It's a War but Not a Very Fair One - We Fight from a Place of Victory!

Friends, I wanted to share some new revelation that may not be new to some folks but it is new to me. Nevertheless, I believe it's important to get the living meaning of these two Scriptures especially for the days in which we live. In both instances, revelation came as someone else was praying. The Scriptures are:

John 10:10  - "The thief does not come but to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I [Jesus] come to give life and it more abundantly."

and ...

Philippians 4:13  - "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." 

Now, if you would hold onto and meditate on these two Scriptures, I believe God will use them to breathe new life, new fire, and a new sense of victory into you over all that you are facing. And although we are wrestling not against flesh and blood in this life but again the powers of the air, and against principalities, and rulers of darkness, know this: We "wrestle" from the place of victory. That is, we have already won. There really is no contest. What we need to wrap our minds, souls, and spirits around is the fact that Jesus is on His throne having finished His work and enabling us to continue and to finish ours. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places according to Ephesians 2. Here's some fire power for you from Ephesians 2:4-6:

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

As this word is percolating in me, I am so encouraged and I know this is a now word for many of you. Take it as yours and God will use it to strengthen you now and in the days to come.  If you never knew before, God is on your side, He is doing battle for you in the unseen realms. The victory has already been won. Accept it by faith and see the manifestation of this word.

1. The Revelation of John 10:10 From a Time of Intercessory Prayer

My fellow intercessors and I were in prayer and as usual the Lord was moving in the way He wants to. The meetings are never the same twice. This time, my friend was praying for, oh my, I don't quite remember but she is a "political" intercessor so it may have had something to do with government either Kingdom or natural. I do not recall exactly. But as she prayed a word came from the Word. Jesus was showing a new dimension of John 10:10 and it really is the crux of the entire Gospel message. It is this: Whatever the enemy does, God comes and destroy the his works. That is why Jesus came to earth, "to destroy the works of the devil." That is why we, His people, are still here to destroy the works of the evil one, plundering hell to populate heaven. 

Oh, yes, I remember now, my friend was praying and reporting about the droves of people coming to Christ in Iran during this ISIS and other such groups' reign (and rain) of terror. And the Lord rose up and said that just as in John 10:10, "the thief does not come but to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I [Jesus] come to give life and it more abundantly." It means that where the enemy has come and has stolen, has killed, and has destroyed, Jesus comes and brings resurrection life and replenishes with abundant life. Everything the enemy has done is reversed and God adds to it even more. Do you realize what that can do to a life knowing what the enemy has done that it only provides opportunity for God to show up and to show Himself strong? It's cause to rejoice, because if you are in Christ, as you keep looking up, you can only win, and you can only rise. You are in fact, moving "from glory to glory." (2 Corinthians 3:18.) 

The valley of the shadow of darkness was never a place to set up a habitation but it's a place of transition (Psalm 23). It is a place we go through and during this time He is right there with us. It is not a time to let fear take hold. His rod and staff are right there to guide and to give us and to give us the authority to overcome. The valley is also the place where we absolutely need and we do see the miracles of God. On the mountain top in His presence, we don't need miracles because He is right there with us, only in a different manner. We can say the "valley" is this world, where the mountain top, the place of glory is His place: wherever His presence is sought as the primary purpose for meeting.

Back to our John 10:10 focus where everything Jesus does, subverts what the enemy has done from the very beginning when man sinned in the Garden of Eden. Nothing has changed. Remember the Scripture in Ephesians 2, "even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..." 

There is nothing the enemy does to us that Christ cannot bring us back from. Jesus is the Divine Undoer of all that evil does or tries to do to us. 

The bottom line is, although we experience temporary setbacks ... 

WE ARE VICTORS EVERY TIME.


2. The Revelation of Philippians 4:13 From a Time of Prayer With a Senior Executive

While praying I saw that this person was able to carry large pieces of furniture on their back and shoulders. The particular piece of furniture that was the focus of the vision was a large wooden desk. And what the person was demonstrating was something they had learned from expert; that is holding the head in a particular manner allowing one to lift huge pieces with weights the average  human could not. During this vision, I remember the person wanted me to learn the same technique but I turned away and refused to look at any more because they were about to try lifting something even larger and heavier. I refused because I did not trust the technique and besides, why would I want to carry large pieces of furniture on my back and shoulders. That notwithstanding, there was something alluring about being able to do these feats of superhuman strength.

