Monday, March 2, 2009

Testing The Spirits

Original Date: 3/2/09

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned to someone "You have to test the spirits." The person responded by saying "How do you test the spirits." What a most excellent question! How does one test the spirits?

1 John 4:1-6

4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
NASU


If you think about a test from school, what are you doing? You are undergoing a series of questions to determine your knowledge about a subject. In the spiritual realm it is we who are asking the spiritual questions. Spiritual questions help us to determine whether something is Godly or not. It is saying "Yep, that's correct" or "Nope, that is not correct." It can also help us determine if something is a false prophecy. This is using the mind to test something.

Here are some questions in order to test the spirits (via the mind):

1) Does this source's words line up with the word of God?
2) Does this source's words claim the death and resurrection of Jesus?
3) Does a prophetic word hold true in the timeframe in which it is given?


In school, you might have also done some Chemistry experiments. Have you ever used a litmus paper to determine if something was an acid or a base? If you touched the litmus paper to an acid, such as in a lemon, the litmus paper would turn red. If you touched the litmus paper to a base, such as in detergent, the litmus paper would turn blue. This indicates that there is a difference in chemical make-up and chemical properties that will change the paper two different colors. I see the litmus test in the spiritual realm as determining the properties and compounds that make it up. Because of this, testing the spirits is not just in the mind and words, it is also in the heart.

Here are some heart tests to apply to a situation:

1) Is the word or situation condemning or edifying?
(Note: A word from God might not always be pleasant.)
2) Is a word of truth spoken in love?
3) Does the word or situation feel dark/deceptive or light/truthful?
4) Is the intent self-focused, others-focused, or Christ-focused?

There is a difference between charm and charisma. They both draw people in but one is for good and the other is not. There is a difference between prophetic and psychic. The same rule applies. Someone could be a charming prophet or a charismatic psychic. We all can operate under different spirits so be careful of what you operate under. Be also careful to test what other people say and do. If we are not careful, we can fall into the trap of believing everything we hear or becoming cynical and not believing anything.

We need to be especially careful in the areas in which we are most trusting. Trust is a good thing but it can also be the playground for manipulation.

Examples:

Words of Destiny - If I trust in the words of destiny, then I am subject to being attacked by them. For example, if I received a prophetic word, and I did not test that word, then I would be deceived into an alternate destiny out of God's will.

Words of Identity (Positive) - If I trust in words of Identity, then I am subject to being attacked by them. If someone bragged on me and told me how good I was, then it could be a way to increase my pride. A positive word may not be what I need if my ego is already inflating.

Words of Identity (Negative) - If I trust in words of Identity, then I am subject to being attacked by them. Typically, a negative person is cynical or self-defeating in some way. If that's the case, then negative words will be echoed on a regular basis to further perpetuate the downward spiral.


Listen to the words, test them, find out what God says about them.

Additional Source for Testing The Spirits:

http://executableoutlines.com/1jn/1jn_13.htm

Disclaimer: The contents of this message are to be prayed over and tested by prayer and scripture. The contents of any blogs written are my best understanding of any knowledge I obtain. The contents of this message may come from a variety of sources including, but not limited to: books I have read, words from God, words I have heard, memories, experiences, and my own imagination. It is my intention to share what knowledge I have gleaned from all available sources and "connect the dots" between those points of knowledge. God Bless!

Cornerstone Qualities

In a previous posting, I had talked about how Simon Barjona was given his name. He was given the name Peter or "Rock." A recent conversation with Wanda King compelled me to revisit this topic in order to clarify meaning. This was an interesting conversation because I feel it led me to a new understanding to calling. The wording I had used in the blog implied that Peter was "the rock" of the church, implying Jesus was not. This was not my intent but interesting to say the least.

The following is my understanding of Peter's position based on reflecting on the conversation with Wanda and reflecting in the word.

Here are the verses in the NASB

Matt 16:15-20
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."
NASU

Simon here is acknowledging the name given to Jesus. The name gives the identity , the calling, and the authority given by God. Jesus uses the phrase "I also say that you are..." revealing that it was, in a sense, His turn to share with Peter his destiny and calling. The original term, Petra, means a large, massive stone. This implies that Peter was unable to be moved. He was solid and unwavering.

Each of us is given a name that reflects our identity and calling. We are each a mirror of God reflecting different attributes of God. No one person reflects all the attributes of God. In this particular situation, Jesus was giving Peter his name reflecting His solid foundation, His immovable nature. Peter's mission was to reflect the solidity of God.

