The Fear of The Mountain

Genesis 19:17-20

Vs 17 "And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed."

The purpose of this blog is to examine the mindset of people who have a calling of God on their lives. In Vs 17 we find God's command to all involved with him. I've brought you out of sin, now escape for your life and do not look behind you. This brings us a chilling reminder of how powerful our past is. God wants a church with vision. The Bible teaches that where there is no vision, the people perish. But that shows me that where there IS a vision, the people prosper! We cannot afford to be bound by our past! We live in an age where our pasts have become our crutch. We parade around with the mindset of, "Don't judge me, you don't know what I've been through", as if this somehow disqualifies you from being godly. You will never have the ministry or anointing God wants for you if your constantly looking back...

Then God tells him to get out of the plains (comfort zone) and get to the mountain, lest you be consumed. This is a very important principle in ministry. If we are not climbing the mountain of spirituality, revelation and understanding; we are traveling down a road of destruction. Complacency and indifference to the things of God will destroy you. If we want to see revival, we must go to the mountain. Mountains are fascinating to me, and are very significant to the word of God. A mountain is symbolic of a higher place in God. Mountains played an important role in the religious lives of people during Bible times. To the primitive mind, mountains were the place that connected the heavens and the earth. It was thought that the "gods" could only be reached from mountain tops. That's why the majority of temples were built on hills, or mountains. Even throughout scripture mountains played significant roles in revelation....

Mt Sinai-10 commandments

Mt Nebo- where Moses was able to see the Promised Land

Mt Carmel- Elijah's victory over the prophets of Baal.

Mt Moriah- Abraham's worship in the form of sacrifice.

Mt of Olives- Where Jesus opened the understanding of his disciples.

Mt of Transfiguration-Where Moses and Elijah appeared recognizing Jesus as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets; and where Moses finally stepped foot into the promised land!...

So we see mountains offer significant experiences during our relationship with God. There will always come a time where God will call you to a higher place, or to a higher level of intimacy and prayer. We are never to be idle in the plains of comfort, but 1 Peter 3:18 tells us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ! So God is offering Lot an opportunity like no other, a chance to change his life, and the life of his wife and children... Nothing is more beneficial for a family than growing in God together!... Look at Lot's response...

 

Vs 18-20 "And Lot said unto them, Oh not so, my Lord: Behold now thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou shewest unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: Behold now, this little city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live."

I am convinced that this has become the mindset of far too many apostolic people. Lot was offered an opportunity for revelation and anointing, but all Lot could think about was what if something bad happens along the way? I fear that we have come to a place in our generation where we have heard so much about the trials and tribulations of ministry, that we have now associated a stigma of evil that coincides with anointing. And now what has happened is we are now fearful of what it might cost to go that high, and instead we settle for a town called Zoar, which literally translates into the word little. Too many people are telling themselves, i don't know if i could go through that kind of trial, so how about i settle for this little thing, God just give me a little anointing, I'll still be doing the work of God but I'll do it from a much safer place! It is my personal opinion that if Lot would've gone to the mountain his family would've been saved as well. But The word of the Lord was emphatic, if you settle for the plains you will be consumed! Our churches are powerless because too many ministers have settle for the plains. I want to send a shout across the world today, Do Not Be Afraid of The Mountain!! our churches are depending on it, our families are depending on it, our young people are depending on it! Don't get comfortable in the small things, get up to the mountain and find an anointing that will turn our world, and our city upside down!

We fear the mountain because instead of seeing a place of revelation, we instead see Abraham's sacrifice. Oh God i don't know if i could give all that up to be used!  The problem is that our perception of this encounter has been altered. We see sacrifice, Abraham saw worship... And what we fail to realize is that Abraham never actually sacrificed his son. Had Abraham viewed this experience the same way Lot did, I wonder how differently the text would read today? Instead the Bible tells us that there was a ram in the thicket. Now if you study that scenario out you'll find that it is against nature for rams to be that high. But while Abraham decided to start up the mountain on one side, God sent his provision up the other side! So that when Abraham got to the place where God called him, the provision was already there waiting! Some one needs to be encouraged, Don't fear the mountain, pursue the mountain! And if God is calling rest assured that He will have your provision waiting on you when you get there. You may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Like the Psalmist David wrote about; But I shall fear no evil...why? Because thou art with me! 

Thanks for taking the time to read my post, as I share my heart on this blog, i hope someone will be encouraged to pursue bigger and more extraordinary things in God, and not settle out of fear for the plains of ordinary. Be Blessed in Jesus Name.

