Breaking Chains

Yesterday, the Lord had me repeat the prophecy Ready to Fly? to the believers in the small church we've attended for the past few years. Shortly after I gave it, a women who helps with song worship testified that she had been suffering from a sever headache for a week and none of her pain pills were able to stop it, but now the pain was instantly gone and she was praising God. I also prayed with some others that needed to be set free. 

Later that day, when we got home, I took a nap. I was emotionally and physically tired, because of circumstances and thoughts that I have had to battled with for over a year that were hindering my sleep and my time with the Lord. I now fully realizes that the lust of the flesh is never satisfied and I couldn't deal with it anymore. Even rebuking the evil spirits that were reinforcing those thoughts only worked for a short time and then I would have to deal with them and the flesh again and again. So I sat up and I said, "I can't do this! I can't keep thinking this way." But I was unable to stop them on my own. However, as the evening went by I realized something had changed, the evil thought were gone. 

Last night, I was able to go to sleep and wake up with a clean and free mind. God knew I needed help and so He graciously broke the chains and set me free. The Lord can break any chains and cut the ropes of any mindset, circumstance or situations. He has also given us His authority to rule over evil spirits or "monsters" that would try to destroy us and our peace of mind. I'm looking foreword to helping others and seeing God set them free—so they too can fly with Him.

Ready to Fly?

Last Tuesday at a small men's meeting the Lord had me give this prophecy and I wanted to share it with you also.

Are you ready to fly? Are you ready to soar with Me? Are you ready to walk in heavenly places?
 
You are eagles and you were meant to fly. You were meant to be free, yet you have been bound by circumstances and shackled by false mind sets. But, the Lord says, I'm cutting the ropes of circumstances that have kept you bound and I'm breaking the chains of false mindsets that have hindered your thinking, and I'm setting you free. Free to fly with Me.

A Matter of Honor

For the past decade, superhero movies have been a big hit in the theaters, movies such as; Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, Iron Man plus many other unique characters. Almost everyone loves and wants to believe in a hero with superpowers, a hero who helps mankind and defends against evil and the bad guys. All these characters have incredible powers and different ways of demonstrating it. But they all had at one time one dilemma that they had to face: what would be the first thing they would do with their power? As it turns out they usually responded to an unexpected circumstance where someone needed help.

If you were a young adult, say about thirty years old, and had been given all the power in the world, what would be the first thing you would do with it? Wow, now that's a question to ponder. Our responses could vary greatly depending on our personal situations and personal humility (because often our first thoughts are of ourselves). Once our thoughts move past all the fame and glory, money, mansions, and trips around the world, hopefully we would start thinking about helping others.  

Jesus also faced a similar dilemma, as we read in John 2 1-11. "There was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, 'They have no wine.' And Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you, do it.'"

Wow, let's stop there for a moment! What did she know of Jesus' powers? My answer would be purely speculation (the Apocryphal books indicate Jesus did some childhood miracles), but she knew something, and she had no doubts about it. She also just put Jesus on the spot—the nerve of his mother. True, this problem or situation involving the wine at a wedding would be very embarrassing to a host, also a dishonor to the bride and groom. However, that didn't seem to bother Jesus too much. But, what His mother wanted did bother him. Many mothers, including Mary, have the tendency to be somewhat controlling or protective over their children. But in our story, Mary was a widow with a very special and gifted child. Jesus was now a man ready to embark on his mission in life, and she wanted to help just a little. And just like all mothers, maybe she wanted to save her friends (the parents of the party) from an embarrassing situation. Jesus' reference to her as "woman" seemed to show he was a little annoyed with her interference. But, she was still His mother.

This was probably not the place or the way that Jesus thought his ministry would begin. He was there with his friends, maybe visiting with a few others and having a good time; perhaps having a good time before his work began. This lesson should also be considered by all God's sons and daughters. (God's will doesn't always line up with people's expectations. Even His promises can be fulfilled differently than expected, or sometimes extend beyond a person's time on earth.) Anyway let me continue; "Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, 'Fill the waterpots with water.'" (Notice, Jesus didn't ask the host and the guest to gather around to see the first miracle He was about to perform.) "So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, 'Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.' So they took it to him."

