Giving: For God so loved the world that He gave….

For God so loved the world, that He gave…   Today, as I read my One-year Bible I read: Ex 35: 21 All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. Looks a lot like: 2 Corinthians 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes […]

For God so loved the world, that He gave…

give1

 

As I read my  Bible I read: Ex 35: 21 All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord.

Looks a lot like: 2 Corinthians 9:7

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

God is the giver of all life! His nature is to give! As we walk with Him, we discover the joy in giving, but notice in these verse this one thing:

In each case God stirred the heart of the person to give!

God knows how to take up an offering, and who He can stir to pay His bills.

For those of us called into full-time ministry, that takes all the pressure off of people, and puts it where it rightfully belongs: on His exceedingly great and precious promises.

He cannot lie, and He cannot fail, and He is well able to stir the hearts of those He has called to support us in our vision and mandate.

Our job is to remain holy, so that their offerings will be like this verse calls them: ‘sacred offerings’ unto the Lord.

Where do I give? Who do I give to?

Hebrews 7:8

Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.

I believe the correct answer to that question is not merely who, what and where, but according to this verse: HOW I give.

I must give in faith. Sure, mortal men receive tithes, but when I give, Jesus, the high priest of my confession, personally receives them as part of my worship, and then He acts in my life, bearing witness that He has risen from the dead: He LIVES!

So, Jesus is Lord, and He speaks whomsoever He will, where to give, who to give to there, and then looks to see HOW we give, with a good heart, a heart of thanksgiving and worship unto Him.

Put a smile on Jesus face today. Do like He does, give!

There is joy and purpose in it, and He loves to get actively involved with us in our prosperity, as we give.

Worship!

Give-Your-Best-To-God

Let’s Pray:

‘Father, show me what to give, where, to whom, today. May I worship you in this, giving glory and testimony to the fact that Jesus LIVES, He is risen from the dead, and He reigns! Amen”

need-prayer

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

The Press and the Process – NO COMPROMISE!

The Press! Sometimes in life, you just gotta go for it! Been thinking about this particular season of transition in my life, as I have gone from being a moving and shaking businessman as a contractor, to becoming more and more obedient to the heavenly call in full time missions these past years, to now, […]

The Press!

pressed

Sometimes in life, you just gotta go for it! Been thinking about this particular season of transition in my life, as I have gone from being a moving and shaking businessman as a contractor, to becoming more and more obedient to the heavenly call in full time missions these past years, to now, carefully balancing construction as a part time superintendent, to staying aggressively in the face of God to maintain my place in the office and the call….

‘As the things of earth, grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace’ the song goes..

The years of brutally hard work, and then before that the grueling schedule needed to survive my college degree, while maintaining national level fitness in the sport of triathlon, have come back to remind me, that the disciplines that must be in place, to be a champion.

Knowing my passion and drive, I have learned that I must come under the tight rein of the Holy Spirit, desperate for His presence, His voice, His leading, or the self imposed disciplines I would apply to myself, would bury me.

Yet, when we determine to settle for nothing other than the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, without compromise, and hunger for truth, and power with God, seems about every human relationship feels the test of the call.

press

In the natural, I have given it all. There is no financial seed left to give…in order to merely live each day, Jesus HAS to provide, there is no plan B.

And day by day, challenge by challenge, He has proved Himself faithful.

Has it been brutal? Yes!

Has it been rewarding?

To see the nations changed in prayer, the multitudes moved through my intercession, the experience the radical intimacy and fulfillment that only He can give, I must say, ‘YES!”.

Though I have nothing financially left, I get alone with Him, having stood upon His promises, and I look at the stars in the heavens…He made them!

He will reward this particular stand of faith, and He will not only restore everything I have given, and given up for Him, but will multiply it, and prosper me with not merely heavenly riches, but I will see wealth, and prosperity again, here, in the earth, in my life, supernaturally, by His hand.

prosperity harvest

To say I have been misunderstood, criticized, etc, would be an understatement, but I am consumed with One who totally satisfies, and I find myself loving people more and more, yes caring less and less whether they love back, or understand…

His voice, His presence, His Word come alive, are more than enough….

Certain things though, are only ‘as He wills..’

His timings, His gifts of the Holy Spirit, His appointments into public ministries, and His financial provisions and breakthroughs, we believe we receive them, and fight for them in faith, daily, yet, if the day ends, and it has not happened yet, then we roll the care of it over upon Him, and deliberately trust that He is faithful, that which He has spoken, that which we have believed we received, will surely come to pass.

faith

In moments of weakness, I have heard Him say, ‘Are you still willing?’, and repeatedly, I have said, ‘Yes, Lord, strengthen, equip me to the responsibility before me, give me grace to survive the brutality of the savage unbelief, and contest of wills around me…;

Some days, I reread, Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

The brutality, the attempted tyranny of the ungodly expectations of people, who are not hearing, seeing, experiencing what is screaming inside of you…

I understand the heart of Paul, when he exclaimed…

Ac 26:19  Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

Hab 2:3  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

I am not a Calvinist, believing in the great sovereignty of God, like we are some fluff in the wind of the cosmos.

No, I am a son of my heavenly Father, and a man of faith, passion, authority, passionately standing upon His promises, that He must fulfill, for He cannot lie.

What does faith look like though, when each day, as you believe, that which you have prayed for most definitely does not come to pass? When it feels like the heavens are brass, and that our faith confessions seem to hit some kind of metal dome over our heads, unheard by God?

In our anguish of soul, comes the comforter, the great One in the earth, the breath and voice of God, and He brings words of encouragement, that nothing on this earth can compare to…

Simple words, like ‘Child, I love you, and I hear your heart, your quietest whispers in the night, and I am with you, and am bringing to pass that which you have believed, for did I not promise and commission these things to you?’

Simple comforts like: ‘You have done my perfect will today!”

courage Jesus

These keep me going, like Joseph:

Ps 105:19  Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.

There is a timing of a thing, and until that appointed time, I am aggressively reading, praying in tongues, after doing my faith confessions for the day, for I must keep my faith fed, strong, and I must fill my soul with good teaching, to grow, to press, to feed the raging hungers inside my heart!

Ps 17:3  Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

I fight to keep my words right, for this is the way of perfection, holiness, and as I allow the Word to grow and work deeper and deeper in my heart, this becomes easier and easier, for as my deepest desires are changed, as He takes His knife to my fears, my filth, my stinking thinking, a practical purity emerges. I don’t have to rigidly watch my confessions as much, for out of my transformed heart, my mouth speaks, and good things come out…

courage2

Ps 18:30  As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

I trust in Him. He has spoken. I am sorely tried, but after it is all done, I shall be that vessal of honor described in the Word, purged, and fully fit for the Masters use…

Passionate love is worth the pursuit….

God is love….

Let’s pray:

‘Father, I know You, and I hear Your voice. May I not shrink back, or give up, but bring you great glory, in believing. Strengthen me to fully obey, without compromise or reservation, exactly what You have shown me. Comfort me daily, and equip me, for the responsibility of the call, in Your name I pray Lord Jesus.Amen’

Making a ‘Supply’ of the Holy Spirit Available Today!

Philippians 1:19(KJV) 19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, Are you in ministry? The gospel always goes forward on its knees, as broken hearted servants cry out to God for His servants, and God delivers them, and they do what […]

Philippians 1:19(KJV)

19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Holy Spirit supply

Are you in ministry?

The gospel always goes forward on its knees, as broken hearted servants cry out to God for His servants, and God delivers them, and they do what we do – preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out devils, teach, make disciples, build projects, and perform the acts of Jesus love that alleviate human suffering wherever we can – the stuff.

That involves all of us, not just five-fold ministry gifts and offices:

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
ministry reconciliation

Yet, in the midst of this we quickly learn that strict obedience to Jesus is mandatory, for we often find ourselves in brutal tests, trials, that require the power of God to extricate ourselves. In this opening verse, history tells us the apostle Paul had been shipwrecked, and wrote from prison. He saw how he was going to get out too, through the supply of the Spirit made available to him, as his friends in Phillipi prayed for him!

What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use–men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.

E.M.Bounds

We are the Body of Christ, and quickly we discover there are no big ‘I’s’ and little ‘you’s’ in the kingdom of God, we are all called, we are all needed, and the kingdom grows ONLY as we work together, in our place.

Ephesians 4:16King James Version (KJV)

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Eph 4-16

We must each do OUR part, bringing our particular supply of the Holy Spirit, the life blood of the Body, and so the kingdom grows, becomes healthy, strong, victorious.

The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.

C.S. Lewis

PRAY FOR US!

And so the intercessors enter the fray, and they begin to pray for us, with prayers that slap heaven and earth together, and as they do, rivers from the throne, supplies of His Spirit, become available to us.

When almighty God shows up, we get delivered from our current trial, with great glory to His name.

Holy Spirit help

MOBILIZE PRAYER!

So, if you are a Christian leader, mobilize prayer. Without it, your troubles may well destroy you.

I heard Dr. Negiel Bigpond say that true intercessors are assassins, trained killers. They attack and kill things in the spirit that would surely kill you, if they had not prayed.

build church key

Are you a prayer warrior? Please add me and other missionaries to your daily prayer list, we cannot do it without you.

Are you called to Go, preach teach and make disciples?

“…Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons — but they are helpless against our prayers.”

Sidlow Baxter

After 25 years in this thing, I am convinced that the most important thing that we can do is mobilize prayer for the Spirit inspired directives we are called to perform in the earth.

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

Let’s Pray:

‘Father, I ask you would raise up intercessors, and faithful prayer warriors for me, my family, and my mandate in this generation. I ask that we remain faithful to pray for those providing leadership to the kingdom of God, and for those you have called us to serve today. Holy Spirit, I need You. Touch me, deliver me, direct me, work in and through me today for Your good pleasure. I ask this, knowing I am heard, for I ask in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen.’

Running Before the Gale…

Running Before the Gale The Storm at Sea Acts 27:13 When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. 14 But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the […]

Running Before the Gale

gale

The Storm at Sea

Acts 27:13 When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. 14 But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea. 15 The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale.

Running before the gale!

When I was young, full of fire and adventure, I spent nine months becoming trained as an underwater welder, and I decided to join a company out of Key West named Treasure Salvors, headed up by a flamboyant man named Mel Fisher who was hunting Spanish treasure ships off the Florida Keys: it was a great adventure.

