Rivers of Living Water...

I called this post “the first mind” because that’s what the old people used to call the voice of G-d. They understood that G-d speaks first and then the enemy comes to try to get us to reason our decision out. From my experience His voice is not to be reasoned with. It won’t always make sense or feel good to the flesh. It requires trusting Him to move forward. Flesh decisions tend to feel good but the consequences won’t. If you make the wrong move, G-d won’t just stop talking to you about it. He doesn’t condemn us, but you don’t feel good in that error and if you refuse His instruction, he’ll cut some things down—your finances tend to be the first thing to go. With the finances, go the peace, eventually. You can make it a few months, but eventually, you’ll tire. Anyone who’s been there—can testify to that.

Missing Him has made quite a difference in my life. But I understand that the lessons I gleaned from this experience are a part of my ministry. I always thank G-d that I was attached to my SF because I had never been taught on G-ds voice in all my time in church and I was missing Him on quite a few things. While my cousin belonged to a nice church, he hadn’t been taught that either. Often I think most of us are waiting on those biblical experiences, the burning bush, angelic visitation, Moses and Elijah in the middle of the night. Some people get the angels—but most of us get the small, still voice. We are trained in it before we fully get it all the time. While we are immature, G-d is gracious enough to send people, to have some preach a word, write a message, send an e-mail devotional until we understand better.

Nor did I even know that all the times I thought I was thinking selfishly about delivering myself and then reasoned myself into continuing in it, that G-d was trying to tell me it was okay and to go forward. It wasn’t that I wasn’t spending time with G-d or even reading His word, but I was surrounded by people who told me G-d would never tell me that and that the enemy was trying to trick me. Their tradition and my immaturity has cost me years of my life. When I found my SF, I thank G–d that he was a prophet who could echo what G-d was saying to me personally so I could grow out of spiritual immaturity in that area. The word says that how can we hear without a preacher---Romans 10:14. It also tells us to take heed in how we hear. Everybody can’t preach to me. I continue to catch broadcasts. Even all the way here they continue to bless and often cut me at the same time. If he’s echoing what G-d is already dealing with me about, I know that I am definitely on G-ds mind. I need to know that. When it comes to G-d I am as needy as a little child.

I can not stress to you how important daily quality time with G-d is nor can how important it is to be more grounded in spiritual things than anything else. Spiritual maturity makes all the difference in our day to day lives as well as how we parent, interact with others and understand our covenant promises as it relates to him as our Father. Hearing Him can be a matter of life and death or the pouring out of a blessing that we wouldn’t have the room to receive. Either way, we can’t afford to miss Him.

As always, Be Blessed. Chosen.

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 1:2

This first post back is inspired by Koolbreeze, oddly enough I am writing on this very thing in one of my books. So I’ll get to share a bit of that here as well.

**I am sharing---this is not the viewpoint of someone who claims to be an expert nor is this advice. I am simply sharing what I have learned, what works for me, etc.**

One of the hardest things for me to learn in my walk was figuring out how to develop a relationship with G-d. I didn’t understand that the key to that was placing him first in my life. I heard preachers say that time and again but I never really understood how to apply that to my life because they weren’t telling me how to do that. It’s actually a simple process—but I stress the word PROCESS.
It’s not an overnight thing, and it requires patience and practice. If someone would have explained that to me early on, it would have saved me many days of frustration at my inconsistency.

G-d desires more than anything for us to seek him with everything that is in us. He earnestly desires to be our father, and our greatest friend. How do you do that practically?

Prayer. Prayer is simply talking to G-d. Just because he knows all doesn’t meant that he doesn’t want to communicate with you about all of it. I talk to G-d about everything and nothing. I don’t have set way to pray, I greet him like I would anyone else, by saying “good morning”, “hello”, whatever. And I’m honest with him. I don’t sugarcoat stuff, I say what I’m thinking and always how I feel. I have found that only in honesty is he able to help with my issues.

