SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by MARSHA BURNS:
Be on guard and remain fully and solidly positioned in My presence, says the Lord. For, the enemy has released an attack to get you off track and to scatter you to the wind. His strategy is to cause you to get emotionally invested in things you have no control over. Yours is not to try to control but to trust Me in those things. Refuse to allow the devil and his plans to get your off balance. Stand strong and resolute in My purposes. I am with you and for you.
Nahum 2:1 He who scatters has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Spouses’ Hearts Need To Repent!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Spouses’ Hearts Need To Repent!
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Matthew 4:17
Resurrection Sunday will be here in three weeks! Will you start praying and planning that you and Christians around the world will start inviting many family members and friends to your church services? Let us be the lighthouses in this dark world as our Lord Jesus Christ is alive! Let us start planning on inviting others to church services on Palm Sunday, during Holy Week and then Easter Sunday. We need to remember that Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price of shedding His Blood on the Cross for all sinners.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” John 3:16-18
Will you start praying for your beloved spouse, lost loved ones, friends and co-workers whom you know personally who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ? Will you make a list of people you want to pray for daily and put it in your Bible to remind you to pray for them the next three weeks? Many peoples' hearts and lives are touched and transformed near or on Resurrection Sunday. Let us pray for a mighty harvest of souls to be changed forever!
We have been blessed for many years hearing from men, women and young adults who have shared with us how they came to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives. When you hear testimony after testimony of men and women who have seen the hand of God touching and delivering people from lives of sexual immorality, pornography, alcohol, drugs, and gambling, you will believe and know the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing is too hard for God. Let me share a testimony that we received on Friday:
“Give all honor to God. My spouse returned home last week. I have been asking God to return him home. I have been praying a Hedge of Protection and Thorns around him. I started to fast and pray in January but as my church went into our Corporate (Daniel) Fast in February, the Lord said to pray specifically for what you want from Me. I asked God to save my husband’s and the OW’s soul. I prayed that God would make me the woman/wife He desired me to be. It looked impossible in the natural, but it was possible in the Spiritual. In February my husband texted me saying he needed to be saved. My spouse said the OW suggested he go home. We are praying together every day as a family. We are seeking Godly counsel, attending a Bible study together and in church. I thank God for bringing my husband home and I will continue to serve and love the Lord regardless of my circumstances.” (Georgia)
Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety- nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15:3-7
God does speak to sinners which include your husband/wife or loved ones. Let me remind you of a man who went to work not expecting anything to be different, but that night God changed his life completely.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family. Acts 16:25-34
God moves around the clock touching and speaking to His children who have wandered off onto a detour road of sin and disobedience. God is also speaking to sinners who do not believe in God or others who think that they do not need God. But God has a plan and purpose for their lives.
This Sunday we need to pray for prodigals to repent and turn from their sinful lifestyle and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation. Pray the Holy Spirit will speak loudly in their ears to cause spouses, sons, daughters, all your loved ones, neighbors and friends to repent and turn from their wrongful ways. May they call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ today.
Let us remember to pray for all the men of God around the world who have the privilege to proclaim the Gospel as the Holy Spirit reveals His presence, touching and changing hardened hearts. Imagine how many men and women go to talk to their pastors regarding their marriage problems. Let us pray that these chosen pastors or counselors will only speak God's truths and the Word of God about marriage and divorce.
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Are you depressed, weary, tired of hurting, feeling such pain of rejection and hopelessness this Lord's Day? Have you surrendered your heart to the Lord? Do you know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of your life? I pray that you will humble yourself today, crying out to the Lord for His healing touch of love, compassion, mercy and grace to heal your wounded bleeding heart. He will help you right now in your time of need. God knows your deepest needs and your heart’s desires, so trust Him in moving some mountains in your life, suddenly.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
This Sunday let us praise and thank our Lord Jesus Christ that He is working in your life, your spouse's life, and in prodigal spouses’ and children's lives around the world. Let’s pray that many will repent and be saved today!
Be encouraged,
Charlyne Steinkamp
Spouses’ Hearts Need To Repent!
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Matthew 4:17
Resurrection Sunday will be here in three weeks! Will you start praying and planning that you and Christians around the world will start inviting many family members and friends to your church services? Let us be the lighthouses in this dark world as our Lord Jesus Christ is alive! Let us start planning on inviting others to church services on Palm Sunday, during Holy Week and then Easter Sunday. We need to remember that Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price of shedding His Blood on the Cross for all sinners.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” John 3:16-18
Will you start praying for your beloved spouse, lost loved ones, friends and co-workers whom you know personally who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ? Will you make a list of people you want to pray for daily and put it in your Bible to remind you to pray for them the next three weeks? Many peoples' hearts and lives are touched and transformed near or on Resurrection Sunday. Let us pray for a mighty harvest of souls to be changed forever!
