An Update On My Life

I know it's been a minute since I made a post. I think it's time I fill some of you in on what's been going on.

To begin, we are now back in Paso Robles. Sometime back in late June/ early July, the Lord clearly told me during a church service that I was to go back to Paso Robles. The purpose was to reclaim the anointing that I left behind when I left. God told me that the return to PR would not be a permanent one. I don't know what kind of time frame that means for us being here but I am ready to do whatever He asks of me while we are here. I am dead-set on reclaiming what was stolen from me and what I gave up so easily. I firmly believe that when He is ready for us to move on to our next assignment, He will speak as clearly as He did in telling me to come back.

When He told me to come back, I had no idea how long it would be before He made the arrangements for our return. I was consistent in prayer and seeking Him. In time, He found me a job where I have the favor of my employers and they know exactly why I am here. In addition to the timing and provision of a job, He made the finances for the move (rental truck, gas, food, hotels) just appear from literally out of no where. All I can say is that, He is faithful to His children!

When we got here I fully expected for Him to supernaturally provide a house. I figured that since He had provided for the move and all the other things that we needed, He would provide a house. He did but not from where I expected. We are currently living with my parents. It's not an ideal situation but it is where He has us for now.

Amidst all the changes, adjustments, turmoil, heartaches, pain, and through all the not knowing on our part, I am convinced that He knew about all of this. He knew what moving back here would require of us. Not only that but He put inside of us everything that we need to accomplish what He expects of us. And for that I am grateful that the life "which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

Death becomes me

It's Time To Pick A Fight!!

I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!! ENOUGH OF THE ENEMY'S DESTRUCTION HAPPENING AROUND ME!!

I AM PICKING A FIGHT!! I AM DECLARING WAR ON THE ENEMY!! THE BATTLE LINES ARE DRAWN!!

I HAVE ALLOWED A SPIRIT TO INTRUDE ON MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND CHURCH!! THIS SPIRIT HAS ATTACKED MARRIAGES AND THE CALLING OF GOD UPON THE LIVES OF THOSE AROUND ME!!

THIS IS IT!! THE TIME HAS COME!! I CAN NO LONGER SIT IDLY BY AND WATCH AS THIS SPIRIT UNLEASH IT'S FURY UPON THOSE I CARE ABOUT!!

THIS SPIRIT CAME IN THROUGH ME AND IT WILL LEAVE THROUGH ME...BY THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS AND THE POWER THAT HIS NAME CARRIES!!

Father, search me and reveal to me anything or any area that I may still be holding onto that is giving this evil spirit room to operate. Holy Spirit, please come now. Fill me up! When this evil spirit is removed from these lives, please fill them. Leave no room for the enemy to come back. I am surrendered to You, Father. Let Your ill be done...Your kingdom come!!

SO, SPIRIT OF JEZEBEL, I ADDRESS YOU NOW...YOUR TIME HAS COME!! YOU WILL NOT FOLLOW ME AND BRING YOUR DESTRUCTION!! LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE!! LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!! LEAVE MY CHURCH ALONE!! IN THE NAME OF JESUS, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO OPERATE IN THE LIVES OF THOSE THAT ARE CLOSE TO ME!! TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THEM!! LEAVE NOW AND GO TO A DRY AND DESOLATE PLACE!! SEEK YOUR REST...FIND NONE!! BECAUSE OF THE WORK OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS AND HIS RESURRECTION, YOU HAVE BEEN DEFEATED!! LISTEN WELL, SPIRIT OF JEZEBEL...WHEN YOU COME DOWN THE DOGS WILL CONSUME YOU!!

BECAUSE I'M DEAD TO THIS WORLD AND ALIVE TO CHRIST, I RUSH HEADLONG INTO THE FIGHT...

Death becomes me

Where'd They Go?

It seems like I don't have enough time to get these thoughts out of my head and on this site before I have another one that demands to be addressed.

Like I said the other day, I am reading in Judges right now. I know why I am reading it but I keep getting more than I was planning on. While thinking about those stories today, the word "heroes" came to me. Obviously, when you read through Judges you could easily come to the conclusion that this book is about heroes of old. But, it seemed that after I heard the word "heroes" that a question reverberated in my spirit.

"WHERE DID THEY GO?"

It kind of made me uncomfortable when I heard it. And yet, I felt a stirring in me. The kind that could only from the Holy One.

Allow me to share with you where this question brought me to today.