Mel Fisher

Then, as God would have it, I had the opportunity to jump ship and join ‘The Illusion’ expedition, headed up by a man from Brazil. Tony Kopp had worked in the oil fields as a diver, and had built a 65 schooner, fully equipped as a dive vessal. He had been searching archives for many years, to unearth the plight of the many treasure ships that had sunk crossing the Atlantic. He had his eyes on a Dutch Schooner said to be sunk in the Madiera Island group off Portugal, and several other wrecks along the journey. So, not yet 21, I hired aboard this wild expedition, with two Swiss, a German, a French man from Gabon, Africa, a captain from Brazil, with his wife and two year old daughter, and two Doberman pinchers!

sail

We had many adventures, and some once in a lifetime experiences finding wrecks, spearfishing, and crossing the Atlantic under sail.

We got caught in a force 10 storm, with 50-70mph winds. All we could see was blowing foam, and seas mounted to 40-50’ waves, with the tops being torn off of them by the high winds. We had to keep the boat running before the wind, carefully slicing the waves, or we would breach, overturn, and I might not be writing this story.

For three days and nights, we could do nothing but hang-on!

No food, no sleep as the waves were too violent, and would throw you out of your bunk. Dark, starless night, blowing rain, foam, mist, with one thought on all of our minds, survive.

On the third day, the winds let up, and I ate a dry cracker, crawled into my bunk, and slept for a couple of hours. I was awakened to the sound of the baby laughing, with sun streaming through my porthole!

I stumbled out of my bunk, being flung side to side, the entire boat creaking and groaning, crashing through the waves.

I came above decks to behold a sight!

The wind had stopped in the night, but because it was no longer tearing the tops off of the waves, seas were now 65-80’ tall! Our little schooner would surf up one side of a mountain of water, and launch into the air, to come crashing down the other side of these monstrous waves. We would hit the bottom of the trough, and the bow would turn submarine, plunging the front third of the ship underwater, with hatches groaning, like a cork we would bob up again, and head for the sky again.

The baby was in her safety strap hugging one of the dogs, laughing hysterically!

toddler laughing

One of the Swiss had a camcorder, and he filmed that day: how I wish I had a copy of that video!

We all began to laugh! A celebration of life! We were alive to face another day, the sun was shining, and it was going to be alright!

Now, back to the Word of God:

You know the story, Paul the mighty apostle with a burning zeal and a passionate fire to see his people saved, and right with God. He has met Jesus, and he is going to Jerusalem, capital of the world, to tell them the good news of who Yeshua really is!

FAITH is Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him.

faith fantastic

Let’s read:

Acts 20:22

And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

Bound in the spirit,

Some question whether Paul heard the voice of God to make this particular trip to Jerusalem.

Romans 8: 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Spirit led1

Surely Paul is a son of God, and He heard God to go to Jerusalem.

Yet we see an interesting interplay here between the office of the apostle, and the office of the prophet.

Acts 21:11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

v 12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.

v13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

The prophetic word delivered to Paul was accurate, and for those around him that loved him, was interpreted that Paul should refrain from going up to Jerusalem. Yet, to Paul the apostle, ready to endure any hardship for the sake of the gospel, he was strengthened by the word!

courage Jesus

He hardened himself, recognizing imprisonment and a beating were in his future, but he did not flinch in the face of danger. Perhaps he read:

Isaiah 50:7 For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

So, as Paul Harvey would say, ‘and now for the rest of the story’.

He made it to Jerusalem, underwent imprisonment, and the foretold beating. Yet, though his path was hard, their was an audience of One that he sought to obey and please.

In His prison cell, that One, King Jesus showed up to personally comfort His servant:

Acts 23:11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome

How is that for an encouraging word?

You obeyed me, now I am sending you to Rome – (in the belly of a slave ship) – running before the gale!

Jesus appears

So leader, the storms of life will come. You are either in one, finishing one, or headed into another one. It is the cost of the call, the price tag of leadership, the race run, before our audience of One.

The lonely times leave a mark upon your soul. Perhaps it was this time in Jerusalem that caused Paul to pen these words:

2 Timothy 4:16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.

Leadership can be lonely, perhaps you have read my article on it…

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2015/02/13/leadership-lonliness/

When we enter into the perfect, sovereign assignment of heaven for our lives, all hell may well break loose to prevent us getting to our goal.

faith

Jesus faced the storm on the sea of Galilee, Paul, Joseph in the pit, Moses in the desert…

Jesus suffered alone upon the cross…We who represent Him, will find ourselves alone with Him too.

While no earthly help may seem to appear, there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. One who knows, who cares, and who will never leave nor forsake you.

We did make it to Portugal, and discover the 1611 Dutch trader with 54 silver bars on its manifest. Another story, for another day…

You will make it too, if you are willing to abandon all for the sake of the call.

Like Mary told her servants so many years ago, at the wedding feast:

John 2: (KJV)

His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

obey whatever He says

In your hour of trial, HE WILL APPEAR, AND HE WILL SPEAK!

God speaks

Do not settle for the mere words of men, obey Him, and walk upon the water of His Word.

deep

Make headlines in heaven so that this question in the heart of Jesus be answered:

Luke 18:8 Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Let your answer to this question be a resounding YES! You won’t have to look any further Lord Jesus, for I believe!

faith1

Let’s pray:

‘Father, let me not shrink back for Your clear mandate for me. While the storms may rage, may I navigate them and run before the wind of Your Holy Spirit, running before the gale. In Your name and for Your glory I pray Lord Jesus, Amen’

PS: If you would like to read another adventure story type devotion from my treasure hunting days: https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/11/19/a-shark-story/

Just in case you think this kind of stuff only happens historically, here’s one from the week when our jeep was stolen: http://www.fox23.com/videos/news/video-teens-commit-tulsa-crime-spree/vDW5k2/

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

If you would like to help us in our missionary adventures, please make a donation on Paypal: http://chrisaomministries.com/2016/02/27/newsletter-aomministries-feb-march/

http://chrisaomministries.com/2016/03/17/faith-sets-the-sail/

Making a ‘Supply’ of the Holy Spirit Available

Philippians 1:19(KJV) 19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, Are you in ministry? The gospel always goes forward on its knees, as broken hearted servants cry out to God for His servants, and God delivers them, and they do what […]

Philippians 1:19(KJV)

19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Holy Spirit supply

Are you in ministry?

The gospel always goes forward on its knees, as broken hearted servants cry out to God for His servants, and God delivers them, and they do what we do – preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out devils, teach, make disciples, build projects, and perform the acts of Jesus love that alleviate human suffering wherever we can – the stuff.

That involves all of us, not just five-fold ministry gifts and offices:

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
ministry reconciliation

Yet, in the midst of this we quickly learn that strict obedience to Jesus is mandatory, for we often find ourselves in brutal tests, trials, that require the power of God to extricate ourselves. In this opening verse, history tells us the apostle Paul had been shipwrecked, and wrote from prison. He saw how he was going to get out too, through the supply of the Spirit made available to him, as his friends in Phillipi prayed for him!

We are the Body of Christ, and quickly we discover there are no big ‘I’s’ and little ‘you’s’ in the kingdom of God, we are all called, we are all needed, and the kingdom grows ONLY as we work together, in our place.

Ephesians 4:16King James Version (KJV)

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Eph 4-16

We must each do OUR part, bringing our particular supply of the Holy Spirit, the life blood of the Body, and so the kingdom grows, becomes healthy, strong, victorious.

PRAY FOR US!

And so the intercessors enter the fray, and they begin to pray for us, with prayers that slap heaven and earth together, and as they do, rivers from the throne, supplies of His Spirit, become available to us.

When almighty God shows up, we get delivered from our current trial, with great glory to His name.

Holy Spirit help

MOBILIZE PRAYER!

So, if you are a Christian leader, mobilize prayer. Without it, your troubles may well destroy you.

I heard Dr. Negiel Bigpond say that true intercessors are assassins, trained killers. They attack and kill things in the spirit that would surely kill you, if they had not prayed.

build church key

Are you a prayer warrior? Please add me and other missionaries to your daily prayer list, we cannot do it without you.

Are you called to Go, preach teach and make disciples?

After 25 years in this thing, I am convinced that the most important thing that we can do is mobilize prayer for the Spirit inspired directives we are called to perform in the earth.

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

Let’s Pray:

‘Father, I ask you would raise up intercessors, and faithful prayer warriors for me, my family, and my mandate in this generation. I ask that we remain faithful to pray for those providing leadership to the kingdom of God, and for those you have called us to serve today. Holy Spirit, I need You. Touch me, deliver me, direct me, work in and through me today for Your good pleasure. I ask this, knowing I am heard, for I ask in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen.’

REAP! It’s your responsibility!

Reap! The Parable of the Growing Seed Mark 4:26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: […]

reap

Reap!

The Parable of the Growing Seed

Mark 4:26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Notice here, that the person who plants the seed, is responsible to REAP their harvest.

The Workers Are Few

Harvest1

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Luke 10:He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

harvest1

John 4:35

Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.

Reap (reep)

verb (used with object)

  1. to cut (wheat, rye, etc.) with a sickle or other implement or a machine, as in harvest.
  2. to gather or take (a crop, harvest, etc.).
  3. to get as a return, recompense, or result:

Notice here that Reap is used as a verb. Verbs are action words. We need to be working, doing, moving, putting action to our crops and fields of endeavor.

We sow our finances, our effort, our time, our talent, our prayer, the word, and our faith, all for one thing: The Harvest.

harvest

The earth will produce, but we must reap it’s rewards.

We do this through:

  1. Work, never heard of a harvest that did not require work to get into the barn.
  2. Faith, we need God to supply the weather, health, wisdom to get it done.
  3. Diligence, we must stay faithful to finish what we start.

Let’s Pray:

‘Father God, please give us strength, wisdom, diligence and courage, to continue to work faithfully in Your Kingdom, in only the fields of endeavour You have called us to. We aks, knowing we are heard, for we ask in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen.’

For prayer, comments, or to donate online:

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

Email: chris.aomministries@gmail.com

paypal

Donate on-line: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=95XHSDDXDS7MC

Give in faith!

1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown [the seed of] spiritual good among you, [is it too] much if we reap from your material benefits?

1 Corinthians 9:14 [On the same principle] the Lord directed that those who publish the good news (the Gospel) should live (get their maintenance) by the Gospel.

Paul goes on to say, that he did not use his position as a minister of the gospel to take up offerings, rather he worked, making tents, to support himself. You might notice here, that Paul was not married, nor did he have children. Family responsibilities take time, and just as you bust a move on your job to provide for your family, I work every bit as hard, doing this, faithful to the Lord in prayer and the ministry of His Word, to you.

I will never charge for this: it my responsibility to God, my calling. Freely I have been given, now, I freely give…

As you give, hear Holy Spirit what to give, and honestly expect God to reward you for your giving.

