Finding the Supernatural Realm

Your Supernatural Journey into the Light!

By

Jeff Henderson

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Finding the Supernatural Realm

Jeff Henderson

246 Belford Ave #12

Grand Junction, CO 81501

(970) 589-5006

jeffhenderson805@yahoo.com

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I dedicate this book to Jon. You are the best son any father could hope for! Your creativity and integrity take my breath away! I know you and your generation are the radical, risky and revolutionary ones!

Table Of Contents

- Introduction

- Pathways of Light

- The Journey Within

- Houses of Light

- Fading Into The Light

- The Affirmation Connection

- From The Orphanage To The Palace

THE REAL JOURNEY

Can I invite you to go with me on a wonderful journey? In this journey I want to show how I was discipled by The Holy Spirit into the supernatural! I will take you into some of the experiences I had as a young believer. I also will include some stories that occurred in my life as I matured and then finally, into today! In doing this I will hopefully define how all our lives should be lived as God’s people. My wish is to totally glorify God by showing off His awesome power, grace and love! If I can portray the life we all were meant to live, then I would’ve fulfilled this book’s purpose! While doing this, I also hope to inspire and affirm you!

If you’re like me, you long to see many infallible proofs of God’s kingdom and presence in your church and personal life. Our generation desperately needs to witness a restoration of the immediacy of the presence of God! We want the tangible manifestation of the resurrected and glorified Christ! I believe that it is appropriate for all of us to ask; “ where are the signs and wonders and manifestations of The Holy Spirit?” The good news is that whatever is missing in your life… is missing you! I believe that the destiny that I’ve been seeking is also seeking me! God and his kingdom are calling both you and me!

In all honesty, I believe that you and I are the generation that won’t relegate the supernatural to either the occult or some over seas missionary! You and I won’t accept the “dumbing down” process that a lot of Christians have suffered in the past! I want my life to be supernatural! The miraculous has been God’s love language to me! This new paradigm has shaped my reality and has led me to believe that God’s daily interactions with us are to be expected and acknowledged. I desire to recover this lost heritage, out of love and honor for God and for the sake of future generations!

The good news is there is a revival of expectancy in God’s children, for normal kingdom living! Now, some of God’s people are realizing that they can expect a spectacular life on earth now, in God’s kingdom! They don’t want to be branded as just “pew sitters” supporting someone else’s show. They are getting back into “the game” and are done playing “the religious game”! These people reject a system that tries to placate them into staying in “safe environments”.

These generations of discontent saints are leaving their captivity and are now becoming the leaders the world has been waiting for! I want to encourage you to be discontent with the “status quo” and be hungry for the true walk in the Spirit! As we journey into the deeper realms of God, you and I must remember that the real journey starts from within!

All my true stories will say loud and clear; “all that you read can be your “golden ticket” to the life that has been reserved for you, if you believe!”  My desire is for you to experience even greater than what I’ve experienced!” I certainly want to be at a greater level of Glory now then where I was yesterday. I bet you do too!

Come walk with me on my personal journey as I recall some of my best experiences. The best part will be the revelations that came through these experiences! I will start out with the first true story and then we’ll see where this “river of life” takes us! Ready?

PATHWAYS OF LIGHT

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

I remember how cold it was that December evening, 1981. I lived in Collbran, which was only 1-½ miles from my favorite home away from home, the Collbran Job Corps. It was around 11 pm as I was walking back home from the Job Corps. I was planning on a quick walk back home but in this case; it was going to be quite an unusual evening! The highway was extremely slippery because of the snow and patches of black ice. I was alone, not a car in sight.

To my surprise I suddenly heard a gentle voice, just above a whisper ask me a surprising question; “can I come into you?” Well, I could guess who was speaking to me, but still had to make sure. So I asked, “Who are you… is that you, Lord?” His reply, “Yes it is me, who else would it be?” After a brief moment of silence I heard again, “will you let me in?”

Still stunned by this unusual question I hesitated a little. You see, I was thinking, “Hey, I’m walking home and what do you mean, “come into you?” I was wondering if He meant here and now… outside on the street! During all this mental reasoning I began to feel an intense love and peace around me, so I said, “Okay, come in”.

Then… WHAM! Yea, that’s right... did anybody get the license plate number of that Holy Spirit truck that just hit me? I became an instant drunk... walking and zigzagging on an icy road on a cold winter’s night! But it wasn’t winter on the inside of me! No, it was a tropical garden! Oh yea, throw in a sandy beach and palm trees… then you get the idea!

So, here I am, staggering down this two-lane highway with fuzzy navigational skills, at around 11:15 pm looking up at the beautiful black sky. I began to admire the starry night, watching my breath freeze, all the while laughing, crying and praying in intense tongues like never before! I twirled around, slipped on the ice as tears began streaming down my face.

I was in my moment, when... suddenly a bright light from above blinded me! I never even noticed a patrol car approaching me from behind until a spotlight was right on me! Wow, that spotlight was bright! Anyway, I would say that I was “put on the spot”. Turns out that I wasn’t “spotted” by just any law enforcement official; this is none other than the well-known and respected Burt Chase, the town sheriff! I mean everybody knew this guy, and a lot of us were on a first name basis! He knew most people’s names, although he did forget mine. Also, Burt Chase and my mother were friends.

Can you picture my dilemma? The sheriff then got out of his car and walked over to me with a puzzled look. Assuming alcohol was involved, the sheriff asked me, “are you okay young man?” I was really trying not to fall down or giggle because I was very snockered by The Holy Spirit! No lie could work in this situation. Realizing this, I quickly reasoned that only the truth would work here! The sheriff asked me again, “young man, what are you doing out here so late at night?”

STUN GUN

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hit a sheriff with a stun gun? Well, that’s just what I did when I told him  “the truth and nothing but the truth...” so help me God! Actually, God had helped me quite enough, (if you know what I mean)! I started my explanation with these immortal words “you probably won’t believe me but…” As I told him “the rest of the story”, Sheriff Burt Chase didn’t know what to say!

As the situation was getting a little more embarrassing, he awkwardly said, “Well young man if you’ll do me a favor and stay on the right side of the road, I would greatly appreciate it”. And then he added, “A car could hit you, so please be careful, walk straight and get home right away!” I said, “Yes sir, thank you officer”. As he walked back to his car he couldn’t help but say, “God bless you...and be careful!”

Well after that sobering moment I started walking again, this time only a half mile from home. I was still a little buzzed and energized so I resumed my spiritual party, skipping and running home. This time though... on the right side of the road!

INVASION WITH MY CONSENT

My friend, I hope this humorous true story stirs you up to want and even experience interactions with God like this. And why not? Let me assure you that God is this way to anyone who is open and hungry for Him and the reality of His kingdom! He can’t wait to be welcomed in a heart that is starving for Him. He wants to fill everyone and everything, but not just to come into your spirit and soul!  As you have just read in this story, He surely will inhabit your body as well!

You could say that I was baptized in The Spirit that day! Actually it was more like an invasion, with my consent. I feel like I would have been crazy to refuse! This ecstatic experience was very necessary for preparing me for the other events that I am about to write about. My main reason for writing these true stories is to let you know that the supernatural realm is for every believer! From the seemingly benign events to the spectacular ones, every event not only benefits us, but also glorifies God! Everything that The Lord does follows many profound spiritual laws and also reveals His characteristics.

“INAPPROPIATE FOCUS”

As I am writing this book I am deeply burdened about many believers who are missing their true destiny and spiritual growth due to false notions about the Kingdom of God. I see another false mindset and attitude that discourages spiritual hunger in the saints. This mindset is set against anyone who shows a hunger for the miraculous and the supernatural realm.

Through well meaning sermons and false council, hungry people are often being corrected for having an “inappropriate focus”. When a miracle is needed it’s implied that we shouldn’t get our hopes up too high because we all may end up being disappointed, especially the non believers!

We are also told not to desire the supernatural realm because the devil may get your number and recruit you for his supernatural agenda! There seems to be more faith for our enemy to deceive the Christian then for The Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth! In my opinion, operating in this kind of weakness and fear proves that we are already deceived by our own unbelief! This chronic fear of the dark side and shielding ourselves from anything in the supernatural realm is not protecting us. If anything, it is setting us up to be ransacked by the enemy!

“THE REAL EXPERTS”

Because the saints haven’t claimed their rightful place in the supernatural realm and society, the powers of hell have filled that void! Now the enemy has major influence over society’s definition of the supernatural realm! The dark prince has actually proven our own fears to be true! The supernatural and paranormal realm is now “off limits” to the Christian!  It’s as if God would be insulted by someone’s desire for the supernatural! This false belief insinuates that God is offended if we desire anything but Him! It’s also implied that only naïve and immature believers desire the “frills and chills” or anything that is beyond the mediocre life!

So, all the people of the dark realm are now “the real experts” in the supernatural realm. Can you guess how the world perceives the church in this upside down scenario? If you said, “weak and irrelevant” then you’re getting close to the unfortunate reputation we’ve acquired!  Our theology at large says “ it is our lot to suffer as “pilgrims in this world” and show holiness by not enjoying bliss and victory until we die and go to heaven… or get raptured”. It is also implied that it is pride and ingratitude to expect more than the “status quo”. How dare we question how it has always been and how it’s always been done! Believe me, I’ve heard it all!

NO ONE IS “ORDINARY”

No matter what kind of background you come from or how you started out in this world, there is a desperate need in you! We all need to connect with our whole being to our Heavenly Father! If you are longing to fill the void that is constantly haunting you, then you’re sensing God’s searching gaze turning towards you! The Supernatural Realm is the normal realm to live from! All that is needed from us is to be hungry, open and teachable. If we believe that only the “superstar evangelist” experience the Supernatural Realm then we’re very mistaken!

If you feel you could amp up your spiritual life or even reenlist at a higher level in your commitment to God, then read on! As you read, you will see just an “ordinary” kid or young adult being discipled by The Holy Spirit Himself into the supernatural! No one is “ordinary” in God’s view.  All people are called to have an intimate connection with their creator! We all need and crave that divine connection, which isn’t possible without divine intervention!

HUNGRY FOR ALL THAT HE IS

There are other beings who are interested in us but in a perverted and destructive way. The satanic under realm wants to influence our will towards it. It is so they can use us as their pawns, then to be disposed of later! When we are ravished to death by darkness and have done more damage to the world around us, then it’s “bye, bye, sucker!”  This evil realm constantly spews out false propaganda through the media! Not surprisingly, the most effective way to deceive people is through false doctrines that are being taught in our churches!  Tragically, we have some church leaders who lack knowledge and a hunger for the supernatural!

If we are hungry for God, then we should be hungry for all that He is. You can’t separate God’s kingdom and His ways from God Himself, and have a true knowledge of Him! We also have leaders that teach against or even persecute dynamic Christians! What’s ironic about some of these teachers is that while they acknowledge the dark side’s practice of the supernatural they see no need or relevance for those in the light to do the same!

“A WIN; WIN SITUATION”

Our enemy wants us faithless, powerless and irrelevant to society. If Satan can keep us in our safe little boxes, spirit filled or not, then his propaganda scheme has been effective! But the Supernatural Realm is the domain of The True Church and should be the norm for all believers. Also, doing mighty exploits isn’t just for the paid professionals in our church services. This unlimited realm is every believer’s home and inheritance! If we want to know God and love Him with all our beings we can’t refuse His gifts, which He generously offers.

I thank God that He rescued me out of my fears and presented many opportunities for me to be challenged and embrace what I was trying to avoid! God is glorified when people open up their hearts to Him while at the same time abandon damaging beliefs and attitudes! It’s a win; win situation for both The Lord and us when He occupies every part of us.

God doesn’t take what isn’t freely given to Him or force Himself on us! The Holy Spirit was determined to save me from myself and show me the real life that He had for me! When I saw what I could miss out on through unbelief, I ran into the light screaming, “Pick me…pick me Lord!” Now I will continue telling more exciting stories and about their relevance to you.

A GOD BOX, A STONER AND WILDFIRE

In May of 1982 I was a teenager attending a high school close to Collbran, Colorado. I enjoyed hanging out with the guys at the Job Corps. I was there quite often, when I wasn’t at school, church, doing homework or hiking on some mountain. Since that radical encounter of being invaded by the Glory of God, I had a major desire to share the Lord with my Job Corps friends. When I started praying for my friends, I was actually commanded by The Holy Spirit not to share my faith!

At Job Corps I enjoyed the snacks, some of the music and of course availed myself of the gym. In fact I loved to lift weights to try to bulk up my bony frame. So, here I am walking to Job Corps on a nice sunny day carrying a huge ghetto blaster boom box on my bony frame. I used a strap, which I attached to this heavy stereo that went over my shoulders making it easier to carry what was affectionately called “The God Box”.

Imagine this, a skinny kid walking down the road with a heavy stereo playing loud Christian music. Yea, that’s me... merrily on my way to my home away from home. I was ready to get some exercise by playing basketball and “pumping iron”. Since it was a Saturday, I had all day to make my rounds. I shot some hoops, played some pool, got bored and then decided to do what I really came there for.

Can you see me? A skinny kid with his shirt off laying on the bench press machine doing my reps, while jamming out to Petra, Rez Band, Joe English, etc. I can still feel the weight as I’m pushing... one...two...three...(I can still hear that Petra song) four... then... A dude with long blond hair and coke bottle glasses abruptly interrupts me! With tears streaming down his face he says, “Hey stop ... I can’t take it anymore!” He then continues, “that music is getting to me...please help me!”

Still stunned, I listened some more to try to get his meaning. Then he said, “I was listening to your music and I need you to pray for me now!” I did ask “why” because I was a bit confused. He clarified it all by saying, “I’m backslidden...I used to know Jesus but now... look at me...I’m a druggy … please pray with so I can have God in my life again...I miss Jesus so much!” Before I could even answer, this guy said again, “Please pray with me...now!”

Well, what do you think I did? I sat up on my workout bench, turned my music down (not off) and prayed with him. In the background I was hearing that immortal Petra song that had my favorite line, “Jesus is Lord, Jesus Is Lord, Jesus is Lord forever!” This young man was instantly restored to God, while that song was playing in the background! This really shows without a doubt...Jesus is Lord Forever!

THE UNIQUE SPARK

Very cool huh?  I believe that you, just like that skinny kid, long ago, can lead any desperate soul to God. Not only that, I can also see you being the unique spark in God’s “baptism of fire” that is on the earth! Because, by God’s grace, we all are continually set up for greatness!  Incidentally, this ex druggy spread the word and next thing you know we needed to put a prayer group together, which quickly turned into a campus church!

I often encourage people when I can to offer their unique selves to God to become the key ingredient to His strategic invasion into people’s hearts and lives! In this scenario everybody knew this guy’s story, so He was the unique spark needed to ignite the already dry spiritual ground!  The Collbran Job Corps was also a unique multi- cultural island... right in the middle of cowboy country! With the fire hazard being extremely high I watched God’s Holy Fire blaze through that place in no time!

I was often asked to pray for someone! I also received testimonies about how God spoke to others in their dreams or how someone surrendered to God in their own private way. Talk about wildfire!  It was effortless and fun...very much like ripe cherries falling into your hands, with just a touch!

Our little campus church got the attention of some local churches in the area. Of course the Job Corps staff also had their eyes on us. As you might imagine, Satan noticed us too. Yes, our archenemy had his “cross hairs” on our campus church! The local chapter of Satanist who resided in dorm three on campus were not thrilled either, to say the least! But that is another story.

A NEAR MISS

Most of us like nature and the outdoors, right? Well, in my case I liked the great outdoors. So in September of 1982, I planned an ambitious hiking trip! I wanted to get on top of an exciting mountain, just eight miles into the wild! I was only imagining just a “ quick” 10 to 12 hr. hike with plenty of time to get home, watch TV and enjoy a TV dinner. One could hope, right? You see, I was in my element and I thought living in Plateau Valley was a brilliant idea...go Mom!!

Since this was a Saturday, I set out early on foot with my backpack filled with water and snacks. My mom, brother and sister were probably still sawing logs as I began my hike. Quick as shadows I advanced to my new hiking destination. It was a new adventure mixed with a little apprehension and excitement! I walked out of Collbran and soon was on a country road that led me out of civilization and into the wild!

After walking forever, I finally arrived at the base of this 2500 ft tall mountain of impressive cliffs and dense juniper forest. I walked the ridges... all was okay. I got to a cliff that was easy to free climb… or so I thought. I was thinking, just another 2000 ft after this cliff and I’ll be on top of the world! I started my climb by finding little ledges and handholds...so far, so good.

I placed my feet on a 4-inch wide ledge to anchor myself and grabbed the top of the rock face to pull myself up. I was 20 feet up from the ground and only about 6 feet more until I made it... then... suddenly the rock face broke off in my grasp! This chunk of rock must have been 4 feet tall by four feet wide and easily a foot thick. With only four inches of ledge to stand on I thought I would fall down 20 feet in a second! And what’s worse, that huge chunk of stone was bearing down on me while my backpack was pulling me backwards!

In a blink I pivoted to the side putting my back to the cliff, as that huge chunk skimmed my nose before crashing 20 ft to the ground! I was still standing on this mere 4-inch ledge as my backpack began pushing me out! How did I stay long enough to correct my stance and grab what was left of the top ledge? Who or what kept me suspended long enough to watch that rock and not me crash to the ground? I was almost pan caked!

I don’t know how much that chunk of rock weighed, but I know with a 20 ft fall I potentially would have had 400 lbs of force crush and bury me in a place where nobody would have found me! My thanks to my guardian angel who I will mention a few more times in these true accounts of supernatural events. Well, what about being on top of the world? After that I didn’t really care because I was just glad to be on top of the ground… breathing!

Walking briskly home, I trembled, and looked forward to an earlier TV dinner and some real R & R! Whether an angel saves us or we are guided out of danger by a heavenly voice, we know that God is active in His love and care for us!

Thankfully I’m alive and well, ready to tell you even more exciting true stories! The mountains and canyons were more than just adventure for me. I found much needed solitude for worship and prayer. God was my passion... and you know what? He still is... and I love Him 1000 times more today then I did that fateful day when I almost died. Now, let me take you back to that little campus church in which this next funny, but profound story takes place.

SATANIST, CLOWNS AND THE LAST LAUGH.

It was a beautiful spring day when my close friend and I met each at our coveted prayer table. Chris was a student at the Job Corps, so for him, meeting me was easy. I didn’t mind the little walk from Collbran that morning because not only was I going to meet Chris but I also was planning on meeting a few more believers from our campus church. By this time, most of our guys were AWOL, backslidden or recent graduates who returned to their homes. Truthfully most of our group had succumbed to the fierce attacks that had been against us from multiple places! Like I said; we were noticed!

While waiting for a few more students to join us, Chris and I inspected the prayer table to see if there was any new graffiti from our contributing satanic artist. None... just the same old pentagrams and 666's from before. None of that bothered us anyway... we actually appreciated being disliked by the devil! It was a positive, in light of the attacks from some local churches and also the clamping down of our meetings by the Job Corps staff.  It was looking quite doubtful that anyone else would be joining us.

As time went by Chris and I tried to pray, but instead, we both settled down into a “blue funk”. I found it next to impossible to be positive or even thankful! Even Chris couldn’t pull me out of it... we both were losing ground… fast! What did we do? Sorry to say, but I buried my face into my arms and shook my head, disgusted by how things went down hill so fast with our campus church.

CLOWNS ON SKID ROW

Although both of us were thinking about drying our tears and just calling it a day, we decided to try to pray some more. We both said, “What now Lord? Please speak to us”. I mean we were wallowing in discouragement and shame, angry at what we saw as a dismal and hopeless situation. Sitting at our prayer table we never expected what happened next!

Suddenly, like a flash both of us were immediately blasted by supernatural energy! We were hit so hard by the Holy Spirit that I remember falling like a rag doll to the ground! Awesome joy hit us, as we were immediately stone cold drunk in the Holy Spirit! We were both rolling on the grass, laughing hysterically! Incredible! Just minutes ago we were both in a very sad, pathetic state and now we both are acting like two clowns on skid row! Laughing out loud, I began to praise God! Although we were knocked down to the ground we both felt a surge of energy that compelled us to get up and walk.

THE LAST LAUGH

So picture this, here are two guys who moments ago were in a pity party but now are staggering on the lawn like two town drunks! Now, reason would dictate that if your going to act like idiots, at least stay by the prayer table.... not! We took our hilarious show all over campus, making our way up the sidewalk, past the administration building and then over to the other dorms, then to the infamous... dorm three...the happy haven of the Satanist! I mean, how inconsiderate of us; laughing out loud like lunatics while disturbing people’s Saturday morning!

As Chris and I announced ourselves so spectacularly all over campus we had just a few comments from our audience.... just a few. And they were good comments...well, some were! Students would yell out the dorm windows saying, “hey… shut the ##** up!” and also “if you don’t shut the #@*@, we’re gonna kick your @**!”

Most people who thought we were stoned or drunk scoffed at us. Someone did say something positive; “Hey...whatever your on, give me some of that!” The audacity! That someone would assume that we were stoners! I mean...did we actually appear to be that bombed? Well, actually...Yes!

Now, did we plan on being made a spectacle of by God who cleverly set us up, trashing our dignity and presenting us as fools, in front of all those spectators?  Both of us didn’t notice how we looked to anyone. We were having too much of a good time to even care! We were enjoying our last “hoorah” before that door of ministry closed.

Let me tell you friend; The Lord certainly knows how to throw a party and set you up for your next significant assignment! Our sorrows were erased and our blues...blew away, by the mighty Holy wind of God’s Spirit! It was an instant ninety-degree turn. Today, I still laugh recalling that moment.  But it was The Lord who had …the last laugh!

