Thoughtful in Selah

I have received many comments from a previous post: "The Description of the AntiChrist" and I figured I would kind of follow up that post with nothing more than a rant. But first, in review of the other post, I just kind of want to talk about some of the points of view from the readers.

First, I really appreciate the positive encouragement and the scriptures you guys threw in there about how Obama used "Peace and Security" in one of his speeches. I also agree that the pope may have something to do with this time period (aka end times).

Another important note and disclaimer that I want to make concerning that post is that I wasn't actually accusing Barack Obama to be the AntiChrist. I was more or less checking to see if the shoe fits. If it barks, wags its tail, and does tricks, I think its a dog, but you can't say exactly which dog fits the description. Same thing here, if he gives speeches, is part of the political system, and makes big decisions, I think he is a nation's leader, although which one is actually "THE ONE" is impossible to know for sure. That was just my suspicion.

Thirdly, in response to a comment from "garryminor", I do want to answer the question and say, Yes I have been annointed with oil, I have been baptized in water, and I have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Because I can speak in Tongues and I have other spiritual gifts, I know when God is speaking through me. However I'm not pointing your comment out for that. I really like what you said next: "The Church is antichristian! And it doesn't even know it! It has been for a long time!" And I want to say, you are absolutely right. The church (collectivley spread across all denominations) are totally in the dark and they haven't even realised that they need to WAKE UP! No one really cares anymore that Christians are OK with mediocre effort. They don't care what happens because we (again, collectively meaning all church goers and believers) are so caught up in ourselves and how we feel that we aren't paying attention to God telling us to go and do his work and bring in the harvest.

"...So why are you just naming Obama, is it because he is mixed with black and you don’t want a 1/2 black man to help your country?"
Good question. I'm not racist at all and I myself would have voted for, say, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. if he had ran for president. The reason I am "picking on" Obama is for what he stands for. Just by listening to one of his speeches, it is kind of easy to pick out at least one self contradictory remark. But asides from oral presentation, I agree with 0.001% of his political ideology. Now just because I don't agree with someone doesn't mean I think they are the devil. No. I just really discern that Obama is not what he appears to be and I strongly believe that the Holy Spirit keeps saying that something is wrong with him.

Thanks for the comments guys, really! Please keep them coming. Now I want to move on with some political points of things that are really ticking me off.

I'm not necessarily going to pull all of this from scripture but this is some stuff that I really want to throw out there.

The most important thing at the top of my list is FOCA. The Freedom of Choice Act. This is Obama's 'great' idea to essentially legalize abortion. Let me say that again; to make abortion legal. Again, kill unborn innocent children. I am a strong supporter of life and who (but God) has the right to deny someone of the right of liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and most important of all, LIFE. But it doesn't stop there. According to the Constitution, Congress has the power to levy taxes. "No Duh", you say? Well, a plan coming from Obama is that he wants to take tax money and actually help fund other countries in administering abortions! So, as a citizen of the United States, I am required by the Constituion to pay taxes, which goes into government appropriations, which goes to other countries, which kills innocent lives. In short, I am being forced to support something I am against BY FAITH. And also according to the Constitution, we are guaranteed protection over our liberties, our freedom of faith. So if my faith is strongly against abortion which the Constitution protects, and I'm being forced to support something that violates that which was created by the Constitution, then I think I just found a contradictory loophole in the system for the benefit of Obama.

I don't want to bring up the war, at all. I think it is getting close to the time to withdraw, but I think Obama might want to do it too quickly. Oh well, we'll find out for sure real soon. That doesn't really worry me though.

Moving on...

This is just a closing point that upset me most. On the news the other night, the news station was interveiwing people who were coming back from Washington, D.C. after the innaugural address and one of the statements made by an individual was something along the lines of this: "I just think that all this is so great because we are all standing united and because it was all of America that voted for Obama." WHOA! STOP RIGHT THERE!
I have a huge issue with that statement. I don't like what Obama stands for, not at all. And there is no way on Earth that I would ever vote for him. But the thing that I really don't like is that all these Democrats (I'm not raging on them, it's just their party affiliation) are in GROUP THINK! They act as if Obama is a monarch and he is royalty and everyone just wants to bow down before him and everyone loves him.

