2015, the Year of Psalms 91

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Psalms 91:1-2.

Some of you may wonder why I have neglected this blog for the past several months.  No, it wasn't due to the Christmas and New Year's festivities, although that did keep me busy. Actually, I have purposely delayed this latest blog entry, because I have much to say.

Since June of 2014, the Lord has had me on a feverish study of the end times, particularly the prophecies outlined in the book of Daniel. I have read the Scriptures countless times, looked at the original language, and have scoured the Internet, reading scores of commentaries from academics, evangelists, so-called prophets, and a few crackpots. Bottom line - nobody has a clear answer as to how the last days will play out.

This is frustrating for me, because I can't understand why we, His church, shouldn't know and understand what is written there in the Word. Isn't there at least one believer who understands these passages? If we, His body, don't get it, then who will? And shouldn't we know what His plans are? Didn't He say He would guide us into all truth? Shouldn't we be sounding the alarm for others?

Ok, that's enough questions, but it gives you an idea of how diligently I have been digging in for answers. Daniel did the same thing, and he eventually got a visit from Gabriel and some answers to his questions regarding Israel's future--plus more! Over the next several months, I'll share some of the revelations and discoveries I've made. But there's still so much more I'd like to know.

For now, I will share a word He gave me for 2015. It is the year of Psalms 91, which is known as the Soldier's Psalm or the Protection Psalm. For the world, it will be a very rough, tumultuous, and traumatic year with many hard times, the purpose of which is to figuratively wake people up to the knowledge of Christ. Amazingly, we have seen evidence of this in just the first 2 weeks of January.

But for those Christians who are trusting the Lord and listening to Him, it will be a time of divine favor and supernatural deliverance. I don't know in what manner this will manifest, although I am reminded of one instance that happened just a few weeks ago--a young girl walked away from a plane crash that killed her entire family. Very, very unusual!

This year, as you watch the news or read the updates of what's going in in the world, don't be fearful but be thankful that you, the Believer, have been given the wonderful privilege to dwell in the secret place of the Most High, in the shadow of the Almighty. That's the mercy seat under the winged cherubim where the blood of Jesus cries out day and night, declaring our innocence because of what HE did on the cross. Sit back and ... REST!

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:8-9 KJV

Rejoice and Be Thankful!

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4

For some of us, 'tis the season to feel sorry for ourselves, especially when we look around and consider all the evil and mayhem going on in the world. Or when we consider our personal lives, state of our businesses and employment, or our personal finances.  Some of us may be suffering from sickness and disease or strife in our family relationships. And then when we turn on the news, things only seem worse!

It's times like these that we have to force ourselves to "look at the birds," as Jesus instructed, and see the good that the heavenly father is doing. Consider the blessings in your life and rejoice over those wonderful things, just like the Apostle Paul did when he wrote these words to the church at Philippi while suffering horribly in a dank, smelly prison.

For me, all I have to do is look at one of my darling children and I crumble with thankfulness! If I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food on my table, and gas in my car, then I am thankful still. 

And yet, for most of us Americans, we possess so much more than the bare necessities of life. There are many people on this planet who would consider all of us kings if they saw how we lived. Our grocery stores are filled with goodies and our pantries and freezers are full to overflowing. We ladies have clothes, shoes, and purses bulging out of our closets. And most of us have 2 cars in the garage.

But these are mere material blessings that will rot and fade away with time. Even family will grow up and move away and then grow older and die (aside, I plan on going up at the Rapture! ).

But what of the spiritual blessings we have been given in Christ Jesus? These are more precious than refined gold and priceless jewels. These are like untapped treasures that overflow into our lives like those clothes and shoes that protrude from most of our closets.  If we truly had eyes to see and ears to hear all the Lord has given us, we would fall to our knees and rejoice with thankfulness!

The Apostle Paul obviously had eyes to see and ears to hear the wonderful things of God. He prayed that the church in Ephesus would likewise have this revelation - it is a wonderful prayer found in Ephesians 1:17-23 that I often pray over myself.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: [18] The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, [19] And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, [20] Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places , [21] Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: [22] And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, [23] Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

If we consider these truths, then we can only rejoice and be thankful that we have such a marvelous heavenly father!

