Disappointment

Three times after His resurrection Jesus appeared to very close friends who did not recognize Him. There may be more than one reason they couldn't , but, what is common to each of these situations? Disappointment!

In each of the three episodes the text either confirms or implies that disappointment played a significant role in those who met Jesus after His resurrection and yet did not readily recognize him . Luke 24 chronicles the story of Cleopas and his companions as they sadly trod the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Jesus intrudes into their narrative completely unrecognized and they are ‘sad and gloomy’. Jesus, as only he can, through questioning conversation and revelation eventually unravels their disappointment, they recognize him and he’s gone. Poof!

Mary,(Magadalene I think), returned to the empty tomb disappointed and broken hearted when two angels asked her why she was crying. (Even the angels see things differently than we do with our limited earthly viewpoint!?! They knew the time of heartache was over. Jesus was alive!) Mary’s lament was that she couldn't locate ‘the dead Jesus’ when behind her stood the ‘Live Jesus’, yet she too didn’t recognize Him. Once again, just as in Luke 24, Jesus asks questions until Mary’s illusion of the ‘still dead’ Jesus evaporates in the face of the Living One! Disappointment eradicated!

Simon Peter had the same experience with Jesus after his betrayal, disappointment, and seaside restoration recorded in John 21. Three times Jesus asked each person questions that dissipated their disappointment and confusion. Often Jesus doesn't settle our issues by answering our questions. He asks us His questions and gives us Himself!

Favor: Having It, Keeping It, Increasing It.

activating-gods-favor

The favor of the Lord enables us to accomplish His purposes and live supernaturally blessed lives. Over the years I have seen favor ebb and flow in my life, in lives of others, and in different ministries. How do you get it, how do you keep it, and how do you increase it? Inquiring minds want to know. Ask

How do you get favor? Every good thing comes from God: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17). To have favor, we must ask: "Yet, you do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2b). 

My Favor is for You

In the context of asking James also said, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:2b-3).  When we don't understand that God gives us favor primarily for others, we are in danger of losing or diminishing that favor. Motives matter. Paul wrote in I Corinthians 14:1&12, "Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy." And, "Even so you, since you are eager for spiritual gifts, let it be for the building up of the church that you seek to excel". In the context of the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit Paul wrote the love chapter, I Corinthians 13. The 'more excellent way' Paul spoke of in I Corinthians 12:31 is using the gifts of the Spirit in expressions of love for the benefit of others.  My favor is for you, and your favor is for them.

Being Thankful

John the Baptist said,  "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven" (John 3:27). We thank God to acknowledge that what we have, what we can do, and what we are, He has given us as a free gift.Being thankful also has the potential to increase our favor. "...God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble" (I Peter 5:5). Honest heart felt thanksgiving is manifest humility and attracts the grace of God.

Loving People Period

People know if we really love them. Peter wrote: "Honor all people..." (I Peter 2:17). Intentionally showing people honor is a very simple way to practically show them love. Then they are open to what we can bring them. Often we reserve our love for those we approve of or those who love us. Of that Jesus said, "...love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?...(Matthew 5:44-46). We will ultimately only influence people we truly love.

Bitterness Free Authenticity

The proliferation of social media has tainted this current generation like no other, either by hype or hypocrisy. Many long for authenticity and authentic believers. Becoming authentic is often a painful and expensive process, and many who have suffered have become bitter. God isn't interested in promoting people whose favor is soured by bitterness. Be real, but don't be critical. That will certainly diminish your favor level.

Imparting Hope

The level of our influence will rise to the level of our ability to impart legitimate hope, the joyful confident expectation of good. Hope is one of the primary missing ingredients in not just the world but the church as well. If we don't have hope we must realize we have bought into an inaccurate theoligical/cultural belief system. Hopelessness is its 'witness' that that belief system is false.

Hope is the atmosphere where favor thrives. We are serving the 'God of all hope' and living inside us is Christ 'the hope of glory'. Divine hope is part of our spiritual DNA. Let that hope arise in your heart now and may your favor increase.

