Have you ever heard the phrase, “Whatever doesn’t kill you,
makes you stronger?” It’s not in the
Bible, but the Holy Spirit spoke it to me.
He said, “you have been asking for more anointing, more power, more
strength…” He went on to say, “Consecrate
yourself in 2014. There are going to be
attacks, tests and challenges more severe than any you have faced before. And by the end of the year, you will either
be at a new and greater level of the anointing than you ever imagined, or you
will be dead.”
Now when the Holy Spirit speaks about death, it can be
metaphorical, literal, or both. In this
case, considering the evidence of how the enemy has already tried to literally
kill me several times in the last few months, I believe that it is both.
I know I lost some of you already because if you aren’t
accustomed to this kind of extreme talk about what goes on in the spirit realm,
you might be thinking that I have gone off the deep end. But I’m tired… seriously tired of writing and
ministering in ways as to not shake the tree.
I have been guilty, have repented and now I’m free. I’m
done with that. This is a new season, a
radical and a real season and I’m stepping into it. I hope you will too. If you want to read some user friendly sensitive
nonsense telling you that God’s grace means you can do whatever you want and
not pay a price for the anointing, then stop reading right here. There are plenty of those kinds of ministries
out there and this isn’t one of them.
And if you don’t want prophecy in your church, don’t invite me to
speak. I’m moving forward and I’m done
wasting my own time by trying to tone things down. J
I want you to know something friend. This is the way those who authored the Bible
spoke. The Bible says things that seem
far-fetched but end up being completely true.
How about this one?... Many who
previously partook of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner, in other words,
they didn’t repent of their sins, are sick, weak, or have fallen asleep (I’m
assuming prematurely). That means
dead. Check it out for yourself in 1
Corinthians 11:17-34.. Do you think the
Lord isn’t serious about making sure to examine ourselves before drinking that
little cup of juice and eating the cracker?
He is serious. Or what about this
warning from Jesus in John 10:10 which tells us that the thief (devil) comes
only to kill to steal and to destroy.
You’d better believe that literally because it happens all the time.
God is the filter on my life and He only allows attacks from
the enemy to come that He knows will be for my benefit if I work with Him to be
victorious. And so He is going to open
the filter up some more here in 2014 and is warning me to consecrate myself so
that I will be able to not only withstand the brutality of it all, but grow
through it and become stronger. After
all, I asked for it.
And so I’ve been discussing this with Him. A year?!?!?!
Really??? Yes, really. Oh my!
And so my friends, I am announcing to those of you who pray
for me and follow my life for whatever reason that I am launching a year long
season of consecration starting right now.
The reason now, is that when I started planning to begin on January 1,
the Holy Spirit informed me that He is giving me a chance to get a running head
start and that if I’m serious about it, why not start now?
What does this mean?
To consecrate? Websters says
this: Consecrate: “dedicated to a sacred
purpose” Another way that I like to
describe it is “set apart for the purposes of God.” Look at it this way. You are a vessel that is for a special
purpose Not a common vessel. And so you reserve yourself to only be used
by God, not cheapening yourself with the things of the world. You are like a silver platter used for
special occasions but now you want every occasion to be special. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
In the Bible, there are many instances where God asked
people to consecrate, purify and prepare themselves for events ranging from
religious ceremony to times of war. They
would cleanse themselves, spend time in prayer or performing sacrifices, they
could fast from food and often wouldn’t even sleep with their spouses. There were other ways they would do it as
well. The main thing is to set yourself
apart for the Lord as the Holy Spirit is leading you.
So here is how He is leading me for this year. I am to eat no sweets (even sugar free) &
I will eat no rice. On a side note, if I were someone who drinks
alcohol, then I would abstain, but I am not.
Furthermore, I will not attend movies, watch television and I will not
surf the internet for entertainment purposes.
I will only perform tasks including ministry that I believe the Lord is
asking me to do and will eliminate all of the busy-ness in my life that is
possible. My primary dedication will be
to a cleansing and growing process as I read the Bible, pray, watch and spend
time in the presence of God. There are
more promises for this year that I am making between God and myself as well,
but you get the point.
I will of course continue to be a faithful Pastor to those
the Lord has directed me to work with in Manila and will continue to minister
everywhere that the Lord leads me. I
will also focus on being the best Father that I can be to my children,
especially to the two boys, Chad and Ethan who are living with me in the Philippines.
It is going to be quite a year and I intend to live through
it and come through it as gold and silver come through the Refiners fire.
But I have to tell you, this is not only for me. Prophetically, this is for many people and
for many groups of people. I sense in my
spirit that this year, 2014 is going to be a very challenging year for God’s
worldwide Church and that we all really should consecrate, purify and prepare
ourselves. For those who will do this,
they will pass test after test and go from peak to peak, glory to glory in
their relationship and empowerment with and from God.
As I preached in a Church in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
yesterday, the battle cry for 2014 must be “No Compromise!”
Prayer Partners and Friends, would you pray for me? And would you consider joining me in
consecration, cleansing and travail this year?
If so, ask the Holy Spirit to give you your custom plan, don’t follow
mine.
2015 is going to be an even more amazing year as long as we
set it up to be that way in 2014!!! Let
us plough the ground and set the stage, shall we?
