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Obey the King

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Ecclesiastes 8:2-8.  It might be a little hard to relate to if you live in a nation that elects its officials and rulers and has set limitations for the length of their rule, or set terms in office, as today's passage discusses wisdom for relating to and living under a king.  However, once that person is in office, their rule does simulate a kingship in many ways, and so we can still learn from the wise sayings of these verses.  "Obey the king's command, I say, because you took an oath before God.  Do not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.  Since a king's word is supreme, who can say to him, 'What are you doing?'" "Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.  For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs

Stern-Faced King

Greetings in the Lord! This week the Lord has been giving lots of words about secular America and her rulers, many of whom have given over to a violent, deceitful power structure that is mostly heedless of the justice called for in God's law.  Many of these rulers are extremely arrogant and scoff at the word of God.  Let's start at the top.  First, from Daniel 8 we are told of a vision of a ram with two long horns being crushed by a goat with one long horn that came from the west.  But that one horn of the goat was broken off and replaced by four horns; and out of that, one horn grew to reach the heavens.  As it exalted itself up to the heavens, it persecuted and overcame some of the "starry host" and "truth was thrown to the ground."  The passage identifies the ram with Media and Persia and the goat with Greece.  It is the prophetic telling of a clash of East (Persia) and West (Greece) civilizations.  We see this clash today most obviously between Islam

North Korea & South Korea

Greetings in the Lord! It is such an honor to share this next word of the Lord with you.  Why God choses to use us humans as His servants when He is more than capable of doing it all Himself is beyond me, in the first place.  Anyway, to God be all the glory. The past couple of weeks I was in South Korea and was blessed to hear the Holy Spirit tell about all the wonderful things God is doing in that country, and in that whole peninsula!  He began by saying: "The Lord has given to South Korea all the nations of the earth; great favor with all the nations of the earth!  South Korea will begin to walk in the authority God has placed upon her shoulders, much in the same way He has blessed the United States of America, to share the Good News to all people!  Yes, there will be abundance in the marketplace, but that is just a result of the blessing.  The Lord is and has been opening doors of opportunity to South Korea, and will continue to do so as she learns to fly like the eagle. 

Colorado

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from the book of Lamentations, chapter 3.  Overall, that book in the Bible is a hard one to relate to unless you've gone through or are going through some pretty traumatic ordeals.  Otherwise, it seems too bleak, too depressing, like a shipwrecked sailor being tossed about on the open seas, with no land or light of day on the horizon--it's utter ruin and devastation.  What's more, the writer even attributes his circumstances to God allowing his enemies to be the one to weigh His judgement against him for wrongdoing.  How awful!   Yet, in the midst of such a portrait the writer of Lamentations does not forget that God is faithful to the faithful.  He knows clearly that whether in good times or bad, prosperity or poverty, life or death, God is Sovereign and His love is eternal.  "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassion's never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your fai

Season of Conquest and Liberation

Greetings in the Lord! This word comes from Joshua 10 and Isaiah 42.  The theme of these taken together is of conquest and liberation--all at the hand of God.  In Joshua 10, the story begins with five kings in the south of Canaan becoming worried at the recent victories of this people called Israel, and they decide to ban together against them in battle.  Well, God had other ideas. "The Lord said to Joshua, 'Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand.  Not one of them will be able to withstand you.'"  Joshua 10:8 The battle began and after one long day--made longer by God suspending time for a while so they could finish the job in one campaign--Israel and Joshua was victorious by the hand of God.  The Bible names these five kings by name: Adoni-Zedek, Hoham, Piram, Japhia, and Debir, as if to single them out so Israel would never forget these sure victories.  The time had begun for conquest and liberation.  And again the Lord tells us, 'Th

Colorado--His Saving Hand Restores

Greetings in the Lord! God saves the needy who cry out to Him!  Psalm 107 gives us assurances that God hears our cry, He is good and merciful and His love endures forever.  Oh yes, our circumstances may be dire, either from our own rebellious choices or through no fault of our own, we can find ourselves facing a devestating situation that only God can save us from.  Right now fires 'of epic proportions' are tearing through Colorado and other western states in the US and many are crying out to the Lord for help--He hears your cry!  "...they were at their wits' end.  Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress.  He stilled the storm to a whisper..." "Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men....He turned rivers into a desert....He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs..." In the aftermath of great tragedy, espec

Proclamation of Nahum--Nineveh Will Fall

Greetings in the Lord! After a long spring of being 'in the trenches', so to speak, I am finally able to brush off the dust, lift my head and recline a moment while I tap out this word of the Lord to you.  It comes from the little book of Nahum, chapter 3, verses 18 and 19: "O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your nobles lie down to rest.  Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them. Nothing can heal your wound; your injury is fatal.  Everyone who hears the news about you claps his hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?" This word is for none other than Bashar Assad, current, but soon to be deposed president of Syria.  I remember watching the Barbara Walters interview with him in early 2012 where he lied his way through, professing to have the best interests of the people in mind, while he denied responsibility for the killings and tortures he condoned as leader of the country.  He is a proficient and c

New Year!

