JAMES W. GOLL is the cofounder of Ministry to the Nations and a member of the Harvest International Apostolic team. He is the author of ten books including The Lost Art of Intercession and Wasted on Jesus. Jim is a member of the Israel Relief Fund, the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders, The Call, and other national and international ministries. He has appeared on the 700 Club, TBN, 100 Huntley, and other radio and TV broadcasts. He and his wife, Michal Ann, were married for over 25 years before her graduation into heaven in September of 2008. They had four children together. James resides in Franklin, Tennessee. His website is www.encountersnetwork.com.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Dreams for a Reason!
TYPES AND PURPOSES OF DREAMS
BY JAMES W. GOLL
Dreams are as diverse as the languages we speak, the clothing we wear, and the food we eat. Dreams are a communicative expression of the creative heart of God. As the Master artistically paints each flower of the field, so dreams are individually, tailor made for you and me.
Like the colors in a rainbow in overlapping shades, difficult to tell where one stops and another begins, dreams are spiritual gifts that intertwine with various enchanting shades. Dreams are not a dead language but a dynamic, living language of love.
CATEGORIES OF DREAMS FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT
Dreams from the Holy Spirit come in virtually infinite variety and are tailored for each individual. Nevertheless, I want to briefly list 12 basic categories of dreams that we receive from the Holy Spirit.
1. Dreams of Destiny
Destiny dreams can reveal part of the progressive calling of God regarding your life, guidance and vocation. Dreams of Destiny are inspiring and charge our faith to soar to new levels!
2. Dreams of Edification
Edifying dreams are inspirational in tone. They are filled with revelation and they produce hope. Dreams of edification can help change the course of your life by instilling a sense of hope and confidence.
3. Dreams of Exhortation
Sometimes called "courage dreams," dreams of exhortation often contain a strong sense of urgency. They impart inspiration and motivation to get up and take action.
4. Dreams of Comfort
Comfort dreams serve to heal our emotions and our memories.We can use them to reinterpret circumstances of our past with a heavenly lens,helping us to see things differently, and with God's perspective.
5. Dreams of Correction
Corrective dreams reveal personal changes--character issues,heart issues, repentance issues--that we need to make in order to be able to move forward. The Holy Spirit comes in gentle love and releases a wooing to draw us to turn to Him and accept His correction.
6. Dreams of Direction
Directive dreams often contain a higher level of revelation and often convey a distinct sense of urgency. Ultimately, dreams of direction serve to help us get farther down the road toward fulfilling our destiny and purpose, showing us signposts and helping us avoid pitfalls along the way.
7. Dreams of Instruction
These are primarily teaching dreams filled with wisdom.Sometimes instructive dreams will even be doctrinal in nature, but they will always contain insight with revelation.
8. Dreams of Cleansing
These dreams deal with cleansing issues. They are concerned with our purification process.
9. Dreams Revealing the Heart
These are also known as dreams of self-disclosure or dreams of self-condition. God gives us dreams of self-condition to show us where we are, tell us what we need to do and reveal where He wants us to go.
10. Dreams of Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual warfare dreams are intercessory-type dreams that reveal hindrances and may include calls to worship and fasting. Their purpose is to inspire us to tear down strongholds and overcome every obstacle or barrier that stands in the way.
11. Dreams of Creativity
Creative dreams involve such things as designs, inventions,new ways of doing things. They can charge our spirit man and help us become change makers, changing the culture of our homes, cities, and the lives of others and even the strongholds of our minds.
12. Dreams with Impartation
Impartational dreams are used to activate any of the various dimensions of the gifts of the Spirit. In some cases an angel of the Lord may actually appear in your room and touch you releasing one of heaven's many power encounters.
If you are just beginning to walk in the realm of dream language and find this great diversity of dreams a bit overwhelming, be patient. It will take time and experience to become adept at identifying different dream types and categories and interpreting the messages you receive.He will gently and lovingly guide you along the way in your very own diversity of dreams.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Get Ready for the coming move of God!
