Published on July 29th, 2009 | Articles, Guest Posts

This guest post comes to us from Paul Keith Davis at White Dove Ministries.

The Spirit to Overcome

By Paul Keith Davis

For several weeks the Lord has emphasized the importance of the latter half of this year in order to set the tone for the coming year. Many things initiated during the last six months of 2009 will usher in much of what will transpire in 2010.

Repeatedly, the Spirit has stressed the importance of understanding and implementing truth that has been prophetically outlined over the last several years. Instead of giving fresh new revelation it seems He is highlighting prophetic strategies and outlines already given that need to be realized and appropriated. We must narrow the gap between what we believe and what we are experiencing.

As I have inquired of the Lord concerning the economy, our spiritual condition and our nation’s political challenges, I have been given the same answer to each question… “Prepare My Bride.” If the bride can become who she is called to be then we will be delegated the authority to speak into all of these circumstances and begin to influence the spiritual, economic and political climates. Revelations 2:26-29 declares:

And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

There is a present call to maturity and to live the life of one who “overcomes.” I have written many articles concerning the issue of the “overcomer” and will once again share some of those insights in our determination to respond to this call. The benefits and blessings given to those who overcome are secrets to our prosperity and ability to respond to the needs of our generation.

As has always been the case throughout history, key individuals are uniquely and strategically born and qualified at specific times to meet the needs and challenges of their generation. It is now time for those born for this purpose to emerge as overcomer’s and delegate that authority into our day.

One of the great encouragements for this day is the grace being granted to fulfill biblical promises related to the unfolding and demonstration of God’s Kingdom dimension and His Kingly authority. There are candid and profound prophetic promises identified in the blueprint and strategy of Heaven foreseen by the prophets and foretold in Scripture. Many generations of prophets and seers employed their revelatory gifting to forecast a day identified with the “promise” of God being fully manifested through a body of consecrated people.

Throughout the Church Ages, there have been admonitions and promises given to those who overcome the “spirit of the age” and personal adversity to be sealed into the Kingdom and rewarded with significant spiritual blessings. “To those who overcome” is a noteworthy identification directing the destiny of a body of people who are victorious in the struggle with our adversary, who often counterfeits God’s plans and purposes.

Therefore, this incredibly important issue of “overcoming” is not as obvious as one may think. There is a way that seems right unto man but the end thereof is destruction. The Lord clearly warned in Matthew 24 that a form of religion would emerge that was so close to the authentic that it would deceive the very elect, if it were possible.

There is a counterfeit anointing stemming from a subtle form of deception that is linked to the fifth “I will” of Satan and his misguided desire to be “like the Most High!” (See Isaiah 14) This is his attempt to emulate as closely as possible through zealous religious activity and natural beauty, a form of religion that relates his wayward aspiration to steal the very life of God promised to His people.

Historically, this has been the case in each expression of revival and spiritual outpouring throughout the Church Ages. However, a day has now arrived in which the rewards of the “overcomers” will be delegated and experientially apprehended by those who are victorious in this struggle and clearly recognize the misleading attempt of the enemy to steal the birthright of God’s people.

Hidden Manna

One thing that has always been of particular significance to me personally is the promise made to the “overcomers” of the Pergamum church.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it. -Revelations 2:17

There is something intriguing and inviting about receiving a new name and partaking of hidden secrets. They are only hidden from the wise and prudent but freely revealed to the Lord’s friends as He promised in John 15:15.

In Scripture, each time a new name was given to God’s people, it always represented a change of their character and an impartation of Heavenly virtue for a specific task. Likewise, “hidden manna” is set apart and reserved to spiritually nourish a body of people who are willing to access this privilege.

Qualifying as an Overcomer

One of the great revelations to emerge in this generation is the qualification to be identified as an “overcomer.” There is a message of truth that has been delegated to each of the Church Ages since the Day of Pentecost. It has been the Bread of Life for that generation coming from the Spirit of Truth to be embraced and experientially apprehended.

