“Truth is not common knowledge but known to only a few. Too much truth is difficult for the body of Christ to swallow. Choking and unable to savor the word they will declare it bitter as it clogs their palates. It will become more evident as the new Apostolic Reform takes its place in God’s overall plan before releasing anymore of His power.”
Apostolic Reform is also known as the “Move of God.” God is calling out for His remnant of people who will receive the deeper revelations that will empower His Nation of Believers.
“Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant,
we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah.
Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah:” Isaiah1:9,10
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
“For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power”
(1 Corinthians 4:20).
“Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians” (Exod. 14:24).
In this verse, our Lord is described as being a pillar of fire by day and a cloud by night. There are times while preaching that this same pillar of fire comes and anoints you with his power. Could it be an angel of the Lord gives us the power to preach the good news of Jesus Christ?
There is a connection between the anointing and the Angel of the Lord. Many say that the Angel of the Lord recorded in the Old Testament was Jesus Christ Himself. Old Testament references that capitalize the word “Angel” could be referring to Jesus Christ. At other times it is thought that Jesus appeared and spoke as a man (Gen. 18:2-22; 32:24-30; Josh. 5:13-15). Any reference that does not capitalize “angel” could be referring to one of the other angels of the Lord.
There are many passages in which the expression “Angel of God” is certainly used for a manifestation of God himself (Gen. 22:11; Exod. 3:2). Those who believe in Jesus Christ have His Spirit living within them; therefore, the same pillar of fire could manifest itself today through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy'” (Rev. 19:10).
The first time I preached and prophesied in a church was in February of 1988. After preaching under the anointing of the Lord, and prophesying in the spirit of prophecy, several people came to me to ask questions. One dear woman did not have a question, but rather wanted to share with me what she had heard and seen during the meeting. Now, this lady was by no means spiritually-minded, and she really doubted whether the gifts of the Holy Spirit were for today. When I saw her come towards me, I began to prepare myself for a good tongue-lashing.
To my surprise, she was crying and a bit shaken. I asked her what was wrong. She replied that while I was prophesying, the Lord spoke to her and gave her a sign. I was pleased to hear that she had heard the voice of the Lord! I was even more stunned, however, to hear what she had seen as a sign from God. This dear lady was told by the Lord to tell me that every word that was spoken was protected and that not one word would touch the ground. I was ready to do the Holy Ghost dance right then and there, but that was not all she had to say.
A sign of the Lord was shown to her while I was ministering. Every time I moved away from the pulpit, a bright light would blind her eyes until I stood still. She told me it appeared as if the light was hiding behind me. I believe this sign was given to her from God as her confirmation that she was to give me the word that He wanted me to hear. I did not know at that time how important that word would be to me later that day.
When I finally returned home and had lain down to rest, I felt the anointing leave me. As soon as the anointing left, the devil began whispering words of doubt and confusion. He told me I needed to get up and call various people I had prophesied over. He was telling me that the words I delivered were incorrect.
He continued to torment my thoughts, trying to convince me I had messed up someone’s life and that they would perish because of what I had spoken over them. This went on for a few minutes. Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of the word I had received from the woman who had seen the blinding light. So I simply told the devil what the Lord had said, rebuked him, turned over, and took a little nap.
I experienced what Jesus promised would happen as soon as we deliver His word: the devil would try to steal it. “And He [Jesus] said, ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God; those by the way-side are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved'” (Luke 8:10-12).
I learned many things that day, but this one lesson I hope never to forget: whenever God gives you a word for someone and you are commanded to deliver it, the devil will try to steal it. It is by your faith that you delivered the word and it will be by your faith that the word will come to pass.
“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith” (Rom. 12:6).
The devil will try to get you to come into agreement with him that the prophecy you delivered was incorrect. If you come into agreement with the devil and his word, you will give the promise of God over to him, robbing the person of their prophecy and promise. Many nights I have resisted the devil as he has tried to steal the promise of the words delivered to the people through the gift that I received by the prophecy and the laying on of hands of the eldership.
A Massive Outpouring of Love and Power part 75 page 166
God is sending His people spiritual gifts that are listed in 1 Corinthians 12, and also redemptive gifts that are listed in Romans 12. Another thing I have noticed is the variety of ministries being prophesied into existence are very unusual. These new ministries being birthed are nothing like anything we have ever seen before.
“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Cor. 12:4-11).
It is so obvious that the Holy Spirit is equipping the saints of God for a massive outpouring of God’s love and power. More and more, I hear “brand name” preachers touch upon the need for angels. The connection between the angels, also known as ministering spirits, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are coming more into focus. I was shown by the Holy Spirit a number of years ago about the variety of angels and how they effectively minister in various gifts of the Holy Spirit. You will be hearing more about this from other ministers as the days go by, for this revelation is huge and is sweeping across the nations.
If the Holy Spirit is tugging on your heart to seek a word of prophecy, it could be because He has a spiritual gift that He wants to impart into you to establish your ministry.
“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established” (Rom. 1:11).
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29).
Spiritual and redemptive gifts cannot ever be taken away from you. Be not foolish, however, with this newfound power from God for He is faithful to His Word and will not take the gift from you. However, if you harm His people or abuse them in any way, He will simply remove you.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7).
Angelic Enforcers of Spiritual Law part 76 page 168
“I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!'” (Isa. 6:1-3).
When the saints of the Lord come together to pray, praise, and worship, the angels will enter into the midst of them, making their presence known. This is when we begin to see people saved and the gifts of the Holy Spirit manifested. Angels are in our presence to deliver to the Father our confessions.
There are many spiritual laws that affect our lives, just as natural laws affect our physical world. We cannot see the law of gravity, but if we stand under a falling boulder we will feel its full effect. Spiritual laws, when misused, can have the same aftermath as the law of physics. It does not take faith to cause spiritual laws to manifest in our presence. The one thing that does differ is that spiritual laws are not controlled by time. The effects, good or bad, can come quickly or take years. On the other hand, nature’s laws are time-controlled and are more easily understood. This is why it is hard for some Christians to understand why a heathen can seemingly go unpunished. However, scripture promises that judgment day will eventually come to all.
“Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden” (1 Tim. 5:24-25).
Another spiritual law that has a profound ability to return to its creator (like a boomerang) is the Law of Judgments. We begin to form judgments which affect our lives from day one. Judgments that we make in life can be good and return blessing back to us, or they can be bad and carry curses. We can make critical judgments of others and are guaranteed to receive the same in return. The criticism we receive usually comes from someone other than the person we have judged. It is also a law within the spirit realm that by the same measure of the infraction, we are guaranteed to have it come back on us in equal force or greater.
I will let you in on a little tidbit that will help you in prophesying, as well as in knowing of things to come. When you see a violation of God’s spiritual law, you can then proclaim the outcome of the effects to that person or nation. This is how prophets are able to know of many things to come without even hearing God’s voice. Now, what I have shared with you is very valuable information; however, there is one pitfall. If you witness someone breaking a spiritual law and you prophesy their punishment, know that if God grants them forgiveness, your words will fall to the ground and not come to pass.
Always keep this one spiritual law in your forethoughts before speaking evil about anyone. You are accountable for every word you speak. If you want to stand under the Master’s gavel, then foolishly speak evil and you will experience firsthand the power of His wrath.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matt. 7:1-2).
The Spiritual Law of Giving part 77 page 171
Something material for something spiritual is also a spiritual law that carries blessings and curses. In this law, we find that it is not “how much you give” but “who you give it to” that is important. You can give a psychic a twenty-dollar bill for a reading and receive a curse. On the other hand, you can give to God’s ministers and be blessed.
Let us not stop there. We must also understand that this spiritual law is only in effect if the one ministering accepts your monetary gift. Apostle Paul goes into great length explaining to the saints in Corinth about this spiritual law. At the end of his message he robs them of their blessing by not accepting their offering. (See 1 Corinthians 9:1-18)
“Whoever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock?” (1 Cor. 9:7).
The boundaries for giving that have been set by many Christians today do not line up with Scripture. In fact, there are a large number of Christians who believe that if you minister, you should do it without any monetary return. It appears that the church at Corinth, in Apostle Paul’s day, had the same problem. This is why he goes into such great length to bring the church back in line with Scripture. He is saying that if one plants wheat, one should eat of that wheat. Or if he raises sheep, he should eat of its meat. Or if he has goats, he should drink of their milk.
It costs a lot of money to fight back the spirit of darkness. The cost of publishing, materials, postage, travelling, and internet expenses are tremendous. The last thing we need is to waste time and finances trying to convince Christians of this spiritual truth.
“Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the (spiritual) law say the same also? For it is written in the Law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.’ Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope” (1 Cor. 9:8-10).
You do not have to be a prophet (or spiritual) to understand this law of exchange. If you have an ox that labors to grind out the seed for your bread, would you keep all of the grain for yourself? No! Any halfway intelligent person would know if you do not share the seed of the grain with the oxen, he will starve to death. Then you would not have oxen to tread out the grain for you.
Unfortunately, even at the closing of the 20th century, we still have Christians who want to starve those who are grinding out the word and revelation of God. Without the bread of life, we will become spiritual beggars falling to the ground, dry and hungry for God and His word. It seems to be no problem for the majority of people to live under the monetary rule of exchange when it comes to receiving food, entertainment, and other Earthly pleasures. They think nothing of giving their hard-earned money for food, pills, or even a movie, but struggle when giving to the ministers of the gospel.
Some say they cannot trust the ministers with their money. Does this mean they can trust the grocer, the doctor, the lawyer, and everyone else but God’s ministers? What a minister offers cannot always be seen in the same manner as what you brought home in a grocery bag or the pharmacist’s bottle. Do not be fooled by what you cannot see, for what is spiritual is eternal and you cannot purchase it; you can only support it.
If you are being blessed by one minister, but give your tithes and offerings somewhere else, you are in a sense committing a spiritual crime. Over the years, I have heard of people sneaking off to hear another preacher, but they left all their tithes and offerings at their traditional church. I prayed about this and asked the Lord for wisdom and this was what He had to say. He put it to me this way: “Do you take from the shelf at K-Mart and then go pay Wal-Mart for the product because that is where you have shopped at the longest?” We see this happening all over the Body of Christ. As a result, some of God’s oxen are being muzzled.
“If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:11-12).
The Bible Does Not Stutter part 78 page 174
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that you are to give all your tithes to one local church or ministry. What the Bible does say is to give unto God what is rightfully HIS! (See Malachi 3:8.) How do you do that? It is easy! If you are receiving revelation from God through a ministry or church, then you have found His Spirit and that is where He wants you to sow your tithes and offerings. Think about it: if God has chosen to speak to you through that person, do you suppose that this might be where He would want you to give of your material things? If the minister is good enough for God, how much more should we be willing to bless him/her?
“Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:13-14).
Here we find another commandment of the Lord that we can obey or disobey. If the Lord has commanded those who preach the gospel to live from the gospel, then we need to support those who labor in this good news. What could be the punishment for not taking care of those who are laboring for God’s word?
Have you ever tried to find God after He has hidden Himself so well that you feel abandoned? The prophet Amos prophesied of a famine that would come. The famine would not be one of food or water but of the words of the Lord (Amos 8:11-12). I am sure there were still priests, prophets, and kings in that day, but God was not speaking through any of them. Why? Because the people had closed their hands, making a fist in the face of God. They would not give to His workers as commanded, so they were cursed.
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation” (Mal. 3:8-9).
The day the Lord had me start asking people to give something of value for a prophecy seemed to be the same day that I started fighting my flesh and the devil. You see, I was proud and I did not want to be supported by God’s people. It made me feel out of control to depend on the people for my needs. I would rather paint houses or work at the grocery store than take money for preaching and prophesying.
I have really experienced the power in this verse of scripture that says, “It is better to give than to receive.” (See Acts 20:35.) Believe me, it is much easier to do physical labor and receive a regular paycheck than to earn your wages from spiritual labor. Once you have been humbled to depend upon the people for your livelihood, you realize that you have given up the freedom to do and say whatever you want. You become much more responsible to the people that God sends your way, and will find yourself praying much harder for their wealth, health, and sound mind.
