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.
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
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
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Jesus Calling and Jesus Today devotional
“Jesus Today” by Sarah Young
Hope for What you DO NOT SEE; EAGERLY wait for it with perseverance. Among the five senses, sight is often the one that people value the most. I created the world gloriously beautiful, and I want you to appreciate beauty when you see it. However, even more beneficial than sight is hope, which is itself a kind of vision. It enables you to see—through the eyes of your heart—things that are NOTH YET. The most stunning example of this is the hope of heaven. Your ultimate destiny is to share in MY GLORY! This is MY PROMISE to you, secured through MY FINISHED WORK on the CROSS and MY RESURRECTION. Practice hoping for things you do not see—both for this life and the next. Ask Me to guide you into hopes and dreams that are in line with My will. Train the eyes of your heart to “see” these blessings, while praying for My will to be done fully and ONLY. Discipine yourself to wait eagerly—with your focus on ME and the longed for outcome. Remain hopeful and expectant as you waith WITH PERSEVERANCE.
If we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance- Romans 8:25
The glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as WE are one.- John 17:22
Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality. (Faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses) –Hebrews 11:1
“Jesus Calling”- by Sarah Young
I AM YOUR STRENGTH AND SHIELD. I plan out each day and have it ready for you, long before you arise from bed. I also provide the strength you need each step of the way, Instead of assessing your energy level and wondering about what’s on the road ahead, concentrate on staying in touch with Me, My Power flows freely into you through our open communication. Refuse to waste energy worrying, and you will have strength to spare.
Whenever you start to feel afraid, remember that I am YOUR SHIELD, but unlike inanimate armor, I AM ALWAYS alert and active. My Presence watches over you continually, protecting you from both known and unknown dangers. Entrust yourself to My watchcare, which is the best security system available. I am with you and will watch over you WHEREVER YOU GO.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song, I PRAISE HIM- Psalm 28:7
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?- Psalm 56:3-4
Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34
I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you- Genesis 28:15
Hope for What you DO NOT SEE; EAGERLY wait for it with perseverance. Among the five senses, sight is often the one that people value the most. I created the world gloriously beautiful, and I want you to appreciate beauty when you see it. However, even more beneficial than sight is hope, which is itself a kind of vision. It enables you to see—through the eyes of your heart—things that are NOTH YET. The most stunning example of this is the hope of heaven. Your ultimate destiny is to share in MY GLORY! This is MY PROMISE to you, secured through MY FINISHED WORK on the CROSS and MY RESURRECTION. Practice hoping for things you do not see—both for this life and the next. Ask Me to guide you into hopes and dreams that are in line with My will. Train the eyes of your heart to “see” these blessings, while praying for My will to be done fully and ONLY. Discipine yourself to wait eagerly—with your focus on ME and the longed for outcome. Remain hopeful and expectant as you waith WITH PERSEVERANCE.
If we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance- Romans 8:25
The glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as WE are one.- John 17:22
Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality. (Faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses) –Hebrews 11:1
“Jesus Calling”- by Sarah Young
I AM YOUR STRENGTH AND SHIELD. I plan out each day and have it ready for you, long before you arise from bed. I also provide the strength you need each step of the way, Instead of assessing your energy level and wondering about what’s on the road ahead, concentrate on staying in touch with Me, My Power flows freely into you through our open communication. Refuse to waste energy worrying, and you will have strength to spare.
Whenever you start to feel afraid, remember that I am YOUR SHIELD, but unlike inanimate armor, I AM ALWAYS alert and active. My Presence watches over you continually, protecting you from both known and unknown dangers. Entrust yourself to My watchcare, which is the best security system available. I am with you and will watch over you WHEREVER YOU GO.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song, I PRAISE HIM- Psalm 28:7
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?- Psalm 56:3-4
Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34
I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you- Genesis 28:15
His Presence is INTENSE
I got this today and was so stirred as i remember all the times He has drawn near to me. I must admit it makes me long to be in my glorified body knowing that this body can't contain the fullness until we all attain it.