Matt 10: 41 He who receives and welcomes and accepts a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives and welcomes and accepts a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones [in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water because he is My disciple, surely I declare to you, he shall not lose his reward.

I am a five-fold ministry gift and office – this is my life – I pray, I hear, I write, and wonderful things happen. You have your job description, I have mine – this is mine….

I have ‘see through’ faith for you, in this: Gal 3: 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

I believe I have a responsibility before God to be like Jesus, in every offering I receive. I receive it with thanksgiving, just like Jesus did the little boys lunch.

Then, because I walk and live by faith according to the blessing of Abraham, I believe that God will take your seed sown, and multiply it, according to what the blessing of Abraham promises:

Genesis 22:17 In blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed (Heir) will possess the gate of His enemies

It has been a joy to me, to see the hand of the living God act in the lives of those of you who have supported us this year!

Many have seen tremendous blessing come into your households, and for this we give thanks, and give Jesus all the glory!

The Spirit of Faith! USE IT!

The Spirit of Faith! 1 Thessalonians 3:10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith? This is the heart of any true minister. You need faith for your marriage, faith for protection, faith to receive wisdom and revelation from God. Faith to […]

The Spirit of Faith!

The Spirit of Faith!

Read with me: 1 Thessalonians 3:10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

This is the heart of any true minister. You need faith for your marriage, faith for protection, faith to receive wisdom and revelation from God. Faith to eat your meals, faith to raise your family, faith to provide for your family. Faith to be a good steward over your money.

The Bible says: 2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Acts 16:5 And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

I want God’s church to grow, so I must continue to preach the Word to you, because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Some of you need faith just to get to church every Sunday. Well,

Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Or if you want a teaching on it: https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/why-go-to-church/
https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/04/15/eagles-still-go-to-church/

You now see that regular church attendance is actually in the Word of God, so now, you simply have to agree with the Word, for faith came when you heard it, now do what you believe!

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
faith

Once you recognize that your very world is framed by the Word of God, you will have no problem getting to church to hear the good word of God.

Why?

Well, I’m commanded by God to 1 Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind

;feed

Now, if you understand that your life is going to be adversely or positively affected according to your hearing of the Word of God, you will reprioritize some things. ‘Seek ye first’is still in the book, not in a legalistic sense but so that God can add all things unto you.

2 Corinthians 4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

2 Corinthians 4:13 (BBE) But having the same spirit of faith, as it is said in the Writings, The words of my mouth came from the faith in my heart; in the same way, our words are the outcome of our faith;

faith voice

Romans 4:17 ¶ (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Romans 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;

Throughout the week, I spend countless hours praying out mysteries in other tongues, for you.

1 Corinthians 14:19 Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.

tongues1

Why, because faith comes by hearing.

Matthew 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

692 argov argos ar-gos’

from 1 (as a negative particle) and 2041; TDNT-1:452,76; adj

AV-idle 6, slow 1, barren 1; 8

1) free from labour, at leisure

2) lazy, shunning the labour which one ought to perform

For Synonyms see entry 5814

My question to you today is what do you believe about your life? Like that old comedy:”Doom misery and despair, if I didn’t have bad luck I’d have no luck at all?”

Like Eeyor in Winnie the Poor, are you down at the mouth, just barely getting by?

eeyore

Well, you’re carnal then. The children of Israel died in the desert by grumbling and complaining. What are you doing day to day? Calling those things that are not as though they were? Standing boldly on the promises of God, more than a conquerer in Him? Or like the ten spies, do you have grasshopper mentality, all your problems are giants in the land? Where are the Joshua’s and Calebs of this generation who will stand up and boldly declare the victory Jesus bought and paid for in His own blood?

I like the statement I read of the Moravian Christians that went as missionaries to the Virgin Islands to bring the gospel to the slaves there, knowing that it may cost them their lives, that they might need to become slaves themselves, in order to reach the slaves there.

They prayed, “Dear Lord, that we might grant you a reward worthy of Your sufferings..”

reward

They had such a deep revelation of the depths to which Jesus went for us, when He died upon the cross for all mankind, in light of eternity, no sacrifice was too great, in comparison of what He did, to redeem people back to Himself.

Faith, established upon the promises of God despises obstacles. He is the resurrection and the life. He is Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and earth, He lives, and He reigns.

Lets see this spirit of faith in action in the Word of God

David

david

Did David say to Goliath, “You big mighty man of war. You fearsome giant, and undefeated warrior?”

Not!

He was so in tune with His walk with the Lord, and the promises of God, He saw the problem from God’s perspective. ‘Who is this uncircumcised Philistine to raise up against the army of Almighty God?’

He saw himself from God’s perspective, with a covenant with God.

He saw Goliath from God’s perspective, without protection, and without a covenant.

Can’t you see, this man is without protection, and He dares to raise His hand against God? This should be fun, what’s in it for the man who chops off his head?

Did he run from the giant? No! He ran to him! Faith is not waiting for Jesus to come and deliver them but enforcing Jesus victory in every arena of life.

What about Jonathon?

jonathon

1 Samuel 14:1 ¶ Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father.

14 And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.

15 And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.

16 ¶ And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.

One man, with God, walking by faith got victory over an entire enemy nation. Why, because when he did in the natural, God did in the supernatural,

and:

15 And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.

God backed up Jonathon, and the earth quaked.

Where are the giant killers today?

The David’s that will look enemies in the eye and tell these mountains to move?

The Jonathon’s that will take the battle to the enemy, not run from it or pretend it doesn’t need to be fought!

He went to the enemy, and he won.

How about the three Hebrew children? Let’s pick up their story in the midst of their challenge.
furnace

Danial 3:10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:

11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

Notice the attack is against the glory of God, we must keep our attackers focused on Him, not us.

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

Spirit of Faith – They knew God, and knew He would deliver them!

17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

17 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

If you throw us in the furnace O king, God will deliver us and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

That kind of stand of faith will really tick a controlling person off. They think they are in charge.

19 ¶ Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Enemies were destroyed in their own flames.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper.

23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

In your trial of faith, in the firey furnace of your affliction, the object of your faith will appear!

fourth man

Jesus, your Lord and your king, shows up, for He will never leave you or forsake you. When He does, you get delivered for God acts!

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

26 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

The kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ. Kings come to the light of God’s glory.

Isaiah 60:3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (God shows up, you get delivered, and yes, you get really grateful and glad!)

1 Peter 4:14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

27 ¶ Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

God gets the glory, you get the promotion, and the real purpose of your trial is revealed – the harvest! God has eternity on His mind, and we are the only hope this generation has. Sometimes we go through things at the hands of satan and wicked people, that God allows for a season to perfect us, glorify Him, and most importantly, allow others to come into the kingdom of God.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

Notice the gospel was preached by the government as a result of the stand of faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They did not bow, they did not burn, and the entire nation came back to God through their stand of faith, and they were promoted!

Ps 75:5 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.

6 ¶ For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

promotion

So who are you anyway? A grumbler, destined to spend forty years in the desert in despair, or more than a conquerer in Christ Jesus?

You can choose what you are going to do right now, COMPLAIN AND REMAIN (In your present trial), or PRAISE AND BE RAISED (seeing the power of God make your mess a miracle!) Praise Him in the midst of your madness, and He will deliver you!

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Jesus made it plain,

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

victory1

So your bills look like they have you whipped? Are they a mountain of bills yet? God said something about mountains in Mark 11:24. Are you down so low you have to look up to see bottom? Not! Never! You are the head and not the tail, a child of the king, made to sit with Him in heavenly places. There is no circumstance that can lord over you, unless you let it. Whatever your circumstance is, get over it with the Word of God.

Jesus is your Lord, and He has the final say.

arms Jesus is Lord

1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

If it is in the world, your faith in God is well able to whip it. Are you a grasshopper? Or are you well able to take the land?

Stand in the presence of our king, and let’s reaffirm our faith in Him again.

I don’t care what your bankbook says:

God says:

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

2 Corinthians 8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

You are a giver aren’t you?

Let’s believe the Word together!

The Bible says now 1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Isaiah 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

Now how are we to be strong, when we feel so weak?

In the Lord, using our faith-filled words!

Mark 11:22-25New King James Version (NKJV)

22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

I am a whosoever, and so are you! (https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2013/11/12/mountain-moving-faith/)

We are mountain-moving, history making disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

mountain-moving-faith3

You say it, and God will back you up, and you will be strong.

Is 53:4 ¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Thank you Father, we were healed. We believe it and receive it, now, by faith.

Now normally, I end these exhortations with a prayer, but not today. The Word of the Lord given to me by the Holy Spirit is PRAISE!

Ps 67:5 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.

Praise is the weapon of the day, the key to unlock our victory, today.

Hurting, discouraged, feeling beat? Been there, done that…

Sing!

I don’t care if you are choking on every word join me:

‘We bring the sacrifice of praise, into the house of the Lord’

‘We bring the sacrifice of praise, into the house of the Lord’

‘And we offer up to You, the sacrifices of thanksgiving’

‘And we offer up to You, the sacrifices of joy!’

Praise paralyses devils, it is the shout of victory that overcomes the world, for God inhabits the praises of His people!

I remember hearing a testimony of a women doctor, dying of cancer and a heroin addiction named Dr. Lillian Yeoman. She had been asking God to heal her, and bringing His promises of healing before Him in prayer, yet was still dying. One night, lying on her pain-wracked bed, she had a vision, that changed her life. She saw a balance, with one side that was labeled PRAYER, and the other side PRAISE. The side that was labeled PRAYER was weighted down completely, while there was nothing on the praise side to counter-balance the load. She claimed she heard the voice of God speak to her, to PRAISE, and that when the weight of her praise, equaled the weight of her prayer, she would be miraculously healed. So, she began to sing praises to God, like a croak at first, but as she gave herself to it, she began to get stronger, and her voice clearer. She stayed with it, until she literally sang herself off of that deathbed, totally healed of cancer, and totally delivered of her heroin addiction.

praise

He is worthy!

https://chrisaomministries.com/2016/08/06/the-purpose-of-this-blog/

For prayer, comments, or to donate online:

Email: chris.aomministries@gmail.com

paypal

Donate on-line: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=95XHSDDXDS7MC

Give in faith!

1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown [the seed of] spiritual good among you, [is it too] much if we reap from your material benefits?

1 Corinthians 9:14 [On the same principle] the Lord directed that those who publish the good news (the Gospel) should live (get their maintenance) by the Gospel.

Paul goes on to say, that he did not use his position as a minister of the gospel to take up offerings, rather he worked, making tents, to support himself. You might notice here, that Paul was not married, nor did he have children. Family responsibilities take time, and just as you bust a move on your job to provide for your family, I work every bit as hard, doing this, faithful to the Lord in prayer and the ministry of His Word, to you.

