Self Esteem

Everyone deals with self-esteem at some point in their life. Some deal with low self-esteem all their lives. It is something I have had to work people through over my entire ministry life. Some face the extremes of lacking self-esteem by the ongoing demeaning of a person until the person is completely broken down. This can come by others who press you down to gain advantage over you and feel better about themselves. It can also come by doing it to ourselves thinking we deserve it. Self-esteem could be termed self-value or how you value yourself. Self-esteem is how you value the very essence of yourself. We all deal with self-esteem in many ways. Confidence is a major one.

Webster’s defines self-esteem as: a confidence in one’s own worth or abilities; self-respect.

The confidence in one’s own self-worth is not in right decision-making but is found deeper. It is having a settledness in who you are, (Identity) and the potential that is inside you. Most of the time, confidence is eroded when things go bad or go in a different direction than anticipated. Life events have nothing to do with our self-esteem but if we are not careful, we will let it come in and begin to erode our confidence. I have had many life events go in the wrong direction. There was pressure to let those moments define me and who I am. I made business decisions that cost me tens of thousands of dollars. Other business decisions should have made me wealthy, but I ended up breaking even. Still other decisions made me doubt why I chose a certain direction. But all of them had factors out of my control along with my assumption that others would act like I act, from the same value system. But I decided to allow God to define me instead and He saw me through the detrimental life events. Self-esteem is never formed from hindsight and the what ifs. It is formed by knowing who you are and what you are capable of.

We make decisions based on the information at hand, experience, and a trust in others to perform what has been determined. We believe they value what we value and will respond like we would respond. How they respond is outside of our control. Self-esteem is about you as a person and not outside influences, and how they affect you. You remain deep down who you are no matter what happens in life around you. You are a person, and those influences are events. Two very different things.

Self-esteem is really a measuring of what we feel we should be doing and attain, versus what we are doing. The in-between is the place self-esteem is determined. The closer the gap between our reality and what we feel is “perfection”, the greater our self-esteem. The wider the gap, the less we feel about ourselves. We must be careful not to widen the gap by the words we speak and how we see ourselves. Self Esteem is not just how we value ourselves but starts by how we see ourselves. How we compare “us” to possibly a false image of “us” or what others might expect or even others we admire. Correct self-esteem will always have a gap between where we are at now and where we see our potential really is. That’s healthy self-esteem, evaluating improvement but not being driven by the standard of perfection.

2 Corinthians 10:12–13 (KJV 1900) — 12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 13 But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

We have wrong self-esteem when we have wrong standards by which we measure ourselves. We may be coming up with unrealistic ideas of what the standard for ourselves should be. We set standards upon ourselves that God never intended. He knows we have limitations, and He has made provision for the lack, mistakes, and choices. It really becomes a mental health issue of having healthy and realistic expectations of ourselves. Ones that give us a realistic target to hit and not a perfectionist mentality that we sometimes hit but most of the time, fall short.

But self-esteem deals with how actions determine our value. Our actions come from our value system. How we value ourselves and what we know to be true about ourselves. That’s why when those values are violated by others, it cuts us deeply. Our first response generally is that there is something wrong with me. But really, how people respond and when they respond poorly or with differing values that are less than ours, only shows areas needing adjusted in their lives and not ours.

Actions may be right or wrong at times, but the value of who we really are remains the same. It never changes nor is it reduced. God is no respecter of persons and values every person equally. He loves us because He chose to love us, not based on our actions or lack of actions. God has no variable or sliding scale. He sees us how He made us and not what comes at us, trying to change the very depths of who we are. His opinion of us remains the same while ours may change. Self-esteem is really who you are as a person, more so than the decisions you make. Value is not determined by our actions but by our character, value systems, moral living, treatment of others, kindness, compassion, appreciations, and the unique and wonderful way God made us. These are the things I point out to those who have self-esteem issues.

If you have self-esteem issues, you can approach it in two ways. First is the resetting of the perfection bar you have established. Problems in life do come along. People deceive us, lie to us, abuse us and a host of other things. These do not demean our value but come to erode at our perceptions of ourselves. If we are not careful, we put them into how our self-esteem is formed. We set high unattainable standards thinking this will stop the life issues. Set a realistic goal for your life and find happiness that you are on the journey to reach it. Remember that how the journey unfolds will not define who you are.

The other area is seeing if we truly are living below our potential. Perhaps we have a ‘let’s wait and see’ attitude or an unwillingness to put energy into bettering ourselves. This also must be addressed and shifted. God expects a good healthy attempt with what we can do and not ultimate perfection from us, as He says there is none perfect, not one. To adjust self-esteem, we need to take the undue pressure off us. We close this gap by making an effort, working our potential, and measuring it with God’s realistic viewpoint, and our self-esteem will quickly rise.

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What a Reset Really Means

I have been saying for over a year that the Church needs to shut down and reset. We need to come to a collective conclusion we don’t have the expression we should have. We should all decide to seek God whole heartedly and come back, all on the same page, because the Holy Spirit led us together on the journey. Many are saying ‘reset’ and I agree. But how we do it is what is frustrating. A virus has forced us into a place instead of the Holy Spirit leading us. We didn’t decide to go seek God because we saw a need to do so. It’s like an afterthought since we are restricted, we might as well make the best of it. The word ‘reset’ means to bring back to a defined starting point, a zero point, to set again or to set anew. My fear is we might set again. My hope is we will set anew.

Since when you reset, you generally bring everything back to a zero point. You clear out all the data, all the clutter, all the excess and start over. Are you prepared to be at a zero point, to clear out all the ways of doing, to really start over? We still have not gone into a zeroing process yet. I believe we are still thinking about adjusting things instead of resetting things. We talk of reset but do you understand what that potentially means? A zeroing of what we think we believe. A zeroing of doctrines. A resetting of preferences, affiliations, alignments, just about every area and all spheres. Right now, we still seem conflicted in what we believe, or even what reset looks like. The Lord told me in 3 weeks, the face of this will look different. He didn’t say the virus would be gone, or restrictions lifted, He said the face would be different. What I have concluded the face to be, is the face of leaders. If you take that and put it in reset, I believe He is resetting leaders more than the Church. I feel we are about to go through a changing of the guard, new emerging faces coming from forges of forming and hiding into being known. If we are resetting, then we are resetting in form, function and structures. We are resetting in how we govern and who leads the governing. Are you willing to be reset? Are you willing to be reshuffled into the place God has ordained for you and not where men forced you into? Will you be zeroed out to start again? Pretty sobering isn’t it to think just when I think I have arrived, I find I still have a long journey to take?

