Osteen, I Declare
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I am sitting here in awe as I read this. Yesterday afternoon, while I was getting my hair cut and colored for the first time in months, my sister-in-law posted about Dillard's having a 50% off sale of clearance.
This immediately got my attention because, a few weeks ago, I was given a $150 gift card from someone at church to help me with my wardrobe. I nearly cried: only God knew that I had been praying about just that thing.
Since I have been married--and, especially since I had a baby--I haven't been able to shop or dress like I used to. I had, before the baby, probably 150 pairs of shoes--NICE SHOES. But when I had Psalm, my foot grew an extra half size, preventing me from wearing any of the shoes I had been blessed with prior. Most of the shoes I gave to my sister, Amanda. Some I sold in the yard sale we had a few years ago. But I have been unable to afford to replace the number and quality of shoes I had before. And I have been longing to get a new wardrobe. I want to look nice again. Even if I am larger than I used to be. I long to take pride in the way I look.
God knew that, and he placed it on that lady's heart to give me $100 and and $150 gift card to Dillard's. I don't have the money to spend on me. I usually buy for Psalm whenever I go somewhere.
That first weekend, I spent the $100 at Penney's, using exactly $97 for three shirts, two skirts, and one pair of slacks.
But when I went to Dillard's a couple of weeks ago, I looked everywhere and did not find anything I had to have. I tried a couple of things on, but something about them wasn't "just right." I haven't had a lot of luck shopping at Dillard's before--not clothes shopping. So I left, wondering why God had led that woman to get me a Dillard's card, instead of Penney's, for instance, where they have business clothes my size.
Until I got that post from my sister-in-law.
When I had seen the clearance racks a couple of weeks ago, they were marked down significantly (up to 50 or 60 percent) but that wasn't enough for me. Clearance shoes for $50? I didn't even spend time looking. This girl couldn't afford that!
But yesterday, after reading Rachel's post, I decided to take the risk, wondering if God had set this up, and driving to Dillard's.
When I got there, there were still TONS of shoes my size--shoes that I can wear now, in my 40s, and to/for special occasions. They had marked everything 50% off the already discounted price. So...I started searching. And before I knew it, I had a huge pile of shoes to go through. I sat on the floor and tried the shoes on, one by one. A handful didn't work for one reason or another: but SEVERAL did.
I bought, I think, 11 or 12 pairs of shoes.
Then, my sister-in-law texted me to tell me to check specific tables, hidden from most people's views. So I went back in.
I bought four more pairs of shoes. The average cost of the shoes I bought? $13.
I BOUGHT 16 PAIRS OF SHOES. Yes, SIXTEEN.
In one stop yesterday, I was able to replenish 1/10th, approximately, of what I'd had before. And I knew what this was all about.
GOD DID THIS.
God is responsible for this "sudden, widespread increase." In one afternoon, I saw the PROMISE of what was lost to me being found again.
On the way home last night, I shouted for joy in my car, playing my tambourine in the car, praising to Pandora worship songs on the radio.
I BLESSED THE LORD, O MY SOUL, WITH ALL I HAD WITHIN ME. BLESS HIS HOLY NAME!!!
Amen and Amen.
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