Pastors and churches all over the world are believing for a great revival.

I believe the revival to come will rise up from a totally unexpected message. Not that the message was not foretold.

What could keep it from happening? Nothing really since it is God’s will for it to happen. What part might we play or do we have a part?

Watchman Nee would say no doubt we play a part, as he did in his book, The Ministry of the Word. In his opinion “Without man there would be no Word.” Yes we do play a part. What if we chose not to?

Can revival come without preaching? Can revival come without an anointed message? Can THEE Revival come without a unique focus, something we never understood before? Will the Holy Spirit have the freedom to turn our hearts toward the message as well as the messenger, not that he seeks attention? His zeal and concern will be the En Theos, behind the message. The message will be difficult.

Will our confidence in our relationship with the Lord be shaken if a standard is lifted up that Jesus professed as a commandment and we find ourselves shaken by it? What can be shaken will be shaken.

Where does our sureness come from anyway? Is it denominational doctrines?  Is it from standards long established, historically accepted? Is the Word of God living? I am asking this, “Is Jesus living?” Is He still able to call the shots anew while not compromising a Word He has spoken?

Are we still hungry for inspiration? How about answers? I am not talking about feel-good inspiration, although any inspiration can be very encouraging in a personal time with the Holy Spirit. No I am talking about revealing guidance, a clarity that makes you sit back from your bible and pause. Your eyebrows may even raise and your pulse rise a bit as you contemplate the ramifications!

Loved ones, I am talking about guidance that comes across as a warning. The instruction was always there but our need to surely know has come. It is soul saving preparation. It is about survival, salvation, eternal life and how to maintain what was freely given.

“Why maintain what I was freely given?” Ever own a classic car? Ever own a house? Ever raise a child. Ever come back from a near death experience and find you want to do better this time because you’ve been given a free gift?

Why would we ever think the gift we were given by Father God and Jesus was not to be cherished and maintained. What’s more, He told us and then showed us how to do just that. What? No testing? No assurance of Christ in us, the Hope of glory? Really? Did I miss something or is the Father populating His Son’s kingdom? Yes, that Son, the One who at the Father’s bidding willingly died for us AFTER teaching us what we needed to know so that in obedience we would live FOREVER, or not!

And how do we treat One who gives us such a gift? We do as He says and take care of our new treasure!

Do you consider your life in Christ to be a treasure or might more of us than should find our gift has need of TLC? If it is like my cell phone, I confess, I need to better understand what it is capable of, how it can help me.

Do you think with all that is happening today, that God in His kindness is leading us somewhere. Does, to safety sound possible? Does repentance come to mind? “Repent for what?” If you do not know, just think of His main focus. It was the Father’s main focus.Without a doubt, it must be our main focus. According to Jesus, it saves us!

What if we find out too late that caring for, learning about and operating in our new gift had a value to our future that was beyond us at the moment. To late we find how it would have far exceeded all we could have asked or thought? Such dimensions and benefits were only to be understood by practiced mastery of this precious gift.

We want a revival but do not know or recognize the message. I do know what it is. When you do, it will change everything. It will change all of us as we learn of our Exit Strategy, as we Master the gift we were freely given. Greater things shall we do leading up to His return. In the darkness, we will be like the stars of the sky, leading those to righteousness who with anticipation have awakened.

The coming times will demand our understanding. Preparing now is paramount.

You are loved.

In the guardianship of Christ,

Michael

    Exit Strategy

   We initiate the return of Christ!  (The E-book)

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All the fullness of God in (us?) three miracles!

In a recent post I spoke about Ephesians 3: 14-19 especially 19.

“…and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.” NASB

I said when we question how this is possible we look at verse 20. “Now to Him who is able to do far more than we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus…” Paul knew what we needed to hear.

It seems clear to me that in grasping and implementing the love of Jesus, we gain more than we realize from “all the fullness of God.” As we apply love to every challenge, we begin to grasp the unlimited dimensions of God’s love. (See verse 18)

If you have understood anything in my postings or in the reading of “Exit Strategy, We initiate the return of Christ,” the enduring love of Christ in us, expressed in the absolute and limitless forgiveness of others is being trumpeted as a warning and a deliverance to those who only believe and followers, respectively.

Several months ago I had a severe kidney stone attack. It required surgery. The recovery was as painful as the attack. It took 10 days to feel better. Then I was told there is a second stone.