What this significant event proves to me is that in spite of our seeming failure and loss; God was pleased with what was accomplished. He was guarding the seeds planted in the people’s hearts, backslidden or not! Also, this was God’s work; nobody owned the patent on it. Nobody could control this work, even though some had tried. No force of hell could defeat what He authored. God owned it entirely and was pleased to allow it to expire or go to another phase.

This initial phase was fulfilled and God was more than able to take it wherever He wanted. These students were just passing through anyway. God wanted to make sure they received what they needed before they went to their destinies! See, God was the one who got the last punches in; first on Chris and I, and then on all the corpsmen, especially those Satanists... who were probably nursing their own hangovers! You want to know another cool thing? All this happened on a day when there was minimal Job Corps staff on duty! Perfect timing? We could expect nothing less!

The Journey Within

While I’m pondering on God’s ability to move with all our ups and downs in life and converging them with His divine will, I am reminded of something.  I will never forget this next event, which transpired September 1990 in Grand Junction, Colorado.

“A PARK, A SWING AND DIVINE IRONY”

It was 1 am in the morning. I had been suffering from severe depression for a few weeks, to the point of feeling hopeless and despondent. Restless, I sought relief by walking and prayer. I ambled over to a park five blocks away, and had finally succumbed to greater darkness; I couldn’t go on any further. There was a picnic table with a streetlamp directly over it.... that’s where I decided to finally rest and pout. I then buried my face in my arms and began to cry softly.

I was alone that night and preferred it that way. Well, I thought I was alone until I heard noises close to me. On the park equipment near me there were loud noises of scampering and laughter. Well, time to leave...right?  That was my intent, but... when I sat up and begin to leave, I encountered a bunch of kids coming down the slide! Well, at least that’s what she sounded like!

To my surprise there was just one lady, older than me, either going through her second childhood or... high on drugs! I was thinking “okay...whatever!”  Now was a really good time for me to leave! She climbed back up on the jungle gym only this time she didn’t come down. I reasoned; maybe I don’t have to leave the park after all...maybe I can just find another spot to be depressed at. I was hoping the lady would just behave herself and quit acting like an adult going through a psychosis. Just leave me alone and I’ll stay...at a picnic table away from that jungle gym!

Enjoying the quiet, I walked over to that safe place to enjoy my pity party. My head was again buried in my arms and all was okay... until I felt a tapping on my shoulder! Oh no, it couldn’t be her... yes.. It was. Now I was getting annoyed! Quite perturbed, I said, “what?” “ If you stay like that too long your face will stay glued forever to that table!” was her surprising and “inappropriate” comment. My witty response was, “Go away!”

Acting like she didn’t even hear, she sat down anyway…across from me! This time I pulled out the big guns that would surely get my point across and whined saying, “can’t you see I want to be alone?”  With eternal optimism she actually invited me to go play on the slide with her! So I snapped out of my depression, went up on the slide, and all was well with my soul...The end!

But where’s the fun in that?  That’s too quick and easy. And it leaves us with no story! After all, I did promise you true stories didn’t I? It was obvious that in order for this strange lady to get me off my duff, she was going to have to be clever and cut me no slack! She invited me again this time gently persuading me by saying, “well if you want to be a cry baby, go ahead and just stay there all by yourself!” Not wanting to justify that true statement with a reply, I didn’t even look up at her. I was perfectly “content” to let her do her crazy lady act and hopefully, eventually, she’d go away and leave me in “peace”.

Just when I thought I had worn her down, she came around again saying, “don’t knock it till you try it”.... and, “Come on, what can it hurt?” And, “you’ll feel better”. Part of me knew she was right… annoying… but right. So, to placate this lady I finally said, “Okay, you win, but this is crazy!”  The “crazy” lady ran up the ladder, expecting me to follow her up to the top! She waited for me as I climbed slowly to her. Before I was fully up to her she slid down the slide again! Then she ran to the swings.

As I “enthusiastically” slid down the slide I began to feel a little humiliated.  As I sat at the bottom of the slide I heard her say, “Come on over here... this is fun!”  I thought,  “Well, what the heck, I already went on the slide.” Then I heard the wisecrack, “Come on, and hurry up, you slowpoke!”  So, I finally went to a swing, while she was already air born! I was thinking, “Where does she get all this energy?”

While this lady was in her own element, I, out of peer pressure finally joined her lunacy! I sat on my swing, and then pushed off into the air. I swung for a few minutes, and then my heart finally melted. I looked up at the stars and whispered a faint prayer, “Lord; if you’re out there, please help me!” Then risking another comment I said, “I hope your real... cause if your not...  I’m a dead man!”

Then in mid flight.... suddenly…wham!!  I was hit so hard by an invisible force of joy that I was immediately drunk! I gripped the swing chains hard and straightened my legs out in order to stop myself! I was starting to fall off when I finally stopped, hunched over, and rolled off the swing. I was so blasted in the Holy Spirit that I could only crawl on my hands and knees.

Alarmed by my condition, the lady got off her swing and was immediately by my side. In my blurred condition I remember hearing her ask, “Are you okay, did you fall off your swing?”  All I could do was cry and scream out with laughter!  I began crawling over to the picnic table as this confused lady said, “Are you going crazy?”  Just moments ago She was the crazy lady! Now this lady thinks I’m off my “ rocker”! What divine irony huh?

When I finally crawled over to my table I was joined by a very confused and concerned lady. She sat across from me and then really got worried when I started praying in tongues! I thanked her for helping me out of my depression and resumed praying in tongues. Soon I began to get words of knowledge from The Holy Spirit and started feeling burdened for her.

Long story short, I preached and testified about how awesome God is. I kept thanking her for letting God use her to save me from myself. She kept looking at me with this blank look that mystified me. I couldn’t believe she didn’t understand what just happened! She was appreciative of my testimony and concern, but she wasn’t budging! Finally, we decided it was too late to stay up any longer and both of us started to get up from the table. I reached to give her a hug... she accepted, and then turned around to go.

I was still elated with incredible joy and peace, but very exhausted. What happened next made my blood curdle though.  I watched this lady walk past a lamppost, then in just seconds, advance a hundred feet! I rubbed my eyes out of disbelief as I watched this lady cover another two hundred feet in just a few more seconds! Then this lady swiftly faded into the shadows! I said to myself, “No way, couldn’t be...can it?”

What I thought was an obvious witnessing opportunity turned out to be way more than that! It was just too surreal for me to comprehend. Whether this lady was real or an angel disguised as one... well, the jury is still out on that! I don’t know if I was witnessing to someone really in need or interacting with a very clever angel!  All I know is that I was helped profoundly out of deep demonic depression and oppression!  Regardless, this was a cool way for God to save me from myself and at the same time tilt my theology a bit!

“THE GOLDEN GLOVE”

I feel like I need to comment on a few important things that this incident underscores. Firstly, the drudgery of life wears all of us down from time to time. Even a believers mind needs to be renewed and certain wounds and false beliefs need to be dealt with. Secondly, we’re not playing the winning game in friendly territory! So, instead of cheers and support we get jeers from people who aren’t running a good race. Oh yea, did I mention the extra “jabs” from the opposing team!

As we can see in that story, God is very creative in how He delivers us! As I was growing up in God’s love, I had some rough sailing for a few years! I gladly admit that God in His unlimited grace always met me more than half the way! There is a supernatural joy that becomes not only our strength but also a mighty weapon! Just when our enemy thinks he has us, then… wham! The Holy Spirit in us pulls out “the golden glove” and knocks the bumb out in the 15th round!

A LESSON IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE

I need to go back a few years to 1988 – 1989. This story is a spine chiller even for me as I retell it. To this very day I remember it vividly! This encounter happened just after I arrived home from work. I worked the night shift at a local restaurant. After a nice, hot shower, I lit some candles and put on some John Michael Talbot. Then after a cup of “sleepy time” I was ready for bed. The moment my head hit the pillow it was “ lights out”!

I was instantly asleep and would have stayed that way until...I felt it! You know that awful feeling you get when you realize you’ve been invaded by a horrible presence. Yes, indeed very horrible and powerful! So much so that I was awake, instantly! Every hair on my frozen body was standing on end! I couldn’t move a muscle, not even bat an eyelash! Then, I saw it... a dark shadow, like a huge black blanket enveloped me! The box springs of my bed squeaked, as a huge demon put its weight on me, sitting on my chest.  As one could imagine this experience felt like a 300 lb man sitting on my chest… while choking me!

As I was being assaulted, I immediately heard a howling and moaning in my ears with a tone that vibrated throughout my whole body! I struggled to move but couldn’t.  I even tried to whisper a prayer or say “in the name of Jesus”, but my powers of speech were totally gone!

I was lying in bed helpless as I felt my spirit, my essence, being sucked out of my body! I was completely alert and freaked out, as I felt myself exiting my body! I knew I was inches away from physical death! As I was fighting to live, I experienced my spirit being pulled out...then being pulled back in. I then realized that The Holy Spirit was keeping me in my body! It felt like I was being stretched back and forth like a rubber band.

I was encountering a tug of war... over me! I heard my inner voice scream, Help me God!  As I begged God for help, I heard the voice of The Holy Spirit speak, saying to me, “don’t you remember that you are seated with me in heavenly places?”

Then suddenly I had a vision; I saw this little boy, around 4 to 5 yrs of age. This little boy was sitting in this huge, splendidly white lap! Then, instantly I was looking at this huge chest! I saw my little hands, realizing that I was that little boy! I looked up to see a face, but didn’t see any distinct features. I knew this Devine being was my Heavenly Father and that was me sitting in His lap!

I felt huge arms embrace me and lift me up to His face. I felt Him kiss me on my cheek and forehead. Then I heard an all-consuming voice speak to me saying, “it’s okay son...I got you...go to sleep”. Then I felt waves of love flood over me! I felt my heavenly Father smile like He enjoyed being with me because He treasured me! I was ready to go to sleep in my father’s lap.

I felt myself drift into total peace and rest and, as I began to go... suddenly I found myself back in my bed! I felt my attacker’s grip begin to loosen, like fog lifting off the water in the morning light! It was an amazing feeling! I was being released swiftly from that suffocating blackness! That dark prince faded away as quickly as he came! But then... what about my body and freaked out nerves? After being delivered from that attack, I was in a cold sweat!

Honestly, although I was relieved, at the same time I was confused, and a little miffed! I mean the experience wasn’t totally pleasant! I wanted to know how this weirdness happened in the first place. Hey, I know it was just shot nerves talking, but I wanted answers. So I asked The Lord; “ you say that the Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear you... is mine asleep on duty?”

Well, you know the Lord; He’s cool and wasn’t offended at all by my question. His reply was; “yes it’s true; angels never sleep, but we let that demon through so that I can teach you to war!” Excuse me, are you talking to me? You let this terrifying thing happen to me to teach me to war? Well friend, this was hard for me to digest, but as I did, this experience has brought me amazing wisdom and revelation!

PROPER SPIRITUAL DIGESTION

I feel like we can progress forward now to capture yet another profound experience that is packed with spiritual nutrition. Before that, I feel that I need to offer you my opinion. I believe that every time we encounter The Lord or the heavenly realms, the meaning we should get from these encounters, is just as important as the actual event!

Whether we get delivered from peril, or receive miraculous provision or have a sublime encounter, the “food” offered to us is the real point! It’s like properly digesting all the supernatural wisdom and knowledge in order to mature us as healthy, Children of God. The revelation of God’s character and His heart towards you is what The Lord hopes you will gain in all He says and does in your life!

GRIM VADOR SKIPS BIBLE CLASS

Now, long ago I struggled with fear... way down in my core! It was insecurity compounded with a poor self-image, which made me an easy target for cowardly demonic spirits! But, as I progressed in my walk with The Lord, that was remedied! So, on one occasion The Lord gave me a really cool training exercise and a chance at passing another test.

I had just told you the story about being assaulted by a huge demon and how I was given an amazing revelation of God’s love towards us as His children. The Lord told me that He wanted to teach me to war! What I learned from that experience was the truth about how perfect love always cast out all fear!

Two years later I was asked to house sit at a house that was above that same old apartment I had rented before, where I was assaulted by that demon. I lived close by in a different place so I didn’t mind because at the time, I didn’t have a car. These people requested that I stay there for three days while they were out of town. I didn’t want to use anybodies bed, so I set up an air mattress in their living room.

One day, on a weekend, I was just chilling out reading my bible before going to bed. Suddenly that same spirit invaded me, only this time I knew what it looked like! I saw it in the spirit, through the gift of discerning of spirits.  It looked like “Darth Vador” meets “The Grim Reaper”!  I dubbed this demon, “ Grim Vador”!

So picture this! Here I am reading the book of Ephesians and this creep has the gall to interrupt my sacred moment! I was angrier than creeped out, so I just turned my head towards it’s location and said, “Well, as long as you are here; join me in my bible study!” I then started reading chapter two out loud to my intruder! I guess, ““Grim Vador” didn’t like Ephesians, because that demon was gone in a flash!

I never had to deal with that demonic spirit again! Two years prior that thing tried to choke me to death! Now that thing wouldn’t even attend my bible studies! Hey... what’s up with that! I passed the test! God wants us to torment those evil beings and at the same time grow up in His love! The way we see ourselves is the same way our enemy sees us! Our faith will never rise above our self-esteem!

CREATED TO SEE

True spiritual warfare is about light expelling darkness! We can shout at the devil all day long but unless we deal with fear, no words or cliché’s will avail us! God in His grace will help all of us by allowing training and experience! Without spiritual experience our minds will never be renewed! Believing is where the power is!  Mere head knowledge isn’t really believed in the core of our being.

The Holy Spirit regenerates us so we can see the spiritual realm! You were created to see! When you can see it, you have the authority over the dark realm. When we see, we also can bring divine things into this natural world!  This next true story touches more on spiritual warfare, the power of faith and the boldness of the born again believer.

A FAITH “EXORCISE”

I had invited a friend over to spend the afternoon and evening with me. Being the weekend, I had planned a pancake and eggs breakfast the following morning. So after a beautiful night of sleep with the cool summer breeze blowing through the house we both woke up rested... actually that’s what didn’t happen. Isn’t that’s what we all would like? I surely did!  But as you will soon see, this particular evening was about to get very interesting! So, allow me recount to the actual events of that evening.

I can still feel tingles up and down my spine as I recall this encounter.  My friend and I had just finished a great Italian dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread. After dessert we both topped the evening off with a movie and light conversation.

When I felt tired, I told my friend that I was going up to bed and that he was welcome to stay over if he wanted. He accepted my invite, so I told him that he could sleep on the downstairs couch in the living room, if he wanted. Thinking this would be okay with Him, I was surprised when He declined my offer and practically begged me to sleep downstairs on the floor beside him. My reply was, “Hey, that’s okay bro, I really would prefer to sleep upstairs”. Truth be told; I wasn’t giving up my bed for anyone… no way!

My friend offered me the couch instead, trying to persuade me to not go. I didn’t want the couch, and I certainly didn’t want that floor! I loved my bed...sorry, that’s the reality of it all. Yea, that was a little selfish...I think. Then my friend suggested that he could sleep upstairs on the wooden floor, next to me! With a sigh, I told him that everything would be okay and if he got scared, I would be close by. I didn’t have a teddy bear to offer my friend at the moment... so I did the next best thing; I prayed with him.

So, after an exhausting prayer session I ascended upstairs to my haven of rest. I made sure the worship music on my stereo was at a good volume to permeate the house. Yes, the perfect recipe for a very restful evening.... or not. After a few moments of bliss, I was startled awake by awful yelling and sobbing! In anger and frustration, I ran downstairs to see who was getting murdered! As I turned on the lights, I saw my friend on the couch, in a fetal position!

I know that it doesn’t sound very spiritual to admit, but my friend was getting on my last nerve! So after putting on my “halo”, I offered to pray with him… again. This time though I tried to make it quick, because of my exhaustion. I ended up counseling my friend on trusting the Lord and about dealing with the fear in his soul.  He agreed with me about not attracting demons by fear and then assured me that he would be okay.

Then I ascended back to paradise, feeling very honored to be of such good service to my brother in Christ! And we all slept happily ever after...not!  Again the awful noises, but this time...I felt them! Yes, them! I knew exactly when those evil spirits entered the house! Every hair on my exhausted body was standing up as I felt them coming up my staircase! I didn’t hear any footsteps, I just felt them advancing...towards me!

Now it was my turn to curl up in a fetal position, right? Actually, supernatural boldness or just being “ticked off” came over me, (probably both)! I flicked on the light switch, ran down the stairs, and stopped midway by an open window. Then I yelled; “How dare you come here…get out of here, NOW, in the name of Jesus!”  Did these demons go back down the stairs? No, they actually found the quickest exit and “whooshed” out that open window!

I heard and felt these trespassers rush out the window, one by one. “Whoosh...one demon...whoosh...that’s two. Then whoosh, whoosh and finally the last one! We all know that any spirit can pass through any physical object. So why did they exit out that window? The answer could be; as demons were being exorcised out of that place, angels probably grabbed those demons and “escorted” them out! Who knows; perhaps there was an angel blocking the demons’ escape below the staircase! One thing is for sure; those demons certainly didn’t want to approach me!  I’m thinking that the window effect was done for my benefit, so I could hear those demons leave!

After that, I ran downstairs to find my friend shaking like a leaf… I was a little shaken up myself! The regular lighting in the living room and stairwell seemed brighter... it really was much brighter! Well, this time I turned every light on in the entire house as per my friends’ request. I reset the worship music and like a true brother said; “Now go to sleep... I’m going to bed!”  Again, I very slowly ascended back upstairs and flopped face down into bed.

Well, this time it was truly over; no more interruptions right? I mean; the demons got cast out, the lights and worship music were both on. This time I cranked up the worship music even more to bring comfort to my friend. What more could happen? Not a good thing to ask, I know. Yes, you guessed it, back to square one.... again! This time I turned over on my side thinking about why I didn’t grab some cotton to stuff in my ears!

Being back in my bed, I turned over, and immediately my face was planted against a huge rib cage that appeared white and luminescent!  I could count every single rib but didn’t even have a chance. As soon as I heard, “it’s okay son, go to sleep”, I was out! Yes, finally “out for the count”! Talking about The ultimate sleeping pill, huh? This was an angelic sleep aid and I slept better then I had in a long time!

The next morning, I woke up late. Pancakes and eggs for brunch? You betcha! You would think that my friend stuck around for my famous “Aunt Jemima, IHOP special, but sadly he left sometime during the night. So, now I ate my two over easy eggs, with my not so homemade pancakes… alone, right? With that wild encounter, happening the night before... you tell me!

As you could guess, fear paid a huge part in this event, but so did supernatural boldness! This kind of boldness comes on us believers when we need to engage in spiritual warfare. There are times when supernatural boldness or “the spirit of faith” must play a key role! I will illustrate this point in the next true story, but first I feel I need to share on a few issues close to my heart.

NOT SATISFIED

In most of the churches that I visited or joined, I began to grow restless. I became disturbed by the lack of the manifest presence of God in those churches. Honestly, I like good sermons, like most Christians. I just wanted to see evidence of The Lord’s actual presence beyond the predictable boring format! Although I was extremely put off, I still wanted to know why! To me it seemed that many of God’s people had grown accustomed to spiritual poverty. So when a little amount of God’s power was displayed, it wasn’t being interpreted or explained accurately. The leadership gave God credit for showing up whenever He wanted to, without giving anyone real answers.

Maybe you have heard the saying; you just never know what God will do, it’s all up to His sovereignty. This philosophy didn’t make sense to me! I began to understand that we were the variable in this situation… not God! I wanted to know if I could play a role in bringing in a move of The Holy Spirit! I wasn’t satisfied with excuses or wrong doctrines that were formulated to explain or justify the embarrassing lack of evidence of God’s presence in our lives.

It also didn’t make sense for me to hear a theory that implied that only new converts get to enjoy a “honeymoon” until they “mature”. I was told that once believers “mature”, they must “slug it out” with the rest of us powerless saints. I discovered and believed the truth about how we all should be growing in Love and Wisdom, going from Glory to Glory!

I concluded that if anything, maturity is acquired by being seasoned in the supernatural! I wanted to grow up! The truth is, if there has been a substantial decline of any fervency and expectation of the miraculous, we should then ask ourselves; “am I mature, or just worn out and cynical?” As promised, here is another true story.

“A PIGMY GOES DOWN TO ALABAMA”

I’m a Colorado native, lived here most of my life, except for a brief time in Alabama. I went to visit my brother and his wife in 1991 for what I thought would be brief stay.  But being compelled by circumstances; I stayed for a year. I had two part time jobs and rented a nice 1-bedroom apartment close to down town Florence, Alabama.

I lived within 6 blocks of a nice southern park! It was large, verdant and beautiful! I loved this old time park and usually would visit it when I could. Walking and praying in the cool spring evening was a highlight for me after dinner, and this time I thought I would walk down to that park. As I enjoyed the fragrant night air, I remembered that this particular park was known to be a “gay park” after dark. So, as I approached this park, I decided I would walk around it.

So, here I am, ready to walk around the park when I heard The Holy Spirit say, “see that well lit park bench over there...go sit down”. I replied, “it’s night and I don’t want to draw any attention to myself, especially in a gay park!” Then The Lord said again “go, sit down… now”.  So I joyfully obeyed without hesitation… not exactly!

No disrespect intended, but with rattled nerves I said, “like hell I will!”  The Holy Spirit’s reply; “do you trust me?”  With that, I really couldn’t say “no”. So, I sat down on that park bench, you know, the one with the street lamp shining down on it? Hey, what’s the big deal; I mean it’s just me and no one else, right? Sadly, no, because right across from me on the other side of the park was a group of guys! Surely The Lord wouldn’t put me in a situation around gay men...would He?