Remember what these pots were used for. The guests coming to the wedding usually washed their hands and feet. Nothing in the scripture text indicated they were emptied, only that they were filled to the brim. Now that's a thought to tell your host, after he takes a drink. Anyway, "The headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, 'Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have saved the best until last.'" What God does is always better than what any man can do, no matter what was seen before.

So why did Jesus do the miracle? I don't think it was to help the wedding party guests have their fill of wine and get drunk. He could have had the waiters fill just one or two pots and that would have been enough. Nor was it to keep His mother Mary from embarrassment, by granting her wish. I believe it was a matter of honoring her and honoring her faith, "Whatever He says to you, do it." There is no question of her faith in her son Jesus; and God always honors that faith. Therefore, she was the first of many others to see faith honored. But she was also his mother. Even though in the Kingdom of God there are not the emotional ties we as humans have, Jesus still fulfilled all the laws and commandments of the Old Testament, and one of those was to honor your parents. He also knew that the human ties would eventually need to be broken, but this was not the day or the time. Jesus loved and honored her.

The Lord said, "This first miracle was a prophecy, a prophecy of the greatest move of God that is about to take place." The changing of the water; which represented the sinfulness of humanity into wine—God's best. We are about to see an out pouring of His Spirit over the whole earth, the beginning of a complete supernatural change and restoration from what we seen or experienced before. The Father will make all things new.

"In the last days I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh."

(Acts 2:17)

The Mountains of Israel

The very land upon which Abraham walked was promised to him and his descendants, as an everlasting inheritance from God. Nothing can every change that. Abraham's grandson, Jacob (Israel) had twelve sons. Each of them become a tribe becoming the Nation of Israel. Each also represented a mountain, the very land itself— the dust or sands of the seashore (typology), thus the mountains of Israel. When Israel crossed the Jordan River, they took possession of the Promise Land. But they eventually neglected the warnings of Moses and God. They followed the ways of other nations and their gods, and the consequences for those sins were sever. Even after the coming of Jesus, they for the most part rejected their promise messiah. The apostle Paul said to the Roman Christians, "For I don't want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in you own estimation—that a partial hardening has happen to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved, just as it is written." (Romans 11:25) 

The prophet Ezekiel had this to say:

"And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, 'O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God, "Because the enemy has spoken against you, 'Aha!' and, 'The everlasting heights have become our possession,' therefore prophesy and say, 'Thus says the Lord God, "For good reason they have made you desolate and crushed you from every side, that you would become a possession of the rest of the nations and you have been taken up in the talk and the whispering of the people."'" 

Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the forsaken cities which have become a prey and a derision to the rest of the nations which are round about, therefore thus says the Lord God, "Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey." Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, "Thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have endured the insults of the nations.' Therefore thus says the Lord God, 'I have sworn that surely the nations which are around you will themselves endure their insults. But you, O mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you will be cultivated and sown. I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities will be inhabited and the waste places will be rebuilt. I will multiply on you man and beast; and they will increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited as you were formerly and will treat you better than at the first. Thus you will know that I am the Lord. Yes, I will cause men—My people Israel—to walk on you and possess you, so that you will become their inheritance and never again bereave them of children.' 

"Thus says the Lord God, 'Because they say to you, "You are a devourer of men and have bereaved your nation of children, therefore you will no longer devour men and no longer bereave your nation of children,' declares the Lord God. "I will not let you hear insults from the nations anymore, nor will you bear disgrace from the peoples any longer, nor will you cause your nation to stumble any longer," declares the Lord God.'"

"Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity. Therefore I poured out My wrath on them for the blood which they had shed on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols. Also I scattered them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them. When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, 'These are the people of the Lord; yet they have come out of His land. But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went."

Israel to Be Renewed for His Name's Sake

"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord God, "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord," declares the Lord God, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols"

 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. I am not doing this for your sake," declares the Lord God, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!"'Thus says the Lord God,"On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. They will say, 'This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.' Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the Lord, have spoken and will do it." (Ezekiel 36:1-36 NASB bold and underline mine)

We have yet to see this prophecy completely fulfill, yet the most important and best part is still to come; the spiritual salvation and restoration of all Israel. This will be done in His time and way, just as it will be for us, our country and other nations. By His grace we are save, not of our works less any man should boast (Eph.2:8). It is God's grace and grace alone. Period!

