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Hand to Hand Combat

Greetings in the Lord! Question: How does a Christian do hand to hand combat? Answer: By reaching out radically to whomever they meet and loving them boundlessly, giving generously, and speaking the Word of God boldly! I was awakened this AM with the Lord talking about the new season we are entering right now--warfare-- " Ready or not, here we go!" Yes, it's true that many in the Body of Christ have gone through or may still be in stages of being refined, but it's time to follow the ark. Can you see the ark moving now? The Lord God is leading us...and don't worry, He is our rearguard as well. Those problems and issues of the recent past can't follow you, for "surely goodness and love will follow you all the days of your life." As I was communing with the Lord I found myself saying aloud the many affirmations that are found in His Word for us to know and walk out: "Christ lives in me", "I can do all things in Christ", "I

More Firestarters Please

Greetings in the Lord! Well, it's been a little while since I've shared anything so I wanted to give a quick update. The month of March was a busy travel time with trips to AZ, NM, and all the states between CO and MI! lol Since I've already written about the AZ/NM trip, I will tell about the drive from CO to MI. It was my first time trekking all the way across Nebraska, so I was driving with some expectancy to "see" what the Lord was up to there...but honestly, didn't see a thing. In fact, it wasn't too long before I turned my attention to the CDs and DVDs I brought and really just zoomed on through the state not noticing the passing of the time. In fact, it struck me as odd that I did that--and all the music and movies were secular, too, unlike the praise music, sermons, etc. I normally listen to as I drive. There was a storm following me the whole way, however; high winds and snow followed my path. It seemed as if I was surfing on the crest of

Putting the New in New Mexico

Greetings in the Lord! Recently I went down to Tucson, Arizona by way of driving through New Mexico. I had never been there before and usually fly to wherever the Lord sends me, but this time He put on my heart to make the road trip . It was wonderful! New Mexico is really pretty and the people were so nice. As usual, the Lord was pretty specific about where He wanted me to go. In Las Vegas, NM, I met a godly woman who owned a hotel and I stayed there. As I was checking out in the morning I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit while we talked. She felt Him too, and instantly we knew we were sisters in Christ. This lady is an intercessor for the state of New Mexico and has been crying out for God's mercy and revival to come there, even witnessing miracles. Her son, who used to be a drug addict, is now a preacher spreading the Word and love of Jesus. Praise God! As I drove south of Albuquerque a song I never heard before, an Indian chant and song of praise, filled my

Changing of the Guard

Greetings in the Lord! It's so interesting how the Lord speaks to us using symbolic imagery in our dreams to convey what He is trying to say. For example, in the past 2 months the Lord had given me several dreams with a large red brick building in it, which I discerned symbolized the US government. One of my early dreams was of my witnessing the changing of guard at a red brick building, which happened yesterday at the inaugration of Barack Obama. In my dream, I saw military troops coming back into the building very quickly and a group of blue drab uniforms going out of the building to take their place. I discerned it was our actual military troops being brought home very quickly from Iraq, and it seemed like a group of ill-equipped "peace-keepers" were sent out to appease people. Along with the returning military troops there were many traditional social groups like the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts being called back into the building, as well as female drum majorettes and

Jesus-Friendly Banking

Greetings in the Lord! Today I will share a common passage that has new, modern-day relevance for us. It is from Mark 10:17-25, the story of the rich, young man. We know the story: a young, wealthy man comes to Jesus and asks, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus responds by telling him no one is good but God alone, or implying, no one can be good of his own efforts; then, he reminds him of the Lord's commandments for us to live by. However, Jesus knows the root of the issue is not about good conduct (works), but rather about what the man truly relies upon in his heart. But Jesus also recognizes the sincere earnestness in the man's question and prepares to lovingly address the man's misguided heart attachments to wealth while inviting him to follow him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man&#

Free to Be a Girls Scout

Greetings in the Lord! This morning I had a prophetic dream. I was standing at the door of an official-looking brick building; it was symbolic of the United States from an official platform. The person with me wanted to leave, but I said, "No, I want to see who is coming and going." Out from the building left young men, many of whom were minorities. They were wearing overly casual, plain pseudo-looking blue cotton/jean uniforms, kind of like prison uniforms, but still hip. They were very excited. I could not tell where they had come from, they seemed foreign to me. After they had left the building, young US military guys dressed in the usual white Navy gear and grey/blue Air Force uniforms retreated into the building. They were riding bicycles and arrived very quickly. Then it began like a parade into the building: women dressed in red/white/blue drum majorette uniforms roller-skated into the doorway; then came rows and rows of Girl Scouts and many other traditional youth o