Then the Lord brought to mind that Scripture: Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." And this is what the Lord wants us to know. The head symbolizes intellectual power and intellectualism. And yes, man can accomplish as lot but he is still quite limited in that area given we only use a small percentage of our brains. It a bit controversial exactly how much that is. Nevertheless, the Lord is showing that in our own strength we can only handle one major thing at a time and eventually it will do us in. It has to. It will either be our work, hence the big desk, or whatever the major thing is in your life right now that you are doing in your own strength. And in this vision, the executive is carrying the desk on the shoulders and back, which is a tremendous strain no matter what it all looks like at the time. That means the work is 

1. a burden - too heavy for the person operating in their normal strength
2. the master
3. all-encompassing*
4. robber of wholeness 
5. robber of peace
6. administers a dangerous amount of  pressure
7. is a subverter because you are under it as you carry it.
8. *you can do nothing else while carrying it whether personal or otherwise, meaning some tasks, things, and people will be left unattended. 

And I'm sure there is more.  

On the other hand, however, once a person makes the shift, not operating in their intellectual power and the strength of the soul, but in the Spirit in submission to God, that person can do all things in Christ Jesus. That means he or she is no longer limited to one main focus but as they flow in the Spirit directed by the Lord, they can do multiple tasks of equal weight or importance. But the key is what they do will be fruitful since without Him what they do is not - at least in His eyes.  In the Spirit we are limitless, in the natural, we are limited to our natural abilities even when they are admirably superior to the abilities of others.

I am saying you may be incredibly gifted and extremely impressive but if you are not submitted to God, operating in His Spirit, you are very limited in what you can accomplish compared to what you can accomplish in Him.

I don't know about you, but that really rocks my world. As a matter of fact, both of these revelations encourage me to seek God more. The first one causes me be focus on what God is doing even more because what the enemy meant for bad God invariably turns it around and uses it, turning it into good.  The second revelation is super encouraging because, although I seem to be working a lot of things at once, as long as it's in the Spirit directed by Him, I can handle it. The key is that it must not be motivated by my own intellect but by His Spirit.

We are not looking to do what we want asking God to bless it, we want to do what God is blessings. Not original but so very true.

God bless you all! I hope you are as super encouraged by this word as I am.

Shalom.

Submission Series: Part 2: Submission vs. Alignment: Why I'm Determined to Change my "Tune"

SUBMISSION, PART 1 RECAP

In the first installment in this "Submission" series, we looked at "Submission: A Surprising Key, now updated to "Submission: A Surprising Key to Peace, Power, Love, and Sound Mind." I shared about how submission to God brings peace and freedom from fear and the ability to operate in His power, love, and sound mind. We learned that, as a believer, submission to God means submitting to an all-powerful and all knowing, all seeing perfect Father Who is Himself, Love. The corollary is that not submitting to His love opens us up to bondage to a spirit of fear which wreaks havoc on our lives. 

SUBMISSION, PART 2 - SUBMISSION VS. ALIGNMENT

This will be a somewhat shorter post but I believe a very important one. This post also deals with the issue of SUBMISSION, albeit a subsequent point than submitting to God in the first place. Here I will deal with a term I tend to use with greater and greater frequency. However, I am determined to change my tune and to say the word submission instead of one that is not synonymous but used as if it were. That word that is a very popular term in contemporary Christianity is ALIGNMENT. This is, admittedly a term I use quite often in terms of alignment with God's plan for our lives. Another word that is used is the word AGREEMENT. Now two of these three words are found in the Bible: Submission and Agreement. Alignment is not. What's the big deal you ask? I believe there is a significant difference and that we need to get back to the Biblical term and meaning lest we lose the effectiveness of Submission. I intend to change my tune, perhaps you might, too.

This post is about differentiating between the terms submission, which is not very popular in today's environment or culture, and alignment, which is much more palatable in our culture today. However, nowhere in Scripture do I see anything about aligning with God, either explicitly or implicitly. Always, there is the sense of submitting to God's will because He is the superior force, He lovingly points us in the right direction, obedience leads to blessing, and disobedience leads to very bad circumstances, whether or not you are comfortable with the term curses. To disobey God, takes us out of the covenantal relationship of GRACE and places us back under the LAW and its impossible standards. It may not happen the first time, but habitually disobeying God is a sign of not wanting Him as Lord and Savior so that His protective hand recedes from our lives in greater measure leaving us as targets for the enemy of our souls.

I believe when we veer away from biblical standards and terminology we lose something in the meaning as well as the force and power of the words. Obviously, this does not apply to everything but when a word like "submission" has been replaced with "alignment" as different as those meanings are, we begin to lose sight of what God means to convey and therefore, the true effect of the word.

