Thursday, February 28, 2013

HE IS LORD OF HOSTS



Lately, I have been encountering the Lord as THE LORD OF HOSTS. He has been letting me know HE is fighting the enemies of my soul. HE is the one that goes before me and I am to fear NO MAN. I have never encountered Him quite like this before and it was almost missed. I was trying to reason things away. I thank God for orchestrating things in my life. I want to KNOW HIM, REALLY KNOW HIM in a greater way than before. I feel like Job who knew OF HIM with his mind but got greater REVELATION of Him after an encounter with several disasters. It doesn't take too many disasters for me but just a few mental breakdowns. ;) Anyway here is what I got today.


Francis Frangipane:
The Lord Whose Sword Is Drawn
Of all the names that the heavenly Father could have given His Son, it is most significant that He chose the name "Jesus," fAshua." Joshua, you recall, was the Hebrew general who led God's people into war. To be prepared for greater victories, we need a greater revelation of Jesus Christ; we need to see Him as He will be revealed in the last moments of this age: a Holy Warrior, dressed for battle.

Will You Recognize Jesus When He Comes?

Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" Joshua 5:13

There is something about the time just prior to a move of God that causes many to wonder if the Lord is for them or against them. He seems confrontational – too intense, too "different" from the One we have learned to trust. Yet during these last few years, this is exactly the situation in the Lord's relationship with the Church. The Lord has stood before us with His sword drawn. He is calling us to follow Him in war.

Perhaps you have been through a time where the tip of Christ's sword seemed aimed straight at your heart. Let me reassure you, God is for you. In fact, it is His expressed purpose to release this same "sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17), through your words and prayers. But before the Lord's sword will come through your mouth, it must first pass through your heart.

Do not withdraw or be terrified at this new unveiling of the Son of God, for He is, in fact, fitting you for battle. By the time you are fully trained, you will be a fearless warrior in His army. Yet we must be realistic about our current state: most of us have been pampered and undisciplined. We have not understood the day of warfare that looms before us. Nor are we prepared for the final raging of satan as his time shortens (see Revelation 12:12).

Isaiah tells us that "The Lord will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies" (Isaiah 42:13). We have known the Lord as our Savior and our Shepherd. These revelations of our beloved Master are no less true because a new aspect of His nature is revealed. It is simply that this new dimension is so startlingly different from how we have known Him. Be of good cheer, this frightening Warrior King, with His sword drawn, with the shout of war upon His lips, is the same blessed Savior who died on the Cross for our sins.

Yet in truth, we cannot soften the shock of this great unveiling of Christ. Our immediate dismay shall be in no way less dramatic than that which was revealed to Joshua on the plains of Jericho. Our concepts will be shaken and fears confronted.

Looking again at Joshua, truly he had already known the Lord in a wonderful, intimate way in the wilderness tabernacle. But here standing before him was a new revelation of the Lord. The Son of God Himself had come as Captain of the Host to lead His people into war.

Ultimately, these refugees from Egypt and their wilderness children would defeat many nations stronger and more numerous than themselves (see Deuteronomy 9:1). They would do the impossible through the power of the Lord.

Though initially Joshua was taken aback, both Joshua and the people with him were more prepared for this battle than they realized. Their time in the wilderness had conditioned them for war.

Likewise, the wilderness for you has not been a time of punishment but a season of preparation and of learning obedience. You have watched in fear the decline and spiritual death of church leaders who repeatedly disobeyed the Lord. But you have not stumbled over their disobedience; you have learned from it. Today you walk in the fear of God and are not blinded by the sin of presumption.

Before Jesus returns, those who have passed the wilderness tests will receive another revelation: Christ will be revealed to them as Captain of the Host. They will be ready to follow the Lamb wherever He goes.

...And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his servant?" The captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, "Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so. Joshua 5:14-15

This new unveiling of the Lord is holy. Overnight the Lord brought down atheistic communism in the former Soviet Union. Since then, hundreds of millions of people from many nations have found salvation in the Son of God. God is touching many nations. Let us not gainsay nor criticize what we may not fully understand. We are beginning to perceive the Lord as He truly is and as He will be released in the last days. He is the Lord of Hosts.

The promise of the Lord, which we read earlier, is that He "will go forth like a warrior. ...He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies" (Isaiah 42:13). Within the ranks of the advancing Church, Jesus is raising a war cry. Can you hear His shout in the intercession? There is new authority being raised up, a new generation whose voice thunders with the cry of prophetic prayer. Through the Church, Christ Himself is prevailing against His enemies. Indeed, the gates of Hell shall not stand against the Church Jesus is building (see Matthew 16:18). The hour has come for us "to grow up in all aspects into Him who is [our] head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:15), the Warrior King!

This message was adapted from a chapter in Pastor Frangipane's book, The Three Battlegrounds published by Arrow Publications, Inc.

Francis Frangipane

Thursday, February 14, 2013

The Heart of the Lamb- John Belt

John Belt:
The Heart of the Lamb of God
It is an awe-inspiring thing to think that God came down in the form of a man, Jesus. He came down to our level to rescue us from darkness. Jesus did not come down to promote Himself or start a religion, but to save and deliver mankind from the curse of sin. In this we see God's love manifested through Jesus Christ. He was and is the "perfect man."

Every day Jesus laid down His life to do the will of the Father. He had laid down His life many times before He came to the Cross. His dependency on the Spirit and the Father enabled Him to accomplish the work that He was called to. Because He made Himself a Servant, humbling Himself to serve the Father's plan, He became the Servant of all mankind, ultimately laying down His life as the Lamb of God.

Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.