I put G-d first by talking to him first everyday. I have made it a habit to greet him before anyone else and to spend time with him before I spend time with anyone else. Being a mother can make that difficult it would seem since children have their own schedules that they operate in, but while I am caring for them I continue to hold my conversation with him.

I start my day by waking early and reading my bible and having prayer time with G-d. Every day. I find that it’s vital to me being able to function peacefully. That time with just me and Father every morning has made all the difference in my life. It has changed me in ways that I would have never guessed. I didn’t start out something that I initially embraced because I liked to get every minute of sleep in. Most mothers are sleep deprived and every second counts and it is thought to be vital to the mood we will be in for the rest of the day whether we have those last few minutes and even seconds before our feet hit the floor. But I had this odd knack for waking up earlier than I would like to and then finding it incredibly hard to get back to sleep. It wasn’t until I heard someone else say that G-d will attempt to wake you up to talk with you that it occurred to me that this was indeed my “problem” as well. So one morning I got up. I pulled my bible out, I read and I waited to hear G-d’s voice. And for days I did that until I realized that we were establishing something that I started to look forward to.

Getting out of bed earlier may seem like it will make you far more tired, but it has a made a difference for me. It’s in those moments that I have been taught some very powerful lessons from the scriptures as G-d has been allowed to talk to me and to teach me how to fix some areas in my life. I am still at work on a lot of issues, but he’s helped me to overcome some great things. I don’t experience fear over things I am no longer able to control. He has helped me to be more patient and consistent as a parent. I have had to learn to how to be a better wife and friend as well. That was a great challenge because anything dealing with other people is quite different from fixing things that deal with you only.

To be continued…

Serenity asked…

This is a whopper. I had a whole lot more wrote here but Iwent above and beyond her general question. However, this is a good one. I messed this one up for years. Granted I had some faith accidents, but I could never duplicate them.

I start of course with my little disclaimer--I am no expert…I am sharing not only what I have been taught but also what works in my life. There is so much to this question so I’ll do my best to highlight the most important things.

Faith is the law and process in which we operate in to cause the promises in the word of G-d to show up in our lives. They just don’t show up because we are in covenant with G-d. If that were true then all of us that are saved would all be living on the same level. However, most us live well below what G-d desired for us and promised to us. It's largely due to not klnowing what he promised and not knowing how to operate in faith.

Hope, to me, is thinking that something will happen without really doing anything for it to happen. It’s when we really haven’t planned or prepared or made adjustments in our life for things to take place. It’s commonly known as “Pipe-Dreaming”.

Believe it or not faith requires a great deal of work because it requires that you establish the word concerning what you are believing G-d for in your life. There is a scripture for every need in the word. Faith requires that you sow that word concerning your desire every day. I have been taught to sow that word in the morning and in the evening according to Ecclesiastes 11:6 because Mark 8:11 says that the seed is the word of G-d. It’s more than simply thinking that something will happen because it’s in the bible. It requires renewing the mind because we don’t simply believe something because we heard it one time. We have to sow that word over and over into our minds until it becomes pregnant in our spirits. That whole process changes the way we think, act and most importantly speak.

This is where most of us mess it up. We say we believe but we speak contrary to the word concerning things. If you are believing G-d for wealth, you can’t say “I’m broke” and expect faith to work for you. If you are without finances, you still confess being rich because that's what G-d says. You can't allow your circumstances to change the way you think or your confession. If you are believing G-d for healing you can’t say I’m sick--which we aren’t supposed say anyway according to Isaiah 33:24. Our words have to line up with what we are believing. Otherwise we slow up our manifestation when we fail to do so.

Faith causes us to move when we are scared to do anything other than what we have already been doing. It requires action on our part. Hope sits still. We hope it will change because G-d is in control. (Which is a misconception--but that's another post as well).

Now, I don’t want to get all deep into the message since I understand that we all operate differently. So I just gave you the basics. There is so much more to operating in faith. So many other things that determine whether you are just hoping instead of genuinely believing I.e. operating in faith.

