My friend, Bill Sheridan, described his memoir, Depot Street Memories, as being a collection of essays. “It does not have a beginning or an end. At some point I will stop writing. That will be your cue to stop reading.”
His words communicate exactly what I am doing today: stopping my blog until 2017.
So, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy New Year. I have enjoyed all of you and look forward to great things happening in 2017.
Filed under Christianity, Christmas, Church
If callings were chosen by popular elections, Saul of Tarsus would have garnered the same number of votes as King Herod or Caiaphas for the calling of apostle: zero.
After all, Saul hunted believers down, murdered them, tossed them into prisons, and tried to force them to blaspheme. He was the main reason Jerusalem Christians opted to go on permanent missionary trips to other cities.
Historians described Saul as a skinny, 4’6″ lightweight who was not much of a speaker. These physical attributes were not exactly a winning formula for the Gentiles, who admired polished orators with a strong physical presence.
Yet Jesus said, “Saul is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel…”
The Lord’s reasoning behind His choice: “…for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
So what did God see in Saul’s heart?
He saw Paul the apostle to whom God could reveal His mystery of Christ, that the Gentiles and the Jews would be joined together in the Bride of Christ, His church. He also saw a man who would willingly suffer afflictions for Christ and His body.
Today, there are some who want to downgrade Paul and his teachings and just go with the red letter words of Jesus in the four Gospels. They don’t like Paul’s teachings on sexual immorality and other subjects. But if this were actually followed, where would the guidelines and revelations about the Church come from?
Furthermore, if Paul had not appeared on the scene, Peter and James would have most likely caved into the Jewish influence on the early church. And today our churches would be little more than a revamped Temple 2.0 System, complete with circumcision, priesthood, and sacrifices.
Thank God for the Apostle Paul, right?
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9: 37-38 Amplified Translation)
Likewise, the Lord has looked down on San Francisco, especially the Castro District, and has seen men and women who have hearts much like Saul of Tarsus. He is not concerned that these people are now actively engaged in lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender life styles because He remembers Saul the murderer. He knows how the life changing power of His heavenly light and just one divine experience from Him will cause each to ask, “Who are You, Lord?”
Then, He will answer each one, “…I am Jesus …”
The Lord doesn’t want to lose any of these precious callings as each has been specifically chosen to be a leader in His Church for the dark days lying ahead in America. So important are these callings that the Lord has assigned teams of fully prepared fishermen and hunters who will search through the alleys, streets, and haunts of San Francisco for these prized callings.
The teams of fishermen and hunters will suffer bloodshed, pain, and jail cells. Who will persecute these teams? The chosen Sauls. Yet, the chosen Sauls will have the gospel preached to them by how the fishermen and hunters handle the persecutions: with humility and love.
In the end, the chosen Sauls will come out of San Francisco as Pauls who will help lead the Church into victory after victory. What Jesus said about the woman who wiped His feet with her tears and hair will be true of these chosen Pauls:
For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little. (Luke 7:47)
CONCLUSION…if you are interested, the full series, which was written in 2011, may be seen here.
Filed under Christianity, Church, Gay, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare
In early 1994, one of my closest high school friends died after a long battle with cancer. His death really bugged me because I had prayed and fasted over a long period of time for him.
Was I mad at the Lord about my friend’s death? Yes.
Doesn’t scripture state that “all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you?” I prayed for my friend to live, but he died. How could I ever really trust that particular verse again?
On the three hour trip back to the small Illinois town of my youth, I poured my heart out to the Lord. Although I felt comforted, I had no answers. As I walked up to the church, some high school friends delayed me. We chatted about old times for a few minutes.
This delay caused my parents to walk on without me. When I finally stepped into the sanctuary, there was quite a line ahead of me. Standing there, I asked, “Lord, did my friend make it into heaven?”
Now, this is not a question I recommend believers should ever ask the Lord because what if you don’t like His answer, then what? Yet, I was so upset about my friend’s death, I asked anyway. You see, not only was I asking for his healing, but I was also asking the Lord to save him.
The procession slowly crept toward the closed casket sitting at the front of the church. Just as I arrived at the casket, the Lord spoke to my heart, “He’s not in this casket. He’s in heaven with Me.”
