Pastor?

¹¹ The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. ¹⁴ We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him… Eph 4

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my role as pastor, or is it former pastor? I do not currently have a formal pulpit in a church. I am not currently licensed with a denomination. Back in 2006 I was ordained by the denomination that had previously given me the training and the license to be called a pastor within their organization– so am I still “ordained”?

According to the denomination that gave me the pieces of paper and the accompanying ceremonies for my licensing and subsequent ordination, I need to be serving in an officially recognized pastoral role and current on my annual fee to be called pastor. So be it. I will not argue that I am not currently a recognized “pastor” within that body as I closed the doors to my church two years ago and (by the Holy Spirit’s promptings) have not renewed my license with the denomination.

And other than the annoying “Do not reply” automated emails reminding me to send in my renewal fees, I have not heard anything from them—confirmation.

Originally, when I was discussing the prospect of closing the church after having hit a wall, being exhausted after twenty years of Bi-vocational ministry and listening to the council of my superiors who suggested I take a break… (For the record, I did not want to close the church, I was initially asking for help to carry the load but none was forthcoming and when it was suggested that I close the church my spirit bore witness that it was time.) Anyway, while I was being counseled to take a break I was told that it may take a couple years to recover, or that I “might never be called pastor again.”

That line seared itself into my mind and stayed there-“You might never be called pastor again…”. At the time, as exhausted and discouraged as I was, I wasn’t sure I wanted to argue the point. But it sure didn’t sit right with me.

In a formal sense, within that organization, it may very well be true. But, bottom line, It is not man who called me, it is not man who ordained me, it is God, whom through His Holy Spirit began calling and preparing me many years before the position became official and affirmed many times and in many ways that it is so.

I did not seek this title/position in the body of Christ, not did I want it. In the years proceeding my answering the call, the more I learned of the incredible responsibility and challenges of this office in the body of Christ, the more determined I became to skirt my calling.

But I could not continue to kick against the goads and I embraced the title, and the three years of night classes, as a gift to the one who saved me, me a barbarian with a Bible who was gifted so much forgiveness and mercy. I had to share what I was so freely given and if it was in a pastoral role, so be it.

At my ordination ceremony, in a large a room full of others being ordained with all their families attending, I had a supernatural experience that mere words cannot come close to describing, but I’ll try. In short, I found myself to be in the Spirit during the worship that preceded the message and commissioning, and found myself in the presence of the Lord in a place where there was no time, yet we were in all time at once. I did not see Him but I felt His presence and heard His voice. He covenanted with me that I was being set apart for this purpose and that I could never be separated from Him nor negate my call.

So, I have no doubt that I am still Pastor.

This is not a point of pride, nor of boasting. It is an enormous responsibility and that is what I wrestle with. Because, in spite of what was told me by church leadership, many still call me pastor.

It is a responsibility I cannot not hide from, as much as I sometimes think I would like to. But when those whom I have had the privilege of ministering to over the years still look to me as a pastor, seeking comfort, fellowship, answers—when I see and sense the hunger in the souls of those I have come to love, those I have invested in, I cannot but ache to love them for Jesus, to shepherd for The Shepherd.

Everywhere I go, whether people knew me when I was preaching every Sunday, or whether they just recently came to know me, when they find out that I was a pastor, they somehow totally miss the was part, jump right into the current tense and expect me to have the answer to their questions concerning anything biblical or the challenges they are facing.

And I try to always give an answer for the hope that is in me, as all us who believe are commanded to do. But, as pastor, I feel the weight of my answers so much heavier because so many put a lot of stock in my words. Which, I suppose is why God gave us pastors among the many gifts he gave the church-to provide some answers and, more importantly, point to the One who has them.

…some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, Eph 4

What about you?

Might I be so presumptuous as to suggest that all of us who love Christ should find ourselves in one of those categories? Are you being called to pastor, to teach, to evangelize, to prophecy?

Step up, answer the call; train, work, practice, get godly advice, study the word, pray, spend time in prayer and fasting—and do it. Speak the truth in love.  A truth spoken in love is a truth that is heard!

Do not let man nor institutions hold you back. Do not let fear hold you back. If He can use this barbarian he can use you! The one who calls us is faithful and true, and He knows us far better than we know ourselves. The Kingdom needs you, the church needs you. We need each other and there is a whole world out there who needs Jesus!

People are hungry. Those who know Jesus are hungry for truth and direction, and those who don’t know Jesus are hungry for truth and purpose. God calls us to help point everyone to Him. The sorry state of the church today is not a lack of thirsty souls, it is a lack of those pointing the way, honestly, truthfully and lovingly, to the Living Water!

That said, please pray for me brothers and sisters as I seek the face of the Lord for direction in this next season. I am pastor, and I want to be where my King needs me to be. I am but a humble servant who’s heart breaks for those whom the Lord’s heart breaks.

For the record, I hold no ill feelings toward the denomination that I served in for nearly four decades, even long before I was called pastor, but the Kingdom is so much bigger than a denomination, so whether it’s there or elsewhere, I just need to preach. I have no right, as servant called of God, not to.

Again; Speak the truth in love.  A truth spoken in love is a truth that is heard!

Step up and answer His call no matter what they say.

Living in the Power part 3

Part 3

“Tongues is a way for us to pray without our own ‘this is what I want and this is what you are going to do’ name it and claim it tendencies getting in the way of what God has in mind–what He wants to do, what only He can see from his perspective, it is praying for what He wants us to contend for.”

So what is this Holy Spirit baptism we’ve been talking about? For those who don’t know, here’s a little Holy Spirit 101.

 When we receive Jesus, confess that we believe in Him and ask forgiveness for our sins, what Jesus referred to as being born again, we receive the Holy Spirit. It is the guarantee of our salvation, literally receiving new life that can never die.  But there is more, Jesus also makes available, and desires us to have more— to be completely immersed in his Spirit, to be baptized in it— or him. To not just be saved, but also to be equipped and empowered.

Jesus himself makes it quite clear that there is a distinction between receiving the Holy Spirit and his salvation and receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and his power.

The first time Jesus saw the apostles the day of his resurrection he said to them:

“Peace be with you!”  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:21-23

Right away Jesus gives them the Holy Spirit, breathes life into their very souls giving them eternal life— salvation! But then later Jesus tells them there is more to come, he didn’t just come to seal their eternity— he had come to bring the very Kingdom of God into their lives– a few weeks after his first meeting, just before he leaves to return to heaven them he tells them:

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 1:4-5

Remember what John the Baptist said?

 “I baptize you with water but there is one coming after me who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire!”

So here they are They had just received the Holy Spirit the breath of life from the creator himself— but now Jesus is telling them, the good stuff is yet to come, you now have life but the gift I have been telling you about is  yet to come.

And so, after they watch Jesus ascend into the clouds they do just as Jesus asked them to do, they hang out in Jerusalem and on the Jewish feast day called Pentecost, while they are all together praying, not just the apostles but 120 disciples-

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:2-4

Jews from all over the world who were in Jerusalem celebrating Pentecost heard all the commotion and came to see what all the fuss was about, they heard all these Galilean Jews speaking in the languages of the countries they came from proclaiming the wonders of God and were amazed, some thought they were just drunk but Peter stood up and said “We are not Drunk as you suppose-“

¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy. Acts 2:16-18

“In the last days I will pour out my Spirit…” We are in the last days and God has indeed poured out his Spirit, the last days certainly did not end with the apostles, that would make no sense at all, how could they be the recipients of the outpouring of the Spirit in the last days and we are not, there cannot be another age, what the dispensationalists call the church age, after the last days.  Either these are the last days, of this present earth, or they are not.   Either the Holy Spirit has been poured out or it has not. 

I know it has because the scriptures say it has and because it has been poured out on me, I have not only received his Spirit because I have believed in Jesus Christ as my Lord as Savior but I have also had the Spirit poured out on me, I have been immersed in the Spirit, I have been baptized in the Spirit.  And I have tried my best to live and to follow in the power and the leading of the Spirit— to be a witness using the gifts he entrusted me with, looking at the world through his eyes and always going back to the source of my strength.

To have lived the life I lived, to have made it through the challenges and trials of life, to have even come anywhere near my hope of being a good person, of making a difference in this world, of being able to love my children and my wife sacrificially, to be able to endure the pain both physical and emotional, illness both physiological and psychological, to do more than just survive but to thrive— none of that would be possible without the power the Lord so freely gives me simply because I asked. You need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit otherwise you are just spitting in the wind and wondering why you keep getting wet! Life is hard, why face it powerless!?

Jesus said I am giving you the power so you can be my witnesses. We witness by loving people— All people. If you are filled and moving in the power of the Spirit, and you get yourself out into the world, they will be drawn to you. It still amazes me when people I barely know pour out their hearts to me. Everyone is hurting and needs to know they are loved. Real love can only come from Jesus—via His Holy Spirit through us.

So what about this tongues thing?

When we are baptized in His Spirit one of the main gifts made available to us is tongues. Which is nothing more than a handy word that means speaking in a language other than our own. It is literally a prayer language, a language that is not one we understand. It is one we control, I only speak in tongues when I choose to and for as long as I choose to–  just as I do my own tongue— English.

