He Holds the Key

A few weeks ago, I had a dream. With all that is going on around us, admittedly I was struggling with fear. I love God and I believe Him with my whole heart, until I realize I don’t or haven’t. Can anyone relate? It’s in the moments that I’m left dealing with something that my heart has been keeping from me that a dream will come.

Throughout my life, I have had a recurring dream. It’s the same sort of dream, I should say. Someone has broken into my house and usually, in the dream, I have woken to it already having happened or I come home to realize that someone has been in my house and gone.  In those cases, I can feel the anxiety of what’s already done.

This dream was different. In it, it was very early morning hours and I awoke just as my children were going to bed. I walked into my living room and noticed that the enclosed mudroom light was on. Instinctually, I knew something wasn’t right. I asked out loud, “Is someone here?” I walked to the door, noting it was not locked as I had left it and put my hand on the handle to turn the lock. As I did, a figure appeared on the other side of the door and I could see him through the glass. I quickly turned the lock and even though I could not clearly see his face, I shook my head NO, you are not coming in. With my hand on the handle, I could feel a key being inserted into the door. He had a KEY! I held the lock in place and yelled for my husband to wake up and bring the gun. Then I heard a voice with a very thick accent from the other side of the door. He said, “Come now. Just let me in.”

I woke from the dream and terror was palpable. I got out of bed and went to the living room and checked the door. Needless to say, I was checking a whole lot more than that. The details of the dream, being what they were, I asked the Lord to deal with me… anything in my heart.

Moving forward, yesterday I was listening to a news broadcast concerning this virus that sites it as man- made. I’m not here to argue concerning that. My gut…Holy Spirit, has told me such since this began and I believe it to be true. We are at war.

The components of the structure of the virus caught my attention. Obviously, I have no medical education or background. However, as they were talking about the makeup of the virus, they said there is something called an S protein (spike…which is the part that makes up the “crown”, hence corona). This spike was originally found in SARS, making this strain of coronavirus lab derived. These are mushroom shaped proteins designed to breakdown the human cell. Without those, human cells would not be affected. They literally called it the KEY to the cell.

That’s when it dawned on me… that the man in my dream had a KEY! Now, let me break some things down that I’ve realized about this dream. This is not a flesh and blood enemy. This is not something you can just kill with a gun. Just like when Peter drew a sword and cut off the ear of the servant to the high priest’s. Jesus commanded him, “Put your sword away!” Well, this is no different. A gun is absolutely worthless. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal (something man made) but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:4) There is a weapon formed against us in the shape of a spike (the curse looks like thorns and spikes) but we are not without help. The Word tells us that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17)

So, let’s address about this key situation.

Matthew 16:18-19, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 

• This statement came on the heals of Peter confessing that Jesus was the Christ. For those who confess Jesus as the Christ… the keys of the kingdom of heaven belong to US.
• What we bind (FORBID) on earth will be bound (FORBIDDEN) in heaven. What we loose (PERMIT) on earth will be loosed (PERMITTED) in heaven.

Revelation 1:17-18, “…Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and Hades.”  

• Jesus and Jesus alone holds the keys of death and Hell. The Living One, holds the key. It is firmly in His hand. We can trust Him to hold it.

 

A prayer of agreement:

Father, in the name of Jesus, we repent for what man has once again fashioned to serve himself and to try to make himself Lord over another! We say that Jesus Christ is Lord! We repent for the lives that have been affected and lost. We bind the S protein to the hand of Jesus Christ! We bind the key assigned to kill to the Living One who holds the key of death. This key is forbidden in the earth. This key is banished. Be gone and return no more! We evict it from our houses, our communities, our states, our nation and the nations of the earth because that’s how far You said we could forbid it! So we say it’s in it’s rightful place now. Under the authority of Jesus Christ, in whom we believe and trust! Jesus Christ has the Master key to my heart, my life, my house. Nothing comes in unless it first submits to the Passover Blood of the Lamb upon my doorposts, the finished work of the Cross. Thank you Father that You have lead us in triumph and have given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

 

Your Faith Has Made YOU…

I’m dealing with ALOT right now but the point of this post is not the DEFICIT of ALOT but rather a surplus available to us. If you find yourself in the same place right now, I pray this is an encouragement to you.