I hope this was a good answer. If you need more, I have it. I just didn't post it all.

Be Blessed.

Chosen.

As I always say I am not an expert--I am still learning myself so I may have left some things out. I always welcome comments further explaining anything that I have left out. With that said…The anointing is the power and ability to do what any given situation requires. My SF explained it one day like this--“the anointing is that power in and on us that makes G-d, G-d. It‘s smeared on.” It’s not for us, it’s for others. That’s why we doubt that we have it. But the Bible says that we have this power in earthen vessels (2 Corin 4:7). If you recall in (2 Kings 2:14) Elijah’s mantle had the anointing in it that allowed Elisha to part the Jordan. And in the new testament the Anointing in Jesus’ Tallit (prayer shawl) was so heavy that the woman with the issue of blood just touched the hem or the fringes and the blood was dried up and she was healed (Matthew 9:20).

It’s given to us for the edification of the church (1 Corin 14:12). We tend to limit it to kingdom things though a person can be anointed to do anything--for example Warren Buffet is anointed in the area of making money, Martha Stewart in the area of anything crafty and orderly in the home, Zig Ziglar in the area of sales and Tony Robbins in the area of motivation. Now in the kingdom, the anointing is placed or rather given by the Holy Spirit to whomsoever he chooses to do the work that G-d has called them to do (Hebrews 2:4). When it is present in a church burdens are lifted and yokes are destroyed removed. I don’t mean shouting, because noise is no indication of whether the anointing is present. I mean people get the deliverance they need in any area. Delivered from drugs, emotional burdens, etc.

What are your thoughts on Pastors who have amassed a lot of wealth and have material items, however most of their congregation is poor?
I don’t really have an opinion really, but I will speak from personal experience. A lot of churches are probably guilty of it. I have belonged to several huge ministries here. They take large salaries from their congregations and raise offerings to meet the needs of the church. Which is fine if that’s the way they desire to operate. The problem seems to be that the congregations are not truly being taught how to operate in faith thus they remain poor while the ministries grow and Pastors are able to get wealthy. They can’t teach what they really don’t know. It really doesn’t take faith to believe in people so that the money will increase and you are able to make more money. That's a simple economics lesson. Faith is operating in the power of G-d to either create something from nothing or create something new from something already existing. People come because you are large or because they see you with stuff and they think surely they will end up with a lot of stuff too. Nor does it require faith to have a pastors anniversary--which is not bible but tradition in most circles. I watched them raise 40-50,000 dollars in one day for the anniversary, someone would give them a car and not one person was given anything to my knowledge. I have sat in those churches and was not even able to understand how to believe in a car and I did everything they told me. I cut out so much stuff that I felt constricted but I needed the breakthrough and I thought it was worth the sacrifice. I quoted scripture not understanding that I had to personalize it and I waited and nothing happened. And then they were for the most part regurgitating the same sermons--which would not have been bad if they were actually adding new information to it. But just the same old things. People think that faith is simple--it can be sometimes. Especially in the beginning. But try to get your bills paid minus your salary and minus borrowing--simply believing G-d to do it. See, that's a different level of faith. I stayed until G-d moved me.

We don’t pay a salary to my SF. Which allows all the funds to be allocated to meet the needs of the ministry. He has never asked us to sow a seed for buses or building funds or whatever. 99 percent of the time he tells us to give as we are directed by the Holy Spirit. He is forver ginvg to someone. Since I have been a part of my church which is almost 1 year and a half, I have watched him give away about 15 cars. The last one was a brand new Chevy Tahoe limites addition with rims and all--before the it was a brand new cadillac Sts and an Inifinti Q56 fully loaded. Last month he gave at least 15,000 dollars away--10, 000 to one specific person. Shoot, sunday he gave away 1,000. (and of course I told you how he paid my rent for the last 3 months). He's operating as Jesus commanded Peter when he said "Feed my Sheep". It's about more than the word, it's with things as well. But again that's how he chooses to operate. Everyone seems to have a different opinion.