I'm very upset.

To the liberals: I'm sorry if I offend, I realy am. I am just stating this as my opinion as I am very conservative.

To the republicans: If you have ever noticed someone saying how much they "love Barack Obama" and how much they think "he is such a great guy", I can almost guarantee they are caught up in some sort of facade and they don't even see what he really stands for. How can they love a man who coldly wants to kill innocent babies?

I'm done for awhile but I am anxious to hear your thoughts.

Labels: Posts of my Faith

I use the term "political mess" as reference to this current spiritual war that is currently raging on in our own home land. And that's exactly what it is too - a spiritual war. But I'm going to talk more about the concrete resemblance of what is going on rather than the chaos in the spiritual realm.

Last night, God told me to turn to Acts 3:17.
"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders."

...and that was it. I was really confused so I asked Him what He meant, and his interpretation:
"Your leaders, your government, Barrack Obama, they do not know me and so they do not act according to my will. But you shouldn't act out of ignorance like they do. Instead listen to Me and follow the plan that I am releasing in America. I'm doing a great work and you can't be oppressed by the government who are not listen gin to Me."

I asked, "How do we overcome this? How do we push into bringing this into favor for Your people, and Your house?"

"Pray. Just keep praying. I am releasing a plan of action and you just have to keep pressing. Keep spreading the word so that all those who believe will come in one accord and pray. Pray for the government and their corruption. Pray for Barrack Obama that his eyes would be opened and that he would be willing to come to know Me personally."

I wasn't exactly questioning God but I had the thought of, 'Prayer doesn't seem very effective and it isn't very much.' Apparently God heard my thought (that was a joke by the way) and he said:

"Remember my people in Jericho? All they did was walk around the city. It was a giant movement of faith but through that - simple walking - I destroyed the entire city and it was theirs."

So if we all join together and pray harder for a revival, that the president-elect would see God and accept him, God's going to release powerful things and this land will be given over to His people.

Labels: Conversations with God, Posts of my Faith

I apologize for neglecting this blog for quite some time. I have been posting most of my entires on my facebook. For those of you who only read posts here, I think I will catch you up to pace with some of my most recent posts. Beginning with one that I wrote yesterday titled "Conversing with God"

I really have not had a good week spiritually. It was probably the worst I have ever had it. But last night I was getting sick of it and so I started praying before I went to sleep. One thing that me and my accountability partner's have been praying for is the ability to have dreams at night, because com'on, wouldn't that be cool? So I was praying and I just said, "God, I need a bit of encouragement, so I pray that You would speak to me tonight." Well right after I finished praying I heard someone call my name. At first I thought I was just making it up, but it kept persisting. It was a quiet, calm, deep voice with a small echo trailing after. I'm serious. I kept hearing my name and so I replied, "God, if You are speaking, Your servant is listening."

Next I heard Him say, "Open your Bible to Romans, chapter 6, verse 23." This was about midnight last night and I had already gone to bed, but being faithful I said, "I'm going to walk by faith and trust that this is really God telling me all this." I realize that everyone should know what Romans 6:23 is but because it was really late, I temporarily forgot it.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

I sat and pondered this for a minute. At first I was terrified because I felt like I deserved to die for what I had been doing. I was not living the life that God wanted me to and now I felt like he was going to take revenge. But that's not what the Spirit said. Instead, He was saying this, "You need to realize that sin is a very serious thing and I absolutely despise it. But I'm only reminding you of that. Instead I want you to focus on the fact that keeping right with me, though it may be difficult, will pay off and you will be blessed with the greatest gift ever!"

