Have you HEARD of Jesus?

And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? Mark 5:25-30.

I love this story of the woman who suffered a female bleeding disorder for twelve years but had the audacity to believe her condition would not disqualify her from being healed. In biblical times, under the Mosaic Law, this woman could have been stoned for pressing into a crowd of supposed righteous people and infecting them with her spiritual and physical uncleanness. And then to make matters worse, she had the nerve to touch a holy rabbi! In their minds, she suffered because of some undisclosed, secret sin or generational curse. Doctors would never be able to heal her, and no amount of money could buy her out of her situation – she was doomed to suffer until she atoned for her obvious sin. What self-righteous Jewish man would ever marry her? She certainly would never be able to bear children. She was a rejected outcast who many feared because her “uncleanness” might be catching. What a horrible fate!

Like the Jews of her day, many of us Christians sitting in denominational churches have been told time and again by many well-meaning pastors and bible study teachers that we, like this woman, must first become “clean” before we can approach a holy God. They say we must confess our myriad sins first and “get right” with God before we could ever approach His holy presence to ask for healing. Just recently, my husband accompanied me to a local healing service, but when he came forward for prayer, he was told he could not be healed because he had unforgiven sin, unconfessed sin, and unforgiveness toward others! If these prayors had lived in this woman’s day, I’m sure they would have strong-armed her to the ground and given her a good lecture on sin before she had a chance to defile the righteous Jesus. When are we Christians going to wake up and reject this kind of teaching?

Answer: like this woman, it will be when we hear about Jesus! But don’t we hear about Jesus every week at church? I don’t know – do you? What do you think this poor woman heard about Jesus? Did she hear that He made everyone confess their sins and go through a long forgiveness list before receiving healing? Did she believe she had to be perfect before approaching Him? She was certainly imperfect for breaking the law by even being in public, much less touching the hem of a holy rabbi’s garment. No, she must have heard about a different Jesus, a Jesus who had mercy and compassion and went about healing all those afflicted by the devil, because God was with Him. (Acts 10:38).

She KNEW He would heal her because of all the good things she had heard about Him – healing the leprous man, the man born blind, casting out a legion of devils out of the mad man who lived in the catacombs of Gadara. In fact, she had so much faith in Jesus’s power to heal that she merely said to herself, “If I can just touch His clothes, I shall be well.” She risked the public scrutiny of her fellow Jews, the chance that she might be kicked and spit upon, that she might be chastised and forever expelled from the synagogue, that they might pick up stones and kill her for making a public profession that what Jesus presented was TRUTH and what she had been taught for years was a lie. Her persistence in pressing through for healing was a public profession of faith that He could and would do what the law could not and never would be able to do.

Fortunately for us, her story has been preserved in the Word as a lesson for us. Jesus warned us not to be deceived in the last days. There will be many false teachings in our midst, telling us that our sins are our problem, when He took all our sins away 2000 years ago on the cross! If this sweet Jewish woman was instantly healed by her dogged faith that enabled her to take from Jesus, how much more should we who are born again IN HIM after the cross and the resurrection press in and likewise take our healing? Selah – think about it!

Finger of God

I highly recommend the documentary, Finger of God, by Darren Wilson! Another must-see for every Christian!! I rented it on Amazon streaming.

Furious Love: a must-see film for all Christians

Friends, I just saw one of the most powerful documentary films ever from Wanderlust Films and director Darren Wilson called Furious Love.

After watching this film, Western denominational believers will get a glorious wake up call that the world desperately needs us to share the message of God's love and grace through Jesus Christ. There is such demonic darkness in the world, oppression, and hopelessness, and much of it comes from the lack of being loved. People have sought lusts of the flesh and supernatural darkness from Satan just to get a taste of that love and acceptance. Now more than ever we must accept the power of the Holy Spirit and ALL of His wonderful and glorious gifts and use them to minister God's love to the world. Watch this movie! You will be changed!!

I'm going to check out The Finger of God next, that's Wilson's first film, and then I just saw on Facebook that he has a new film coming out entitled Holy Spirit. Powerful! 

Here is the trailer on The company's website. You'll have to order it to see the entire thing. Treat yourself to a blessing from The Lord and then have Him show you how to answer the call.
http://furiouslove.wpfilm.com/

God Speaks to Us Through Dreams!

