In Light of His Preeminent Goodness

A few weeks ago, October 26th-29th 2016, Hearts of Fire International led by Dr. Aaron Winter (of which I am a volunteer on staff) hosted the Northwest Prayer Summit–a four day conference focused on transforming the region through prayer. The focus of the meetings was on prayer and thus there was not much in the way of personal ministry through most of the conference. The last night we held a fire tunnel after James Goll spoke on “A Goodness Revolution,” stating that God is changing our view of Him in light of His preeminent goodness.

For those who aren’t familiar with it, a fire tunnel is a fun-sounding name for a prayer line–almost a prayer gauntlet of sorts where a group of people line up facing each other in pairs and everyone else passes between them and receive prayer and laying on of hands as they walk slowly through the tunnel. This particular fire tunnel started sometime after 10pm, and as part of the staff hosting the event, we had over 2 hours of cleanup left once we finished–and with over 500 people present, the fire tunnel was going to take a while. This fire tunnel was incredibly impromptu and unplanned, taking even the staff by surprise, but attitudes were mostly pretty positive in spite of the additional hours of work it would involve (all told we arrived home around 2 am).

About halfway through, with my wife and I the first pair people passed between, an older woman stopped before entering and asked for prayer for healing her right-sided sciatic pain. I stepped out of line with this woman to keep from blocking everyone else and began to pray. After about ten minutes of working with her, praying and rechecking her pain frequently, doing some emotional healing, and asking Holy Spirit each step of the way what the next move was, her pain was completely gone but she still had numbness in her feet. At that time I sensed the Spirit telling me to send her through the line, and moments after someone came to get me to fix another problem elsewhere, pulling me away from the prayer line.

A bit later the woman found me and informed me that the numbness had left as she went through the line, but that wasn’t all. It turns out she had this pain for a few weeks, and had been asking the Lord for healing throughout the entire 4-day conference. As I stated before, we had only been doing minimal personal ministry throughout the event, and to make matters worse I had gotten a word of knowledge in the previous session for sciatic pain–but on the left side. God, in light of His preeminent goodness, decided that this woman wasn’t going to go home from the event without being healed. She received her healing at the end of the last session of the last day during an unplanned prayer tunnel. I was literally in tears when she told me this, and couldn’t help but start crying as I shared this story with others for days after.

I can’t explain why it is that God’s goodness brings me to tears, but there is something about how incredibly kind He is that overwhelms me at times, and healing is a surefire way to get the waterworks flowing. John 3:16 says that “God loved the world so much that he gave his only son that whomever believed in him would not die . . .” Sickness is simply death-in-process, and healing is a manifestation of God’s love–because God doesn’t want us to die. I am so thankful that Aaron heard and obeyed God that night when he called for the fire tunnel because I know it was an answer to this woman’s incessant pleas for help. And how loving was it of God to ensure that His daughter didn’t leave without getting her need met? Astounding.

If there is one thing that will radically transform our worldview, it is when we get a revelation of God’s goodness. The Bible is chock-full of verses that demonstrate God’s kindness, mercy, and love, but many of us have been brought up with a focus on sin, wrath, and judgment. When we start to see how stunningly kind God is, especially through events such as Him healing that woman’s sciatic pain, it shifts how we expect God to act in the future, raises our faith, and alters our experience. I encourage you to take a few moments and reframe a recent life event in light of His preeminent goodness. It changes everything.

The Gospel According to Shrek 2

My grandkids had Shrek 2 playing the other night, and while I don’t like to re-watch movies much, I sat down with them for a bit to watch, and **spoiler alert** the part playing was toward the end where Fiona and Prince Jerkface (aka Prince Charming) were dancing . Shrek is getting ready to rescue Fiona from the evil fairy godmother, and as I watched, I couldn’t help as tears streamed down my face.