Here is the e- mailed message:(Have an amazing Day with Daddy today)
Francis Frangipane:
The Intensifying Presence
We all know the unrepentant world is destined for the Great Tribulation, but as far as the living, praying Church is concerned, if we continue to climb toward the standard of Christlikeness, prior to the rapture there will be a season of great glory for true Christians.
In support of this holy goal, let me submit to you an encounter I had with the Lord in 1973. I was pastoring a small church in Hawaii and had been in a month of intense prayer and extended fasting, a time of drawing near to God. At the end of this period, I found myself awakened during the night by a visitation of the Lord. It was not as though I saw His physical features; I saw His glory and was overwhelmed by the intense fire of His presence. Immediately I was like a dead man, unable to move so much as a finger. Spiritually, however, my consciousness was heightened beyond anything I have known since. I was like one of those "living creatures" in the book of Revelation with "eyes around and within" (Revelation 4:8).
With my "inner eyes" I saw the truth about my personal righteousness. Recall, I had been in prayer and fasting; I felt good about myself. Yet suddenly the flaws in my life became unbearably vivid and utterly sinful. My iniquity was not as something I occasionally committed but as something I perpetually was. I saw many times when I could have been more loving or kind or sensitive. I also saw how selfish nearly all of my actions were.
Yet for all that was dark within me, I felt no rebuke from the Lord nor condemnation. No voice came from Heaven to convict me of my wrongs. The only voice condemning me was my own; in the light of His presence, I abhorred myself (Job 42:6, KJV).
Without any buffer of self-justification or deceit, I saw how far short of His glory I truly was. I knew why mankind needed the Blood of Christ, and no amount of personal attainment in and of itself could ever make me like Jesus. In the most profound way I understood that only Christ could live like Christ. God's plan was not to improve me but to remove me so that the Lord Jesus Himself could actually live His life through me (Galatians 2:20). In His indwelling would rest my hope of becoming like Him.
Outwardly, with "eyes around," I realized that the electrified atmosphere I felt in my bedroom was actually being broadcast from a very distant reality. Yet, though distant, the emanation of Christ's presence was like a burning fire upon my consciousness. A great procession of heavenly beings was descending through a night sky; I knew that this was a glimpse of Heaven coming to Earth.
In the forefront were angels of every class and order, each group in a splendor all its own. About a third of the way back was the Lord, and behind Him were innumerable saints. Yet I could not see into the depth of the Lord's glory, for those following Him had become part of His being.
The Lord was not only coming to judge the Earth but to fill this world with His glory. Let me repeat that, even though the Lord was far away, the radiance of His presence was a living fire upon my consciousness. The energy was almost painful.
Then, without warning, the procession came closer, not just to me but to our dimension. It was as though a mark in time had been crossed. Instantly I was utterly overwhelmed by the intensity of the Lord's presence. I felt that I could not – no, not for another moment – bear the increase of His glory. It was as though my very existence would be consumed by the blast furnace of His radiance. And in the deepest prayer I have ever uttered, I begged the Lord to return me to my body. Instantly, mercifully, I was cocooned once again in the familiar world of my senses and my bedroom.
What it Means
Night passed into dawn and I rose early, dressed, and went outside. With each step, I pondered the vision. The Lord brought my attention to the sun as it ascended above the eastern horizon. As I looked, I saw parallels between the radiance of the sunlight and the glory of the Lord. I realized in a new way that "the heavens are telling of the glory of God" (Psalm 19:1).
I saw that even though the sun is 93 million miles from the earth, we feel its heat and live in its light. It is inconceivably far away, yet its energy is also here. It warms us and in its light our life exists. So also the expanse of the Lord's presence emanates from His glorified body in Heaven. Physically He is distant, yet at times we actually feel the out-raying of His presence here; we are, in truth, warmed by His love. The glory of Christ, like the out-raying of the sun, is "safe" as long as He remains distant from us in Heaven.
But imagine if, with each successive decade, the sun were to steadily move closer to the earth. Radiation, heat, and light would increase dramatically. With each stage of its approach, the world as we know it would radically change!
So also will this world change spiritually as the person of the Lord Jesus and His Millennial reign draw near. The radiance of His presence will increasingly pour into the spiritual realms surrounding our world. And not only the "powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29; Hebrews 12), but the very world as we know it will experience dramatic changes.
