What is Jesus doing right now?

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I know this is going to sound funny but take a moment and lift both of your hands in the air. Maybe you’re in a coffee shop, or checking emails at work, possibly in bed or out on your patio with a cup of coffee. Did you do it, how did you feel?

The other evening I went for a walk and felt prompted to lift both of my hands in the air. Before I did it I looked around hoping not too many people were on the path before I stretched my hands upward. I did so because it was a reminder to me of what Jesus is doing right this very moment.

Jesus is working in the heavenly realm and one of His main jobs is lifting up our spiritual hands in prayer before the Father to assure victory over all our spiritual enemies.

Listen to a couple of Scriptures, which describe this most powerful work:

“Who then is left to condemn us? Certainly not Jesus, the Anointed One! For He gave His life for us, and even more than that, He has conquered death and is now risen, exalted and enthroned by God at His right hand. So how could He possibly condemn us since He is continually praying for our triumph.” Romans 8:34

“So He is able to save fully from now throughout eternity. Everyone who comes to God through Him, because He lives to pray continually for them.” Hebrews 7:25

The book of Hebrew’s reminds us that we have this Great High Priest who is moment by moment praying for our every need before the Father.

Do you every get overwhelmed by the stress and strain of life? When the news that you have cancer, or a close friend just found out about a brain tumor; sometimes life gets way too much to bear. The financial pressures, the adult child that walked away from the faith, that sin you felt you conquered beat you up again and left you spiritually dead. We have all been in positions where it seems impossible to fight on in prayer and our holy hands fall limp to our side.

This is when Jesus is at His best, as the text above says, “He is continually praying for our triumph!” There is a great story in Exodus 17 that demonstrates what Jesus is doing this very moment for us.

A fierce enemy of the children of Israel was the Amalekites. These just freed slaves who didn’t know how to fight were being attacked and were out matched in this battle. So Moses goes to the top of a mountain to pray and lift up his hands to God. As long as he prayed with hands held high Israel prevailed. But when his hands grew weary and tired the Israelites began to lose.

So Aaron, the high priest, and Hur joined Moses and lifted up his arms until sunset and Israel’s enemy was defeated (vs. 8-15).

We like Moses have encountered this battle raging all around and become weary, but take heart we have a great High Priest! Jesus takes our spiritual hands and lifts them up for us with a mighty and powerful prayer before the Father. But it is not only Jesus, but also the Holy Spirit joining in to give us strength to continue the battle…. praying on our behalf 24/7 for victory (Rom. 8:27). We cannot lose the battle as we put our trust in His powerful prayers.

So go ahead, lift up your arms, as a tangible reminder that through the interceding prayer of Christ and the Holy Spirit at this very moment He is with you. These prayers go before the Father and we know that those who are in Christ are able to triumph over the enemy.

 

Fight with Beauty

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One of my favorite places to do spiritual warfare is Elise’s Peak pictured above. Chances are if you have visited us in South Africa you have done the hike and you know why. For me it is a place of sheer beauty where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean currents collide.

As I sit on my favorite rock and gaze at the beauty around me I’m pulled away from the pain of plumbing issues, people problems, and the pounding attacks of the enemy in my own mind.

Reflecting back on the dream I had last month and the call to fight against a powerful foe using Revelation 12:11. We have seen a conquering victorious spirit come through His Blood, His Supernatural testimony, and I want to add His Beauty. Read the verse again:

“The conquered him completely through the blood of the Lamb and the powerful word of His testimony. They triumphed because they did not love and cling to their own lives, even when faced with death.”

One of people’s greatest fears-if not the greatest is death. But not these warriors, “They triumphed” even over losing their own lives, because they lived in the Beauty of another world. They saw the Jesus in Revelation, who is not just ultimate power, but also perfect beauty. A Beauty so beyond understanding all of heaven continues to sing new songs of worship to try to capture what is beyond words.

Who beside Jesus was the greatest warrior in the Bible? I would vote David, whom Jesus’ humanity descended from. King David was also a great worshiper. In Psalm 27  this Warrior/Worshiper was fearless because He focused on The Beauty.

“Yahweh is my revelation-light and the source of my salvation. I fear no one! I’ll never turn back and run, for you, Yahweh, surround and protect me. When evil ones come to destroy me, they will be the ones who turn back. My heart will not fear even if an army rises to attack I will not be shaken, even if war is imminent.” (vs. 1-3).

 This sounds like the triumphant ones in Rev. 12:11. Note why David was fearless in battle:

“Here’s the one thing I crave from Yahweh, the one thing I seek above all else: I want to live with Him every moment in His house, beholding the marvelous beauty of Yahweh, filled with awe, delighting in His glory and grace.” (vs. 4).

 It was the “Beauty” of Yahweh, the Beauty that would come to this world through Jesus for all to see, which was the source of his victory. David made it his priority to stay transfixed on the Beauty of the Lord.