Happy Thanksgiving! May you continue to be richly blessed!

Precept Upon Precept or Stammering Lips?

For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Isaiah 28:11-13

Through my years of bible study, I had always understood that the deepest and most revelatory understanding of Scripture came through a line by line study of the Word, particularly with an in-depth study of the original language, whether it be Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. There are even studies with the terms precept in their titles, all of which promote a deep understanding of God and His Word. While I certainly value an in-depth study of the Bible and taught in-depth studies for years, I often came away with an understanding in some areas but confusion in others that only left me with more unanswered questions. It was a vicious cycle of feeling convicted, condemned, and uncertain as to whether God truly loved me. I know this may not have been the intention of the study or the teacher, but the effect was NOT the joy of the Lord nor the Good News of the Gospel as promised in the New Testament. I realized something was very wrong!

It wasn't until I started praying in the Spirit that revelation of this deadly form of study was made clear. I found teaching on grace and came to understand that these precept studies often extract grace (which points to Christ and His redemption) and insert the Mosaic law (which is harsh, unforgiving, and judgmental) - or worse than that - combine grace with the law. According to Jesus, this combination is tantamount to pouring new wine into old wineskins, which ruins both! (Luke 5:38). Furthermore, Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 3:7-9 that this mixture of grace and law is actually the ministry of condemnation and death! No wonder I always came away from bible study and church feeling like an ole dirty, low-down, rotten sinner!

Where is this joy, peace, and rest promised in the Gospel? I often asked myself. It certainly didn't come from these in-depth Bible studies, but it did begin to come when I prayed in the Spirit and began to look at the Word with a fresh set of eyes - through the eyes of grace and NOT the law. Well, isn't this what the Father prophesied in Isaiah 28? The rest promised by Him will not come through line upon line study - the Pharisees had been studying Old Testament Scripture for years before Jesus arrived on the scene and they were blind to the ways of God. No, the Father said that the rest IN HIM would come through stammering lips and an unknown tongue. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 14:21 that this prophecy was fulfilled through the Holy Spirit-given prayer language. 

As we see in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, a deep revelation of the Old Testament prophecies were downloaded into the apostles and disciples, all of which POINTED TO JESUS, not the law! Just look at the bold sermon Peter preached to the Jews on that day of Pentecost 2000 years ago. As soon as he was baptized with power from on high, he spoke with other tongues and his understanding of how Jesus fulfilled Scripture grew astronomically! Even on the road to Emmaus, Jesus taught those two disciples how all the Scriptures pointed to Him! By the Spirit, He opened their eyes to the truth of His fulfillment of all the law and the prophets. (Luke 24:27-31). Bottom line: if your precept studies don't point to the finished work of Jesus, then reject them as deadly!

Religion rejects tongues, just as Isaiah prophesied and Paul explained in his New Testament letter to the Corinthians. Religion will continue to insist on a line upon line study of the Word without any revelation given by the teacher (and comforter), who is the Holy Spirit! While Jesus may be mentioned, there is often a great focus on sin, the law, and judgment that brings about condemnation and fear. This is NOT the good news of the Gospel! Just as Isaiah prophesied, this refusal to accept God's perfect plan will cause many to fall backward, be broken, snared, and taken! 

In order for us to truly hear from the Lord and our heavenly Father, we must learn from the Holy Spirit who will always point solely to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the only teacher who will lead and guide us into all truth. Yes, there may be repentance and correction, but it will be done gently and in the spirit of love not in the spirit of condemnation and fear. 

If you've been warned by well-meaning denominational teachers to reject tongues as unnecessary (or even of the devil), consider praying to the Lord and reexamine the Scriptures with a fresh set of eyes. Ask Him to enlighten your understanding so that you may come to truly see what Isaiah 28 is actually telling us. (Ephesians 1:18). In these days and times, we need to be walking in the fullness of what the Lord Jesus died to give us! Amen to that!

Pray in the Spirit!

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:18-20

Our final weapon against the enemy is the most powerful, and it is praying in the Spirit. I don't think any of us truly knows what goes on in the spirit realm when we pray in our prayer language. Paul tells us in Romans 8:26 that the Spirit prays for us through groanings and utterances that cannot be understood. And why is that? Because our human minds cannot pray the necessary specifics and details that only God would know. 