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. ² For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. ³ But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. ⁴ Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. ⁵ I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. 1 or 14:1-5

Paul says here; I would like every one of you to speak in tongues… The gift of our prayer language is a way to pray straight from the heart without our minds interfering— straight from our heart to God’s. A perfect prayer releasing his power, seeking his perfect will and plan without our own agendas getting in the way, without our own to do lists for God confusing God’s will for us.

Tongues is a way for us to pray without our own this is what I want and this is what you are going to do name it and claim ittendencies getting in the way of what God has in mind–what He wants to do, what only He can see from his perspective–it is praying for what He wants us to contend for.

It is a way to effectively engage in the spiritual battles going on all around in a way that all our prayers of understanding never could in our doubting, frightened and self-seeking flesh.

Praying in tongues releases the power of God into whatever situation, whatever person we are praying for. When I had my daughter come up front in our church to pray for her babies as I shared with you last time, I finished by praying in tongues. That wasn’t for the church, that wasn’t for me, that was for the Holy Spirit who wanted to be released into Cally’s womb in power to take care of those babies and that is why those babies were no longer choked off from growing anymore, that is why Cally and her husband both felt the love and the presence of the Lord in the last, what could have been very scary and painful, weeks of her pregnancy with two little miracles growing within her being formed and blessed by God.

And if things had gone awry, we would have still trusted God and known that ultimately those babies were still in his care and that in the end we would all be together. And even in our grief– what would seem to be inconsolable grief to those looking in– there would have been a peace, a peace beyond comprehension. Why? Because we, because Cally has been baptized in the Holy Spirit and the power of our God is our comfort and our counselor. Our peace does not come from what goes on around us, it comes from within.

We need that power, God wants us to have that power, Jesus died to make that power available to you!

We can’t be messing around church, we need God’s power or we are going to lose this world and all that are in it, the time for lukewarm Christianity is over.

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. …Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. Rev 3:16, 20

Living In the Power part 2

Power? Why do we need it?

If we want to bring the Holy Spirit’s presence, the Kingdom power, with all its healing, saving, life changing, sin convicting, heart healing power, back into our churches, we need to stop with the seeker sensitive nonsense—gathering in our churches and putting on a show with the goal of making everyone want to come back with friends and never doing anything that might offend—and start getting real with one another and with our God.

Yes we need to come together as the church, to be empowered by the word, by the Holy Spirit and then we need get out there and be the seekers— we have found what the world needs, what the world is dying for and we need to share it. We can’t just sit here with a feel good message, a polished worship team to entertain and a building made to impress waiting for seekers to wander in— people don’t even know what they are seeking any more.

We are living in a post Christian society— people no longer even know that there is a real God who cares let alone loves them, people have no idea what’s in the Bible and it’s being portrayed by the ignorant masses as bigoted and outdated hate speech that makes people judgmental. Jesus is portrayed as just another in a long line of mystic holy men and prophets from centuries past who said some nice things just like Confucius, Buddha, Mohammed and Moses.

Jesus is not another prophet or just one of several ways to spiritual enlightenment. Jesus is real, he is here and he is everything- but unless we are moving in his power—taking it to them, seeking people to witness to, then we will be the last Christian generation— maybe the last generation period.

We need to go witness Jesus to people.  By witness I don’t mean quoting scriptures to people and pointing out their sin. People no longer know what sin is nor do they believe there is such a thing. But what they do know is that they’re miserable and they are running out of things to turn to— everything they were promised would bring them joy turned out to be a lie.

We have the truth, we have Jesus! The way, the truth and the life. We need to be full of that life—we need to be Spirit filled, we need to seek it and then continue to keep being refreshed in the Lord.

Ever since the Lord set me free and overwhelmed me with His presence and unfailing love it has been my desire I for everyone to know the joy that I have found, the deep down soul satisfying, nothing or no one can steal or destroy the hope that is in me, peace that lives in my heart and is there for no other reason than that I have trusted Jesus for my salvation and then asked for and received the baptism of his Holy Spirit—surrendering my life and my heart to Jesus.

Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
    the Lord answered me and set me free.
With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
    What can man do to me? Psalm 118:5,6

Renewed in worship

I love to gather with fellow believers who delight in worship and have often felt myself surrounded and infilled by the incredible love of God as I let myself worship in spirit and in truth, guided by Spirit anointed worship leaders. This can usually only happen in a place where the Spirit is invited and allowed to move freely and all are focused on glorifying the Lord.

I love to feel wave after wave of the Holy Spirit coming over me as I am renewed, strengthened and blessed anew by the Spirit of our mighty God simply because I have opened myself up to it and received it—standing before my God with my arms open wide and my hands lifted high praying- “Lord fill me, empty me of all the junk that has piled up in my heart and gotten in the way of what you want to do in me, what you want to do through me and fill me anew!” and He does, it’s that simple.

Be baptized and continue to seek refreshment in Him. Don’t let your spirit dry up for lack of coming to the living water. In cooperate worship, or in quiet moments alone on the mountain.

But you have to be brave enough to ask for it. And your place of worship does not facilitate that—you are in the wrong place. I’m sorry but there is a big differance between singing songs about God, and singing praises to God. Praising God opens the heart to recieve.

As a pastor and teacher I am loath to preach or teach without first joining those to whom I am speaking in worship. If you know–you know.

I have tasted the goodness of the Lord and I have been walking in the power and the freedom of our Lord for many years so I know, I want to keep going back to the well and getting refilled, even Jesus went up the mountain once in a while to pray— to be recharged by his Father. We only need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit once, but we must seek to be refreshed and renewed in His Presence.

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” -Jesus Mat 18:20

When I first preached this message to my church a few years ago it was on the heels of an incident, an example of Kingdom power facilitated by Spirit filled believers coming together in worship. One of my daughters, Cally, was pregnant with twins, and they were breech, long after they should have turned around in preparation for birth.

Two or three days before a worried doctor had scheduled a C section before the babies were in serious trouble we had my daughter and her husband come forward after worship to be prayed for. We laid hands on Cally and prayed–and I prayed with my mind and with my Spirit.

¹⁵ What should I do then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the mind also; I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will sing praise with the mind also. 1 Cor 14:15

—  yes I prayed for her in tongues, my prayer language given to me when I first received the Baptism — and two days later the doctor told her the babies were in the right position, were growing again  and a few weeks later she delivered two strong and healthy babies.

Why? Why were those babies healed, why did that womb that was cramping the growth of those babies suddenly become the safe place it was supposed to be— Because Holy Spirit baptized believers moving in the power of the Holy Spirit given to us by Jesus Christ prayed for her— that’s why! — Because Jesus Loves Cally, because Jesus loves those babies and he loves us enough to give us the power to take care of those he loves, that’s why.

That’s why He makes that available to us, not so we can impress each other with how spiritual we are, it’s not a competition to see who is more spiritual, to harangue one another or cause division in the church as we either institutionalize or diminish the gifts— but so we can take care of one another, so that the world will know that he is real and that he cares.

Next time we’ll look more at how the Holy Spirit baptism squares with our salvation and being born again.

Living in the Power part 1

you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses -Jesus

Today I want to talk about something that has been prominent on my mind, and often in conversations, as I have been privileged to visit several churches lately and experienced the various responses different church families have to the person, presence and doctrine of the Holy Spirit—primarily as concerns the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  

There are those that embrace it and those that shy away from it, and those who just don’t know what it is. But even among those that do claim to embrace it, there are varied responses to the power and gifts that are released by the baptism of the Spirit.

Getting it? Normally this baptism of fire comes upon us by the laying on of hands. Once you have it, and moved in it, it is really hard to ignore and pretend it’s not important or relevant. Yet too often it happens. I too often run into believers whom I know have recieved this gift that don’t seem to realize they may be embracing a church culture that squelches this power…

But back to the hands thing–There is a discernable power that is released in us by the laying on of hands, reminiscent of when Paul was reminding Timothy to …fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 2 Tim 1:6 — Consequently spiritual battles are affected, healings are rendered, and gifts are released when the baptism of the Holy Spirit is facilitated by one who has been baptized in the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands.

As it was then so it is today. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Heb 11:8

The baptism of the Holy Spirit, simply put, is the Releasing of the power. The New Testament talks a lot about this so it’s pretty hard to ignore— yet many still manage to do so. We are going to look at an example where Paul had traveled to Ephesus and found some believers who had not yet had the power released in them and he wasted no time in taking care of that laying of hands on them and Baptizing them in the Holy Spirit. Paul knew that without this, just like the first disciples before the day of Pentecost, they would simply be living life, perhaps saved— but powerless, fearful, and at completely at the mercy of the world they lived in.

We see in Acts 19:

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples ² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶

When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.  Acts 19

Ephesus, where this takes place, was a Greek and very pagan town but, because the power of the Holy Spirit was released there, a church would arise that would become a major player in winning the world for Jesus. Paul would write to that church later; Ephesians chapt. 1: 

¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, ¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you ,…  ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be opened  in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, …¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

It was only by his power, His incomparably great power, that those believers could take a pagan city for Jesus. It is only by that power that we can take our cities, our families, our world— for Jesus.

Jesus has been pouring out his Spirit on His Bride, on those who are willing, and He wants to continue pouring out his power, He wants to take this land and he wants to use us, to use you to do it. But you have to receive the Power, and if you have— you need to choose to move in it.