It’s 11pm and it’s time I go home because I passed the test, right? I mean, I sat down, and before I am noticed, I get to go, Lord…right? Just when I thought I was home free... I got noticed! Well, I got myself in a prayer position by bowing my head and then turned my back to someone approaching me. It was too late to run, but thankfully I still had a few cards up my sleeve.

“SCRAPPY”

I heard the guy speak; “hi there, are you alone?” I pretended to not hear him. The man got a little closer because apparently, I didn’t hear him. Again he spoke; “do you want to join us?” He then added; “You don’t have to be alone”.  The tone in this man’s voice sounded very effiminent with a slight lisp. My tone suddenly got very masculine as I replied; “I’m just praying and would prefer to be alone”.

Then with that annoying tone that made my skin crawl, the man said; “well, if you change your mind, we’ll be over there”.  With my deep, “James Bond” voice I replied, “okay, thank you.”  As he left, I guessed that there were about eight guys. My thoughts were; whew... glad that’s over with, can I go home now? I stood up to go but then I heard the last thing I wanted to hear; “where are you going... go join them!”  This time I wasn’t going to move from my position.  So standing my ground I said “like hell I will!” Please don’t be offended, I’m not a cusser today; I’m just quoting what I said at the time!

I was really assessing the situation: “ it’s 11:15 pm, not a cop in sight, and I’m not crazy enough to expose myself to danger!” “ Do you trust me?”  Why did The Lord keep using that line? Cause it worked, okay? Actually, with me it worked only too well!

So here I am, “Mr. Standing My Ground” getting up and starting to walk towards that group of guys! You would have thought I was severely handicapped by how slow I walked to their position. I thought again about my exit strategy and then was able to actually count the exact number of men there was; bummer...yea, there were eight of them!

Then the same enthusiastic guy approached me as I neared his group. This man was lanky and short. He was very muscular and tough looking! The rest of the guys consisted of two huge gorilla like guys who I guessed were linebackers for the Raiders. The other five men were just average height but very tough looking as well. The lanky guy, I dubbed “scrappy”.

THE DREADED QUESTION

So, here I am, at the point of almost “chickening out”, feeling very awkward and… outnumbered! I was thinking, I’m the only white guy in this mix, I weigh at the most, 160 lbs., and my knees won’t stop shaking! I missed my park bench across the park... I missed home! Did I show any sign of weakness... astonishingly… no! We all talked a little small talk. Actually small talk was very appropriate because, I felt small!

Then “scrappy” asked me the dreaded question; “who were you praying to over there?” I employed my masculine tone when I said, “God, of course”.  Then, after my reply, we all talked about God, religion and… homosexualality! I mean these guys came with their “ guns loaded”, figuratively speaking! Some of them spoke of being married by their gay pastor. “We were born this way, etc”. You get the gist.

POPEYE AND MIGHTY MOUSE

Then, like “Popeye” my spinach kicked in, and all of a sudden I was bold as a lion! I answered every question and objection flawlessly! With my eloquence I had them all applauding in absolute agreement... well, one could hope!  Actually, it didn’t matter to me how they responded. I was totally indifferent to their fits of rage! Seething with rage, these guys began cursing and pounding their fist into their hands! You would think I would have been sensible enough to give them a break, huh? No way! I was begging to get my white butt kicked!

I was “ Mighty Mouse” defying a gang of stray cats! But I didn’t feel like a mouse! No, I felt 10 ft tall and lethal! Then “scrappy” stood in my face, bent down to the ground, grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it up in my face! He said, “Your words are trash, just dust in the wind!”  What’s a giant gonna do about that? I stood up in his face; nose-to-nose, chest to chest and said, “I gave all of you the full council of God, and your blood is no longer on my hands!”

The “linebackers” stood safely behind their “fearless leader” while the rest of the guys started to back away. With that, I began to walk away from that place. It seemed weird to me that everyone was starting to disperse, including “scrappy”. No one dared to follow me, as I took my new giant self back home.

“DON’T EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN!”

As I walked out of the park I was 10ft tall. A block later… I’m 8ft tall. After another block …I’m 6ft tall. One block later…I’m 5ft tall. Is it me, or am I shrinking? Walking up to my porch…now I’m 4ft short! Talking about reverting back to your childhood! Then searching for my keys in my little pocket...I am now a little pigmy!

So, imagine a little pigmy reaching into his pocket for his keys! That was me! That little pigmy also had a full bladder! I was very glad I got home in time; cause, had I succumbed to fear, I surely would’ve wet my pigmy pants! It was way past my bedtime, so I went straight to bed. I finally had time to think about the ramifications of what I just experienced! I could have been beat-up, raped and hospitalized! With no police and a poorly lit park, I could have been in serious trouble! I had stirred up a hornet’s nest and a fire ant colony! “ Children, don’t do this at home!” unless of course you are challenged by the Holy Spirit to step out of “the boat”!

As I lay in my bed, I had some final words to say to the Lord before I fell asleep. These words were deeply profound!  I said; “Lord, don’t you ever do that to me again!”  Apparently He had spoken enough to me that night, because all I heard in reply was...laughter! I only gave a little chuckle... I guess I was just too tired!

YOUR INNER MAN

Well friend, maybe your wondering about how my experience could be relevant to you. I tell these stories because they are totally relevant to you! Please take these keys that I am handing out, so you too can open some supernatural doors! If you are a believer, your inner man is awesome! He has no fear!

This immortal part of every Christian is full of power and wisdom! This inner man is a totally new species of man! He is full of affirmation, boldness and security, and mostly; He is full of love! And just like me, you have a mind and body that must follow this “new man”. And the Holy Spirit’s specialty is teaching us to follow Him with our new heart, which is being renewed!

So, if you obey the clever Holy Spirit, even with fear, you come out on top...every time! You will grow into whom you really are and at the same time have a little adventure. And you may even get in a few laughs… even after feeling like a pigmy! Now I will jump way ahead to January 2007.

“CRIMSON DELIGHT”

It was a very cold winter that year in Grand Junction, Colorado. I had just woken, and turned up the heater. This little heater was so old that it would “pop” and often emit blue flames when it was turned on! Besides all that, it was only a small wall heater register that was very poor at heating my 2-bed room apt. I was only working part-time so I had this particular day off from work. I put on extra layers of clothing and started breakfast. At 15 degrees above zero, it would be a good day to stay at home and seek The Lord in prayer and worship.

It was a bittersweet season for me of intercession and unexplainable tears. Also, I was a bit melancholy because of having only part-time money but full-time bills! After breakfast, I began stirring up my inner man with excellent worship music, and confession of The Word. Doing that was a good beginning point, but still not quite enough to get me out of the blues.

When I had fully surrendered everything to God’s love and care for me, I began to express extreme gratitude to Him, for what I did have. After standing and walking around my living room, I decided to lie down and worship. Feeling much freer, I knelt down on my couch and began praying in intense tongues. My prayer language progressed to laughter and amazing joy; I was finally free!

Suddenly I was overcome by The Lord’s presence all around me! I was totally intoxicated by Him and normally I would’ve fallen over, but this time I was totally energized! I couldn’t kneel at my couch anymore! I was compelled to stand up! As I stood up, I was immediately in a waterfall! Yes, I was standing under a cascading shower of...The Blood of Jesus!  How did I know it was His blood? I knew because it was delightful but not creepy! His blood shimmered with awesome beauty! Imagine a crimson color mixed with a clear crystallized shimmer, and you’re getting close to its appearance! Talk about exotic!

Imagine; you are alone, taking a shower in your own private waterfall, like in Hawaii! The water pressure and temperature are just right! This is totally how I felt as this Crimson Delight washed over me! It was invigorating, cleansing and also thirst quenching! Instantly all my worries, pain and regret were washed away as I was filled with light! As I was standing in my oasis, I realized all would be okay!

Houses of Light

I love the Holy Spirit! I love how He uses the gift of our imagination to help us get a firm grasp on spiritual realities. Once we touch something in the spirit realm, then we can bring them to our physical plane! This, my friend, is not just revelation; it is illumination! When your imagination is filled with light, (God is light) then your seeing things with a renewed mind.

THE BLOOD

The “crimson delight visionary experience in the last chapter says a lot, on every level! It is packed 3-D with lots of amazing concepts that are life changing! I can unpack a lot here for all of us ponder. Although I will point out some excellent scriptural points, I don’t feel the need to be too exhaustive in this. As believers, we know how precious and vital The Blood of Jesus is.

Like our normal human blood, His blood removes toxins from our whole being! As our blood supplies us with oxygen and nutrients, The Blood of Jesus supplies us with everything needed to not only survive, but also prosper! The blood speaks of DNA and as our natural blood contains our genetic code, Jesus’ blood also contains the true nature of The Godhead!

As life is in our own blood, so The Spirit of God is in Jesus’ blood! If you have The Holy Spirit in you, and are the temple of God, then the blood of Jesus isn’t far at all from you! And light isn’t far either! When you come to the light and walk in the light as He is in the light, then The Blood of Jesus will cleanse you of everything that you expose to the light! All of what I just said cannot be understood with just our natural minds.

With revelation such as this, I just eat this vital spiritual food and allow my head to catch up with it later! Good Spirit food turns into good mental food. Yes, our minds need to eat too, but first our spirits need to handle spiritual information first. That’s how our beings were meant to operate, with our minds subject to and taught by our spirit man!

THE MIND OF CHRIST

Quick thought: imagine our minds being transformed by our new spirits so that our intellect becomes spiritual! And, while we are on this subject, imagine having The Mind of Christ overshadowing your imagination, creativity and ingenuity!  The Lord Himself wants to live His life through you and He will do it, through your own unique style! You can have a part in shaping the course of this world! You can bring things that haven’t been released from heaven yet, down to this earth! This is the actualized Christian life style we all desire! And that’s what your Loving God is planning for You, all His children, and Me! This next story will demonstrate this point and also the power of revelation that comes by ascending into the heavens through The Holy Spirit.

A PALACE, A PRINCESS IN PARADISE.

In August of 2008,I attended a Growing in The Supernatural conference with some good friends from Grand Junction, Colorado. The conference was held in a huge conference room for 5 days at a well-known hotel. The worship was awesome, to say the least! The average lengths of the worship sessions alone were 2 ½ hours. Right around midpoint, as hundreds of believers were worshiping, dancing and soaking in God’s presence, I ended up on the floor! I was stone cold drunk in the Holy Spirit. My body was done dancing for now.

Let me tell you; dancing and worshiping in the Spirit is an excellent way to exercise! Although my body was done dancing, my spirit and soul were just getting started! The loud pulsating music at the conference seemed more distant from me. As the music began to be more distant, I realized that I was ascending into the heavenlies! Then the conference seemed to be a worlds’ distance below, like I was hovering above planet earth!

Suddenly, I was in another place! Then I found myself standing on a balcony in a huge ballroom! I could see it curve around way up ahead as it wrapped around a palace! I saw in front of me and all around; tall marble pillars and polished stone railing at the balcony’s’ edge. The floor, the rails and especially the pillars were polished to perfection! I’m guessing that every thing except the marble pillars was made of polished granite that had a slight red tint.

Also, I noticed tables all around throughout the area as well as larger rooms connected to the balcony. I couldn’t see the ceiling, if there was one! I knew there were people sitting at the tables but I couldn’t distinguish their form. This balcony was majestic and elegant and although I could’ve stared at it in awe, I was too busy dancing! I’m guessing I was about 30 ft from the balcony edge. Around me also were other people dancing; I didn’t see their faces but I knew they were dancing near by. And I wasn’t dancing alone!

Soon after I got acclimated with my surroundings, I felt someone grab my hands. This person seemed to me like the most impressive man I’ve ever seen! He was powerful, yet subtle. His facial features were beautiful with a perfectly shaped beard. His eyes were dark yet bright! I knew He was wearing a princely suit that was white. The way he looked at me was penetrating and focused. I immediately blushed and could barely look Him in the eyes! I wanted to just stand in his arms, but suddenly I remembered the music and the dance.

I knew I was dancing with The King of kings and The Lord of lords who is also the awesome Son of God! I was dancing with Jesus! The music paused briefly as I heard a slight applause from the entire guest. Then suddenly the music changed to a waltz!

AWKWARD

This experience was awesome yet weird to me as well! After being dropped off in a celestial palace, I danced solo, but now I’m blushing in the arms of Jesus! And worst of all, I’m suddenly aware of my changed form! I looked at my arms, then at the rest of my body, realizing I was dressed in a beautiful gown! Now I am waltzing with Jesus Christ… as a woman! Awkward… The funny thing is that I wasn’t embarrassed at all! I was only blushing at the focused attention I was getting from my dance partner!

I didn’t mind being the princess or rather to be exact, The Bride!  I was really more surprised than ashamed. I let Him pull me in closer to his chest, and then the music changed to a slow dance. As I chanced a peek at His loving smile, I began to weep. Then, with courage I looked into His eyes and saw absolute contentment in them! I saw admiration... towards me! He was looking at me with absolute pleasure and delight!  I was very shy and felt absolute peace when His hand caressed my face!

Then suddenly, I am sitting at a table! From my table, my attention was immediately on an elegant couple that was slow dancing. Without a doubt I knew that I was looking at us! I remember seeing this majestic prince whisper something into His bride’s ear. After a few seconds, suddenly I’m not at the table anymore! I’m back into His arms again, but this time more aware of who I am. I was more then a bride... I was His Wife!

Now I could actually hear what He was whispering into my ear! I heard; “You are so precious...You and I are a perfect fit...You were made for me...I need you!”  If this is getting a little too mushy for you, I apologize. Even now I still blush when I tell others about this awesome story! And I guess I will blush some more as I finish telling you more.

A HUGE SMILE

Now getting back to paradise. The waltz ended, and as we stood facing each other we both smiled and stood about two feet from one another. The music then resumed and this time was very upbeat! It sounded like a “ salsa Latino” rock style, sort of like “the tango” but not quite. We both nodded to each other and started to dance again, in absolute ecstasy!

Then Jesus looked behind, over His shoulder, at a table. I hadn’t noticed that particular table until now. As I looked more intently at the table, I stopped dancing and just stood there in awe! I was instantly mesmerized at The Being that was seated at that table! This being was so bright I could barely distinguish His form! Behind His pulsating brilliance was a huge smile that could only be felt, not seen! I literally felt that enormous smile!

Imagine blinding hot rays of energy and light blasting you and then you get the idea of the magnitude of that smile! I had no doubt that He was smiling at the both of us and that our dancing brought Him pleasure! Then in a flash my dancing partner whisked me away to another part of the dance floor! We ended up only a few feet from the edge of the balcony, not missing a single dance step.

BACK TO MY FORMER SELF

The music paused again. Then I felt Jesus let go of one of my hands as He began to step away. He then placed my other hand into another hand, and then He blended in with the other guest.  I then realized that I was holding the hands of a lady about my age that was dressed very elegantly! Looking again at my attire, I noticed I was wearing a sport jacket and casual slacks. Yea, you guessed it; I was back to my former self again! Wow, what a relief! And, right on cue, the music started again!

So, now I am dancing with a lady who seems significant to me. As I looked at my new partner I was a little shy but then again, it wasn’t like we had just met either! It was strange but only for a moment, until my mind adjusted to this reality. It suddenly dawned on me that this very attractive woman was my future wife! As we danced, we were very casual with each other, nothing intimate.

CELESTIAL CITY

As we both were enjoying the light rock music and dance, we noticed two things. We both noticed that table again and we also saw an awesome view over the edge of the balcony! Seated at that table was that same glorious being whom I knew to be The Father, but my Glorious Prince also accompanied Him! Now, talking about smiles! This lady and I now had two radiant smiles directed at us!

As awesome as that was to see, we both couldn’t take our eyes off of the view over the balcony! Not able to resist, we both walked briskly to the edge and stood there in awe! Below us was a vast city that went on forever, fading into the horizon! Directly below us, about two hundred feet down, were thousands of houses. These houses were very large and all of them had amazing roofs with stone tiles. We both began to hold hands and started to talk about what we were seeing.

Then my future wife pointed at a particular house. She just knew that house was ours! I instantly agreed with Her and drew Her in closer to me, and put my arm around her waist. The music kept going as we enjoyed each other’s company and the view of this amazing celestial city.

After that, I found myself immediately back on the floor, at the conference. The pulsating music was still playing as people were stepping around and over me. Well, what do you think I did next? Yea, you guessed it; I stood up and began dancing again, only this time more like a prince!

AN AMAZING CONCEPT OF TIME IN DEFINING SPIRITUAL LIFE

I was hoping to throw in some extra ideas about a recent word of wisdom I received just last week. I was thinking about an amazing concept of how time works and about how that concept helps me to understand God’s hand in our daily lives.

For example, we know seconds make minutes and minutes make hours. Hours make days and days make weeks. In fact days make certain blocks of time such as weeks, months then, years. And of course years make decades, centuries and so on. My point is that all events whether subtle or dramatic are all vital and connected.

The Lord’s involvement in our lives is usually too covert to immediately detect. And that’s okay, because this leaves us with mystery; and that my friend makes our spiritual walk worth living!  Now all these seemingly disconnected events are leading us forward as they accumulate into one big breakthrough. But this breakthrough was only possible because of the culmination of everything else!

Going one step closer, imagine that all the dramatic events actually set us up, again, to go through another cycle. As we all can imagine the cycles go to a higher level and accelerate to higher levels and frequencies! It goes from Glory to higher levels of Glory! And who knows where the end is, if there is one!

While were on this subject, let’s ask, “What if all these events were actually scheduled by God in advance eons ago before they are played out in our time frame?” I mean what if everything is choreographed perfectly by the wisest person ever, who lives out side of time! All those little fragments of time are just as crucial as the larger ones, which are easier to track of course! But as we all know;  “every second counts”. They really do! All this divine, eternal wisdom is matched with perfect love by the one who intentionally interacts with you!  You are that important to God. Every thing you do matters to God, to the world and hopefully... to YOU!

God’s accuracy is mind blowing. It baffles us and causes us to constantly bow down before Him in awe and throw ourselves to Him and His purposes. If you’re flowing with The Lord, then you should be baffled! And if you can figure it out, then it’s probably not of Him! He works in perfect concert with all we do. Mistakes or perfect steps, His love makes it all work out!

I want to share another amazing encounter that will illustrate my points and also show that I myself have truly benefited by what I believe. If it doesn’t work in the “ laboratory”, then it’s not ready for “ public trials”! This story is about supernatural healing and how I didn’t take “No” for an answer.

HEALING IN THE LIGHT HOUSE

Not too long ago I was seriously ill. One Sunday afternoon I had a very strange feeling in my gut. It felt like a little fist had a grip on my intestines! My guess was that I ate something bad and that it would pass as the evening progressed; it didn’t! What I hoped would be cured by an hour of rest turned into a very horrible predicament! That “little” grip turned into a huge wrestler locking all my insides into a “half nelson”! It knocked every breath out of me!

Gasping for breath, I walked around like an invalid. I began to hyperventilate and lying down only made it worse. Jon, my son prayed with me and when I felt a little relief, I went straight to bed. My son ate dinner then went to bed later while I attempted sleep. I felt like I could sleep enough to improve a little...not! I also thought that drinking some water would help but I could barely take in a sip!

A big problem presented itself to me as I remembered that I was scheduled to go to work the next day. I would have to get up at 5AM, which was only 7 hours away! I was ready to leave a message to my employer requesting a sick day off, but something held me back ... hope!

When you can’t sleep and can hardly move to go to the bathroom, what’s the best thing anyone can do? Well, if you have a TV in your bedroom, and some cable… how about some late night “ vegging out”?  No, sadly that wasn’t an option for me. Instead I put on some worship music and started to pray. Oh well, you use what you got, right? Seriously though, I began to pray painfully in The Spirit!

Soon I began to feel a little better and as I prayed I saw a glimpse of a face of someone I knew. I knew by The Spirit that this person was connected to this obvious attack on my body! It was revealed to me that this person was using divination against me. I saw that this person’s dislike and idle gossip of me, was fueling her “prayers” against me. This was possible because this very hurt and bitter person had been involved with the occult before.

Satan and his demons will use any spiritual law to attack us as long as they have a medium. In this case, this lady wasn’t aware of how she was being used to make me a target of the evil one! Important question: What about the hedge of protection that we know God puts around us believers? Ah, did this attack against me get “green lighted” by God? Apparently so!

Our enemy is set up like Goliath was for a fall! We believers are set up like Daniel was long ago for promotion after surviving a night with the lions! Just remember “ Rocky” in His miraculous victory against the big Russian dubbed the “death from above”! Yea, for me the first round had officially started! So, I got up and rebuked that spirit of infirmity and sent that curse back to where it came from...actually, not!

Really, I felt God’s love and sorrow for this person and also felt her pain. I saw this person’s low self-esteem and wounded soul and asked The Lord to forgive her for doing something out of ignorance. I prayed for healing of her wounded heart and that she would be saved! After praying like that, I felt much better in my heart, but not in my body! The only place I could sleep was in my easy chair.

At 5am the next morning I woke up with a mild discomfort and decided that my main diet would be green tea, lots of water and some juice. I worked at a restaurant as a server and kitchen help. How ironic, huh?  I’m surrounded by gourmet food and serving it and I don’t even want to touch it! Sounds like to me my fast was off to a good start and guaranteed success! So after four days of just liquids, I began to feel much better. I continued confessing all the healing, health and longevity scriptures I knew but still I felt that tight grip in my gut. I kept hearing in my spirit “never take “no” for an answer!”

