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When Your Breakthrough Is Not Coming

One of the greatest and most powerful prayers you can pray to God is: “Lord, Help I'm Stuck!”. How many times when we were children our parents came to rescue us immediately because we cried out to them in our stuck positions and some of those stuck positions were really funny and some parents seized the moment to catch it on camera before saving your day! (Forgive them haha). I know it is not an easy thing at all because I went through stuck moments when it felt like remaining forever. Especially when you are dealing with an everyday pain that is unbearable, that's another story!

When you are in a stuck season, when your breakthrough doesn't feel like coming to pass, when you don't even seem to see that “little hand-sized cloud” this is when you are most vulnerable to the lies of the enemy and to a cycle of questions that some times is tormenting and many are challenged in their faith. Today, would you check with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, what lies you may be believing in this season? God wants to readjust you into powerful positions of faith again! Without faith, it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)

Before the woman of the issue of blood received her breakthrough from the Lord, she had to press in through the bombarding big lies of the enemy. The fiery darts of the enemy were falling on her like rain, she was overwhelmed by those wicked arrows and if she believed just one lie of the bundle of lies offered to her, she would be harmed, injured, discouraged, and disabled from continuing her pressing in toward her long awaiting divine breakthrough.

The only thing that kept her going harder than the lies of the enemy is her faith in the goodness of Jesus. I don't know in what situation you are in today, only God knows but I am sure many want to give up on reaching their peace and wholeness in God but don't you do it! It gets darker before dawn!

No one is promised the timing for their breakthrough, it devalues the attempts of faith and God wants to give you the FULL reward of your faith. Jesus didn't receive a tidbit of comfort at the cross because he was after the fullness of our redemption. When I was battling hell in my health years ago for 5 years, I was believing the Lord for my miracle and breakthrough. The only thing I had back then after so many prayers is the peace of God to press in and NOT to go for surgery and I assumed God wanted me to press in for a miracle. The only miracle I got is my perseverance and endurance and my ability to serve God and remain fruitful as much as possible. In the end, God blessed me with a smooth surgery, with no pain but 2 years almost of recovery. Talking about someone learning patience here!

I was so disappointed that God didn't perform a miracle and that I had to go under a knife but after I saw that my years of suffering came to an end, I rejoiced anyway and thanked God he came for me, whether through a miracle or another natural mean blessed by the hand of the Lord, who cares. It looks like I was assuming that if God gave me peace to press in without surgery then he meant a miracle and that's the danger of assumption in the prophetic.

I learned so many lessons, I carved realms of authority in different areas, and I got victories beyond comprehension over my attitude and devils, it was a big battle for me but the plunder is for a lifetime. Thank you, good Lord!

Today, focus on two things only, press in by believing God is good for you, and let him be God. Walk it out with him step by step according to your measure of faith, just like when Abraham followed the Lord to a Land not knowing what he was doing and what is his next step. You may not be given what is to come and how it is going to end but you can have those confident “one step of faith at a time” and at the end it is going to be glorious for you!

Oh by the way I forgot to tell you, my battle was big because I was also fighting for a generation.

Tony Francis

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Changing the Culture of the Spheres of Influence through the Beatitudes

Changing the Culture of the Spheres of Influence through the Beatitudes y Lilian Schmid – Strategist and Prayer Coordinator for The Prayer Strategy Spheres of Influence International 

Introduction

How can we use Jesus’ Command to “love one another” (John 13:33-34) change the 21st century culture which is affected by sin: every sphere of influence in our society has been corrupted and affected by the ungodly activities which are operating to destroy humanity. Modern life has become multi-faceted and hectic with the following spheres/domains dominating and competing for ours and our families' time, money, affections and ambitions. These spheres or domains are:

  • Business and Finance
  • Government and the Military
  • Law and Justice
  • Faith and Philosophy
  • Creative Arts
  • Education
  • Charity and Not for Profit Welfare
  • Health and Science
  • Media and Entertainment
  • Sport and Recreation

In the Old Testament God promised to mend that which had been lost in the Fall by reinstituting peace on earth. Through Ezekiel, the Lord looked forward to such restoration for his people:

“And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and multiply them, and I will put my Temple among them forever. I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Ezek 37:26-27).