I could have danced and shouted for joy. It was one of my happiest moments ever.
Then, I turned the corner and faced my friend’s wife and family. They were standing on the left side of the altar, receiving funeral attendees. As I inched toward them I began crying, not a few tears but buckets of them. I wailed and was almost out of control. People turned to look, but I could not stop.
My friend’s wife, his two children and his parents comforted me, instead of the other way around. I was such a mess. Finally, I sat down next to my parents in the middle of the church. Somehow, my crying ceased.
What was that all about? I thought.
Piano music announced the beginning of the service. As the pianist played, the Lord spoke to my heart. “Your friend was called to be a prophet and he didn’t make it into his calling. The misery you felt was just a fraction of what I feel when a person doesn’t make it into his calling.”
The Lord’s words caused me to break down and weep. My parents, on the left side of me, and my sister, on the other side, tried to comfort me, but what could they do? My heart was shattered by the grief of the Lord.
Eventually, the misery passed.
After some songs and family testimonies, the pastor began the eulogy. I listened to her, but once again, the Lord spoke to me.
“My church is mostly a bunch of losers. They pray for the sick, but when the person dies anyway, they aren’t upset or mad. They just think they did their duty and at least made an effort, and that’s good enough for them,” said the Lord to my heart.
My jaw dropped, wondering what was coming next.
“Major League players all want to win, but after a while, players on losing teams don’t mind losing. After all, they still receive their large paychecks. So, it’s no big deal to them. But players on winning teams hate to lose, absolutely hate it. They will do anything to win and whatever sacrifice is needed, they willingly do it for victories.
“I want My church to hate losing,” He said.
His words, “I want My church to hate losing,” exploded within me. Its echoes bounced off every corridor and passageway of my mind. Once again, I wept.
This happened twenty-two years ago and it still resonates within me.
What does this experience have to do with San Francisco?
(Continued in Part 6…if you are interested, the full series, which was written in 2011, may be seen here.
Filed under Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare
Jesus’ plan for bringing forth the Kingdom of God on earth was to train twelve men as His disciples over a three-year timeframe. These twelve disciples were then directed to train others in the same way that they had been trained by Him. Then, the new disciples would train others. And so on and so on.
What was Jesus’ backup plans, just in case His plan A did not work?
He had no backup plans. Plan A had to work!
Did His plan work?
…“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (Acts 17:6)
So, after thirty-one years of walking with the Lord –albeit flawed at best – I have realized something this morning. My whole journey was specifically designed to destroy my Plans B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and so forth; and then resign myself to accepting His Plan A for my life.
My prayer today:
Lord, give us American believers the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You so that the eyes of our understanding may be enlightened to the hope of Your calling, to the riches of the glory of Your inheritance, and to the exceeding greatness of of Your power toward us who believe in You. (Based on Ephesians 1:17-19)
What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?
Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.
Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare
Why does God often send an outsider to an area to help deliver the oppressed people?
God said to Abraham, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. (Genesis 15:13)
Three hundred and fifty years into the prophetic timing of Genesis 15:13, a baby boy was born to a Levite couple living in Egypt. The couple already had a three year old son (Aaron) and an older daughter (Miriam), but this child was unique. He was the chosen one, the one who would be the deliverer of the Hebrews out of the iron furnace – Egypt.
How did God prepare His chosen deliverer?
Because of the harsh edicts of Pharaoh, who wanted to kill all male Hebrew babies, the baby boy was put into a water tight basket and set adrift in reeds along the Nile River. The baby boy’s sister, Miriam, stood nearby, watching on.
Pharaoh’s daughter then walked by the reeds, checked out the basket and fell in love with the Hebrew baby. Miriam showed up and asked if Pharaoh’s daughter needed a nurse for the baby. Pharaoh’s daughter agreed and paid the baby’s Levite mother to nurse her own baby. Interestingly enough, it was Pharaoh’s daughter who named the child Moses, not his Hebrew parents.
Can you imagine the conversation that must have happened when Pharaoh’s daughter brought Moses into the palace? Her father wanted to kill Hebrew male babies and his daughter had one in her possession. There had to be a few arguments over Moses, but in the end, Pharaoh’s daughter raised Moses as an Egyptian. He was taught by the best teachers, learned the ways of Egypt, and became a powerful minister of state.