Dr. Barbie Breathitt

And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: Joel 2:28

Many Christians are leery of giving any credence to their dreams, but both the Old and New Testament are clear that God uses dreams to speak to His people. In fact, on the day of Pentecost when the church was born, Peter preached in the book of Acts that the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues was the fulfilling of this scripture in Joel which includes a pouring out of Holy Spirit-inspired prophecy, visions and dreams. Peter and Paul had angelic encounters, received prophecies, visions, spoke to the risen Jesus, and even Paul was translated to heaven. 

Therefore, we as believers should not be spooked by our weird dreams at night, particularly if they are recurring. I have dreamt strange things ALL my life, some of which I still remember to this day. I also had a recurring dream for over ten years which The Lord finally revealed the meaning of once I pressed in and asked Him for it with all sincerity of heart. It has helped me immensely to understand the message He was trying to relay. I wish I had pressed in years ago.

Several weekends ago, I attended a great retreat where I heard this wonderful woman, Barbie Breathitt, speak on listening to and interpreting our dreams. She suggests digging into scripture for clues regarding symbols that appear in our dreams and of course writing them down in a journal. I've done that for years but wasn't as diligent as I should be regarding the details and specifics. 

Obviously, some dreams can be discounted due to spicy food or a rotten TV show or movie, but the symbolic, strange dreams that linger after we awake are oftentimes messages from The Lord. In the western, North American culture, our intellect and reasoning scoff at such a notion, but in the middle eastern culture, dreams are highly revered. Perhaps that is why there are many testimonies of Muslims being saved through dreams where heavenly and angelic encounters are being used by The Lord to present the Gospel. Oh, how we denominational people have put our God in a little, itty, bitty box!!

So why would God need to use dreams to speak to us? Well, maybe we're stubborn and hard-headed and our spirit-man can't seem to get through to us because our minds are at a whir, thinking and reasoning for most of the day. Personally, I'm very thankful The Lord continues to instruct us in our sleep (Psalms 16:7) and endeavors to get truth and revelation to us, even if it takes ten years! I have to say, I'm somewhat embarrassed that He needed to give me a dream for over a decade in order to share some truth with me. Oh well, better late than never! 

Check out Barbie Breathitt on YouTube or www.myonar.com. It is amazing how God has used dream interpretation through her ministry to save, heal, and set people free from the lies of Satan. 

www.myonar.com

Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees!

In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Luke 12:1

For many years I've studied these Gospel passages regarding the leaven of the Pharisees and being warned by Jesus to steer clear of their teachings. It's easy when the modern-day Pharisee espouses that Jesus is NOT the Messiah or that one is saved through the works of the law and NOT by grace through faith, but what about the person who is IN the church, who appears to be born again, filled with the Spirit, and walking in the gifts and anointing of the Spirit? These modern-day Pharisees can be very hard to detect and so can be extremely dangerous, particularly to the baby or fledgling Christian who is just beginning to spread his or her spiritual wings. The only way to avoid being deceived by such people is to be deeply rooted and grounded in the Word of God.

My first encounter with the modern-day Pharisee was at a retreat at a very famous Christian retreat center named after a prominent evangelist. Everything seemed to be going fine UNTIL I made the mistake of espousing that I was continuing to attend a denominational church which did not believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. In these Pharisees' minds, I was committing the unpardonable sin to continue sitting under the teaching of a pastor who did not believe in such doctrine. When I explained that I felt called to stay at this church, they looked down their long, judgmental noses. And then when I had the audacity to declare that I believed in the authority of the believer over the enemy in the name of Jesus AND that I believed in divine healing, I was labeled a rebellious heretic who was operating in the spirit of witchcraft!

At that moment, I understood exactly how the apostles of old felt when they shared their faith to a hostile crowd - I literally heard hisses and boos when I asked, "Didn't Jesus' death on the cross attain authority over Satan for His church?" Boo! Hiss! Stone her! Send the witch to the gallows! I felt like I was in a weird Cecil B. DeMille movie. While the experience was very unpleasant, I felt that the Lord had taught me a very important lesson. I stuck to the scriptures despite the manifested anointing and supposed prophetic utterances of these modern-day Pharisees.  

Now, I had no animosity toward these people as individuals, since I knew I was really battling the religious spirits BEHIND these individuals. I only have to look at Ephesians 6:12 to know that ... we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in highplaces. So it does no good to get angry or hostile in these situations. Just stick to the Word and stand your ground. And when you have done all you can do, continue to stand!  Ephesians 6:13.