Peace will come by God’s effort. The result will be material blessing and, most importantly, a mended relationship between people and God. The prophet Isaiah brought a message similar to that of Ezekiel: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns” (Isa 52:7).  God’s peace is integrally related to his salvation, to the restoration of his reign on earth. When God saves, he will restore his kingdom so that those who live under his rightful rule will experience the fullness of his peace.

Jesus entered the world as the one who would fulfil the mission of the Suffering Servant, thus bringing divine peace. Even before Jesus was born, one of his relatives proclaimed what God was about to do: “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79)

How the Beatitudes will Bring Change to the Spheres of Influence in Our Society

“The beatitudes reveal to us eight qualities that bring God's blessing: meekness and mercy, poorness in spirit and purity of heart, mourning and hunger, peacemaking and persecution. Jesus highlighted these to offer both encouragement and instruction on living distinctly as his followers in a world with values much different from God's. As we study these qualities and integrate them into our lives, we will receive the blessing Jesus promised to his followers then and now”.
(The Beatitudes: Developing Spiritual Character by John R.W. Stott)

Looking at the Beatitudes as a kind of ladder, an ascent, we can discover some amazing things about spirituality and its fundamental relationship to the world. The Beatitudes have intense significance in a world where many Christians want to change others and the world from the top down, through forced conformity rather than genuine conversion. The Beatitudes are the essence, the lifeblood and beating heart of authentic, ancient and living Christianity. They are (from Mt 5:3-10):

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The Beatitudes express the idea that peace comes from peacemakers who are characterised by their poverty of spirit, their ability to mourn for the world, their lack of attachments or clinging to personal rights, their hunger for the healing of the world, their extreme mercy extended even towards their worst enemies, and their purity of heart. Peacemakers, according to Christ, are the instruments who bring peace to the world because they exemplify these characteristics. Change comes from the inside and moves towards the external. Peacemakers are persecuted because they present a challenge to authority which compels from the outside but cannot penetrate the interior.

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount begins by talking about the kingdom of heaven. A kingdom has a king, subjects, a place, and the ways of the king and his kingdom. It is where this particular king is reigning. So when Jesus teaches, He is not just advocating rules or giving advice. He is talking about a place or, more accurately, a realm where the ruler is God. And what is God’s kingdom like? What is God like as a king? Who are His subjects? And what are the ways of God? You can see that Jesus speaks about all these things in the Beatitudes. We learn about who the subjects of this kingdom are: the poor in spirit, those who mourn, etc. The true King of this universe is the One who gives the kingdom, who comforts, gives the earth to His children, and so on. Jesus is telling them about the wonder and goodness of living under the reign of God. The creator of this universe is the king of every sphere of influence, Jesus is the author of these spheres and we are the witnesses to bring real changes into them by proclaiming God’s kingdom on each one of them.

How the Kingdom will manifest its Power in the Spheres

First of all Jesus is speaking about the kingdom as a present and future reality. We can truly possess the kingdom of heaven here and now on the earth. We can enjoy the truth of this at least to some extent. The people of the kingdom are blessed. The word “blessed” always implies that the one doing the blessing is God. To be blessed is to be favoured or honoured by God. “Blessed” is a passive term. The one who is blessed is receiving from God His notice and favour. We can bring blessing to others that we meet within our sphere of influence.

So who are those who are blessed in the kingdom of heaven? And why are they blessed? In looking over the Beatitudes, we are immediately struck that Jesus is saying the unexpected, to say the least! The qualities of the blessed on Jesus’ teaching are not at all what we think of when we consider those we believe to be blessed.

To be blessed is to have value as human beings from our (Government), to have good health (Health and Science), to be secure and protected (Law and Justice), have great success in one’s endeavours (Business), creative and artistic (Arts), athletic (Sport and Recreation), freedom of speech and ideas (Faith and Philosophy), rich in Knowledge (Education), helping others in need to live (Charity and Not For Profit Welfare), spreading Christian values through technology (Media). These are the qualities we tend to associate with being blessed.

