The “Process” of waking up

Lisa Elshaug
2/22/2009

There are those in the church who are in complete denial of what is going on and where we are all headed.

There are those in the church who have come to realize all of the above….who are wiping the sleep from their eye’s and are suddenly gripped by fear, and confusion to what they’re waking up to.
(kinda like…the house is on fire, and the alarm is going off)

There are those in the church who have calmed down to some degree, and are now asking God….O.K… what do you want me to do?

And then there are those in the church who are calmly hearing The Lord, and moving.

I have come to realize that there are various stages of “waking up”.

That the first group above are still very much asleep.
The next two are in the process of waking up.
And the final group are wide awake and ready to go.

It truly is time to stop denying what is going on.
To wake up, and get moving.
To put our eye’s on The Lord and keep them there.
To open our ears/hearts to His voice, and do what He is telling us to do.

And the good news is….
If we will do this, God will absolutely protect, and provide in way’s we have never known.
Way’s that we can’t even imagine.
Right in the midst of all the bad God will and is doing good.

Now what that will look like from moment to moment, for each and every person who is choosing this walk…..I cannot say.

And I know it sounds simplistic….because it really is.
It just won’t always be easy.

It’s time to wake up, get up, and get moving!

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Isaiah 60 1-2

What The Lord Is Saying Today

February 21, 2009. You feel like you are on the raft in the middle of the ocean. All has been pretty calm and beautiful so far. Breezes have blown. The sun is comfortably warm. Your fresh drinking water supply is intact. But suddenly, with but a quick and low profiled warning, a storm is upon you. The winds blow, the waves become gigantic. No one is expecting you to survive. Something within you cries out to God for help. You know that He has called you. He never promised it would be easy. But now you see that all you have believed in and for is imperiled. How great is the cost? It could cost you everything just like the calling of Christ cost Him everything. Good news – you have all the faith you need to overcome and bring the greatest of victories. I believe in you because I love you.
2 Corinthians 11:24-25 “I’ve been flogged five times with the Jews’ thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I’ve been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day.”   Ras Robinson

February 21, 2009. Things are coming together. You received an unexpected blessing. You knew a task had to be done, but it has begun much quicker than you anticipated. I sent the ones to help. It is being done right when it should be, according to My plans. If you will adjust, and receive My help and My helpers, you will be pleasantly amazed at what will be done. You were not planning on starting the task so quickly, but you adjusted to My schedule, rather than insisting on your schedule. If you will walk in My ways and by My instruction you will be on My time table. I bring things together.
Psalms 25:4-6 “Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Remember, O LORD, your compassion and unfailing love,”   Bev Robinson

Spiritual Storms

by Bill and Marsha Burns
http://ft111.com

The Lord has spoken to us and given us direction so that we know mentally where we are going, and we have times of spiritual exhilaration, but those times are quickly engulfed and extinguished by the storms. The storms of life have often obliterated our spiritual visibility. It’s hard to see where we are, let alone have any vision for what’s ahead. As a people, we are tired and battle weary.

There seems to be no end to the onslaught – spiritual attacks against God’s people in health, relationships, work, and finances. The difficulties of this present time have caused a subtle, but deep-seated discontentment and insecurity. And, this discontentment, which is all storm-related, has opened the door to a seducing spirit that prods us to find contentment in our flesh through fantasy and trying to find ways to escape the trouble.

Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Thanksgiving will accelerate the spiritual process that will get us to a place of stability and of believing God for His direction and leading. We have to cooperate with the flow of the Holy Spirit as He re-establishes divine order in our lives, and the Lord said that our sense of contentment will be restored by making a decision to be content and by putting things in perspective through our faith.

Philippians 4:12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

1 Timothy 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

2 Peter 1:2-8 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self–control, to self–control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Journey

by Bill and Marsha Burns

We are embarking on a spiritual journey, and will be given new directions with regard to our effectiveness in the Spirit. However, Satan is opposing our advancement vehemently.

We are to make sure that the spiritual pathway to communion with God is always open and not blocked by a work of the flesh. We are in a season of expansion, but demonic intrusion offers a challenge to maintain purity and order.

