a house of prayer for the nations

Addictions are the things we stuff our lives full of so we can feel the feeling that we would feel if we believed and knew that we were accepted unconditionally by God…

The unfortunate thing is that these things which we stuff our lives full of don’t give us that feeling…

I know…

When I was addicted to pornography I was continually empty…

It satisfied just for a second and then the emptiness returned…

The pleasures of sin for a season…

It didn’t satisfy me continually – it wasn’t like Jesus said about those who drink of Me will never thirst again…

I am starting to experience what it is to drink of Jesus…

I surrendered just to know Him…

That’s what I wanted – I did this a few months ago now – we – He and I – (spontaneously) had afternoon tea together at a café after I dropped my youngest daughter at a friends birthday party and He took me through it…

What if He took everything away from me – would I still like to know Him?

Yes (He made me willing)…

What if I couldn’t complete what He’d always told me I could complete (in terms of my call)?

Yes (He made me willing – it was coming naturally out of my heart)…

What if I lost everyone close to me and lived the rest of my life as a single man?

Yes (He made me willing – He was enough – knowing Him was enough)…

What if the call that I’d seen was fulfilled by others and I couldn’t get any credit for it?

Yes (He made me willing – He was enough)…

As long as He was with me He was enough…

Even if all my family and those closest to me were taken from me and even if I didn’t have any intimacy in marriage, if I didn’t have a wife at all and lived the rest of my life alone – He was enough – I chose to know Him…

Why am I sharing all this?

That day was a turning point for me which He initiated – He ‘brought me up’ to that day and that surrender…

Does that make me perfect right now?

No, He’s now working through the practical ramifications of that surrender – but the surrender is good and the rest is just the outworking – it’s already happened…

But what I’m seeing is that my remaining addictions are falling off…

My fears and my worries, my checking my emails, my focus on the temporal things – it is falling off…

And I’m able to relax a lot more and just enjoy my children – enjoy their conversations with me and not see them so much as a distraction from all my other thinking that I do…

Seeing the Lord as He leads me in worship to Him on my youngest daughter’s guitar – I’ve been learning guitar this year as my piano has been in storage at my oldest daughter’s place…

All these are good things…

I haven’t set any time limits on God for when He’ll deliver me completely and make me completely like Him – I’m just happy to see Him doing it…

I don’t care what other people think of me or how they ‘judge’ or perceive my progress – I am not living in condemnation – I am happy even though I do feel sadness when others do not receive me…

But this is their choice – and the Lord allows people to make choices and honours these – although He never gives up on any of His own – He will make them know wisdom for He desires truth in the innermost being and He will get it either on earth or with Him in heaven…

It is ultimately His choice…

And surrendering to this – taking our place in His world – gives us peace and freedom…

No one is thwarting us when we just want to know Him (just saw that now – Praise You Jesus)…

And eventually this place – taking this place – gives us freedom from our addictions…

‘Can good things happen to me?’

‘Really?’

This is a common feeling for those suffering with rejection…

Under the spirit of rejection…

They try to believe ‘good things’ but just can’t…

This spirit – this questioning, disbelieving spirit – is too strong for them…

They succumb to it and ‘go back’ to its circular arguments and go ’round and round’ in a cycle of depression and bondage…

Why?

Isn’t God enough?

Isn’t He faithful?

Can’t He break this cycle?

Yes, He can but for these ones He just doesn’t seem to…

Why?

Why is it easier to believe negative (depressing) things than positive (uplifting) ones?

Why?

Because it is the cycle we are used to in this place of rejection…

God’s place is a place of acceptance…

Everything in God is acceptance…

He has accepted us…

He has not counted our iniquities against us…

He has given us a word of reconciliation to share with the world…

The world is accepted by God – they really are – their trespasses are not being counted against them and all they have to do is accept His free gift to actually enjoy it…

Why don’t they?

They are living in a place of rejection and rejection is ultimately controlled by the devil…

He feels like the victim – he feels that God rejected him – but God had no other place for him other than the place which He had given him and when he rebelled against God – led a mutiny against God – God had no other choice but to remove him from his previous position as he was now unfit to perform his duties in leading the worship of heaven…

God didn’t reject the devil – the devil did this to himself…

God removed him as he could no longer serve and God will punish him with eternity in the lake of fire and brimstone…

God didn’t plan this for the devil and God didn’t plan this for humanity – but humanity’s refusal to accept His acceptance of them through Jesus’ Blood (His Intercession) is the reason they will suffer this fate…

Acceptance is on offer – why do we refuse it?

Rejection…

‘Good things can’t happen to me’…

‘I don’t deserve this’…

‘How can He be loving to me when I haven’t been loving to Him?’

‘Why would He love me like this?’

‘What’s in it for Him?’