God's Gracious Dealings: Another Great Move of God Will Be Birthed in Great Humility
"All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers. You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not."—Deuteronomy 8:1-2
"Why, God?" are two words that both of us have heard and spoken many times this past year. Since 2009 began, it has been a year of "whys" for many of God's people who have gone through a deep and extended time of testing—lasting years in some cases. But, for all of our questioning "why," the only answer the Holy Spirit has given us has been, "Trust Me."
Deep within our spirits, we knew that God's people were being tested and prepared for the days ahead. But what we haven't understood has been the severe and total stripping of resources. For our family, we are experiencing a life of praying and watching for our daily bread, since every natural resource has dried up. We never have the comfort or security within our own strength to know where the next meal or next day's provision will come from. After seeking much counsel, after countless hours of prayer, and after exhausting all human reasoning, over and over we still hear: "You are right where God wants you to be; continue to wait upon the Lord."
But now, the last month of the year, it seems that the Lord is giving us greater understanding into the work that He has been doing within our hearts. The answer is found in chapter eight of Deuteronomy.
You Are Not a Failure
Recently we were with a Christian man whom we know quite well. He stated that he had failed his family because of circumstances they have encountered. This man has worked hard all of his life and has followed the Lord in all that He had asked of him, but still has lost his job and all of his resources to provide for his family. We knew that this man was not a failure, but he believed it so strongly that it began to be the reality of his identity in his own eyes, rather than what his family knew to be true. It was a devastating conclusion. God loved this man deeply as a dear son, but he was not able to perceive that love, or really recognize his sonship.
As we have thought and prayed about this, we realize there must be many other men and women dealing with similar thoughts. They look into the eyes of their loved ones and realize they have nothing within themselves to offer their families or change their painful situations. (This is especially discouraging during the holiday season, when the pressure to have provision escalates.) Many others have stepped out in faith, believing for great things, only to find their best efforts have seemingly produced no fruit.
In trying to find some insight regarding the difficulties in our lives and the lives of others, the Holy Spirit led us to Deuteronomy eight as an answer to the question, "Am I a failure?"
Let's read further into Deuteronomy 8 and see what the Lord says: He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord... (Verse 3)
Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. For the Lord is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you shall eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.
When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and you have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Verses 5-14)
Here's the dilemma: if you believe that your weakness can make you a failure, then you probably also believe that it is by your strength that you can be a success. The people of Israel were disciplined and humbled by their time in the wilderness, but were they failures as they followed the cloud and pillar of fire, or gathered manna for their daily sustenance? Then, was it their strength that ushered them after forty years into the Promised Land and won the battles they fought to posses the land? No—it was God's strength that provided for them, led them, and gave them victory and prosperity.
Does a parent discipline his child because he believes his child is a failure? No! We discipline because we know that our children were created for great things, and we want them to know how to listen and obey our words so that one day they will listen and obey the word of the Lord. So, to all of you men and women who have believed that this season of discipline has been due to your failure: You are not a failure. You are a loved Son or Daughter whom the Lord is teaching to hear and obey His voice.
God Alone Gives the Power to Make Wealth
In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, "My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth." But, you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (Verses 16-18)
This season, in which many Believers have wondered if it was their end, has actually been the threshold to the greatest move of God we have ever seen. The wilderness has been the beginning of the move of God we have all been praying for; it has just come differently than we expected.
Why did people have a hard time receiving Jesus as the Messiah? Because He came in very humble means. His life began in a manger made for animals and ended on a cross made for thieves and murderers. His coming was the pivotal point of history for all mankind. But many did not see, and still have not seen, who He really is.
Will we not see that we are in the beginning phase of another great move of God that has been birthed in great humility, as well as adversity? Whether we are entrusted with great wealth or many souls saved (or both), our hearts must be prepared in humility, so that we can truly say in the midst of what many would categorize as "success" that it is God alone who gives us the power to do all things! We have been and are being tested so that in the end we will not believe that it was our strength or power that caused these things to come about.
Do Not Touch
"It shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the Lord your God." (Verses 19-20)
We cannot count the times in raising our children that we used the words, "Do not touch!" They wanted to touch everything and own everything. It seems one of the first words all of them learned was "Mine!" Everything we owned was "mine." In their little perspectives, all items in the house were theirs to touch and possess. It took our parental discipline to teach them not to handle something when we said, "Do not touch!"
