By, Pastor Betty Moede
“And then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the Son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And after He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom who He testified and said, ‘I have found David the Son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’” (Acts 13:21-22)
Israel had insisted on a king. They had confronted Saul and refused to hear what God had said to them. We are often moved by our limited vision and wisdom. We insist that we must know better when God has noting but our best interests at heart. (! Samuel 8:19-20). Saul was a strong, handsome young man. He came from a good family. He was obedient to his father and Saul was trusted with family matters by him. By all outward appearances, he had everything going for him. (1 Samuel 9:2)
We can see in 1 Samuel 15:10-14, that Saul started out with humility. As time went on, he began to take the victories God had given him to himself. Finally, he was told to completely destroy the nations on the Amalekites. Saul returned with “a sacrifice” for the lord. He put his own interpretation into the command God. There is a lot pf presumption in this, but have we not done the same thing at times? When we are uncomfortable with something, we often either decide ‘that couldn’t have been the Lord’, or ‘I just can’t do something like that’.
Saul would continue in his rebellion, wavering between a sense of repentance and full blown disobedience. As Saul fell in battle with the Philistines, he fell on his spear but failed to kill himself. (2 Samuel 1:6-10)
Saul was killed by a man who should not have been alive. God knew that the Amalekites had to be destroyed to preserve Israel. When God tells you to get something out of your life, do it. He’s not trying to take away your enjoyment. He cares for you more that we understand. If we rebel against his commands we will pay the price. The things we choose will only come between us and God. There is nothing in this world that God can not replace with something more precious and more wonderful if we will let Him. There is nothing good He would with hold from you when you are ready for it.
David succeeded where Saul failed by keeping his heart in line with God. Did David fall? Yes, at times. Bur his repentance was total and he kept no part of his rebellion from God. He laid his heart completely, good and bad, before God. Psalm 139 is an example of such a heart. Read it through and keep your heart after God’s own heart.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Prophetic Dance
Pamela Rutherford
"Prophetic movements are the movements of God. They are the movements that come from His heart, from His throne - movements that begin in the Spirit realm that God releases to us here on earth to accomplish His purposes. God is calling a people who will know the times and the seasons and know what to do. Rev 19:10 says the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. He is calling a prophetic people, who will hear Him, speak His words and demonstrate His purposes.
"Prophetic ministry is the heart of God revealed to us, revealed through us. We are called to be prophetic enactments of the Holy Spirit; called to be visual demonstrations of what God is saying and doing. God has dances from heaven that He wants to dance through us to bring change and meet the needs of people. These dances are Spirit to Spirit. When we allow God’s movements to flow through us, we will see signs follow. We will see people healed, delivered and set free by His power. We will see people brought into a new dimension in Christ. As the physical becomes an extension of the spiritual, God’s power is released in the earth upon the hearts of men. Healing, deliverance, prosperity, peace, joy and all that we need to live abundant lives has already been established in heaven. I believe we can reach up into the heavens and by faith pull down those things that God has provided for us.
"Amos 9:11 and Acts 15:16 tells us that the restoration of the tabernacle of David is so that we might possess the remnant. The word possess is the Hebrew word yaresh. It literally means to occupy by driving out the previous tenants. In other words, we can declare God’s healing where there is sickness. We can declare God’s deliverance where there is bondage. We do this by the spoken word of God. Jesus said, “My words are spirit and they are life”. His word never returns void of that which He purposes. We do this by lifting our voices in praise to God. We do this by using our hands to smite. Clapping our hands is associate with praise but also with smiting the enemy. God told the prophet Ezekiel to smite with his hands and stamp with his feet. This was a sign of God’s judgement against His enemies. Our feet represent authority. He has given us every piece of ground the soles of our feet tread upon. Luke Chapter 10 says we trample on serpents and scorpions and on all the power of the enemy and nothing shall harm us. According to Psalm 18, God has given us the necks of our enemies. These become prophetic movements of the body as we yield to Him
"Dance in the church today is a fulfillment of prophecy. Jer 31:13 says that in the last days the virgin shall rejoice in the dance. The word virgin in this scripture is the word bride. We are preparing ourselves to be His bride. Rev 19:7 says let us rejoice and be glad, for the marriage supper of the lamb has come and the bride has made herself ready. In these last days, we will see God rebuilding His church, preparing His bride.
"In the book of Exodus, God miraculously delivered the children of Israel from many years in bondage to Pharaoh. He brought them through the Red Sea. This represents the fact that we have been delivered from sin, death, hell, sickness and the grave itself. We have been brought through the blood of Jesus. Miriam the Prophetess led the women in the dance. It was a custom in those days for the closest female relative to meet and to greet a returning victor after a battle. Miriam was the closest female relative to Moses and we are the closest female relative to Jesus. He is our returning victor. He has won the victory and we demonstrate His authority in the earth.