I’m astonished how many opinions are in play in this critical hour. “The virus is a judgment from God.” “This is a sign of the end of the age.” “We as a nation, need to repent.” The list goes on and on. All of these would take a lot of time to teach to reset mindsets. If the Holy Spirit was truly resetting us, we would be coming onto the same page in these areas. We would become one heart, one purpose and one voice. We would be experiencing John 17 coming into union with Christ. This is not God’s judgment; it is pure evil brought by an antichrist spirit. Instead of the Church affecting the seven mountains, this spirit is. We as the Church, have put ourselves in the religious mountain and now are under the religious spirit. Isaiah said we were on a separate mountain above all others. This is not the end of the age. We don’t really have a Kingdom to present to the Father. As for repentance, how can I truly repent for what I didn’t do? Identification repentance you say. That was an Old Testament model for a nation. If we were to repent, I guess I missed the memo amid all the conflicted opinions. These doctrines don’t really have a basis in Kingdom understanding, yet men have built ministries around them. Wrong eschatology leads to wrong ecclesiology and develops wrong theology. Please become a student of the Word in these areas! Maybe we need to ‘zero out’ and let God tell us what we should all believe.

What are we resetting into? It can be easily summed up. The original intentions of God. Authentic Christianity. A Church that is more Kingdom than religious in approach and mindsets. Just being brutally honest, it has everything to do with the harvest and at the same time, nothing to do with the harvest. I don’t see a harvest coming unless we zero out and allow God to build His house His way. We will not have the right house or spiritual capacity for the harvest. Is God concerned about the harvest? Yes! Is God more concerned about the Church and its leaders? Probably. He doesn’t want the harvest to come into the atmospheres we are currently producing. In other words, He doesn’t want the harvest to spoil. I grew up on a farm and the #1 thing that spoils a harvest is the mixture of green weed seed within it. The second is harvesting before its time, being anxious to get the harvest out so a premature harvest. When that happens the moisture content of the grain will spoil itself. Yes, we are headed to a worldwide harvest, but first God must build His container for it. We will know when it is built. He said He would rebuild David’s tabernacle (Acts 15:16-17) that the residue of all men would come. The word ‘residue’ means outcast. What we have built is not for the outcast but for ourselves.

What is the plan for the “reset”? What’s the strategy? How do we implement it? I have many leaders really frustrated in this hour, calling me wondering why there is such division right now in doctrine. They are asking who has answers for a way forward? This has taken us all off guard. It’s not so much a division occurring as it is a sanctification moment. A holy separation of that which is holy from that which is profane. That which has mixture from that which is holy. That which is partial truth from full truth. It is separating the opinions of men from the intentions of God. The dividing lines are exposing mindsets, to expose the unauthentic from the authentic. To bring us back to the origins of God’s heart.

As our nation is being purged on a national level, the Body of Christ is also being purged from the many idols and things that have captured our imagination. I have said for a long-time, conferences need to be replaced with regional Kingdom centers. Imagine if we had done that already, how we could have navigated the current waters! Saints truly equipped, trained and full of faith. How we could have mobilized to be a viable option instead of being discarded as not having anything to offer.

We all are seeking to see the glory come, but we already are in a glory, the 5th glory seen in Ezekiel. It is a dividing glory. A purging glory, a glory reserved to help build the only model in scripture we have not tried to build, and it is what Ezekiel saw. But this journey is totally based on God’s sovereignty being seen, felt and yielded to. A work entirely done by Him and man participates by cooperating with Him. I wrote about the 4 breaths that brings 7 glories, Gods 7 natures natures and graces to the Body of Christ in my book “Breath of God” which the Holy Spirit wrote through me in 2014. It is now unfolding.

What is coming? God is about to release His 3rd breath. Before this pandemic hit, we as a ministry, were contending for that breath and we still are. Our meetings have ramped up, expectation is still high, and faith is active. We were seeing healings and deep works of God. People were experiencing Sea of Glass visions. It is amazing that a virus comes to steal breath, mocking God’s desire to bring His breath. When God’s 3rd breath comes, it will touch the seven mountains. When God’s breath comes, it will release the 6th glory. What is coming is the forming of a single corporate new man. They will have one heart and one voice and probably most importantly, one sound, all carrying God’s breath. This will set these apart from all the other sounds. The government of God will come into place, not to control people but to bring the atmosphere of freedom coming from heaven. They will display the 7 natures of Christ and those 7 graces. They will govern from those places more so than the 5-fold functions we declare. This will create true covenantal alignments between people, tribes and begin to bring the Body into union with Christ in a way never seen before. The origins of God will form authentic Christianity being seen.

The Lord told me the Acts of the Apostles are coming again. Not just a tag or name, but actual acts that shift the atmosphere over regions in measurable results not fanciful statements that can’t be backed up. It will be an authoritarian grace they will walk in. This realigning will result in eternal mysteries being revealed and fellowshipped with, as people will simply know the intentions of God. People will be placed in the land and the Spirit of God will invade the land through those people. This will be the container for harvest. Then the final breath and 7th glory will come. A transcended glory where the people of God become the doorway to heaven, and God is dwelling in the house establishing His throne.
Are we headed to a reset? Yes! Is it what you think? Probably not. It is a deep thing God wants to do. I pray we don’t miss the moment but without a desperation of abandonment and to abandon our own understanding, I’m concerned we will just go through the motions of a moment instead of becoming that moment upon the earth.