I love how John tells us in John 11: 33, 38 that as Jesus prayed for Lazarus to be raised up, He groaned and sighed within Himself, which I believe was Him groaning/praying in the Spirit. Just recently, an exciting historical discovery was made when ancient scrolls were found in the Vatican describing Jesus bringing a stillborn baby to life. It is intriguing that the writer of the scrolls claims Jesus looked to heaven and prayed in an indecipherable tongue before the miracle happened. How interesting!

In John 4:23-24, Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that a time was coming when God's people would worship Him in spirit and in truth. Before the Spirit came to indwell people as God's born again children, God was worshiped via the Mosaic law through the sacrificial system. People had to go to their priest, rabbi, or a prophet to hear from the Lord. Now, we can speak to and hear from the Lord as we sit in our family rooms or as we go about our days, all because the Holy Spirit was given to us as our comforter and guide who dwells inside of us. How amazing! He prays through us, searching the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)  Again, the ramifications of this wonderful gift are astounding.

One of the side effects of praying in the Spirit is a boldness to preach the Gospel with divine revelation that points only to Jesus! Just look at what the timid, scared Peter did on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit was poured out and he and the other disciples prayed in other tongues. (Acts 2). The boldness Peter displayed in preaching how Jesus fulfilled prophecy exceeded anything he or any other priest or rabbi had demonstrated before. I can personally attest that my revelation of how Jesus fulfilled Scripture grew by leaps and bounds when I began praying in my prayer language. 

Again, if we truly understood the power of praying in the Spirit, all of us would probably pray night and day! It must be powerful and deadly to the enemy because religious people fight it tooth and nail! But tongues is in the Bible, so I'll keep on believing and praying! Amen to that!

Wear your Helmet of Salvation!

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:17-18.

The next piece of our Christian armor discussed in the book of Ephesians is the helmet of salvation. As we all know, a helmet covers our head, its purpose being to protect our brain from harm. In the spiritual realm, it isn't necessarily our physical grey matter that needs protecting, but more our mind and thought life. 

Many of us have experienced our minds being the battleground on which Satan wages his war against us, as Paul so aptly describes in chapters 7 and 8 of Romans. To combat this problem, we believers are instructed in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to "cast down every imagination and every thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." 

Wow! How many of us are truly aware that we have the power and authority in the name of Jesus to just lasso our thoughts and cast them down like a rodeo rider hog-tying a dogie? Not many, I would guess, and yet that appears to be exactly what the Bible says! 

I have to be reminded of this constantly, since I am one of those "deep thinkers" who can find myself slipping down into a pit of gloom. I believe I've been wired this way for creative purposes, but Satan often uses this gift of deep thinking against me. As a result, I have had to discipline myself over the years to stop and focus on who I am IN Christ before allowing my negative thought life to take over. Again, I will confess this is easier said than done - and perhaps I've been stubborn and heard-headed in this area - but negative thoughts can be destructive and deadly. So many people struggle with this problem in the natural and get hooked on medications to control depression. But the answer to this dilemma is found in the Word of God. By putting on this helmet of salvation every day, we can be spared the pain and heartache that comes from dark and demonic thoughts.

How is this done? One way is to read, meditate on, and confess out loud the Word of God. As we do so, we are reminding ourselves of what Jesus did for us on the cross. He took all of our sins and the curse associated with sin, He vanquished death and brought us to a shalom peace reconciliation with our heavenly Father. These are wonderful, marvelous, lofty truths to meditate on and allow to seep into our consciousness. It takes as much discipline as a soldier literally placing a protective helmet over his or her head. It's something we must decide to do every day AND DO IT on purpose until out thoughts align with the reality relayed in the Word.

But there's more! Next time, we will discuss how prayer, both in our understanding and in the spirit, works together with this helmet of salvation to keep us safe and protected! Until then, mediate on the Word describing your gift of salvation from the Lord Jesus Christ and confess it out loud! You'll be amazed at the results!

Brandish Your Watery Shield!