"The Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of His coming, was a main event associated with dance in Israel. As His return gets closer, we will dance more and more. We will say to God, we are your bride. We know you are the victor and we are making ourselves ready. Our dancing says to the world, He is coming – get ready. Our dancing says to the enemy, your time is short. Our dancing says to each other, see the vision, have faith.
"As we testify to one another of the goodness and provision of God, we yield to the Spirit of prophecy, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy."
THIS WORD IS REALLY COOL. (And it's exactly what i needed to "hear" today.)
Pamela Rutherford
"Prophetic movements are the movements of God. They are the movements that come from His heart, from His throne - movements that begin in the Spirit realm that God releases to us here on earth to accomplish His purposes. God is calling a people who will know the times and the seasons and know what to do. Rev 19:10 says the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. He is calling a prophetic people, who will hear Him, speak His words and demonstrate His purposes.
"Prophetic ministry is the heart of God revealed to us, revealed through us. We are called to be prophetic enactments of the Holy Spirit; called to be visual demonstrations of what God is saying and doing. God has dances from heaven that He wants to dance through us to bring change and meet the needs of people. These dances are Spirit to Spirit. When we allow God’s movements to flow through us, we will see signs follow. We will see people healed, delivered and set free by His power. We will see people brought into a new dimension in Christ. As the physical becomes an extension of the spiritual, God’s power is released in the earth upon the hearts of men. Healing, deliverance, prosperity, peace, joy and all that we need to live abundant lives has already been established in heaven. I believe we can reach up into the heavens and by faith pull down those things that God has provided for us.
"Amos 9:11 and Acts 15:16 tells us that the restoration of the tabernacle of David is so that we might possess the remnant. The word possess is the Hebrew word yaresh. It literally means to occupy by driving out the previous tenants. In other words, we can declare God’s healing where there is sickness. We can declare God’s deliverance where there is bondage. We do this by the spoken word of God. Jesus said, “My words are spirit and they are life”. His word never returns void of that which He purposes. We do this by lifting our voices in praise to God. We do this by using our hands to smite. Clapping our hands is associate with praise but also with smiting the enemy. God told the prophet Ezekiel to smite with his hands and stamp with his feet. This was a sign of God’s judgement against His enemies. Our feet represent authority. He has given us every piece of ground the soles of our feet tread upon. Luke Chapter 10 says we trample on serpents and scorpions and on all the power of the enemy and nothing shall harm us. According to Psalm 18, God has given us the necks of our enemies. These become prophetic movements of the body as we yield to Him
"Dance in the church today is a fulfillment of prophecy. Jer 31:13 says that in the last days the virgin shall rejoice in the dance. The word virgin in this scripture is the word bride. We are preparing ourselves to be His bride. Rev 19:7 says let us rejoice and be glad, for the marriage supper of the lamb has come and the bride has made herself ready. In these last days, we will see God rebuilding His church, preparing His bride.
"In the book of Exodus, God miraculously delivered the children of Israel from many years in bondage to Pharaoh. He brought them through the Red Sea. This represents the fact that we have been delivered from sin, death, hell, sickness and the grave itself. We have been brought through the blood of Jesus. Miriam the Prophetess led the women in the dance. It was a custom in those days for the closest female relative to meet and to greet a returning victor after a battle. Miriam was the closest female relative to Moses and we are the closest female relative to Jesus. He is our returning victor. He has won the victory and we demonstrate His authority in the earth.
"The Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of His coming, was a main event associated with dance in Israel. As His return gets closer, we will dance more and more. We will say to God, we are your bride. We know you are the victor and we are making ourselves ready. Our dancing says to the world, He is coming – get ready. Our dancing says to the enemy, your time is short. Our dancing says to each other, see the vision, have faith.
"As we testify to one another of the goodness and provision of God, we yield to the Spirit of prophecy, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy."
THIS WORD IS REALLY COOL. (And it's exactly what i needed to "hear" today.)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Two Heads Better than One?
Chimarra - twin within a child - problem later; "two" brains in one...causes the dominant brain not to function.
Like the Body of Christ...when the second head appears and you are not allowing Christ to be the head by Himself--because there can be only one head for the Body of Christ--the Body becomes ineffective and does not function correctly.
Like the Body of Christ...when the second head appears and you are not allowing Christ to be the head by Himself--because there can be only one head for the Body of Christ--the Body becomes ineffective and does not function correctly.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
The Christian Life is the Tranformed Life
[JUST MUSING...]
- The ordinary life becomes extraordinary.
* Life now transforms into life more abundant!
* It is where turkeys transform into eagles.
* Death is swallowed up.
* The boring and drab become exciting and adventurous.
* Where criticism and accusation (of the world and the enemy) become forgivenenss, acceptance, and love.
* Where a life of compromises and conditional love transforms to the consistent and unconditional love.
* The Christian life is where the weakened and overcome life produces strength, victory, and the life of an overcomer (instead of just mere survival).
* And our final departure from this world becomes a Reunion Celebration with the Lord and all who have gone before.
The Christian Life is never boring. (If it is, you are not walking in that Abundant Life.)
