Tupelo, Mississippi – Jan 08

Come and join us for the first annual gathering with the A Blaze of Glory team! We will be leading a workshop on Coming Out of the Religious 4 Walls to Become the 2 Legs of the True Church

You will find more information on the Blaze of Glory website here, including other workshops, registration, dates and meals.  There will also be workshops for children ages 4-14.   http://ablazeofglory.org/1st_annual_gathering.htm

Inheritance

This is just a rough draft. Converse with me here, please, if this is not cohesive. I really would like to firmly establish this message.

 

I was praying for some friends that their eyes would be open to the truth of the generational curses that are upon them. They have fully accepted the ‘hereditary’ curses of breast cancer and other diseases that have passed down the line. They prepare themselves, even today, for what will happen to them someday because their mothers have had the disease. All I have been able to do is sit back and stay silent, because they refuse to hear the truth. And so I pray for their ears to be open, and their flesh to be willing to hear the truth of their redemption.

And on this particular day I was praying for this very thing. As I was praying, the Father gave me a bit of revelation regarding our inheritance as his children.

I started thinking about my husband’s brother.  He was adopted as an infant by my husband’s parents. When he was adopted, everything about who he was before that adoption was thrown off. In the physical that is. No longer were his parents the ones who gave him life on this earth. His parents were now my in-laws. No longer would he grow up in a family with other children that are his blood relatives – his new siblings were his new parents’ children. He wouldn’t strive to be like the father who helped create him – he would follow in his adopted dad’s footsteps. No longer would he spend time with the ones who brought him into this world – his dealings would be with those who took him in as their own. Every achievement, mistake, and honor he made would be seen and experienced by and with his “new” parents. No longer does he have the inheritance from his biological parents. His inheritance comes from his adopted parents.

These facts are reflected in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. When we make a decision to follow after the ways of the Lord, we are adopted by the one who formed us in our mothers’ wombs. He is now our Father. We have spiritual brothers and sisters in Messiah, and we don’t strive to be like our earthly fathers inasmuch as we look toward our Heavenly Father, our Abba. Our time is spent with Abba, and the more we spend with him the more we start to look like him in the spirit, which is reflected in how we deal with others. He sees everything we do and experiences it with us – cries with us, laughs with us, and gets angry with us (righteously of course).

One important fact that many forget when they are adopted as sons and daughters of the Most High King is this: Inheritance! You receive the inheritance of a prince or princess. You are a son or daughter of the King of Kings! Do we really understand and fathom what it means to be an heir of the King of Kings when we decide to call him Abba? I don’t think most do. If they did, they would not be parading around declaring to the heavens that because their father died of a heart attack they probably would too.

When a man or woman comes home to their heavenly Father for the first time it’s usually a grand experience for them. They are elated that they are now ‘saved’ from the pits of hell. Some even think they can go on living the way they were without any consequence just because they prayed a prayer. They have a honeymoon experience with their Father for a couple days, weeks, or months. They take what they believe to be their full inheritance and go on their way after a while. Does this sound familiar?

Luke 15:11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.‘ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.

Just like the son in the parable, the new believer takes the inheritance and leaves. He uses the inheritance, but he doesn’t realize there’s more that his father has for him. It wasn’t until he was at his deepest, most dirty and desperate point, he was willing to go back to his father.

15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”‘

But the son wouldn’t have had to even experience this if he would have just stayed with his father and accepted all that his father had for him. Notice in the parable that his father gave him his portion and the son wasn’t even talking about leaving. He could have had his portion and continued to eat off his father’s table and lived off of everything that was part of his father’s estate, while enjoying his inheritance while his father was still alive. But he had to go off on his own, and not be happy supping with his father.

How many times do we say to our Heavenly Father the same sorts of thing – whether in word or deed? He knows our hearts. ‘Give me this portion and I will be on my way.’

What happened?

20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

The father rejoiced and accepted him back and gave him the best of what he had. He told him to stay and eat with him.

