PS – I think I also forgot to pass on the link for the last word from the prophetic series after I posted it a few weeks ago:
We received a lot of confirmation after I posted it from last Wednesday night’s sermon. Hope it blesses you!
Blessings and Prayers, Laura
(part 3 – continued from same day)
Paula concluded by saying,”For 30 years God has never FAILED ME.“ (This was more confirmation of a recurring word God had just been giving us – I WILL NEVER FAIL YOU.) “There are things I didn’t understand – pathways I walked through where I COULDN’T SEE THE FULLNESS OF HIS PLAN” (more confirmation of our past posts about not yet being able to SEE/UNDERSTAND, but God promising that HE WILL be our TOUR GUIDE, SHOW US THE WAY, and GET US THERE). Paula continued, “– but when I went through the process I understood – had my aha moments. It’s like Joseph in the pit/prison. He COULDN’T SEE THE PALACE– but you can TRUST GOD and know that if God be for you who can be against you. So I pray that gives you hope today. I encourage you TO WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT.”(II Cor 5:7) ~ Paula White
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When I finished taking these notes on 6/30 from Paula’s message (seen in parts 1 and 2), I turned the calendar on my desk with daily Scriptures/quotes and saw:
“Faith is the COURAGE of the soul to go further than it can see. ~ For WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT.” II Corinthians 5:7 NASB
(not only another confirmation of II Cor 5:7, but also continuing confirmations of going BEYOND/FURTHER than what we can SEE with our natural eyes – a message that began in February, shared in part 10 – Formed in the Secret Place ~ Discovering Destiny)
THEN the next mo
rning (7/1)– I “just happened” to sit on Jesse’s side of the bed to talk to him for a minute (where I normally wouldn’t sit) – I looked down and saw the dust jacket for the healing book that’s been on the floor between his side of the bed and the wall for ages. He had removed it from the book we read from at night so it wouldn’t get torn up. It was open to the inside front cover flap which has a confession based on II Corinthians 5:7!! So I knew the Lord was continuing to confirm that we WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT. Later I saw the photo I’ve attached here on Joyce Meyer’s page – and then also saw Paula posted:
“Act on it even when you don’t see it! #Faith”
The message about guarding our hearts from fear and anxiety goes along with the 3rd stage in the parable of the Sower – since part of the way the enemy tries to CHOKE the Word out of our hearts before it can bear fruit is through the anxieties/cares of life. We can combat this by learning to guard our hearts from those anxieties/fears and by learning to walk by FAITH and not SIGHT – which is another way to say we must fix our spiritual eyes on the invisible, unseen, eternal realm and not be limited by our natural eyes to the things that are visible, seen, and temporary. So, from confession #12 – I ended up all the way back before confession #1 – to the confession on the inside front cover of the dust jacket (which I guess we can call confession A-1), since God seemed to be emphasizing that passage to me the past week. Here’s confession #A-1:
“I LIVE BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT. By FAITH, I am CERTAIN and KNOW FOR FACT what my eyes and other senses do not yet KNOW. (II Corinthians 5:7, Hebrews 11:1)”
Many other confirmations from both confession #12 and A-1 (including various directions the “guard your heart” message went), but this is already way too long!
Hope everyone had a safe and fun celebration on the 4th and that you’re continuing to regularly pray for our nation’s return to our Christian/Biblical foundations and heritage and our covenant with God. Let’s pray for each other to continue to plant God’s Word in our hearts, meditate on it day and night, and GUARD our hearts from every attempt of the enemy to steal, uproot, or choke out the Word, so that it will grow to it’s full potential and bear it’s full harvest in our lives. Let’s pray for one another to guard our hearts in ALL AREAS, including from fear/anxiety/worry, and to truly WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT that we may fulfill our destinies in Christ!
Blessings and prayers! Laura
(Part 2 – continued from same day – continuing with notes/paraphrases/quotes from Paula White message)
Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.] John 14:27
“Jesus’ statement in John 14 shows that He willed His peace to us. As a believer we’re to inherit that peace of Jesus. Living in turmoil, fear, anxiety, worry, frustration should be abnormal to a believer. Even when the pressure and weight of the world was on Jesus and He sweated blood in the garden, He knew how to overcome – He submitted/surrendered His will to God – saying, “not my will but yours be done” – submission and dependency on God – saying, “I don’t like this process, but I trust you in it.” And that’s ultimately where faith kicks in. Whenever the enemy brings fear or anxiety – FACE IT and conquer it.” (This was confirmation of other words we’ve received about FACING and OVERCOMING fears. She told some of her own testimonies about this.)
“Anxiety is interesting – b/c you can’t always pin point it – you feel something is wrong, but don’t know what. If you stay in that state – you can’t walk in faith. Again the danger is that fear leads to doubt – doubt to unbelief – and even if you sit back and do nothing – you’re still making a decision – and that decision is a path of eventual rebellion against God. So the Bible says GUARD YOUR HEART … DO NOT LET your heart be troubled and do not be afraid. Don’t let the way you feel about things and perceive things cause you to fear b/c ultimately fear cancels faith – and the just live by faith – it’s to be our lifestyle. Without faith it’s impossible to please God. We want all the promises of God, but fear will cancel them if we don’t deal with it.”