Three hundred and ninety years into the prophetic timing of Genesis 15:12, Moses felt like visiting the Hebrew slaves. He intervened in a fight between a slave and an Egyptian, and then killed the Egyptian.
And Moses supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. (Acts 7:25)
Because of killing the Egyptian and the misunderstanding of the Hebrews, Moses fled to the desert where he tended sheep for forty years and worked for his father-in-law.
Not quite four hundred and thirty years into the prophetic timing of Genesis 15:12, Moses had his burning bush experience with the Angel of the Lord. God revealed His name, I Am, told Moses to return to Egypt, and gave him specific signs for the Hebrews. Moses argued about his inability to speak and God eventually agreed to allow his brother, Aaron, to do some speaking for Moses.
The Lord also gave Moses a future event:
“…Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. (Exodus 4:14)
While Moses was heading back to Egypt, God spoke to Aaron:
“…Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. (Exodus 4:27)
Both Moses and Aaron were prophets. And as these two scriptures reveal, both men heard the voice of the Lord. So, why did the Hebrews even need a prophet like Moses to deliver them? After all, Aaron was a prophet and, as a part of the prophet’s calling, he was also a deliverer.
First, let’s look at Aaron who was born and raised as a slave in Egypt. His normal mental state had to be based on fear. Fear of reprisals. Fear of death. Fear of starvation. Fear for his loved ones. Fear. Fear. Fear. It had to govern every part of his life, even part of his prophet’s calling.
For instance, what did Aaron do when Moses delayed coming down from the mountain and the people asked for a new god to lead them? He caved in to the people’s fears and carved a golden calf. This Egyptian god-like idol must have represented authority and power to Aaron, which he thought had empowered his slave masters. But no matter what his actual reason was, it was based on fear and not faith in the I Am.
Moses did not have Aaron’s fear problems. He was raised by the Egyptians who were the slave masters. He understood the Egyptian gods and knew they were powerless and dumb. Then, after Moses’ eyes were opened to his calling and had killed the Egyptian man, he probably felt fear for the first time. So, he fled to Egypt.
For forty years, Moses spent his time in a nomadic existence, far from a life of daily fear. It was during this period, he learned the ways of the Lord and came to have an intimate knowledge of God and His goodness.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption, as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
But also, for those forty years, Moses was not under the religious principality, which governed Egypt and which used the spirit of slavery to rule over the Hebrews. Like David, Moses would have had to fight some bears and lions along the way, but he did not have to face and be shaped by a Goliath everyday like Aaron and the other Hebrews did.
When he was finally ready and prepared to face his Goliath, the religious principality over Egypt, God sent him as a deliverer to the Hebrews.
Yet remember this: it took a long time to prepare Moses for his calling of deliverer.
San Francisco can expect numerous outsiders who have no reputations, short resumes, and long preparation times in deserts to show up as deliverers for the city. Their arrival is not a reflection on the San Francisco saints who have suffered under the spirit of depravity for years, but rather it is God’s plan for the city.
(Continued in Part 5…if you are interested, the full series, which was written in 2011, may be seen here.)
Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” (Mother Teresa)
On some days , when I don’t feel like fasting for Asia and its 4.4 billion people, Mother Teresa’s words encourage me to continue onward and add my little drop of faith to God’s plans for Asia.
My prayer today:
Lord, use my little drop of fasting to free those who are wrongly imprisoned, to lighten the burden of those who work for You, to let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people in the various nations of Asia. (Based on Isaiah 58:6)
Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for prisoners in Asia, according to Hebrews 13:3.
Why Asia?
1. 4.4 billion people live in Asia.
2.. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)
3. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.
4. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.
5. 600 million people live in abject poverty in the slums of Asia.
6. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)
Filed under Asia, Christianity, Church, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare
“What you’re seeing is the governing demonic principality over the University of California, Berkeley. It’s a religious one and one of the gatekeepers mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 16:18. Now, look down,” he said, pointing to students walking along the sidewalks below us.
I watched various students crisscrossing the Campanile Esplanade on their way to classes. At first, they looked normal to me, wearing typical college apparel. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then, my spiritual eyes kicked in and what appeared normal in the natural realm was not so normal in the spiritual one.