Five days after the initial attack on my body, I decided to take Jon and I on a little hike. I remember so well; it was on a Friday afternoon. My son Jon can verify this whole true story and all it’s details. Just a few moments on our hike and I began to feel horrible! I was just walking, not climbing Mount Everest! I have friends...(actually, I really do) who lived very close to our hiking location. My friends are a Spirit filled married couple so I knew I was to call them immediately! These people were full of faith, so who better to go to for prayer on a Friday afternoon? So I called them and was thankful they were home!

As I drove to their house, the pain worsened. My believing friends immediately started to minister to me and as we all prayed and sought The Lord...no relief! In fact, it was worse than ever! I kept thinking in the back of my mind that I would go to the hospital as a last resort. I did take some non-prescription pain pills to take the edge off the pain.  Well, we all knew that I was out of options so...off to the emergency room I go!

My son, Jon gave me a sympathetic hug, and as He did, shock waves of pain shot through out my whole body! My countenance started to turn pale and soon I was as white as a ghost! We were all thinking whether it was a gallbladder problem or my appendix rupturing. If not that, we were wondering which one of my vital organs was in trouble. I was mystified! A whole week of fasting, confessing the word day and night and after seeing good progress then…bam!

My condition became worse than ever! I could hardly move without pain! I had no health insurance, no emergency funds, and on top of all that; I couldn’t afford to take time off work after a major surgery! But, as I resigned myself to go to the hospital, I felt this amazing peace from The Holy Spirit! I just knew everything was going to be okay! So I asked Joe, the husband to drive me in my car to the hospital. Joe’s wife, Carrie followed us in their vehicle.

We traveled ten minutes then as we got nearer to the hospital, the stoplights nailed us! First stop light; “are we there yet!” Second stop light; feeling a little better. Third stop light; “hey, I can move a little!” Fourth stoplight; “how many stop lights are there anyway!”  Jon and I were finally dropped off at the emergency room drop off. Joe was parking my car while Jon and I checked in. As I was filling out the registration form, I began to feel better... “Hey, what’s going on?”

Joe arrived and as He found us, he noticed that color was returning to my face... “Hey, what’s going on?”  Soon, Carrie arrives and is surprised to hear a joyful tone in my voice. She asks, “Are you feeling better?” I told her that I was just as surprised as she was! We all sat down in the waiting room and had a conference. We all agreed to walk around a bit since there were several patients ahead of me.

As I began to walk, I had a spring in my step! I was afraid to say it, but I said it anyway; “hey, I feel better!” When I said that, Jon gave me hug...too late to back away, as He squeezed me! What...no pain? Hey... What’s going on!  We were near a cafeteria, so I bought Jon a snack, and then walked around some more. Not being too far from the waiting room we all went back to discuss plans.

With my noticeable improvement we all had to make a snappy judgment call! Do I stay and get some answers as to what could be a life-threatening problem? Do I go home and keep believing that I was getting better and it wasn’t just Tylenol fooling me? Decisions, decisions, decisions...what to do? Then we all agreed that I should go home and wait it out and give God a chance to finish healing me. I kept hearing The Holy Spirit say to me, “never take “no” for an answer!”

Joe and Carrie assured me that if I needed them; all I needed to do was call them. Praise God for good friends. “A friend in need is a good friend indeed.” As we all stood up to exit the waiting room, my name was called! Looking like I didn’t even belong in an emergency room, I kindly said to the nurse, “I’m okay now, but thanks anyway...God bless you!” The nurse just looked at me with disgust and disbelief.

It’s Friday evening and as I began driving home I realized there was no pain! I made Jon some dinner but I wasn’t about to break my fasting streak; so I just had green tea. It was late evening so after dinner I decided to continue sleeping in my easy chair. I still didn’t feel confident enough to sleep in my bed yet. That night I slept very well and in fact had an amazing dream!

In my dream I saw The Lord Jesus in a white robe walking in this elaborate house. He was touching the walls, ceiling and floors speaking blessings over everything! I then noticed that all the rooms were made of flesh! It didn’t look creepy but actually looked rather nice. I realized that this house of flesh was my flesh...my body!

Then the scene changed: I began to see a white light in the center of the house shoot out in all directions! Now, I was in this house watching light in huge torrents rush down every hallway! I ran down the hallways and into different rooms as I felt these huge waves of light crash into me! When I had visited every room of the entire house, I realized that it was a mansion! I mean, from the cellar to the attic, to every square inch of space; was invaded by light!

Well, dreams like that you never want to leave, but in my case I didn’t mind! When I woke up the next morning I felt totally baptized in The Holy Spirit! Although I felt just a little tightness in my gut, a supernatural peace was overshadowing me that morning!

It was around 8am, Saturday morning. My son Jon asked me if I wanted some “ word”. I told Him to put on whatever he wanted; a CD or even a DVD would be fine with me. So He put on Patricia King and went to the kitchen for some breakfast. As I was listening to some really good word, suddenly I felt and heard my gut doing something very weird! My guts literally started to shake and churn like a clock that was unwinding! I heard the actual movement and saw my gut move as I felt ecstasy flood my whole abdomen!

The best way to describe this is to say I was getting a heavenly message from within! It felt awesome! Any tightness and pain was totally gone and all of the sudden I felt hungry! I alerted Jon to this amazing phenomena and He was excited too! Before I got up to eat, I heard the loud voice of The Holy Spirit within say, “Congratulations, You didn’t take “no” for an answer!”

It has been a year and a half since that miracle and I still haven’t had any issues with my health! As a matter of fact, I’m more healthier today then I was back when I was taken on an incredible journey of healing! Later on I would love to tell you about more healings, but I need to comment on some amazing things that I learned from this experience.

IMAGINATION, GRACE AND LOVE

The imagination, when it’s renewed is not only powerful but also critical when it comes to making significant spiritual progress! Also, without The Grace of God we get nothing! It’s good to be diligent and tenacious with what we believe but without The Holy Spirit’s help, we get nothing! It’s all about grace…period!  Our faith cannot work without God’s Love energizing it!

That love not only has to be in our possession but also should be as our treasure to behold! When we can say that we’ve been delivered from “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” through “the Love of The Father”, then love is doing a mighty work in us! Fear no longer haunts us because now we know that God is always good and His mercy endures forever!

I would like to talk about something that happened to me way back in October 1982. This story illustrates a “ blind faith” that I had to exercise. I was still new in my walk with The Lord, so what I had to do took tons of courage and trust! This story is about a “showdown” between intimidation and faith.

SHOWDOWN AT THE  “IT’S GONNA BE OKAY” CORRAL.

This story involves two “good” friends who were also classmates. One day after school I learned that somebody had spread a vicious rumor about me. It was a rumor about a “rumor” that I had supposedly spread about them.  Unfortunately, my two good friends believed it! To this day I don’t even know what the rumor was exactly, but it must have been really bad! My two friends were so livid at me that when I asked them to explain their anger, they just walked away! That wouldn’t have been so bad except that after the school bell rang, my friends confronted me! They told me that they wanted to “settle up” with me and that I better watch my back!

My new enemies told me that if they ever caught me by myself they would pulverize my face! I was stunned that my ex-friends wouldn’t even tell me why they were offended. I mean, they wouldn’t even give me the benefit of the doubt or at least hear me out! I was hurt, confused and mostly scared. Why I didn’t mention this dilemma to any of my family is still a mystery to me.

A week went by, as I effectively avoided my new enemies at the bus stop, school property and around town. One valuable asset that I had to my advantage was… speed! I could run like “Forest Gump” and “Speedy Gonzalez”, especially when outgunned by two guys tougher and bigger than me! But running only worked for so long.

So, on Friday afternoon “Mr. Black and Mr Blue” confronted me again! They told me that eventually they would catch me. They also told me that if I didn’t agree on meeting them, they would kick my @## every day, instead of just one! Like hearing my death sentence being read out loud, I heard one of them say, “meet us tomorrow behind the meat locker, or else!” I rode home on the school bus more stunned then ever! I was in agony because I had indirectly agreed to meet with them behind the meat locker on Main Street in Collbran. I also agreed to meet at 8am, Saturday morning, which was tomorrow!

So here I was, walking around in “shell shock” wishing I lived in Russia, on my last day “in the free world”! I prayed and prayed until I couldn’t even stand to think about my problems anymore! Then, when I was thinking about joining the peace corps the next day, I heard The Lord say to me, “it’s gonna be okay, meet with them tomorrow”.

I couldn’t believe that God was encouraging me to get a face-lift! So I questioned The Lord and asked Him to repeat Himself and He said.... nothing! I did feel this unexplainable peace, and that was all! I still didn’t sleep very well that night. I kept wishing that I could just sleep in that morning in the hope that my executioners were stumbling around with massive hangovers!

Well, just when I was thinking about a nice immediate hike, I heard The Lord say again “well, it’s almost eight...are you gonna meet them?”  Well, I knew that if I didn’t just get this over with, I would create an even bigger problem. I surely didn’t want to ignore The Lord either. What to do, what to do? As I looked at the clock I said,  “Oh my God, it’s 7:55 and I am still in bed!” Good thing for me I lived only 1 block away, right? I wish I lived 1000 miles away!

With all the courage I could muster up I got dressed, skipped my last meal, and walked straight down Main Street… to the meat locker! While I walked, I kept saying to myself, “it’s gonna be okay, it’s gonna be okay, it’s gonna be okay...” When I arrived behind the meat locker I saw Mr. Black and Mr. Blue leaning against a wall and was immediately “ impressed” by their punctuality!

I was shocked at how casual they looked, smoking their cigarettes. Who did they think they were anyway…“The Blues Brothers”? Actually it was more like “the Bruise Brothers”! They offered me a cigarette and I accepted then said, “Where’s my blindfold?” They clearly didn’t get my sense of humor! They even offered me a light. I took a few puffs imagining my cigarette being either the long or short fuse to a cannon pointed at me! I readied myself for the words, “ready…aim…FIRE!

After they had lit their second cigarettes, I quickly snuffed mine out. I didn’t like smoking anyway; I was just hoping to buy some time, which seemed to expire when they too, extinguished their cigarettes. Then one of them said “Well, let’s get this over with!” I said one more thing before I was to be pulverized; “ I don’t know what I said or did to make you both want to beat me up, but my conscience is clear!” I also said “ If it will settle us up, then go ahead, get this over with!” Readying myself for “the flying fist of fury”, I watched in amazement as they both turned their backs and walked away.

Was it really over? As I walked home in disbelief, I realized that it really was okay... just like The Lord said! Without a bullet being fired or a nose being bloodied, the war was over! This was a showdown between anger and the favor of God! Can we assume there was Angelic protection? As a matter of fact...yes and also the fear of The Lord that must have unnerved my enemies!

What happened the following Monday? No anger, no threats and no sweat! Sadly though, peace came at a price; I never regained my two friends again. But I did gain their respect and I also gained a greater trust and love for my Lord. And that’s what really matters!  The love of God is what makes the most sense in this world, which is in dire need of it!

Fading Into The Light

LOVE AND AFFIRMATION

As mentioned at the end of the last chapter, “The love of God is what makes the most sense in this world!” But love must be experienced in a very personal way; otherwise it remains only a theory and just a head-trip. The love language is very real to all our senses! Love is very practical and is about closeness and personal involvement.

Love feels and understands or at least seeks to understand someone’s pain therefore it isn’t impersonal! Love and affirmation go hand in hand. So, if I have this Love as a reality in my life, then I’m continually affirmed! John the apostle wrote to all of us about “abiding in the Love of God”! So, if I ‘m feasting on this love daily, then I am satisfied and not in a deficit! In this affirmed state I can affirm others in the love of God! I can tell others that I love, and esteem them because they are valuable to me! I am letting God love them through Me!

Without the human touch, love is only a fanciful notion! Impersonal love will soon shrivel and die on the vine! When you love with the love that God loves you with, there is no fear of loss. Love drives out that fear of rejection and abandonment. Living in that kind of security will make you a great lover of God, yourself and of course, others!

This next story will illustrate this point and show how desperate one can be for the “human touch” which is the vital ingredient to God’s Love.

HUG FROM ABOVE

While living in Collbran in 1980, I would attend a home church group in Grand Junction, Colorado. I traveled to this meeting with other Christians as often as they went. The meetings usually took place on Saturday afternoons and evenings. There were a lot of believers from Grand Junction that I was starting to get acquainted with.

One time, after I had already attended the afternoon home meeting, I was feeling very lonely and depressed. I reached out to the people I knew and asked them for prayer. I was visibly sad; so I expected some concern.... nothing. I was asked, “can it wait?” or “is it gonna be quick, because we have a lunch appointment?”

Being a new Christian at that point of my life, I was naive about a lot of things. I thought maybe they were right and I surely didn’t want to intrude on their afternoon! But... the loneliness and despair was only reinforced by the callousness of these brothers and sisters in Christ! I did actually approach many people; with as much courage I could muster. Well, since I had no lunch appointments, I did the next best thing; I hung out at a friend’s basement apartment and jammed out to His Christian tunes! I was still alone because my friend had to go somewhere as well.

My friend gave me permission to listen to my heart’s content to any of his music. I got out his vinyl records and enjoyed some DeGarmo & Key, 77's, Imperials, 2nd Chapter of Acts and of course Rez! As time flew, my friend arrived back home to tell me that the evening service was about to begin. I made my way back to the meeting, which was just upstairs.  Oh…joy.

You should have seen me! I had the look of “Grumpy”, “Sleepy” and let’s not forget; “Bashful”! If there were an eighth dwarf, I would have also been named “Introvert”! As I walked in, the music had already started. I sat close to a coffee table and slunk down in the chair, totally despondent! I made eye contact with some of the people who I had approached earlier. They only smiled back at me as if all was okay in our lovely world! I was really starting to get worse as the night drug on. I remembered all the times I was told by many Christians that “Jesus Loves You, brother.”

Anger rose up in me, and as the pain in me intensified, I mentally prayed to The Lord, “ I hear all this garbage about how you love me...I don’t believe It!” Then I got a little more brazen and gave God a challenge, saying, “If you love me, then come down from heaven right now and hug me!”  I didn’t expect a reply from God, but anyway I thought I’d give it a try. I couldn’t wait for the meeting to end! The music became more annoying!  To me, all I was hearing from people was mere gibberish!

Then, just like that, there was an unusual break in the meeting. It was almost like a sacred silence invaded the atmosphere! Some people prayed in tongues quietly, while others just listened...for something. I noticed a lady of whom I’ve never seen before starting to walk over to me. She looked like the sweet motherly type with a caring look on her face. Someone continued to quietly play an acoustic guitar in the background.

This lady immediately enveloped me with a Huge Hug! Then she spoke these words that exploded into my soul; “My son, I cannot come down from heaven to hug you now, but I sent this person to show you a fraction of my love towards you! I feel your pain and treasure your tears. I promise that I am always near you! I have great plans for you that I will bring to pass! I love you, I love you, and I love you!

I must have heard “I love you” a dozen times! By the time this lady had prophesied the last “I love you”, I broke into immediate tears. I mean, I cried out in absolute relief! All that anger, pain and emptiness was washed away by that torrent of God’s love pouring into me as well as my free flowing tears! I sobbed for hours by myself, thanking God for sending someone who could hear His voice!

AFFIRMATION TO CONFIRMATION

This lady was operating out of the pure Love of God! That was living water coming out of that woman’s heart! A pure heart hears purely and gives pure words of living water to those who are thirsty for Love! Sometimes we are in a place in our lives when we need constant affirmation. Other times, when we are stronger, we need less. Your heart will not really believe until it perceives this truth in God’s voice!  Our goal is to first know how God sees us, and then to readily receive confirmation from a vessel that has no warped presuppositions about us. First affirmation then confirmation.

Sometimes though, you’ll run into people with blind spots who will try to dump their unfinished business on you! These hurt people are not seeing us the way we really are; they are seeing us the way they are! I’ve been in both camps, so I don’t condemn. I will, on the other hand, reject the false images that are being dumped on me! You must do this, so there can no inroad for the devil to afflict you! Images are so critical! Out of images comes imagination! “As a man imagines himself to be in his heart, so is he!”

MY TREASURE, MY EVERYTHING

The Lord will do an excellent job in protecting your heart if you’ll cling to Him and let Him always be your Lord, no matter how hard it gets at times! On my journey many have either been healed or delivered through me. But that isn’t important for me to talk about now. It is way more important for you to hear how awesome God’s love and grace is! I want to tell everyone about God’s heart and His true nature! I love to cut through all the smoke and distorted mirrors of religion!

Whether I prophesied to someone or talked others out of suicide and into salvation, none of that benefits you directly! The important thing to know is that God seeks human encounters as much or even more than mankind seeks God encounters! God is on a mission to touch and also to be touched by you! So if He can tear down any wall, or bridge any gap to get to you… He will!

The treasure I want to freely give to you is my most prized possession! It is His love for me that is… my everything! Not only do I possess that Love, but that Love also possesses me! Take it now! It is yours immediately because God’s Spirit is here to fill you, if you’ll have Him! I have been on many amazing evangelistic journeys and have been brought to many walks of life. In my final conclusion, it’s all about grace!

STILL NEED GRACE

God has used me too many times to keep track of. But to me, all those moments are just the natural effect of my search for The Eternal Treasure! So I can only boast of one amazing thing…His love and goodness! Even if we never fell from God and never needed redemption, we would still need His Grace to approach Him! Today, being totally redeemed to God by the precious blood of Jesus and pure in His sight...we still need grace to approach Him!

It is because He is so transcendent and just too good for anyone! His love is so amazing, that it is just too good for even blood washed saints to touch! Yes, The Blood of Jesus is the result of God’s grace. Without that we are doomed and can’t approach The Holy One! The emphasis isn’t that I am or was so bad that I needed grace! No, the emphasis should be; that He is too awesome and good, even for restored mankind!

That’s the truth and we just need to deal with it, as we all get over our “badness” or our “goodness”! This shows another dimension of grace, which, by the way, is multi-dimensional like His love! What’s being offered to us is more than the universe! Do you want it? I sure do! Now, I would like to give you what I consider the “jewel in my crown” of all my stories. Ready?

WHO NEEDS A TIME MACHINE?

Do you remember the “Crimson delight” story? This true event I am about to tell happened three years after that encounter. In 2010 I had a visionary experience that still to this very day baffles and blows me away! Have you ever wondered about seemingly disconnected events in your life that were never sorted out completely? Well, I did and they bugged me deep in my subconscious! I gladly resolved myself to just let God answer those things if and when He wanted.

I had personal regrets about the “could have, should have” things in my life! I said many times in my self- talk (my deep thoughts), “If I could do it all over again....” I would often fantasize about having a time machine and going back to every single failure or missed opportunity and “fixing my life”! This, my friend is living with regret and almost taking it too far! I wanted my time back...could you blame me? I wouldn’t fault you either for wishing for that!

I would even daydream about all of those scattered parts and about how I ended up “on top”, at the end of my story! By the time I was done fixing everything, I was a famous somebody with a perfect life! Did God hear my heart’s cry and furthermore, did He instigate this “rabbit trail”? Indeed “Yes” to both questions! There were many things in my life that I had “emotional amnesia” about. I wanted to come full circle and make sense of mysteries needing to be unraveled!

I believe God wants to satisfy us by giving purpose to our pain and sacrifice, as well as justify our journey! Why? Because He is the author and finisher of our faith! He wants us to see where we have been and also see where we are going! He doesn’t want us to walk blindly and be obscure about who we are in the grand scheme of things! He wants His footprints to be seen in every corner of our lives, especially in the unexplainable past where it can be very dark! Light wants to invade darkness, and He certainly will!

Okay, back in my time machine mind trip. I thought that as the director of my fine movie; “This should’ve been my life”, I should win an academy award! To my dismay, the true director broke my winning streak, when He said, “Cut”! Then, after interrupting my fantasy, He said, “If you got me, who needs a time machine?”  The Lord then told me that He had something way better than a time machine! I still loved my script though.

Then the Holy Spirit reminded me that eternity is past, present and future wrapped up in one moment! I found great comfort in that truth, even though I didn’t get my academy award! That truth also reminded me of something I heard a prominent speaker say at a conference that I attended in 2006. I heard something like how our personal history is sacred and needs to be visited with respect and viewed from a redemptive perspective! With that in mind, I will recall that wonderful experience!

I was in a visionary state, finding myself in real time at a specific place in my life! I felt like I was taken on a journey with the “ghost of Christmas past”! Not even resembling “Scrooge” in the slightest, I wasn’t alarmed. Suddenly I was standing in a room at a veterinary clinic that had a huge dog kennel in it! I saw a little boy sitting all alone in that dog kennel and heard interesting things coming out of his mouth! I heard cute sound effects and the singing of songs that I almost recognized. I realized that this little boy was alone, but not at all lonely! I still felt sorry for him because something about him and those songs seemed only too familiar!

Then, suddenly I was in that dog kennel which was now a “ spaceship”! Yes, now I recognize that little boy! That was my pretend spaceship and I was flying all over space! Then I saw an adult sitting in the corner of the dog kennel who was smiling and chuckling in amusement! This adult man was zeroed in on every detail, which he keenly observed! I then realized that this man was the father of the little boy! It then occurred to me that it was The Heavenly Father who was there! The Father would say “how precious, how adorable!” I felt like I was at a family home movie experience! I was that little boy!