Our Father wants us to eat with him, stay with him. He even gives us his signet ring that we can go in his Name and have the authority that comes with being part of his family. He has adopted us, but we only take part of our inheritance! What are we not taking from him that he wants to offer to us if we would repent?

When we are adopted by the Father through Messiah, we are a new creation! We throw off the old man and woman and are no longer the same as we were before. As adopted heirs of the King of Kings, we are not heirs of this world and all that it has. We are not heirs of our physical parents in a spiritual sense any longer! We are not heirs of all their baggage!!

If you come to the Father and say that you want to be a part of his family, why would you want to hold on to the things that identify you with your old life? When you are adopted in his Kingdom, you have his fields to graze from. He doesn’t want you going back to your old family and grazing there. You are his son or daughter now!

And yet, when a man or woman comes to the Lord and identifies with their old family and says that they will inherit such and such ailment because their parents have it, they have not taken the full inheritance of the Lord. They are holding onto the inheritance of an old life.

Walking on Water

Walking on water

A while ago I was in the pool with the children.  My oldest has been dealing with the fear of water.  He refuses to let go of the wall.  We have prayed over him etc, but he still won’t take that step away from the wall. 

So yesterday I took the opportunity to push him.  He’s to the point that he realizes that I’m not trying to be mean and he doesn’t get mad at me for trying to get him to walk away from it.  He cries (he’s 7.5) and screams at the idea of it when encouraged.

I stood about 4 steps away from the wall from him encouraging him to come to me.  The motivator: He could go to the hot-tub with his friends if he did.  (It was a great motivator ).

Well, he cried and screamed and whined – frozen with fear at the prospect.  He had floaties on and around him, yet he didn’t feel comfortable using them.  After a while the Father downloaded the revelation to me:

I told him “Stop looking out at the rest of the water in the pool.  Look at ME!  Don’t take your eyes off of me.”  Then it hit me!  Peter was walking on water just fine when he stepped out of that boat.  But when he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the immense amount of water around him, fear overtook him.  It paralyzed him.

You know when you’re swimming and you get fearful or anxious, your body stiffens up and you become heavy and sink in the water, right?  No matter how much flailing you’re doing, you’re still paralyzed with fear to do the right thing to get you above the water.  Peter was paralyzed with fear when he looked at the circumstances surrounding him.

What the Father wants us to see is that if we look at everything around us, all the stuff that is out there and can so easily overwhelm us, we risk being paralyzed with fear.  When we are in that state, it sometimes becomes almost impossible to think straight to do the right thing.  I watched my son, as he was dealing with that fear, not able to rationally see that he was being supported and he wouldn’t trip and fall in the water and I was right there to catch him if he did.  He couldn’t reach the destination in front of him because of fear when he looked at everthing around him.

If Peter hadn’t of looked at everything around him (the water) he wouldn’t have become so overwhelmed.  What did his friend and Master, Jesus, do?  He encouraged him to keep his eyes on him.  When we don’t take our eyes off of him we don’t run the risk of becoming paralyzed with fear and we don’t see all the water out there ready to swallow us.  The best thing for us to do is stay focused on Him and the goal he has for us.  Do not let everything around us drown, smother, discourage, or paralyze us.

Repent of taking your eyes off of the things the Father has instructed you to focus on.  Repent of coming under fear, anxiety and stress -and anything else - and refocus your attention back to Jesus and the goals that he has put in front of you.

I can see why so many leave the “Church”.

In light of the recent newsletters I have been C&Ping here, I thought the following was fitting. I wrote this back in Dec/Jan on my personal blog that I no longer have up. And so, here it is again. In my opinion, the writings quoted from Lance Rowe are confirmation to the following thoughts.