Sign of the Times

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from 2 Kings 6:24-7:20. It's a story of a seige that happened to Samaria by the Arameans when King Joram was king and Elisha was prophet. The seige lasted so long and was so severe that even the most unedible parts of unclean animals were hugely expensive (80 shekels of silver)...and some people even resorted to eating their young! King Joram was beside himself--he felt abandoned by God and wanted to get rid of Elisha because he felt Elisha was partially responsible for the disaster to the city. However, just as the king arrived to Elisha with his guards, Elisha told him: "Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria." The head officer with King Joram doubted it and Elisha told him he would see it, but not eat of any of it. The story goes that the next morning 4 men with leprosy went to the Ar

Mercy Triumphs After Judgment

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Acts 8:9-25, Deut. 29:18, and Habakkuk 3. The passage in Acts tells the story of Simon the sorcerer, a man who was famous for engaging in the magic arts around Samaria. However, when Simon saw the signs and miracles being performed by Phillip, he was astonished and followed him around everywhere. Scripture even says that Simon "believed and was baptized." Just as many in Samaria were being baptized and believing in the Gospel, Peter and John came from Jerusalem to lay hands on those believers so they would receive the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw the Holy Spirit came at the laying on of hands, he offered the apostles money to be able to do the same thing. Peter quickly rebuked him. "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness...Perhaps He will forgive

This One Was Born in Zion

Greetings in the Lord! The Lord gives us psalm 87 for today: "He has set His foundations on the holy mountain; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more thanall the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God: "I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge Me--Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush--and will say, 'This one was born in Zion.' Indeed, of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High Himself will establish her." The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: "This one was born in Zion." As they make music they will sing, "All my fountains are in you." I've always thought this was a wonderfully curious psalm as it forsees the ingathering of the nations to Zion, and not just any nations, but of those that specifically had been long enemies of God and Israel. The psalm even repeats itself for emphasis: "This one was born in Zion," as

Don't Drink the Kool-aid

Greetings in the Lord! Very early in the morning of Halloween I had a dream that made me think maybe I was just upset about it being Halloween, as I never liked that "holiday." Anyway, in my dream I watched a golden snake eat big chunks of sweet bread that were being torn off and fed to it. The bread was so sloppy with sugary frosting and the chunks so big I watched in amazment that this golden snake would even eat such stuff. Then, when I looked again, the golden snake was eating a very expensive and decorative tie! It actually was loving eating this really nice tie, even though I saw the snake expand beyond what looked possible. Surely the snake would die from eating the huge chunks of sweet, gooey bread and expensive clothes. When it was done it curled up in a ball and didn't move at all, like it was truly sick and might die. Perplexed after a dream like that, I got up and prayed for understanding. The Lord had me turn to Acts 12:19-25, the story about King Hero

Stand Firm in Your Faith

Greetings in the Lord! In my commute to work in Denver I often take a bus and metro train. I like the commute and the opportunity it gives me to chat with other people...or rather, I've made myself available to the Spirit to move and speak to other people. Yesterday I had a good conversation with a middle aged black man who was returning home from work. As we began talking he asked me where I worked and I told him the whole story of how the Lord had wonderfully arranged my current job situation--of all the prophetic words that had been fulfilled along the way. He was so delighted at the story and said, "Boy, that is a great testimony! So encouraging!" I discerned the Lord wanted to increase his faith and strengthen him with hope and it was well received. This was a man of integrity whose faith "battery" was on low and needed recharging. Sure enough, he shared that he had been in the military early in his adult career and had often been challenged and ridi

FYI

Greetings in the Lord! I wanted to share a couple of incidents that happened over the past month or so. On September 5th I was walking in the trendy part of downtown Denver with some of my co-workers. On the street a young man asked me if I had registered to vote yet, as he was there getting people signed up. I said I had not and was glad for the opportunity to do it. As I was filling out the voter's registration form he asked me if I was a Democrat or Republican, which caught me off-guard. "I thought you were supposed to be non-partisan," I asked him. "Oh, I am," he said half-heartedly. I continued writing but wanted to test the waters, so to speak, so I asked him if he had watched the Republican convention the night before--the night that Sarah Palin made her debut. At my question his face scowled and he began to insult her and question the Repubican platform like a TV commercial....obviously, he was an Obama supporter. When I was finished he asked me a