I was still kind of scared that God himself pointed me to a verse that made me feel like I was basically unworthy of living (so to speak). So he gave me one more verse. He said, "Now go an look up Ephesians 3:13." I had studied Ephesians before but I couldn't remember anything out of it so I turned there right away. Remind you that I was just praying about needing encouragement from the Lord.

"I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my suffering for you, which are your glory."

If your sitting there scratching your head wondering how that has anything to do with the situation here, don't worry, I didn't understand it either. I said, "I don't understand what your telling me here God." He explained to me that basically the point was not to be discouraged. He said that when the world doesn't seem fair and there are circumstances that just seem to be ruining your life, like Jesus' crucification, He did that for us and we should be proud that he loves us to that extreme.

I was quiet for a few more minutes and I didn't hear anything so I literally asked God as if he was sitting at the edge of my bed, "Do You have anything else to say?" His response was, and I quote verbatim, "No. Now go to sleep and you will have a restful night for I am the One who gives you peace."

Wow.

I was still curious, though, and I went back to the original topic of dreams. "God, will You give me dreams tonight?" He replied, and again, verbatim, "No, for you are not ready yet." Being the impatient and minimal understanding human, I pursued further and asked, "When will I be ready?" and He replied, "You will be ready when you take steps of faith that you never thought possible."

Was I disappointed that I didn't have any powerful dreams last night? No, I wasn't. However I was more motivated to think that God wants to use me even MORE! God told me himself, clearly, that He had plans for me that I'm not even ready to take on yet.

I apologize for the length of this note but I want to share the conversation that I had this morning too.

I can't quite remember how the conversation started but I do remember God saying, "Remember that you must take great steps of faith to work towards my return to Earth. You are the salt of the Earth and I want you to make it pleasing to me. I have created you to share my beauty and love and spread my kisses." I'm totally serious God said that this morning. ...and a shout out to Kurt right here with 'God's Kisses'. I decided to take somewhat of a daring move and so I asked God, "When will we see you return again?" Not to go into eschatology here but he replied and this was the last thing he told me, "You will see my return when the sun turns to golden rain." ...and what that means, I have no clue.

Labels: Conversations with God, Posts of my Faith

Hang onto your hats ladies and gentleman, God is moving big in my life. He just now re-ignited His Fire within me and I've started randomly speaking in Tongues again - praise the Lord, and he is really giving me a lot of stuff to share with you all. I realize that this is the second post in one day, but it is going to be a spectacular one!

First of all, I really feel completely set free. I have an emptiness that only the Holy Spirit can bring. Hallelujah!
Secondly, because of this, I want to share everything that Lord is trying to spill out of me and it keeps coming too fast so hold on while I try and overflow here..........

God told me to look up some scriptures pertaining to Joy - go figure. I found 25 instances of expressing joy in the Bible and two caught my attention. I think you will be astonished at how God is going to use them.

1. 1 Samuel 18:6

6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes.

I just listened to Nathan Issac's teaching from the GenOne conference in D.C. and he was talking about a pattern in the Bible where enemies have killed themselves with the weapons setup to destroy us. So this particular passage applies great here as one of Nathan's examples was David and Goliath. See Goliath was supposed to take on David and his goal was to kill David with his gigantic sword. Well it ended up being Goliath's sword that took of Goliath's head. It is the weapon of the enemy that kills the enemy. And just like I was referring to in one of my latter posts, my worship is my shield and that is what the enemy is attacking. And it is the weapon used in that attack that has defeated him! So from this passage, it is the joyful songs - which I am now singing - with worship that has defeated my enemy.

2. Ezra 3:11-13
11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD :
"He is good;
his love to Israel endures forever."
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

See the connection? Neither did I until the Lord reminded me of another verse: 1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.

wow...

So it is almost like this huge cleaning that has taken place, where the Holy Spirit has moved in my life again and it is almost like rebuilding my temple into a new clean slate. So because I am a child of God, I rejoice with joy that God has blessed me with a new foundation for a new temple - so to speak.

again, wow...

