The Technology of Boldness

We are presently in a very tedious place in our quest towards operation in the Kingdom of God. Where we are now, we can either make great advance or totally blow it. I choose to believe we will make great advances.

For our purposes in this discussion technology is defined as a system of internal spiritual principles and laws that make an external manifestation predictable and stable. There is a system of operation which facilitates the effective working out of God’s purposes in the Earth and we have to seek to lock into that system. We have to unlock the technology to bring about God’s ultimate purpose in the Earth.

St. Matthew 11:12...
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

St. Matthew 11:12 (NIV)...
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.

The reality is that Kingdom advance is a matter of conflict. The Kingdom of heaven advances against terrible (and even territorial) opposition from satanic forces set up to resist it. There is no way to get around this fact; there is no advance without opposition and resistance.

The problem with those in the Body of Christ is that rather than finding our conflict with the powers of darkness, we find our conflict with each other. While we’re busy fighting each other the real culprit/enemy gets away.

The Kingdom is a conquering force that cannot peacefully co-exist with that which is an oppositional nature of itself: it never retreats; it operates in one gear – forward only. Daniel sees a vision of the activity of the Kingdom of God in the Earth in the latter times and with clarity he discerns its characteristics...

Daniel 2:44 (NKJV)...
44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Kingdom advance has a lot to do with the activity of men (people) in the Earth. These kingdom-advancing people must have a certain biblically prescribed mentality: they are described as “forceful-men”.

Acts 4:5 - 14 (NKJV)...
5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and
scribes,
6 As well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:
9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
10 Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

The events of Acts 4 happen very early in the history of the Church. Great governmental gains have been secured by the Church. Jesus has been working with them in a flow of signs and wonders. The lame man at the gate Beautiful has been wonderfully and miraculously healed by the power of God and the power structure of the religious world is threatened. The response of the enemy is strong intimidation and the apostles are arrested. The priests and the Sadducees see the boldness that is upon the apostles.

Boldness terrifies the devil. It is a quality that he attempts to extinguish in the Church. In our quest for meekness we have lost the importance of boldness, not realizing that “meekness is not weakness, but strength under control”. The devil makes it his business to exploit your weakness.

Boldness is unreserved utterance with frankness, candor, and cheerful courage. It denotes divine enablement that comes to ordinary and unprofessional people exhibiting spiritual power and authority. (This is what satan fears.)

Boldness is a spiritual impartation that gives authority to whatever we say or do. It is the determination to match fire with fire and not to back down from the intimidation of principalities and powers.

Challenge is not sin and to be challenged is not sin. Anything that cannot be challenged is intrinsically corrupt.

The Church must regain it’s tenacity for the advance of the Kingdom of God...! Boldness is the technology for advancement...!

A Couple Abstract, Yet Empowering, Thoughts

Peace is everywhere except where it is suppressed by ignorance (consciously or unconsciously ignoring it).

Per Romans 10:17, faith comes by hearing not by having heard. (Catch it...!)

Revelation Truth and Studying the Word of God

My Personal Musings

It's been a few days since I've posted and I realize I customarily post from the fruit of my studies and teachings. However, today I feel compelled to simply share from my heart, which is where I've been mentally and spiritually the past few days. I have been in prayer concerning the current state of the economy, our nation and the world while simultaneously observing the varying, incoherent, and incongruous response from the Church. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all those who name the name of Christ upon themselves could speak with one voice...? But, I digress. I could speak to the current happenings in the earth from the purview of my own political leanings and postulate from my own religious and spiritual beliefs, however I'm cognizant enough to know that this will only lend itself to adding another opinion into an already overwhelmed pond of varying opinions and stances. So, I wish to address this based upon what I believe God spoke to me from His Word (without unnecessarily burdening it with my own thoughts).

Isaiah 60:1 - 3 (NKJV)...
1 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.
3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.

There is a breaking forth of light, despite the darkness that is surrounding the earth. There is a refreshing in the midst of crisis, hope in the midst of turmoil. Those who choose light will find life. We cannot focus on darkness, but we must focus on the light that needs to come to us. You must become a recipient of the light. Your portion is light, health, blessing and life...! If darkness hits you, you cannot rise. We must not be guided by what our natural eyes can see. We must gravitate towards the light.

