"THE LION'S DEN: It's not the PLACE, It's the PRESENCE!"

It is amazing how "relationship" has a direct correlation to "revelation" from God! It doesn't matter where you are physically in time and space, the Lord God will manifest His Presence!

An excellent example of this profound relationship between a man and God can be found in the Book of Daniel as the prophet encounters several trials on his road to truth. The fundamental premise needed to establish God's trust is your "obedience" to His Word. As you obey God consistently, He will establish you. This does not mean you won't experience any trouble, hardships or adversity; but it declares definitely that "He will be with you in trouble!" (Ps. 91:14-15) (Josh. 1:5)

Just think for a moment about your own personal "Lion's Den" experience when the adversary seemed to have you cornered with no way out and you were facing certain destruction. Yet you didn't faint (quit) or stay in fear, but you stood flat-footed on the foundation of faith and He delivered you! Do you remember? It wasn't the place, it was the Presence!

God will give you favor (peace) in a hostile environment. Favor is not always good fortune, riches or promotion. But it is most certainly rooted and grounded on the paradigm of PEACE continually! The Presence of God manifests PEACE in the life of the Believer! No matter what; DON'T PANIC. He is there!

This is what real PEACE looks like:

You will be tested in the midst of your trials. He will surround you with allies in the natural (brothers and sisters in the faith) and spirit (angels to have charge over you) realms.He will not withhold any good thing from you as you press in to His Presence. He has given us the example of Daniel on how to "resist the food and drink" (deception of the enemy) of the Babylonian (world) system through radical faith and no fear of death.

You will be rewarded by God with unyielding faith and ever increasing wisdom. Your "spiritual gifts" will make room for you and bring you before great men and women. The beauty of the adversity we experience in the Lion's Den leads to a promotion in the spirit realm whereby we receive the privilege to serve God in the marketplace.

It's all about getting "clean" (seeking holiness and righteousness) inside and the place doesn't matter; but the PRESENCE does!

"SEEING the INVISIBLE!"

"Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
                                                                                               
                                                                                                        2 Corinthians 4:16-18

This message is all about being restored and not being condemned. I beseech you my brethren to not forsake or frustrate the Grace of God. As I have said many time before, it's all about the process (of repentance) and not about your sin. Being a Christian/Believer does not exempt you from suffering. Trials and suffering develop trust, faith and character in the life of the Believer. Tell me, "what do you see?"

Adversity moves you into a place of strength or vulnerability contingent upon "what you see." Faith is the currency in the Kingdom of God. It is your "get out of jail free card" no matter what the circumstances! The enemy will try and force you to cooperate with the spirit of fear, depression, hopelessness and despair. Please be assured, hardships do not make you a failure and they do not mean you are not living right! Tell me, "what do you see?"

Meditate on this, "I am NOT what I do; I am who GOD says I am!" Condemnation is a personal choice. If you don't believe (have faith in God), then there is no need for you to come into the house of Peace out of the storms of life. It is imperative for the Believer to walk out the Word of God. Condemnation is that which is unfit for use in the Kingdom of God. Really, "what do you see?"

Our fear creates a wall between us and our ability to achieve intimacy with God. Worship (service to God's people in the marketplace) propels us into fellowship with the Lord God. Our inability to grasp the knowledge of Christ (spirit of peace, vision and freedom) will keep the individual in the midst of Adam (fear, sight and bondage) which results in condemnation and leads to distance from God and a spirit of uselessness and "spiritual blindness" for the man or woman in the KOG. 

Staying focused on Christ in the midst of your trials and tribulations will allow you to see the invisible. (Acts 7:54). Selah...

'The POWER of INTERCESSION!"

"He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor."                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Isaiah 59:16

The is an incredible dynamic within the Kingdom of God (KOG) whereby God allows those willing souls to fully participate in boldly advancing His Kingdom in the earth. The many facets of application to these principles are limitless, but one thing that comes to mind that rises to the top is the power of intercession.

For many Believers, intercession is simply prayer and it's true; however, I submit to you that intercession is much more than simply prayer.  One can only imagine what God must have been thinking when He canvassed the entire earth and couldn't find ONE INDIVIDUAL who was willing to "come close" enough to HEAR Him and take His message to the people in the marketplace.

We are experiencing much of the same arrogance from the people of God today that He witnessed in the time of the Prophet Isaiah. There is too much religiosity and too much "hocus-pocus" in today's church. The main issue is that we have the "same heart" toward God. Our hearts are desperately wicked and our motives are not pure. We are lazy and have a spirit of entitlement that makes God want to vomit! 