Have you ever seen pictures of a flying dinosaur known as a pterodactyl? It has a long, slender head with a mouth filled with sharp teeth, scaly-like body, web-like wings and talons for feet. This sort of resembles the creatures I saw, sitting on the shoulders of almost every student walking below me. Each creature was the size of a large crow and had wolf hair on its body, and a slender rat’s tail. The beings constantly whispered into the ears of students while holding a wing over the students’ other ears. At times, the creatures defecated and vomited on the students so that each person dripped with slop and sewage. It was ghastly and I yearned to warn the students.
“Follow those two over there,” said the angel, pointing toward two guys.
Somehow, I was able to focus on the two students. They talked to each other as they walked along, just basic talk about their classes. Then, they walked into a free speech area where a street evangelist was preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. Both stopped and listened. As they were standing there, I watched the pterodactyl-like creatures use their beaks to snatch the seeds of the gospel out of the twosome’s hearts with swift surgeon-like precision. After a few minutes, the two students walked away, none the better for their experiences.
Again, I wanted to shout and warn everyone. Someone needed to do it. Why not me?
The angel touched my shoulder again with his hand and I turned toward him. “Now, it’s time for your spiritual ears to be opened.” He reached up and touched both of my ears with his hands.
Wouldn’t you think it would be quiet in the spiritual realm over the University of California, Berkeley? It’s not. There is constant clamor, reverberating throughout the whole atmosphere, most of which comes from the ruling principality. But what really shocked me is that the demonic principality’s words mirrored the liberal attitudes on the campus. From the deans down to the professors, and then, to the students. The religious principality constantly spewed out proclamations like:
White Americans are racists… All wars are immoral and wrong… Homosexuality is not a sin… Pro-choice is a woman’s right… Same-sex marriage is morally acceptable…Traditional Christianity is irrelevant, mean, hateful, judgmental and dogmatic…Jesus never said anything about homosexuality…Jesus is the Way which is open to other ways, such as Hare Krishna, Buddha and Mohammad…God is a God of love and not judgment… Satan and demons are fictional beings…The Bible contains no more authority than the Koran, Buddhist sutras, Veda and other spiritual writings…Creating social justice is the main emphasis of the gospel…Global warming is a Christian stewardship concern…
I stood there with my mouth open, drool running down my chin. “Hey, many of these statements I agree with,” I muttered aloud, not realizing I had done so.
“And that’s why you are deceived.”
“Deceived? Me?”
“Yes, you and most liberal Christians who believe such garbage.”
“But, but – ”
“Not only are you deceived, but your faith is dead when it agrees with Satan’s agenda. He’s always a liar, even when his words sound righteous. Your faith, in order to have life, must be based on what the Lord has stated in Scripture and is presently saying to His church.”
I kept quiet as his words ripped my theology apart.
Then, he pointed down again. “Look.”
There just below us, was a student resembling a fluorescent light bulb walking across the esplanade. She lit up the whole area around her as she hurried on her way. But unlike the others, she did not have a creature sitting on her shoulder and instead, one hovered around her head like a helicopter, trying to alight on her. For some unseen reason, the creature could not land. Frustration etched across its face.
“Listen,” said the angel.
My ears adjusted themselves to only listening to the girl. Her footsteps and the movement of her arms came through loud and clear, but there was something else. “Dee, dee, bah, bah, hooka mah hundae,” she whispered over and over.
She was speaking in tongues!
“Your message to Christians on college campuses is very simple,” said the angel. “It’s the same one Paul gave to the believers in Ephesus when he said, ‘Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, with all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”
Then he added, “In case you have forgotten, these scriptures are Ephesians 6: 17-18.”
It bugged me that he knew I had not read my Bible for years. What else did he know?
The above scene is from my eBook novel, Deceived, Dead and Delivered.
(Continued in Part 4…if you are interested, the full series, which was written in 2011, may be seen here.)
Filed under Christianity, Church, Gay, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare
The Shuk in Jerusalem
Once again, it’s time to hear from our sister in Jerusalem about what she is witnessing there as a believer in Yeshua. Put your prayer shawls on and pray for Israel and Sister J. Now here she is —
BELOVED Sisters and Brothers in the SON whom we love together, and so also love one another, may you have HIS SHALOM, HIS blessing and HIS encouragement in The Name of our Lord Yeshua, Jesus Christ. May HE ALONE be glorified and may you be blessed.