It is the spirit of faith which overcomes the spirit of rejection…

The spirit of faith believes that God loves us even when there is nothing in us which is lovable, i.e. no reason for God to love us…

It is the spirit of faith – believing in the love of God – which overcomes the spirit of rejection…

I had two experiences in the last few days (starting late Saturday night New Zealand time and another one when I got to work on Tuesday morning this week) where the spirit of rejection had a real go at me through two people who I am particularly close with…

As I’ve been processing that situation with the Lord it’s become obvious that faith is the answer…

The second situation, the word He gave me when I first encountered it was, “faith”, He just whispered it to me and later He told me that the person hadn’t said what was said but it was the spirit of rejection speaking through them – I see that now with the first situation also – it was that deep root of rejection not being able to accept God’s grace to them, ‘it’s too good to be true – I must strive and try to achieve something for God to bless me’, that kind of mentality…

As we present grace we are met with rejection – how sad, we feel sorry for ourselves – I did anyway – but then the Lord starts to show us how those people must be feeling – the practical prison which they are living in…

Then we start feeling the sadness for them – we see their pain…

There is nothing greater than knowing your acceptance in God and not having to strive to improve yourself for any reason but knowing that He will improve you in His time…

Others around you might not understand this or accept you as you do this but you are free from their opinions and enabled to live before Him in freedom – no condemnation…

And exude that ‘no condemnation’ presence or attitude to all in your scope of influence…

I guess when you’re resisted in that instance it is the spirit of rejection resisting you – the Lord told me as I ‘vented’ before Him over the second issue that I was fighting against flesh and blood in so doing – I’d never seen that before – sometimes we’re told things which make no human sense and bring confusion and we ‘vent’ at that person – but it isn’t them – their new self – it is the spirits working through them – confusion and rejection – and the feeling you’re left with is that you’re hopeless and useless and will never be any better – its a judgement they pronounce over you but a silent judgement which leaves you to self capitulate – I’ve seen this very clearly over the last few days – and yet all that which they point at you is actually what they’re believing and feeling about themselves – they just project it onto you…

Faith is the key – what we believe must be what God has said about us – nothing else…

And we must believe what God has said will happen in our lives…

That is our personal source of love from God – He knows our needs and He loves to meet them…

Very uniquely and very individually…

We must receive from God what He gives us – this is our life…

This is our satisfaction…

By this we will fight the good fight – strong in His love for us specifically…

He knows how to delight us…

He loves us…

He cares so intimately for us…

If we reject His love – His personal expression of His love for us then we reject our own happiness and then we are just left with our addictions – our smoking or our drugs or our alcohol or our overworking or our pornography or whatever else we obsess over…

Our acceptance is our key to our release…

God brings people across our paths to minister this freedom to us – where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty…

Love you…

Andrew

I never realised this until part way through our long weekend over here in New Zealand…

When I made my vision to be fulfilling and supporting other people’s visions I didn’t realise that I could still be thwarted from ‘winning’ if those people didn’t want to receive my support to fulfil their visions…

I never thought that anyone would refuse this but there are some people who are too proud to receive this support – when they see that you’re existing for this and that they don’t have anything to offer you – that the scales are ‘unbalanced’ so to speak – they shy away – they run away – they can’t handle that and decide to ‘go it alone’…

I saw this over the weekend…

Some people don’t like it when you know more than they do or when you are more surrendered than they are – they just can’t handle it…

And they choose to go it alone – to make it happen all by themselves – they don’t want your help and yet they blame you – they twist it and blame you making up some excuse to keep you out of their lives…

What do you do when you’ve committed yourself to find your fulfilment in coming underneath and supporting and enabling other people’s visions and then they shut you out – they want to ‘do it alone’?

I guess it’s linked to their sense of worth…

Rejection is in there somewhere…

A feeling of having to be worthy to receive your support…

Something like that…

Anyway, what do you do?

I was seeking the Lord this morning – it’s been a painful few days for me – and He showed me that I go to whoever will receive my support – anyone who is willing…

I guess the ones who are under the Blood are quite happy to receive help from anyone cos they’re not precious how their vision is fulfilled or by who as long as it gets done and they know they need help and don’t care who helps them – their self esteem is ‘all good’ as they know that they are a new creation and everything good in them is of God and created by God and where there is lack they’re happy for others to ‘come in’ and add support to ‘get the job done’…

I guess it’s the difference between pride and humility…

But where does that leave me?