Then in a flash, I was now inside that little boy, feeling everything he felt! Like I said, it was in real time, so I smelled and heard everything! I was enjoying all those intricate details that were locked up in my subconscious! I got a new remembrance and revelation of myself at 7 years old! You see I was looking at this moment through God’s perspective. When that happens all pain and regret vanish! We must appreciate our personal history and ourselves. Visiting our personal history can be an awesome experience when The Holy Spirit is your tour guide!

Everything was being played out in front of me and all of it seemed very familiar!  I even said to myself in this vision, “wow, I did say that... I remember that! How did I bury and forget all of this? My childhood was so lonely and tragic that it was necessary to forget and suppress some of those heartbreaking events. Some traumatic events are processed by children in the way that only they can understand.

Some of us can’t fathom the depth of how deficient and dysfunctional our childhood lives were! I fell in love with that little boy! I saw that little boy through The Father’s eyes! Then, suddenly I was outside of the boy’s body and found myself standing right next to The Father! He then said to me, “I was there every second of your life, especially when you didn’t have a clue that I was there. I treasured every moment I spent with you and was very excited the day you came into the world!

Getting back to my T.A.R.D.I.S. (it’s a “Doctor Who” thing, trust me), I was immediately back in that dog kennel!  I then wrapped my arms around...me! I hugged my little boy’s body and said, “it’s okay now, your daddy is here!” Then in a flash I was transported in my “time machine” to specific time frames in my life! I went to my adolescence, then to my teen years. I also flew into specific parts of my young adult life. In every part that I visited, were all those things that I wished could be fixed.

In vivid detail, I saw The Father viewing all of it like His own home movie! He often said, “That’s my boy!” Then I heard The Lord Jesus say to me, “my blood has traveled with you as we visited your past! He added, “All the mistakes and heart breaking events are obliterated forever and will never haunt you again!  He also reminded me that all the good eternal things in my past history that didn’t need to be erased still remained as medals of Honor.

I then saw how my distant and immediate past were connected to my present. And I also saw a pattern that defined my past and my future! I knew I was on a designed path and that God had authored it all! I realized how my sacred past is the foundation that I am building my future on! I had greater definition and hope! I saw the pattern, the divine connection and the master plan of how my life was laid out! Hope flooded my past, dignifying my present! How awesome!

Let me assure you that you don’t have to be far from God or backslidden to have this experience! I wasn’t far from God at all. Actually, I was very close to The Lord at the time of this encounter! He gave me the gift of affirmation that I missed in critical times of my personal history! He showed me the experiential, cleansing and healing power of His blood, in every dimension of my existence! To me this was equally as revolutionary as “the blood waterfall vision” I had three years prior to this “time machine” vision. Like The Director said,  “Who needs a time machine?”

AS I AM IN THE HEAVENS

Remember the story about how I was assaulted by “Grim Vador”? I mentioned the profound truth of being seated in heavenly places with Jesus Christ next to The Father. It is true that we are actually in the Fathers arms at all times! It is also true that the love we experience through union with The Lord will cast out all fear! Well, here is another angle on this profound fact.

The Apostle John in his epistles wrote about this amazing concept. The Apostle Paul also spoke of our position with The God Head in the amazing books of Ephesians and Colossians! The Apostle John wrote about the same truth when He said; “as He is in the heavens, so are we on this earth”! When I received the full understanding and application of this mighty truth, it changed my life!

What do you do when you injure yourself badly and need to get healed very quickly? I had to come up with that answer on a recent hiking trip. I slipped on some ice and badly sprained my good arm! Not only that, but I also injured my whole left chest and shoulder. I had to go to work the next day and on top of that; I had to drive home from that hiking spot, using only one arm!

After an unpleasant drive home I went to bed and began to feel shock waves of pain move up and down my left torso! I prayed to the Lord about healing and started confessing some Bible healing verses. My heart didn’t bare witness with those Bible verses yet, as I groaned in pain. When I got comfortable enough to sleep I heard a surprising scripture verse from The Holy Spirit!

The scripture verse wasn’t directly about healing … or was it? I heard it in my heart loud and clear; “as I am in the heavens, so are you in this earth.” I suddenly combined the two scriptures from Ephesians and First John and came up with a divine truth! Here’s the progression of revelation, as I received it: “as I am in the heavens, so are you on this earth “which led to, “as I am in the heavens, seated with Christ next to the Father, so am I on this earth…so am I in this earthen vessel…my body!”

A while ago I heard an amazing truth from Kim Clement, an amazing prophet! I remember hearing about   “Revelation, Illumination, Inspiration then Manifestation! Because I knew this man spoke out of pure revelation, I made this truth mine! In this situation my revelation turned into illumination as wisdom and understanding began to kick in! I thought;  “As my body… my spiritual body is in the heavens, so is my natural body on this earth!” Oh, it gets deeper and richer …believe me! Check this out: the illumination progressed as I said to myself;  “as my new man…my new arm, is in the heavens, so is my natural arm on earth!” Then I progressed from illumination to inspiration when I said; “I command this natural arm to be exactly like my heavenly arm…now!”

I spoke that way over my shoulders and chest as I also added; “I put on the new man which is real now…in the heavens!” I continued by saying, “ I believe my heavenly body is real and connected to my natural body!” And then, “this immortal body is inside of me now and overshadowing my natural body!” Then I put the “cherry on the sundae” when I said; “I will wake up with a new arm tomorrow morning!” Talk about telling myself a wonderful bedtime story!

Did I wake up healed?  Well, not 100%, but very close to it! When I sprung out of bed I didn’t even notice how easily I showered and dressed myself. Then it dawned on me! Wow, no pain!  I remember thinking to myself; “this really worked, didn’t it?” Of course it worked… “Sherlock”! As I sat down to put my shoes on, I was delighted on how painless it was to tie my shoes!

Then inspiration started to turn into manifestation! I drove painlessly to my job, which by the way was digging out irrigation ditches! All day long I kept worshipping and thanking God as I  “buddied up” with The Holy Spirit! I was in awe about how good and wise The Holy Spirit is. Within 1 hour, I was totally healed!  That day The Holy Spirit and I became even better friends then before! The Holy Spirit was the one who made this whole miracle possible! Nothing is impossible to those who believe!

PURSUE HIM

Believing actually is impossible without the Holy Spirit! He brings us in by God’s grace to revelation, illumination, inspiration and then finally…manifestation! It’s progressive and it follows a spiritual logic. This is truly how the mind is renewed and overshadowed by The Mind of Christ! In Christ is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge! Pursue HIM, not just healing or anything else you want or need!

God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him! We will find Him, when we search for Him with our whole hearts…that is a fact! I want to encourage you to be diligent and allow God to lead you into all truth. Meditate on all the wonderful Bible promises! Also take heed to what the great men and women of God are saying in our time. These servants of God challenge us to claim our inheritance! Keep your heart pure by feeding on the eternal things rather then the temporary. But mostly, while your pressing into Him, put total trust in The Blood of Jesus and the Grace of God!

WHY THIS WORKS

Are all these ideas true because the Bible says they are, or are does the Bible say it because they are already true? All this isn’t true just because I believe it; I believe it because it is already true! God’s ways are true whether we believe them or not! When we align ourselves with reality, then all these truths become real to us. And that’s the point, isn’t it? Spiritual laws just work, every time! If it is true in the spiritual realm, then logically it can be true in the natural realm!

Before there were scriptures written by people with real experiences, the reality of these truths existed eons before they were uncovered! God’s laws aren’t true because I believe them; I believe them because they are true! We must go deeper then just remembering key Bible verses. We need to go to the foundation of all truth! Thank God for the Bible! The Bible is our touchstone, our beginning point in all searches for truth. Yet, I’ve noticed at times by The Spirit of Truth that I knew something being true in my heart, before it was verified in the Bible. Of course the Holy Scriptures must verify everything at a later time!

If something is true for someone and they discover and experience manifestation of that reality, then it can be true for you! The laws of electricity are evident to all of us because the scientist who discovered their reality found them! But the reality existed long before the discovery! The Holy Spirit of all truth takes what’s written on the pages and writes it in our hearts! Let the Bible lead you to its Author, who will lead you into all truth! What truth? All spiritual and natural law concerning everything else He created!

All these exceedingly great promises must be true to all of us! They are written down in a contract in heaven and on earth, and are binding! Stay in the truth, stay in the light until the light shines in your heart and starts to spill over into all areas of your life! If others are experiencing these spiritual truths, then God must be telling us to experience them too! God isn’t unjust to deny some of us what others are enjoying!

THE BANQUET

If there is an endless spiritual banquet which incidentally has already been paid for; then it’s not just for a few chosen or a special group! If that were the case, then how could anyone know for sure that they can partake? Some people actually don’t believe this and disqualify themselves from what has already been provided! If you are breathing, you qualify! This banquet is for anyone who believes. The possibility already exists, if you see one person with a plate full of what you desire!

We get to that banquet table through spiritual doors provided by The Holy Spirit, who honors those who honor Him! If you recognize that only God satisfies your hunger and seek Him, then He will fill your mouth and your belly! Notice, I said if you seek Him rather than staying in the dark and chasing after things that only prolong spiritual starvation! If you want to be in covenant with your God and Creator and leave your fallen state, then you can partake of this endless feast! Now I will unpack and expound on some excellent details concerning this eternal banquet feast!

COME TO THE TABLE

In God’s kingdom everything is available for anyone who desires and takes them! Also some things can’t be eaten yet until the appetite matures and there is a capacity for them. Just because we haven’t experienced certain things yet, doesn’t mean we were never meant to! Who has set the limit on what you will consume as you mature in your spiritual growth? You and I can set the limit, God never will! He may wait until your ready but God will eventually bring to you what you desire and need!

The truth is that God orchestrates events to influence us to be aligned with His plan. He doesn’t force Himself or His gifts on any one!  We can say “no” or “yes” anytime we want. We may say “no” because we are afraid or not ready for what God will eventually offer again at a later time. For instance, if all I like is salad then it would be foolish to criticize those who like steak! Some people actually like many items, including salad. Equally, don’t allow others to judge your spiritual diet. If they are spiritually mature, they won’t.

Some spiritual food is reserved for a later time in our lives when it is needed. Just because something may not be manifest on your plate yet doesn’t mean there should be a doctrine created to explain any lack! Also, all of God’s food is good and equally important to anyone’s spiritual health. Praying in tongues is just as important and spiritual as ascending into the heavens! Equally, receiving God’s love and loving yourself and others should be just as spiritual as prophesying over a brother! As a matter of fact, I could do a lot of spiritual things and not have the motive of love!

THE ULTIMATE SPIRITUALITY

There was a time in my past when I was not affirmed enough to use my spiritual gifts with pure motives. Obviously, I needed to go back to the table and eat more of the basics, so I could mature. The truth is that I will always need to mature in one way or another! Love is the ultimate spirituality! When we have realized our security in God’s love and that there is an endless feast, then we will turn our focus off of ourselves and onto others! When we all are affirmed in the core of our beings, then affirmation just flows out of us and into those who need it!  When you’re in that state, peoples’ need and hunger will pull it out of you!

I’ve learned that certain things must precede others, when it comes to spiritual progression. If we don’t pray in the spirit often then we can’t progress to other things, which take a robust spiritual condition to acquire. Certain spiritual things are foundational for other spiritual things, just like it is in natural life. For example, I drive a car now but I didn’t do that at 10 years of age. Praying in The Spirit aligns our natural minds to our spirit man to allow us to assert dominance over our natural man!

Revelation, illumination, inspiration, and manifestation happen as a result of consistently eating the entire spiritual feast! All the fruits and gifts of The Spirit are good and necessary! Otherwise why are they provided? When it comes to growing up in the spirit and winning the race set before us; we can’t afford to be so picky! After all, would I win a battle wearing just some of The Armour of God? Equally, would I be in robust spiritual, emotional and physical health eating only what I can wrap my mind around?

We often put limits on God, others and ourselves. I know I’ve done this subconsciously and had to ask for a true renewing of the mind. True renewal goes way down to the emotions and expectations of the heart. When the “impossible” is possible to us, then our minds are being renewed! Love is the ultimate supernatural and it takes a spiritually robust person who is enjoying the entire feast to walk in that domain! Our goal should be to grow up into who we already are! The irony is that while I’m complete in Him, I’m also a work in progress.

CINDERELLA, SNOW WHITE AND SAUL

I don’t know about you, but I love some of the “fairy tales”.  I can see the spiritual relevance and parallels that they illustrate and how they also define the hour we are living in. I will touch briefly on two of them now and go into greater detail later. For the Cinderella story there is a more recent rendition of this classic tale that was a motion picture. I remember the title of this movie as being, “Ever After”. Although it took the Cinderella story out of the cartoon version, it seemed more down to earth.

This newer version inferred that this fairy tale was based on actual events that eventually turned into legend. So, without the fairy godmother, the pumpkins and mice, this version actually captured the true essence of the Cinderella story! Personally I find that both versions give us a complete picture. So, with both of these versions in my consciousness, I feel I have captured the true essence of the tale.

Just like “Cinderella” we have part of our identity in the palace (the missing glass slipper). And we also possess the “the other glass slipper” while living in the wicked stepmother’s house. We are seated in heavenly places aren’t we? Our identity on earth must agree with our identity in heaven.

Just like the King’s men who searched out the rightful owner of the glass slipper, so The Holy Spirit is searching for you! Offer the King’s men your feet so your identity can be confirmed! Say, “yes” to what has already been said, “yes” to… in heaven! You must confirm your identity!  Also think of “Snow White”, the pure and spotless bride who was put in permanent sleep by an evil queen!

The dark system also wants to poison us with lies and false paradigms! By the way, remember the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? In the beginning mankind was put to sleep in the Garden of Eden.  Many of the true saints in the body of Christ are in a different kind of sleep and are held as prisoners to the false church! The awakened ones are The “Davids” of this hour who won’t  “fan the flame” of Saul’s already crumbling system!

Cinderella has danced with The Prince and the King’s men are on their way to verify her true identity with the other glass slipper! The Prince of Peace has kissed Snow White and she is coming out of death, just like Lazarus did! We are taking off our grave clothes and putting on the armour of light! We are waking up out of our slumber and becoming The Wife and True Body of Christ!

We are done eating poisoned apples from a bewitching system that has been finally defined and… unmasked! We are leaving the wicked stepmother and jealous stepsister mentality and are separating ourselves from those who won’t be delivered and repent from that evil and dysfunctional mentality. We readily recognize those who only value us as long as we serve their selfish agendas, all the while keeping us away from our Royal Destiny!

The ruling King of kings and Lord of lords is now in His kingdom and has the government on His shoulders! He is reaching out His hand to us saying; “is this dance taken?” By the way, Jesus Christ is now dancing with His Wife as she rules with Him on this earth, helping Him carry out The Father’s will! Like Him we are resurrected and victorious and are giving true hope to our broken society!  All creation groans for “the manifestation of The Sons of God on this earth”!

A LIFE SENTENCE

Before I end this chapter I want to clarify what I mean about “The Manifest Presence of God”. I’m not inferring that God isn’t at a church that doesn’t show His power. If anything, God’s kingdom will be there, but first in seed form! That’s the idea. Everything that God does in this earth starts with His spoken word! If we want His word, which is in our regenerated spirits to affect the rest of our beings, we must allow it to grow! There must be an outward voice to confirm what you know inwardly! In this growth process we can either be helped or hindered, depending on which atmosphere influences us the most.

If we want, we can take God’s grace and settle for only forgiveness and going to heaven.

Equally, if we want, we can take God’s grace and see how far it will take us! As we try to avail ourselves of God’s endless grace, we will be swallowed up into it! I just want to tell you that I decided a long time ago that I wasn’t saved from eternal death, to live a mediocre life! To live an average life on earth with only the hope of heaven seemed like a “life sentence” to me!

I wanted intimacy with the most fascinating person ever! I wanted to and still want to experience everything that all the Bible characters experienced! Not only that, but I want to experience what my other brothers and sisters in Christ are presently experiencing! God doesn’t play favorites! He will say, “yes” to anyone who wants what The Blood of Jesus paid for! He sacrificed Himself so we all could live the life that was lost through the fall of man! You and I can have as much or little of God and His Kingdom as we want. This being true, we can have as much or little of God’s presence as well… individually or corporately!

TOUGH CHOICES

If an environment isn’t supportive to the abundant life that you are pursuing, then you may have some tough choices. There are good pastors and leaders who can only lead us so far. How far they can lead you depends on how much they want to grow. In my case, I had to go to places that could support my new growth. When a plant outgrows its pot, it must be re-potted! I am grateful for any help along the way, but my first loyalty is to my spiritual growth. I believe that I’m accountable to God first on how I spend my life on earth! God expects me to “bear much fruit” and I can’t blame my pastor or my church for the poor quality of my fruit!

“WILDNESS” NOT JUST “WILDERNESS”

Leaders will be more accountable to God than their followers. God is very zealous over you and the destiny he has planned for you! You might have to be like most of the biblical characters who had to “go it alone” to find their own path. Sometimes the best food is on a table in the wilderness! I see this principle with Abraham, Moses, Joseph, John the Baptist, Paul and of course, Jesus! Solitude isn’t the final solution though. Once The Holy Spirit has properly trained us in that special quarantined state, He will lead us out of the wilderness! We are set aside only so we won’t be contaminated by worldly religious mindsets that reside in some churches. I want to end up like Moses and the others, especially Jesus when He was in his earthly body! After we are released from isolation, then we can have real adventures! I want “wildness” not just  “wilderness”!

The Affirmation Connection

In the beginning of this book I asked if anyone could tell us why we are not seeing the manifest presence of God and miracles like we should be in our church meetings and also in our daily lives. By God’s grace and revelation I believe I can reveal to you what I consider a vital missing piece to the puzzle!  I feel at first I need to show the contrast between normal and abnormal Christianity. In this contrast we will see if we are living in the real or in the false.

As our minds are being renewed, we fluctuate between those two worlds. So, I often ask myself if what I’m thinking, feeling and doing is based upon walking in my new man or in my carnal mindsets. Real believers have certain traits they aspire to live in, for the most part. So in essence I will describe not only the normal believer but also more importantly “The New Man” that we are told to put on by The Apostle Paul.

THE NEW MAN

The new man or normal Christian is excited about living in this world and about changing it! These new creations wake up with the expectation of radically influencing world history. These believers don’t want to leave this life without finishing their assigned course! They want to bring heaven to earth more than they desire to go to heaven! Living in heaven in our glorified bodies is an awesome truth that gives all of us hope! Bringing the heavenly atmosphere to a very dark place is also, if not more inspiring then going to heaven!

We are told many times in scripture to set our minds on the things above and to walk in The Spirit. We are robbed of purpose and vision when we are taught to just bide our time while we wait for something to happen to us! This escapism mentality puts us in an endless limbo and sets us up to be the victims to whatever transpires. Somehow it feels good to people with this defeated mindset to avoid all contact with this evil world and to relish the fact that they have a free ticket out of it! Culture is now “the enemy” to these people who would dare not be “contaminated” by it or the world!

CHANGE AGENTS

On the other hand we are told “greater is He that is in us than he (satan and the anti-christ spirit) that is in the world!” The new man doesn’t bemoan his residence in this dark world! This new creation knows that not only does he walk in the light… but also that he is the light! The new man really loves to see darkness flee when The Glory (Christ in us) invades every dark corner of society! As new creations, we know that we are only temples of The Glorious One! We are The Lamps that He shines through, yet we cannot deny that we are also lights in this dark world!

The true believers expect change and that they are crucial to God’s ambitious invasion of this dark world! We are passionate about what HE is passionate about! New creations not only grieve over lost people groping around in darkness but they also believe that they can open blind hearts! These victorious Christians believe that they are the “saviors and champions” that are needed to save people, as well as all of creation! They believe they can do greater works then Jesus did before He ascended to the right hand of The Father!

These Christians don’t expect everything to stay in a corrupt state or even worsen. We know that every one must choose, so we aren’t discouraged when people reject our message and us. We believe and hope all things, while trusting God to use other agents and means to bring people into the light! We know that we are change agents and that all that is needed is to… just be! We believe that The Mighty Holy Spirit leads us into divine appointments and will put us around hungry hearts and bring them to us as well.

OCCUPATION

New creations believe that nothing is impossible to those who believe and that it is impossible for God to lie or to fail! We put our total trust in our Lord to lead us in a prosperous way. The new man worships all day long in a grateful attitude and admiration of his God and Lord Jesus Christ. We crave the word of God and desire to grow up into all that the word promises us to have and be! We are divorced from this world system and are enemies to it! At the same time we love lost people and help God deliver them from the devil’s grasp!

There is nothing that the world system can offer us that will even tempt us! We believe that we have died to this world and that we have been delivered from it! We know that we are in this world for a reason and that we are needed for this time that God placed us into. We expect victory all the time, although we submit to God’s strategic timing in bringing us there! A famous French general once said, “ the objective of a war, is victory but…the objective of a victory is… occupation!” The whole history of the Bible is about how God invaded and then occupied!

As new creations we put on the new man daily and train our thinking to be normal. If and when we find ourselves in a defeated state or mentality we throw ourselves to The Holy Spirit asking for His help… so we can repent! From “glory to glory” we repent while being even more relentless in the renewal of our minds. The new man believes that he needs to see things the way God sees them! The normal believer also knows that there must be agreement between heaven and earth and that’s why he is on this earth!

The new man doesn’t relegate every awesome promise to the “someday realm”. We want to “ taste the good word of God and powers of the age to come!” I desire to come up to Jesus as we hear Him knocking on our hearts saying,  “Come dine with me and I will show you who you are and your purpose”! You see, The Resurrected Lord of all creation wants you to feast on Him! Then, (as if it couldn’t get any better) Jesus will show you things that are to come to you, your life and to the world! He wants to show you His Kingdom, and all the “nuts and bolts” of it as well!

