Is God a God of Judgement or Grace?

Recently, Pat Robertson made quite a stir with the suggestion that the earthquake in Haiti was a result of a pact that the nation had made with the devil. Many Christians had two responses. The first was that God doesn't work that way and would never pass judgement against a nation. The other is that we can't speak on behalf of God. In the following I will give my personal opinion on whether God ever passes judgement in this manner and if we can declare such disasters as judgements. I am not weighing in if this particular earthquake is or not for the fact that God has not personally spoken to me about this matter. I do believe that Pat Robertson makes some good historical points and I suggest you watch the video before passing judgement on him as it is far less severe as many have made it out to be.

We have to be careful when we declare certain things as judgements of God. There is a difference between consequences and judgements. For instance, if I have sex outside of marriage I run the risk of contracting an STD. That isn't God's judgement but merely a consequence of my behavior. Secondly, there is a difference between God releasing His wrath and removing His hand of protection. Satan seeks to torment the people of this earth. God has restrained him. There are times when, in His perfect will, He allows Satan to carry out his torment. An example of this in scripture would be the invasions of Israel. God removed His hand of favor because of the pacts that the Israelites made with Bael.

There are other times that God will judge a land. We see this in some of the prophecies of the Old Testament when God promises vengeance against the nations who oppress Israel. We also see this in 2 Chronicles 7:12. But God is always a God of grace and love. He will always allow a nation to return to Him. He will restore them if they choose to follow His ways once again.

It is important to know that we as Christians stand in the gap. We need to intercede, as priests, for God to continue to pour out His mercy. Moses did this when God wanted to destroy all of Israel. It was because of Moses' appeal that a nation was spared. Another example is when Abraham bargained with God for the sparing of Sodom. It would have been spared for a mere ten righteous men. We as intercessors need to stand in the gap. We need to live as the holy priesthood that we are. It is Christ's righteousness, made manifest in us, that turns away the wrath and judgement of God.

Is Haiti's oppression over the last hundred plus years a result of a pact of the devil? I don't know the answer to this. But here is what I do know: when the righteous make a stand a nation is changed. Uganda experienced a great revival a few years ago. The president, in a national assembly, handed the nations flag over to a group of intercessors. He dedicated the nation to Jesus Christ and charged them to pray for the nation. Uganda is one of the few nations in Africa that have experienced a drop in the AIDS rate while other nations are experiencing an increase. If God will bless a nation that turns to Him will He not curse a nation that opposes Him?

Some have then said why has God not passed similar judgement on other nations. I can't speak to that. But I can speak to the curses over those peoples as well. Even my own German people are facing the slow extinction of our race as a result of what we did during the Nazi regime. I feel that America is going to have to come before judgement if we don't remove the curse of abortion from our land. God will not ignore the cry of babies' blood. He passed judgement and killed the firstborn in Egypt for a similar genocide.

I believe that God still passes judgement today. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He operates the same way in the Old Testament as the New Testament. He speaks to His people even today. I do believe that at times He will speak His heart to His prophets. If God pours out His judgement then His people will know it. But what is the ultimate judgement? In my mind it is God removing His hand of mercy from us. If a people turns to the devil for their security and salvation how can we expect God to protect them from the torment of the very same devil?

One prominent prophet spoke of the fault line in California. He said that he had a vision of an angel holding the plates and restraining the earthquake that many experts say we could have at any time. Many experts say that we are overdue for "the big one." I believe that it is God's mercy that we have not experienced it. I don't know how much longer will God rest His hand of protection on the state of California. We have rebelled so greatly. I know the prayer of a righteous man avails much. It is my prayer that God will continue to spare California and that a company of intercessors will arise. I mention this to demonstrate that all of us have sinned and rebelled against God. There are many nations and regions within nations that have made pacts with other gods. We must break these curses and come back into alignment with the ways of heaven.

God's ways are mysterious. At times He will reveal them to His people. But in those cases that He doesn't we need to be careful not to speculate. Speculation is dangerous. But know who God is and know where you stand before Him. Be the priest and prophetic voice that He has called you to be. For you are His ambassador to this earth. May we all be agents of His grace and mercy. For as the kingdom is truly established the need for His wrath becomes less. But let us allow ourselves to fall under conviction before we judge others. For we have plenty to repent for here in America.

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!