Living in The Promise

I preached a message last night simply titled Living in the promise. God was there and I believe lives were touched, and blessings were received. I feel the need to share this on my blogs. I know the struggles of life just as well as the next person. No, ministry has not exempted me from life. I understand having more bills than money, I understand working 60 hours a week, just to make ends meet. Life is unkind, and sometimes seems unfair. Look at the life of Jacob, if you will. A man who was given a lot in life he never asked for. Why did he have to be the second born? Why did he have to be the outcast? Why couldn't he be daddy's favorite? Doesn't seem fair does it? We've all encountered scenarios in life where we wonder sometimes, did I do something wrong? God do you even know I'm alive? Most of us, however, just accept the cards we are dealt. We just assume that since this is where we are, this must be all there is for me? But when we examine Jacob's character we find that Jacob never responded this way. In fact, even as an infant in his mother's womb, the Bible tells us that Jacob wrestled with Esau; because even at a young age, Jacob desired that birthright.

Many believe that Jacob had character flaws, and i cannot dispute that, however, i refuse to believe that Jacob was driven by greed. Although it was deception that got him the birthright in the first place, and an even greater deception that tricked his daddy out of the blessing; i do believe Jacob's motives were deeper than that. I will not try and dispute the facts that Jacob had issues. But what i find fascinating, is that even through his failures, and mistakes, Jacob still longed to walk in the same promise, that Abraham and Isaac walked in. The desire to be anointed drove him to extreme measures. His life was driven by this statement, "If he doesn't want it, i do!" But Jacob was forced to run, for fear of his life, and he dwells with his uncle Laban. On his way to Laban's house Jacob, when he was all alone, experienced a vision. He saw what we refer to as "Jacob's ladder". And so he lives with Laban and begins to enjoy life in the blessing. He finds wives, and raises children, his cattle and flocks are multiplied beyond measure. But Jacob is still empty, there is still something missing. So Jacob is now forced to go back home and confront the mistakes of his past. On his journey he sends his family into 2 groups, and he falls back, all alone once again.

We must never take these moments of isolation lightly. We must always be mindful of the fact that we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). Even in our loneliest moments, we are never truly alone. For God said in his word, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee (Hebrews 13:5). But its here in these isolation when God really begins to work in your life. Abraham journeyed alone, and was trained to hear God's voice; Moses spent 40 years on the backside of a mountain, David spent most of his young adult life tending sheep alone in the back of a shepherds field, Elijah spent time alone in the backside of a cave; even the Apostle Paul, when he experienced the light of the world, spent 3 days blind on the backside of a desert. Yet in all accounts, these men received great revelation from God. Its what I call, Revelation by Isolation. It takes us separating ourselves from the crowds, and getting to a place with God, where there are no distractions, no interruptions, and no concern with how crazy it may sound or look. Just you and God, nobody else. Its here in these critical moments of intense prayer and supplication that God will reveal his nature to you. We want to find God at this degree, but we are never willing to feel the uncomfortable atmosphere of isolation. we hate being alone, and we're missing out on revelation. Jacob understood this principle, he'd found it once already (vision).

Now I can imagine that Jacob knew it was time for him to be alone with God. Only this time, the Bible illustrates to us a fantastic story of a man and an Angel engaged in an epic wrestling match. Its a scene that has captivated the minds of artists, political figures, musicians, and poets alike. Jacob, a mere human, able to fight with a being from another dimension. But notice, Jacob was not the initiator or the aggressor. God is the one who initiated this struggle. And if you look closely Jacob doesn't become aggressive until he feels the pain (the angel touched the hollow of his thigh, and his hip became dislocated). This pain was not intended to end the struggle, but rather it was intended to remind Jacob of all the pain he felt in his past. His entire life was painful. He was the least of his family, he was Esau's little brother, he was a nobody, had nothing to offer, he was just another kid, just another child, nothing special, nothing of significance. And in this moment of pain, all the trauma of his past resurfaced, and now Jacob has had enough. When the angel commands Jacob to let go, Jacob replies, I will not let you go until you bless me. This blessing Jacob asked for was not of financial gain, Jacob was simply letting God know, I'm tired of being less than, I'm tired of being a nobody, all I've ever wanted was to live in the promise, and I'm not letting go until you give me permission to live in the blessing!! I won't let go until you anoint me to walk in the promise!! And although Jacob was a liar, and although Jacob was a deceiver and a heel grabber, although Jacob wasn't the first born and he wasn't supposed to be in this blessed covenant; his passion was his permission!

What my prayer is, through this lengthy blog, that somebody would realize that you don't have to be anything other than willing. There is an anointing locked up for somebody who would simply allow their passion to be their permission, and finally discover the truth, i may not be the most talented, but I'm willing. I'm may be under-qualified, or under-aged, but I'm willing! I hope someone will be encouraged to pursue the things of God, and allow this brief message from my heart to motivate you to do more for God than you've ever imagined. Be blessed and be encouraged! God is the one who brought you to this place of struggle, because he wants to give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4) Someone has longed to be used of God, get ready your "blessing" is just around the corner; and soon you will be Living In the Promise!