I will never charge for this: it my responsibility to God, my calling. Freely I have been given, now, I freely give…

As you give, hear Holy Spirit what to give, and honestly expect God to reward you for your giving.

Matt 10: 41 He who receives and welcomes and accepts a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives and welcomes and accepts a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones [in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water because he is My disciple, surely I declare to you, he shall not lose his reward.

I am a five-fold ministry gift and office – this is my life – I pray, I hear, I write, and wonderful things happen. You have your job description, I have mine – this is mine….

I have ‘see through’ faith for you, in this: Gal 3: 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

I believe I have a responsibility before God to be like Jesus, in every offering I receive. I receive it with thanksgiving, just like Jesus did the little boys lunch.

Then, because I walk and live by faith according to the blessing of Abraham, I believe that God will take your seed sown, and multiply it, according to what the blessing of Abraham promises:

Genesis 22:17 In blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed (Heir) will possess the gate of His enemies

It has been a joy to me, to see the hand of the living God act in the lives of those of you who have supported us this year!

Many have seen tremendous blessing come into your households, and for this we give thanks, and give Jesus all the glory!

The Responsibility of Discipleship – A Word for Leaders

The Responsibility of Discipleship Some time ago, I attended the leadership portion of Word Explosion here at Victory in Tulsa, OK. A pastor that I had never heard of, who reported pastors a church of 15,000+ somewhere in the Eastern United States brought a word about the seasons of God in the church, and he […]

The Responsibility of Discipleship

disciple

Some time ago, I attended the leadership portion of Word Explosion here at Victory in Tulsa, OK.

A pastor that I had never heard of, who reportedly pastors a church of 15,000+ somewhere in the Eastern United States brought a word about the seasons of God in the church, and he was very articulate and relevant, in bringing out the various things Holy Spirit was accenting, decade by decade here in churches  in the United States.

From the Healing movement, to the Charismatic renewal, to teaching and the Word of Faith, to leadership, etc.

Then he made a couple of statements that confirmed things that Holy Spirit is screaming to me.

He explained that the day of a person simply accepting Jesus, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and attending church, is not enough in this upcoming season of God, but that what must occur is discipleship.

He went on to say, that to the average pastor, you would look for someone saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, attending regular worship services, attending a small group, and then serving somewhere in the ministry as good indicators of what a disciple should look like, and I agree these are good indicators, but here is where he and I take a different path to the same objective.

I believe a true disciple of Jesus, is a person that is fully led of the Holy Spirit, all day, every day.

Historically, there has been grave excesses in what is called ‘the discipleship, or Shepherding movement’

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherding_Movement

Yet, what about true discipleship?

Jesus said: Matthew 28:19

Go out and make disciples in all the nations.

YOUR Great Commission - Embracing YOUR Destiny!

I think back on my own discipleship experience with my pastor, where, for a period of 5-7 years, he had me read every book in his library, develop a strong devotional life and Bible reading plan, and had me serve in every area of the church for 3-6months.

Was that the end of my spiritual growth?

Was I fully prepared for ministry by this process?

No, but it was a great foundation.

And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
faith believe sunrise

So let’s dig into this concept of discipleship a bit:

Let’s begin by looking at the definition of a disciple:

Full Definition of DISCIPLE

1

:  one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another: as

a :  one of the twelve in the inner circle of Christ’s followers according to the Gospel accounts

b :  a convinced adherent of a school or individual

2

capitalized :  a member of the Disciples of Christ founded in the United States in 1809 that holds the Bible alone to be the rule of faith and practice, usually baptizes by immersion, and has a congregational polity

 

For the sake of simplicity, I call a disciple ‘a disciplined one’.

For example, when I swam on the college varsity swim team, I was expected to make 7 swim practices a week, and we usually did 2 weight work-outs on top of this. In order to stay on the team, I had to be a full time student and maintain a ‘C’ average academically.

swim

What this meant, was that literally every minute of my week, seven days/week was scheduled, so that we could survive not only the training schedule, but the weekends spent on buses travelling to inter-varsity swim meets all over the province.

I was a disciple of competitive swimming and robotics engineering, listening carefully to my Olympic coach on how to make all this possible.

Obviously I survived and completed three varsity seasons, and completed my BSc in robotics, by being a disciplined one…

I was a disciple of robotics and swimming. No Jesus anywhere though.

Yet, we are called to follow Jesus…

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/your-great-commission-embracing-your-destiny/

So what does a disciple of Jesus look like in today’s world?

Here are some thoughts:

  1. Aggressively following Jesus, having established a morning prayer watch, deliberately seeking Him first thing, every day.
  2. Walking in the Word in deliberate Bible reading, confession, memorization, study, and meditation.
  3. Consistently demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit, with signs, wonders and miracles flowing in everyday life, in spirit-led days. Flowing in God all day, every day, not merely on Sundays, or in devotional times. Walking with Holy Spirit, one day at a time, fully submitted to Jesus Lordship.
  4. Consistently exhibiting the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our character, carefully watching over our words, that they be faith-filled, representing Jesus well, as an ambassador should.
  5. Consistently witnessing and sharing the gospel.(Here is a way to do this on-line:https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/the-gospel-the-power-of-god/)
  6. Consistently growing their families in the call of God, through their example, love, consecration, and recognition and fulfillment of their responsibility in their role in the home
  7. Consistently attending church, and seeking to serve and build it, growing in faithfulness and responsibility.  https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/why-go-to-church/
  8. Living a lifestyle of worship, singing, praying in the spirit, with an attitude of humility and gratefulness, demonstrating the acts of compassion the gospel commands: helping the poor, feeding the hungry, visiting the prisoner, the sick, clothing the naked, empowering the fatherless. https://chrisaomministries.com/2017/01/15/we-worship-by-serving-the-people-god-loves/
  9. Consistently seeking to grow in their gift and calling, spiritually, academically, and physically. https://chrisaomministries.com/2017/01/03/the-chinese-bamboo-a-parable-of-growth/
  10.  Consistently seeking to grow others in their gifts and callings, empowering, equipping, and encouraging them to hear and fully obey God in all things.
  11.    Consistently giving and growing financially, learning how best to keep money under the Lordship of Jesus as a good steward.
  12.    Deliberately seeking and pursuing our personal mandate, vocation, and assignment, individually, growing in responsibility levels, on purpose.

Jesus had 12 disciples.

These are simply 12 guidelines I seek to live by.

Yet, as I have meditated upon the concept of discipleship, I discover questions that have difficult answers.

I remember many years ago, an organization called Promise Keepers, encouraged us to find a Paul, and Barnabas, and a Timothy in our lives. The ‘Paul’ being a spiritual leader we could look to for leadership, mentorship, and instruction. The ‘Barnabas’ being a ‘son of encouragement’, another brother in the Lord we could look to for encouragement in the day to day battles of life, and the ‘Timothy’ being one we could pour life and wisdom into, one we were deliberately discipling.

This is a good start surely.

As we grow in our Christian walk, we surely need a pastor who can gently help us learn the basics of this Christian life and character development.

Through our growth process, God will bring the other 4 ministry offices to add strength and structure to the formation of Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Yet, as I have walked with God these years I see many of these ministers see the kingdom of God only through their particular ministry gift, and for humor I write:

The pastor:

GO TO CHURCH! Is it not written: Ps 122: I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”

Hebrews 10:25

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Planted in the house of the Lord, They will flourish in the courts of our God

They are right! We all need to be part of a local church, https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/why-go-to-church/

The apostle:

Then we have the apostle, often called the missionary today, whose favorite verse might be

Romans 15:20

And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation

Kind like the old Star Trek television series, ‘To Go Boldly Where No Man Has Gone Before”

star trek

1 Corinthians 4:9

For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.

Since the greatest in the kingdom is the servant of all, the true apostles I have met over the years are often gentle, suffering, humble servants of Jesus, who almost glow when they walk, carrying great spiritual authority and power….

We call them missionaries….

The Prophet:

Then there are prophets:

Wild creatures!

Dreams, Visions, revelations, ‘This is the Way Walk Ye in It!’ people.

A couple of verses from the office of the prophet, you often hear, when they show up:

Numbers 11:29

Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!”

Acts 2:17

‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams

1 Corinthians 14:1

[ Prophecy and Tongues ] Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy

It has been my experience that true prophets stir up controversy by what they say, apostles by what they do

Evangelists:

Repent, and get saved!

If you are not winning souls, I question your salvation!

These are the great soul winners, those called to train and equip believers for the work of winning the lost.

Biblically, they usually demonstrate great miracles to draw the crowds to the gospel.

Acts 8:6

And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did

A perfect modern day example of a firely evangelist is Rhinhart Bonnke, or now Danial King.

The Teacher:

Then there are the teachers

2 Timothy 2:15

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon  precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

There have been great studies in the life of Jesus, showing how He is the ultimate apostle, pastor, prophet, evangelist and teacher, but what is the purpose of all of these gifts?

Here is a passage of Scripture I continually come back to:

Eph 4But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”[b]

(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first[c] descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

grow

So we are given men and women of God, from God, to grow us in the things of God, that we can be delivered from the trickery of men, that we can take our place in the Body of Christ, our particular spot, gift, place and calling, that the whole Body of Christ might grow as we edify each other in love.

Been thinking about some what a disciple might look like in 2015, and I see questions, not full answers before me.

Since Jesus only ministered on the earth to His 12 disciples for 3-1/2 years before appointing them leaders in His kingdom in the earth, as His representatives, can we as leaders raise up people to send, in a similar three and a half year time period?

Yes, He promised that we would perform greater works than His, yet He lived with His disciples 24/7 for His entire earthly ministry.

time greatest gift

How many of us are willing to embrace twelve people, and lovingly live with, teach, train, equip, and work with for 3-1/2 years until they are raised up in their particular ministries?

As I thought about the church structures in place across the earth, I see churches that place pastoral staff on salaries, but then how are the other four ministry gifts supposed to ethically receive financial support?

Do they simply attend a strong local church, and then perform their particular ministries outside of it’s four walls?

Evangelists raising up evangelistic centers that receive donations from the Body of Christ to finance their living support, and to host the crusades and conferences that train and equip us in the work of evangelism.

Prophets, who host conferences, and produce books and teaching materials to train and equip us in the prophetic…

Missionaries who solicit support to GO and perform missionary assignments, and to raise their families on the missions field.

Teachers, who receive salaries for teaching in the various educational institutes where they are called.

Somehow all this must flow through the local church, and how I have seen cat fights over money!

