Amazing Stuff

"In the days of the prophet Elijah, there arose a company of men who were called the "sons of the prophets". These men traveled throughout the world ravaging the powers of darkness, wreaking havoc on evil kingdoms. They had no tolerance for the destructive behaviour of wicked kings but rather turned many to righteousness. They raised the dead, healed the sick, parted rivers, destroyed false prophets and saw revival spread throughout their land. They were feared by many and respected by all. The walked in great purity; and God was their friend.

"Today, all around us, wickedness continues to grow, taking root in the lives of those we love and eroding the very foundation of our country. Satanism is spreading like wildfire. Psychics laugh in the face of the church as they demonstrate the power of the dark side. Divorce is destroying our families and violence is corrupting our children. Sickness and disease take the lives of so many. Yet the words of our Lord Jesus echo through the halls of history, "...he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these will he do; because I go to the Father" (John 14:12).

"In Acts 3:25, Peter says, "It is you who are the sons of the Prophets..." It is time for the Body of Christ to rise up and receive our inheritance! We must rid ourselves of complacency and restore the ancient boundaries of holiness and demonstrations of great power. We cannot be satisfied with illustrative sermons, great music and friendly services. We have been called to see the powers of darkness destroyed and our ruined cities restored.

"In the days of Moses, God demonstrated his power to Pharaoh, but Pharaoh counter-attacked by having his sorcerers duplicate the miracles of God. Then the God of Heaven, who has all power, performed extraordinary miracles so that even the sorcerers said, "This must be God. We cannot perform these miracles." Finally Pharaoh was overcome by God's power and let His people go. (See Exodus 7-12)

"I believe that the Pharaoh of this age is about to let go of our cities as God demonstrates His raw power through His church. We are in the midst of the greatest revival in human history. Yet there remains a distance between what should be and what will be.

"That distance is you! What will you be?

"You are the bridge between history and His story.

"You are the sons of the prophets!"

- Introduction for Kris Vallotton's "Basic Training for the Prophetic Ministry"

This says it all! I am so honoured to be learning from men such as Kris who are training people from all over the world to carry the presence of God. They teach us what should be taught in all churches, but for many various reasons are not. I'm excited to go out from Bethel equipped as a daughter of the prophets!!

The odds are already ever in my favour - my Dad's got my back!!

A Revelation

It's a fascinating thing. Here at Bethel we have a Bible reading plan as part of our course readings. We started with the gospels and now we're going into the epistles. At first, I was reading out of duty. I wanted to tick the boxes with integrity that I had completed the readings, but I was not yet captured by the Word. I have more of an awareness now about reading with the Spirit and expecting Him to reveal something new or relevant to me. My interest in the Word has picked up. But over these past few weeks we've been reading a text book called "Grasping God's Word" and this is, surprisingly, where my reading has deepened. It was after the chapters on reading sentences, paragraphs and discourses where I discovered the most insight. These chapters teach the reader to analyse the language first. Not the meaning at this stage, but the words. Look for and identify things such as figures of speech, repetition, cause and effect, pronouns and who they're referring to, active or passive or future verbs and so on. At first I thought this was a waste of time and I did the assignments because I had to. But then the next day when I read my Bible, I started looking into these features. I started noticing them and paying attention. And I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I started understanding the scripture more realistically. I was engaging with the text. I felt like the Bible was finally alive!! All through the analysis of language. Weird. But cool!

So now the Bible readings have become less of a chore and more fun. It's funny because I wasn't even trying to enjoy it - I was just doing my homework. I didn't even read the text book that diligently. I just did the bare minimum. Yet God still desires to meet me. He doesn't care about how much homework I do - He just wants a chance to hang out. And it was in  my morning Bible reading time that I received this revelation that I would like to share with you all! First, let's read Galatians 1:11-17

"I [Paul] want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. 

For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went to Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus."