The first few seconds I didn’t understand why I was crying, but as I watched it quickly became clear–This section of the movie is filled with love demonstrated by heroic sacrifice. From Mongo the Giant Gingerbread to Puss in Boots putting themselves at mortal risk (and one of them dying) to stop the soldiers and give Shrek time to rescue his wife to Shrek himself and how he went to any and every length to save his bride, Holy Spirit was nudging my heart that Shrek is a picture of Jesus.

Jesus, like Shrek, wasn’t the best looking, as it says in Isaiah 53:2, “He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” Shrek didn’t have good looks, and even when turned into a human he was plain at best. He didn’t make himself attractive so we would want him because of his physical beauty, but because of his love.

On the other hand, Satan, like Prince Charming, was the picture of beauty. “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you” (Ezekiel 28:12b-15).

Prince Charming was just that–a charmer. He was all about appearance, power, and selfishness, laying down nothing of himself but expecting others to fall at his feet. Shrek wasn’t willing to let his wife be taken away by this wolf in sheep’s clothing, fighting his way into a castle to save her.

It might seem silly, but there is something so incredibly moving about the scene when you watch him and his loyal friends surmount every obstacle to reach their goal. It is amazing to me how God weaves the gospel message in and through everyday life, and how something as simple as a children’s movie, one that includes magic potions and fairy spells—things that usually don’t strike us as “godly”, demonstrates so clearly the great love that Jesus has for us, and that he stopped at nothing, laying down his own life to unite with us once again.

Watch below and be touched by God’s immense love for you.

To watch the whole movie, select the photo below:

The Gospel According to Dr. Strange

The Gospel According to Kung Fu Panda 3

You Are Not the Jackass Whisperer

As a forerunner, I often pursue topics that are ahead of the curve–and I’ve been doing it for much of my life. I learned how to travel in the spirit around twelve years ago, before almost anyone I knew was talking about it (you can read the story here). Over the past 4-5 years I have been focused toward not just trying to raise the dead, but teaching and providing an atmosphere for others to do the same–and only two other ministers I know do this. The past number of years the Lord has been leading me to learn and teach on immortality, and I have authored numerous books that speak of signs, wonders and miracles. In all of this running ahead of much of the pack, I have learned many things, one of which is: I am not the jackass whisperer.

No, really. I’m not. And why is this important to a forerunner? Because I run into it frequently–and if you blaze the trail for others in any area of life you need to hear this. Every time I publish a new book about the miraculous, and probably in almost every discussion I have on social media about resurrection, immortality, or the miraculous, I get a variety of people. Some are interested and want to hear more. Some are skeptical or have differing thoughts than I but we have a good discussion. Still others appear regularly on these threads with apparently no more goal than to disagree, and yet a fourth group appear out of nowhere, leveling the heresy finger, and expecting me to bow to their wishes.

I enjoy the first two, and the third group, while mildly entertaining and somewhat irritating all at once, is usually manageable. The fourth group, however, I am reaching a point of no tolerance for. Their seemingly only goal is to sow chaos and discord, doubt and confusion, and little to nothing they share is uplifting. Quite often their comments are full of baseless assumptions that anyone who has spent any time around me, this blog, or even just connected with me on social media will know are simply not true. Furthermore, they have the gall to tell me about the demonic nature of the contents of my books–books they have never read, mind you, nor would they ever be willing to.

I like to think of myself as someone who gives grace in a lot of situations (such as this one), but I have learned that at some point, I have to set boundaries, and firm ones. I have come to the point where if someone shows up to cause trouble, they are not welcome and I will simply make them go away. The “Block” feature on social media is a wonderful thing. And don’t get me wrong–when someone who appears contrary first comments, I usually let it go for a time or two to see where they are going with it–and to see where their heart is at. They could be one of the ones in group three above who is annoying and mildly contrary but not enough to really warrant blocking. Then again, they could be an out-and-out internet troll, and I simply don’t have time for that.