One last thing before we move forward onto other great things: there are some things that haven’t manifested on this earth…yet! Mankind perceived from the creative realm of heaven all that we see on earth, from inventions to certain technologies! You see, God is still creating through mankind to bring specific things that are necessary for the era in which we live! The new creation knows that they called to aid God in His creation of other things yet to come.

The abnormal believers resist change and alienate themselves from the new, which longs to appear. The old man is afraid of the new, and the “super”, which changes the natural! It isn’t normal for new creatures such as us to be driven or held back by fear! We know that the defeated dark prince and his realm are turning up “the heat”, and we say… “Bring it on!” We welcome another “Mount Carmel” and another confrontation with Pharaoh’s magicians! We are not afraid of the supernatural! As a matter of fact we realize that it’s our responsibility and birthright to live in that realm!

I hope by now you can see how much I am endeavoring to affirm you into the supernatural realm. Before I show you the affirmation connection to the supernatural, I feel the need for more distinction and definition. So in getting back to the Cinderella principle I will further show you more profound truths. As the fairy tale goes, we are aware of a wicked stepmother and two very insecure stepsisters. My next distinction will be between the stepsisters and of course Cinderella.

THE STEP SISTER SYNDROME

The “ stepsister syndrome” is unfortunately very prominent in our Christian lives. The stepsisters wanted to “hunt” royalty for their own selfish reasons. They seemed to want more, although they apparently had way more than most people. Those spoiled brats certainly had more than Cinderella! A lot of believers today are more concerned with the benefit of going to heaven than about what their savior wants. Jesus wants His kingdom to rule first in men’s hearts and finally to rule everywhere else! The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit want heaven to come to earth and they need and want us to be in agreement with that agenda!

Do we really want to know God’s heart and plans for the people and creation that He paid for with His blood? The thought of heaven thrills us all and gives us precious hope, but that shouldn’t be our obsession and mantra!  The “stepsister syndrome” wants the palace more then The Prince! The Prince to them is a means to an end! As long as they can live their earthly lives in any fashion they desire, they are content to have a casual relationship with The Prince. If you speak of intimacy with Jesus and rest of The Trinity, the stepsisters will judge and brand you as “a weirdo”!

EXCELLENT WIFE MATERIAL

Cinderella was excellent wife material! She served three selfish people with selfish agendas and didn’t realize that justice was waiting for her…in the palace! She was selfless and hopeful that someday her day would come! We have to admit though, that she was somewhat duped. The “stepsister syndrome” believes and teaches that everyone must work to merit a night at the ball! When you finish performing everything on their huge checklist then you might be able to go to the ball, that is if you have a dress! “After all, ashes and plain servant clothes is your holy attire, because it suits you…Cinderella!”

Naturally, the stepmother was pulling all the strings and pulling out all “the stops” to promote her little darling! To secure her longevity, the stepmother knew that she had to seize the opportunity to get her little girl married to royalty! All the sham was truly more about the stepmother then about her daughter! Obviously, the “lady in waiting” had an exaggerated opinion about herself as well. This stepsister thought that any man including The Prince would only be attracted to external things. She was all about externals, trying to compensate for her inward lack of Godly character!

Do you see the connection and the relevance of what I am extracting from this fairytale? This story is very much like a parable that explains and defines spiritual reality. The metaphor is perfectly accurate! We have the advantage of knowing how the story ends, but the modern day system is clueless to the sad ending that awaits it! Like the other stepsister in other versions of the tale, we can still be delivered from the evil grasp of the stepmother and get promoted through humility and repentance.

NOT OUR REAL PARENT

The false church is not our real parent! She usurps preeminence over anyone who will allow her to victimize them. With false promises, which insinuate a constant waiting for a day that never comes, she leads people on with the proverbial “carrot in front of your nose” ploy! Like Cinderella, all of us begin in our own tale with the dilemma of being bereft of our own father. While our Heavenly Father is forming a strategy to get us to His Son, this evil system will try to capitalize on our own lack of identity and security!

The system chews people up and discards them later, when they no can longer provide energy to promote it’s own agenda! Fortunately, the system is very good at sabotaging itself because, just like its father, they all are masters at self-sabotage! Wasn’t it the devil that unwittingly and clumsily aided Jesus in His ultimate triumph over death and the fallen state of humanity? The step mother and daughter system is nothing like the real church who is lifted from the ashes and is “made to sit with the princes of men” or rather, “The Prince of all men”!

Speaking of sabotage, whenever we seek to establish our own self worth, we inevitably sabotage it! The ugliness that is exemplified in the “stepsister syndrome” is easily detected in our dysfunctional churches today. There are some traits that indicate which system we choose to be ruled by. There is the “gold digging” mentality and manipulation of people for selfish gain, as well as persecution and rejection of those who want a total Christian lifestyle! Also, the indifference toward the needy who don’t seem to be of any benefit to the system’s agenda. Let’s not forget favoritism and a few more heinous traits such as pride, insolence and the desire to rule others!

YOUR REAL FAMILY

If you’re looking for your real family and identity, you’ll find both at The Palace! This true family is very much like you, in that they believe promotion comes only through God! These true brothers and sisters of yours want to serve…YOU! They really see…you! They don’t over exaggerate their own importance and underestimate yours! You won’t be judged and assessed by casual observation. You will be celebrated and not just tolerated! You won’t have to scrub toilets for “millions of years” just so you can usher, that is if someone didn’t manipulate his way to that place ahead of you!

Your life journey will be very important to the real church, and they will also see your true gifting and anointing! One dude or his dynasty won’t own the pulpit, in the assumption that only “professionals” are qualified to speak. You have a voice and a vital place in The Real Church, which is made up of “living stones” rather than cold and unfeeling hearts, which are made of stone! The oppressive “stepmother system” will never make it to the palace without their sham being exposed! All the effort they employ to promote themselves will back fire on them as the “eyes of The Lord that search to and from the earth” skips over them, in order to find and promote “ Cinderella”!

BOATS AND BRICKS

As promised, I will now show you the affirmation connection that answers my question as to why we lack the supernatural and miraculous in most of our churches and personal lives.

The success or the failure of any move of God usually rest on us! It is much like the success of a boat. Whether it floats or sinks, the result will rest solely on its builders. In First Peter’s Epistle we are told to “come together as living stones to be built into a holy temple for God to abide in”. Notice that it says, “abide in”, not just visit! How long could you stay in a boat that is taking on water? How long could you stay in a house that is hostile to you and your ways? How long could we expect The Holy Spirit to stay if He is insulted by our indifference to Him and the ill treatment of people, which He highly esteems? He may stay locked up and grieved in our spirits but He won’t manifest…there, in that environment!

God so respects man’s choices and free will that He won’t enthrone Himself in hearts or places where satanic strongholds and mindsets prevail! When we are so disconnected from Him and each other, we are none other than a huge pile of bricks with no mortar holding us together. The satanic, carnal mindsets actually divide people and separate us all from God. As long as God’s agenda is subject to being controlled and/or hijacked, The Glory will depart from us! If He is grieved, then what do we expect?

WE CAN HAVE WHATEVER WE WANT

What the Bible teaches about submission to leadership and unity in The Body of Christ is correct. But what if we have unwittingly submitted to a demonic entity that perverts these truths in order to divide and conquer us? Our dysfunctional concept of leadership and authority actually fosters and reinforces disunity!  Favoritism in our church settings wounds people and divides us! As long as we have competition for recognition, validation and approval, we prove that we have become captives in the enemy’s camp! Having our “one man shows” makes everybody else just “pew sitters” with no voice, no purpose and no self-esteem!

This is where the affirmation connection is relevant! Affirmation is the building of self-esteem and the honoring of one another! We can have whatever we want or don’t want. If we want God to be enthroned first in our hearts and then amongst us, then we will have heaven on earth! If we choose just the opposite, (which in most cases, we do), then we also will have hell on earth!

INFIRMED OR AFFIRMED

Unfortunately in our personal lives and in our churches there are more infirmed people than affirmed people! The church is supposed to be a place where we all are being built up by love! This house should be a safe house for not only us…but also for God! Is it really safe in our religious settings? We all come into this world fatherless, starving for affirmation, identity, provision and purpose. If the lost people and Christians don’t see the true family culture in our churches, then they will stay outside, starving, looking at the bread on the other side of the glass!

If we are honest with ourselves, we all can relate to “Oliver Twist” who had to fight for survival! This orphan mindset is manifested by our independence from each other! We essentially believe that you can’t trust anyone, although we wish we could. This “dog eat dog” philosophy is not just in the world, it is being played out and even modeled in the house of God!

A SAFE HOUSE AND GARDEN

When we come to God He means for us to be connected to others, who like us, have been made alive. Our heavenly father wants us to be safe not only with Him but also with each other!  We are all supposed to be in a healing environment where our shattered lives and souls find security and restoration. So, what went wrong then?  Evidently, some bad seeds got sown into our midst and now we have a deadly mixture that needs to be harvested and separated!

We believers are also The Garden of The Lord. God’s garden is very much like His house. How can we expect a healthy garden that produces a continual good harvest when we tolerate the rocks and weeds in our hearts and churches? When God initially comes into our midst, it is first an invasion to shift wrong mindsets and bring deliverance. If the visitation is successful then habitation can occur. That’s how it is for all of us.  Visitation then habitation, first individually then corporately! He comes into our spirits then waits for us to allow Him to take over our souls and bodies!

As He gradually takes over us by our own free will, then we become vessels who are full of light. The candle is no longer just in one room; it has grown into a huge white light that is now consuming all of us! We make our choices and then those choices make us! If the prevailing mindset remains that wants our “little kingdoms” and agendas to be vindicated, then The Lord will not abide! He will not strive with us especially when He can find hungry hearts that desire His dominion over all things!

Would the manifested presence of God leave us to find a less unbelieving and stubborn environment? Yes… count on it!  God won’t rule in our hearts or our settings until His ruler ship is desired! God deserves an environment to where only He is enthroned without competition against other gods or idols.  God understands that there will always be some mixture and He is willing to cleanse our houses, if we will let Him. That is precisely why He comes in the first place! He invades, and then waits for further access into more doors that only we can open!

When we have a system that militates against His lordship and His children, then its no wonder there is a terrible famine of God’s voice and presence! The proof that a visitation has been successful is when God’s kingdom mentality remains intact among us! We then become a mighty fortress for God to reign in! As He reigns in the midst of us, He then can extend that reign from us… to our broken society!  The poorly built boats of religion are taking on some serious water and bailing water isn’t helping! In fact this futile effort is only delaying the inevitable!

COLD AND DRAFTY

Its cold and drafty in our pathetic institutions of religion because we are all huddled amongst rubble of disconnected stones! We also lack decent roofs over our heads, if there are any! We are not letting Jesus build his church His way! Instead we are building our systems that can be easily plundered by hell! The gates of hell have totally prevailed against our little houses of straw! Sound familiar? The wolves can easily blow our houses down! In our story, we are the sheep rather than the “three pigs”!

Some storms have decimated our slick institutions, which weren’t built upon The Rock! Didn’t Jesus speak of this idea in the Gospel of Mathew? Christ is the one, solid foundation, which Paul The Apostle spoke of.  Whatever we have built upon Him, whether it is hay or sticks, will be tried by fire! In most cases some of us will make it, but only by “the hair of our chinny chin chins”! Thank God for the fire that burns down our weak houses, which are really death traps to anyone unfortunate to be in them… when the hurricane arrives!

FRIENDLY FIRE

When we have an ungodly concept of “leadership and authority” that divides rather then unites, then we are not a good house for a habitation of God’s Glory! Whenever we treat one another with indifference by not honoring each other; then we can’t expect God to tolerate our cruel and treacherous environments for too long! The satanic realm creates a tormenting environment in which nobody can find healing! In fact, some of us have incurred deeper wounding by “friendly fire” in some church gatherings! Not very therapeutic is it?

When we remain obtuse about our worldly mindsets, even subconsciously, we allow darkness to prevail! Those dark mindsets, if not challenged provide huge inroads for our enemy to invade The Temple of God! That’s why all of us should be radical about the renewal of our minds and the healing of our hearts!  How can people be treated worse in our institutions than they were treated outside in the cold and cruel world? Our unclean environments only foster disease and further wounding! We lack a clear understanding of what a healthy, affirming culture of honor looks like!

Demonic entities constellate around our dark mindsets, which exalt themselves against the true knowledge of Christ! The exalting of one man or the“ special” people above others shows that we lack true love and affirmation! In most cases we have only sermons to stimulate the mind and lack words of affirmation that heal the heart! There seems to be a preference for impersonal environments where people don’t see each other face to face.

THE ROUND TABLE

A lot of God’s saints still like to attend services, then quickly leave (after punching their time cards) without any awareness or care towards one another! Yes, this scenario is bone chilling cold and quite frankly, disgusting! By our traditions and the will of some “head honcho”, only one voice, with the exclusion of the rest of the “fivefold ministry” and body of Christ is allowed to speak! Whatever happened to “letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly as we teach one another”?

It’s okay for any one man or woman or child to speak to us as we listen, even if spoken from a pulpit. That should be the exception, not the rule. The true biblical pattern shows us a face-to-face culture. I like the “knights of the round table concept” that exemplifies equal honor without the exaltation of one man! At the round table King Author is still honored, yet so are all the knights! In fact all of these men live passionately for the protection of “Camelot”! In the movie “First Knight”, the inscription in the center of the round table read, “In serving each another, we become free.” Again, another useful metaphor! It is honoring and needful to listen to anybody who will speak to us as an oracle of God by teaching, prophecy or by inspiring us by expounding on the Gospel of the Kingdom.

EGUAL VOICES

In God’s system everybody has an equal voice in his or her own time as everybody eagerly waits for that person to minister! We need the apostles, prophets, teachers and the evangelist (not just the pastors) to build God’s house! For example, we all need to hear the evangelist preach the good news to us on a regular basis as we drink in the milk of the word of God. The evangelist builds the church by not just bringing in fresh converts. No, they are among us first of all to continually inspire us and remind us of the Gospel of the Kingdom, which is far richer than “ the gospel of how to go to heaven after you die”.

I don’t know about you, but I need to hear that good news daily! We can’t plumb the depths of the good news of how Jesus Christ is Lord of all! Also hearing about His victory over death and defeat encourages me to take dominion over those things as well! “Christ and Him crucified” is much deeper than it has made it out to be in the overly simplified version of our “gospel”! Also a true evangelist will impart his evangelistic gifting to all of us and inspire us to reach the lost in our own social circles as well.

Apostles will build us all up as they activate people into their callings. Apostles will also give us the wisdom and grace to apply many profound truths. Prophets will expound on other hidden truths as they reveal Christ as He now appears to this generation! Christ doesn’t change…ever! It’s the fuller and deeper revelation of Christ’s endless character that comes to the saints which is built upon what has already been revealed!

Teachers amaze us with excellent insights of how to apply revelation in a pragmatic way in our everyday lives! Pastors disciple us as they watch over all our souls like loving shepherds and fathers allowing free expression from the all the “five-fold ministers to every member of The Body of Christ. It takes many pastors to watch over one flock, not just one so-called “C.E.O”!

As you can see in this situation, everyone is building each other up and consequently the corporate House of God! With a structure like this, you can’t help but have not only a visitation of God, but also even better…a habitation! As you can imagine, this supernatural life style is never ending! As God brings in more revelations of who He is, we will encounter more introductions to His higher glory! We will then be changed into that image as we behold that greater level of glory!

THE MORTAR THAT HOLDS US TOGETHER

Affirmation, honor and speaking the truth to one another in love is the mortar that holds us all together!  A house that is built with affirmation and honor is a house that is intact! That house will be an environment where all can grow and thrive in the supernatural! Affirmation is still only the beginning point though, as it must lead to a confirmation of who you are! After you are affirmed into your real essence then you will discover your purpose! First identity, then destiny. The Holy Spirit is very faithful and patient with all of us in this growth process.

Jesus demonstrated this principle when He asked his disciples to say who they thought He was. Simon affirmed who Jesus was in His essence! After that, Simon also received affirmation from the Lord by receiving a name change. Simon was then called Peter, which speaks of the rock of revelation that Jesus builds His church on. Later Jesus builds on the revelation of His own identity by stating His purpose. Of course, Peter still proved that He had an unrenewed mind by unwittingly contradicting the voice of The Father by saying to Jesus that there wouldn’t really be a crucifixion!

At times even we blunder in the same way Peter did. Like Peter needed to see Jesus correctly, so should we see each other in a renewed way! If were not careful in renewing our minds then we could be a contradicting voice to each other! If you see God correctly, then you will see yourself correctly. In seeing yourself correctly you then will see others in the same way! If we still carry an orphan mindset then we will respond to our surroundings in a destructive way.

AFFIRMED LEADERS

Leaders who still have an orphan mindset will do more harm then good to people! If I lack a proper self-esteem and am still seeking validation through my performance then I will end up leaving a destructive path in my wake! An affirmed leader will gladly affirm others because he isn’t leading people in order to fulfill his unmet need. Where will an insecure, dominating “leader ” lead (or push) people? The brave followers who endure long enough will most likely go to where their leader is going, which is…nowhere!

Honestly, I am not seeking to derogate or shame anyone in The Body of Christ. Had

I not repented; those dysfunctional mindsets could have prevailed in my life too! The Lord has graciously kept me from falling into those dark pits and dragging others in with me! I support true pastors and as a matter of fact I know several of them in my area, and they truly love people! Pastors are people too who still need healing and renewal, like the rest of us.

My strong language is directed against evil mindsets that have dark princes attached to them! Our war isn’t against people directly. If some people insist on their allegiance to selfishness and control, then it is God who deals with them directly! God gives grace to the humble but opposes the proud! To stay in humility I too must guard my heart from pride. I believe that this is your desire too! I also believe that I am talking to another “David” when I am addressing you! Speaking of David and his counterpart Saul, we are now ready to go to the last chapter of this book.

From The Orphanage To The Palace

SWALLOWED BY THE DARK

I’ve been in some really scary places before; like abandoned houses or dark alleys at night. But nothing is as scary as what I will describe to you in this final chapter!

Imagine finding yourself in a cold, drafty house. Suddenly cold shivers begin to go up and down your spine! As you walk ahead suddenly it gets darker! You look back towards the door that you came in through…but now there is no door! What happened to the door? Now everything around you starts to get swallowed in darkness! The darkness seems to have substance to it…yes, almost like a living darkness!

This living darkness begins to envelope you, and your legs start to weaken! Now your knees are shaking uncontrollably! You turn around and start to walk in the direction where you hope the door was, but now your not sure! The darkness, like black ink starts to pour down as you feel yourself being swallowed in total blackness! Now it’s harder to breath as you feel the darkness, like black icy water flood your lungs! You are terrified and shocked by how quick this powerful blackness consumes you!

Wanting to find that missing door, you hope at least to touch the doorknob, but…you know you’re trapped! The darkness settles down on everything, especially you! You collapse to your knees, bury your face into your hands…and cry. This is the present and future reality of anyone who hasn’t had his or her spirits regenerated by The Holy Spirit.

Imagine a place in your life when just the thought of tomorrow terrifies you! I have been there my friend, and that was after being saved for a while! Some times we all get lost even after giving our lives to Jesus. Trials can be so severe that you feel like only a black and uncertain tomorrow awaits you!

There was a time in my life, around 11 years ago, when I was disappointed that I didn’t wake up in heaven the next day!  The feeling is that you are locked in a forever prison, by your own doing! You could almost recall seeing the warning posted above that cave entrance that said, “Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here!” This is also exactly how a soul feels when it is still in this dark world without any light. Although the unsaved are not able to understand it yet, their whole life is pitch black and forever night!

Now that we have that imagery, combine that idea with a lost child who is forever asking, “where is my daddy?” This child is in a black forest at night and is so paralyzed with fear that he can’t move! The sound of wolves and other scary things are now so loud that they drown-out the child’s crying! The child is shivering uncontrollably! With a stutter, the sobbing child asks, “Wh…wh…where’s my…my …daddy!

This child is truly lost in the most literal way! Then suddenly, like a rushing wind coming down a mountain… a huge flash of light floods the entire forest! Huge arms instantly grab this trembling child, surprising him so much that the child thinks he’s dreaming! Daddy really did show up! Yes, dreams really do come true!

What I’ve just described is how everyone feels when God invades his or her deep darkness with blinding light! But we still have to live in this cold and dark world, even after we find salvation. After our spirits get regenerated, our fractured souls still need healing and renewal.  Thankfully, God has people who rescue lost and hungry orphans. In spite of some of the dysfunctional churches in this world, there is a true representation of the real church amongst us. There are so many loving saints scattered throughout this world, who will be Christ to us.

THE SAUL SYSTEM

Speaking of “the scattered”, I would love to talk about David and his mighty men who were chased into hiding by a murderous system which I will refer to as “the Saul system”. David served in a system that was earmarked for destruction. Before David and Saul, there was also another situation to where the student ends up replacing the teacher. Eli, the high priest turned out to be a corrupt man who also allowed his sons to desecrate the temple! Samuel the prophet, who was only a little child at the time, would replace Eli in the near future!  David was Saul’s replacement in the same way that Samuel was Eli’s. Do you see the amazing pattern that is being portrayed here? If you’ve ever wondered why you are among people who just don’t get you, then look at God’s master plan! God is with you as you are being ignored, belittled, marginalized or even ostracized!

