Archive for August, 2009

Ephesians 4:11 -And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.

This scripture has always been taught in the tone of separation. Only a certain group of people can be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. The rest of you are greeters, workers in the sound booth, janitors, worship leaders, teachers for children church, pew sitters, musicians, parking attendants, office workers, deacons, choir members, pastor’s body guard, armorbearers, the person that brings the pastor or guest speaker some water, and the list goes on and on. Now if you are not one of these special ones whom God has called, you are required to submit yourself to these ones and don’t talk back or you will be sat down or cursed. Does this sound familiar? Well let me free you today by giving you some truth.

This scripture does not mean that there are only certain people called to the fivefold ministry. No! What Paul was saying here that everyone in the Kingdom of God has a place and must seek the Lord concerning their place or position. The word “some”, does not imply separation but that God has called some to walk as apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelists. The fivefold ministry is made up of rankings in the Kingdom, not titles. Religion has reduced these rankings down to titles. This is the reason why we see people in the church fighting, scheming, and politicking for positions. Religion has made these rankings as something to compete for. American Idol did not start in the world, it started in the church. There are many that have been made to perform before the judges (these special or elite ones) and if they have past their test, then by the laying on of hands by the special or exclusive ones, these persons that perform is now a pastor or prophet. However, that’s not it! You see once you have achieved this milestone, you must sign a contract but they call it covenant. This contract states that you must be under their authority (their thumb), you must wait till THEY hear from God about you leaving their ministry (their club or clique), and when THEY hear that it’s time for you to leave, then you are release to go and be a carbon copy or clone of them and their ministry.

You may be serving in certain areas of the ministry you attend but let me say to you very clearly that you are more than that. God has a position in the Kingdom with your name on it. Jeremiah 1:5-7 Amplified Bible - Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am only a youth. But the Lord said to me, Say not, I am only a youth; for you shall go to all to whom I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

When God told him that I have separated and set you apart, He wasn’t talking about putting him in some elite group or clique. God had separated him from man’s calling, defining, and purpose for his life. God said something very powerful to Jeremiah that we need to pay close attention to. He said before I formed you in the womb I knew and approved of you. Right there God was saying that there is no need for anyone to define you because you have already been defined. No one has the right to say that you are just a greeter, janitor, worship leader, sound person, etc… You are called to be more than that. Find your place in the Kingdom and begin to walk in it. You see, religion hates this type of teaching because once you find out your place in the Kingdom, you will MOVE forward. I capitalized the word “move” because the spirit of religion hates movement. Religion’s philosophy is, “Continue to do the same thing over and over and over”. Just because you are doing things repeatedly doesn’t mean you are making any movement or progress. Let’s stop fighting each other! Remember, we all have a place or rank in the Kingdom. There’s no need to fight. My prayer is that you will listen to the Father and find out what you were destined to be from the beginning.

Several must months ago God spoke to me about homosexuality. I thought about the many times we in the church have address this issue and our actions towards those who are living this lifestyle. I must say that we have done a poor job in trying to reach these individuals who are living a homosexual lifestyle. We have been very hurtful through our actions and words. Anytime we are dealing with any issue, we must first see what the word says about it. Not our opinion or what somebody told us but really settling ourselves down to hear a clear word from the Lord.

Genesis 1:26-28 Amplified Bible
God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.

We see here that God created man in His image (resemblance) and likeness (manner,fashion, figure, form, like as, pattern). Man was made spirit first because God is spirit. The bible goes on to say that in the image and likeness of God He created him;male and female He created them. In this sentence we see clearly why God hates the spirit of homosexuality. Not the person! Let me make that very clear. God hates the spirit of homosexuality but he loves the person. Right in the sentence we see that God gave man (spirit) his assignment. Some were to males, the others female. God hates homosexuality because it robs an individual of their assignment.

