by admin | Aug 18, 2008 | Jesus Talk, Kingdom Comments, Relationship Not Religion!
A well known leader was shot down in Lakeland, Florida. Not physically shot but in a way that has brought bitterness in the minds of some individuals, and raised doubt to some of what the Lord has awesomely done in the last few months.
In the midst of a great outpouring of God’s mercy and grace; in the midst of personal renewal for hundreds, and personal salvation for many more; in the midst of supernatural healing accounts being medically documented and reported, the man who had the heart and courage to initiate the event with great trust in God, was shot down by the enemy of mankind to bring an end to an international move of God.
That man is Todd Bentley, who is alive, but far from well. And, those of us who love and care for him as a brother in Christ have rushed the ambulances of prayer to him and his family. I do not know him personally but know of his work and his dedication to Jesus Christ. I have heard him preach and teach and have been touched by his enthusiasm and loyalty to Jesus, as the Lord confirmed His word with signs following, at my home church. (Mark 16:20)
I do not know what he has done, nor do I care. But, for the Grace of God it could be any one of us. What ever it is I can forgive and pray for his restoration (John 20:23) as I know God has forgiven me; God is no respecter of person.
As for myself and anyone else who call themselves ‘Christian’, and are not overcome by ‘self-righteousness’; we do not follow men, but rather follow Jesus and love the men and women who preach about Him. And, we don’t shoot our wounded.
When this meeting started and flourished into an international move of God with people watching all over world by television and computer; with people being saved and healed hundreds and thousands of miles from Lakeland, this became an international event.
Someone very close to me said, “Watch and pray because the devil or his demons (the devil can’t be everywhere) will be at this revival just waiting for an opportunity to malign the integrity or attack the leaders. I am sad and grieved that the person was right.
I am so vulnerable when I am tired. I get cross at times, I want to ‘eat’ the wrong things, I sometimes do and say things I wish later I hadn’t done. I have to be answerable to my actions. Can you imagine pouring out everything in you for over one hundred days? Can you imagine hundreds of people looking to you to bring the Spirit of God into their lives because of the power they have witnessed, for days and weeks on end. Is that the reason Todd had a problem? Could be. May be the reason, but there is no excuse….Todd must be accountable.
Of course the power of God is from God….duh….however, it comes through men and women who have given themselves to hours of fasting, prayer, study and intimacy in personal relationship. In this case, Todd Bentley. But, Todd isn’t Jesus, he is just a man and a prime target for the devil. Is Todd responsible? Of course! But how naive to think an evil spirit did not move with power and influence to wound this man of God, trying to take others down with him, when he was tired and his defenses were down.
Jesus said, “The thief comes to kill, rob and destroy.” (John 10:10) What part of that do we not understand? And since Abraham, Moses, David, and Peter (to mention a few) all committed crimes against the Goodness of God–why are we surprised about men such as Todd? Some of us are grieving that we did not pray more for him and the ministry, asking God for supernatural protection and Angelic warfare on his behalf.
In our defense I think we look at our leaders and assume because they are leaders, they don’t need our prayer. WOW! That is so wrong….they need it even more.
The Bible calls the devil a tempter, prince of the power of the air, ruler of this world, father of lies, murderer from the beginning, the destroyer, accuser of the brethren. That covers it pretty well! (Matt 4:1,3; Eph 2:2; John 8:44, 10:10, 12:31, 14:30; I Cor 10:10; Ex 12:23; 2 Cor 2:10; 4:4, 11:13)
Are any of us safe then? Of course, with prayer and faith, we are safe in Jesus. Jesus said, “I give you power over the enemy, nothing by any means will harm you…..”; “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (the world system).” And, greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world. Will Todd be alright? I feel sure he will. (Luke 10:19; John 16:33; I John 4:4)
But will he ever live down this ‘fall’? Will the Christian community remember all the many years of service to God or the one failure? Will the Christian community use Todd to undermine the work of God that has been done?
Woe onto those who sit in judgment because Jesus said, “As you judge you will be judged.” For years I thought that meant if you judged others and then did the same thing you would be judged accordingly. Ah, NO, if you ‘judge’ (where you are not called to judge as a magistrate, teacher, parent, etc.) you will receive judgement for your judgment. (Matt 7:1) What a sobering thought that is!
Last night on the 60 Minutes TV show they has a segment on the hundreds of women being ‘raped’ by war-lords as a sign of power, and control. And we have hundreds of people sending emails, and u-tube messages about Todd Bentley. What’s wrong with this picture?