These attacks are not our battles to fight because God defends his own. My wife and I have tried very hard to do only what God has told us to do, and that is not always what others want us to do. I asked the Lord over and over again, “Why do we have to ask the people to give in order to receive?” He has responded many ways, but each time He has not wavered in His reasoning.
He once said, “Son, the gospel is not free; it cost me my life!” Another time He responded to my plea with these words: “Son, if they have nothing invested in the word they receive, it will be worthless to them.” On another occasion the Lord said, “The gospel is not free; it will cost you this life in exchange for life eternal.”
One time when I became very stressed over finances, the Lord said to me, “Son, do not take this life too seriously, for this is not it!” After hearing the Lord’s words so many times, I have learned to become very firm in the way we handle things in this ministry, for it is His ministry we are entrusted with. Now when we receive hate mail or rebukes for asking for financial support, it just makes me more determined to preach the truth about the spiritual law of giving and receiving.
In the exchange of spiritual things for monetary gifts, the devil has worked overtime on a large portion of God’s people. The fact is, the Bible is not a book of lies. It fully supports the spiritual law of exchange, although we need to make sure that we are supporting the church or ministry that is producing God’s word and blessings. To give just to be giving does not always produce God’s rewards and blessing.
Angels Perform the Will of the Holy Spirit part 79 page 177
The Holy Spirit is the presiding ruler of God’s Kingdom on Earth and is making judgments daily about who will be rewarded and who will not. If He can trust you to give when He sends an angel of the Lord (who prompts you to give), then He is faithful to reward you. However, if you have the unction of the Holy Spirit come upon you to give, and you reason away why you shouldn’t give, then the Holy Spirit cannot trust you.
You cannot expect Him to bless you just because you have people praying in agreement with you or claiming promises from the Holy Scripture. Blessings only come by the grace of God and your obedience to His desires. The Bible is not some book of incantations where you can just chant whatever you want and expect the Holy Spirit to hop up and down and do whatever you say. No! You must establish a relationship with Him that is based upon your doing whatever the Holy Spirit asks of you, before you can expect Him to do something for you.
The spiritual laws of exchange go much deeper than just memorizing a few scriptures from the Bible. You can’t quote a verse and believe for the promise to come your way if you are unwilling to obey the Holy Spirit’s request.
It might sound odd to you, but the Holy Spirit will even use a heathen to give if He cannot find a loyal believer. That is why you see the Spiritual Law of Exchange working even for those who do not regularly attend church or mention God’s name with praises upon their lips. Even a heathen can admit when he has been graced with a gut feeling, a hunch, or just something inside that told him to give, and he did it. He will say, “Here I am, a blessed man.” Pray, Hear, and Obey! It is the only way to have the blessing of the Lord move in your life.
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God” (Deut. 28:1-2).
“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and He who believes in me shall never thirst”
(John 6:35).
In the churches affiliated with PMT, all tithes that come in are not spent. Not one dime is incurred for expenses, salaries, anything. The tithes are strictly for investments-to sow, to make money. Why? So, there will be enough there for you when you are in need. There will be enough there for you when it comes to your day of retirement. There will be someone there to take care of you. There are going to be provisions which will multiply.
Malachi 3:10 (NKJV)
“Bring all the tithes into the STOREHOUSE, that there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this, Says the Lord of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”
Think about this: If you are at your job and you start telling everyone about the new credit card you received from your church, and it has the church’s name on it and you never had to pay any interest what do you think they will say? I can just see it now; looking at the church’s bank card I see a logo on the card that says “theMaster’sCard?” Only the saints within that congregation had the 0% interest on their “theMaster’sCard.” Think about the evangelistic aspects of this. You will be bragging about your 0% interest “theMaster’sCard.” How many people would want a credit card that charges 0% interest “theMaster’sCard?” You are going to pay the money back, of course, because you will be borrowing it from the “STOREHOUSE” (see scripture above Malachi 3:10), but you pay 0% interest, and it NEVER charges you interest or fees.
The Bible makes it clear; we do not place usury upon the people of God. Usury is interest.
One of the things I have learned over the years is that when I listen to history, a lot of times God teaches me things about the past. From the past, we can know patterns for the future.
The Bible makes it clear; we do not place usury upon the people of God. Usury is by definition interest on money borrowed. Interest is for the wicked to pay not for us. Somewhere in history it was reversed. How many mortgages are on church buildings across the land today?
How many preachers are preaching for one reason: because they must obtain the money to meet the budget this week. I went to churches where the budget of $150,000 had to be met every Sunday morning. $150,000! And do you know where that church is today? It’s in bankruptcy. Fifteen million dollar building that has cobwebs growing in the corners. Why? Because the principle was not in wisdom; it was in self-motivation of men and humanistic, worldly way of doing things.
Now, what do you do with all this money that comes in for the church? This is where the elders come in to place. They had to be wise. They had to be hearing God! They had to know what God is going to do with these finances. Now, immediately, I began to seek God. Lord, what are we going to do? I have fifteen years of banking; I know a little bit about the financial markets, but what does God want to do? I cannot rely on the knowledge I have or what education or what experience I have in the financial market place. It is still going to take God. I am NOT going to listen to Warren Buffett for advice when I can hear the Spirit of the Lord. No. He doesn’t know what tomorrow holds. Only one knows what is around the corner of tomorrow!
God will show us what to buy and what to sell. He will prosper the church if we do things according to His will. So, pastors wonder, how will I be supported? That is what offerings are about. It is the offering which we should operate from, not the tithe! The tithes belong to God. The tithes are there for God. And what is God interested in? He wants it for His people. His expenditure for His people is limitless! He gave us His only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So why would you think He wants this money, the tithes? The tithe is placed in the “STOREHOUSE” for His ministers to take care of God’s people not to take care of the pastor’s Leer jet, mansion and collection of toys. It is not to make the pastor to be fancied or look high and mighty so that everybody will want to be like him. Hey, we are supposed to exalt only ONE, and that is the Godhead; He and only He should the head of the church. Take note, anything with more than one head is a freak!