If we look at scripture, whenever the enemy started to build strength and would attempt some sort of attack upon Israel or the church, God always brought along a person that would, by the power of God working through them, be a stronger force than the enemy's. Without fail, God always had a greater force in one man or woman that would submit to Him than the whole of the enemy's army.

Ehud, the judge, took down Eglon, King of Moab.

Gideon slew a whole army with water pots and, torches, and horns.

Jehu had Jezebel thrown down from her balcony.

Peter, by his words, killed Ananias and Saphhira.

And, the ultimate, Jesus destroyed Satan when He paid for it all on the cross...and then came back with the keys to death, hell, and the grave!

The point I am making is that whenever God's people needed a deliverer...or shall I say, hero...He always raised one up.

Isaiah 59:19 says that "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him."

Where is the standard? Where are the heroes? Where are the ones that have been ignited with the breath of the Most High that are willing to do whatever must be done to help free His people?

His Word tells us that He is the same God, yesterday, today, and forever. If He has made it His nature to always raise up a hero to save His own, where are they now?

I know that the war between His Kingdom and the enemy's was finished at the cross but we still are having to deal with the death throes from the enemy. And he is not going away quietly. He is taking any and all he can with him.

So, again, where are the heroes?

I believe that the day and age that we live in is more wicked than any other since time began. Every other time that humanity became wicked and turned from the Father, He sent a hero.

Where'd they go?

It is my firm belief that the enemy learned some things from our forefathers and he learned some things about our God. He learned that the Father always raised up a hero to defeat his plans. He learned that every time that God got a hold of a person, that person would be changed and would become the next hero. So, what has he done? The enemy has made every attempt to take out the potential heroes. The enemy understands that if he can silence and destroy the heroes, he will have all the time he needs to rape and pillage the people of God. The enemy has gotten so bold as to walk into our churches and literally pluck from our hands the people that hold the potential to be the next hero for the body of Christ. But, it does not end here...

Thank you, Father, that You know all things and have all power!!

The Father knows what the enemy has planned. He knows who He has chosen to be a hero.

A quick side note that will work itself into this post in a minute...

Did you know that when nations have gone to war with other nations, and have sent their young men of to battle, the next generation has a literal explosion in the birth of male babies?

The heroes are still here. The heroes just don't know they are meant to be heroes...yet! However, our God is in the process of raising up a generation of heroes. Not just one or two but a whole generation! We have not seen the heroes in a long time. We may have even thought they were extinct. But, God always saves a remnant. In these last days, we will see an explosion of uncompromising Christians that are willing to throw down the Jezebels and plunge the knife into the King Eglons. He is breathing on His people the breath of righteous indignation and boldness.

Are you one of the heroes that He is raising up?

As I close, let me say this...

Do not be discouraged by what you see the enemy do around you. But, be encouraged. Take heart. For when you see the enemy coming in strong...kind of like a flood...that is the cue for God to breathe upon His chosen hero.

The heroes are coming!

Death becomes me

Surprise, Surprise!!

We just got back from Target. Guess what I saw? A new novel by Stephanie Meyer. Who is Stephanie Meyer, you ask? The author of the famed Twilight series. And you know the problems I have with Twilight!!

This is not at all meant as an attack against Mrs. Meyer. I believe that she has been deceived by the enemy and that her purpose as a writer has been manipulated by the darkness.

If you want, you can read the story synopsis on Wikipedia. This new novel is entitled The Host. I picked up a copy while there and read the jacket for more information. Guess what I found?

Surprise, surprise!! The story line is basically about demon possession. That is really the long and short of it. There are a whole lot of other things that are incorporated into the story but demonic activity and possession is at the core of it.

For those that choose to live with their eyes open to spiritual matters, this comes as no surprise.

I mean, what do you expect from an author that writes a story about vampires and werewolves and gets the whole of society, including strong believers to buy into in because it is back dropped by a love story?

This is the way the enemy works. He makes something that will seduce many and then will up the ante in order to continue the seduction.

If vampires falling in love with humans and werewolves protecting them will not cause you to run in the opposite direction, then the concept of demon possession as the norm shouldn't cause too many more problems.

This society is falling faster and faster. You had better die to yourself, the world, and it's influence now before you can't anymore.

Death becomes me

Sleeping With The Enemy

I started reading the book of Judges the other day. It seemed a good place to start to research the purpose that God puts on our lives. The whole book is filled with stories of people that had purpose placed on their lives and how they dealt with the gravity of that purpose.

In my reading, I came across something very interesting. But, in order to explain let's go back to the book of Joshua.

In Joshua 1, God commands Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the promised land. God told Joshua that He was giving him every place that he tread upon and that no one would be able to stand before him all his days. In the Message, it says no will be able to hold out against you.

