Tag Archive for: spiritual

You can hear God

Designed to hear

I tell you the truth, you can hear God! You know the intentions and the desires of a creator in the things he creates. God created Adam in his image and you read in Genesis chapter 2 & 3 how Adam used to sense God’s presence, how they walked & talked with each other. This is God’s purpose from the beginning, to be in an everlasting relationship with you. God longs to talk to you, he has much things in his heart to share with you because he has predestined good plans for you before the foundations of the earth that he wants to reveal them to you.

How can I hear?

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), he communicates with you spirit to spirit; he talks to your heart, the innermost part of your being. Now the problem is that the spirit of man died and was separated from God after Adam sinned but Jesus was sent by God to restore and reconciliate this broken relationship between man and God by rebirthing and regenerating the spirit of man into his likeness, what we call the experience to be “born again” (John 3). When you receive his forgiveness of sins it is your spirit man that becomes alive, your physical appearance doesn’t change. You now have spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear the Lord (John 10:27).

Developing sensitivity

Now that you are in and joined the kingdom of God it doesn’t end here, it starts! Developing sensitivity to your heavenly Father’s voice is a beautiful journey and he will make sure to mentor you in this area as long as you hunger for it. It’s hard to mistaken in a phone call the voice of someone you lived with for a long time. Build a daily intimate relationship with Jesus, grow with him and your spiritual senses will mature and sharpen to discern good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14, Acts 2:42).

If you want your spirit to rebirth into the likeness of God, pray: “Jesus, thank you for loving me, I believe you died for my sins and I receive right now your forgiveness in my heart. Everything is new now, I am a new creation and I decree and declare that you are my King, Lord and Savior and I give you all my life” Amen!

Glory to God
Tony Francis

Manifestations – What do they mean?

By Kathie Walters

The Holy Spirit always wants to demonstrate what God says. “God confirmed the word with signs following” and in Hebrews chapter 2 it says, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation – which at first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him. God ALSO BEARING THEM WITNESS both with signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit … according to His own will.” Well we know for sure that God wants to do signs and wonders and confirm His own word because it just said so.

I don’t know why some Christians think is it so spiritual to say, “I don’t need signs and wonders.” Well Jesus actually relied on signs and wonders and manifestations. He went out of the way to make sure the Holy Spirit had an opportunity to demonstrate the words He spoke. Jesus said “I am the bread of Life” and fed the 5000. He said “I am the resurrection and the life” and He raised the dead. He said “I am the light of the world” and He opened the eyes of the blind. God always wants to do what He says The Apostle Paul said. “I came not to you in word only but in demonstration of the Spirit and in power (1 Thess).

So God talks to us through in different ways. He talks through the Bible which contains the word of God. He talks to us through the Holy Spirit who brings us life. The Bible was quite dead to me until the Holy Spirit showed up and made it come alive. Then the Holy Spirit started to speak through preachers, and prophets. Remember when Jesus was answering Satan? He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matt 4:4) you don’t just take any scripture and use it – you have to discern what God is saying to you NOW – TODAY. The proceeding word, the word or scripture that is coming to you now, today.

That is why signs and wonders are important… They are a part of what God does and says and we should pay attention to the manifestations of the Holy Spirit because GOD IS TALKING TO YOU.

Years ago well-meaning churches would preach the gospel message of salvation every Sunday night – even through the congregation of 50 had been saved for 20 years at least. While it was in the Bible it wasn’t the proceeding word to those people. They didn’t stop to listen to what God was saying today. That would have moved them to the next place God had for them. Instead they stayed where they were and “froze” in time.

When God is moving by His Spirit it is in order to demonstrate something or tell you something. The signs and wonders are not meant to entertain us although I must say it can be very entertaining… But we should take note and listen. Many people are smelling the different Aromas in the meetings (and out of the meetings). Each aroma is God speaking to you. I have a great book called “The Spiritual meaning of Aromas, flowers, trees and colors.” Many people have dreams and visions of different flowers, trees, colors etc. – but in all those things GOD IS TALKING. For dream and vision interpretation get a copy of THE DIVINITY CODE…

For example – aroma of strawberries means friendship with God. Apples – The Beloved’s breath smells like sweet apples, Jesus is breathing on you. Peppermint – refreshing and so on. They are in my book.

Signs… If you preach healing – the Holy Spirit will heal people because He will confirm the Word. Sometimes the anointing comes on someone and God uses them for a sign to say something.

