Almost Deceived

The other day I saw an ad for Spirit Led Worship so I decided to see what it was about. The minute the website opened I felt that this was not led by anything Holy, especially not the Holy SPIRIT of God. But the site quoted C.S. Lewis. It was a very positive quote about Christianity. The title of the songs available to be listened to were either very Biblical sounding or the names of Psalms. The person's voice was beautiful. Oh, but the feeling of things not being right were so strong.

A couple friends of mine checked it out too. They found what I'd missed--I'm more audial than visual. They found this person is promoting the New Age. How deceptive. I was sure that was what was going on but what if I hadn't been in the Word for years? What if I hadn't believed Hebrews 5:14 "But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil". What if I didn't believe that Word means what is says when it says one of the gifts of the gift of Discernment? What if I was just saved the night before?

I have been praying this person will have the eyes of their heart opened.


Matthew 24:23-25

23"Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him.

24"For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

25"Behold, I have told you in advance.

Satan and his demons are wily. They are becoming more stealhy. I needed this reminder. Not that I didn't know it but it still made me feel like I'd been slapped in the face. BUT GOD is able to direct his angels to help us, he has gained the victory and has sent His Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth! Thank you Father!

. . . AS YOURSELF

While thinking about the Two Great Commandments and 1 Corinthians 13 I had a BFO--blinding flash of the obvious. The way I love others is to be the same way I love myself. Yea, OK you say, so what...Well the Holy Spirit quickened "patient and kind" to me. I am to be patient with myself and kind to myself.

That does not mean I can set back and do nothing--that's laziness. It does not mean I can do whatever I want--that could be lots of different sins depending on what I want to do.

It does mean that as I pursue God and study His Word and try to live it and know him I don't have to panic or be anxious. I can rely on God to get me there. It means that the "switch" my husband use to say I was so good at using on myself can go into the burn pile because I can give myself grace and mercy. Father gives it to me. By encouraging myself in Him I'm giving grace and mercy to me.

The thought, "He's cheering me on to victory", just popped into my head and heart! What a delightful thought.

LOVER OR HATER

One day it was pointed out to me that if I don't walk in love then I walk in hate. OUCH. So what does it look like to be a lover?or a hater?

Love is patient ~ impatient

love is kind ~unkind

is not jealous ~ jealous, envious, covetuous

love does not brag ~ braggadocious

is not arrogant ~ proud

does not act unbecomingly ~ acts appropriately

does not seek its own ~ looks for the good for others

is not provoked ~ keeps their peace

does not take into account a wrong suffered ~ is Christlike in all unpleasant dealings with others

does not rejoice in unrighteousness ~ keeps a pure heart


FROM THE MESSAGE
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,


Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always, Always looks for the best,
Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

Father, This is how you love me. Deepen, please, the revelation of your love for me so I can love you more and love others, In Jesus Name.

GOD'S MANTLES

I was going to do more on what a bargain walking with God is--even though it costs us everything! Today I received this in my e-mail and you will see why I had to post it.

October 19, 2007

Matt Sorger:

"HEAVEN IS RELEASING NEW ASSIGNMENTS--PICK UP YOUR MANTLE"

"Never forget that mantles always have a price. Salvation is free, but the weight of His glory will cost you something."

THE MANTLE ROOM OF HEAVEN

I was recently caught up into a Heavenly visitation during one of our "Awakening Gatherings." That morning, as I stood to the pulpit to preach, I was instantly brought into an "open-eyed vision" where I was taken to a room in Heaven. Peering through the door, I could see many robe-like garments hanging along the wall. As I entered into the room, I could see that these garments were different sizes and patterned with many different colors. I intuitively knew that this was the "Mantle Room of Heaven." The Lord spoke to my heart, telling me that these garments were mantles He created and prepared for His people to wear on the earth. They would empower His children to fulfill their Heavenly callings and mandates.

In my vision of the Mantle Room, I saw that not one of these mantles were the same. Each was a unique size and color. I understood that God did not want carbon copies, but originals. He has a unique mantle made just for you. God does not want you to pattern yourself after another person or ministry. He wants you to be uniquely you. There is an aspect of His nature and power that He wants to display through your life. Each mantle, when worn by an individual on the earth, expresses a unique facet of God's nature and glory in Heaven.