- The ordinary life becomes extraordinary.
* Life now transforms into life more abundant!
* It is where turkeys transform into eagles.
* Death is swallowed up.
* The boring and drab become exciting and adventurous.
* Where criticism and accusation (of the world and the enemy) become forgivenenss, acceptance, and love.
* Where a life of compromises and conditional love transforms to the consistent and unconditional love.
* The Christian life is where the weakened and overcome life produces strength, victory, and the life of an overcomer (instead of just mere survival).
* And our final departure from this world becomes a Reunion Celebration with the Lord and all who have gone before.
The Christian Life is never boring. (If it is, you are not walking in that Abundant Life.)
Sunday, February 15, 2009
FRIENDSHIP STITCHES
- Posted By Beauty for Ashes
“A man of many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)
Can you have too many friends? Proverbs says you can. It’s like a lot of things. If you try to do to many things at once, you will do none of them well. If you try to do a few things, you have a chance to do all of them well. If you try to overextend yourself, everyone will feel a little short changed and begin to fall away. Chose your friends wisely too. The company you keep is an indication of your own character.
We all have trials. Jesus promised us that in our lives we would have trials. Some of them are problems of our own making and some seem to just seek us out. There is nothing that says any of this is necessarily fair, so blaming anyone for a trial is a waste of time. None of the things that happened to Jesus, especially during the last week of His life on earth, had anything to do with fair. His disciples, His close friends, all scattered in fear for their lives. Peter watched from a distance. Only John came to the foot of the cross with the women. This was a trial for the disciples as much as for Jesus. Out of it, they all learned something about themselves from their treatment of Jesus in His trial. Their lives were changed forever and, empowered by the Holy Spirit, they rattled the Roman world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a generation.
On the road to Emmaus, Jesus called two of His friends slow and dull of heart. To these two who did not recognize Him yet, it must have been quite a moment to have been corrected so strongly by a stranger. But the truth is, they could not deny the accusation. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” Proverbs 27:6
In our lives we will know precious few of these friends who stick closer than a brother. Just like a refiners fire boils raw material until the impurities can be separated, brought to the surface and removed, trials refine and purify relationships. We are human and we will fail. Our friends, except for Jesus, are human and sill fail us too. Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, are all made from the same dust we are. To expect more from them than we expect of ourselves is like the slave who threw his fellow slave into prison over a debt of a few dollars when he had been forgiven a lifetime of debt to his master.
The point is that even the best of friends and the closest relationships will suffer failures and faults. These are the times that can tear the life out of a relationship ot make them stronger. If a bone is broken and not set, it will heal very badly causing a lot of problems. But, if the bone is carefully set, it will mend and the point of the break will actually be stronger when it is healed. True friendship will hold the wound closed like a stitch across a gash, giving it time to heal. Even very bad wounds in a relationship don’t need to be fatal, it is always possible to forgive and rebuild.
“A man of many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)
Can you have too many friends? Proverbs says you can. It’s like a lot of things. If you try to do to many things at once, you will do none of them well. If you try to do a few things, you have a chance to do all of them well. If you try to overextend yourself, everyone will feel a little short changed and begin to fall away. Chose your friends wisely too. The company you keep is an indication of your own character.
We all have trials. Jesus promised us that in our lives we would have trials. Some of them are problems of our own making and some seem to just seek us out. There is nothing that says any of this is necessarily fair, so blaming anyone for a trial is a waste of time. None of the things that happened to Jesus, especially during the last week of His life on earth, had anything to do with fair. His disciples, His close friends, all scattered in fear for their lives. Peter watched from a distance. Only John came to the foot of the cross with the women. This was a trial for the disciples as much as for Jesus. Out of it, they all learned something about themselves from their treatment of Jesus in His trial. Their lives were changed forever and, empowered by the Holy Spirit, they rattled the Roman world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a generation.
On the road to Emmaus, Jesus called two of His friends slow and dull of heart. To these two who did not recognize Him yet, it must have been quite a moment to have been corrected so strongly by a stranger. But the truth is, they could not deny the accusation. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” Proverbs 27:6
In our lives we will know precious few of these friends who stick closer than a brother. Just like a refiners fire boils raw material until the impurities can be separated, brought to the surface and removed, trials refine and purify relationships. We are human and we will fail. Our friends, except for Jesus, are human and sill fail us too. Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, are all made from the same dust we are. To expect more from them than we expect of ourselves is like the slave who threw his fellow slave into prison over a debt of a few dollars when he had been forgiven a lifetime of debt to his master.
The point is that even the best of friends and the closest relationships will suffer failures and faults. These are the times that can tear the life out of a relationship ot make them stronger. If a bone is broken and not set, it will heal very badly causing a lot of problems. But, if the bone is carefully set, it will mend and the point of the break will actually be stronger when it is healed. True friendship will hold the wound closed like a stitch across a gash, giving it time to heal. Even very bad wounds in a relationship don’t need to be fatal, it is always possible to forgive and rebuild.
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