fear God only

After watching a documentary film about the mafia and the fear they caused and brought over a whole city, I am even more convinced of God’s Truth and Word, and also how Kingdom principles will work for anyone who uses them.

The fear of the mob was due to “the family” being so closely intertwined but knit together with control and fear. The unity between them created strength that brought the city to chaos. They were also involved in different economies of society and had legitimate as well as illegitimate work.

They had created such an atmosphere of fear due to force, murder, intimidation and threats. They became feared.

They became the god in that city- the all-powerful and almighty one. They were worshipped by fear and sacrifice and being held in the highest respect from the people. Even though this wasn’t one of ‘freedom’.

The Bible says that God is to be feared and that this brings wisdom and life. And yet we hold so many others higher than God in fear. How about viruses, gangs, payslips (or lack of), the future, politics etc..?

The fear of the Lord is not the same as the fear of the Mob (or all those mentioned above). It does not cripple us but bring the perspective that the Lord God Almighty is higher than all others. This means that if He is being held high in reverence and honour and fear that He alone is Almighty, then we understand that He is the One that has the power to direct the hearts of kings, is able to destroy the soul not just the body, and to speak a higher word than the doctors, employers, gangs, politicians, culture..

This is the fear of the Lord that brings wisdom and long life, peace.

To fear is part of humanity and is highly exploitable which is why God always gives us the choice of a higher way of living- as long as we continue to apply His instruction. To apply His Word will always go against our basic humanity and therefore it is an ongoing relationship and connection that we need so that we do not get overwhelmed when the various voices of culture try and clamour for our attention and downfall.

To fear God, I believe that it means to hold Him in highest esteem and respect. If you read His Word (with the Spirit of God) and have a relationship with Him then you would know that He gave His only Son for all of mankind- every. single. individual. This shows that He is loving at a very personal and sacrificial cost. He is not telling us to fear Him because of ego, but because if we fear Him, then the others that compete for our fear to take us down, will not succeed.

We need our personal application of fearing God, but we also need our corporate fearing of God as Followers of Christ. The city that was brought to its knees due to the mob had corporate fear that was able to run rife through the people and streets and council. So we need to also make sure we are closely intertwined with those who are fearing God so that we can stay encouraged and with the perspective that the Lord God is Almighty and none other..

Nothing of worthwhile investment will ever come without intentional building, choosing, or cost, but it will always be worth it as the later cost (if we don’t invest) will always be higher.

‘on’ is different to ‘in’

On sunny days, especially in winter, I try and hide from the low sun so it doesn’t blind me! I’ll see the shadows and go over to them. However, I have noticed that walking on a shadow is different to walking in a shadow. I can walk on a shadow and have no shade at all. My feet are on the shadowed ground but the sun is still in my face.

This makes me realise that walking on and walking in the shade can be different walks; just like faith and our relationship or understanding of God. We can know of Him and walk close, but that is different to knowing Him and walking under the shadow of His wing.

Protection doesn’t come from knowing about someone or something, but from an agreement made to have that relationship. This is a truth beyond God; if we want insurance, we have to have a contract agreed, not just an knowledge about the insurance deals.

The difference between man and God is that God is a covenant God, not a contract God. As humans, we like to be able to ‘get out if we want to’, but God is faithful and loyal and is with is to the end.

Get the full cover of Him. Don’t leave anything out.

Jesus is NOT on trial

This morning as I read my devotion about Jesus being silent when His accusers were asking Him who He was, I am reminded of my atheist friend who tells me that “if you can prove God to me then I will believe”.. I have been praying for my friend for ages now, and am so desperate that he has revelation of God’s power, love, truth, identity.. I have told my friend that I cannot “prove” God to him. He cannot be “found” by a persuasive speech or argument, but only by the Spirit of God revealing Himself. I can testify what God has done in my life and share what I believe, but I have no power to determine someone’s belief system. I can possibly influence it, and I can fast and pray for my friend’s revelation, but I don’t have any authority to change his mind.