Sharing the gospel – sharing the grace of God – with whoever will listen…

I knew this – to just focus on those who God gave me who would receive but the Lord specifically told me to focus on these two particular people who He’d placed on my heart and I poured my heart out to them – I offered them both everything which He’d placed on my heart to and my time and my focus…

And neither of them have accepted this…

I am released – God is a Gentleman – He doesn’t force Himself where He’s not wanted…

I am released – I am released to focus out to the whole world to share the message of salvation with ‘whosoever will may come’…

There will be other times where He calls me to ‘invest’ and the ‘investment’ is not received…

He told me that this morning…

This is OK…

It’s not for me to decide when (or if) I will be received – I am to give what He gives me to give…

I am to go to everyone He sends me too and say whatever He commands me…

There’s another one who’s done this to me recently also – just coming back to mind…

I feel their pain – the first two I mentioned – but I cannot ‘touch’ them or ‘rescue’ them (I haven’t been able to touch or rescue the third one I mentioned either)…

They’ve ‘shut me out’ (or are just ignoring me not knowing what to do) and this is their choice – I must respect that…

Love You Lord…

Worship You…

Thank You for Your Support and Your Wisdom in my life…

Love You,

Andrew

(Ps. I saw this morning that truly letting go is to give these ones who’ve resisted us exactly what they’re asking for – not in a ‘bitter and twisted’ way but in reality to let them go as they have decided they require – this is real then and releases them to do what they have to do in God – even if that is to experience the pain of their rejection)

(Pss. I’ve noticed that people really struggle with waiting on God especially when He takes time in delivering them – they find it scarey to trust Him as ‘sin within them’ continues to operate and He doesn’t seem to ‘jump’ at their ‘command’ for Him to remove it – they choose ‘active-ism’ / ‘try-hard-ism’ instead of just waiting and accepting His timing in everything – I guess this is also the hardest thing which He’s been teaching me also – I guess I need to be more patient as He’s been with me, sorry Lord, Love You, Andrew)

(Psss. I forgive these three people for ‘shutting me out’, I love them Lord and I want them to grow in You, please forgive me for any bad attitudes which I’ve had towards these three and please forgive them for any ‘go it alone’ attitudes which these three have had towards You or me or both, Love You Lord, let us all – Your children – work together for the extension of Your Kingdom, Love You Lord, take me through this – take me through this pain – Love You Lord, Andrew)

The Lord’s Word to us is life…

Obviously the scripture is life as He reveals it to us but this is not what I am speaking of…

Man does not live by bread alone but by every Word which proceeds from the Mouth of God…

The Lord can give a Word to us which is our life…

It is a living word to us straight from His Mouth…

When others contradict this word we are tempted to let it go…

Those closest to us can tempt us to do this…

And yet we are bound by His Word and we cannot let it go…

We try as such…

We give up – we open ourselves up to believe what those closest to us are telling us – and yet we are bound by His Word – His Word to us – and we cannot let it go – we know that it is our life…

His Word – His specific word to us…

And whether no one else sees this or not we will stay true to His Word because it is our course…

And we will wait until His Word for us is completed…

This is the power He gives us…

Like Job even when his wife told him to curse God and die He would not curse God…

God has spoken and we – those who have heard – cannot forget what He has said – it is etched, irrevocably, onto our hearts…

We saw what we saw – we heard what we heard – and He allows trials to come to test our faith…

And we ‘let go’ we let go of what He has told us – we trust those closest to us – we think, “maybe I misheard the Lord, maybe I’m being deceived?” – we are open to this but then He reminds us of His Word – and we know – this is the trial – this is the test – to be contradicted by those closest to us…

And when those closest to us – who are contradicting us – are actually the ones whom we are waiting for to fulfil the Word which the Lord has given us (Peter is coming to mind, “Get behind Me Satan”) – to work with us in the fulfilment of His Word – this is even harder…

But we endure – we can’t control – we can’t make anything happen – we can forgive – we can cover with His Blood and we can see the Blood sprinkled on them and the Fire consuming them and us – and we see that all will be what He has said it will be (just as it was with Peter)…

He strengthens our faith through trials…

When we face them honestly before Him…

And give them up to Him knowing that we can’t handle them ourselves…

Love You Lord…

Thank You for Your Word…

To each one of us who knows You – let Your Word be life…

Love You,

Andrew

Whatever the Blood covers the Fire consumes…

Being under the Blood is being consecrated to the Lord…

We don’t do this to ourselves…

The Lord does this to us…

Once we find ourselves under the Blood, i.e. not trusting in our own righteousness but trusting in the Righteousness of Jesus’ Blood, then we find ourselves consecrated to God and under His discipline, the discipline of His Fire…

This is on-going…

Layer by layer He refines us…

Never ending in my experience…

In Paul’s experience never ending also…

When we have been consecrated to the Lord everything just happens to us – we are not in control anymore – we find ourselves wanting to praise God – we find ourselves wanting to intercede – we find ourselves wanting to get to the bottom of things – burdens just don’t go away, they intensify until they are released – we seek God – we overcome – we endure – we go through seasons of pain – we go through seasons of inactivity – we go through seasons of uncertainty – but even in the times when nothing seems to be happening and like the disciples we go back to our ‘fishing’ (we just don’t know what else to do), God keeps working – the consecration process keeps occurring – He is Lord…

He decides how close we each get to Him on earth – we will all be close to Him in His Presence during eternity – and so we will be with the Lord forever as the scripture says…

However far we get on earth is in His Hand – His personal consecration process to us – for each of His children – why does this differ?  Because He is Lord…

He has given to each one of us a measure of faith…

He has given to each one of us a gift or gifts…

He has foreordained the good works which we will commit on earth…

Which we will carry out on earth…

Is this a competition?

