Stand Firm

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:13

This verse sums up what should be our day to day, moment by moment routine. Most Christians live as if they were not in a spiritual war, and therefore do not seriously put on the armor that is needed to resist the enemies and warfare that looms constantly. The only way to fully withstand the evil day is by putting on all the full armor of God. Standing firm without wavering, with the armor of God, will be our only real source of victory and deliverance.

We were born into war. This is reality folks. You were not born into heaven yet. The hobbits in the Shire had to realize this as they journeyed outside their comfortable, beautiful boundary of The Shire. We as well, If we desire to produce fruit and be effective ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, must be prepared for battle. Day by day there are casualties of this spiritual war that we are in. Those defeated by doubt, depression, fear, suicide, sin, addictions, hatred, anger, bitterness, disunity, discord, darkness, and death(to name a few).

We must rise up O bride of Christ and take what is rightfully ours, that is to be fully prepared for the day of battle and having all the armor and weapons of warfare that God gives. We do not fight against flesh and blood, remember that dearly. So wherever you are today, rejoice in the Lord. Set your heart and mind on Christ. Be eager and sober and alert. Stand strong, stand watch. Do not let your guard down. Be blessed.

Psalm 91

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place- the Most High, who is my refuge-
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
14 "Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.


If you are one that holds fast to the Lord, that loves Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength...He promises to deliver and protect you. This is really good news. We desperately need His deliverance and protection. We are living in a war zone, spiritually. The enemy of our souls is constantly on the prowl seeking to devour whomever He can, but especially those believers that are weak, vulnerable, and alienated from the body of Christ. We must hold fast with everything we have to see the glory of God in our midst. We must decrease and He must increase. There is no other way.

Do not fear no matter what may come in order to tempt you to retreat in fear. Perfect Love casts out fear. God will be our protector and our deliverer. It does not mean that we won't go through trial and tribulation, persecution or distress. It means that in our darkest hour He will deliver us. Praise God!

True Reformation

The life of John Rankin is evidence that when Heaven touches earth in revival, it creates something inside a person—a vision of how God made the world to be and a cry to take part in the restoration of all things, until a day “when liberty shall be universal.” Encountering the living God and receiving a fresh revelation of His heart both give us a greater hunger for freedom in our own lives and require us to “set the captives free.” This appetite drives us past the cultural norms and fuels us with supernatural courage to spurn the persecution that comes from those maintaining the status quo. Revival ignites life in people to press against the limitations and boundaries of society. It calls to the deepest parts of mankind and screams “Freedom!” so loudly that the same cry comes out of our mouths. Revival launches revolution and revolutions initiate reformation. (Culture of Honor-Danny Silk)

Reformation is the result of revival and revolution. It is about seeing the captives set free and ruined for a life in God. We are after heaven not just touching earth, but heaven invading and inhabiting earth. As those who proclaim a message of freedom and power, we must not forget that all our lives should be an uphill journey to creating places and spaces for people to encounter Gods great love and mercy. We need revival in our lives, communities, cities, and nations. This revival, which is really just hearts set ablaze with Jesus, will spurn reformation. Christ will rule and reign over every heart, soul, and mind. This is the ultimate reformation when all are under the influence and power of the Holy Spirit.

A cage-less Lion

'The church is a living system of intelligent, adaptable, creative, self-organizing, and meaning-seeking people, who may feel confined by something that should be releasing and empowering them to be the best they can be. Everyone hates to be confined. It destroys the soul and kills any initiative and creative desire'. (Graham Cooke-Permission Granted: to do church differently in the 21st century)

The church has to often been a place that has confined its people in cages and boxes that are not of God, but rather man made traditions and by less. I have a burden to see the lion released from the cage and set free in that great garden once again where Adam and Eve were free to create, free to be who they were created to be, and free to rule and reign with God.

Truth is we were not meant ever to be confined in a cage. God created us for passion, for adventure, for romance, and to conquer. We are a powerful church meant to take land and expand territory. Now as I write I am saddened that the church is more powerless, like a lion who has lost its roar and fight in some crowded cage. I am deeply disturbed about this because I feel the enemy of our souls has been having the victory mostly in many of the powerless churches. We are content with empty programs, and overfilled bellies. Somehow we believe that this is the normal experience. It could not be further from the truth.