THE WORDS & THEIR MEANINGS

Let's take a look of the meanings of these three words: Submission, Agreement, and Alignment. We will then focus specifically on "Submission vs. Alignment."

1. Submission means, "yielding to a superior force". 

God is clearly the Superior Force. He does not run His Kingdom by committee, although He allows us to partner in the work of the Kingdom, there is a reason we are called His children. We are not His equals, no matter how friendly we are with Him. Jesus was given all authority over everyone but the Father. We submit to God. 

James 4:7:"Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. In the home, the woman is to submit to her husband, but the husband is also to submit to the wife. He is, however, the leader in the home.

2. Agreement means, "harmony, accordance, [concurrence] in opinion or feeling."

Agreement signifies equal power to disagree or agree. Harmony carries with it a sense of equality. We are not equal to God in authority. He is King and Father. Where the Bible speaks of agreement, it is not agreement between man and God but man and man. 

Amos 3:3: "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed."  

Matthew 18:19: "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven."

3. Alignment means "arrangement in a straight line, or in correct or appropriate relative positions" or "a position of agreement or alliance". 

In other words, this alignment can be either lateral (side by side). Horizontal alignment implies that the parties are on equal footing, where is no indication of hierarchy. Alignment may also be vertical; however, this would add ambiguity to the term. Is it horizontal or vertical alignment? By simply using the word "alignment," we have no idea. That is unless you add the words vertical or horizontal and even then, there is no indication of submission. Only "submission," or a synonym, means submission. Therefore, the word, "submit" would work best if a hierarchy is being communicated. But notice that the word "alignment" can square with the word "agreement" more than it can with the word "submission." However, there is no indication of yielding to a superior force as alignment and agreement often signal equality.

MORE ABOUT SUBMISSION IN SCRIPTURE

Jesus' submission to God in the Garden of Gethsemane

Since Jesus is our Model, this bears repeating. The Lord clearly had a choice whether to go to the Cross and die for all of mankind to be redeemed to God. He was determined to remain submitted to God even to death, when "He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39). As One under authority, He deferred to the will of the Father. Jesus, God incarnate, submitted to His Father. It was not about alignment but submission; He was under the authority of the One Who had sent Him. The Gospels are particularly full of Scriptures where He is referring to His Father as the One who sent Him, Who gave Him authority, and Who He sought to please at all times. We must never forget that while Jesus was engaged in His earthly ministry, He did not equate Himself with God but submitted Himself under the rule of His Father. In that way, He showed us how to do submit to God's rule.

The Centurion and Jesus reaction to his discernment

Matthew 8:9 - "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Here, the Roman centurion recognizes that Jesus does nothing of His own will but in submission to God in everything. Jesus was amazed at this man's understanding of the Kingdom. To be under authority is to be in submission.

Paul on submission

Ephesians 5:22: "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." (And also in Colossians 3:18.)

This is self-explanatory with the understanding that the husband is himself submitted to the Lord. So think of God's umbrella of protection and covering over the husband, while the husband is the umbrella of protection and covering over the wife.

Romans 10:1-4: "Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. ² For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. ³ For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. ⁴ For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."

Here, Paul was referring to Israel and their zeal for God without actual knowledge of God because they were not submitted to Him but their own idea of righteousness. No doubt Paul was referring to the adherence to Moses' law when Christ the fulfillment of the Law had come. Change had come, the Deliverer they yearned for from the very beginning had been sent by God but they failed to recognize Him. Instead, most of them dug their heels into their status quo, refusing to bend to the One they claimed to serve . 

Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject [submitted] to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

 God supports social order and governmental authority. It is difficult for some that even bad leaders are subject to, whether or not they realize it, and that God appoints them for reasons He alone completely understand. But if we hearken back to rulers like King Saul, the people asked for a human ruler instead of God, and so they were given one. Saul was not a submissive King but he was placed in his position by God. David, on the other hand was submitted to God, in spite of his failings. He was a man after God's heart. 

A very important caveat to submitting to man's rule: 
Laws from any government, which are in derogation of  God's laws are not be obeyed. It is better to offend man than to offend God.

Peter on Submission

1 Peter 2:13-17: "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme or ¹⁴ to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—¹⁶ as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bond servants of God.¹⁷ Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king."

Like Paul, Peter also weighed in on submission to the ruling authorities in honor of God, who rules all. But this passage is laden with practical advice for success as a good citizen. 

1 Peter 5:5: "Likewise you younger people,submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Here Peter addresses the young, offering counsel about submitting to elders, as well as to one another. Can you imagine what this world would be like if we really did this. 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love would be a breeze as we would not be seeking our own, we'd be kinder and more other-centered. Such richness here in the Scriptures. But when we think about it, the Lord Jesus Christ operated in the ultimate humility be laying down his glory in heaven to put on human flesh to live among us. However, the best reason, albeit a bit self-serving, is that God is not with the proud, He resists the proud but to the humble gives His grace. 

