Is Your Seed Still In The Barn?

The principles of sowing and reaping are true in the natural realm and in the spiritual realm.  I AM the One who gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater.  I have given to you lavishly.  And yet, isn’t there still seed in the barn?

He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly and he who sows lavishly will reap lavishly.

The cold, harshness of winter is over.  Spring is coming and it is time to bring all of your seed out of the barn and sow lavishly.  I give many different kinds of seed...seeds of faith, seeds of love...seeds of blessing and provision.  However, you first have to sow the seed into the ground before you will reap a harvest and have bread to eat.  With the same measure that you give it will be given back to you.  Give a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing then you shall receive a full measure in return.

I love you lavishly, having withheld nothing from you.  Love lavishly out of the seed of My love...with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind.  Sow lavishly and reap the fullness of the abundance that I have for you.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8; Haggai 2:19; Isaiah 55:10; Matthew 22:37    

The Gift of Delayed Gratification

God intends good where the enemy has intended evil.  Where the enemy has brought disappointment through delayed gratification, God intends to bring the strength of discipline through that same delayed gratification.

I AM raising up My people into a great and powerful army for My name’s sake and the sake of My Kingdom.  I AM breathing the life of My Holy Spirit on those who are dry, who have lost hope, and who have felt disconnected.  You have been through Boot Camp where each man has had to yield to the rigorous training and preparation of himself through various trials.  These have helped to ready you for the battles that are ahead, battles that will be fought with your brothers by your side.  This “Band Of Brothers” is My glorious army that is taking back ground that has been lost to enemy forces.  Ground that has become hard, barren, or thorny under the hand of the enemy will once again become fertile and fruitful.  

This great army is My instrument of redemption in the earth, extending the eternal effects of the cross of Christ into the temporal realm through the same disciplines of love and sacrifice that Jesus displayed.  These merciful acts of love and sacrifice are the seeds that bear the lasting fruit of righteousness, peace, and joy in My Kingdom rule.  As you do this, trusting Me with the rest, the soil of faith is prepared, making a place for love and sacrifice to bring forth an abundant harvest; taking back the hard, barren, thorny ground of the enemy’s sowing and making it fruitful for My Kingdom.   Allow the strength of My discipline to uproot any weeds of bitterness and disappointment.

This is your “Call of Duty” to arise to the strength and discipline of a higher service.  Activate your faith for the rank and file of a Kingdom soldier.  Cultivate the patience of the diligent farmer.  Fix your gaze, as a well disciplined athlete, on a greater reward than your temporary comfort.  Set yourselves to seek first the Kingdom of God and My righteousness and I will take care of those things that have concerned you.  

Ezekiel 37:10; Luke 8:11-15; Romans 14:17; 2 Timothy 2:4-6

The Age Of Maturity

This is a Bar Mitzvah year for My modern day church.  It is a “coming of age” season when the sons of God will be revealed.  It is also a season when the sons of God will be required to begin to take responsibility for their words, attitudes, actions, behaviors, and choices.

I, as your Heavenly Father, have covered your weaknesses in the past as a parent covers and protects a very young child.  I have used this covering time as a time of training you to know how to refuse the evil and to choose the good.  Now is the time of maturity when you are required to own your weaknesses, bringing them to Me in faith and believing that I AM able to work in you both to will and to do what is good and right.

Through Christ, I AM with you in your weakness to help you work out your own salvation...even when it is with fear and trembling.  My grace is sufficient for you and My strength is made perfect in weakness.  Do not rely on human wisdom, but rather on the power of My Holy Spirit within you.  You will bear witness of the Kingdom and the power of God for salvation.  Your faith and obedience bring Me great pleasure.  Even when you don’t see or sense My protective covering, know that My presence is with you in power.  My pleasure smiles over you as mature sons of the Living God!

Romans 8:19; Isaiah 7:15; Philippians 2:12-13; 2 Corinthians 12:9

2013 A Baker's Dozen Year of Increased Measure

2013 is a year of the “baker’s dozen”, a year of the increased measure of what the heart has ordered.  For those whose hearts are turned toward Christ, it is a season of unprecedented boldness for increased fruit of righteousness and power of the Spirit.  For those whose hearts are turned from Christ, it is a season of unprecedented fruit of unrighteousness and power of sin.

There will be liberty and liberality for all; the releasing of the captives into the liberty of Christ.  This “liberty of Christ” is the freedom to be all that you choose to be.  For some, there will be the breaking off of the chains of the flesh and sin as they choose to embrace Christ not only as
“Savior”, but also as “Lord”.  For others, there will be the breaking off of the chains of pretense and religious hypocrisy as they choose to embrace the desires of the flesh and sin.  Those who are of the world will live in such as way as to openly resist the government, rule, and authority of My Kingdom in their hearts; while those who are Mine will live in such a way as to openly resist the government, rule, and authority of worldliness in their hearts.