I think you can meditate on that for awhile because I can't explain it any better. Also part of this note is the following link. It will take you to rhapsody that will play a song by Ron Kenoly that I find perfect at this moment. http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=tra.22856937

Labels: Posts of my Faith

It's a long title I know. In case you missed it: "True Happiness Dawns from a Sudden Realization".

Any guesses at what I'm going to talk about?

yeah... so, here goes...

There was all this stuff about how I thought I liked a certain someone. Turns out, all my friends were really worried about the whole situation, and etc. It really felt right. And because of the timing with the death of Daniel, I knew it wasn't perfect, but it still felt like, 'I'm going to be careful here and I know this is what God is leading me into and so I'm going to follow it'. Turns out through a huge slap upside the head at midnight last night that that wasn't true whatsoever.

I suddenly realized that when Daniel died, it took a large part of me and it feels like half of me has been destroyed. And so, without even knowing it, I unconsciously began trying to fill in that missing piece with what I thought was right - or maybe, what I wanted to be right.

I was in a pretty somber mood today just thinking about this whole ordeal. I feel bad that it all turned out this way but I know we still know each other for a reason, whether or not it is for this reason. So I am much happier now that I know what to watch for. I think this is part of what was getting me so frustrated and angry.

**And when I changed my facebook status from "it's complicated" to "single", the only thing that I could do was smile a huge smile.

I am at a point currently in my emotional storm where I have nothing better to do at which case all I can do is just vent.

As a forewarning, I will be stepping on toes, standing on my soap box and passing out a lot of pennies as I give more than just my two cents.

All I can say is that it is not fair. But that doesn't do it justice. It is a satanic attack aimed at my heart and geared towards my emotional destruction. The thief in the night came with brutal force and he knocked me down hard. I'm here in the middle of this chaotic highway in the middle of a down pour and I'm calling out with everything that I have, so loudly, that it is physically hurting. "My Lord, My God, where are you? I need help! I feel so ashamedly selfish and mournfully arrogant that I feel like I can get up myself... but I need Your Spirit to tear down my pride, and to break the spiritual forces of religion that keep me inside of my box and I need Your help, oh Lord! Abba Father! I cry on my hands and knees for Your hand to uphold me!"

Here's where the strong words come: Everyone keeps saying, I know Daniel is here and I know he can still hear us and he is with us, etc. I'm not sure if I believe that. I know Daniel is in heaven but I doubt he is actually here with us. Even though it is a comfort thing, I just am not sure about that. I keep trying to cry out to God to really help me break through this trial but it seems like my voice is just fading away. I keep finding it hard to really feel God like I have at TheCall and other conferences.

God keeps pointing me to this chapter of the bible but just now, he showed me some verses from the first part of the chapter. In Colossians 3, God keeps showing me verses 15-17 (which I will get to later - I'll even quote it for you below) but this time he called me to verses 1-4:
" 1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. "

.... **sigh** ...I guess I'm just frustrated.

I don't know what to think really. Here is says that we just really need to keep focusing that everything is alright - that it is all part of God's plan. 'Keep looking up and keep pressing in.' So we have been born again in Christ, so now that we are living in Him, we are that much closer to the angels in heaven - that being, our Daniel.

.....***"Oh, what I would give to hear his voice again"

So God tells us to keep pressing in, right? Here's verses 15-17:
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

'We will reach peace in Him when we sing psalms, hymns, praises, spiritual songs.' So we all need peace! So let's get into worship! Well right now it just seems that WE CAN'T! An attack is being made on our spiritual lives in our very worship!

After sharing my testimony of TheCall at my church, someone frantically came up to me telling me that God told them specifically to tell me "to guard your heart." I thought, 'thanks for your concern but my friends and I worship nearly every other two days - I think I'm good'. Well that's just it! The very thing that was supposed to be shielding us from the weapons of the enemy is the very thing that the enemy is trying to tear down. First he's working to break the shields so then he can come and destroy us as we are defenseless - HOW LOW!!! That is just so--------AH! I'm so mad I am literally screaming in my head and my spirit is enraged!

