When “Normal” is Not Normal

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(Posted on FB Aug 27, 14)

Yesterday we heard a news report about parents who were shocked to learn that their children were medically classified as obese and that, as a result, they were at risk for many serious health issues. The parents had previously been oblivious to their children’s true condition because they were comparing the size of their children to the majority of other children around them, rather than comparing their size to the standard for healthy weight identified by the AMA. They discovered that true “normal” was not what seemed normal to them.

When we heard this report, I knew the Lord was confirming through this natural analogy that we were to share the spiritual issue I’d been praying about. He’s been showing us that many remain in dangerous deception regarding their true spiritual condition due to the age-old issue of people measuring themselves by (and comparing themselves to) others, instead of by (and to) the standard of His Word. Therefore, like the parents gauging their children’s condition by the condition of other children around them, many are unaware that their distorted standard is putting them at risk for serious consequences.

We must remember that the Lord warned of the great number who would fall away in the last days due to lawlessness, and of the many who will stand before Him in the end, believing they’re saved, but who will tragically be turned away because they lived lifestyles of lawlessness (sin) rather than truly following Jesus as Lord (II Thess 2, Mt 7:13-27, Mt 24). If a GREAT NUMBER around us are deceived by these errors, living in compromise with the world (yet wearing the name of Christ), for those who measure and compare their condition by the standard of others rather than the standard of God, lukewarm or lawless Christianity will appear as “the norm,” while those truly seeking to live by God’s standard will appear to be “fanatics,” or “extremists.” One of the defining, and most concerning, characteristics of the lukewarm church that Jesus rebuked in Revelation was that they too were oblivious to their true condition. They were under the impression that their spiritual condition was good and, like the parents in the story, were probably shocked to learn that by the real standard (Jesus’ standard), they were “at risk.”

The Lord is calling all to measure and compare our spiritual condition by the standard of His Word rather than by the standard we may see in the majority around us. Though we cry out for all to be saved, we should never forget that Jesus told us the majority would choose the broad path to destruction, and only a few would choose the narrow path that leads to eternal life. So we dare not conform to the standard of the world (the broad path) thinking it will have the same end as conforming to the standard of the Word (the narrow path). We pray all will come in to God’s hospital for a spiritual health assessment with the standard of His Word to ensure that the standard we’ve been using to determine what’s normal is not causing us to be deceived about our true condition and at serious spiritual risk.
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When “normal” is really not normal ~

But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]. For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane. [They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless {unforgiving} (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good. [They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God. For [although] they hold a form of piety {godliness} (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them]. II Timothy 3:1-5

Blessings and Prayers!

© Laura Jewell Tyree

Plato’s Third Form of Atheism – Creating God in Our Image (the gospel of lawlessness revisited)

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(adapted from FB post August 21, 2014 – in response to this article on Plato’s Third Form of Atheism )

I recently read an article about a Christian music artist who made headlines for “coming out of the closet” and using her platform and influence to try to change Christians’ views about God’s acceptance of all, regardless of any sin. The author of the article rightly assessed that this musician’s version of theology is nothing new, pointing back to Plato’s 3 forms of atheism (citing “The Laws.” at II: 885b4-9).

“The third form of “atheism” accepts that there is a God and that God is concerned with human beings. But this “God” is soft-spirited and easily placated or appeased. He makes no stringent moral demands of human beings. He wants us to like ourselves and like him. So it’s fine with him if we do pretty much as we please, whatever we please. He is an “I’m O.K., you’re O.K.” divinity—the perfect deity for an Age of Feeling.

The mortal threat to Christianity today…does not come from Plato’s first and second forms of atheism, but from the third. Few believers are likely to be led astray by the arguments or personal example of Richard Dawkins, for example. Dawkins, after all, presents arguments; he doesn’t simply appeal to emotion. And the defects of those arguments aren’t difficult to see. Many believers, however, are being led…into Plato’s third form of atheism—belief in an imaginary God made in the image and likeness of man, as man is conceived in the pseudo-religion of expressive individualism and me-generation liberalism. It is a most convenient “God” who is always willing to say, “do whatever you feel like doing, darling; I love you just the way you are.”” (from article on Plato’s Third Form of Atheism by Robert P. George)

Those who have followed previous posts should recognize Plato’s 3rd form of atheism as sounding strikingly similar to the first law of satanism (do as thou wilt, you’re free to live however you want). Here this complete inversion of truth has been married with counterfeit views of God/Jesus and grace to produce a version of the gospel of lawlessness. Tragically, as Scripture foretold, many are falling prey to, and falling away as a result of, this same old error that has plagued the church since its early days.