The same is true of us during this time. God is teaching us what He means when He says, "Do not touch!" We are not to say, "Mine!" about the move of God that will bring forth salvations, wealth, and influence. We are to remain humble and not become our own gods or worship the success.
The story of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 4 is an illustration of the results of claiming honor for ourselves. The Lord graciously gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream warning him against pride. Daniel interpreted the dream and offered the king sound wisdom as to how to avoid the scenario he had seen. Obviously, Nebuchadnezzar did not take the warning seriously enough to allow any lasting heart change, for as the story continues, we read what happens to him:
Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. The king reflected and said, "Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?"
While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice came from Heaven, saying, "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind...until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whomever He wishes." (Verses 29-32)
We all know what happened next. After the voice spoke, Nebuchadnezzar lost his sanity and lived like an animal for seven years, as the Lord had warned him. When that period of humbling was completed, Nebuchadnezzar's reason, his sovereignty and his splendor were restored, but he now had a completely different perspective:
"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of Heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride." (Verse 37).
Most of us have not come to the place of testing because we were overtly proud and cruel, like the king. Nevertheless, God knows the preparation that must take place within us before we are entrusted with great success in any arena. The most seemingly humble men and women have fallen prey to the seductions that come with power, wealth and accomplishment. While it is true that God desires to work in us and through us for astonishing purposes, it is by His power that we succeed. Because we are in the beginning of an unprecedented move of God's Spirit, it is absolutely vital that we understand this truth. He will not allow us to carry any trace of pride in our own efforts or strength into this new season.
So, we would say to you: if you feel that you have been stripped of everything, and all your best efforts seem to amount to nothing—rejoice! Begin to thank God for His discipline and humbling because it proves your sonship. Ask Him to forgive you for believing the lie that you are a failure, or that He has failed you. He is preparing you for the greatness that was always meant for His children. Remember, it is in our weakness that He manifests His strength.
Prayer
Father—
In my weakness manifest Your strength
In my pride manifest Your humility
In my lies manifest Your truth
In my need manifest Your power
In my poverty manifest Your riches
In my sickness manifest Your health
In my hunger manifest Your fullness
In my loneliness manifest Your presence
And in my death manifest Your life!
Amen
Merry Christmas. Rejoice in this wonderful season—Jesus truly is the humble King!
Jeff and Kathi Pelton
Light Streams Ministries
Email: jkpelton@sbcglobal.net
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Attitude necessary in 2010 for higher altitude
Paul Keith Davis:
A Key to Breakthrough in 2010: A Broken and Contrite Heart
Unquestionably, we are entering times of heightened spiritual activity and confrontation. We believe 2010 will be a year considerably different from the past, with measures of breakthrough experienced by the remnant who qualify: those having positioned themselves before God with humility, contrition and who tremble at His Word.This truth was recently re-emphasized to me while conducting meetings in New Zealand. While there I was reminded of a story recorded in the life of the notable healing evangelist Smith Wigglesworth. It involved a key secret in his walk with God and the release of divine power through this great champion.
In 1922 Wigglesworth journeyed to New Zealand for a series of healing campaigns. At the time, he was unknown to New Zealand's leadership, but with great confidence various pastors rented the Wellington Town Hall to host the meetings. To everyone's delight, the Lord was wonderfully present in power, bringing healing and salvation to scores. The services were so successful that additional meetings were arranged and each was filled to capacity with God healing the most difficult cases of sickness and disease.
At the conclusion of the campaign one of the host pastors, while walking along the seashore with Wigglesworth, asked what his secret was to walking in demonstrations of God's power. Wigglesworth responded, "I am sorry you asked me that question, but I will answer it. I am a brokenhearted man. My wife who meant everything to me, died 11 years ago. After the funeral I went back and lay on her grave. I wanted to die there. But God spoke to me and told me to rise up and come away. I told Him if He would give me a double portion of the Spirit—my wife's and my own—I would go and preach the Gospel. God was gracious to me and answered my request. But I sail the high seas alone. I am a lonely man, and many a time all I can do is to weep and weep."
A broken and contrite heart was the secret to Wigglesworth's success with God. It is written in Psalm 51:17, "the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."
