God’s ways are always higher than ours. Even in our pain of loss, we can trust Him. Can you imagine all that Job went through? He lost his wealth, his health and his family. In all his grieving and loss, he learned to worship the Lord, Job 13:15
“Though he slay me, I will hope in him, yet I will argue my ways to his face.”
It's easy to get caught up in the emotion of the times and get worried and downright stressed about all that’s going on in the world. Such is not the case, however. There are parallel universes at play here. On one side, there the kingdom of darkness which would appear that’s winning. It always seems that way. Living in this oppressive darkness threatens to snuff the light out. Jesus tells us what to do. He says, “keep looking up”! Why? Because there is another kingdom at work here, the “Kingdom of Light”. The light always overcomes darkness, always! It’s science! The darker the room, the brighter the smallest candle!
When the Lord led Cheryl and I to begin pastoring 32 years ago, He told us never to worry about building a building. He always would put us where He wanted us to be. For 22 years, we had made “Fredericktowne Mall” our home. God gave us a wonderful relationship with the owners and manager Tom Bradley. Well almost two years ago, we were forced to leave our home by the new mall ownership who wanted to make more money. Well, God directed us after a short time at “Harvest Christian Fellowship” we joined “Divergent” church in FSK Mall.
There is a SIGNIFICANT increase in the SEER ANOINTING over the daughters of God right now to SEE what is happening in the Spirit, and move in greater discernment. There is such a significant invitation from the Lord to meet Him at His table to receive a greater impartation of DISCERNMENT. The Lord showed me that as the daughters of God continue to commune with Him, seek Him (Isaiah 55:6, Jeremiah 29:13, Jeremiah 33:3, Deuteronomy 4:29) and continue to ask for discernment (Psalm 119:66), the Lord is releasing powerful DOWNPOURS of DISCERNMENT. And when decreed, prayed into, implemented in the way that He is leading, the Lord is going to be releasing great shifts, birthings, alignments, changes of direction and tipping points in the areas the Lord is releasing the discernment.
We must pursue love for God first. Love for God begins with the fear of the Lord which will keep our love for Him and for others pure. Love starts with serving Him and being obedient in everything He asks. He must be at the center of everything we do and say. It is spending time with Him pursuing Him and living more by the Spirit every day. It is a surrendering of my desires and then wanting to please Him in everything.
Because we’ve been washed in His blood, We’ve been totally forgiven and restored in fellowship to Him. Don’t listen to Satan’s whispers that we’ve been somehow disqualified. His blood has washed you from all defilement and now you are in the process of being restored to walk in glory; to be put on display as a prized possession of the Lord Jesus, Galatians 3:13 says…
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
God inserting Himself in a name can be seen in the lives of Abram and Sarai. God changed Abram (Father is highly exalted) named to Abraham when he was 99 years old after reaffirming His promise to him in Genesis 17:5. Sarai’s name was changed to “Sarah”. The “ha or ah’ representing the breath of God being inserted in a name. Isaac meaning “laughter” was defined to remind Sarah that she had laughed when told of God’s promise because of her age. She was 89 at the time.
It's interesting that the Apostle Paul addresses the “five-fold” ministry in his letter to the very church of Ephesus. Their two objectives; heal and equip the body and connect them to Jesus to become a living expression of the His image to the world. Thus, connecting the church to its head, Jesus.
Jesus is before time from eternity past. He exists outside of time and space. The Apostle John gives further revelation of this truth in the beginning of his gospel writing this by inspiration by Holy Spirit, John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
As I looked closer in His eyes I could see flames of fire and I could see pathways and blueprint strategies. In His eyes I could see wisdom. In His eyes I could see His ways. In His eyes I could see glimpses of what was to come in this Kingdom age.
Holy Spirit is in the process of transforming us into the image of Jesus to those that have yet to receive Him. As we are being transformed by His power, we should be giving off an aroma that draws the hurting and broken like the fragrance of a beautiful garden. The stench of religion repulses people, but His fragrance draws them like a bee being drawn to nectar.
I am calling you, My people, surrender ALL. I am calling you into the new things I am doing, but you MUST come in without your own agendas. You must come in without your own conditions. For I am the One who determines the manifestation and release of My Glory in the earth and the move of My Spirit, for it is not up to man to determine where and how I move.
In Genesis, Jacob decides to send a parade of gifts to Esau to win him over before they meet. But before his confrontation with Esau, Jacob sets up camp for the night. Without warning, an unnamed man starts to wrestle with him (32:24). Slowly it is revealed that this unnamed man wrestling with Jacob is actually God. Jacob is left with a dislocated hip and would walk with a limp for the rest of his life. It seems before any of us can truly walk in God’s purpose for our lives, we all wrestle with the Lord at some point to such a degree that we are never the same again. We walk with imps reminding us continually of both God’s grace and purposes in our lives.
This First Sunday will vary as Holy Spirit directs. It can possibly be either be a “family centered” opportunity to get together at a park, an outreach partnering with vested ministries or as in this case, a Zoom meeting in which we take a deep dive into the scriptures. We will also occasionally have a “special speaker” to share such as Don Potter, LA Marzulli, Dr Betsy Eads just to name a few,
The words ‘PUSH’ and ‘FOCUS’ surrounded me again strongly, and the story of Elijah crying out for rain began to resound strongly in my heart. I was led to 1 Kings 18:42 where Scripture says that Elijah bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees and sent his servant to check for rain — seven times — until finally on the seventh time, the cloud a size of a man’s hand began to rise up out of the sea.
What also struck me was this surrender was SO deep, it was so deep and costly. It was a sound of humility and love for Jesus that was so LOUD in the spirit. The Lord whispered to me, ‘Look where it is happening.’ When I looked closer the ‘knowing’ came to me what the Lord was trying to say. It was happening in the ‘hidden place.’ It was happening in a place before the Lord where it was an offering being given to Jesus that was not being heralded from the rooftops. It was happening in the most beautiful place of intimacy before the Lord. It was happening in such a deep place where it was truly their deepest desire to give Him everything out of burning adoration and LOVE for Him.
I had an encounter with the Lord and I heard the Lord speak quite strongly and He said “REMNANT, REMEMBER”. When He spoke those words in a moment I was flooded with revelation of the Lord’s heart for the remnant right now. He spoke strongly and in the tone and strength of His voice I knew clarity was being again, empowerment was being released again, deliverance was happening, healing was happening, activation and igniting was happening.
Jesus is the“Prince of Peace”! He promised us one thing while we walk out our earthly sojourn. He promised us that we would have tribulation, John 16:33 (ESV)
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Cheryl and I want to wish all of you a wonderful “Thanksgiving”! We have so much to b thankful for. We are thankful for family and friends such as the ones we have at Cornerstone! The last few years have been the most difficult years in our lives and ministry. However, God has been so faithful to us and the words of encouragement through all of you have kept us going. I truly believe that the best is yet to come.
Shaking can be disconcerting, especially when only a remnant remains. Don’t allow this shaking to discourage you but hold on to Jesus and one another as this shaking continues. Ministry that is built on giftings and anointings will not last. The only ministries that endure through this shaking will be based on love. Love for Jesus first, then love for one another. If you just love one another without loving Jesus first, your ministry and relationships will become incestuous as you try to draw from each other which you should only draw from the Lord. This is why much of the church is being sucked into the LGBT lie. We think God is only love. However, true love rests on His holiness and purity. Impure love lacks the fear of the Lord as its foundation. Love based upon the fear of the Lord is they only solution for purity in ministry. King Solomon said this in Proverbs 9:10 (ESV)
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
