How God Creates a Man or Woman He Can Use (Part 5) The Word Creates a Point-of-no-Return

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by eisakouo in How God Creates a Man or Woman He Can Use

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allowed to choose, demarcation point, Exodus 3, hearing from god, John C Maxwell, legitimacy, Luke 3:2, Moses and the burning bush, point of no return, revelation, Saul was a new man, say yes to the best, saying yes to the Lord, the Lord never forces Himself on anyone, the word of the lord came to

Have you ever noticed in Scripture it says… “The word of the Lord came to ________.” This phrase was also used to describe God’s word coming into John the Baptist’s life. (Luke 3:2) This meant God’s information wasn’t previously flowing in his life but now is flowing. The words of God were not there prior to this experience but now they are. Even though all the previous points I’ve been blogging about may be true about God’s man or woman… the Word of the Lord must arrive to bring legitimacy. This flow of revelation becomes the main demarcation point in their life. When the word of the Lord arrives it changes everything. The word creates a “point of no return” in your life.

When did the word of the Lord come to Moses? It happened at the burning bush (Exodus 3). Moses wanted God’s people delivered some forty years earlier. He felt a calling of sorts, but until the burning bush experience, he lacked the revelation. Everything changed for Moses once he heard God speak. He went into the event not hearing from God clearly. He exited hearing God, having a purpose, and knowing his destiny.

Saul was just an ordinary man until he met a prophet one day. He was already called to be King. Then with help from a prophet, he received words from the Lord. Afterward, the Holy Spirit came upon him and he even prophesied himself. Before this day, God speaking was a foreign experience. 2 Samuel 10 tells us that Saul was changed into another man in a single day. Saul and Moses are like so many others. Once God speaks and the flow of revelation comes into their lives, they are never the same.

This means a decision must be made concerning God’s word. You probably know this point already, but the Lord never forces Himself or His will upon anyone. Everyone gets to choose. The same is true for a prophet, teacher, preacher, pastor, or leader. Even though God may call… even though prophetic words hover over them… even though they have survived life and death situations….. these men and women of God have to voluntarily give themselves to the Lord and His program 100 percent. It is a matter of saying “yes.”

I know when my wife and I hear a word from the Lord, we always strive to be quick in communicating to the Lord we are willing to do it or willing to follow the Lord in obedience. The Lord doesn’t force us. He allows us to choose. All words get challenged. If we believe God has “forced” a decision upon us, we will have a tendency to blame Him when difficult times come because of the word. Did I say all words get tested? The good thing about it is God’s word purifies us in the process. If you are in God’s process, allow His word to come into your life. You will never be the same.

Blessings,

Pastor

Have You Seen Lately What You Have Been Hearing?

09 Sunday Oct 2011

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examine our hearing process, fresh revelation, genuine seeker, heavenly truths and secrets, look at what you hear, Mark 4:24-25, revelation

24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. 25 For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” Mark 4:24-25

I don’t like stepping on the scales. The scales keeping telling me I’m putting too much food in my mouth. Ouch! I keep telling myself, “This can’t be right!” In the end the scales are always right. I’ve just been living in denial. Maybe you have been there?

Jesus is discussing with His followers a principle of the Kingdom about hearing. He is literally saying, “Look at what you hear.” Now we can’t actually look at what we are hearing because words are sounds and they cannot be seen. So, just what exactly is Jesus implying. Jesus is saying we all need to examine our hearing process. Because all the words and revelations the Father shares with us are placed on scales and measured. Heaven knows what goes into our ears and the Lord expects a return on His investment.

We have already admitted to ourselves that the scales do not lie… or least I did. God’s scales do not lie either. The Lord wants to us to pay close attention to our hearing/listening process because His daily bread to us is more valuable than our real food. Even though God’s revelations can be difficult to understand at times, they are not impossible to grasp. They simply require an investment of time and energy on our part. God will never invite us to accomplish something that is impossible. Sometimes He may hide the answers so that we will dig and appreciate the process. These types of difficulties should only serve to spur us on to greater depths, not quit in frustration.