Hundreds have joined ‘the accuser of the brethen’ on the side of ‘right’ and to protect others from deception. Oh, get real, when asked, the Holy Spirit will do a good job of that. Wherein is the greater sin? A corporate move attributing the move of God to the devil because of one man’s weak point adding to the destruction–or the individual sin itself? My Bible notes tell me giving credit to the devil for the things of God is Apostasy.
We need to be outraged at the devil in his evil and praying and working for redemption of the fallen, and safety for the abused and wounded in Africa–all over the world–in our own back yard for that matter.
It seems to me that most of the church ignores the devil. How convenient for him. The world talks about the devil but has no power over him. The church has the power–those who know, I mean really know, who they are in Christ Jesus–to resist him, to wrestle against the powers of darkness together for the victory Jesus died to give us! (James 4:7; Eph 6:10-19)
Thank God, His book, the Bible says, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” and “The goodness of God brings men to repentance.” So let’s apply the mercy of God to the fallen, and take up the sword of the Spirit against evil. In and for the Name of Jesus! (James 2:13; Rom 2:4) Amen!!! As one of our hero’s said, “Let’s roll!”
by admin | Jul 16, 2008 | Kingdom Comments, Relationship Not Religion!
In January of this year I attended a Writer’s Conference, where I heard over and over that the book, The Shackis great. It was given grandiose ackolades all the way from entertaining, well-written to awesomely inspiring.
At the conference, my ‘poor pitiful’ side emerged and I did feel myself a tiny bit jealous of all those compliments. However, I bought the book. I put it on the bookshelf at home–oh well, I might read it some day–I was politically correct, I bought the book. Until a week ago. I heard about it from so many sources I was forced to read it, to find out what the fuss was all about–then couldn’t put it down.
I enjoyed the conference, learned a lot, spent a lot of time asking myself “why I didn’t do this and why I didn’t do that” in my own writing. I have never thought myself a literary genius or even a good writer. But, I do have a heart and passion to share the things of God with the whole world. And, when I put my relationship, my knowledge and/or experiences with Him, or that of others in a book, I know it is good. I am not looking for prizes or rewards, writing is its’ own reward! I sincerely want to improve; represent Him well; and write in a way that reaches the hearts of my readers to give them hope, help and faith.
I said all that to say this. “That is exactly what The Shack does!” It gives help, hope and faith in a way that I have never been able to do. The story draws you into the story line in such a way, that you are glued to the book and seduced to read each page–as you wipe away the tears, so that you can see to read the next page.
The Shack is a fiction book (I say ‘fiction’ but I have to snicker here because it contains more truth–in my opinion–than most non-fiction books covering the same subjects).
I was cautioned ahead of time that the beginning of the book is sad, and I am grateful for that warning. William Young reveals the details so well, you have to remind yourself it is a story, not to be caught up in the tragedy of it. The gripping, tense part of the book, builds the foundation for the rest of the story. Sissies like me might want to just ‘skim’ some of those details, and give full attention–repeated attention–to the rest of the book.
Someone said, “Everyone gets something different from The Shack.” I am sure that is true. For me, it confirmed what I already believe, with a new and fresh revelation of the character and nature of God. I gave my copy to a friend, who came to visit, before I finished the last two chapters. Went out the next day, bought two more copies, raced home and finished the book!
I am mailing the other copy to my son in Colorado. If the funds were available I would buy one and send it to everyone I know. Well, instead I am sending my wholehearted, enthusiastic endorsement and encouragement to everyone to purchase a copy, read it and feel the joy released in its’ pages.
For those who do not have access to a book store, you can go to www.theshackbook.com
All of life is wrapped up in what we believe about God. What is our purpose and how can we possibly relate to the Creator of the Universe. The Shackis a wonderful stepping stone to understanding God even in the face of the ultimate reality of His supremacy and majesty, sovereignty in all things!
I see the Family of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit as having many facets like beautiful cut jewels. They have so many glorious facets we can never count or see them all while playing in these earth suits. The Shack covers only a couple of these precious facets, but extremely important ones.
The book screams the question: Is God good, real, personal and intimate with His created children? Some find the answers unpalitable (according to some comments on the Internet). I am so grieved for those individuals and for God who has inspired so many to reveal His true character and nature, such as William Paul Young, author of The Shack.
Jesus invites us to answer the door as He knocks to come in and sup with us. (Rev 3:20) I am inviting all who want to dine on even more of His love and goodness, to read The Shack!
by admin | Jul 16, 2008 | Jesus Talk, Kingdom Comments, Politics, Relationship Not Religion!
Last night I had d desire to just ‘veg out’ with something pleasant on TV. As I surfed the channels I found the following:
- Paradise Hotel or Sex In The City! (WOW as a single woman, I don’t need that.)