No…

God has the good works…

Each of us complete the good works which God has for us to complete…

God’s will gets done…

It’s not a competition and no one has to push or strive…

No one has to stress out…

He consecrated us to Himself…

We surrendered to cease from our works and trust His Finished Work…

And then the rest is a flow – a flow of His Spirit in our lives…

If we don’t feel the flow – don’t worry, just wait – He will continue the flow – it’s all part of the process – the consecration process – of ourselves to Him – we are in His Hand and He is our Master – He loves us and will not let us down or leave us on the shelf – He is working in us even when we don’t notice it – where sin abounds grace much more abounds – He is the opposite to what we’ve always thought – a Gentleman…

When He removes us from this earth He has His reasons – He is loving us…

He is Glorified by all His children – even when it’s obvious there is both good and bad coming from our lives – no one can deny Him or His presence in our lives – they see Him through us – and He is Glorified…

He is not ashamed of us…

And we are His treasured possession…

All will be revealed one day as to why He did things the way He did…

He gives us desires and then fulfils them for us…

We are not alone, He is with us…

He loves us…

http://worldnewsdailyreport.com/newly-found-document-holds-eyewitness-account-of-jesus-performing-miracle/

Praise You Jesus… 🙂

Let Your Name be Magnified throughout the entire earth… 🙂

Let Your Name be lifted up high above every other name that is named for all time… 🙂

Even during the three years of persecution right at the end – let Your Name continue to be named – with praise – by those that love You that remain on the earth… 🙂

And let there be no shame in any of those who name Your Name… 🙂

Let us name You without shame – based on our love for You which You have filled our hearts with – not on our ‘self effort’ but on Your love… 🙂

Fill us with Your Love… 🙂

We worship You… 🙂

Love You Lord… 🙂

Andrew

(Ps. Thank you to sister Ruth for sending this to me, it has blessed me)

Father, I don’t care what happens, I just want to see You…

I’m not interested in happenings any more…

They don’t matter…

Who I live with, who I spend the rest of my life with – these things are not important…

You have chosen all these things for me…

They are set – they cannot be undone…

I just want to see You…

In everything I do, in everything I see – in everything I participate in – I just want to see You…

This is my focus – however much pain I experience in these happenings is inconsequential – the important thing is that I am experiencing and seeing You in that pain – that You are carrying me through that pain and that I am watching You overcome through me in that pain…

That is all that matters to me – Your Presence in everything…

That is all that matters to me…

“My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest”…

“You have what you have asked from Me – all of it – forever”…

“You have My Word – and My Word can never be broken”…

“Love you”…

Jesus…

I too am a man under authority…

I am owning this here…

This is me…

I too – just like Jesus – am a man under authority…

Whatever He says to me I do…

This is my lot…

There can be no more opposition…

No more rejection…

No more resistance…

I am His…

I am under His authority…

I don’t decide what I do…

I don’t decide when I do it…

I don’t decide anything…

I am His…

And I live to see Him…

To see Him living through me…

This is my satisfaction…

This is my portion…

I am not looking to anyone else…

Or to any other circumstance…

I am looking to Him…

This is my decision…

I make it from a free will…

I will serve Him…

I submit to Him…

I am a man under authority…

Just as He is under His Father’s authority in everything…

Thank You Jesus…

I’d never really understood until just now – I’ve just had a revelation – exactly what Jesus meant when He said that…

Yes, I knew in general – but not specifically as He’s now applied it to me…

We all have people who are very close to us…

But not all of those people are people who the Lord has chosen us to walk with for the rest of our lives on earth…

There is a letting go…

Old relationships – people whom we’ve looked up to and served under – there is a letting go – when the Lord calls us on there is a letting go and in that sense we leave the dead to bury their own dead…

They are left and we are taken on to what the Lord has for us…

We’re not rejecting them – we’re just taken on…

And there are new people brought to minister with us in this place…

New authority structures…

We move on – we have been prepared – we have been blessed from their input and then they’re ‘over’ us no longer…

We are free…

I just had a moment where I saw this…

I am free…

Letting go can be hard but when all we want to see is the Lord it gets a lot easier…

We can see the Lord directly or through each other – the ones He brings across our path as we’re serving Him – or even the ones He brings when we’re trying to get away from Him at times (I smile)…