Let me share one more important truth with you. There are heavenly truths and secrets awaiting the genuine seeker right now. The Lord doesn’t want us to keep studying the saints of yesteryear at the cost of neglecting to seek His face. There are fresh truths waiting to be released from heaven right now. This is why the Lord gives us parables. These little riddles sift out those with other agendas from the genuine seeker. When we come to the Lord with our agendas and preconceived notions, then we will miss discovering a real relationship with the Lord.

I want to encourage you to begin seeking the Lord and expect to receive a fresh revelation from the Lord. If you have seen the movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, then purpose to be more like Frodo, not Gandolf. In the movie, the fellowship is trying to make their way to destroy the ring of power. They reach a point where they have to go through a series of mines. The problem is that the door of the mine is locked and they can’t get inside. Gandolf doesn’t take the time to read the inscription on the door, and instead, he tries all the secret passwords that he knows. Of course, none of them work, so he sits down in frustration, giving up. But the simple hobbit Frodo reads the inscription and he sees that it’s a riddle. So Frodo solves the riddle and the solution to the riddle opens the door.

Approach the Lord with fresh eyes tomorrow. There are no secret passwords to His presence. He doesn’t want you to act religious with Him any longer. He simply wants to you to pursue Him and experience a loving relationship with Him. It is that simple. He is waiting.

Blessings,

Pastor

“Oh Be Careful Little Eyes What You See”

24 Sunday Jul 2011

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blind, light, revelation, spiritual blindness, the eye is hte lamp of your body

“The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness.” Luke 11:33-35

No one would purposefully want to be blind. It usually comes with disease or injury. You don’t have to convince people they are blind. They know it. Spiritual blindness is another issue. Jesus constantly told people they were blind and needed light in their life.

Jesus stated that people do not usually light lamps only to cover them with baskets. Yet in our spiritual walk we do this activity all the time. We see truth and shortly thereafter cover-up our revelation. Suffice it to say, most of the light you have received has been buried or ignored. God has had to give us the same revelations time and time again.

To combat this issue, Jesus informs us that our eyes must be “clear.” This means being singularly devoted in purpose and intent. Our eyes reflect what’s in our heart. In addition, if our eyes are dark it is because we view too much evil. Evil covers or clouds what revelation and truth we do possess. The more immorality and wickedness we choose to view, the more pervasive our blindness becomes. Our eyes have appetites like our stomachs. Whatever we choose to feed our eyes, they crave all the more.

Do you want illumination? Do you want your whole body filled with fresh revelation? It is possible. First choose to let the light of God’s revelation in, treasure it, and ask the Lord for more.

The Source of All Revelation

20 Wednesday Jul 2011

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flesh and blood, revelation, second hand information, source

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 16:15-17

I am sure at this point in time in his life, Peter had been pondering in his mind and heart the ‘Jesus question’. Was Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God or not? Now we find out exactly what Peter believed. What he did not know was that God the Father had already been at work in his life giving him this revelation. I am sure it was a shock to Peter to know that God was responsible for giving him this major revelation about Jesus. In fact, this passage gives us the idea that Peter came to this conclusion on his own, without anyone’s help. But according to Jesus, “flesh and blood” did not reveal this to him.

This is the point of all revelation. All revelation and spiritual information comes from the Father. He is the source of it all.

Have you ever questioned whether something was of God or man? Have you ever had a spiritual matter before you which you were trying to discern? Take Jesus’ words to heart in your own life. “Flesh and blood” will not help you, but the Creator of the universe will. It is a great comfort to know that God wants to deliver to all His children the knowledge of the truth. God doesn’t want you groping around for second handed truth. He wants you to seek Him and He will bless you with first handed spiritual knowledge. God doesn’t want you to believe what I believe. He wants you to believe because you discovered it yourself from His very hand.

How many of us as siblings liked being told what to do by our brother or sister? In fact, many siblings simply will not do anything their brother or sister tells them to do. They will say things like, “I’m not going to do it unless mom or dad tells me.” Now, can you imagine living in a spiritual world where you never receive any spiritual directions from your Father, only your older bothers and sisters? Does this sound ridiculous? Yet, this is true for most Christians. They only follow flesh and blood.

Your Heavenly Father is not trying to keep revelation away from you. He is trying to speak directly into your heart through your spirit. Spend some time receiving first hand information from Him today… Revelation Awaits You!