Correction. I choose not to make time for that. Really, I have far better things to do with my time than babysit the jackasses in the world. I’m not the jackass whisperer–and neither are you! It’s our job to run forward and pave the way. To explore new things, test the waters, and discover all that is out there for us to find. We don’t have the time to be held back by those whose only goal is to, well, hold us back. So the next time you come across someone who is inexplicably contrary to you, remember that it’s not your job to fix them, and most likely they won’t let you. Shake the dust off and keep walking. After all, even if someone else signs up for the job, you are not the jackass whisperer either.

A New Season is Upon You

Ten years ago this month, the Lord sent me to a ministry school at a large charismatic church a few hours from where I lived. During the five months I spent there (of what was supposed to be 2-year school) I ended up meeting a woman there who is now my wife. At the Lord’s leading, I got married and resigned from the school–and we were both promptly kicked out of the church. For those who don’t know me well, it was a very difficult season in my life, having been newly married in what was a completely God-ordained surprise, and having my family and almost all of my friends turn on me at the same time. During that period my wife and I were also badly attacked spiritually by a local coven, and the ripple effects of that continued for years afterward.

Fast forward to last weekend, I was helping a friend out with a conference in the Portland area (we moved to Portland about 8 years ago). Jeff Jansen and Gary Oates were the speakers, and it was a really awesome time. The Friday night session, Jeff was speaking about us entering into a new cycle of time in the region and nation, and how the Lord is stirring things up to release the Kingdom in miracles, healing, and revival on an entirely new level yet again. The Holy Spirit was moving on me the entire time–I was crying on and off, occasionally sobbing, throughout the entire message and during the ministry time afterwards.

At first I didn’t know why I was crying, although I could tell it was God at work, and then the Lord began to speak to me about renewing my destiny. You see, ten years back I was passionate about miracles, signs, and wonders and seeing the Kingdom released in demonstrations of the Spirit’s power. Those who know me will probably read this and wonder how that is different from right now, but trust me, it was. It’s not that I am less passionate now, but I believe in that season there was a window of time the Lord had opened for me, and because of the situation surrounding my marriage, that opportunity was unknowingly lost.

From my perspective, I used to worship almost every night, spend usually one to two hours soaking in God’s presence every day, and regularly fast and pray over myself to increase in things of the spirit. I used to spend six hours every weekend interceding for friends, family, the nation, my local church, and God’s plan for my life. On the one hand, it could be said that I did a lot of “religious” activities, but for me at that juncture, it was how I was pursuing the things of God. And truth be told, I still value those things even if I haven’t been doing them much in the years since. The Lord even suggested to me that when I wake up at strange hours of the night due to my work schedule, and can’t fall back asleep, that I should spend some time soaking with Him and enjoying His presence–as a way to fit that into my current life schedule.

After the Lord shared this revelation with me, Jeff prophesied a brief word over me, speaking about touching the nations with miracles, signs, and wonders, and releasing God’s power into the world. He spoke about teaching schools to help others learn to do this as well–something that my wife and I have been discussing recently. My body was trembling as I stood there, and I could feel this electric power of Holy Spirit course through my legs and arms–a familiar feeling, but one I had not experienced for a while. Even the atmosphere of the meeting was electric–and reminded me of how meetings used to be, back before my wife and I got the “big E” of excommunication. In all honesty, I don’t think I have felt that level of glory in the ten years since, until the other night.

I am excited for the days ahead. I am not entirely sure what God did that night, but I can tell some inner healing took place in areas I didn’t know needed it. I feel that my spiritual vigor has been renewed in a hard-to-describe sort of way, and I am more excited now than I was before about seeing God’s heart of love change the nations of this world. God told me that I have entered a new season in my life, and I believe it!