Today, as I read about Jesus being silent while ‘on trial’, it reminds me of my friend who is asking Him to “prove Himself”. It says in the Bible that Jesus didn’t defend Himself, apart from to answer Pilate once that He was who he says. This interests me because, Jesus knows what is in the hearts of man, and therefore only seems to respond to honesty- even if that honesty is disrespectful. Like Nathanael who basically cussed that nothing good can come from Nazareth, Jesus responded to the honesty. Jesus is Truth. From the Bible, what we learn about Him is that He hates religion. He hates lukewarm and is after true and honest conversations, even if they are hard and come across as disrespectful. He created people complex and wonderful and He alone knows how to speak to each and every one of us in our own heart language in a way that we understand. He knows what is in our hearts and minds anyway, so will not be surprised nor offended when we offer it to reach out in genuine communication.

God is not on trial here. God is God. He is Almighty and does not need to “prove” Himself to anyone. However, His Word says that He will respond to those who call to Him. He goes after those who are lost for absolute sure. He died for each and every ONE. He is not exclusive. He is not hiding, nor ignoring, or turned away from those He came to save. He is Spirit and Truth and responds to us when we communicate in spirit and truth. Honesty is something He can work with, even if it is from our deep pain, anger, resentment, hate.. He responds always to an honest cry. But as we see, when He is put on trial- He makes no response. He does not need to defend Himself. He is secure in His identity. Even when He is mocked that “He can’t even save Himself“, there is no defence or response that comes from His lips.

May we keep our loved ones in prayer for there to be a genuine cry of and from their hearts (and all of our hearts) that call out to God in spirit and truth to reach His Spirit and engage in His Truth. We call down the spirit of mockery and bind it in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. We mute all mocking spirits and release honesty and the deep cry of hearts to reach the heart of God and to connect on a level that will bring a response of high voltage power of Love, Truth, Grace and Life to lives to forever be transformed and filled by the Spirit and power of the Lord God Almighty.

AWAKEN!! WE SOUND THE ALARM!!

LYRICS…. Please check out more prayerstorm songs to use for ammunition declarations of prayer..

This is the sound of Big Ben. The famous bell from the Houses of Parliament’s clock tower in London.

As we play this sound, we release a prophetic declaration over the United Kingdom
It is time for chains to be broken. Chains of immorality, chains of witchcraft, Chains of deception, chains of addictions, chains of darkness be broken in Jesus Name!

For this purpose was the son of God manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil. Father in the name of Jesus we declare the works the devil are destroyed one the UK.

We dethrone every other god, we dismantle idols, we break down barriers and walls of opposition set up against the purposes and the plans of God in this land. We call for the lightnings and thunders of God to strike down and destroy altars of wickedness. We prepare the way of the Lord, let mountains be removed, the valleys be filled, let the crooked path be made straight for the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all flesh will see it. Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory will come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory.

We enthrone Jesus! we declare You right over this land. This Nation belongs to Jesus.
We call for the government of the United Kingdom to come into alignment with the government of heaven.

Father let Your Kingdom come let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
We release a sound of awakening across this land. United Kingdom hear the word of the Lord it is time for awakening, we sound the alarm!

The UK sets the time for the rest of the world.
As we play this sound we call to the Nations to the earth… to come into alignment with the purposes and plans of God.
We release this sound from this land to the Nations of the earth! It is time for awakening. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Father You said it will come to pass afterwards that You will pour out Your Spirit on all flesh; our sons and our daughters will prophecy, our old men will dream dreams and our young men will see visions… We say do it Lord

As you listen to this record, I want to invite you to begin to intercede for the Nation
I want you to begin to intercede for your community for your family
Let us begin to release the life and light of God into everything that has been dead and dying
We prophecy the resurrection life of God we say it is time for awakening
We say dry bones come to life
Letter army of God arise the nations of the earth
We prepare the way of the Lord
It is time for awakening
Father invade the earth with Your glory
Just as You promised!

words for warfare- not only encouragement

As I am free from my last season of crippled joy, I have spent some time thinking and reflecting over how the season was so full of joylessness and dying within.

When I was still working as a support worker, I felt a drop into my spirit to remind me the position as administrator at church becoming available, and also a seed of thought of living by faith. This wasn’t about money the living by faith, but I didn’t really know what either of it meant (or didn’t want to know!) and so I responded to God that I would pop it on the shelf and He can grow what He wants, but I wouldn’t be pursuing this as I loved my support job.

Then a couple of months later I went to Hillsong’s Colour Conference in which the word I felt God gave me from there was “prepare a way for God in the wilderness”. Encouraging eh?! And then a couple of months later I met an old friend and ended up compromising my witness and personal integrity as well as confusing my heart with a totally unacceptable and off the road lot of decisions. From this I decided that my life needed a new challenge as support working was too much in my comfort zone and perhaps the reason for my bad decision making of friendship gone mad. So I applied for the administrator and got appointed.