Well, wouldn't you know it, but a similar thing happened to me again this past weekend. I attended a wonderful spiritual retreat, but the spirit of religion was there on the first day, waiting to pounce on me. I was invited to lunch by two supposed prophets who espoused all sorts of junk that made my head spin. None of it lined up with Scripture! They had gotten so wrapped up in signs and wonders and prophetic utterances that they had deviated from the Word of God! I felt the long, cold, hard glares of judgment dart from their eyes and down their noses when I shared my testimony and faith. It took quite a bit of strength to stand up to their condemnation, but stand I did! Later, I asked the Lord why I had felt called to go to lunch with these people, since I thought for sure they were meant to minister to me. No, I heard in my spirit, YOU were supposed to minister to them and REMIND them to get back to the Word of God and stand on Scripture. I don't know if I was successful there. 

I write this to encourage those of you who may have experienced a similar circumstance. You may be basking in the joy and delight of the Lord, excited about all He is doing in your life and the divine wisdom and revelation He is downloading into your spirit - you are eagerly awaiting for signs and wonders to confirm the teaching and preaching of the Word - and then like a bolt of lightning, you are met by judgment and condemnation from those who are supposedly mature and who have supposedly experienced great and mighty wonders of the Lord. If in that instance you get a sick feeling in the pit of your belly, then rest assured you have run smack dab into the spirit of religion! 

Test what they have to say! Listen closely and see if it lines up with the Word. John instructs us to test the spirits. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1. If it doesn't line up, then cast it out as false and don't receive it.

But on the other hand, remain teachable and be prepared to learn from those who are true to the Word and who are more spiritually mature than you. We don't want to be hard-hearted and close-minded or we risk becoming another modern-day Pharisee! Yikes! The authentic New Testament apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher may sound the alarm to a lost and dying world, but to the believer, they will always build up and edify, encouraging us in our faith and confirming what the Holy Spirit has already relayed to our own spirit. 

Receive from these true ministers of light and you will be blessed in the name of Jesus!

Abide in the Vine

I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5.

For over a week, I had my eye on this brown, withered leaf that dangled from a tree in my backyard, fluttering furiously in the breeze. Every morning, when I sat at my normal place at the end of the sofa with coffee, bible, and iPhone, I watched that leaf - all alone, flapping around frantically with the wind, brown and crinkly with no green leafy friends to provide comfort. Because I'm creative, I see the spiritual side in nature and like to personify birds and flowers and the like. I felt like this leaf had a story - it must have, or why would it, of all leaves, be ready at any moment to fall to the ground when it's neighbors where healthy and alive, living in thick clusters, and fluttering delicately and majestically as the wind blew?

I thought of this scripture and was reminded of many professing Christians, who for some reason or another, cut themselves off from the life giving force of God's Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. Maybe they were once attached to the vine, feeding from Jesus, resting in Him, and then something happens. Fear descends due to sickness or financial hardship, or tragedy strikes, or just the grind of life reveals that their faith was never real to begin with - that they were never truly born again into a new creation. Like that leaf, they become frantic and unsteady, isolated and alone, with no firm foundation upon which to rest. Unless they get reattached to the vine somehow, they are destined to fall away. 

As I watched that leaf, I wondered if nature could provide a way for it to become part of the vine again. But then a strong windstorm hit the next morning, assuring its destiny. While it hung on to the tree as long as possible, flapping about like a sail on the high seas, it eventually disappeared. Strangely, I felt sad. 

But thankfully, mankind is not like that leaf. If anyone realizes they have become detached from the life-giving vine (which is Christ), they can repent and become a born-again new creation in Him. The dead things in their life will be rejuvenated and the greenness of fresh growth will be revealed. For man, it is never too late!

Sister Clara Grace - Amazing Woman of God!

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE6RxKIK3Alk0UUy1OgAn-mQRzQFiiomz

He has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches! 

I discovered these wonderful prophecies from Sister Clara Grace, a teacher and prophet, who lived years ago. She gave these recorded teachings in 1967 and they are powerful! Oh, what a lady she was! How I would've loved to have sat under her teaching. But thankfully we have these recordings now through the Internet.

Those of you who are hungry for a greater move of the Holy Spirit and feel as though you are all alone, don't despair! He has His remnant of hungry believers out there in the world who are praying along with you! We are all praying for a greater manifestation of His glory in these last days! 

Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

Listen to these wonderful teachings and be blessed!