She told how one of the ways she overcame fear was constantly listening to the Word of God – putting it inside her – just playing it over and over and over. (This went along with the other part of our confession from Joshua 1:7-9 –“I lay hold of God’s Words with ALL MY HEART. I do not let them out of my sight. I meditate on them DAY and NIGHT and never stop speaking them.”) She mentioned how in John 14:1, 27 – “Jesus gives a very clear command to us not to let the way we feel or think about things or perceive things be distressed or agitated. (see verse 27 above) We have to be settled knowing ‘God has me.’ Obedience is better than sacrifice; and partial obedience is disobedience.” In response, her co-host applied this to Jesus’ command not to let our hearts be troubled/afraid. “It’s not just a recommendation. Jesus is not saying it’s a good idea not to worry – He’s saying DO NOT LET YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED. The Bible says to be anxious for nothing. The Bible commands us to fear not – so how do we overcome fear?”
The antidote:
#1 – We have to trust in God – believe in, trust in, and rely on Jesus (quoting again from John 14)
“You have to make a DECISION. It’s not about how you feel – it’s a decision. In the face of fear, in the face of anxiety, in the face of the UNKNOWN (overcoming fear of the “Unknown” – being willing to venture into the “unknown” in obedience to the Lord has been a key theme in this season, as mentioned in part 11 – Choosing the “Glory Road” to the “Utmost Life”) – we decide – ‘I trust you God’ – that’s bottom line –either you do or you don’t. Again it goes back to GUARDING OUR HEARTS – the way we think about things, feel about things, perceive things. We can’t put God in a box and tell Him the way it’s going to be and command Him what to do. We have to say, ‘God I TRUST you – SHOW ME.” (confirmations from previous notes about Trusting God to be WITH US and SHOW US what to do). And He might show us a different perspective than what we could see before.” She again gave the example of Joseph in the pit/prison – and how God would have wanted to show him a different perspective – that things were not what they looked like – [it was all part of the process to get to the palace].
in God I have put my trust – I will not be afraid what man can do to me… Psalm 56:11
“Some trust in chariots and horses – or in modern language we could say ‘Some trust in bank accounts or in their connections or (fill in the blank)’ but God says – ‘Don’t trust in the things around you because they’re temporal – they’re subject to change – instead trust in God.'” (This ties back to the former messages about the invisible/unseen/eternal trumping and transforming the visible/seen/temporary if we stay in agreement with God’s Word).
#2 – Cast down imaginations (II Cor 10:3-5)
“Many fears are more imaginary than real – afraid you’re going to lose everything…– all the what ifs – and fear grips your heart. You have to cast down the imaginations. The enemy can’t necessarily bring it to you but he plants the seeds in your mind and the mind is the battlefield. Remember, God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Make a decision to Trust God. Cast your cares on the Lord. You may feel like – ‘How will I get past this?’ One step at a time – and the first step is trusting God – really really giving it over to Him. Let your requests be made known to God – with thanksgiving (Phil 4:6-7). Give anxieties and worries to God and don’t take them back.”
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to be continued…
I started writing this message a week ago and saved a draft, but never finished, so trying to finish now. The “Guard Your Heart” theme continued from several different angles. Here are a couple of words along that same theme (not only guarding our hearts, but likewise, our mouths):
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“…According to Proverbs 4, God says you must keep His Word constantly in your ears and in your heart. He says to guard your heart diligently. To be diligent means to be “hard-working, industrious, persevering.” Why do you have to be so diligent with the Word? Because the devil is diligent with his junk. He’s constantly throwing fiery darts at you. He works diligently to make sure the world is surrounding you with garbage he can use to destroy you. But you can protect your spirit from those things by conditioning yourself to respond to every one of them with the Word of God. Change your routine and make a decision right now to begin that spiritual conditioning. Start today and make speaking the Word part of your daily life.” ~ Kenneth Copeland
(And this one had several of our verses from confession #12)
“…if you want to learn to use your faith, start finding out what God has already said. Open your Bible and discover what already belongs to you according to His Word. Then take that Word and keep it in front of your eyes. Keep it in your ears and in your mouth. Proverbs 4:20-22 puts it this way: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” The word attend in that passage means “to pay close attention to something.” The nurse who is attending to a sick patient watches diligently over that patient. Faith comes when you give that same kind of diligence to the Word. It comes when you do what God told Joshua to do, when you let the Word of God “not depart out of your mouth [when we don’t cease speaking it], but…meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success” (Joshua 1:8, The Amplified Bible).~ Gloria Copeland
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But the one that most amazed me with God’s timing/confirmation was a message from Paula White that we listened to Saturday morning (6/28). It was packed full of confirmations of things the Lord has been speaking to us during this time and again, as the devo in the last message so beautifully did, it specifically addressed guarding our hearts in the area of fear, worry, fret, and anxiety. Here are some notes (paraphrases) and quotes from that message:
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“The antidote to fear is faith. The just shall live by faith – So the lifestyle of the just – those who have relationship with God – is faith. And yet there are things that try to keep us locked back in fear. If we stay in that long enough it turns to doubt which turns to unbelief which is a position of rebellion against God. So we have to resist fear.”