As saints we always say that we reap what we sow not understanding that when we sow need, need is returned to us. Our offering is a seed therefore it operates to attract that which we sow it to. The word says give and IT shall be given unto you…Luke 6:38. I do however think it's a shame because these people are trying to live for G-d and being fleeced as they are in some circumstances, not all, causes people to often compromise and become jaded. The word that we are being taught should nourish us and build us up and cause change in us. It's not about motivation, it's about giving us the truth so that we can walk in holiness and purity because the scritptures tell us that when we do so we can possess our possesions(Obadiah 1:17). We shouldn't reamin the same way, operating the same way. Growth should come at some point if you are yielded.

If G-d ever calls me to handle an entire congregation, it is my desire to operate minus the salary and in the supernatural so that I can be a blessing to my people by not only teaching them what they need to know but by walking it myself.

Please rememeber the second question is an OPINION. It is my own personal experience. It is not however a judgment on anyone's ministry. They are free to operate however they feel the should.

Be Blessed.

Chosen.

I like to start at the beginning of things though I won’t recount the details of our creation. Only to say that when we were created with the man remaining in him until G-d pulled us out we were simply on hold until order was established. I love that G-d never does anything until it is time for it to happen. I think that the principle of us remaining on hold until Adam was placed in the garden and given some work to do is something that we overlook when we read the history to that text. Here Adam thought he was alone all that time, yet we were in him. What he wanted, needed, desired was there all the time. He simply had to be processed. When he took that rib from Adam and fashioned our body, Adam was able to see in the flesh what he had wanted all along. People often like to argue this point by saying how do we know that Adam asked for her since the text doesn’t state that--I have only to say that G-d never imposes on us what we don’t seek him for. We get what we expect from him.

So what are we anointed for? Beyond being Adam’s helpmeet, (which I will discus I greater detail in part 2) We are help for G-d as well. Genesis 3:15 tells us that G-d has put enmity between us and satan. Enmity is an unusual hatred. It’s not something that we have to develop, it’s in us because G-d placed it there after the fall through sin. Though we were the ones deceived, it’s clear that we were able to recognize who the real problem was when we failed to do as we had been instructed. Adam blamed us and we knew that it was the serpent.
Once the word of G-d is spoken into our lives that hatred is stirred up against the enemy. We become “born again” I.e. “saved” which is simply a reawakening of what was already created before. It’s during that process that what was created before begins to take back it’s supremacy. How we think, what we see, what we feel and how we process information. Our spirit begins to dominate, if we yield to it and not to the flesh. The real us that is on the inside that was already there begins to make it’s appearance. I say the “real us” because what shows up minus trials and tribulations is not really us. For the most part it is the flesh “us” we are trained to be. You know the teacher you trained to be or the nurse you went to school to be--the wife, mother, friend that parents, environment and society tells us we should be or are.

Within every one of us are skills and abilities that the earth needs because we were all created for a specific purpose and to complete tasks that no on can do but us. G-d is constantly teaching us who we are--not who we need to become but who we really are minus all our issues and hang-ups. Those things are in us that we have yet to discover. We are anointed to change the things that irritate, vex or annoy us. If it doesn’t make you angry, you can’t change it. Anger propels us into truth and an acknowledgment of that will lead to change.

I have to say that the enemy’s agenda with us is always sneaky--for instance, when Pharaoh was worried about Israel getting a deliverer, he simply told everyone that he was going to kill all the male children--he was in effect open with his agenda. Same scenario when Jesus was born. What we don’t realize is that when G-d was telling us that he would multiply our sorrow we failed to understand what all that would entail. We simply think that it had to do with childbirth. But the latter part of the verse says that our desire would be to our husband and that he would rule over us. Well, if you think about it, he didn’t have that dominion over us prior to sin. The scripture says that male and female he created us and gave us dominion over all. There was initially an equality that after sin we lost because we are susceptible to deception. That’s his #1 weapon against us.

