Victoria Boyson: The Power of Love

Over the past year God has shown me a tremendous amount about His love. Victoria shares some about how powerful His love really is. I encourage you to read this word and to receive the love that God has for you. When you do it will then flow out and touch those around you.

Victoria Boyson: The Power of Love

Recently, as many of you know, my laptop was destroyed - run over by a semi. People have been curious about how it happened, but the question in my head wasn't how, but why? Why did it happen? The Lord warned me months before that there was going to be an attack against my laptop. I know, it sounds odd, but that is the truth. So, I was very careful to backup and copy everything of any importance.

However, the question "why" still harassed me for weeks after it happened and heavy sadness settled on me. I sought the Lord about it and I thought about what was on the computer that would have been lost due to the incident; what wasn't copied elsewhere? I have several books I'm writing on there and work I've done for others, but all of that was copied on to other computers. Then it dawned on me—the only thing that was not backed up was what I'd recently written about the power of love.

It was about the power love possesses to destroy the works of darkness. Wow! It was about God's heart working through people to bring the lost to Him and liberate them from spiritual darkness, bringing them into a relationship with Jesus Christ. It was about the generations loving and appreciating one another.

The Enemy's After Our Love

The Lord impressed my spirit then that the enemy was after our love! I began to weep at the thought of it. By the enemy's pursuit of it, it showed how terrified he is of it. The Lord reminded me of the last few years in my own life and the enemy's constant pursuit to destroy my ability to love.

"And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:10-12 NLT).

The attack on our love has increased and our ability to love has been assaulted. With many in the Body of Christ, it's been a vicious battle, wrestling with issues of forgiveness and justice. But His Word says, "We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against the mighty powers in this dark world, and against the evil spirits in heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12 NLT). The enemy uses people to fight against us, so it's not always easy to remember who our real enemy is.

Honestly, I can't say that I see an end to this battle for our love coming anytime soon—the enemy's not going to quit—he's got too much to lose to give up. But we can become wise to his plans and schemes against us and learn from every battle we encounter. And most of all, we need to remind ourselves daily of the power of God's love.

Unconditional Love

God's love is limitless—hotter than fire and stronger than anything. Look at the power in these words: "I am convinced that nothing will ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of Hell can separate us from the God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39 NLT).

How deep is the Father's love for us? His unfailing love is as high as the heavens and reaches to the sky (see Psalm 57:10). His love is unconditional, meaning it has no conditions. God does not put stipulations on His love. His love is real, limitless, and changeless. It is the only love we do not have to earn in some way.

His love is limitless, but ours isn't—His love is unconditional, but our earthly love is full of conditions. We cannot love like this apart from God. And when we (fallen yet, redeemed) allow His love to flow through us, then Hell trembles. His Word in Luke 6:28 NLT says, "Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you." But our love debates this concept, it's only by His love can we truly love.

Relentless Pursuit

Years ago, I had an encounter that revealed the relentless power of God's love, which showed me God's love physically in action.

I was ministering at a women's conference in the south and we were nearing the end of a weekend of meetings. The message had been delivered, the altar call had been given and many women had been ministered to. God had done a great work in everyone that had come forward. There were a few women remaining at the altars still, but I was ready to end the meeting. I stood ready to bring it to a close when God stopped me. "We're not done yet," He said.

Knowing He didn't want the meeting to end, I continued to call people to come forward. I knew there was someone else the Lord wanted to minister to, but no one came forward. I then felt the Lord tug at my heart. He wanted me to sing the song Jesus Loves Me. So, I asked the pianist to play and I sang to them. And the power of God's love coated the place—it was beautiful. I would've been satisfied with that, but God knew what He was after.

Unbeknownst to me, God had been working on the heart of a woman in the back of the church all during the meeting. I didn't know it, but she'd left and come back several times. Still, she did not respond to my invitation to come for prayer. That is, not until I sang that simple song. As I finished singing, she literally RAN to the altar. Before I knew what was happening, she flew into my arms; I barely had time to catch her.

She no sooner got to me than the power of God hit her and she collapsed into my arms. We somehow got her to the floor and continued to pray for her. As she lay in my lap, a demon spirit began to manifest in her. It was pretty up close and personal for me, so I kinda freaked a little. My first thought was, "Somebody should do something!" Then I realized, I was the "somebody." Still fairly new in this type of ministry, I realized they were all expecting me to handle the situation. All eyes were on me—they were all watching what I would do next...gulp.

My eyes turned toward this dear woman laying unconscious in my lap, and the love the Lord had for her burned in my heart. That love turned into intense anger toward the demonic spirit that tormented her. Without even realizing it, I started speaking to that demon in a voice so full of power and authority it didn't even seem like my own voice. I commanded that demon to let her go and it did. She was free!

We all began to pray for her, rejoicing in everything we saw God do for her, and God filled her that day with His spirit, restoring her soul with His love. She was exhausted but delivered, and we rejoiced with her. She'd been sought out by God's love, captivated by His love, freed by His love and restored by His love.

I want you to understand something; I did not even see her in the back of the church. I didn't pursue her for Christ's sake. It was God's intense love for His daughter that kept pursuing her again and again, and not wanting to close the meeting because of His love for her—His pursuit of her. It makes me cry to think of His love for her and how passionately He pursued her. She wanted so badly to leave that place, but HE kept bringing her back again and again.

I went back to that congregation a year later and met up with her again. I honestly didn't even recognize her—she was so changed by the power of God's love. She was a different person. The woman who hugged me now was not the same person I'd met a year earlier. Her whole family had been changed by what they'd seen God do for her, all by the power of His love.

So, why are we surprised that our love is under attack? It's the most powerful weapon we possess, and we need to fight to protect it at all cost.

When Christ told us to bless those who curse us, it was for our sake, it was to protect our hearts from cold love.

The stronger our ability to forgive and even bless those who've been a curse to us, the stronger our love will be—the greater the impact God will have through us.

When you want to hate but love instead through God's power, you unlock the richness of Heaven. You unleash God's power on yourself and those around you!

If you want revival,
if you want revolution,
if you want God...then love!

P.S. For those of you who were curious about my laptop—God is good and He's provided me with a new one through the love and generosity of a wonderful couple. May the Lord richly bless them.

Victoria Boyson
Speaking Life Ministries
Email: victoria@boyson.org

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

I am thankful

This time of year we can get swept up with all of the shopping, feasting, and football that we forget what this is truly about. Thanksgiving is a time, during the season of harvest, that we reflect back on all of the things that we are thankful for. In that end I present some of the things that I am thankful for in no particular order:

An amazing church family

Awesome spiritual mentors who see me for who I truly am

A band of brothers who aren't afraid to call me out when I need it

Spiritual sisters who put up with me and bring out the fun goofy side of me

The fact that I received clarity when it comes to my career

A great living situation with two great guys

My Macbook Pro

New friends that I've met through Twitter

A new job, with amazing opportunities, that I know I will love

Being able to live in Southern California which is absolutely amazing

Great friends who keep my life interesting

God preserving my health

Most of all I am thankful for this past year. In many ways it has been the most painful year of my entire life. But through it all I have learned so much. God has taught me so many things about who He is and who I am in Him. Things that I previously knew as head knowledge has now become heart knowledge. God is so good. I know that He will bring to completion what He has begun. I am so thankful for the fact that He hasn't given up on me. I am His beloved son in whom He is pleased. Hallelujah!

Let Your Earthly Destiny be Defined by Heaven

About a month ago I had the opportunity to share a message for my church's prophetic intercession class. I spoke about our earthly and heavenly destinies. The earthly destiny must be defined by our heavenly destiny. If we don't then our ministry, and our walk, will be compromised. I also speak about how we learn what our earthly destiny is. I am making it available here for streaming and download.

Cal Pierce: "The Kingdom Health Care System: The Marriage of Health and Healing in the Body of Christ"

This is an excellent word about the importance of being good stewards of the bodies that God has given us. I have felt what Pierce has on many occasions while praying for people.

Cal Pierce: "The Kingdom Health Care System: The Marriage of Health and Healing in the Body of Christ"
by Cal Pierce

We are in a season of a major shift in the Body of Christ. We have just celebrated our 10th Anniversary of Healing Rooms Ministries. Kenneth Copeland released a powerful message over us at the banquet. His word was a confirmation that God is going to shift us into a Kingdom increase in our next 10 years. That increase is going to be a marriage of health and healing in the Body of Christ.

