Monthly Archives: February 2013

In case anyone’s puzzled or got questions…

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Readers and visitors to this blog who aren’t Christians probably have questions about the previous post’s references to a spiritual enemy. Some explanation, therefore, would be helpful for those unfamiliar with the Holy Bible, or Christian doctrine. And, in fact, the good Lord already had that in hand for you!  Some timely basic doctrine behind the last post has ‘co-incidentally’ turned up.

So without further delay, I repost an email received today – Part 6 of Rick Joyner’s series on The Great Commission (Jesus’ parting instruction to His disciples, Matt 28).:

RJoyners WftW_eNL_T_1

THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

As we have been covering, “all authority in heaven and earth” has been given to Jesus, but He has not taken that authority over the earth yet. His kingdom is going to come, and His will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven. All of heaven lives under the domain of the King. Only Satan and the angels who followed him have rebelled from the heavenly realm and were cast down to the earth when mankind rebelled against God. Now the only rebellion against God in all of creation, the physical or spiritual realms, is found on planet earth.

John wrote that the whole earth lies in the power of the evil one. It does presently lie in his power, but as we are told in Psalms, the earth and all it contains belongs to the Lord. The authority over everything in heaven and earth is under the Lord’s domain, but He has not yet taken His authority over the earth. He could have taken dominion over the earth immediately after His resurrection, but He did not for our sakes. He left it under the domain of evil for a time for one reason—to find those who loved Him and His truth even more than they loved their own lives. They will prove this by living for Him and obeying Him against the opposition of virtually all who are on the earth and hell’s minions as well.

The Lord is all-powerful. He could dispatch of the devil and all of his demonic hordes with the flick of His finger. The Lord could have cast Satan and his hosts into the lake of fire immediately after His resurrection. He had redeemed mankind, and the earth, and it was His to take. He left it as it was for another purpose—He is seeking a bride to rule and reign with Him.

Jesus is called “the last Adam” in I Corinthians 15:45. There was a legal reason for this. The first Adam had been given dominion over the earth. When Adam succumbed to the temptation and chose to obey the evil one instead of God, Satan was able to exert his power over the earth, and we become the slaves of the one we obey. We are told in Romans 6:16:

Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

When man fell, all that was under his dominion fell with him, and the earth became the domain of the devil. It was a usurped domain, but this gave the evil one power over the whole earth. The reason why Jesus had to come as a man to redeem the earth was because authority over the earth was given to mankind. This is why Jesus always referred to Himself as “the Son of Man.” Only a man who walked in perfect obedience to the Lord could redeem the earth from the consequences of man’s disobedience. Jesus perfectly fulfilled this and took back the authority over the earth that had been lost by the first Adam.

We can have authority over something and not possess it yet. We could be given a car, the title could be put in our name, and it is at the dealer waiting for us to pick it up. However, until we pick it up, it is not in our possession even though it belongs to us. The title to the earth was put in Jesus’ name immediately after the cross. He just has not come to claim His possession yet in order to allow the conditions on the earth to help prepare His bride, the church, to rule with Him.

The bride of the first Adam lived in the most perfect conditions yet chose to disobey. The bride of the last Adam, Christ, will have lived in the most difficult conditions, and against the onslaught of all the powers of darkness, she will chose to obey. No other creation of God will have endured what she will have endured, and yet she will be faithful. This will be a witness to even the principalities and powers that their time is up over the earth. Even the angels will marvel at her and consider her worthy to be their judges. She will be a worthy bride and joint heir for the Son of God.

God does not tempt us with evil, but as stated in Jeremiah 20:12 and other places, He does allow us to be tested. A test is different from a temptation, though a temptation can be a test just as it was for Adam and Eve. We are tested by the Lord to help us grow and to qualify us for advancement, just as we took tests in school to see if we could be promoted to the next grade. Advancement in the Lord includes more authority. (RB’s emphasis)

As Francis Frangipane likes to say, “You never fail one of God’s tests; you just keep taking them until you pass.” That is basically true. Israel kept going in circles for forty years in the wilderness because they could not pass certain tests that were required before they could enter their Promised Land. Many Christians do the same thing and keep going in circles in their spiritual life because they keep failing the same tests. It is now time to pass the tests and go on to possess our Promised Land.