Now, let's skip forward....

In the first chapter of Judges, it recounts the tribes (or individuals in one of the tribes) and their conquests in Canaan. Some of the people that went in to claim their land managed to root out the inhabitants. However, the majority of the Israelites did not clear the land of the enemy. In fact, it says that since they couldn't move them out they just decided to move in as neighbors... my paraphrase, of course.

Is this not absolutely ludicrous?!?!?!

Why would the children of Israel allow their enemies to stay when God said He was giving them the land? Why would they think that being neighbors with the enemy be an acceptable compromise? Why compromise at all? Why not fight until they were completely rooted out?

Why would they allow the stubbornness of the will of men to supersede the authority of the spoken Word of God?

Sounds kind of crazy, huh? How about another crazy thought...

If you knew, beyond a shadow of doubt, that there was a terrorist living next door to you, what would you do? Would you let him play with your children? Watch your house while you were gone? Loan him your car? Greet him in the morning on your way to work? I think not...

But, this is what we, as Christians in America, have done.

We have made peace with the things that oppose the spoken and written Word of God. Rather than roust the enemy in all of his forms, we have decided to make him our neighbor. We find that it is easier to be cohabitants in the promised land of God with the accursed instead of taking God at His Word. We think it is better to live with and make the enemy our slave than to utterly annihilate his very existence from our lives. The enemy will do it to you, if you give him a chance!

How long would you sleep with the enemy before you took his life? How long would you live with the one determined to end your life and the purpose God has on your life?

Well, friends, I have had enough!

Therefore, I make this declaration...

What God has promised me will be mine! Any peace treaty I have made with the enemy is now null and void! If it was not written with the blood of my Savior, it is not binding...for me or my family! I will not, now or ever, make peace with the enemy! His Word has told me no one will be able to stand before me all of my days! His Word has told me where ever my feet touch, it will be mine! Even though the enemy will not go easily, he still has to go. Since I have surrendered to the King, I will not surrender to another! I will not fear the battle or the death that may come as a result of my declaration and stance...

'CAUSE I'M ALREADY DEAD!

Death become me

The Fight of My Life

Whenever I tell someone about my blog or I hear that someone has recommended it to another, I always say, " Read it from the beginning. That's the only way to really understand it." Some of the posts make sense on their own but to understand what has happened to me, you have to get all of it.

In the past few weeks, I have been hearing a couple of things from my King. The first one is the word..."PURPOSE". I plan on writing more about that later. The other thing I have been hearing is more of a phrase..."It's time to get to fighting weight!"

When I heard this I immediately had the vision of a boxer or a UFC fighter. When they are not scheduled for a fight they live their lives with a bit more ease than other times. However, when they have a match scheduled and the time is approaching, they begin to get serious about their work. They begin more training and harder training. They begin to get extremely focused in their resolve. They cut out all the unnecessary things of their life, at least for the time that they are preparing for the match. They eat better and sleep more. They push themselves harder than usual. They shed excess weight to get back to their fighting weight.

Right now, my King is preparing me for war. I've been hearing and feeling the push to get down to fighting weight. He has shown me a picture of the months to come. I can tell you right now, that spiritually speaking, I am not in shape for what is to come. If He had called me to just an ordinary life with an ordinary purpose, I would be fine. But, I know a small portion of what He has called me to. It is not an easy calling. He is renewing His call to me. He is calling me to the front lines and I must be ready. This will be the fight of my life.

Therefore, I need to go back...go back and read it from the beginning.

I need to go back...back to when I was first aware of the zombie ripping off my life in Christ.

I need to go back...back to the place where I decided to lay down my life so I could truly live as His.

I need to go back...back to the blood-soaked ground where my Jesus took the cross for me.

Not that I need to relearn the lessons learned at the beginning. But...

I need to have to the image of my sins being paid for, with Christ's blood, renewed in my eyes.

I need to have the smell of the zombie's rotting flesh back in my nostrils.

I need to see my chains, broken and piled in a heap at the foot of the cross.

Have I been living wrong or in sin? No. I've just been living lazy. I have not been living worthy of the price paid for me. I have been living as if I had begun to forget how putrid the pig's slop had smelled. God, forgive me for wasting time. God, forgive me for forgetting where I came from.

Off I go into training. I won't necessarily like training in my King's camp but I will love the results He will get when He gets done with me. Not only will the finished product be glorifying to Him, but it will also save my life in the midst of the battle.

1 Corinthians 9:27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

Psalms 144:1 Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.