Creativity

God by nature is the Creator. Every man woman and child is unique, created in God's image and yet different than anyone else. Even identical twins are different in ways too numerous to mention. Just as every snowflake is uniquely different, so are you and I. So is the creative ability He has given each of us. God gifted each of us with our own kind of creativity and the use of it is essential for our well being. A friend of mine once suffered with ongoing bouts of depression. He came to me for counseling about it. The Lord showed me that his particular brand of depression was attached to the lack of using his creative expression. He had become too busy to use his creative ability to write songs and draw, two things he enjoyed immensely. When he began to do those things again his depression lifted and a sense of joy returned to him.

Not having a creative gift prominent enough to be financially lucrative is no reason not to create things. Making money at it is not the point. No one needs to appreciate your creative expression for it to be important for you to do it.  Expressing yourself and enjoying the process is payment enough. You will experience the presence of the Lord when you create things. Let me explain.

Eric Liddell was a Scottish athlete, rugby player, and missionary. The movie Chariots of Fire depicted his life experience as a runner in the 1924 Paris Olympics. He was called the Flying Dutchman. His devotion to the Lord was tested when he decided not to run one race that was held on Sunday. As shown in the movie he was asked about his love for running track. He simply yet profoundly responded, "I feel God's pleasure when I run!" That was his realm of creativity and he felt the kindness of God when he did it. Others did as well when he ran. You too can feel the presence of the Creator when you use the creativity He has given you.

Donna and I watched the movie Jersey Boys, the story of the singer Frankie Valli and his group The Four Seasons. As the movie concluded and after the music ended I watched in surprise as a number of 70+ year olds literally danced down the aisles and out of the theatre. The movie reminded them of a joyful time in their lives and touched them so deeply that they danced in public when there was no music to dance to. And yet they were dancing to music, the music that resided in that creative part of their hearts. That is the power of creativity. It can even touch and release the joyful expression of youth, a force that laid dormant over fifty years. The creative expression they saw on the silver screen re-ignited something profound in their 70 year old hearts.

It did the same thing for me. I went home wondering how I could capture eras of joy that might bless me and touch other people's lives. I got an idea from watching them dance to begin creating photo collages of things from my youth that have the potential to touch that same joy. Now I make art that includes photos of the athletes I loved and enjoyed from my youth. The very act of creating those collages has given me a number of ideas for other creative things too. That is the power of creativity. Doing one thing like that will release ideas for others.

Go create something. Roll up your sleeves, get dirty, and get with it. You are created in the image of the One who created you. At the very least it will make you feel good.

Risk and Endurance: Faith and Hope.

John Wimber once said you spell faith 'r i s k'. He meant that to live by and act in faith we risk something. The risk could be financial, or our pride could be damaged if our venture doesn't work, or the risk could cost us our comfort or security. Living a life of faith will certainly cost us something. In light of John's comment I began to think about endurance and wondered if there is a word that embodies it in the way that risk embodies faith. That word is hope. You spell joyful endurance h o p e. The biblical definition of hope is the 'confident expectation of good'. Hope is a primary missing ingredient both in society and much of the church.

Hebrews 11:1 says that ...'faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' You may conclude then that your faith will not be any more substantial than your hope, since it derives its substance from it. Looking now at the relationship between faith (risk) and endurance (hope) we must realize that to function successfully in any faith venture we must maintain a high level of hope.

True biblical hope is a by-product of knowing God. He is a God of mercy. Many in our day try to please God by living up to certain standards contained in the law. The law is good and holy but has no power to help us live well or please God. Jesus did both of those for us:

"For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God" (Hebrews 7:18-19).

The good news, the gospel of the grace of God imparts hope, the kind that enables us to draw near to God who in turn will draw near to us. The work of Jesus was a perfect work that enables every believer to relate to God with a clear and clean conscience. There is nothing left to do. We must simply rest in the grace of God. When that reality is in us, then we will live in a way that pleases Him.

Mighty Works: A Key to Saving Our Nation

Toward the end of His earthly ministry Jesus issued a strong judgment against Capernaum but within it I find an overlooked and hopeful promise for us, our cities, and our nation.

“And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day."

 "But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you" (Matthew 11:23-24).