Links:

“Having an enemy is a fundamental requirement” – Dr Sharon Stone

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Lionheart – Richard Coeur de Lion!  The above image spoke about my boyhood hero as soon as I espied it.  Alone, it lay amidst paintings by James Nesbit at Dr Sharon Stone’s Mentoring Day last weekend.  Whilst sipping a quick coffee after arrival, I saw the vendor getting her goods ready. “It’s mine!” I exclaimed and explained why.  The meeting was just about to start and so the lady kindly put it aside for me.

This painting complemented several personal impressions and words over the last few years, as well as more recent words brought by prophetical folk (eg. my remarks about HMS Warrior here). But little did I know how it would plug straight into what Sharon was going to say, and into a few things recently happening as well as some destined for the following week!  (See previous two postings and comments.)

Below are my notes, hastily scribbled in keeping up with Sharon as she delivered her message entitled.:

Having an enemy is a fundamental requirement!

Rev Dr Sharon Stone, Senior Minister Christian International Europe; courtesy CIEThis season suits God’s prophetic people better than any I’ve known, because we were made for seasons of conflict when people need to hear us and what God is saying. That is, it’s not so much a time for the ministries of apostle, pastor, teacher, evangelist as it is for the prophet.

More than at any other period, we now need to be on time with prophetic words.

Critics say spiritual warfare is no longer required as we can function from a position of  ‘rest’.  That’s deceptive because our use of weapons needs to be updated from ‘hand-to-hand’ to our enforcing Jesus’ victory by means of decrees from the ‘heavenly courts’. Our enemy – ‘that worm’ – is to be kept underfoot!

We’re at a new level of time. One where we become warriors and overcomers.  So having an enemy is a fundamental requirement to achieving that goal !!

  • We can’t find and move into our destiny without having and overcoming an enemy. King David’s enemy Goliath defined him.
  • God changed his life as a result of killing that giant. Shepherd boy David moved from obscurity into notoriety as a national hero.
  • God’s ‘suddenlies’ do occur but we need to deal with our personal giant and not live under its shadow.
  • God promotes us when we deal with giants.
  • We never go back to the same defeated giant!

The spiritual enemy signals the part of our life (eg family/generational issues) in which he’s afraid of us because, were we single-minded in it, he would be overcome. That is,  issues are not our weakness but our unrecognised strength – we just need to keep up  the  m o m e n t u m!

The present season is going to show who are heroes and who are cowards!

THIS SEASON IS WHEN THE WORLD AND CHURCH WILL SEE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN AS OUR FAITH GOES ON TRIAL – AND GOD IS WATCHING HOW WE RESPOND AND STAND.

  • He wants us to be vulnerable to Him and to being inspected by Him.
  • It’s our faith that refines us by fire and aligns us to our destiny.
  • All we have to do in this season is to be strong and courageous and to learn as we progress –

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” [Josh 1:9]

[I’d already referred to the early verses in Joshua, which are highlighted in my Bible because they led into the personal prophetic words received in 1996 – as here]

THIS IS THE SEASON FOR THE CHURCH TO BE DEMONSTRATED IN THE WORLD LIKE IT’S NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!

In what we’re not, in all aspects of being a warrior, then we are to be fearless because Jesus Christ is in us and fulfills all that we need; as in 1John 4:4

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.  5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Also, ‘for a great effective door has been opened but there are many adversaries’ (1Cor 16:9).

Whenever an enemy pops up this signals that we’re moving from one season to another through a ‘new door’.  [Note: the ‘open door’ again!]

Footnotes:

Waiting upon the Lord a few weeks ago I had a vision of the huge dark green side of a mountain bursting up through the ground in front of me and close to my feet. I believe this may indicate the time has arrived for the manifestation of an open vision I had for the UK.  That first vision meant that, as society fell apart, the solid rock that is Jesus Christ would appear (see Comments upon collapse of society). Hence, the imperative need for believers to take a stand upon The Rock.

Readers may wish to read > In case anyone’s puzzled or got questions…

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Detail from Eagle-eyed, John Mark Long: propheticartists.comAndy, I’m absolutely stunned by your including this particular illustration of armour with the word from Bobby. I printed a copy from Bobby’s site last week but several events prevented my reblogging it. BUT at the start of the weekend I bought the only copy of this picture at a meeting! After that I heard Dr Sharon Stone deliver a message on dealing with our enemy!  My wife has now come into the room and her jaw dropped in amazement!  Clearly, the LORD has a most important encouragement and instruction for 2013 – and there’s this inspirational video!!