If the sun drew closer, the increasing heat and light would soon be all we would think about. While the righteous are experiencing "glory and honor and peace" from His presence (Romans 2:10), the same glory will cause terrible "tribulation and distress" to the unrepentant world (verse 9). The wicked will cry to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us." From what? "the presence" of the Lord (Revelations 6:16).
Those hardened in sin will either find grace and repent or their hardness will deepen like Pharaoh's. Yet the same sun that hardens the clay also melts the butter. So as the Lord draws nearer, the prayer of the righteous will be, "Fill us with the presence of the Lamb!" The presence of Christ will be all that fills our minds. Those who love Him will experience the increase of His pleasure; they will taste the nectar of Heaven. Whether we are for or against the Lord, everyone's mind will be flooded with thoughts about God.
As it is written,
"For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 4:1-3
Simultaneously two events will manifest on earth, they will be the result of one, eternal source. The same increasing presence that causes wrath to descend upon the wicked will cause God's glory to be seen upon the righteous. For we who fear the Lord, the "sun of righteousness" will rise with healing in its rays.
This message was adapted from a chapter in Pastor Frangipane's book, The Days of His Presence.
Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email: francis1@frangipane.org
Here is the e- mailed message:(Have an amazing Day with Daddy today)
Francis Frangipane:
The Intensifying Presence
We all know the unrepentant world is destined for the Great Tribulation, but as far as the living, praying Church is concerned, if we continue to climb toward the standard of Christlikeness, prior to the rapture there will be a season of great glory for true Christians.
In support of this holy goal, let me submit to you an encounter I had with the Lord in 1973. I was pastoring a small church in Hawaii and had been in a month of intense prayer and extended fasting, a time of drawing near to God. At the end of this period, I found myself awakened during the night by a visitation of the Lord. It was not as though I saw His physical features; I saw His glory and was overwhelmed by the intense fire of His presence. Immediately I was like a dead man, unable to move so much as a finger. Spiritually, however, my consciousness was heightened beyond anything I have known since. I was like one of those "living creatures" in the book of Revelation with "eyes around and within" (Revelation 4:8).
With my "inner eyes" I saw the truth about my personal righteousness. Recall, I had been in prayer and fasting; I felt good about myself. Yet suddenly the flaws in my life became unbearably vivid and utterly sinful. My iniquity was not as something I occasionally committed but as something I perpetually was. I saw many times when I could have been more loving or kind or sensitive. I also saw how selfish nearly all of my actions were.
Yet for all that was dark within me, I felt no rebuke from the Lord nor condemnation. No voice came from Heaven to convict me of my wrongs. The only voice condemning me was my own; in the light of His presence, I abhorred myself (Job 42:6, KJV).
Without any buffer of self-justification or deceit, I saw how far short of His glory I truly was. I knew why mankind needed the Blood of Christ, and no amount of personal attainment in and of itself could ever make me like Jesus. In the most profound way I understood that only Christ could live like Christ. God's plan was not to improve me but to remove me so that the Lord Jesus Himself could actually live His life through me (Galatians 2:20). In His indwelling would rest my hope of becoming like Him.
Outwardly, with "eyes around," I realized that the electrified atmosphere I felt in my bedroom was actually being broadcast from a very distant reality. Yet, though distant, the emanation of Christ's presence was like a burning fire upon my consciousness. A great procession of heavenly beings was descending through a night sky; I knew that this was a glimpse of Heaven coming to Earth.
In the forefront were angels of every class and order, each group in a splendor all its own. About a third of the way back was the Lord, and behind Him were innumerable saints. Yet I could not see into the depth of the Lord's glory, for those following Him had become part of His being.
The Lord was not only coming to judge the Earth but to fill this world with His glory. Let me repeat that, even though the Lord was far away, the radiance of His presence was a living fire upon my consciousness. The energy was almost painful.
Then, without warning, the procession came closer, not just to me but to our dimension. It was as though a mark in time had been crossed. Instantly I was utterly overwhelmed by the intensity of the Lord's presence. I felt that I could not – no, not for another moment – bear the increase of His glory. It was as though my very existence would be consumed by the blast furnace of His radiance. And in the deepest prayer I have ever uttered, I begged the Lord to return me to my body. Instantly, mercifully, I was cocooned once again in the familiar world of my senses and my bedroom.
