April 2015
APRIL PROPHETIC OUTLOOK:
Two nights ago I had an amazing sequence of dreams that I believe speak into the month of April and the grace available for us. In these dreams, I was with various individuals from the past. In one dream I was playing baseball, with a favorite baseball player of mine, and was in the lineup with him and we hit back-to-back home runs. In another I was with a comedian, I used to like a whole lot and he was making me laugh a lot again. In another, I was with an old best friend of mine. In another, I was with a favorite basketball player of mine from many years ago. In another, I was at a favored church conference place from many years ago.
When I woke up and did the research I realized that what each of these had in common was that they were favorite people or places of the 1980s. As I further researched, I found the year 1984 to be the year they all held a preeminent place in my life. I then heard the Lord say, "Psalms 84 is for now and it is time for all your favorite things to begin happening." There may also be something else to 1984 but I have not yet discerned it.
It would take too long to go through all of Psalms 84, but I do want to highlight a few things. It begins with "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts". As David goes on to describe it, he is speaking of the whole world as His potential tabernacle. Verse 3, tells us that the man whose strength is in God- is, in fact, one who has found this dwelling place of God. These are those who turn the "valley of Baca (weeping)" and they make it a "spring". These are now positioned to go from strength (promotion) to strength (promotion) and ones that God will give grace and glory to. It all ends with, "Blessed is the man who trusts in You."
If March was a month of rainbows and reminders of promises made, April now becomes the "spring" bursting forth from the valley of Baca. This is a month to go from strength to strength as you secure your trust and worship in God. It is Victorious April for all of you who will seize that- and I believe that as you do, you will further step into the winds of wisdom, worship, wonder, and wealth that are blowing this year. Even as many of you reported seeing rainbows (many of them quite unusual) so now look for unusual whirlwinds that show up, just for you, as a sign that God is turning things around for you. This Victorious April is also Turnaround April-- expect that to start in your hope level and then to proceed into your circumstantial world. God is providing great grace and glory- and you will only miss it, if you believe the lie, that He is not.
So on April 4 (4/4) there was a Blood Moon eclipse that lasted 4:44 (in minutes and seconds). That morning I was speaking at 444 Escondido Place in the San Diego area. Later in the day #44 Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin led his team to an upset win over the favored and previously undefeated Kentucky Wildcats. (It was his 22nd birthday as well). His team wore red and came out wearing shirts that said: "Make Em Believe". I just kind of felt spiritual synchronicity all around and believe we have entered into a season of Psalms 44:4 where thru God we have victories ordained for us and a season of Ezekiel 44:4 where the glory of the Lord is about to come in so strong it is going to be hard to stand up. Forget about the idea of the Blood Moons portending to any devastating reality for anybody else other than the devil and his dudes. The Blood Moons mean that we have accelerated into a season where the Blood of Jesus is going to begin to impose as never before as the kingdom age kicks into another gear. He is going to keep pouring out grace...until He has made us believe this is true.
OK friends outside of California. We need some help breaking the drought challenge of this state and I think if we can get blessings, prayers and declarations sent our way from outside the state that a cup of His kindness for California will tip and the rains will come in statewide as they are supposed to. Two-thirds of the nation's fruits and vegetables essentially come from here so it will bless all for this to happen.
So many Christians outside of California have essentially cursed the state for years- for it being liberal, for Hollywood, for San Francisco being a capital of the gays, for the porno industry, etc. etc. Yet for the nearly two years we have lived here we have seen that rather than a lot of 'evil' people being in California- that the reality is that there is a combination of a bunch of wonderful God-fearing people and a lot of hurting, broken and rejected people who are desperately loved by Papa. Many of them are getting saved every week as some kind of revival seems to have broken out- that I am sure will gain enough steam to be noted.
Will you agree with me that every demonic assignment against California's rain and water supply be stemmed? Some believe that it is more mismanagement of water and water systems that is a problem-- but let any and all sources of drought be eliminated in the name of Jesus. I have seen into the future and the state is very green- and not just in a short season. May that season accelerate upon us as you agree with me.
I have an interesting dynamic where anytime I release a post that speaks hopefully of America or of the future in general, that I can expect to get some of the angriest comments imaginable. (This of course mixed in with an overwhelming majority of positive feedback). In general, these angry comments will be from seemingly established Christians who run by a train of thought that seems to say "God's judgment is just around the corner- and boy do we need it."
This way of thinking runs to the beat of an ancient drum that echoes "judgment precedes repentance", even though Romans 2:4 says that it is "the kindness of God that leads to repentance." Jesus, Himself had to put up with this way of thinking from His own disciples who asked Him should they call down fire from heaven on to a city when that particular city didn't receive Him well (Luke 9:54-56). Jesus' stern rebuke to them was "you know not what spirit you are of", going on to say "the Son of Man came not to destroy lives but to save lives."