The New Era

What I want to share is not a prophetic word but Apostolic Observations and some things the Lord has been speaking to me. These things help me know the path I am to take in trying to help the Body of Christ. After all, as an Apostle how can you lead people unless you know where to take them.
Decisions
We just turned the calendar on another year. So much of a focus on the moment and hope of something being different because of a new year. Yet for the church in this hour the new season began a few months ago. The prophetic words of promise we have received over time are still in play. The Lord remains the same and His intentions are the same. Nothing changes because of a calendar year but does go into motion because God has brought us to a pivotal point, a decision point, a place in time that demands change. A slowing down of schedules and being sure were we invest our time that it really is producing. For some they are rejecting or not participating in some meetings, though they are good, nothing is truly being produced. New approaches and a willingness to lay everything down and not just go along with everything because others are. That is what the new Era really is about. Decision points and lots of them. A deep heart searching and deep dissatisfactions that will press us forward. Renewed repentance is coming, and it is a deep soul-searching repentance that will cause repentance to be a lifestyle. Less dependency upon our abilities and greater dependency upon the Son and his nature being formed within us and the Holy Spirit working through us. This will require us to come back to tarrying before the Lord. The longer we tarry the greater the impact with shorter messages.
Separation Grace
The new era has a sanctifying grace upon it to cause separations that are needed. There is coming and must come these separations. It is more than a doctrinal disagreement, or an action or activation issue. It comes down to a real core issue of abundant life. It seems we have the language down, the concepts in place and many of the actions are correct but what is being produced is still very much lacking. Most have a holy dissatisfaction. I think because we have all these, and several other things in place, and we feel we are alright, and the real issue is on Gods side. We are waiting on Him. He must decide to open the spiritual realm. His timing is not yet etc. Yet God is willing and patiently is waiting for our final purifying to handle the Holy Things. We are in the 4th glory of Ezekiel and it is a cleansing, separating glory. A filling Glory is coming.
Maturing Preparation
What I see is we have gotten used to doing what we do. The norm is the affirmation. To be able to maintain means I’m correct and in need of nothing. We have become comfortable with the status quo. Especially those who have been in the faith a longer time. For most they have experienced the move of God in their life and are content. Yet contentment is not what God has called us to. A generation has not yet seen or experienced the depths of God and, there are depths of God we all can experience. As we mature in Christ, we should be reaching more and more levels of dependence upon Him than the environments we have created. The longer I know God the more I realize I do not know him. His depths run so deep and there is so much to discover. This is coming from one who has lived a life of revelatory grace that comes out teaching, counsel and approach. I feel I have lived in an ongoing awakening but have not seen the reformation required to move the body to the next level. What we do in meetings is right it just is coming from a past season of time. The new season is already upon us and we must transition into it. We have seen restoration begin but not allowed it to mature in many areas. The preparation that is occurring is to bring a boldness to align and make things right again. It is a Holy righteousness that is forming. An uncompromising position of understanding the ways of God and to see those ways brought forth in the earth. The delay we feel has caused a pressing ever forward to reach that which we cannot yet define but know exist.
Heart Challenges
The upcoming season will hold many heart challenges for leaders and those pressing to the mark of the high calling. Purging, shaking, re-evaluation, letting go, finalizing value systems, removing what is not of God. Many have grown accustomed to being alright or have measures of success, yet these things have also caused a decrease in peoples spirits as well. Some have grown accustomed to areas of the heart not being not being touched or challenged. God is purging his church and it begins with those leading. The remnant we all talk of is made up of many different camps but there is a driving force deep in some that is causing a remnant within the remnant to begin to connect. We probably have not really had a remnant as we think of. An elitist group who are different than most. The word means a trace amount, remaining a surviving group. It also means an unused portion of goods. It comes down to what remains from the original. If we are honest it appears, we have lost the original, yet Gods original is intact in the spirits and hearts of the true real remnant. Also this remnant I’m talking about is really being unused.
These are either in the process I described above or have gone through it. They may have a small voice or no voice in this hour. But they are not concerned about following, or men’s affirmation, or clamoring for the platform. They are in meditation before the Lord to complete what is lacking in their faith, so their lives will leave a mark. Even if the time of deep ministry is short like Jesus it will impact and change the course of history as we see it being written. These ones are willing to slow down and allow God to do His work in them. They are not making assumptions of a false finish line of completion. They see things as they are in the lack, but also are seeing the unlimited possibility of God intention. They are formulating the words and doctrine to lead in the next season. Truth that is filled with Gods breath and life. Words that have come from heaven and been allowed to take hold in the heart and be nurtured to fullness, as they are not on a time deadline.
God Will Name Us
I believe God wants to give us a name. A name from heaven that identifies us as well as separates us. We have been called by many names trying to define us or our actions. The latest being pioneers. But pioneers were mainly settlers and we can not settle spiritually. I throw out another name frontiersman. There has been a remnant group that are really frontiersman. They both open and maintain the new ground for others to follow. They see a horizon of the future and live to find its destiny. These frontiersmen are forerunners, marksman who know time and season. They also are defined by the conquest they complete more so than attempt. They hold ground until the multitudes come who can take their place. But again a frontiersman really defines our actions.
What I believe is like the early church was first called “The Way” then called Christians, God wants to name us so we don’t belong to a camp or tribe but belong to him. Something that speaks of who we are, our purpose in the earth, and the power and authority that comes from Him, revealing him. God has done much in bring identity and defining that, but true identity is only found as a son or daughter of God. This really must become our name and manner of living and seeing each other.
Spiritual Community
God is building new dimensions of community and honor within the body. These communities are becoming safe places for the broken and places of belonging. For some they are able to find freedom to be who God made them. For others giftings are able to have expression. Accelerated growth is occurring as the spirit of understanding has come connecting hearts in what each has in common. A completeness is being seen. These communities are becoming “living cells” making up the body of Christ, connected to other “living cells.” The community being built is not about just overcoming life but advancing the kingdom of God upon the earth. It is about sacred rights of passage as all are experiencing sacrifices and dependency on each other, but also rejoice over each other’s victories.

Definitions
Terminology is also going to change and come to a real place of definition. There is so much confusion concerning this right now. We as the church continue to evolve in understanding we have also looked for wording to describe accurately the revelation we are experiencing. Some words right now are revival, awakening, restoration, reform. Covering, oversight, alignment. Apostle, Apostolic, Commissioning, Ordination, Apostleship. Church, kingdom, culture, community, tribe and spiritual family. Spiritual fathering, Sonship, Fatherhood. Unity, Oneness. These all have different meanings depending upon whom you are with. We spend a lot of time defining and educating in these areas. The problem is leaders reproducing of definitions that are lacking, and then being embraced by those under them. I have constantly run into this as a problem. We are slowly coming to a conclusion on some of these and working out definitions with others.
Defined by What We Produce
But probably the one thing that seems to be lacking simply put, is results. We are filled right now with distractions that are all good and necessary but also keeps us consumed in things and keeps us from have more consistent results. But when these results come, they will come strong and with intensity. They will once again define us, but not with the separation of definitions we currently have. The defining will be from a deep place and speak to holiness, faith, love, authority, and the sense of overall purpose upon the earth. These results will shift mindsets and alliances. The church will become the voice again in culture instead of one of many.
The Finish Line and Governing
We must conclude what we are looking for. Is it revival, awakening, restoration, repentance, reformation? We need to agree on what it is and rightly define it. Exactly what will satisfy the frustrations so many are feeling. Without a finish line we do not have pathway for the journey. What is causing the dissatisfaction? Why does it exist? What does it look like if all things were reconciled to God? This seems to be a major area that has not been touched yet. The division over this is silently alarming. It partly exists because we do not have a true form of Apostolic Kingdom government in place. This has allowed for a wide-open unaccountable mindset. Prophets and Apostles are not given place to voice and lead. They are looked at as a threat instead of a grace blessing. We have no way to say this is the way we are to go, this is how we define, this is what we should all rally around. Because of this we are lacking the synergy of the Body of Christ moving in oneness and the same grace that rested upon the early church. But all the things I have written will cause the Body of Christ to come to that place of oneness of heart, voice, purpose, sacrifice, and intention.