In our own lives God looks for a certain quality that is rare to find. It is the characteristic of a faith in God that is willing to let go and let Him have the reins. Usually when our faith is most tested is when we are tempted to retaliate or say something we shouldn't. A life yielded to the Spirit learns that there is only one response. That is to respond in prayer to God, allowing Him to fix the situation.

When we live a life connected to the Holy Spirit, there is such an overflow of grace that we automatically respond with the love that God gives. Because our lives are connected there is a reservoir of grace to draw from. If that reservoir is empty, there is nothing to draw from; with this people don't respond to things in a way that pleases God. Jesus knew about this reservoir of grace because He lived a life example for us of how to draw from the Holy Spirit.

Tenderized Hearts

At the same time, there are some who have seared their conscience in some areas of life, having justified their actions over and over. Essentially, they have closed the door to the Holy Spirit in those areas, thus blinding themselves to the truth of how they should really live and think.

In a sense, we have different chambers of our hearts. We choose where we are going to allow God to come and where not. When we choose to justify our actions in certain areas for extended periods of time, that area of the heart hardens, thus closing the door to that chamber, where it makes it more difficult for the Spirit to speak in that area. This would be the searing of the conscience where it no longer seems wrong to do this or that.

For this reason, it is important for us to ask the Spirit to tenderize our hearts to receive the "fullness" of Who Christ is within us, not just the aspects we enjoy to look at. The Father had the entire heart of Jesus to work with, not just a portion. That is why He was able to follow the Father's plan fully. Jesus was entirely man and entirely God, but emptied Himself of the divine attributes, making Himself a man completely dependent on the Holy Spirit to accomplish the Father's work.

The yielded life is essential for us to walk in the fullness of what God has for our lives. He has only good things in store as we empty ourselves of the things we hold on to, allowing Him to have His perfect work within us. In this way, we become partakers in "the Lamb of God" who was slain before the foundation of the world.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The Blood Makes ALL THINGS NEW!



Bobby Conner:
Triumph Over Your Past - and Boldly Face Your Future
God Restores and Refreshes

Dear Believer, we have entered a new season. It is the season of a fresh start! We are in a divinely appointed time of refreshing and restoring Joel 2:25:

"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame."

This is a new day in which you may boldly declare, "Old things have passed away!" (Isaiah 48:6-7).

God Offers Forgiveness

One of the sweetest words in any language is the word forgiven! God promises that even if your sins are red like crimson bright, obvious, glaring, unmistakable they have been forgiven, washed white as snow because of the crimson Blood of Christ (Isaiah 1:18).

Not just a few sins or a handful of mistakes, but each and every betrayal, sin and offense is under the Blood of Christ. Each and every mistake is forgotten and erased. Truly, beloved, it makes no difference how twisted and tangled your life has been or now is: through the shed Blood of Christ at Calvary, God has made all forgiveness and grace abound toward you!

Heaven and earth may pass away, but "His compassions fail not" (Lamentations 3:22). Why? Because Christ Jesus already bore our sins and iniquities!

"Because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Isaiah 53:12

God Forgets Your Past

Through our repentance, God always makes a way to free us from our past. Brothers and sisters in Christ, take this encouragement to heart: do not let your past failures keep you from experiencing your future victories! Remember this vital promise:

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2

The Lord has already lavished you with abundant, extravagant forgiveness and grace to empower you to leave behind every single past sin and failure in the days of regret, doubt and fear, the many missed opportunities and failed relationships, the seasons of backsliding and passivity, the detours of the works of the flesh.

As we believe His Word of forgiveness and set our heart to seek the Lord, we will find overwhelming grace and mercies for each day (Jeremiah 29:12-13). Never give up; never give in again to a mindset of guilt and failure (Hebrews 10:35). You were created by your Maker to carry His glory and Presence into a lost and dying world. God has confidence in you (Deuteronomy 28:13). Remember, you are His choice (Ephesians 2:10), chosen for "such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).

God Redeems Your Wounds

Truly, it was by the stripes of Jesus Christ that we were healed (Isaiah 53:5). Take comfort in this, dear Believer: even the wounds that you have suffered will become great avenues of healing. When we are healed from our wounds, then we receive grace for healing others!

We bring Christ's healing and comfort to others in the areas in which we ourselves have been afflicted (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

God Brings Breakthrough!

God is even now releasing divine favor to us for accomplishing great exploits for His glory. In Psalm 84:11 (NLT), we learn how He lavishes His blessings of grace and glory:

"For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right."

Even if you have not succeeded in previous days and years, do not lose heart! God is saying, "Try again!" It is time to regroup and try again, knowing that failure is never God's plan (Jeremiah29:11). You will see doors open that were closed to you previously. God is granting breakthrough.

I pray that your entire family will experience the overwhelming love and favor of God as you leave the past behind and boldly take hold of the blessings and promises of God!

Bobby Conner
Eagles View Ministries
Email: manager@bobbyconner.org

Friday, February 1, 2013

Song "Storm" by Lifehouse

The other night as I was crying out to the Lord, i kept saying "If I could just see Your face, I know it will be ok" This song has melted me to tears today. Here are the lyrics:

how long have i been in this storm
so overwhelmed by the ocean's shapeless form
waters getting harder to tread
with these waves crashing over my head

if i could just see you
everything would be alright
if i had to see you
this darkness would turn into light

and i will walk on water
and you will catch me if i fall
and i will get lost into your eyes
and everything will be alright
and everything will be alright

i know u didn't bring me out here to drown
so why am i ten feet under and upside down
barely surviving has become my purpose
cause i'm so used to living underneath the surface

if i could just see you
everything would be alright
if i could see you
this stormness would turn into light

and i will walk on water
and you will catch me if i fall
and i will get lost into your eyes
and everything will be alright

and i will walk on water
and you will catch me if i fall
and i will get lost into your eyes
and everything will be alright
and now everything is alright
everythings alright