Father, King, Master,
I am ready for the training You are about to put me through. Get me down to fighting weight. I may not like it but You always know best. I relinquish all of the things from my lazy life and will only engage in what you allow me to. Man of War, train me for war! Teach me to fight! Give me skill for the battle. I am Yours!

Feels like a good day for dying!

Death becomes me

Going To Extremes

What would the apostles and early church leaders think about the way we conduct ourselves as believers? Do you think they would be proud of the message we preach, not only in our churches but our lives?


Recently, my younger sister made some statements and posted some flair on her Facebook about divorce and how mad the enemy makes her. It's rather funny the reactions that she received in response to it. Coming from the mouths of so-called believers were some of the most ridiculous and (this is my blog so I can say what I want) stupid arguments defending divorce I have ever heard.


It is ironic how these Christians can get all up in arms over a fellow believer being upset that a close friend is on the brink of their family being destroyed and yet they frequently take online quizzes about what is their favorite alcohols are and which animals best represent their spirit.


Let me say this now...I am not the standard nor do I claim to be. I am not perfect. I have plenty of my own shortcomings that my Father is working out of me. However, when the Father opens your eyes to things around you, you cannot help but find those things to be an irritant to your spirit.


The reactions that my sister received were just one of the many things that have been irritating me lately.


Think about this...when Jesus came He preached a message that shocked the world. Everything He did was extreme. The message He preached was; the life He lived was. Those that were declaring His coming were; those that followed Him had to be.


Yes, Jesus preached love and compassion. Without a doubt! But, was He being loving and compassionate when He drove out the merchants out of the temple with a whip? No, He was righteously indignant. He had zeal for the house of the Lord.


Christ's forerunner, John, called the Pharisees a brood of vipers when he saw them coming to him for baptism to escape the judgement. In fact, Jesus, called them a brood of vipers in rebuke to their criticism of His ministry. Not very loving or compassionate, huh?


Or how about Peter, when he called Ananias and Sapphira on the carpet about their deceiving the Holy Spirit? They died! Or Paul when he was before the Roman council? He pulled no punches when presenting his case. In fact, he used it as an opportunity to preach the gospel regardless of where it landed him.


So, back to the original question...what would the early church leaders think about us? The Word talks about that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. What would they think about our Christian walk?


I believe that the message that our lives preach and the faith we represent is watered down. No longer do we have the same potency to our faith as those early leaders did. Which is very sad statement if you look at it.


Those church leaders did not have forefathers that laid the groundwork for them. They were having to live and work out their new found faith as the front-runners of the gospel. They did not have the same resources that we have today. We have scholars that have studied the Word of God for years and are able to glean deep truths from it.


Now, here we are, 2000 years later with a faith that has been diluted to the point that it is more culture than Christianity. A faith that looks nothing like the one the early church leaders were living.


Another example...Paul instructed the church to excommunicate a man if he continued to live in sexual immorality after being confronted numerous times. And yet, a doctor, in Kansas, that ran one of only three abortion clinics in the nation that would do an abortion after 23 weeks, was shot and killed last week while he was performing the duties of an usher in his local church. I am sad that another man thought it was his place to take this doctors life but I digress.


The sermons we hear in our churches no longer spur us on to live an extreme faith. We want to hear the words that will make us feel good to be a Christian and not be offensive to others. But, in case you didn't know this, the end is coming. And, the events that will be taking place will be extreme. If the faith that you are living is watered down, it is highly likely that you will not survive the events to come. Is your faith strong enough to stand when you are facing the loss of your life or even worse, the life of your child if you don't renounce Christ? Is your faith extreme enough to withstand the tribulations to come? Or are you so watered down that you can't even stand for righteousness without the tribulation?


As I wrap up this post, this thought occurs to me. Jesus came and had compassion for the lost. Extreme compassion and love for the them. So very extreme that it took Him to the cross. Want to know what He had for those that chose to believe? Righteousness!! EXTREME RIGHTEOUSNESS!! So extreme that He said if you put your hand this plow and looked back, you were not fit for the Kingdom of God.


Where are the strong believers? Where are the ones that will scream at the top of their lungs that sin is sin? Where are the Christians that will make a stand for righteousness despite what others will say? Where are the believers that will be filled with love and compassion for the lost and still be able to strap on the holy armor and go to war when it is needed?


I said earlier that I am not the standard. But, I will raise it! In my own life! In my family! And if you do the same we can return the potency of our faith to this generation!


WHERE YOU AT, PEOPLE OF GOD?!?!?!


Death becomes me