1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world––our faith. This is a time when we must clean up the foundation of our faith, to remove all doubt and unbelief. It’s like sweeping the floor so that all religious debris is removed.

But, we also are better equipped than at any other time and have more power than ever to do the job. Hebrews 6:1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.

The way is open to victory, but it will take a lot of work to keep it open through prayer and warfare. The enemy uses abuse to keep God’s people from kingdom effectiveness, and we are not to allow abuse of any kind. Many will have to just walk away.

2 Timothy 3: 1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self–control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power.

And from such people turn away! Apostolic power for war has been birthed in the Body of Christ, but is just now beginning to arise. The Lord continues to admonish us to be watchmen, to be alert and awake, and to discern and detect attacks from the enemy.

We are to stand ready to run to the battle and fight where we find the devil working against us. And, He will send angelic help to gain the victory.

“It’s a New Day – It’s a New Hour!”

by Jim and Marcella Wies

Many of us have been hearing this declared, or have sensed it in the Spirit. But one of the things we need to understand is the nature of prophetic terminology. While this is not an exact science, I have discovered that a new hour, prophetically speaking, is usually from three to five years in length. And a new day seems to be from 10 to 20 years long.

Another interesting fact about prophetic terminology is that the Scriptures tell us that God’s version of a new day begins in the dark. When God created the heavens and the earth, He declared that “the evening and the morning were the first day.” So His day starts with an evening, or a period of darkness.

With that in mind, I believe we HAVE stepped into a new day. I believe it began about a year ago, but most people still feel like they are pretty much in the dark. A Scriptural example of that was when the baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem. That was not only the beginning of a new day but a whole new dispensation; yet only a handful of people knew it for at least 12 years, and it took 33 years for the reality of it to be fully known.

The year 2008 was a time of darkness and confusion for much of the Body of Christ. The winds of change have been blowing, but it is yet to be seen what the full implications will be . You might even say it this way: The landscape around us has changed, but during the dark part of the day, it is hard to make out what is in our surroundings. Fortunately though, as the dawn comes, there comes a progressive clarity.

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” Proverbs 4:18

So, we HAVE stepped into a new day. This IS a new day, and our need is to persevere to see the dawn and the full light of day. While 2008 was a time of darkness and confusion for many, I believe there is coming fresh clarity in 2009.

Seeing Jesus as a Refiner’s Fire

The first time Jesus appeared, most religious people of the day missed Him because they were looking for a conquering king (based on their selective reading of prophetic Scriptures). But instead, He came as a suffering servant (also found in the prophetic Scriptures). Next time, He will appear as the Conquering King, while most are still expecting Him to be the suffering servant. The first time He came, He was the Lamb of God. But now He is about to be revealed as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

We have a Savior who loves us with an everlasting love but who is, at the same time, a refining fire. It was said of Him in Malachi:

“‘And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness.’” Malachi 3:1-3

An honest and full examination of Jesus will have to show Him to be both grand and dreadful. He is grand to those who love and put their trust in Him but, at the same time, dreadful to His adversaries. He is a loving God and a gracious Savior, but He is also a consuming fire, as is plainly spoken in Hebrews 12:28-29: “Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”

The fact that our Lord is a dreaded warrior is great when we consider His vengeance against our adversaries. But one of the Scriptures that should strike fear into our hearts is the section of Hebrews, Chapter Ten, where we see a warning for those who despise the Lord’s gift of grace.

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

“Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the Blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:19-31

The Lord is About to Show Himself
as a Man of War

“Now I saw Heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” Revelation 19:11

“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 (King James Version says “roar”). He will prevail against His enemies.” Isaiah 42:13

The prophet Joel, whose prophetic words apply directly to the end times, shows a “last days” Jesus roaring as a Lion who calls His saints to war as well.

“The LORD also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; but the LORD will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, dwelling in Zion My holy mountain.” Joel 3:16-17

Joel 2:28-29 describes the days we are currently in: “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”

It is in this context that we begin Joel, Chapter Three, so we need to see Joel 3 as a very significant Scripture for us as we come to the end of the age. It describes the happenings that will be going on “in those days and at that time” (Joel 3:1). We see that this will be a significant time of battle as the Lord comes forth as our Lion, our mighty Warrior. And here we see Him calling us to the battle as well.