Confrontational Glory
The future will also bring forth confrontations. Some will be in verbal form, others the work will be done in the spirit. While still others will be without saying a word and allowing actions of the heart to speak a clear message. We speak of confronting the culture of the world, but we have yet to confront the culture within the climate of the church. We try not to offend, yet Paul called men by name like Alexander the coppersmith who did him much harm. As men deal with their own hearts and God purges hidden things, confidence and boldness will rise. Men will experience deep conviction again and repentance will come. They will see the foolishness of their ways. Men will lay down their plans and schemes and a single plan will emerge, birthed from heaven, descended into men’s hearts. God will weigh in and give His opinion and finalize His agenda. Along with this will also be much glory revealed. It will not be gold dust or clouds but an honoring glory. A defining moment upon the earth will come and the fourth breath of Ezekiel will be released, bring the final Glory to be seen, a transcended glory. Believers will transcend worldly understanding.
Crowning Glory
God wants to put a crowning glory upon his church. Many in this hour are beginning to qualify themselves to receive crowns. Little to no knowledge of this exist due to the lack of eternal mindsets and preaching in this area. About 2 years ago I had a vision of crowning glory coming upon a person. I then saw it later upon the church. It comes because of suffering and sacrifice that causes suffering. This crown of Gold with jewels inlaid is placed upon the overcomer’s heads. As I saw it in a vision it was the typical med evil looking crown. But one thing was different, the points of the crown were bent. Bent because of the weight of the thickness of the gold the crown was made from. It was almost an inch thick. The greater the suffering to see the true things of God come forth the thicker the crown. The crowns that I saw were all bent under the weight of suffering. This is a unique crown reserved for those who have endured and overcome. This is a great encouragement for those who have been contending in the secret places.
These things are not predictions but observations the Lord has given me. I know they are not all inclusive and there are other things in motion, but these are the main ones

The Journey Has A Cause

As I sit at my office tonight and listen to the BASE worship team practice, it brings me to reflect on the goodness of God. His goodness to give us a worship team willing to lead others. The goodness of God to make a way that there is childcare for our team to practice. The faithfulness of God as we have moved and relocated the ministry many times to finally move to our capital. The impact in state government we have had. The connecting of others of like faith. The birthing of more centers like ours. The expansion social media has brought. The many books written now read around the world, which was never my intention. My intention was they would be a legacy after I’m gone to be discovered and read.

I look around my office and see the reminders of the nations I have traveled to, some repeatedly with teams I was training as we did conferences to train leaders. Sitting on my shelves are the memories and the gifts that only I understand, each with its own story, like my small green bible. A pastor in the bush had saved for 3 years to buy it and gave it to me as a gift after only having it for 3 weeks. His only Bible.

It seems I have gone to places others did not want to go. Places off the path to the least of these. Places with no money, but wealthy with hunger. And yes, great faith. I am not called to large crowds but to large hearts, hearts with capacity for all the truth God has. Much of what I have done has been in stealth, hidden to many but not to Gods eyes. I would rather sit in a room and pour into a son or daughter than preach to a crowd who may or may not receive.

I reflect on the sons and daughters, those who left for no reason and walked away not just from me but from kingdom faith. Others who went out and birthed churches, networks of churches, schools, orphanages and put themselves both in harms way and great difficulty but have seen God come through. Ones scattered around the globe. For every one that left God gave back and replaced with ones who had more passion, were more solid and were established in faith and ministry, producing their own sons and daughters. The intentions of God will never be stopped by man’s rebellion or decisions.

I am thankful for all the unique places I have been. Under the tree Stanley and Livingstone preached the Gospel in Zambia. To meet with Benson Idahosa’s family. Once an entire government closed in recess, so I could pray over the speaker of the house. I have been before kings, who requested me to come. I have prophesied to entertainment people, and people of all kinds. I have been on the United States senate floor and pray over the seats and desk. Unique things, odd things, strange things, but non the less I ended up there, in stealth, just doing the work. Not some super spiritual hyped thing, or something I tried to make happen to have bragging rights or feather in my cap, but true God ordained and orchestrated things. Things the voice of God led me to do. To drive hours to home in a strange town, led turn by turn to deliver a message to a couple about to divorce. To see my gas tank supernaturally filled with gas. Or a pot of chili supernaturally feed 30 people every Sunday for 3 months.

I’m thankful for the stealth assignments of breaking witchcraft and demonic forces. For bring down the T.M. leader and its structure in my home town. I’m thankful for Gods faithfulness and his power, and grace and mercy to choose this Iowa unlearned farm boy and take him around the global. To teach me when I begged many to father me and no one would father me. That God himself fathered me! To open doors that others thought were to small but lead to the large thing.

I’m thankful for the leaders who look to me for guidance, encouragement, direction, and revelation. The families they have that have become my family. Not just locations to preach at but families to spend time with and pour into. True sons and daughters emerging, co-laboring, experiencing the same sacrifices, and joy and struggles but overcoming and maturing in faith and seeing victory.

I’m thankful for my own family and a wife who has supported me, my son who has came along on the journey and his family and kids. My 2 other sons who are a great blessing to me as well along with my adopted daughters who God has placed into my life. My life is full and complete is so many ways.

At times I wonder what would it be like if I did not go on the journey? What would it be like if I had skipped assignments or led my own path. I wish many could experience this kingdom life I have had. This reality. I think how sad to miss so much. To fall short of the glory of God. To waste time and energy on what is not eternal. I’m looking for those who want to journey together. To hear the spirits voice and come aside and see this great thing. As David said is there not a cause. I can say with all certainty, “oh yes there is a great cause, a cause that will form you as you fulfill the intentions of God in the earth. “

 

 

The Revelation Addiction

The revelation dilemma we are in is astounding. We are overdosed with revelation. Ministries are competing to see who has the greatest hidden nuggets. Some have built entire ministries around a single revelation and have created an unbalanced model the rest of the body believes is accurate. Let’s face it we have gotten addicted to revelation.

Now this is coming from a revelatory Aposlte who has functioned in revelation for 30 plus years. The one thing I do try and do is maintain balance with revelation and bring it back to connecting to kingdom, assignments, function, and application. But I am also seeing a great pitfall with revelation and its one Jesus or Holy Spirit never intended. It has made us not just non-functional for the most part but dysfunctional as the people of God.

We have allowed the man or woman of God to take the place greatly of the Holy Spirit. Instead of us building relationship in certain ways with Holy Spirit we have built relationship with revelation a leader gives us. I see so many times, many taking notes with what has been given, knowing they may not ever read the notes in the future. But what I also see happening is we just can’t seem to get our fill thinking we need ever increasing revelation before we act, function, share our faith with the unsaved, or birth what God has placed inside of us.