Access by Grace

I've been awed by God before, in fact there have been multiple occasions where God has absolutely taken my breath away. Today, however, marks an occasion very unique and different on all accounts. With choir music blasting through the house, I was intently cleaning and trying to have the house spotless for the return of my family from their trip, when I just had an overwhelming urge to worship, and a few seconds later to pray. Would God really be calling me at 11 a.m. to prayer? After all our church is involved in a "revival" style prayer meeting that began Thursday night, and will continue through tonight. I've always been an advocate for "in house" prayer. That's the prayers you pray in your house with nobody around. This type of prayer differs greatly from public prayer, where our words are altered to meet the criteria of "apostolic prayer". In house prayer is usually more intimate prayer. Here you can say things you wouldn't want the person sitting next to you to hear. It was in this secret place where God began to draw me close, and i heard him whisper, "how close do you want to be". I was amazed! Up until this point I've always been the one pleading with God to come closer, was God actually now asking me to come closer? How could I? He's God? After all, Psalm 113:6 declares that he humbles himself to behold the things in Heaven and in the Earth. How could i get that close to him without him coming down to me? That's when God took me to Ephesians chapter 2.

Paul is writing to the church of Ephesus, and he is reminding them that in times past they were prisoners of sin, and sin brought death. Not physical death, but spiritual. But God, who is rich in mercy (vs 4) has pardoned our sins, and has made us alive again through the new birth experience. And now he has called us up to sit in heavenly places (vs 6) so that he might show the world the exceeding riches of his grace! Then in verses 12-22 he explains what he meant. He tells them, when you were without Christ (living your way) you were excluded from the citizenship of Israel, or simply you weren't considered a Christian. You also were strangers to the promise of God. Not only did God exclude you from his people, he also excluded you from his promises, and the Bible said we had no hope and no God in this world (vs 12). So this illustrates to us that the absence of submission to God, results in the absence of God's sovereignty in our world. Its not God who should be blamed for terrorists, its not God who should be blamed for murders, deaths, suicides, abortions, school shootings, etc.. What should be blamed is a selfish generation of people who refuse to submit to God's laws, instead of their own. But now, through the blood of Jesus, we are no longer strangers, but fellow citizens in the household of God! We are heirs with God, and have been made joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) And we have been given access into the supernatural world of heaven (Ephesians 2:18). My acceptance of his blood, through the obedience to his word, allows me the right to sit with him in Heavenly places, and to be a citizen in the household of God! So let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need (Hebrews 4:16)!

We, as apostolic Christians have a key to the throne room. In the Book of Esther, Haman was out to destroy the Jews altogether, and Mordecai was pleading with Esther to do something. We have no where else to turn, if we don't get to the King's presence we will all be destroyed! Sound a lot like our world huh? But Esther was aware of the Kings laws. He did not take kindly to people barging into his secret chambers. If you came into his presence without first being called, you were killed. It was required that your name be placed on the roll 30 days in advance, and then the King would call you in. But what Esther failed to realize is that many are called, but few are chosen. She was called once, but when she found favor in the eyes of the King, she became chosen.

There is a world of so-called Christians awaiting the calling from God. But if you've been born of the water and the spirit (John 3: Acts 2:38) and live a submitted life to him, then you are chosen! 1 Peter 2:9 tells us that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a peculiar people. And we are commissioned to show forth the praises of him who has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light! If you've been called out of sin, and live a holy consecrated live, you are now chosen. If we really believed this then we wouldn't have rehearsed prayers. A rehearsed prayer, is a pointless prayer. Imagine a husband standing in front of his wife after having been unfaithful to her, his eyes dry, his mannerisms stiff, as he pointlessly confesses his love for her while reciting cliche after cliche. Nothing from the heart, no tears, no shaking, no pleading, no desperation. And he has the gall to profess to her, well I'm not emotional. Your not emotional huh? So let's play a scenario game for a second. Pretend there's a knock on the door, and standing at the door is a news camera crew and a man holding a check. To your astonishment you find your the recipient of 1,000,000 dollars. Am I supposed to believe that your inability to show emotion would force you to stand callused and cold? Or would the excitement and realization of receiving a gift you don't deserve push you into an extreme mode of thankfulness and joy? Amazingly, everyone would react with some style of unscripted, and unrehearsed dancing, shouting, and perhaps even crying, over the unprecedented joy you suddenly feel. The camera's wouldn't matter, the people standing around would disappear as you would get lost in the joy of the moment.

We don't deserve grace, and we definitely do not deserve access into heavenly places, but he gave it to us anyhow. Will we miss out on this incredible opportunity because we're too prideful and too worried about being labeled a radical? If you have a problem with how passionate I worship, then that's a you problem. But I stand in awe, and I stand amazed at the realization... I've been given access to His throne room. I have been chosen.....

