I never cease to be amazed by those that the Lord continues to bring to Cornerstone. I am so blessed by the quality of spiritual leadership. It came to my attention that Susan Hawkins has had an inspirational blog for the last few years called “Open Eyes Ministry” on both the Web and on FaceBook. I encourage you to check it out. The following is the latest blog from Susan. God enrich you as you read it.
I was texting back and forth with a dear friend today and she mentioned how John the Baptist had to lose his head. John the Baptist was “the voice crying in the wilderness’ to “prepare the way for the Lord”. John’s focus was on repentance to prepare for the Kingdom Jesus focus was on receiving the kingdom because it “was at hand”. I believe there is a strong application as to where we are today.
Wow! There is just too much in these verses to unpack in a weekly blog but suffice to say; there seems to be so much more to experience in Christ than we are experiencing presently. How many of us can truly say that we have been “enlightened” to the point that we’re continually testing the powers of the age to come? If the cross and resurrection truly restored what was lost by Adam, then there must be more for us to experience.
I am going to discuss something that may not be a popular subject, but I feel it is one that must be brought to the light. As I look back over the last decade, I can see where division that started out over a few issues has ballooned into many major issues in our day. I remember when my father was alive, he was a very staunch supporter of a particular political party…
John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible. Because of that, many tend to blow right past the verse not taking time to understand the full emotion and intensity that was part of the occasion. Let’s pick up on the narrative from the ESV in John 11:1-7.
The ears of the Bride are being opened to hear. The eyes of the Bride are being opened to see. Coming with the revelation of Jesus in our midst will be a revealing of His Bride and who we truly are. As we get and maintain our focus upon the One who is in our midst, we will begin to receive the revelation of our partnership with Him in this world.
For those who have Irish roots, “Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.” For those who like drinking “green” beer, please don’t. In fact, this day has nothing to do with drinking alcohol. I did not realize that I had strong Irish roots until just a few years ago.
One of the most storied days in the history of Israel and her future king began simply with these events:
“David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded.”
When, as recounted in 1 Samuel 17, Jesse asked David to bring down lunch to his brothers and bring back news of the battle, David had no comprehension of what he was about to walk into.
Weariness has tried to become a constant companion. The thought of everyday tasks had been eliciting cries from me for help, “Lord, give me strength.” But before I had uttered any of those unsophisticated prayers of exasperation, God knew my need. In His kindness, He answered my simple prayers by giving me grace to meet the daily duties, but He was waiting for an opening so He could address the root of my fatigue.
I feel this is a word that carries great weight and counsel in this season, "Do whatever he tells you."
We can look at situations in scripture where Jesus instructed people to do certain things, and as a result of their obedience, they received their healing. [Matthew 12:13; John 5:8,9; John 4:50; Matthew 9:29]
The Christian cannot afford to carry hatred in his/her heart toward any person regardless of whether deserved or not. If you are affiliated to a political party more than the “Kingdom of God’, you will be also be tainted in your vision of what God is doing. Outside of God, there is no “goodness” in man that can be accepted outside of the blood of Jesus Christ.
I am so grateful for the many prophetic voices God has given us at Cornerstone. The Lord reminds us of the importance of the “prophets” in Amos 3:7 (NASB)
“Certainly the Lord GOD does nothing Unless He reveals His secret plan To His servants the prophets.”
and Proverbs 28:18 (ESV)
“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.”
The prophetic lets the people know that God has a purpose for what is going in their daily Iives. It lets us know that God is not somewhere in the galaxies but is intimately involved with us.
This statement from the title was a constant saying of my dear friend, Pastor Richard Dyson who has been with the Lord now for the past several years. Pastor Dyson was an African/American Pastor who ministered in Brunswick, Md for years. He was such an example of one having hunger and passion for the Lord. He was a constant on WJTM’s prayer line when I managed the radio station.
WOW! What an incredible couple of weeks; talk about a range and swing of emotions. It’s in times like these that we need to lean on the Lord and “learn of him.” Isaiah said this through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah 55:8-11 (ESV)
On this week’s blog, I am listing three prophetic words and insights that were given to the Cornerstone congregation over the last couple of weeks. The Holy Spirit is the originator of these “Rhema” words but the vessels He chose to speak through are Charlene Miller, Bonnie Frey, and Garth Fazio. Thank you for your faithfulness and encouragement to the body of Christ.
Preface: When we were worshipping in church this morning, we were singing the song “Dry Bones”, written by our worship leader Nick Frey, which is based on Ezekiel chapter 37. I felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to write a prophecy to the church as I was receiving revelation for the coming new year, which I wrote during worship and shared afterward. Cornerstone, this is the year in 2021…
I feel the Spirit of the Lord telling me to tell you:
There is a reason to have joy at this moment-for many say, "this is the worst time ever in America." The Spirit of God said, who would declare a recession, and who would declare where I am going? God said, this is the best time, because joy is coming to you in the Spring, says the Lord, Joy is coming to you in the Spring, therefore, I want you to prophesy it: Joy!
I read this article on-line today and thought I would share it with you. One of my favorite verses that describes the timing of Jesus’ birth in found in Galatians 4:4
“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law”
The following is from the on-line blog “Got Questions”,”your question, Biblical answers”. It is an excellent resource for anyone that has a Biblical or theological question…
I don’t believe anyone of us will be sad to see 2020 pass into history. What a year! This has been a year like no other, at least not in my lifetime. If you remember, 2020 was going to be a year of clear vision; everything would come into perfect vision and focus. For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, you are coming out of 2020 with things clearly seen...
We have never been in such a time as this, at least not in my lifetime. This pandemic has caused people to live in absolute anxiety with no apparent light at the end of the tunnel. People are being shut down in certain areas of the country. State and county leaders are making demands on their citizens that seem overbearing. The result? Well, the suicide rate has sky-rocketed and the use of anti-anxiety and anti-depression medicine is also at an all-time high. Our elderly are paying the deepest price emotionally for being isolated.
