From Prison To Presence

 

Many of us find ourselves locked in a prison by the system we are bound by. This could be the family system, work system, political system or church. We are all part of various systems that keep us imprisoned. More than these external systems are internal systems that also keep us imprisoned. We are imprisoned by our beliefs, thought patterns, perceptions, emotions and spirits. How does one navigate through all these systems and still enjoy freedom? There is no easy answer as we all need to navigate through these the best way we can. However Christ has given us a way out in Him. His way is for us to distance ourselves from these systems and be united with Him.

 

Jesus came to show us the way out of these worldly systems. A world system like the monetary system keeps us bound to debt. We are never free from it until we die. When we surrender all to Jesus He takes over and sets us free from each world system. He now becomes our Provider in all areas of our life. We can now rest in Him. He helps us in our weakness and provides strength to navigate through our many trials and temptations. He gives us a destiny and hope as we live in His presence. He seats us in heavenly places where rust and rot cannot assail us. We are free knowing that, whatever happens, He is with us all the way.

Praying From Our Position In Heaven

In Christ we are co-crucified, co-resurrected and seated in heavenly realms with Him (Eph 2:6). This has already taken place when we were saved. We need now to live in this truth to experience the abundance of heaven on earth. My spirit is seated in heavenly realms where Christ is at present seated at the right hand of the Father. What a privilege to be seated with Him. When we realise this truth then our mind-set shifts from a victim to a victor. Our body and soul will respond to this shift. In the Spirit we can overcome all things because we are in Christ Jesus. We are co-heirs with Christ. Why then are we living such defeated and powerless lives?

Many of us operate in the flesh than in the Spirit. We are born again in the spirit but we walk according to the flesh. Our mind is still set on the flesh. We need to set our mind in the Spirit to walk in the spirit. This is easier said than done. However when we receive the revelation of our true position in Christ everything shifts to a heavenly mode. The devil will try to keep us flesh bound but we must resist his thoughts and attacks in the spirit.

Victory is ours because Jesus said “It is finished” on the Cross. We must apply His words to transcend in our thoughts, in order to apprehend His words of deliverance. It is finished means completed. There is nothing more to be done but to receive this promise by faith for all areas of our life: body, soul and spirit. What are we waiting for? Let us take our position in heavenly places and be redeemed and be healed and set free now.

 

From Pandemic Of Fear To A Pandemic Of Faith

Just as the pandemic of fear caused by a virus suddenly spread across the globe, so also will a pandemic of faith suddenly light up across the globe. Just as in the days of Noah the world has regressed to the state of chaos and anarchy. No government is able to stem this tide of violence and destruction. Use of force only increases the rebellion. The rebellious spirit is the spirit of Satan. Who can deliver us from such a state? Only a supernatural intervention can stop this downward path to annihilation. God moved on the earth in times of chaos and destruction. He heard the cries of His people and had mercy. So also now as Satan unleashes his weapons of destruction, God will move with His weapons of love and mercy.

God created this world and He ultimately will save His world. Satan has a limited time but his ways only lead to destruction. When faith arouses the people to look up and not down, God comes to the rescue. We have become so inward looking that all we can see is a limited view of the world. This view is limited to me, mine and myself. Everything ends in self. When we realise our depraved state, then we will cry out to God and faith will be released to take us out of our selfish and depraved state. God has an abundance to share with us but we choose the little we have and hold on to it only to lose it. I proclaim a shift in our state of fear to that of faith. Look up and be saved.

Many Are Called But Few Are Chosen

This is a line in the Gospel of Matthew (22:2 – 14) that Jesus used to illustrate the fact that the invitation to come to the wedding was sent out to many but few chose to  accept the king’s invitation. This is the same today where many are satisfied with their way of life and don't see a need to follow Jesus. Jesus promises salvation from sin resulting in eternal life but few want to follow Him. How blind are people to not see the pearl of great price. Eternal life is forever but because we can't see it, we reject it. The pleasures of this world keep us blind and bound to a sub-standard life. We think what we have will last forever. When death knocks at our door, it maybe too late to change and be saved. 