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. II Timothy 1:7 (one of the primary passages I’ve been focusing on in addition to our others)
“Proverbs 4:23 says KEEP or GUARD your heart with ALL DILIGENCE, for out of it springs the issues of life.” Paula talked about how “heart” doesn’t just mean the physical organ, but that the Hebrew word can refer to how you think and feel about and perceive things. “‘Keep’ means to GUARD or GARRISON. So, we have to guard the way we think and feel about and perceive things. Fear and anxiety clog your spirit, kill your dream, and ultimately destroy your destiny. God told the children of Israel over and over “Do not be dismayed” – which (dismayed) can literally mean to have a nervous breakdown.” [I checked the Hebrew to verify this – and the Niphal form of the word, which is what is used in the passage she was referring to, can mean to be broken down with fear or be confounded/dismayed].
“As born-again believers, though peace should be our normal condition, very few people live in a place of peace no matter what’s going on. Though there are ups, downs, ins, outs, goods, bads, mountain tops, and valleys in life – we should be able to have a peace that surpasses all understanding through God. The Bible says we’re not Sarah’s daughters [meaning a daughter of faith] if we’re struck with fear and hysteria – if we’re frantic:”
It was thus that Sarah obeyed Abraham [following his guidance and acknowledging his headship over her by] calling him lord (master, leader, authority). And you are now her true daughters if you do right and let nothing terrify you [not giving way to hysterical fears or letting anxieties unnerve you]. I Peter 3:6
“Often we’re reactors because we look at our circumstances – but look at the Bible. Joseph was thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, betrayed by his brothers… At the time I’m sure that could cause fear – you’d wonder – “what’s happening – I’ve served you God,” etc. – We can go through things that are hard to understand, but God’s ways are higher than man’s ways. So we need to trust God – even if our situation looks bleak. God’s ways are so different than ours. The Bible says that unless a seed falls to the ground and dies it has no ability for resurrection [and replication/multiplication] (John 12:24). So when something’s dying in our life, or is falling apart, or is chaotic – our natural carnal tendency is to react and try to hold it all together. We don’t like change; we don’t like loss. We want to know, “what’s this gonna be!?!” – but God’s saying “I want COMPLETE DEPENDENCY on Me – COMPLETE TRUST in Me. This is a transition to get you into a better place. It just doesn’t feel like it. So that’s the fight. We have to resist the spirit of fear.”
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7
to be continued…
Note 12 – Part 3 (continued from same day) (Navigation forward and backward to other notes at bottom of screen)
(Continuing from – “This underscores the vital importance that we all not only diligently seek the Lord, but that we also continually pray that our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds be opened to accurately see, hear, perceive, and understand all the answers He generously and faithfully pours out for us in response – and that we be willing to go to extraordinary lengths, doing whatever we can on our part, to continue to sensitize ourselves to Him and desensitize ourselves to the flesh, soul, enemy, and every other voice.”… )
LISTEN TO HIM
Since this note is focused on some often undetected idols (which may masquerade in Christian/or spiritual clothing), I’ll share about another the Lord exposed to our surprise. During a season when we had inadvertently begun to spend greater amounts of time reading/listening to others’ words about God and His Word than we were actually spending in His Word itself, God moved in to re-solidify our revelation of the preeminence of His Word above all. Since we still believed that His Word is preeminent above all other revelation, the Plumb Line by which all else must be measured, and spent a lot of time seeking Him, we were shocked when He showed us that He considered these new habits a form of idolatry. Although we hadn’t removed the “ancient altar,” the true “altar” of His Word, from our lives, He showed us that we had brought in a “new altar,” and had given the “ancient altar” of His Word a less prominent position in the “temple” of our lives. Though we still held the Word in greater estimation than all other writings/teachings in our hearts/beliefs, He wanted this to be reflected in the prioritization of time we were giving to His Word versus the words of others (even though they were speaking/writing about His Word).
In this most recent season of seeking before Pentecost, the Lord also brought back to mind something He had spoken to us nearly a decade earlier. Once again, at that time we were seeking Him for truth about a belief that had been drawn into question. We had no agenda, bias, desired outcome or answer we were hoping to receive. We simply wanted to know Truth. Each time we set aside all preconceived ideas and sincerely sought the Lord through His Word for truth, we believed the answer was evident. Yet, every time this issue was addressed in the circles we were in at the time, we heard a different opinion and answer. Since we sincerely respected many of these people, and didn’t understand why we seemed to be the only ones seeing things differently than the pervasive and accepted view (in our circles), this created a great deal of concern and confusion in our hearts and minds. One day, as I was crying out to the Lord about this, He took me to this passage:
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. Mark 9:2-8
Through this, He emphasized the necessity that we learn to hear and listen to HIM above the voice of any other person, no matter who they may be. Though Moses and Elijah were great men ~ men anointed and called by God ~ God exalted 
the voice of His Son Jesus above ALL! I believed He was showing me that when we seek Him with all our hearts, He will cause the Glory Cloud of His Presence to envelop us. In this place we will hear His voice. In this place the voices (opinions) and faces of all others suddenly disappear and we no longer see anyone but Jesus. Through this, He ministered to us that we needed to stop being thrown into confusion, swayed by the voices of others, even if they were respected men/women of God. We must seek Him, listen to Him, and follow Him.
(!The night after writing this, while praying about whether to post, we received a word that talked about how we must not allow the “voices and faces” of others to stop us from following God!)
After several weeks of prayers based on this Mark 9 passage as we approached Pentecost, we were so blessed to receive clear confirmation of this word on Pentecost Sunday through a brother who said he believed that the Lord was saying He’s causing a veil to fall around His people so that we will not be moved by the voices/opinions of others, no matter who they may be, but that we LISTEN TO HIM!!! Lord, be it unto us all according to Your Word!
