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                           "Kingdom Relationships"
                                        Part 1

November 8, 1999:  Many of us come from various dysfunctional families.  As we have always heard, "No family is perfect."  All of us have different backgrounds, and when we received Christ we were introduced into a new family, thrown into a pot of all different kinds of people, rules and standards that we have to learn.  A whole new life began when we received Christ, but because of our previous experiences, we tend to relate all of our relationships in the kingdom, to our former relationships and experiences.  Many of us don't know how to relate as family in the kingdom of God.   Instead of learning how to relate with one another, many of us run from any discomfort, due to our previous experiences and pain.  It is much easier to run, than to stand and learn to develop proper family relations in the kingdom of God.

Matthew 12:46-50 NAS  While He was still speaking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside seeking to speak to Him.  And someone said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You."  But He answered the one who was telling Him and said, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold, My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven he is My brother and sister and mother."

Some of us are frustrated with our natural families.  We cannot understand why they hate us or want nothing to do with us now since we have come to Christ.  Many of us are considered the black sheep of our natural families.  The Lord is trying to get our focus on the "first family" and that is with our "first Love."  Yes, we love our natural families and pray for them, but we do not conform to the patterns we once lived.  When we entered the kingdom, all of our relationships changed!  Change is a difficult thing for most people, and when we made Jesus Lord of our lives, we are radically changed!  It is no longer "we" who live but Christ who lives in us, the hope of Glory!

Matthew 10:34-39 NAS  "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household.  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who has found his life shall lose it and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it."

Many of us are going through hard trials and tribulations with family, both within the church and without.  As I was in prayer, I saw a big pot on a fire and the Lord was stirring the pot.  Impurities, dregs and scum were coming to the top.  As the contents of the pot got hotter, the Lord would scrape off the top and remove the impurities.  The Lord is the one who sits as a refiner and a purifier of the sons of Levi, and He knows how hot it has to be to get us ready for a new position.  As we mature, the Lord takes us through many deliverance's.  By that I mean, He knows the timing of when we can deal with the heat of refinement.  This refinement is to prepare us for future Glory.  Things from our past life can surface at the most difficult times and if not refined by the Lord can damage the body of Christ and bring discredit to His Holy name.  That is why we need to ask the Lord not to allow us to have any responsibilities until we are properly prepared by Him.  Lord, prepare us so well that we won't fail, in Jesus name!  Who can stand when He appears?  He is like a refiners fire and the fullers soap.  Fuller's soap is alkaline salt or natural lye extracted from the Asiatic soap plants.  The Lord relates the fuller's soap to a "type" of cleansing or bleaching.  He speaks of the refining as a burning furnace, where chaff  is set ablaze, where no root or branch is left.  He is coming back for a bride without spot wrinkle or any blemish.

The Lord is creating proper family relationships within His body, as we yield to His discipline.  Some of us were abused by prior relationships and we don't know how to properly respond to each other in God's family.  Discipline to some, may bring fear because of past abuse.  Satan always perverts what God has made right.  The word Disciple, comes from the root Discipline.  Our prior mindsets must be changed.  The only way that can happen is to saturate your mind with the Word of God and repent and renounced prior mindsets that keep you from His best.  It is not what goes into a man that defiles him, it is what comes out of the mouth.  Begin to listen to yourself.  What is the main theme that keeps coming out as you go around the mountain time and time again.  We run, and find out everywhere we go the same pattern follows us.  What do we do?  We wait on God to show us where to take root.  Potted plants are limited in their growth.  They grow only as large as the pot allows.  Many people, pick up their roots and run, not realizing that every time they run it retards their growth.