The Christian artist is right in her claim that God still loves her, but God’s love should not be confused with His acceptance of her sin (which she may not even see as sin any more?). God’s love is not synonymous with His salvation. God loves everyone; Jesus died for everyone, but tragically not everyone is saved – even though this is God’s will (Mt 7:13-29, Jn 3:14-21, II Cor 5:9-21, II Pt 3, etc). Salvation is the result of us believing and receiving God’s love for us that was demonstrated through His nearly unfathomable substitutionary sacrifice for our sins IN THE WAY HE ASKED US TO, not on our own terms. We must respond to and receive what He has done by grace through faith (Eph 2:1-13). But many fail to understand that true Biblical faith in Jesus involves believing and receiving Jesus as our Lord, not just as our Savior. And receiving Jesus as our Lord involves repenting of our sins (turning away from them) and surrendering our lives to live for and follow Him – which He will help us, transform us, and empower us to do by His nature and Spirit in us when we’re born again and remain/abide in Him. (Mt 16:24-27; 28:18-20, Mk 8:34-38 ,  Lk 13:1-9 ; 24:45-47, Jn 15 , Acts 17:24-31 ; 24:24-25; 26:15-20 , II Cor 7:8-10 ; 12:21 , Gal 5:16-26 , Phil 2:12-16 , I Thess 4:1-8,  Titus 2:11-15, II Pt 1:1-13 , Rev 2-3 , etc). 

But the gospel of lawlessness says we can have Jesus as our Savior – without true repentance (turning from sin), regeneration (receiving a new nature, His nature), and surrender to His Lordship. It teaches that since Jesus already paid for our sins, sin is no longer an issue to God – that if we just believe in Jesus as our Savior, God will only see us through Jesus’ righteousness and be pleased with us, even if we’re persisting in lifestyles of sin. It presents a counterfeit God, a counterfeit Christ, a counterfeit Spirit, a counterfeit faith, a counterfeit grace, a counterfeit love, and a counterfeit gospel that cannot save. The Holy Spirit pleads with us repeatedly through Scripture not to be deceived about this issue.

“Let no one delude and deceive you with empty excuses and groundless arguments [for these sins], for through these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of rebellion and disobedience.” Ephesians 5:6 (Eph 5:3-17 )

The word translated “comes” is present indicative Greek verb form. This means it is a present continuous fact that God’s wrath is even now coming on the sons of rebellion and disobedience – though we understand this in light of God’s astounding long-suffering and mercy that compels Him to passionately pursue us when we stray and to give us time to repent. But His long-suffering must never be misinterpreted as acceptance of sin.

This exact same concept is also seen in Colossians 3 – where the Greek is accurately captured by the Amplified version as “ever coming”.

“So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God). It is on account of these [very sins] that the [holy] anger of God is EVER COMING upon the sons of disobedience (those who are obstinately opposed to the divine will)” Colossians 3:5-6

Please do not be deceived by the gospel of lawlessness. May we never settle for a form of godliness that denies God’s power to deliver and set us free from all bondage to sin. May we know the Truth and Love the Truth and not depart from it no matter the cost!

Related blogs: 
The Spirit of a Magician and Apostasy – Part 1

Part of the Spirit of a Magician’s Grand Finale

Exposing the Spirit of a Magician

Exposing the Gospel of Lawlessness

The First Law of satanism

The Inception of Inversion

“This is the Plan Determined for the Whole World” – Prophetic Word for Nation(s)

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We’ve been holding onto some words the Lord began giving us March 1st, uncertain if we were supposed to release them yet or the method for doing so. This series came as we sought Him for direction about the major leap of faith He was asking us to make. He gave them, in answer to our questions, from multiple places throughout the Word, astounding us by how they were all interconnected ~ referring to the same events from Israel’s history. I believe He’s been showing us that we’re about to see another fulfillment of these events in our time.

Among the words He gave us was a series from:

  • II Kings 17-19,
  • II Chronicles 32 (which is a retelling/condensed version of the account originally recorded in II Kings 17-19),
  • Isaiah 10 (part of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the events recorded in II Kings 17-19),
  • Isaiah 17 (also prophecy concerning these same events),
  • Isaiah 30-31 (which refers to these events as well).
  • He has also given us Ezekiel 20 for the nation more than once during this time.

There have been other passages which we’re in the process of going back through to make sure we don’t miss anything, but since I’m trying to keep posts shorter, I will start with these.   