Is it not the church’s responsibility to help the down trodden? To help the poor and needy? To take care of the widow, the orphan, the fatherless, and the foreigner among us? Then why doesn’t it?!?! Now, keep in mind the church just isn’t the building and a body of believers that attends services there weekly. The church is ALL OF US that are the called-out ones. ALL of us that are Believers in the Way of the Master. So the duty and responsibility isn’t only for the leaders of a church building, but for *anyone* who proclaims to believe in Yeshuah/Jesus. And is it right of the body to pawn all the responsibility off on their “Pastors” or Elders by saying “I pay my tithes and offerings, and they use that to put toward the cause of the needy, etc. so I don’t need to do too much more.” And then those that have the resources in the world continue on in their lives, ignoring the plight of the needy. Spending money on their own toys. Not selling what they have and giving to the poor, and thereby storing their treasures up in Heaven. They store them up for now. Hmmm… treasures for the here and now, or for eternity??? I’ll let you answer that one for yourself. If that were the case, and it were sufficient, then why are there so many people within the church that have put themselves under the curse of welfare? Why are so many believers going to the government for food money, clothes, healthcare, etc.? Does that reflect the glory of God? Is it really accurate – and biblical – to say that this is the way God is providing for them? Welfare is the system of MAN and not His system!?! And then why do so many believers that have the resources tell those in need to just go to the government because “my taxes pay for it.”? HOW is that Justified in Scripture?!? If anyone has some Scripture in the Old AND New Testament to support that PLEASE comment! So why the rant? I called to the “church body” office that we have been attending for the last 4 years. I have a dental need that needs pretty much immediate attention. As of right now, my husband and I don’t have the financial resources to cover that need. So, I thought maybe they had someone in the ‘body’ there that they could refer me to that would take me on and let me pay it off over time. (Everyone wants the cash upfront). Nope, no business directory there. I am telling the receptionist my issue. Does she offer up the help and resources of the “church” or even herself? No! All she had to say was “I hope you can find a way to get your teeth fixed.” Hypocrites! That’s why so many people leave the “Church!” People work in the “churches” that proclaim to love God, and yet 1 John 3:17 “But if any one has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” And if it weren’t for the friends that we do have that are believers, it wouldn’t be starting to be taken care of. We sent out a prayer request to our friends telling them of the situation and asking for prayer for healing, and if they were able to, would they consider helping. Praise Adnoai for their faithfulness to His Way. (I guess you have to ask the right person to get the ball rolling at the church to see if they could even help, my issue is with the verbal response of the person I spoke to.) And yet, others we know hear of our plight and just sit back and hope we can get it taken care of soon. Forget the fact that I can hardly sleep at night and have 5 children to take care of during the day and 2 that I have to school. Praise the Father that the pain is mostly only at night so I don’t have pain all day. But lack of sleep and mothering…. not a good combination. When is the True Church going to wake up and realize what it is that Jesus came for? He came to give freedom to the captives, and the Church is not helping its own by pushing them into bondage of government welfare. People WANT to believe and trust God for their resources. But how can they when their faith is stepped on and trampled on when those who claim to know and Love the very same God do not fulfill the commandment to love they neighbor as theyself – in this all of the Law is summed up! What were the Pharisees and Scribes hypocrital of? They weren’t taking care of the poor, widow, orphan, and alien among them! Why has the “church” (EVERY SINGLE INDVIDUAL THAT CALLS THEMSELVES A BELIEVER) stooped to the level of the Pharisees and Scribes!?! The “Gentile” church looks at the “Woe” Scriptures directed toward the Pharisees and Scribes and say how horrible those people were that Jesus would have to call them a Brood of Vipers and say “Woe” to them! But take the plank out of your own eye church!!!! Father knows my heart – if I had it to give I most certainly would!!!!!! But it is not my season for that! What season are you in? For there might just be a season where you will be in need if you are not in need right now. 2 Cor. 8:13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; 14 but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack–that there may be equality. 15 As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”* It has taken a lot for the Father to rip down the pride that has been in our hearts to ask for help from other people. The Father had to show us Scripture after Scripture that it is the way his Church is supposed to function. But in obeying the Lord, we have run into those who just don’t have a clue. Okay, so I didn’t outright ask the woman on the other end if the church could help or even she herself…. BUT, it seems obvious to me that if one has the heart of the Father, they would be about the business of his work. And not have to be asked but offer if they see a need.