I see so many in the body that are deeply wounded that run from ministry to ministry.  They never put down roots for very long, because when the Lord wants to discipline them, "by discipling them," they run.  This is always a hurtful thing for a leader to watch, because of the wounds they see in those that run.  But at the same time, the leader has to be obedient to the word of the Lord in correcting the family of God.  Yes, there has been abuse in the body of Christ too, so that may compound the trauma, so people run or hide.  But the Lord has a place for all of us in His body, and like puzzle pieces, He connects us to each other to form a greater picture of His bride.  The Lord said He would provide Shepherds after His heart who would guide and protect His flock.  The house of Saul and the house of Eli have come to an end, and the Lord wants to establish His body, so we can heal and be trained and activated into our positions.  But we must stay where God leads us, and not run because of conflicts.  Conflicts are just another method we can yield to, to grow by, instead of run from.  In our new family we learn how to deal with one another in love. When in crisis, we don't run from them, we work things out and we learn how to love difficult people.  Jesus said to judge by the fruit.  The Lord created us for His pleasure, and His desire is that we awake with His likeness.  That means, the fruit of the Spirit is formed in us.  Fruit cannot grow on a plant that continues to uproot itself, and run.  Fruit forms by being rooted firmly by the river of Life and by going through the seasons of life and the pruning process, which are all difficult times, but through the difficulty, comes the fruit at the time of harvest.  Our goal should be the nature and character of Christ.  When we awake with His likeness, all of the discipline it took to change the mindsets to the mind of Christ, will be evident to all who see and know us.  Jesus said to go and make disciples of all nations.  Making disciples is not easy.  You first must have willing vessels that allow the discipline of the Lord to come into their lives.  You never follow a leader blindly, you follow them as they follow Christ.  And when God plants you, you don't move until He says move.  Leaders make many mistakes, but our job is to pray for them so they are free to hear and obey God on our behalf.  Before you lead, you follow.  And sometimes you won't like to follow, but the Lord is tempering you, testing and refining you in servant hood.  Leadership is servant hood.

As we enter the kingdom with all our excess baggage, the Lord receives us as we are.  As we grow there are attachments we have with our past that hinder us.  An illustration of this would be like strings attached;  or things that are still connected to us like an umbilical cord.  An umbilical cord is a cord like structure connecting the fetus at the naval with the placenta and containing two umbilical arteries and one vein that nourish the fetus and the other removes the waste.  Some of us have strongholds that the Lord Himself  has to sever.  Much like cutting a cord.  We have genetic codes that have been programed into our minds that we must allow the Lord to change, so our minds will be washed with the water of the word.

Zephaniah 3:12-20 NAS  "But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.   The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; for they shall feed and lie down with no one to make them tremble.  Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel!  Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!  The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away you enemies.  The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you will fear disaster no more.  In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:  Do not be afraid, O Zion;  Do not let your hands fall limp.  The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior.  He will exualt over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.  I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts they came from you, O Zion;  The reproach of exile is a burden on them.  Behold, I am going to deal at that time with all your oppressors, I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.  At that time I will bring you in, even at the time when I gather you together;  Indeed, I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord."
 
 
 
 
 

July 29, 1998:  For the past several days, I have felt a "Spiritual upset stomach."  My Spirit has been churning an upsetting message.  This message has to do with a "mixture"  that is being presented.  The Lord gave me Rev.3:14-18.  The particular part of this scripture that was impressed upon my Spirit was verse 15-16.   I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Ezek.3:25-26 ICB As for you human being, the people will tie you up with ropes.  They will tie you up, and you will not be able to go out among  them.  Also, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth.  Then you will be silent.  And you will not be able to argue with the people, even though they turn against me.  But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth.  And you will say, "The Lord God says this,"  whoever will listen, let him listen, whoever refuses, let him refuse.  They are a people who turn against me.

When we as ministers, dilute our message for the sake of pleasing the crowd, our message becomes lukewarm.  The enemies of our souls desire to put out our fire, but will settle with pouring some cold water on it to dilute it instead.  The goal is  to make it unprofitable to anyone.  The Lord called us to bring reform, not to conform.  What are we going to do when people start throwing rocks at us, or taking our homes?  "We" can't take the heat now in easy times, how are we going to compete with horses.  The Lord is our approver & He will establish us with whom He wants.  The devil is our number one critic, then the religious crowd, then the world.  Persecution is coming church!  Are we buckling under mere words from well meaning folks that try to douse our fire?  We best get prepared for more of these types of things.  They are coming.  God shall test your ministry.  He will test your loyalty & obedience to Him.  Every time we are persecuted for doing right, we are sharing in the sufferings of Christ.  Do not be surprised when accusations & persecutions arise, because of the light.  They really don't know themselves why they hate us.