There will continue to be an increase of My government and My peace to order and establish My Kingdom with righteous judgment and justice.  My zeal is being stirred up and increased in the earth to make a clear distinction between righteousness and unrighteousness, between good and evil.  I AM raising up an army of those whose senses have been trained to refuse the evil and to choose the good.

It is for freedom that Christ came to make you free.  You have been called to liberty and liberality; only do not use your liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another with liberality.

Jeremiah 29:11-14; Isaiah 7:15, 9:7, 61:1-7; Galatians 5:1   

PROGRESS OR PRESENCE?

OH PILGRIM, WHEN PROGRESS IS BOUND

BY DISAPPOINTMENTS YOU HAVE FOUND

WITH COURAGE WANT AND FAITH DEPLETE

EVERY DAY SMACKS BITTERSWEET

HARSH MORSELS OF THE CONSTANT PAIN

THAT HINDER WALK AND STYMIE GAIN

AND BRINGS IN EBB AND FLOW OF GRIEF

THAT CAUSES HOPE TO EVER CEASE

THE WONDERS OF HIS LOVE ERASE

DISMISSING CRIMSON BLOTCH WITH GRACE

AND MAKING SMOOTH THE CREASE OF SCAR

YOU’LL FIND THE PATH OF JOY NOT FAR

SO JOURNEY ONWARD WITHOUT FAIL

HIS PRESENCE GOES BEHIND THE VEIL

THE DARKNESS THAT ONCE SEEMED SO BLEAK

BREAKS DAWN WITH MORNING AT HIS FEET

NO DARK NIGHT OF SOUL WILL WIN

FOR GREATER IS HE WHO IS WITHIN

NOW, SET A WATCH AND KNOW HE’S NEAR

WITH ARMS TO HOLD AND EAR TO HEAR

HIS GENTLE WHISPER IN YOUR HEART

REMINDS THAT HE WILL NEVER PART

HIS LOVE IS STEADFAST, STRONG, AND TRUE

THE HOPE OF GLORY, CHRIST IN YOU!

The Sword of My Mouth

Those who look to Me will see that there is a sharp two-edged sword in my mouth.  It is My Word that I AM speaking to you who are My people.  My Word is living and powerful and sharp enough to separate and divide the soul from the spirit.  My Word discerns between your thoughts and the motives of your heart.

The purpose of My Word to you in this season is to reveal the hidden motives of your heart.  Your thoughts are not My thoughts.  My ways are not your ways.  Man looks at the outward things, but I look at the heart.  Doing the “right” thing in the eyes of man, but for the wrong reason will ultimately be just as futile as doing the wrong thing.  Self-seeking and envy are at the root of many so called “good” works. These works are dead works that stem from a religious spirit of performance.  This brings confusion into things rather than clarity and builds a kingdom that will not stand the storms that are coming.  Only those things that are born out of intimacy with Me by the Holy Spirit produce works that last, having the essence of My nature and eternal life in them. 

This severing work is not the painful incision of a scalpel, but rather, the swift and liberating slicing of My sword to the things that have kept you bound up, tethered to an earthly evaluation of things.  Where My Spirit is the motivator of your heart there is true freedom.  This freedom will cause you to rise up to My perspective, thoughts, and ways.  From My perspective there is clarity, strength to stand the storms, and lasting Kingdom fruit. 

Revelation1:16; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Samuel 16:7; James 2:14

Knowledge and Life

The old adage that what you don’t know won’t hurt you is a fallacy.  The truth is that my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  Knowing Me by continually experiencing My Presence and feeding on My Word is the only way to all that is life-giving.  Even those of My people who are honorable become famished apart from Me and multitudes are dried up with thirst.

Continuing in My Presence is essential to experiencing the satisfaction of a restored soul on a daily basis.  As you stay close to Me, experientially knowing Me by My Spirit, hearing and obeying My Word, you will be nourished by the green pastures and restful waters that I have provided for the care of your soul.  This is how you know Me as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

The Kingdom of Heaven is not far off, it is very near, it is within you.  Tend to your inner life and your outer life will come into alignment with the knowledge of the Holy One...the One Who is Truth and Life.  Seek first My Kingdom and My righteousness and everything else will be taken care of as well.  My Presence is full of life-giving abundance.  It is only as you know and experience My Presence that you find the way of abundant life and avoid the  paths of destruction.

Hosea 3:6; Isaiah 5:13; Psalm 23:1-3; Luke 17:20-21