So when we leave the original meaning and intent of God's Word, we lose the power and force of what He means to accomplish through it. By trying to whitewash and make biblical concepts more palatable we have lost the power of what God is saying. There is a reason He uses the word submit. It's a hard one and everyone loves their independence, especially in America. But it's always better to go with God says over what makes us feel good. 

In the Old Testament, you certainly did not see anything about alignment, neither the word nor the concept, and even in the New Testament, you would be hard pressed to see any need to "align" or even "agree" with God. Don't get me wrong. It's great to agree and align with God but it's not the principal thing. If we trust Him, we would submit, plain and simple. These two terms, agreement and alignment, are more for the sake of unity among us humans. God does not need agreement, although it's always better for all involved when we agree with Him. But we do best for ourselves and everyone involved to submit to Him. A life submitted to God and godly leaders is a life of peace and blessing, even if not the case externally, it certainly is the case internally. 

3 John 1:2 - Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

I am determined to change my tune and will be aiming to change my constant use of the word "alignment" with God's will to "submission" to God's will and His Word. God is not looking for alignment, because He does nothing by committee, as much as He is seeking those who will submit. Submission to God brings a life of blessings, defiance robs us of our peace with God and welcomes the influences of the evil one. Which would you prefer? 

Encouragement Series: DIVINE LEVELS OF STRENGTH AND FORTITUDE

I woke up these words in my spirit: STRENGTH AND FORTITUDE.  I believe this if for all of us, not just me. Here is what I believe it means, in these coming days, God is granting divine levels of STRENGTH and FORTITUDE to do things (and also NOT to do things.) That speaks new levels of EMPOWERMENT and SELF-CONTROL, RESTRAINT. These are equally important attributes of God's. But for His power to keep us, we'd all be in trouble constantly. But for His restraint we'd have no world and would not be even here. 

Think of the level of restraint it takes for God to see what's going on in the world today, violence in the open and mostly behind closed doors. And so much more. His restraint in dealing with the Children of Israel and His unbelieving and untrusting children in the Church today. But yet in His love He restrains Himself in MERCY towards His own and GRACE towards all, including those who have not chosen to be His children.

If we will seek Him while He can still be found, we will be able to exercise self-control to new levels. And this will have a direct result on EMPOWERMENT in other areas. This amounts to not responding with that great come-back in a discussion unless He releases us to do so. It also means being able to laugh and situations that would normally upset you. It also includes not defending self but trusting Him to do it. The Bible tells us Jesus was meek, which means He restrained Himself even when He had the power to act because the Father had not given permission to act. It's the reason He did not summon angels to get Him down off the Cross or done it Himself. Do you see the far-reaching implications of self-restraint. Perhaps that's why it's the last of the Spirit listed as it's the most challenging to develop and to walk in.

These need to come back into focus:  STRENGTH, FORTITUDE, SELF-CONTROL, RESTRAINT, MEEKNESS.

Galatians 5, especially vv. 13-26: Freedom in Christ- Walking by the Spirit

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one anotherhumbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want.18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The bottom line is MATURITY. God is growing us up. We must need it. That way we can all grow up into that one perfect man in Ephesians 4 where Paul talked about the Body growing in unity, using the gifts of the Spirit to edify.

Ephesians 4:11-16

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

 STRENGTH, FORTITUDE, SELF-CONTROL, RESTRAINT, MEEKNESS are truly marks of maturity in Christ and their source is LOVE.

Scripture  from:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gal+5&version=NIV

The Lion is Ready and Waiting

It's not every dream or vision that needs to be shared publicly. However, there are some that apply not only to me personally, but others within the Body of Christ as a whole, while still others apply to the entire Body of Christ. This is one that I believe is to be shared with the entire Body of Christ. Here goes.

VISION OF THE LION

Within the first few days of the year, I had a vision of a very strong male lion in his prime. He was standing at a distance from me but looking in my direction. He was standing on clouds as if it were solid ground. There were several attributes about this lion. He appeared to be in a very ready state. But He seemed to be waiting on something or someone. I knew this was God showing me that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah stands ready to return. He is waiting on us even as He is waiting for the Father's signal to return to earth, perhaps in a "Now go!" Or course, when that will be is the question of the ages. The Bible tells us that no one knows the day or hour of His return. The goal is to be always found ready. We also learn from the Biblical text that when the Gospel has reached all the areas of the world (so that no one has an excuse that they did not know), then the end will come. This means everyone would have had an opportunity to accept or reject Christ sacrificial gift of salvation. This means whatever way, God has chosen to communicate His truth to people and it is not always through another human being. We've heard stories of Jesus appearing to people in dreams, many times Muslims and other faiths or those of no faith. God doesn't want anyone to be lost.


