A Channel For My Good

Luke 9:37-43 “On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him. And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astonished at the majesty of God.”

The disciples were not able to cast out a demonic spirit from a boy. When asked why, I told them it could only come out by prayer. This was a reminder to them that the gifts and abilities I had granted them came only from me. They were not able to do anything on their own. They were but a channel for my good. When they forgot, when they began working out of their own strength and abilities, they lost my power. So it is for you. When you begin working out of your own power and strength and knowledge, you are not in and for me. You will not have the results you desire. Do not forget where all that you have comes from. Do not forget that I am the source of all and if you do not allow me to work through you, I will give those gifts to another. That does not mean I will forsake you or that you will no longer be my child. That will never change. But you can and will lose my special anointing and blessings if you do not respect them and use them correctly. 

The Darkness Grows Exponentially

Deuteronomy 20:17-18 “..but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God.”

It may seem cruel when I command my people to destroy the other nations when they defeat them. It may seem overly violent when I command them to destroy every living person and all their stock. But it was protection against being led astray. It was protection against them being taught and adopting practices of worship and sorcery. So it is today when I ask you to forsake everything that leads you away from me. Pay attention. It’s time to purge your life of that which distracts you. Set up a schedule and stick to it. If that schedule does not allow enough time for you to do battle with and for me, I will tell you and more purges will be necessary.  As I said earlier, choose. If you do not choose the gifts I have offered, I will give them to someone else. Not a threat. Just a statement of fact. I need my word to go forth. You are one of those chosen to do so. But only if you get serious about it. Time is short. The darkness grows exponentially.

If It Falls, All Fall

2 Samuel 15:6-7 “So the battle began in the forest of Ephraim, and the Israelite troops were beaten back by David’s men. There was a great slaughter that day, and 20,000 men laid down their lives.”

This was, really, a civil war. The Israelites and the Judeans – both my children – battling for dominance. You are in a civil war in your Nation. It is, at this point, still mostly a digital war, an information war, an underground war. But, do not miss that this is a war between two factions in your Nation. One – rejects me, perpetrates evil against my children, hopes to dominate and enslave all. The other – those who follow me, those who would save this Nation and return it to the ideals of its foundations. Do not miss the nature of this spiritual battle and do not overlook who the frontline combatants are. It is a civil war to the naked eye, but at heart a spiritual battle for the dominion over all of humanity. The forces at work here are not in the open. They are a small group, buried under layers and layers of corporations, groups, etc. – hidden to most eyes. But, they are the real mortal enemy in this war. The key, right now, is your Nation. If it falls, all fall. Because this enemy is looking to harm me by destroying you.

Be Strong and Courageous

Deuteronomy 20:1, 3-4 “When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you! … Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!”

This is true today, in the great battle which you fight. Your enemy may be bigger, more well equipped, stronger than you. But, nothing and no one is stronger than I. And I am on your side. Or perhaps better stated, you are on my side. You have chosen to be my warrior. You have chosen to fight for what I command. Be strong and courageous. I am by your side. If you suffer any apparent losses, know that they are temporary and necessary for a time. But, my dedication to you and your battle is not gone, even in apparent defeat. 

The Time For Gentleness Is Over

2 Samuel 18:5 “And the King gave his command to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: ‘For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom.’” 

There is a time to deal gently and a time to deal swiftly and decisively. The time for gentleness is over. It is time for your patriots and my followers to deal swiftly and decisively to save this Nation. That is not to say that I would have my children be unjust or cruel. Never. But I am saying that it is not time to allow your emotions and feelings of empathy to ignore what people are and what they are doing. If you continue to allow people to get away with the evil that they are perpetrating, there is no hope for your Nation. If you allow your feelings to overcome your knowledge of what is necessary, you will lose. And what is at stake here is not only the future of your Nation, but the future of those who follow me, the future of the rights and freedoms that I have granted you, the end to the purity of my creation. Remember how many times my children in the Bible had to deal swiftly and, at times to your view mercilessly, with their enemies. Remember how many times they did not follow my commands to obliterate completely an enemy, and that enemy infiltrated their people, led them away from me into idolatry and was the ruin of them. Over and over and over again. Will you follow that example? Or will you look to me, only me, for guidance? There is much evil and horror in your Nation, in the world. That will not only continue but grow if you do not decisively work against it. Today. Not tomorrow. You are losing all tomorrows with each day that they are allowed to continue to perpetrate their evil upon my children. Yes, many will be lost. But, if nothing is done, all will be lost. Choose – which do you prefer?

The Key In This Battle

2 Timothy 1:6-9 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began 

Never forget that you have been chosen to live in this time. You have been anointed to represent me in this period of history. This is a significant period for all believers. This is a time when real persecution has returned and will prevail in your country if you do not step up and fight it. Your enemy is real, is strong, and has a strong foothold in your Nation. Do not be deceived when it appears that all will be fine for my children. It will not. If your enemy prevails in this election, your ability to practice your faith openly and freely will diminish greatly. You will not be able to gather as you once could. See, it happens even now. It is prevailing even now. This pandemic, this restriction on gathering, this is in great part done to scatter my people. If you gather together to pray, worship and study my Word, you get stronger. That is exactly what your enemy wants to stop. So, go to Church. Worship. Study my Word daily. Pray without ceasing. Your ability to follow me openly and freely depends upon that. Do not miss this. 

2 Timothy 1:12  “That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.”  

Trust me. Completely. No matter what happens. No matter how dim the future seems. Your future is in me. It is with me. It is not contingent upon what happens in your world. I will protect what is important – your soul. You just look to me. Trust me. Follow me. Listen to my voice – only my voice. That is key in this battle. 