As the two men continued walking along New Zealand's seashore, Wigglesworth emphasized what he carried in God was not to be envied, but instead he envied what the last generation will see. Wigglesworth explained that he had experienced three open visions with the Lord. Two of them were already fulfilled at the time of these meetings in 1922. However, he expressed the third would take place after his death. Wigglesworth explained, "Oh it was amazing! Amazing! I cannot tell God's secrets, but you will remember what I say—this revival we have had is nothing to what God is yet going to do."
The pastor to whom these comments were made recorded that he clearly understood Wigglesworth's comments were directed towards the spiritual outpouring within the generation preceding the Lord's return. He said, "It was quite evident that the evangelist had a special vision granted to him of the coming outpouring of the Spirit in an unprecedented effusion in the days just before our Lord comes to snatch away the Church."
Taking it to Another Level
Clearly, Wigglesworth was given a glimpse of God's plan for this present hour. It is also recorded that while in South Africa in 1936, Wigglesworth accurately prophesied what has now become known as the Charismatic renewal. He along with many other prior champions was allowed to prophetically observe and forecast what we as a generation can enjoy in God. Even so, the same qualifications are necessary for us that existed with Wigglesworth and the others.
It is incredibly sad that Wigglesworth lost his precious wife Polly. Nevertheless, it produced something in him that God was able to use to change a generation. Although we may not go through the precise loss that Wigglesworth experienced, our ultimate goal is to present ourselves before God in humility and genuine brokenness of heart because of our condition and the present need for godly character. Such a heart God will not despise and will powerfully anoint with demonstrations of His Spirit.
Following the meetings in New Zealand I felt a profound challenge being placed upon my life and that of God's leadership to take our consecration and devotion to a higher level. He deserves greater than we have been able to present thus far. Clearly there are many who have sacrificed notably throughout the Church to see His Kingdom revealed. Even so, for the most part—on the corporate level, we must aspire to something more.
Our Need for True Leadership
There is a present need for clarity and honorable leadership to emerge with a credible prophetic voice to provide direction and divine wisdom. With an increasing emphasis on the emergence of God's divine government there is an equal demand for Biblical understanding of God's promises for the end-of-the-age generation. There are clear spiritual endowments being imparted to those groomed and prepared for governmental responsibility. Never before has there been greater need for the spirits of wisdom and revelation promised in Ephesians 1:17-19 saying:
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
Like Daniel and his three friends in Babylonian captivity, we desperately need the impartation of heavenly wisdom and knowledge as well as intelligence in all manner of writing and literature. We desperately need insight and interpretation of our dreams and visions (Daniel 1:17).
It is my perspective that all true spiritual leadership is birthed out of friendship with the Lord. He once told His disciples that He no longer considered them servants, but friends. From that place of intimacy, God's mysteries, secrets and strategies are imparted that convey the Father's thoughts and aspirations for this generation. Therefore, our foremost pursuit should not necessarily be a spiritual office, but friendship with Jesus. Who we are and what we are called to be will become clearly recognized as we delegate Kingdom authority and walk with God like Enoch.
Supernatural Endowments
I have often studied and written on the life of Daniel; a man highly esteemed and greatly beloved in Heaven. The Lord told me years ago that Daniel was a prototype of the generation he foresaw. In many ways, Daniel and his three friends provide a prophetic picture of the manner by which the Lord will equip His people for special end-of-the-age assignments. The Babylonian captivity of natural Israel provides a forecast of our present condition and the Lord's promise for deliverance.
Daniel 1:17 describes Heaven's special empowerment imparted to these loyal young men. God gave them: Knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all (kinds of) visions and dreams.
The Lord gave them by inspiration, revelatory knowledge and intelligence in various matters of writing and literature. The Lord quickened in them special skills to apprehend and articulate spiritual understanding and Heavenly wisdom. Daniel was notably gifted with supernatural perception into all manner of visions and dreams.
There was a specific impartation from God that empowered them to excel in the apprehension of wisdom and governmental scholarship. The Lord bestowed by spiritual transference the blessing of unique knowledge and exceptional capacity in literature and all manner of written work.