The Holy Spirit in your spirit feels exactly what you are feeling and He is taking notes! Like Joseph, be patient and let God put the finishing touches on you before Pharaoh calls you out of your dungeon! Samuel’s lot was still pleasant and necessary, as was David’s. Some of David’s worst and best times were in the wilderness training program, that God deemed necessary! When it is time to leave any uncomfortable situation, it is when our purpose for being there is no longer necessary!

TWO SYSTEMS

Now, let’s contrast two systems at work that either oppose or support the saints. The contrast is easy to define by looking at the two men who exemplify these two opposing systems. David knows God intimately and has an insatiable thirst that drives him to seek God’s face continually! Saul, on the other hand is a complete stranger to God’s heart, although He knew a little about God’s hand. David cared for lost sheep and I’m not just talking about animals. Saul cared very little about people, unless they were useful for his kingdom.

David always remembered where he came from and how God promoted him in spite of being written off by his father! David knew what it was like to be rejected by his brothers and tragically his father. Saul understood humble beginnings but soon forgot them when he got some notoriety! Saul’s self will and rebellion was always a potential but wasn’t manifested until he became a mighty king. All of us, like David always have a choice. If we’ll fall in love with God then he will always forgive us! Even when we sin as David did on many occasions!

When David sinned He accepted the consequences of his actions. Saul did not! Imagine having such pride that you will even lie to a prophet when He clearly hears the sound of the flocks of animals, that shouldn’t have been spared! I know that thought must make you shutter as it does me! David came under God’s judgment willingly on many occasions. Saul thought that by taking David out that He could delay His own judgment. Saul was infamous for being very insecure and jealous and putting on a mask to save face before his subjects.

As we all know, the “Saul system” was allowed to come under it’s own judgment and destruction by God who used that corrupt system to benefit “The David Dynasty”! I will speak in greater detail about that later. First I want to combine two things when I spoke about a lost child in darkness and about a system that God uses to take in all the orphaned hearts. Saul’s kingdom is very much like our dysfunctional churches today that resemble an orphanage. An orphanage will take on the personality of whoever is running it. And that is not a very comforting thought, is it?

THE ORPHANAGE SYSTEM

I can still hear my voice echo as it bounced off the cold stony walls. I remember standing up from my seat, trembling as I walked over to the man serving the pourage. I fearfully asked, “Please kind sir, may I have some more?” First, a fearful silence from all the other kids, who couldn’t believe I was stupid or brave enough to ask “for more”! I then saw the look of shock and anger from the man, as he dropped the ladle in the pourage. Anger rises up in this man as his eyes began to bulge! I readied myself to receive the horrible tirade of mocking anger that would soon erupt on me! I felt embarrassed and ashamed, as if I had violated some unwritten law.

That’s right, shame on anyone who dares assume he or she can and should have more! With a high-pitched tone, the angry man said, “More? How dare you ask for more, you insolent brat!”  Then, the endless pontification of reasons of why we all should all be content, especially when there’s such a scarcity! The annoying whiny voice continues by saying;  “This institution is “caring” for you homeless children and we are doing our best to feed and clothe all of you!” I then hear more annoying words like; “We are doing our best for you, especially when you don’t deserve it!” “ Doing our best”? Did that delusional man actually say that? Ouch! That is actually hurting my ears, as I imagine myself as that starving boy, being belittled by that mean person!

OUR COLD STREETS OF LONDON

Does any of this sound familiar to you beyond some memories of an “Oliver Twist” movie? How about a great story such as “Great Expectations”? I’m also reminded of a great movie called, “Courage Mountain” as well as “Little Orphan Annie”! There are reasons why such stories are written and made into movies. We all know that these themes are all too real and relevant in this broken world! From Cinderella to David or even Oliver Twist, all these themes strike a true chord in all our hearts! The so-called “scarcity” was actually believed by most of the orphans, who should’ve been grateful to work in the orphanage “ to earn their keep”!  A very heartwarming scenario, isn’t it? Yea, about as warm as Antarctica!

Remember that cold and scary house I mentioned in the beginning? Imagine actually being lost in that dark house or even that dark forest! Then imagine after being rescued by daddy, being dumped off in this sick environment!  I’m not implying that our Heavenly Father would ever abandon us, He wouldn’t! There is a huge difference between the heavenly environments that God wants for us on this earth and to what is unfortunately manifesting in a lot of our so-called, “houses of God”!

We are not actually stuck in an orphanage like those poor orphans, who had no place to go. We can leave and go into isolation, but where does that leave us? The Lord will use our isolated times to train us in “the wilderness”! As we began to feed off of that “table” spoken of in Psalms 23, we will experience what it’s like to be under a true shepherd and father! We have the best parent ever, and we should always run into His arms! We also have the best home ever! This home is in the heart and realm of The Father! Does that mean that we can’t ask for that reality to manifest here on our cold streets of London?

The Lord wants to duplicate His heavenly environment in our cold world!  He wants all of His kids to have;  “on earth as it is in heaven!” He wants a house, like any good parent would, that provides safety and care! In this house we can ask; “Please kind sir, can I have some more?” Our kind father will lead us to an endless feast, unlike the “pourage man” who reserved portions of meat for only him and the “orphanage staff”.

I don’t know about you, but when I saw favoritism being displayed in those orphan movies, I immediately made the connection! I realized that I was being served pourage while the special ones were eating at the “kings table”! Well, instead of whining or trying to find a way to “brownnose” my way to the “top”, I left like a swift shadow, fading into the night. Did I say that I didn’t whine? Well, maybe I whined just a little… as I ran to my true Father and Shepherd! The Lord is my Shepherd!

THE SAUL SYSTEM VERSES THE DAVID DYNASTY

People make a system. In some dysfunctional relationships, all parties are involved, although some are more accountable. Whether it is in a home, marriage or at church, somehow a co-dependency is created to feed and support the system! A sick symbiotic relationship starts to form in some dysfunctional churches similar to the one between “the stepmother and her daughters”. We are seeing the “Cinderella” saga being played out vividly in a lot of our church settings! Cinderella is still being taunted by rejection from “the favored few” who’ve learned how to play by  “the rules”!

In David’s situation, it was either fight or flight! You cannot fight a system, especially when it’s backed by a powerful jealous king (or stepmother)! When the spears began to fly past his head, David got “the hint.” People either stay in Saul’s system or leave, choosing isolation over confrontation. This dilemma causes division in our ranks, which has us playing right into the enemy’s plan. Satan’s strategy to neutralize and immobilize is very obvious isn’t it? Clearly this dark strategy is working as the devil takes advantage of our blind spots or deliberate rebellion!

PEOPLE MAKE THE ATMOSPHERE

People also make the atmosphere. The prevailing mindset bolstered by our ignorant traditions or “doctrines of demons”, determines the atmosphere that we have to live in! It’s the consensus of all the people that rules the day! It was the consensus of all of Israel that brought in a king! As we all can see, their first choice turned out to be a poor one. Yet God honored that choice. The David dynasty had to undo or fix some of the gross mistakes that the Saul system made. In our day, this current move of the spirit will do much the same. The “Davids” of today will fix the broken society that the Saul system couldn’t fix.

All of us have the potential of either being a David or a Saul. We also can either be like Cinderella or choose the “fast track” of promotion by playing “the game”, as did the stepsisters. The point is that we must all get any dysfunctional mindsets out of us, personally! We now see by my metaphors that the Saul system is very similar to the orphanages portrayed in some of those classic books and films we’ve read and seen. Are the churches in our religious systems much different?

IS IT JUST ME, OR IS IT COLD IN HERE?

Do you feel like you should’ve brought your parka to some church meetings? Some people are still so bound up inside that any potential for love is choked out. This fosters a cold and impersonal environment that devastates and disappoints many of us! We still are so disconnected from God, others and…ourselves. Ourselves? Yes, ourselves! We need to discern and locate our born again spirit and live through Him. When that happens The Lord will finally start to rule over the rest of our beings! If we haven’t learned to engage our hearts, our powerful new nature will stay dormant. This being said, we can see why some Christians are experiencing dwarfed spiritual developments! Apostle Paul told us, “He that is joined to The Lord is one spirit with Him!” This powerful reality is showing us that we can’t shut fellow believers down without also shutting The Holy Spirit down!

The Saul system, which is really ran by an evil spiritual principality will make sure that no one develops normally like any child of God should. This is a sad fact that you can count on! Some of our leaders are either complicit with this system or just following out of ignorance. If only these leaders and their followers knew how much they are supporting the Saul system! Knowing this fact should break their hearts! The ones who care about love and freedom have their hearts broken every time they see this horrible scene!

This insidious system will make sure everyone gets just enough sustenance to barely survive. Like the “pourage man” said, “we are doing our best”! Well, what do you think, are they? The guy serving the pourage wanted the orphans to come back to him every time instead of showing them where the abundant feast was! But isn’t that the point? Why would an insecure system, which only retains its numbers by manipulation, show you the true path? After all, they “need” you… like a slave ship needs its rowers!

GRAVEYARD OF DREAMS

In the Saul system individual expression is either monitored or squelched! Have you ever been shut down by the “worship police” if you got a little too wild in a church service? Did the desire to pray in your own private prayer language get put in “check” by some pawn on the religious chessboard? You might have felt that “Uncle Vito” was coming to pay you  “ a visit” courtesy of “The God Father”! Sure, you don’t mind coming back “home” with your arm in a sling or walking with a slight limp, do ya? It takes a lot of “muscle” to keep “order” and to do the dirty jobs that some dictators (sorry…I meant to say leaders) don’t want to do.

Some environments either will give life to your desires and dreams… or kill them! I’ve been in a lot of places that are tragically a graveyard of dreams. It’s more than implied that the only dream or vision that is valid is the leaders’ or organizations’. Of course after you sacrifice all your free time and resources then God will promote you, right? In a normal system like David’s, this is very true! However, if you’re working in a system run by a megalomaniac, then all your doing is “making bricks for Pharaoh”!

Your promised land is waiting for you my friend, on the other side of your decision to free yourself! First, change your perspective on how you see yourself, and then watch God do His “magic” on you. Your “ pumpkins and mice” will be the chariot to convey you to the palace!

JUNKYARD CARS

I would like to balance out what I said about true order and expression. No one including myself desires confusion and disorder in any church setting. Without getting into a huge scriptural debate I would like to offer my opinion on some matters. There has to be order fostered by those who truly love people and respect the fact that everybody’s gifting is needed. God is not a God of disorder and confusion, this we all know. Some of our ideas of proper order though, have brought worse confusion than any “loose canon” could ever bring!

When we can finally get to the place to where The Corinthian Church was in Paul’s day, then we might be able to find true balance. Without having the same free environment that Paul referred to, we are still being too theoretical about what we think true order is! The irony is that we are trying to balance out something when there isn’t anything to balance out! First get the car moving, and then we’ll talk about steering it! Some church settings are like people sitting in old junkyard cars that don’t even have tires or an engine! We can pretend all we want, but we won’t be driving anywhere too soon!

THE DAVID DYNASTY

God designed The Body of Christ to give us all of what we need to grow into His image, and to be activated into our callings and elections. So, if your current association with your church isn’t getting you anywhere, then ponder these next points. First, God is always your main source of affirmation and self-esteem! You originated from Him and He will perfect you by whatever means available. Last time I checked The Lord has endless resources and methods to bring you to the life you know you were meant to live! Secondly, don’t limit yourself to only your local environment. Search everywhere you can by God’s leading and watch how fast He will either bring you to sources or bring them to you!

In the Kingdom of God there are amazing Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors and Teachers who represent the true order of which I referred to as The David dynasty! While Saul’s pathetic system is crumbling, the Davids, who are the true shepherds, are coming out of their own caves! I feel sorry for the S.S. (Saul system) when it meets its own demise on the battlefield! Being driven into hiding like David is a necessary step to prepare us for our destiny. When its time to go back to Jerusalem like David did, then we all must obey the voice of God! Jezebel chased Elijah the prophet into the wilderness! This same prophet also was told to go back to Jerusalem and finish his job by anointing Elisha in his stead!

Never would I cherish the personal judgment and harm that some leaders are bringing upon themselves. What I’m talking about is the judgment and justice being brought upon an evil spiritual principality! Yes, there will be some collateral damage upon false shepherds and that is very sad! What encourages me is the fact that in this time were living in, many blind shepherds will repent and find “the eye salve” so they can see! God is doing only what a good shepherd would do for any of his sheep. He will protect them from the lions and bears, like David did. The lions and the bears aren’t just evil principalities; they are also people who insist on being like them!

THE GENERATION THAT THE DEVIL FEARS

Satan has already been defeated by the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ! We were under the “lordship” and dominion of “the prince and power of the air”! Now we have been translated into the kingdom of “The Son of His Love!” We no longer belong to the kingdom of darkness!  When we finally believe that, we will run from the darkness and clothe ourselves with light! When we see ourselves properly as children of light then we will be filled with light and actually be light! When we finally see things the way they really are, we will be a formidable force arrayed against a satanic system that feared the day when we would awake from our slumber!

We are the generation that the devil fears and we make him tremble! This dark lord fears that we will discover first of all who we really are!  Secondly, satan also loathes the day when we will finally start building God’s House. And thirdly, he fears the day when we will no longer support his already dilapidated kingdom! Like Cinderella, David and Joseph we will rise to the occasion and rule and reign like we should! We are destined to bring God’s kingdom upon this earth as it is in heaven! And don’t forget that we also are God’s strategic weapons to tear the dark kingdom down!

FROM THE ORPHANAGE, TO THE PRINCE

Not every orphanage is dark and loathsome, like we have heard about in some stories. An orphanage should be a transitional period in which children ultimately find their true homes. But, an orphanage is still an orphanage and not a final resting place, no matter how you look at it. When we leave the orphan mentality we are actually walking out of our own orphanages, hand in hand, with our daddy! Scripture is very clear about all of us being adopted into the family of God through what Jesus did! As our minds accept what is real in our born again spirits then we will start letting “The Love of The Father” free us from all of our unmet needs.

All of us from the cradle to the grave have a need that only our “papa” can fulfill! From the great Apostle in Mexico to the loving parents who are raising godly children, all must run into daddy’s loving arms! The church was never created by God to be everything to you or to me. The Father will always reserve that privilege for just Himself! Tragically, a lot of leaders are still orphans in their hearts. They feel a need to perform or accomplish something in order to get significance and validation! This looks very much like orphans using other orphans to satisfy their unmet needs of validation and affirmation!

PHARISEES IN NEED OF HEALING

Truth be told, all those leaders can and should get to the bottom of why they are leading. Don’t they realize that they can equally hurt as much people as they may help? Some actually don’t believe that, because they are beyond any accountability! When people began to walk away silently from their meetings, it is usually interpreted as being “the sheep’s” fault! When attendance begins to wane and the offerings are down, some leaders start a nagging campaign in order to save “their” church from foreclosure. Wouldn’t it be better for them to fast, pray and humble themselves before God and fellow believers?

If you’re relating to God, your Christian family and to society in a healthy way, your problem won’t be famine! Instead, the problem will be on how to handle all the fruit that is falling off of the branches! I am not saying that numbers are always the determining factor, but at least you will well spoken of by the widows and the orphans! If the Sauls of the religious order began to sneer at you and predict your demise, then you’re on the right path! There are some leaders who are just Pharisees in need of healing. They need your prayers and should they find restoration, they’ll be twice the leaders they ever were before!

FROM THE PRINCE TO THE FATHER

Our real Father in heaven has orchestrated certain events in our lives to bring us to the palace! After you’ve danced with the Prince and have found the love and destiny you’ve longed for, you still may have battles with fear. After the ball, Cinderella ran back to the cottage out of fear and shame! Also, let’s not forget “Annie” who ran away from “Daddy Warbucks” and from her destiny… out of fear! Like these two young women, I have sometimes backed off in my commitment to pursuing my destiny. Discouragement took over, until I let The Holy Spirit affirm me again. Even though we are tempted to run and hide, we don’t have to, because in The Light you will find amazing grace for the renewing of your self-esteem! Like I said awhile back, confirm what is true about yourself, even if what you hear may seem too good to be true!

In the Cinderella story, she was the true heir to the palace and ended up being the daughter in law to The King! This also shows the concept of adoption! There is a pattern that emerges as we look again at the Cinderella story from an over all perspective. Cinderella starts out living in a world that is foreign to her. As time goes on, her father dies and is out of the picture. The stepmother then goes deeper into self-centeredness. Instead of embracing her new “daughter”, she pushes Cinderella away. The two stepsisters take advantage of the rejection of Cinderella and alienate themselves further from their new “sister”. Talk about needing mixed family counseling!

The stepmother and stepsisters then exalt themselves over Cinderella since they all came from a higher social status. Without her father, Cinderella is vulnerable and soon submits to the inevitable! See the metaphor? We all start out as orphans but some of us never come to that realization, especially if all our so-called props and artificial supports blind us to that reality! So, the world divides people by putting them in separate social and economical classes. Tragically, the church has allowed itself to be conformed into this mold! God will use this injustice as a good opportunity to judge the situation and either promote the humble, or demote the proud!

EMBRACING THE PROCESS

The Lord will also hear your cry as He heard the Hebrews’ cry in Egypt! The Lord is very near to the downtrodden and gives them justice! Just cry out like that child in the dark forest and watch The Father rescue you! You will be rescued like Rapunzel who was locked up in a high tower, (to use another metaphor)! Even when you are silently suffering like Cinderella, God will hear you, even if most people are oblivious to you or your situation! A divine encounter is waiting for you as you pursue the Lord! Cry out to the Lord and run into your father’s arms! The Holy Spirit will lead you into divine encounters and give you a taste of your destiny!

After any divine encounter, be careful to not allow other people’s shallowness or unbelief discourage you. Some people will even try to blindside you and drive you off the road! If you find yourself temporarily off the highway, go ahead and call roadside assistance…He’s always just a prayer away! When you get back on track, keep pursuing the Lord and the glory realm.

I have to remind myself daily that I am in God’s kingdom and His kingdom is in me! When you see that your true identity is in heavenly places, then keep confirming that identity on earth! The confirmation comes when God’s messengers see your other “glass slipper” that is identical with the one in heaven! And please remember…don’t go to the stepsisters for council!

Affirmation comes from within, not from without! One of the reasons God chose to live inside of us is because we can’t see outside of ourselves. To be truly affirmed, you must see yourself for who you really are, beyond your exterior! When people’s evaluation of you is based upon your performance or “title”, then their judgments are based upon faulty standards! See yourself the way God sees you…from inside! We are saved when God’s Spirit unites with our dead spirit and regenerates us. But that isn’t all that happens; we actually become a whole new creation inside!

As we behold that image, which by the way, is inside of every child of God, you are changed into that image! We end up going from “glory to glory” or from a higher state of existence to another! Embrace the process, for it is in this process that we find freedom from all our fears that either hold us back or make us into monsters! Imagine shedding all layers of fear as you go from one dimension of love, to another! It is fear that motivates most of our fallen world.

FEAR OR LOVE

We’re all either motivated by fear…or by love! The Father’s love for you will deliver you from all tormenting fears that motivate most people to control everything. Fear is based upon self-preservation. This perverted perspective puts all of us in “the lifeboat” in which we all begin to evaluate who gets thrown out first! After all, there are only so many resources in this shrinking world, right? That lie, which is presently being promoted, is only here to control people! This lie deceives people into eating pourage and serving the “stepmother” system. The truth is; there is no shortage in God’s economy!

God gave this earth to mankind. He gives us the choice to either allow the dark kingdom or for His kingdom to rule! Although the devil knows his day of execution is very near, he still wants to make hell on earth and destroy everyone in the process! Satan blinds people’s hearts to prolong their fallen state. As long as people are blind to their true state, they will continue to be used by “the matrix”! “Neo” or the new creations must eat the “red pill” of reality and be delivered from that fallen state. Like in the first matrix movie, this insidious system will abort you once when you become dead to it… and alive to God’s world!

When God and his people are in authority, all the squandered resources are fairly distributed. Heaven is full of infinite resources! Last time I checked, we are supposed to have heaven on earth! When the wicked are in charge, hell comes to earth! By the way, self-preservation is another way of defining pride. When our perception is that we must preserve our own dignity, our own interest, basically our own lives, then we are still ruled by fear!

Orphans are governed by this “fear system” where they easily become both victims and victimizers! We all need to come home to our real father! Presently, all who haven’t come home yet are still ruled by their evil father. We all must pass from a fallen state and say “goodbye” to the evil father! What was done for us by God makes it possible to be restored to our Creator and Heavenly Father! It’s about a change of nature by the regeneration of our dead spirits and being born into God’s bloodline! This is what the Bible refers to when it speaks of us accepting our adoption as “sons of God”!

COMEOUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!

Have you ever seen the movie, “Cinderella Man”? It’s a movie about a boxer who had to rise from the ashes of the great depression to fulfill his destiny as one of the great boxing legends in history. The Cinderella concept seems to be a central theme throughout our culture! Obviously most of these concepts came from the Holy Bible! This concept of “rising from the ashes” is very prevalent in all cultures because of its eternal relevance.

The reason why I feel this is relevant is because of the pressure that is needed to get us to our destiny. The Saul system helped form The David dynasty while it was still hidden! David and his mighty men were the future of Israel! They learned to depend on God for deliverance and promotion.  Not only that, but they also learned about dependence on one another.

You and I won’t get to our destinies without key people in our lives. These people are not only a part of our destiny but most importantly, they are our destiny! When it seems you are being oppressed like David and his men, then your exile can be your “exodus”! Like the Hebrews in Egypt, your day of deliverance is at hand! Like it was for Samuel, David, Elijah and Queen Esther, do you know that you are here “for such a time as this?” Press into intimacy with The Holy Spirit and let Him show you The Palace, The Prince and The Father! Like the game of hide and seek I hear The Father saying to all His exiled kids, “Come out, come out wherever you are!

