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February 14, 2015
I wanted to share something and it has to do with something I always talk about - which is intimacy with the Lord. I want to share with you candidly from the heart what's been going on with me. I enjoy creating and writing music and I enjoy the piano and singing, teaching, pulling graphics together. All these things are so much fun for me and so edifying. I noticed myself being anxious to get out of prayer to go to these things. I started getting lured away from the Lord into doing, doing, doing. I suspected it's a spirit of Ambition or a sprit of Self-will. The effect is almost shunning the Lord.
Can you imagine? Here you are with your wife or husband, you just had a really sweet time together and you're thinking to yourself, "I'll be glad when this is over so I can get to work on those other things that I love to do." If your spouse could hear those thoughts, they would be deeply hurt that you are in a hurry to get out of that nice time you're having together. That person is thoroughly enjoying being with you, but you're in a hurry to get it done so you can get back to your creative things!
At first I realized, mentally, that I was thinking this. Maybe it was an angel telling me or the Holy Spirit. I suspect it was the Holy Spirit reading my thoughts back to me which basically read, 'You know that you're thinking it would be good to get through prayers to get some work done.' When I realized that was my heart attitude, I wasn't happy with myself at all and I wanted to change it.
I made it a point to spend more time in prayer. I have certain prayers that I prayer during intercession and also I may spend 1, 2, or 3 hours at a time in worship, depending on which way the Lord is leading. I don't like to go into writing songs, teachings, graphics or anything until I really have been in His presence and I've been filled with His Spirit.
I was reading a book by Sarah Young titled, Jesus Calling. One of the things that Jesus told her is that He lives inside of her and that when she begins to worship, He begins to swell. His power and strength begin to glow and transform her from the inside out. It's not like the Lord descending down from heaven and washing over us. That's probably the way that I've described it before, but it's rather like something inside of you begins to turn on and emulate and glow and overtake you in a cloud of Glory. This takes time and sincere worship in sprit and in truth. It's worship from the heart.
It's not sing 6 or 7 songs and we're outta here, you know? It's really lingering and visualizing yourself entering into the presence of the Lord. Very often I'll sense Him before me and I'll sense His strong shoulders and I'll find my head leaning on His heart. I'll realize it's Him. One of the ways I realize that it's Him, is a smile will come across my face. It's like, you can be deceived by thoughts or apparitions, but when your soul bears witness to something sweet and delicate and then a smile just appears on your face. That's really an indicator that the Lord is truly present to you in a way that He wants you to sense.
He wants you to acknowledge it. This is the time when worship gets to the point where you feel where the Lord is manifesting on the outside as well as the inside. You can see him with your eyes even closed because He's right there in the spirit realm. You can see Him with the eyes of your spirit, the eyes of your heart. All of those things are indicators that He's truly present.
That's the time to truly protect it and to stay there. Move in gently and lovingly and be there to worship Him. Make up to Him for all the people who have turned their backs on Him. So many have no time for Him. Their taste buds are all for the world. That's one of the reasons we mentioned to you in the last 'Heaven Talk' to turn the television set off. That's the world. Maybe a little bit for a distraction once in a while is okay - if you're not feeling well or depressed and you need something to get your mind off it for a little while. Watch something innocent and pure. To have it on all the time is moral pollution: pollution in sound, sight, and in thought. Those things linger in your mind and create a crud in your mind that really does inhibit your perception of the Lord in spirit and in truth.
I want to take time to talk to you about this. This is just my opinion, but no one can walk the walk without falling in love with the Lord. Right now you probably can, but when it comes to the mark of the beast and the time for those who are going to be here, it can be a matter of seeing your child die or they can't go to the hospital unless they take the mark. Are you going to love the Lord enough to let the Lord take your child and stand against that mark?
There's been quite a few things said about the mark. One of the things that caught my eye in Scripture was no one that took the mark could be saved(Revelation 13:7). There is technology now that really intervenes with your feelings and your thoughts in marks and electronic devices. They have the ability to alter your thinking. The Scripture also says that people will seek death but not be able to die (Revelation 9:6). Can you imagine the government coming out with a chip - and they say, "If you take this chip, your life will be increased for hundreds of years, because we have the technology to adjust things in your body just with this chip?" This is not outrageous. This is all state-of-the-art medicine and things can electronically be administered through that chip. Once you take that mark or that chip and you go into that system you may never be able to connect with the Lord again. You don't want to do that. How are you going to stand against that?
There's only one way and that's through love; falling in love with the Lord.
Knowing who He is to you and feeling who He is to you in such a way that the affection you have for your family will not force you to do something that is against Him. These are things to think about. These technologies are on the horizon. If you're not head-over-heels in love with the Lord, you're not going to be able to resist the temptation. You'll love your own life more than you love Him. How do we get to the place where we can resist this temptation? I'm not telling you that I can stand against it. I pray that I can stand against it. I'm doing everything daily that I know of. There are always more things that I can do but I'm trying to stay connected to Him.
One of the ways is to linger in worship. I mentioned before, Terry MacAlmon is a gifted and anointed worship leader. Kari Jobe is very intimate with the Lord and she can really transport you into that place with the help of the Holy Spirit and His grace. You must have that kind of love that makes you want to resist the evils that we will be confronted with. It's going to be life or death for you, your family, your spouse, and your children. If you're on the fence and you're not taken in the Rapture there's going to come a time after the Rapture that you'll have to get off that fence. Your own health can be in danger and you'll need to go to the hospital; if you're insulin dependent or if you're having a heart attack, you won't have the mark, so you can't go to the hospital. Will you take the mark for that? Just to save your own life? I believe that the only way to make yourself ready for this is to seek that intimacy with the Lord to where you are truly loving Him and having that sweet communion with Him. There's nothing on Earth that can compare with it. Put that as the highest point of your day.
I take my nap, have my coffee, and then I'm really ready for Him. When you put Him in that place of priority, nothing else in this world will matter to you above Him.
I wanted to share that with you because I've been having struggles in that area and I thank the Lord that He's pulling me out of those things and helping me to see what I've been doing.
I feel much slower to Him now and I'm on my guard about the spirit of Achievement, the spirit of Pride, or spirit of Ambition. Those are killers that will tear you out of the Lord's arms for sure.
God bless you Youtube family and thank you for supporting us.