Jesus came to save us from the rot of this life. The devil promises much but sadly it is only a temporary state of illusion. This illusion that we call life will disappear as fast as it has come. An illusion is a false perception. We buy into this illusion by surrounding ourselves with things. These things appear to give us satisfaction. However the deep longings of the heart can never be satisfied by these things.  When these things fail to satisfy then suicide is seen as an option. The death culture is seen around us through suicide and euthanasia. This is an easy option but this is not what we were created for. Our destiny is in God but we choose hell. God created us for a purpose but we choose to ignore this and live for ourselves. What a sorry state we are in where hell becomes our destiny. Turn now and be welcome to His banquet table and feast for eternity.

Manna From Heaven

When Israel was in the desert wandering to their promised land, God fed them with manna from heaven. This was fresh every morning. We too need fresh manna from heaven each day in order to face the battles of that day. Old manna will not do for today's battles. We need to be charged each day with fresh manna. God will provide us with fresh manna each day. When we read His word believing for a fresh revelation or listen for His voice, we become empowered. Praying in tongues is another way to charge your spirit. I find this to be automatic now for me to pray in tongues. You can also ask for the interpretation so you understand what you are praying. It is a direct communication with God the Father, spirit to Spirit. We will then know how to operate from our place in heaven where we are seated in Christ (Eph 2:6). 

When we operate from above we walk in the spirit and by the Spirit. When we walk in the flesh we operate from below and become compromised in our walk. This is why our battles are all in our mind . The only way out is to pray in the spirit which is a quick way to bypass our mind. In the spirit we listen to the Holy Spirit who is in us and is our Helper. He will communicate God's mind to us. We receive revelation and our minds are transformed by the Spirit. God has not left us alone to walk the straight and narrow way. The world promises a lot but gives us only temporary pleasures. God gives us eternal pleasures that last forever. Come and feast at His table and eat His manna daily and be refreshed in body, mind and spirit.

You Have Been Set Apart To Pray For This Nation

I heard God's call to pray today for this nation, Australia. Please pray that I will stay the course till this nation turns around to worship Jesus. There is a cry going out that Australia will be saved. I hear this cry from many in this nation. God is hearing our cry. He is sending His reaping angels to the harvest (Matt 13:39). Our job is to believe and release the angels to harvest the nation for Jesus. We need to do this from our position in Christ seated in heavenly places (Eph 2:6). We need to minister from the heavenly realm to the earthly realm. We cannot move mountains from the earth for they are earthly. We are not fighting flesh and blood  but principalities and powers in realms above us (Eph 6:12). The demonic realms are in charge here and so we need spiritual weapons to fight them. Prayer is a weapon where we connect with God and He connects with us. The spiritual warfare is real. Just because we do not see it does not mean it is not there. Those who are spiritually minded know and can discern and do battle. The battle is fought and won in the heavenlies before it is won on earth. So pray as often as you are led to pray and let us soak this land in prayer till this nation turns to God. 

God has done this before in nations. He just needs a few to partner with Him to do this. He used Abraham and Moses and David. We are His representatives on earth. When Jesus came as man, He came to finish the task of re-establishing communion with God the Father. Now He has left us the job of implementing the task of gathering the harvest. Will we heed His call? Will we pray for the harvest? The angels are waiting for our decree (Ps 81:10 TPT). We have the authority on earth not angels. They go out to perform His word spoken through us. What a privilege and responsibility we have to do the job of praying. God spoke the word and saw the world come into formation. We too must speak the now word before we see the transformation of a nation to God.

Perspective From Heaven

I have not been to heaven but know what heaven looks like from the scriptures. Imagine the garden of Eden. It was lush with many kinds of fruit trees and animals that all lived in harmony. There was no fear, and love and peace seemed to pervade the atmosphere. Adam and Eve were naked but not aware of their nakedness for there was no shame. There was freedom to explore and enjoy everything that God had created. No negativity and there was no striving for fame and power. All was peace and tranquility. Everything was provided for and there was perfect communion between the Creator and the created.. No sin, disease or disorder. Everything was perfect in every way. All they had to do was eat and enjoy and be at rest.

Contrast that picture with what we face on earth. Everything is turned inward. There is no peace and all are striving for more, with an endless desire that cannot be satiated. Sin, disease and disorder are prevalent. There is no rest because battles of all kinds prevail. There are wars within and without. The earth is being destroyed by greed. Power struggles are seen everywhere. Pain from birth to death. A complete reverse from what is in heaven.