A hidden problem is the settings of revelation has stopped people from digging in the word deeply, seeking God fully, and opening themselves up to the Holy Spirits leading. This last one is the key one. Holy Spirit leads and guides me in every step of the revelations He gives me. He speaks to me because of the need of knowing it and the journey of seeking, guiding and finding has fine tuned my spirit to hear the Voice of God. This has been the greatest joy in my life and is probably the primary reward of my walk I receive. The second is spiritual sons and daughter’s growing and the third is having high powered meetings hitting the mark.

Revelation comes for one purpose, to reveal something needed for the moment and future that wasn’t unveiled yet. It is not so much a way of life but is more uncommon than common. For me I’m concluding the revelation flow I have been given in my life is not for a group of people but for a wide girth of the Body of Christ. That is why revelation seems to flow for me. All revelation must have a prophetic edge and I walked in the position of prophet for over 8 years strongly. You see we are lacking prophetic insights, we are lacking people being developed, we are just plain lacking people being responsible for themselves and being self-disciplined. I believe it is because of the addiction to Revelation.

We can find revelation anywhere in social media. We can find it in books. We can find it blogs, radio, tv, conferences, schools, seminar, etc. It is everywhere. I believe we are spending so much time searching we never truly end up spending time with Holy Spirit seeking. The new era we are beginning will make the pendulum swing back again to truly hearing the voice of God for ourselves. It will take the time of searching and turn it into seeking. It will demand to purge our minds from the iniquity we have and the religious mindset we have created, all justified, to hearing God for ourselves. Without this we will still have every revelation given as a priority. I have stopped listening to any national prophets as they are so conflicted in the revelation they give. Some are not even doctrinally right. But once we start all hearing God and not just certain leaders, we will all come into alignment and this will truly begin to make the Body become as one.

The Battle

We all have had a lot of teaching concerning spiritual warfare. Much has been useful and much has little bearing on things. The spiritual realm is real and the warfare and activity in that realm heavily affects the earth realm and more specifically the hearts, attitudes, thoughts and longings of men.

We all battle things in our regions and yet it seems at times, we don’t know if we are gaining ground or losing it. We also don’t know exactly what we should be pursuing in a practical way to confront demonic forces. First, let me say demonic forces work through openings in men by way of influences, misdirection, partial truth, lies and a host of subtle voices. These forces are real and the outcome of their actions is felt by culture.

I have taught about all the demonic strongholds, how to do deliverance ministry in depth in our many different schools of ministry. I have had to confront witches in other nations, stared a witchdoctor down to stop human sacrifice, and broke curses off of people that in the American Church we won’t even agree could exist. I recently put together the two main spirits almost everyone is dealing with over regions and territories. I taught this in our night of intercession for our state and this blog will be the first time it will be public.

The obvious main spirit we all know is the religious spirit. It could also be called the spirit of anti-Christ, yet many spirits qualify for this title as the word ‘anti’ means ‘in place of’. Many things are taking the place of Christ but the religious spirit is an organized spirit to replace relationship with obligations, grace with law, and replace freedom with bondages to man-made doctrines.  Most of us can see a religious spirit a long way off. We have combatted this spirit for some time as Kingdom focused apostolic people, yet it seems we still struggle. The reason is this spirit is only the holding bin for those held captive by a different named spirit that captures peoples desire for spirituality.

This second spirit is also at work and it is the spirit of Nicolaitan that Jesus spoke of in Rev. 2:15. Now not many know of this spirit, but it works in partnership with the religious spirit and is the one feeding converts to religious systems. You see this spirit can be traced back to Acts 6:5 “and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch”. He was a pagan then converted to Judaism, then finally to Christianity. But the mixture of belief he carried is the same mixture of a Nicolaitan spirit. It is a blend of paganism, being under law and worldliness that does not have an absolute belief system of truth. In other words, truth is not the driving force but more likely past experiences, and a more open interpretation of scripture shape the follower. It holds no sanctification process, no finished holiness , nor a emphasis of change required. In other words, nothing is really expected or demanded of those participating. It breeds a noncommitment and an attitude that I’m fine the way I am and the way culture is. Yet the meaning of the name Nicolaitan means “to conquer or overcome the people.” It creates a ruling class of leaders who form a hierarchy over people instead of being equal to them.

Jesus spoke to the church of Ephesus. A church that is not growing but only sustained. (More on this in a few paragraphs). They despised the false apostles emerging and could discern them as false. (Rev.2:2) They had patience and labored faithfully holding fast. (Vs. 3) But they were rebuked for not doing the first works. (Vs. 5) But in verse 6, Jesus stated they hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans. The word ‘deeds’ speaks of the works and the word “deeds” is associated many times concerning things that make for weak faith.  It is doing things on your own strength and ability and not by the spirit of God. I think these things describes much of the apostolic church today.

In Rev. 2:12-17, He addresses the church that is a heretic. Specifically, in verse 15, He told them they hold fast to the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. They refuse to be corrected or even consider the possibility of their mixture with the world. In other words, this was the source of the deeds talked about a few verses prior. Now its time to begin to connect things up.

First, let me say the spirit of religion reinforces the Nicolaitan spirit as that’s where the converts come from. The Nicolaitan spirit points to the religious spirit to help hold the converts. The religious spirit is spiritually dead, holding captive. The Nicolaitan spirit captures those seeking spiritual understanding and holds them captive. The Nicolaitan spirit creates the religious spirit. The religious spirit brings the law and traditions to a more advance stage. Without addressing the Nicolaitan spirit, we will never conquer the religious spirit. So how do we do that?

There are six areas the Nicolaitan spirit operates through and are easily seen working in the souls of men daily. Here are the six problems associated with the Nicolaitan spirit and what it works through. Sin, lack of Disciplines, dead works, church decline, the natural mind and false spirituality. These all work at capturing the totality of a person’s spiritual being and desires. Paul saw the problems the Church would have to face and wrote specific letters to address each problem and brought forth answers. He left a way of stopping the religious spirit by stopping the source, the spirit of Nicolaitans.

Here are the six letters (books) addressing the six problems:

1. The letter to the Romans is the answer to the problem of sin.
2. The two Corinthian letters are the answer to lack of disciplines.
3. Galatians provides the answer to dead works.
4. Ephesians is the answer to church decline.
5. Philippians is the answer to the natural mind.
6. Colossians is the answer to false spirituality.

We probably look at the list and know people who fit some of these to a tee. Combating the spirit of Nicolaitan is addressing these six issues in people’s lives. The answers for these six problems are found in each of these corresponding books. Now this is becoming a key to a practical way of preaching, teaching and confronting. These six areas are both capturing people and eventually holding them captive. Simply find which of the six problems are going on in a person life, read the book associated and minister the answers! Still not convinced? Let’s look at one more place.