Should never be. All of us should tithe where the Lord directs, and I honestly believe if the Holy Spirit is fully in charge of the finances of His people, there will be no lack in God’s work being fully supported…

I was speaking about this today with Richard Lyons, who pastors the church we are helping pioneer.

I asked him: ‘Richard, here, in 2015, what does a true disciple of Jesus look like?’

He replied:

John 13:34

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

John 13:35

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

So we see the fruit of a true disciple of Jesus, is true love exhibited in the earth, unconditional love shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit!

love one another

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

[ Disciples’ Relation to Each Other ] “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

jesus_loves_you_the_path_to_heaven

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

wealth greater love

This I command you, that you love one another
God is love
and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears muchfruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

love stronger1
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear muchfruit, and so prove to be My disciples

So, as we deliberately seek to receive the love of Jesus, we find ourselves thrust out into this war-torn, sin-sick, broken world, with one great weapon, His love beating in our hearts.

This is the mark of a true disciple, loving people, with no strings attached, simply because He first loved us.

Love Loud Today Leader!

Love Loud0

All the evangelism, miracles, works of the ministry mean nothing without love…and love never fails!

Neither will you or I, as we deliberately love…

1 Timothy 1:5

Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

Come on disciple, let’s pray:

Father, I come to You today, knowing my needs! I need Your love, Your direction, Your strength and power to serve You in this, my generation. Flow through me to love loud today, those You have placed in my path today. I ask this, knowing I am loved and heard, for I ask in Your name Lord Jesus! AMEN!

The First Nations Mandate – Pray!

The First Nations Mandate: Holy Ghost Mandate: If you get aggressively in the heart of God, seeking His face for revival, and for America, you are going to learn about Indians. Over the years, as I have sought His face for North America, I have discovered my answers lie in the host peoples of this […]

The First Nations Mandate:

sacred voice

Holy Ghost Mandate: If you get aggressively in the heart of God, seeking His face for revival, and for America, you are going to learn about Indians. Over the years, as I have sought His face for North America, I have discovered my answers lie in the host peoples of this land.

As I began to seek the will of the Lord for keys to unlock His power and glory to the United States, I began to get a burden to pray for the host peoples of this land. Many of you know my testimony, of the dramatic encounter with the Holy Spirit that occurred in Canada, in 1995 at an event entitled ‘Sacred Assembly’ hosted by Canadian senator Elijah Harper, where God met me, and made me into a molten puddle of tears, for 2-1/2 hours at the back of the room.

Elijah

From that moment to this, I have loved First Nations peoples .

In Richard Twiss book, ‘One Church, Many Tribes’, (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_11?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=richard+twiss&sprefix=Richard+Twi%2Caps%2C167)  there is an account of another man of God hearing the heart of God for the North American Indian mandate. I am convinced that if you really want to see America saved, see Jesus become Lord of the United States, you will find yourself in First Nations ministries, for IT IS THE PRIMARY MANDATE OF THE FATHER FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Maybe I did not make this plain enough: The Number One priority of Father God, Creator of Heaven and earth, for the United States of America, is His workings among the North American Indian tribes: It is the hour of His visitation and mandate.

I had two recent experiences that were very dramatic, in prayer.

The first, was at a Tulsa City Wide all night prayer watch, headed up by Dexter Sullivan. In this meeting, I experienced a great burden for the 39 Indian tribes of Oklahoma. During the prayer meeting, a microphone was opened to the participants, that we might share what the Lord was directing us to pray. I felt God was dispatching angels to minister to the tribes, and to raise them up to their place in Him, in honor and authority, before His throne. At the same time, a woman on the worship team collapsed in the Holy Spirit. Later in the meeting, she testified, that when I had given the word, dispatching angels to the 39 tribes of Oklahoma, she had a vision. She saw warriors, adorning themselves with war paint and regalia, as Indian warrior braves were known to do, before battle in the ancient days of their power and glory in this land. The Lord caused her to know that these warriors were real angelic hosts, actually dispatched at that time, to fight in the realm of the Spirit for the call and destiny before God, of the 39 Indian tribes of Oklahoma.

angels

The Second, was as I was introduced to defilements upon the land, and how these defilements, gave legal right, to actual demonic spirits to operating in the realm of the Spirit, across this land we call the United States of America. More about this later…

Gibeonites and broken covenants

Read Joshua 9,10, and 1 Sam 21.

God Made a Covenant with the Gibeonites through Israel:

In Joshua chapter 9, we read the story of Joshua and the Gibeonites. You know it, how Joshua had been given the land, and was to destroy and annihilate every person living there. The Gibeonites knew they would die in battle, so to preserve their lives, they deceived Joshua, and appeared before him with moldy bread, and worn out sandals and wineskins.

Josh 9:14  And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

What God might have counseled Joshua and Israel at this time, is only conjecture. They did not seek God on what their relationship with the host peoples of the land should be, and we will never know what God would have instructed them to do here.

15 ¶  And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.

15 Joshua made peace with them. He made a treaty with them to protect their lives. The leaders of the community made a solemn pledge to them

15 So Joshua made peace with them by making a treaty which allowed them to live. The leaders of the congregation swore to it with an oath

v16  And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.

Joshua and the leaders of Israel entered into covenant with the Gibeonites, and God honored it!

no lie

When their deception was discovered, Joshua made them slaves, (or at least laborers, the Scripture calls them hewers of wood, and drawers of water) but did not kill them, for they had come under the protection of God’s covenant with Israel.

This was the TREATY between the Gibeonites and Israel.

In Joshua Chapter 10, we see the strength of this covenant or treaty:

Gibeon was a great city, but because she entered into covenant with Joshua and the children of Israel, she had problems with her neighbors.

Josh 10:4  Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.

5  Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.

6  And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.

7 ¶  So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.

8  And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.

Notice here that God honored the treaty, and sent Joshua to defend Gibeon.

9  Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.

10  And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

11  And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

Who sent the hailstones? ‘that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah,’

12  Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

13  And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

So the Gibeonites, came not only into covenant with Joshua, and under the military protection of the nation of Israel, but also under the protection of God, for God Himself fought at Gibeon, sending hailstones, and causing the sun to stand still in her protection, that enemies be destroyed.

God honors treaties and covenants!

Some have described the conquest of the North American Indian, as ‘manifest destiny’, that the season of their rule upon the land had ended: God had given the land to the white European settlers. “Indians are savages, pagans, worshipping idols and false gods they say, just like the Philistines and enemies of God in the Old Testament, they are to be annihilated.” was the speech and teaching of the day. Churches preached this devilish doctrine, citing Old Testament passages, of the Israelites marching into their promised land and destroying and annihilating the pagan inhabitants there, as the will of God for America. The Calvary was under divine mandate to march against the Indians, and to totally destroy them, for God had given the land to the American empire.

This is where we hear President’s and US Calvary generals making statements like: ‘The only good Indian, is a dead Indian.’ (http://www.onjinjinkta.com/NP/Discrimination/systematic-genocide.html)

scalps

History records posters, offering a $350 reward, for Indian scalps…

scalps bounty

Was this manifest destiny, as some have taught, or demonic genocide of an honorable people, who in many cases knew God, and who had prepared for generations for the coming gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ?

As I study the history, traditions, culture, and worship of the host peoples of America, I am convinced that it was genocide, an abomination in the sight of God, a complete and total violation of the gospel message and the kingdom of God.

Matt 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

God is love! The very word gospel means: GOOD NEWS!

Mark 16:15  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

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.

19 ¶  So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20  And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

gospel

Lu 10:27  Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

1Co 9:22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

I do not see settlers and pilgrims coming to Indian tribes in general, in love, honor and respect, and performing the acts of Jesus, healing the sick, raising the dead, teaching all things He commanded.

Learning the traditions of the tribes, or doing as all good missionaries should: become one with the tribe, to discover the ways they lived, spoke, worshipped, the ways God already visited with them, then using these Holy Spirit visitations as entry points for the gospel, and the Word of God.

Some say, that God cannot speak to humanity until after they are born again, but

God spoke to Adam after he had fallen, and His cry is the same today: “Adam, where are you?”

Acts 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh…

God is still the Creator, and is well able to speak to His creation!

Jesus came to seek and save the lost, not slaughter them….

Nope, pretty black and white what really happened.

Denominational ministers came in certain cases, and when any tribe did not comply immediately to their version of the gospel, they called the Calvary to come and slaughter anyone who did not immediately listen to them.

Okay Chris, you are an Indian lover, but really, I wasn’t there when all this happened, and neither were you, so why are you bringing this mess up again?

Remember our friends the Gibeonites?

They show up in the Bible again, and what happened to them directly applies to the plight of America, today.

God Withheld His Blessings over the Nation of Israel, because of their treatment of the Gibeonites.

2 Sam 21:1 ¶  Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

Seems genocide is nothing new….

2  And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)

So we see another religious zealot slaughtering innocent people….

3  Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?

Notice here, that God was on the side of the Gibeonites here, and David knew it, and needed their blessing.

In the United States today, we are seeing the hand of God removed as America has yet to fully right her wrongs in her treatment of her host peoples. God is not judging America, we are simply reaping what we have sown.

Even so, I believe, there is authority, given by God to the host peoples of America, to forgive and bless… Let’s read on:

4  And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

Justice was needed. Money would not fix it, and the Gibeonites had no authority to execute those who committed the atrocities…but David did…

gods side

5  And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,

6  Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.

Notice here that it took blood to atone for blood, for justice to be served here. Now, to my knowledge of these historical events, there is no account given of what part Saul’s son’s played in the genocide committed against the Gibeonites, perhaps they themselves rode in the armies that commanded the killings….

7  But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD’S oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

8  But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:

9  And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

10 ¶  And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

11  And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

12  And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:

13  And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.

14  And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.

Let’s encapsulate the story and see how it applies to us today:

  1. There was a famine, drought in the land, that had lasted for three years.
  2. David cried out to God, to ask Him why?
  3. God spoke to David about the Gibeonites, a people supposedly under the protection of Israel.
  4. David discovers that Saul had gone into their villages and slaughtered their people, and GOD WAS UPHOLDING THEIR CAUSE.
  5. David asks what needed to be done, and no money could atone for the innocent blood of their families slain, blood was required.
  6. They required seven descendants of Saul to be killed, that the judgment of God against the nation might be lifted.
  7. David ordered it done.
  8. God was then entreated (heard and answered prayer) for the land. He healed their land.

Great story Chris, but what does this have to do with America?