Receive the Power

The Father wants to fill you from head to toe with his Spirit of power, He wants to immerse you in his love so that you can be his witnesses, witnesses of his love, living proof that he cares about us.  He never asked you to go through life alone.  He never asked you to love and serve him and your neighbor in your own power. When Jesus said, love the Lord your God with all your heart and all  your soul and all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself, he knew we could not do that in our own strength, if we could he never would have come. He died for us so that we could become the Temple of his Spirit, so that we could be empowered to love others into the kingdom.

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Why would you not want to live in the power, to live in the power of God, to move in the power of our God, to conquer and overcome all that the enemy and this world would throw at us to discourage, to destroy, to minimalize us to the point where we are no threat to his grip on this world, his grip on our loved ones, his grip on our way of thinking— why would anyone not want to live in the power of the Holy Spirit?

Yet many people, even many believers— even born again; “Jesus is  my Savior, his Spirit lives within me and I am saved by the grace of God”  believers— fear the power of the Holy Spirit. And I don’t understand that, not for a minute. If you truly love God, and want to live free, want to make a difference in this world, want to live a life— to exist in this miserable fallen world— without just being kicked around by whatever whim the flesh and circumstances throw at you, why would you not want all that God has to offer you?

God’s power is for real, God’s power is for today, God’s power is for you!

Fear the Power?

Why would you fear the power, the power to love as Jesus loves. Because that is what it really is all about— the power to love the way Jesus loves, to see others with the eyes of Jesus and then have the power to make a difference in their lives, to deny the gifts, to not seek them out, to not desire to live in the fullness of all that God offers you is a selfishness that grieves the Lord.

He has called us to be his hands and feet, to be his voice and have his heart so that the lost and dying world that he suffered and died to redeem can indeed be redeemed!

If all that world ever sees is us struggling, worrying and fretting, trying to live this life in our own strength— no different from what they are already doing, than why should they bother or care a whit about our Jesus?  That’s not a witness for Jesus, that’s a witness for a powerless religion. ‘Well, I don’t want people to think I’m weird!’— Really? How is loving a person that no one else loves weird? How is telling a person that God sees their struggles— even naming their struggles by a prophetic gift or a word of knowledge weird? How is praying for someone who is sick and having them healed or recognizing that a person is being harassed by an evil spirit and freeing that person from that influence weird?

How is recognizing a need and having a burden to do something about it when no one else cares and then having the talents to serve, to build, to fix and encourage whatever that need— how is that weird? Calling yourself a follower of Christ and not earnestly desiring the gifts and the power of his Spirit— that’s weird!  If loving and healing the hurting is weird then let me be a freak for Jesus!

Let me point out the obvious here— people are not lining up to come to church anymore. People are not drawn to religion, people are not drawn to nicey-nice, smile in their face, lure them in with fancy programs and then throw a yoke of guilt and expectation on them church anymore. People are drawn to the power of the Holy Spirit— people are drawn by the power of the Holy Spirit.

People need— the world is looking for— something real, something that will actually change their life, that will set them free, give them a reason, give them hope; people are looking for Jesus, and Jesus gave us the power to reveal him, to be his witnesses— witnesses of his love, of his mercy, of his desire to heal and deliver, to set the captive free, to proclaim good news to the poor, to bring sight to the blind, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, we can have that power if we’ll just receive it— ask for it and receive it. All of that comes from being baptized in the Holy Spirit!

Enough of the seeker friendly already

We are running out of time. The days of seeker sensitive church are over and that model is no longer working. When things got real, like during the great government and fear driven shutdowns and riots of 2020, people left those churches in droves, which wasn’t hard for most of them had shut their doors anyway–just when we needed them most.

I am not accusing anyone, I was among them—at least for a time. Until it became obvious that the shutdowns were being orchestrated and encouraged by the enemy of our souls and the spirit of the Antichrist prevailing. We cannot let that happen again, we cannot stand down. We must love in the power; fearless, equipped and empowered. That can only come from the Holy Spirit of our God.

To My Girls part 5 -The Good Kid

“Ironically, I had received the power of the Holy Spirit while denying the divine authority giver. Yet the Father still loved me in my ignorance, and I know now that the Spirit was praying for my deliverance from my ignorance and my drug abuse every time I used my prayer language, which I did every night as part of my routine prayers. …”

From To My Girls Chapter 5 by Dan Swaningson

The Good Kid

November 15, 1979, I was sitting on a Greyhound bus watching the then unfamiliar Montana winter land­scape roll by through the window and wondering what I was getting into. I was headed west across the state to Anaconda. I had enrolled in the Job Corps training program, and that’s where I would spend the next year and a half. I had just turned seventeen, and I was scared. I was leaving everything and everyone I knew behind. I only knew that from this point on I was on my own. I remember praying silently to the Lord that he would be with me and help me. I knew who I was and I knew God was with me because I had read the Bible enough to know who Jesus was. And I believed with all my heart that I was saved and that he loved me, like my own father, from a distance.

Bottom line: I knew the rules, and I was confident I could keep them as I always had; I was a good kid.

What I didn’t know was how my flesh would soon lead me astray. I didn’t know that what the flesh desires is vehemently opposed to what the Spirit desires. Like I said, I had always done my best to follow the rules; I never gave my mom any reason to worry about me. I had done some drinking, but that was usually with my latest step-dad and his buddies, so even that was fol­lowing the rules. My idea of following Jesus was largely based on the Sermon on the Mount (one of the few parts of the Bible I had read and that made sense to me at that time). While this taught me to be a good per­son, it did not teach me about the dangers of partying. I knew drugs were bad; that had been drummed into my head ever since as a kid I watched the drugged-out, mud-covered hippies being evacuated by the National Guard helicopters from Woodstock on the evening news. But I was really never told why drugs were bad, other than drug users would have deformed babies, have long hair, and lice.

Once at the Job Corps center, I put on a tough-guy act to hide my fear. I had usually been the odd man out in school, and I wanted a new start. I was big enough to get away with the act, and I ended up hanging with the “cool” guys, the guys that nobody messed with. Problem was, most of them were ston­ers. Weird, they didn’t have long hair (we had to keep it cut in the heavy equipment training program), and they didn’t have lice or smell bad. In fact, they seemed quite normal. It wasn’t long before I let them talk me into smoking weed with them. I was not going to be the geek again, and it didn’t seem to be any worse than the beer I had been drinking before I came up. So, sitting there in that circle of guys, hiding in the trees halfway up the mountain behind the dorms, I took my first hit of marijuana, several hits in fact and … nothing. I didn’t feel a thing, except tired. I went back to the dorm and took a nap, thinking, What’s the big deal? I didn’t get crazed and run through the woods naked, and I didn’t lose all desire to bathe. The devil didn’t steal my soul, and I certainly wasn’t an addict. I still wore cowboy boots, and I still listened to Waylon and Willie.

So just for something to do and to be accepted, I tried it again. Whoo-ee! This time I got high! I had never felt anything like it. I laughed harder than I had ever laughed in my life, and I didn’t feel sick like I did after too much beer; this was great. It wasn’t long before I was smoking every chance I got and was soon buying my own weed, smuggling it in when I came back from leave or buying it from others who had smuggled it in. I was getting stoned several times a day, often starting my day hiding in the furnace room with a pipe full of pot. What I didn’t realize was that I was playing right into the hands of the enemy; I thought I was in control and no one could tell me what to do or not do. In a place where everything we did was determined by the schedule and people were always looking for a reason to discipline us, it was exciting to get away with something. And besides, being stoned felt so good. How could it possibly be wrong, even in God’s eyes?

All the while, I continued to pray every night and seek the Lord to help me cope with being in this difficult place, and he did, in spite of my destruc­tive behavior. It was during this time of isolation and confusion that the Father revealed himself to me as a Father who is with me, not just watching from a dis­tance. I even received the baptism of the Holy Spirit during this period, but the so-called Christian group I was mixed up with at the time taught me to distrust all other Christians and even convinced me that Jesus was not Lord, that he was not God, thus taking away the significance of his sacrifice for me. Ironically, I had received the power of the Holy Spirit while denying the divine authority giver. Yet the Father still loved me in my ignorance, and I know now that the Spirit was praying for my deliverance from my ignorance and my drug abuse every time I used my prayer language, which I did every night as part of my routine prayers.

After getting out of the Job Corps at the age of eighteen, I soon let myself get talked into every drug I could get my hands on. I continued to smoke weed from morning till night every day, while still man­aging to hold down a job, and I drank nearly every night. I was using speed or crank quite often to get me through the workday, and on the weekends I was doing the harder stuff. I really went overboard with the acid (LSD), often getting so high I was seeing demons. I got the hell scared out of me one night after tripping on mushrooms. I was lying on the couch coming down from the high after the party when the enemy, the devil himself, started talking to me from my stereo speakers after the hard rock album I was listening to was over. I don’t know how I knew it was him, but I had no doubt at the time. He may not have stolen my soul, but he was certainly stealing my life.