Jeremiah 1:5 Amplified Bible
Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

Before God formed (frame, fashion, make, potter) you in your mother’s womb, he knew (declare, distinguish) you. I speak to you who are living this lifestyle. Before God made you, he declared you to be a male or female and after he declared it, He formed or made you a body to confirm what He spoke. God uses the doctors to testify in the delivery room of what He made. The homosexual spirit convinced you that even though you have male parts, you are a woman and this spirit has convinced you that even though you have female parts, you are a man. I must say to you that this spirit has come to deceive you and talk you out of your assignment or purpose. You were made to be a man. You were made to be a woman. There is a blessing given by God that is attached to your assignment and it’s in verse 28 of Genesis 1, “And God blessed ( praise, salute, congratulate, pronounce blessing) them”. There is a fulfillment in walking in your assignment.

I know that things have happened in your life that gave this spirit an entry way or open door to your life and God knows it too. He is a loving father who is after you not in a condemning or judgmental way. He is like a parent who sees his or her child in danger and runs to rescue them. You wondered if you were born this way but I pray today that after reading this that this would finally convince you that God never made you to be something other than what He’d created you to be. I release this word to you not in a tone of hate but love.

Now I speak to the church. Stop calling these precious ones fags and dikes. Stop speaking these cruel and hateful words across the pulpit. You are not speaking on behalf of God when you use this type of language. It’s time for the church to get a clear revelation from the Father and stop walking around in Pride saying we know what to say or how to address an issue. Let’s stop making one sin bigger than the other or putting the spot light on one sin and not addressing sin for what it is, sin. Stop trying to scare the Hell out of people but release the love message of God that show them how to avoid Hell! A place that was never made for them in the first place. Let’s present the salvation message in a way that they can choose for themselves what they want to do.

We must remember that the bible says in Ephesians 6:12 that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. It will never be about the flesh but always about a spirit. Let us walk with understand and war with understand, not praying and preaching amiss. Let not our goal be to just sound good but release and prove that what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).

Psalm 37:23 - NKJV
The steps of a good a man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.

In reading this verse, we all know that this is not speaking to just one gender but this morning I was prompted in my spirit to release this to every father, husband, grandfather, uncle, and single man. Although this truth is for everybody, my assignment is to focus on the men. There were times I interpreted this scripture to mean that when God begins to order someone’s steps, He was doing it because he was obligated to do it. However, the Lord opened my eyes to see what he was really saying in this verse. Before I release what He showed me, let’s first look at what a good man is not and then what a good man is.

What A Good Man Is Not

1. A man who has a job.
2. A man who provides.
3. A man who loves his wife.
4. A man who is successful.
5. A man who takes care of his kids.
6. A man who is full of knowledge.
7. A man who has money.
8. A man who has lots of money.
9. A man who has influence.
10. A man who loves God.
11. A man who lives in the best area.
12. A man who puts his family in the best or most comfortable place possible.
13. A man who puts his family first.

I could go on, but these things listed above have been made the standard or code for every man to live by and strive for. When the Lord told me that I was a good man, I received His word to me and then I asked Him,”What exactly qualifies a man to be a good man according to the word”? He said the following:

What A Good Man Is

1. A man who does not fret because of evildoers.
2. A man who is not envious of the workers of iniquity.
3. A man who trust in the Lord and do good.
4. A man who dwells (unmovable) in the land.
5. A man who delights (flexible and bendable) himself in the Lord.
6. A man who feeds on God’s faithfulness.
7. A man who commits his way to the Lord.
8. A man who chooses to rest in the Lord.
9. A man who waits patiently for the Lord.
10. A man who cease from anger and forsake wrath.

Now let’s compare the the two and break this down. You can love God and not trust in Him. You can make the money, be successful, provide for the kids, love the wife, put your family first, live in the best area, have the best job, have a job, have major influence and not feed on God’s faithfulness or delight in Him. The word delight in the Hebrew doesn’t mean to just love God and enjoy His presence but to be bendable and flexible. Flexible enough to let go of your way and follow His way. There have been many opinions and judgments made based upon the first list above against men who God has qualified to be a good man. Psalm 37:32-33 - The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to slay him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand nor condemn him we he is judge. These wicked ones can be believers who are praying for God to condemn (declare one one wrong) them while they are judging them. In other words they want God to back up their judgments but the Lord says here that He will not.