Look at the seven churches in Revelation; we can easily see six of the churches had issues that were addressed. Each had come to the full and a decision point moment. Each was confronted to repent. All six had different issues and was presented as unable to continue a healthy path until an issue was resolved. They were examples of these 6 problems become mature in a body and how because of certain things being done people felt they were in right standing with God. That’s the spirit of Nicolaitan for sure. So, looking at a couple we see the church of Ephesus fits to a tee. That’s the church in decline losing first love and not doing first works. The church with Jezebel teaching in it and having a platform, fits false spirituality. I’m not going to give you the entire list laid out, but challenge you to do your own study and see how each fit. John, like Paul saw the outcome of the spirit of Nicolaitans working on the churches and saw the opportunity for repentance before the religious spirit could hold a grip. This gives hope to all gatherings of the body of Christ that they are not in a hopeless place but can shift and change.  Examine your own life first. Examine your own minsitry second. Then begin to minister to people with understanding and save them from the Nicolaitan spirit and let’s defeat the religious spirit. It’s time we begin to fight, not as one beating the air, but in a strategic and practical manner.

Loving Righteousness / Hating Iniquity…. Qualified for the Oil of Gladness

As God’s created beings and as His begotten sons and daughters, we have such a privilege of being in right standing with the Father through the Son. As sons and daughters, we were “begotten” while all other beings were “created”. We were begotten to rule and reign within His Marvelous Kingdom.
Hebrews 1:8 (KJV 1900) — 8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

Now we all know a lot about righteousness and being in right standing with God. We know we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We know we started this journey into righteousness when we were born again. But we also make assumptions that we have it in fullness which is far from being correct. The fullness is attainable but not just automatic. I have come to find that as iniquity is confronted with righteousness, then righteousness takes hold and expands into the areas where iniquity was once found. The above verse says the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of the kingdom and this scepter of righteousness is how the kingdom governs and rules. The supreme rule is not done through an anointing but through righteousness. So, righteousness is actually where authority comes from and also how the kingdom rule is expressed. Why do we not see so much more authority moving things and shifting things? The very next verse in Hebrews gives us an amazing clue.

Hebrews 1:9 (KJV 1900) — 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

The word for loved (righteousness) Agapeo means ‘to welcome, be fond of, to be pleased’. The word for hate (iniquity) means ‘to detest, to dislike strongly to the point of being hostile’. It goes so far as ‘to reject and disown what is evil’. So, two questions now come: do we really love righteousness? Do we really detest iniquity?

If we love something we:
 cherish it
 value it
 prioritize it
 make room for it
 make time for it
If we hate something we:
 Refuse to walk in sin or transgression and iniquity
 Despise it in our heart
 We work against it
 We help others to avoid it
 We free people from it

So, do we honestly get up in the morning and say, “I really love my righteousness today, I honor it, cherish it, value it and esteem it? I’m prioritizing it and making room for it in my life today. And boy do I hate iniquity! I really despise what it does to people and will take action against it today. I want nothing to do with it and want to free others from it.” Now is that really our attitude?
Hate and love is both an attitude and an action. The attitude comes first and then the action will follow. Because Jesus hated iniquity and loved righteousness, He could DESTROY the works of the devil! Our love of righteousness and hatred of evil will increase by two means:
(1) By experiencing greater intimacy and oneness with the Lord Jesus who loved righteousness and hated iniquity
(2) By growing in love and compassion for our brethren and those whose lives are being destroyed by sin.

Psalm 94:16 (KJV 1900) — 16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

Now the outcome is to be anointed with oil of gladness. Gladness means ‘an extreme joy, to rejoicing exceedingly’. This gladness is part of the Body of Christ’s inheritance. The oil of gladness is for those who will pass the test of loving righteousness and hating iniquity. The level to which you love righteousness must register in the measure to which you hate iniquity….it is an equal exchange. In other words, love and hate walk together. For love to be powerful, there must be a dimension of hate. But the qualifier of the anointing of the oil of gladness it is to hate iniquity and love righteousness, it’s not automatic. This oil of gladness was nothing less than the Holy Spirit. It was the fullness of the Holy Spirit coming upon sons and daughters. It was an anointing of sacred Presence!

John 16:5–11 (KJV 1900) — 5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Hebrews 1:9 says Jesus was anointed above His fellows. Who are the fellows, the disciples? The word “fellows” means ‘sharers, or companions’. In other words, this is anyone who truly knew Him and walked with Him. (Proper attitude and proper actions). This means that if we just didn’t receive righteousness as a provision but truly engaged into it with corresponding actions we too could experience greater and greater degrees of the Holy Spirit upon us. He wants us to share in this joy of the Holy Spirit’s gift living in us!

So do you really, I mean really, love righteousness? Then when you get up in the morning, decide with a conscious decision to engage in that righteousness and begin to make the same conscious decision to hate and despise iniquity. Iniquity is running rampant in the Body because we don’t truly love our righteousness. My prayer for you is that a new anointing will come upon you, an anointing you have never experienced yet. An anointing reserved for a select group, those who love righteousness and hate iniquity. That His anointing will bring a smearing of gladness upon you.

Iniquity Affecting Awakening

I have been looking at why the awakening that so many are contending for is seemingly delayed. Also, why is there reluctance to fully receive the Kingdom of God, apostles, prophets, creative music, and all the other things God is emphasizing in this hour? A recent sharing I did on Facebook from another site was interesting in the varied comments on the topic. It was revealing of the iniquities we have in the Church. Today I inform you of part of the battle and I warn you not to contribute to the problem.
The reason so many things seem delayed is because of what people believe. The root of unbelief is iniquity which is twisted thinking or wrong thinking or lawlessness. It believes something in error that needs to have repentance. A wrong belief can cause the fruit of lawlessness or having your own belief system to interpret what you think to be true. This can even lead to being in self-deceived states and becoming unrighteous. Lawlessness is the outcome of iniquity and it can be defined as being unrighteous.

2 Corinthians 3: 16-18 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 4:4 (KJV 1900) — 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The veil that is to be taken away is iniquity. It blinds the mind or removes illumination, choosing to believe in error. Many are living in the reality of seeing the Glory of God in things around them, but the clear majority, even though participating in some great meetings, are still not seeing the glory of God. The reason is the veils of iniquity that have not been removed neither from understanding nor from their spiritual senses. Iniquity is not just a single iniquity but can be many different types of iniquities.
• Interpretation of truth
• How you view your position
• How you receive the Word of God
• How you perceive your assignment in the earth
• If you’re received or feel rejected
• How you understand any topic God is highlighting in this hour.
The main iniquities are working strongly against what God is emphasizing in this hour and what God is emphasizing is the truth needed to remove the iniquity. Iniquity is not just an overall veiling but there are degrees of iniquity. We get saved living in iniquity and acting upon it as sin. Sin is forgiven but iniquity is purged with mercy and truth. A person can get saved or be saved a long time in the Body of Christ and still be filled with iniquity. It is just being acted out in the Church and not in the world. These iniquities can be a vast number and all affecting many different things. Iniquity’s outcome is spiritual death. It can be all consuming and even rob strength from you.

