The time comes in every believer’s life when the Lord will cast the vision for the call He has placed on our lives. This is a very exciting time in most believers’ lives. The hours we have spent in scripture and prayer seeking which role He will chose for us is finally revealed. This excitement, however, doesn’t always last as the joy of the vision can be easily choked out by the cares of the affairs of this life or other obstacles we must overcome before the fulfillment of that vision.
Too often these obstacles become overbearing and we begin too lose sight of that vision. As we begin to lose sight of that vision we begin walking away from our call and the command the Lord has placed on our lives. Losing the vision has serious consequences not only for us but for others around us including family and others the Lord has entrusted in our ministries. King Solomon is a great example of this.
We often hear about the successful side of Solomon’s life, how he was blessed by God with great wisdom and riches but we don’t seem to hear the other side as often. 1 Kings 11 tells us that in his old age, Solomon’s heart turned away from the Lord and did not keep what the Lord had commanded him. As a result, the kingdom was torn away from Solomon and given to someone else.
“So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the LORD had commanded. Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant (1 Kings 11:9-11).”
Some may try to argue that this was a consequence under the old covenant but Jesus warned us more than once in the New Testament:
“But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” - Luke 9:62
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” – Matthew 13:44-46
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” – Luke 6:46
To further illustrate the consequence of not running with the vision let us take a look at an excerpt from an article by The 700 Club about world renowned evangelist Reinhard Bonnke:
“When Reinhard tells of God calling him to a life of evangelism, he speaks easily about a dialogue they had. It seems God laid out for him what would be expected. And Reinhard told God that he would obey and follow what God was asking of him. Before this extended conversation ended, however, God told him, “You weren’t my first choice.” Reinhard listened. “You weren’t my second choice either.” Later on there was a time when Reinhard hesitated to schedule a specific crusade. He says as he wavered, “God said, ‘You drop the vision and I drop you.” The evangelist attributes the tremendous responses he sees in ministry to simple obedience to what God requires (CBN.com).”
WOW! What a dreadful rebuke from the Lord but I’m sure Reinhard Bonnke was happy to receive it especially now, knowing the millions of souls that have been saved through his ministry. Could you imagine how the first two guys that didn’t run with the vision feel now? If nothing else this story proves that God is serious and if we don’t run with the vision He has given us, He will give to someone else!
As a minister, this terrifies me and keeps me continually praying to be in His will at all times. It also inspires me to read the revelation and experiences of other men and woman of God in order to see how they overcame the schemes of the enemy to keep us from fulfilling that vision. So to end this article I want to quote Rick Joyner from his book, Overcoming Witchcraft, in which he says that loss of vision is one of eight “stings” the enemy uses to overwhelm believers and that staying the course is crucial on that road to victory.
“When we begin to lose our vision, we must commit ourselves to strengthening our vision more than ever… Above all, we must hold our course! We should not change our direction until we can clearly see the new course… we need to just hold our course and keep going forward. We will soon break into the clear (Joyner, 1996, pp37-38).”
***May the Lord continually keep you in His perfect will and provide you with the strength, peace, and drive to continually pursue the fulfillment of the vision He has casts for your life in Jesus’ most precious name! AMEN!
God bless!
Mike Thompson
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Praise Reports!
For the last few weeks, Rick and Mike joined a small team of volunteers from the Freedom Prayer Room to share the love of Jesus in a local government housing area in Windham, OH, on Thursday nights. The Lord has been showing up in a powerful way! Here are some praise reports:
June 4, 2009
WOMAN HEALED OF BACK PAIN!
While praying for a young couple, we received a word of knowledge for back issues. The young lady revealed to us that she had a tail bone issue with her last pregnancy that caused her severe pain. After praying, the pain along with a small lump on her back went away! THANK YOU JESUS!
MAN HEALED OF INJURED FOOT!