The Bible tells us that Jesus will return to earth the same way in which He was taken up ... in the clouds. He is returning in the clouds. In the vision He is standing on the clouds as if it were solid ground. He is a muscular and strong lion almost low to the ground that His center of gravity is very low and He is unable to be moved or topple over. It is also very apparent that He is extremely agile. The gives meaning to "in the twinkling of an eye". The Lion can outrun all. So He is strong, mighty, fast, and ready to move at the Father's word. Also He seems to be at a distance but we are definitely within view of each other. He is close enough for me to see what God wants us to know.


ATTRIBUTES OF THE LION

1. The Lion is STRONG AND MIGHTY (His name is EL)

This is a mighty Lion. He is always victorious and always confident of victory.


2. The Lion is INTENTIONAL

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah's only plan is to do the Father's will and those who do the same are His family. 

In John 5:30 He says,

"I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."

John 6:39 He says:

"This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day."

3. The Lion is NOT FIERCE OR FEROCIOUS but MEEK and POWERFUL

The Lion is not fierce or appear as a predator. But He is clearly confident.


4. The Lion is CONFIDENT IN HIS AUTHORITY (Matthew 28:18)

He has no concern about competition because He has none. For instance, He is not worried about evil.

In Matthew 28:18, he says:

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore[c] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,　20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.[d]"

5. The Lion is QUICK (Revelation 22:20)

This lion has strong muscular legs with a low center of gravity ready to move at the the speed of a blink of the eye.

"He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"

 To the Loveless Church He says, in Revelation 2:5:

"5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

To the Compromising Church, He says in Revelation 2:16: 

16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

He is the Word according to John 1:1 and according to Hebrews 4:12, He is living, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. Now that's effective. In Revelation 22:20, He promises to come quickly. In 2 Peter 3:9 (see below), we learn that He is not slack concerning His promises.

6. The Lion is READY to come back FOR HIS BRIDE, THE CHURCH

The fact that the Lion appears as a Lion tells me several things. He is King, confident of His position, and not worried about competition (i.e. other gods).


7. The Lion is WAITING ON US

I found that the most significant part of this is that the Lion appears to be waiting on us. It's hard to imagine His return largely depends on us completing the Commission with which He left us. But there is a more current way in which He is waiting for us. He is waiting for each of us to "man our stations", take our place and begin engaging in the God-appointed activity to which He has called us then He will come in with a level of power as we have never seen. When I say power I am not just referring to might, but the power to do whatever our "station" requires. However, the fact that He appears as the kingly Lion means that He is coming in mighty power and He is coming as Mighty Victor.

This means that those who find themselves in Him with be empowered at a new level than before. He is ready, so we must ready ourselves by being whom He has called us to be doing what He has called us to do. He is looking to us to prepare the way. Therefore, all those with an Elijah and John the Baptist type anointing must take up the gauntlet and get moving. And if you are in hiding, it's time to come out of hiding.

We do our part and He is ready to come onto the scene to do His part. And He will come on the word "Go!" from the Father. From that moment everything as we know it ends.

I'd like to point out one thing and that is I am not sure if this is regarding the 2nd Coming of Christ literally or the empowerment for the last great awakening and harvest before the 2nd Coming. If anyone has any further revelation, please feel free to comment. Either way, we have our marching orders. I, for one, am paying attention. How about you? Get ready!

Check out this exciting letter from Peter! Woo hoo!

2 Peter 3 New King James Version (NKJV)

God’s Promise Is Not Slack

2 Peter 3

Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us,[a] the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?

For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that　then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth　which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,[b] not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  The Day of the Lord

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.[c] 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Be Steadfast

14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Submission Series: Part 1: A Surprising Key to Power, Love, and Sound Mind

Thankful for this morning's lesson from God. I am thankful for all of His lessons but this was a great one! It's so much better when first thing we do upon awakening is focus on God and engage with Him to learn our lesson(s) of the day. That's what I encountered this morning on the last day of January as we head into the second months of the year. This is a key that will help you as well as those over whom you have influence. 