One time when my husband David, was ministering in Florida the Holy Spirit was moving on people at the end of the meeting. One man was on the floor unable to move for a long time. He kept trying to get up – you have probably seen the same thing. I saw an angel sitting on the man’s chest. I said to him, “God won’t let you up until you listen to what He says.” After a while he did listen and then the angel got up and then he got up- a bit shaken. He told me later that he thought the power of his mind was as strong as the power of God Well I don’t think he thought that again.

In the same meeting a lady started running backwards. She ran backwards round the church. Then she ran backwards out of the door and across the parking lot. The elders very wisely decided to wait on God the next morning to find out what He was saying. God spoke to them and said, “You are not going forward in this move until you go back for the children.” The church had David come and bring all the children and youth into the revival and into the anointing. Then the whole church moved on in the move of the Spirit.

I got up to speak at a church a while ago… When I opened my mouth to speak it was as if my lips were glued together. I was not able to open my mouth. The Lord spoke to me and said, “My Lips are sealed.” We waited but then someone jumped up and took an offering so we didn’t wait to see what the Lord said by not speaking.

Sometimes when I am preaching my arm or hand or gets stuck – I have to wait until we “get it” before we can move on in the meeting. Tonight while I was speaking in the Gold Coast, Australia my left hand got “stuck.” My arm was slightly raised and my hand as turned downwards. It stayed like that for a couple of minutes while we waited to see what it was all about. Then my hand felt like it was resting on the head of small boy’s head, I could feel his hair under my hand I remember how Jesus blessed the children. In the original translation it means He laid hands on them to anoint them. The children are anointed too – they have the same Holy Spirit as any adult. Read some of my husband, David's material on my website. He has little kids praying for the sick and sees miracles happen all the time.

A pastor friend of mine in the Midwest once got frozen in the spirit in the front of a Dennys restaurant. She was putting her wallet back in her purse and the Holy Spirit came on her she got frozen with her hands half way in her purse. From past experience I know that can be 5 min or 5 hours so I stood by and waited. People came out of the restaurant to pay their bill and saw her. They asked me what she was doing and I told them she was talking to God. Well my friend stayed like that for 55 min and by that time a little crowd had gathered by the seat at the front of Denny’s restaurant. Eventually the anointing lifted and she “came back” so to speak. She noticed the crowd ( about 15 people by then_) I told her they had been there for 55 minutes so she went over and started ministering to them, She got a couple of people healed, and some saved and she prophesied over a few. She became a sign that made them sit there for an hour and wonder. So sometimes YOU get to be the sign and wonder. But God is talking! Listen and watch – don’t let things pass you by. God doesn’t always “speak” to speak. He speaks through signs and wonders and various gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Blessings

Kathie and David Walters
www.kathiewaltersministry.com

The Truth about Prayer

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. (Romans 8:26-27)

It’s my firm belief that having a strong and a powerful prayer life begins with the revelation that I don’t know how to pray. This is what we just read in Romans 8:26 “we do not know what we ought to pray for” and scriptures always tell us the truth about ourselves. Bottom line, you and I don’t know how to pray God’s will. Then why would God tells us to have a prayer life if we don’t know how to pray? How can we respond to his calling and be successful in our prayer life as his priests?

I need HELP! Exactly! When you say: God Help! You are actually calling upon the name of the Holy Spirit for he is the Helper; he is your helper in your prayer life. One day, the disciples of Jesus woke up spiritually to the fact that they don’t know how to pray, thus they came to him asking to be taught how to pray, they wanted a prayer life like Jesus. So Jesus taught them by the Holy Spirit to pray the Lord’s Prayer according to their need at that time. I am not saying you can’t pray it nowadays, it is a wonderful pattern of prayer and we can learn much from it, what I am saying is that if you approach the Lord today asking him how to pray, I assure you he has something new to teach you by the Holy Spirit to pray forth. It is wonderful to pray the biblical prayers, but I believe that prayer is the outcome of a personal relationship with the Master; it is a personal encounter with the Spirit of Prayer.  If we only have written prayers to pray, then we don’t need the Holy Spirit. I believe in both, the Spirit and the Truth lifestyle. The time changed, the need changed, the prayer changed but the Holy Spirit has not changed. He is always here to pray through you, to birth prayers in you that will release the will of the Father on earth as it is in heaven. Let your attitude always be “Lord, what’s on your heart to pray? “ Prayer was never intended and designed by the Father for us to be done on our own, from one side. Prayer is a partnership with the Holy Spirit, it is being in agreement with him, and it is being tuned to his desires and his will. We don’t pray our will; we pray his will to be done. How can we know his will? The Holy Spirit knows God’s will and he reveals it to you. Heaven is waiting on you to stop depending on your resources and start cooperating with the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is your prayer partner, you are not alone. Trust him to pray his perfect prayers through you.