During the days of Martin Luther the manna for that generation was the message of justification by faith. This was fresh and unprecedented truth to the masses because of the religious structure of the day mandating association with an institution rather than the Savior.

Following that generation there emerged the message of sanctification coming from John Wesley, George Whitfield and many others of that day. It was another Heavenly release of manna in the progressive restoration of the spiritual birthright of the Church. With the turn of the 20th century there came the restoration of the “Charismata” with the gifts of the Spirit, speaking in tongues and the experience of the infilling.

There has been the Bread of Life given to each generation with an incentive or reward to those who overcome the religious structures of the day to embrace that message. We discover these incentives in the seven letters to the Churches of Asia written by the Apostle John in his heavenly experience. Those seven letters also depict a clear spiritual appreciation of the past 2000 years of Church history with the applicable corrections, encouragements and admonitions.

Manifesting Kingdom Reality

We are presently living in the transition from the Laodicean Church Age into the manifestation of Kingdom reality. There is a tremendous display of Truth coming as manna for this day to transform and prepare a body of people to fully engage the Kingdom realm of Heaven and manifest that reality in the earth.

Even during the dark ages when the written Word was inaccessible to the masses, the Living Word manifested Himself to those who were genuinely seeking Him from a pure heart with right motives. Many historical accounts are recorded to validate this reality.

The apostle Paul was granted a great privilege to be a messenger in his day to present the Bread of Life to his generation. As a reward for that place of leadership and sacrifice, he is given the honor of presenting the “overcomers” of his day to the Lord as a chaste virgin. 2 Corinthians 11:2 states:

For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.

That same privilege is given to the messengers of each generation charged with the commission and mandate to present the manna of the day to God’s people. It will be the distinguished honor of God’s anointed governmental leaders to prepare and present a body of people as chaste virgins to the Lord to whom He is espoused.

There are messengers sent to each age with a divine mandate and deposit of Truth that is like fire locked up in their bones that must be expressed and demonstrated. These are the stars in the hand of the Lord to present the revelation of Heaven to the Church. This present day has been identified with the promise of an unprecedented release of Heavenly manna through many messengers to groom a people to bear the Lord’s likeness and nature. It will be a multiplication of the “light” given throughout the seven Church Ages. According to the Isaiah’s prophecy:

The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter like the light of seven days, on the day the LORD binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted.
-Isaiah 30:26

Abraham’s loyal servant, Eleazar, will typify these messengers of God. Eleazar was sent with a message and with gifts to secure a chaste virgin for Isaac, the one who was heir of the promise. This future bride could not be just an ordinary woman; she had to be of the same heritage and lineage as Isaac to become bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.

This is the perfect typical scenario to be executed in this day as well. There are “Eleazars” emerging as loyal and faithful servants and trustworthy stewards of God’s mysteries and power to secure a radiant and passionate bride for the Bridegroom. They will be a body of people who live as “overcomers” and enjoy the benefits promised in Scripture.

Published on July 15th, 2009 | Articles, Guest Posts, Worship

This guest post comes to us from Graham Cooke at Graham Cooke Ministries.

In God’s DNA is Love

Graham Cooke

Our job as Christians is to represent God’s glory to the world. It is our privilege to receive God, in all His fullness, and demonstrate His loving kindness to those around us. “[Jesus] is the radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature,” Hebrews 1:3 teaches us. “He who has seen Me has seen the Father,” Jesus Himself added in John 14:9.

As Christ is formed in us, we take on God’s personality. Jesus’ two great statements—“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself”—are not just commandments. They are also promises of how God loves us. He intends to love us, for the rest of our lives, with all of His heart, mind, soul, and strength. He has also guaranteed that we will have the capacity to return that type of love to Him. When God loves us with all of His heart, we can love Him with all of ours. When God loves us with all of His mind, we can love Him with all of ours.