First - Paul didn't receive the gospel from any man. This is definitely not prescriptive for us in every setting, but it struck me. Paul is saying this to the Galatians because they started believing silly things - another gospel. Paul was letting them know that what he was preaching them had come straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. But sometimes I forget that people can receive a revelation of Jesus through the Holy Spirit - without humans delivering the message. At times I'm skeptical when I hear the experiences of these people, and I'm concerned with what doctrine they believe in, or if they believe enough to be fully saved, or if they've prayed 'the prayer'. I started wondering why we get so caught up in all these 'extras'. Sure, they might be important things to know - but if they were essential for the person to know right then and there - then I'd like to trust the Holy Spirit to reveal the necessary doctrine to people in the right time. It's my job to be sensitive to Holy Spirit to ask what I can share with the person that is going to outwork God's love in their life. It's my job to encourage them; not burden them. I wonder if this is why Paul said, "my immediate response was not to consult any human being."

Joseph's Dreams 

Let's think about this for a bit. Joseph in the Bible had his dreams of him family bowing down to him. He told his family about this and his brothers hated him and his father rebuked him. Now we had no idea of knowing how things would have worked out differently - but I suspect that if Joseph had have kept those dreams to himself, then maybe his rise to royalty would have followed a different path? Jesus had to lead the blind man outside the village to heal him. Why? I suspect that the unbelief in the village at Bethsaida was holding the man back from his healing. After the man was healed Jesus told him, "Don't go and tell anyone in the village." That's weird. Unless the people had the power to talk him out of his miracle... Life and death is in the power of the tongue.

Jesus had to lead the
man outside the village

Jesus had people in his village not believe he was the Messiah because he was familiar to them. People tried to get him to prove who he was on demand. Even satan tried, "If you are the son of God..." He tried to get Jesus to perform for what was already his. Just a few verses earlier the Heavens were rent and a voice from Heaven declared that Jesus was God's son. Jesus knew who he was and when satan tried to get him to prove it - there was no need. He had the dove, or presence of God on his shoulder. He knew his identity. But what about the rest of us? We're still on that journey. How many times do our past mistakes come back to haunt us? How many people out there refuse to accept that we have changed - still believing in what our actions told them we were? The first thing the devil does is try to take away our identity as children of the Most High. He tries to get us to doubt what Jesus has done for us. Then once we're on that track - he takes his hands off the wheel and our shame or guilt or introspection will click us into cruise control all the way down, down, down. No wonder Paul didn't go to human counsel right away. In a matter of days he went from murdering and imprisoning Christians to preaching to them and teaching them the gospel! I'm not naive enough to expect that all the Christian leaders would have been like, "Oh, cool! Great to see you Saul, oh sorry, you go by Paul now. Um, ok, well, here is my family - they're all here because they're so excited that you've changed. Wow. Praise God." Yeah right. That's the oldest trick in the book. It took Paul over three years before he met with any of the apostles!! Sure, he would have had some interaction with Christian leaders - but think about it. They only had letters and word of mouth. The initial chain of contact would have been very slow moving. And people would have been on watch waiting for Paul to show his true colours for a while. There was a good reason why Paul didn't talk to any humans about this for a while, outside of what the Spirit was leading him to do. There's a good chance they could have turned him against his conversion. There's a good chance he could have started doubting what God was calling him into. 

Sometimes God will reveal something to us that is not ready to be shared with other humans. We don't know why - and most of the time we don't need to know why. It's the sovereignty of God to be mysterious and our excitement to seek Him out. It's important to ask Holy Spirit if what He is revealing is for sharing or treasuring. Many leaders I respect will tell testimonies that include them holding on to revelations for years before sharing them. Dreams are tricky because we want to share the excitement with others, but then sometimes people aren't at the same part of their journey as you and can just as easily (unintentionally) talk you out of your dreams. I'm learning to ask the One who exists outside of time. The One who can see all things at once in all eternity. Who better to ask than the One who can give you the best option for that time? It's a new level of dependence that I'm discovering. Not because I'm incapable, but because I want to live the best life I can - and why would I not ask advice from the all-knowing One? 