It was interesting that our Grandbaby was born during the time of such fires (it is the fire of GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT that we need). I wrote to you during the first few days of the fires and thankfully today seems to signal the end as we have a much needed, drenching RAIN. The issues of the fires, however, were big in many ways. I had a chart released by the government of the estimated numbers, which I wanted to send out as I have seen some greatly inflated numbers and some ridiculously low ones, but alas, I seem to have lost them. This is the most accurate information I am able to glean at this moment from different sources:
On 22 November (actually the first ones began on the 18th) a wave of fires (both wildfires and urban fires) began in Israel from south as far as the Dead Sea area to Nahariya. Some of the fires occurred naturally; others were arson attacks. On 28 November, after 8 days, the firefighting services announced that the emergency condition was under control, after firefighters fought 1,773, of them at least 39 were major fires that required at least ten crews or more. The largest fire occurred in Haifa, where 527 apartments were destroyed completely 77 buildings, leaving 1,600 people homeless. 75,000 residents, about a quarter of the city’s population, were evacuated from 11 neighborhoods. Other major fires occurred in Zikhron Ya’akov, Jerusalem area as well as smaller fires all across Israel and the West Bank. Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority reported that more than 20,000 dunams (4,900 acres) of forests, brush land and open space were burnt, the largest amount since the Mount Carmel forest fire (2010).
While most of the fires were caused by weather conditions and negligence, some of the fires were caused by arsonists suspected of being nationally motivated Arabs. Two Arab citizens of Israel confessed they deliberately set up fires. At least 35 people were arrested on suspicion of setting fires or inciting to do so. More than 15 were citizens of the Palestinian Authority and at least 10 were Arab citizens of Israel. Officials in Israel has stated that the deliberate setting of fires is a form of terrorism. As of 28 November, at least 25 cases of fires were caused by suspected arsons.
The battle to push back the flames marked among the most difficult operations ever undertaken by Israel’s firefighters. Some 2,000 firefighters battled the fires since Tuesday, many of them working in grueling 24-hour shifts alongside 450 soldiers from the Home Front Command and 69 Cypriot firefighters. In a rare move, the Palestinian Authority also sent fire crews to help. Fourteen planes from Israel’s firefighting squadron, aided by at least 19 additional planes supplied by ten other nations, carried out some 670 sorties dropping more than 1.62 million liters of liquid and foam over fire-struck areas. Russia and Turkey joined Greece, Italy, Croatia and Cyprus and the US in sending volunteers. (others too. I am sorry to have lost the list so soon. Even Kazakhstan offered assistance and fire fighters from the Palestinian Authority took part) In total, over 20,000 police officers took part in operations across the country, police said Tuesday.
I remember reading about the great Chicago fire, the day San Francisco burned, and seeing films of major cities on fire, but it was quite a chill to see Haifa, our largest Northern city up in flames and to watch other smaller villages completely burned to the ground.
As usual, Israel is at her best when there are needs and doors opened up, families drew one another in, needs were met with open arms, but it remains to us believers to pray for the many who came out with thankfully their lives but nothing else. One Holocaust survivor’s apartment was destroyed. There are many scars that need the touch of God. I have no doubt that some of you will pray.
But I have two anecdotal stories to share that you won’t read in other places:
Last Monday I went to work and there was a very strong smell of gas in the office when I entered. I searched and found nothing. We HAVE no gas in the office, but perhaps it was from another apartment. Now kicks in my immigrant mentality. I had NO idea what to do about it but to pray and to commit it to The Lord. Who do I call and what do I say? I didn’t know. So I also prayed that if I were in danger some passerby would smell it and know what to do.
About 40 minutes later Mali came to work. “WHAT’S THAT SMELL! GAS!” she yelled as I nodded my head. “DID YOU CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT?” she yelled in a panic.
“Nope. I don’t know how to do it, and they are so busy with all of the fires….” I answered honestly.
She threw her hands in the air and then ran to call them. I paid close attention knowing that now I could do this if it happened again within my memory-bank period. Then she ran around looking for the source. Finally she waited outside to direct the firemen to us murmuring, “What’s taking them so long!”