This pattern will also be followed in this day when the Lord discovers devoted hearts of obedience and loyalty. There are vast storehouses of revelatory insight and supernatural knowledge involving Scripture, creation, science, the arts and many other subjects that will be entrusted to saints who follow the model established by Daniel and his three friends.
A Prophetic Standard
These four young men provide a prophetic standard for the spiritually strong who know their God and carry out great exploits. They will intimately know God and engage the revelatory realm of Heaven. In them will be an excellent spirit granting acute perception and understanding to interpret dreams and visions, clarify revelatory experiences and solve difficult and enigmatic problems. They will be people who apprehend insight from the throne room and respond to the invitation to "come up here" to be shown things to take place in the future.
A few years ago during a prophetic experience, the Lord specifically stated to me that Daniel 1:17 was spiritually linked to Ephesians 1:17. These are parallel passages stating the same promises from different time frames. One is from the Old Covenant outlining God's dealings during difficult times but also pointing to a future day of supernatural intervention into the lives of mankind. The other is expressed in the New Covenant recording for all generations the heritage of the saints.
Despite our perceived personal limitations, the Lord is a quickening Spirit. He has promised to give life to our mortal bodies with His Spirit and grant to us the spirit of revelation that will access mysteries, secrets and revelatory knowledge as our legacy in Him.
Tokens of the Past
Many who attended Maria Woodworth-Etter's meetings at the turn of the 20th century would be caught up in the Spirit to experience visions and revelations of the Lord. These accounts are well documented and verified. Some would be commissioned in their encounter as missionaries to foreign lands and emerge from their visionary revelation capable of fluently speaking the language of the nation to which they were called.
It is the Father's good pleasure to reveal to us the Kingdom and perform awesome deeds that only He can achieve. It was a small thing for Him to rejuvenate the bodies of Abraham and Sarah and quicken them with strengthening virtue. Even after Sarah's death and well over one-hundred years of age, Abraham continued in the strength imparted to him by his encounter with El Shaddai and bore many more sons through Keturah.
Likewise, the Lord is more than able to equip us to access the unfathomable treasures hidden in Him that require supernatural gifts like those entrusted to the apostle Paul. As the Bible also clearly promises, the Holy Spirit knows what is hidden in darkness and reveals the deep and secret things. Light dwells with Him bringing illumination to that which has been set apart and reserved for the generation of destiny (Daniel 2:22).
Even now there are individuals engaging the revelatory realm of Heaven receiving downloads of insight into physics, light, sound and spiritual colors. The visitation of the apostle John to the throne room was both visual and audible. His experience disclosed awesome sights, sounds and vibrant colors surrounding the Lord's seat of dominion and victory. The more understanding we have of that realm the greater our ability to cooperate with Heaven in the demonstration of the Kingdom dominion on the earth.
Mysteries and Secrets of God
In like fashion, the Lord is releasing by the spirit of revelation, keys of understanding and interpretation into Kingdom mysteries and secrets reserved for the Last Days. Passages that have been present all along but with limited understanding will become illuminated and saturated with Spirit and Life. There is now being released from Heaven a spiritual endowment that will provide divine wisdom and revelatory insight. The prophecies of Isaiah point to this saying:
You have heard (these things foretold), now you see this fulfillment. And will you not bear witness to it? I show you specified new things from this time forth, even hidden things (kept in reserve) which you have not known.
They are created now (called into being by the prophetic word), and not long ago; and before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, Behold, I knew them!—Isaiah 48:6-7 AMP
During the days of the early Apostolic Church, unprecedented events were taking place. The disciples were compelled to examine the prophetic writings of the prophets to provide a Scriptural basis for their experiences. No one could have anticipated the prophetic fulfillment that transpired on the Day of Pentecost. The Scriptures pointing to Pentecost were present all along but now the experience itself unlocked revelatory insight into the mysteries of the Kingdom that were imparted during the early Church.
There are notable thoughts and plans resident in God's heart that have been sealed and held in reserve until the appointed time. That day has now arrived and the Lord is releasing spiritual impartations that will be dynamic in their applications. The Scriptural truths and Kingdom mysteries that are imminently before us will have as much impact today as Martin Luther's ninety-five theses nailed to the Church door in Wittenberg, Germany, did in the early 16th century.