This kind of love changes us. I thoroughly enjoy loving God with my mind, sitting down and thinking about Him. I spend four months a year meditating on Him. I have a small room where I go and think. There are days when I won’t leave that room. Meditation is nothing more than thinking deeply about something. When I sit down and think about who God is and what He is like, He cannot resist coming and speaking out what He, in turn, thinks about me. God loves us with all of His mind. His every thought about us is good and pure.

In 1 John 4:16, we read of what this love can do to us—“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” God loved us so much that He gave us His Son to save us, and then gave us the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us as we learn to abide in Him.

The natural outflow of loving God with everything in us is to love others as well. God’s generosity to us must overflow into love for the rest of the world. We can love others because we are outrageously loved. When we truly love God with all of our body, mind, soul, and strength, a breakthrough occurs in our perception, emotion and thinking.

The bigger the failure we have been, the more dynamic our shift into living in the love of God. The Father looks at us and is filled with love. What weaknesses we have become the catalyst for Him to give us what we need to overcome them. “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,” as 1 Corinthians 1:27 says. God says, “I know what’s missing in you, and I have a gift to make it whole.”

It is urgent that Christians receive and experience a revelation of how much the Lord loves us. That love didn’t crescendo at the point of salvation; that was only a step in a long journey of deep love and affection. His radical love covers a multitude of sins. Everything in our lives that doesn’t work is covered by His love. The Holy Spirit takes these things and reveals them to us. He shows us the areas where we need the love of God to flow next. He loves leading us to truth and expressing Christ in us.

The love of God for each of us is so deep that it absorbs failure, it covers sin, it overcomes weaknesses, and it gives us astonishing acceptance in the ranks of the beloved. We are so powerfully loved that we cannot avoid His joyful acceptance and confidence in us. His personality is so strong that nothing is impossible—we can even love our enemies.

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven,” says Matthew 5:16. When His nature lives in us, we can enjoy and share the wonder of that experience, and His glory will shine into our personality.

Let me make this as clear as possible: the only evidence that God’s DNA is in us is how we love ourselves and how we love other people.

Published on July 10th, 2009 | Articles, Guest Posts

This guest post comes to us from David Wilkerson at David Wilkerson’s Blog.

God’s Promises

David Wilkerson

Our great need for patience is repeated throughout the book of Hebrews:

“For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself… and so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise” (Hebrews 6:13-15).

“Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (6:12).

“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (10:36).

~Emphasis mine

God has given us many wonderful promises—to break every bond of sin, to empower us to defeat all dominion of sin, to give us a new heart, to cleanse and sanctify us, to conform us to the very image of Christ. His Word assures us, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24).

Yet God does all of these things for us only in his time, according to his divine schedule. He has no deadlines pushing him. And he ignores all demands for an instant cure-all. In short, true faith on our part demands that we patiently wait on our Lord. Our response to him should be, “Lord, I believe you’re true to your Word. And by the power of your Spirit within me, I’m going to wait patiently until you bring these things to pass in my life. My part is to remain in faith, waiting on you.”

You may endure awful trials and temptations. And you may hear horrendous lies whispered to you by Satan. At times, you may fail. In fact, you may wonder if you’ll ever reach the goal. But, as you’re enduring all these afflictions, if you’ll simply hold onto faith with patience—trusting God is at work, keeping his Word, being your Jehovah Tsidkenu—he will look on you as righteous. He has sworn by oath, “By faith, you will receive the promise.”

Paul provides the Lord’s definition of righteousness in Romans 4:20-23: “[Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him.”

The Bible could not make this any clearer. Simply put, righteousness is believing the promises of God, being fully persuaded he’ll keep his word. Conversely, unbelief is staggering at his promises, doubting God will do what he promises.

Published on July 1st, 2009 | Articles, Guest Posts, Worship

This guest post comes to us from Paul Keith Davis at White Dove Ministries.