Greetings in the Lord! Well, it's still January so let me acknowledge the New Year, 2012--may it be a wonderful one for you, faithful believer. On that note, I'd like to take a few minutes and share what I've been receiving from the Lord these past weeks in regards to this new year. I pray that this word will inspire and encourage you to press in and embrace the call upon your life; to lay down all that hinders, and to resolutely share the kingdom of God with others, letting His light shine brightly through you. Amen and amen! Recently I've had two dreams that I discern tells about this coming year. Let me start by saying that I've not been one to watch or read any of the "2012" hoopla. It just hasn't appealed to me at all and frankly, I don't believe the hype. My personality is not one to jump on anyone's bandwagon, and if anything, I spend too much time in the backdrop evaluating and asking for discernment before I support or report on anythi

Happy Thanksgiving

Greetings in the Lord ! Well , I wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving ! This is one of my favorite holidays of the year , and not just for the delicious meal ! But seriously , I do enjoy taking a minute to share a special meal with loved ones and think about just how thankful I am for the many blessings the Lord bestows on us . We serve a great and generous God who never fails to provide for us -- even more than we ask for . Praise Him ! May He continue to abundantly pour Himself into your lives until your every word , deed , and thought resonates and reflects the love of God . ~ Be blessed and be a blessing .

Rebuilding the Ruins

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Greetings in the Lord! It's been quite a while since I've written and it's time to catch up. This week I've been on break for the Eid holiday in Jordan and would like to share with all of you something the Holy Spirit said regarding the country of Jordan: "Jordan is on the cusp of spiritual revival. Hearts are being softened towards the things of God and the 'ancient ruins' are being uncovered and rebuilt. Just as the king has recently set free captives who were held in connection of plotting acts of violence against humanity, so our heavenly King is setting free those who have been held captive to the bondage and wrong thinking of hate and violence." Praise God! Also while we drove through the cities in the north of Jordan, the Lord showed me a vision of a cleansing balm being spread out over the people there. The balm of Gilead was healing the minds and spiritual eyes of the people! A giant hand was then wiping away the dark soot that had covered the

Avoid a Bad Haircut

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word is actually part of a 6-month study that the Lord has been teaching me about, one that is a lot more common than people will want to acknowledge in the Church today. It is about adultery and the adulteress spirit. "My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge. For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it not." Proverbs 5:1-6. First let's examine the top characteristic of an adulteress spirit: smooth, deceptive words that use charm and flattery and pleasantries to seduce the listener's heart--it's the same as preparing a fireplace with paper, kindling , and small pieces of wood with

Water from the Rock

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Exodus 17 and Isaiah 43:18-21 and has to do with God's provision even when we are in the "desolate" places of our life. The Lord delights to bring forth water from the rock; sustenance and newness out of barrenness and deadness. "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor Me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to My people, My chosen, the people I formed for Myself that they may proclaim My praise." Isaiah 43:18-21. That's very encouraging, isn't it? God is doing a new thing, even in the most barren and most dead places--new life, refreshment, and living water! Hallelujah! There is, however, a bigger picture to see here, as Exodus 17 points out. In that passage we find

Scatter the Fruitless Fig Trees

Greetings in the Lord! One of the things I've learned very well over the years is that God's timing is not our timing. I know, it's like, "You can say that again, sister!" right? ha Yeah, it's hard to wait...for good things, that is. For the possibility of unpleasant things to happen we can appreciate delay, hoping it never to come to pass, but not so for good things. We want them now. God's word speaks so often of timing, seasons, He calls it, that a special anointing was given to the tribe of Issachar to be able to discern the seasons of God. So that leads me to today's word from Psalm 68 and Mark 11:12-14 and verses 20-21) The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." Mark 11:12-14. In