The book of Revelation was given to us by the Holy Spirit, encouraging us to turn our focus away from the fears of this world and to the Beautiful One. It is when we focus on Him and His beautiful LOVE that fears vanish and victory follows. We are not even fearful of losing our lives in the battle because we of the eternal beauty awaiting us.

When I’m on Elise’s Peak I encounter the beautiful work of the Creator. That beauty begins to lift my focus heavenward to the Lion and the Lamb on the throne. As my spiritual eyes dwell on the beauty of His love, the dark battle below begins to fade in the light of His spectacular salvation.

So today find a beautiful place and as the old song says:

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely deem in the light of His glory and grace.”

Fight – Supernaturally

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Abba Father knows exactly how to speak to us. It is no wonder that the dream I experienced earlier this month highlighted two passions of mine, the church and football. So when the dream switched scenes from a church service to a football field making the same point my spiritual senses were being stirred.

As I was walking across the field in my dream the head coach pulled me aside to tell me the team was facing a far superior opponent. The opponents were bigger, faster, more experienced, and far more athletic than our team. He told me to come up with a game plan and go into the locker room and tell the team to “fight.”

I stood on the field trying to rack my brain on ways to overcome what seemed like impossible odds. Yes, I could go into the locker room and pump them up and tell them to “fight” but how?  Shortly after that moment I woke up, went to my Bible and journal and started to write.

As I was unpacking Revelation 12:11, the text I was to preach in my dream church, I found the strategy on how to “fight” on the spiritual football field in order to overcome a far more talented team. Look at verse 11 again in the Passion translation:

“They conquered him completely through the blood of the Lamb and the powerful word of His testimony. They triumphed because they did not love and cling to their own lives, even when faced with death.”

Over the last several weeks the blog has focussed on the “the blood of the Lamb” as the foundation of victory. What I plan to unpack in the next blogs is found in the 2nd half of Revelation 12:11 and it is vital for conquering the enemy.

For years I have read this verse with these words, “…the word of their testimony.” But notice the Passion translation, which takes it from the Aramaic, the spoken language of the day, “the powerful word of His testimony.” 

In the wee hours of the morning this jumped out at me. “Wait! it is not my testimony that overcomes the enemy but Jesus’ testimony, His supernatural work.”  Or you could say, it is Christ in me! The victory comes when I acknowledges I’m is far too weak to overcome the beast within and without-I need the testimony of Jesus.

A few weeks ago I was talking and praying with a young man who spent some time in Africa recently. He was sharing how encountering the supernatural power of Christ has changed the whole course of his life. We talked about the time when we were in a preschool classroom praying over someone when a demonic spirit began to manifest. Just stepping foot into that area the heavy darkness and bondage was in the atmosphere, before we knew it we we were all on our knees crying out to Jesus for help. After what seemed like an eternity, Jesus showed up in His glorious power and set a captive free.

I’ll  never forget what he said right after the encounter, “I feel like I’m living in the book of Acts!” Each of us in the room felt humbled  and overwhelmed by the power of Christ Jesus. I know I felt weak going into the fight vastly outmatched. All we could do was call on the name of Jesus believing He had the power to intervene and heal.

Whether in the classroom, the church, work or on the field, the advice my football coaches taught holds true. The goal was to always tackle an opponent by going low. In the same way spiritually as believers we overcome the enemy by going low. Realizing our own weakness over our enemy we fall before King Jesus and ask for His supernatural help. Our secret weapon over a superior enemy is the powerful testimony of Jesus.

We claim His death and the power of His perfect blood to forgive us of all sin.

We claim His resurrection power living in us making us new.

And we claim His sovereign rule and authority to over come all attacks of the enemy,

When we line up against what looks like an overwhelming, unbeatable force of fear, habitual sin, unforgiveness, hate, demonic strongholds, or whatever is overwhelming you at the moment remember Fight – Supernaturally- Go Low-Bend the Knee-Claim HIS testimony.

 

 

Battle the Beast with the Blood

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In this week’s blog I continue to reflect on my dream from July 2 in which I found myself sharing words of encouragement to a grieving congregation. I also want to unpack more from the text of Revelation 12:11. Dwelling on the dream and this particular scripture have enabled me to gain insights on how to shine and do battle in the current culture we are immersed in.

I shared a troubling part of the dream with a friend, the funeral service was sadly due to the pastor taking his life. I couldn’t understand how Revelation 12:11 could bring comfort to the church particularly relating to this situation. My friend said to me, “think about the pain pastor’s go through leading congregations, especially in the culture we live in. Think about your own pain as a pastor.”

I thought about what he said as I continued to meditate on the dream, the passage, and the call to fight. As I read through Revelation and thought about the dragon or the beast that wars against the church, the Bride of Christ-it occurred to me that the greatest battle is the beast within.