Romans 8:27 “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit”, did you notice in this verse that God searches our hearts when we pray, not our souls or flesh? This tells us that our prayers must come from our hearts, our spirit man where Holy Spirit dwells. Didn’t Jesus tell us when we pray to go to our secret chamber and pray from there? Prayers that are cultivated in intimacy with the Holy Spirit in your inner man will be rewarded openly by the Father.

These 3 revelations will revolutionize your prayer life: First, know that you don’t know how to pray. Second, know that you need to partner with the Holy Spirit in prayer. Third, know that you need to pray by revelation, prayers inspired by the Holy Spirit. We read in Exodus how God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle according to the heavenly map he showed him. This tabernacle is full of symbolic elements. In the Holy, where the priests used to minister unto God, you see the candlestick, the table of showbread and the altar of incense. God commanded Moses that the oil of the anointing which represents the Holy Spirit must be made according to his formula not to men. So it is for the incense! Incense must be God-made not Man-made. Incense represents your prayers (psalms 141:2). Your prayers must be God-made when you minister unto him. You can’t fabricate your own incense; it is non-sense to God. When you pray, let the Holy Spirit download to you his own formula of incense. Exodus 30:7-8 “Every morning when Aaron maintains the lamps, he must burn fragrant incense on the altar. And each evening when he lights the lamps, he must again burn incense in the LORD's presence.” Aaron couldn’t burn the incense to the Lord before he lights the lamps first. It is a must to pray by revelation, by illumination, this is not only for the prophetic people in the church, this is the ministry of the priests to all and in Christ you are one! The Holy Spirit will reveal to you what to pray but you do the burning by releasing it in faith “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)

Glory to God
Tony Francis

Jesus Loves Fish

This word isn’t for deep theologians unless you are ready to be stretched by its simplicity. I’ve always read my bible trying to extract the deep spiritual meanings of contents but it’s so rare that I read it with simplicity. I believe that a balanced way of reading the bible is to behold it in a deep & a simple way at the same time. Some things in the life of Jesus are really simple that doesn’t require a deep super spiritual interpretation but though it’s simple, it’s also deep because it reveals something about him.

I’ve never dreamed of writing such a word but you know lots of unexpected things happen with you when you hang out with Holy Spirit. I call it a creative prophetic word, and this creativity proceeds from God. Not a long time ago I was praying to know God in details because he knows me in details, I want to know his likes and his dislikes and there’s no one better than God to introduce God to you. It was funny when Holy Spirit told me: “Jesus Loves Fish”. After hearing that, my first response was to make this statement spiritual but in vain, because it is simple, Jesus Loves Fish and enough. Now after hearing this, I read all the scriptures concerning Jesus & Fish and boy, it was there all the time. Jesus indeed loves fish; I mean he really loves fish.

Paparazzi Camera

Let’s follow Jesus through the scriptures to catch him practicing his hobby of Fish and take him by surprise. Jesus was known by many things: his mercy, his healings, his deliverances, his prophetic words, his authority, his teachings, his love for people, his great miracles, his walking on water, his multiplications of bread & fish, his prayer life, and many other radical things … but do you know Jesus in the simple things he loves to do? Like loving fish for example?

1- Jesus multiplied Fish many times to feed people (Mathew 14, 15)
2- Jesus multiplied Fish for Peter’s business (Luke 5)
3- Jesus likened his disciples to be fishers of men (Mathew 4:19)
4- Fish Love Jesus, Wherever Jesus is Fish follow him. (John 21)
5- Jesus knows where Fish are exactly! (John 21:6)
6- Jesus provided his & Peter’s taxes out of a Fish (Mathew 17:27)
7- John the beloved knew Jesus after his resurrection by the abundance of Fish (John 21:7)
8- Jesus prepared a nice meal of Fish & Bread for breakfast to his disciples after his resurrection (John 21:9)
9- Jesus counted the Fish; I mean it really takes time to count 153 BIG Fish. He loves numbering it (John 21:11)
10- Jesus told parables using Fish to illustrate his ideas (Mathew 7)
11- Now, this is so funny. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples and while they didn’t believe it, he asked them: “Do you have anything to eat?” … what do you think they gave him to eat? Of course, FISH, after all these years they have learned that their master loves Fish. Jesus took it and ate it in their presence, I think by this he proved to them he was Jesus! Now, they believe! (Luke 24) … His sudden apparition didn’t convince them, but eating fish did! Sometimes it takes simple things to make you believe.