I have spoken at probably 200 conferences in the past 10 years. I can't tell you how many times, at those conferences, that I prayed for people with physical problems such as bad knees or diabetes that were overweight or obese. I knew I was praying for the symptom and not the root cause. In America today we have a pandemic of obesity. Over one-third of our population is overweight. This puts us at risk for heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and many other physical problems. We have the most advanced medical industry, spend more per capita on health care than most countries, and yet we are some of the sickest people. Why is this? Is it possible that we have developed a system of disease management, rather than true health care?

The Lord Desires that We Prosper and Be in Good Health

The Lord tells us in 3 John 2 that in all respects He desires that we prosper and be in good health. We get healed to achieve health. We don't get healed to get sick again. As Christians, the Holy Spirit is in us for the fulfillment of the will of God. He wants His temple healthy. He is interested in partnering with us in accomplishing good health. If we are sick or weak our ability to fulfill the destiny God has for us is compromised.

If sickness is part of the curse we have been redeemed from, (Galatians 3:13), then we can live a long life in health. In Genesis 6:3 God tells us how long we can live in health.

Then the Lord said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be 120 years."

Redemption reestablishes this covenant that God has given us. Science today has discovered that man can live 120 years with proper nutrition, exercise, and Kingdom help. The whole man, in spirit, mind and body, can be preserved complete for 120 years (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Our Age Does Not Determine Our Health

Our age does not determine our health. We have this mindset that when we reach 50 years, it's all down-hill from there. When I reached 50, I started receiving mail from senior groups, health insurance companies, rest homes and cemetery plot sales people. This wasn't encouraging. Now that I am turning 65, I decided to do something about my health.

I was beginning to fit the picture of a deteriorating senior citizen. God gave me a dream that I was to become strong. He showed me how, at any age, with good nutrition and exercise, our bodies will gain new strength. Within five months, I lost 35 pounds, strengthened my body to have energy that I haven't had in 20 years, and every pain and ache has left. I now tell my staff, "I'm not planning to retire for another 50 years." At our conferences, I now teach and impart, not just the message on healing, but also the message on the health we can have after we are healed.

Cal Pierce
Director, Healing Rooms Ministries
Email: healing@healingrooms.com

About Cal and Michelle Pierce: Cal is Director and Michelle is Co-Director of Healing Rooms Ministries. They teach at conferences around the world about the provision Jesus provided in the atonement for our healing, and bring forth the encouraging and enlightened Word of God. Cal is also a member of the International Coalition of Apostles (ICA).

Inspired by John G. Lake's healing ministry, Cal Pierce visited Lake's gravesite once each month for over one year to pray. During a 40-day fast in 1999, he heard God say, "There is a time to pray, and a time to move." The Lord was calling him to re-dig the generational wells of healing in Spokane. Cal called in intercessors and began training up healing teams. On July 22, 1999, the Spokane Healing Rooms of John G. Lake were re-opened in the same location they were 80 years ago, and have since moved to two nearby buildings to accommodate the rapid growth of the ministry. The ministry now has an international impact.

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

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It's in the Glory

What are you seeking? What are you chasing after? Scripture records that David was a man after God's own heart. What was his desire? What did he chase after? Psalm 27:4 says the following:

One thing have I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.

This is what we need to chase after. Too often we place other things above this desire. This should be the cry of our heart. We were created for the glory of God. We were created to commune with Him. Our quest in this life should be to inhabit the Presence of God. To enjoy His sweet aroma. Come, taste and see that the Lord is good! But often we place our own ministries, anointings, and churches above this quest. How often do we try to seek after an anointing when we have a problem instead of seeking the Presence? We think that we will be healed if we have the anointed healing minister lay hands on us. We think that we will receive breakthrough if the anointed deliverance minister prays over us. We think that if we receive the impartation then we will be able to move under the power of the Spirit.

We are meant to receive these things in the glory. There is a place for these ministers and they are sent by God to bless us. But God is calling each and every one of us to be like them. He doesn't want us to sit and watch His ministers on a stage. He is calling a nameless and faceless generation to respond and move in the power of heaven. Before we move in the power of heaven we need to learn what heaven is. This is only done by spending time there through worship.

Our cry first and foremost must be the presence of God. If we learn how to live in the glory of God then everything else will fall into place. If we learn to live according to His ways then we will not need to worry about the earthly reality. We are meant to inhabit the heavenly places. It is our birthright and our covenantal mandate.

Once we inhabit the heavenly places we can learn how to receive things in the glory. This is something that God has been showing me. Most of us have experienced impartation from man. How many of us have received impartation in the glory without anyone praying for us? God wants to teach us how to receive from Him. This is only possible if you are willing to position yourself in His presence.

But positioning ourselves within the Presence and glory of God needs to be done in humility and in worship. We don't go in only when we want something from God. Instead we should inhabit that place always. David chased after the heart of God. We want to have the same communion with God as the three members of the trinity have with each other. It is when we choose to make it a lifestyle that we receive the harvest from that lifestyle.

May you enter into the glorious rest of God and dwell there all the days of your life.

Freedom from your past

"When one door closes another opens. But often we look so long so regretfully upon the closed door that we fail to see the one that has opened for us." -Helen Keller

Too often we live this life asking ourselves "what ifs." What if I had taken that job opportunity? What if I had become a lawyer instead of a nurse? What would have happened if I had handled that romance differently? What would have happened if I hadn't put my foot in my mouth like that? I don't think this is a healthy way of thinking. It leads to self-doubt and a lack of faith.

Earlier this year my life in many ways fell apart. God tore everything down so He could rebuild it and address the foundations of my life. I am very grateful for the experiences of the past few months but at the same time I have to admit that they were the most painful times of my life. One of the things that were removed from my life was my engagement to a beautiful woman of God. She was the love of my life and I had given her my heart completely. Her breaking up with me was very painful for me. However, God was gracious to me and showed me how even this was part of His greater will and He had my best in mind.

Our wedding date was supposed to be on July Fourth. I spent that day alone. Just me and God. As I sat at Pinkberry, enjoying my frozen yogurt, I looked at my watch and realized that I would have been getting dressed and preparing for pictures had everything happened as I thought they would have. I then heard God clearly say to me that this was the last day I was to reflect on what might have happened. God had closed that door and I was not supposed to wonder anymore. I was not supposed to think about that path anymore.

Too often we live with the mindset of "what ifs". This is an improper mindset. We are not meant to live in the past. We are meant to live in the present. We are supposed to forget what is behind us and to press on towards the goal for which Christ has called us to (Phil 3:14). At the same time we need to address those things that are in our past so that they no longer hinder us. If the past is weighing us down then we need to throw it off of us. One of the ways that we do this is to choose to not live with doubts and second thoughts. We need to allow the refining fire of God to fall upon us in its power and cleanse us from all impurity.

When God sets us free we are free indeed. We are not prisoners of our past or our own mistakes. The moment is now! Peter was not hindered by the fact that he had denied Christ. Paul did not let his past as a persecutor keep him away from his ministry. Paul chose to embrace his identity in Christ and run the race with that mindset. The key is the present. Are you making the same mistakes today? Then ask the Lord for freedom. Are you choosing to live by the old mindsets? Then adopt the mindset of heaven. In heaven there is redemption. God chooses to work with the ones who have messed up and have made mistakes. God is more powerful than your past. He is more powerful than your sin. He is a God of redemption and restoration. His blood covers all.

Some would say that this life of no regrets is wrong. Some would say that it is pride. I say that it is a false humility that says that our sins are too great for God's restoring grace. History is full of God taking the most vile of sinners and using them in His service. To believe any less is to doubt the power of Christ's blood. His blood is the most powerful thing on this earth. And we have been covered by it.

Sometimes God closes a door. When He does we are to look for the open one. Don't think that it is judgement. That is the trap that I fell into. I thought that it was a consequence of my past. In some ways it was- in other ways it was God's grace working in mysterious ways. If we only look behind us then we will never see God opening the future to us. We are meant to take possession of the land that God lays out before us. We are not meant to be experts on our own past. We need to learn from our past so that it will not repeat itself, which is simple wisdom, and press onward. Christ came to set you free! He is not going to beat you up and imprison you again because you made a mistake.