This is vital to the discussion of being able to sift through soul and spirit, in order to receive the counterfeit clarity we need to successfully fulfill our destinies. Not only must we be able to discern, distinguish, and divide between soul and spirit in our own hearts/minds, but also in what we’re hearing through others.
We find a disturbing illustration of this truth in I Kings 13. This is the account of a prophet who was turned aside from completing His God-given assignment in the way God prescribed by an older prophet who led him astray with another “word from the Lord” about how he should proceed (which contradicted what God told him). Rather than refusing to be deterred from what he knew God said, the younger prophet, unfortunately, trusted and believed the word of the older prophet and, therefore, unwittingly disobeyed God. The terrible consequences for his error always seemed so unfair to me. Why was the younger prophet (who was deceived) judged, while the older prophet (who deceived him) wasn’t? This demonstrates the vital importance of knowing with certainty what the Lord has spoken to us (through His Word and Spirit), and not relying on what someone else tells us He said or meant. The Lord has brought this account back to our attention multiple times in the past several years as we’ve found ourselves in near paralyzing confusion, trying to discern what to do when older, highly respected people of God have told us we ought to be fulfilling the assignments God gave us differently than He instructed. As we’ve cried out for clarity, He’s made clear 
that we have a personal responsibility to know firsthand what He told us (through His Logos and rhema) so that we’re not continually knocked off course and led into disobedience by “another word” or “instruction” (even from those who may claim, as in this story, that their word is from Him). When God calls and commissions us with a specific assignment, we are the ones who have the highest level of accountability to see that the assignment is carried out according to His direction. This is a crucial lesson we must learn in order to avoid deception. Help us Jesus! (excerpts from first book on the Holy Spirit)
I was so sincerely trying to make this note shorter! SORRY!!! Stopping here and leaving the rest for future days. I pray I’ve included what I was supposed to in this note (and that it’s circumcised, but not castrated)!
We pray that even these less identified forms of idolatry will be increasingly recognized and rejected. We continue to pray that all come to know and follow the real Jesus and His Word, rather than the counterfeits formed from man’s false ideas, opinions, and interpretations. We pray that we will not be dull of perception, sluggish of mind, or slow to believe, and that nothing He is speaking/showing will remain hidden from us, but that we will have razor-sharp spiritual discernment and perception to recognize and receive all He’s revealing and the humility and hunger to seek out all that still needs to be unveiled. We pray that as we seek Him, each of us will be enveloped in the Glory Cloud of His Presence, where every other voice and face will disappear, and we will see and listen to ONLY HIM. We pray that as we receive divine assignments from Him, that we also receive His detailed instructions to fulfill them, and that we will not be deterred from His path by “other words” and instructions from man. And we pray that as God seeks out those who worship Him in spirit and truth, that He will find what His heart desires and searches for in each of us!!
Blessings and Prayers!
© Laura Jewell Tyree
(Navigation forward and backward to other notes also at bottom of screen)
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Note 1 – “As it was in the days of Noah”
Note 2 – “When “Marvel” Meets Real Life ~ Get Your “Super” On”
Note 3 – Are You “Full of It”? and follow up
Note 4 – “Destroy the Dragon and Take Back Your Home Land” ~ Powerful Prophetic Message from The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug – parts 1-4
Note 5 – Taking Back Lost Territory ~ “Become More Determined than Hell Itself!” – parts 1-4
Note 6 – “No Sacrifice; No Victory” ~ “Have the GUTS to Get in the Car!” parts 1-3
Note 7 – Prophetic Message through “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” parts 1-4
Note 9 – Becoming SALT and PILLARS parts 1-4
Note 10 – Formed in the Secret Place ~ Discovering Destiny – parts 1-5
Note 11 – Choosing the “Glory Road” to the “Utmost Life” – parts 1-3
Note 12 – Part 2 (continued from same day) (Navigation forward and backward to other notes at bottom of screen)
(continuation of Worshiping God in Spirit and Truth)
(After reading the things shared in part 1) I was immediately reminded of a lengthy conversation Jesse recently had (at the time of originally writing this) with someone we’d just met. Though from the outset this man seemed to be “all about Jesus,” the further the conversation progressed the more we realized he was not speaking of the Jesus revealed in God’s Word. He seemed to be in relationship with the Jesus of lawlessness, but flirting with the Jesus of universalism. Having
rejected the divine inspiration of God’s Word, he no longer held the Plumb Line he desperately needed in order to test the many spirits who were speaking to him in his passionate pursuit of spiritual experience. His only plumb line had become what sounded or seemed right, good, and true to him in his own heart/mind. Yet the heart, being deceitful above all things, was leading him toward darkness and death. He had already embraced doctrines of deceiving/seducing spirits and when he shared the most recent sources through which he was seeking answers, it was clear his search was leading him into even greater deception. He confessed that during his search, the Lord had given him some of the very same passages which were among the central texts He gave us in 2010-2011 as we cried out to know the truth about certain teachings we were hearing at the time (similar to the teachings he had embraced). Although he believed that God had told him through Matthew 7 that he was in danger of being among those turned away in the end who believed they knew Jesus, but would discover too late that they truly didn’t, this warning didn’t change his course. Tragically, he confessed that this revelation only angered and frustrated him, causing him to impugn the character of God instead of causing him to humble himself and cry out to know the Lord in Spirit and Truth. We were grieved to hear the current condition of his heart/faith, but were also thankful to hear how the Lord had been faithfully trying to communicate this challenging truth to him. We pray he will eventually be able to receive what the Lord is trying to reveal to him.