As you just read that it was after God brings Israel back to Himself, that He causes them to remember their evil ways... and will loath themselves in their own sight. This also applies for us Christians who are gentiles, because we are the spiritual sons of Israel. Yet, God is not going to make our sin public that will be for us to do if we chose to. However, confession is good for the soul, and it also helps to free others from their bondage and bring them to salvation too.

What Will It Take?

Lately I have asked the Lord, how much judgment will it take before people will turn their hearts toward Him? We have seen disasters taking place all around the world and yet I have seen very little change in people's hearts or attitudes. Most don't even see it as judgment, but freak accidents or an act of "mother nature." In many of those situations people may cry out, "Why God?" But that's often the end of their search for an answer. Some hearts may change their behavior for a while, but most will usually turn to their friends, neighbors, government, or insurance company for help. Only a few really get the message and surrender their hearts to a loving God that will do whatever it takes to reach His children. This pattern has continued for ages, and it seems more frequently this last century. 

Even in the Bible we saw how blind people were to their depravity. God judged the children of Israel over and over again and still most would not repent nor did they see the wrong in what they were doing, even when being warned many times by God's prophets.

The Bible also shows us that God's uses the weather and earthquakes to bring judgment even the lack of rain or attacks of other countries was a form of judgment upon His people or other nations. So what will it take to humble mankind? How many more will have to die before people or a nation humble themselves? One night the Lord said, "even though you pray that you would like to see change now, I'm still God. What if it took another 10, 20 or 30 million more lives before people's hearts were humbled?"

If we expect to see real change in our lifetime, I believe it can only happen one way. The scripture says, "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, the I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (I Chronicles 7:14) The only real problem with that this verse, is that most Christians don't even see their own sins (self-centerness), just as the world doesn't and they and we assume that everything will eventually be OK despite unpleasant situations or the circumstances we're in now. Neither do most Christians really know how to pray or spend time abiding with Abba Father. 

We must humble ourselves and have our eyes opened to see our own depravity. Likewise, we need to prepare ourselves to hear God's voice so we can understand who we really are and what we have in Christ. I believe that is changing, but our flesh continues to resist the Spirit and it is an on-going battle. However, our Spirit-man must overcome as we yield our mind to His. Then our flesh will submit and circumstances will bow. The victory is ours and our future secure in Jesus Christ.

This past month I have been spending more time with God and as a result I have also had to deal with more spiritual warfare—satan doesn't want us to pursue God's presence. Sure it's challenging, but it's still worth it. My heart is crying out for more of God's presence and anointing, and I know that it is the only answer that will change me or restore this lost and broken world. 

This is also the middle of the Jewish Tabernacle Season, which started on the 29th. of September. And even though I'm not a Jew, God's Holy Seasons should still be an important time in our lives. It will to take the anointing of God on His sons and daughters who have chosen to enter the tabernacle's Most Holy Place (THE PRESENCE OF GOD) by faith to change things. We must remain there just as Jesus did to establish His Kingdom on earth—because everything else has failed.

My heart's desire is to abandon and immerse myself in His love and grace and I pray that is your desire also. Time is precious and I would like to be using and investing it more wisely. It is also my desire that what I have to say and do will have a greater influence and impact toward the Kingdom of God. Therefore, I have shared all that I need to for now, and so for the next three month or longer, I will not be posting anymore new articles. You may want to reread some of the past prophesies or read articles on Sheldon's, Cloak of Zeal blog site. They can be life changing. In the meantime I will post certain articles from the past just to keep my site active and for new followers. 

We are in a covenant with Yahweh and we've barely scratched the surface of knowing Him and understanding His ways. Not to mention all that He has in store for us. We should love Him with all their heart, mind, soul and strength, and God will teach us how to do that by abiding in Him. 

God bless you and thank you for joining me on this incredible journey. It's just begun and it's only going to get better. Amen!                                

Your friend and brother in Christ.

Note: God said that 2012 would be an AWESOME YEAR! And I will have some traveling to do the next year. However, there is still more in store for us the rest of this year. The spirit realm is always active and reaching out to prepare our hearts for the Father's visitation. Remember: Prayer is the key and so is forgiveness, "Whatever you ask for (desire) when you pray, believe that you have received it and it will be given to you." (Mark 11:24 and 25) Forgive others, including yourself and please pray for me. Thanks again! I love you all and hope to see you someday in the Kingdom of Heaven.