- News reports of fires, floods, accidents, rape & murder. (Taxing my heart with sorrow for all the victims)
- A movie about a man who kills his friend because he thinks he murdered his daughter only to find out he was wrong. (That was inspiring, Ugh! Thank God I only saw the stupid end; my critics would tell me I just don’t appreciate the great acting job they did–no, I do not, if their message stinks.)
- Then those pitiful but necessary commercials for the suffering children in the world. (That just tear my heart out.)
- Well, I could just watch a simple mystery on Law and Order–wrong again–this one was about someone stealing eggs and sperm out of a lab, where they actually store live embryos as well, and the controversy about freezing or storing them. (Boy, I was already tired, fighting a little depression, I didn’t need that.)
- Oh, good, I found a TV magazine program about troubled children (that should have been a tip, but I continued to watch). It was about children with Tourette’s Syndrome. (I didn’t last too long with this one either; I have such strong spiritual conviction about these ‘syndromes,’ especially that one.
- I tried a 60 Minute program I had pre-recorded, only to watch three handsome young men talk about being gay in the military. And the controversy over “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” (The same ole’ question, how do we love people the way they are and trust God to change them?)
Finally, I turned off the TV and thanked God for my day and all that I have, food, home, clothes, loving dog, precious family, and lots of friends. And, actually went to sleep.
The devil’s agenda is to have people watch all this junk often enough so they become desensitized to the evil that is so evident everywhere. Or there is so much, we just mentally turn it off out of an overwhelming sense of despair. Which I did last night and turned to my Heavenly Father to bring a calm to my soul.
My Bible says where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (Rom 5:20); When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. (Isaiah 59:19) I believe that ‘standard’ is our prayers, as the Spirit of the Lord in us, moves us to action.
I hear all over the place that this is the end times. Maybe it is, however, Paul said it was the end times 2000 years ago….I sure am not going to rely or worry about that. Jesus asked if there would be faith on the earth when He returned….and somehow I don’t see that every where even though it is growing. Isn’t that a greater concern for us than spending time, energy or thought on whether we are in the ‘end times’?
One argument is that evil is everywhere, earth quakes, floods, etc. so it must be the end. Well, it was just as bad in Paul’s day. Christians were crucified and fed to lions. Israel was in bondage to other countries, and believers had to flee for the lives. Children were sacrificed to Molech, slavery abounded. Through the centuries we have had the same evils that we face now.
- Could any of us solve the problems I listed above?
- Can we solve even one of those problems totally?
- Can God solve those problems?
- What does He need to do that?…He is sovereign!
- Jesus is looking for prayer and faith so that He and the Holy Spirit can direct the warfare–you know–the standard that will overcome.
None of us can pray over all that is wrong; nor can any of us take action against everything. So we can choose to pray what touches our heart the most. That is the Holy Spirit in us and take action as He directs.
Or are we like ‘Chicken Little’ crying “The sky is falling, the sky is falling.” Yep, we can pray as Jesus told us to do….”Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” Rest (knowing God is all sufficient) in God to use our prayers and direct our actions, and just let Jesus take care of ‘end times’ and His return. None, absolutely none of the problems listed above and those that are not listed are too big for God.
Prayer moves mountains and God loves all His children, so we move and He moves. Sounds like a good solution to me! We are privileged to be part of that Standard.
This is a great time to live as long as we abide in HIM!
by admin | Jun 30, 2008 | Kingdom Comments, Relationship Not Religion!
A couple of weeks ago I was standing on my porch with a friend watching an awesome electrical storm off in the distance. Thunder roared like a thousand lions were storming Heaven, and the numerous lightening bolts, thin, bright probably moving at the speed of light touched down in multiple places off in the distance. We stood delighted in the picture of that phenomona of nature.
I had no conscious awareness that lightening could and would set off destruction so unspeakable. Over 1200 fires were the result of all that beauty.
When I realized later in the week, I was heartsick for those in danger, those who lost homes and property, and my own useless ignorance of what was happening and what could have been done. By then I joined the thousands of prayer warriors against the fires and their aggression.
We have, in the praying community, seen fires ended, winds stilled and homes saved by taking the authority Jesus gave to speak to the elements in time of crisis. There are several testimonies on the 5 Minute Miracle ‘Miracle Archive’ page for those who would like to hear from the people who actually experienced the miracles. (www.5MinuteMiracle.com)
This writing comes from a heart filled with thanksgiving for what God is doing in response to prayer. And, for a very special reason–last week another electrical storm was predicted for Saturday and Sunday. I began to pray against it; that any electrical storm in this area would come to ‘naught’ or carry no ‘destruction’ with it. And, to my knowledge there were none! Thank God!