The story doesn’t end there–you see, I am beyond blessed that God touched me, but I still have things I am contending for and I know many others who are in a similar position. God spoke to me during the Saturday morning session and said that someone there had been asking God for a prophetic word the entire conference–and hadn’t gotten it yet. He shared the flowing with me, which I shared with the group. Multiple people came up to me afterwards and told me that they were “that person.” I believe it will speak to you as well:

“I am proud of you. You have stood the test of time and I am releasing you into a new level of my presence. Because you have been faithful with the little, so I will give you the increase in the coming days.”

I believe that a new season is coming upon many, and so I declare prophetically over you that YOU TOO are entering a new season of glory and grace. You are entering a new time of refreshing and renewal, and God is empowering you to touch nations and peoples of this earth. God is releasing angels to some of you with new assignments–some of them are carrying the breakthrough you have been contending over in prayer for years. There is at least one person who is in litigation over a property dispute, and you will find that in the next few weeks that the problems seem to dissolve in front of you. Where the judge was previously unfavorable, that is going to change. Where lawyers and businesses were closed to you, favor is replacing it. God is releasing a refreshing to many of you, and your ability to see in the spirit is going to increase considerably in the coming days. Some of you have struggled to hear God’s voice, and that is going to clear up shortly. And while all is not always daisies and roses, God is a good God and will always see you through the hard times, because He will never leave or forsake you, no matter how it feels. Be blessed, and may a new level of renewal spark positive change in your life.

I Will Never Be Afraid Again

I recently stumbled across a song by Basshunter while listening to one of my Pandora channels. The lyrics go as follows:

“I will never be afraid again, I will keep on fighting ’till the end. I can walk on water, I can fly. I will keep on fighting ’till I die.”

I had never heard the song before and it struck a chord in my heart. My granddaughters now also love this song, and while we adjust the lyrics slightly to include never dying, there is something that touches me. The song is a declaration that I live without fear and exceed the constraints I have learned to live under.

Matthew 19:26 says, “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'” We have gotten used to a world full of limitations–bodies that grow frail and die, natural laws that bind us, and matter that limits us. We were never designed to be trapped on earth but to steward it. This earth that was once our domain has become our prison–but Jesus died to set us free.

Where once we were bound by the constraints of matter, Jesus showed us another way by taking authority over wind and waves and multiplying loaves and fish. Where once we were bound by natural laws, Jesus showed us another way by teleporting, levitating, and walking on water. Where once we were fated to grow old and die, Jesus showed us another way through resurrection, and where he said ” . . . whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:26).

I want to remind you today that you not afraid–you are an overcomer. You are a fighter. You can and will keep going–don’t stop until you reach your goals and achieve your dreams! God has sent angels to watch over you, and given them orders to destroy every barrier in your path. Your weapons are powerful to tear down every stronghold the enemy places in your path. You will never be afraid again, never bow down again, and never die. You are completely filled with Holy Spirit who gives you limitless power to make this earth like heaven. I encourage you to let this song fill your soul with hope as you go forth and change the world!

Struggling to Accept the Goodness of God

While reading Tyler Johnson’s book “How to Raise the Dead” a few months back, I hit upon a section where he talks about the goodness of God–and how when we are afraid of God, specifically afraid that God is going to harm us in any way, we lack understanding about God’s nature. Whether one cares to raise the dead or not, this passage struck a chord within me.

I recall quite clearly the first night I ever experienced gemstones appearing from heaven. Jewels were literally falling all around us–both appearing on the floor and falling from midair. At one point I lay on the ground and said “Hit me God,” expecting and hoping that gems would fall on me. As I lay there, fear began to creep in. I had seen some large stones–one of which was fist-sized, and began to get afraid that God would drop a large one on my groin, stomach, or face (To read more about this and other testimonies of the gem miracle, pick up a copy of my book Gemstones From Heaven).

On some level we might think “that’s absurd–why would God do that?” but the fear was there nonetheless. When it did happen a minute later or so, they fell on my left shoulder instead, and I felt relieved. For whatever reason, that moment has stuck with me. How could I be so afraid that God was going to harm me like that? What made me believe that God would be so cruel? It was a stark juxtaposition if we consider that we were having jewels lavishly thrown at us, and here I was afraid that they would hit my family jewels instead.