I love this journey I'm on. It's exciting. It's unpredictable. It's intimate. It's revelatory. It's unbelievable. And the best thing is - you can have it too. Don't waste time 'getting right' with God - Jesus already did that part for you. Just open up your heart and say, "Daddy God, what do you want to tell me today?" And just listen and believe.

What is Holy Spirit revealing to you?

A New Operating System

1 week ago this ground was all dead...

It's November 4 and I'm sitting outside on this beautiful morning so grateful that we can have this gorgeous weather for a little while longer. About 3 weeks ago it rained for the first time in 8 months here. When I arrived in early September, the only green grass to be found were in properties that were well watered overnight. Everything else was dead and yellow. But now, three weeks after the first rain our backyard already has a green tinge. It's autumn, but it feels like spring. The oaks in our yard don't change colour - they just lose their leaves, but they've still got a healthy foliage. The sky is blue and streaked with whispy clouds. I've noticed that since I've been here I'm becoming more awed by natural beauty. Landscapes, mountain ranges, changing leaves, birds and their songs... As my heart is slowly being turned towards the One who loves me beyond my comprehension, so too, is my mind learning to recognise the gifts he has given all of his cherished ones. Each encounter with my God is one that brings me to a deeper understanding of how much He actually loves me! His love is transforming me. I start seeing myself doing things that I never thought were 'me'. And the best thing is - it feels completely natural!

Here's a testimony from recent events in my life.

I came to Bethel knowing that I didn't have enough money to see me through the 9 months here. I felt like it was something God was cool with, and I have never needed to see God come through for me with miraculous finances before. He's always given me a job immediately when I've needed money, so I thought it was time for me to take the next step in our relationship. It was time to learn to trust my Abba. (This is a personal testimony and I came to this conclusion out of relationship with God. It was not a 'test' for Him, but an opportunity for me to grow closer to Him through learning to trust Him.) 

Ok. So a couple of months went by and no financial miracles yet. I was admittedly a bit scared and resigned to the fact that if I accidentally screwed up in my understanding of God's talking with me, then that's cool - I'll just fly home... Now I'm accustomed to working for what I need. I don't have the luxury of rich parents, so my survival has always been up to me financially. Being in a country where I am not allowed to work is really hard for me because there is no way I can provide for myself! But as I would seek God's opinions on this matter, I always heard that I should relax and let Him take care of me. This was not easy. So I would go to people and ask them to pray with me (to see if they heard differently from God...) They all felt like God was saying to relax and trust Him - He's my Dad with unlimited resources and it's His pleasure to carry me through this season! Wow! As beautiful as that was - it was really difficult to swallow! Me? Worthy of that much attention from Him? I went through a series of revelations from Him about my identity as a daughter of His. That God, Himself, provided a way for all people to become as children of His through Jesus' death and resurrection. Finally I had come home to where I belong!

After this time I was more at peace about God providing but curious as to how He'd come through. I've heard a wise man say, "You can never out give God" and I always desired to be a generous person. But what God started to reveal to me was, that I was generous but only with people I knew and liked and who would be responsible with what I gave them. I thought that I was a good steward, that those were responsible decisions. But God challenged me. He asked me if I would give money to someone He prompted me to give to even if I knew they would not use the money wisely. I asked Him back if that would be wise stewardship. He challenged me further as to whether the limited money I could possibly give away to 'irresponsible' people could possibly affect the riches of Heaven... Ooh. He got me there. He then went on to explain that generosity has everything to do with compassion, following the leading of the Spirit and our heart as opposed to where the money is actually going. This was happening at a time where many students here were asking people for money to cover their tuition. My attitude at the time was that it's their responsibility to provide their tuition. That if they couldn't pay it off, then maybe they shouldn't be here... But then God reminded me of my situation... Ouch. I was all happy to give to my friends' tuition, but there were people there I didn't really know yet and I was not going to give them anything. Until God showed up. He challenged my attitude and then told me that if I gave $20 to this one person's tuition (this was a person who really irked me) then that would be the key to my financial breakthrough. I was like, God! That's not fair - you can't blackmail me! And He replied, I know, I'm teaching you. Ok. When you put it like that... I told Him that I'm only doing it cos He told me to, and I'm not in the state where I can be a 'cheerful giver'. He told me it didn't matter my attitude - the provision had already been made. The next day I paid the money and then Holy Spirit prompted me to look at my New Zealand bank account. Now, I haven't been in NZ for 2 years, but I've checked the account heaps of times hoping and praying for some sort of miracle. But I hadn't checked it for a few months. I opened the page and there was $86 in there!! What the?! Dividends from shares I had sold two years ago... Wow! All I could do was laugh. I mean, sure. Maybe the payment would have come through if I didn't give the $20, but then again...