Jesus brings a new dimension to human life through the Sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes he teaches us the quality of life that we are hungry for. Every sphere of influence needs these kingdom qualities to be proclaimed in them. The qualities He includes are actually what we would normally consider indications of someone not being blessed! The person who we naturally think is blessed is favoured to have the kingdom of heaven now and a future fullness in comfort, inheritance, satisfaction, mercy, etc. The blessing then that these people receive is not to be poor in spirit, mourning, or meek. Rather, the presence of these qualities is thought to be a sign that the person is not cursed, but actually blessed. Paradoxically in Jesus teaching one can be called blessed when they are poor in spirit because being poor in spirit is a sign that she/he is looking for the very thing God the King is giving: His kingdom. You can see that there is a connection in the message of Jesus between the person who is blessed and why they are blessed, where every person who is a witness to Christ in the Marketplace can bring a blessing to these domains or spheres.

God our King desires indeed to bless us, to bless our families, our church, our work. Through our mission we can transform our society by applying the teaching of the Beatitudes through each one of us. We can be a part of bringing the reality of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. To understand that to be blessed here and now is to find we are being made ready to receive all these things forever.

Jesus is telling us about His kingdom. We see that God greatly desires to bless His people in a full and complete way. God is not going to give sparingly – just some comfort, or a small inheritance. And what God is doing in His people now, when He is blessing them, is that He is making them able more and more to hope in, receive, long for, the very riches He is giving. If we are in Christ we are a new creation: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Co 5:17).

So as blessed people:

  • Let us be rich in God’s Kingdom who is the provider of all richness in this wor Colossians 3:16
  • Let us be comforted to be free, Jesus gave us freedom the moment he gave his life on the cross. Galatians 3:1-14
  • Let us inherit the earth because we are sons and daughter of God’s Kingdom. Psalm 2:7
  • Let us be righteous and let God’s light shine through us. Matthew 5:14
  • Let us receive mercy and grace, and be merciful to others Matthew 8:14-17
  • Let us have Jesus’ heart and receive His unconditional love to love others as He loved us. John 3:16
  • Let us be peacemakers and bring unity across the body. John 13:35
  • Let us handle persecution with perseverance; then we may understand the fullness of God’s mercy and grace. John 25:20

Amen.

King of Kings

Success. Depending on who you ask, success means different things. To most people success means money or fame. To me success is reading the bible from cover to cover. I want to be spiritually wise and really know God. I want to uncover all the lies within the world. I want to know the truth. I know I’m a sinner however, I will try not to sin as much as I can. The world is full of sinful things. Music, Celebrities, Books, etc. I may only be 13 years old (almost 14 on July 23) but I will never understand atheists. Satan shows himself out in the open in today’s society, you can either choose to accept it and try to escape it or ignore it and be blinded by wickedness. 

Death. Most people are afraid of death, you see, the christian man should not fear death. If you really believed and cared for Christ, you would know that he has created the heavens for us followers of Christ. On Judgement Day, you either make it to heaven or you don't. It’s that simple. Jesus will judge on the day of Judgement, It’s his duty after all, he is the one who died for all of our sins. Although he will be judging(John 5:22), he would not be the reason if you go to Hell. God gave us all a choice. Nomatter where you come from or where you live, God gave us two options. Believe Jesus Christ died for our sins or perish in the eternal flames of Hell (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). Knowing this I now laugh in the face of death, I will never fear death and to be honest, I don’t care if I die, I know I will be united with Christ for eternity.