(November 2020)

The Heart Can Be The Most Deceiving

2 Samuel 18:5 “And the king gave this command to Joan, Abishai, and Ittai: ‘For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom.’”

David was foolish in allowing his heart to overcome what he knew was right. Absalom had declared himself David’s enemy and as such, the enemy of all of David’s loyal men. In asking them to deal gently with their shared enemy, David devalued his men. Was it sad that David’s own son was doing this? Yes. Did that make it ok for him to place his men in harm’s way and then ask them not to protect themselves fully? No. Sometimes it is necessary to do what is hardest. Sometimes the most painful route is the best, the only right way. It is often said we must always follow our hearts. Not so. The heart can be the most deceiving. It is often the most misdirected. It will often be blind to truth. Always seek my leading. Seek the advice of those you trust. And do not act out of emotion – from the heart – without thought and prayer.

This Is The Same Battle – Nothing Is New Here

2 Chronicles 32:7 “Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!”

Your enemy is formidable. There are many fighting for him, some knowingly others unknowingly. They have taken control of the narrative and have avenues that are not being made available to you for communication and propaganda. Do not allow that to discourage you. I am still stronger than he and all his armies. I am on your side. Victory will be mine. However, do not assume you know what that victory will look like. Only I know. But it will be a resounding victory. 

Just as the king of Assyria lied to the people of Jerusalem, your enemy constantly lies to your people. He will say that you cannot win. He will say that I do not exist. He will assure you that all hope is lost, that all has been decided, that no matter what you do, you will lose. He mocks me with every statement. You understand and see this, though many do not. And, as you well know, I will not be mocked. 

The king of Assyria made Hezekiah out to be a liar. He told that people that they could not trust Hezekiah when he said that I was with them. This is the same tactic your enemy uses when he twists and fabricates the words of your president. This is the same tactic. This is the same battle. Nothing is new here. Same enemy. Same battle. Same lies. Same prize being fought for – your souls. 

The lies and threats of your enemy have the same goal as did the lies of the king of Assyria – to frighten you. To make you so afraid that you will not fight back. You see the ease with which your countrymen have acquiesced to wearing masks, to staying home, to closing their businesses and schools and this frightens you. You know that most of the people in your country are afraid, they have been overtaken with the lies and propaganda of the enemy. I know you are nervous. I know you are aware of the level of deceit and blindness of the people. But, am I not the source of all truth and all knowledge and all light and all vision? I will have my way. All is not lost until I say it is lost. 

Remember Who I Am

Isaiah 43:18-19 “But forget all that – It is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

What you read about me doing for the Israelites – the destruction of Egypt – that pales in comparison with what I have planned for my children today. Do not be dismayed. Do not lose faith. Do not give in to the fear and confusion. Do not give in to the desires and demands of your enemy. They will be defeated. They will flee from me. I will defend you. But, you have work to do in the meantime. Stay close. Do my will, not your own and not your enemy’s. Be my ambassadors.

44:6-8 This is what the Lord says – Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: “I am the First and the Last; there is no other God. Who is like me? Let him step forward and prove to you his power. Let him do as I have done since ancient times when I established a people and explained its future. Do not tremble; do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago? You are my witnesses – is there any other God? No! There is no other Rock – not one!”

Never forget that in these times of battle. Your enemy is strong. Your enemy is wily and intelligent. Your enemy appears to be untouchable. Remember me. Remember who I am. Remember what I have done and will do again. Do not be distracted from the Truth.

If You Live In Fear, You Do Not Live In Me

2 Kings 19:10-14 “This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don’t let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria. You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different? Have the gods of other nations rescued them – such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? My predecessors destroyed them all! What happened to the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?”

The Assyrians were boastful, and did not know who I am. They were convinced that they were unconquerable. And, they made sure to plant doubt and fear into the hearts of my people. But, they were no match for me. So it is today. Your enemy has moved many from their trust in me into abject fear, and thus controls their behavior. Just as the king of Assyria was attempting to get the people of Judah to surrender to them without a fight, so your enemy does today. This is how they have turned your people into fearful, obedient, unquestioning followers. If you live in fear, you do not live in me. If you look to people to keep you safe and healthy, you do not trust in me. If you hand over the controls of your life to others – if you blindly obey those who do not represent me – then you are not following me. If you are not a Berean in every area of your life – but especially in those areas where others say they are speaking my Word, interpreting my commands, giving instruction that aligns with my desires – if you are not a Berean in all things spiritual and physical – then you are not following my commands, you are not following me, and you are wasting the gifts that I have given to you, my children, my special creation. You have been given the ability to think critically, to study and verify. You have been given the ability to reason, to overcome emotion with logic and fact. Yet, so many have allowed the enemy to guide them into fear, into blind obedience, into wrong thinking in the name of being “healthy”, of “caring for others”. Yet, nowhere in there, is care for or obedience to me. Wake up before it is too late. Your enemy seeks to separate you from me, and ultimately to destroy you. This is the same battle that has been raging since the beginning of time. This battle, however, is fiercer than at any time other than when they persecuted and murdered me.  Your enemy is well aware that the end is approaching. As we move closer to your enemy’s ultimate demise, the attempts to destroy you are ramping up. It is a multi-pronged approach that comes at you from all sides. Your government. Your health industry. Your corporations. Your “news” sources. Your entertainment industry. My “church”. Your own family and friends. Critical eyes and ears, children. Verify before trusting. Pray before obeying. Seek me and me alone and I will keep you from falling into their pits. Step up, time is growing short.