Who among us has faith enough in His power to deliver us? Who is willing to sacrifice their reputation to stand flat-footed in the face of the enemy and proclaim that he is a son of the King of Glory? Isn't it a wonder that the Lord God would give man the power and authority to extend His love in the earth? But we do not have to "wonder" because we have the living example of Christ in the earth embodied through the person of His Holy Spirit which He has given freely to ALL BELIEVERS!

So what do we make of this? It is very simple. WE ARE TO PRAY HIS WORD! In this sense, pray=do. In other words, WE ARE TO DO HIS WORD! Our intercession will show God the preparation of our hearts...or rather, how much of His spirit we are ready to receive. In short, intercession is prayer that turns into ACTION! We are to enter into His Presence, seek instruction, receive it and then go and do it!

His work in the marketplace is dependent upon those called to do His Word...

"HELP MY UNBELIEF!"

(2 Cor. 2:8-10) ...His Grace is sufficient!

In order to exercise true faith, I must understand and BELIEVE that God is with me. One of the fundamental mishaps that many Christians have is that they carry the relationships they have with other people into their relationship with God; That is a BIG MISTAKE!

There is no room in your "closet" for anyone or anything else but you and God. We need more time with God and less time with people. Newsflash: "There is absolutely nothing wrong with being by yourself!"

                                                         
                   Thomas looking for "proof" Jesus was pierced in his side


The next level in God leads to "isolation" (We must run to God versus running away from God. It is His expectation that we will change or "morph" into radical Believers!). (John 20:24-29) begs the question, "Can you believe when you cannot see?" This is where too many Christians break down. They use their EYES more than their EARS! 

Faith comes by hearing (using your ears) and hearing (the ability to hear God) comes by (hearing) the "Word of God." [Romans 10:17 -Emphasis mine.] When faced with hardships, trials and tribulations, the Believer must always ask the question, 'What does God say about this situation in His WORD? Two keys words for any Believer are, "DON'T PANIC!"

An increase in faith is directly correlated to a decrease in your need for "evidence" in order to believe!

Doubting is not evidence of disloyalty. On the contrary: (--> = "leads to"):

                                      doubting --> questions --> answers -->Christ!

We must leave the place of doubt before we can move to the place of belief. What we "think" about, we "empower." Meditate on God's Word for guaranteed results of faith, power and authority in your life as a Believer! Selah!

"I Gotta PRAY About It!"

Whether I am in the conversation directly or in close proximity, whenever I hear this response from one Christian to another, "I gotta pray about it," it makes me cringe...just a little bit! Are you a sheep or a goat? (Matt. 25:31-46)

Allow me to translate "I gotta pray about" for you; it is just a polite way of saying "No. I can't. I won't. I don't want to. Not in this lifetime. or Not for you!" One can usually hear this response connected to a request for MONEY or SERVICE in the MARKETPLACE!

The saints are funny with their multiple layers of deception hidden under the guise of perpetrating "super spiritualism." This negative behavior is being taught in many of our gatherings between the elite Christians and the Poor Christians. Sometimes it's the elite and the one's faking elitism when they are in need more than the poor ones. Either way, it's a shame."I can't let nobody know I'm three months behind on my mortgage; they might kick me out of the club or they most certainly will begin to treat me differently when they find out I don't have any food in my house!" 

Isn't it ironic that the spirit of fear is more prevalent in the Body of Christ than in the marketplace? How can it be that we have created a culture where our brothers and sisters who are in need are AFRAID to ask for help? Why is there an interrogation from the church leadership about the problem? Now, I do know that there are those people who will abuse the system no matter what the circumstances and that there are some lazy folks out there looking for a "pay day."  But in my experience, the overwhelming majority of people are truly in trouble and need to be helped. So why not help them?

The Lord God has clearly outlined for us the areas WE NEED NOT PRAY ABOUT in His WORD! In Matthew 25:31-46 He directs ALL BELIEVERS to:

1. Feed the HUNGRY.
2. Give the THIRSTY something to drink. 
3. Be kind to STRANGERS (Homeless people) and take them in (care for them).
4. Clothe the NAKED.
5. Visit the SICK.
6. Minister to those in PRISON.

Pretty straightforward huh? No gray areas here! Hey, if you can can do it..just do it! No need to light candles, burn incense, rub ash all over your body and tear your sack cloth garments in half. No need to roll on the floor or bark at the moon. No need to poor oil over your head or spend five hours on your knees! No need to have corporate prayer and petition the saints for approval.

If you can spare the $200 for the brother to get some groceries; just give it to him and keep it movin'! Selah...