Are you too comfortable for a Covenant of Faith?

Ah, yes. This is a long one. But again, Lance Rowe has vocalized many of the very things the Spirit has been stirring in our own hearts.

<PRE><TT>Part 3 What has happened to the Church in America? Why is the divorce rate in the Church just as high as it is in the secular world? Why are there so many “Christianized” versions of Alcoholics Anonymous programs in the church? Why are there so many self help support groups in the church like divorced parents support groups, where divorced people can meet one another and find the person who is really compatible with them; substance abuse support groups, children of substance abusers support groups, spouses of substance abuse support groups, abused spouse support groups, spouse abusers support groups, teen age mothers support groups, mothers of teenage mothers support groups…etc. etc. etc. What happened to the gospel of repentance and faith toward God? What happened to spiritual deliverance, and pastoral counselling? They have been substituted by these sinner-friendly Christian-Humanist programs. In their circles, there is no such thing as demonic possession or generational curses, or if they acknowledge those things exist, they treat them with Christian Psychology. In this enlightened age, we have drugs and Christian psychologists who can walk people through their problems. Because of their conformity to the world’s methods of operation, and their penchant for leaning on their own understanding, they don’t realize that the Holy Spirit has departed from their ministries, because they are too intent on getting a name for themselves, or gaining recognition and adding numbers to their membership rolls. Because the Holy Spirit has departed from their ministries, they have to rely on slick entertainment ploys and schemes to draw people into their buildings in order to generate enough tithes to pay the bills.

I know all of that sounds harsh, and it won’t be a popular statement to most people, but I believe it’s true. There is not much difference between their methodology of contriving gimmicks to capture people’s interest and those of the secular world. Most American ministries are concerned with marketing their product. They are consumed with the packaging of their ministry. Most ministers don’t think simply preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ is enough. Most ministers don’t believe in going out to the market place and being a living witness for Jesus Christ.

I was fortunate never to be subjected to those Christian programs. I repented of my sin and called on the Lord Jesus Christ in a motel room. As I grew in knowledge of him and what it was to be a Christian, He delivered me from those bondages that I was subjected to. His Word would echo through my mind: “Repent”. “You are responsible for applying what I have taught you and fulfilling that walk for which I have equipped you through My Holy Spirit”. When I sinned against Him, I would soon realize that our fellowship had been broken, and I would find myself in a place of spiritual lethargy, or dryness that would be hard to deal with. I would miss our intimate times of fellowship, and soon I would come to a place where I knew I needed to repent. Once I did, our fellowship would be restored, and I would feel clean again!

He taught me in His Word that I was a Saint of the Most High God, and that I was to pursue holiness. He taught me in his Word that sin no longer has dominion over me. He taught me in His Word that I was to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. He taught me in His Word that I was to resist the devil while submitting to God. If I sin, I am without excuse. I can’t blame my childhood of abuse, or the situation or circumstances that I am in. I can’t point at my wife, or my children, or the people I find myself associating with. I can’t even shout “the devil made me do it!” He has provided a way for me to escape every temptation. It is my responsibility to take that avenue of escape. If I sin, I need to own up to it and repent. I can’t just excuse it with that lie from the pit of Hell that some have bought into, and that is taught from many pulpits, that “I am just a sinner saved by grace!” His Word says that I am a new Creature. Old things are passed away and all things have become new. Did He teach you those things, as well?

Samson was a mighty man of God. We are told that the Lord blessed him, and that the Spirit of the Lord would move him at times as he grew (Judges 13:24,25). Even though he committed many sins, the Spirit of God was still upon him while he ruled Israel as their judge, or their deliverer. But when Samson transgressed the covenant of the Nazarite with the Lord, it was then that he lost his strength, and he did not know that the Spirit of God had departed from him (Judges 16:20). Like Samson, a large part of the Church in America has compromised its covenant with God. Through the devices of slick manipulators, entertainers and heretics that have passed themselves off as “ministers of the Gospel”, the Church has been blinded like Samson was when he compromised his covenant with the Lord, and as a result it has lost its strength and effectiveness in the Nation, and it doesn’t even know that it has lost its strength. Christians spend more time at the altar praying for things that concern themselves (their bills, their children, their pets, their homes, their cars, their households and their finances) than they do for the Church, the nation, the government, their cities, the schools, the neighborhoods and those that are lost. Prayer meetings are some of the most sparsely attended services there are, unless there is a special gathering or a special speaker that might give a personal Word to somebody.