I had gotten to a point where I thought I just wanted to jump a freight train and disappear to a place where no one—my boss, my friends, and especially my family—could tell me what to do. I would just embark on a never-ending quest for the next high. It seemed I couldn’t drink enough or get high enough to be satisfied, and I wanted nothing to do with any­one who might hinder my quest for that high. I could never seem to recreate the sheer bliss of that first high in those mountains, and I could never recreate that high I experienced the first time I dropped acid when I had laughed and laughed with my good friends. I could never recreate that feeling of fellowship I had with those friends when we first started getting high together. Being high ultimately became a very lonely place where it was easier to hear the enemy than it was to hear God. I had almost entirely stopped praying because I was ashamed to pray when I was high, and I was almost always high. On the outside I seemed to have it together, but inside was chaos. All because I decided one day on a mountainside near Anaconda, “What the heck? A little toke can’t hurt me.” I didn’t wake up one day and decide I was going to be a drug­gie, but that is where I ended up because a good kid decided to compromise just a little to be cool.

How ironic that when I was old enough to make my own decisions I chose to pursue a course that destroyed the dream of just wanting to be a part of a “normal family.” I was trying to kill the little boy inside of me and his vow to someday be a father to children who would never have to know what it was like to grow up without Dad around; more accurately, perhaps, the enemy was trying to kill the dream and the family-to-be in the process. I was still pretending to be normal. Then God stepped in.

My girls have heard the story, but for the sake of having it in writing and for the glory of God, here we go: It was becoming increasingly difficult to convince myself that I was having a good time. My encounter with the devil had mostly scared me away from the acid and ’shrooms, but I was still smoking, drinking, and speeding on a regular basis. I had a good-paying job, lots of friends, and toys, but I could not shake this feeling growing inside of me that God was not pleased with the way I was living. My sister, who at one point was as messed up as I was, dragged me to the church where she had “got right with God.” Since I was still professing to be a Holy Spirit-baptized Christian, I had to check out this church full of other Spirit-filled people. I had been taught by the cult group I had been involved in back in the Job Corps to avoid churches because supposedly they all rejected this continuing move of the Spirit in people’s lives, so hearing that there was a church full of Spirit-baptized believers intrigued me.

So one Sunday morning I smoked some weed and went to church. The preacher was telling me how God had a plan for my life, and I was stunned:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

I went back the following two Sundays, still stoned, and he was still preaching on the same verse: “I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord.” I could not stop thinking about it. If it was in the Bible, it had to be true. I began to realize that I could never find out what God’s plan for me was if I was stoned all the time. My own plan was not working. I made a deci­sion: I was going to stop getting high for one month just to see what it was like. (I still could not fathom giving up getting high for good.) Well, I didn’t make it through the first day before I thought I was going to explode from the anxiety. Out of desperation, I opened my long-neglected Bible and was deeply con­victed by the first words I saw:

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be de­ceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swin­dlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Everything is permis­sible for me—but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me—but I will not be mastered by anything.

1 Corinthians 6:9–13

In that moment I realized that the freedom I pre­tended I was living in was nothing more than an illu­sion, I was a slave, and a slave has no inheritance, no joy, and no future. I then turned to Psalm 118 purely by chance (yeah, right) and read these words:

In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he an­swered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Psalm 118:5

These words set me free in the time it took to read them. I realized what I had to do; I had to trust God with my everything—my life, my happiness, my future—not just my salvation. I was so overcome at that moment by his presence, his love and forgive­ness, the pure joy of him that I knew I never wanted to lose it. I felt his presence so strongly that I forgot about the anxiety caused by the withdrawals that were wracking my body, and his presence and his Word gave me the strength to overcome the addictions in the following days; I did not want to lose his pres­ence … never again. And I never again turned to the drugs. I never again used my freedom to become a slave. For freedom I was set free (Galatians 5:1).

Not only did God give me back my life, but a few short years later he gave me my restored dream: a family. I remember standing in the hospital room after Cally was born; her mom was holding her and I was standing behind them with my arms around them and marveling at this miracle (suddenly we were a family) and the goodness of God. It is a mental snapshot I will carry for all eternity. He gave me back the dream, and he helped me fulfill it.

That is why God is first in my life and why your present and your future, girls, are more important to me than my own and always will be. That is why I am writing you this letter. Who you are and who you choose to be is a matter of who you choose to fol­low—your own flesh and its wicked desires, or your heavenly Father, who has nothing but good planned for you. We have no idea the destructive nature of our own flesh until it’s too late. And we have no idea of the power of God’s love until we trust it completely.

When we are young we think we can handle any­thing, but when faced with a temptation, it is never as easy to say no as we think it will be. Temptations always make sense at the moment, which is why they are called temptations; they tempt us. “What’s a little weed gonna hurt? What’s a beer gonna hurt? Everyone here is doing it, and I know when to say when.” “What’s a little lie gonna hurt?” “What’s one cigarette gonna hurt?” “What’s a little kiss gonna hurt?” The answer is probably nothing. The catch is: it makes it easier the next time. A little more soon becomes a lot more; then it becomes an addiction. Then it hurts a lot. It hurts your relationships with everyone you love, including your relationship with God, and you even start to hate yourself. Just don’t go there. Set boundaries; don’t get into situations where you have to say no because you never know until it’s too late if you really will. We are seldom as strong as we think we are. Compromise leads to slavery. The cheese in the trap doesn’t hurt the mouse until it snaps shut and he can’t get loose.

The longer I live the more I realize how weak I am, and it is only by admitting this and depending on God’s grace that I can remain free. I will not be alone with any other women behind closed doors, even at church. I will not go to bars or hang out with drug users. I have people in my life who I have asked to hold me accountable for what I do and say, for what I look at on the Internet, for what medications I may be taking; and I live in constant fear—fear that drives me to Jesus in prayer constantly—fear that I will one day fall back into slavery, because I know that nothing good lives inside of me, except for the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit that comes with trusting him daily to guide me. Paul wrote to the church in Rome:

I do not understand what I do, for what I want to do I do not do but what I hate, I do … I know that nothing good lives in me, that is my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out.

Romans 7:15, 18

If the Apostle Paul was not always strong enough to resist, who are we?

“Who then will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:24b, 25).

We must recognize that we need a Savior, not just to get us to heaven but to get us through this life, day by day. And if you fall, get back up by getting on your knees and receiving the grace of him who loves you and lets you start over, no matter how many times you have fallen.

Don’t look at my life and say, “Well, he did all those crazy things, and he turned out all right. Why can’t I have my fun?”

First of all, it wasn’t fun. Remembering those days is literally like remembering a nightmare, except that I have to live with the realization that it wasn’t a nightmare; it was real and it left real scars. I wasted at least five of the best years of my life, and I influenced many other “good kids” to do the things I was doing. I don’t know how many of them are still messed up. It is only by the grace of God that I didn’t get killed by an overdose, a car wreck, or an angry drug dealer; and it is only by the grace of God that I am not in jail or liv­ing on the streets. All those people holding cardboard signs and asking for handouts so they can get their daily buzz may also have been “good kids” at one time.

My job now is to present the choices to you as clearly as possible and to help you build the character to stand strong in your decision, and to pray for you. Growing up loving Jesus and never straying from his side is a far more miraculous testimony in this evil world than the most dramatic sinner’s redemption story you have ever heard. You do not want to have to look your kids in the eye one day and explain to them why you once did things you pray they will never do. One of the hard­est things I have ever had to do was to admit to my girls that I was once weak and foolish enough to have abused drugs and alcohol. God’s Word set me free, and God’s Word helps keep me free.

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

Thoughts for My Adopted Girls

In a world that teaches us that all of us, including women, need to be strong and independent, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking we don’t need anyone else: “I can handle it.” The Bible teaches us that we all make mistakes, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Messing up is normal; we all have done it and will do it again—a different day, a dif­ferent mistake. That is why we need to be accountable to someone, a trusted friend who loves Jesus, a youth leader, a pastor, a parent, someone who loves you.

Share your thoughts, hopes and dreams. Share your mistakes, fears, and worries and then honestly and prayerfully listen to what they have to say. My sister and I spent many happy hours together talking about how the Lord had rescued us from our self-destructive ways, and we delighted in seeing and shar­ing what our heavenly Father was doing in our lives. I now also have trusted friends with whom to share burdens and triumphs as we face the trials of life.

It is okay to be weak. The more we admit that we need Jesus, the more his grace empowers us, and true strength comes from Jesus. We also need to spend time with him, and one of the best ways to spend time with Jesus and to know the Father’s love is by read­ing his Word, the Bible. It is so much more than just words on a page. It is strength, it is life, it is love.

Life is seldom easy, but it does not have to be lonely. Your Father is here.

Be blessed; you are loved! -Dan

If you are enjoying these excerpts from To My Girls, you will also like my more recent book-Barbarioans in the Kingdom. Available from most online book sellers.

Dream Savior

Prophets Among Us -part 7

“The night of my water baptism I went to bed and slept the sleep of the redeemed. And then I had a dream. . . “

I want to touch today on the topic of dreams. Not that I am an expert, in fact, it is the part of the prophetic gift set in which I am probably the least adept. I am more of a waking vision guy. But, then again, according to Joel’s prophecy, fulfilled and reiterated by Peter on the day of Pentecost, I have probably reached the “Old men shall dream dreams stage” as it is the young who are having the visions. I heard a preacher say one time that it is probably because the old men cannot stay awake long enough to have visions. (That was a joke—I think.)

‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy. Acts 2:17—18

So, I had planned to talk this week about the vision aspect of the prophetic gifting but I was inspired by the blog of my sister in Christ, Eva Ngelista, (Come Against It) who did an excellent piece on dreams and their spiritual significance, to tell the story I touched on in my reply to her blog. So I will take a quick sidetrack here from my regularly scheduled blog—really, is there any such thing when you are being Spirit led anyway?— and share the story the Lord has me burning to tell.

Because, as the prophet Jeremiah found out, to ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit is not a good option for the prophets he chooses to share His story.

If I say, “I will not mention him,
    or speak any more in his name,

”there is in my heart as it were a burning fire
    shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in,
    and I cannot Jer 20:9

Freedom

On January 22, 1985, when I was 23, the Holy Spirit came crashing into my life, at my invitation, and filled me with such an overwhelming sense of His loving presence that I was able to swear off the drugs that had been my daily sustenance for over five years. I had literally been stoned on Marijuana everyday for that period. I had started drinking long before that time frame at age 15.

The drinking set me up for the weed smoking, and the smoking set me up for pretty much any other drug under the sun. Anything to recreate that feeling of euphoria that always seems so elusive beyond the first few experiences. Mushrooms, LSD, PCP, speed, crank, and, my personal favorite, Mescaline—a very powerful hallucinogenic that keeps you flying all night long.   

Ultimately I had very real demonic experiences with the harder stuff that left me terrified and eventually I settled for just being stoned on weed every waking hour and drunk every evening. (Sounds like a Charlie Daniels song—I get stoned in the morning, I get drunk in the afternoon) Well, even the long haired country boy, Charlie, discovered after a time that this lifestyle will destroy everything good in your life and leave you alone, desperate and hopeless.

My deliverance is an amazing story, but for now, suffice it to say that I was literally delivered in an instant, and woke up the next morning clear eyed and full of hope, ready to discover life as a freed child of God who no longer had the fog of mind altering substances muting my hearing of the voice of my Lord.

I felt truly free, except for at night. In my dreams I would be sitting with friends and the joint would be passed, and I would smoke, knowing full well that I shouldn’t, and worse, did not want to, but I couldn’t stop myself. Some nights it was just someone passing me a can of chewing tobacco, something I had quit even before the drugs, and I would stuff a pinch between my cheek and gum. Again, against my better judgement.

Night after night, it was always something in my dreams, drugs, drink, tobacco, illicit sex, and I would wake up feeling horrible—guilty and condemned, until I could convince myself that it was only a dream and that God was not disappointed in me—but I was.

A few months into my deliverance I was confronted in my church with the issue of baptism. ‘Well, I was baptized as an infant, in the good ‘ol protestant style. I was brought up front by loving parents, sprinkled, prayed for and the whole nine yards. Why would I need to do it again?’

So, never one to believe everything I hear just because someone with a title said it, I went on a mission of research. I searched out the Bible on my own to determine if I was covered or if I should get into this Foursquare Church tank of water and get dunked. Well, there is not a lot of evidence for infant baptism in the Bible, baby dedication, yes. But baptism was always a choice one made after receiving Jesus as Savior, and in fact was an act of obedience to Christ, who was Himself baptized even though He was dedicated on the eighth day in the Temple of His Father.

But then I came across Hebrews chapter one, and this is the verse that really spoke to me:

²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Heb 1:22

‘I need this, I want this, I need a clear conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water sounds like a full on dunking to me.’

I eagerly signed on for the next baptism session at our church. At  a Sunday night service I put on the robe, went into the tank, got prayed over, got dunked, went to dinner with my sister and my brother in law Clint, who also got baptized that evening, and went home. No big thing, just doing what I thought was right to honor the Lord.

But then, I had the dream.

Dream Jesus

The night of my water baptism I went to bed and slept the sleep of the redeemed. And then I had a dream, and I remember this like it was yesterday. I saw Jesus. I never saw His face, I think that may be a joy reserved for our homecoming, but I knew it was Him nonetheless. I was somehow seeing Him from behind even though I was standing before him.

I could see His robe, His long brown wavy hair, and He had His hands at His sides, kind of held out away from Him with open palms turned towards me. I then heard His voice say, “Run, you are free!” Still the most beautiful words from the most loving voice I have ever heard.

Suddenly I was no longer seeing Him from behind, but I was now fully in myself and running and leaping like the lame man He had healed at the Temple gate called Beautiful. It was a feeling of pure ecstasy and buoyancy like I had never experienced. I had the urge to just run and run, so I did. What made it so wonderful was that I was experiencing something I had never ever experience in my dreams before—the ability to run period.

Always, when I tried to run, as in my many dreams where I was being pursued from everything from dinosaurs to monsters—to my more mature dreams of late—from angry drug dealers, pushers and demons, I would always feel like I was trying to run through quick sand. My feet would suddenly weigh almost more than I could lift and my legs would just not respond to my brains frantic pleas for them to carry me away from the dangers.

What I didn’t realize until a several nights had passed without a single dream about being coerced to indulge the flesh in things that left me feeling guilty, was that what the Lord was freeing me from, what I was now free to run from, was the enemy. I was no longer tormented by the enemy of our souls, I was no longer tormented by the flesh reminding me of who I was and I was no longer condemned by a guilty conscious. I was truly free, awake or not, I was free!

My heart was cleansed from an evil conscience when my body was washed with pure water.  Heb 1:22 My Jesus set me free, and He never fails to amaze me at how He can show up when we truly need Him, if we are open and obedient to His word and promptings.

Reflecting on this whole dream thing the last few days, in light of that dream Jesus experience. I remembered some more recent dreams I have been having. A recurring dream experience over the last few years where I am running in my dreams, yes I still can, even though in real life my back and knee issues make that a real challenge. As I now recover from a recent knee replacement surgery, these days I am happy to manage a brisk walk!

But in these dreams where I am running, I am not just running, I am able to leap great distances. I can leap for instance, over wide creeks by going stone to stone even though they may be ten feet apart. Or, if there are no stones at all, I can literally skip across the water, barely touching down just enough to push off again without getting wet.

It is more akin to flying than running. In the latest dreams I have even been able to just stay in the air, a couple feet off the ground, to where I have to make a conscious effort to get back on the ground before someone notices and thinks it strange.

And every time I have these dreams I get the strong sense, both in the dreams and upon waking, that this ability to run/float is a wonderful gift from the Lord. And I literally am convinced, when I wake up, that there is no reason I can’t do that in real life. These dreams are just so real and the feeling so wonderful!

But alas, reality soon sets in and I am still firmly grounded to this earth, all two hundred plus pounds of me.

Now, I do not consider myself to be a dream interpreter, there are those who have that gift, as I said before, some “specialize” in differing gifts, but in light of my long ago Jesus dream, I believe it is the Lord’s way of reminding me that I am still free, reaffirming me in Him, and even blessing me with the assurance that better things await.

I know one day, in spite of the many challenges I have faced, and surely will, that there will be a day when we are free from the bonds of this earth and this corrupt flesh. And what a day that will be!

Until then I will keep telling the story and praying for all the power of that here and coming Kingdom to move in me, and through, me as much as I can be entrusted to handle!

Glory to Jesus who sets us free!

P.S. If any of you thinks you may have a prophetic interpretaion of my “flying” dreams I would sure love to hear it.

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

Prophets Among Us part 6

“…wisdom brings caution while a fool just loves to hear his own voice.“

We have been talking here over the last several weeks about the prophetic gifts given to the church for the edification of the body, the body of Christ that is. Most prophetic words are given for individuals or for local bodies, but occasionally there are the big ones, the ones that affect a nation or even the world. And the church, at least those within the body who embrace the notion that the Holy Spirit is alive and well and still moving amongst His people, are often very eager to embrace those words, big and small, as trustworthy.

In fact, often to doubt a “prophetic word” is considered to be a lack of faith and may even contribute to God being unable to fulfill the prophecy, like somehow God is stymied by the doubt of a pessimist. “Get back nonbelievers, or the rain may never fall! Someone keep that fire a burning, someone beat the drum!” (Lizzie and the Rain Man—Tanya Tucker)

Well, God is not the rain man and if the doubt of one or two nonbelievers was enough to stop God from answering our prayers, or fulfilling His promises, then it would never rain, no one would ever be healed, and nothing that has ever been prophesied, from Genesis to Revelation, would ever have been, nor would be fulfilled. And we all know that is not the case.

Jesus came and was the prophesied Messiah no matter how many refused to believe, and He is returning to judge the earth and collect His bride whether we nor anyone else really believes it.

Yes we are to have faith in the promises of God and his power is often released in our world according to the measure of our faith. But, the key phrase there is have faith in His Promise. There are things God said that will happen, that will happen regardless of our faith. On the other hand there are things we can contend and believe for that will not happen simply because it was not God’s will, nor did He ever promise that it would.

Too often we confuse our desires with the heart of the Lord. We do not see the big picture nor do we know God’s plans and purposes amd how what we are contending for may affect those divine plans.

That is why Jesus taught us to pray, as He did; “Nevertheless Father, not my will, but Thy be done.” And personally, I trust His plans a lot more than my own, even if His may seem scary at first blush.