I was feeling pretty good until the morning of a prayer group meeting from 7-9 AM at my house. The pain had returned. I could not sit down during the entire 2 hours as I paced quietly trying to stay involved in the group.

Upon closing, a friend named Elva said, “We need to pray for Michael.” And they did. Elva had read one of the chapters, “He emptied Himself to leave,” from the book.  It speaks to the things I referred to above. She had embraced the love message from a new perspective. She also had been healed from a kidney stone attack just before going on a mission trip. They hugged me and all left.

Five minutes later, no pain. Thirty minutes, no pain. Five hours later, no pain. Five days later, no pain. The pain totally left. I had received a physical miracle and I had ZERO doubt about it. Miracle 1

A few days later I was back to my 2 mile walk routine. I had been focused on the Ephesians verses I referred to above, especially verse 19. It was a beautiful day in NC. Suddenly I was inspired. “(second) Kidney Stone dissolve!” and I simply kept on walking. That was Friday.

As with most of us Saturday in the night I rose to use the bathroom. Because Janis slept nearby (before her passing) I was in the habit of not flushing until morning. I awoke for church, went to the bathroom and as I reached to flush I saw lots of black granules in the commode. Miracle 2
Now weeks later and back from Israel, about three Sunday’s ago, Our pastor spoke on returning for Christ, using the scriptures where Mary and Joseph leave Jesus behind and must “return for Christ.” It was a great application. He spoke of Albert Finny refusing to go into a church service crying out to God, “I will not go without You!” As the congregation was told this by their pastor who had sought Mr. Finny over the delay, they continued praise until Finny came out. He placed his hands on the pulpit and people flocked to the alter in prayer, crying with repentance in their hearts. He never preached a word. God was with him. He refused to leave God behind. Have we left Jesus behind in some sense? What about His enduring love?

The message was powerful. The Spirit was moving. A message in tongues and interpretation came forth. I had gone forward before anyone, sobbing quietly to myself, “Oh God, I want that. This Word you have given me must have You. Use me Lord. I don’t want to go (anywhere) without You.” A hundred people or more came forward.

I returned to my seat still sobbing. I stood by my isle seat as others wanted to go forward when suddenly arms surrounded me from behind. A man’s hands were holding me about the chest as he cried with his head on my back left shoulder. I thought it was a friend who had just lost his brother. We both cried and prayed.

As things calmed, I turned. It was not my friend. I looked, I knew. As he hugged me he whispered in my ear, “I am so sorry for what I did to you.”

Seven or eight years earlier (I think) I was fired from a job. The customer decided to work directly with this man and cut me out. He let this happen. This was a man I considered to be a friend, a Christian friend.

Yes, it hurt. In 33 years I had never been fired from a job. Back then I was beginning to write Exit Strategy. I had embraced Grace, early in my walk with Jesus. I even have a t-shirt made for me that says, “Grant’em grace” Now God was inspiring me to see even more and write about it. Now however, I was being tested.

I forgave him back then. I forgave and forgave and forgave until there was nothing left of the offense. In recent months he would come up in church and shake hands and I greeted him like there was nothing separating us as friends. THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT. I had released him totally and prayed FOR him.

I believe not retaining his sins, by my forgiving him, God was able to speak to his heart. We must forgive the sins against us. God forgives the sins against Him.

On this Sunday morning, he finally obeyed. On this Sunday morning I received a great blessing. Every Word I have written about, every scripture I have quoted has been proven true in real life evidence. I looked him in the eye and told him how happy God was with his obedience. How thankful I was for his confession. “We are 100% good.” We went forward together to praise God for his mercy and faithfulness to His Word, by His Spirit. Miracle 3

I have prayed recently for power to be evident when I share. “..that you may be filled to all the fullness of God, (and God is love) must include “the power of love.” It is not just a song title.

We may be on the verge of signs and wonders as we grasp and implement LOVE. It will have to be real love. The love your enemies and pray for them love. The kind of love that CROSSes off their offenses from any list of offenses we might have, about anybody. This love saves us and releases them into God’s loving hands.

I believe I am experiencing, that as we know we have fully embraced and implemented Christ’s love message, as we accept the idea that all the fullness of God is in us, then “according to the power that works in us” God will exert His power. It must be real love.

Again, this enduring love saves us. (Matthew 24:13-14) It will empower us to rule and reign with Him. Until then, signs and wonders follow those who believe, they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. Whatever sickness our heart suffers, may it be healed first.

The coming times will demand our understanding. Preparing now is paramount.

