Captured

Wow. So I have not posted in over a week.

I have been so blessed this week by what the LORD has done in my life, and what He is doing even now in my own life, and in the lives of others. I have been witnessing people being ministered to by God, and I am so ready to just get into the place of prayer now more than ever.

This week has been our church youth conference, and the LORD just spoke to my heart all week about the issue, and sin of sexual immorality, and how my generation desperately needs deliverance from it. One thing we so often neglect, and do not realize is that sexual immorality is not confined to having sex before you are married, or while you are married with someone else, but it is also things like looking at the opposite like you shouldn't, and even thinking about someone impurely, and more so than you need to be, and more so than God. We can fall into sexual immorality with our physical body, our minds-thoughts, and our eyes, and really many other ways as well. I am convinced that we need deliverance from this.

We were created for fascination. We each have longing in our hearts for intimacy, and partnership, and love. We long to be known, and loved. We desire to be told who we really are, and what importance we really have.

These longings are not sin, and these desires are not of Satan, but truly of God we have only perverted the ways they are fulfilled in us. God's plan is to lead us into the ultimate fulfillment of our longings, but we have so often taken it into our own hands. We have slowly, surely, and secretly been searching to be satisfied by the things of this world, and we have been caught up in these acts of sin.

These things only lead us to depression, sadness, suicide, and only more unfulfilled desire.

Truly and ultimately I tell you today, there is only ONE THING ONE PERSON ONE MAN ONE GOD who can TRULY SATISFY. At His right hand are pleasures forever more.

There is only one thing, One God, who can satisfy. We know this in our minds, yes, but I want to challenge you today to let this sink down deep into your heart. You have been looking for God, for what is real, and His invitation to you is extended. Who will accept, and receive His love?

If you want to be free, there is freedom in Jesus, and the only way to get free, and to stay free is to come to God, and then live your life going hard after God.

We can no longer be satisfied with a perverted version of Christianity. We need the real Jesus, and we need to live real Christian lifestyles in all boldness.

There is more to this life than we know, and my question to you is will you go after the more, and if you will how?

If you don't figure this out now then when will you, and are you willing to post-pone true life-true living even more? This lifestyle takes devotion, and humility, and we are fully able to live this lifestyle. Are you ready to be free? Will you step out in faith and go after the only one worthy of praise? Or do you choose to stay in the same place where you are at, and possibly remain in bondage, and remain with the same old strongholds holding you down? There is freedom in Jesus, and this is an invitation to all who need even a little turn around.

I pray you would be blessed, and find favor with the LORD. He loves YOU! Be blessed. In Jesus Name.

Faithful

-Meditation-

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now these three remain: Faith, Hope, and Love. But the greatest of these is Love.

--TheSecretPlace--

Hello all. I would like to let you who read this know that I will not be able to post on this blog for the next week, I will have no access to a computer.

Before we get started on 1 Samuel 3, I just wanted to take this post to talk about the LORD's faithfulness. Faith will remain forever, because the LORD will be forever faithful to us, His Bride, and we will be forever faithful to Him, our Bridegroom God.

Something that really strikes my heart about how the LORD truly is faithful to us is that He loves to be faithful to us, He really enjoys it! There are so many times when I am carrying out a commitment to the LORD, and to others, and sadly it is not really the most fun or enjoyable thing for me to be doing-even though it is the best thing for me to be doing. But the LORD is not like that at all. He loves to be faithful to us. He sees us for who we really are, and He wants to show us how He loves us, and He wants to be with us forever.

He wants to establish faithfulness in our own hearts as well, because it lasts forever. God is the Everlasting-Eternal God, and because He is forever the work He establishes within in, if we let it, will last forever. The fact alone that God is faithful to us because He wants to be faithful to us makes me want to be faithful to Him, because in all of my falling, and failing He is still so faithful to me, and He still wants me in His kingdom so we can be together forever! How could we not respond in faithfulness to a love like this. I want to encourage you and tell you that He is just as faithful to you as He is with all of His children, and in all that He does. His faithfulness is great, and it lasts forever-into eternity. We get to be established in His faithfulness. We get to be the ones He is faithful to!! The God of the universe loves you, and is faithful in all He does. So in that I want to encourage you that in all the LORD has put on your heart to do, and in all that you are doing in your life right now even if it doesn't really seem to spiritual, be faithful in all you do, and do it as if you are doing it for the LORD. He will reward you. He sees you!! And He loves you!!!!

How blessed are those who put their trust, and hope, and faith, and love in the LORD!!