What does God want to do with the money? In the beginning, He showed me this practicality by the demonstrations of the Jews who came into America around the time of World War II. A lot of them came in World War I because there were persecutions even then. But when they came to America, they had very, very little, like most immigrants coming to America. So, what did these men and women do?
They had little time to make anything for themselves. But they knew this Proverb: A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s, children. And they were going to live by this principle. They were ready to sacrifice themselves for the next generation. Are people following this principle today? I don’t think so.
If you see a huge RV going up and down the road, it might seem humorous, but it could be sad. A lot of them have license plates that say, “We are spending our children’s inheritance,” as if boasting blasphemies against God’s principle. We provide for our children’s children. We must provide for the church of the next generation.
A lot of people are saying there is not going to be another generation. I am here to tell you that is a bold-faced lie from the pits of Hell. It is the major discussion of the new millennium. Everybody has prepared for raptured, but I tell you these teaching is scaring the young people out of the church. That message has destroyed so many people, and it will destroy the whole church if we continue with it. The rapture message is not the gospel message that Jesus purchased with His blood; the gospel message is there is life after death for those who believe He is the long-awaited Messiah.
God is going to preserve His people, as He promised in Genesis. He said that He will never destroy mankind again. That is the promise of the rainbow. People try to water it down by saying that God meant He will not destroy us by a flood, but rather He is going to kill us all with fire. That is not what He said!
He said He will never destroy mankind again. There is a whole different teaching on this subject which we will not get into now. But we have a commission of God to prepare for future generations. The way we have been doing things in the church has made it less and less powerful, less and less critical and fewer and fewer people are interested in being on a ship with holes in it and going down quickly. They want to be part of something that is living, part of something that is gaining, something that has a voice.
If a church has $1,800,000 in the bank, people are going to listen to them. They will pay attention to those people when they come and say we want this in our government. One church in one year can collect $1,800,000 in tithes. What if we did it with all the churches across the United States? If every one of them stored the tithes, how long would it take to have most the finances and who will the world listen to? It would not take very long if every church began holding the tithes and not spending them. How long would it take before the church at large controlled the major portion of the world’s funds?
Now, I am going back to the Jews. What did they do? When they came to America, they had nothing. They had to do something so what they did was this: They found whatever jobs they could do, but with every dime they could get a hold of over and above the essential cost of living they bought life insurance and made their children the beneficiary. They knew this one thing: it was guaranteed that they were going to die. That was a sure thing. And if they had the policy, the children would have something to start out with because they had nothing. Now, what has happened because of that?
Some of the wealthiest people in this nation are Jewish people because the forefathers were wise and lived up the scriptures that said a good man leaves his inheritance to his children’s children. It is a guaranteed practice every one of us is accountable to die at some point in time.
So, what should we do? One investment the church can make with its policy is to insure its people. Why? To make the church the beneficiary. Why do this? So, it can leave something for the next generation of children.
The church is supposed to be one big body, one big family. I am not saying give all your properties. Some Christian TV programs say they will take all your properties, work out your trust and will and deed it all to the church. Well, I am not interested in that. I am interested mainly in taking in some investment that we know will work so that the church can prosper. Think about this: How many people will pass away? Some unfortunately die because of an accident. Some unfortunately die because of a sickness or disease.
The fact of the matter is that we live in a world where those things happen. So, the money goes to the church, is the money spent? No. It is there to take care of the next generation and the present elderly generation’s needs.
We have people all over the place who need finances. We have people who need being able to build a company if they had just a little bit to start out with, they could make it. Where can they get it? They can get it from the STOREHOUSE. It is there, ready and available, to give to suitable causes. There should be accountability to the elders to make sure it is invested properly. We do not want to lose it therefore we need prophetic insight.
People will say, how will we know that you are going to use the tithes like you say that you are not going to spend the tithes? Every year there will be an outside professional audit done on that account. Every penny accounted for, where it went, how it was invested. Everyone receives a statement showing how much they tithed in that year.
Some of the wealthiest people in this nation are Jewish people because the forefathers were wise and lived up the scriptures that said a good man left his inheritance to his children’s children.
We had to come to a place where we must live up to the principles that God is showing us. Now you think about it. You put in over a period of years, ten, fifteen, twenty maybe over a hundred thousand dollars in tithes. You think you are going to just walk out of that church and go to another church over some silly thing that hurt their feelings? I don’t think so. We need to stop running away from issues in our life and learn to face them by changing our selfish ways. If it takes the tithes you have stored up to make you deal with your people problems, then so be it.
It is not that you can come in and say you want our $100,000 worth of tithes and we want to go to the next church. It is not going to happen. We are not going to let you take God’s money and go put it in the “SpendHouse.” It belongs in the STOREHOUSE!
How many churches would love to be able to have a position to do this for their people? Most of them can’t, because they are already locked in debt so tight they cannot wiggle.
Pastors are going to be screaming all over the land because they are going to say, “My God, those people are crazy; they are going to kill us. We can’t give up the tithes. We have got to pay the bank its money back with usury (interest). We have got to pay the salaries. We have got to pay the coffee machines. We have got to pay all these other things. We cannot give up the tithes.” They are not going to do it. They will preach against what we are preaching. But let me tell you something; if you are giving a check over every Sunday knowing that it is going to be spent back into the world, what good does it do?
What if it was stored for you, your family and other families? It is not the case that just because you put in $10,000 last year in tithes that you can take out $10,000 next month. This is not the way it works. The tithes must be used for the investment purposes as well as being a provision for people. It is not to be used frivolously. It needs to be invested back into the body of Christ so that the people of God can prosper. Elders of the church, seasoned business men and women will be at your disposal to give you advice. All the churches within the PMT Network will post all its member’s products and services and encourage their people to use their services and goods.
When we go on TV and start making this known to people, the house of God is going to be full quickly. We are talking about reaching people who can understand what the church is all about, and they are working towards something that will be there to take care of them. This is what everybody wants. They want to be taken care of, but that is not what the church has been doing. The church has been just been taking and this has got to stop. We had to come to a place where we must live up to the principles God is showing us.