Lord! I thank you for each and every person reading this post. I pray that your Spirit will fall upon them in power right now. I pray that they will be set free from the old mindsets. Lord will you break off the chains of their mistakes. Break off the chains of their past. May they move in the freedom that You have given them. We praise You Lord God! We praise You for You have set us free and we are free indeed. We declare that we will not move back into the prisons of our minds. But we declare that we will walk according to the freedom that You have given us by the power of Your glorious blood. Hallelujah! Amen!

A shameless plug for Freedom & Fashion

I don't do plugs too often on here. I've plugged a conference & I've shared an awesome song that my friend Jaeson recorded. Readers on this blog probably would never expect that I would do a plug for a fashion show. But that is just what I'm doing right now. This group, organized by some friends of mine, is in keeping with much of what I see God doing. God is raising up men and women who will take every sphere of society.

Freedom & Fashion is utilizing the fashion industry to raise awareness about slavery, sex trafficking, child labor, etc around the world. All of this is done with them being upfront with their Christian beliefs and backgrounds. But they are taking it to the world and partnering with both secular and Christian organizations and businesses. By doing so they are making their voice heard and shining light into darkness. Groups like this make me very pleased.

But I'm asking you for something here. I'm asking you to check out their site. Read what they are about. Be inspired by them. Ask God how He wants to use you to influence society. Then ask God if He wants to use you to help Freedom & Fashion. Secondly, come out to the event if you are in the Los Angeles area on November 19th. It's going to be a lot of fun. You'll get to see me which is always great. But most of all you will be supporting a great cause.

Anna Anointing

The following audio file is a message that I shared with our Monday night youth meeting. We always get a kick out of Monday nights because we usually have anywhere from two to five youth workers per youth. But God has been using it as a training ground for the team. He has been teaching us a lot and we have been able to pour into the youth. These are those who will be the giant slayers of tomorrow.

Please endure the first few minutes of the message. I'm glad I listened to it, I never knew I used that many "um's." But it gets better- trust me. Let me know, in the comments or on Twitter, what you think. I appreciate any feedback. If you would prefer to download it you can using this link; or you can listen to it via the embeded audio.

Steve Harvey and "The Greatest Introduction of all Time."

This might not be what you think of when it comes to worship but this comedian knows how to glorify Jesus. This is an amazing declaration of who Jesus is. May His name be praised in all arenas of society!

That's My King by Dr. S.M. Lockridge

A man of God releasing the truth of heaven:

Ivan Roman: "God is Raising Up a People to Walk with Him as Enoch - To Be Naturally Supernatural and Fall in Love with Heaven"

I believe that Ivan touches on some powerful truths in this word. This is the future of the Kingdom. God wants all of His people to walk like this. After reading this read my previous word about the new breed of revivalist. I believe that they will minister out of this mindset. God is calling forth a people who will be known first and foremost as His sons and daughters. They will know who they are in Him and the anointing that they have will flow out from that place.

Ivan Roman: "God is Raising Up a People to Walk with Him as Enoch - To Be Naturally Supernatural and Fall in Love with Heaven"

During dinner recently, I heard the voice of the Lord say in my spirit, "Who are they? They prophesy like prophets. They love the lost like evangelists. They heal like healers." Then I heard the Lord say, "They are My sons and daughters." One of the most important messages in this hour is the message of "sonship." Before we can walk in the fullness of our destiny we must have the revelation of who we are and Whose we are. This last days outpouring is not for superstars, but for sons and daughters.

"And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions."—Joel 2:28

In prayer recently, I asked the Lord, "What does a manifest son of God look like?" I heard the Lord say, "Enoch." I began to study the life of Enoch, and although there is not a lot about him in Scripture, there is enough to inspire us to be supernaturally natural. As Christians we shouldn't separate who we are from what we do—we are children of God; everything we do in life should flow from this place. We are called the temple of the Holy Spirit; we are carriers of the glory of God.

On the Cross, Jesus' last words were, "...It is finished" (John 19:30). In the Greek that phrase literally means paid in full. Paid in full was a term used in Christ's day in the marketplace. The work of the Cross must be released into the marketplace instead of being limited to a good church service. Christianity was never intended to be an event but a lifestyle. As we peer into the life of Enoch with fresh eyes, we will understand more clearly our role in this life: to walk with God as His sons and daughters.

What it Means to Walk with God
and How to Do it

One of the few things noted about Enoch in Scripture is that he "...walked with God..." (Genesis 5:24). I believe Enoch's greatest endeavor was to walk with the Most High. Fellowshipping with the Lord was His greatest passion. This is a great contrast and warning to many today. Success in the Kingdom is not how well known we are on earth. I heard Bill Johnson, Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California, once say, "We are to be known in Heaven and feared in hell." Friendship with God—walking with God—is what matters at the end of the day. How well we know God should be the pursuit of every Believer. Our identity should never be found in what we do for a living, or even in what we do for God. Our identity must spring from our relationship with our Father.

"And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him."—Genesis 5:24

The word walked in the Hebrew is halak, which means to walk up and down. The understanding is Enoch had numerous visitations into Heaven. We are in a season where the door of Revelation 4:1 has been opened and the invitation is still the same, "...Come up here." This statement may be very controversial, but the Lord is raising up people that live in the reality that Heaven is their home now. There will be such a revelation of this that, like David, we will say, "I am a stranger in the earth..." (Psalm 119:19).

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."—Hebrews 11:13-16

My prayer has been that the Lord would allow me to peer into Heaven and have a glimpse of eternity—my real home. When the reality of eternity touches our hearts we won't hold on to temporal things the way we do. God is raising up a company of people that possess the heart of Enoch. To walk with God in the supernatural, to fall so in love with Heaven that God says, "Since you are here so much, why don't you just stay?" People that have a heavenly, eternal perspective behave and speak differently like the mystics of old; they stand out from the rest of society.

In the midst of busyness, the Scripture says to "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). I encourage you to learn to find stillness in any environment. As a traveling minister, I have found it necessary to treasure moments of silence, whether it be in a busy airport, or on a crowded plane. In the midst of noise I can find quiet in my heart. In doing this I'm not reaching out to a God that is somewhere off in the expanse, but to my Father and Friend who dwells in me. A genuine relationship with God inspires people around us; not with mere doctrine, but with passion—a real knowing of God.

"Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah."—Genesis 5:21

We see from this Scripture that Enoch had a child, so we can speculate that he had a wife. We read in Jude that he was a prophet (see verse 14). Enoch wasn't hiding off in the caves somewhere. He had responsibilities as a father and a husband and yet he was able to find time to walk with his God. Enoch's life is to be an example to us of a lifestyle of prayer and the supernatural, not merely listening to the Spirit in a Christian setting, but walking in the Spirit—in a continual attitude of prayer with one ear toward Heaven.

Isaiah 50 says that the Lord awakens our ears morning by morning. Continual communion with God is possible, and it's desired by the Father. The most common excuse in North America is, "I don't have time." The thing that the Lord desires of us is our time! In Revelation 3:18 Jesus says to come buy from Him gold refined in the fire. It is interesting that Jesus says to buy from Him. The question then is, "What is the price of the gold?" A friend of mine asked the Lord this question. The Lord responded, "Your life, but I'll take your time for now." According to Matthew 6:6, it's very important to go into a secret place to pray to have alone time with God.

Smith Wigglesworth is quoted as saying, "I don't pray more than 15 minutes, but I don't go more than 15 minutes without praying." When the understanding of prayer becomes more about fellowshipping with our God—Father and Friend—it will no longer be our duty as Christians, but a privilege and the longing desire of our hearts. Modern technology is awesome, but it can be a great distraction from the simplicity of devotion to God.

We Must Be Willing to Allow the Holy Spirit to Set Us Apart

Lastly, Enoch means dedicated or consecrated. If we desire to walk with God like Enoch walked, we must be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to set us apart. I had a dream recently where a man I recognize as a prophetic voice said to me, "Do you want to know the keys to visitation?" He said, "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?" Immediately in my spirit I heard, "He who has clean hands and a pure heart."

Then the man looked at me and said, "In quietness and stillness." As we quiet ourselves before God and wait in His presence, His Holy Spirit will begin to release His very nature into our beings. Holiness is not a bad word. Holiness is to be like Christ. Holiness is not about what you do or don't do—it's not a set of rules. Out of our relationship with God we begin to learn what He loves and hates; then we choose because of love and do the things He loves.