This past Friday, as I reread this account, I realized how timely it was to see this again. We had just encountered a similar situation of someone who had created a false version of God and His Word to justify what he wanted to do. As we grieved over this person/situation the night before and prayed for wisdom, the Lord brought many of the same Scriptures back to our hearts/minds that He’d initially given us in 2010-2011. I believe He was showing us that the love of sin causes people to hate Truth (II Thessalonians 2:10-12, John 3:19-21). Instead of desiring to avoid deception and know the Truth at all costs, those who love sin/darkness often fall prey to the temptation Paul describes in II Timothy 4:3 of seeking out 
and surrounding themselves with those who will tell them what they want to hear, instead of what they need to hear ~ the truth that could set them free. But, likewise, a love of Truth (the One who is Truth and His Word) will cause people to hate sin ~ to be willing to turn away from it in order to know and follow Truth and walk in His Light. (Proverbs 8:13, Romans 12:9, I Corinthians 13, to name a few). So we felt impressed to begin interceding for this person and for all to receive a supernatural impartation of a “love of the Truth” by the power of the Holy Spirit. I felt the Lord was showing us that this is what will cause people to be willing to sincerely pursue Truth (the One who is Truth and His Word), even when this revelation may be contrary to what they believe (and what they want to believe) ~ and even when facing Truth may result in being confronted with decisions that come with a high price.
God wants us to abide in Him/His Word and He/His Word to abide in us to the degree that we are walking in unity with Him/His Word and He/His Word become part of us. This also ties back to the message in note 8 of God desiring Truth in the innermost parts, and how His Word can help us make sure that the light within us is not truly “darkness” (counterfeit light/illumination).
Now it occurred that as He was saying these things, a certain woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, Blessed (happy and to be envied) is the womb that bore You and the breasts that You sucked! But He said, Blessed (happy and to be envied) rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey and practice it! Now as the crowds were [increasingly] thronging Him, He began to say, This present generation is a wicked one; it seeks and demands a sign (miracle), but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah [the prophet]. For [just] as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will also the Son of Man be [a sign] to this age and generation. The queen of the South will arise in the judgment with the people of this age and generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the [inhabited] earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and notice, here is more than Solomon. The men of Nineveh will appear as witnesses at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, here is more than Jonah. No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or crypt or under a bushel measure, but on a lampstand, that those who are coming in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye (your conscience) is sound and fulfilling its office, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound and is not fulfilling its office, your body is full of darkness. Be careful, therefore, that the light that is in you is not darkness. If then your entire body is illuminated, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright [with light], as when a lamp with its bright rays gives you light. Luke 11:27-36
Though the Amplified suggests that the “eye” here symbolizes “the conscience,” I believe we can also apply the meaning of “spiritual vision and perception.” Jesus often referred to the need to have eyes that see and ears that hear even when speaking to many who had eyes and ears which functioned in the natural realm. We understand that He was speaking of the need for eyes that can see and ears that can hear beyond the natural, to see what His Spirit is showing us and to hear what His Spirit is saying.
In my reading/study this year, because of certain things I’ve been praying/seeking about, it has struck me over and over how often Jesus spoke things plainly and directly to people, yet they still did not understand, grasp, or comprehend the true meaning of what He was saying. Even though Jesus spoke something audibly and explicitly, people (including His disciples) would still turn to one another and begin to debate, argue about, and question the meaning of what He had just said. Sometimes they asked Him for further explanation; other times they were afraid to ask or simply didn’t. One night as Jesse and I were discussing the meaning of some words the Lord had recently given us, yet at the same time very aware of His Presence with us, we laughingly realized that He is still witnessing those same kinds of scenes we read about in the gospels every single day. For more than 2000 years He’s been present, standing by, listening to His disciples discuss and debate amongst ourselves, trying to understand the things He’s spoken/or is speaking. The Lord often rebuked those who heard Him for being dull of perception, sluggish of mind, and slow of heart to believe. Other times the Word says people did not understand because the meaning was hidden from them (as one of our former pastors used to say – “put that in your theological pipe and smoke it.”) At times God will hide the meaning of His Word like treasure to be sought out by the humble and hungry. Though one may initially be in a state of dull spiritual perception when the word of the Lord first comes to them, lack of understanding should serve as an invitation to draw in closer to seek Him until He makes things clear.
We see an illustration of one who heard but did not comprehend in the story above. Though the Lord was faithfully communicating the precise truth to this man we met that the “Jesus” he knew was not the real Jesus and was warning him of the final outcome if he didn’t come to know the truth, he was not yet able to accurately and fully understand and grasp what He was saying. But instead of humbling himself and hungering and crying out for understanding, he had rejected and dismissed God’s attempts to correct him (which is another discussion for later).
We have also witnessed this process over the past several years in the life of another whom we love. Even when we can tell beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Lord is faithfully speaking to him regarding the things we’ve been interceding about, and have been certain that this time he surely must have understood, the full implications and application of the revelation has always just seemed to elude him ~ not yet penetrating the stronghold of misperception to bring about the breakthrough we cry out for.