JUST as we heard the sirens, Mali looked up and noticed something dripping from our (honestly) antique iron door locks. She reached up and dabbed her finger in it and sniffed. Then she turned red. “Oh NO! False alarm! Here is the smell.” Apparently a gasoline-based oil had been used to lubricate the ancient device the night before.
At that very moment in they came, fully decked, strong, young, handsome with axes and … well…forgive my drama but with the presence of heroes. Five of them. Mali cringed. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! It isn’t gas!’
‘It smells like gas’ one of them said. She pointed to the lock and they checked it out. Suddenly the last two men stepped forward and one began to explain in English. I looked up and recognized a US insignia. I stood up.
“Are you volunteers from America?” I asked.
I wish I could explain their look, such a tender combination of real humility and pride. “Yes ma’am, we are. We came to help with these big fires that you all are having here.”
I wanted to kiss them. Before I could the leader said, “And this man here is from Cyprus. He came to help us too.”
That was too much for Mali and me. We both jumped up and down, thanking them profusely, just as the police drove up to make sure we were ok. What a touching sight. Love was reaching out in all directions.
But that wasn’t ALL. Several patients were late and complained about a huge traffic jam. “An accident,” one said authoritatively. “Always an accident.”
But it wasn’t.
Aaron HarNoie came in. I like him. I shared his testimony with you around Jerusalem Day, how I learned that he was a hero. Sometimes, once a hero, always a hero.
“I caused that traffic jam,” he said.
“Oh no, were you in an accident?” I asked.
He laughed. “I saw some guys in a car acting suspiciously, so I followed them. They stopped near a field and ran out and left some things and came back laughing. So I kept following them. I wrote their license number on my hand. When they did the same thing a second time I got out and looked in their car and it was full of fire starters and incendiaries. They drove off laughing and flicking cigarettes. Took me a long time to find a policeman but they took off and set up roadblocks. They got them, but what a traffic jam!”
Again Mali and I were on our feet. It was a day of heroes and we were humbled.
In the midst of all of the agonies that this world is in right now as it plummets toward fulfillment of His Faithful Word, there are jewels and moments that perhaps are meant to keep our hearts tender. Today an Israeli Arab lumber company in Haifa area that was not damaged donated the wood to rebuild a synagogue that was destroyed by the flames.
Keeping our hearts soft in the midst can be such a challenge in these days. On the train the other day I looked into the face of an African, probably an illegal migrant, a girl of perhaps 15. Her face was so hard and dead that my heart ached. I wondered what kind of horrors she has experienced and prayed for her to be rescued from her hell. I was in the emergency room all night on Tuesday and there was a mental patient curled up in an unresponsive ball. Her name is Olga, and I prayed for her. Awful things happen and we will grow hard and dead or MOVE TOWARD HIM WHO IS LIFE.
That challenge NEVER ends…hard things are happening more and more – even how much more we need to be turned toward HIM!
I will close this now. Since August I have been in high gear with my family issues…and as wonderful as they have been the intensity has highlighted again my limitations. Thankfully, my limitations are really His opportunities. Here am I Lord!
As we invite Him to search our hearts and lead us in His way, may His fire follow His Light and set us aflame again with our first love, that we might glorify Him in the days yet ahead, even in the midst of fires.
God bless you all.
I send my love,
your sister J
Filed under Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare
At 9 p.m., my studying was completed. So, I stood up and walked into the kitchen for a drink of water. Turning on the recessed ceiling lights, I stopped dead in my tracks. A grotesque creature was sitting on a stool at the island counter. If the angel was the epitome of the Kingdom of Light, then this being was the dark side’s counterpart. Its gloomy eyes glared at me and its lips formed a sneer. Oozing sores plastered the being’s face and neck. A filthy robe covered its torso. The air was charged with a stench of decay.
“Listen up Chuck,” the creature said in a raspy voice.
Fear struck my chest like a baseball bat. I had trouble breathing. Confusion settled over me like a morning fog. Two and two did not add up at that moment.
“If you go to businessmen and tell them to leave churches and no longer give money to ministries and churches, some bad things will happen to your family. Your two sons will die in an auto accident and your wife will go insane. Do you hear me?”
I could not speak.