It seems that every time we try and get together, it is a culmination of all of these little distractions that forces our worship to end early or prevents me from really diving into it. I don't know about you guys, but I need a spiritual exorcision - a removal from all crap down inside - and I need a revival just like TheCall to come. Honestly, I was pretty torqued that we had to cut it short on Saturday night. I felt that we were on a verge of a break through after one or two songs and it didn't happen because no one wanted to participate in the last song.

Spirit of religion - I'm calling you out. You have no place in my temple, that is, the Lord house. I am a vessel of the Lord, God Almighty and you have no control over me. I will worship freely and truly dive into such a spiritual movement that I will meet the Lord in a powerful explosion of praise. No more will worship be under your constraints, and no longer will you hold me back. Traditions and strict methods are destroyed in the name of Jesus so we can come to Jehovah Jirah with the chains broken.

After all of this had been laid on my heart, this song came on the radio just as I started my car:
http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=tra.3321397

Labels: Posts of my Faith

I wasn't sure exactly how all this would come out, but I feel that it is time to share my thoughts and recent experiences with everyone. Normally I would post this all on my blog but I want people to easily be able to find it here on facebook. All of this is going to be scattered a little but I'm trying to catch everything that I want - that I need to get out.

After TheCall, I was on a major spiritual high considering I was just infilled with the Holy Spirit and I now have the gift of speaking in Tounges. Well all of that kinda came crashing down the morning I heard that Daniel was killed. Most people don't know it but Daniel was my best friend and I feel like I can honestly say that I was his too. For about a week, there was just nothing I wanted to do and grief was overwhelmingly taking over.

Just the other day I read about the five stages of grieving.
1. Denial/Surrealism - This isn't happening, I can't comprehend nor grasp it
2. Questioning - Why is this happening to me?
3. Anger - THIS ISN'T FAIR
4. Depression - No motivation and deep mourning
5. Acceptance - I'm ok with it all now

I moved through the first three stages all in about two hours that Thursday morning. However, a heavy depression began setting in to the point where I started withdrawing inside of myself and I had horrible thoughts and I started being mean to my friends and I just didn't want to talk about it at all.

One week later at Remain (which is my youth group on Thursday night) my youth leader thought it was best that we share with everyone on exactly how we had been feeling. It was a bad night for me. I just really felt that it was all too soon. I had said it a couple times that Sunday after the funeral that I didn't want the burial to come and go because I was afraid that all would be said and done and things would move on and all would be forgotten. I was terrified of this happening.

Afterwards, Marriana and Jordan and myself went over to Jordan's house and we were talking in my car and he started praying over me for comfort and that I would have God's Fire again. I began feeling such a powerful embrace and holy presence that was so calming that I've NEVER felt before. My fire just lit up so bright at that point and God moved HUGE! I began speaking in Tongues like I never have before. God even delivered a message through my mouth between four people!

At this point I was doing so much better and I still am now that my Fire is back. I am not, however, to stage five of the grieving process though. I have not exactly come to terms on acceptance - and I don't know if I will ever be able to.

-----------------------
Through this whole time, everyone has been telling me about how Daniel had this amazing mantle that he left behind and that I would be the one to pick it up and run with it. This is just really powerful to me. Obviously I cannot replace Daniel in personality or spirit but I feel like I am the one to continue on his ministry to others in worship. Ever since this, my worship has been so much more powerful - and frequent for that matter. It seems that every time I play, there's always a crowd that gathers. I made the comment to someone that "It isn't about how Daniel touched me during his life, it is how he is touching me now." I think that sentence is the best way I can put it. His legacy is touching myself so greatly, and yes, I am going to miss him so much, but I just feel such a holy annoiting being placed on my life in my worship because it just feels like I'm stepping up and being that worship leader that Daniel helped teach me to be.