We believe He was giving us these passages in connection to our nation (though literal “Israel” and many other nations will likely also be affected as well). As you read them, you will see that they foretell God’s supernatural intervention and deliverance. The “Assyrians” (referring to those nations who desire and are plotting our destruction, as discussed in previous notes) will be defeated, not by man, but by God Himself.

Unfortunately, if we understand what the Lord’s been showing us, this miraculous deliverance only comes after many terrible events, when defeat seems certain and all hope appears to be lost. If the coming events mirror the accounts from history, the “Assyrians” first destroy many cities and lay siege to the survivors before God’s supernatural intervention comes. (Other passages have indicated this may involve financial crisis and famine).

These passages reveal that the “Assyrians” are actually raised up as the Lord’s instrument of judgment to bring chastisement against His nation who has turned away from Him in pursuit of sin and false gods. As it did for Israel, this judgment will result in turning the nation wholeheartedly back to Him. Though many may now be rejecting and casting off the One Who gave birth to our nation and the covenant with Him on which we were founded, the Ezekiel 20 passage reveals that God is not going to allow that to happen. Instead, He will deal with the nation face to face (through chastisement) in order to bring us into the bond of covenant with Him. This is not the work of a tyrannical God, but of a God who has, in His extraordinary mercy and grace, determined to deal with us for His Name’s sake – instead of dealing with us as we deserve.

As for the “Assyrians,” the instrument of His judgment, as often happens when the Lord raises one up for such a purpose, when they are raised up, they are also lifted up… in pride, and as a result take things further than He intends. Isaiah 10 reveals that while God’s intent is to chastise to bring to repentance, “Assyria’s” intent is to destroy and put an end to many nations (which ties back to things He was revealing in previous notes in the prophetic series, regarding Russia and middle Eastern nations). Therefore, the passages in Isaiah indicate that after the full measure of destruction God has decreed is accomplished, He will then turn His hand back against the rod of His anger (“Assyria”), judging them in such a dramatic way that all will know He has miraculously intervened to deliver those who remain (which some passages sadly indicate may only be a remnant). In Israel’s case, this occurred when the Angel of the Lord killed 185,000 in the Assyrian army in a single night.

 “Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. Isaiah 31:8

All the references stating that the “Assyrians” would not be overthrown by the power of man, but by the power of God Himself, kept bringing to mind end-times prophecies about the antichrist ~ since the same type of language is used in Scripture to speak of his demise.  

And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached the fullness [of their wickedness, taxing the limits of God’s mercy], a king of fierce countenance and understanding dark trickery and craftiness shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall corrupt and destroy astonishingly and shall prosper and do his own pleasure, and he shall corrupt and destroy the mighty men and the holy people (the people of the saints). And through his policy he shall cause trickery to prosper in his hand; he shall magnify himself in his heart and mind, and in their security he will corrupt and destroy many. He shall also stand up against the Prince of princes, but he shall be broken and that by no [human] hand. Daniel 8:23-25

As we began to ask the Lord if this series of words He was giving us was connected to those same end-time events, He gave us Daniel 11-12 (and has since given Daniel 2, 8, and 9).

He’s once again been giving us words that we must blow the trumpet, sound the alarm, and give warning to people of what’s coming, or their blood will be on our hands. He absolutely overwhelmed us last night and this morning with more unmistakable, undeniable, precise confirmations of the things He’s been saying ~ including more confirmation of the urgency of the hour ~ the 9-1-1 / time is running out messages from previous posts. Whether that means time is running out for the nation to repent in order to prevent these things from occurring or whether He’s saying they are going to occur ~ either way, He’s emphasizing urgency for the lost to get saved and for the saved to fulfill our assignments ~ with the highest importance being on fulfilling the great commission. We must be doing all we can to bring all to repentance and into relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior before it’s too late. 

Please be interceding not only for our nation, but for all the nations and all the lost, including the “Assyrians.” Though this prophecy speaks of God’s ultimate victory and the destruction of His enemies, we know His deepest desire is that none would perish. He doesn’t take delight in the death of the wicked, but desires all to be reconciled to Him (Ezekiel 18:23; 33:11, II Corinthians 5:20). Please be interceding for all and boldly reaching out to all within His reach through you.  