Love You Lord…

You are so good…

You are so flexible…

You are always moving us on – when we are surrendered to You…

We have the inner peace – those around us may not understand but we know…

We believe the Lord, not man…

We leave the dead to bury their own dead…

We don’t love our own ‘flesh and blood’ more than we love Him…

We ‘hate’ our own ‘flesh and blood’ in comparison to our love for Him…

And we are free…

🙂

I’ve said all this before…

I am preaching to myself…

I have chosen to submit to God’s timing in everything…

I am finding it hard…

It so goes against the grain of what I am used to…

Control is so deep…

He is stronger…

His Hand is stronger…

He is curbing me…

Curbing my control…

Taking it away from me…

It hurts…

But it is necessary…

It feels like death…

Literally…

It does…

It’s like all those things (which He’s promised) are going away – they are unreachable any more because He’s asking me to wait for Him to do them supernaturally…

Laying them down means the end of them in the natural – there is now no natural way that those things can happen…

And yet they will – I speak in faith – they will – in the Spirit – and in the natural – they will – because He has chosen them to happen – this (process) is the resurrection – the letting go and the picking it up again pure after letting it go – this goes over and over a few times but you end up purified and you end up surrendered and you end up unshakable in what you know as He has etched this into you…

Love you all,

Andrew

Is it wise to take on others opinions of ourselves?

No, not unless the Holy Spirit gives us a witness of truth when we hear their words…

People have strong opinions of us…

They do…

They could be our siblings, they could be our parents, they could be our grandparents, they could be our teachers or our Pastors or our spiritual leaders or whoever…

People who are ‘invested’ in our lives can have strong opinions about us – what we should be doing, how we should be doing it – obviously our wives and husbands can have these strong opinions also – or our girlfriend or boyfriends or our fiancés, etc…

What do we do with people’s strong opinions about us (these can either be felt or spoken)?

They are basically expectations…

When we feel them we don’t know what to do with them, how to handle them, do we fight back?  Do we stay silent?  If we stay silent is that meaning that we’re agreeing with their strong opinions about ourselves?

Jesus had some strong opinions levelled at Him when He stood trial before the Chief Priests and the Sanhedrin…

He choose His moment to speak and He choose His moment to remain silent…

I’ve been learning to do the same by allowing the Holy Spirit to control my responses…

When I’m on the receiving end of these strong opinions or expectations of how my performance should be – even if these are unspoken – I’m learning to stay silent if someone else’s flesh is speaking to me – not answering their condemnation – but to only speak when I sense that it is their new self speaking to me or that the Lord puts the words on my heart to say…

There is always that desire to ‘snap back’ and ‘correct’ falsehoods being spoken of us – I’ve been learning to resist this – not by ‘biting my lip’ but just by the fact that the Holy Spirit is now in control of that so that it doesn’t matter what their opinion of me is but God will show them what they need to know…

Only He can…

This understanding of the truth has helped me to let go…

I can speak the truth and then let it go…

The outcome is irrelevant to me – only the Lord can speak to the heart and establish truth in the heart…

No end of speaking by me is going to ‘help’ that…

So in summary, does what anyone say about us matter?

Does what anyone think of us matter?

Does it matter if we feel strong expectation coming our way from others?

Does it matter if others try to ‘twist’ us into what they want us to be?

Put us ‘in a box’ – ‘you can only be this in my mind’?

Does it matter?

We give all these things to the Lord – even the hardest – our parents – our fathers – what they think of us…

I have had these expectations on my youngest son – just saw that as I typed the sentence above – forgive me Lord, I’m sorry…

As we let them go – our expectations on others – and as we let go of our inability to handle others crushing and mind numbing – crippling – expectations on us – we see that our responses are just as bad as their expectations – we hate what they’re doing to us – we do – and extreme pressure reveals this – only the Lord can carry these things and protect us from them – showing us His impression of us and showing us what He wants us to do – because ultimately we are slaves to Him and not these people even when what He instructs us to do makes these people think that we have succumbed to their pressure or are now ‘under their thumb’ – this is the hardest submission – where your obedience to God makes others feel like you ‘capitulated’ and have ‘given in’ – and the Lord closes your mouth to ‘explain’ and defend yourself…

Does others opinion of us matter?

No, it does not…

New International Version
But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation–

New American Standard Bible
yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach–

King James Bible
In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Colossians 1:22

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. John 10:27,28
In these late days with evil on the rise, it is all the more critical to be following His inner voice to remain safe in His hands.
“Lord – give me this day the desires to do your will and the grace to be obedient…
We see an important theme being played out in the interaction between Israel and the Lord.
Having not yet been given the gift of His indwelling presence, Israel tended to lean on Law and principle and often despised the prophetic voice.
We are no better, even with the gift of His word within, we choose our own way.

Friends this is a serious issue.
Whether you are a celebrity or of no account in the Christian system, we all need to heed His word within to be fruitful and safe.
It is clear that this fundamental flaw within the modern church, otherwise we would not see the spectacular fall of leaders bringing embarrassment to our faith and dishonor to Him. Also, we would not see disillusioned believers struggling to find their place on the ‘Christian stage’.