Psalm 31:9–10 (KJV 1900) — 9 Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: Mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. 10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: My strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

Iniquity is the distortion of God’s message over time and then passed to future generations. Iniquity is the place we process our thoughts to come to conclusions. Iniquity can even cause a righteous person to fall away believing they are fine with a mixture of the world thus creating a self-deceived state.
Righteousness is tied to the throne of God, while iniquity is tied to a principality trying to pervert or twist thinking to separate a person from God’s design for them. Righteousness is an attribute of the Lord that aligns everything up with the Kingdom of God. Righteousness of God contains within itself a powerful force that continually judges iniquity and fights against it to align everything with God.
Righteousness opens our way into heaven’s abundance and pulls everything connected with the Kingdom of heaven and all that it holds. This is because righteousness is intimately tied to the glory of God; because they go hand in hand, manifesting them simultaneously. So, righteousness and iniquity are in a constant pull or battle with ultimately iniquity battling against God’s glory!

The righteousness of God will remove iniquity from our being. The glory of God immerses us in everything God is and comes to the degree of righteousness is present. Glory requires holiness and righteousness produces holiness which draws God’s glory. The Glory burns and destroys everything that separates us from God. To achieve our sanctification, iniquity must be identified and eliminated.

Isaiah 60:1–5 (KJV 1900) — 1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, And the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And gross darkness the people: But the LORD shall arise upon thee, And his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, And kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: All they gather themselves together, they come to thee: Thy sons shall come from far, And thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, And thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; Because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, The forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

This verse is actually all God is emphasizing in this hour. This light is your righteousness that draws the glory of God. This glory can only manifest itself when righteousness has begun its transforming power in a child of God. It is the drawing of spiritual sons and daughters and kings for cultural transformation.

In this hour, true apostolic teaching releases revelation and is confronting iniquity and purging mindsets. The Apostles did not just give knowledge but actually brought people into relationship with Christ, their righteousness. Today we have so many meetings transferring knowledge but not confronting iniquity. When you are confronted with whether you are righteous or not, you must examine your life and this allows the Holy Spirit to sift you. Why are apostles not received in this hour? Because people want their iniquities!

2 Timothy 2:19 (KJV 1900) — 19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Here is a simple iniquity we all participate in. We pray “in Jesus’ Name” not realizing we are doing it as an official representative of that Name. It is not an ending to a prayer; we simply tag it at the end. It is calling on all that Name represents to come and perform that which we just stated. When we pray a simple prayer over a meal, do we really need all of heaven to bless our food? It actually is the beginning of the invitation of Christ to come and unite with your spirit to accomplish together what you just prayed. If there is iniquity within you in an area, God cannot unite with you in that area.
Isaiah 59:2–4 (KJV 1900) — 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, And your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue hath muttered perverseness. 4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: They trust in vanity, and speak lies; They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

It is a heart decision to give up iniquity and embrace truth – thus repentance. Repentance is not spoken of in the Church very often. We believe our knowledge of God is taking care of repentance. But there must be repentance – not in general but specifically confronting each area of iniquity. The response of righteousness will create greater degrees of righteousness. Again, we take the scripture that we are righteous in Christ as finished work. This is true after we have gone through a process creating righteousness. Again, this is another iniquity of removing a process to get the final results. Righteousness will bring holiness and holiness will reveal the glory of God.
Read the account of the Emmaus Road in Luke 24:25-32. Both groups were slow of heart and needed their eyes opened. These were Jesus’ own disciples. Even after all the time He invested, they still were not convinced. Jesus removed the iniquity of His disciples in a certain area by bringing truth that produced righteousness. Once the iniquity was removed, they returned and told everyone. It produced a true cultural awakening revealing God’s glory. I hope I’ve challenged you to search your hearts and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the places of assumptions you might have formed..

Transitional Tarrying

This blog will be kind of different than many I write. It’s been a long time since I blogged and you probably noticed my Face Book posting is less often as well. Hopefully the following will explain some things. I am sharing how I have tarried through about a one year transition within my spirit. I hope you will see how God’s dealing occurred and how He formed things in me. Anything of any true value takes time to build. Anything that occurs quickly may have shallowness to it. Many have asked me to travel and speak. Many of you reading this have even asked me. I have either not responded or have been vague in my answer. You see, I just don’t want to go do another meeting. I enjoy the fellowship, the friendship and even the traveling. I love meeting new people and really enjoy teaching the Body of Christ the revelation given to me. I decided about a year ago to slow way down almost to a halt in traveling until I felt I really could leave an impact. I’ve been doing a long stretch of tarrying and waiting on the Lord. I could have pushed forward opening my own doors like many do, but I knew I would miss what God wanted to do deep in me of developing something of eternal weightiness.

I have been concerned about how much energy we put into so many meetings and yet still do not get lasting breakthrough. We are engaging with the Omnipresent God in a room but have not developed an atmosphere for the manifest presence of God dropping heaven to earth with holiness and power. This has been the journey I have been on for a year now. A pursuit in the ways of God that many in the past season found. When I see and hear of those who have gone before us and the legacy they brought, I have to ask God what is lacking in how we do things. This has caused me to come to a conclusion, we are having good meetings but they may not be what we claim them to be. I have watched from afar and seen many people touched for possibly the first time by God. I have seen a lot of money spent, time used, and even hope be applied to only come up to an invisible ceiling that seems to be the finish line.

It also has set me on a private journey with myself and my BASE family for almost a year. We are Kingdom minded, apostolic driven and have formed a holy community, yet things are still missing. This journey was to possibly find the “missing” things the early Church seemed to have to impact culture. As revelation has come to me, my ministry became the place of the “holy experiment”. As I occasionally spoke at different places, I would release these different revelations and saw the impact upon people and even the atmosphere of the rooms change drastically. I have seen the fear of God come as people trembled under His presence without getting prayer (from an altar ministry setting). I have seen holy silence and a holy hush. I have also seen people crying out to God. I can honestly say with all sincerity, I don’t have all the answers and in the same breath, I know I have some of the answers.

During this past season, I did what was at hand, building relationships, teaching in our Awakening School of Leadership, and overseeing the ministry. I did speak at some places as asked. But during this time as God was forming in me, He was confirming things I knew to be true. I have had several prophetic words about being in hiding and coming out. Words about traveling and impacting and an overwhelming amount of affirmation of carrying something the Body of Christ really needs in this hour. Many cannot believe I am not out already. Yet I have held fast and told God unless I really know I am carrying something, something to impact and not just perform at another meeting, I won’t be going. In this last season, I did travel but usually just to see sons and daughters and occasionally I would speak. This has caused me to go through many tests as a leader. A word test, a time test, a patience test, a motive test and a host of others. God has dealt with me in some very pointed ways. He has dialogued with me very strongly about the deposit He has given me and what I’m truly doing with it. He also has told me it is time to run the next race and everything to this point has only been training for what I’m about to do. Visitations are increasing for me and a few months back, I had an angelic visitation with a healing angel. At first it appeared I did not receive my healing, but over time it has proven I did indeed and in an over- the-top type of way. I also am having increased visitations from the Holy Spirit manifesting and preaching to me, and the Spirit of the Lord coming to speak to me.