As we learn to rest in the presence of God, His manifest glory will begin to remain upon us. The leaders in Jerusalem perceived that Peter and John were uneducated and untrained men, but marveled when they heard them speak—they knew they had been with Jesus (see Acts 4:13). When we spend time with Jesus, His presence stays with us. The angels love the presence of God, and if you are a carrier, they are surrounding you as well. People who walk with God change atmospheres wherever they go, at their mere presence. In the book of Acts it says people laid the sick out on mats so that Peter's shadow could touch them, and they would be healed.

Charles Finney once walked into a factory and the workers fell to their knees crying out, "What must we do to be saved?" The reality of the presence and glory of God is being released to the Church. Our eyes are opening to see how the light of God's glory dwelling in us affects the world around us.

"To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."—Colossians 1:27

What the Life of Enoch Teaches Us

Enoch is a type of a manifest or mature son of God. His life shows us that in the midst of having responsibilities (children or work) he was still able to walk with God in deep communion. God is calling us to walk with Him—to be supernaturally natural—having our heads in the Heavens and our feet on the earth, walking out His plans.

The life of Enoch teaches us many things: to find our success in being a friend of God, to live a life where the presence of God is cherished above any earthly treasure, and that Heaven is our home now. Know that when we walk with God, His desires become our desires and His likes become our likes. I've heard the invitation to come up here, and to that I say, "Yes, Lord!"

Ivan Roman
A Friend of God Ministries
Email: ivan@afriendofgod.org

About Ivan Roman: Ivan Roman has a passion to see the Body of Christ walk in intimate friendship with God. Ivan moves in a prophetic and healing anointing that flows out from a heart of love. He has traveled the nations seeing signs, wonders and miracles almost daily. After one year of traveling, Ivan attended Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry under the leadership of Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton. Ivan currently travels around North America and the nations; he also oversees the Jesus Revolution ministry here in Albany, Oregon that began in August of 2007. Recently Ivan has joined with Denny Cline, Pastor of Albany Vineyard, in a mandate to join the generations in releasing the next generation of leaders. Ivan and his wife Erica have three children.

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Modes of Fasting

Recently a lot of people in my church have been fasting. God has laid upon our hearts to do various kinds of fasts for various reasons. I will often have people ask me questions about how to fast or what to fast. It can be funny when they ask if something is ok or not. Fasting is an individual choice before God. We are not meant to be religious about it or worry about what others will think. This is a season of breakthroughs and many are choosing fasting as a mechanism to realize those breakthroughs. For this reason I decided to share some common fasts and my tips/experiences with them.

Water fast- Once my pastor recommended to a woman that she go on a water fast. After three days she told him that it was so easy. He was rather surprised that she found it easy and she told him that she normally didn't even drink water, mostly just soda, so giving it up wasn't much of a sacrifice. Contrary to this woman's understanding a water fast is when you abstain from everything except water. I have done it a couple of times and the clarity and focus that you receive is incredible. Most of the time this is what scripture refers to when it comes to fasting.

Juice- Because of our fast paced American lifestyle it is often hard to do a water fast and still carry out our daily activities. For this reason juice is awesome. However you will often get more hungry than with water only. I think a water fast is easier and better (for myself personally) than a juice fast unless I am working or studying. Most people recommend that you stick to real fruit juice. Sometimes I will supplement with a little bit of protein powder if I am doing it for more than a day or two.

Liquid/blended beverages: I have done this once or twice. The first time was for almost a week as I was interceding for someone who was going through a rough time. Abstaining from solid food was a sacrifice and the lack of food filling my belly reminded me to pray for her. I was still able to function at 100% (I had a heavy school and ministry load at the time) with protein shakes and smoothies.

Abstaining from a particular type of food: This can be effective if done for longer periods of time. I feel that the less you give up the longer the fast has to be. For instance giving up sweets for a day isn't much of a sacrifice. I often go a day or longer without sweets. But when I gave them up for 40 days I saw an impact. Common things to fast is meat, sweets, a favorite drink or snack, etc.

Daniel fast: Different people tailor this differently but in my opinion a true Daniel fast is eating only fruits and vegetables. This means no animal products, grains, sugar, etc. Only fruits and vegetables- preferably in their non-processed forms. Some people believe raw.

Vegan fast- I've done no meat before for a week (which was a major sacrifice but not too hard). But vegan is quite hard for me. I like it as it is not as restrictive as a Daniel fast- you can eat grains, etc. I am quite skinny and wouldn't be able to go too long on a Daniel fast without adverse reactions. But a vegan fast enables me to get most of the calories that I need. Vegan is abstaining from all animal products: meat, dairy, and eggs. I'm actually nearing the end of 40 days right now. I have lost weight as it is hard to substitute for all of the dairy calories but I must say that it can be effective.

This is not an exhaustive guide but only some of my own experiences. Use Google to find out more information or leave a comment with any of your questions. I look forward to the discussions that will follow.

Ultimately fasting is between you and God. Do not allow anyone else to contradict what He has told you. My first fast was a two day juice fast, people told me I was crazy and shouldn't do it, but I knew that God was directing me. Allow God to direct you when, how long, and what to fast. I won't fast unless I believe that He is telling me to do it. I've seen problems when people fast out of religious reasons. But I do know that God is calling many of us to lifestyles of prayer and fasting. May our lives reflect a heart of surrender as we serve Him before the throne.

Mark Chironna: "A New Day is Dawning: There is Coming a Breaking Through, a Rising, and an Opening"

Mark Chironna: "A New Day is Dawning: There is Coming a Breaking Through, a Rising, and an Opening"

Prophetic word of the Lord given by Dr. Mark Chironna on Sunday, July 26, 2009 at The Master's Touch International Church in Longwood, Florida:

For there have been days of sadness and sorrow. For some, there have been days of strange warfare. For others, there have been days of taking thoughts captive that never entered the minds of sons before. For some, there have been deep longings. For others, there have been deep yearnings. For some, there have been long seasons of silence. For others, there have been long seasons of pleading.

But for all, there is coming a dawning. There is coming a breaking through. There is coming a rising. There is coming an opening. For the eyes of the Lord are turned toward His sons, His daughters, His children, and He sees and knows and is intimately acquainted with the sufferings and the tests and the endurances that His people have been going through.

He will make His people a praise in this season. He will make His people a glory in this hour. For His affection is upon His people. His Church is His Beloved. His Church is His Bride. He will not forsake her. He will not disown her. For He now is revealing, through the tests of the sons and daughters of God, to principalities and powers, His manifold glory.

This season has not been for naught. This season has not been to wear you out. This season has not been to tear you down. This season has been to prove and manifest to the forces of darkness that the Church cannot be hindered; the Church cannot be stopped, and the Church cannot be thwarted for she will rise in this hour with greatness and glory. She will have weapons on the left and on the right. She will have dominion in arenas she never had dominion before. And God will make her young again.

I Am Going to Restore the Seasons of Loss

For hear now what the Spirit of Grace would say to those who have ears to hear: "I am making you young again. I am going to restore the seasons of loss. I am going to restore the seasons of denial. I am going to restore the seasons of betrayal. I am going to restore the seasons of strife, and when I restore them, and it will be in yet a little while, I will turn the captivity of My people and there will be laughter again in Zion. There will be joy again in Zion.

"I have seen the sacrifice of praise that has gone up from the ends of the earth. I have seen My people, who in the midst of their warfare, have lifted their hands high and have shouted the shout of victory even while the powers of darkness have seemed to prevail over their minds, hearts and spirits. Yet, even in the face of demons, My people still praise. Even in the face of dark forces, My people still rejoice. Now watch, for I am about to crush satan under your feet."

Song of the Lord, Bishop:

The Spirit and the Bride are calling deep within
The Spirit and the Bride are calling deep inside
Even so, come Lord Jesus; even so, come
Even so, come Lord Jesus; even so, come.

We're waiting for You right now
To come in Your splendor and power
The yearnings deep within us cry
We want to hear Your lullaby
Even so, come Lord Jesus; even so, come
Even so, come Lord Jesus; even so, come.