“Proclaim this among the nations: ‘Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD. Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.” Joel 3:9-13

The Lord and His Kingdom

“He (Lord Jesus Christ) who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen” 1 Timothy 6:14-16

“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” Matthew 9:35

“Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Luke 9:1-2

The message that Jesus preached was the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. A simple definition of a kingdom is a domain where a king rules. The Kingdom of God implies a King, and Jesus is that King. Simply put, wherever Jesus has rule, there the Kingdom has come. Not only did Jesus preach the Kingdom of God, but His disciples were instructed to preach the Kingdom. In fact, Jesus connected the accomplishment of the Church’s mission to the full declaration of the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the nations as a witness before the end will come (see Matthew 24:14).

David caught a glimpse of this King and wrote of Him in Psalm 2:

“Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us’…

“…’Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion.’ I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession…’

“…Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” Psalm 2:1-3, 6-8, 10-12

Daniel saw Him in a night vision:

“I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of Heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a Kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14

At His ascension, Jesus said, “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18). The implications of that are staggering. His supreme rule extends over all. He rules over space. He rules over time and eternity. He rules over nature. And, although there are pockets of rebellion currently remaining in the hearts of men, His rule shall eventually and inevitably extend to every individual, for Scripture states in Philippians 2:10-11, “…that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow…and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Lord of All

Scripture points to the fact that a belief about Jesus as Savior is not the same as a surrender to Jesus as Lord. In fact, one very grave problem within much of western Christianity has become an “easy believism” that is void of repentance and Lordship. That is, faith without repentance; salvation without sanctification; mental assent without life-changing surrender. He is not a Savior whom we have the option of establishing as Lord of our lives; rather, He must be acknowledged as Lord, then He will save us.

In our zeal to be theologically proper regarding the grand theme of grace, modern Christianity has often been guilty of presenting a “Gospel” of faith without Lordship, a cheap grace that’s not really grace but licentiousness (which means absence of restraint, indecency, wantonness) – note Jude 1:4: “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Costly grace recognizes the call to discipleship that Jesus expects in light of our redemption. Christ gave all for us and expects nothing less in return. Our relationship with Him is the “treasure in a field” for which a man sells all he has to purchase; or the costly pearl a man gives all to acquire. It is the call of Jesus for which a disciple leaves his nets, forsakes all, and follows. Such Gospel demands total surrender. It says, “If you receive Me as Lord, I will save you.” It is costly because it costs us our life, but is redemptive because in exchange we gain that which is true life eternal.

We find Jesus introduced as Lord and referred to as Lord close to 3,000 times in the New Testament. Jesus demonstrated His Lordship – His rulership over creation – by turning water to wine, through bread and fish multiplied, and even through His authority over the elements. He commanded the wind and waves, He exerted authority over demons and the domain of darkness, sickness, and disease, etc.

He was the Lord God who now had interposed His presence into the human condition in the form of Jesus, the Son of God. The Scripture indicates that Jesus came to intervene, and through His coming, bought back that one last, lost domain, the wayward heart of man, thus being established as Lord of all, once and for all.

This final dimension of His Lordship is clearly stated in Acts 2:36: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” and… Philippians 2:5-11: “Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” – THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, THE LORD!

This final establishment of Jesus as Lord by the Father – even over the hearts of every man – gives the conclusion of the matter. He is Lord of all. We are all destined to acknowledge it by the confession of our tongue and the bending of our knee. Acknowledging Him as Lord implies putting faith in His saving power while giving Him right to rule over our lives. It is a Gospel that includes both repentance and faith. The fact is that everyone will acknowledge Him as Lord. He is Lord!

(Scriptures to meditate on: week one: Malachi 3; week two: Psalm 2;
week three: 1 Corinthians 10:1-15; week four: Hebrews 10:19-39.)

Jim and Marcella Wies
Extreme Prophetic Ministries
Email: jwies@xpwebchurch.com