As I was driving home the other day after getting bad news, adding to the seemingly insurmountable pack of lies the devil is trying to dish out, I looked up and saw this in the the sky.

To me, as a person of prayer, I see an “anvil”, that the smith uses to forge. [We read about the smith in Isaiah 54:16, which is the one of the most foundational passages of my prayer life, thanks to my pastor.]

The moment my eyes fell upon it, I heard, “make it”.
I was reminded that the answer to every thing I “need”… the TRUTH that has dominion over every lie… can be “made” in prayer.

And then today, as I was pondering it, I was reminded of Jesus saying on several occasions, “Your faith has made you well.”

Do you see that? There is great emphasis to me in YOUR FAITH HAS MADE…

Three things stand out….

1. I have to OWN faith in God.
2. Faith is believing and speaking. Faith is communication with our heart, mind and mouth. It’s the CREATIVE FORCE entirely INVESTED in the CREATOR.
3. “Made” is the past tense of the action called “make”. It follows directly on the heels of communication with God.

And the thing is… we think faith is creating WHAT we need, when truly it creates WHO we are. Because the pack of lies aren’t on assignment to us because the devil wants WHAT we “have” in terms of material things. No. He wants WHO we are in relation to God, our Father.

Jesus said, “Your faith has made YOU…”

So, today, I’m putting myself on the anvil in prayer.

 

Sifted thoughts….

For years, I’ve been going through a sifting.  Who hasn’t?  Whether we recongize it or not, God still sifts today.

Just this week, an evangelist named Jonathan Garlock came to our church and shared on this subject.  I would write what he shared here but truly, I wouldn’t do it justice!  You can get the CD of the service if you like.  Just leave your name and email in the comments below and I will contact you to get your information and get it sent out to you via the World Lighthouse Worship Center!

One scripture that he shared that is still resounding in my spirit is Isaiah 30:28 and I thought, THAT’S IT!!

And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck,
to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity…

God’s breath is what sifts us.  You cannot feel one’s breath unless they are near to you. Very near.  The very fact that God sifts us is because He is near and desires to be nearer still.  Which leads me to my next thought.

I’ve misinterpreted sifting.  There is more than one instance of sifting in the Word.

Satan will sift us, trying to take us out, as he did Peter. (Luke 22)  But just as Jesus prayed for Peter, that his faith would not fail…He has done the same for us!  Pausing here for a moment just to thank Him!  You should too!

Secondly, God sifts us and when He does, He has no intention of letting us fall from His grasp!  When He uses the sieve of vanity, it’s to shake loose the things that we have been clinging to other than Him and the things that have been clinging to us.  Sometimes it will look like people are being shook loose from us, because they are.  Other times ministries (yikes), dreams, money, possessions, extracurricular activities, habits, ownership mentalities, pride, self-centeredness and self-dependence are sifted from us. Sin.  Anything that’s keeping us from being near to Him. Anything that creates a distance.

Sifting reveals nothing less than His desire and great love for us.  When something is removed, He is that much closer.

 

Setting The Price In Prayer

John 15:16, Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

There is deliverance in this passage.  Deliverance from a state of poverty and self-dependence into prosperity and God reliance.

This freed me friend.  Take a moment and read it again.  I pray that revelation flows to you.

John 15:16, Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

God chose you.

He believed in you before you believed in Him.  Yes, He created you but after that, He chose to put His faith in you.

The ultimate manifestation of His faith was Jesus Christ.  In believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, we agree with God’s choice in us.  We agree that “Yes, I was made for you Father God and for all of Your glory Lord.”

He ordained us and gave us authorization to go forth and bear fruit.  This particular fruit being produced from branches that are established in the Vine (which is what ‘ordained’ means.) and growth spurred on by His unfailing love for us.

Fruit that comes forth because we ask Father God, in Jesus name because that’s how faith is manifested.

One of the definitions of the word ask is to set at a price. When we ask of Father God in Jesus name, we call upon the price that He paid for us.

This will yield the fruit that remains.  It’s not of ourselves, let any man should boast.

We can ask Father God for many things without taking into consideration the price that Jesus paid but the eternal value and the permanency of the result we desire depends solely on what Jesus has done for us.  When setting the price that Jesus paid, we will most certainly never ask amiss or squander what has been given us.