Get ready! Some of these mantles are right now hovering over the Church and are about to be released in the earth. God is looking for those He can place them on. Some mantles will resemble things we have seen and are familiar with, while others will empower people to do things that have never been done before this time in history! God is looking for those He can anoint with fresh oil.

NEW MANTLES ARE ABOUT TO BE RELEASED

In a recent dream, the Lord showed me one of the mantles about to be released over the corporate Body of Christ. In my dream, I was in a house full of people. I heard a knock at the door and went to open it. When I opened the door, a very elderly woman was standing there. She could barely stand and looked like she was just about to pass over into eternity. I instantly recognized her. She was a very old "Kathryn Kuhlman." I reached down and put my arms under her, picked her up and carried her into the house. As I stepped over the threshold into the house, I awoke from my sleep. --End of dream.

For weeks I prayed over this dream, asking God for understanding. As I waited on the Lord, He began to unfold its meaning to me.

The Lord used the picture of Kathryn Kuhlman (along with her age) to symbolically speak to me. Once again, there is about to be released over the Church, a mantle that is similar to the one this great woman of God wore. Not only will it release mass miracles, but it is deeply connected to our level of intimacy with the Person of the Holy Spirit. It is a mantle of extraordinary power as well as deep intimacy with God. This mantle releases creative miracles as the atmosphere of Heaven is released in and over our lives. This type of mantle will not just cover one or two. God is wanting to release it over the Corporate Body. But it does require something....

It requires a life of complete surrender, obedience and death to self. It requires a lifestyle of deep communion with God. This mantle is being made available to all who want it and are willing to pay the price that goes along with it. Never forget that mantles always have a price. Salvation is free, but the weight of His glory will cost you something. With power comes responsibility. The heavier the mantle God gives you, the more dead to self you must be.

We can see the weight of responsibility that goes along with receiving a mantle in Numbers 11:17. The Lord said to Moses, "I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone." Not only was the "authority" of Moses transferred to 70 people, the "responsibility" of bearing the burden of the people came with it.

BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME

In my dream, it was significant that I had to pick Kathryn Kuhlman up. When God releases a mantle, we must pick it up! There is an action required on our part. When the mantle fell from Elijah, Elisha had to bend down and pick up that mantle. When he did, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. Elisha had to be in the right place at the right time to receive that mantle. It required persistence, determination and faithfulness on his part so he would be correctly positioned to receive the mantle when the time came for it to be released.

The same is true for us. It does matter where you are and who you are hanging out with! Some visitations from the Lord require you being in a specific place at a specific time. It is crucial that we are where God wants us to be, so that He can visit us in such a way to release the new mantles He has for us.

I know each time I have received a mantle from the Lord, it has been in a specific place and time. Each time I was exactly where the Spirit wanted me to be. For example, the Lord led me to be in Moriah Chapel in Wales during the 100-year anniversary of the Welsh Revival. It was during this special time of prayer and seeking the Lord that I had a deep encounter with the "Revival Mantle." I could physically feel a blanket-like garment being draped over my legs and around my waist. God gave me a very deep revelation on the true meaning of revival, but that is for another article.

Another time I was in Europe, ministering with an evangelist friend in Estonia, who was doing some large evangelistic crusades when the "Mass Crusade Mantle" came upon me. I was standing on the platform when it happened. The anointing for miracles and mass salvation came into the meeting. As I was standing on the right side of the platform, it felt like someone placed a blanket over my head, shoulders and arms. There was a new mantle for mass crusades being placed on my life. This mantle was released in the midst of the glorious atmosphere of a mass crusade meeting. I was in the right place at the right time. Just three months later, I held my first mass crusade in India. Multitudes were saved, healed of sickness and delivered from demonic oppression!

WHAT TYPES OF MANTLES CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE?

I want to briefly share with you four mantles that we can expect to see released in this next season. This is by no means an exclusive list. There are many other mantles to pick up and receive besides the four I am about to share. I simply want to highlight some of the mantles the Lord has highlighted to me.

The first is connected to the dream I had concerning Kathryn Kuhlman. This mantle is a "Mantle of Glory and Creative Miracles." It will bring a keen sensitivity to the Person of the Holy Spirit and will release amazing signs and wonders, not just inside church buildings, but everywhere His people carry His glory. The Lord recently spoke to me that He was raising the standard in the healing movement once again. Matthew 12:15 says, "He healed them ALL."

