Benefits from a 72 hour Fast

When the church is united and the priesthood of all believers is a reality, the masses will come!

Staying home in prayer isn't a waste of time. Nothing could be worth more than this.

Strongholds are breaking. Fear of running out of momentum, perfectionism, and lack of contentment are all broken in the empty stomach.

God is creating in me perfect peace. Not as the world gives, but as Jesus gives.

It feels like a chore when the flesh is fighting back. But when the flesh dies, it's all spirit.

We won't hear from God when the flesh is too loud!

It's not legalism when it's killing the flesh.

Full surrender to the God who made you brings contentment with just our most basic needs.

The root of your sin is the flesh. You don't need to kill the sin. Kill the flesh and the sin will die with it.

Amazing Dream!!!

I was swimming towards a very small and peculiar island with three of my friends when a swarm of triceratops starting coming towards us. They were swimming so fast that they overtook us, swimming along side of us and yet not attacking us. I kept swimming alongside of them, shocked they weren't eating us until arriving on the island. I started sharing how ridiculous it was that we were swimming with dinosaurs in the water, but they just brushed it off. I was wondering if there were really dinosaurs there after all.

Before exploring the island, my friend gave me two ice cream cones, which were very sweet and delicious. I enjoyed them from the first to the last. Then she gave me a cookie, but I didn't have time to eat it because it was time to take a look at the island.

There was a large open pavilion built into the ground almost as a circular basement with a piano at the bottom of it with seats all around it. There were some kind of caves in the background. I had no idea what we were to do, but my friend was suddenly in a hurry and told our other friend to go and play the piano. I found out that they made reservations and the local people of the island were going to put on a show for us.

The locals were some type of aboriginal people who wore very little clothing, went around bare foot, and practiced religious ceremonies openly. We waited for them to start the show and suddenly a whole crowd was sitting all around the circular built-in pavilion. It was apparent that it was going to be a worship set, but it wasn't clear who was going to lead the preaching. Then the local leader told one of the tourists he was to lead as the Spirit gave him inspiration.

Out of nowhere, we were in the middle of the worship and local people started taking others off somewhere and transforming them. I couldn't understand how it was happening until someone told me they were vampires. I was confused until they told me they were good vampires and they were using the blood to transform them into new creations. I marveled at the scene.

I was sitting in a chair just watching everything when someone I couldn't see lifted the chair up and took me on my own away from the worship. I was led on a safari of the island, noticing the ground was mostly sand, rocks, and a few green plants scattered here and there. I could feel all of it against my bare feet. The ground was very squishy. The chair continued moving on and led me towards another group of tourists.

I sat next to a female tourist. I asked her about the chair and how it was moving. I couldn't see any strings anywhere and I didn't see the person moving it, unless they were directly behind me. She didn't know either and then her boyfriend came back to sit beside her chair. They both started complaining about the island and were whisked away before I could talk with them further.

The chair moved again, and at this point, it was like I was walking, except the chair was still pushing me along and leading the direction forward. I was led mysteriously to a large lake made of fire where a special ritual was taking place. The locals started shooting fireballs into the lake which started summoning a huge fire beast, but before it was summoned completely, it just exploded into a huge ball of fire and disappeared. I felt something special had happened.

Before I could think about it, the chair was moving again. The local people were preparing dinner for us. While they were preparing it, I was taken on another tour. I saw all the houses and local people and then I saw the most amazing display. There were little dinosaurs, only about knee-high, walking right through the island and a little girl was staring at them. I knew then that I really did see the triceratops when I was swimming and I knew for sure there really were still dinosaurs in the world.

Then I saw the temple and thought about the life of these people and how they survived. I knew the religious rituals were vital for fulfilling the people's needs who in turn provided for the leaders. I was thinking about how different their way of life was as I waited for dinner to be ready. That's when I woke up from the dream in a very pleasant state.

The whole dream was amazing and enthralling. It was like a very expensive interactive show and everything was so real. Even after waking, the dream still felt real and I really wasn't sure which world felt more real to me. I was thankful for the gift of the dream and immediately wrote it down. It was six o'clock in the morning.

ART

Art is defined as works produced by human creative imagination.

That is a broad definition that includes...

Interior design

Culinary arts

Painting

Drawing

Designing

Architecture

Writing poetry and story

Technology innovation

Fashion design

Carpentry

Masonry

Metalworking

Acting

Film making

Photography

Sculpture

Ceramic art

Music

Instruments

Gardening

I can't imagine a person who does not live to both produce and consume art.

It's just who we are.

We're addicted to find the newest art and continue consuming until we're satisfied.

But the truth is we can never be truly satisfied until we meet the original artist ~

The one who created before our world existed.

God is the artist who created the universe and everything in it.

He made us, male and female, in his image and gave us the same creative freedom he has.

That's why all art should point back to the creator and we should make it our duty to know him.

True satisfaction can only come from knowing the one who made you with all your creative rights.

Whatever art you produce and consume, let it point the world back to the that one.

Give God all the glory because it all belongs to him.

Amen.

Fools Shame The Wise

You're forgiven!

This message is still shocking today, even to the church.

What does it mean to be forgiven if not that God chooses to remember your sins and failures no more?

We are only forgiven through Jesus Christ when we are clothed with his life and blood.

That's why Paul the apostle said there is no condemnation in Christ.

When we are in Jesus, we are one with him and darkness can never have a part with Jesus.

Therefore, if you are forgiven, your sins are not only no longer remembered, but they are removed from you as far as the east is from the west.

When you humble yourself, confess your sins, and worship the savior, you are a new creation. That means old things are gone and all things have become new.

As a new creation, you are not identified by your old self and no one can ever use your old sins and failures as gossip or slander against you because it's not you anymore.

The only ones who will try to use your past forgiven sins and failures against you are the devil, the father of lies, and those who follow his tactics.

If anyone tries to slander you or gossip about your past, you have a right to say, "get behind me satan" because only the accuser uses lies to condemn you.

One time, Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother in one day.

Jesus' answer astounded him. He said seventy times seven.

Don't believe that you have to remember someone's past to protect yourself from sin unless that person has not repented and has not been born again.

Even if your brother sins against you 490 times in one day, Jesus still calls you to forgive him and start a fresh relationship with him.

I believe the reason for this extreme answer is the importance to define people how God defines them.

If you believe you're a sinner, you will sin.

Your identity determines your actions.

But if you believe you're a saint, you will do good works unto right living.

That tragedy is when someone in authority over you defines you by your past or neglects the truth that you are forgiven, a new creation, and holy in Christ.

That shocking message that you are forgiven in Christ will turn the church right side down.

Leaders will send out the unqualified as Jesus did with his disciples because they know God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

As long as Jesus is the head then you can be sure something powerful is going to happen when those with highest authority take the lowest positions and those with no authority have the spotlight.

Only the Spirit of God can lead this kind of congregation into truth and praise.

Wouldn't it be better to have the presence of God in the assembly rather than the safety of seminary degrees teaching you from the pulpit?

When you see an untrained, unlearned nobody take the stage with power and authority, speaking truth and the glory of God, then humble yourself because the hand of God is among you.

Jesus turned the world upside down.

Our old nature is to turn it back around again.

That's probably why God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

Only the fools are willing to follow Jesus against the stream and turn things upside down again.

But the key for each of these fools being used by God is humbling themselves, confessing their sin, and being born again as a new creation in Christ.

Forgiven, new, and righteous saints unqualified by the world, but qualified by God will lead the next generation back to the Father.

All to the glory of God alone.

Amen.