We win or lose by the way we choose. We can choose to see the darkness or partake of the light. The enemy attacks us from the outside. But God blesses us from the inside through the light that is rising within us. When the light comes to you, you need to let that light shine.

Many of us have received so many things, but we don't take that light and let it shine. If we let that light shine, nations and kingdoms will come to us. What God has put within us can affect nations. It has power to influence and impact people around our lives.

The light must continue to grow until nations are attracted to it. Everything that God has given us has the power to draw and influence nations. Kings will come to our rising brightness. We will not only have reach in the nations, but we will affect the men in high places. The quality of my life and light must attract the nations and impress the people in high places. The light that is within us must rise in brightness. Nations and kings will only come to the rising of our brightness.

Light must come from heaven, and we need to be recipients of that light. We need to be responsible for the light, to develop it, nurture it, until kings and nations are drawn to our rising brightness. This is the heart of the portion for Kingdom Believers.

Looking at the current state of affairs, the issue is not a matter of the downward turn of events, but it is a matter of the opportunity these events offer to the Body of Christ. Will we take this opportunity...? Let's not cloud the issue with facts...! Yes, I said it and I'll say it again...let's not cloud the issue with facts...! The Kingdom is the real world and the reality of the matter is swollen with what God says about it and if we have the capacity to receive it this is an exciting time for believers everywhere. All I have to say is..."You better get you some...!"

You will notice that these musings do not arrive at a particular conclusion, but are purposely inconclusive to allow space for the Spirit of God to speak individually to each person who reads this. God has given us a new spiritual position to influence and impact the earth. If we will be responsible to nurture what God has given to us then we will receive this new position. As far as you can see, you can have it. Whatever direction you look in, you will have unhindered sight. We don't want our vision to be narrow; we don't want our perception to be blocked. When we see a clear picture of what God has for us, then we can move into it.

I AM WHAT I AM...!

1 Corinthians 15:9 - 10 (NKJV)...
9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

The Apostle Paul is known throughout history as a great preacher and most remembered of the apostles of old. He is a prolific writer as the greatest contributor to the New Testament. Paul is also considered to be one of the most controversial men in Scriptures. Yet even with all his apparent success in ministry, he dubs himself as “least of the apostles” and “chief of sinners”.

Prior to his conversion Paul was named Saul. Born of Jewish parents and reared in a place called Tarsus, his special training was in tent making and Jewish Scriptures. At the age of 13, he became a child of the law and was brought to Jerusalem and placed under the tutelage of the noted pedagogue Gamaliel. He was a brilliant law student and a young rabbi, eventually becoming the rising hope of the Pharisees having been known as the “Pharisee of the Pharisees”. As Saul, he was a staunch enemy of Christ, he persecuted the Christians, he aided in the fatal stoning of Stephen and the record says that he “made havoc of the church”.

While on the Damascus Road, Saul had a personal experience with Jesus Christ, whom he persecuted. Having a very vivid and tremendous conversion experience, Jesus changed his name to Paul and sent him to a street called Straight. Now being called for the cause of Christ, he first went to be trained of the elders and other apostles and then went forth to do great and mighty works for Christ.

Notice the great paradox in the life of Paul. His original training did not match his ultimate destiny. He actually fought against his real destiny and purpose in God. This paradox is our same lot as our past never seems to match the destiny that God has for us and we typically fight against our true destiny and purpose in God.

Paul dubs himself as “least of the apostles” because he persecuted the church, yet he states “...by the grace of God I am what I am...” He did not let his past define who He is, he allows the grace of God to define him. Don’t let anything define who you are, except the grace of God…!

For the sake of clarity, the two short definitions of grace are “God’s unmerited favor” and “the enabling power of God”.

Don’t let your past, your circumstance, your situation, your financial condition, your physical condition, your mental condition, other people, or whatever else define who you are...! Only allow the grace of God to define you…!

God will anoint what HE’S called YOU to do...! Conversely, He will NOT anoint what you are not or what He has not called you to do...! That includes what we settle for because we’re either afraid or feel like we’re unworthy to walk in the actual place God has for us. He’s just not going to anoint the place you settle for short of His real plan for you...it just won’t work...! God is a particular God and He wants what He wants...!

Notice, in the text, what all grace did for Paul... Grace defined who he was in God. The grace was not given to him in vain because the grace worked in him the ability to accomplish all that he accomplished. What grace did for Paul, grace will do for you.