So, at this stage I had enough money to pay my rent for November and now with this extra money I could probably see myself eating for that month too. I did, however, need a couple of extra winter clothes (due to only being able to bring 23kg with me!) So I decided that I could spend $100 on these things and that would leave me a little bit extra for fun times or whatever. I went to the shops and found some great bargains (thanks God!) and I was walking to my car when this young guy asked, "Hey, can you spare some money for a bus fare?" to which I did the head down, purse grab mumbled, "No, sorry." But then Holy Spirit spoke. "Go back and help him out." to which I replied in my head, "But he'll probably just spend it on drugs or whatever." to which Holy Spirit replied, "Do what you feel is best but you should go back and help him."

So I turned around and called him back and asked him what He needed. He explained that he got stranded here because these guys were robbing him and he was fighting them when the police came and arrested him. He lives in Southern California and had no job here and no way to get home. He was really embarrassed that he was reduced to asking for money to get back home. I thought (or maybe Holy Spirit said) that this would be an opportunity for me to show God's love to a perfect stranger who could most definitely use any money I gave him irresponsibly. I asked him when he wanted to leave and he said as soon as possible - had all his belongings in his backpack. So I took him to the bus station to see how much a ticket would be and when he could leave. Unfortunately it was Sunday and the ticket sales weren't open. I also found out that a ticket would be $130 but I only had $60 left (other than the money still in NZ). I told him such and he said that there's an organisation here in Redding that will help out with bus fares - if he comes up with half the money then they'll supply the rest in bus vouchers. All this time we had been chatting - he told me about his family, his work, his study dreams and his desire to hear from God personally (he was already a believer of Jesus). When we realised the bus depot was shut I then took him to his mate's house and took the plunge and decided I was going to give him the $60 in cash. We prayed before he left and it was such a cool time to hang out with God. The funny thing was, that although I was left with $6 in my account, I was not worried. My rent was paid for the all of November - so that left God 30 days to help me continue my journey here at Bethel. 

I went home and told all of my housemates the story - I was still buzzing at the craziness of what I did... It was cool. It felt like I was truly representing Jesus - which was a beautiful feeling! Just before bed I felt to check my USA bank account, which earlier that day showed only $6 left. I could not believe my eyes when I opened the page and there was $400 in there!! What?! Are you kidding me? I was totally overwhelmed by God's provision! It was at that moment where all residual fear of not having enough to last my time here disappeared. My Abba showed up. He gave me enough to survive another month. I was given the opportunity to trust Him and He is faithful. The funny part is that it's all things I knew but was yet to experience. There is nothing like an encounter with my God. Nothing at all can come close. 

I now understand generosity. I understand giving through compassion and the leading of Holy Spirit. He knows best. It's learning to be sensitive to those things that we would usually pass on by. It's not that we always give in order to receive, but more that we give because we have been given to! There's an element of both (farmers don't sow seed not expecting a harvest) and the best way to find out is to ask Holy Spirit what He thinks. I'm coming to realise that He always knows best.