My Future. As a Christian I want to pursue my dreams while being able to still follow Christ. Maybe when I get older I can be a Pastor. The last thing I want to do is depart from Christ. I would give up everything before I flee from Christ. I, however, am still a normal kid, and I have a lot to learn. When I grow old and it’s time for me to retire, I pray that I will have enough to support myself and my family. I don’t need much. I want to own a ranch in a rural area. I will teach my kids about Jesus, and make sure they feel comfortable talking to me. Teenagers often get pressured to do sinful activities. I will teach my kids to be modest and grateful for whatever they get. Being a Christian means to be Christ-Like. Now I know it’s impossible to be as great as Jesus, however you can choose not to willingly sin. All I ask of my kids is to have faith in Jesus and follow the Ten-Commandments. There’s even a chance that this won't happen, Jesus might come back before I get old to take all believers, and defeat Satan once and for all. Doing so will end his reign of terror and end sin!

Following Christ. Would you rather take a long and bumpy road to glory or a short and easy road to damnation. The funny thing is, once you turn to Jesus, you realize how horrible the world is. Puppets of Satan WILL try to throw you off track. In these times, you must pray. Jesus hears all prayers and is willing to help. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Pray before you fall too deep into sin. If you follow the short road to damnation, to you sin will be normal and the world seems perfect. Until Death. God laughs at those who mock him. When a sinner who doesn’t follow Christ dies they will suffer forever, there’s no smooth-talking out of it. The question everyone needs to be asking is “Are you in the will of God?” Will Jesus say “Depart from me, I never knew you” or will he welcome you with open arms into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Some may be asking “How can I make sure that I am a follower of Christ and make it to Heaven?” This question is fairly easy to answer. There are only two steps to make sure Jesus knows you. The first step is to ACTUALLY believe with all of your heart that Jesus is King and he died for our sins. The last and harder step is to keep the Ten-Commandments. That's it. Remember, God wouldn’t do anything to hurt you and everything you do in his name will make your life better. Jesus I pray that whoever reads this, even if I don’t publish this, will get their eyes opened and the holy spirit will enter them, I hope reading this might make them a real child of God.

Cessationism versus continuationism

1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete comes the partial will come to an end.

Meditating on these verses, it was laid in my heart that truly ‘Love never ends because God is love and God has no ending and we are encouraged to love every one of us because in it lies the anchor of every godliness. But not every one of us is given the gift of prophecy and tongue, each with a diverse gift.

Prophecies, tongues and other spiritual gifts end here on earth and are for the building up and edification of the church but love transcended beyond the scope of the church, to the circular world and to eternity. In Matthew 5:44 ‘But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,’ your enemies include those outside the household of God.

Arguably! The church cannot operate and function without all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. At every stage and level, the church ought to be continuously equipped and edified; if not the enemy will feed on God's children. When we play down on these gifts and fail to use it or compel people not to use their gifts in our congregations, it reduces the power of the church and limits the ministry of the Holy Spirit which is the driving force of every church resulting in a powerless congregation.

You can say the Word, of course the Word! But can you teach the Word without the gift of teaching or pastoring? Don’t accept one and reject the other, for all the gifts are from one Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

There's no way God will withdraw some of these gifts while we are still on earth “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49. You may want to talk about “context” of the Scripture; this promise was for the apostles and for a time, and purpose and by no means does it extend to us. Jesus prayed in John 17:20-23

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”

Any Church without these gifts, every one of it cannot stand.  That you don't have it doesn't mean it's obsolete and with all due respect, do not argue what you do not understand.

Secondly, do not condemn it totally because some people abuse it, there are still godly people with these gifts bearing witness for Christ: God chooses to when the need arises. It’s clear when you say there’s no Apostle alive, of course the 12 Apostles and Paul have long gone to be with the Lord but has the Apostolic auction ceased? It’s like saying that the ministry of the Holy Spirit has ended.

‘Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues’ 1 Corinthians 14:39.  If they have ceased, then why are we encouraged to strive for it? It's deception! God forbid.

While we are still on earth we are like children, we don't know what will be set before us when He will be revealed to us (when the perfection comes.)

‘Now faith, hope and love abides' these are futuristic they abides forever: Faith in God, hope in Jesus' return and establishment of the new heaven and the new earth for His love for us. These abides even after Jesus is revealed in His glory.