Some will balk at what I just wrote, and will say “Lance, you say the Church has compromised her covenant with God, but you can’t compromise a covenant of Grace. We are saved BY Grace, not of works, lest any man should boast!”

There are those who would like to lead you to believe that Christianity is exclusively a covenant of God’s Grace. A free Gift. Ask Jesus in your heart and then you are under the covenant of Grace. It doesn’t matter what you do after you ask Jesus into your heart, because you are saved by Grace. What an insidious doctrine that is! It produces a congregation of unbelieving and spiritually apathetic Christians. Universalists believe that all souls will go to heaven. If it’s just a matter of God’s Grace, then all souls will go to heaven, because God is not willing that any one should persih. But we know that while it is true that God is not willing for any man to perish, the stipulation for being saved is that they must first believe in Jesus Christ, and repent of their sins.

The covenant of the Christian is not a covenant of the Law or of the Nazarite. The covenant that Christians enter into with the One True God was established by His Grace through the Blood of Jesus Christ, but it is NOT a covenant of Grace like many Christians have been led to believe. The Christian covenant is a covenant of FAITH. Jesus said:

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved…He that believeth not shall be damned!

It is an active covenant of Faith in and toward the One True God and the Finished Work of Jesus Christ which will result in an open relationship of surrendered obedience to Him as Lord in every aspect of a person’s life, and to a great extent, the Church in America has transgressed that covenant because most of those who are in leadership in the Church don’t even understand what FAITH really is, or that they are under a covenant of faith. The words “Faith” and “belief” are synonymous with each other… Thayer’s defines Faith like this:

G4102 p?´st?? pistis Thayer Definition: 1) conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it… 1d) belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same

It is in this area of Thayer’s definition (1d) that most of us fail as Christians: “Trust or confidence in God”. Because many of us have been led to believe that the covenant with God is exclusively a covenant of Grace instead of a covenant of Faith, most Christians focus on whether or not they can lose their salvation…”By Grace you are saved…” and then they stop there, focusing on the word “Grace”, instead of going on…”through FAITH!” I know I am dancing around a mine field of some real theological time bombs here, but I’m not scared! I KNOW whom I have believed. And His Name is Jesus Christ! By God’s Grace, we are saved “through” faith! As I read that, I understand that FAITH is the SUBSTANCE and the vehicle of my salvation. God’s Grace is the reason my Salvation is possible, or even my faith, for that matter. I came to the Lord when I was 27 years old. It was only by His Grace that I did not die before then. It is only through His Grace that I lived long enough to decide that I was going to respond in faith to accept His Gift of salvation. But it is up to me to respond to the Gift. Not everyone responds to the Gift that God offers, because not everyone believes there is a God to offer that Gift. Or, not everyone believes that the Gift is even necessary for them. Do I really believe that the Grace of God that brings salvation was poured out for me through the Blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross? Unless I believe that, and act upon my belief, I will not be saved. Remember, belief and faith are synonymous with each other. We are NOT saved by Works; by Grace, we are saved through our belief in God, which will be reflected in how we live and how we respond to His Word.

Gal 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Why am I focusing on this issue of Faith and Grace in an e-mail that is supposed to have something to do with the revival that has been prophesied for the United States? Because FAITH is the catalyst to all things in the Christian walk, and we seem to have forgotten that or ignored it. Faith is the catalyst for miracles. Faith is the catalyst for provision and for victorious living as a Christian. Faith is the catalyst for CHANGE. If the Church can’t grab hold of what true Faith is, then the Church in effect denies the existence of God through its very actions.