 

Without Saying

Psalm 42:10  “As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? ”

 As I read this Psalm, the one thing that sticks out to me, is the word “daily” and it occurs to me that daily, that means each and every day, the enemy will try to raise questions.  In the midst of our daily lives, in our encounters with others and the comings and goings, being about our Father’s business, there will be opportunity for the questions to arise.  And every question is meant to either strengthen or weaken our faith.  It’s meant to be a “sword in the bones”, a weapon to drain the flow of salvation in the day in and the day out of our existence.  A weapon designed to kill our faith! Where is thy God? 

Now for just a moment…hear it differently.  Not only is the enemy mocking you, asking you “Oh yeah, where is your God now?”  But do you think that perhaps his questioning is the bait?  If he can just get you to look away long enough.  If he can just get you to take your eyes off the of truth as he asks, “Where is your God?” then maybe, just maybe, when your eyes fall on him you’ll believe the lie, whatever it may be, and you will be convinced that he is god.  That perhaps you’ll just let the liar rule for a while? 

Isn’t if funny that the enemy has no real problem with “saying”.   When clearly, that right does not belong to him but to us! (Matthew 21 & Mark 11)  Yet, we allow it! Jesus never allowed the enemy to “say” anything to Him!  

And wouldn’t you know it, as soon as I said, “it’s not the enemies right to “say”, immediately he challenged me on that by bringing up Matthew 4.  Take a look!

 1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

 Jesus did not allow him to “say”!  It may seem that way but no he didn’t! You see, this is the exact same scenario. When the enemy “says”, it’s always the questioning of “Where is thy God?”, “If He is God…” “If you really were…”, “Is that the truth?”.  He cannot “say” an answer to anything! And that’s the difference!  When Jesus said, it was always the answer!  Friend, When we “say”, it’s always the answer! 

And this is where I lose it!  I’m just completely undone! Whewww!!  Oh, I’m having a Holy Ghost party!  Just look what happens when we “answer”! 

 Vs. 10 & 11 again!

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

 Um…just where do where do we think the devil went when he left?  To do what he was told of course and that was to serve the Lord thy God!  Jesus gave him an instruction he had to follow!  The devil had to serve God by retreating and allowing the answer to come to pass.  And that’s good news for us!  When we give the answer that is written, the enemy has to depart to do it! 

And the answer also released the angels to do their part!   They “came and ministered unto him”. 

By definition, the angels did the following based on the Lord’s answer:  to relieve one’s necessities, to provide take care of, distribute, the things necessary to sustain life 

Too much goes “without saying”, doesn’t it?  Or should I say, nothing does?

 

I Just Have to Ask!

“True faith is asking as though God never says ‘NO’. Asking as if, at the very same time, God is answering through our mouths.”

These are the words that the Lord dropped in my spirit yesterday morning.I began to meditate on them and the thing is, God identifies himself with “yes and AMEN.” 

2 Corinthians 1:20 (NASB) says, “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.”

As I began to study this…I found some very interesting things about both questions and also about the answer…Amen.

1. Did you know that there are approximately 1,000,456 question marks in the bible?   That’s over 1 million questions and I am certain that one doesn’t go without an answer.  This shows me that Father God invites questions, as well as asks them!

And something that God spoke to my heart about “questions”.The very fact that we ask is evidence that there is something God desires for us to know the answer to. 

How do you get to know someone?  Often times it takes a series of questions and answers and then living with their answer  to come to a place of really knowing someone!  And when the answer comes, it is evidence of their heart, their character and qualities!  That’s why we must ask! 

2. The word Amen is a very interesting word as well.  It is found only 72 times in the King James Version of the bible yet it holds a far greater magnitude than would seemingly appear.  Here is an excerpt from www.studylight.org defining the word Amen:

The word “amen” is a most remarkable word. It was transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best known word in human speech. The word is directly related — in fact, almost identical — to the Hebrew word for “believe”(amam), or faithful. Thus, it came to mean “sure” or “truly”, an expression of absolute trust and confidence.

So let me just reiterate:

1. Amen is a universal word.

2. Amen is the best known word in human speech.

3. Amen is nearly identical with the word “believe”.

4. Amen is an expression of absolute trust and faith.

I just have to ask…. I want to live with the answer! Amen!