Jesus loves you more than Fish

This simple truth of knowing that Jesus loves Fish can lead us into deeper truths about him. I am sure you know that Jesus loves you more than Fish. Jesus’ love isn’t like human love. We love things in a selfish way, sometimes we mess others in the name of Love. A man ruins a girl by committing adultery to her and titles this LOVE. Jesus’ Love is pure, perfect and not self-centered, it always bless & edify others! (1 Corinthians 13). What does Jesus do with the things he loves? His love for Fish & what he did with Fish is nothing compared to what he will do with you & for you, for his Love to you is far greater than his love for Fish:

1- Jesus will feed you the things he loves
2- Jesus will multiply the things you love according to his will
3- Jesus will make you the way he wants you to be
4- Wherever Jesus is, there you are
5- Jesus knows where you are exactly
6- Jesus hid you & hid treasures in you that he will draw out from you in time
7- Jesus reveals himself to you by the things he loves
8- Jesus will serve you the things he loves, He gives you his Glory
9- Jesus didn’t only number your hair, but you count to him
10- Jesus will make your lifetime story a great inspiration to many
11- Jesus will only be satisfied by the things he loves, he will ask you for fruit

2000 years passed & I still love Fish, now you know what to do when you invite me for dinner!

Glory to God
Tony Francis

My Testimony

“Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.” Hebrews 12:9-10

My father disciplined me for a little while as he thought best for me and I am thankful! Are you familiar with this verse “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”? (Matthew 7:11). What my father thought was best for me was in many ways evil and hurt me, but no blame, because he thought he was giving me his best and sincerely I appreciate his efforts in raising me up, God bless him. It isn’t always what people do to you that hurt you; mostly it’s what they don’t do for you while the bar of your expectations is so high, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” and in many ways what my dad didn’t do for me made my heart sick.

For those of you who don’t know my dad, here is a little bit of background for you: my dad is so old because of his late marriage at the age of 50, so I grew up in an environment where my friends at school and my community around me used to tell me: “your grandfather is so funny” and with a bitter smile I answer: “he is my dad”. He’s now 84 years old, in a good health and I’m believing for his salvation. He was always there to provide for me, I didn’t lack any material blessing at all, in fact I lived in abundance, in a big prosperous house, with the best games, the finest clothes, the best school and education in town … while I was living as a rich boy outwardly, I lived a severe poverty inwardly, in my emotions I was a beggar for the fatherhood love & affections. I don’t remember my dad playing with me or affirming me especially in my most time needed of my shaping as a man, more than that he didn’t model to me this strong father figure, where he rebukes me in doing wrong or even slap me! He was tender in character all the time, trying to correct me always with gentle words, until I hungered to see him slap me just to feel his strength, funny huh? He didn’t train me to carry responsibilities nor to face challenges, thus when I grew up the storms of life swallowed me; even I couldn’t stand its slightest breeze. I was so naïve inside and emptiness in me was horrible. I won’t discuss here the consequences of such things but believe me I was mentally, emotionally and spiritually sick and handicapped from head to toe. I was a living dead, well not quite, a living dead doesn’t feel, but I was feeling all the pain of the world. I was raised in a very beautiful home but because of my dad’s absence in my personal life I felt like an orphan homeless, I was lost in the rooms of my life and later I made it my aim to seek for the alternative as soon as I grow up and the world was gladly waiting for me with open arms to embrace a sinful life to journey from pit to a deeper pit and from deception to another.

Did I choose all that? Well some of it, I was aware that some decisions I should not have made but don’t blame a sick hopeless person, blame those who tasted the glory and forsaken it for the lesser. I think the prodigal son was crazy, how could he leave such a wonderful Dad? In the prodigal son’s story, I think the son was bad, in my story my father’s absence was bad. After I came to Christ, and his glorious light shone upon my darkness, I learned about the heavenly Dad but it was mere theology and head knowledge rather than a radical life changing experiences with him. If you were to ask me some spiritual questions, I would have raised my chin up and answered you boldly about my solid sound doctrine. I would have answered the same if you were to ask me about the trinity and the Heavenly Father but did I know him by experience? Not really! My friend, I tell you the truth, everything bad and deformed in my experience with my earthly dad was projected in my relationship with my Heavenly Father, without knowing. I always thought that this up there Father is distant, uncaring and an old guy on the throne. I always felt disconnected with him, I know he’s there hearing me and providing but I was not able to connect intimately with him. I treated him the same way I treated my dad, I used to bring him my list of needs in prayer to provide and then leave. I didn’t express my love to him and I didn’t think he would say it back to me or even wanted to touch me. My perspective of this perfect Dad who is like no other was deformed with the filter of my imperfect experiences. Until the moment my Heavenly Father started to visit me to introduce himself to me … and here my story begins!