That was years ago, but even to this day I struggle on some level with accepting God’s goodness, and I am pretty sure I’m not alone. For some reason, it is far easier to believe that God is cruel, mean, or unkind than it is to believe that he is first of all pure, peace-loving, considerate, and full of mercy (James 3:17). Something about our experiences with others–and often with our own fathers, has taught us that God can’t be trusted, can’t be kind, and will generally return our desires for his affection with anger. It’s sad, really. And consciously, I know it’s not true, but there remain places within me that struggle to accept what I understand is quite clearly God’s nature of pure love.

Even as I was reminded of this event, and the fear and trepidation I had associated with those moments, I found myself appreciative that God brought it to my memory. I truly believe that in order for us to gain a deeper revelation of God’s goodness, we need to be healed of the emotions and transform our beliefs that suggest His nature is contrary. When God reveals to us the areas of darkness within our hearts and minds, it isn’t to create shame or show us how unworthy we are–God already knows we struggle with value and identity and sin and shame. He isn’t interested in pointing out our flaws for any reason other than to make us pure and to set us free.

I believe that a revelation of God’s goodness is important pertaining to resurrection of the dead, but it hits on every aspect of our lives–how we deal with conflict, lack, troubling circumstances, death, anger, fear, rejection, anxiety, hopelessness, depression, and every other problem or emotion that exists. I believe that God’s goodness is a foundational truth that God, in His great love and mercy, is restoring to the Church so that we as the Body can live the abundant, overcoming life He has promised us again and again. I highly recommend Tyler’s book, as I believe it presents one of the clearest and most complete perspectives on God’s goodness, but whether you read the book or not, I encourage each and every reader to look at your own beliefs about God. Do you feel the Father treats you like Jesus? Every area where you feel God the Father treats you differently than Jesus would is an invitation to pray that God reveals His heart and heals hurt places deep inside and to help us turn toward truth, grace, and love.

I believe God is preparing us as the Body to walk in unprecedented levels of signs, wonders, and miracles, and it all begins with a renewed mind so that we can walk in our identity as the much-loved sons and daughters of the King–the beloved with whom He is well pleased. Go in peace.

God, Gays, and the Orlando Shooting

Generally speaking, I don’t like reading about tragedies on social media for days on end, and I rarely have anything to add to the conversation so it is uncharacteristic of me to write a blog post on the subject, but after waking up yesterday afternoon from a dream (I work on night shift and often sleep during the day), the dream stuck with me and something I heard on the news later about the Orlando Shooting nearly made me cry while caring for a patient at work.

What I remember of the dream was fairly simple. I was talking to a young guy–early twenties, college-aged. We were getting on a bus to go somewhere and continued to chat. At some point in the dream I mentioned to him that we needed to get shirts that said something to the effect that God isn’t mad at people because they are gay. In the dream I think I may have had one appear on me while I was telling him. Then I woke up.

The night before last I was awake most of the night working on my newest book, Feathers From Heaven, and I vaguely caught something on my Facebook feed about this shooting, but I didn’t look up any details on it. When I awoke from my dream, I knew that something was up, and my brother-in-law told me about the shooting shortly thereafter. On the drive to work I felt in my spirit that something was wrong–a nondescript feeling I couldn’t describe but utter sadness, to the point that I was crying while driving my truck to work even though I had no words to explain why.

At the hospital, I was working with a patient when I heard on the TV in their room that buses had been taking people away from the danger zone to another safe location. Right then it hit me that I was riding a bus in my dream, with a message that God doesn’t hate people becasue they are gay, and that instead He loves them very much. I realized that many people are going to start running their mouths and spouting off that this is God’s judgment against the gay community.