Everyone assumes they can tell the difference between an angel of the Lord and a fallen angel of Satan. I have found that it is easy to miss the presence of the angelic host of God. When they go unnoticed they depart, leaving you without direction. We are led by the Holy Spirit, as He appoints His angels (ministering spirits) to direct us. In order to properly discern the will of God, you must be very sensitive to the ministering spirits appointed to you. If you provoke one of these appointed angels, you can leave yourself wide open for a demonic attack.
“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for my name is in Him. But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries” (Exod. 23:20-22).
God will never leave you nor forsake you, but you can quench the Holy Spirit, causing Him to withdraw His protective angels. When ministering, it is very important not to quench the Spirit. I cannot express the importance of how careful you must be not to transgress the ministering spirits that are appointed to minister for you. It is a frightening thing to stand before a group of people telling them you are going to hear God for them, and then the spirit of prophecy not be there for you.
“And I fell at his feet to worship him (the angel). But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy'” (Rev. 19:10).
Many have interpreted this scripture in different ways. I will share with you what the Holy Spirit said to me in regards to its meaning. In the last line it says, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The Holy Spirit said to me, “It is not one’s personal testimony that is the spirit of prophecy; but the spirit of prophecy is the testimony revealing that Jesus is not dead but alive because He is speaking to you.” Through the prophetic gifts we know many things about Him and what He is revealing about each one of us.
It only takes one blasphemous word or deed to cause the spirits of our Heavenly Father to leave you vulnerable to satanic attacks. Not only do you have to mind your manners in the presence of the ministering spirits, but the people must be in line with His desires as well. Keep watch over your thoughts or deeds, otherwise the spirits of our Heavenly Father will leave you high and dry.
“Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?” (Hebrews 12:9).
I recall back in early 1995, I was ministering in a church of about 250 good ole country folks. During those days, I did not know that the Lord would show you whom to call out of a crowd to receive a word of prophecy, so I would just have everyone in the building that wanted a word form a single line at the altar. I would minister until everyone who wanted a word had received one. This could take hours! The longest period of time I have ministered non-stop is five and a half hours. That’s without any kind of break at all; no water, no sitting down, and no stopping. With the supernatural strength of the ministering spirits, you do not have any physical needs; you are caught up in the realm of the spirit.
Now, after I had delivered my sermon I asked the people in this little country church to line up if they wanted a word from God. I did not really think many would believe I could hear God for them, because none of them had even heard of me. To my surprise, everyone in the building that I could see jumped into formation ready to receive.
After ministering to the first hundred or so, from the corner of my eye I saw a bright light flash by and depart from the sanctuary. I stopped ministering and turned to the pastor and elders who were standing right behind me. I said, “Someone has grieved the Holy Spirit and the spirit of prophecy has left the building. I cannot minister anymore here today. I am sorry.”
The crowd was confused and the pastor and elders began questioning me about what had happened. I told them that the last person I had ministered to had caused the angel to depart. They said, “It couldn’t have been this person. He is very sensitive to the Holy Spirit. It had to be the person you ministered to right before him because she is not living right.” I knew who had offended the messenger of God and it was not the person who the pastor and elders thought it was.
Six months later, I received a call from the pastor and he had a report for me. He reported that last Sunday morning the person I had said offended the angel of the Lord came before the congregation. He confessed he had believed my ministry was not of God and asked the people for forgiveness for being wrong. Since then I have ministered to that same congregation more than ten times, and our Lord has given life-changing prophetic words. To this day many of the people have remained partners and a few have become very close friends.
The manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is a sign from God that He is alive and watching over us. You may have never thought of it this way. I learned this truth from the Holy Spirit.
Angels are ministering for us as we operate in these gifts. When you are slain in the spirit it can feel like someone physically pushed you down or clipped you from behind the knees. It is an angel of the Lord that is doing the work of the Holy Spirit. Have you noticed that some ministers demonstrate more of the gifts in their ministry than others?
The reason is that they have more angels appointed to them than some of the other ministers. When ministering you begin to recognize the different presence of the various angels. This is one way we know what gift the Holy Spirit will have you to operate in next.
The presence of the ministering spirit that slays people in the Holy Ghost is different from that of the ministering spirit that brings the gift of healing. There are various gifts and ministry functions imparted by God and are appointed to different people.
“And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues” (1 Cor. 12:28).
There are angels that have different powers over disease and sickness, just as Gabriel had different powers than Michael, the arch angel. I have seen people get frustrated and turn from using the gift God has given them because they did not understand this valuable revelation. At times they would pray for the sick and they would be healed, while other times they would not. Out of frustration, they gave it up altogether. A lot of the time, the reason why some were healed and others were not is because their ministering spirit only had power over certain illnesses, afflictions, or infirmities.
We are to perfect the gift by using it until we find out the measure of its power. We are given to minister God’s love through His saving grace. What power does the ministering spirit have that is appointed to you?
To experience the accuracy of any gift, you must first find out what your calling is all about. When you know your calling, and you begin following its course, then you can focus on your gift. Most people want to just move in their gift but do not have a clue as to what they are called to do. If you do not follow your calling, your angel is not obligated to minister for you, hence no manifestation of the gifts.
Your calling may be evangelism, teaching, faith, hearing God, feeding the poor, helping orphanages or visiting prisoners. Whatever you are called of God to do, He is faithful to endorse it by signs and wonders following after you. However, if we are not willing to do what God has called us to do, His angels will not minister for us. Once you have clarity of what your calling is then do it and stick with it; in doing so you will experience the continual flow of the gifts.
When dealing with the prophetic, angels are vital parts in seeing the word delivered with power. Angels are sent to signify and clarify what God’s purpose is for His people and to witness to the lost and uninformed people.
The book of Revelation was given to John by an angel. Prophets of today cannot deny that prophecy, words of knowledge, and words of wisdom are given to them in part by angels. To deny that His angels are speaking to us today would be to say that the Holy Scriptures are a lie.