To be continued...on Tuesday.

What constitutes a good man? Is it merely that he loves you, is a good father, pays his bills on time, has a good job and is responsible? By the world’s standard, yes. You can find all of that in plenty of men. My step-Father was all of that but he neither G-dly nor saved. In fact he drank every single day and rarely spent anytime with me as a child. He operated as he did out of morality not direction from G-d. But in the kingdom, a good man must be all of that but love G-d first! G-d desires a G-dly man for his daughters. A king. Someone who will seek him for wisdom and direction. A man that will spend time in his presence on a daily basis so that he is able to be the priest of his home. I hear Christian women hooking up with unsaved men all the time, which wouldn’t be a problem if they are open to the word and open to seeking a relationship with G-d. That should all take place prior to getting married over a period of time. I say over a period of time because true change happens over time-not instantly. If you look in the bible, any man G-d chose to use in the bible, he allowed time to process him. Waiting on G-d’s chosen is about both people being prepared mentally, physically, spiritually. Proverbs 20:21 says that an inheritance gained prematurely will not be blessed ultimately.(Holman Christian Standard Version)Getting a spouse is an inheritance in the sense that you get him and all the blessings as well as the negative things.
As I previously stated, your husband is your priest. That means he should be able to lay hands on you and cast out illness, he has the wisdom of what to do when you face lack shortage and insufficiency in your home. He is responsible for teaching you and guiding you and your children in spiritual things. How can a saved woman plan to do that without a G-dly man? The word says that man is the glory of G-d (1 Corin 11:7). I love that verse 9 reminds us that women were created for the man. Not every man--the man that G-d has chosen. When G-d got ready to give Adam a helpmeet he went back to the man and found in him the woman that he was going to give to him. That in itself is something to think about.
It takes a woman of character, quality and strength to wait on whom G-d has chosen for her.

Any woman can find a man--they are a dime a dozen on any street corner. As G-dly women, we must aspire to a higher standard. A man with no job or who’s on a bicycle should not to even partake of a glance nor answer from you. I’m not telling you not to be pleasant or to be uppity. Far from it. I mean not exchanging numbers. Some of us need to stop lying saying we are not looking for a husband when we are looking for a man. Because if he does things that you wouldn’t want your husband to do, why waste your time? Our time is the most valuable commodity G-d has given to us.

You are looking for a king that G-d has chosen and anointed for you. You are looking for provision, protection, and preservation. Not every man can keep the curse from entering your home, recognize a spirit on someone, choose a place to live where G-d has designated because you can’t live everywhere contrary to popular belief. G-d is a G-d of places. Satan has territory and you a need a man that can see that with his spirit and not his eyes! It’s not about an area being ghetto, it’s about strongholds! Can he pray fast and consecrate himself to G-d waiting on answer vital to your existence? Can he make decisions impregnated with the wisdom of G-d and the direction of G-d? These are things you need to think about.

Women with children have even more to think about. The man in your life enlarges the circle of influence around you as well as your children. You can’t pick whoever because this is someone who will have access to your children and who brings in his family and friends to your lives as well. As a woman who as a child was subject to things due to this, as a woman I implore you to remember that. You will need a man who can minister to children and teach them the word and raise them up to not only affiliate themselves with “Church”, but cause them to KNOW G-d. There is a major difference. Knowing him is the difference between deliverance and being bound, knowing him is the difference between watching your kids stray in rebellion to being able to pray them back into the kingdom, praying them out of trouble and keeping them from the hands of the enemy.