Let me be extremely clear: God is NOT judging anyone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or any other sexual orientation, and He certainly isn’t commissioning people to commit acts of murder and sheer evil such as the shooting in the Orlando bar. It’s wrong, and it isn’t God’s heart. God loves gays. He doesn’t love people more or less based on who they sleep with or what actions they take. And you know what? Except for the grace of God I’d probably be gay too. Maybe even I’d be in a bar somewhere getting shot at. What makes me different than anyone in that bar? God’s goodness, nothing more and nothing less.

The beautiful thing about what Jesus did on the cross is that God is no longer counting our sins against us. Some people consider being gay a sin. Others don’t. Regardless of where you stand, the Bible is very clear that God isn’t standing in heaven with a lightning bolt waiting to smite people–He doesn’t have any smiting left to give because Jesus willingly took all judgment and wrath upon himself. God has nothing but love and kindness to give, which is really all He had to begin with.

It is very important that in the days ahead we make sure to avoid judgment, anger, hate, and anything along those lines when talking to people in the gay community. You know what? People are afraid. If nothing else, this attack accomplished that. People now have even more of a reason to fear for their lives simply because they are alive and breathing. And you know what else? It’s our job to do something about it. Whether we make shirts or signs and stand at a gay pride parade or even just refrain from posting judgmental comments on social media, let us all make an effort to dispel fear, encourage love, and generally just be decent people without making this mass murder about guns, who we sleep with, or anything other than an opportunity to love some hurting people and pray for them.

What would Jesus do in this situation? Likely, he would operate in power and raise the dead. He would be kind to the brokenhearted. He would lift up the downcast and sit with the grieving. Jesus would be the living embodiment of the kindness and goodness that are the only things that bring healing in this type of situation. He would love, and love deeply. We are given many options of how to respond today. Let us choose to be Jesus to someone.

The Kindness of Jesus

This past week I have been repeatedly struck by the kindness of Jesus. A friend returned from a mission trip to India and had some great stories to share. My wife and I had sent money with them and my wife had a word of wisdom that the money was to be kept in reserve and that there would come a time during the trip that they were to take it out and use it. There was indeed an occasion like that on the trip, covering a small portion of the costs to drill a well, while most of the money was used to buy sewing machines for widows to support themselves, as their husbands had all been killed by tigers. When I heard what God had set up and how the money was used, I was in tears.

Yet again, another friend who holds online ministry sessions every few weeks, received a testimony the other day from a woman who took part in a recent session. This woman had a stroke three years prior, and had been confined to a wheelchair from the stroke deficits, as well as poor circulation that made her constantly cold. After prayer, she felt immediate warmth flowing through her body as her circulatory system was being healed. She has regained some sensation on the affected side, and has started to be able to walk again, albeit slowly. The moment I read this, I began to cry; Jesus is so incredibly kind.

On the way to work tonight I began praying for a friend who has been under attack from warlocks, and I began to pray for my family and for my own health and life. I was struck with a sense of the love of Jesus, and as I began to focus on Him, I sensed him wanting to come into the cab of my truck. I cleared my bag off my passenger seat, and for the second time in my life I had the knowing that Jesus was sitting to my right. The love that was pouring out of him was sensational, and I yet again began to cry. I had a vision of myself covered with layers of chains and many locks, and I saw a top layer of chains and locks all come loose and fall right off. What looked like a hard metal vest then got unlocked and fell off me, and beneath were a bunch of slimy black demonic beings that were washed off of me. Right after I had this vision, I began to get suddenly nauseous, and while gagging I had a major burp that felt like it was ripping my stomach out as the demons left my body. I have no idea what Jesus set me free from–and it doesn’t even matter. What struck me again was his kindness–that in his love he came into my space and did something so incredibly kind for me just because he loves me.