We have been blessed for many years hearing from men, women and young adults who have shared with us how they came to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives. When you hear testimony after testimony of men and women who have seen the hand of God touching and delivering people from lives of sexual immorality, pornography, alcohol, drugs, and gambling, you will believe and know the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing is too hard for God. Let me share a testimony that we received on Friday:
“Give all honor to God. My spouse returned home last week. I have been asking God to return him home. I have been praying a Hedge of Protection and Thorns around him. I started to fast and pray in January but as my church went into our Corporate (Daniel) Fast in February, the Lord said to pray specifically for what you want from Me. I asked God to save my husband’s and the OW’s soul. I prayed that God would make me the woman/wife He desired me to be. It looked impossible in the natural, but it was possible in the Spiritual. In February my husband texted me saying he needed to be saved. My spouse said the OW suggested he go home. We are praying together every day as a family. We are seeking Godly counsel, attending a Bible study together and in church. I thank God for bringing my husband home and I will continue to serve and love the Lord regardless of my circumstances.” (Georgia)
Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety- nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15:3-7
God does speak to sinners which include your husband/wife or loved ones. Let me remind you of a man who went to work not expecting anything to be different, but that night God changed his life completely.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family. Acts 16:25-34
God moves around the clock touching and speaking to His children who have wandered off onto a detour road of sin and disobedience. God is also speaking to sinners who do not believe in God or others who think that they do not need God. But God has a plan and purpose for their lives.
This Sunday we need to pray for prodigals to repent and turn from their sinful lifestyle and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation. Pray the Holy Spirit will speak loudly in their ears to cause spouses, sons, daughters, all your loved ones, neighbors and friends to repent and turn from their wrongful ways. May they call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ today.
Let us remember to pray for all the men of God around the world who have the privilege to proclaim the Gospel as the Holy Spirit reveals His presence, touching and changing hardened hearts. Imagine how many men and women go to talk to their pastors regarding their marriage problems. Let us pray that these chosen pastors or counselors will only speak God's truths and the Word of God about marriage and divorce.
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Are you depressed, weary, tired of hurting, feeling such pain of rejection and hopelessness this Lord's Day? Have you surrendered your heart to the Lord? Do you know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of your life? I pray that you will humble yourself today, crying out to the Lord for His healing touch of love, compassion, mercy and grace to heal your wounded bleeding heart. He will help you right now in your time of need. God knows your deepest needs and your heart’s desires, so trust Him in moving some mountains in your life, suddenly.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
This Sunday let us praise and thank our Lord Jesus Christ that He is working in your life, your spouse's life, and in prodigal spouses’ and children's lives around the world. Let’s pray that many will repent and be saved today!
Be encouraged,
Charlyne Steinkamp
Friday, March 16, 2012
Psalm 40;1-2 The Lord Sees & Hears You Crying!
Friday, March 16, 2012
The Lord Sees & Hears You Crying!
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:1-2
Are you tired of waiting for your marriage to be restored? Are you tired of waiting for a promotion or a raise at work or your spouse to say something positive to show that the Lord is working on the other side of your mountain? Are you crying out to the Lord for answers? He is seeing and hearing you cry!
Today, during your devotion time, please read Psalm 40. My prayer for you today is that the very first verse of Psalm 40 will give you hope as it did to me many years ago when I was crying out for my Lord's divine help regarding our marriage problems. The Lord will lift you out of the sinking sand of circumstances that keep coming your way. He will set your feet on a rock and you will be able to stand and not sink due to all your problems. Allow Him to be your strength and your Deliverer.
I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3
The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. Psalm 6:9
David wrote this Psalm after his restoration to the throne after the usurpation of Absalom. I pray that you will be blessed and encouraged today as God sees all, knows all and is with you all the time in your darkest hours and in your happiest times.
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7
The first step in seeking the Lord for His help, is that you must wait patiently for His answer, His instructions and His intervention. How often when a crisis happens do you pick up the telephone to call your prayer partner or your best friend or your mom or dad to talk out the problem? What should you have done first? Cry out to the Lord telling Him your problem and then wait on Him to intervene with His divine wisdom, knowledge and understanding. His answers or guidance is going to be the best.
When you pray, you may have a thought that will cross your mind, which will be the perfect solution to the problem. The Lord wants you to come to Him for your help first, not to everyone else. He will hear your cry. He will answer you and bring you out of the very difficult problems that you are facing. He will pick you up and put your feet upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ over and over again.