Conclusion: when I discuss with a ‘cessationist,' I advise not to be extreme about it but let us continue as one fold in Christ. Some of these are the devices of the enemy to plant disunity in the body of Christ.

And I also point people to 2 Peter 3:15-17. Let us not be carried away with the error of the lawless and lose our own stability. The Bible is the Word of God. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6.

The Accident, the Jump and Living Through It

I know that we have all been through something or another. However, none of us has withstood what Jesus Christ did on the cross. He definitely has endured the most. Things may have happened to us at a very young age where we don’t have specific memory. Specific parts of our brain do remember, though. These events definitely form our lives. God knows everything that is happening to us and everything that is going to happen to us. I once heard that we can not question God, so I try not to. Like many, I had a very challenging childhood. We live in a dysfunctional world. My dad suffered from mental illness, poverty as a child and alcoholism. Although our dad was a financial provider, he was not much else. He was seeking something he never found because of the fact that he grew up with a very sparse knowledge of God. He was never taught to develop a relationship with God. He was subjected to nothing but traditions and rituals. I sincerely believe that if my parents were raised in Christian homes that our lives would have been much healthier. My mother, siblings and I now attend Bible believing churches. Praise God for that. Until the time I left for college in 1993, I definitely resided in a broken home. 

On July 8, 1991, I sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury. I was at my brother’s baseball All-Star game and I had left for work. I still don’t know why I went the way I did, but I assume I was taking my passenger home. My paternal aunt suggests that I may have been blinded by the sun. Four pieces of glass went in my head at 65 mph and I was in a coma for around two to three weeks. My Grandpa Flores passed in 1980 and I did see him during my recovery time. He was surrounded by birds and deer and it seemed animated. He asked me if I was ready to go back and I woke up saying my paternal Great Grandpa’s names. The accident happened about a month after I graduated from high school. I was also in summer school at the local college. My plans were to attend the University of Texas in the fall, but that was no longer going to happen at the time. When I was released from the hospital, I went back and took my summer school finals and got B’s. I remember I was like a baby in innocence when I started to recover. I didn’t know a lot about my surroundings, but I adjusted quickly. I had no physical injuries, so I seemed fine. I wasn’t prescribed any medication. I just had a few follow up visits with my neurosurgeons. 

I did start the local college in the fall of 1991 and I started getting D’s and F’s for the first time in my life. I had been in excellent schools since first grade and I had always done well. My parents were fighting still and genetic and organically induced mental illness set in. I jumped off of a significantly high bridge in my hometown and again I survived. I did have some back fractures because I landed on my back. I remember being near the seawall because I tried to climb out. When I jumped, I just drove up to the bridge, parked my car and jumped. Brain injured people are definitely left with impulsive tendencies. I remember just screaming for my Grandpa Flores. I remember hearing the medics say that they couldn’t believe it and that I was so young. Next thing I know, I was in a local mental health hospital under suicide watch. The first of many mental health hospitalizations. My family was in shock and my parents tried to find appropriate care for me. The then Neurobehavioral Institute of Houston accepted my dad’s insurance and I went over there for some time. I did improve significantly through my time there.

In 1993, I felt I was ready to try school in Austin, Texas. I had to start at Austin Community College because my GPA had dropped significantly due to the previous grades I mentioned. I went through some junior college and reapplied to The University of Texas at Austin. Thankfully, I was accepted into UT Austin in the Spring of 1995. Eventually, I moved in with my college boyfriend and that was a waste of four years. God tells us not to fornicate, etc. I still graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in May of 1997. I decided to move back home, which was unthinkable. However, I wanted to continue my studies and my boyfriend and I were going nowhere. I started a Master of Arts in Psychology program the next fall in my hometown. I soon came to see through a related job that that particular degree was not for me. I quickly switched to a Master of Science in Counseling program and finished in December of 1999. My 22 year old is currently pursuing the same degree. Thankfully for me, it was much easier when I got that degree. She and I are very similar and very different. God works in His way.