One prophetic word I received in this past year had 3 distinct dates. The month of May is the first one as a type of on- ramp to the next season. Now May is about finished and after almost a year of wrestling, I have decided to step into the next season. I asked God to give me a specific thing to confirm the next season being here and He did. I know more will unfold as the next 2 dates unfold, but they are several months out and even over a year away. Obedience in tarrying is part of the key the early Church knew that we have abandoned. We are allowing schedules to drive us and not always letting the Spirit lead us. The early Church waited until the right timing. We believe the timing is always in the moment we receive revelation. But revelation takes time to grab hold of in the heart and spirit. I know from serving in a prophetic office for 8 years (years ago) that the longer you hold something, the greater it becomes in your spirit. The revelation I have has been released some but is still developing as well.

I will continue to tarry, but the overall season of tarrying for the transition is coming to an end. This means this next season for me will be to begin to travel, not to do meetings, but to shift atmospheres, release needed revelation and bring God’s sovereign ways into people’s lives. The Lord has indeed brought me into a “next level” of things and He is now really pushing me to make this transition. I feel unprepared in many ways while at the same time feeling totally prepared. My desire to see the Body of Christ truly grow up and become manifest sons far outreaches any fears or insecurities I may have. I really covet your prayers as I step forward as I sense much of the way of what I will do will look very different than what might be expected. I will maintain my lead role at the BASE in Iowa and also teach in the Awakening School of Leadership that we have established. I will expand relationships in the state of Iowa even more, as The BASE is called to do a statewide work. I am writing a new book right now and plan on producing more written materials in the next transition. Right now I have a business that takes a lot of my time as it is my main income stream. I am in the process of selling it and living a life of faith once again.

So I am now planning a summer/ fall schedule of traveling and imparting revelation. I already have several ministries I will be traveling to and have been asked to speak at a national conference in October. Along with this, an apostle has asked me to speak to several pockets of his spiritual sons to impart to them. If you think I can benefit your ministry and you’re interested (not in another meeting) but really pursuing to bring something fresh into existence, then give me a call and let’s partner together for the Kingdom. In the past, I have not contacted anyone to speak and only go where I have been invited. I will continue this policy in the future as well.

What are you looking for?

What are you looking for as you surf endlessly through all the Face Book posts? Is this where you think you will find God? Is this the place that holds your answers? We waste so much time trying to find revelation in the wrong places. We look at others’ posts and lives and think “boy, those are interesting insights” not realizing the person may have labored over what was posted for a long time perfecting and polishing those thoughts.

What are you looking for? We sit here and watch video after video of ministries doing things, saying things and speaking to things, yet it appears with all the social media tools, we are seeing little change at all. With all the technology, it appears we are basically ignorant how and when to use it. It fills us with every type of gospel and every type of belief system. It fills us with such a mixture of the world.

What are you looking for? What exactly did you want to get out of Sunday’s service anyway? Some good music, some good teaching, someone else to dig out the nuggets of truth since after all, you have had such a busy week. We look for fellowship; we look for connection to God. We look for something to ease the pain of the week instead of living above it. Perhaps we are looking for a greater reality and we think it will be found as we gather.

What are you looking for? What exactly is filling all your free time? Is it your hobbies, camping, boating, fishing, sports, movies, reading books, watching TV? We do these things and hope we can find God in these things to justify the time spent. Occasionally we hear a testimony of God showing up. But it seems like the testimony does not ignite our faith into the future very much.

What are you looking for? Are you looking to see a man come under the Spirit of God so much that the fire of God can be seen from him? Are you looking for the spiritual show to become better and better and finally you will be convinced enough to join in? Do you want others to do the praying and “the fasting” and the “spiritual warfare” and the “studying” so you can then look upon what they have found and become?

What are you looking for? If you’re looking for awakening, then what exactly does awakening look like? How do we know we have found it? Because what we see sure isn’t producing the shift in hearts we desire. Are we chasing a dream or God’s reality? Are we seeing like He sees and taking a hard look at our own lives and the lack of holiness? Are we seeing the places of darkness in the heart that need the light to shine into? Can we actually be honest for just a moment as the Body of Christ and admit our great need for God’s Spirit to deal with us before anything of any substance can happen through us?

What are you looking for? I’ll tell you what I’m not looking for! I’m not looking to find my encounter with God in a book, a meeting, a man, a worship set, an anointing, a past move, a present move or a future move. I’m not looking for someone else to take away my privilege of a fasted lifestyle, my warfare, my determination nor my destiny because I was too spiritually lazy. I’m not looking for another man’s revelation to be my message, another ministry’s vision to be incorporated into mine, nor another nice prophecy to tickle my ears and cause my heart to have a false hope.

What are you looking for? I’ll tell you what I’m looking for: an encounter with God that comes because of my face to the floor and my heart exposed. I’m looking for a people who would give their lives for holiness and not the gifts, or fivefold offices or the accolades that men would give. I’m looking to be hidden in Him and the greatest works I do for Him no one would know. I’m looking for those who have like faith and like passion, not of my faith or passions, but the faith and passions of the Christ. I’m looking for the breath of God to come and speak cleansing into the recesses of souls confronting the false doctrines men have established to build their ministries upon. I’m looking for the conviction of the Holy Spirit to come into a nation and the Church so strongly that men’s hearts fail them, fear of God grips them, and they are held in suspension until decisions are made within them.

I’m not looking for what we are currently calling fivefold, awakening, revival, or whatever tag that has to be the center piece of attention but the Lordship of Christ would put all such nonsense into an eternal grave and resurrect a people who are under Lordship’s power first in their heart. I’m looking for competition to be replaced with esteem and honor. I’m looking for national prophets to carry a true national word. I’m looking for apostles to be allowed to function so we can sort out the mess and find the true apostles. I’m look for real sons and daughters willing to walk a journey in life together with a spiritual father and willing to pay the price to do so. I’m looking for the foolishness of being “spiritual” to cease as an excuse for a person’s unwillingness to change or hear truth. I’m looking for messages that come from heaven not the Internet, Google, books, etc. that shakes the unredeemed portion in believers’ lives to step into light and out of the darkness. I’m looking for demons to scream out in meetings because holiness is present. I’m looking for something like John, the revelator, that has “not yet been seen but is required for what must be”.