HOLES IN MY THEORY

I love how the gospels record many of Jesus’ wonderful teachings. The one that stands out here is the one about old and new wineskins. Jesus was just stating a fact that everyone in that day knew, and used it to illustrate a very profound truth! According to Jesus, the old wineskins cannot contain new wine. We all know why, don’t we? The new wine or to say it another way; the new mindset that is expandable and full of new life will burst out of it’s boundaries if contained in a mindset that isn’t expandable! Jesus was speaking of compatibility and was admonishing us to change our old mindsets in order to contain the new.

When we say that a certain truth will “blow your mind”, that could be a very good thing! The wine of God’s presence, His Kingdom and His ways needs to be in a compatible environment! Speaking of environments, they are created first by mindsets, good or bad. Then secondly, the mindsets form the atmospheres, which emanate from our attitudes!

Lastly, our atmospheres, which we project outward from our thinking and speaking, produce environments! These environments are either compatible or hostile to God’s kingdom. One mindset embraces and promotes God’s true order, while the other one militates against it! Our mindsets could use some “mind blowing”… and the new wine will do that!

I keep picturing this scene where there is an old, brittle wineskin beginning to expand. Suddenly, I see the splitting of the seams as streams of red liquid begin to spew out! Now I see holes begin forming all over this old wineskin then… “Kablooey!” The new move of God’s Spirit seems to get sabotaged by well or not so well meaning people! The people make the mindset and the mindset makes the wineskin!

A visitation of God that successfully turns into a habitation properly removes all old mindsets! In removing old mindsets, we dethrone evil principalities that live in them! Not only do demons live in evil mindsets, they also actually reinforce them! Like God, the dark realm needs our cooperation too! So, the new wine spills out, leaving us high and dry again. These holes in our manmade institutions allow for much leaking! This is my theory as to why we don’t see a sustainable move of God’s Spirit. Indeed I do see many “ holes in my theory”!

“THE ORPHAN” OR “ THE SONSHIP” MENTALLITY

All born again children of God are living stones by which God builds his house. We are his house on this earth; we are The Church! When we are not properly aligned with each other we end up being a very unstable house. What divides us is a system that reinforces pride and self-reliance. This system puts insecure people above others in order to produce “man worship” (which is idolatry) and competition! True servants of God will forbid and even loathe human worship! Look in The Bible and read about angelic visitations or any miracles done by people. When you do, you’ll see my point!

This system wants all of us fighting over scraps, like a pack of starving dogs. As long as we are fending for only ourselves, then the devil has won…for now! What I just described is one of the characteristics of an orphan mentality! The sonship mentality knows where the abundant feast is and where the warm beds are. You won’t hear the orphan system teaching anyone on how to walk in the new man and how to be freed from an orphan mentality!

WONDERFUL IRONY

Spiritual law dictates that in order for supernatural entities to operate in the earthly realm, they have to be invited! God gave the earth to men and didn’t change his mind about us shaping the course of this world! There are two beings vying for our allegiance and cooperation. God totally respects our free will and will not force anyone to love or worship Him!

We have been restored back to our true father and now can resume the lost dominion that God has placed back into our hands! Satan lost his captives when we were restored from a fallen state and raised from spiritual death. We are no longer obligated to serve satan and his system and should we choose emancipation, we are saved! Now we, who were once too weak and destroyed to leave our prisons, are now an army arrayed against satanic forces! What a wonderful irony, huh?

CONCLUSION: FULL CIRCLE

OPEN HEARTS, OPEN HEAVENS

Now that we are at the very end of this book I feel I need to come full circle by giving you a very profound revelation that I’m still trying to fully fathom. Everything that I have spoken about has been foundational for the conclusion of this book.

In any military invasion there is always preparation and groundwork to be done before the victory, and final occupation. Another analogy that can be used here is that of preparing the soil for planting, then a harvest. Our hearts are the soil as well as the territory that God wants to invade, and then occupy! If there is no tangible evidence of an occupation of God’s kingdom in us or on earth, then our hearts are still closed or not opened enough. Closed heavens indicate closed hearts. Conversely, open heavens prove there are open hearts, which are compatible to The Kingdom of God!

NO BROKEN LADDER

I’m drawing revelation from two scriptural sources that come to mind. The first one is from the baptism of Jesus mentioned in the book of Matthew. The second is from the account about Jacob, who saw angels ascending and descending on a ladder to heaven. This can be found easily in the book of Genesis, which is an awesome, foundational book to read! Jesus referred many times to himself as “the door”, “the way”, “the gate” and also as “the ladder”. He even said that people would “see angels ascending and descending on the son of man”!

As we look at what happened at the baptism of Jesus by John The Baptist, we suddenly see the connection! Jesus was the perfect man who had a pure and open heart in relationship to The Father! Jesus portrayed the perfect Son that The Father was looking for in the Garden when He asked; “Adam, where are you?” That’s why a voice from heaven could speak and be heard. That voice from heaven was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!” There was no blockage, nor broken ladder between this man and God!

TWO BLOODLINES

This is exactly what an open heaven means! No sin nature or a corrupted heart was closing off Jesus from uninterrupted communication between Him and The Father! Jesus didn’t walk in this earth to just model what a perfect relationship between God and man should look like. It’s more then that. He was representing us and showing mankind that He was the second Adam that had to replace the first Adam! Both “Adams” represent us! The first Adam was the only source of life, which offered only a corrupted bloodline. The second Adam (Jesus Christ) is our new source of life, which carries a pure bloodline!

THE SOLUTION IS IN THE BLOOD

We all can choose which bloodline to identify with! When you cross over from death to life, you are essentially choosing a new bloodline to come from. This is too deep to fully explain or comprehend, but I’m doing my best! The problem was in the blood (first Adam), now the solution is also in The Blood of Jesus!  By the way, Jesus is still fully human, yet fully God! I appreciate this reality yet my mind is still numbed by the awesomeness of this profound truth! Adam’s bloodline spells out certain death for all of mankind! Equally The Son of God’s bloodline guarantees eternal life to any one who will just believe in Him!

THESE TWO ADAMS

It’s believing and clinging to Him that saves us, not believing in a doctrine or joining a religious organization! We can cross over from a cursed bloodline and kingdom to go freely over to a perfect bloodline and kingdom! These two Adams are the only two choices that remain for everyone! These two bloodlines will determine all of our destinies. When we come to our savior, we are saying to Him, “ I believe that you are The One who did for me what I couldn’t do for myself; I want you as my Lord!” No matter how we act, good or bad, it still doesn’t change the fact of our bloodline! It’s either a dead spirit in a cursed bloodline or a resurrected spirit in a blessed bloodline; these are the only two options! When we believe in Christ, our spirits are literally resurrected by being infused with the breath of God or rather The Holy Spirit!

DUAL CITIZENSHIP

Now that there is an open highway between man and God through “The Way”, there can and should be an open heaven. Our choices, intentional or not, open or close the access point between earth and heaven! Any highway even after being constructed can be obstructed! The devil’s main goal is to obstruct or cause us to obstruct our access to God. The “god of this world” wants everyone to be blind to his or her fallen condition and separation from God. If the devil can convince people that there is no separation between them and eternal life, then he is very happy! Furthermore, if he can blind Christians to God’s kingdom realities, then he is rolling on the floor in laughter!

A closed heaven means that people, who are the co-conspirators in this dilemma, block the highway! Now that we are “seated with Jesus in heavenly places”, “our lives are now hidden with Christ in God”(Colossians 3: 1-3)! My friend, I believe that all Christians have a dual citizenship. While a part of me is walking on this earth, another part of me is at The Throne of God! I’m in partnership with the ruling King of the heavens who needs me to extend His rule on this earth! “As He is in the heavens, so am I on this earth! I have the right to rule with The Lord on this earth because of my position in the heavens.

THE MIDDLE GROUND

As 3rd heaven citizens who also walk this earth, we are in charge of the 1st and 2nd heavens! That’s why you are here! You are here to bring to earth everything that is missing and to also correct everything that isn’t lined up with God’s kingdom! Our souls are the middle battleground that determines who will reign in the 2nd heaven (“the air”) and 1st heaven (earth). That’s chiefly what I dwelt on prior to this chapter. The Lord’s Prayer, which is now our prayer does say, “Your Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven!”

RESTORED MANKIND

Finally, I want to affirm you once more in another amazing truth. After the flood, Noah sent out a dove a second time in search for land. After 7- days it came back with an olive branch! At the baptism of Jesus we also see another “dove” resting on Jesus. The Holy Spirit, like a dove descended upon Jesus, proving to John The Baptist that he found The Messiah! Water flooded the earth for 40 days. Likewise, Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days. Jesus, the true representative of restored mankind came out of the wilderness (death, barrenness and testing)… filled with the Holy Spirit! In Noah’s time, the 40 days of flooding caused the defiled creation and world to pass away! Out of that ark immerged a different bloodline to replenish the earth!

NOAH, JESUS AND THE DOVE

Jesus was from a pure bloodline; Noah and His family were not. Noah and the flood represent a new beginning for mankind, as does Jesus! The “dove” rested on Jesus in a similar way that it rested on Noah’s hand. The Holy Spirit will rest on you because now you have an open access to heaven and to your Heavenly Father! You and I now come from a pure bloodline and now can call God… Our Father! You and I are now His beloved children “in which He is well pleased”! What amazing love God has for us, that “we are called children of God”! To Noah the dove represented restoration, a new beginning, hope and peace. The glory of God, resting in and on us says that you and I have restoration, a new beginning, hope and peace under an “open heaven”!

THROUGH THE ARK

Noah stepped out of the ark and into a new world. Jesus stepped out of the wilderness filled with The Holy Spirit, having overcome temptation. Noah had to go into the new world through the ark. You and I step into the new world through The Ark, who is none other then Jesus Christ! The “dove” can now rest on you and me! The Glory of God or The Holy Spirit can now abide in us, and on us, if we so choose! Like Jesus during his baptism, we step out of our Spirit baptism into The Body of Christ, and into the new creation! Now you can step into who you really are in Christ! After all, the real you is already in Christ!

A FEW SUGGESTIONS

In conclusion, I would love to offer you a few suggestions. First of all try to remember to be positively motivated in your journey. For example, it’s far better to run towards something positive then to just run away from something negative. I’m not saying that leaving something negative is wrong. What I mean is, let running towards God and His kingdom be your motivation. When you attain to a certain amount of freedom and maturity, the negative will automatically fall to the wayside! I’ve seen many people grow cynical and bitter because they lacked positive motivation to inspire their journey! These hurt people became weary in their journey and in trying to escape the dysfunctional, they stayed dysfunctional!

A HEALTHY FEAR

Let your ultimate motivation be love, not fear. Nevertheless, A healthy fear can be good initially, but love must take you the rest of the way! When you become awakened to the reality of what you can lose by staying blind, fear of staying in bondage becomes a powerful motivation! Like I said awhile back, love and fear are the only two motivations that drive people! To balance that out I must say that there are reasonable fears that get us in gear, so to speak! These fears are healthy, much like not wanting to walk through crocodile infested waters! After we are motivated to run from darkness, we must run towards the light! Staying in fear will eventually put you back in more bondage and will deplete you of strength. Love is the food to strengthen us, when we get fatigued along the way!

POSITIVE FOCUS

My second suggestion is closely related to the first one. Keep your focus on the true image of Christ so you can be changed into it! This positive focus will keep you from getting a critical and judgmental attitude. A negative mindset locks us into our old patterns that keep us recycling our toxicity! Staying in the same old patterns will cause us to reap horrible results by the violation of spiritual laws! If we judge, we will also be judged. If we keep looking at the prize then we’ll soon have what we focus on!

OUR OWN BLIND SPOTS

The third suggestion here is also closely connected to the first two. Try not to blame your negative mindsets and attitudes on people or circumstances. This negative focus causes you to miss the point! The point is for all of us to make significant progress without distractions that can sideline us! If we forget that we are the main ones who need to change, then we will constantly chase shadows. We should use God’s light to fight self-deception and correct our own blind spots. Fight darkness… by becoming light! If we encounter resistance from people, then that is also helpful in our journey, which leads to this next suggestion.

THE BEST REVENGE

People with negative mindsets will often try to dissuade you from running a good race! Satan will use unwitting people to criticize us or to even slander our reputations! I’ve been there many times! My advice would be to forgive them immediately and press into God even harder. The critics are only there to distract you and set you back… if you let them! Like us, their time will come when they will have to choose.

Let your critics keep you moving forward. There is some value in a critic’s perspective, because they can be brutally honest with you! I said “some value” not total value, because their views are still very tainted! The best revenge against the devil, our true enemy, is to succeed! We can’t move forward by looking back or at the critics in the grandstands. Unlike our critics in the grand stands, we are still running a good race!

DIVE IN

All the scriptural passages I alluded to in this book will be a huge source of wisdom and encouragement for you! Dive into the scriptures and ask the greatest teacher of all time to lead you into all truth. If your wondering whom this amazing teacher is, look no further than The Holy Spirit! I will now give you some of the passages I referred while writing this book.

First and Second Samuel as well as First and Second Kings are good starting points in the Old Testament. The book of Esther and The Psalms are also excellent starting points. In the New Testament, go to most of Paul’s letters to the church. Ephesians and Colossians are very deep! The book of Romans is truly a masterpiece, especially chapters six through eight! Galatians will rock your world! Read all of John’s epistles as well as the Gospel of John!

I love all of Paul’s letters and also find Peter’s Epistles to be amazing! The book of James is very good when expounding on faith and how love is to be displayed in the family of God! First Corinthians is amazing! Focus on chapters twelve through fifteen, if you want to read the greatest teachings ever on the church!

Let’s not forget the wonderful books of Hebrews and Revelation. Try to go back to the Joseph story in the book of Genesis. Like I said; these Bible passages are just a beginning point. On top of reading your Bible, remember to go to other modern books and resources! Just a little research allows The Spirit of Truth to lead you into many wonderful things! If you’re hungry, God will not only bring amazing things to you, but will also lead you to them. Allow and expect The Holy Spirit to lead you in your social life. There are people who are either an asset or a liability in your life! If you’ll give God enough time and stay flexible, He will lead you to the right fellowships.

FINAL WORDS

Now, about finding true fellowship. I believe it’s very important to have mutual affirming relationships in our lives. Lean on The Holy Spirit heavily to guide and protect your heart. Sad to say, but in a lot of church settings, some relationships can be more detrimental to you then beneficial! Christian relationships should be therapeutic… not horrific! Ironically, I have actually needed more therapy after attending some church “services”!

It may seem like a hit and miss endeavor at first, but trust me, God is shifting everyone around to settle us to where we all belong. Everything in our world is undergoing tremendous shaking! The church is also being shook to her core and is undergoing judgment. Like Peter said in one of his epistles, “judgment begins in the house of God”!

Judgment is a very good thing! It is good for everyone to see distinction and separation, which is the result of judgment! That’s why we need to get to the bottom of what really motivates us. Try to define and uncover any lies or cluster of lies that might have shaped your worldview. See if there are any parts in your soul that still need God’s grace for healing and adjustment. I often ask myself;  “am I performing to get affirmation or validation, or just living out of a revelation of who I really am in the core of my being?” By the grace of God I have most of my “unfinished business” sorted out. On the next level of glory that I’m coming to, God will show me other areas for repentance and renewal.

JUST TO BE CLEAR

I would never support any attitude of hatred or bitterness towards any spiritual leader or any other member of the Body of Christ! Also, I am not opposed to anyone doing anything for the “helps ministry” at his or her local church! As a matter of fact, these great people have much to teach us, if they wish. Just a thought, perhaps these people should have a moment at the pulpit! Also, please don’t think that I have anything against stepsisters, stepmothers, or any “step” person in any family! I have an awesome stepmother, who is like a real mother to me! It’s the wicked stepmother and sister attitudes that are good examples for me to use as metaphors! I don’t want to over “step” my boundaries on this subject!

LOSING GRIP

Just recently I had a quick vision in the spirit! I saw an old haggardly hand begin to wither. As this hand began to wither, it dropped something! The hand then shriveled into a nub! After this quick scene, the vision ceased and I got the interpretation. Immediately, I heard The Holy Spirit’s voice tell me this: “ The hand of the religious principality over your region is loosing its grip! There will be a deposing of spiritual authorities, both natural and supernatural! The wicked grasp over my people in this area is withering under my power! The true church is gaining strength, as the old order is collapsing in on itself!” Heavy, huh? Although this vision applies directly to my region, it is also relevant to other regions as well. Truly, this is happening on a massive scale across our nation and has already been happening in Europe!

I am blessed that you read this prophecy and I hope your spirit rejoices at this good news! The David’s of God’s kingdom are coming out of their caves and I believe that you are one of them! I believe that you are of a company of believers that are rising to the occasion! Like Queen Esther and Joseph of old, you know that you here “for such a time as this”! You recognize your time and you see yourself in “the script” as you do what was written of old by the Hand of God! I want to end this book by quoting Kim Clement with these final words: “You are a unique copy of an ancient manuscript!”

LET’S PRAY

Can we pray together? I really want to pray to God to express my gratitude to Him! If you’ve never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then now’s an excellent time! Ready? Let’s pray.

“Jesus, you are awesome to me! I am so grateful that you made it possible for me to come home to my daddy! You are The Lord over all! I want you and your father to receive everything you both deserve after saving me from a fallen state! Lord, I belong to you and your purposes only! Reveal yourself to me Lord! Please lead me into more intimacy with you and your Father. You and The Father are one! Thank-you Lord that your blood cleanses me from my sins and also covers me as well as everything else that I am connected to! I love and honor you, Holy Spirit! I offer you my body, soul and spirit, today and forever! I believe that Jesus Christ is raised from the dead, therefore… so am I! Thank-you for saving me from eternal death!  Lord, I also believe that you are The Ladder that leads to heaven, and like you; I am willing to also be a ladder. I can expect angels to ascend and descend on me as well! I believe that lost people can access you through me. Use me Lord to bring salvation to the lost people and to this earth!” Amen.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many thanks to these amazing men and women of God who have been a HUGE influence in my life! These amazing servants of God deserve everyone’s respect and support!

Kim Clement and Prophetic Image Expressions (P.I.E.), Mark Chirrona, Lance Wallnau, Patricia King and Extreme Prophetic Ministries, Joshua Mills, Jason Westerfield and Kingdom Reality Ministries, Bobby Conner, David and Stephanie Herzog, Bill Johnson at Bethel Church in Redding, California, Heather Clark (for her deep, amazing worship gift!)

Prophets; Bob Jones and John Paul Jackson. David Hogan (an amazing apostle of the Gospel of the Kingdom!), Matt Sorger, Georgian Banov, Steve Swanson, Joanne McFatter, Steve Mitchell, Julie Myers, Kathy Walters, Ryan Wyatt, Heidi Baker, Sid Roth, Katie Souza, Anna Mendez-Ferrell and her husband Emerson Ferrell, John Eldredge, Andrew Wommack, Jeff Jenson, Jill Austin, and James Maloney. These people are mighty men and women of God! I’ve been heavily influenced by all of them!

In my local area I would like to thank these equally amazing servants of God: John Bailey (a mighty apostle and musician in God’s Kingdom!), William Orpi (a great teacher and prophetic voice!), Pastor Jim Hale (an awesome pastor!), Pastor Huslig at Bethel and Pastor Curtis.

Rodney Plumb, (an amazing evangelist!), Robert Moore (a very wise and kind man), Joe and Carrie Gable, Guy Williams (for his kind and giving heart), Wayne Kuhns (you’re the real deal, man!), my brother Steve (the best husband and father) and His wife; Robyne (an amazing mother), and Donald and Nicci Jenkins (awesome grand parents). Very special thanks to my Pastors, Todd and Melody Simon, you both model affirmation and honor and are true shepherds!

Special recognition for all of the guys in the Warriors at Heart men’s group who are doing mighty exploits in my area! To my friend Terry (Do you remember “Cinderella’s Dream”?

Hello to another friend from way back; Rhonda Hughes (Remember that “Cinderfella” guy?) Hello, “Scaught” Graham. Thanks for the good tunes!

I also want to send my everlasting love to Destination Church (my home church) and all my amazing friends there. I treasure all of you beyond words! Special appreciation to Dorsey Cole for his kind and excellent spirit! Hello, Ciara Simon, I love your excellent spirit and amazing art… “Swag”! Hey Kelly, you are God’s beloved daughter in whom he is well pleased!  To Chris Jansen: promotion is on its way! Hello to Melcon and Maddy; hope you both are celebrated and loved by those in your life.

In my earlier years as a young Christian, I was deeply blessed by the late Watchman Nee! Also, my gratitude to the late Ross Hancock who was an apostle and father to me! Special recognition to the late George Nay who told me that I would be, “hitting home runs for Jesus”! I want to give special honor to my late friend and spiritual mother, Sharon Gallagher.

Mom, I am very grateful to be raised by you! Thanks for doing an amazing job as a single mother. You are a true hero! Thank-you Dad and Sara for believing in me! Special honor and gratitude to Janine and Faith, my awesome sisters! Hello, Jamie and Lacie, you both are amazing!

In my story called, “who needs a time machine”, I mentioned the “T.A.R.D.I.S.” For anyone who might not know, this acronym stands for: Time And Relative Dimension In Space! Are there any Dr. Who fans out there?

Although I did not mention all the specific names in my references to some modern day prophets, I hope to not offend anyone.  I also hope it was okay that I used or “ruined” some of their quotes. I also hope that I didn’t “butcher” the quote from Napoleon Bonaparte. If so, I hope he would forgive me, even from the grave.