John noticed a young man who had walked passed us had a limp. When we caught up to him he told us he injured his left foot with a pallet jack at work. We prayed for him twice, each time the pain was reduced. We then told him that we believed if he would walk across the street and back his foot would be 100% healed by the time he came back. He walked across the street and on the way back his limp mysteriously disappeared! Praise God!
June 11, 2009
MAN HEALED OF FOOT & ANKLE INJURY!
A young man walked by us with a limp. We asked what happened. He had a cast on his left foot and said he got hurt playing basketball. After we prayed for him we asked him to walk around on it and jump. He then sat down on the sidewalk and asked if he could take his brace off. He then took his shoe off and pulled down his sock. Rubbing his foot he was amazed. We asked if he had a lump on it prior to us praying and he told us it was swollen but the swelling was almost completely gone. Then he asked us how we did it, we laughed and said we didn’t do anything, Jesus did it! Praise God! All glory be to You our heavenly Father through Christ Jesus!
YOUNG MAN RECEIVES JOB!
At a local convenient store on the way out to share the love of Jesus, we ran into a young man we prayed for last week. He said the prayer worked because he just got a job. He didn’t need a healing but he needed a job and we praise God for delivering one!
THANK YOU FOR USING US IN SUCH A PROFOUND WAY JESUS! ALL GLORY AND HONOR BE UNTO YOU!!!
June 4, 2009
WOMAN HEALED OF BACK PAIN!
While praying for a young couple, we received a word of knowledge for back issues. The young lady revealed to us that she had a tail bone issue with her last pregnancy that caused her severe pain. After praying, the pain along with a small lump on her back went away! THANK YOU JESUS!
MAN HEALED OF INJURED FOOT!
John noticed a young man who had walked passed us had a limp. When we caught up to him he told us he injured his left foot with a pallet jack at work. We prayed for him twice, each time the pain was reduced. We then told him that we believed if he would walk across the street and back his foot would be 100% healed by the time he came back. He walked across the street and on the way back his limp mysteriously disappeared! Praise God!
June 11, 2009
MAN HEALED OF FOOT & ANKLE INJURY!
A young man walked by us with a limp. We asked what happened. He had a cast on his left foot and said he got hurt playing basketball. After we prayed for him we asked him to walk around on it and jump. He then sat down on the sidewalk and asked if he could take his brace off. He then took his shoe off and pulled down his sock. Rubbing his foot he was amazed. We asked if he had a lump on it prior to us praying and he told us it was swollen but the swelling was almost completely gone. Then he asked us how we did it, we laughed and said we didn’t do anything, Jesus did it! Praise God! All glory be to You our heavenly Father through Christ Jesus!
YOUNG MAN RECEIVES JOB!
At a local convenient store on the way out to share the love of Jesus, we ran into a young man we prayed for last week. He said the prayer worked because he just got a job. He didn’t need a healing but he needed a job and we praise God for delivering one!
THANK YOU FOR USING US IN SUCH A PROFOUND WAY JESUS! ALL GLORY AND HONOR BE UNTO YOU!!!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Flesh vs. Spirit: The Battle For Your Heart
The terms “flesh” and “Spirit” are often used in the church today and I for one believe that there is a big misconception in regards to what this really means in a practical sense not only in our personal walk with the Lord but also in the corporate environment as well. To fully illustrate the point of this article I want to first define what the Bible tells us about the flesh and Spirit, show where the battle lies between the two, and then finally show this misconception in scripture so that we can be aware of it in our own lives.
WHAT IS THE FLESH?
Our flesh is our old, corrupt, sinful nature that came about due to the fall of man. The outcome or works of the flesh are listed below:
Galatians 5:19-21 says “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
WHAT IS THE SPIRIT?
When the Bible talks about the Spirit in regards to our lives, it is talking about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Christ like nature we receive in the new birth. The outcome or fruit of the Spirit are listed below:
Galatians 5:22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT WAR AGAINST EACH OTHER!