My heart within me cries
And the Spirit testifies
A new day is dawning in my life, even now.
The roaring of the lion has ceased
The powers of Hell cannot be released
For lo, He comes to bring increase
To your life
He rides upon your praises, high
He comes to you and you draw nigh
And as you lift His Name on high
He comes
Even so, come Lord Jesus; even so, come
Even so, come Lord Jesus; even so, come
Even so, come; even so, come
Even so, come.

Dr. Mark J. Chironna
Mark Chironna Ministries
Email: markchironna@markchironna.com

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Bill Yount: "Stay Alert! Your One Moment to Change History is Very Near!"

This word touches on some things that God has been showing me over the past few months. Too often we focus on how God is using us now instead of considering the long haul. This life is a marathon and not a sprint. We need to have a mindset that we are in this for the long haul. Too many great men of God burnt out too early in their ministries because they didn't have this mindset. Stay alert for YOUR time!

Bill Yount: "Stay Alert! Your One Moment to Change History is Very Near!"
Sep 26, 2009

"And the child (John the Baptist) grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel."—Luke 1:80

Many men, women and children throughout the Bible were seemingly born for a certain special moment in time. They were unheard of for many years, and then all of a sudden their name becomes a household word down through the generations. Even after Jesus' own birth, He is not heard from until He shows up in the temple at twelve years of age. It almost seemed like a premature showing, wandering away from His parents. From twelve years of age to age thirty, He just seemed to disappear. All the Bible can tell us is that He grew in wisdom and favor in God's eyes. There's nothing recorded about those formative years between twelve and thirty. Nothing really significant, just that He became a common carpenter. Eighteen years are a mystery, but in His last three years He made history and changed everything forever!

Could this pattern of Jesus' own life be an example for us today? Could it be that our lives are still being prepared for that one special moment in time that we were created for?

I am learning that it's in our everyday, ordinary, mundane grind of life, with all of its problems that could drive us crazy, that becomes the "fertilizer" that produces the supernatural in our lives! When I think of fertilizer, I think of manure. Know that when you have a whole lot of this kind of fertilizer around you, and it seems eternal, something supernatural is about to happen and your one moment to change history is very near!

In One Moment the Unknown Will Be Heard From!

We will never forget the moment when flight 1549 of US Airways miraculously landed in the Hudson River near New York City. This seemingly ordinary pilot, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who faithfully put in forty long years on the job, suddenly became known all over the world as the "Miracle Man."

His secret of fame? As reported by msnbc, "He got his pilot's license at 14, flew fighter jets in the Air Force, investigated air disasters, mastered glider flying and even studied the psychology of how cockpit crews behave in a crisis. He had been in training his whole life for this kind of crises. When the ultimate test came on a descent over the Hudson River, he spoke into the intercom only once and gave perhaps the most terrifying instruction a pilot can give—'Brace for impact'—with remarkable calm." The stewardesses also train long hours behind the scenes for this type of trauma.

I believe his forty years of everyday life in flying experience and preparation took him into a miracle zone over the Hudson River and it created that one moment to make history! He met his miracle!

The Captain at Sea Who Miraculously Survived Being Held Hostage by Pirates Stated..."I Am Not the Hero!"

At first the world was celebrating Captain Richard Phillips who was at sea when the news broke of his miraculous rescue. This faithful captain at sea proved that he was willing to give his life for his crew. According to BREITBART, he made it very clear, "I'm just the byline. The heroes are the Navy, the Seals and those that have brought me home."

CNN reported: "In the end, it was a single moment that brought the hostage crisis to its dramatic finish. Three gunshots. All three fatal. Fired in the dark by three specially trained U.S. Navy SEALs as the pirates' boat rocked in the waters off Somalia. 'Phenomenal shots—75 feet away,' said Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney who oversees the region."

According to navyseals.com, "U.S. Navy SEALs is comprised of the most elite soldiers in all of the U.S. Armed forces...The training includes the dreaded 'hell week', where soldiers are truly put to the test. For most people, this test is completely impossible to pass."

By the way, these three Navy Seal heroes were never heard from. Their exploits are only mentioned by Navy officials. In my research, it appears that if you are chosen to this highest ranking caliber of the military Navy Seals, your public identity is taken away and you are never heard from. Their many years of training are for that sometimes "one second" moment of rescue. Their one moment to make history was really a "one second" shot that was heard around the world, and we may never know who they were. Maybe we should take note that some of our names won't be recognized until Heaven.

The Next Sixty Seconds Could Be Your One Moment You Were Born For!

I sense an urgent alarm going off in the Spirit over the Body of Christ: "Stay alert!" In your hiddenness and seemingly overlooked life, you have been in training and preparation for a "God" moment in time. Although you have been used many times in many ways to bring God glory, there is a special season of "one moment" history-making opportunities that are upon us that will explain why we haven't really been heard from yet.

Nothing has been wasted. Even the years the cankerworm and the palmerworm have seemingly eaten away at, your life is now becoming an investment, giving you priceless experience in preparation and training. Even your losses will soon be seen as gains, for you have won Christ through them! All things have been working together for your good because of your growing love for Him. He definitely is not through with any of us. It's all been preparation. His divine nature has been increasing inside of us.

Stay alert! The next sixty seconds could be your one moment you were born for!

Bill Yount
Blowing the Shofar Ministries
Email: theshofarhasblown@juno.com

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

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www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

Aslan on the March

I was somewhat discouraged a few weeks ago. Sometimes I feel that I have not seen the fruits of my labors and intercession. How long must we cry out before we see the transformation that we desire? When will God fulfill the words that He has spoken to His prophets? When will I see His promises come to pass? I then came across this word that I wrote three years ago this month. When I read it I started to weep as I realized that much of it has already come to pass. While the fullness of this word has not been completely fulfilled much of it has. I look around at those around me and see the fruit. Many of my brothers and sisters are being given prophetic dreams almost every night. The prophetic flow is incredible in both its abundance and power. Many of us, myself included, are being enabled to see clearly into the spirit realm. It is a beautiful thing as we contend for the fullness of heaven to be made manifest here on this earth.

Here is the word from September 2006:

Aslan, the Christ, is on the march. We are not aware but Winter is starting to break. The grip of the Enemy, on this world, has been attacked. The dark cloud over the Church is lifting. As the clouds are being rolled back our Lord is raising up the leaders of tomorrow. These leaders are the ones who are seeking after the power in the present moment. Do not be discouraged; you who have been laboring in the Vineyard of our Lord. The vines you have been tending will come to harvest. The Lord is going to come and prune those vines that you have been tending and will cleanse them of all disease. Those vines will form the mass of the army that you will lead when the time comes. Behold! The Lion of Judah is on the march! His banner is lifted high and it is victorious. His banner does not know defeat and never will. You will join the throng under that banner and taste victory firsthand. That will be the moment of power the likes of the world has not seen before. There will be an outpouring of the Spirit in those days. Our armor will be mended by then and we will be strong. Yes, we will be strong in His mighty power. The prophetic will flow freely, dreams will be commonplace, healing will be daily and without number, and love will be abundant. Those days are what we are to look forward to. For in those days the veil between us and the spirit realm will be lifted and we will be able to see the battles that are being constantly waged with the dark forces of this world. The Lord of Hosts will dispatch His heavenly armies to support our struggle and to go where we send them. A few will be blessed enough to be called as leaders of the Empowered and they are being called out today. Do not run from the calling of the Lord. It is difficult to seek the empowerment in this dark age but you will be blessed to be one of the chosen few to usher in the Victorious Kingdom. One day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We are called as warriors who will never know defeat.

Jesus is the Victor- Hallelujah, Amen.

Lou Engle: "Urgent Call to Prayer: Signs of the Times"

Lou Engle: "Urgent Call to Prayer: Signs of the Times"
Sep 20, 2009

Convergence

It is critical that the Church in America understands the times and what needs to be done now. The natural things speak of the invisible. Natural happenings on the earth are revealing something that is going on in the spiritual realm. There is a great spiritual conflict with a rising tide of Islamic boldness being manifested. Several happenings are converging this week.

First of all, our President has recently proclaimed, honored, encouraged the Muslim holy days of prayer and fasting called Ramadan. He was very silent on the National Day of Prayer, but very vocal on the support of Ramadan. Interestingly, at the same time, a major Christian leader of the Emergent Church called for forty days of fasting and prayer in the same Ramadan period with the goal that the Church will better understand our Muslim friends. We are all for understanding, but we must have spiritual discernment as to the spiritual dark powers that are being invoked into our nation.