Observing this phenomenon in others ~ of the potential to hear the Lord, yet still not hear Him (understand Him) ~ causes a heightened reverential fear in our own lives. Seeing the stealthy and stubborn nature of strongholds which have imprisoned others, provokes us all the more to cry out not to be deceived and blinded in our own lives, but to be able to face every truth we need to face and to clearly and accurately perceive, receive, and apply ALL the wisdom, revelation, knowledge, understanding, counsel, correction, direction, instruction, and insight God is faithfully trying to give.
This underscores the vital importance that we all not only diligently seek the Lord, but that we also continually pray that our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds be opened to accurately see, hear, perceive, and understand all the answers He generously and faithfully pours out for us in response – and that we be willing to go to extraordinary lengths, doing whatever we can on our part, to continue to sensitize ourselves to Him and desensitize ourselves to the flesh, soul, enemy, and every other voice.
to be continued… (see part 3 here)
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Note 12 – Part 1 (Links to previous notes at end of part 3; Navigation forward and backward to other notes at bottom of screen)
Months after writing these notes which have been waiting to be posted, last Friday I felt like I was supposed to begin rereading the next portion and making final edits to get it ready to share. God’s timing turned out to be evident again. There were things in it that spoke to a recent situation we’d just encountered, but also, the very next day we attended the R.A.W. Worship Conference and were repeatedly amazed by hearing many more specific confirmations of what we’d just reread here.
God Wants You ~ ALL of You
(Coming to the Place of Total Surrender)
Several days after posting note 8 (pts 1-3), we felt led to read the next chapter in a book that we both felt God told us (separately) to read last year during the same few days of seeking. We’d had a copy for years and had never read it; but suddenly, I felt like we were supposed to read it. I didn’t mention it to Jesse, yet within a day or two, he came to me suggesting the same thing! That was all the confirmation we needed ~ so we began. At times weeks or more have passed between when we’ve read one chapter and the next. This time it had been months. Yet, as we’ve seen Him do repeatedly throughout the years, His orchestration has been astounding, with each chapter perfectly timed to contain confirmations of things He’d just been speaking to us. That was certainly the case again this time. When we finally read the next chapter that Friday night in March (3/28/14), we couldn’t help but recognize the confirmations of things He’d just led us to include in note 8 (as well as other confirmations of previous notes).
Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and with ALL your mind and with ALL your strength. Mark 12:30
“GOD WANTS ALL OF YOU. God doesn’t want a part of your life. He asks for ALL of your heart, ALL your soul, ALL your mind, and ALL your strength. God is not interested in halfhearted commitment, partial obedience, and the
leftovers of your time and money. He desires your FULL devotion, not little bits of your life.” (from the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren)
After rereading this last Friday, when we heard some of these same statements word-for-word the next day at the worship conference, I knew God was confirming it was time to post this note. Linda Ransom was especially graphic with this analogy of the total commitment the Lord’s looking for in our relationship with Him, stating that “Jesus does not make booty calls;” He’s looking for a permanent relationship ~ a committed relationship ~ a place to abide. (There were so many other excellent points that I know went along with this that I’d love to share, but until I can hear the message again on CD, I’ll just have to share the bits I recall.) In the past few days we’d also heard Joyce Meyer echo these same sentiments, asking, “Are you just wanting to have a date with Jesus for an hour on Sunday or are you married to Him?” This also brought to mind a couple of Rick Renner’s devos based on James 4, which reveals God’s jealous love for His bride and hostility for anything that takes us away from Him:
“This is something you can be sure of: If you commit more of your heart, soul, and attention to worldly things than you give to the Spirit of God, He will not take it lightly. Never forget that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Lover. He is preoccupied with you. He wants to possess you totally, and He desires that your affection be set wholly on Him. That’s why the Holy Spirit feels like a lover who has been robbed if you (live) like an unbeliever or give your life to the things of this world. He jealously desires His relationship with you to be restored. He has divine malice toward the worldliness that has usurped His role in your life.
Entire devo: A Guaranteed Way To Infuriate The Holy Spirit
See also: The Holy Spirit Earnestly Yearns For You and Is It Possible For A Christian To Become The Enemy Of God (which have powerful confirmations of things He’s been emphasizing to the church the past several years)
In the chapter we read of the Purpose Driven Life, Warren also talked about how Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman revealed that when and where we worship are not as critical as why and how we worship ~ including how much of our lives we have surrendered to God. He wrote, “There’s a right and wrong way to worship. The Bible says, ‘Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please Him.’” He discussed four characteristics of this life of surrendered worship that God desires. The first of which immediately jumped out as something briefly touched on in note 8…
Worshiping God in Spirit and Truth
God is looking for those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. Over the years we’ve heard various interpretations of what “in spirit and truth” means, but Warren’s words confirmed the interpretation we believed God had just been re-emphasizing to us. Not only do we need to divide soul from spirit to receive counterfeit clarity in the area of discerning which dreams/desires are truly from God, but how much more vital it is for us to do so in this area of knowing God and walking in relationship with Him.
Under a section entitled,“God is pleased when our worship is accurate,” Warren discussed how many in our day have created their own version of God that is “comfortable” or “politically correct” and then worship their invention and idea of God, even though this god they have formed is not the God of the Bible. He rightly identified this as idolatry. This is one of the most concerning forms of idolatry that God’s been emphasizing as a critical issue in the church/nation for the past several years. It’s more concerning than other forms of idolatry because it’s cloaked in spirituality, masquerading as “light” and “right” that can cause it to be more difficult to recognize. Thankfully Warren reminds his readers:
“Worship must be based on the Truth of Scripture, not our opinions about God. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, ‘True worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.’ To ‘worship in Truth’ means to worship God as He is truly revealed in the Bible.”