Now, I understand that "judgment" paradigm because it is one I came out of, and one that only in recent years, have I seen the folly of it's logic and historical evidence. No knock on New Orleans, but it should be the holiest city in America if "judgment" (Hurricane Katrina) is that which brings righteousness- and yet it is not. Furthermore, the tsunami hit coastlands of Indonesia, Thailand, and Japan should as well be virtual tabernacles of God if "judgments" bring holiness.
Years ago the Lord spoke to me that He could get the world to repent in 10 seconds if His goal were to do it via the judgment route. He could flick the world with His finger- giving her a level 12 earthquake, followed by a booming voice from heaven that would bellow "Citizens of earth, REPENT NOW!!!". He said the "rebel" might last 15 seconds but all would repent. The Lord then went on to speak to me that He has no intention of winning by any other means than through His love and kindness and that we should get on board with that plan of His. He reminded me that He sent Jesus "For God so loved the world" (John 3:16) and not "For God was so fed up with the world". Furthermore, He specifically assigned to us the same "ministry of reconciliation" that Jesus had where we would plead that God NOT charge them with the sins they were committing. (2 Cor. 5:19)
Can we all just make that desired paradigm shift and become declarers of mercy and blessing even when a desire to "call down fire" bubbles up in our hearts? God bless America! God bless Canada! God bless China! God bless South America! God bless Africa! God bless Europe! God bless Australia! God bless and have mercy and kindness on the whole earth!! What a force of dunamis power could be unleashed if we all joined in with the beat of His heart "to save and not destroy."
Listen, I understand the unfortunate confusion for many with the various competing prophetic messages coming out. Are we in the age of the restoration of all things- or are we in the worst of times? The question becomes- who can be trusted? Especially for prophets of judgment- Should there not be some litmus test? Is everyone who gives a "prophetic warning" entitled to being called a prophet?
In my own lifetime, I have been exposed to over 40 years of "prophetic warning" books- none of which have come true. Today we again have best-selling "prophetic warning" books making great amounts of money for the author while the "prophet" author himself has no record of ever having been right on any kind of specific warning. Shouldn't someone have at least one clearly fulfilled prophetic word before we call them a prophet? Forget the idea of are they always right- the question is, have they EVER been right? Does the act of warning itself make one a prophet?
It does not count to prophesy events that happen every year anyway- unless there is a detailed specificity in time, place, or severity that stands out. Every year we will have storms, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, economic upheavals, wars, rumors of wars, terrorism, martyrs, etc. No one should get credit with being considered a prophet for prophesying any of these unless an element of detail or timing is so precise that it actually stands out and serves a purpose.
Can we upgrade our vetting process for who we refer to as prophets- particularly as it relates to severe judgments? I just think you should have to earn the right to frighten the Body of Christ while calling it "sounding an alarm." Until that proof of divine authority is established - that "prophetic" voice is only an extinguisher of the planet's most valuable commodity- HOPE.
God ALWAYS has the upper hand on Satan and God is ALWAYS several steps ahead of him.
It came to me as revelation last night and I had never considered it. Satan does not have access to eternity. He has been limited to time and space- and it is a prison of sorts for him.
He can remember what he used to know before the fall, and he can use his power of deductive reasoning, but he is not able to go into the future or even peer into the future. Obviously, if he could, he would have called off the crucifixion of Jesus. He would not still try to derail things that he had already seen happen in eternity.
I think perhaps a lot of the battle plan he develops is based on what he hears WE have seen prophetically for the future. This humiliating handicap infuriates him as he too is trying to determine who has prophetic credibility.
His greater associated handicap is he can only rely on his Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil- deductive reasoning when judging prophetic matters - while we have the witness of the Holy Spirit for judging true prophecy. This all made me less concerned at the confusion in the Body of Christ as to what prophetic voices to heed. It is keeping Satan and his gang off balance as well- and for the Body of Christ, all real lovers of God and His truth will find it.
God could easily extinguish Satan in just a moment were that His storyline. Yet, He has decided to soundly beat Satan- playing chess, as it were. Jesus already publicly humiliated and embarrassed Satan, and there is no need to reproduce that again. Next up, God has ordained that HIS KIDS publicly humiliate and embarrass Satan, as they arise and shine with the glory of their Father - as the waters cover the sea. The God of Peace will crush Satan under OUR feet. That is part of Satan's future that he has already been told, so I will go ahead and remind him of his already been seen future. Worse for him, those that know and believe that are now arising.