God saw our helpless state and decided to do something about it. He sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins. He reversed the disorder and brought order. Now we can choose to live in the heavenly atmosphere on earth or continue to wallow in sin. There is no other way. There is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ. Many choose to follow Him. Will you? Just ask Him to come into your life and rescue you from your helpless state and enjoy heaven today.

Timeless Eternity

Timeless Eternity

Is this an oxymoron? Time is an earthly concept just like space. We are limited by time and space and so we orient our lives around this. Time is finite in that death is a reality and therefore an end of time for each one of us. Timeless means there is no concept of time. Eternity is where God resides and He has no beginning and no end. He therefore operates beyond time. Timeless eternity is therefore a dimension that is beyond time. God operates in this dimension. God is infinite while we are finite beings. We have a body and a soul and a spirit. Our spirit is housed in our body. Our spirit is connected with God who is spirit. We have the ability therefore to connect with God. However our mind limits us in many ways. Our mind dictates our actions and this is how we operate. Once we become alive in the spirit we enter a new dimension of timeless eternity. This is what is called the born-again experience (1 Peter 1:23). Our spirit was dead but now has been awakened from the dead and is alive in God. Jesus came to reconnect us with the Father. Sin blocked our ability to connect with God. Jesus’ death abolished the power of sin over us and reconnected us back to God.

In God now we have a new life. We are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). The old has passed away, the new has come. We now live and operate in God's dimension of eternity where time is not a limiting factor. Each day is eternal as there is no yesterday or tomorrow. Today is the day to live fully as today is eternal. This blows our mind; but this is where we need to live, above the limitations of time and space. We have eternal life as His new creation. Death is no more an issue, for we have already died to the world (Col 2:20). We are now seated in heavenly places in Christ (Eph 2:6). We now operate as spirit beings  in the flesh just like Jesus did when He was in the flesh. We can do the same works as He did and greater works because He has gone to be with the Father (John 14:12). The Holy Spirit is in us now to enable us to speak and do according to His good pleasure. What a life, what a destiny we have in Him.

What Do You Really See?

We have eyes to see. But what do we really see? One sees a half cup of juice as half empty and another sees it as half full. Why the difference? This is because seeing is not just seeing a reflection like in a mirror but also involves perception. Our brain interprets what we see. This is called perception. We could see yet not perceive. We could see a picture but an artist can perceive things we do not see in the picture. To some the picture is just lines. To others it is a beautiful woman. Perception has to do with belief. We interpret based on our belief. If we believe something is wrong then our interpretation will dictate our perception. This is why we need to ensure that what we see and hear is true and not based on the opinions of others. Where can we find truth other than in the Bible?. The word of God is like water that washes our minds from tarnished thoughts and cleanses them (Eph 5:26). When we think pure thoughts then these are reflected in what we see. Fill your mind with sexual thoughts and everything appears to be sexual in nature. Fill your mind with thoughts of hatred and you will see hatred everywhere. 

Jesus said that the pure in heart will see God (Matt 5:8). He said we need to be like a little child and trust Him (Mark 10:15). The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17) and all the other fruits of the Spirit. When we are filled with the fruits of the Spirit, then we will see wholeness, not disease and disorder. Our bodies will reflect His image and respond accordingly. We are being changed from glory to glory as we behold Him Who sits on the throne (2 Cor 3:18). God is in the business of change. We are being changed into the image of Christ. The clearer the reflection, the more we will see Christ’s image reflected in and through us. What do you see? Today come to Jesus and be changed by Holy Spirit into His image. This is the hope we have, and as we hope we will become.

Death Where Is Your Sting?

Death is a final destination for all of us on earth. We were taken out of dust and to dust we will return (Gen 3:19). There is no finality like death. Life stops. However Jesus promised us life. He died that we may live. He overcame death for us. God did not design death, only life. Sin caused death. The devil causes death because his mission is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). In the garden of Eden there was the tree of life which did not produce death. However the tree of the knowledge of good and evil produced death (Gen 2:17). When Adam tasted of this tree he ate of the fruit of death. 

 Jesus is our tree of life. When we eat at His table it produces life (John 6:54). He came to reverse the fruit of death and offers His life so that we may have eternal life. His Word and Spirit produce life. Our spirit was reborn and now we can enjoy the fruits of the Kingdom of God. When we eat of the tree of life, Jesus, we become like Him. His righteousness, peace and joy fill us to overflowing. Now we can live in the overflow to bless others. 