 This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. Isaiah 14:26

Praying for all,

© Laura Jewell Tyree

Closing #A-1 – part 2 – God’s 9-1-1 – and MOVING to #13 – HFJ70

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(part 2 – continuing from same day)

The urgency of these messages was only further amplified in a series of messages we continued to receive over this past weekend – where God let us know this was no time for strollin’ when He’s put a 9-1-1 on us (I believe this is a corporate word for this hour – He’s sending out a 9-1-1 in the Spirit, both for the lost to get saved and for the church to fulfill our assignments. I believe TD Jakes words (shared in part 1) – “WHEN YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME…” words were also confirmation of this same theme of the urgency of the hour. God is giving all of us the 9-1-1 because we are truly running out of time):

Don’t Be Strollin’ When I’ve Got a 9-1-1 On You!

This next post is about a devo from John Paul Jackson that the Lord brought across our paths that spoke to some of our specific questions and cries:

Don’t Miss the Forest for the Trees

What I didn’t mention in this post is that, in addition to the obvious confirmations, JPJ used a specific word that I had been hearing in a dream the very same morning. As the dream faded, I awoke hearing a word from the dream resonating in my heart/mind – “MOVEMENT!” I asked the Lord what it meant (coming up with some possibilities in my mind) and then came downstairs and saw this devotional, discussing, once again, how God at times calls us to MOVE/TAKE ACTION NOW even when we don’t yet have all the answers and as JPJ suggests ~ even when the next step is not yet visible!!  ~ We Walk by FAITH and not by SIGHT! Help us Jesus! 

(I just realized when I typed all this up that TDJakes also said “Bust a MOVE” AND I noticed this weekend that a movie we watched had a logo at the beginning and end in BIG LETTERS that said “BE MOVED.” …Whether this is talking about a literal change of location for us or just another confirmation of “TAKE ACTION NOW” remains to be seen, but it seems to go along with the following…)

One of my friends commented on the John Paul Jackson post that it reminded her of the phrase:

“Don’t ask God to guide your footsteps if you aren’t willing to move your feet!”

I had replied:

“Reminds me of similar phrases about Him not being able to steer a parked car or a ship that’s in the harbor – we have to launch out and START MOVING so He can direct as we go….”

Little did I realize that later that day the Lord would preach the exact same message to me again – through my own past writing. I think He’s quite amused by this approach of bringing both confirmation and conviction through our own words – since He’s done this consistently throughout the editing process. (This has also been an astounding evidence of His divine orchestration to us.) As we were putting the final (please Lord) editing touches on the last chapter of the first book on the Holy Spirit book, I knew it was no coincidence that we found ourselves reading ~

“God desires us to be totally dependent on Him (truly we are, but He wants us to know it). He may give us an overall picture of what He wants to accomplish, but reaching the fulfillment of it will require us to stay in daily relationship, continually walking with and hearing from Him. As we abide in and seek Him, He gives us light for the next step. We recently went through a situation where the Lord had called us to a “mission impossible.” We had been seeking Him intensely for more than a month, having received clarity on “what” He wanted us to do, but wanting Him to lay out all the details of “how” He wanted us to do it. Earlier in this chapter, I mentioned that God will let us know if we’re continuing to press for more information and confirmations when He knows we’ve already understood enough to take the next step. That was the case in this situation. He had already given us some specifics of “how,” so when we persisted in seeking rather than stepping out, He finally began to surround us on every side with messages about having to take RISKS. He told us that if we waited until we knew how to do our assignment so well that no one could find fault with it, we’d never do anything. He told us repeatedly not to be afraid to make mistakes but to “get out of the safety zone” and “keep moving forward!” Sometimes the Lord has given us as much information as we need to get started and He can’t continue to effectively guide and instruct us until we get out into the midst of what He’s asked us to do. So with the “what” and some idea of the “how,” we had to begin taking steps (which He actually described as “leaps”) of faith toward obeying what He had asked us to do, trusting that, though we may feel we’re free falling, He will either be our parachute or teach us to fly. …” (from chapter 14 in the first Holy Spirit book)

(as you know – in addition to the themes of RISK and starting to MOVE so that he can guide/steer you – leaps of faith and free falling have also been recurring themes).

So now MOVING ON to confession #13. Though I feel like we could spend more time on the last, the Lord’s already given us this next confession twice in our reading this week AND has already begun to bring confirmations as well. So, since He seems to be telling us to MOVE –  Here’s Confession #13:

“I know that apart from Jesus I CAN DO NOTHING. But I am not apart from Jesus. I purpose to REMAIN IN HIM and to let HIS WORDS REMAIN IN ME. Therefore, I receive whatever I ask of Him because I ask in His Name in confident faith based on His Word in Me. I bear MUCH FRUIT, glorifying God, and showing that I belong to and follow Him and that He lives in me! He has chosen and appointed me to bear fruit that will last! THROUGH HIM I CAN DO ALL THINGS! (John 15:5-8, 16; 16:23-27; I John 5:14-15, Philippians 4:13)”

Blessings and Prayers! Laura

Closing #A-1 – part 1 – BUST A MOVE/MAKE IT HAPPEN/TAKE A RISK – HFJ69

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Hope everyone’s been focusing on walking by faith and not by sight.  We continued to have such an amazing string of confirmations that went along with this confession. I’ll share a few of them before we MOVE on.