Be blessed!!!!!

---Intercession---

Lord, I thank You for being faithful to us even though we are undeserving. God there is no greater love than the LOVE You show us, and I ask Father that You would make Yourself known to us in ways we have never known You. Jesus thank You for loving us, and thank you for being faithful. I pray that You would help us to be faithful to You as well. I love You LORD. Be blessed! And thank You for loving us. In Jesus Name. Amen.

He Is Raising Up Faithful Priests

-Meditation-

1 Samuel 2:34-36

³⁴ " 'And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. ³⁵ I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always. ³⁶ Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a crust of bread and plead, "Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat." ' "

--TheSecretPlace--

I just want to take some time on verse 35.

I love this verse because we see here what God is looking for. We see here just a little bit what God is searching for, and what He is raising up in His house even now. We also can see through this one verse, this one word from the LORD what we will be forever in the kingdom of God, and that is we will be faithful to the LORD, we will do whatever we do according to His heart, and we will minister to Jesus forever, and always-This is also what we are called to do/be even now. I love that! It is an amazing thing to me when we can actually look into what God has for us to do now into eternity! He desires a people who are faithful in all they do. He desires a people who will minister to Him, and before Him always, and this is what I want to encourage you in today.

The LORD made this known to Eli, and when the LORD speaks what He is saying is(or it should be) the most important thing that concerns you. He was telling Eli that basically I gave you a chance, but you were unfaithful, so now I will raise up one who will be faithful to my heart, and I am going to bring one to my house who will do according to my heart-one who loves me the way I show Him how to love me-one who wants to do according to my heart-you were more concerned about yourself, and now I am going to raise one up who wants what I want more than what they want.

The LORD was making known what He wanted, and I believe that the LORD is the same today as He was that very day, and I dare to say that this is what the LORD is offering us, His people to be. In every area of life we can be faithful, and in every area of our lives no matter what we are doing we can be ministering to, and before the LORD.

We are so blessed!!!

So I want to encourage you and challenge you in saying that this is what you were made for-loving God, and this verse is just a mere picture of what that somewhat looks like.

You were made for LOVE-and God is love. So why not spend your time with LOVE Himself, and why not spend your life ministering to His heart out of your love for Him. I believe He wants to encounter you, and when you set your heart on Him, no matter how you go after Him, when you do go after Him you provoke His heart in a holy way to where He can't help but meet with you, and show you His heart.

Man! HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH!!

My prayer is that you would be encouraged to position your heart in such a way that you will be able to love the LORD with your whole heart.

I just want to encourage you also to open up your heart and ask Him how He wants you to come before Him, and minister to Him. I want to encourage you to pursue Him in all the ways He is calling you to, and sometimes it is hard, and sometimes you really won't feel like obeying Him, but trust me His voice is sweet, and His face is lovely, and when you come face to face with our God in the secret place words will not be able to describe the ways He encounters you, and the ways He reveals Himself to YOU! Because HE REALLY LOVES YOU!! And HE REALLY REALLY LIKES YOU!! Be encouraged! Be blessed in your pursuit of the LORD!

---Intercession---

Jesus I pray that you would strengthen your Bride, and Your people to pursue you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. I love You, and thank You for how You love us, and are doing great things among us, and I pray that You would help us. We love You, in Jesus Name. Amen.

-Meditation-

1 Samuel 2:30-33

³⁰ "Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that your house and your father's house would minister before me forever.' But now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. ³¹ The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line ³² and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man. ³³ Every one of you that I do not cut off from my altar will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.

--TheSecretPlace--

Let's dig into this scripture. When I first read this I was a little confused, and wondered why in the world this Bible was telling me what I thought to be God breaking His promise to Aaron(Ex. 29; Lev.8-9; Nu. 16-17;25:13) because of Eli. I was very confused, and that is why I have yet to post on this scripture. So I dug into it a little, and I looked back on the scripture where God sets up Aaron, and his sons to be priests to the LORD, and I also read some of the notes out of my Study Bible, and that helped too! So I understand a little more than I did before, but honestly I have not searched out this passage as much as I would like to, and as much as it deserves to be searched out.--So I will be doing more digging.

For now I feel like I should throw out some thoughts on it.

Basically I have found a few things in this scripture that I believe are of importance, and one thing is that the LORD does not break His promises, and He is very very faithful to His word. He set up the tribe of Levi to minister before Him always, and because Eli, and his family did not honor the LORD in serving Him, the LORD decided to forever exclude Eli, and his household from ministering to the LORD because they were -fully aware- honoring themselves first, and not paying attention to the command of the LORD. Eli, and his sons were being unfaithful to the LORD, and 2 Samuel 22:26-27 says

"To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd."