He then talked about how worshiping “in spirit” refers to God’s desire for our worship to be authentic, emphasizing the importance that the words we say to the Lord in prayer and praise be genuine since God looks past our words to our hearts. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7) This theme of authenticity vs. “illusion” was highly stressed at the worship conference too, through powerful messages from Lisa Edmonds and B.C. Ellsworth. (Hopefully can share more quotes later from their messages)
After highlighting how God wants us to love Him passionately and worship Him sincerely from our hearts, Warren also made sure to bring balance by emphasizing that sincerity alone is not enough ~ since people can be sincerely wrong. This is why God calls us to worship in BOTH spirit (authenticity) and truth (accuracy). “Worship must be both accurate and authentic. God-pleasing worship is deeply emotional and deeply doctrinal. We use BOTH our hearts and our heads.” I’m sure that in stating this, he didn’t intend to say that we must agree on every minute debatable matter in order to worship together as brethren or to worship God in a way that is pleasing to Him, but I believe he was intending to say that we must take care that we are increasingly coming to know and worship the true God Who is revealed in His Word, rather than an imitation of God (Jesus) society has formed according to their design.
These points about worshiping God in truth were powerful confirmations of things we felt the Lord was stressing again through the “SALT” notes (and many previous messages the past 3 1/2 years). Again, this is such a critical message for the church/nation, as God has been putting His finger on “idolatry.”
to be continued… (see part 2 here)
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Once again the Lord amazed me by how He was slipping in confirmations without me even realizing it, only to later bring them together in a powerful way.
On June 18 I posted this short note from something the Lord spoke to me through some events unfolding in our backyard the night before:
Then on June 20, Rick Renner posted: “One must never forget that evil is lurking in the shadows, awaiting the moment when one drops his guard. If that moment of lethargy occurs, the enemy will see it, for he is always watching for that moment when a believer falls asleep on the job. When that moment occurs, he is positioned to attack, and it often comes with grave consequences. Therefore, it is essential that one always be on guard, wide-awake, and doing his part to protect himself from the evil that is in the world. — Rick Renner”
I recognized the obvious confirmation between these words and knew the Lord was apparently broadcasting this same message to many simultaneously to remind His people to be awake and alert to the enemy’s schemes. Yet, I was still wondering – “where are the confirmations for our confession this week?” This past weekend, I really began to ask the Lord – “Why aren’t we receiving confirmations – or are we just not recognizing them when they show up?” Immediately after asking this, He led Jesse to open to confession #12 and 13 in the Healing Confessions book on two different nights:
“I lay hold of God’s Words with ALL MY HEART. I do not let them out of my sight. I meditate on them DAY and NIGHT and never stop speaking them. I know that what flows out of my heart determines the course of my life, so I keep God’s Word in my heart, and guard my heart with all vigilance from anything contrary to God’s Word! Therefore, I am like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever I do prospers! (Proverbs 4:4, 20-23, Psalm 1:1-3, Joshua 1:7-9)”
So, I knew God WAS confirming through the Confessions book itself, but I was still desiring other outside confirmations. Yesterday, He brought all these words together for me through this devo:
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Guarding Our Hearts
by Joyce Meyer
Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. —Proverbs 4:23
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace . . .which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 4:6–7
I like to connect the verse from Proverbs with Paul’s words to the Philippians. We read that God tells us to guard our hearts—to watch over them carefully. But what does that really mean? It means to be ALERT or WATCHFUL about the ways of the enemy. It’s easy to become careless about guarding our hearts and being alert to Satan’s subtle tactics when things are going our way and God is pouring out His blessings on our lives.
All of us face struggles from time to time, but when we diligently stand guard over our hearts, we become more aware that God’s plan is for us to overcome. Instead of using the word guard, I like to think of it this way: We need to post a sentinel around our hearts or, as it says above, “garrison and mount guard.” Think of what a guard or sentinel does—he’s on duty. He watches for the enemy to attack. He’s not just ready; he’s actively watchful and prepared to resist all attacks from the enemy. That’s how we need to live—with a trustworthy sentinel. It doesn’t mean we live in fear or constantly have to check to see if the devil is sneaking around. Think of it more as posting a sentinel to do that for us.
What kind of sentinel do we need? I think of the two most obvious ones: prayer and the Word of God. If we pray for God’s Holy Spirit to guard our hearts, He will honor that request. When the enemy creeps up, the sentinel calls out, “Thus saith the Lord,” and the enemy flees. (The devil really is a coward and won’t openly fight us.)
Read Paul’s words again. If we push away our anxieties (which we do by prayer and supplication) and fill our heart with thanksgiving, God’s peace stands guard over us. God helps us resist any charge of the enemy. We must not minimize thanksgiving. That’s such a simple way to keep ourselves alert to Satan’s devices. As we give thanks to God through our words and our songs, we are guarding our hearts. As the old hymn says: “Count your blessings—name them one by one; count your many blessings—see what God has done.” It’s more than just singing a few words, however—it is actually pausing on purpose to remember all the good things that God has done in our lives. As we rejoice over past blessings, we open ourselves to more blessings in the future.