These posts are continuing confirmation of the previous theme to “TAKE ACTION NOW” and “MAKE THINGS HAPPEN” toward fulfilling our destiny (mentioned in – Choosing the Glory Road to the Utmost Life,  and other posts). Though He faithfully does this kind of thing continually, we’re still always amazed by God’s orchestration of words/confirmations. This first series of words was urging us not to continue “tuning our instruments” or waiting for the “perfect time” or “perfect conditions” to step out – but to begin “making music now” – taking the bold/risky steps we need to to fulfill our destiny: 

Stop Tuning Your Instrument and Start Making Music NOW

(FB post July 19) – “People of accomplishment rarely sat back & let things happen to them. They went out & happened to things.” Leonardo Da Vinci (Tweeted by Inspirational Quotes)

(FB post July 23) – JESUS!!! More precise confirmation from these words shared Friday ~

“Stop waiting for the perfect moment. Take the moment you have and make it perfect.” ~Tweeted by Inspirational Women ( link to this on Twitter )

The theme continued through a series of sermons the Lord led us to that were full of precise and powerful confirmations, not only of this theme, but of so many other things He’s been saying!!!!! I’m nearly knocked on the floor when I hear them still!

In one of these sermons, TDJakes said ~

“I’m running out of time. Whatever I’m gonna do, I gotta go ahead and do it now. When you’re running out of time, you have to understand that you have to take RISKS. You can’t afford to sit around singing, “Che sara’ sara’. Whatever will be will be. The future’s not ours to see. Che sara’ sara’.” Notice they were singing that when you were 18? Nobody’s singing that now, cause it’s not che sara’ sara’ … You got to MAKE IT HAPPEN or it’s not gonna happen. You got to GET UP OFF YOUR HIND PARTS and BUST A MOVE or nothing is going to happen in your life! Take a risk!” 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Notice our previous themes of RISK, MAKE IT HAPPEN, and GET UP OFF YOUR HIND PARTS and BUST A MOVE (translated – TAKE ACTION NOW – this was also a confirmation of our Pastor saying the Sunday before “WE HAVE TO GET UP OFF OF OUR BLESSED ASSURANCE and DO SOMETHING/or TAKE ACTION.”)! This TDJ sermon had SO MANY other confirmations – including another confirmation about not backing down from “the sharks” (see: Don’t Back Down from the Sharks). “The RISK of being bitten is the cost of getting up …If you don’t mind swimming through a few gators, you can swim right into the palace. God will let you swim through the snakes…” At first TDJ was talking about this concept in terms of alligators. I thought – “Though he’s saying alligators, I believe the Lord’s confirming the word He gave us that we’re not to back down from the sharks.” After I thought that, Jakes then referred to the same principle using the word “SHARKS!”

You can hear his whole sermon “Your Opposition is Your Opportunity” pts 1 and 2 on Youtube

Your Opposition is Your Opportunity ~ Part 1

Your Opposition is Your Opportunity ~ Part 2

to be continued… (see part 2 here)
(Navigation forward and backward also at bottom of screen)

“Don’t Be Strollin’ When I’ve Got a 9-1-1 on You”

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(FB post July 28)

We were just praying about the 9-1-1 we believe God’s putting out in the Spirit – Then turned on this video (CBN testimony – Veteran Motocross Rider Defies the Odds) that I felt the Lord was leading me to send to a friend and the man in it began talking about his 9-1-1 lifestyle that almost cost him everything!!

“If God had ended your life that day, would you have at least been ready?”

“I’d spent all my life thinking, I’ve got plenty of time. I’ll change; I’ll reconcile with God when I get around to it. And that ridiculous thinking not only just about cost me my physical life, it could have easily cost me my eternal life. …Don’t wait till it’s too late. Don’t take time that you think you have.”

Praying for all to hear God’s 9-1-1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(FB post July 29)

The 9-1-1 word last night was the 4th in a series over 2 days. It’s not only a 9-1-1 for those who need to respond to make Him Lord and Savior of their lives; it’s a 9-1-1 for those who already have, to understand and fulfill our assignments. Sunday, we heard TDJakes say (about people he works with) –

“Don’t be strollin’ when I’ve got a 9-1-1 on you!”