Paul Keith and Wanda Davis
WhiteDove Ministries
Email: inquiries@whitedoveministries.org
Website: www.whitedoveministries.org
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The Heavenly Repair Man
Kathie Walters:
The Heavenly Repair Man Loves to Heal Everything
A repair man came to my house one time, and I remember him telling me how he loved to repair things and make them whole again. Well, God is like that, too. Recently He spoke to me and said, "I love to repair broken things and people and make them whole again."
He repairs broken hearts, heals wounds, mends broken bones, straightens crooked limbs, restores torn places and restores places that disease has ravaged. He is the Healer of hearts and the Lover of your soul. He is the Restorer of the breaches and your greatest Friend.
I had a vision where I saw myself coming before His throne, bringing a young lad in a wheelchair. God reached out His hand and the boy jumped out of the wheelchair. Then I brought a lady with cancer. I had my hand on her arm and God reached out and touched her. She smiled a big smile. God was so happy to repair these broken people. Whether it's emotional, physical or spiritual, He is the heavenly repair man. He has imparted that same desire to you, to want to see people made whole. Bring them to His throne or, like Peter at the Beautiful Gate, stretch out your hand and say, "Such as I have, I give to you." Peter stretched out his hand and pulled the man up. Jesus is the Restorer. That's a good way of being a repair man.
Sometimes the enemy aborts precious things in your life. Religious spirits can abort the anointings and giftings in people's lives, but God is the Restorer and Repairer, and as you trust Him and take a stand to be true to Him, He will restore what the thief has taken. Remember that your first loyalty is to the Holy Spirit—He is the Spirit of Truth. You cannot give allegiance to something that is not in Truth.
God is Your Rescuer and He Has the Greatest Welfare System Ever Conceived
Did you know God is also a Rescuer? Ever been in a hopeless looking situation? My friend, Pastor Alan, in Kodiak, Alaska, was in the icy sea water for 10 hours when his fishing boat capsized. Thirty-foot waves and no one knew where he was. It was pitch black. I would say that was a pretty hopeless looking situation, wouldn't you? But Jesus rescued him in a miraculous way. (To view this previously posted article on the ElijahList click here.)
I was in Hawaii again recently and a friend was telling me about a man in the meeting the week before. He was almost ready to get saved out of Hinduism. As he came into the parking lot for the meeting, he backed his car into a post and made a big dent in it. I think it was a nice car, so he was upset. During the meeting he got a physical healing because God is the heavenly Repair Man. Guess what happened when he went outside to drive home? The dent in his car had been repaired, too. Jesus is able to "save to the uttermost."
From the under-most (I made that word up) to the uppermost, He is the heavenly Repair Man! For yourself, your family, your job, your church, your welfare. God has the greatest welfare system that's ever been conceived. He cares about your welfare. He desires you to fare well. Jesus made provision by His death on the Cross and His resurrection, that all of your being is taken care of. He desires that we are whole.
"Will You Be Made Whole?"
"Will you be made whole?" Jesus said to a man at the pool of Bethesda (see John 5). The man was waiting by the pool with many other sick people. It was obvious that the man wanted to be healed or he wouldn't have been there in the first place. So, why did Jesus ask such a question when the answer was obvious? It's like asking someone who is sunbathing, "Would you like to get a suntan?"
Well, I think Jesus was making a point of getting the man to think about what he wanted and the possibilities. In this case, there were no possibilities because he wasn't able to get himself into the pool where the healing water was. Jesus said, "Never mind about the water, take up your bed and walk" (Walters' version). So the heavenly Repair Man repaired the hopelessness and also healed his discouragement, and as a by-product his body was made whole.
Nothing is automatic, we receive what He has provided by faith. He made everything available, but we have to receive it! The heavenly Repair Man LOVES to repair and mend and heal and forgive. He rescues, restores and repairs.
P.S. If you have never heard my message "Getting Free From Religious Spirits and Living in the Supernatural," please order it and download it. It is one of the most important messages on religious mindsets that you will ever hear.
Kathie Walters
Good News Ministries
Email: Kathiewalters@mindspring.com
Letting go of the past accelerates us to embrace our future!