If I could sum up my current ministry, something I've been thinking a lot about lately, I would say after my ministry to the Lord Himself, it is to the foreknown ("pre-saved") ones, the believing sick, the mature believer seeking to go deeper and further in Him, and finally to those who are seeking their purpose and destiny. In other words, my function is to help to equip the body of Christ by assisting them in removing the roadblocks to their own ministries.  That is a tremendous help to me because we all need to know the ones to whom we are called. But that can be another post for another day: "Know the Ones to Whom You are Called." However, we all have a calling to share our testimony with others about what God has done in our own lives. It's the Good News of the Gospel, which one can argue with. After all, the Gospel is 'Good News" not a good argument. But back to this post, it is definitely one of those posts that ministers to me and I hope ministers to you as well.

So today we are discussing the subject of ... the big "S" - SUBMISSION. That is, submission as we observe it in the life of Jesus Christ: This is a necessary posture to operating in the power of God. God taught me this lesson in the teachable way He usually does when He reveals kingdom matters. He has a way of breaking it down for me so that I can live it and pass it on to others who are ready and willing to hear and to do what the Ultimate Teacher, Holy Spirit, is teaching.

Today, He focused on a subject that I have never heard adequately taught, at least not in a way that makes me want to be first in line to do it. 

Submission is just not one of those things we get excited about, and I believe it's mostly because we do not truly understand it. I must admit I did not truly get it until the Lord revealed to me. Perhaps it's simply because I was not ready for the revelation before now. In the fullness of time He brought me to a place where I could not only understand submission and the need for it, but also the desire to walk it out.  

For me, submission has always been a bit nebulous. In all my years as a believer in as many churches as I've had the privilege to attend and participate, I can barely count on one hand, if any, the sermons I have heard on this subject of submission. At least, I have not heard it taught in a properly  balanced and God-focused way it should. Most churches where submission is "the main thing", it's usually about submitting to a larger-than-life pastor in an uncomfortably absolute, almost despotic way. In other words, not in a God-focused way. That is not what God meant as we observe the life of Jesus in submission to His Father. That submission was and is based on a love relationship that is itself absolute. With that said, I believe what the Lord shared with me this morning will help many who, like me, have struggled in this area but are willing to heed it the way God intends us to. This is really good!

So what did the Lord say in my spirit that stopped me in my tracks and made me take note that He really wanted me to get this. The statement went something like this.

"WITH SUBMISSION TO THE LORD COMES A PEACE THAT IS INCOMPARABLY AND INEXPLICABLY COMPLETE." 

In other words, once I submit to God, I have a peace that cannot be compared or explained as it is not of this world. The result is a state of completeness that cannot be achieved in any other way. That peace means: "I NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING EVER AGAIN. PERIOD."

Now before I delve deeper into that statement, when I say submission, I am not referring to the submission of a slave to a slave master, but as a child to an unconditionally perfectly loving Father. If, for example, I know my Dad loves me and cares for me in every way, I have absolute TRUST in Him. Add to that, my Dad is the most powerful Being in the universe. As a matter of fact, my Dad created the universe. I know that with my Dad I have ABSOLUTE SECURITY. Nothing can harm me without my Dad knowing and acting upon it. Add to that again, my Dad owns everything, I know that I don't have to worry about being in want of anything because I know in Him I have absolute PROVISION. 

Of course, I am not ignoring that there is evil in the world or that there are in fact needs all around us. I know there are. The key is that I know there is no need to "worry" about these things but to trust that it will not last forever. How about the fact, that I am never out of my Dad's sight; He is always with me. This way I now that I never have to FEAR anyone or anything. Are you getting happy yet?

Now in the scenario above, I am referring to those who have accepted Jesus and have allowed Him to not only be their savior but also their Lord. This is the only way that God becomes our Father, just as He is Jesus Father. Those who are not yet and have not yet heard this great news, called the Gospel, this is how you can become a child of God based on Jesus sacrificial death on the Cross. Jesus made way for us to be adopted into the family of God. That is where, those who have accepted His sacrificial gift to become sons of daughters of God can play a role guided by His Spirit, in His plan for the world - it's called the plan of salvation. The plan of salvation is simply the plan of how God chose to get His family back from the Fall in Garden of Eden that brought an eternal separation between  Him and all of mankind.

This not just good news; it's the best news. As a believing Christ-follower, our Dad is all-powerful and all-loving. There is no army strong enough, no earthly king or ruler powerful enough, and no force mighty or wise enough to overpower or outmaneuver Him. HE IS KING OVER ALL. And if you do not know Him yet as Father, today is your day, if you would submit to this PERFECT ALL-POWERFUL LOVING FATHER.  And if He is not your Dad yet, what are you waiting for, more reasons? Well hold on; we are about to explore more about submission to God, so stay with me to the end. I am trying you save you years of very hard lessons.

