Pastor’s Blog 9.11.19

What does the history of your prayer life look like? Has it grown or shrank? Increased or decreased? Change is inevitable for anything living and I’m sure you have experienced change in your prayer life. Prayer is a life line in our walk with God. I don’t believe we can be complete as Christians without it. Prayer is a daily event in my life and I hope it is in yours. I believe that the Lord impresses us with the leading of the Spirit and energizes us with ingenuity when we interact daily.

Prayer really lifts our soul and mind out of the natural realm and into the supernatural realm. As I pray in the mornings, I am interacting with my Creator and my creativity is heightened. I have learned over the years that most of the communication I receive from God is through an inward knowing or impression, not a mystical spectacular event.

1 Kings 19:11-13
11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind ; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;
12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” NKJV

That still small voice is sometimes so faint it is easy to miss. I have said it for years and really believe that many times we miss the supernatural encounters with God looking for the spectacular! I love the spectacular, but that is not the walk of faith, that is walking by sight! Some of the greatest spiritual deceptions I have read about over the years have been started by a spectacular event. The scripture warns us of these.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10
9 The coming [of the lawless one, the antichrist] is through the activity and working of Satan and will be attended by great power and with all sorts of [pretended] miracles and signs and delusive marvels — [all of them] lying wonders —
10 And by unlimited seduction to evil and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing (going to perdition) because they did not welcome the Truth but refused to love it that they might be saved. AMP

I have lived through decades of pretenders, and some of the most spectacular supernatural events were either faked or the worker had some serious moral issue that was later exposed. I love the supernatural side of the ministry, but I want to see it flow through a clean vessel! When you pray, realize most of the time you will not hear or see spectacular supernatural things; but you will be walking with the Giver of peace and joy, walking with life and filled with hope. My hope and strength are renewed daily, and that my friends, is supernatural too!

I have seen so many get into error over a spectacular vision, and usually the vision has something to do with their personal exaltation. I have to continue to say that most of the direct communication I have experienced from the Lord is to correct me, not to tell me how great I am. Every time someone comes to me, as many have, and tells me about a vision they received about their “impressive worldwide ministry” that God is going to give them, I cringe; and my first thought is you have probably just been visited by a spirit of pride, one of the devil’s minions. Remember that there were millions of faithful people who loved God and God loved, but only a few names made into the Bible! There was one Abraham, one Isaac and one Jacob.

I have watched so many people come out of a “time with the Lord” having received some “vision of grandeur”, and they are exalted with pride and become unteachable and unreachable. Then the manipulation of self-exaltation begins and they continue in self-delusion and deception along with the few gullible who buy into their self-promotion. As the Bible says; “professing to be wise they become fools”.

Stay rooted and grounded and let God lead and direct you in humility and in the Spirit of truth. A true word from God will be validated and can stand up to scrutiny.

1 John 4:1-3
4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. NKJV

Here it says to test the spirits, not the person. The reason I say this is there are many people who will confess Jesus and they are still in deception. But a spirit apparently cannot say this. I have practiced this in prayer when I felt a spirit was speaking to me. And it worked. After commanding the spirit speaking to confess Jesus and “very real” silence followed!

I love encouraging believers to “launch out into the deep” in prayer, but the longer I live I say take some life preservers! Stay safe and submit what you believe you hear to mature elders in the faith and listen if they warn you. Celebrity Christianity has fueled the spirit of the antichrist. So many want to be famous instead of HOLY, HUMBLE and RIGHTEOUS!

Be blessed and pray!