But, I’m getting a bit off track here. . . Prophecy—what if we think we know God’s will because we have the prophecy. The Pharisees and scholars of Jesus’ day thought they knew the prophecies also, and they did, they just didn’t open their eyes to the possibility that their idea of the fulfillment might differ from what they envisioned.

But that is not what I’m talking about. I am talking about those prophets among us today who give a “word” or an utterance that they claim to be from God. Those who deign to move in the prophetic, who give us promises that we are to accept unquestionably as though they are gospel truth and to doubt would be sacrilege.

That is what I’m concerned with for this teaching today. So, here is the bottom line: Not everything that is uttered in the name of the Lord, not every Thus saith the Lord!— is actually from the Lord.

How we got this notion that we are to accept everything spoken to us by the “godly” men and women within the church or in our holy club circles as truth is beyond me, when we have so many warnings and examples in scripture, both old and new covenant, warning us to be careful who we listen to and believe.

The Apostle John warns the early church quite plainly:

 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

The church has suffered great harm and still does, because false teachers have led the church In directions we were never supposed to go, while claiming divine insight. And many people have been left sorely disappointed, their faith shaken to the core, because they believed a prophetic word, a promise given them, that turned out to be false.

Hear this–It is okay to question the validity of a word given! In fact, it is our duty as citizens of the Kingdom of God just as we do, or at least should, the proclamations of those given us by the authorities here as citizens of the USA or whatever nation you dwell in. All laws, all promises, all interpretations of old or new proclamations, whether from Heaven or man, are subject to scrutiny because, short of the canonized Holy Scriptures themselves, they can be wrong—if they are being espoused by the lips of mere mortals.

Don’t believe everything you hear!

 Whenever you come together. . .   Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 1 Cor 14:26, 29—33

Yes, I whole heartedly believe in the ongoing gift of prophecy. That’s what this whole series had been about, encouraging and teaching you to move in that gift, to be one of the prophets among us. But you also have to know that you need to use great discernment when listening to a prophetic word, just as you should use great discernment before uttering a word on behalf of the Lord. Because, the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets—in other words, you may mess up the message, or worse, as John warns, even be speaking on behalf of the wrong spirit. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God. 1 John 4:1

One of the things about having a prophetic gifting? You can discern when a prophetic word may be off the mark, or flat out wrong. So don’t be afraid to question and seek clarification from the Lord, or to seek confirmation in another form. It’s okay to put out the proverbial fleece, or seek another word from another brother or sister in the Lord.

We are commanded to judge, and to be subject to judgment, when we utter words on behalf of the Lord. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. So don’t feel like you are being heathenistic when you don’t jump right onto someone else’s bandwagon whenever a prophecy is spoken that gives you pause, leaving you saying ‘Really? Because that just doesn’t seem right to me.’

It just may not be. Learn to discern. That is a gift we must seek and develop also. In fact, in Paul’s listing of spiritual gifts, it comes immediately after prophecy:

¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 1 Cor 12:10

Thus Saith teh Lord!

Thus saith the Lord!

Let me give you an example—a big one.

In the last US presidential election there was a prophecy given. It garnered a lot of attention within the church because it was given by a high profile figure, a Christian superstar, that President Trump would be reelected for a second term as president. In fact, I think there were numerous high profile Christian voices declaring the same thing.

Since a lot of attention was suddenly being focused on a recollection of earlier, at the time seemingly outlandish, prophesies that Mr. Trump would be elected president before he ran in 2016, everyone was putting a lot of stock in words being spoken this time around in 2020.

Personally, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the prophecies at either go around, just as I don’t spend a lot of time listening or putting a lot of stock in any high profile Christian superstar. I just flat don’t have time, nor the inclination to do so. I am too busy trying to earn a living. minister to those the Lord puts before me, and foster relationships, in order to feed or be fed, by those whom God put’s in my path.

I’m sorry, but a TV or radio preacher is just not on that list—at least not on my list.

But I certainly was hearing about this “prophecy”. Many in my church, and good friends, were excited and giddily proclaimed to me; “Donald Trump is going to be reelected because so and so said so!” My response was usually, Huh, I didn’t see that—who was this again?

After a while it just started to bug me, because as much as I wanted it to be true, I just wasn’t feeling it. My spirit was not bearing witness to me that this was true. And I worried that there would be an inordinate amount of disappointment, and even a questioning of God’s faithfulness, if this prophecy proved to be wrong.

Which, much to my chagrin, I feared it would.

And of course, it was. Last I check, President Trump is still the former President Trump. And now this country is swirling even faster around the drain, drawing ever closer to the point of no return in the septic tank of history.

But I digress… The point is, just because someone says it, no matter how badly we may want to believe it, we still must Test the spirits, judge and let others judge the validity of a prophetic word; tucking it away until we can confirm or discredit the word as truth.

This will save you a whole lot of heartache and disappointment down the road. God gave you a brain, an intuition and a spiritual barometer—an innate ability to know, what we might call “our gut” to keep us from being deceived. So don’t confuse gullibility with faith, discernment is a gift that must be honed by wisdom.

So, were these people who missed the mark on the 2020 election false prophets or spokesmen for the devil? I doubt it. Everyone makes mistakes, mishears or their zeal to hear gets them ahead of the Lord a bit. I know I sometimes hear something and am so ready to share it that I don’t tarry long enough with the Lord to get the rest of the message. That’s why we are warned and given the tools to judge and test what we hear—and to speak—carefully. Again, the reason for my own prophetic preamble; I believe the Lord would say to you. . . We must never presume to be infalible.

Parting thought— The prophets I usually listen to with great care and earnestness are those whose words are few and even reluctant. Because wisdom brings caution while a fool just loves to hear his own voice. More than once I have set aside the words of the prolific, even interrupting them, when I discerned that the slow to speak had something to say.

And I am always glad I did.

Don’t be a fool, and don’t be fooled. Test the spirits, before you speak or heed. God’s words always have eternal significance, we need to weigh them carefully. 

Be blessed my friends, you are among the wise.

The Greater Gifts

“When you are praying in the spirit, you are still firmly ensconced within your body, your temple,  you are just experiencing the temporary freedom from the flesh and it’s evil desires that often hinders your ability to clearly hear the Lord.”

Moving in the Prophetic part 5

Scripture makes it clear, and I have observed this myself over the years, that although all the gifts are available to anyone who has asked for and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we often specialize in certain of the gifts. We all have gifts that we function better in, that come naturally, while others seem to be a little less accessible in our tool kit of spiritual implements.

In fact, the Lord has established this as the norm for his church to function properly, assuming all are being obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in their hearts, and fulfilling the vital role the Lord has for them in His church.

And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.  Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?  Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?  But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. 1 Corinthians 12:28—30

Note that although we may be appointed to differing roles, we are to “strive for the greater gifts.” It has been my experience that whatever it is you are passionate about, whatever it is that you wish you could do or desire to be better at and strive to implement so that you can help and bless others—that is usually what your primary gifting and or calling is.

If nothing else, it is certainly what you are going to be working on getting better at, and stronger in. Like anything else in this life, being good at something takes not just a gifting, but a whole lot of practice.

Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, puts a great emphasis on the gift of prophecy, especially in the 12^th, 13^th and 14^th chapters. All the gifts are important, and he himself points out that not all will excel nor are called to function primarily in all of them. As he said, using the analogy of the church being the body of Christ; ‘If all were an eye? Where would the hearing be?’  The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. 1 Cor 12:21—22

Througout the New Testamant we see all the apostles, and have many examples of the early church family, functioning in all the gifts at various times as the occasion required–men and women regardless of their staus–all for the express purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God, showing His love and witnessing to the truth of His promise of eternal life for all that believe and receive.

Yet, as we saw earlier, Paul then goes on to encourage us to strive for the greater gifts. So what are the greater gifts? Paul answers that question, again, in chapter 14:1—3:

 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.  For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.  1 Cor 14:1—3

Healings are great, and I wish I could be used more to facilitate that, to alleviate suffering. But the truth is, not everyone I pray for gets healed. And I would love to be able to interpret tongues, I have tried but I am never really clear as to what was said, other people’s tongues all sound like gobbledygook to me. But you know what? Everyone who gets healed, as blessed as their relief was, at some point will die of something.

And everyone who speaks in a tongue, in fact most, do not need their tongue interpreted because they are not speaking to men, but to God. But prophecy—that is for the edification of the church.

And this can have eternal ramifications. A edified church is braver, healthier, more willing to step out and be the light of the world, to storm the gates of Hell and not succumb to the lies of the enemy.

As I told you when we started this series, the gift of prophecy means you can speak for God, rather than just about God. The Lord gave me this definition of prophecy to share with you today— ‘Prophecy is speaking truths that have been revealed to you by the Holy Spirit; truths that did not originate from your own mind.’

‘Thus saith the Lord’—Edification

If you recall from last week we learned how to hear and recognize the still small voice of the Lord. If you have been obedient and eager to hear, and obey, then you can be entrusted to hear on behalf of others.

In my earlier days of walking with the Lord, relishing in spending time with Him and hearing His voice, I began to earnestly desire to hear things that I could share with others. I wanted to be used prophetically. Looking back, some of my attempts were cringe worthy as I was a little over zealous and not always real discerning as to how and with whom I shared things. It wasn’t so much that I shared, it was more to do with how I shared.