You won’t be saved unless you BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the ONLY Way to eternal life.

You won’t move a mountain unless you have Faith.

You won’t cast out demons without Faith.

You won’t heal the sick without Faith.

You won’t see a mighty move of God in this nation without Faith.

You can’t please God without faith.

The problem with the United States doesn’t lie with the unbelieving heathens, the secular humanists, the abortionists, the homosexuals, or the corrupt politicians. The problem with the United States lies squarely on the shoulders of the American Church and those of us who are in leadership positions in the Church. The problem is with the unbelieving Christians, the Christian Humanists, the spiritual abortionists, and the corrupt hirelings who want to be socially and politically correct! Unbelieving Christians?

Lance, you must be losing it! How can there be unbelieving Christians? Mat 17:14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

In verse 17, Jesus rebuked the disciples for being faithless. That word in the Greek is apistos, which means without faith, and is translated in other places in the Bile as unbelief or unbelieving. Notice in verse 20, Jesus told the disciples they could not cast the demon out because of their unbelief, or lack of faith.

Thomas was unbelieving concerning the resurrection of the Lord. Joh 20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

The writer cautions the Messianic Jews (Hebrew Christians) of His day:

Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

We read the Word of God, and read all the times that Jesus rebuked His disciples because of their lack of faith, and we don’t get it. We talk about faith. We preach about faith. We wax philosophical about faith. We profess to have faith. Yet like Delilah, the enemy is constantly probing and prodding and challenging us to compromise our covenant of faith with God.

Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Do we LIVE by faith? Most Christians who read this will say, “sure we live by faith. We have been saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” And they think that is what is meant by t”he Just shall live by faith”. The word translated “BY” in this verse is the word “EK” or “EX” a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out (of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative).

In the natural scheme of things, I LIVE through the air that I breathe. Without air, I cannot live. As I live, I breathe. As I breathe, I live. I work, I speak, I listen, I play, I run, I walk, I jump, I study, I write. Spiritually, I live through the faith that I possess. Without faith, I am spiritually dead. As I live spiritually, I believe. As I believe, I live. As I live, I am active. That action proceeds from the life I live. If I live by Faith, I am actively engaged in faith. My life will reflect faith. Every thing I do and say should be done out of faith. In Him I live, and move and Have my being. Romans 14:23 reminds us that whatsoever is not of faith is sin, and sin produces death (Rom 6:16,23).

Gal 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

This passage in Galatians is speaking about the Covenant of Faith which God made with Abraham.

Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

True belief or FAITH in Jesus Christ will be reflected by a life of pursuing after the righteousness that God’s Righteousness requires! Mere acknowledgment of belief isn’t the saving factor. The devil believes in God. It is the surrendered (albeit imperfect, but ever pressing forward to the mark of the High Calling that is in Christ Jesus) life responding in faith to the Word of God that results in salvation. You can talk about how much you believe in something, but your actions will speak louder than your words.

Jam 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

You who profess to be in “faith based ministry”; You say you believe that God will supply all your needs, and you say you have faith, but how many newsletters or flyers, or brochures, fund raisers, money generating programs, or slick speeches have you engaged in this year in an effort to get financial support for your ministry? Or do you just trust the Lord to speak to individuals or groups on your behalf to support you? Elijah was fed by the ravens beside a brook in the midst of a great drought, and when the brook dried up, he moved on. Elijah couldn’t give any twenty minute dissertations to the ravens as to why they should support his ministry. The Lord spoke to the ravens, and the ravens responded and brought provision for Elijah. Jesus Christ said His sheep hear His Voice. What a novel concept for a faith based ministry in America to trust that the Lord can speak to his sheep to be able to hear His Voice, and to bring provision to you! Elijah had nobody to rely on except the Lord. And the Lord came through. He always does. He is always faithful. He’s such a good God!