Cause for Concern

At the same time, on the 25th of September, Muslims are calling for a Muslim Day of Prayer in Washington DC: (http://www.islamoncapitolhill.com/). They are calling for 50,000 Muslims to gather and pray on the DC Mall. This is the exact word of one of the Sheikhs who is leading this historic gathering: "Muslims should march on the White House. We are going to the White House so that Islam will be victorious, Allah willing, and the White House will become into a Muslim house." These are not empty words. They speak of a dark spiritual intent and a coming day of great trouble to America.

A Divine Moment

Now, one of these events is enough to awaken us to this significant throbbing moment, but when they all converge, it becomes a massive spiritual alarm that must be responded to by the praying Church. However, I believe in this moment of divine providence that God has raised up on the stage of history, a little "Esther" that if we pray and fast for her, she could be a major voice to expose the dark under-belly of Islam and radiate a bright hope for a day of salvation for Muslims in America.

Headlines

Rifqa Bary
Photo Courtesy: Fox News
On Monday, Rifqa Bary, a young 17-year-old woman, will be in the headlines of U.S. news. Four years ago, while living in a very devout and radical Muslim home, Rifqa met Jesus in a powerful way as her Savior. She hid her conversion, began praying secretly, and began hiding her Bible from her parents. Then, on Facebook, her love for Jesus was exposed to the radical Muslim community in Ohio.

Rifqa's father demanded that she renounce Jesus or he would kill her as is commanded by the Koran. As a radiant Believer in Jesus she refused to renounce her Lord and fled to Orlando, where she was taken in and cared for by a Christian Church and family. Now, the father is appealing to the courts to bring her back under his custody. Major television networks have already covered her story. How must the Church of America respond in this moment for our sister who is a part of the Body of Christ?

A Major Sign

This convergence, I believe, is urgently summoning us in the midst of the rising tide of Islamic influence in America to recognize that our God is above every god and that if we return to Him with all of our hearts and call upon Him with fasting and prayer, then God could use what the enemy meant for evil to bring about a great day of salvation for Muslims in America, of which Rifqa is but a major sign.

Here is The Call

First of all, we cannot be passive as a Church to let these kinds of developments go on without being challenged in the spirit. Our fight is not against Muslims, it is against principalities, powers, and forces of darkness.

We are calling the Church of America at the end of Ramadan, from September 21st through 25th, to five days of concerted prayer. On Monday, we must pray that God would grant supernatural wisdom to the courts so that the testimony of Jesus would be proclaimed and that the best situation for Rifqa and her family would take place. We must pray for Rifqa to be bold in proclaiming Jesus that even thousands of Muslims would hear and be awakened to the love of Christ. She has already said that this is not about her, but about many Muslims coming to Jesus. We must pray for her lawyers who are being bullied, threatened, and challenged on every side.

On Friday, September 25th, the Muslim Day of Prayer, we are calling the Church of America to fast and pray that Muslims would be moved by the Holy Spirit, convicted by the testimony of Christ, and even be visited by Jesus in dreams. We must pray that God would restrain the spiritual powers behind Islam and grant us the great awakening that we desperately need for America.

Let us hear the call to prayer and not miss this moment.

Lou Engle
The Call
Email: response@thecall.com

"I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!"

"I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!" - Samwise Gamgee

One of my Twitter friends (@rnsheets) posted this quote from the Lord of the Rings. Samwise says this to Frodo when he sees the pain that Frodo is going through with his assignment to destroy the ring. Frodo is being overcome by this burden but it is something that he has to do. Samwise, being the loyal friend that he is, decides to do all that he can do.

I believe that we can learn from this example. A lot of the time we can't carry the burdens of others- they aren't burdens that we can take on. But we can carry the people carrying the burdens. We can lift them up. When Moses wearied of lifting his hands Aaron and Hur lifted them for him. They couldn't take Moses' assignment from him but they could come alongside of him to lift him up.

God often gives us particular assignments. I have been given a number of intercessory assignments during this season. There are things that I am contending for. They are mine to carry. I can't expect others to carry them for me. But I do have those who will carry me when I am weary. I am blessed to have those who intercede for me daily and who check up on how I am doing. This is what the body of Christ is all about. We are meant to carry others when they are unable to carry themselves. We are meant to lift others up when they are at their lowest. We are meant to speak truth and life when they need it the most. In doing so we fulfill the love of Christ.

We are assigned to particular people at certain times. Samwise was assigned to Frodo- he knew it in his heart. Aaron and Hur were assigned to Moses. There are those who have been assigned to me and there are those who I have been assigned to. Let us make their victories our victories and their breakthroughs our breakthroughs. Let us contend for their success with the same passion that we contend for ours. Let us see them as Christ sees them. Would that we be known as ones who are loyal and faithful to the end? Would we be ones who are wise enough to hear what we need to hear? Then let us respond to what we hear and see in those around us.

Keith Miller: "Wisdom and a Fresh Anointing of the Holy Spirit for New Seasons and New Beginnings"

My church had the privilege of hosting Keith Miller this last weekend. He is a powerful man of God who walks in the anointing of a prophetic revivalist. He is also one of the most humble, gentle, and just plain nice men I have ever met. The love of God radiates through him and touches each person he encounters. One of the things that he shared this past weekend was about the spirit of wisdom as a river that flows from us. This word, from earlier this month, contains some of what he shared.

Keith Miller: "Wisdom and a Fresh Anointing of the Holy Spirit for New Seasons and New Beginnings"

The Lord wants to anoint us with supernatural wisdom that will cause people to say, "How did he get so smart?" They said that of Jesus. "And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, 'Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!'" (Mark 6:2b). You see, we need that again in the Church. We need to set the standard for the world.

Jesus lived His life plugged into the Flow of the Spirit of Wisdom, so His life, on a day to day basis, demonstrated skillful living that glorified and demonstrated the reality of the Kingdom of God.

Don't you want an impartation from the Spirit of Wisdom? I believe we're coming into new seasons and new times in the Lord. It's not that it's new to Him, it's new to us. The Church needs to operate in the Spirit of Wisdom and understanding now! We need to raise up a standard, not by our ability, but by being plugged into the Spirit of Wisdom; this is not information or performance, but skillful ability and understanding that releases authority and strong leadership.

Dear friends, we are seeing major changes all around that will affect, and have affected, each of our lives; and more are on the way. If there was ever a time for you and I to live and operate out of the Spirit of Wisdom, it is now! Please know that I'm not talking about what your ability is or a few nuggets of thoughts. These things are a blessing, but I'm talking about something more—something deeper, wider, and greater. I'm talking about living and operating out of a River of Wisdom.

A River of Wisdom is different. When I say a River, I'm talking about the perpetual flow of the Holy Spirit in the area of wisdom. O dear friends, how we need this now. My heart is to see God's precious people living out of the deepest part of the blessing of the Lord...to flow with all that He is in you. As you read this article, ask Him to fill you with all wisdom and understanding, for His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

The Bible in John 7:37-38 declares that out of your heart or belly will flow rivers of living water! Notice it declares rivers of living water. One of those rivers is the River of Wisdom! Let the River of Wisdom flow!

Spirit of Wisdom Defined

The Spirit of Wisdom is not just information. The Spirit of Wisdom is a supernatural endowment of an ability to do something above one's own ability. It is actually the skillful ability to do what God has called you to do. There is a river of wisdom being released to the Church right now, and it isn't analytical ability, but it is a skillful and creative ability.

The Church is about to minister out of a wisdom that is going to confound the wisest people on the earth. The world will start asking, "Where did he get that ability? He didn't go to school for that!" Believers say, "I got it in a dream." People will be mystified by this. The Spirit of Wisdom is supernatural ability. The Lord demonstrated this in Psalm 136:5a: "Him who by wisdom made the heavens." Wow! By wisdom He made the heavens.

Benny Hinn describes it like this: "Wisdom is living skills; it is the ability to apply the knowledge of God's Word to our lives daily. It involves the application of God's truth to human experience on a day to day basis. Properly mastered, it can lead to a happy, successful, and prosperous life." (from Welcome, Holy Spirit)

The Spirit of Wisdom flows from Heaven, straight from His throne; it comes out of communion with the Lord in intimacy with Him. It flows from His presence, which is the "center pipe" of the lampstand in Zechariah 4:2 from which all the other six operations of the Spirits also flow.