For this reason, Peter was given a high honor. Because Peter reflected Jesus's cornerstone qualities, he was given authority as one of the founders of the early church. It was his mission to pass along the unshakable foundations of God to each of the members of the body of Christ. God's word, from Christ through Peter would be solid and grounded, and thus, he was trusted with the "Keys of the Kingdom."

It is only in that state where we are solid and grounded in His word and who He is that we can be trusted with the Keys of the Kingdom!

Disclaimer: The contents of this message are to be prayed over and tested by prayer and scripture. The contents of any blogs written are my best understanding of any knowledge I obtain. The contents of this message may come from a variety of sources including, but not limited to: books I have read, words from God, words I have heard, memories, experiences, and my own imagination. It is my intention to share what knowledge I have gleaned from all available sources and "connect the dots" between those points of knowledge. God Bless!

Frameworks: Ungodly Fear

Original Date: 3/2/09

The Cause : Ungodly Fear

Verse - 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind."

Position - If Michael is an archangel in heaven, Fear is a General in Hell

Quotes - Publilius Syrus said: "Valor grows by daring, fear [grows] by holding back.
Check this out - http://www.personal-development.com/chuck/fear.htm

If you fear God, you will fear nothing else. If you don't fear God, you will fear everything else. (Unknown source)

Definition - Ungodly Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc. whether real or imagined (Source: Dictionary)

Purpose - designed to cloud the mind to slow down or stop the Godly progress of a believer. The more fear is acted upon, the more it flourishes. It is self-perpetuating. Fear is allowed in this world because without fear, courage could not exist. Fear is allowed so that it can be overcome. The fear of the Lord replaces the spirit of fear.

Effects of Fear - Perfection, Sensitiveness, Nervousness, Tension, Anxiety, Worry, Nightmares, Fear of Man, People-pleasing, Panic Attacks (Source - Deliverance Prayer sheet given to me)

Overcoming Fear - Sometimes fear is overcome by new wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 says "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." So, when we fear God, he gives us new wisdom. When we have the wisdom to take authority over the next situation, then fear has to depart. However, sometimes wisdom is not always available to us and we must step out in faith. Therefore, in faith, courage must rise up in us if we are to overcome the next fear. In each instance, ungodly fear must be replaced with something of God.


Disclaimer: The contents of this message are to be prayed over and tested by prayer and scripture. The contents of any blogs written are my best understanding of any knowledge I obtain. The contents of this message may come from a variety of sources including, but not limited to: books I have read, words from God, words I have heard, memories, experiences, and my own imagination. It is my intention to share what knowledge I have gleaned from all available sources and "connect the dots" between those points of knowledge. God Bless!

Kingdom Formulas (Updated 030209)

Overcoming Fear = (Courage + Faith) * Time

Deception = Truths of God (positive) * Lies of the Enemy (negative)
(Satan's biggest deceptions are when he adds on to a truth of God)

Racism = Pride + Fear

Satan's Stronghold = (Satan's lies + Wounding + Sins) * (Repeated over time)

God's Fortress = (God's Truth + Armor of God + Love) * (Repeated over time)

Evil Authority = Dominance + Arrogance + Sake of Self
Godly Authority = Shepherd + Responsibility + Sake of Others

Life = (Focus on Kingdom) * (Time with God) - (Focus on Self) * (Time on Self)
"He must increase, I must decrease"

Frameworks: Introduction

Original Date: 3/2/09

I've been learning lately something very interesting about cause and effect. When the wind blows, the leaves move. You can't see the wind blow, but you can see the leaves move. Another example is like when the weather turns colder, the leaves change color and eventually die. Something has changed in the natural realm and it has caused a change in the life around it. You can't see the wind blow or the temperature change, but you can feel it. You can also see the effects of the wind and the cold.

The same is true in the spiritual realm. There are events that happen that cause a change in the environment. Life is altered or lost. However, just as you can see the change in leaf color and know that there was a temperature change, you can also see the spiritual effects and trace it back to a source. So, the question is: what do you look for? How do you know when life has been lost in the spiritual realm? Once we recognize the causes and effects, then we can pray more effectively into situations and circumstances.

I have started noticing that various authors and other people will make references to the effects of spiritual phenomenon that they see. They may not know that it is part and parcel to understanding for everyone else to be able to recognize and thus combat sin and death in this world. So, any time I see something that helps give me a "framework" of understanding about a topic, I will jot it down in this journal.