Genesis 18 tells the story of the Lord and two angels visiting Abraham and Sarah with dual purposes. They came to affirm Gods promise to give them a child of their own and to visit Sodom and Gomorrah to investigate first hand the grave nature of the sin of its inhabitants. The Lord affirmed His promise to the couple then discussed with Abraham His plan concerning the land of Sodom..

"Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way."

"And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?"

"For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

 "And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,

"I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know” (Genesis 18:16-21).

God revealed his heart by involving Abraham as He condsidered what must be done in Sodom and Gomorrah. It is obvious He didn’t want to destroy it and so engaged Abraham in a conversation that could possibly change the outcome. Abraham appealed to God based on His goodness and righteousness:

"Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?

"Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:24-25)             

Abraham appealed to the Lord’s righteous nature. “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” Surely He would not slay the righteous with the wicked. Would God do such a thing if fifty righteous people lived there?” God agreed to spare the city if but fifty righteous lived there. We know the rest of the story. Abraham continued to intercede reducing the number of righteous people until he stopped at just ten righteous ones living there. Each time the Lord adjusted His decision to destroy them.

"Then he said, 'Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?' And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.'”

Of note to me is Abraham’s persistent pursuit for mercy.  Some in our generation are calling for God to judge and destroy people, cities, and nations when Abraham looked for reasons for God to extend mercy. God seemed to like that attitude too. Perhaps those who call for judgment do not believe that God can and will raise up those who walk in the kind of power that Jesus referred to in his denouncement of Capernaum.  I believe the righteous response in our generation is for many to pursue the Lord for a fresh and extraordinary anointing for healing and miracles. We should ask the Lord, “How can we partner with You to see our cities restored?” Might that be the higher road?

The Father of Our Faith

"Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug."

"Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, and blessed him and increased him."

"For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody” Isaiah 51:1-3).

Abraham is called our father of faith and is an example for the kind of attitudes and actions we should demonstrate toward the wicked and rebellious. Such were some of us… actually all of us… so deserving of God’s judgment and destruction. Yet the Lord Himself delighted in Abraham’s appeal and wanted to involve him in the outcome.

Intercession Alone –Not Enough to Save Sodom

Some have concluded, and rightly so, that intercession like Abraham’s plays a significant role in saving cities. What would have happened if Abraham had not stopped at ten but appealed to the mercy of God if but one righteous person lived within that wicked place? We don’t know, but perhaps just one person, one righteous person living there could have made the difference. We see that Lot and his family did not qualify as one who was able to turn the tide, but should there have been enough righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah, people who moved in power,  Jesus said it would have existed another 2000 years!

But, intercession alone would not have saved Sodom and Gomorrah. It would have taken someone who operated in ‘mighty works’ for Jesus said… “if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day” (Matthew 11:23b).

Think of it. Jesus said that Sodom and Gomorrah would have continued at least 2000 more years if someone could have done there the mighty works Jesus did when He lived in Capernaum. They would have repented in light of that kind of demonstration and the region would have averted its horrible fate.

What then constitutes a righteous man? Is it intercession alone? No, it is an intercessor who also moves in the power of signs and wonders. Both of those characteristics contain the ability to produce repentance and restoration. Is it absolute? No. It wasn’t enough for Capernaum, but Jesus said it would have been enough to have saved a place as evil as Sodom!

New Years Eve Revelation

One recent New Year’s Eve my wife and I stayed at home, the only time in decades when we didn’t attend a time of corporate worship ushering in the New Year. We both retired around 10:00 p.m. Beside our beds we each have lamps that I inherited from my parents who had them for years before we did and we have had them for over 15 years. At 10:38 my wife’s lamp suddenly turned on of its own accord. It had never done that before and has not done it since. Although she was sound asleep I wasn’t. I awoke her saying, “Donna, your light just turned on… by itself!” She sat up in bed a little confused by it all, turned it off and went right back to sleep.

I was greatly startled by the unexpected ‘enlightenment’. How does your bedside lamp turn itself on? I believed an angel did it. I know that can be debated but at least I knew God was speaking to me through it . When I reviewed the facts with her the next morning she told me that she thought it was just a fluke, because the lamp was old and had become increasing more difficult to turn on! I thought, “Well, that further confirms to me that the Lord is speaking through the occurrence, because if it is harder than normal to turn it on, someone invisible was ‘strong enough’ to do it without our help!”