I knew when I heard it that was not just Jakes – and told J – “that’s what the Holy Spirit is saying to us/His people in this hour!”

3 more 9-1-1 confirmations followed over the next 36 hours! So, for whoever else this is for………………

“Don’t be strollin’ when I’ve got a 9-1-1 on you!” ~ Holy Spirit ‪#‎pickupthepace‬ ‪#‎ubettarun‬ ‪#‎takeactionnow‬ ‪#‎helpusjesus‬

Don’t Miss the Forest for the Trees

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(FB post July 23)

Have you ever been asking God for the kind of specific detailed direction Ananias received in Acts 9 (& 22), yet God is responding with messages like this (below)?
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“… My point is this: Too many times we expect God to tell us more than He plans to tell us. As the days and years pass, we often find ourselves wondering when He is going to give us clearer direction. I will do what You want me to do, God — I JUST NEED TO KNOW HOW. You have told me to take these steps, BUT I DON”T KNOW HOW TO START. Could You give me specifics? Details would be great. I’ll go forward the moment You tell me what to do.

Frequently, …God tells us what to do in the beginning (He gives us His vision), then He places within our hearts everything else we need for the choices we will have to make in the journey…. Conversely, IF WE WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS BEFORE WE TAKE ANY ACTION, we won’t get very far, and we’ll eventually find ourselves sitting down and doing nothing. There, in that place of spiritual paralysis, we quickly atrophy and wonder why the prophecy never came to pass. We are waiting on God, and all the while, God is waiting on us.
…
We live in a day and age when WE MUST BE SENSITIVE TO GOD’s IMMEDIATE PLAN. IF WE WAIT TO START THE JOURNEY UNTIL WE HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS, WE MAY FIND THAT WE ARE FULL OF POTENTIAL BUT NEVER ACHIEVE THAT POTENTIAL. It is sad to see a life wasted for LACK OF MOVEMENT. …

What is the difference between a mediocre life and that of a CHAMPION? One significant difference is this: When they know God has spoken, leaders and champions GO TOWARD THE SOUND OF HIS VOICE. Not all of them KNOW HOW TO GET THERE. For some, NOT EVEN THE NEXT STEP IS VISIBLE. But they know what has stirred their hearts — the draw of the Holy Spirit that directs them toward a goal — and they fully believe that what God has said, He will do.

Sometimes it is good to wait for God to give us details. But often, HE IS WAITING FOR US TO TRUST HIM and MAKE THE NEXT MOVE.” ~ John Paul Jackson
(full article, “Missing the Forest for the Trees” )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It’s awesome when He gives us the kinds of specifics He gave Ananias (and others in certain situations), but being a Living God, not a formula or genie in a bottle, He seems to delight in not doing things the same way every time. We have to learn to hear and flow with His word of wisdom for a given situation instead of insisting He conform to how we want it to be. So, while we continue to be astounded by His orchestration of precise word for word confirmations – at the same time … Lord!?!? Have Mercy! ‪#‎leapsoffaith‬ ‪#‎riskingitallforHim‬ ‪#‎wewalkbyfaithandnotbysight‬

Stop Tuning Your Instrument and Start Making Music NOW

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(FB post July 18)

What happens when, while you’re still free-falling from the last leap of faith God asked you to take, He’s already nudging you toward the next? OK, well to be fair, He only made clear what we were to Jump OUT of immediately, so – mid-air – we’ve still been seeking clarity about what we’re Jumping INTO. Hopefully these puzzle pieces continuing to come together are getting us closer to SEEING the next steps. Sharing this series of words b/c I believe it’s for others in this season too:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday after praying, I “just happened” to come across a word the Lord gave me a while back ~

“Don’t spend more time tuning your instrument; start making music NOW.”

Then Sunday our pastor spoke more confirmations of the past words we’d received that went along with our theme about “TAKE ACTION NOW” (mentioned in Choosing the Glory Road to the Utmost Life )

That night in the chapter of Purpose Driven Life we read:

“Real servants do the best with what they have. (They) don’t make excuses, procrastinate, or wait for better circumstances. Servants never say, ‘One of these days’ or ‘WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT.’ They just do what needs to be done. The Bible says, ‘If you wait for PERFECT CONDITIONS, you will never get anything done.’ God expects you to do what you can, with what you have, wherever you are. Less-than-perfect service is always better than the best intentions.” ~ Rick Warren

The next morning, I turned on a Paula teaching and within the first minutes heard:

“People are waiting for the PERFECT CONDITIONS – PERFECT TIMING – but the reality is no time is the perfect time to begin. There’s a quote from E.W. Howe that says, ‘Every successful man I have heard of has done the best he could with conditions as he found them and not waited until next year to be better.’ People say – ‘I’ll do it when’ – and then their ‘when’ never comes. That’s the time, especially as a Christian, when you step out on faith – the time you say – ‘I’m gonna get out of the boat and walk on the water.’ You cannot play it safe all your life – sometime, at some point, you have to be RISKY, you have to GO FOR what’s on the inside of you. …Go for your dream … I know everyone’s waiting for the perfect time, but you have to begin at some point, you have to STEP OUT and do something small, do something risky, do something out of your comfort zone, do something out of the norm to say I’m gonna START MOVING in the direction of building my dream….” ~ Paula White

As the week continued, God brought additional confirmations of words mentioned in the “Glory Road” link above as well ~ such as “Break the mold” and (Thinking/Living) “Outside the Boundaries” (via Joyce), more on leaps of faith, “stepping out,” and “Going for it” (from an email my dear friend, Tamra, sent me from some well-known prophetic voices), and others.

“…boldness is necessary in order to be led by the Holy Spirit, because He may not always lead us to do what everyone else is doing. Some insecure people tend to feel “safer” doing what others do. They are fearful of standing alone or going against the crowd. But sometimes God calls us to do something new or different, and we need to be willing to “BREAK THE MOLD” and do whatever He asks. … Any time we step OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARIES of what other people say is permissible or “right,” we risk being judged or criticized. (Some) give in to the expectations and demands of others rather than face disapproval and possible rejection. We must be secure in God and not allow such things to keep us from following the Holy Spirit and fulfilling our God-given purpose. Do you really believe you are doing what God created you to do or have you allowed other peoples’ opinions to cause you to hold back? Great joy and many good things are waiting for you as you MOVE FORWARD WITH COURAGE into all God has called and created you to do! What is it that you sense God is calling you to do, but have lacked confidence to do in the past? BREAK THE MOLD, and BE BOLD and be bold!” ~ Joyce Meyer

Since more confirmations (of these things He began speaking to us several months ago) are now coming from so many directions, I believe it’s a seasonal word for many of us to not spend more time “tuning our instruments,” waiting to improve, or waiting for the right conditions/time, but to take the bold and risky steps of faith required to “start making music now.” Continuing to pray for us all to receive every divine instruction needed to clearly see, hear, perceive, and understand all He’s asking us to do to “take action now” and “make things happen” toward fulfilling our destinies for His Kingdom and Glory!

Follow Up on Confession #A-1 and Previous Themes‏- part 2- HFJ68

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(part 2)
I also noticed the Lord was continuing to surround us with other previously mentioned themes ~ such as how God is WITH US (as mentioned in the “Awesome confirmations” link above) – “He is WITH US and will SHOW US what to do” –  and that He WILL NOT FAIL US (as mentioned in part 3 of last message). The following 2 timely devos from Joyce tie all these together with the previous words about not fearing – saying that even if we don’t understand what God is doing or what’s going to happen – all we really need to know (to resist and overcome fear and be strong/courageous) is that He IS WITH US and WILL NOT FAIL US.
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God Is with You
by Joyce Meyer – July 10, 2014

Be strong, courageous, and firm; fear not nor be in terror before them, for it is the Lord your God Who goes WITH YOU; He WILL NOT FAIL YOU or forsake you. —Deuteronomy 31:6

If we know by faith that God is with us, we can take on any challenge with confidence and courage. We may not always feel God’s presence, but we can trust His Word and remember that He said He would never leave us or forsake us. In Joshua 1:1–3, God called Joshua to a great challenge of leadership— taking the children of Israel into the Promised Land: “…Moses My servant is dead. So now arise [take his place], go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them…. Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread, that have I given to you, as I promised Moses.”

…As soon as God gave this news to Joshua, He immediately assured him: “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I WILL BE WITH YOU; I WILL NOT FAIL YOU or forsake you. Be strong (confident) and of good courage…” (vv. 5–6). Later in this same scene, God encouraged Joshua again, saying, “Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God IS WITH YOU wherever you go” (v. 9). Basically, God was saying to Joshua, “You have a big job to do, but don’t let it intimidate you. Fear not. Do not be afraid, because I WILL BE WITH YOU.”

In the Bible, THE BASIS FOR NOT FEARING IS SIMPLY THIS: GOD IS WITH US. And if we know God’s character and nature, we know He is trustworthy. WE DO NOT HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HE IS GOING TO DO; SIMPLY KNOWING HE IS WITH US IS MORE THAN ENOUGH.