Galatians 5:16-17 says “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
THE BATTLEFIELD IS THE HEART!
Mark 7:20-23 says “And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
What Jesus says here is really close to what Paul says in Galatians 5 regarding the works of the flesh (see above scripture).
WHAT’S THE POINT?
The point I am trying to make is that what determines whether you are in the flesh or in the Spirit is the intentions of your heart! Every decision we make is either out of the flesh or the Spirit! This point is clearly illustrated in scripture in several places but we will focus on two in order to explain the big misconception.
THE BIG MISCONCEPTION!
The big misconception is that actions always determine whether we are in flesh or in Spirit. Some actions such as murder, violence, substance abuse, etc. can obviously determine this but not all actions can. If this article, we don’t want to focus of those obvious one but rather, let us focus on the actions that have the appearance of good such as preaching, teaching, operating in spiritual gifts, charity, etc.
Just because someone is preaching the gospel, doesn’t mean their preaching it in Spirit. The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:15-16, “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains.” Please keep in mind that Paul specifically names envy and selfish ambition as works of the flesh in Galatians 5 (see scripture above).
So therefore, if someone is doing a “good” thing such as preaching, it doesn’t mean they are bearing good fruit. What determines this, is the intentions of their heart. Are they preaching out of the Spirit (love, peace, joy, etc.) or out of the flesh (envy, jealousy, hatred, selfish ambition, etc.)
THE BIG MISCONCEPTION IN CHURCHES TODAY!
Is this section I want to list and briefly explain two common areas where the big misconception can typically be found:
MANIFESTATIONS OF THE SPIRIT – Many times people will comment on how others manifest the Spirit and claim that they are in the flesh. Unless someone is “manifesting” in order to look spiritual this is likely not the case. Remember, what determines whether you are in the Spirit or in the flesh is your heart.
If someone jumps up and down praising God on their own free will, not fully taken over by the Holy Spirit are they in the flesh? Most would say yes, I would say not necessarily. Why? It depends on their heart. If they are jumping up and down to be seen to be seen they are in the flesh because selfish ambition is a work of the flesh. If they are genuinely jumping up and down praising and thanking God they are in Spirit because joy is a fruit of the Spirit whether or not the Spirit completely took them over to do it or not.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS – Just because someone is operating in a spiritual gift does not mean they are walking in Spirit, it means they have been baptized in the Spirit have a spiritual gift. As illustrated in the section above, we can operate in spiritual gifts but not be in Spirit. This not more clearly shown than through the Corinthians.
The Corinthians operated in spiritual gifts. In fact 1 Corinthians 12-14 is where we learn the most about them in scripture yet Paul still called them carnal because they displayed works of the flesh. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 says “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men.”
This is confirmed in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 when the Apostle Paul says “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” Love is a fruit of the Spirit, charity and spiritual gifts are not (gifts are evidence of baptism of Spirit not fruit of the Spirit). They are however, vehicles for fruit to be shown.
You can lay hands on a 1,000 people and everyone be healed but it doesn’t mean you’re walking in Spirit. If while you are laying hands on those 1,000 people to be seen or to make money you are walking in the flesh but if you are doing it out of love and compassion then you are walking in the Spirit. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).”
“The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29).” God did not take away the gifts from the church in Corinth even though there were not in His will and neither will He take away our gifts if we are not in His will. Therefore, we must be even more certain to pursue His will which is to walk “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:2-3).”
CONCLUSION:
To end this article I want give you the same exhortation and pray for you as Paul did for the Philippians:
“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others (Philippians 2:1-4).”
I pray for you and everyone that reads this article the same that Paul prayed for the Philippians, “that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” in name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
God bless!
Mike Thompson
WHAT IS THE FLESH?
Our flesh is our old, corrupt, sinful nature that came about due to the fall of man. The outcome or works of the flesh are listed below:
Galatians 5:19-21 says “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
WHAT IS THE SPIRIT?