The LORD does not break His promises, but those who break their side of the covenant, and refuse to repent, and are crooked^^in their ways, He shows Himself to them shrewd, and stands in righteousness. I am not done with this passage, and I feel like I have not even begun a deep study into it-I have a long way to go.

I want to ask you, and challenge you to search this out. Dig into the Word of God, and ask the LORD what this whole passage means, don't just take my word for it but instead wrestle with the LORD in this(Acts 17:11), and find the meaning of this scripture, and I will do the same.

I want to encourage you to let me know your thoughts on this, and let me know what you find in scripture concerning these things.

Remember that the LORD loves to show true wise things to His children-those who are foolish in the world's eyes- to confound the world's wise!

---Intercession---

Father of glory, I ask in Jesus Name that You would give Your servants reading this, and those who are not reading this a Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You as we search out Your Word. Let Your presence fill our hearts, and our homes. God I pray that You would be eternally glorified in us. I love You, and I ask that You would equip us to search out Your Word, and take our place with You in the heavenly realms. In Jesus Name. Amen.

God Has a Better Way.

I got this e-mail today, and I wanted to put it out there for all who read this blog to read. As I read this, and listened to this video my heart was broken within me, we truly do not realize the hour we are in, and it is time to get on our faces before the LORD, and return to Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The hour is urgent for the people of God to cry out to Him in intercession for our country, and even the nations of the earth.

God Has a Better Way

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As you may know, three years ago, I sent my son and several young people to San Francisco to pray that the love of God would be poured out on the homosexual community in the Castro district. For three years they wept, worshiped and witnessed in the Castro. Then the Prop8 contention arose. I found myself in the great challenge to represent Christ's love to the homosexual and at the same time stand against deception and the homosexual agenda that is threatening to mainstream destructive lifestyles and laws into the veins of American life and culture. Jesus modeled the proper posture and was described by the Apostle John as full of grace and truth. We must be filled with the love, compassion and mercy of Christ when ministering to the homosexual, but we must recognize the spiritual darkness behind the homosexual agenda and confront it with massive intense fasting and prayer.

Five years ago we launched a prayer movement that became Bound4LIFE and is now multiplying across the nation contending against abortion and praying for adoption. It is time to raise up a nation wide prayer movement now to stand in the gap crying to God to restrain the homosexual ideology that is hostile to biblical ways and the freedoms we have been able to live in and enjoy in the 233 years of our American history. Even now in certain places christian schools are being pressed to teach pro-homosexual curriculum. Pending hate crime bills will make it extremely difficult for people simply to speak truth on this subject in the public square. In Massachusetts we are very near the point where pastors will not be able to preach biblical truth without punitive measures being taken against them.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, a great stand of truth with compassion is now being made through the church that is actually turning the tide of the homosexual agenda there. Dr. Michael Brown, well known as a catalyst in the revival in Brownsville, is spearheading this movement, speaking with clarity the biblical understanding of the homosexuality, but also ministering and witnessing in love to the community.

This past weekend we called for a 21-day season of fasting and prayer in Charlotte and in Atlanta declaring we must win the battle against spiritual unseen powers if we are going to see freedom for the homosexual and the restraining of the ideology. 40 years ago the Stonewall Riots of New York City, marked the beginning of the homosexual revolution. 40 years later we are coming to the ripening and legal empowering of the movement. Apart from God there is no way of turning this back. We are headed the way of many European nations, but I believe the Lord wants to raise up a "Stonewall" of intercession, a prayer stand if you will, expressed in Ezekiel 22:30 "I looked for a man to stand in the gap to build up a wall before me ...".

In Charlotte, and on this 21-day season of fasting, we are seeking to begin to build that wall of prayer. After my time in Charlotte I came home and watched that movie, Facing the Giants with my children. I was stunned at the last part of the movie when the Richmond Giants are on the one yard line ready to score. The opposing coach shouts to his team who have been experiencing spiritual revival, "Build me a stonewall!" The team stops the giants from scoring on four downs and then in amazing turnaround score themselves. I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me "Build me a Stonewall of intercession that could hold back this giant rumbling across America."