What it Means
Night passed into dawn and I rose early, dressed, and went outside. With each step, I pondered the vision. The Lord brought my attention to the sun as it ascended above the eastern horizon. As I looked, I saw parallels between the radiance of the sunlight and the glory of the Lord. I realized in a new way that "the heavens are telling of the glory of God" (Psalm 19:1).
I saw that even though the sun is 93 million miles from the earth, we feel its heat and live in its light. It is inconceivably far away, yet its energy is also here. It warms us and in its light our life exists. So also the expanse of the Lord's presence emanates from His glorified body in Heaven. Physically He is distant, yet at times we actually feel the out-raying of His presence here; we are, in truth, warmed by His love. The glory of Christ, like the out-raying of the sun, is "safe" as long as He remains distant from us in Heaven.
But imagine if, with each successive decade, the sun were to steadily move closer to the earth. Radiation, heat, and light would increase dramatically. With each stage of its approach, the world as we know it would radically change!
So also will this world change spiritually as the person of the Lord Jesus and His Millennial reign draw near. The radiance of His presence will increasingly pour into the spiritual realms surrounding our world. And not only the "powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29; Hebrews 12), but the very world as we know it will experience dramatic changes.
If the sun drew closer, the increasing heat and light would soon be all we would think about. While the righteous are experiencing "glory and honor and peace" from His presence (Romans 2:10), the same glory will cause terrible "tribulation and distress" to the unrepentant world (verse 9). The wicked will cry to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us." From what? "the presence" of the Lord (Revelations 6:16).
Those hardened in sin will either find grace and repent or their hardness will deepen like Pharaoh's. Yet the same sun that hardens the clay also melts the butter. So as the Lord draws nearer, the prayer of the righteous will be, "Fill us with the presence of the Lamb!" The presence of Christ will be all that fills our minds. Those who love Him will experience the increase of His pleasure; they will taste the nectar of Heaven. Whether we are for or against the Lord, everyone's mind will be flooded with thoughts about God.
As it is written,
"For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing," says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 4:1-3
Simultaneously two events will manifest on earth, they will be the result of one, eternal source. The same increasing presence that causes wrath to descend upon the wicked will cause God's glory to be seen upon the righteous. For we who fear the Lord, the "sun of righteousness" will rise with healing in its rays.
This message was adapted from a chapter in Pastor Frangipane's book, The Days of His Presence.
Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email: francis1@frangipane.org
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The Daily Cross
Lately I've been going through a lot of battles. A lot of times when you're going through things people may not understand you and I am learning that that is okay. God has a perfect timing for everything and in all things God is still good and he is still God and I'm still not. Anyway I have an excerpt from a book called "The Pursuit of God" by A W Tozer That has brought me some comfort in what I have been going through inside. I yearn for Gods children to rise up and be who they are called to be. That starts with me!! Hallelujah! To the cross we go daily. Though none go with me still I will follow!
Everything in the New Testament accords with this Old Testament picture. Ransomed men Need no longer pause in fear to enter the holy of holy's. God wills that we should push on into his presence and live our whole life there. This is to be known To us in conscious experience. It is more than a doctrine to be held; it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day. ...
Similarly, the presence of God is the central fact of Christianity. At the heart of the Christian message is God himself waiting for his redeemed children to push into conscious awareness of his presence. That type of Christianity which happens now to be in the vogue knows this presence only in theory. It fails to stress the Christians privilege of present realization. According to its teachings we are in the presence of God positionally, and nothing is said about the need to experience that presence actually. ..
What hinders us? The answer usually given, simply that we are 'cold' will not explain all the facts. There is something more serious than coldness of heart...
What is it? What but the presence of a veil in our hearts? The veil not taken away as the first veil was, but which remains they are still shitting out the light and hiding the face of God from us.