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants; things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Rev. 1:1-3).
“Then he (the angel) said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true.’ And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place” (Rev. 22:6).
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Rev. 22:16).
Molded by Trials and Tribulations Ch 8 part 69 page 143
In Numbers Chapter 20, Moses disobeyed God’s instructions and struck a rock rather than speak to it. One time before that, when the people needed water, God had Moses strike the rock. When he did, water from the dry rock appeared. However, this time God told Moses to SPEAK to the rock. Moses did not speak to it, but struck the rock like before.
Over and over again, Moses struck the rock. Water eventually came out of the rock; however, God was angry with Moses for not obeying His command. Because of Moses’ disobedience, God was not going to let Moses and the Israelites move one more inch. They were going to stay right there until they learned a hard lesson for Moses’ disobedience.
They were trying to get to the Promise Land. However, the King of Edom would not let them go through his land and threatened to kill them if they tried. Moses tried to negotiate with the King: he promised not to drink the water, and he said they would walk through the land instead of riding their beasts. They even swore to remove their shoes. They were willing to do whatever the king wanted, but the King of Edom refused their request.
Have you ever been in a place where God wouldn’t let you leave or go where you needed to be? Every time you went into your place of prayer, nothing would happen, even though you prayed for days. It seemed like the heavens were closed. You couldn’t get through. You couldn’t hear God. Nothing was changing. Everything kept dishing out sorrow upon sorrow. There were only trials and tribulations.
You may have wondered how you were supposed to persevere through this and have endurance to grow in faith. Have you ever been in that place where all of a sudden you felt void of God’s presence? You may question whether you are even saved. Have you ever experienced the feeling that you had messed up so badly that you were not ever going to make it out of the mess you had made? God does not want you to go any further until you deal with your disobedience to His word. God told you what to do and you did not do it.
Were you ever grounded from the things you loved to do because you didn’t take out the trash like your parents asked? Your parents were not going to let you go anywhere until the trash was taken out, but you couldn’t understand why it was such a big deal. It is not any different with our Heavenly Father. He wants you to do what He wants you to do and He wants you to do it the way He said to do it. We are talking about hearing God, but also obeying His every word. If you are hearing God but not doing what He is saying to do, you will find yourself suffering for stepping out of His will.
Pray, Hear, and Obey, For It’s the Christian Way part 65 page 145
It is much easier to hear God for others and give them the words He wants said than it is to find God for yourself. When you are trying to hear God for yourself in the midst of a difficult situation, your emotions seem to be screaming at you, and when all your concerns are hollering it is very difficult to find out what you need to do. This is a similar situation Moses and Aaron found themselves in. They were thinking, “What are we going to do now? We can’t get through Edom. Let us go back to the tabernacle and fall on our faces and see what God has to say.”
It doesn’t say how long they prayed, but when they went back, this is what the Lord had to say, “I want you to take Aaron and set him up at Mount Hor, strip him naked, and leave him for dead.”
The Levitical law tells us that we are purged of our sins by putting an animal up for sacrifice. It doesn’t say anything about a brother. When did it come about that we are supposed to leave a brother, a human being, as a sacrifice? Nowhere in the Levitical law did it say to do this, but it is what God was telling them to do. They had to pay the price before the people could go on, and the price was Aaron’s life. The Lord said to take Aaron and put him on the mountain, strip him, put his clothes on his son, and leave Aaron there to die. So that is what they did. Aaron paid the price.
Do you see the prophetic story in that? Aaron paid the price for Moses’ disobedience just as Jesus Christ has paid for all the many times you and I have disobeyed the voice of God. At some point, each and every one of us has disobeyed God’s direct word, but the punishment has already been paid. Jesus has been made a sacrifice for all of us. Out of our disobedience we have been made obedient through what Jesus has done for us.
Aaron is an Old Testament symbol, a shadow of Christ. Aaron was placed on the hill and left for dead. The Israelites were then able to go on, but they had to go around Edom. God’s word and Aaron’s sacrifice gave them clearance to get around Edom. They would not have moved forward until Aaron was offered up as a sacrifice for Moses’ sin against God, the sin of being disobedient to God’s command.
God told Moses in Egypt that He would give him Aaron to be his spokesman. God said in Exodus 4:14-16, “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.
So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.”
Aaron was the prophet and voice for Moses. Aaron vocalized whatever he heard Moses say. Aaron was also the sacrifice that allowed his people to move forward. Aaron was the type and shadow of the one to come,
“And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: ‘Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah'” (Num. 20:23-24).
We cannot just do whatever we want and expect God’s blessing to always be with us. Grace abounds until our disobedience causes grace to run out. Understand what the Lord is teaching us through this tragic story of Aaron’s death. Those of you who are in ministry must know from experience that the closer you get to the Lord, the quicker God’s judgment comes.
Those of us in ministry suffer severe judgment for leading His people astray through incorrect actions or teachings. What you used to get away with before you started hearing God’s voice you will no longer be able to get away with as you grow in the Lord. Lessons in life will quickly teach you that He is serious, so do not make the mistake of taking His word as an option. The positive side of this is that you will learn more about His ways and thoughts and how He sees His Church today. At all cost, stay away from the things that anger God the most! Disobedience is at the top of His list.
I Am a Witness part 66 page 148
My brother-in-law, Wes, was the praise and worship leader when his pastor decided to move to another state. The pastor wanted Wes to take over as pastor of the church. He did not want to do that because his father had been a pastor and Wes had watched his father go through some very hard times.
However, Wes finally surrendered and accepted the position. The following day, the pastor received an offer on his house which he had been trying to sell for over a year. At the same time, Wes experienced a breakthrough. You see, Wes was in business with his brother Steven; they were buying and fixing up homes to sell, but the homes were not selling. They tried everything they knew to sell these properties. They put up banners and contracted the specialized services of different realtors, but nothing good was coming of it. Only more debt.