I gave birth to the daughter I just mentioned in 2000 and I thank God that my mother was there to basically raise my Hannah from age 5 on up. After Hannah’s sister Rachel was born in 2004, the brain injury related medication no longer worked the same. I wasn’t on any brain injury medication initially. However, when depression set in and around the time of the jump, I was prescribed psychotropic medication. I took it from 1992 to 2004 and after Rachel was born, it no longer worked the same. I tried to take my life again after she was born. Rachel was raised by her dad. I visited with her, was there when I could be and I definitely wrote to her from jail and prison. She is now 17 and I have joint custody and visitation with no help from a lawyer. I did it all on my own…through court of course.  In 2009, I gave birth to Sabrina. I was very mentally not there. I met her dad in Austin at a homeless shelter, we drove to Corpus and were married shortly thereafter. We married in 2008 and he is no longer with us. 

From 2005 to 2014 my life was horrible. I was in and out of the local jail. I was in and out of psych hospitals in South, Central Texas and Sabrina was removed from me through no fault of my own two months after she was born. I used to work for Child Protective Services and the supervisor on call did everything she could to keep Sabrina from me. That supervisor did not like me as a co-worker. In 2011, a local political figure terminated my parental rights. Sabrina was adopted by her previous foster mother’s. Hannah found out that they changed her last name to Sass and that she lives in Round Rock, Texas. 

I was finally prescribed medication that worked for me in 2014 and I have been re-establishing my life ever since then. Today is October 31, 2022 and I still take medication. I couldn’t function without it. I also take Milk Thistle to help my liver. It is hard to drive near the accident site. I don’t like driving by the hospital I was taken to after I jumped off of the bridge. However, that is nothing compared to other people I have been hospitalized with. Only God knows the events of our lives. I have actually been in a place during my coma that has shown me that all I need to do is accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I pray blessings on everyone and I just have to say that life is a choice. If I am making it, so can you. God bless you.

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Focus or Force

John 6:13 There were only five barley loaves to start with, but twelve baskets were filled with the pieces of bread the people did not eat!  John 6:14 When the people saw this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”

John 6:15 Jesus saw that they were ready to take him by force and make him king, so he went higher into the hills alone.

Jesus, once again, had performed a miracle. He recognized and met a deep need. No one had to ask or tell him about it. The truth was he was always looking for opportunities to meet needs because he was selfless. When the people saw what he was capable of they attempted to force him into “selfless” service. There are a few problems with people's mindset and approach. Let's address the issues with their mindset first. Selflessness is born from within rather than imposed by outside forces. They misunderstand the very nature of what they propose.

John 6:14 When the people saw this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”

The people learn through miraculous demonstration that Jesus is capable and gifted in ways they did not realize previous to their experience. However, Jesus is not just discovering his abilities or gifts. His knowledge of his gifts compelled him to identify and meet their need. They assume that Jesus has not recognized his purpose and needs their direction to maximize his potential. That could not be further from the truth. His momentary act of service was not intended to be translated into a lifetime of activity. His purpose was greater than the action they observed. In fact, they had only witnessed a minor display of his power. As a result, Jesus pulls away from them and goes where he can breathe and reaffirm his purpose.

John 6:15 Jesus saw that they were ready to take him by force and make him king, so he went higher into the hills alone

The second issue is with the people's approach. They decide they are going to force Jesus to be what they want him to be. They are not interested in his thoughts about his purpose. Their actions are fundamentally driven by a desire to exploit Jesus' gifts under the guise of promoting selflessness. Jesus already demonstrated he was selfless. He met a need without being asked or requesting acknowledgment. His selflessness was not debatable. He is without a doubt the epitomy of selflessness. Manipulators always test to see if they can diminish a target's self-confidence and thereby gain control over them. The people assume he is unaware of his purpose and claim the right to direct his path. They unanimously take the position of authorities in his life and as such are not open to discussion. People with the right intentions are readily open to dialogue. The crowd Jesus faced intended to make Jesus do what they desired. There was no room for inquiry into Jesus' perceptions.