Those of you who know me well know I absolutely love the supernatural, and I enjoy greatly when God manifests His goodness in our lives, but when I see these types of acts of God’s kindness it often brings me to tears. There is a short segment in the beginning of the Finger of God movie where this woman is in a meeting and she supernaturally receives gold fillings. She goes on to explain that her teeth badly needed work but she didn’t have the money to get the dental work done. Instead, Jesus fixed her teeth himself.

We all face struggles and difficulties in life, and for some it can seem like the defeats are more frequent than the victories. In the midsts of life’s trials, I find it helpful to refocus on the good things. Jesus is the kindest person we will ever meet. It is impossible to outdo his goodness because he demonstrates his love in so many ways. The ones I have shared here were all moments of His kindness that brought me to tears, but there are so many other ways that Jesus is kind in my life and yours. As we focus on his kindness there is a shift that happens in our hearts and we cannot help but be even more consumed by His love.

How has Jesus demonstrated His kindness to you and those you know this week? And how will you let His kindness to you shape your treatment of others?

What Do You Have in Your House?

A few years back my wife and I started looking at ways to make more money. We had no income to speak of outside our two jobs, and from a financial-stability perspective it is wise to have multiple sources of income, thereby reducing risk if any of those income sources dries up. We had discussed trying to buy and rent or flip houses, but the amount of startup capital we needed for even a down payment was at the limit of what we could afford, leaving no money to do repairs and no cushion to account for risk. In other words, there was no safe way to start out in real estate. Getting another job for either of us didn’t seem practical, as no one ever got rich off of working multiple jobs, and we were looking to add extra streams of income, not temporary extra employment. We had a couple of potential business ideas, any of which might have worked, but as I prayed about it I felt God bring my remembrance back to a passage in 2 Kings.

The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”

Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”

Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” 2 Kings 4:1-7 (NIV)

God gave me a window into His wisdom to solve financial problems, not just for my wife and I, but for people as a whole. In this story, when the woman went to the prophet, in that culture it was the equivalent of talking directly to God, as the prophet was God’s oracle. God’s response in that situation was “What is at hand? What is currently available to you? What skills and resources do you currently have at your disposal, because that is what I plan to use to solve your problem.”

In Matthew 15:29-29 Jesus is on a mountainside near the Sea of Galilee and speaks to 4,000 men and their families. When it comes time to eat Jesus doesn’t send them away, fearing for their health. Instead he turned to the disciples and asked, “How many loaves do you have?” The question Jesus asked here is much the same as the question God was asking through Elisha in 2 Kings. God wanted to know what they had on-hand so He could fix it! Not only that, but God isn’t interested in just solving your problem–he wants to do one better and solve your future problems!

This is how God has done things all along. He said something similar to the Israelites too. In Deuteronomy 8:18 it says “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so it confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. [emphasis mine]” God wants to give us the ability to produce wealth, not just the ability to pray for a solution to the current problem. One of a few determining factors in me deciding to become an author was financial–a book serves as a source of ongoing residual income via royalties that according to copyright laws lasts a lifetime–and seventy years beyond. In other words, by writing books I wouldn’t just be creating income for myself, but potential income for my grandchildren!

Finances weren’t the only deciding factor, as I have planned to publish books since I was 14, and I have a great many things to say I believe the world needs to hear. However, finances did play a part in the decision to begin with writing and move to other income streams later. I figured with the money obtained from book sales I could invest in real estate and pay a management company to run the rentals, thereby freeing my time to continue writing and doing other things. The long-term plan is to take the profit from the above sources and invest further for Kingdom pursuits. I believe God is opening up a new ministry model which involves us doing the things we feel led to do because God has given us the resources, not because we are beholden to everyone else to meet the need. To do this, we have to start somewhere.

I recently had a conversation with a mom who wants to stay at home with her kids but also needs to make money. I suggested a few things but one was something she had on-hand, which in this case was also book-writing. I’m not saying everyone should be an author, but some people have an ability to communicate in written form and it can be both a ministry and a business. I have friends who are fantastic at construction, and they would be fantastic with rentals and house-flipping. I know someone else who is gifted with music and has produced CDs, but isn’t currently trying to market and sell them. While in each case it looks different, the common theme is that they each have something God has given them, and I believe this is a means to an end–the power to get wealth.