Lord, Speak Plainly

18 Monday Jul 2011

Posted by eisakouo in Receiving Revelation

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inward peace, pack mentality, revelation

His disciples said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech.” John 12:29

We think it would be a great thing if the Lord spoke plainly to us without pictures, parables, or stories. But the Lord purposefully injects these types of enhancements so that we might not see or hear so quickly. The Father wants us to dig a little deeper and search a little longer, so His revelations might mean more to us when we finally discern their full interpretation.

The Lord spoke to me one day in this same fashion about the church. He said, “There is no safety in numbers.” I knew this was not a biblical quote and it bothered me somewhat that the Lord said it. All this made me dig outside the scripture with reflection and prayer. A few days later the Lord added, “The church as a whole huddles together in packs placing their faith and trust in their numbers instead of Me. Since they believe alike, they believe there is safety in numbers. They do not want to be judged separately. This is a false peace.”

I knew this type of activity displeased the Lord. Our comfort and inward peace should not come from the knowledge that we believe as our neighbor believes. The Lord does not want His children holding a “pack mentality.” Real comfort, peace, and contentment only comes from personally knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord. Regardless of the numbers, the Lord wants His children to be able to stand alone.

I would not have known these truths had not the Lord spoken, “There is no safety in numbers.” Ask the Lord today to speak to you any way He chooses. Revelation awaits!

Be Blind, Stay Blind

08 Friday Jul 2011

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blind, deaf, revelation

³⁹ And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”

⁴¹Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains. John 9:39 & 41 (NASB)

I have a confession. I have more Bible knowledge than I will ever use. In fact it is a deterrent for me hearing God. Why? Because I already think I see, hear, and know what God thinks. Maybe you battle with becoming too familiar with the things of God?

This is exactly what Jesus is eluding to here. The key to really hearing God’s voice and seeing His will is found in admitting you are “blind and deaf.”

Practice this right now. Take five or ten minuets and sincerely tell the Lord how blind and deaf you are without Him. You will notice a change in your approach to the Lord, and so will He! Make it your goal to “be blind and stay blind.” I know it sounds crazy but this is Jesus’ invitation. The Lord knows it is only when we become blind that we truly see; and it is only in deafness do we truly hear. You will find in your new-found blindness a fresh revelation from the Father. He is waiting to give you “eyes that see and perceive and ears that hear and understand.” Why? Now you are admitting that “you can do nothing apart from Him.”

If you need a place to attend church this Sunday, please visit us at 10 am (CST) – http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-church-of-providence#

Everything You Need To Know

07 Thursday Jul 2011

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I am, revelation, the door, the good shepherd

¹ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ Thisfigure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.

⁷ So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. John 10:1-7

As Jesus has noted before, He cannot plainly speak of heavenly truths, so He employs earthly analogies. In this case the disciples miss the point of His teaching. Be good listeners today! (eisakouo means those who listen and obey) If you understand this figure of speech all the other “I am” references will become clearer.

Jesus says, “I am the door of the sheep” (7) Jesus Himself is always our very first revelation. The Father draws us to Him and further reveals Him to us. Every spiritual truth you learn from this point forward is through God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.” (11) Verses 3-4 reminds us that we all must know, recognize and follow the voice of the Good Shepherd, Jesus. Why? Jesus leads us places. Our walk with Him is not static. Finding pasture (9) is imperative for the believer. Pastures are food sources, revelation. All growing believers must feed on the food the Lord provides. He leads us out to find good pastures to feed upon.

Please listen to what I am saying. When I came to know Christ, I immediately wanted to feed myself. I read the Bible and tried to pick-up as much knowledge as I could. I craved spiritual nourishment. As I grew though, I neglected spending time with the Lord. The times I went without fresh revelations were the lowest points in my spiritual walk. I quickly learned you cannot operate with power on stale bread.

The reason the Lord uses these “I am” statements and more specifically calls Himself “The Door” and “The Good Shepherd” is so that you will always know He is in the present tense with you. He is not the God of yesteryear. I believe we do people a misservice always speaking about what the Lord did a hundred years ago. Believers and nonbelievers alike need to know that the Lord is active and speaking in our lives today. He is leading His sheep just as much today as He did back in the New Testament. In fact I believe He is speaking more. We must believe this. Why? If we do not we will miss hearing Him today. Plan to spend time with the Lord today. Make time for His presence.