Guard your hearts through intimacy
Listen to the sermon:
REMEMBER: NEVER ALONE – NEVER ON YOUR OWN - TOGETHER THIS IS OUR COMMISSION
'Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, But the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you'. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Isaiah 60:1-2
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matt 5:16
DAVID SETS A NEW "HIGH WATER MARK"
An extraordinary example of fulfilled dreams is illustrated in Solomon's building of a temple that his father, David, had planned. The building and consecration of Solomon's temple is one of the most significant events in the Bible. Yet at the temple's dedication, Solomon said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and with His hand has fulfilled it, saying, ' Since the day that I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there; but I chose David to be over My people Israel.' Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel (1 Kings 8:15-17).
God said that He didn't choose a city, He chose a man, and the idea for a temple was in the heart of the man. God basically said: The temple wasn't my idea. David was my idea. Incredible! David's creativity and desires helped write history because God embraced them. David gave us many Kingdom principles, which set the direction in which we are to live. It is as if he said, "Dreamers! Come! Let's dream together and write the story of human history." You are God's idea, and He longs to see the treasure that is in your heart. As we learn to dream with God we become co- laborers with Him . Dreaming with God – Bill Johnson
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command . I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. Jn 15:9-17
God hides things for us, not from us.
GOD HIDES THINGS TO BE FOUND - "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matt 7:7-8
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. Prov 25:2
The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" He replied, "Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: " 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. Matt 13:10-17
The reality of being a friend of God.
"Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."
Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God." Jn 16:25-30
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Ps 37:4
TRANSFORMED THROUGH PROMOTION
Several paradigm shifts take place in our hearts as we embrace this promotion.
First, what we know changes, as we gain access to the heart of the Father. His heart is the greatest resource of information we need to function successfully in all of life. Jesus paid the price of our access to the Father, thereby granting us the freedom that comes from the truth we gain through that unlimited knowledge of His heart. Liberty is found in this phase of the promotion.
Second, our experience changes. Encounters with God as an intimate are quite different from those of a servant. His heartbeat becomes our heartbeat as we celebrate the shift in our own desires. The realm of His presence becomes our greatest inheritance, and divine encounters our greatest memories. Personal transformation is the only possible result from these supernatural experiences.
Third, our function in life radically changes. Instead of working for Him, we work with Him. We work not for His favour but from His favour. In this position He entrusts us with more of His power, and we are naturally changed into His likeness more and more.
Fourth, our identity is radically transformed. Our identity sets the tone for all we do and become. Christians who live out of who they really are cannot be crippled by the opinions of others. They don't work to fit into other people's expectations, but burn with the realization of who the Father says they are. (Bill Johnson: Dreaming with God)
Prophetic Word February 2015 part B
I invite you, each one, unceasingly to draw aside into My very presence, into the seclusion, solitude, safety of "I AM" Do I hear, "We have not words, know not what to say," – "my children worry not, I know it all anyway." But, oh, I would rather hear you ask, in your questioning; your hesitation; your reluctance; your frustration; your confusion; even your pain - "Lord, hear my prayer; listen to my cry for mercy; In your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, For I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God? May your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name's sake."
Yes, these are the words I would hear from each one! No shame attached - I wait for you, my child, 'I AM' always here. Come.
It is here that we sojourn alone, just you and I talking; heart to heart – none to overhear.
It is here as you sit in silence, deep calling to deep, I ask you "to be still and know that I am God."
It is here - that I tenderly hold you in my arms and minister to your every need.
It is here - that I continually pour my love into you, through you, refilling your hope and your joy anew.
It is here - that we confirm that I want all those that the Father gave me to be right where I am, that they can see my glory – that you too can see my glory.
It is here - that we confirm the world has never known our righteous God.
It is here - that we confirm that I, his Son have known him and that you, each one, knows that the Father sent me on this mission.
It is here - that we confirm that I, make, and will continue to make, the Father's very being known to you personally, who He is and what He does, so that His love for me might be in you exactly as I am in you.
It is here – that we confirm that everything I learned from my Father, I have made known to you.
It is here - that we confirm that you didn't choose me, Remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father IN RELATION TO ME, he gives you. Remember it is impossible to harvest fruit from a vineyard yet to be!
It is here - that you, willingly, wholeheartedly, surrender totally to me, allowing my Spirit to rise up within you - take command - take control.
It is here –that I revitalize and strengthen you and infuse you with My love and My light as WE, TOGETHER, move back into the world to bring light into the darkness – enabling all mankind to be reconciled to God.
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