Well, since 1492, when Columbus supposedly discovered America, white men were eventually ‘discovered’ upon Indian lands. From that day until this, there has been a trail of blood across this continent. Some was shed in battle, in the war of conquest, but much was shed through treachery, clearly genocide of great peoples, who had neither the weaponry to defend themselves, nor in most cases, the desire to war against these foreigners to their soils.

Historians also record multitudes died in what is known as ‘the great plagues’ that often exterminated entire tribes in a years time, that did not have the immune systems to fight these diseases. Yet, if you understand the very nature of sickness as a demonically inspired result of the fall of mankind, as one man of God stated: ‘Sickness is the foul offspring of mother sin and father satan’ then you see the death of the great indian races such a horrible tragedy in light of the gospel, for the gospel is supposed to be preached with a demonstration of the love and power of God in healing the sick, and demonstration of God’s miracles. Yet I digress…

The US Government, formed and wrote treaties with the host peoples of this land, for in almost every case, each tribe had either received the first American government, in peace, or in cases of war, terms of peace were carefully written by treaties.

These treaties were taken carefully before God, and GOD HIMSELF BORE WITNESS TO THEM, AND UPHELD THEM. In the courts of heaven, these treaties are eternal covenants written, and upheld by God between the United States government, and the host peoples of this land.

Even the language of the treaties was clear to both parties: “Each tribe or band shall have the right to posses, occupy, and use the reserve allotted to it, as long as grass shall grow and water run, and the reserves shall be their own property like their horses and cattle.”

Article 5 of the Treaty with the Comanches and Other Tribes and Bands, 12 August 1861

As in the case of the Gibeonites, where the US government has broken her part, God is now bearing witness to the treachery and genocide that occurred to First Nations peoples in the US, and this root, is what is causing much ugly fruit in US politics presently.

Let’s look at a couple of thoughts on how God views innocent bloodshed.

2Ki 24:4  And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.

Ps 106:38  And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

Joel 3:19  Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

De 19:10  That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.

Each tribe, has it’s own particular ‘trail of tears’ in their conquest by the US government. Please read ‘Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee’ by Dee Brown, to learn of some of these.

Truthfully, every treaty, ever written between any Indian tribe, and the US government, was systematically broken by the US government, and any Indian that rose up to discuss it, or who picked up arms to defend his land or family, was killed, without discussion, or anything remotely representing a legal trial. Even our great President Abraham Lincoln depicted above is no hero in native American history, just ask the Lakota Sioux about the Dakota 38, the largest public hanging in US history, of 38 natives accused of war crimes for defending their lands. There was no trial, simply capture of supposed killers, and a public hanging…

So much for freedom, liberty, and justice for all….

The Uneducated Savage?

It was said, ‘the uneducated savage’, could not understand the white man’s ways…

Though English, and white man’s law was new to the Indian, civilization was not. Five tribes had formed the Iroquois confederacy, in the year 1050, and governed this land we call America, according to ‘The Great Law of Peace’, until almost 1800. This ‘Great Law of peace” was passed down through the generations recorded on Wampum belts, carefully given to each generation, as the governing documents or constitution of the confederacy. This constitution was recited, and explained to the framers of the US Constitution (http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/) and is clearly the main line of thought that allowed the creation of our US Constitution.

iroquois founding fathers

During the Albany congress of July 1754, Benjamin Franklin said of the Iroquois confederacy: “It would be a strange thing.. if six nations of ignorant savages should be capable of forming such a union, and yet it has subsisted for ages and appears indissolvable, and yet like a union should be impractical for 10 or a dozen English colonies.”

The contribution of this was finally recognized by congress in 1988: https://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/hconres331.pdf

Yet, the long awaited gospel, came to the First Nations peoples, and in most cases, was received in love, respect, and great honor.

Please read of George Washington, the man that bullets could not kill:

http://www.christiscreator.com/GeorgeWashington.htm

Washington’s Commendation to the Delaware Indian Chiefs

While encamped on the banks of a river, Washington was approached by the Delaware Indian chiefs who desired that their youth be trained in American schools. Washington commended the chiefs for their decision, saying:

“You do well to wish to learn our arts and our ways of life and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention.” [4]

george-washington-indian
Yet, though the heart of God was sure, from Columbus til now, to bring the good news of His Son Jesus to the host peoples of the United States, in general, greed, and lust for land and gold has corrupted the dealings of the US government with each and every tribe they interacted with.,

To understand more of God’s plan for America from it’s inception, please read: The Light and the Glory, by Peter Marshall and David Manuel, where it is clear, that God Himself has been speaking to Christopher Columbus for many years before he sailed about His plan for this nation we call the United States of America. In his journal entries, we clearly hear the heart of God for the host peoples of the land, that Columbus bring to them the gospel of Jesus Christ and teach them Christian ways. It is also clear from his entries, that he saw the great riches of this new land, and was corrupted by greed and lust for power, and committed many, many atrocities here, setting a precedent for conquistadors to follow…

Yet, we are talking about the United States government treatment of host peoples, not just Columbus.

The Cherokee Trail of Tears:

One of the most famous cases, of US government treachery, is what resulted in what is now known as the Cherokee ‘Trail of Tears’.

As you know, we have three branches of government here in the US, Executive, Judicial, and Legislative.

These three branches of government, or divisions of powers, were given to the framers of our constitution, directly from the Bible:

Isaiah 33: (NKJV)

22 (For the Lord is our Judge,

The Lord is our Lawgiver,

The Lord is our King;

He will save us);

In the case of the Cherokee, they had written a treaty with the US government in 1785.

Just like the Gibeonites, they had submitted to the government of the United States, AND the United States government had recognized that submission, and granted them a treaty, clearly delineating the lands and rights of the Cherokee in the eyes of the US.

Yet, a new nation was being formed, and a new state wanted their land…

By the 1820’s, Cherokee lands were invaded by citizens of Georgia, and the new found state of Georgia imposed its jurisdiction upon Cherokee lands and inhabitants.

The Cherokees tried many legal remedies to enforce their treaty rights, and in fact won their case against the state of Georgia, in the US Supreme court in 1832.

They now had judicial authority to protect their lands, but not enough military might to do so.

They appealed to the office of the President, to send military to protect and defend them, from Georgia trespassers upon their lands.

President Andrew Jackson, refused to do so. his chilling words: ‘They may have a supreme court decision, now let’s see them enforce it!’

Now the plight of the Cherokee remained in the vote of Congress, and to Congress their case went, holding it in session, for a full five days.

During this time, many impassioned speeches were made, but I quote only one:

Sacred Fire

council fire

Before the removal of the Cherokees (The trail of tears) there was heated debate in Congress. Senator Edward Everett of Massachusetts fought against the removal of the Cherokees, holding the house in session for two whole days, speaking on Cherokee affairs, sometimes with effective irony, On Feb 21st, 1831 he said:

‘Here, at the center of the nation, beneath the portals of the Capitol, let us solemnly auspicate the new era of violated promises, and tarnished faith. Let us kindle a grand council fire, not of treaties made and ratified, but of treaties annulled and broken. Let us send to our archives for the worthless parchments, and burn them in the face of day. There will be some yearnings of humanity as we perform this solemn act. They were negotiated for valuable considerations; we keep the considerations, and break the bond. One gave peace to our afflicted frontier, another protected our infant settlements; nearly all were at our earnest request. Many were negotiated under the instructions of Washington, of Adams, and of Jefferson-the fathers of our liberty. They are gone, and will not witness the spectacle; but our present Chief magistrate, as he lays them, one by one, on the fire, will see his own name subscribed to a goodly number of them. Sir, they ought to be destroyed as a warning to the Indians to make them no more compacts with us.’

John Ridge (Cherokee) and one of his colleagues sat in the gallery of the House and were deeply moved by Everett’s sonorous words reverberating through the chamber. ‘I happened to be a spectator of this debate,’ wrote the correspondent for The New York Observer. On the second day, towards the close of the long speech, he found it hard to “shield his heart” against the “subduing power” of Everett’s words. “Two of the Cherokees stood immediately behind me and over me. In the midst of Mr. Everett’s peroration, I thought I heard something like a drop of rain fall upon…my cloak, near my ear. I looked up, and the head of one of these Cherokees had fallen upon his hand, and he was endeavoring to conceal his tears.”

Excerpt from the book – The Cherokee Tragedy, – Thurmans Wilkins, p 220,221

Despite the just cause of the Cherokee, Congress voted as to whether or not the Cherokee were to be removed from, or protected on their homelands, and the vote went to the state of Georgia, by one vote.

So, we now had two branches of government, directly opposing one, and the result was a compromise of integrity of this nation, that still affects us today.

A Treaty had been made, and then broken by political treachery.

History records that the Cherokee were forcibly removed from their lands, and placed upon the ‘trail of tears’ where it is estimated that over 4000 Cherokees died. They were removed to supposed ‘Indian territory’ here in the state of Oklahoma, where they still reside today.

The great tragedy of the Cherokee, sets historic precedent on the dealings of the US government with North American Indian tribes. Between the years 1860-1890, each Indian tribe was betrayed in some fashion or another, and warriors who rose up to defend their families and lands were slaughtered, those that peacefully submitted were forcibly removed from their homes and lands, and placed upon reservations. Each tribe has its own particular ‘trail of tears’, as solemn oaths and covenants were systematically broken by the Federal government, and any disputes were not handled by rule of law as promised, but at the end of a gun barrel. Any Indian that dared challenge the Calvary, or arbitrary dealings of a treacherous government or Indian agent, was shot without trial, and in many cases, this still goes on today….

And God heard, saw, and watched it all….

Cain’s blood

Gen 4:8 ¶  And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

9 ¶  And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

10  And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.

11  And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

12  When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

In this case, we see the first murder recorded in Scripture. Cain killed Abel, and God judged him for it, and this unjust bloodshed had a voice that God hears: ‘the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.’

Secondly, there were spiritual repercussions from this murder in the earth itself:

11  And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

12  When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength;

Notice, here, the earth itself is defiled by unjust bloodshed, and refuses to yield her produce…

 Martyrs before the throne

Rev 6:9 ¶  And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

As we study the history of the North American Indian, we discover many tribes had received Christ enmasse, and entered into Christian worship.

Yet, treacherous people, devoid of truth, or fear of the Lord, had them slaughtered.

One night as I was praying, I saw the throne of God, and heard a deep cry, from the throne of God:

‘How long until you avenge our blood?’

Suddenly, Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see before the throne, a great cloud of martyrs, and they were North American Indians!

In an instant, God caused me to know that these had kept their side of the treaty, the covenant between the US government and their tribe, but had been treacherously murdered for their lands…And they loved Jesus, and knew Him! They bear eternal witness to truth before the throne of God still….These are the voices of the ancestors, that still live before the throne of God…

That over the generations, millions of innocent, Christian, native Americans have been slaughtered, and though their spirits have left their bodies, they live, and stand before the throne of God, still crying out for justice in the earth.