On July 25th, the 21st day of the fast, we are calling those whose hearts stir them from around the nation, to come join Dr. Michael Brown for a day of intercession and public sensitive witness on Charlotte's gay pride day. Our desire is that God would raise up a house of prayer to contend there against the spiritual powers behind the ideology and to contend for an outpouring of the delivering power of Jesus that can set the homosexual, the transgender, and the porn addict free. Come take your stand with our brothers and sisters in Charlotte and cry out to God for a great mercy to sweep over America.

I also just wanted to encourage you that the LORD may turn, and send revival to America. Your prayers move the heart of God, so let us comtinue on in the place of prayer!

I believe the LORD could turn the tide, and pour out His Spirit, and this is what I am hoping for.

There is NO ONE like our God!

I am currently thinking about how the LORD honors those who honor Him, and how even though the best way we honor Him doesn't even compare to the ways He honors us, but we are still loving and honoring Him with all we are--even though it is weak, and broken. I also am thinking about how our prayers move His heart, and He moves our hearts, and the thing about that is that our prayers move His heart so much more than His feelings, and emotions move our hearts because we cannot wrap our minds around the love He has for us, and the way He feels about us. Even though that may be the case, I still want to be moved by Him, and I want to be moved in the way even He is moved. His heart longs to be with us, and if we could wrap our minds around that I believe we would be in the secret place more than anywhere else. It is amazing that the LORD wants us, and is willing to wait for us to come to Him before He shows us His heart, because we can't know His heart until we get to the place where we can learn from Him, and get into His heart. Does that make since? We can't know God unless we get to the place where He makes Himself known. We need to get to this place. I realize also that though this is the most important place where we can be spending our time, it is sometimes very hard to stay in the place of prayer, but even, and especially when it is hard the LORD sees us, and if we would stay faithful, and persevere when it's hard, He will pour out His Spirit, and really sometimes the waiting process is loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong.

But the LORD is still faithful, and He wants to know if we will still be faithful even if He prolongs revival, and the break-through, and whatever we are contending for in prayer. Will we still believe He is in the middle of our circumstances when we are surrendered if everything seems to be going down the tubes?

I know that it is hard to stay true, and in the place of prayer a lot, but the LORD loves our efforts, and He loves that we want to stay true, He loves that we are honest that we want to be with Him, but it is just a little rough sometimes, but in Jesus there is delight evermore because we can rest in the truth that HE LOVES US. HE CARES ABOUT US. HE IS INTIMATELY ACQUAINTED WITH OUR WAYS.

Praise the LORD.

This is what we were created for, and this is what-WHO we were made to give our lives to. In intercession, in intimacy with Jesus.

I just want to encourage you, where ever you are in life, to really examine the weight in this, and to really seek the LORD in how He wants you to pursue Him, and love Him, and I promise you that when you choose to seek the LORD you will be blessed like never before, and there will really even be a revival in your heart.

Be Blessed!

You are loved beyond what you know!

Loving God First.

-Meditation-

1 Samuel 2:27-29

²⁷ Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? ²⁸ I chose your father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your father's house all the offerings made with fire by the Israelites. ²⁹ Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?'

--TheSecretPlace--

Hello all, I just want to talk about this scripture with you for a few moments, and really look in at what the LORD would say to us through it, and concerning it.

First before you go on why don't you read again the scripture posted up top.

I will let the Word speak for itself, we see that the LORD revealed Himself CLEARLY to Eli's house, and called them to a place of honor, and yet they did not honor the LORD more than anything.

Eli and his sons had little honor for the LORD even though they were priests to the LORD. I also see that a lot of people even in the body of Christ are like this. They have been called to the Light, and are children of God, and they go to church, but they honor their ways of being 'good Christians' even more than they honor God, and I am not speaking of any person specifically, I just believe that this is an evil spirit going throughout the church that is attacking believers.

We are called to be people who honor God FIRST. We are called to LOVE HIM FIRST, and to not let anything, or anyone else get in the way of that. Let's run after God with love in our hearts.

I believe this is the most important thing for us as God's people to do, and I believe Jesus even made this clear while He was on earth, and that is to love the LORD our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The LORD is looking for men, and women who will walk in this high calling, and be found in His LOVE.

Let's be found in LOVE with our First Love Jesus Christ.

---Intercession---

God I just ask for Your help. Lord, we are in desperate need of You, and I just ask that You would convict us in the areas of life where we need convicting, and I pray that You would stir our hearts in holy love for You Jesus. You are our Jewel, our Prize, and I just pray that You would overcome us, Your Bride, with revelation of Your LOVE. How You love us, and how we are called to love You. Please be our Help LORD, I love you. In Jesus Name. Amen.