You may have experienced this subtle manipulation. People go even further and launch assaults on your character because you will not be puppeteered. Jesus did not allow himself to be manipulated and neither should you. Hold on to the clarity granted by your knowledge of your purpose. God designed you to fulfill his plan no one else's. Follow Jesus' example. Move to higher ground where people respect you and allow you to breathe. Sometimes, like Jesus, that might mean being alone for a time. Avoid manipulators. Attempts to derail you or tear you down are based on your good character and immeasurable worth. Don't let anyone keep you from your purpose or tarnish your self-perception.

Back to the Heart of Worship

The Lord has put this on my heart to share.

This last year and a half has been a hard season. It has been a wilderness season to say the least. Before moving to utah, I was involved in ministry, and worship, and was surrounded by such a beautiful group of women and people. In that time we experienced hardship in our marriage. Just months later, We moved to utah being uprooted from everything—every security I felt, and thought was going right in my life-to literally the desert. I experienced every emotion possible. We moved during covid, we weren’t able to go to church for a while, we didn’t have any friends, no family close by-just us and Jesus. I remember saying “oh, I will NEVER homeschool” and Wes saying, “oh, I could NEVER work from home-there is no way it would work with what I do”.  Well, you guessed it-With covid and other circumstances I was being led to homeschool, and yep, Wes started working from home. I remember thinking, alright God, you sure do have a sense of humor. Never say never-write that down! But humor aside, God was showing both of us that our ways are not His ways. There were days where I sobbed, and I wept, longing for connection with a church body, feeling isolated and alone. Absolutely, God was with me, but when your in the thick of it-all I could focus on was me and how I was feeling at the time. God was growing us in ways unimaginable, and certainly ways that I didn’t want to be stretched because it was uncomfortable.

Fast forward, churches opened, we tried one , and we tried another, then we bought a house in a new area, and tried another. It was hard after all we had been through, to not compare it to what we had before. What a unhealthy place that can be when we live our lives looking back not leaving room for God to work in the present. Finally, I came to a place where I let it go. I surrendered that to the Lord, realizing that the more I try to control the situation, the less I am trusting God to work all things according to His purpose, His will, and His plans for MY GOOD and HIS GLORY! And hey, what do you know? A  few weeks later, He lead us to a church where I couldn’t have hand picked it if I tried. This was the hand of the Lord. It reminded me in many ways of the church we were involved in before we moved. Oh how He wants to give us good things, but to trust Him in this process and let go of MY wants, MY control, and rest was such a lesson.  Funny how we always see in hindsight what God was doing-why do you think that is? But, God was still dealing with me, putting His finger on another area. After several weeks of attending, knowing this is where God had led us-My flesh was getting in the way when I saw people in ministry positions that I once was in. I think more so than anything I just missed the connection and involvement. But I knew in my heart I wasn’t supposed to get into ministry/serving right away, because I really just want God to lead me, and not step into a role just because I am familiar with it or want it. (Or have a “title”) So, still struggling with a few things, trying to figure out where I fit in, my purpose, who am I, What does God want me to learn? Then Bible study was soon to start, and the study is on our IDENTITY IN CHRIST. Whew. I just need to gather myself for a moment. 😭 HE KNOWS. I knew-but my flesh!!! I was being fought in even going to the study- with all these things going through my head and He’s gently saying ok Katie, are you ready to give me ALL of you?!? I have stripped you of almost everything you have put your identity in. It’s not your spouse, it’s not your marriage, its not your control, it’s not your kids, your family, your friends, your hobbies, your position in ministry, your home…IT IS ME. WHOLE HEARTEDLY ME. Apart from me you can do nothing! My burden is easy, and my yoke is light!!! Trust ME, walk with ME, Abide with Me. Heck-he even used my kids to speak this into my life-ON A BAD DAY I MIGHT ADD. This journey, this wilderness season has come down to this. Which has been a PROCESS!!! When I am stripped away of everything-what anchors me then? It HAS to be Christ-he is the ONLY firm foundation, and refuge for the poor in spirit, the broken, the lost and the saved. As I was thinking about all this and being stripped away -It reminded me of an old worship song-that I  Ioved-but never really understood or full grasped until now when it says “I am coming back to the heart of worship”