Here are some of my Proverbs 15 reading from yesterday that told me that I can live life as if I am partying all day, every day.
"A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance."
"He who is of a cheerful countenance has A CONTINUAL FEAST."
"A man has joy by the answer of his mouth."
Put these together and I see that a merry heart is:
1) A choice
2) Something I must cultivate with my words
Jesus said "In this world you will have tribulation (meaning stresses, challenges, etc.) BUT BE OF GOOD CHEER because I have overcome the world."
It wasn't "be of good cheer" SO you don't have challenges or WHEN you don't have trials. He was just letting us know the joy is always available.
I am convinced if we believers just carried the joy we are supposed to carry- that perhaps just about everything else would be okay. We might even be able to stop obsessing with the world's sin.
Call me Pollyanna, but I am going for the continual feast (party- in the Unking James Version). Yeah, I got some challenges- but I am laughing at them, laughing at myself, and better yet, laughing at the devil. I know there is ignorant bliss- but I have opted for joyful bliss.
All the sadness, darkness and corruption of the planet, which is exceedingly more than anyone of us can bear to try to handle or comprehend- is just a speck on the horizon, compared to the immense greatness and goodness of our Lord, and His abilities THRU US, to decimate that darkness. We need only to joyfully arise with hope and courage- and He will unveil the heaven sourced solution and power for every present structural evil or any future diabolical conspiracy. There has never been more kingdom of God synergy on planet earth than right now. The God of Salvation is about to be also made known as the God of Solve-ation.
Okay, so there's a lot of controversy about grace today, as many are panicking that we are going "soft on sin". Let me say that it is not "greasy grace" to believe that salvation is the free gift of God to all who will receive it through Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross. Heaven is not attained by grace plus good behavior, but the gift of righteousness is just that- an unearned gift.
So where does good behavior fit in? Is it important? Yes, it is, but only when we do so for the right reasons. If we try to behave as part of our entrance ticket to heaven, then it shows we don't understand grace and we insult what Jesus did on the cross- and actually fall from grace. Grace alone justifies us.
However, once we are secure in grace, then it becomes important to behave (love)- not because we need it for a righteousness requirement for entry into heaven, but because our new status as royalty, instructs us that we honor our King by carrying His image. We behave (love) so that we may advance the fame and reputation of He who gave us the incredible gift of salvation. We behave (love) so that we are not a stumbling block to those whose heart is seeking their God. Ultimately good behavior (love) is our reciprocal gift back to God- as well as that which will ensure us the best outcomes in life itself. Grace gives us the freedom to behave as King's kids, simply because we love Him. As an added bonus it is that which will garner for us additional rewards in heaven. Your mansion (yep you have them) will be made up of that which you willingly gave back in service to your King.
I have been getting some more insight on the quadruple rainbow that was photographed April 24, that several of you kindly sent to me. Rainbows, as you know, speak of His promises. I was lead to Ps. 12:6 "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." The Lord was showing me that He has given many of you promises that not only have been through the fire once or twice but that they have been through the fire "seven times". He showed me that we have to go through a similar test of "seven times" fire when we receive great promises so we are stripped of ego and self-serving and pride. In Ps. 105:19 speaking of Joseph, it says: "Until the time that His word came to pass- the word of the Lord- tested Him." He had to be upgraded to match the status of the elite promises given Him. This is a word of encouragement for those who have gone through a very extended process in the fire and delay of something God has promised you. He wants you to know if He promised it to you He is going to perform it. Four rainbows in the sky captured the viral attention of the world and many of you accordingly saw the Lord speaking through the phenomenon. I also noted that the rainbow was photographed very near an area called Locust Valley that is now a very affluent part of NY. Joel 2:25 speaks of the Lord restoring that which the locusts have eaten. Your valley or low place where the locusts have had their way with you is about to become a place of destiny fulfillment. He is quadruple guaranteeing you that you can trust Him on this.
What an important time for our nation as we again face rioting and violence associated with perceived police brutality. I want to say upfront that I do not believe the root problem has anything to do with police interactions- but the police interactions do aggravate an existing social ill that has not really improved in the last 50 years. The core issues are inner-city justice matters that require bold and brave white politicians, white preachers, and important white voices in media. Why white? Because until important white leaders address the core issues it continues to be perceived as a black problem- and this is far beyond that- it is OUR problem.
Now it is undeniable that all aspects of the looting, burning, and rock-throwing violence are 100% unacceptable and criminal behavior. Nothing I will be now bringing out changes that reality as that kind of violence is never acceptable. However here are some core issues that are instrumental in creating a seedbed atmosphere that then produces, as the outcome, the unacceptable pent up violent outbursts such as on display in Baltimore.