It's about real friendships and relationships, not task oriented functions. Out of trust and friendship will we overcome and conquer. When we are vulnerable and transparent with one another it releases Gods kingdom in ways that cannot happen otherwise. I believe the church is in a critical hour and those that will change and adapt to the winds of the Spirit, will grow and learn to take more land for the kingdom. Those that are unwilling to change will constantly be in a 'caged' cycle of frustration and bitterness. Let us rise up and embrace change. Let us as sons and daughters of God walk in the fullness of all that God has for this generation.

God is wild, untamable, and persistent. He is good, but not always safe. Embrace the danger in loving God wholeheartedly.

Perfected in Weakness

'the following post is written by a good friend of mine whose heart for God is inspiring.'


“Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me...” 2 Cor. 12:8

Have you ever been there?Afflicted,worn out, running ragged? The apostle Paul can relate. Besides the 39 lashes 5 times, being beaten with rods 3 times, being shipwrecked and spending a day and a night in the sea, Paul had a “thorn in the flesh.” It was a gnawing, obsessive kind of frustration—have you been there?

In order to live abundantly like Paul did, we need discernment. We need to grow up in the faith and in our intimacy with Christ. What will do this? Prayer. Paul said, “three times” he prayed. Does this strike you in any way? He is very intentional about mentioning “three times”. Why not five? Why not ten? Here’s why—after three times God broke through! Jesus Himself, the mighty conquering King said to Paul “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

Have you given up praying for God to heal you? Why? Have you despaired? Remember, we always have hope in Christ! Paul prayed until the Lord spoke to Him and taught Him something—that He was not going to heal him this time. God the healer said no. No Paul. No. Let that sink in…

Paul goes on to teach us how he responded. It was interesting. Not angry, not bitter, not losing his faith in God’s power to heal. He learned to say yes to God’s no. Listen to these words...

'Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.'

So how about you? What are you suffering for Christ’s sake? Have you talked with Him? Have you worked through it? Did the Holy Spirit give your heart a yes, or a no?

Keep pressing in to Him. Don’t give up! God will give you discernment if you ask. And when the time comes you will know if it is for Christ’s sake that you have suffered; that you have shared in His suffering, and you will be like Him. O, to be like Him! May we ever be.

Filled with God

"You missionaries who are going to India and Africa and China and other places have a wonderful gospel to take to these people who know nothing about God; a gospel of salvation and healing and deliverance. If you want to know how it works, look at Paul among the Barbarians; when the viper came out of the fire and lit on Paul's hand, they watched to see him swell up and die, but when he neither swelled up nor died, they said, 'these men are gods'. When you go forth to these dark lands where the Holy Ghost has sent you to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, to loose the bands of Satan and set the captives free, be sure you can say, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,' remember that Christ is made unto us not only salvation but wisdom and redemption. Filled with God, yes, filled with God, pardoned and cleansed and filled with God. Filled with God leaves no room for doubting and fearing. We have no idea of all that means, to be filled with God. It means emptied of self. Do you know what it means to be filled with God? It means you have no fear, for when you are filled with God you are filled with love, and perfect love casts out fear." Smith Wigglesworth

This is a beautiful reality that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit of God. This means to be controlled by and powered by the Almighty. The only source of truth, love and power. His power is unsearchable and yet the Holy Spirit resided in weak being like you and I. This is truly amazing and astounding. You are a powerhouse walking around if you are controlled by the Holy Spirit of God. There is no room for fear or punishment. Today let faith arise in you child of God. Do not doubt His power and freedom in your life. We are called as sons of God filled with truth and love. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Holy Spirit. You are power. You are freedom. You are amazing.

Torn in order to Heal

"Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up." Hosea 6:1

There are countless distractions in any given day to keep us from returning wholeheartedly to the Lord. There are so many thing that try to distract us from our first love. Remember the first time that God showed up and revealed His great love for you? How did you feel? How did you respond? Remember the days when you realized how great a sinner you were and how great a price Jesus paid to set you free? I want to return to the Lord and remember the love that He has for me and I have for Him. I am not ashamed as a man to say that I am a lover of God. There is no greater love or experience on this earth than to be a lover of God.

If you have been torn in any way by Him, He promises to heal you. Often times the tearing is a pruning process likened to John 15 that if you are a fruitful branch he will prune you to be even more fruitful. If you have been torn by the world, yourself, sin or any other hindrance...then He is more than able and qualified to bind you together again. He longs to do this. He is such a good father. If you have been struck down it is for the sake of being build back up. The Lord only wounds so that He can fully heal. He is a healer and a deliverer. He desires His best for our lives. Hold on and do not give up. You are more than the sum of your thought and emotions. You are more than the world will give you credit for. You are beloved royal sons and daughters.