For those who struggle financially, or who work a job and aren’t seeing the long-term payoff they desire, who want to reduce financial risk, or just want to provide something for their children or grandchildren, be encouraged–God is 100% behind you on this! Take some time to think and pray about it. As yourself questions: What are your life goals and dreams? How much money will it take to accomplish them? What financial goals do you need to set to make that possible? What abilities has God given you? How can those skills be turned into a product or service that will produce income? How plausible are those ideas? How do they compare with the other abilities and options God has given you? What do you sense God is blessing the most right now?

Once you answer the above questions, I believe you will have a clearer picture of how God wants to bless you financially through the abilities He has already given you. Keep in mind that at the end of the day any product or service of quality is ultimately going to help other people. It doesn’t have to look spiritual, but according to the passages I shared earlier, making money is very spiritual, and there are a myriad of benefits from taking God up on His advice. I encourage you to set aside some time, whether now or in the future, to ponder your life goals and dreams, and how you plan to accomplish them. God may just surprise you with ideas when you start to look at things from His perspective. Have a blessed day!

Entering the Kingdom Age

There is a massive shift taking place in the Body of Christ–a transition from the Church Age into the Kingdom Age. Believers are leaving churches in droves in search of the deeper life they instinctively know is available. Holy Spirit is drawing the people out of the church as it has, in many ways, become the new Egypt. Yes, there are many honorable, God-loving and God-fearing men and women who still serve and engage in the “normal” way that church has been done in the past, and this is in no way meant to condemn these people or say that what they are doing is wrong–God will lead each of us individually. However, it must be seen that there is a reason people are fleeing Egypt to head toward a new Promised Land.

While some may find this comparison to be a bit drastic, I don’t feel it is that way at all. Those who leave are often kicked out or were treated so poorly inside the church that it is clear they were not valued, much as the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. Some who leave are in search of something deeper, but many are just in search of something different, something more authentic that isn’t about building a newer, bigger, better pyramid for the current Pharaoh and being used to leverage a larger empire for the church leadership. As they leave they head toward a Promised Land that, like the Hebrews, they have never seen before and are taking it on faith that on the other side of the wilderness up ahead is a better life.

Truthfully, for those who have left the church it is at first very much like a wilderness, often drifting about searching for springs of living water to navigate through the otherwise spiritually dry desert. Some, however, discover quite quickly that at any time they can call forth water from the rocks and find that without all of the external trappings of religion that they are able to drink even more deeply from that fountain of Living Water that is Jesus. Where before there was a list of rules to measure up to, now there is freedom to follow the cloud by day and the pillar by night wherever it may take them.

Even as I am typing this, there is a fire alarm that just went off in the hospital building I am in. This is a prophetic picture that Rome is burning–the church is sick and in need of a doctor, the Great Physician, the only one who can breathe life into a dying system. And it is possible that God is standing silently by waiting for it to breathe its last so he can resurrect the Remnant from its ashes, raising them up to look like His bride, without spot or blemish.

There is a clarion call going out into the earth in these days, a call to wake up. A call to freedom. A call to being. A call to authenticity, and relationship, and oneness. Jesus is determined to have his bride, and He will wrest them from the hands of any who stand in his way, even if that be leaders in the churches. Gone are the days of the top-down leadership where everyone else sits and blindly follows in pews like sheep. Instead, as Jeremiah prophesied in Jeremiah 31:34a, there is coming a day, and even now we are stepping into the firstfruits of it, where “no longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the Lord.” Regardless of whether you are in the “corporate church” or the body of Christ who has left the four walls, there is a shift and we must refocus to step fully into the Kingdom Age, which has already begun. Let’s go!