1) There is still racial bias in laws and ordinances.
If an 18-year old black male and an 18-year old white male get arrested for drug offenses- on average the black male will get 5 years in prison for that which the white male will get probation for. Furthermore, whites use 5 times the amount of drugs as blacks but are 10 times less likely to spend any jail time. On average a white male convicted of a serious violent crime will spend the same 5 years in prison that a black male will spend for relatively minor drug charge. Because of this 70% of our Federal Prisons are either black or Latino. It is good that blacks can now drink at any water fountains but there are yet laws and ordinances with racial bias. Racism of the heart only God can go after- but racism in legislation and ordinances IS something practical that can be changed to reflect a proper justice ideal.
2) Unemployment for black males in inner cities approaches 50%
If you are born a black male you are already lowest on the totem pole for finding a job- this whether you are a saint or a hoodlum. You are pre-judged before you ever reveal any aspect of your own character. If it was hard to get a job before you had any prison record, once that happens that possibility of getting a decent job has now reached a new low. Now when you start from this foundation and then find an already scarcity of jobs in your community you are faced with extremely limited options. The best option for many realistically excluded from the economic marketplace often seems to be the alternative 'black market' economy of urban America -and that is very often the drug trade. When politicians run a campaign on getting tough on crime- it invariably is inner-city crime that is being targeted, as inner-city drug, gang and sex trade is the easiest to go after and the surest thing to be there- as it is the alternative economy and family for urban America, where laws and ordinances conspire against family and sound economies.
3) There is a desperate need for sentencing and prison reform
Because of laws that target the offenses of the inner city black community, and sentencing standards that mete out too harsh of sentences for their offenses, 1 in every 11 black males is presently dealing with prison or the justice system and 1 in every 5 will spend some time in prison in their lifetime. Furthermore, 80% of all prison inmates are functionally illiterate, and yet there are not mandatory programs that would incorporate their education as a contingency of release from prison. If learning a trade were also added to sentencing guidelines it would position someone who comes out of prison as being properly rehabilitated- which is supposedly the goal of our prison system. So much more here but time constraints don't permit to cover how the prison system reform is really a major key to discovering real solutions.
4) Education disadvantage of inner cities is huge
Because there is a lack of employment and legal income opportunities in inner cities, it translates into low taxes towards schools- and so underperforming schools with underperforming teachers is a common reality. Of course, there are many wonderful exceptions but the economic realities don't engender healthy school systems.
Now if you are white (now don't get sensitive) you may be thinking "When are you going to bring up the issue of fatherlessness in the black community?" I have actually just presented to you some of the root causes of that reality. What you may consider a "deadbeat dad" is often just a teenager who has no job and no education and whose primary 'family' is a gang. Becoming a responsible father requires acts of extreme heroism with that foundation and it is always going to be the exception and not the rule until unjust structures get addressed. Additional to that, for years the government (thanks to FDR's not well thought through welfare initiatives) financially disincentivized moms from getting married by sending more money for every child she would have out of wedlock and in essence having a marriage economic penalty. Much of the difficulty of today is compounded by the unwise economic social engineering from decades ago. I think much of that has been reversed now but it has left its mark as devastating policy.
The reality is that we are in serious need of reformation for these structural matters and I believe the time is now. It is all wonderful for black and white churches to gather and sing songs together, and for black and white preachers to have unity meetings right after rioting incidents. These are helpful in the short run. However actual bi-partisan, bi-racial cooperative legislation that addresses foundational matters must be introduced. Many wonderful and well-spoken black leaders know exactly the laws and ordinances that need adjusting. The issue is we need the non-black leaders and citizens to show we care about day-to-day life in urban America by being willing to first listen and learn- and then respond accordingly through the platforms and possibilities that each of us has.
Please, can we do better than just point the finger at obvious misbehavior and seek to understand underlining dynamics that not only contribute but actually engender the social ills we are all seeing? I will tell you prophetically that this is the time for the root issues to be dealt with and we will not see an extended reprieve in inner-city America apart from that. I believe we have finally grown up as a nation to the place where this will happen and God will greatly help us. The key is not with the black leadership of America; I have some very good African-American friends who are pastors and leaders and who have a thorough understanding of the legal, educational and criminal justice foundations that create the undesired dynamics that we are all seeing on national TV. They have been telling me of this reality for years. Their frustration has been the inability to find white leaders- inside or outside the church who care to assist them in making this an American problem and not just a black problem. This is my attempt to do what I can with the platform that I have. We can do better and by the grace of God, we will do so.