When it happened I noticed the exact time: 10:38 p.m. and felt that time represented a Bible verse that immediately came to mine, Acts 10:38:

“… how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

My New Years Message

I got my New Year’s message that night. God turned the light on Acts 10:38. It is time for an anointing from Jesus where everyone gets healed! In reading the Wuest Expanded Translation I am amazed at how many times Jesus healed everyone of every sickness and disease.

“And He was going around in the whole of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and making a public proclamation of the good news regarding the kingdom, and healing all chronic and serious disease and all occasional illness among the people. And the report concerning Him went off into the whole of Syria. And they brought to Him all those who were in a miserable condition physically, suffering with various kinds of chronic and serious ailments and acute pains, and those who were demonized and epileptic and paralytic, and He healed them…” (Matthew 4:23-25, Wuest Expanded Translation).

“And Jesus was going about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues and making a public proclamation of the good news concerning the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness” (Matthew 9:35, Wuest Expanded Translation).

“Now, when Jesus came to know it, He withdrew from there, and many people followed with Him. And He healed them all” (Matthew 12:15, Wuest Expanded Translation).

 “And there came to Him large crowds having with them those who were lame, maimed, blind, dumb, and many others having illnesses of a different nature, and they flung them to the ground at His feet. And He healed them, so that the crowd marvelled, seeing those who had been dumb speaking, and those who had been maimed whole, and those who had been lame walking about, and those who had been blind, seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel” (Matthew 15:30-31, Wuest Expanded Translation).

It was normal for Jesus to heal everyone of every thing. He healed those who had ‘chronic and serious disease and all occasional illness’, and ‘all those who were in a miserable condition physically, suffering with various kinds of chronic and serious ailments and acute pains… epileptic and paralytic’… and those who ‘were lame, maimed, blind, dumb, and many others having illnesses of a different nature’.

In the Gospel of Matthew alone the Bible records at least 6 times that Jesus healed everyone of everything! I only quoted Matthew’s gospel to show the frequency of Jesus healing all. Will He do the same today? Yes, for Jesus does today what He did yesterday and that He will do forever, just as the writer of the book of Hebrews affirms:

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

What would happen if Jesus anointed people at that level today? It would be amazing. Once again people from all levels and strata of society would flock to get healed. We must not settle for less than that. God is able to save whole families, whole cities, even whole nations with that level of mighty works. It may mean the difference in wholesale destruction or the restoration of our nation. If it could have saved Sodom and Gomorrah and preserved that city for an additional 2000 years what could it do for our beloved nation today?

Announcing My New Store on My Website.

  I have just opened my new website store for those of you who would like some of my messages or my book Mystic MooseTales: Redefining Wildlife. I currently offer MP3 downloads and two other new resources; Flashdrive Cards for $40.00 a piece. Each contain over $150.00 worth of audio and video messages if bought separately as CD series. I have a new book in the editing stage that should be available in the next few months entitled "Restoration of Hope: The 5 Wagon Revelation". It describes an encounter I had that identifies some of the basic keys to the coming outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I will continue to add new content as the messages and resources are available.

Because of the resurrection of Jesus and the present realities found and released through the power of the gospel we have much to be encouraged about. Hope is one of the essential ingredients for living the overcoming life and seeing the power of God active in our lives and released through us to others. Take a look at what I offer and taste and see once the again that regardless of your present condition or the conditions that currently exist God is not without practical and powerful answers for our times. It is time to be encouraged once again!

Blessings

Robin

Resurrection Implications

Here we are, celebrating the season when Christ Jesus rose from the dead! What does the resurrection imply? That Jesus doesn't want us to be sad.

That joy is God's normal disposition.

That fear has been conquered and is a lie.

That God is vitally concerned about our condition.

That God can be standing right in front of us and we don't recognize Him.

That although we may be problem oriented He is solution oriented.

That God can be with us even when we don't know it.

That God has already fully accomplished for us that which we believe He has failed to do.

That God has already solved all of our most pressing problems.

That there are no truly hopeless situations.

That restoration is His heartbeat.

That our Lord is also our Friend.