When I was searching for a new youth group to go to, I found Remain and the at the time, I kept coming back just because the worship was so intense and all of the kids were so passionate and hungry for God. And because of that, Daniel showed me how worship is really done. He taught me so much in music and how to be a leader in worship.
---------------------------

God did quite an amazing thing this night while I was at Church of the King. During the sermon, God had said, "Phillipians." I was just like... "Say what?" So I ignored it thinking that I just said it in my head rather than heard it. Well, a moment later, I hear "Phillipians." It just kept coming. So, by faith, I turned in my FireBible to Phillipians and I just happened to have a sticky note there with a verse marked: Phillipans 2:13.

"...for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose."

Simple verse, right? To you, maybe, but it applies to a much larger picture to me and the other guys from my circle of faith. See, lately we have been praying for purity in our daily lives in what we do - what we say, how we act, and even our thoughts. This is just one of those little reminders that God is still BIG and we are to be walking in His footsteps according to His plan. I guess I just can't effectively explain this one in words.

Shortly after this, God spoke to me a second time and said "Ezekiel." So now I'm thinking, alright, now this is cool. God is telling me some cool stuff here. So I flip to Ezekiel to find that there are 48 chapters there. I'm just thinking, 'how on Earth am I supposed to find what God wants to tell me out of 48 chapters?' So I prayed that God would give me a number. He pointed me to 20 so I turned to the second page of chapter 20 by happenstance to find a section title in bold letters: "Prophecy Against the South".

I don't want to spoil it for someone else but this is actually the answer to a dream from Cinnamon. (If you don't know the dream, than you'll have to ask her about it.) So anyway, I started reading this short little paragraph to see what it said.

"The Word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest of the southland. Say to the southern forest: 'Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north will be scorched by it. Everyone will see that I the Lord have kindled it; it will not be quenhed.'" ~Ezekiel 20:45-48

Now time for the context: In this time pertaining to this particular passage, the people in this land worshipped idols. So basically God was not very happy and plans to destroy the land because of it. However, afterwards, everyone will return back to God and praise only Him. I believe that this is a shift in the nation that will begin soon.

I'm not the most philisophical person, but I'm going to put this passage to present times. I think that we can compare the fire to hurricane Katrina and the damage done to the south, mainly Louisiana. Obviously with Mardis Gras, and the things that take place down there, New Orleans is not a holy city by any means. Same thing in the days of Ezekiel. But the Bible says that they will turn back to God and like verse 47 says, "from south to north" I believe that a revival will start and begin sweeping up the nation when it starts. So Cinnamon has recieved a dream that has called us to pray for the south, and I don't mean to ruin it for anyone or lead a different interpretation here but I believe that we need to start a prayer initiative to begin interceeding over the south of the United States because things are going to begin to change and it will sweep to the North.

Why wouldn't God begin a change - a revival - in probably the most unholy city (other than Los Vegas) in the United States?

Labels: Posts of my Faith

"In front of me sits a baby that is larger in size than me. Behind him is a large wooden door that stands wide open. As I slowly approach the door and lay my hand on it to move it, the door suddenly slams shut."

This is the first vision that I have ever had and honestly I don't know the true meaning. I have prayed about the 'translation' and I'm trusting that God will tell me soon. I really do believe that this was a movement - a transformation - to end abortion.

Labels: Posts of my Faith

Lately I have been praying that God would really begin to show me what he has in store and that He would give me multiple gifts of the Holy Spirit and supernatural abilities. How many of you know that God hears, and answers prayers, amen? YES!

Lately, I have not been able to stop praying in the Spirit. Even at work, whether or not I'm alone, I'll start praying in the Spirit. I feel that there are going to be powerful things happening when I begin praying.

About 20 minutes ago, I was working on my summer reading assignment just working away quitely on my laptop when I feel this urge placed on my heart. It just kept saying, "Call [AppleJacks] and pray with him." So, being an obedient servant of God, I call AppleJacks and say, "This is going to sound a little strange, but is something wrong?"

Sure enough, God had told me that there was something that needed to be prayed for and He called me to do it.

Labels: Posts of my Faith