Self is the opaque vale that hides the face of God from us. It can be removed only in spiritual experience, never by mere instruction. We may as well try to instruct Lipper see out of our system. There must be a work of God in destruction before we are free. We must invite the cross to do it's deadly work within us. We must bring our self – sins to the cross for judgment. We must prepare ourselves for an ordeal of suffering in some measure like that through which our Savior past when he suffered under Pontious Pilate.
Let us remember that when we talk of the rending of the veil we are speaking in a figure, and the thought of it is poetical, almost pleasant, but in actuality there is nothing pleasant about it. In human experience the veil is made up of living spiritual tissue; it is composed of the sentiment, quivering stuff of which are whole beings consist, and to touch it is to touch us where we feel pain. To tear it away is to injure us, to hurt ass into make us believe. To say otherwise is to make the cross no cross and death note death at all. It is never fun to die. To rip through the dear and tender stuff of which life is made can never be anything but deeply painful. Yet that is what The cross did to Jesus and it is what the cross would do to every man to set him free.
Let us beware of tinkering with our inner life, Hoping ourselves to rend the veil. God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and to trust. We must confess, forsake, repudiate the self – life, and then reckon it crucified. But we must be careful to distinguish lazy' acceptance' From the real work of God. We must insist upon the work being done. We dare not rest content with a neat doctrine of self – crucifixion. That is to imitate Saul and spare the best of the sheep and oxen.
Insist that the work be done in very truth and it will be done. The cross is rough and it is deadly, but it is effective. It does not keep its victim hanging there forever. There comes a moment when it's work is finished and the suffering victim dies. After that is resurrection glory and power, And the pain is forgotten for joy that the veil is taken away and we have entered in actual spiritual experience the presence of the living God.
Everything in the New Testament accords with this Old Testament picture. Ransomed men Need no longer pause in fear to enter the holy of holy's. God wills that we should push on into his presence and live our whole life there. This is to be known To us in conscious experience. It is more than a doctrine to be held; it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day. ...
Similarly, the presence of God is the central fact of Christianity. At the heart of the Christian message is God himself waiting for his redeemed children to push into conscious awareness of his presence. That type of Christianity which happens now to be in the vogue knows this presence only in theory. It fails to stress the Christians privilege of present realization. According to its teachings we are in the presence of God positionally, and nothing is said about the need to experience that presence actually. ..
What hinders us? The answer usually given, simply that we are 'cold' will not explain all the facts. There is something more serious than coldness of heart...
What is it? What but the presence of a veil in our hearts? The veil not taken away as the first veil was, but which remains they are still shitting out the light and hiding the face of God from us.
Self is the opaque vale that hides the face of God from us. It can be removed only in spiritual experience, never by mere instruction. We may as well try to instruct Lipper see out of our system. There must be a work of God in destruction before we are free. We must invite the cross to do it's deadly work within us. We must bring our self – sins to the cross for judgment. We must prepare ourselves for an ordeal of suffering in some measure like that through which our Savior past when he suffered under Pontious Pilate.
Let us remember that when we talk of the rending of the veil we are speaking in a figure, and the thought of it is poetical, almost pleasant, but in actuality there is nothing pleasant about it. In human experience the veil is made up of living spiritual tissue; it is composed of the sentiment, quivering stuff of which are whole beings consist, and to touch it is to touch us where we feel pain. To tear it away is to injure us, to hurt ass into make us believe. To say otherwise is to make the cross no cross and death note death at all. It is never fun to die. To rip through the dear and tender stuff of which life is made can never be anything but deeply painful. Yet that is what The cross did to Jesus and it is what the cross would do to every man to set him free.
Let us beware of tinkering with our inner life, Hoping ourselves to rend the veil. God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and to trust. We must confess, forsake, repudiate the self – life, and then reckon it crucified. But we must be careful to distinguish lazy' acceptance' From the real work of God. We must insist upon the work being done. We dare not rest content with a neat doctrine of self – crucifixion. That is to imitate Saul and spare the best of the sheep and oxen.
Insist that the work be done in very truth and it will be done. The cross is rough and it is deadly, but it is effective. It does not keep its victim hanging there forever. There comes a moment when it's work is finished and the suffering victim dies. After that is resurrection glory and power, And the pain is forgotten for joy that the veil is taken away and we have entered in actual spiritual experience the presence of the living God.
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