When the Bible talks about the Spirit in regards to our lives, it is talking about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Christ like nature we receive in the new birth. The outcome or fruit of the Spirit are listed below:
Galatians 5:22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT WAR AGAINST EACH OTHER!
Galatians 5:16-17 says “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
THE BATTLEFIELD IS THE HEART!
Mark 7:20-23 says “And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
What Jesus says here is really close to what Paul says in Galatians 5 regarding the works of the flesh (see above scripture).
WHAT’S THE POINT?
The point I am trying to make is that what determines whether you are in the flesh or in the Spirit is the intentions of your heart! Every decision we make is either out of the flesh or the Spirit! This point is clearly illustrated in scripture in several places but we will focus on two in order to explain the big misconception.
THE BIG MISCONCEPTION!
The big misconception is that actions always determine whether we are in flesh or in Spirit. Some actions such as murder, violence, substance abuse, etc. can obviously determine this but not all actions can. If this article, we don’t want to focus of those obvious one but rather, let us focus on the actions that have the appearance of good such as preaching, teaching, operating in spiritual gifts, charity, etc.
Just because someone is preaching the gospel, doesn’t mean their preaching it in Spirit. The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:15-16, “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains.” Please keep in mind that Paul specifically names envy and selfish ambition as works of the flesh in Galatians 5 (see scripture above).
So therefore, if someone is doing a “good” thing such as preaching, it doesn’t mean they are bearing good fruit. What determines this, is the intentions of their heart. Are they preaching out of the Spirit (love, peace, joy, etc.) or out of the flesh (envy, jealousy, hatred, selfish ambition, etc.)
THE BIG MISCONCEPTION IN CHURCHES TODAY!
Is this section I want to list and briefly explain two common areas where the big misconception can typically be found:
MANIFESTATIONS OF THE SPIRIT – Many times people will comment on how others manifest the Spirit and claim that they are in the flesh. Unless someone is “manifesting” in order to look spiritual this is likely not the case. Remember, what determines whether you are in the Spirit or in the flesh is your heart.
If someone jumps up and down praising God on their own free will, not fully taken over by the Holy Spirit are they in the flesh? Most would say yes, I would say not necessarily. Why? It depends on their heart. If they are jumping up and down to be seen to be seen they are in the flesh because selfish ambition is a work of the flesh. If they are genuinely jumping up and down praising and thanking God they are in Spirit because joy is a fruit of the Spirit whether or not the Spirit completely took them over to do it or not.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS – Just because someone is operating in a spiritual gift does not mean they are walking in Spirit, it means they have been baptized in the Spirit have a spiritual gift. As illustrated in the section above, we can operate in spiritual gifts but not be in Spirit. This not more clearly shown than through the Corinthians.
The Corinthians operated in spiritual gifts. In fact 1 Corinthians 12-14 is where we learn the most about them in scripture yet Paul still called them carnal because they displayed works of the flesh. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 says “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men.”
This is confirmed in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 when the Apostle Paul says “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” Love is a fruit of the Spirit, charity and spiritual gifts are not (gifts are evidence of baptism of Spirit not fruit of the Spirit). They are however, vehicles for fruit to be shown.
You can lay hands on a 1,000 people and everyone be healed but it doesn’t mean you’re walking in Spirit. If while you are laying hands on those 1,000 people to be seen or to make money you are walking in the flesh but if you are doing it out of love and compassion then you are walking in the Spirit. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:25).”
“The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29).” God did not take away the gifts from the church in Corinth even though there were not in His will and neither will He take away our gifts if we are not in His will. Therefore, we must be even more certain to pursue His will which is to walk “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:2-3).”
CONCLUSION:
To end this article I want give you the same exhortation and pray for you as Paul did for the Philippians:
“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others (Philippians 2:1-4).”
I pray for you and everyone that reads this article the same that Paul prayed for the Philippians, “that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” in name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
God bless!
Mike Thompson
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