Trust in Him: Are you tempted to be afraid when you see the awesome responsibility God has given you? I encourage you not to run, but to stand firm, trusting God because HE IS WITH YOU.
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Practice the Presence of God
By Joyce Meyer – posted July 12, 2014

And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.  —Exodus 33:14

This was God’s reply to Moses when he asked about the particulars of the mission he had been given and how he could get to know God better. God simply assured Moses that HIS PRESENCE WOULD BE WITH HIM and give him rest. This was considered by God to be a great privilege. To Him, IT WAS ALL THAT MOSES REALLY NEEDED. 

What was true for Moses is true for you. AS MUCH AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW GOD’S PLANS AND WAYS FOR YOU, ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW IS THAT HIS PRESENCE WILL BE WITH YOU WHEREVER HE SENDS YOU AND IN WHATEVER HE GIVES YOU TO DO. (both devos – Copyright, Joyce Meyer Ministries)
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After noticing this theme again of God assuring us that He is WITH US and this is all we need, Sunday morning, our worship pastor exhorted the worship team with this same message about not being disturbed by our circumstances, but remembering and focusing on the fact that God is WITH US and IN US and that’s all we need!!! I knew God was continuing to confirm!!! I also saw these additional confirmations (among others):

Don’t throw away your confidence, as THE ONE WHO PROMISES WILL NEVER FAIL YOU. ~ Mark Chironna

“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who GOES WITH YOU. HE WILL NOT FAIL YOU nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (on my daily calendar)

 

Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I WILL NOT IN ANY WAY FAIL YOU nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me? Hebrews 13:5-6

I leave you today with this blessing from JHM as we continue to walk out our destiny in obedience to God by faith and not by sight:

And Now May The Lord Bless You And May The Lord Keep You. And May The Lord Make His Face To Shine Upon You. And May The Lord Give You His Peace. May God Take You Through The Problem To The Provision. May You, With Bold, Relentless Faith, Go Straight Through The Problem And Receive The Promise Of God. Let This Day And The Days That Follow Be Days Of Triumph And Victory Because God Is A Faithful God Who Will Never Fail You. In Jesus’ Name, We Receive The Answer. ~ JHM blessing

Let’s continue praying each other through!
Laura

Follow Up on Confession #A-1 and Previous Themes‏- part 1- HFJ67

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I’ve been trying to find time this week to put together the next message. Confirmations of confession #A-1 and other recent themes have continued – will focus on just a few of them here.

I loved it Sunday when the choir member who led us in prayer before we went out for worship said, “We walk by faith and not by sight,” and knew this was another kiss of confirmation for us from the Lord. Then, at the beginning of this week, I finally began trying to figure out how to use the Twitter account I had signed up for a few weeks earlier. One of the first posts I saw (from the small number of people I originally selected to “follow”) when I got on the newsfeed was:

“Don’t ask yourself too many questions in a battle. Don’t reason away your faith. We walk by faith & not by sight. Hold on to your faith!” Christine Caine

This not only went along with our theme of walking by faith and not by sight, but also tied back to our previous themes of not reasoning our way out of obedience to God’s instructions and trusting and taking steps (or leaps) of faith in obedience even when we don’t yet understand/see (which IS walking by faith and not by sight). (Previous short FB posts on these things from past few months):
Don’t Let Natural Logic and Reasoning Talk You Out of Obeying God
“Go and I’ll Show You”; “OBEY So You Can SEE”
Awesome Confirmations of “Go and I’ll Show You”…
I WILL BE YOUR TOUR GUIDE

Our passage from II Corinthians 5:7 was also in my Bible reading today:

For we live by faith, not by sight. NIV For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance. AMP

This message from Ed Traut this morning also went along with our theme (and we could definitely relate to this picture – lol!)
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Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things WE CANNOT SEE. HEB 11:1 NLT

LifeOfFaith

  • Hope is a positive expectancy, built on the consistency of God and His established Word. We never lose Hope while there is a God in heaven.
  •  Faith comes by hearing the word and the ‘rhema’ that takes hope to the level of faith. Once faith comes then we are assured and convinced of the promise before it materializes.
  • KNOWING is the complete and highest form of faith.

Prayer:  Thank You for Your promises mighty Father and I pray that You HELP ME TO WALK ALL MY DAYS IN FAITH, ALWAYS RESISTING FEAR AND UNBELIEF. ~ Ed Traut (Copyright, Prophetic Life Ministries)
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to be continued…

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