I was not always motivated by love, and my timing was sometimes bad, or I elaborated a bit too much. Sometimes just knowing when to shut up is key—it is not up to you to explain a prophetic word. If it was intended for an individual’s heart from the heart of God–they will know the meaning.

Also, not all that you feel compelled to share with someone has to be predicated by “The Lord told me to tell you…” Often just the fact that you were able to speak something to them that cut straight to the chase and touched their hearts opens doors for later or further conversation that can be Spirit led and ultimately lead someone to the Lord, or divert them from a harmful path.

Once you have earned their trust—then maybe the thus saith the Lord-s can come out. And honestly—I seldom am confident enough, or presumptuous enough to flat out say “the Lord says…”. I usually say; I believe the Lord is saying….” As we learned earlier, the spirit of the prophets are subject to the prophets. I am no Elijah or Moses. And even they made mistakes.

So, let me get into a few examples here.

Sometimes prophecy happens almost inadvertantly as I am just speaking to someone–trying to give godly, biblical council–and a person will suddenly light up and say, “Wow, I never thought of that, that changes everything!” And days, weeks and even years later they will tell me. “Remember when you told me . . .  “

Funny thing is, usually I don’t even know why I said what I said in the situation, and even later it still doesn’t make sense to me why it meant so much to them.

At other times it can be a clear word, a sentence or two, that I feel compelled to share with someone.

Years a ago I was at a church conference full of church leaders. The worship was amazing and the Spirit was moving (a worship setting is always conducive to the prophetic.) I was sitting next to a young lady I had just met that day, she was a bible college student heading across the country to pursue a new ministry assignment. As we were worshipping I felt compelled to tell her that the Father was pleased with her courage and obedience and that she should go forward knowing that He was with her.

I hesitated because I wasn’t comfortable sharing with someone I had just met, especially a young lady, I just didn’t want to seem like a creeper.

But the Lord wasn’t letting me forget this so I finally relented and at one point near the end of that day’s session I told her what the Lord had put on my heart for her. I could tell by her response, and by the feeling of compassion and pride I felt well up in my own soul for her that I was speaking for the Lord and that she was hearing what she needed to hear.

The next day, during that same conference, the Lord gave me a word to share with an old friend, a pastor I hadn’t seen in a few years who had recently moved across the state to take a position as an assistant pastor after having been a lead pastor for several years. This time I wrote it down, I felt it was important enough that I did not want to misspeak and that he needed to dwell on it.

12 years later I remember that word (mostly); “The church has demanded much from you, and you gave. Thank you, but that was not me, my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

I caught up with my old friend and handed him that note saying, “I believe the Lord gave me a word for you.” He read it, staring at it for a long moment, and with tears in his eyes he turned to me and said, “Thank you, that is from the Lord, you could not have known that.”

Since then, the Lord has used me many times, spoken many messages to me to share both with groups and with individuals. Often as I am praying for someone.

Often I can tell when I am truly in the Spirit and receiving, or about to receive, a word from the Lord, or just speaking for Him in real time. It is real hard to describe, in fact, although I have been experiencing this for over thirty years, I have never tried before explaining it, there just are not adequate words to describe a spiritual experience. But I’ll try.

Entering into Eternity

Sometimes, not always, as I lay hands on someone to pray for them, or when praying before or with a group, I will feel as though my spirit is moving within me, separate from my body, yet still in my body. At this point I feel like I am no longer bound by time or space, but have stepped into eternity. It’s like I am feeling my body, my hands and feet, from a distance, and I am free floating, detached from my senses yet still in control of my mouth. I suppose in a very real sense, it is entering into another dimension.

Now, this is not astral projection. Astral projection is dangerous and opens you up to attack from spirits you do not want getting a hold of you as you depart your body.  When you are praying in the Spirit, you are still firmly ensconced within your body, your temple,  you are just experiencing the temporary freedom from the flesh and it’s evil desires that often hinder your ability to clearly hear the Lord.

The first few times this happened to me it was a little disconcerting as I didn’t know how or where it was taking me, but it always turned into a positive experience that ended with my Amen, and left me feeling empowered and able to speak or to pray in a way that communicates what the Spirit wants to do or is doing, and it is always enlightening and encouraging.

But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 1 Cor 14:1

The Holy Spirit never speaks evil nor causes pain to those who love and trust Him. And He wants to use you to speak love, healing and forgiveness to those whom He has strategically placed in your life. Seek the greater gifts, but above all, love.

Earnestly desire the greater gifts, believe that you have received them, and trust the Lord for opportunity.

The Still Small Voice

Prophets Among Us part 4

“God comes to you in the quite, in the stillness, in a place of peace, when you are ready to listen.”

So, I know the big question you have been asking, wondering when I was going to address it in this series on the prophetic, because I have been asked this question many times before; how do you know? How do you know when you are hearing from the Lord–a word to share, a word of encouragement, or a promise?

In my earlier days of following the Lord—after having gone from just knowing Him to actually following, i.e. trusting Him—I earnestly desired to hear more and more from the Lord, to discern the words of the Holy Spirit living within me, which I had finally started listening to and hearing from often, after the mind and soul numbing haze of marijuana I had been dwelling in for too long was dissipated.

I spent many hours in prayer, in worship and in His word, getting to know Him and having more and more of the me he had created me to be revealed and released. Those early days were amazing. I was still single and often spent my weekends in the beautiful high country of Montana, fasting and seeking the Lord. Just me and my trusty Malamute—Nakina, a bible, a fishing pole, a pup tent and a sleeping bag stuffed into my backpack.

The beauty of those days, alone in the mountains far removed from the distractions of people and electronics, was that I learned to recognize the voice of the Lord. I had Literal mountaintop experiences that would shape my future as key elements of His plan for me unfolded, His heart speaking to mine in ways that my head could perceive and receive.

But you don’t need to climb a mountain, you just need to learn to be still and listen, and to know that He is God.

Be still, and know that I am God Psalm 46:10

And after a while you’ll learn to hear Him sometimes even through the clutter, in a moment when needed, like a trusted friend who comes alongside in the midst of a struggle and offers to help. When just hearing the voice, knowing they are there is a help in itself. You don’t even have to see their face, just hear the voice, and you know—I am not alone.

So it is with the Holy Spirit—the comforter.  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things. . . Luke 14:26

Think of it this way. When your spouse calls, or your mother or your child, and they don’t identify themselves; do you ask? “I’m sorry, who is this?” No, I certainly hope not! If you don’t instantly recognize the voice of a loved one, someone you should know intimately, than you have a problem. And that problem is; you have not spent nearly enough time with them, and if you did, you were certainly not listening to them.

So, the short answer to how do you know when you are hearing from the Lord? You get to know His voice by having spent time with Him. Not just talking at Him, but listening to Him, having conversations, or just shutting up and listening when He wants to speak.  Prayer is a two way connection.

Now, here is the rub, we do not hear the Holy Spirit with our ears, so it is not a matter of recognizing the tone, the pitch or the tenor of a voice, it’s learning to discern the voice of God with our spirit. We all have a running dialogue going on in our heads, an inner voice we cannot hear with our ears, but one that is certainly there. It has a tone, a cadence and a personality and even a dialect, one that mimics our speaking voice in many ways, but is much more consistent and unchanging.

Chances are, the voice you hear in your head, your inner dialogue, sounds much the same at fifty years old as it did when you were five. You might use bigger words and have much more to dwell on, but you are really unchanging. I believe that voice generates in our souls, is given language and storage space by your brain, but the soul is ageless, eternal, and so your inner self, your inner voice, is changeless, and will remain so long after this flesh is no more. The brain is primarily concerned with our survival–keeping us alive and comfortable, often to our detriment as it equates wants with needs, but our spirits are the voice of the real you. (This the battle between teh flesh and the spirit the scriptures often refer to.)

So, just as you know your own inner voice, even though your ears do not hear it, the voice of the Lord, via His Spirit dwelling within is perceived in like manner, and you can come to know and recognize the voice of the Lord. It is part of an inner dialogue that does not originate from you, but is still at your control, remember; the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 1 Cor 14:32

The voice of the Lord is not demanding, overpowering or obnoxious—He does not consume all your other thoughts leaving you feeling powerless to resist, nor does He leave you feeling afraid or desiring to hurt yourself or others—that is either teh voice of teh flesh, or the voice, or voices, of malevolent spirits—demons—and if that is happening you need to take authority and cast them out in JESUS name. Or seek the help of a Spirit filled Pastor, brother or sister, to help you pray them away.

There is indeed a sure test to know whether something you hear, whether internally that you don’t believe originated from you, or from another claiming to speak for God that makes you uncomfortable or seems contrary to scripture, and that is to ask them to confess out loud that Jesus is Lord—the Son of God come in the flesh.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. 1 John 4

The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. Now that is not to say that He cannot be persistent— boy, can He be persistent. Like when he wants you to go to Bible college to prepare for the ministry after you have decided you do not want to, or when he tells you something He wants you to share with someone else.

The Lord had told me during one of my early mountaintop experiences with Him that I would be a pastor one day. 15 years, a wife, kids, a good construction job and a cattle ranch later, I had given up on that promise being fulfilled, and in fact, I had realized that was not a mantle I wanted to bear.