The Coming Apostolic Movement

By Paul Keith Davis

Over the course of several weeks the Holy Spirit has once again given several prophetic experiences pointing to the coming apostolic movement. Although the Western Church has several ministries that are functioning in apostolic ways, we have yet to see the true demonstration of New Testament apostolic ministry the way it will be revealed before the end comes. It is crucial at this point in history that we as a generation not settle for anything less than the fullness of our biblically defined heritage.

Clearly we are living in what the Bible defined as the “end of the age.” Even so, the Word is emphatic that the gospel of the Kingdom must be preached in all the world before the end can come. There is a gospel that has been preached throughout the world, but not the gospel of the Kingdom in its fullness as outlined by Scripture and demonstrated by the Lord Jesus Himself and His early apostles. Nevertheless, because time is short, the imminent emergence of this ministry is apparent for a quick work to facilitate the great harvest.

This ministry will come forth not only with insightful revelatory messages of divine truth but also miraculous demonstrations of power through righteous vessels of honor and valor. There is something coming that has not yet been given birth that will provide clarity and identity to numerous ministers and ministries to facilitate their mandate and accomplish their commission. We must hold out for the best wine!

Several years ago the Lord gave me a very compelling prophetic experience or vision to depict the qualities and nature of apostolic ministry according to His definition. In the experience a heavenly messenger entered a room with the loud and definitive announcement, “the Apostolic is coming.” As he did, a voice of ultimate authority echoed from Heaven saying, “The Apostolic IS coming.”

With that affirmation, the messenger continued, “we had better get a good understanding of apostolic ministry under us… for it will be on top of us before we know it. Samuel is a type of this apostolic leadership. The Lord did let none of his words fall to the ground nor did he beg his bread from the people.”

The Spirit of Prophecy

In this experience the Lord indicated valuable attributes through the life and ministry of Samuel the prophet, depicting qualities He desires to impart to the apostolic leadership soon to emerge. Careful study in Samuel’s life provides key secrets to help qualify for this mandate and touch the Father’s heart in preparation.

Very often, prophetic experiences of this nature highlight personalities we know and recognize as a true prophet to symbolize the Lord’s Voice or the Spirit of Prophecy bringing a timely and relevant message.

When the messenger announced on the earth that the apostolic is coming, it was verified with a Heavenly Voice to accentuate its certainty. In Scripture, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Lord to take up His residence in Him, a Heavenly Voice was heard affirming this great reality. (Luke 3:22)

Likewise, when the disciples witnessed the Lord’s transfiguration, they also heard the confirming Voice declaring Him to be the Son of God Who’s words were eternal. The attesting Voice indicates a truth that is established with certainty to be readily accepted.

True apostolic ministry is coming and the more thorough our understanding of it, the more likely we will be to sustain this awesome ministry without being overcome by the intensity and power of it. Let us pray that we can faithfully administer this notable responsibility with character and integrity.

Saying Only What He Says

The Lord did let none of Samuel’s words fall to ground. What a profound indication of intimacy and fellowship between the Lord and His leadership.

And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. -1 Samuel 3:19

Like Samuel, true Apostles must become so intimate with the Lord that they say nothing in His name but what they receive by revelation of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1.12) Samuel did not speak in the name of the Lord presumptuously nor carelessly. Therefore, God’s Spirit was able to perfectly support the words he spoke in the Name of the Lord.

Scripture describes the Lord, our ultimate example, as being so yielded to the Holy Spirit that He said nothing but what He heard from the Father and did nothing but what He saw the Father doing. John 14:10 affirms this saying:

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.

This apostolic generation can likewise abide in such a place of total surrender to God’s Spirit that He would let none of our words “fall to the ground” because we would not speak in His name unless we first heard from Him. Romans 8:14 declares, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” The Holy Spirit abiding in us will do the same works through us that He did in the Lord, fulfilling the prophetic promise of John 14.12.