A visionary word for 2013: “I am tempering you…”

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Credit_ JesusIsComing_th-1Thank you to Tembisa at Jesus is Coming for this vision received by Susan O’Marra, and for this graphic. Swords and associated imagery of our Ephesians 6 armour (see below) have been coming to my attention of late. This account therefore gels with my spirit, so thank you Susan. Thus, I submit her ‘vision 1’ and the Lord’s word for careful weighing by fellow believers, and for waiting upon Him.:

On 01-01-2013, I awoke to a vision of a sword hovering in the air. It was being dipped into different things. The first thing it was dipped into was a vat of sand. The next was a container of wool. The third was a vessel of a silvery liquid. Over and over, the sword was dipped into each thing, one at a time, and repeated many times in it’s circuit of sand, wool, and oil. Then the final thing was the sword was then placed within the folds of a beautiful garment that hung in the air nearby.

Then, the Lord spoke:

“I am tempering you.

“I am rendering you impervious to cracks, to fractures, to schisms, and to divisions.

“I am hardening you to temptations and to demonic assaults.

“I am making you inflexible to compromise and to mixture of any kind.

“I am making you rigidly righteous, and strong in your faith in Me, so that I can wield you fully.

“I am polishing the last of the smudges in your personality that mar My image from being fully seen.

“I want you to gleam with Me in a new sensitivity and reveal a brighter countenance of Me.

“I am enfolding you into each other, My Robe, My Church, and I am adding into your layers a new corporate strength.

“I have tempered you each individually, now I will form you corporately into a formidable weapon for Me.

“This is the Year 2013, when I will form, I will assemble anew, and bring My End Time Army into full battle view.”

Scriptures:

Exodus 30:34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: 35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: 36 And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.

1 Corinthians 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

1 Corinthians 12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. 25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

2 Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

1 Peter 5:8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 9 Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset–rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.

Ephesians 6:16 Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God. 18 Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

Susan O’Marra 01-01-2013

http://www.intheimageofhisglory.com/

What’s it like to witness a miracle?

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Thank you to Chris for emailing a copy of the following from Daniel Kolenda, on behalf of Christ For All Nations. Here’s what evangelist Daniel wrote at the close of last week’s mission in the Ivory Coast.:

“It’s not often that I find myself without words, but right now I’m really not sure what to say. I’ve never seen anything before quite like what we experienced tonight.

“Often, when a sick person gets healed, it causes a great commotion in the immediate area surrounding that person. When those standing close to the miracle watch it happen right before their eyes, it has a profound impact on them. They often begin to shout, scream, cry, jump, dance etc. and we can usually hear and see from the platform that a miracle has taken place out in the crowd. We’ve actually become quite accustomed to this phenomenon over the years as it regularly happens after the prayer for the sick.  But tonight was something altogether different…

“Before I had even gotten up to preach (during the boring announcements), this started happening all over the field a scale that is hard to describe. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as we watched wheelchairs, crutches and walkers going into the air EVERYWHERE! One after another after another after another until the excitement among the crowd of 250,000 rose to fever pitch (even now it’s emotional to recall what happened). The roar of the crowd kept growing louder and louder until those of us on the platform looked at each other with shock and awe! It was hard to believe what was happening!

“The blind, the deaf, the mute, the lame and those with all manner of sickness and disease were being spontaneously healed – without a single prayer being said and even before the Gospel was preached. It reminded me of something Evangelist Bonnke has often said, “Sometimes the Holy Spirit cannot wait for we preachers to finish our boring sermons – He itches to do great things!”…” (Click to continue reading Daniel’s   report and videos.)

Fantastic!  Praise You Lord. I love the bit about ‘boring announcements’ because I’ve always been unhappy with that approach to ‘mundane matters’ – in my opinion that’s a mistaken notion. Great that Holy Spirit came and took charge!

As the Lord is present where two or more are gathered then any event is something to look forward to and not regarded as boring business. It can be considered as the art of ‘Practising the Presence’, as in the works of the Carmelite cook, Brother Lawrence.

To return to Daniel’s comments; yes it is so exciting to witness something as astounding as a miracle happening before your very eyes!  Having seen many testimonies aired on  the TV and internet and being at events where some have occurred, miracles are such a marvellous example of ‘God in action’. (Read about and watch video clips on this blog at God Heals Today.)