That’s when the Lord decided it was time. I knew that the reason He was telling me to enroll in the accredited Bible institute that my church had just started was to get me into that role of pastor. So, long story short, the inner dialogue that went on for several months within my soul, as I drove the lonely highways of rural Montana back and forth to work, went something like this; “Sign up for the Bible institute” No, I don’t want to. “Sign up.” No I don’t want to. “Sign up.” No, I’m not worthy of that call, I know why you want me to! “Sign up…” Fine, I’ll enroll, but I won’t like it! —”Thank you! We’ll work on your attitude later.”

Could I have ignored that voice? Yes, but I knew better, and I was and have been immensely blessed. Yes, challenged, stretched and even led to make great sacrifices, at times—like the ranch… But had I not listened I would have missed my calling, missed the fulfillment of knowing that I was walking in His plan for me. And honestly, what is more valuable or desirable that knowing that your life’s purpose, His purpose for your life, was fulfilled.

That can only come by listening. Listening to the still small voice.  

Even Elijah, the incredible and mighty man of God, prophet of renown, defeater of the prophets of Baal and counselor the Messiah on the Mount of Transfiguration, even he had to learn to hear and recognize the voice of God, and he discovered, as you will, that God comes to you in the quite, in the stillness, in a place of peace, when you are ready to listen.

From 1 Kings:

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

1 Kings 19:11-13

I love that story. Our God is not a God of Hype or showboating, He is a God of peace, of gentleness, of love. He is our Father who loves it when we seek to sit and listen at His feet.

But what about the prophetic? That comes after you learn to listen.

After you learn to recognize and heed, then He will begin to entrust you with words to share with others, that’s when it becomes the prophetic—then you are ready to be counted among the prophets among us.

And that’s what we’ll explore next time.

(Sorry for the long blog but this is not a topic you should abbreviate)

Diversities of Gifts

Prophets Among Us -part three

“Fate is not inexorable for those who trust in the Lord, and He sent a prophet, out of the blue, into my church, to speak this truth to me.“

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, … 1 Cor 12:4-10

Immediately after having re-devoted my life to the Lord, having been miraculously freed from a years long addiction to being stoned on drugs and drink, I had a real zeal and desire to hear as much, receive as much, to learn as much, as I possibly could of the things of the amazing Lord who had so filled my heart to overflowing.

Cooperate worship, singing praises to my Lord, became crucial to my life as it was here I felt a real connection with my God, and often heard his voice as I lifted mine in song with others. And hearing the voice I once ran from had become a sweet elixir that had replaced all the other stimulants and numbing agents I had once depended on.

Being open to hearing God’s voice gave me my voice, and I now declare to the world, and the universe-Jesus is Lord! And in Him is everything we need.

Nothing gives me more joy, more satisfaction and fulfillment than having God speak healing and life, not just for me, but also for me to speak into the heart of another precious soul that Jesus died for. Getting to see the light in the eyes come on behind the healing tears and to sense the pain, anxiety and sorrow start to come off like a backpack full of bricks one was forced to carry for far too long, simply because I shared what the Lord gave me for them, is a privilege I will never take for granted.

How can you not want that? You must not fear the Holy Spirit, and you must not count yourself as unworthy—none of us is worthy, no not one, but praise God through Jesus Christ we are made worthy! But we must act as such.

To this day I cannot understand how someone can say they have given their heart to the Lord, been saved by his grace and filled with his Spirit, and not be hungry for more and more. And, especially, to hear his sweet voice speaking to and from your heart in a way that your mind perceives and your tongue can repeat—if you so choose.

Perhaps it’s the difference between just being receiving His Spirit for salvation, and being baptized—choosing to be completely immersed—in His Spirit. Or perhaps it’s just that some choose to hold back parts of their heart, afraid to fully let go and trust. I know, I was there for much of my younger life. When the addictions and the ever encroaching darkness finally drove me to heed the voice of my Father, who had never stopped calling out to me, I was ready to give all, and I have never for a moment regretted it.

Praise God I am free, free to live the life He had planned for me, an free to serve Him by being a blessing to others, and that includes me being not just his hands and feet in a dying world, but also his voice. That is where the prophetic comes in, and is a necessary part of serving our awesome God in an effective way. People want to know, they have to know, that there is a God who loves and cares for them, and who knows their struggles. What better way to do that then to speak truths to them that no one could know the depths or meaning of to them but the very God who created them, and loves them?

If you are determined to be used of God in this way, are willing to trust and obey when He whispers a truth for you to share, He will use you to speak blessings to others, or to just give you insights so that you can better love and understand, and pray for that person until they are ready to hear.

The apostle Paul, in his list of Spiritual gifts, list three types of gifts along these lines; a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, and prophecy. They are very similar in that they all involve having the Holy Spirit reveal something to you that you could not have otherwise have readily known, yet they have difstinct, if not subtle, differences.

…for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, . . .  to another prophecy… 1 Cor 12:4—10

The following explanations of the three are taken from the New King James New Spirit Filled Life Bible. In reference to this portion of scripture.

A word of wisdom is “a spiritual utterance at a given moment, through the Spirit, supernaturally disclosing the mind, will and purpose of God for a specific situation.”

A word of knowledge is “a supernatural revelation of knowledge pertaining to a person or event, given for a specific purpose, often for an immediate need.”

While Prophecy is “a divine disclosure on behalf of the Spirit, an edifying revelation of the Spirit for the moment, a sudden insight of the Spirit prompting an exhortation of comfort.”

I love these explanations as I believe they capture the true purpose of God revealing things to us pertaining to other people or situations, that we are now able to speak to, minister to, affect outcomes and shed light, all for the purpose of helping, loving and moving God’s people closer to Him.

I often don’t think about the distinction between these gifts of revelation when I am counseling, praying for or sharing with someone, I am just always mindful, keeping one ear open to the person or people before me, and one ear tuned to the Lord, so that whatever I hear, I can share or use to affect how I relate to those whom God has given me a chance to love for him.

I would like to add to these succinct and articulate definitions, concerning the prophetic gifting, that it is really the ability to see into the heart of a person.

This is a gift that can cause great pain if you do not know what to do with what you see there, and this is why you must be in prayer and stay in tune with the heart of the Lord. Only in Him can you bear the burden of the weight of feeling others pain, looking at it as an opportunity to love that pain away, speaking to it and not denying or despising it– knowing what to do when what you see there is not pretty.

Because of this, prophecy is a gift that can also be abused if what you see in that heart does not sit well with you, instead of seeking the Lord for ways to speak life to the darkness revealed, the prophet can use it to inflict deep wounds. No one can inflict pain on a person like a prophetically gifted person who can cut right to the heart of a person’s disfunction and use it to insult or malign them.

This is a sure way to have your gift taken away as well. God will only allow his gifts to be abused, or ignored for that matter, for so long.

Let me leave you with an example, for now, of the prophetic at work. One that I received rather than one I delivered.

A few years ago I had a couple visit my church in Red Lodge. I did not know them although a few others in my congregation did. They were native American and having spent much of my ministry life sharing Jesus and ministering to and with the first inhabitants of this place we now call Montana, I was very pleased to have them and made sure they felt welcomed.

After service I made my way back to visit with them, as I did with all visitors. In short order the gentleman asked; “Pastor, is it alright if I pray for you?” Discerning that his spirit was right I replied “Absolutely!”

He laid his hands on me, prayed in tongues for a few seconds and then told me he felt compelled to sing for me. He then started to sing a song that was coming to him as he sang, a beautiful song, in the Spirit yet in English. As singing is closely tied with things of the spirit in native culture, I sensed that this was a special blessing from him and the Lord.” He then started to speak great encouragement to me concerning the Lord’s pleasure with me and how I was, and had served, Him in the church.” His wife, who had quietly been praying in the Spirit along side of him then laid her hand on my chest and began praying for me, and specifically my heart.

She also spoke encouraging words to me, that my heart was dedicated to serving the Lord and that God was pleased. I forget most of the specifics of her prayer, but what happened next I remember quite clearly. She leaned close and whispered into my ear for only me to hear, “the Lord says your heart is good—no heart attacks!”

I almost fell to the floor. She had no way of knowing, I had never had a conversation with her in my life, nor had I shared this with anyone save one or two close friends, that I had been convinced for most of my adult life that I would one day, likely sooner rather than later, die of a heart attack.

Afterall, it ran in my family. In fact, several years earlier, I had woken up on the morning of my 40^th birthday, convinced that I was now on borrowed time, because my closest uncle, my mother’s younger brother, had died of a massive heart attack when he was forty. My mother had already survived two heart attacks, and her Dad had just died of complications from years of heart disease. So, yeah, I was fated—or so I thought.

This ws a lie from the pit of Hell and God had another idea. Fate is not inexorable for those who trust in him, and he sent a prophet, out of the blue, into my church, to speak this truth to me.

 I am now 60 years old and I will go home when God is good and ready for me, not a minute sooner. Thank God for the prophetic gift, and for those obedient enough to use it, to speak peace to deceived and troubled hearts!

We’ll coninue to explore what it means to move in the prophetic -next week.

God bless you my freinds!