The 3-H Club: Hungry, Hope, & How...

My friend Bob Jones passed away last week. It was a bitter sweet time; sweet for him and bitter for us. He had been suffering a lot physically the last several years, but not now. He's in heaven more alive than he has ever been but we will surely miss that man! I met Bob in the spring of 1989, but I had heard of him the year earlier. During that season I could be accurately described as a weary man who had lost his vision and purpose in God. I continued to look after my family of 6, take my kids to church, but I was deeply dis-satisfied with my life in God, and extemely disappointed as a result of having been fully committed and involved for a decade in a spiritual enterprise that ended poorly.

Hungry:

At this critical crossroads of my life I listened to a tape series from the Kansas City Fellowship that highlighted Bob and the remarkable supernatural relationship he had with God. Immediately I regained my capacity to dream, both in the night and in the sense of once again seeing my destiny in God and believing I could successfully fulfill it. Bob made me hungry for God. Thats 'H' number one.

Hope:

I grew up Reformed Presbyterian tradition and am grateful for that heritage but I had experiences in God that were much different than what they were used to particularly in the late 1960's and 1970's. The supernatural reality that Bob communicated and radiated, and the unusual nature of his relationship with God gave me hope. Bob 'legitimized' my kind of relationship with God.

How:

As I got to know Bob and ministered with him to many people I learned a lot. He had an unusual ability to see exactly what a person needed and could speak into their lives with power and compassion. As I watched and participated with him, he showed me how to be effective in prophetic ministry.

The 3-H Club

Bob made me hungry, gave me hope, and taught me how. Thats my job now too; to make people hungry for God, give them a legitimate reason to hope, and show them how they can help other people. I know Bob did this for many other people. He left a great deposit in the world and I am honored to have been a part of his life.

Joseph's Coat

In a recent dream I found myself in an expensive clothing store filled with the most marvelous garments. Rack after rack of amazing colorful coats filled the fine establishment. I thought, “Who wouldn’t want one of these fine garments?”

As I gazed over the racks of coats one in particular caught my attention. I carefully pulled it from the racks and tried it on. The coat had a ‘Carolina’ sky blue front, a colorful wide striped back with a delicate expensive amber colored leather collar. I looked at myself in a full-length mirror admiring the fit. It had unusual ¾ length sleeves and was made to fit as a waist length jacket. It fit perfectly. It was as if it were tailor made for me.

I stepped outside to see how it looked in natural light. I was delighted with such a colorful and fine fitting coat. I turned to go back into the store to pay for it only to discover that the store was nowhere to be found. It had disappeared -but the coat remained. I could not pay for it.

Interpretation

God is ready to clothe many with a ‘tailored made’ new anointing in 2014 typified by the coat of many colors that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. This new anointing will release a new level of prophetic revelation represented by the heavenly sky blue color that covered the front of the garment.

In the dream I could not pay for the coat. It had already been paid for. We could never pay enough to obtain something that only God can provide. It is not something we can earn. It must be given and we must deeply appreciate that truth to wear it and use it with humility and wisdom.

The fact that the back was striped speaks of a new level of healing anointing. Isaiah 53:3 records:

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

The expensive leather collar speaks of how everything of value must be paid for with shed blood just as the Lord shed the blood of animals to cover Adam and Eve with leather garments after their fall. Collars can speak of identity. Some crimes are white collar ones while other ones are blue collar crimes distinguishing between the societal level of the crimes. This collar was amber speaking of the color of the glory of God. This coat will be attended by the glory of God.

We find other significance of this anointing from the life of Joseph and his colorful garment:

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors" (Genesis 37:3).

Bible scholars have differing understandings of this coat's appearance. Aryeh Kaplan in the Living Torah explains it this way: "It was a royal garment. The word passim can be translated as colorful, embroidered, striped, or with pictures. It can also denote a long garment, coming down to the palms of the hands and the feet. Hence, it may be translated as a 'full sleeved robe', 'a coat of many colors', 'a coat reaching to his feet', 'an ornamented tunic', 'a silk robe', or 'a fine woolen cloak'.

The coat represents the favor Joseph had from his father and spoke of the primary leadership of his family he would one day obtain. His coat was one of great promise, giftedness and authority.