Death has lost its sting (1 Cor 15:55). Money cannot buy life. Only faith in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross can give life. What a holy transaction. This new life is available to all who will trust in Him. This is the message that the whole world needs to hear. Nothing else matters in this life, for it will end soon. Jesus promises eternal life and it begins here and now. This is the pearl of great price that money can't buy. Come and eat of the fruit of life today.

Are We Listening To God Or To Man?

During these days of turmoil we need an anchor. Our anchor is God. You will hear many voices vying for your attention but you need to listen to His voice. Until we know His voice, we will be tossed about like the waves - here, there and everywhere. We need to hear His voice. Jesus said My sheep hear My voice and follow Me. If He said it then He meant it. If we say we are not hearing His voice it makes Him a liar or we are hard of hearing. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your ears to hear Jesus. Our identity is in Him. He is the Word. Read His word for many hear Him through His written word. Some hear His audible voice. Most have a clear impression as a revelation in their spirit. I hear Him through revelation. A thought or word or sentence is suddenly down-loaded and my spirit says it is Him, like the title of this post. I then allow Him to flow through me with His thoughts, which I write down in my blog. Others may have visions or dreams, which I rarely have. We are all wired differently and God speaks to us in different ways. We need to be in His presence to hear Him and see Him and feel Him.

God has not left us as orphans. He has called us His beloved children. Like a loving Father He wants to commune with us. We need to give Him time and space for this. Jesus spent a lot of His time alone with His Father. He only did what He heard and saw His Father doing. We can also do the same. In these days God is calling us to an intimate time with Him. He will not abandon us. I yearn to hear Him daily. Nothing can replace His voice. Pray in tongues and then immediately speak in your own language and be amazed as what comes out. You will be amazed and blessed. His Spirit in us will show us the way. Trust Him completely. He will give us wisdom to know what to do. Be blessed.

What Is Your Narrative?

We all have a story. For some the story is full of positive experiences. For others full of fear, deprivation and loss. The main story line in your life determines the outcome of your life. Your story line determines your choices. Those who fear  and procrastinate  or avoid and delay making a decision. This delay can be costly. Those who have positive, successful stories take risks more often and so make greater breakthroughs in life. What does one do if the story line is negative? There is a way out.

Jesus came to rescue us. He saw our depraved state and realised we were helpless. We were bound to our sin and fallen state. He created us and felt responsible to help us get out of our dilemma. He came as the sinless Son of God to rescue us. He is able to change our story from helpless to helpful, from negative to positive, from fear to love. This is the salvation He has promised to all who will call on His Name to be saved. There is no other Name under heaven by which man can be saved. Call on Him today and be saved from your story to His story. His story is eternal. You will be assured a place in heaven. He has promised eternal life. Can you think of a better offer than this? Why delay your decision. I have tried it and it works. Jesus will come through for you. He is not mere man and He never lies. Surrender your life to Him and be saved from your negative story.

God Stop Or Crowd Stop

Most of us are impressed by crowds. We look at numbers to judge if something is worth our attention. God looks for the one. He is searching for those who will honour Him most of all. He is not interested in numbers. He sent His only begotten Son to save the world not crowds. He had just one witness. Jesus was completely surrendered to do His Father's will. The devil tried to distract Him with worldly honours and crowds but He stayed the course to the end. He was not distracted by worldly attractions because He knew His purpose was to die for fallen mankind. So also we need to know our mission is to die for Him. To die for Him is to die to the crowd mentality. God can use anyone who is prepared to die for His purpose. We can choose to die to our own will and do His will. Jesus said the way is narrow and straight and few choose to walk in it.

What is it to choose to walk in God's ways and not be influenced by the crowd? To walk in His narrow way is to leave all and to follow Him. He will lead you along a path that will appear to be lonely but is full of joy and peace. Jesus was at peace even though He was hurled abuse and slander. We also must be prepared to face opposition from the crowds when we choose to follow Him. This is the time when we have to choose. The stage is being prepared for the end time harvest of souls. We must be prepared to join the army of followers awaiting the coming of our King. Jesus said He would return the same way He went up. Those who are who waiting will be prepared to face any consequence for their destiny is heaven. Death has no power over us.  Jesus dealt the death blow to death on the Cross.  Now we can look forward to life everlasting. Let us choose today whom we follow, the crowds or Jesus. I choose to follow Jesus.

Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven Mathew 6:10

This is the most powerful prayer we can pray on earth. What is it to pray His will? What is Gods will? Gods will is what is written in His word. So when we pray His word we pray His will to be done. How else can we know His will? God has given us His word so that we may know His will. Will is to do with purpose. His purpose is that His creation is made whole. Imagine the garden of Eden. Everything was in perfect harmony. There was no shame or disease. Adam and Eve were not aware that they were naked. Everything was transparent. The animals were at peace. There was abundance in everything. This was God's original will and intent for His creation. Once sin entered, the scene changed dramatically. All creation tuned against itself. Love turned inward is lust. The Spirit of rebellion entered the heart and spoils everything. We see this in every area of life. No one trusts anyone anymore. All is a facade of civility. This is what happens when sin is allowed to rule in our lives. The only hope is in redemption from sin and a return to the original design. How is this possible except through Jesus. 

Jesus came to redeem us from our sin trapped souls. In Him we are restored to communion with our Heavenly Father. Jesus came to give us the way to redemption by laying down His life as a sacrifice for sin. This redemption is for all who receive His word. If you confess with your mouth that He is your Lord and Saviour and believe in your heart that He is risen from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9. Now it is time to pray that many will join in this prayer for redemption. This is the only way His will, will be done on earth. He is the solution, we are the problem. God will redeem His people. He needs us to cooperate with Him to establish His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. He has given man the authority on earth to establish His will. Will we pray? Jesus prayed and got the job done. Now it is our turn to pray. Much can be achieved through prayer when we partner with the hosts of heaven. His word spoken through our mouth can achieve much.

The Just Shall Live By Faith Romans 1:17

God created us by the word of His power. We were born from dust and He breathed life into us. Our spirit being now lives and has the ability to commune with God. We were born with this capacity to live in the spirit although we are housed in our body. Our body is temporary but our spirit is eternal. Our body is earthly but our spirit is unearthly. This means all of us have been created as spirit beings. We are spirit beings on an earthly journey. We were created with senses to makes sense of our world. We also have spiritual senses to sense the spirit world. Our spirit senses are operated by faith. Whoever comes to God must come by faith. We cannot know God through our physical senses for they are earthly. God is spirit. We can only know Him through our spirit. Understanding God through our physical senses is only partial like knowing about the person than knowing the person. God has made it possible to know Him personally through His Son Jesus.

God says that whoever comes to Him must come by faith. This means we must acknowledge Him and trust Him for who He says He is, the Creator of the whole Universe. He is also our Heavenly Father. Jesus came to make known His Father so that we too can know Him. It is only by faith that we can get to know Him and call Him Abba, Father. Faith is the evidence of what we hope for. It is not blind. It is based on what has been revealed through His Son. Now we need to trust Him to become His sons and daughters. We are made righteous when we trust Him to save us from our sin. Our sin blinded eyes will become son sighted eyes when we trust in Him. What a glorious hope we have in Him. Now we can live by faith in His finished work on the Cross and be assured of eternal life.

I Once Was Blind But Now I see

I recently had cataract surgery and the result is amazing. I realised that my vision was hazy before but now it is bright, clear and sharp. The spiritual parallel is that we too were blind once but when God revealed His salvation we began to see. How we need to pray for God's grace to manifest so that many more may see. The world is blind to their own sinfulness. Only the grace and mercy of God can open blind eyes. Even after our eyes are opened we only see in part. One day we will see wholly when we see Him as He is. As we continue on our journey and listen to His voice we see more clearly. He wants us to know the truth and the truth will set us free. His truth is in His word. His word was made flesh and dwelt amongst man. He now is seated in heaven to help us who continue in our struggles till we join Him in heaven. Be strong and never give in to the enemy who wants to take us to hell with him.

The key to keep steady and focussed is to listen to His voice and follow Him. There are so many voices that demand our attention. Distance yourself from these other voices and purpose to stay fixed on hearing His voice. Pray in tongues to quicken your spirit and sharpen your senses to His voice. When we follow Him we will be at peace. You will know His voice for He says my sheep hear my voice. 

You will wait till you hear Him. There is no restlessness but rest in Him. Your spirit will say amen to His voice. In this way other voices will be discerned and rejected. You will love to wait on Him and be led by Him. You will go in the background and He will become the foreground. This is our destiny that He should increase and we should decrease. We will become like Him when we see Him as He is.