You are loved, He waits,

Michael

    Exit Strategy

   We initiate the return of Christ!  (The E-book)

Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, many others and around the world.

I know I planned to share about the three miracles and I will.

I am impressed to make an appeal to Jewish brothers and sisters around the world. The time has come for the veil to be lifted from their eyes. Not that they become anything else but who G-d (as they would write it) has ordained them to be. They will each know by the Spirit of God. There is no other way.

This morning in Word time  I read from Isaiah 40 and verse 3 caught my attention.

Isaiah 40:3 (NASB)
³  A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

We know this voice was John the Baptist by his own declaration in answering the religious leaders who came out of Jerusalem to question this man who people were flocking to. John 1:23 NASB

Matthew 3:3 (KJV)
“For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

I have seen this place on the Jordan. It is stark, uninhabitable (in my opinion) desert. It is many miles from Jerusalem and only the very determined or inspired would go there.

John was the son of a high priest, Zacharias of the division of Abijah and his wife Elizabeth. Zacharias was a Kohen (sp?) a special group of Rabi’s ordained to be high priest. (see Luke 1: 1-25 )

John was recognized by the people as being from God. They were not sure who he was until he proclaimed himself as the person from Isaiah’s prophecy. His father Zacharias had also prophesied as recorded below

Luke 1:76-80 (NASB)
⁷⁶  “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;
⁷⁷  To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸  Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
⁷⁹  TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
⁸⁰  And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

John’s father was visited by an angel, while performing his priestly duty and was told about his son, and was made mute until John was born and named “John” as the angel had instructed. Luke 1:8 This testifies to the credibility of Zacharas’ prophecy over John.

At the Jordan scene, Jesus arrives and John (the cousin of Jesus) recognizes Him, declaring,

John 1:29-34 (NASB)
²⁹  The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
³⁰  “This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’
³¹  “I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.”
³²  John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.
³³  “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’
³⁴  “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

As Jesus’ cousin, at times John saw Jesus growing up. Both were miracle babies. Elizabeth was beyond child bearing years. At some point the two mothers shared what they knew to be true with their sons. It was “My son the prophet instead of my son the doctor or lawyer.” No wonder John headed for the desert spending some time with the Esseenes (sp?) a gathering of Jews at Qumran (sp?) who by separating themselves from Jerusalem were very determined to live pure lives before G-d. This is also where we find the Dead Sea Scrolls, which I saw in Israel on a recent trip.

Here is my point. The Jewish people recognize John. Why not then recognize the One John recognized, the One about whom G-d gave a qualifying sign to John. “He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.” Even John needed proof and God knew that.

So John is lying? Jesus even says to John,  Matthew 3:14-17 (NASB)
^{14 “} But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”
¹⁵  But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he *permitted Him.
¹⁶  After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,
¹⁷  and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

The fulfilling of righteousness was the fulfillment of all prophecy. Isaiah’s 40:3, and Malachi 3:1-3 This was John’s life plan moment. His whole life led to this prophecy fulfilling moment. Soon after John was imprisoned and later killed.

Malachi 3:1-3 (NASB)
¹  “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts.
²  “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
³  “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.

The first messenger is John. The messenger of the covenant is Jesus. The covenant is the Abrahamic covenant. The refining is the true refining that the Holy Spirit brings to a man’s heart by the Word of G-d. We see through His eyes crucifying our former carnality so we can be kings and priests unto G-d.

The righteousness we embrace, the grace that brings righteousness (Romans 5:21) as kings and priests, will qualify us for eternity and to rule and reign with Him. Ruling in a kingdom of enduring love, our royalty in Him will be obvious. This is why he whose “love” endures to the end shall be saved. Our love must endure all things just as Christ’s love did on the cross. Eternity hangs in the balance for each of us, the Jew first and then the Greek. Un-forgiveness, anger, hatred, such things WILL NOT be smuggled into heaven.

Love the Lord your God and your neighbor as your self. Do this so you will be able to love yourself the way G-d loves you. It is about you. The entire creation and salvation effort is about you and I reaching eternity intact, our hearts empowered by Him.

If you recognize John,…why not Jesus our (yours and my) Messiah.

In Christ, in the Messiah, we become children of the Most High, Jews if you will, grafted into the tree of Israel. You are not the tree unless you have maintained sacrifices to cover yourselves under the law. What if there was One sacrifice that re-enstates your relationship with God and One life that teaches you how to maintain that relationship from that day forward, forever.