My Story

1 Corinthians 15:10
"But by the grace of God, I am what I am..."

It was a typical school year, I was 15 years old and like most teenagers I was searching for my identity. I lived a pretty simple life. In school I wasn't involved in sports, but spent some time in band, mainly because the band trip was a week long vacation to Disney Land. I was one of those "under the radar kids," I had potential to do well but lacked the desire to try. Like most kids my age my friends were important and I had plenty of them, but none really worthy to be called my best friend. But then when you have a twin brother there really isn't the need for a best friend. My brother and I enjoyed hanging out, having fun and just being kids. My dad made pretty good money and so we often splurged on all the toys and gadgets we could find. We had a boat, jet-skis, a beautiful camper, 4-wheelers and wouldn't have been caught without name brand clothes and shoes. Our identity was entangled in stuff; it was who we were and we loved it, but life as we knew it was about to change...

Like most kids around Christmas, my brother and I would raid the house looking for hidden Christmas presents and were always pretty successful at finding them; either that or my mother was pretty bad at hiding them. That particular Christmas as we searched the house, digging through drawers and looking under couches, we made a discovery that would change our lives forever. We were stunned at first, looking at each other then back at our discovery. "Is that what I think it is?" I asked my brother. There was a pause and then speechless we turned away and never mentioned it again, moving on with our lives as though nothing ever happened. However, in the back of my mind I began to dwell on the events of that day and could not ever quite shake the feelings of confusion, fear and uncertainty that was now present. ...

As the months went on things got worse. I began to see my parents drifting, seeming to be present in body, but absent in mind. Information began getting out as people began to ask questions. How was I supposed to continue acting normal and pretending there was nothing was amiss in my family. Then one day it happened; my worst nightmare. I remember walking outside only to stare in shock as I watched my parents being handcuffed and shoved into a cop car. The two most important people in my life, my strength, my protection and my provision. I can still hear my dad's voice. "Everything is going to be ok," he promised. But, I could only shake my head, how? Why? What now? My body seemed numb as my world came crashing down around me. My identity, security, future and family, gone in an instant. ...

The next few days were the longest days of my life. We moved in with our grandparents and I can remember lying awake in bed at night wondering if there was even a God. I would ask, "If You're really up there, then why is all this happening to me?" I couldn't understand, even on the limited knowledge of religion I had, how a loving God would allow such pain and confusion to interrupt my life. ...

My Aunt, who also lived with Grandma, was one of those religious people who were always talking about God and had always tried to drag us to church growing up, but we had developed a pretty good ability to stay up so late on Saturday night that no one would expect us to get up Sunday morning to attend church. She never did allow that to discourage her. She replaced all of our board games at Grandma's house with Christian board games; for example, Monopoly became Bible-oply and Uno became Amen. Now that we lived in the same house as her she was a lot harder to deter. We began attending church with her at a Pentecostal church in Tyler, Texas. Although I had attended church with her when I was much younger I had never had the privilege of attending a true Apostolic church service and it was here that I experienced a feeling I had never before felt. I didn't know what it was, but it was like something or Someone was reaching for me. I didn't know what to do, so I just followed what I saw everyone else doing. I made my way to the front of the sanctuary and lifted my hands, reaching out for the One who was reaching for me. I remember standing there crying, not sure why I was crying, but feeling a love I had never felt before and a peace that can not be explained. It was on this day that I received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and discovered God's purpose. Suddenly it all became clear; the turmoil, pain, confusion and all the chaos wasn't some form of God overlooking me, but the mercy of God intervening in my life! Psalms 23, David wrote, "...Thy rod and Thy staff comfort me." The rod and staff were the same object. On one was side was the hook which was called the staff. This side was used to gently pull the sheep back into the fold when it began to stray. The other side was blunt and would be used to break the legs of the sheep if he continued to stray. The shepherd pick up the wounded sheep, wrap him in his arms and carry him to his destination. The love of the shepherd was so strong that he was willing to put it through severe pain in order to protect and save it. ... God will sometimes put us through severe pain and heartache in order to save and reach us. It is not judgment, it's mercy. ...

Today, both of my parents are active members of their local church, getting closer to God everyday and consumed with His mercy! Our family has never been closer and I am amazed at how God was able to reunite a family that was torn apart. My family is now bonded stronger than it had ever been because of the trials we endured together. I cannot describe the joy I feel as I watch my parents lift their hands and give glory to the God who redeemed them! Yes, there are scars from the past, but those scars don't serve as condemnation, but rather as the testimony of God's mercy. Did we deserve it? No! But God's mercy is not predicated on our goodness, it's predicated on His goodness. ...

My family serves as a testimony that no problem is too big and no storm too rough! If you will allow God access into your life, He will change your destiny!