In America today, that justice is being worked out…

Time does not heal wounds, only truth, the cross and blood of Jesus can do that.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

God is speaking to His church to fix this mess!

Today, Heaven is speaking loudly on behalf of the its host peoples, and I pray we have ears to hear, and eyes to see what our Father is doing at this time in the earth!

God speaks

What does all this look like spiritually?

In the earth:

Innocent bloodshed brings a curse to the land, part of the groanings heard in

Romans 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

Many elders and native people, feel the distress of the land, and many know it is the unjust bloodshed of their ancestors still crying out!

 

Gen 4:9 ¶  And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

10  And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.

11  And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

12  When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

We in the traditional church, love to quote:

2 Chron 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will HEAL THEIR LAND.

Yet, we do not know what this looks like practically.

Does the land itself feel the weight of sin and injustice?

Clearly, YES!

(For More discussion on this, read my article: Redeeming the Land: https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/redeeming-the-land/)

The truth is, there are four main categories of sin listed in the Word of God, that will defile the land.

Winkie Pratney states in his book Healing the Land, “Famine, ecological devastation, war, and disease are four prophetic voices designed to get our attention when our moral madness is full. What we do not want to acknowledge will not be overlooked – that we cannot get away with living as if God does not exist or as if He has nothing to say to us.”

Scripture teaches us that there are at least four major categories of sin and defilement, the result of fallen stewardship and disobedience.

  1. Idolatry (Ex. 20:3-5; Jer. 3:6-10, 16:18; Rom. 1:24-25)
  2. Immorality and Fornication (Lev. 18:1-25, 19:29; Rom. 1:24-25; Ezek. 16:25-27; Gal. 5:16-26: Col. 3:5-10)
  3. Bloodshed (Num. 35:33; Is. 59:2-3, Ps 106:38, Pr 6:17, 2Kings 24:4) – Includes the shedding of innocent blood (abortion) and slaughter of suppressed people groups.
  4. Broken Covenants (Is. 24:5-6; 1 Sam. 18:3-4, 1 Sam 21:1-14)

broken

Remember in the beginning, I said that I had two powerful experiences in the Holy Spirit, that affected my life? Well the second came as I was listening to my audio Bible, and I heard this verse:

Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss,

So we pray, and seek the Lord, and ask Him for mercy, to forgive our sins, and the sin of our nation, to heal our land, but are we asking accurately?

Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

How many people are willing to pray accurate prayers for the sake of truth, justice, and the manifest glory of God?

Or, do we simply pray, as my friend Billy Joe Daugherty once aptly quoted: ‘Just throw one up there” hoping we might hit something?

Try putting a pump action shotgun to your shoulder, and aim at nothing, and start blasting off rounds into the air. Sure you make a lot noise, and feel the recoil through your whole body, but did you hit anything? No!

Now, set a target out 100 yards, and find yourself a 30/30 deer rifle with a scope, correctly sighted in. Allow for windage, sight in, let out half a breath, remember to squeeze off your shot (not pull the trigger), and bam! Bulls Eye, every time!

Our prayer life is exactly like that. When we pray, we release power from heaven in the earth, to destroy evil and sin.

Yet, are we hitting the mark?

national prayer4

In the case of the groanings in the earth, I heard chief Anne Richardson state it this way:

“In a large measure our people can walk unto any piece of land and literally feel, and intuitively know what the land is feeling and saying, and intuitively know what caused it, and what must be done to heal it.”

Yet, we must read the preceding couple of verses in Romans 8 to understand this:

Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Those of us who know Jesus, have been adopted into the family of God, sons and daughters of the most High God. We are the ones, according to these verses that must deliver creation from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty we have as children of God. God is raising up ‘land warriors’ across America, many of whom are host peoples, to actively, aggressively break curses and shatter demonic destructions over land regions, literally cleansing the lands upon which we walk.

OK, so we see the problem: broken covenants and innocent bloodshed defile the land, and cause God to withhold His blessings from our nation. Now, we need to look at what it takes to fix this, spiritually.

God calls men everywhere to repent!

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Broken Covenants – Now what?

The treaties have all been broken. Millions have been murdered in unjust bloodshed. The lands have been taken, either by conquest or treachery, and the white man now rules, by the law of piracy: dead men tell no tales…

Or do they? Before God, we never die, and clearly our ancestors still live.

Yes, we are all going to live forever, the question is where: Heaven or Hell? Justice will be served, either in this life or the next. We either do business with God now, or we will most surely upon the moment of our death for  Jesus is Lord of Heaven and of earth.

2Co 5:8  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

So what must be done?

Well, some time ago, my wife and I experienced marital difficulties. Seemed we could not get along, and no matter what she did, I just wanted out of the relationship, I just wanted out! Seemed nothing I could do was good enough for her, so we went and met with a couple of pastors at the church where we attended.

As we got into the ‘He said, she said’ painful dialogue, one of the pastors said boldly: ‘Stop it!, the way I see you two is that you have erected a wall about 20 feet high between you two, and all you are doing is throwing rocks over the wall at each other! What I want you to consider is this: I’m not saying that there are not serious problems in your marriage and in your home, but can you simply forgive each other, and come over to the same side of the wall, and look at it together? Fight the problems, not each other!”

The lights went on in me. My wife is not my enemy, and pain makes a lousy Lord. Unforgiveness, offense, and bitterness are like drinking poison, and hoping our enemy will die! We must forgive, Jesus commands it!

Mt 6:15  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

If we want forgiveness from God, we must forgive. Period.

In the case of broken covenants, and treaties, we must recognize past injustices and begin to attack the problems, not each other…

It is all about the cross of Jesus, the only place we discover true victory and justice in this life: ONLY THE BLOOD OF JESUS CAN FORGIVE SIN AND REMOVE CURSES.

Remember our friends the Gibeonites?

Only the blood of Saul’s sons could provide the justice and atonement needed to heal the land. Likewise, only the cross and blood of Jesus can forgive and remove judgments from this nation.

The message of the cross, must be mixed with faith, in a very living, and active God in this: For the sinner, or oppressor in a historic, or temporal setting, they must see the truth of God’s holiness, and fear Him enough to ask forgiveness, and let those they are oppressing go free. This takes faith, when much money is being generated from their labor and oppression. They must believe the 1. What they are doing is wrong AND 2. That God is love, and well able to supply and provide for them more than they give up monetarily through their oppression. This has been done with words, by the US government…https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/07/07/us-government-apology-to-natives/, yet whether they will take responsibility for their deeds is another question..

talk

Like wise, for the oppressed. When their cries reach heaven, and God moves in power to deliver them from the hands of their oppressors, they must forgive their enemies, but with understanding that when they obey God and forgive their enemies, that He, the Creator of Heaven and earth, is well able to create, provide, and bless them, far greater, than what was stolen and robbed from them.  My friend Quincy AfraidofLightning is right, grace is the gospel, Grace being the power of God made available to any person, anyway, that will look to Jesus, to receive His power, love, and creativity, wisdom, restoration, to literally recreate a new and beautiful way for anyone, anywhere that will believe.

Remember the Gibeonites?

They were mentioned again in Scripture, after God had judged Israel for breaking His covenant with Him. God called everyone together to renew the covenant. Seems idolatry and sin against God is nothing new.

Let’s look at it:

Deut 29:10 Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, 11 your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water: 12 that thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day: 13 that he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; 15 but with him that standeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day: 1

Notice in this passage that God the Creator, Himself, came down to renew the covenant and He clearly recognized and included the Gibeonites. Today, God has no grandchildren, only children, and He gives no race, language or skin color preferential treatment before His throne. We have all sinned, gone our own way, and can only come to Him humbly, seeking mercy and forgiveness, through the blood of Jesus.

Isaiah 53:All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all

Native American

In the case of the Indian, we cannot remain bitter, hating all white men. Just as all Indians are not perfect, neither are all white men. Forgive, and you go free…Look to our Creator for justice, and let Him deal with the government! He will supply, bless, and move on your behalf, He cannot lie!

At his time in US History, God is again visiting His people and renewing His covenant through Jesus shed blood. There is a major difference between the account of the Gibeonites, and what God is doing presently. In this historic account, the Gibeonites were in covenant with God, only through Israel. Now, He has now second class citizens, only royal children adopted into His family, through Jesus shed blood. Seeing ourselves as he sees us, and moving in His power and authority.. Here are a couple of articles I wrote on this:

Who we are:

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/in-him-we-live-and-move-and-have-our-being/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/seeing-ourselves-as-god-sees-us/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2015/02/11/youre-who-affects-your-do-until-we-are-through/

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Ephesians 1:5 [Full Chapter]

having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will..
to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Yet Forgive in faith recognizing that when we come to our Creator in faith, giving Him our broken Hearts, dreams and promises HE AGGRESSIVELY GETS INVOLVED TO RECREATE A BETTER FUTURE FOR US AND OUR PEOPLE!

Refuse to remain bitter or oppressed.

Learn your language, honor your elders, help your tribe heal.

Get educated, and become a force for good in this nation that cannot be stopped, because God is with you!

Warriors

warriors

There is a call to war being issued to you and your people from heaven. In certain cases this will be walked out in military service, but the ultimate call is to hear the voice of our Father in Heaven, and to do like Jesus does, in taking the battle to the real enemy, the demonic spirits that influence and control the minds and souls of men. Please read this and determine to rise up and fight for your people and this nation. When Jesus closest friend, John the Baptist was beheaded, He took the fight to the demonic spirits that caused his death, not in earthly military action.

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/the-warrior-heart-of-god/integration

White Man

Wake up! America is in great peril! Repent! Learn, and understand the foolishness of our historic Indian policy, and begin to pray, fervently, for God to open your eyes to the plight, culture, and condition of the red man. Truthfully, how many prayer meetings have you ever attended, that even mentioned Indians, or Indian issues? This will not go away, time will not heal it, prayer, true repentance, and the blood of Jesus will.

cross1

If you love America, fess up where we have messed up, and educate yourself to the culture, rich tribal history and traditions of whatever host peoples are around you.

Ask Holy Spirit for ways to reconcile…to be involved in restitution wherever possible.matthew Henry

Educate yourself and get involved with reconciliation, restitution and healing and understanding, wherever possible.

With the Navajo, the Lord directed us to donate 100 peach trees to the tribe as a peace offering for what happened when the Calvary burned their beloved peach orchards under Kit Carson in canyon des Chelley in 1864, and made over 8000 people walk over 800 miles through the snow, in what is now called ‘the long walk of the Navajo’. Over 4000 died on this journey.