A Highway for the Remnant

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Isaiah 11:1-16) V.1-3)"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord--and he will delight in the fear of the Lord." V.10-11) "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out His hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of His people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush , from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea." V. 15-16) "The Lord will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand over the Euphrates River. he will break it up into seven streams so that men can cross over in sandals. There will be a highway

I Will Bless Those Who Bless You

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Greetings in the Lord! Exactly five years ago I received this word from the Lord: The Lord said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." At that time I knew He was talking to me about going to Saudi Arabia. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you ." Genesis 12:1-3. (09/09/06) I had some dreams around that time too, and such a vivid vision that I drew it in my journal, pictured here. This is the normal process the Lord uses to prepare me to go somewhere, so I wrote everything down and got ready for the opportunity to come up....but it never came. Until now. Exactly five years ago today the Lord called me to go to Saudi Arabia and now my ticket is set for tomorrow. I can't say that I've ever ex

Passport for Learning

Greetings in the Lord! I came across an interesting article today talking about how the rich businessmen and government officials of China are desiring to move out of China and settle in Western nations. Last year alone, 68,000 Chinese people were granted green cards to live and work in the United States according to the article. http://news.yahoo.com/top-chinese-wealthys-wish-list-leave-china-065826880.html I witnessed this trend firsthand this year as I taught at an elite boarding school in the Guangdong Province--the province where 10% of China's GNP comes from. The school had around 5,500 students who primarily came from the wealthiest families in China, whether they be businesspeople or government officials. It was an eye opening experience for me since today's China is completely different than the China I remember of just ten years ago! My students wrote essays about their vacations to Europe and the United States and practiced their English telling me about their futur

My Name Is Jeshurun

Greetings in the Lord! "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I AM doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I AM making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor Me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to My people, My chosen, the people I formed for Myself that they may proclaim My praise." Isaiah 43:18-21. Today's word declares that God is doing a new thing! And especially in places where He has been forbidden to be worshipped freely, as the Scripture points to "wild animals," "jackals," and "owls," all of which are used to symbolize entities that are hostile to the Lord God Almighty, will turn to Him as a result of the living water He will pour out in those desolate areas. Praise God! The passage goes on in Isaiah 44:1-5 to tell the servants of the Lord to not be fearful of being s

From the Refiner's Fire a Champion is Born

Greetings in the Lord! Well, this is encouraging--I just came across an art project being done by the youths (18-24) of Tottenham to rebuild unity within the multi-cultural community in the wake of the riots. The article in Al Jazeera English edition goes on as follows: "With some people slamming their doors shut and others refusing to open them, it looked at first as though this community project might not get off the ground. But when marginalised young people in Tottenham , north London - the scene of the first of last week's riots in England - set about approaching locals to help with an oral history project, they soon gained the trust of community members, who then joined in to celebrate what is more often a denigrated postcode. The resulting exhibition, which opens next month, includes one of London's largest arts installations: around 150 giant photographic portraits of local residents. While British politicians lined up to condemn "feral youths"

Word for Exiles

Greetings in the Lord! As many of you may know, I have been living and working in South Korea and China for over a year and a half now. Both those contracts have been fulfilled and now I am preparing for a new place to live and work. But before I get to that, I would like to talk some about who I've been seeing and ministering to for the past 20 months: "exiled" Christians. What does that mean, you ask? Well, before I started my stints in South Korea and China the Lord spent a great deal of time teaching about the concept of "being put out of the assembly" for persistent , unrepentant sin. In the Old Testament there were many things that would get someone put out of the assembly. It was a procedure meant to cause the person some hardship and loneliness so that they would repent and desire again the closeness of God and the company of God's people back again in their lives....an ancient "time out," if you will. That's the same as how I

Breakthrough in England

Greetings in the Lord! Well, today I spent a few minutes reading about all the riots that took place in England a little over a week ago--whoa, was that some trouble or what? Then of course I went back to re-read the prophetic word the Holy Spirit gave in July about the "season of confrontation" and fires that would appear in many cities throughout England. Whoa again. But I still had a question in my spirit about that prophetic word in July. The Lord included about confrontation with a spirit of witchcraft and sorcery and also that spiritual revival would erupt in those same places...but I had to think--how does witchcraft and sorcery fit into the riots? A spirit of anarchy, I could see that, but sorcery? It may be that those are very similar spirits, or that I am not familiar enough with the spiritual situation of England for it to make complete sense to me. Whatever the case, I have come to learn about the pervasive principality of witchcraft/sorcery that permeates and