Glory to God
Tony Francis

The Story of Rocky & Sandy

Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. (Psalms 27:10-11)

Rocky and Sandy were cute little children who spent most of their childhood time playing together in the neighborhood. Sandy was raised by wonderful parents who loved her so much and were so concerned to be the best parents to make her lack nothing. Although they were busy yet they always found quality time to spend with their little precious daughter. They played together, ate together, laughed together, brought her gifts and took her to the best school in town; they really did their best to take care of her to secure a wonderful childhood full of warm memories and feelings when she recalls it. Rocky was also raised in such a wonderful family too, his parents did also the same with him but within the frame of their spending of their time together, they taught him the word of God and his ways, they prayed together & they prayed for Rocky and not only with words they also modeled the gospel to him in their living and actions. They really invested in Rocky and set him in the safe boundaries of God’s word. Both Rocky & Sandy had a wonderful childhood and wonderful moms & dads.

Rocky and Sandy grew up healthy teenagers excited to embrace their journey of life and ready to explore the world but they both faced tough temptations which were so appealing, attracting & seducing. Rocky’s decisions were so firm and didn’t yield because the hidden word of God in him supported him along the way but Sandy couldn’t resist long and was lost in the world and great was her fall.

Jesus: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

Now whose parenting endured? Whose parenting was successful? Parenting is a lot of sweat but it’s worth the hard work because true parenting isn’t meant to be for a short term but for a long term that stick to your children everywhere. Are you a short term or a long term parent? Will your parenting accompany your children and influence them to make godly decisions even when you aren’t there? In Psalms 27:10 David said that his parents forsake him and the Lord will receive him but why would David seek after God? The answer is in the next verse, God as a mother & a father receives David to teach him his way, his word to remain strong against his oppressors. A father and a mother’s first duty is to teach their children God’s ways which enable them to stand against the oppressors of life. It’s such a blessing to have spiritual parents who feed you the word of God but if you don’t have, God’s parenting for you is more than enough. Study all the scriptures and you will learn that this is God’s original design for parenting! Adopt it. “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain” (Psalms 127:1)

 Glory to God
Tony Francis

The healing touch of Jesus

“After Jesus left the synagogue with James and John, they went to Simon and Andrew's home. Now Simon's mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. They told Jesus about her right away. So He went to her bedside, took her by the hand, and helped her sit up. Then the fever left her, and she prepared a meal for them. ” Mark 1:29-31

Have you by accident been electrocuted when you were a child playing around? You definitely discovered that plugging your fingers in electricity is bad and later you developed expectancy that touching electricity will get you the same results over and over again. Maybe you were ignorant the first time of such a thing and maybe you are ignorant today of the powerful healing touch of Jesus! I believe that sometimes the Lord treats us with Mercy the first time and heals us but as we experience this we start developing expectancy that if we touch him again his healing power will flow to us as it happened with the woman of the issue of the blood! She touched the hem of his garment expecting in her heart to be healed and she was! Glory to God!

I can imagine Simon’s mother-in-law sitting in her bed with some neighbors around telling her: “Oh did you know that Jesus the Healer is passing by you today because he got the news of your sickness?” hearing this caused her faith & expectancy to leap within her because “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17. Her expectancy continued to rise with each closer step Jesus made toward her house and as the bell rang her expectancy continued to rise and as she heard the voice of the doctor of doctors in the next room asking: “where is she?” her expectancy continued to mount up with wings like eagles as she was waiting on the lord and hoping in him until it reached its pinnacle as soon as Jesus sat beside her and took her by hand and healed her!

What’s your bed of sickness? What’s giving you a high fever? What’s robbing your strength & health? Is it a physical disease? Is it a mental or emotional torment? Is it a spiritual sin? The name of your sickness doesn’t really matter because the name of Jesus is above every name (Philippians 2:9-11) and it doesn’t matter how bad your disease is because Jesus healed all your diseases (Psalms 103:3). Jesus the Healer is visiting you today through this word you are reading because he longs to show you compassion as you come to him (Isaiah 30:18) actually you are a step away of your healing because he is knocking at the door of your heart. Open the door of expectancy & faith to him and receive your healing NOW! It’s so easy.

Prayer:

Lord, you are so compassionate to heal me and those you touched have experienced your healing power and you are no respecter of man. Today I want to join this cloud of healed witnesses and receive my healing that cost you a very painful price on the cross. As you said when you pray believe that you received and it shall be yours! I decree: It’s finished, my sickness is finished in Jesus mighty name and healing is mine. Amen!

Glory to God
Tony Francis