*** Note: Those with the gift of discernment can see the cause and the effect immediately. However, not everyone flows in discernment. I usually have to see the effect before I can see the cause. ***

Disclaimer: The contents of this message are to be prayed over and tested by prayer and scripture. The contents of any blogs written are my best understanding of any knowledge I obtain. The contents of this message may come from a variety of sources including, but not limited to: books I have read, words from God, words I have heard, memories, experiences, and my own imagination. It is my intention to share what knowledge I have gleaned from all available sources and "connect the dots" between those points of knowledge. God Bless!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Hearing from God

Some people hear from God primarily directly - the Ramah word. It's amazing. They can hear direct words from God sometimes for themselves but mostly for others. Some people see and hear God through nature - Chief Big Pond from the Oklahoma indian reservation says he hears from God when He is out on the land. He has a direct respect for and contact with the land, which in turn, connects him to God. Some people hear God through music and can feel His presence through a 3-part harmony.

I used to be discouraged because I didn't hear from God in any of those ways. Occasionally, I will hear direct words or feel the presence from a song, but not like others. I wasn't designed to. I've often thought, wow, wouldn't it be nice to hear from God in the ways that others do. What I learned was that everyone hears from God in a completely different way. When we tap into that source of how we communicate with God, it can completely free us.

I hear from God when I study. When I read, write, and study, I feel God's presence. To give you an example, when I started writing this blog, I was writing about a completely different topic than "Hearing from God." I was actually going to start writing about fear. After I got done writing, I realized something new that God was showing me that I hadn't thought about before.

Additionally, I'm not a musician, a singer, a dancer, or anything else. I'm a connector. In the natural world, I figured out naturally how to put a computer together and understand it by looking at the different pieces that made it up. The same goes for the spiritual realm: I see different pieces that fit together and so when I plug one puzzle piece into another, the bigger picture is revealed.

Everyone has their resonance in God's kingdom. He designed us with a calling and purpose. We can't get bogged down by wishing that we flowed in another calling or heard from God differently. I've been there, done that, wrote the book, got the t-shirt. Rather, we have to be faithful in what God has shown us where our giftings lie and God will take care of the rest.

Disclaimer: The contents of this message are to be prayed over and tested by prayer and scripture. The contents of any blogs written are my best understanding of any knowledge I obtain. The contents of this message may come from a variety of sources including, but not limited to: books I have read, words from God, words I have heard, memories, experiences, and my own imagination. It is my intention to share what knowledge I have gleaned from all available sources and "connect the dots" between those points of knowledge. God Bless!

The Heart of the Vine

Here is something interesting I saw the other day in my reading time in the Bible in the morning. I was reading in Ezekial and I came across the verse Ezekial 11:19 which says:

"...And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh."

So, this verse kept on repeating through my mind and I was curious to see why I kept thinking about it. At the same time, I was thinking about God being the vine:

John 15:4-5
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
NASU

Then, as I was thinking about these two verses, I saw a picture of a vine in my mind and a branch coming off of that vine. I heard a question pop into my mind: "Where is the heart in this picture?" I knew immediately where it was in my mind's eye. It was at the point on the branch where it enters the vine. Then I heard "where is the mind in this picture?" I knew immediately it was where the twigs come off to produce the fruit.

This showed me a couple of things. The heart is the source for the nutrients of God. If the branch were stone at its base, then it would not receive nutrients. In the same way, the heart will not receive its nutrients from God if it is hardened. As the flesh is vulnerable so the heart must be vulnerable as well.

This also showed me something about the mind. In Eph 4:17-18, it says:

" walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart."
NASU

If the mind is futile, then it is a mind that doesn't bear fruit. It says that men are darkened in their understanding because of the hardness in their heart. Therefore,

IF THE HEART IS BLOCKED, THEN THE MIND CANNOT BEAR FRUIT.
IF THE MIND IS DARKENED, IT MEANS THAT THEIR HAS BEEN A HARDNESS OF HEART


John 15:6-9
"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
NASU

*Disclaimer: The contents of this message are to be prayed over and tested by prayer and scripture. The contents of any blogs written are my best understanding of any knowledge I obtain. The contents of this message may come from a variety of sources including, but not limited to: books I have read, words from God, words I have heard, memories, experiences, and my own imagination. It is my intention to share what knowledge I have gleaned from all available sources and "connect the dots" between those points of knowledge. God Bless!*