Built Upon the Rock

Greetings in the Lord! Early this morning while praying the Lord gave me a vision: I saw an American soldier fighting in the desert with his machine gun. As the war raged on all around him, he looked dumbfounded at the intensity of the war and just gave up. He stood up, turned around and began to walk away with his gun lowered at his side. I heard a voice say, "Trained as a warrior, but he grew weary of the war." Next I saw him back in his barracks, changing out of his army gear and putting on civilian clothes; beside him was his trunk half-packed. He was such a strong and well-built guy that I couldn't imagine why he'd give up so easily. At the next scene I saw him back at home with his family. With the joy of reunion quickly past, he was overwhelmed with sadness--this was not what he had expected: having to find a "normal" job, listening to his kids argue and his wife nagging at him to "do something." Soon he was filled with regret for leaving th

No More Spending Tomorrow's Money Today

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word again comes from Zechariah chapter 1, which begins with a word by the prophet Zechariah for the people to return to the Lord. "The Lord was very angry with your forefathers. Therefore tell the people: "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the Lord Almighty, 'and I will return to you.'...Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.' But they would not listen or pay attention to Me, declares the Lord....Then they repented and said, 'The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as He determined to do.' " (Zechariah 1:2-6) The passage goes on to talk about Zechariah having a series of visions, the first being one of an angel riding a red horse with other horses of red, white and brown. They had been riding all over the earth and re

Yoke of Babylon Not Broken

Greetings in the Lord! This word comes from Jeremiah chapter 28. It is a passage in which Hananiah prophesies the "the yoke of Babylon" would be broken and that the articles of the temple would be returned, as well as Jehoiachin, back to Israel. Hananiah is prophesying peace and prosperity and liberation from Babylon's control...which is NOT what Jeremiah has been saying in the temple. More than that, Jeremiah explains that all the prophets previous to either he or Hananiah have "prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his predicton comes true." (Jeremiah 28:8-9) "...the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: "Go and tell Hananiah, 'This is what the Lord says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke on the

Craftsmen Arise

Greetings in the Lord! This word comes from Zechariah 1:18-21~ "Then I looked up--and there before me were four horns! I asked the angel who was speaking to me, "What are these?" He answered me, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem." Then the Lord showed me four craftmen. I asked, "What are these coming to do?" He answered, "These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one could raise his head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people." ~The Lord has given me this passage of Scripture 2-3 times now and all I feel certain about is that He is sending "craftsmen," i.e. people skilled in their trades, to "terrify" and "throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah." I'm discerning that we will begin to w

Cut Off the Spreading Branches

Greetings in the Lord! I want to share with you the same word the Lord gave back in January of this year, based on Isaiah chapter 18~ "Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush, which sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water. Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned,...an aggessive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by waters. All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it. This is what the Lord says to me: "I will remain quiet and will look on from My dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine...For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches." ~On the evening of September 3rd, "before the harvest"-- which falls late August/early September, th

Opening of Eyes

Greetings in the Lord! Recently the Lord has been speaking from Isaiah chapters 42-43, which has the central theme of God redeeming His people from their troubles--troubles brought on by their past rebelliousness and sin, and empowering them to move boldly in newly leveled roads that the Lord had paved for us to move out and proclaim truth and freedom to those held captive. The passages also tell of an increasing divide between those who trust in the Lord and are delivered from their troubles, and of those who trust in their idols and remain in their unfortunate circumstances and disillusionment. "For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held Myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out...I will lay waste the mountains and hills...I will turn rivers into islands and dry up pools. I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will lead them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smo

Day After Day the Seed Grows Unseen

Greetings in the Lord! It has been quite a while since I last wrote, so I wanted to drop a quick line and share about my summer. It began with trips to LA, Charlotte, and Texas in late spring/early summer. I've received word now that since revival was decreed in LA, healings and deliverances have been on the increase--praise God! I also have a friend in Texas who has been having revival services down there and is amazed by the powerful move of God happening there. Then there were trips to St. Louis, MO, including Kansas, and Michigan. The stories from friends who have grown so much in their walk with the Lord blew me away! I felt like I was like the apostle Paul, revisiting past places of ministry and seeing the fruit that had come of it. Surely the seed grows while we know it not! The travels continued to Tucson and Phoenix, where once again I was so proud of the maturity of people and ministries in the short three years it had been since I first was sent to those places.

Toto, We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Greetings in the Lord! This past weekend the Lord put on my heart to go to St. Louis, MO to visit friends in past places of ministry. The drive over was mostly through the state of Kansas, which, with its endless plains and farming fields, was a little less than interesting. However, while driving along the Lord drew my attention to the fences along the sides of the road and brought to my rememberance the fact that Matthew Shepherd had been tied up to die to a fence similar to what I was seeing. I also recalled the movies "Boys Don't Cry" and "Brokeback Mountain" which told stories of hate crimes being committed in the Plains region of the United States. The Spirit said to me, "The people here think that because they can see clearly for miles that they see clearly--but they do not." "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me