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Ephesians 6:16

The shield of faith is a very important piece of our Christian armor. One only has to turn on the television and peruse social media and the Internet to witness that the enemy is alive and well afflicting Christians, Jews, and innocent people all over the world with his fiery arsenal. We see horrific, graphic videos and images of innocent journalists being beheaded by ISIS, young men crucified for their beliefs, tales of cruel stonings and limb amputations as retribution for adultery and thievery, stories of young girls at the tender age of nine years old abducted from their homes and forced into sex slavery and forced marriages. The list goes on and on. But for the grace of God, these events could be unfolding in our own communities here in the US.

A cursory bible study of the end times reveals that this evil will only worsen before Christ's return, but thankfully we learn that something else wonderful will be going on at the same time. Men, women, and children all over the world will awaken from their spiritual slumber and become alive to the Living God!  They will see His goodness despite the horrors of the world, and they will walk in His glory, performing great exploits that magnify his Name! Many will become born again and filled with His Holy Spirit.

For those who have been believing in the Lord's return, faith will be strengthened as we go through these fiery trials of life, knowing that the trials are refining our faith like pure gold. As we stand firm in this faith, believing the precious promises of God, patience is busy at work, bringing us to a spiritual maturity so that we lack nothing. (James 1:4). Many of us don't fully understand what all this entails, but we believe that somehow it is all working out for our good! (Romans 8:28)

The fiery arrows will come from the enemy, of that we are assured, but what a greater assurance it is to know that we have divine protection from his attacks! Paul tells us in Ephesians that this shield of faith is so powerful that it immediately quenches the fire from the enemy's arrows. I call that a watery barrier which can be none other than the Word of God imparted to our mind and spirits by the Holy Spirit Himself! We have no idea of the wonder and power given to us in the name of Jesus.

So when satan's darts fly your way, thrust your faith shield forward, knowing that the fire of their sting will be instantly extinguished. Quote the scriptures that the Heavenly Father lays on your heart and visualize them working on your behalf in the spiritual realm. 

I often picture myself as a warrior woman, fighting a victorious battle of ease in the heavenlies. I allow the Holy Spirit to bring to my memory other biblical patriarchs who endured the same fiery trials. Men like Abraham, Joseph, Esther, Ruth, and of course the Lord Jesus Himself. I remember how they overcame great obstacles and were victorious through God's strength. They are that great cloud of witnesses spoken of in Hebrews 12 who have gone before us, holding fast to the promises of God. Unlike them, we in this day and hour have seen and experienced the fulfilling of a vast majority of these promises through the risen Christ. But like these patriarchs we await their entire fulfillment. And as we wait, we continue to fight the good fight of faith. 

Stay on the defensive and brandish your shield of faith, knowing that victory is yours in the mighty name of Jesus!

Check Your Shoes!

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Ephesians 6:15

After putting on the belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness, the Apostle Paul encourages us to ensure that our feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. What exactly does this mean? 

Well, it means we need to make sure we have on the right spiritual shoes!  Shoes are very important because they enable us to stand firmly without toppling over or losing our balance when the strong winds of evil blow our way. In addition, good, protective shoes enable us to move over rough, rocky ground and reach our destination without discomfort or hindrance. 

The Gospel of grace declares that God has now reconciled Himself to man through Christ's death and resurrection. We, who were once God's enemies because of sin, have now become His children and experience shalom peace with our Heavenly Father. (See the book of Romans). In the Hebrew, shalom peace means nothing is missing or broken in our relationship with Him - we have completion in Christ. Now, isn't that good news?

But again, how many of us hear this in our churches? We hear about all the wrong we've done, and how we've grieved God, but that isn't the Gospel preached by the apostles of old! No, the true Gospel is that, through Christ, you have been reconciled to God - you have peace with Him and He is not angry or displeased with you. He loves you! 

The enemy wants to knock you off this revelation and make you feel condemned and ashamed, but fight the good fight of faith and stand firm, knowing you have shalom peace with your Heavenly Father! And likewise, as you are directed by Him to move forward and complete the Gospel tasks prepared for you, remember that this shalom peace is the foundation upon which you live and move  and have your being! Acts 17:28.