As my body struggles with being inside all day and working with people who I never get beyond the surface with, and as I am not moving from my desk all day, the crazy lack of blood flow was causing a sense of lowness, frustration and screaming inside of my being.

One morning God reminds me that David fought a different way to his brothers who had been trained soldiers and that God is not needing us to fight the same as what is expected. This was nice, and I appreciated the message. However, I didn’t realise that this was my armour for the season coming up.. It was like a word that I hung on my wall rather than over my mind. Little did I know that after the word had been given for my encouragement (and armour), I would be in war. People felt they were helpful in telling me how the previous administrator was better at the job etc and my mind also turned against me and I allowed lies to be planted and grew them into a whole twisted garden of mental craziness, lowness, and a dying inside.

Some time later my pastor told me that I was needing passion for my job. I had been praying for this the whole time of being there but felt God was totally ignoring me. It was only during a big brother “counselling session” that God showed me that He had given me a crazy load of passion but rather than it being for admin, it was for the community- and the job was the vehicle to get me into the area. This totally revitalised my spirit! God showed me that He had answered my prayer but just not in the way I had expected. I love Him for this! When I got to work, I told pastor this and was so chuffed, but all he said was that this isn’t what he wanted to hear! As soon as I heard this, I felt like my whole system slip right back down on a mudslide into the pit again. After this I could hardly lift the head of my spirit. (Just to mention, I love my pastor and he only wanted the best for me.)

After that the year, and pretty much the rest of my time there, my spirit felt in zombie mode. My body moved but there was no life within. I felt like the walking dead, or walking ‘gone’ as I did not feel present. I was gone.

Since leaving this job (on good terms and in God’s timing) and looked back and thought about my time there, God has shown me what I was too blind and dead to see while I was still there- that what He had told me for my “encouragement” was actually for my warfare. That it is what He says that counts and has authority, not anyone else, as well meaning as they may be (or not). That this is what it means to fear God over man. To value what He says over what man says. To respect and believe and rest in His Truth, rather than anything else spoken, felt, or heard.

I realise now that had I worn the armour that God had given me in my placement there, and used His authority as my weapon for warfare, then I would have been in alignment with Peace. I always knew I was supposed to be there, but as I wasn’t fighting the lies, or wearing my armour, I was easy meat for the enemy to take and keep me down.

Listening to a preach, Bill Johnson describes totally my situation of this misalignment:

“The fear of man separates us from our nature of courage in Christ. It is inferior and has us operate outside of God. If we operate outside of the Lordship of Jesus then a sensitive heart towards God and His will, and the people around, will- being outside of the Lordship of Jesus- become cowardly, easily intimidated, someone who withdraws from the grace that God has given them. The same gift of a sensitive spirit under the Lordship of Christ, will become something totally twisted outside of the Lordship of Christ, and will cause a withdrawal.”

After three “gone” years, I felt God finally bring release (yay!) and say “everyone into position”. He has called me into the unknown (to me, but not Him) and is teaching me of His faithfulness and, I believe, positioning all of us as His Church to be ready.

In closing, I pray that you would know your position, not only in Christ and His Kingdom, but also in your assignment here. And that you would use every word of God to establish and declare Truth over your life and the world you live in. May you arm yourself better than how I did, and so thrive in your current position. And may you honour God and hold His Word higher than your boss, doctor, friend, or enemy.

Ecclesiastes 8:12– But even though a person sins a hundred times and still lives a long time, I know that those who fear God will be better off.

trust beyond outcome

During my work with a resident who I was supporting, I wasn’t sure if they would suddenly flip out and stab me so I brought this to God as a matter of concern. I know that God is Almighty and Protector. I also know that bad things happen. And that God is still God. However I wanted to know why I felt nervous about potential danger happening even though it’s not in alignment with God’s will or my prayers…

A few weeks later at church, the pastor brought to attention the story of a woman who had been jailed for being a Christian and had ended up giving birth in her prison cell. On release she stated that she had never stopped trusting in God. I realised then that it is not about trusting in God that I would not be stabbed and/or come against trouble, sickness, and death as a follower of Christ. It is trusting God Himself. He has a much bigger picture to paint to show off. This gave me such a freedom of spirit to trust in God, and not necessarily an outcome.