Yes, Satan and his hordes of hell are real and continually making war on the Father’s children. Yet, often the war takes place within me. I have a beast within my soul, my flesh, my sinful nature. The goal of the enemy is to unleash the beast within to bind my mind with fear, doubts, that lead to massive insecurities, which opens the floodgates to all types of sin. Satan’s goal is to build a strong hold in my mind-to wage a war within so his wicked lies can bring about despair and ultimate destruction.

The greatest weapon to overcome the beast within is-The Blood:

“The conquered him completely through the blood of the Lamb.” Rev. 12:11a

This past Sunday we were blessed to participate in communion. As I was preparing my heart I thought about the wounds of Christ. How from His head, hands, feet, and side blood flowed out and splashed all over the ground. That ground represented my dirty, dusty, rocky heart that is dead in sin. Yet- The Blood is pure, precious, perfect, and powerful enough to wash away all of my sin and spring new life out of dirt. It keeps me in a love relationship with my Abba Father, the only TRUE SOURCE of SECURITY.

Spiritually, I ran to the cross and by faith declared victory over the beast within by The Blood of Lamb who overcame the beast’s hold over me by taking my place on the cross. The Lamb fought and overcame the beast by His own blood. Notice, He didn’t use physical force, political activism, no corporate power plays, only Blood.

In the massive battle we are facing in our day our only victory will be through The Blood of forgiveness. As we daily live under His loving forgiveness and acknowledge by faith our death with Christ, we share in the Lamb’s victory. We become little lambs, secure in His love (Read and Sing Rev. 15:1-4).

We war against the beast within and the beast in the world by a supernatural love that can forgive ourselves and our enemies. Pastors and Churches need to run back to our place of victory, the Cross where blood was poured out, and unleashed an eternal river of forgiveness that doomed the beast for ever.

Today are you feeling defeated, full of despair, hearing demonic lies, controlled by insecurities and fears? Please run to the fountain of blood and let His love drench you in healing forgiveness. As the old hymn says:

“There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb!”

 

 

 

Encountering the Lamb

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After the dream, shared in last week’s blog, I have been dwelling on Revelation 12:11 each day. The Holy Spirit has captivated my attention and continues to reveal the importance of combatting the aggressive assaults of the Dragon.

As the text states, “They conquered him completely through the blood of the Lamb…” The word “Blood” is vital to the battle, and the significance of the blood will be unpacked next week, but notice where the blood flows from “the Lamb.”

 The first time the “Lamb” is mentioned in the book of Revelation is chapter 5:6. After this introduction He, The Lamb, becomes the central figure in the rest of Revelation. The victory over the enemy is in direct relationship to the Lamb. Those who overcome the Dragon have the blood mark of the Lamb upon their foreheads (7:4).

The conquers, who have been marked by Father God, demonstrate their saving trust in Him by Prayer and Praise. Those who have truly encountered the Lamb do battle on their knees in prayer and through continual worship of the Lamb.

I challenge you to read Revelation 5 and circle each time the word “Lamb” is mentioned. It is amazing to see all of heaven and His followers doing these two things, prayer and praise, repeated over and over again:

“…Each of them had a harp and golden bowls brimming full of sweet fragrant incense –which are the prayers of God’s holy lovers. And they were all singing this new song of praise to the Lamb:

‘Because You were slaughtered for us, You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals. Your blood was the price paid to redeem us. You purchased us to bring us to God out of every tribe, language, people group, and nation. You have chosen us to serve our God and formed us into a kingdom of priests who reign on the earth.” (5:8-10).

Those who have truly encountered the Lamb and know His and the Father’s forgiveness and love will battle with the weapons of Prayer and Praise!

During our time in the states my wife Patty and I can give testimony to times we have witnessed believers gathering for Prayer and Praise! In June we joined a Sunday night prayer time at a former church we pastored. This prayer gathering came out of several teams who had served in Africa and visited a Monday prayer service we attend. This experience spurred them to start one. We were overwhelmed by the worship and heartfelt prayers brought before the Lamb being led by high school students. You could feel heaven come to earth as the praises and prayers went up and strongholds of the enemy being shattered. We left so encouraged to see hearts arrested by love for The Lamb.

Then in July we joined some of our family at a Prayer and Praise service at a local church. It was much needed as we both faced some follow up medical appointments and will soon be returning to South Africa. I estimated at least 1000 people of all ages worshiping and crying out to God in prayer. We went in with anxious but expectant hearts and left feeling hope and victory through the glorious Lamb who is bringing revival to the nations through prayer and praise.

Patty and I have sensed this powerful warfare swirling in our midst and these words of scripture and the Prayer and Praise times have been a source of strength and renewed our spirits as we keep looking at the Lamb in the midst of the battle.

Perhaps you have also sensed spiritual battles close at hand. As followers of Jesus together we can once again refocus our sight and look upon a blooded Lamb, who died in our place. I believe the Holy Spirit is pointing us back to the Lamb to find victory over this present darkness we are living in. Our response is to offer prayer and praise not only with words, but also by living a life filled with prayer and praise for His and our victory!