Gift of Wisdom versus Spirit of Wisdom

There is a distinct difference between the gift of wisdom and the Spirit of Wisdom. In 1 Corinthians 12:8, "...for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit," we see the gift of wisdom, or a word of wisdom. We give words of wisdom when the Holy Spirit uses us to deliver a particular piece of information, possibly about a healing, a wayward child, etc.

The Lord wants us to take it up a notch and experience the continuous flow of the Spirit of Wisdom. He is moving us into the function of the Holy Spirit where we will walk in the perpetual, ceaseless flow of the unlimited anointing on a day to day basis, not every once in a while. So we want more than just a word of wisdom, we want a river of wisdom; we want the Spirit of Wisdom.

Function of Spirit of Wisdom

Remember in John 7:38b it says, "Out of his (your) heart (belly) will flow rivers of living water"? (Emphasis mine) That's more than just one river. These rivers symbolize multiple flows or functions of the Holy Spirit. Think about the Spirit of Wisdom as a river of wisdom flowing out of your life. As it was stated earlier, wisdom is not analytical ability, but creative power. So the Spirit of Wisdom is an impartation or a river of creative ability to function in what God is calling you to do.

As I write this, I'm feeling the zeal of the Holy Spirit very strongly. Rivers represent several different expressions or functions of the Holy Spirit ministry. One of those flows is the Spirit of Wisdom. So, as a Believer, you have the potential to have a river of wisdom flow from you, flow through you, and around you, just like it says in Ephesians 1:19, "By His exceeding great power for you, through you and around you."

Wouldn't you like to tap into Jesus, the "center pipe" of the lampstand that is described in Zechariah 4? Jesus is pretty wise, isn't He? He sees the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. He's the Alpha and Omega. Wouldn't you like to have that kind of wisdom? He has the blueprint plans for your life right in front of Him. He has what God has already ordained for you. He hears from the Father, "Jesus, go get it," and then He tells the Holy Spirit, who transmits it to you.

I know the potential for me in any area is unlimited because it is not based on how well I can do things, but it is based on how I learn to flow with the river of wisdom. Since He gives me supernatural ability to do things, I want to be able to cause people who have not seen me in three years to say, "Oh my, look at this guy! Where's he getting this stuff from?" And I can give the Lord the glory for it all.

So, the Lord wants to anoint us with supernatural wisdom that will cause people to say, "How did he get so smart?" They said that of Jesus. Mark 6:2b "And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, 'Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!'" You see, we need that again in the Church. We need to set the standard for the world.

Benefits of the Spirit of Wisdom

Look at this passage in Proverbs 4:5-13 which is all about wisdom:

Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory she will deliver to you.

Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life.

Promotion

The Spirit of Wisdom will bring promotion. Grace is favor, or supernatural ability to do what you can't do; He does it for you. I have always had this kind of favor. I would wonder, Why do I always get these breaks? I used to call it luck. Once a man told me, "By the way, I am going to give you a race horse." I said, "I don't need a race horse." He said, "Oh you don't have to do anything." I said, "Well, how much does it cost to feed that thing?" He said, "No, I'll feed it too. I just want to put your name on it." I asked, "Why?" He said, "Everything you touch turns to gold." It was because of God's favor.

I believe the Lord allowed me to touch that side of life because I came from such a bad background. We were very poor. When I was young, I stole clothes off the clothesline to help my brothers and sisters. Can you imagine going to school and being asked, "Hey, isn't that my shirt?" It's kind of embarrassing. I used to go to the grocery store at 4:00am to steal the food that was set outside the store for stock. I knew that side of life.

The Lord's goodness allowed me to know His favor, and that is what is so awesome about His plan. He sees the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. He later allowed me to prosper in business, which released not only finances, but also important life lessons. Riches don't entice me anymore. I have already had them and I was empty. It can't compare to what I have now. I would never trade the anointing for any amount of money!

Long Life

Did you know that wisdom will extend your life? The Lord told me once, "Keith, a lot of My people are dying prematurely due to stress. If they would just embrace the Spirit of Wisdom, they would have a lot less stress." Remember, Proverbs 4:10 above says, "Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many." When people try to live by their own abilities instead of plugging into His ability, stress increases.

God has purposes and plans for every Believer. His plans are bigger than what you can do. They will either drive you or excite you. We usually go through a season where we're driven by our vision until we get worn out and weary and give up, and that's when God kicks in and begins to do it through us. But we don't have to live like that! We can actually live in His wisdom. Jesus Himself said, "Take My yoke upon you...For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:29-30). Wouldn't you like to live in the ability of the Spirit of Wisdom?

An Ornament of Grace

Wisdom will place on your head an ornament of grace and crown your head with glory. God says, "Let Me put an ornament of grace on your head." Everywhere you go that ornament is there. Rejoice, because grace gives you favor with God and man. Grace gives you what you don't deserve. Grace makes things easy. 2 Timothy 2:1, "You therefore, My son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." The word strong means to be enabled or energized by grace; when we operate out of the function of Wisdom we are energized by Grace not our strength!

The reason why many things are so hard is because we are trying to do it out of natural wisdom instead of the Spirit of Wisdom. And we wonder why it doesn't bring the Lord glory when we struggle and finally get it done. I'm tired of what we can do. Let's see some things that only God can do.

Proverbs 4 refers to "a crown of glory." The Spirit of Wisdom and understanding will promote you, put an ornament of glory over your head, and then crown you with glory. Have you been in meetings where the glory was so strong that you felt the weightiness of the Presence? Remember when Moses had to put a veil over his face because of the glory? Wouldn't you like to be crowned with glory? When this happens, you become more God-conscious than self- or sin-conscious. Do you know what that would do for you if you became more God-conscious than sin or self-conscious? How much better is the new covenant? You want to be crowned with glory, the weightiness of His character, His nature and His power for your life.

Peace

Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding, for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her. The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge, the depths were broken up, and clouds drop down the dew.—Proverbs 3:13-20

Christians should be at peace knowing that the things He is asking of you He is not asking you to do in your own ability. He will give you the Spirit of Wisdom to perform the very thing that He is asking of you. See, it is an incredible thing for the river of wisdom to flow in your life. You will look at yourself in the midst of it all and think, "I can't believe this is even me." Guess what? It's not!

When you begin to minister out of the Spirit of Wisdom, you won't be in a state of emotional reaction. Jesus operated in a constant flow of the Spirit of Wisdom. His works, words, and teachings astonished the multitudes. Jesus provided the disciples with a great supply of opportunities to marvel. He commanded the fig tree to wither (Matthew 21:20), calmed a raging sea with a word (Mark 6:51), and boldly declared to the skeptical Pharisees and Herodians, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Mark 12:17). All who heard Him were astonished with His teaching (Luke 4:32), His understanding, and His answers (Luke 2:47). He did many wonderful things, even raised the dead, and things don't get much more astonishing than that!

In Acts 6:10, Stephen spoke with such wisdom, that those who were resisting could say nothing! "And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke." This is incredible manifestation of the Spirit of Wisdom through a person. Jesus said this in Luke 21:15, "For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist." This is a function out of the Spirit of Wisdom rather an emotional response.

As a Believer the Lord wants you to function in the Spirit of Wisdom in everyday living, so that you will be able to speak life to the hurting. You can lead many to Christ through the operation of the Spirit of Wisdom. "The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as the learned" (Isaiah 50:4).

Many people will be lead to Christ through the operation of the Spirit of Wisdom. Daniel 12:3 says, "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever." Wow, what a powerful tool to lead many to the Lord...by the Spirit of Wisdom flowing through your life! We are the light upon the hill, and His glory shall be seen upon us which will lead many to the Lord.

Living Wittily (Intelligence, Clever)

God's people should be the wittiest people on the earth. We should be the ones who set the standard. We have the advantage, but we seem to always make excuses like, "Well, if I had what they had..." The truth is you have the advantage over people who aren't born again. You have the advantage because you have the Holy Spirit living in you. Even Jesus Himself said, "It's to your advantage that I go away so He can come" (John 16:7). He was referring to the Holy Spirit.