At the heart of walking with Him is humility, and a love for His Living Word.
Now there are seasons of regular inspired routine, and sweet exceptions easily missed when the force of habit drowns His voice of exception.
When Art Katz was invited to lead a youth work in the US he immediately called for several days of fasting – the response was… What about the programme?
Did we not see this when Jesus drew on the sand…
The routine demanded a stoning.
His Word is for relationship, but we have established a programme that must be followed… and Jesus weeps.

The structures and routines we have created will not stand in the coming hours.

While there is concern about sleeping cells in our neighborhoods…
Let us awake to His Living Word within, not just to be safe, but to arise as a people filled with love and obedience to His inner voice. Inspired and empowered as the first Church, bringing His Living Word to the world as His inner voice leads.

Shalom.
Carl Emerson                                                                                                         October 2014

Here’s an interesting topic…

Resisting grace…

We’ve all known people who have resisted the Grace of God through us…

I’m sure if we thought we’d all – who know the Lord – be able to remember a time when someone resisted the Grace of God through us…

It feels like they should listen because we know what we are saying is true and we also know that there’s nothing wrong with our motivation in sharing those things with them…

And so when they oppose us and contradict us we kind of go, ‘What, what’s with that?’ and are really surprised…

How do you handle that?

I’ve been learning just to keep my mouth shut when that happens…

Sometimes I try to pray and ask the Lord to come underneath and set them free but often I get, ‘No’ (a clear and authoritative ‘No’ – like He’s not going to change His Mind) and the reason is because He is resisting pride…

If we – those whom we are speaking to – resist God’s Grace through us then they are being proud…

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” (James 4:6 NASB)

The Lord doesn’t like being opposed and He doesn’t like us being opposed when we are His Mouthpiece in a certain situation…

Whenever the Holy Spirit is living through us we are His Mouthpiece in that situation – God is speaking through us…

And we feel His Grief when He is resisted through us…

But in that place God can’t answer our prayer for that one – I have experienced this – this is a Divine Mystery…

How does God ‘get through’ to someone who resists His Grace?

I don’t know – but I know He does cos I’ve resisted His Voice and He’s gotten through to me and looking back it is the very opposition of not feeling His closeness and not feeling close to Him and not hearing His Voice which brings me back to find out why, which inevitably frees His Spirit to show me where I went wrong and how to ‘get right’, to ‘come back’ ‘into line’…

So even being opposed by God is His Grace to us – who know Him…

But what about those who don’t know Him?

Pharaoh resisted God’s Grace to him and it hardened him – he moved further and further away from God and rebelled against His Voice – ending in destruction…

So for those who know Him there is always redemption…

Or being taken home to be with Him – this is the ultimate redemption – we will all hear and obey His Voice there…

Either which way we will – who know Him – all hear and obey His Voice…

Others – who don’t know Him – experience the opposition unto death – spiritual death…

The Lord is opposing them because of their pride…

Humility attracts the Lord…

Pride repels Him…

There are a lot of people in this world who go through a lot of stigma because of their past…

Because of what their flesh has done…

I’m talking of people who know the Lord – who are new creations in Christ…

There is a view out there that to be a new creation means that you are practically perfect – or that you don’t practically sin anymore (that people don’t see or sense sin coming out of you)…

I personally know of no one who is a new creation for which this is true – I have seen sin coming out of every person who is a new creation which I’ve come across to date – with the exception of one – who I never sensed sin around (possibly a sniff of it once but I can’t be sure)…

My point is that new creations (people who are a new creation) are not practically perfect (sin still comes out of them – not out of their new creations but out of their flesh, ‘sin which dwells in me’)…

Here’s the thing…

If you’re divorced or used to be gay or used to be a paedophile or used to be a murderer or a prostitute or bankrupt (because of corrupt dealings) or any other thing which has a stigma – you can be looked down upon by self righteous people in the ‘church’…

I have news for you…

There is no stigma on you from God…

You are a brand new creation…

Right now you are this…

Not when you’re ‘slightly better’ but right now…

Not when you stop doing ‘that thing’ (whatever that thing is that you feel if you could just stop doing then you’d be acceptable to God) but right now…

Yes, right now…

When you repented from your sins God forgave them and you are – right now – a new creation…

You died…

Your flesh is just a ghost…

It doesn’t exist to God…

It is your enemy to God (God is ‘with you’ against it for its practical removal from you – but it is not you)…

God does not treat it as you…

Here’s the thing – you’re divorced (let’s say)…

Scripture could be ‘used’ by self righteous people against you to say that Jesus says that I can’t marry you other wise I’ll be committing adultery, i.e. putting the self righteous person ‘above’ you and making you a ‘second class citizen’…

But what does scripture say…

“For you died…”

“Their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more”…

“Having forgiven all our transgressions”…

“If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come”…

Scripture says that the person who committed that divorce has died…

It (your flesh) is just a ghost…

Your new creation can’t sin…

It is permanently innocent…

This is the New Covenant…

The Law says, “Do this and you will live”…

And who has ever done it?