Wes decided to accept the pastoral position, and right after he did everything started to change. Within a couple of weeks, the homes which were a heavy financial burden to the brothers were sold. Because of this, Wes was a changed person. He was truly blessed after yielding and moving into the very position he had tried to avoid. When we are in God’s will the devil cannot touch us. Everything changes when we decide to die to our desires and follow Jesus.
“We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him” (1 John 5:18).
The Abundant Life part 67 page 149
“And the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ He answered and said to them, ‘Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given'” (Matt. 13:10-11).
Unbelievers cannot understand us, for they only have the knowledge of this world. They do not know where we are coming from or what is going on within us. All they see is the outer shell. They think we have lost our minds, or are just stupid.
We know we are peculiar in the name of Christ. We have a life that they could only hope for. It is only by the grace of God that we have what we have. It was by His choice that He chose us and we received Him as our Lord and Savior.
There are people who reject eternal life and choose to only live the way of the world. They rejected the conviction of the Holy Spirit and have found themselves miserable, though some have returned, crying out to God to receive them. When that door opens, you had better go through it right away. You do not choose when to be born-again; that choice is God’s. It is only when God opens the door for you that you can truly come in.
But when God closes the door, no man can open it for you. When you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit upon you, you cannot afford to reject His calling. Many have lived a lukewarm life for Christ, denying Him full control of their life, thus losing in the exchange His gift of eternal life. “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:16).
“Then He said to them, ‘Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him'” (Mark 4:24-25).
This verse is talking about the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said, when you pray, go to the Father in reverence, and when you receive the revelation from Heaven and act upon it you will have the abundant life. Many people refer to the abundant life spoken of in the book of Acts, but they do not have an abundant life. They don’t understand why Satan has entered into their lives to steal, kill, and destroy them. They question why these things happen to them, but do not understand that it is because there is a lack of obedience.
The Key is Obedience part 68 page 150
If you will crucify your flesh and not reason it within your soul, you will have the abundance and God will continue to bless you over and over again.
Obedience requires self-humiliation and humbling yourself to Christ in order for the obedience to actually work in your life. When Jesus asks you to do something, you may fight it within yourself. There is a warring between the flesh and the spirit, but if you will crucify the flesh and not reason it within your soul (mind, will, and emotions), you will have the abundance of God and He will continue to bless you over and over again. Don’t weigh it out, just do it.
“Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear” (Matt. 13:13-16).
This is not about the physical eyes and physical ears. This is about visions and hearing in the realm of the spirit, for that is where Christ lives. That is why the Lord prayed so much, to receive what God the Father wanted Him to do next.
Jesus waited four days before he went to the tomb of Lazarus. He could not go on the second or the third day because it wouldn’t have worked. It had to be in God’s timing. It had to be when God the Father said “Go.”
“Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word” (Ps.103:20).
“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Cor. 2:14-15).
With the fragrance of Christ’s Spirit, you can accomplish many things. There are varieties of fragrances being released from our Lord’s throne, which carry a vast assortment of signs and wonders. With each fragrance, He diffuses a new and different anointing specially scented to accomplish His will. With each anointing a specific angel cleaves to the person upon whom the fragrance is placed. The angel stands in waiting next to the person who has been drawn to them by the fragrance. As soon as the person steps into the fragrance, the anointing is consummated, creating for a short time a new anointing purposed to do amazing signs and wonders in the time given. Jesus said, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe” (John 4:48).
There are limitations in the time frame allotted for this anointing to be used for God’s glory. You need to be aware of this one major issue. If you do not minister quickly while under the anointing, the angel will leave you as quickly as the fragrance dissipates and sometimes that is measured in seconds. Haven’t you been in a situation where you knew within yourself that if you followed the inner tugging of your heart then something wonderful would happen?
The anointing is much different than the gifts of the Holy Spirit, for when a spiritual gift is given unto you it cannot be taken back (see Romans 11:29). On the other hand, a willing vessel can be used by the Holy Spirit to distribute all types of anointing’s, and the list is without measure.
Just because the anointing was there at one time does not mean it will be there forever. There are special anointing’s that are there for certain times and for a specific season. Anointing’s are different from spiritual gifts; they can come and go, but the gift and calling will never leave you.
It is as though the angels are soaring around the populace of God’s people, constantly seeking out the fragrance of Christ Jesus that has been released through any one of His people. As soon as the fragrance is released into the spiritual atmosphere, an angel immediately descends upon that person. This is when the anointing is activated.
It is just like when a flower gives off its aroma; bees and butterflies are drawn to it. They come to drink of its nectar, taking with them the collected seeds from the flower, pollinating all the other flowers that will receive the butterfly. Metaphorically this is you, the anointed one, as angels are drawn to you by the fragrance of Christ’s Spirit in you.
“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1 John 2:20).
The anointing can lift, though. The anointing can change. People can shift from an evangelistic anointing to pastoral anointing, or from the prophetic to apostolic anointing. It can move from one of the five-fold ascension ministries to the next. It is like you are majoring in a specific degree in college with a minor in a different subject, yet both degrees complement each other for a specialized position or job. For instance, a tax-attorney is required to have a Law degree as well as a CPA degree. This same concept works in ministry.
However, you can be anointed for a time and season to operate in one of the ascension gift ministries or any one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Even Paul prophesied, but he was an apostle. Not all apostles prophesy, yet the gift can be there. The gifts and callings are irrevocable, but the anointing can change. We often fail to recognize this, or we mistake the anointing for the gift or calling. The anointing comes from the unction or leading of the Holy Spirit.
If you hear what you think to be an anointed message, it is safe to say you’ve just been pollinated because you are being called into that type of calling or spiritual gifting. If the minister is delivering an anointed message, then the fragrance of the anointing is spreading the fragrance into those who are being called of God.
Ministering Without the Anointing part 59 page 128
Many ministers are still ministering the way the Holy Spirit led them years ago, but today there is no longer any sign of the anointing in their ministry. They know that something is missing because the joy of ministering has left them. They should realize God has changed directions for them. They need to get under that anointed cloud, back under that pillar of fire and power so that they can find out what God wants to do through them.
As anointing’s change, we must change because that is where He, the Anointed One, is. To be in an anointed place is to be safe, for you are under the covering of His Spirit. If we are under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, then we will be in the perfect will of the Father.