Matthew 16:13-19

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and whatever you open on earth will be opened in heaven.”

For those of you who are offended by the title of this article, may I suggest to you that you have been bewitched into thinking that hell was a curse word or a word that is used frequently by unbelievers. Let me help you understand that hell is not some vocabulary word but an actual place prepared for satan, the angels that followed him, and those who choose not to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives.

Now that I have given my 2 minute disclaimer (smile lol), let’s get into this. Jesus asked a question which I believe is relevant for today, “Who do you say that I am”. Many of you could not answer His question because there would be a automatic to spewing out what you heard about Him from everybody else and not from what you know from the inner depths of your spirit. Peter rises up and answers this question not from what he’d received from flesh but what he had received by a divine revelation from God.

God help us to stop preaching and teaching from what we heard from flesh and start receiving and releasing the divine revelation of God. Souls will not come to the Lord, people will not get healed, and miracles will not happen by fleshly preaching and messages. Ok that was just a side note. “You are the Messiah (Christ), the Son of the Living God”! Another translation says the Son of the God who is alive. You see, the responses to Jesus first question reduced him down to only flesh but Peter’s response revealed that He was not flesh but the word in flesh. Now you may be saying what in the world does this have to do with the title? Just stay with me because everything I’m saying is important and are pieces to the puzzle.

Jesus goes on to say that upon this rock (the revelation given by God the Father),I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail or overpower it. Ok! He is another side note. This scripture gives a clear distinction between the house that Jesus built and the house that man built. You will know the difference by the foundation. The true church is built upon the revelation by God where as the religious church is built upon a foundation called flesh and works.

Let me give you some comparisons between the true church and the religious church. The true church not only believes in healing, miracles, signs and wonders, they operator in healing, miracles, signs and wonders. They don’t just talk about it, they move in it. The religious church on the other had is only interested in talking a good game, following a agenda rather than the Holy Spirit, doing programs, having conferences to scream at each other and pass out their ministry cards so they can be the next top preacher, doing only 15 minutes of worship so they can get to the skit they do every year, and being out by 12:00, 12:30, or 1:00 so the people won’t be mad and leave the church for being held in service too long.

The true church understands that they are the church where as the religious church believes that the building is the church, they refuse leave it, and will fight to the death if someone or something try to take it away from them. The true church embraces change but the religious church fights it.

Jesus said my church will not be overpowered by hell. Please understand that when you are facing demonic opposition, you have the keys or authority to tell that spirit to go to hell and the gates from where it came to be shut up in the name of Jesus. When you tell these spirits to go to hell, you are not only tell them to go back from where they came but you are reminding them of their future. Come on now! If the devil uses his little freaks to torment you about you past, then you have the right as a kingdom ambassador to remind him of his future.

When your mom or dad wanted you to stop talking or stop making noise, what would they say? Shut Up! They were commanding what was coming out of your mouth to cease by telling you to close up the gates of your face, lol. You have the same authority to command the gates of hell to be shut up now, so that there is no access to your marriage, finances, relationships, children, family, mind, body, and spirit. You see religion is teaching people how not to walk in authority but how to walk and live as a beggar. Jesus said that my church shall not be overpower or controlled the gates of hell. Can I keep it real? Jesus said that my church shall not be punked by whats coming from hell and here is how. I will give you keys of the kingdom of heaven so that whatever you disallow on earth, it will be disallowed in heaven and whatever you allow on earth, will be allowed in heaven. Jesus is saying that because I am in you and you are in me and you have my heart, I will back you up. If we really understood this, there would be no need to come out to a building five days a week praying or begging over things. Lord let our intercession change from begging to commanding in the name of Jesus.

The keys of the kingdom will never be given to a ministry that is built upon a religious foundation. My prayer today for you, is that you will build upon the right foundation so that you can receive the keys to shut the gates hell up that has access in your life in Jesus Name, Amen.