This outpouring will release an even greater wave of signs and wonders, not just in the church services, but in the marketplace. God is looking for vessels He can endue with power out in the marketplace. We will see "backyard miracles" in mass--miracles in the homes, in the workplace, out on the streets, in the hospitals and in the malls. We will see creative miracles everywhere God's people go, releasing the power of the Kingdom into this present age.

The second is a "Mantle of Mass Deliverance." Not only will we see mass miracles, but there is also a wave of mass deliverance coming. People that have struggled in areas of their lives for years will receive breakthrough as the fire of deliverance is released into their lives. I encourage you to pray this prayer, "Lord, uncover and expose every area of darkness in my heart." As you do, God will release by His Spirit, a deep deliverance in your life.

Just as the Lord delivered Israel out of the hands of the Egyptians in mass, so God will deliver His people in mass. And we are not coming out empty-handed. This is where we will see the supernatural divine transfer of wealth which the prophets have been proclaiming. Mass deliverance is connected to the release of this divine transfer (see Exodus 3:20-22).

The third is a "Mantle of Supernatural Favor." God is placing mantles of favor upon His children in this hour. It's the type of favor that God placed on Isaac as he was taking possession of the land of his inheritance in Genesis 26. As he contended for what God said was his, the Lord eventually even caused his enemies to want to be at peace with him. Isaac eventually came into a place of total fulfillment and rest as he dug a well and called the name of the place Beersheba, meaning "Well of the Seven." Seven speaks of "fulfillment, completion and rest." Favor makes a way where there seems to be no way and causes you to receive all God has for you.

The fourth is a "Media Mantle." We will see a "Media Revival" with a move of God spreading through the airwaves. The Lord spoke to me that He is raising up TV networks that will help facilitate this end time move of God. GodTV is one of those networks. But there are more. Jesus will even be glorified over the secular networks! God is placing Media Mantles on people who will glorify His name through various media outlets.

As we move into this next season, I encourage you to stay sensitive to the voice of the Spirit as He leads you into times of prayer and waiting on Him. This will prepare you to be fully ready for all that He wants to release in and through your life. Get ready to pick up your mantle!

Matt Sorger
Matt Sorger Ministries
Email: info@mattsorger.com

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FREE BUT COSTS EVERYTHING

Today my husband and I were talking about how our salvation is free but to truly follow God it costs us everything.


When we moved to Georgia we knew we were doing what God told us to do. His wisdom in not telling us what we would go through is phenomenal. If we had any idea how hard these last 14 years would be nothing would have budged us. BUT GOD is wise and called us to a deeper level with Him and got us to the place where we could begin to get there.


Both God and satan want the same thing--they want us dead. It is just that God has something awesome to bring to life in us as we die to ourselves. Satan wants us totally destroyed.


I left a 3 year old grandson and 3 week old granddaughter when we moved here, along with 3 of my kids. BUT GOD said go and if I had not obeyed knowing Him like I do now probably wouldn't have happened. It's been very painful at times. Loneliness and depression tried to swallow me up and I almost let them, BUT GOD, brought me out of it. He has given me a hope that I didn't know was possible to have. He has gotten rid of some of my pride (do we ever get rid of all of it this side of eternity?).


His free gift is eternal life but to grow with Him, to know Him more costs everything. What a bargain!

WOW 44

Years ago I kept seeing multiples of 4. The Holy Spirit finally got me to Isaiah 44:4 which basically (because of verse 3) says my offspring and descendants will be strong as poplars planted by streams of water. I have planted a poplar tree as a memorial to this. However, recently, I've been seeing multiple of 4's again. Yesterday my husband posted the following on his blog...