Some are probably thinking about the scripture that says “you have not because you ask not”. I know many justify their pitches and their pleas for money around that verse. But the context of that verse is speaking of asking the Lord for our needs, NOT the sheep that the Lord has committed to our care, or anyone else, for that matter.

Jam 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

Do you really have faith to trust the Lord in every aspect of your life? ASK HIM for your provision, and wait on Him. If what you are doing is in His Will, He will provide the way to do it! It’s a perfect measuring stick for whether you are doing His Work, or your own. I suspect that if every ministry in the country read these words, the great majority would scoff and would continue subverting widow’s houses and exploiting the sheep, twisting scripture and fleecing the flock in the name of Jesus Christ. A lot of ministers have grown fat and live comfortably from fleecing the flock. Why risk it all by relying solely on God for their provision? I realize it sounds like I am being hard on the various ministries in the Church in America. But I am NOT bashing anyone. And it’s just not about the leadership. Christian, whoever you are…if you are not trusting God in every aspect of your life, or at least, if you are not striving to learn to trust God in every aspect of your life, you are missing the boat. You will never realize the blessing it is to trust the True and living God with your life. It’s just time for us to get serious with God. It’s time to get in line with His Word. Our hypocrisy is evident to the unbelievers, and unless we repent of it, this nation of ours will continue to spiral downhill. Because of the foolishness that the Church has involved itself in, the Name of God is blasphemed by the sinners.

Can you honestly say with Paul that whatever state you are in, whether you are abased, or whether you abound, you are content? That’s where FAITH can be found. If you pray for Revival, yet whine or grovel for finances so that your greeds can be met, and your ideas and your plans and schemes can be fulfilled, you won’t see the revival, because your heart isn’t right. Your affections are on things below rather than on things above.

O.K.. Take a deep breath. I am NOT picking on YOU. I know a lot of brothers and sisters who do mighty works for the Lord and who solicit money in various ways. My intent is not to judge any one of them. I love them and I respect them, and they are answerable for their own affairs to the Lord and only to the Lord! All I am saying is that if we truly want a mighty move of God to sweep across this nation, we need to reexamine where we are at in our walk of FAITH before God and act accordingly.

In my previous e-mail I mentioned selling c.d.s and tapes and books in the foyers of the buildings where people minister. I am not against selling c.d.s and tapes and books, just as I am not against working as a carpenter or a plumber or any other type of employment. My point is when a person’s goal is to promote their name or their fame and generate money in the name of ”ministry”; I think it’s the same thing as what Jesus got mad at when He overthrew the tables in the temple. Making a buck off the things of God.

This is where the Grace of God comes into play in a Christian’s life:

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

If you come into a covenant of Faith with the Lord God Almighty, you will embrace the Grace of God that He offers, and as a result, you will deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. You will strive to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. You will understand that through God’s Grace Jesus Christ died for you, not so you can continue as a participant in these worldly desires, but to redeem you from all iniquity and that you would be pure and zealous of doing things that will bring Him Glory.

You can judge a tree by its fruit. The sinner friendly programs and the mentality of drawing them into the congregation with cheap enticements rather than GOING and plucking them out of the furnace while preaching repentance from their sins will only result in a congregation of pew potatoes who will give their offerings as a Christianized form of Indulgences: “You don’t have to feel like you need to go out and preach the gospel. That’s just the job of a select few. Just sow your seed here and listen to my prepared speech and my slick oration for an hour and you’ve done your duty for the week.” That’s what I call spiritual abortion. Too many pastors in America have a spirit of control, a Nicolaitain mindset, and they don’t want their sheep moving into ministry without their approval or their control, even though it’s the same Holy Spirit that dwells in both of them. We are supposed to be EQUIPPING the saints for the work of the ministry, not lording it over them! I personally know pastors who are so into the control mindset that they have to hold the microphone while some one gives a testimony.

Those who believe the Word of God respond to the Word of God. Jesus said to go and make disciples, not a bunch of pew potatoes or spectators.

Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

But if the leadership doesn’t truly walk in faith before God, they can’t teach the congregation about faith, or equip them for ministry, and the congregation won’t know any better. How can you trust God for your provision if you look at ministry as a source of income, or as a job, and the congregation that has been entrusted to you as your cash crop? Many people go to seminaries to get a job. They go from church to church negotiating for salaries. Where is the Biblical basis for that? Surely, the laborer is worthy of his hire, but Jesus wasn’t talking about negotiating for wages. He was saying that we are to partake of that which is provided for us (Lk 10:7). Those of us who have been called to leadership need to be examples to the flock. What kind of example is it when we say that we need to be separate from the ways of the world, and yet we are just like any other secular business man with our fancy clothes, our nice cars and our negotiations for wages?

Did I say that I desire to see a mighty move of God throughout this land? Oh, dear Christian, I really do! Do you? Read Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the others…See how these prophets of God called for the leadership and the people of God to repent and to rend their hearts before God.

Israel wandered in the Wilderness for 4o years because of their unbelief and their disobedience. The unbelieving, grumbling, self centered mob that followed Moses couldn’t enter in because they didn’t believe they could trust in God alone to bring them through. They said the giants that were in the land were too big for them. Only two understood that it was the Lord Who was able. The others were leaning on their own understanding.

Unless the leadership in the Church and the Christians in this nation repent of our unbelief, there is no way a revival will occur. Revival doesn’t occur on our conditions, but the Lord’s.

I believe that unless we learn what the covenant of Faith is, and turn away from our own agendas, we may well be faced with 4o years of increasing ungodliness and a horribly apostate Church. The head (leadership) is sick. The body (Christians) is putrefying. God places rulers in their positions. If we end up getting a pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, liberal, feminist, Anti Christian, anti prayer, anti freedom of religion, and anti freedom of speech pro muslim government, that will open us up to being more vulnerable to terrorist attacks here on our soil, it’s not because He wanted it so…but it is because we transgressed our covenant with Him and He turned us over to leaders who would humble us and remind us of our need for God. The problem with a message like this is we are just too darned comfortable right now to worry about it.

Luk 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Deu 32:15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. 17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. 18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. 19 And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. 20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. 21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. 22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. 23 I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. 24 They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. 25 The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.

I realize this isn’t a real uplifting message. I just sense such an urgency for US Christians to get right and to get real with God. It seems that so many are believing for a revival to spring forth much in the same way that they perpetrate the Gospel of “cheap Grace”. We ought to be before the altar, crying out, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!” We have been guilty of cheapening the things of God. When a crisis happens, we get real serious. Then when it has passed, we pick up our old ways and continue in our Laodoceian manner. The New Orleans hurricane Katrina crisis is a case in point. The clock is ticking and time is running out. Regardless of your political preference, I believe these last eight years have been a time when Christians could have responded and wrought many wonderful changes in our society if we would only have gotten serious about our faith. There is a day coming when you attempt to exercise your freedom of speech and it will be interpreted as a “hate crime”. Will you cry out then? Will you seek God and repent of your faithlessness? Or will you just be quiet, and say “well, we need to obey the law of the land!” There will be a day coming when you attempt to worship the one true God, and you won’t be able to say that Jesus Christ is the ONLY Way to eternal life. You may be even sued or thrown in Jail for religious intolerance. Will you cry out then? Will you seek God and repent of your faithlessness? Or will you just be quiet, and say, “well, we need to obey the law of the land”. There will be a day when every man woman and child will have to receive some kind of mark in order to buy or sell, and they will have to swear allegiance to that government above their God. If not, they will be chased down, imprisoned and beheaded on the grounds of treason. Will you cry out then? Will you seek God and repent of your faithlessness? Or will you just be quiet, recieve your mark, swear allegience, and say “Well, we need to obey the law of the land!” Oh – I know…I know…you don’t believe all that will happen to you, now, do you?!

I Love you all… Lance

Joe 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: 16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? 18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. 19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:

1Jo 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Visit my website for updates and Bible Studies: http://www.crosscountry4jesus.com