As for Christians, it is a life-long challenge to find out what we are anointed to do. The anointing we receive from the Holy Spirit is different than the calling of God. Many men and women of God are called to preach or teach, but few receive the anointing to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit that establishes your ministry. Apostle Paul said, “I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift so that you may be established” (Rom. 1:11).
We are told in Luke 4:16-19 that our Lord and Savior went into the synagogue one day and read from the scriptures. In that moment, He read what He had been called to do for all mankind. Jesus was handed the book of the Prophet Isaiah, and He read it the way it is recorded in the New Testament, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Jesus knew what He was anointed to do and He fulfilled what His Father had sent Him to accomplish.
When His Word comes to you by a spoken word, through the written word, or even on a billboard as you are driving down the road, it is anointed of God and impossible to miss. Jesus was called and anointed to put an end to the curse of the law of sin and death. This is the way it happens for most of us, and when it does, you’ll know without a doubt, for you will know that you know in your ‘knower’ that God has an anointing for you.
Anointing’s Change part 60 page 130
The anointing is the unction of the Holy Spirit that is directing you into God’s will for your life in that moment, hour, or season. There are times we need a new and fresh anointing to work in our lives because the old no longer works. The work of God is not to be mocked or taken lightly, for your anointing can turn from a wonderful fragrance from God to a horrible stench and the people will spiritually sense it.
“Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor” (Eccles. 10:1).
Unfortunately, too many people keep holding on to the old anointing and lose the fragrance that once brought God’s presence into their lives. If this ever happens to you, you will need to seek Him with all that is within you. Start with where you were going when you received your anointing and track down where you went wrong. In almost every case, the error began with not doing what God said and it probably was a minor request.
The Spirit cries within to begin searching for a new and fresh anointing. This is needed in order to move under His protection and receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Only then will you be able to accomplish the things God wants to accomplish through you. He is faithful to bless you with a new and fresh anointing. As long as you are doing what God has called you to do, there will be peace and harmony. You will be satisfied. Nobody will be able to touch you, and your emotions will all be intact.
“Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Cor. 2:14).
Do Not Tarry, For It Will Not Last part 61 page 131
When God starts to move us in a certain way, we want to look at it and size it up. Is it comfortable? Is this something I want to do? Is this something that lines up with my dreams?
Our dreams can become nightmares when we try to forge them into our lives when God has NOT called us to walk in them. There are a lot of people trying to live out their dreams, but what they are doing is living out their own humanistic carnal nature, absent of His anointing. They struggle through life, trusting their own reasoning and rejecting God’s revelation, all the while proclaiming, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
The problem is they are not in His purpose. If they had the anointing from the Anointed One they would not be banging their head up against the wall, confused, broken, and void of understanding as to why God isn’t helping them. Believe me when I say His Kingdom is not like Burger King. I mean it, you can’t get it whatever way you want it. You must pray (ask), hear (His voice), and Obey (exactly His way).
Knowing His True Anointing part 62 page 132
We need to seek God’s revelation for our lives. It does not matter if it doesn’t manifest the way we think it ought too. What is important is that we are doing God’s will and that can only be accomplished by His anointing.
Not everything that is drawing a crowd is anointed of God. For example, most people think that if they are rich then God has blessed them and anointed them to prosper, but we know this is not always true. You cannot measure your spirituality by how much money you have in the bank or even how poor you are. Wealth and popularity are not the measuring rods to measure God’s anointing.
People build lots of things that are not of God. We see this all over the place. People may like the character of an individual or their personality or looks. They may like the way a person sings or speaks, or even the way they wear their hair. People are attracted to them because of the lust of the flesh and the pride of this life, but those that are born-again should not follow these worldly temptations. We cannot allow ourselves to be led by our fleshly emotions; we must be led by the anointing from the Holy Spirit.
“For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).
Instead, we need to look at the anointing that rests upon the person. We have to ask ourselves if it is just entertainment or the anointing. It is sometimes hard to see the difference between being entertained and being taught something of value by the anointing of Christ. We need to know if it is our emotions that we are being moved by or if it is the Holy Spirit teaching us the ways and thoughts of God. The anointing teaches us all things, and it comes to us through the anointing that is given to men and women, as directed by the Holy Spirit.
“But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him” (1 John 2:27).
Anointing vs. Emotions part 63 page 133
It is with the anointing that we will identify our calling and His spiritual gift in our life, not in the emotions of the “flash in the pan” hype of the worldly. Jonathan Edwards delivered the sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” a classic of early American literature, during a revival in 1741.
In his bland monotone voice, he read his sermon about Hell, Heaven, and the God of wrath to a large crowd of early revivalists in America’s first Great Awakening. As he began to read, people started to weep, faint, and scream. Over a short period of time, thousands became believers. It was the anointing-not hype-that birthed this revival. All Edwards did was stand up and read. The anointing drew the people into a vision of Hell as they experienced themselves being lowered into the fiery pit.
I have read the sermon, but I did not experience any of these things, nor did anyone else who I have read it to. Why? Because Jonathan Edwards was anointed for that time to be used of God to become a part of that Great Awakening, and the people knew it was all God.
If you ever read his sermon, you will wonder how it had an effect on so many people, but the anointing was there at that particular time. It does not mean that this is the way we all should do it. There are too many copycats. People try to copy someone else’s anointing, but it just doesn’t work. We need to find our own anointed message that God has put in our heart to share. There may be a likeness in the spirit of the same message others are preaching, but you still must have your own personal anointing that will touch those whom God has chosen.
In charismatic circles, anointings are revealed in powerful healing ministries, powerful sermons, and in the working of miracles, but there are also anointings in jobs. There are anointings in businesses. There are various anointings that help identify a person’s calling and gifting. The anointing is what equips us and empowers us to build God’s kingdom on Earth. He is using this world as part of His manufacturing process; it is used as a symbol, a shadow of things to come. The most important thing is to find out what you are anointed to do.
“To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven-things which angels desire to look into” (1 Pet. 1:12).