The creature drummed its dirty two-inch long fingernails on the granite counter. The beat reminded me of a funeral march.
“I said – do you hear me?” the creature hissed out the words.
I nodded.
“And I can do it. It will be easy, just as easy as it was for me to come into your home. No one can protect you from me! Not even God!”
The creature bared its brownish-yellowish teeth with a hideous grin as it stood up. “Don’t you ever forget what I told you – okay?”
The being walked over to the door leading out to the deck. Then without opening the door, he stepped through it, and left.
I collapsed on the floor and wept. My body convulsed in fear.
“Oh God! What have I done to my family?” I screamed.
Afterward, I pulled myself together and wandered into the family room, collapsing on the sofa. What is happening? I thought. Everything is hitting me at once. What can I do? My mind raced in circles searching for answers, but I found none. Finally, I fell asleep.
As I slept, a voice visited me. Was it a dream or a vision? It was like both, but different at the same time. I was awake, but asleep.
“Chuck,” the voice said.
Looking up, I saw myself standing in front of a stage in what looked like a large auditorium. It was black. None of the spot lights were turned on. The red velvet curtains were drawn apart. The voice seemed to be flowing out of the darkness blanketing the stage. I felt no fear, but in fact, was comforted by the voice.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Do you have some questions?”
“Yes.”
“Go ahead.”
“What was that being in my kitchen?”
“What do you think it was?”
“A demon.”
“Yes. That was a demon power sent to frighten you by the religious ruling spirit over America.”
“But how did that happen?” I asked. “I always pray for angelic protection over me.”
“Yes, you do,” the voice said. “For just a few moments, the angels who protect you backed off their posts. When they did that, the demon power slipped into your realm.”
It hit me like a hammer between the eyes. The Lord set me up and used me as ambush bait.
“But – ” I said, trying to put my thoughts into words.
The voice interrupted me. “You have been chosen to have insight into spiritual warfare so that you can teach others. Spiritual warfare is not played on a Game Boy. It is played out in real life scenarios where lives and destinies are at stake.”
The voice paused for a moment and then added, “Satan and his army want to kill Christians and their families, and destroy their destinies on the earth.”
I cringed. “But what can I do to protect my family?”
“What does scripture say?”
Once again, the voice bounced my question back to me.
I thought for a moment before answering. “Cast my cares on the Lord for He cares for me.”
“Yes. And don’t forget that Jesus rebuked demons. He refused to allow them to speak because they are all liars. You can do the same in Jesus’ name.”
I was silent, not wanting to ask my next question.
“Can Satan and his forces really hurt my children or Dusty?” I finally asked.
“Yes. Your rebellion and sin can open the gates for Satan’s army to come into your family’s lives. But by the same token, a causeless curse will not alight on you or your family. So, walk with God and avoid sin.” The voice was silent for a moment. “Any more questions?
“What about my problems with Dusty?”
“She is not the problem – you are. Dusty is like most women in that she desires to see her husband as a sold-out man of God, not a half-hearted pew-sitter. You obey God, follow His instructions, and she will be happy to walk by your side.”
With that answer, the voice left and I returned to my sleep.
The above scene is from my eBook novel, Deceived, Dead and Delivered.
(Continued in Part 3…if you are interested, the full series, which was written in 2011, may be seen here.)
Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Gay, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare
When the vision ended, I sat there trying to make sense of what I had just seen.
That’s when the angel appeared.
He stared at me. “Let’s go.”
Shock hit me, my mouth hung open. “Huh?” I mumbled.
Without explanation, the angel reached over and grabbed my left hand. We took off at the speed of light. I looked down as Albert disappeared quickly into a black dot and heard a faint “wolf” fall out of his mouth.
The dome of the San Francisco City Hall appeared directly ahead of us. It looked like we would crash into it. But before I could scream, we passed through it and landed in the Supervisors’ meeting chamber on the second floor. A wooden bench somehow telescoped out of the wall, up near the ceiling, and we sat down.
Under us, I saw the eleven supervisors sitting in their leather swivel-chairs. Each had a laptop computer on the desk in front of them. They talked and carried on. It was the weekly San Francisco Supervisors’ meeting.
The angel turned toward me. His robe whispered softly as he pivoted around.