BY THE GRACE OF GOD, I AM WHAT I AM...! There’s nothing wrong with knowing who you are in God. Stop pretending to not be what God has called you to be to accommodate others...! Boldly be who you are in God.

If you make it a habit of celebrating the works of God, how can you neglect the works of God in you to include what He’s chosen for you to be in Him. Celebrate who you are in God. Not a celebration of your flesh or what YOU can do, but of the work of God and the power of God in you as you and the ability of God in you to get accomplished His plan for you. CELEBRATE…!

BY THE GRACE OF GOD, I AM WHAT I AM…!

EXTRAVAGANT WORSHIP

St. Mark 14:1 - 11 (NKJV)...
1 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.
2 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”
3 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.
4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted?
5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.
6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me.
7 For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.
8 She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.
9 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.
11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

This woman came bearing an alabaster box (vial). The box (vial) itself was extraordinary and exquisite. It was not some little plastic throwaway container, but something that was in itself expensive. Alabaster is a fine-grained, massive gypsum...an expensive translucent marble, either white, brown or yellow in color.

The remarkable thing is that there is no way to extract the spikenard (precious ointment) unless the container (the alabaster box) is broken. There was no screw-off cap as we know today that could be neatly screwed back on for the next time. It was either break it in order to extract the contents or the contents remained yet enclosed.

As expensive and beautiful as the alabaster box is, it’s not the container that interests the Lord, but it’s the contents (the spikenard / fine ointment) that He desires. So, to get to the expensive contents, the exquisite container must be broken.

The extravagance of our worship is in our brokenness. It is one thing to have the fragrance of Christ formed in us through identification with Him and quite another thing to have the religion of convenience, which is also the religion of betrayal. If our Christianity costs nothing and is convenient, then we are already one with Judas.

The faith is extraordinarily demanding, and that is why Jesus commended what the woman had done, and it was to be a memorial to her wherever this gospel is preached. This gospel is the gospel of extravagant abandonment and pouring out from our brokenness, or it is not a gospel of power. Wholeness is found only at the fulfillment of our brokenness.

Bless The City

Proverbs 11:11 (NKJV)…
11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

This is a condensed but very potent word from God. The power of the Kingdom of God through the expression of Kingdom ministry is visible in its ability to impact cities. This is the evidence of the power and ability of the church to actuate spiritual governance in the city and region where it resides.

There are three important things to consider when looking at the governing church’s place in the city in relation to Proverbs 11:11. They are the condition of the city, the people in the city, and the effective activity of the city.


The Condition of the City

Proverbs 11:11 takes us into the true dynamics that determine the factors that impact the governance, morality and spirituality of a city. The city can either be exalted or overthrown. The reality is that the condition of the city can be changed. This realization gives power and confidence to our prayer and ministry efforts. The word “exalted” signifies “movement in an upward direction”. The whole reality of movement is important to the understanding of this word. It is the same Hebrew/Chaldee word used in Genesis 7:17, “…the waters increased and…the ark…rose high above the earth.”


The People in the City

There are two (2) groups of people in the city that have a direct governing impact upon the condition of the city. They are not the Republicans and Democrats. The final condition of the city, as far as the Word is concerned, does not really depend upon the multiplicity of political parties or the power of Congress. But the two groups that have direct governing impact upon the condition of the city are the upright and the wicked. It is these two groups and the power of their spiritual alignment that determine the final condition of the city.

Where you stand is determined by what you are governed by. What are you governed by…? To know this ask yourself, “What do I respond to…?”

The upright are the “just” or those who have consciously and accurately aligned themselves with the position of God. The word “wicked” is a legal term indicating those who are legally guilty of opposition with God. (Recognize that there is a strong legal dimension to the power of governance in the spirit realm.)


The Effective Activity of the City

When the upright begin to “bless” the city or to make powerful, intelligent spoken declarations of the prosperity, rule, rightness and order of God over the city then the upward movement of exaltation begins to take place.

When the lawless, guilty, wicked people open their mouth then the city is “overthrown” or “forced downward with a strong blow”.

Proverbs 28:4 (NKJV)…
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them.

The upright are in spiritual contention with the wicked over the future of the city. Our warfare and contention is in the spiritual realm of prayer and decrees of the upward mobility of the city released by the mouth of blessing.

LET THE UPRIGHT BLESS THE CITY…!