In being completely stripped, it is quiet, just me and the Lord, that is when I can offer him something beautiful in the mess of life-Something that will bless his heart-because he has searched deep into mine-I can come back to worship with a humble heart-where it truly is all about Him, and not of the things I WANT TO MAKE it about. Whew. Man is the Lord ever good to love me(and you) so much-to show me(us) these things. 😭❤️🙌 He is shakin that orange tree and trimming those vines!!!! 😜

Sometimes I think that we can get so wrapped up in someone else’s identity, someone else’s spiritual journey, that we forget when we die WE will be judged for the things that WE have done with Gods word. NOT that persons this, or that. We are to teach, and to train, to pray, to love and to speak truth in love ALWAYS. And no this is not always easy-But, we are to let go, and let God be God. (Daily) Yes, I have let things go, AAANND then taken them back because-well it’s just not happening the way I WANT it to go-which totally defeats the purpose of TRUSTING and ABIDING. But his Grace. His mercy. Oh has it met me more times than I deserve.

As I have felt led to share and post this, I feel like it is that last thing the Lord is wanting to rid me of. The looking back and living in the past and all it entails-because what is to come is SO much better, even in a broken world. Friends, you are known, by the ONE who created YOU, YOU are HIS masterpiece-and no matter how hard the season is that you are in-lean into Him. He is there. Trust Him in the process. He is growing you, stretching you, And He is making something beautiful out of YOU. It hurts, I understand-BUT GOD! Maybe your good, and you don’t have these exact struggles-or you struggle with something else-or maybe you have been here and know all to well what I have shared with you. Ask God how He can use you to encourage someone else. He uses our mountain top moments just as much as He uses our valley moments and he will continue to do so. I have been told-when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. Maybe you just need to take a step back, find a quiet place, pray and ask God to give you His perspective and His peace in the PROCESS! ❤️❤️💐 hugs!

The Latter Day Lukewarm Church

The church God established 2,000 years ago has once again managed to turn themselves into a corporate business structure in these last days, modeled after the world. With a degree in “Church Growth and Marketing” in hand, men have manipulated the church into some type of foreign entity, with goals of exorbitant salaries, lavish furnishings, and services geared towards herding a populous in through their doors so they may continue to fund their man-made plans. This isn't to say that nothing good has ever come from it, or that God can't or doesn't use them, but when man takes the reins of God's church and starts to devise his own plans, it loses the power and direction of the Holy Spirit and settles into nauseating carnality.

This my friends, is an abomination to God and He is about to put an abrupt end to those self serving plans. In fact, He has plans of His own, to replace many of the current leaders in the church with those He has been preparing behind the scenes for literally decades. Many of you who have felt out of touch with mainstream Christianity all of your lives, are now about to enter a time that God has ordained for you. Just when you thought you would never fit in, God is calling you to step out. The radical is about to become the normal. Those to whom God has prepared and filled with His Spirit are about to take center stage and disrupt “business as usual” of what we commonly refer to as mainstream Christianity. Gone will be the programs and ideas that man has invented to draw people into their plans. Sports teams will be funneled back into the secular world where they belong. Denominations will be dissolved. Multi-million dollar facilities that were built without God's approval, will soon be up for sale. Carnal men and women of God who have lavished themselves in a comfortable lifestyle of wealth and luxury, are soon going to find themselves looking for work while God restructures His church.

It is going to be a painful process, though a necessary one. Many will blame God for the reorganization, and some will fall away from the faith as a result, consequences of a Christian life not built upon the proper foundation. The process that is about to occur is no doubt going to be a difficult one, but God knows what He is doing and when He is finished, a different church is going to emerge. A church where unity shall be restored and where true discipleship is evidenced by those walking in power and a boldness unlike anything we have seen in our lifetime. Though despised by many, they shall go forth throughout the earth as radical, relentless, uncompromising, and unshakable disciples of Christ whom God has raised up to prepare the way for the coming of the Son of Man…

Jeff Allen