“Open your eyes and see,” he said with a quiet power filled with heavenly authority.
I looked down again. This time my spiritual eyes opened.
I saw a grotesque creature sitting on the right shoulder of each of the eleven supervisors. The chimpanzee-size beings had a mixture of what looked like reptile, dragon, and wolf-like body parts with stubby tails, talons for feet, scale-covered wings, web-like hands and misshapen faces which protruded into long snouts and were filled with sharp teeth. They resembled dingy, gray gargoyles.
Each creature held its right wing over their assigned supervisors’ eyes. Their right hands were curled into a megaphone shape so they could speak directly into the supervisors’ ears. Their left hands looped behind the supervisors’ heads and covered their left ears.
The creatures never rested. When they were not speaking into ears, they looked up, around and at each other, their heads constantly moved about, their eyes searching to and fro. They seemed to be driven by a deep dread, almost as if a cruel slave master’s power instilled a fear in them.
What is this? I thought. Why am I here?
“Today is show and tell day, preparing you for your first assignment next week,” said the angel.
“First assignment – next week?”
“Quiet! I’m the teacher. You’re the student. Understand?” he whispered a stinging rebuke at me.
His voice contained no anger. Love cushioned the blows, but yet, I felt the power behind the rebuke. I shuddered and nodded.
“Earlier today, you had a vision. In it, you saw yourself being used as a sword by the Lord Jesus against a brass gate. The brass gate you saw was a gate of Hell over this city. It must be attacked so the truth from heaven can be heard in San Francisco. You are His chosen weapon for the undertaking.”
He paused a beat before continuing.
“Your spiritual eyes have been dialed up two notches, but that’s more than enough for you to get an idea of what’s happening in the Supervisors’ meeting room,” he said. “As you can see, demons sit on the supervisors’ shoulders, blocking information that is contrary to Satan’s agenda. At the same time, evil ideas are constantly spoken into the supervisors’ ears.”
He pointed a finger at me. “Remember: our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the hordes of Satan.”
I nodded.
Then, he pointed at the supervisors. “Look again.”
This time I saw words streaming through the ceiling on what looked like hologram ticker tapes carried on laser beams. These words flowed to the ears of the creatures, the supervisors and everyone in the room.
I read them; they said, “Alternative life style.” “Pro-choice.” “Gay pride.” “Toleration.” “Christians are bigots.” “Abortion is a woman’s right.” “Separation of church and state.” “San Francisco Pride.”
As each new message arrived, the creatures spoke into the ears of supervisors. A source from above orchestrated everything.
The angel pointed up. “Look.”
As I obeyed, the ceiling and roof over us opened and I saw into the second heaven. My eyes took a few moments adjusting to the spirit realm. But then, I saw a creature sitting on a large brass throne, blocking a portal coming out of the third heaven. Light rays attempted to flow through the portal, but only a few rays were able to pass by the large creature.
The creature’s appearance alternated between looking like a beautiful angel dressed in white and that of a monster version of the dingy, gray gargoyles, sitting on the supervisors’ shoulders. Like the smaller demons, the creature never rested. It caused fear in the hierarchy of demons below it and seemed fearful of its own cruel masters above it.
The words I saw, streaming through the ceiling like hologram ticker tapes, emanated from this creature. I saw additional word streams coming out of the creature’s mouth, heading toward Sacramento, Hollywood, Washington, D. C., New York City, newspapers, television networks, movie studios, publishers, corporations and thousands of other places.
The angel interrupted my thoughts.
“What you are seeing is the spirit of depravity. It is a ruling principality over San Francisco and guards a gate of Hell over the city. So powerful is this spirit that its wickedness is spread throughout the nation.
“The reason the spirit switches back and forth between appearances is it is creating confusion by this maneuver in the minds of people, whereby good is called evil and evil good.”
He grabbed my left hand. “Hang on.”
We flew up over City Hall and stopped, suspended high above the dome’s peak. The angel waved his hand over the city.
“Next week, your assignment is to begin engaging the spirit of depravity in battle.”
He then spent a few minutes giving me instructions from the Lord God of Hosts.
The above scene is from my ebook novel, Jonah.
(Continued in Part 2…if you are interested, the full series, which was written in 2011, may be seen here.)
Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Gay, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare
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Larry Who 