The coat was a gift. We could never pay for something so precious. But as many of us have discovered, some gifts become very expensive. This next new anointing will be that way too.

In Joseph's case the coat focused his brothers' jealousy and hatred. We will discover that this new coat may generate just such responses from those who don’t understand why God anoints those He does. Ultimately his brothers stripped Joseph of his coat, sold him into slavery, dipped the coat in blood, and lied to their father about him having been killed by wild animals.

It was necessary for Joseph to lose the outward sign of the anointing and be severely tested in order to function at the highest level the robe initially promised. The jealousy and hatred of his brothers were part of the price Joseph paid to live out the gift he was given. The garment being soaked in blood reveals that every anointing must be sanctified for it to be ultimately successful. When Moses anointed Aaron and his sons for service he stripped them, washed them, clothed them, then anointed them. Afterward he sanctified them with blood:  "Also he took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. Then he brought Aaron's sons. And Moses put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet." (Leviticus 8:23-24).

How many men and women have been destroyed because they did not submit to the entire process meant to insure the success of the ministry gifts and anointing God gave them? Many. We must be men and women who have submitted to the processes of the Lord if we are to ‘wear’ his anointing successfully. We must never submit to jealousy and selfish ambition if we are to function effectively. Such selfish ambition releases much evil:

“But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there” (James 3:14-16. 

God is releasing new levels of anointing, colorful mantles He freely gives, but with each one comes a price. Joseph graduated from God's school of the anointing and ruled in Egypt with dignity, mercy, and kindness. His understanding of the redemptive ways of God and his lack of self-centeredness enabled him to revive his father's household and preserve the lineage of the Messiah. That is the purpose of the anointing. It is not primarily to make your ministry a success, although it can. Joseph used his anointing to empower and enrich many who had lost their inheritances. It is to restore households, free prisoners, reclaim legacies, and declare the glory of God through the lives of redeemed people.

"That we might be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified" (Isaiah 61:3).

Prepare your hearts. A new precious and dangerous anointing is being released even now. Use yours with wisdom, humility, and dignity.

Restored Cities: Ultimate Result of the Anointing

The first recorded sermon Jesus spoke originated from Isaiah 61. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor" (Vs. 1). In subsequent verses Jesus articulates the other benefits of that anointing: healing for the brokenhearted, freedom for captives, an experiential 'jail break' for prisoners, the year of our being delightfully accepted by God based on his vengeance having been fully satisfied, comfort for all mourners, and the divine exchange: beauty for ashes, joy for the mourning ones, and the garment of praise for all who are depressed. The recipients become oaks of righteousness as God's special planting that the great God might receive glory. The prophet Isaiah  identified the ultimate goal of this anointing. The newly anointed ones would be ones who 'rebuild the old ruins', 'raise up the former desolations', 'repair the ruined cities', which were the 'desolations of many generations'. Isaiah also made a radical statement about the priesthood. In his day only those born from the tribe of Levi could be a priest yet Isaiah prophesied, "You shall be named priests of the Lord" (Isaiah 61:6). Fathers name children at birth. Isaiah promised that those who were fully restored by the anointing became authorized to establish a brand new priesthood based on having received a new spiritual vitality characterized by a restoration that only true fathers of a new order possessed, namely 'fathering' a new high order of priests! Those people would create a new order of spirituality characterized by a 'presence based lifestyle'. Jesus modeled 'presence based' life and declared it when He said 'the spirit of the Lord is upon me'. So would those who received the fullness of His ministry.

Those of us who see this truth, believe for it, and qualify become those who can establish a 'presence based' community of people who have the potential to restore whole cities. We must set our sights higher than we have in the past. The anointing is not something we have to simply have great meetings, or see people supernaturally healed and delivered. Its ultimate goal is to transform societies. We must not settle for less than that. If we do we have denigrated our spiritual currency. There is an ongoing experience of 'glory' and encountering God that has a  much greater potential than we have ever imagined. Its purpose is to create a national awakening that transforms the United States. Perhaps we are not a post Christian nation. We may in fact be a pre-Christian one. Don't settle for less. Our best days lie just ahead!