Nehemiah 9:20a is one of my favorite Scriptures, "You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them..." God has given us His best, and the word for "best" means "beautiful, bountiful." The Holy Spirit is His best one who can instruct us. The word "instruct" means "to shoot like an arrow; to guide wittily, like a wise master builder." Christians should be the ones operating in the most skillful realms of ability and wisdom, because we're plugged into the One who is orchestrating and bringing forth everything that He has purposed since the foundations of the earth.

Don't you want to live your life wittily so that people around you start to take notice? The truth is God wants to do something in our lives that gives Him glory. You shouldn't limit yourself to your education and your natural ability. I believe with all of my heart that this is for every Believer, and it doesn't matter whether you're 10 or you're 70.

Heavenly Blueprints—God's Plans for Us

You can begin to operate daily in the river of wisdom. Courses of action from God will enable you to be a wise master builder, building by custom-made Heavenly blueprints just for you. God has rivers of wisdom available to us for our lives. He has ordained our days for us before they ever come to pass, as Psalm 139:14-18 says:

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You.

I love that my days are fashioned for me in the Lord's book in advance! Ephesians 2:10 also speaks of Him knowing our days in advance. It says: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

In John 15:15-16, Jesus Himself said, "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."

Do you want the fruit in your life that He has ordained and prepared? Do you want wisdom in order to walk out His eternal blueprints for your life? Wouldn't you like to have all those things? A river of wisdom will bring this about. Wisdom is more important than any riches of this earth, as Proverbs 8:11 says: "For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her."

Spirit of Wisdom Impartation is Transferable

In February I preached this message in a church in Austin, Texas. I told them, "I am going to ask the Lord to release this for you." I prayed for the impartation for the activation of the river of wisdom and understanding. In attendance was a gentleman who had a business; he could hardly pay his rent. After this, in March or April, he invented a product to refurbish computer components. Now he can't keep up with the orders. He just wrote me a check for $15,000 to build an orphanage, because the Lord is blessing him so supernaturally in the area of finances. God wants to do that for you, in the areas of ministry and for your family.

Since I preached that message we have had several people report that they received an impartation or activation in the Spirit of Wisdom so that their businesses, ministries, etc., have accelerated 20 times over. This is because as a man believes, so shall he receive. Every Believer can live in a river of the wisdom of the Holy Spirit—not just every once in a while, but daily.

The Lord wants you to enter into another level of the Spirit of Wisdom. I am going to ask and believe for you to receive the activation of it. The Holy Spirit is the wisest person on the earth, isn't He? He knows what is going on in Heaven. By one Spirit we have access to the Father. So, when you connect with the Spirit of Wisdom or the river of wisdom, you are truly plugging in to a greater level of the wisest Person on the earth. You are going to flow with the Person who knows everything that is going on in Heaven and who has access to the One who has your blueprints.

Why don't you make these faith declarations with me out loud now in prayer:

We're coming into sync right now with the plan of Heaven for our lives upon the earth. As it is in Heaven, so shall it be in our lives. We're going to walk in such a realm of the Spirit that we're going to gain strength; we are going to increase and we're going to be fruitful because we're going to operate by the Spirit of Wisdom. We're going to build as wise master builders, not with wood, hay or stubble. We're going to build with gold and silver.

The Holy Spirit is going to search out the deep things of God and reveal them to us, then He is going to give us wisdom to be able to implement and see the fulfillment of those things. We thank You that we're a people who are being led and instructed to live wisely and wittily by the Holy Spirit. Our steps are ordered by the Holy Spirit. Our lives will confound the wise.

This year is going to be the greatest year that we've seen for building the Kingdom. This is going to be the greatest year of building according to the blueprints of Heaven. We're going to be amazed at what You are going to do this year. And Lord, because we've embraced the Spirit of Wisdom, You're going to promote us. And because You're going to promote us, You're putting that ornament of grace on our heads right now. And I thank You for the crowning of glory. And I thank You, Lord, that we're going to have long life, because we're going to know a sense of rest in the Spirit that we've never known before, because we're not going to do it by our strength and our ability but by the river of wisdom.

Now, Lord, I thank You that right now You are releasing an ability to teach like we've never been able to teach before. I thank You, Lord, that You've given us patterns to build by, but now the Spirit of Wisdom is going to see the fulfillment of those patterns. I thank You, Lord, that some of those things that we have waited for for ten or twenty years, that this year there is going to be a 30, a 60 and a 100-fold increase of them. I thank You for it in Jesus' mighty name! Amen.

Keith Miller
Stand Firm World Ministries
Email: info@sfwm.org

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

Francis Frangipane: "TAKE UP THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT--THE WORD OF GOD--AND GO TO WAR!"

Francis Frangipane:

"TAKE UP THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT--THE WORD OF GOD--AND GO TO WAR!"

"If we advance protected by the Blood of the Lamb, if we war armed with the Word of God, and if we shoulder in our hearts the Cross of Christ, we will truly be more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

Christ not only came to set captives free, He came to train and empower the recently freed to be warriors. We may not always walk perfectly, but because God causes all things to work for good, we still can walk triumphantly. How can we, imperfect Christians, walk triumphantly? The Bible says we overcome "because of the Blood of the Lamb and because of the word of [our] testimony, and [we do] not love [our lives] even when faced with death" (Revelation 12:11).

These three things--Christ's atoning blood, our testimony of God's eternal word, and choosing to not love our own lives--secure us in the place of victory. We are a covenant people, a people purchased for God from every nation. Yes, we still sin, but God has placed the iniquity of us all upon His Son, Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53). When the enemy comes to accuse and condemn us for our failures, we must remind ourselves that every sin we have ever committed has been nailed to Christ's cross. The entire "certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us," has been paid in full by the Blood of Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:14)!

As much as we need the blood of Christ, to functionalize our victory, we also need a living knowledge of God's Word. Many Christians are awakened spiritually, but they do not know God's promises in the Bible. To be successful, we must know God's Word, believe it, and speak it with faith when we pray. We overcome by the "word of our testimony."

Third, in our world of excess and self-gratification, we must learn the wisdom and power of carrying the Cross ("they did not love their life"). By becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ, the Cross keeps us focused on our transformation. It also keeps us from the quicksand of self-pity, gratuitous over-indulgence, and unforgiveness.

To aid your fight of faith, we've prepared a brief collection of Scriptures. Remember, God's Word will not return to Him without accomplishing the purpose for which He sent it (Isaiah 55:11). Let us, therefore, "hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23).

Don't murmur when you pray, proclaim the Word of God with authority. Indeed, the Holy Spirit tells us to take up "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). If we advance protected by the Blood of the Lamb, if we war armed with the Word of God, and if we shoulder in our hearts the Cross of Christ, we will truly be "more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Romans 8:37).

The following are just a few of the many mighty promises of God. We urge you to print these verses, memorize them and pass them on to your friends and fellow intercessors.

Spiritual Warfare Verses

"Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven: and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven" (Matthew 18:18).

"The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).

"'No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,' declares the LORD" (Isaiah 54:17).

(Isaiah 42:13, 1 John 4:4, James 4:7, Matthew 28:19-20, Matthew 16:18, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Luke 10:19, 2 Corinthians 2:14, Isaiah 49:24-25)

Divine Shelter of God

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son" (Colossians 1:13).

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 18:2).

(1 John 5:18, Psalm 91:1, Romans 8:28)

Fear

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).

(2 Kings 6:16, Hebrews 2:14, Hebrews 2:14-15)

Deliverance, Forgiveness and Salvation

"He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:19).

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

(Isaiah 53:5, Psalm 32:7, Psalm 91:3, Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34, Luke 4:17-19)

Peace

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:8).

(Romans 16:20, Philippians 1:28, Psalm 110:1)

The Power of the New Covenant

"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death" (Revelation 12:11).

(Colossians 2:13-14, Matthew 26:26-28, Zechariah 9:11-12)

Healing

"But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).

(Hebrews 13:8, Matthew 4:24, Isaiah 53:4)

Family

"For I will contend with the one who contends with you, and I will save your sons" (Isaiah 49:25).

(Acts 2:17, Acts 16:31)

Discernment

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

(1 Corinthians 2:15, Ephesians 6:10-18)

We hope these Scriptures will be a blessing and an empowerment to you.

Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email:francis1@frangipane.org

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250