Now, I understand more are predicted for Thursday and Friday. Time to start declaring what we want, not what we might get, all in the power packed Name of Jesus! Think what we could do to the evil energy in the world if we united in prayer by the tens, the hundreds and then the thousands to speak to the storms as Jesus did? Sounds great to me!
Prevention is so important and prayers are answered in advance. At times I have prayed against violence in the schools my grandchildren attend, against accidents or injury, etc. ….and well, all I know is they did not happen. I do know my job is to pray, not beg, in faith and His job is to answer. God is much better in His part than I am in mine.
I pray many will join in prayer against fires, floods and storms….doing all we can do and trusting God with the rest!
by admin | Jun 28, 2008 | Jesus Talk, Kingdom Comments, Relationship Not Religion!
The counties around the area where I live in Redding, California, are plagued by destructive fires…..over 1200 of them, and some still raging! In the Midwest floods are destroying homes and communities as well.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could use the flood waters to put out the fires?
While in Florida, for the last 86 days God has poured out blessings unthinkable during what is being called ‘the Lakeland Revival’. It is being televised by God TV for some by television and for others on the Internet at www.god.tv or www.freshfire.ca.com nightly–available in 218 countries of the world.
It starts daily with praise and worship–calling in the Glory of God–and then the leaders proceed with the Holy Spirit to teaching, healing or testimonies. Some miracles happen as we watch; others come to testify what God is doing while they are there, or what He has done while they watched from their own home.
This is a picture of the ‘fallen’ world we live in, and the faithfulness of God to the outcry of prayer for healing, signs and wonders that all point to the finished work of Jesus as Savior!
The facility holds 10,000 and sometimes there is not enough room. People are flying in from all over the world for a touch from God. The tragedy of destruction in the rest of the country and the world cannot diminish the splendor of God’s presence in this unpretentious place. While we enjoy these blessings we never want to forget to pray for those who are in the midst of tremendous loss.
The media has been welcomed and miracles are being verified by doctors and hospitals. Critics of Todd Bentley, the man God used to set off this spiritual wild fire, are not surprising. As he is not a typical ‘man of God’ or ‘man of the cloth’ as we say. Isn’t it just like God to use someone who stirs up controversy just with his presence.
I have had the privilege of being prayed for some months ago by Todd. I recognized in him a deep abiding unswerving relentless love for Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, and also such a strong sacrificial love for God’s people, (always enjoy throwing this in–God’s love is not sentimental goo but wanting the best for everyone). And that is Todd as he spends untold hours of prayer for and over the people.
It is almost July 4th and we can all thank God for our country, for God’s blessings in Florida, and His comfort and help through people, for all those in the midst of crisis. My prayer is that those who have lost so much will be able to watch some of these proceedings to give them hope and faith for the future!
by admin | Jun 11, 2008 | Jesus Talk, Relationship Not Religion!, Uncategorized
Unusual sightings–aliens coming–not much more weird than the Cults popping up around the country. Actually there have always been groups that are different than the norm.
Amazing that this new messiah has permission from god (small g) to have sexual activities with all the women, but it against the rules for the other men. That seems fair! (Barf….)
What we believe about God determines our destiny and our future after leaving this planet. Being a member of one of the largest groups in the world (Christian) I believe God is good, kind, merciful and fair. And not into giving out special assignments 2000 years after Jesus was crucified.
Religious spirits are always trying to divert our attention from the finished work of Christ Jesus. But, how do we know if a group is a cult or evil?
The easiest and best answer I know, is if it is a secret group, run like crazy. If they have things that only that group is allowed to know or do, escape and do it quickly. God has inspired the book in a mystery to draw us into seeking Him, body, mind and spirit–but it is not a secret.
THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST JESUS IS NOT A SECRET!
Only men or women who want to control others maintain ‘secrets’ just for the very few who ‘follow’ or ‘qualify’. You can join a church to worship Christ or you can just accept Jesus and worship Him on your own–their really is no membership to Christianity only a belief in Jesus as Savior.
I grieve over those who choose to give their free will to a falible, imperfect man or woman when God inspired a book to reveal Himself, His character, nature, and the Holy Spirit. Try the Bible you will like it, and you can make choices from your heart, your spirit and the knowledge openly available to you–no secrets–just the words of Jesus revealing the Father to the whole world.
Cult, club, organization, fraternity, sorority, church,–NO secret covenants, agreements, or commitments. We must look for a knowledge of the Creator of the Universe to freely be ‘who we truly are’ through Him, and embrace His blessings!