Luke Holter:
Back to the Future: Jesus is Healing Our Past and Setting Up Our Future
Hope, Identity and Breakthrough
I have found myself charged by the Lord as of late to call the Church into a place of hope, identity, and breakthrough. Many in the Body are dealing with great grief, and are looking to their past and letting hurts, failures, and mistakes determine where they go in their future. God is committed to us coming into a place where we align ourselves with our true identities as children of God. God desires to give us good gifts, to bless us, and to give us a future.God wants us to be healed from our painful history and to find our identity in Jesus. "The issues" that make up who we are and how we live are found in "how we relate to our past and what we think of Jesus." Finding the grace in God to overcome your past is the key to what will unlock our hearts to move forward and into 2010—with wholeness. The Holy Spirit will reveal to us the places where we are held captive by bitterness, anger, and shame.
Our identity must first be established in our relationship with God or in intimacy with God. Our relationship with God is grounded as we encounter His thoughts and affections toward us. You have to know that your current circumstances are not punishment for some way you have failed God. If we have a confident relationship with Papa, we will not be waiting for the other shoe to drop, but instead we will overcome the negative aspects of our history and start to walk in confidence and purpose. If we agree with Heaven and literally start speaking the biblical truth of who we are before God, we will begin to soften and become accessible for healing.
A Vision of Healing the Past
The Holy Spirit walked me through a vision, where I saw a large group of people lined up in front of me, and showed me how He literally went into each person's past.
In one instance the Holy Spirit went in through the eyes of a woman in front of me, and He took me to this woman's bedroom when she was a child. She was lying on her side, crying in bed, and I watched as Holy Spirit started to cup His hands around her feet and breathed into His hands. This little girl started to slowly light up with a warm glow as if light was coming from inside of her and glowing through her skin.
I was then pulled back in front of this grown woman, tears were rolling down her face as she said, "I forgive you, dad." The Holy Spirit had literally gone back in time to when she was an abused little girl, and He healed that place in her heart.
Next, I saw an older man standing in line, and again I went on a journey with Holy Spirit and saw this man much younger sitting on his sofa, sobbing. His wife was explaining to him that she didn't love him anymore and was leaving him for another man. The man was left alone sobbing on his sofa as she said goodbye.
Then I watched as Holy Spirit rushed to him and started to put His hands around this young man's heart and breathe. The same event took place as above, and I saw this young man with a warm glow. Then again, I was pulled back and saw the older man now with tears rolling down his face. The man was looking straight forward and said, "I forgive you, sweetheart."
This was what was taking place with everyone in line. They were all allowing the Holy Spirit to go deep into their pain, hurts, and disappointments to heal them. God then said, "I am literally going back in time for the sake of your future."
Everyone in this line had luggage in their hands, and now at the front of the line was an airplane. Written on the side of the airplane was the phrase, "Acceleration to 2010," and I heard a voice in Heaven say, "If you're boarding the promises of God, you have to check your baggage." The luggage was too big and heavy to take on board this airplane of acceleration and had to be handed over to Jesus before boarding. As people chose to hand the luggage over to Jesus, He took their baggage from them.
We need to let go of the baggage in our lives and move forward with Him. God is dedicated to us going into our future—healed up and restored. We have so many wonderful things in our future as we grow in Christ Jesus, and our heart responses to situations that have hurt us are vital in our journey.
Let's choose to be brave and allow the Holy Spirit to go into our past so we can be made whole and released into our future! Make a decision today to not hold captive those past wounds and failures, but to trust Jesus with our past, present, and future. Today the Father wants us to choose to forgive.
Declarative Prayer: Father, we trust You and give You permission to go into the deep places of our history and do a work of healing. Jesus, we forgive those who may have hurt us out of ignorance or even malice and we choose to give them to You.
I want you the reader to literally say, "Jesus, I give You 'person's name' and everything that this person did to me, Lord please forgive them." We invite You, Holy Spirit, to even now begin a work in our own hearts toward daily forgiveness. We choose to let these past hurts go for the sake of our future. In Jesus name, Amen.
Luke Holter
Prophetic Sheep Ministries
Email: propheticsheep@yahoo.com
Website: www.propheticsheep.com
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