Remember the statement that began the lesson from the Lord, "WITH SUBMISSION TO THE LORD COMES A PEACE THAT IS INCOMPARABLY AND INEXPLICABLY COMPLETE." That means there is a supernatural peace that comes with submitting to God. Therefore, if you are experiencing a lack of peace or any kind of persistent anxiety (we all have our moments), then you need to check your level of submission to God in the particular area where you are lacking peace. Again, the submission can be in a particular area in your life, or more if you have never trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior. Perhaps it's not in everything and some other areas are submitted to God, but in others, you are in a state of worry, or perhaps even panic. I pray by the end of this post, you have a revelation of God's love and desire to bring deliverance and complete freedom to those who submit to Him in everything. 

So, I encourage you to take a moment to take stock and check yourself. Is that particular area of worry submitted to God? Are you? Most likely it's not or there is a disconnect somewhere. God is faithful to reveal our areas of need as we humble ourselves and come to Him as our loving Father. Jesus paid the price for us to be able to do so. But this is not condemnation, this is where freedom and deliverance can come in. Let me break it down as the Holy Spirit broke it down to me.

Here is the progression for better, to those who are not but are seeking to do so, or worse, for those who are not and do not intend to do so. SUBMISSION IS AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY TO EVERYTHING ABOUT LIVING A PEACEFUL AND SUCCESSFUL LIFE ACCORDING TO GOD"S STANDARDS. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE A PROPER VIEW OF THE WORLD, AND YOUR LIFE WITHOUT THIS ABSOLUTE NECESSITY. FURTHER, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SUBMIT TO HUMAN LEADERS WITHOUT PROPER SUBMISSION TO GOD. That's for me, right there. I sensed the Holy Spirit was pointing to me on that one. Thank God, He does not give up on us when others do. 

THE CRUX OF THE ISSUE

Here is the crux of this post and this issue for the purposes of this post: SUBMISSION AFFECTS YOUR LEVEL OF PEACE, YOUR LEVEL OF PEACE DIRECTLY AFFECTS YOUR HUMAN SPIRIT, SOUL, AND PHYSICAL BODY. WHERE THERE IS A LACK OF PEACE, THERE IS A LEVEL OF FEAR, AND SOON AFTER, A SPIRIT OF FEAR. WHERE THERE IS A SPIRIT OF FEAR, POWER, LOVE, AND SOUND MIND ARE AT GRAVE RISK. 

How do I know this? The Bible diagnoses these conditions: "FOR GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT A FEAR, BUT [A SPIRIT] OF POWER AND [A SPIRIT OF] LOVE, AND OF A [SPIRIT OF A] SOUND MIND." 2 Timothy 1:7. [Information in brackets added as implied by word "of"]. We will take all of those areas separately in their relation to 'submission'. 

Submission and Power

The Scripture above tells me that a lack of submission first affects the power of God in our lives to live for Him in being who He has called us to be, power to be His son or daughter and in total alignment with Him. But that's the power in our own lives. Then there is the power to represent the Kingdom into the life of others, bringing healing to the sick, and liberty to the captive as mandated in Luke 9:2; Matthew 10:8; Luke 10:9, and others. Yes, power is important to demonstrate God's work in our lives and in the lives of others. Without His power, we cannot do anything of Kingdom consequence,

Submission and Love

Submission brings us peace, and subsequently our freedom from fear, which then affects the level of love in effect in our lives. The power to receive His love, as we submit to God, casts out all fear (1 John 4:18), and power to give His love to others. In addition, True love is never something that starts with us. To truly love is to know God's love and to let Him love others through us. Everything else is simply attraction, hence the rate of divorce when that attraction wears off and there is no longer a motivation to remain together. In addition, "love will covers a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8. And here Peter referred to a "fervent love" not a passionless one. 

What does this LOVE look like? According to 1 Corinthians 13: 
"LOVE is patient...
kind..
does not envy...
does not parade itself...
is not puffed up...
does not behave rudely...
does not seek its own...
is not provoked...
thinks no evil...
does not rejoice in iniquity...
but rejoices in truth...
bears all things...
believes all things...
hopes all things...
endures all things...
[AND]

.. LOVE NEVER FAILS."

Now that's a very tall order. But what if you were to replace the word "love" for God who came to earth in the form of Jesus, Holy Spirit Who is here with us now to lead us into all truth in Jesus. WE SEE THAT GOD'S LOVE HAS ALL OF THESE ATTRIBUTES AND ONLY IN CHRIST CAN WE EVER LOVE THIS WAY. WITHOUT HIM, THIS KIND OF LOVE IS IMPOSSIBLE. 