Because this man will have the authority in the home, you will need to understand that your submission will be vital to things running in order. Without submission, things can be cursed. Submission should come easy if you are with G-d’s chosen. You don’t however submit to any man. The scripture says as he is to G-d. If he’s not submitted to G-d why would you submit? You wouldn’t submit to someone who is not in the word, because G-d and his word are one, who doesn’t pray because he’s not communicating with G-d or with someone who is not in a church or faithful to one--why because we are not supposed to forsake the assembling ourselves (Heb 10:5), G-d has given to all of us a pastor (Jer 3:15). These are all things to consider while waiting on G-d’s chosen to find you. Waiting for who G-d has us will renew our strength and enable us to not be weary. Just something to think about.

**Even if I get on your last nerves over here--at least I'm giving you something to think about. Of course you have to wonder why you keep coming over here if I get on your nerves so bad. Your spirit still likes the truth--it's your flesh that hates it.**

T asked the following questions...

1)Someone told me yesterday that she knows she is "highly favored." I have to be honest, I absolutely cringe when I hear talk like that. I do NOT understand what that means. Does that mean there is someone who is NOT "highly favored?" Does that mean that God would create someone and NOT "favor" him/her? Does that mean that God has "favorites" over people HE CREATED? I hear soooo many "Christians" claim to be "highly favored" and I'm thinking if someone is, that would mean, just by definition, that there must be someone who is not. How is this possible? Are you "highly favored" just because you believe in God and try to live like Jesus? Are you not highly favored because you don't? I just don't get it...like at all...and it bothers me big time.

When someone says that they are blessed and highly favored they are simply speaking favor over their life. Biblically we are all saved by grace which is simply unmerited favor. We don’t do anything to earn it. It’s G-ds gift to us. But when someone says that they are “blessed and highly favored” they are speaking more favor over their life. They are talking about favor with man. They are operating in a biblical principle by speaking what they want to show up in their life (Gen 1,Roman 4:17) . Our mouth is what G-d has given us to stop the enemy and to cause things to show up in our life (psalms 8) God has ordained strength in our mouths and it is also what he has given us dominion with. They are not insinuating that anyone else is not favored because G-d calls us the apple of his eye (Deut 32:10, Psalm 17:8, Lam 2:8), his beloved(psalm 60:5, 108:6, 3John1:2) . They are simply claiming something that they have a right to claim. Favor is better than money--favor will cause someone to give you what you need, want and desire. When you operate in favor you don’t have to worry about using your resources to get done what you need done. You need to be speaking it. Don’t let it bother you--you speak it and believe it when you say it so that it can operate in your life.

2)How do you know when it's time to cut someone off?
The mere fact that you ask the question is an indication that you all ready know that it’s time to let that relationship go. G-d is dealing with you on it and you are fighting it because you feel as though it’s wrong for YOU to do something like that. We always try to reason G-d’ advice when the simple fact is, the reason is irrelevant. He can see further than us so we need to just heed him and move on.
You asked that I not use Ecclesiastes 3 as a biblical reference so I won’t--even though that text allows us to understand that our lives are lived in seasons. Everything is about a season--an appointed time. Relationships can only curse us or bless us. It’s black and white. So, if you look at Genesis 12 when G-d told Abraham to leave his family--he was moving him from people that didn’t serve G-d and that's always a hindrance or later in Genesis 13 when he and Lot have to separate because of strife and because he also was not a servant of G-d. Again knew the end from the beginning-so he saw Lot’s daughters sleeping with him and bearing children who would be enemies of G-d all their generations. Lot was able to get out of circumstanse because abraham always interceeded for him or bailed him out. But you could also go to 2 Chronicles 19:2 when G-d asks Jehoshaphat why he is friends with someone who hates G-d. You see, G-d knows the hearts of people towards us. He knows those that go to church and fake, he knows that being hooked up to certain people will be unprofitable for us. Our relationships determine or destiny, our success and our promotion. You already feel that you need to let her go--let her go. I have had to let plenty of people go. Know that this is not the only time you will have to do it.

With that said, be sure to pray about everything that I have said to be sure that it lines up with what he is currently speaking to you.

As always,

Be Blessed.

Chosen

Tomorrow--The woman's anointing...