Another ally we sometimes overlook is other believers. When we’re aware of our weaknesses, we can agree in prayer with other believers. We can ask them to pray specifically that we won’t be misled or attacked by the enemy when we’re not as alert as we should be. Other believers can intercede for us—just as we can for them. What better guards can we post than those who cry out to God on behalf of others? The devil doesn’t like hearing such prayers.
Holy Spirit, I ask You to help me be alert against any attack of the enemy by posting the sentinels of prayer and Your Word at the door of my heart. I praise You for showing me how to guard my heart, and pray that I will have a continuously thankful heart. Amen. (Copyright, Joyce Meyer Ministries)
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Immediately, I realized that the illustration God had given us through our neighborhood wildlife and the confirmation that came a few days later through Rick Renner were, in fact, specific confirmations God was trying to give us to help make our confession heart revelation. He was simply focusing on and highlighting one critical aspect of it – the need to guard our hearts with all vigilance from the enemy’s attempts to sneak up on us and devour us through things that are contrary to God’s Word!
The part in Joyce’s devo connecting this to thanksgiving was also significant, since our worship pastor has called the worship team to a fast on complaining ~ encouraging us not only to stop complaining, but to combat, cast down, and replace thoughts, feelings, and words of complaint with the choice to be thankful instead! As Joyce has often said, “We can either complain and remain (in our negative circumstances), or praise and be raised (resurrected into the new things/blessings/miracles God has for us).” While our emails have focused a lot on saying the RIGHT things (confessing the Word), we also need to be just as careful not to say the WRONG things – including doubt, unbelief, complaining, and a host of other things (including saying the RIGHT things in the WRONG way). Help us Lord!
As I’m writing this, I’m just now remembering that the Lord also gave us a Rick Renner devo yesterday in response to our cries entitled, “What Triggers a Demonic Attack” – which discussed how the enemy is TERRIFIED of any of us actually fulfilling our calling. Any time he sees we’re making progress, he’s going to attack (which I now realize also goes with the FB post from the 18th). Rick talked about how if the enemy sees that he can’t take us out directly, he will try to work through others and outside forces to oppose and hinder us. Revelation exploding – need to go connect some more dots to see how all these words He’s been giving are speaking to things happening in our situation….
So, praying everyone is AWAKE, ALERT, and AWARE of the enemy and his schemes ~ that we will continue holding fast to the Word, keeping it before our eyes, in our ears, hearts, and minds ~ that we will STAND GUARD over our hearts/minds vigilantly and diligently ~ and that through doing these things we WILL see His victory, breakthrough, harvest, success, and prosperity!
Blessings and Prayers! Laura
A while back J bought a bird feeder for the back yard. Unfortunately, not being bird-sized ourselves, we had no way of knowing it was not really an effectively designed feeder and the birdies have a hard time with it. So we’ve been tipping it over to pour the seeds all over the ground underneath. Apparently, word has gotten out in the neighborhood about our all-you-can-eat buffet, and colorful small birds, larger doves, and squirrels all come in shifts a few times a day to partake. We’ve certainly enjoyed these sights and the sounds of our trees filled with joyful bird songs from those who relocated their families to be closer to our bird-buffet. However, we’ve also noticed the neighbor’s cats’ new interest in our backyard too. Apparently word has spread among the cat community as well. Last night we looked out and saw a neighborhood stray trying to camouflage itself in the grass, waiting for the dinnertime crowds to arrive. As far as we know, the cats have never succeeded, but after that spectacle last night I think we’d better get a new feeder so the birds can eat undisturbed.
We shouldn’t be surprised when the enemy shows up in the midst of a move of God. Wherever people are gathering to feed on the Lord and His Word, the enemy also takes note and comes seeking whom he may devour. Keep awake and alert and be aware of his schemes.
Hope your week is off to a great start! Still debating about whether to do all of the really LONG confessions from the book. I may decide to skip some, but for now here’s the next – confession #12:
“I lay hold of God’s Words with ALL MY HEART. I do not let them out of my sight. I meditate on them DAY and NIGHT and never stop speaking them. I know that what flows out of my heart determines the course of my life, so I keep God’s Word in my heart, and guard my heart with all vigilance from anything contrary to God’s Word! Therefore, I am like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever I do prospers! (Proverbs 4:4, 20-23, Psalm 1:1-3, Joshua 1:7-9)
Since I don’t have a lengthy message to share today, I’ll share a couple of the links for the most recent FB updates that continue the themes discussed in “Choosing the Glory Road to the Utmost Life” – in case anyone who would like to see them hasn’t yet.
This one is about Obeying in the step or leap God has revealed to us, even when we do not yet understand or cannot yet see the path ahead. It includes the revelation God gave us that sometimes we must OBEY TO SEE.
The awesome follow-up to that update is here: (This one includes a link for all of the speeches given at the Family Research Council’s conference in Washington DC recently, including a link for the Tony Evans’ message that you won’t want to miss).
And this one is about TRUSTING God when we don’t yet understand or see the way. He will be our “TOUR GUIDE” to get us to the fulfillment of our destiny.
There’s another recent post I want to share, but may save to send later. Hope you’re all having a focused and productive week – that you’re deeply rooted and planted in the LORD, drawing from the continual supply of His rivers of Living Water so that you yield your fruit in season, your leaf never withers, and all that you do in and through Him prospers!!!!!!
Laura Tyree