No one – perfectly – but one – Jesus Christ…

Scripture says that if you practice the Law perfectly but break it in just one point you are guilty of breaking it all…

So the truth is that those self righteous people who are judging and putting you down for being divorced are forgetting that under the Law they are divorced if they’re looking to their own righteousness to save them…

Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. (Romans 2:1-2 NASB)

If you’ve looked to Christ and are under His Blood and are divorced – you are a new creation – you are a virgin in the sight of God (permanently) – when He looks – at Satan’s accusation – in the books for proof that you are divorced He will say, “This person no longer exists – there is no record of them”…

You are no longer divorced…

Why?

Because you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God…

To be in Christ means to be credited with all that Christ has…

Christ is continuously perfectly righteous – this is what we are in our new creations…

Permanently perfectly righteous – we are not divorcees (still using that as the example)…

So I say, if you had a divorce (you’ve gone through all the pain – whether it was your ‘fault’ or not) – how does God view you right now?

He views you as free – He looks at you as a chaste virgin because this is what you are…

Your flesh isn’t you (it is a ghost) – it is dead…

Your new self is you…

So I say go ahead and obey the word of the Lord to get married to someone else who is a new creation if this is what you want to do…

Go ahead…

You are pure in Him…

The Law is not for righteous people…

Everything is permissible…

Yes, not everything is beneficial – follow the Spirit – but if the Spirit is leading you to marry a fellow new creation – then do this…

There is no stigma for you…

If someone tries to stigmatise you remember that if they are calling unholy something which God has called clean that this is in direct contraction to the word of God…

Peter’s vision of the sheet…

Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”  The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. (Acts 10:13-16 NASB)

“Do not call anything impure that God has made clean”…

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:9-20 NASB emphasis added)

This is what some of you were…

We were unrighteous when we were outside of Christ…

We were washed, we were sanctified and we were justified when we came to Christ and when we were made new creations in Him…

We can’t ‘go back’ to what we were – we can’t (the butterfly can’t become a caterpillar again – it just can’t)…

It’s too late…

And so all things are lawful for us…

But we don’t use our freedom to indulge our flesh…

It’s dead and we practically don’t want to let its ghost keep haunting us (so to speak)…

It has nothing to offer us…

Nothing…

And yet we are forgiven – if we do let its ghost keep haunting us we are still forgiven – but we are meant – as the love dawns on us – to give the world – the unrighteous – a view of what it means to be a son or daughter of God living in this amazing freedom…

Don’t have to…

Want to…

We will start to want to…

If we call ourselves unclean when God has called us clean then we are disobeying the word of God…

God has called every one of His children clean – saints by calling…

If you are in Christ you are clean – permanently…

You can’t stuff up your righteousness because you looked to Him and were credited His…

Only if Christ stuffs up can your righteous standing be revoked…

And Christ will never stuff up…

He lives in the power of an Indestructible Life…

Let’s make this slightly more real – although it’s still hypothetical…

Let’s pretend I (making it personal) was a really famous preacher (not that I am) and I was highly looked up to by a whole lot of people around the world (not that I am) and that a lot of people listened to what I said…

My wife died (in this hypothetical story) and let’s say that I met a woman who knew the Lord and had married (after she knew the Lord) someone who didn’t know the Lord…

That didn’t work out well for them so they – the one who knew the Lord – then divorced this man who she’d married…

Then the Lord brought that one – who knew Him all along but whose flesh had committed all those acts through them – to repentance about these sins – they repented before the Lord…

I met them and felt on my heart to marry them – I looked at them as a virgin before the Lord in their new self – they looked at me the same way…

Their divorced spouse was still alive (that’s an important point)…

I went ahead and became engaged to them…

Quite possibly (on a number of fronts) there would be a huge uproar from self righteous people quoting Jesus’ words to the Pharisees that anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery (or that a woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives)…

Telling me that if I don’t break off the engagement that I’ll be committing adultery (marrying another mans’ wife)…

What would I say to them?

I would quote the words of Jesus to Peter,

“Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” (Acts 10:15b NASB)

I am clean because I looked to Jesus’ Blood to cleanse me and release me from my sins…

My fiancé (in this hypothetical story) is clean because she did the same…

We are clean, we are not under the Law, which is what Jesus was preaching to the Pharisees because we – our fleshes – died and the Law only has jurisdiction over a man as long as he lives – neither of us are alive so we are no longer under the Law’s jurisdiction – so that indictment from Jesus – spoken to the proud and self righteous Pharisees – no longer applies to us…

From my fiancés divorced spouse’s perspective he married a ghost…

Her new creation didn’t marry him – it was her flesh which married him…

Her flesh is dead…

If the books were to be opened and he was to stand before God on the great day and say, “But God, Andrew married my divorced spouse while I was still alive, this is against Your Law!” God would open the books and look for a record of my fiancé ever being married to that man and He would find none, for her sins and lawless acts have all been blotted out, remembered no more, “I have no memory of that ever occurring – there is no record of it – or of her”, He would say and my fiancés divorced spouse would be speechless before Him…

Do you see the Power of the New Creation?