Again we are a discussing a spirit of fear that comes from a lack of submission to God.

Submission and Sound Mind

As if that weren't enough, there is the state of the human mind in relation and in response to submission to God. The lack of peace, meaning there is some level of fear in the life, will end up affecting the soundness of the mind. That's what the Scripture says. And I do believe it's a progression. First the spirit of fear affects the power, then the love, then the mind....leading to a level of insanity. That means a sound mind believes in God, trusts in God, and has faith in God. I am not referring to our momentary lapses of faith; I mean the persistent rejection of God will lead to a level of insanity because there will be no true peace. That's what the word of God demonstrate. For example, there once was a king named Nebuchadnezzar, who lifted up himself in pride against God and literally went insane. Yet after 7 years living like an animal in the wilderness he acknowledged that God was supreme and submitted to Him. It was then that he regained his sanity and his kingdom. See the account in Daniel 4, especially vv. 28-37.

"Sound mind", or sanity, is the third attribute affected by the choice of whether or not to submit to God. Yes, I believe many forms of insanity, even some types of dementia, can be traced to a defiance, lack of submission to, or faith in, God. Not always, but perhaps more often than we think insanity issues stem from rejecting God or His ways. Insanity robs a person of their independence and dignity. On the contrary, a sound mind, and one in alignment with God, can lead those who submit to Him to living a tremendously victorious life. An unsound mind ranges in its levels of 'insanity." Actually, some forms of "insanity" are quite acceptable in society, especially the ones supposedly treated with medication. We see it all the time in movies and being played out in society, people living their lives and making decisions based on fear. Left unchecked, fear can lead to serious mental instability.

With all of the above said, the more important reason to submit to God is not only peace with God but to know who we are and why He has placed us hear. That is the main purpose of this blog as we are learning to Walking in Fulfillment of our destinies.

SUMMING IT UP

So let's see where we are in our discussion. God tells us that submitting to Him gives us victory over the devil when He says, "SUBMIT TO GOD, RESIST THE DEVIL, AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU."  James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:4. Many times, we have seen and heard this James 4:7 Scripture quoted without the first part. However, WITHOUT THE FIRST PART (SUBMIT TO GOD), THE SECOND PART (RESIST THE DEVIL) IS IMPOSSIBLE.  God does not give us that spirit of fear, but the devil does. However, in submitting to God and resisting Satan, the evil one cannot hang around long enough to put a spirit of fear, or anything else, on us. 

Do you see how this works circularly? And we know that anything Satan gives is designed to "steal...kill...and destroy..." John 10:10. But whatever we receive from the Lord is designed to "give us life...and it more abundantly." (also John 10:10). By the way, this and all these Scriptures are great ones on which to meditate and memorized for internal transformation and for those challenging times when embroiled in a battle. So submitting to God is not just a luxury for the super spiritual, it is absolutely necessary for all who identify themselves as believers in Jesus Christ.

Also important to memorize, meditate upon, and walk out in challenging times of being at war with a spirit of fear is 2 Corinthians 10:3-5:

"For though we walk in the flesh we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."

Let's remember that "God is love" (1 John 4:16). There is "no fear in love". (1 John 4:18). Submitting to God is submitting to Love. Once we submit to God in trust and faith that His desire is to cherish, love, protect, bless, and prosper us, submitting to Him is not so hard after all. Resting in that brings a divine peace over our lives that gives us a firm foundation that nothing can shake.  We can then walk in the power, love, and sound mind that comes with submission and peace with God. 

My friend and fellow journeyman, I have brought the word of the Lord in as convincing a way I know how, and perhaps at times the Holy Spirit has convicted you with this message of submission to God that the Lord taught me (yesterday morning). Although we should not have faith in  other human beings, our faith in God is well founded because He is worthy of our total and complete trust. He is worthy of our love and adoration because Who else would sacrifice a part of Himself, namely His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ for imperfect beings like us? Only a God of love. In Him we may place all of our faith, love and trust. In submitting to Him with all of the benefits, present and eternal, we can have peace so that we can say in earnest: "It is well with my soul."

I leave you with this powerful Scripture: 1 John 4:16-18 (Please read entire chapter, especially from v. 7)

"And we have know and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in Him. 

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not be made perfect in love." 

May God bless you with His everlasting gift of love and favor to advance His will and His Kingdom in the earth. This is the heritage of His saved sons of daughters.  

Note: If this post has been used to help you in the area of submission in any way, please post a comment. Thank you.