He Did Not Beg His Bread

One of the most notable attributes in Samuel’s life was his determination not to abuse his position and privileges before God and the people. There was not one person in all of Israel who could bear witness against Samuel for pleading for money, possessions or property. Neither did he allow the spirit of this world to affect his ability to judge the people in righteousness and equity. The apostolic leadership soon to emerge should likewise be characterized by humility and genuine love for the people. 1 Samuel 12:2-4 declares:

I have walked before you from my youth even to this day. Here I am;
bear witness against me before the LORD and His anointed. Whose ox
have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded?
Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to
blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you. They said, You have not
defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.

The apostle Paul admonished the Church of Corinth, and the 21st-century Church, to stand in righteousness to judge the affairs of men with wisdom and truth. To do so we must possess the character of Christ reflected in Samuel to be free from the tendency to abuse the anointing and authority of God for unrighteous gain.

Certainly, there is a place for giving and supporting the work of the ministry and sharing in the fruitful labors of the anointing. This is an issue of the heart and like Paul we must pray to be trustworthy stewards of the mysteries, power and provisions of God. The prosperity coming to the Church will be for Kingdom purposes not personal luxury and extravagance. The Apostolic Church in the book of Acts shared all things in common and delegated resources according to need, thus reflecting love and unity.

The Lord’s Spokesmen

Like Samuel, the anointed leadership the Lord desires to bring to His church will stand before Him as His spokesmen, extracting the precious from the profane. To them, the Lord will be as a fortified wall of bronze and though the enemy will contend with them, he will not prevail because the Lord will be present to save and deliver. This will further the restoration promised through the prophet Joel as evidence of God’s manifest presence. Psalms 99:6-7 speaks of Samuel saying:

Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called on His name; they called upon the LORD and He answered them. He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept His testimonies and the statute that He gave them.

Samuel’s ministry was established by the Lord’s manifest Presence in the order of Moses and Aaron. As priests, they were charged with the role of intercession on behalf of God’s people and instruction in the ways of righteousness. Faithfulness in these areas will begin to lead the church out of Babylonian confusion and restore her to a place of loyalty and consecration to the Lord. As it has been said, if the Lord can find a people without mixture…He will send the Spirit without measure.

These faithful leaders were transitional men in covenant relationship with the Lord for transitional times and marked a point of demarcation for God’s people. This perfectly illustrates the nature of the Apostolic leadership the Lord will use in this day. These three represent the Priest/Prophet/Judge (Kingly) anointing that will be entrusted to this maturing leadership. To each of these three, God proved Himself in Mercy and in Judgement

Priest-Prophet-Judge Anointing

The coming apostolic ministers will be as pillar of cloud by day with prophetic anointing that will function as a pillar of fire by night giving illumination. Each will provide a canopy of protection through the Holy Spirit even as Israel was protected during the judgments of Egypt. The shelter of Goshen will become apparent in the coming season.

The Lord will allow nothing to come upon the earth unless He first reveals His secret
counsel to His servants. (Amos 3:7). Moses, Aaron and Samuel each represent types of the coming government. The manner in which the Lord used these men will also portray the coming leadership and God=s dealings with them. He is going to give divinely granted understanding. God’s word declares that His breath gives understanding and He is going to breathe upon us to give comprehension of these times and the things we must do to walk intimately with Him as His habitation.

Commissioning and Release

Even though Samuel was born through covenant relationship with incredible destiny, he did not experience the supernatural dealings of God until his prophetic commissioning.

Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. -1 Samuel 3:7

Many of God’s people have experienced introductions into this realm and tasted the fruit of this promise. There may be many others who feel as though they do not qualify for this type leadership because they have not had prophetic or supernatural experiences in their life. However, Scripture make it plain; the Word of the Lord had not appeared to Samuel until a very specific commissioning experience released him into his purpose and calling. Many of today’s “Samuels” are hidden and unfamiliar with the visions and revelations of the Lord. Nonetheless, great and profound expressions of the Spirit are imminently awaiting these leaders once the grooming is complete and the timing appropriate for their full and complete release.