Warriors heal warriors. While this was being planned, combat veterans asked to get involved, claiming this is not the freedom, liberty, and justice for all that I fought to defend. One man said, ‘all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, warriors heal warriors’ He then asked for forgiveness for what the military did to their people. He and a marine then presented a medal received in operation Desert Storm, and a Marine Corps K-bar(combat knife) as honor gifts to the tribe, and we worked to plant a garden of reconciliation together. https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/navajo-ministry-report/

On July 11th, 2014 we had a flag-raising ceremony with Navajo president Ben Shelley:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5pO_8gzR6s. This was part of the Gathering of Tribal Nations where I understand 57 indian tribes were in attendance.

Here is the story of how and why the cedar stage and amphitheatre was donated and constructed in Window Rock, AZ, across from the Sports Complex.

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/the-legend-of-the-cedars/

The strength of America is its commitment to truth and honor…Freedom has never been free, but where we mess up, we correct ourselves and heal. This is what honor does, this is the heart of America.

Ii heard a man on the radio say this: The wisdom of the ages is simply this: find out what God is doing in this generation and then partner with Him to get it done.

There are many great people here, we can fix this…

The Land

Most First Nations leaders intimately understand the land…

Please read: https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/redeeming-the-land/

The Blessing

blessing

The Blessing of Abraham is still working!

Ge 32:12  And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

Deut 1:11  (The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)

Hosea1:10  Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

In these verses, we see the promise God made to Abraham, manifesting down the corridor of time…Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Hosea echos the same promise, being fulfilled through the seed of Abraham, Israel, the Jewish people.

Yet Jesus came, born of a Jewish lineage, fulfillment of the seed of Abraham, the promised Messiah. He fulfilled the prophecies, and He died upon the cross, as Isaiah said he would suffer. Yet, He rose from the dead! He’s alive! He ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of Elohim, God our Father.

And so we are commanded to believe, to become adopted into the family of God, sons of the living God…

Ga 3:7  Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Ga 3:8  And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

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

No longer is the covenant only to the Jew, but God, in His infinite mercy, has opened it to us Gentiles too! We can now worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, only through the shed blood of Yeshua! Jesus has made a way, for He is the way, the truth and the life!

Ga 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.

Ga 3:16  Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Ga 3:18  For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Ga 3:29  And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

It is by faith that we are saved, not by works. If you believe in Jesus as your Lord, Savior, and redeemer, you shall be saved, and the blessing of Abraham is working in your life.

We are blessed, and called of heaven to establish His blessing in the earth: https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/recreating-eden/

Take Away!

This discussion is not yet complete until we take something away from it!

The Word of God is alive, and so are you and I.

The Question is: What are we to do with what we just learned?

Here are some thoughts:

  1. Begin to seek the heart of our Father, for His heart with respect to the host peoples of this land.
  2. Add the names of the Indian tribes in your area, to your daily prayer list.
  3. Begin to include Indians in corporate prayer.
  4. Ask Holy Spirit for what He would have you to do to heal your land.
  5. Study, treaties, covenants, history, of the host peoples in your area.
  6. Go, and learn from them, and ask to pray with them.
  7. Guard your heart against bitterness, offense, and deliberately take the pain of what you are discovering to the heart of the Father in prayer.
  8. Pray for the bureau of Indian affairs.
  9. Pray for the tribal councils, chiefs, and elders in your area.
  10. Organize events of reconciliation based upon what you have learned.
  11. Always tell the story of Jesus, He is still the answer, and only His power and wisdom can fix this…
  12. Tell others what you are learning, educate the next generation….

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/and-the-young-white-ones-will-come/

https://chrisaomministries.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/reading-the-bible-with-red-mans-eyes/

For prayer, comments, or to donate online:

Email: chris.aomministries@gmail.com

paypal

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Give in faith!

1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown [the seed of] spiritual good among you, [is it too] much if we reap from your material benefits?

1 Corinthians 9:14 [On the same principle] the Lord directed that those who publish the good news (the Gospel) should live (get their maintenance) by the Gospel.

Paul goes on to say, that he did not use his position as a minister of the gospel to take up offerings, rather he worked, making tents, to support himself. You might notice here, that Paul was not married, nor did he have children. Family responsibilities take time, and just as you bust a move on your job to provide for your family, I work every bit as hard, doing this, faithful to the Lord in prayer and the ministry of His Word, to you.

I will never charge for this: it my responsibility to God, my calling. Freely I have been given, now, I freely give…

As you give, hear Holy Spirit what to give, and honestly expect God to reward you for your giving.

Matt 10: 41 He who receives and welcomes and accepts a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives and welcomes and accepts a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones [in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water because he is My disciple, surely I declare to you, he shall not lose his reward.

I am a five-fold ministry gift and office – this is my life – I pray, I hear, I write, and wonderful things happen. You have your job description, I have mine – this is mine….

I have ‘see through’ faith for you, in this: Gal 3: 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

I believe I have a responsibility before God to be like Jesus, in every offering I receive. I receive it with thanksgiving, just like Jesus did the little boys lunch.

Then, because I walk and live by faith according to the blessing of Abraham, I believe that God will take your seed sown, and multiply it, according to what the blessing of Abraham promises:

Genesis 22:17 In blessing I will bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed (Heir) will possess the gate of His enemies

It has been a joy to me, to see the hand of the living God act in the lives of those of you who have supported us this year!

Many have seen tremendous blessing come into your households, and for this we give thanks, and give Jesus all the glory!

The Press and the Process – NO COMPROMISE!

The Press! Sometimes in life, you just gotta go for it! Been thinking about this particular season of transition in my life, as I have gone from being a moving and shaking businessman as a contractor, to becoming more and more obedient to the heavenly call in full time missions these past years, to now, […]

The Press!

pressed

Sometimes in life, you just gotta go for it! Been thinking about this particular season of transition in my life, as I have gone from being a moving and shaking businessman as a contractor, to becoming more and more obedient to the heavenly call in full time missions these past years, to now, carefully balancing construction as a part time superintendent, to staying aggressively in the face of God to maintain my place in the office and the call….

‘As the things of earth, grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace’ the song goes..

The years of brutally hard work, and then before that the grueling schedule needed to survive my college degree, while maintaining national level fitness in the sport of triathlon, have come back to remind me, that the disciplines that must be in place, to be a champion.

Knowing my passion and drive, I have learned that I must come under the tight rein of the Holy Spirit, desperate for His presence, His voice, His leading, or the self imposed disciplines I would apply to myself, would bury me.

Yet, when we determine to settle for nothing other than the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, without compromise, and hunger for truth, and power with God, seems about every human relationship feels the test of the call.

press

In the natural, I have given it all. There is no financial seed left to give…in order to merely live each day, Jesus HAS to provide, there is no plan B.

And day by day, challenge by challenge, He has proved Himself faithful.

Has it been brutal? Yes!

Has it been rewarding?

To see the nations changed in prayer, the multitudes moved through my intercession, the experience the radical intimacy and fulfillment that only He can give, I must say, ‘YES!”.

Though I have nothing financially left, I get alone with Him, having stood upon His promises, and I look at the stars in the heavens…He made them!

He will reward this particular stand of faith, and He will not only restore everything I have given, and given up for Him, but will multiply it, and prosper me with not merely heavenly riches, but I will see wealth, and prosperity again, here, in the earth, in my life, supernaturally, by His hand.

prosperity harvest

To say I have been misunderstood, criticized, etc, would be an understatement, but I am consumed with One who totally satisfies, and I find myself loving people more and more, yes caring less and less whether they love back, or understand…

His voice, His presence, His Word come alive, are more than enough….

Certain things though, are only ‘as He wills..’

His timings, His gifts of the Holy Spirit, His appointments into public ministries, and His financial provisions and breakthroughs, we believe we receive them, and fight for them in faith, daily, yet, if the day ends, and it has not happened yet, then we roll the care of it over upon Him, and deliberately trust that He is faithful, that which He has spoken, that which we have believed we received, will surely come to pass.

faith

In moments of weakness, I have heard Him say, ‘Are you still willing?’, and repeatedly, I have said, ‘Yes, Lord, strengthen, equip me to the responsibility before me, give me grace to survive the brutality of the savage unbelief, and contest of wills around me…;

Some days, I reread, Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

The brutality, the attempted tyranny of the ungodly expectations of people, who are not hearing, seeing, experiencing what is screaming inside of you…

I understand the heart of Paul, when he exclaimed…

Ac 26:19  Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

Hab 2:3  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

I am not a Calvinist, believing in the great sovereignty of God, like we are some fluff in the wind of the cosmos.

No, I am a son of my heavenly Father, and a man of faith, passion, authority, passionately standing upon His promises, that He must fulfill, for He cannot lie.

What does faith look like though, when each day, as you believe, that which you have prayed for most definitely does not come to pass? When it feels like the heavens are brass, and that our faith confessions seem to hit some kind of metal dome over our heads, unheard by God?

In our anguish of soul, comes the comforter, the great One in the earth, the breath and voice of God, and He brings words of encouragement, that nothing on this earth can compare to…

Simple words, like ‘Child, I love you, and I hear your heart, your quietest whispers in the night, and I am with you, and am bringing to pass that which you have believed, for did I not promise and commission these things to you?’

Simple comforts like: ‘You have done my perfect will today!”

courage Jesus

These keep me going, like Joseph:

Ps 105:19  Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.

There is a timing of a thing, and until that appointed time, I am aggressively reading, praying in tongues, after doing my faith confessions for the day, for I must keep my faith fed, strong, and I must fill my soul with good teaching, to grow, to press, to feed the raging hungers inside my heart!

Ps 17:3  Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

I fight to keep my words right, for this is the way of perfection, holiness, and as I allow the Word to grow and work deeper and deeper in my heart, this becomes easier and easier, for as my deepest desires are changed, as He takes His knife to my fears, my filth, my stinking thinking, a practical purity emerges. I don’t have to rigidly watch my confessions as much, for out of my transformed heart, my mouth speaks, and good things come out…

courage2

Ps 18:30  As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

I trust in Him. He has spoken. I am sorely tried, but after it is all done, I shall be that vessal of honor described in the Word, purged, and fully fit for the Masters use…

Passionate love is worth the pursuit….

God is love….

Let’s pray:

‘Father, I know You, and I hear Your voice. May I not shrink back, or give up, but bring you great glory, in believing. Strengthen me to fully obey, without compromise or reservation, exactly what You have shown me. Comfort me daily, and equip me, for the responsibility of the call, in Your name I pray Lord Jesus.Amen’