Do you see the Power of the New Covenant?

Do you see the Power of God’s Forgiveness?

Do you?

I am willing to do this – to take on those who have been under stigma from the religious spirit…

I am willing to be the ‘friend of sinners’ as Jesus was…

There is no shame for a son or daughter of the Living God…

No shame…

Old things have past away, all things have been made new…

I have prayed and asked the Lord to give me the ones who are the most ‘messed up’ but are coming to Him – those who will be the most ‘outcast’ new creations – I have prayed that He will give me those and that I will be able – as a close friend of mine has said – to ‘love them to life’…

This is my prayer…

I do not feel welcome with self righteous people – but I love ‘sinners’ who know what they were and aren’t trying to hide it but have accepted by faith His pronouncement of “Righteous” over their lives and are living it – not trying to get better but as His Spirit speaks truth to their heart – naturally living that truth which He reveals and becoming more and more and more a demonstration of His Likeness in this world…

You are either completely pure or you are completely evil…

There is no in between…

If you’ve ever sinned once – any sin at all – you are completely evil…

As soon as you look to your Saviour – Your Propitiation – Your Blood Sacrifice – Jesus Christ – and believe on His Sacrifice – trust Him – you become completely pure and always will be – it is past tense…

And He will never mention your sin to you again – holding it over you as a stigma – as shame…

And so neither should we to our fellow brothers and sisters…

Whose righteousness protects our family?  God’s or mine?

Whose blood protects our family?  God’s or mine?

God’s…

Being under the Blood means that you stand helpless and completely undone in the Presence of God claiming His Righteousness alone…

Not your own…

Claiming His Blood alone, not your own…

So why return to any effort to protect your loved ones by any righteousness of your own?

If you are a wife are you protected by your husband’s righteousness?

Or if you are a child are you protected by your father’s righteousness?

Here is the truth…

If you as a father are surrendered to the Lord – in the sense that you are under His Blood – not trying to improve yourself but trusting in His Blood – whatever is under the Blood attracts the Fire of God – but trying hard and pride do not attract the Fire of God – not trying at all and waiting on the Lord knowing your positional righteousness before Him do – then all under your responsibility – your household – are also under the Blood…

Of course they can rebel against this and strive and return to folly – pride…

But you have done your job…

If your flesh expresses itself in front of your family have you lost your authority?

No, nothing has changed – you are still under the Blood and so are they – they have nothing to worry about – if they do get worried and return to pride – to striving – then this is not your responsibility…

You are to stay under the Blood…

There is no expectation under the Blood…

And there is healing and there is burning – things leave and they leave naturally – and you can wait for God’s timing and wait for God’s timing in your family members…

This is the way it is to be…

The role of authority in this world is to welcome the Blood into their area of jurisdiction – their sphere of influence…

This is what the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors & Teachers – along with the Intercessors – are to do – welcome the Blood to have jurisdiction in their spheres of influence…

I see this – it is powerful…

There is no condemnation here – no judgement – no judgement in the Lord…

There is understanding and wisdom – seeing where everyone ‘is’ and where the Lord is taking them…

Patience…

And discipline where necessary – all is in the wisdom of God – but there is no condemnation…

There is freedom and there is no need to strive or worry anymore…

The authority is given by God – not on the basis of performance – but on the basis of the way God has made us and the roles He wants us to fulfil…

The authority isn’t given to force anyone to do anything – it is given to be released into the sphere of influence – releasing the Lord to have His Place – either He is in control or we are…

When we ‘stand still and see the salvation of the Lord’ or ‘be still and know that He is God’ – He is then freed to do His will in our lives…

He has told me there is nothing for me to do – he who has put his trust in the Lord has ceased from his work – I am to wait for Him to move in me – it is so free – so free – and He is so able to transform me – so able…

Love You Lord…

Love You Lord…

Love You Lord…

You don’t fall out of grace…

It is a conscious choice to be under grace…

It is also a conscious choice to be under Law…

To be under Law you have to strive…

To be under grace you just have to stop trying and live with the results (there will be a flood of fear as you make this decision but this is just natural – go with it)…

Which will you choose?

There is peace and freedom in grace…

And a flow of living waters coming out from your inmost being – you stand and you wait – this is weird – it feels weird – but it is so blessed – so blessed (let the other stuff be flushed out of you)…

Love you,

Andrew