You are not forsaking your heritage or your faith if you practice it. Through the Messiah you are finally reaching that perfection that no longer requires a blood sacrifice. It does require a spiritual sacrifice as we daily crucify our will and emotions against others.

Embracing goodness, Goodness embraces you back.

Its the power of love!”

The coming times will demand our understanding. Preparing now is paramount.

You are loved, He waits,

Michael

    Exit Strategy

   We initiate the return of Christ!  (The E-book)

Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, many others and around the world.

What do we omit? Would anyone say we should omit portions of God’s Word? Are we doing so without realizing it?

Below are a few of many scriptures addressed in Exit Strategy. I examine these because they relate to the power that is supposed to be working within us. It is His power to be displayed in these and future days of increasing difficulty. Until now, this understanding has had limited exposure.

All verses quoted are either from NASB or NKJV. If you use old KJV then do yourself a favor and compare it to these versions whose content have been corrected according to the dead Sea Scrolls.

John 3:36 is a qualification (a requirement) to obey the Son and explains a two stage “salvation” experience. Our salvation (reconciliation) can be lost without our acting on this understanding. We have a responsibility to maintain our free gift. Look it up!

Romans 5:10 Paul also declares a two stage “salvation” which is comprised of Reconciliation first and salvation by obedience to the life (commandments and example) of Christ. Look it up!

Romans 10:9-10  Often used for evangelism, this is how to STAY saved not how to GET saved. He is writing to the CHURCH at Rome. They are already saved! They are also under duress by Nero who dealt lethal challenges if they did not renounce their faith. Paul’s real intent fur us is seen once context is considered. Look it up!

These are only a few of the verses that need to be re-examined so we find the directional change in the true path Christ has established. It is the same destination but now requires course adjustments. The book Exit Strategy covers these and more, NOT to discredit different translations or any of God’s servants. We all go with what we know. What we know becomes paramount.

God is revealing expanded truth as we approach serious times of deadly challenge. More important than any man or the traditions of men is God’s will. His expanded understanding will launch a rescue of souls, a “revival” in the hearts of those that have waited for the transition of our thinking. Have we not felt that something has to change? It is! The Words of prophecy can not change. How we are to cope with those Words is changing. The depth, height, width, and breadth of God’s love is about to fill us to all the fullness of God.

Many of us see today’s expansion of darkness. Of course God has a corresponding action to neutralize the efforts of the enemy. This is what Exit Strategy is about. We either embrace the protection God has offered or we forsake it and therefore our souls in the name of “this is what we have always believed.”

One last verse.  Matthew 24:13-14 (NASB)
¹³  “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
¹⁴  “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

“This” points to “enduring.” What must endure is love. Why love? Because those who lost the battle allowed their love to grow cold. They had love at one time, according to Christ. The good news of the kingdom, pointed to in this verse, is its characteristic “enduring love.” This “witness” to the world will be the world-wide embracing of Christ’s kind of love. It is the same love seen in the hearts of the families of the nine Christians executed in recent news. “We forgive you or I forgive you,” over and over. Is your soul prepared to grant such grace. Hatred will not dwell where love presides. Love presides in our hearts and in heaven. Nothing less than enduring love can exist if God is there.

The love Christ showed us in His last lesson on the cross, is the lesson that also set Him free from the burden of our sins. He became sin and still became our Lord resurrected. Can we see the power available to us. He is showing us as clearly as possible.

Next post 3 miracles I personally experienced in the last two months. Two physical one Spiritual. Yes. The real thing.

“Its the power of love!”

The coming times will demand our understanding. Preparing now is paramount.

You are loved, He waits,

Michael

    Exit Strategy

   We initiate the return of Christ!  (The E-book)

Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, many others and around the world.

Do not look at your walk as a series of single events. Especially those mistakes we have made. Think like God, in eternal terms, where time serves your purpose and His in our becoming more like Christ.

Just remember, the days are evil and are involved in our testing. Thank God for every next moment because its what we do next…that matters.

We must strive to endure in our love of all. We must pray for those who need it most beginning with ourselves.

Our “God power” will increase according to the power that works within us. Check out Ephesians 3:14-21. As the song says, “Its the power of love.”  So be “filled to all the fullness of God.” For God is love and we must be too.

Coming times will demand our understanding. Preparing now is paramount. Amen

You are loved, He waits,

Michael

    Exit Strategy

   We initiate the return of Christ!  (The E-book)

Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, many others and around the world.