As I wrote before, the numbers for the Messiah are 4, 40, and 400. The fourth letter in the Hebrew alphabet is Daleth. Its symbol is a door. The 40th number in Hebrew is the letter Mem. It is pronounced like a "m", and its symbol is a wave as in an ocean wave. I told you before that the number 400 is a Tau and means the end.
Where do you begin with Christ as the door? John wrote about a door in John chapter 10. Paul wrote about an door being opened to him in 1 and 2 Cor. James 5:9 about the judge at the door. Then Christ speaks in Rev 3:8 and 20. The more you look for Christ the greater He shows up!
The Hebrew writers use a word for wave that also refers to springs of waters gushing upward out of the ground. Strong's # 1530. One thing I like to do with the Hebrew alphabet is to put the letters together and see what word they form. If you but Daleth and mem together you find a word that is translated "Blood", and is Strong's #1818. The definition in Strong's reads: Blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by anal.the juice of the grape; fig. Bloodshed(i.e. drops of blood):- blood (-y, -guiltiness, [thirsty], + innocent. The root word it comes from is Strong's # 1826. The definition is: to be dumb; by impl. to be astonished, to stop; also to perish:- cease, be cut down (off), forbear, hold peace, quiet self, rest, be silent, keep (put to) silence, be (stand), still, tarry, wait.
So the Hebrew alphabet means something! The words down to the letter means things. The numbers of the Messiah shows His mission on Earth, to be the door to an intimate relationship with the father. The means to accomplish that mission, the shedding of His Blood. How he conducted Himself during the shedding of His Blood, silent like a lamb to slaughter. And that this was completed by the letter tau as the end of the alphabet. 4, 40, 400. The numbers of Messiah.

CITY COMES TO THE COUNTRY

Most of you know that I grew up in Los Angeles County California. My dad loved Roses so we had beautiful ones. Until I was in 5th grade we didn't have a vehicle so we walked to the grocery store for all our food. Our dog was a house dog. She loved me, slept with me and went to the vet once a year for her shots. She ate table scraps.

The day after graduating from 8th grade we moved. The house my parents owned had two fruit trees so we had wonderful peaches and plums. My dad loved Roses so he planted a Rose Garden.

You now have the extent of my knowledge about country life. Food came from the store and animal husbandry consisted of a dog sleeping with me.

When my husband and I moved to Georgia my ignorance of agrarian life shown brightly.

The first part of my education was that people didn't have a pig ranch they had a hog farm. I thought farming was something that happened in the ground...well when you look at hog wallowing in the mud the word "farm" begins to makes sense.

Next was the day Garry said that they were getting the pine straw for the animals. My brilliant question was, "Do they eat that"? Hay, straw, pine straw...what do I know? It gave him a good laugh and reminded him that I was truly ignorant of the basics of life and survival without a grocery store and money would be very difficult for me.

Today I took my granddaughter outside. She's 2.5 and we had a good time. The vines that I've been told for years are grapes had something beautifully purple growing on them. They don't look like grapes to me and the birds hadn't seemed to eat them but I laughed. Laughed because I love purple and lavender and my husband has told me that there is ENOUGH of that color in the house and that he didn't want any more. I have no idea if those are wild grapes or what but they are purple! And they aren't in the house!

The picture at the beginning is the purple whatever. If you know what it is please let me know. In the mean time I'm going to enjoy learning to live in the country.

DETAILS ~ RELATIONSHIPS

A friend and I were talking about ministry. She mentioned a friend of hers who said that God is interested in the details of the ministry. However, she said she believed He was interested in the details of the relationships in the ministry. This set me thinking.

Looking back on ministries I've been involved in when things have gone downhill, in the negative way, I can see where relationships were the cause. People became offended, they didn't care what other people thought, they became offenders. I can see where elitism, control, dominating attitudes, arrogance, and pride have really stopped what seemed to be, and I believe was, God moving in our midst. It seems that we forgot to be kind to one another, forgiving as Christ has forgiven us. We forgot that we are all imperfect and in process and that so and so hurts in ways I don't and I hurt in ways they don't and that the pain can cause lots of misunderstandings that grace is needed for. Blatant sin can not be tolerated but I can see how I and others judged someone's words, actions, body language as something that person never meant...we were the sinners because we judged them.

When I have seen God move the most powerfully people have been in harmonious relationship with each other and Him. So if I'm sensing a ministry isn't what I think it should be, what I want it to be or if I am having problems with it I guess I'd better check out my relationship with the people. Am I being loving and forgiving? Is it my pride that is hurt? Can I disagree and see things from a different perspective and not be disagreeable or angry if they don't see things my way? In some cases there may be something horribly wrong but I need to make sure of where my heart is and how my relationships are.

The ministry statement of Jesus is Luke 4:18
"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED

That talks about people.

The two great commandments are, in a nutshell, Love God, Love others as yourself. That does not talk about a building or a program. That is relationship.