Many new places & boundaries are coming into being, & so many of us don't know where we fit, or how we fit.  We try to incorporate old ways,  thinking it's better & safer.  Many of us feel insecure about all the changes.  What we must remember though, is we should never compare ourselves among ourselves, because every time we do that,  we limit God in us.  For when we measure ourselves among ourselves we are not wise.  We must know who we are in Christ & know why we have been sent.  Then we wait on God to make room for our gift.   If you don't know who you are, then people will tell you who you are, & you will be who "they" want you to be, instead of who God wants you to be.  Humans always gravitate toward the herd mentality & what is popular.  It takes a strong identity in God to go against the herd mentality.  The devil & man wants to take your identity.  Shall we be men pleasers or God pleasers?   Jesus lost his identity for a moment because of our sin.  That means, you will never have to loose your identity in Him.  The Lord will be there to affirm you.  Elijah stood against a whole nation when he confronted baal that day.  The people were like lost sheep who had lost their way.  They didn't know who was right, until God proved His Way!  Oh, & don't think just because a great victory comes, that proves you are one of his servants will keep you esteemed highly in the eyes of man.   Old Jezie (Jezebel) sits in her lurch ready to launch a massive campaign to discredit & kill the prophet, because her works are being destroyed.  So "we" run to hide in the cave & wonder why God would ever choose to use such wishy washy things like us.  But in those secret places with our Master, we receive the assurance & confidence in Him that gives us once again, the determination to go once again, as "He" directs our pathway & makes it straight.  God will keep us in the wildernesses & caves to humble us, so we will learn to trust and be dependent on Him.  These times are never wasted times, but are for the purpose to further the Gospel.  Afflictions reveal the depths of our hearts & produces a desperation within us, that can cause us to seek God with greater fervency.   These pressures are designed for our growth, because pressure produces character, & as living epistles (walking letters) we are seen & read of all men.  We must therefore be His witness to the end of the earth, by showing His nature & character.  It doesn't matter how anointed we are, because the character issues are what bring us down & discredit our message.   I think allot of saints get confused.  They see the anointing, so they think because the anointing is in operation, that God is always pleased with the individual.  Let us not be deceived, the anointing is on the person for Gods people for that moment.   Not to approve of bad behavior.  Whatever we sow, we reap.

2 Cor.10:13-18 Amp.  We, on the other hand, will not boast beyond our legitimate province and proper limit, but will keep within the limits (of our commission which) God has allotted us as our measuring line and which reaches and includes even you.  For we are not overstepping the limits of our province and stretching beyond our ability to reach, as though we reached not (had no legitimate mission) to you, for we were (the very first) to come even as far as to you with the good news ( the Gospel) of Christ.  We do not boast therefore, beyond our proper limit, over other men's labors, but we have the hope and confident expectation that as your faith continues to grow, our field among you may be greatly enlarged, still within the limits of our commission, so that (we may even preach the Gospel in lands (lying) beyond you, without making a boast of work already done in another (man's) sphere of activity (before we came on the scene).  However, let him who boasts and glories, boast and glory in the Lord.  For (it is) not (the man) who praises and commends himself who is approved and accepted, but (it is the person) whom the Lord accredits and commends.

One thing that I have noticed in my particular quest, is that you either run to the true prophet, or run from the true prophet.  The anointing on the true prophet will always confront & provoke.  The prophet doesn't even have to say a word, just showing up stirs up stuff.  God is interested in confronting sin & provoking sinners to get to their heart issues.  The greatest judgment that could ever confront any of us, would be for God to let us continue on our merry way & to turn us over to ourselves.  If we "have it our way", like the song says, we will self destruct.  God loves us so much that He pursues us, & He sends His servants to the people out of His love & goodness.  Because of the condition of the people, they become threatened & insecure by anything they cannot control.  A religious establishment that departs from following the Lord, usually becomes an organization that resists Him.  For where sin abounds grace much more abounds.  We must show more love, more grace, for it is His loving kindness that leads men to repentance, hence when your enemy is hungry feed him, if he's thirsty give him drink.  If he wants to take your coat of many colors, give him both.  We must learn to love the devil out of them, & give space for God to work.  Love covers a multitude of sin and iniquities.  Love your persecutors & hang in there until God says it's finished.  If our work is finished there, God will see to it that we know it & we will leave meek & humble as a lamb.

 "If we have not love, we are as a clanging gong or a noisy cymbal." Our motives in all we do for God, even in having to speak or deliver a hard word, must always be motivated by love for God & them..  God doesn't want your gift or sacrifice, he wants you to get right with your fellow man, & until that happens he will not speak to you.  We all offend in many ways with our mouths, & with our mouths we must heal.  Many of us have ripped & torn with our tongues & God says He will not entrust His message to those who will rip & tear His people.    I saw a boomerang in prayer & the Lord said, that is how it works when someone tries to hit one of His kids, it comes back & hits them in the head.  If we bite & devour one another, take heed, lest we be consumed by one another!!!!  I believe one of the greatest tests of our hearts comes not in the form of our enemies, but in the presence of our "friends that are close to us."  It is in these testing times that God is making sure He can release His message in us, that will be mixed with His character with all the right ingredients of His Word & timing.