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. Psalm 145:18-20
If you are a new Christian and you have never had any serious trials or tribulations until now with your marriage, you need to keep your eyes on the Lord. He will direct your steps. You may remember Bible stories, like David and Goliath, Abraham and Isaac, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thrown into a blazing furnace seven times hotter than normal or Daniel thrown into the Lion's den. Do you remember how the Lord rescued and brought victory to each life and death situation? How many testimonies or stories have you heard from other Christians when the Lord answered prayers in the eleventh hour?
The Lord wants you to learn to walk in faith, hope and strength trusting in His mighty power when you are going through a difficult time with your marriage problems or with your children. Then when the Lord answers, you can praise Him knowing He is all you need.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Psalm 40:3-4
Have you lost your hope or joy? Today ask the Lord to put His hope and joy back into your heart. Do not let the enemy steal any more! God is not asking you to live a defeated life every day. The Word gives us promises of victory. You need to spend quiet, quality time with the Lord and ask Him to heal your broken, wounded heart. He will do it! Then you can stand for God's best in resurrecting your hurting or dead marriage with faith, hope, trust, perseverance and joy in the Lord. Will you choose to pick up your cross and do the Lord's will? When you do, you will have a peace that only comes from the Lord.
I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart." I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your loving-kindness and Your truth from the great assembly. Psalm 40:8-10 ((NKJV)
Your Lord God is calling you to righteousness, purity, a higher standard than the world has right now. Read Philippians 2:1-8 and Matthew 26:39. God created marriage. In Ephesians 5, we read about the husband loving the wife as Christ loves the church. We are not to give up on our spouses, but fight for their hearts to be softened and transformed! The enemy is coming against your marriage and all marriages because God ordained them.
Will you stand up for God's best and never compromise? Believe in God's power! Believe in the power of prayer! God can move mountains and part the Red Sea. He can touch and change your spouse's heart. Cry out to the Lord and wait on the Lord's timing in restoring your marriage.
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord,, make haste to help me!...Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, "The Lord be magnified!" But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God. Psalm 40:13, 16-17 (NKJV)
Keep praying and believing,
Charlyne
The Lord Sees & Hears You Crying!
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:1-2
Are you tired of waiting for your marriage to be restored? Are you tired of waiting for a promotion or a raise at work or your spouse to say something positive to show that the Lord is working on the other side of your mountain? Are you crying out to the Lord for answers? He is seeing and hearing you cry!
Today, during your devotion time, please read Psalm 40. My prayer for you today is that the very first verse of Psalm 40 will give you hope as it did to me many years ago when I was crying out for my Lord's divine help regarding our marriage problems. The Lord will lift you out of the sinking sand of circumstances that keep coming your way. He will set your feet on a rock and you will be able to stand and not sink due to all your problems. Allow Him to be your strength and your Deliverer.
I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3
The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. Psalm 6:9
David wrote this Psalm after his restoration to the throne after the usurpation of Absalom. I pray that you will be blessed and encouraged today as God sees all, knows all and is with you all the time in your darkest hours and in your happiest times.
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7
The first step in seeking the Lord for His help, is that you must wait patiently for His answer, His instructions and His intervention. How often when a crisis happens do you pick up the telephone to call your prayer partner or your best friend or your mom or dad to talk out the problem? What should you have done first? Cry out to the Lord telling Him your problem and then wait on Him to intervene with His divine wisdom, knowledge and understanding. His answers or guidance is going to be the best.
When you pray, you may have a thought that will cross your mind, which will be the perfect solution to the problem. The Lord wants you to come to Him for your help first, not to everyone else. He will hear your cry. He will answer you and bring you out of the very difficult problems that you are facing. He will pick you up and put your feet upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ over and over again.
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. Psalm 145:18-20
If you are a new Christian and you have never had any serious trials or tribulations until now with your marriage, you need to keep your eyes on the Lord. He will direct your steps. You may remember Bible stories, like David and Goliath, Abraham and Isaac, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thrown into a blazing furnace seven times hotter than normal or Daniel thrown into the Lion's den. Do you remember how the Lord rescued and brought victory to each life and death situation? How many testimonies or stories have you heard from other Christians when the Lord answered prayers in the eleventh hour?
The Lord wants you to learn to walk in faith, hope and strength trusting in His mighty power when you are going through a difficult time with your marriage problems or with your children. Then when the Lord answers, you can praise Him knowing He is all you need.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Psalm 40:3-4
Have you lost your hope or joy? Today ask the Lord to put His hope and joy back into your heart. Do not let the enemy steal any more! God is not asking you to live a defeated life every day. The Word gives us promises of victory. You need to spend quiet, quality time with the Lord and ask Him to heal your broken, wounded heart. He will do it! Then you can stand for God's best in resurrecting your hurting or dead marriage with faith, hope, trust, perseverance and joy in the Lord. Will you choose to pick up your cross and do the Lord's will? When you do, you will have a peace that only comes from the Lord.
I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart." I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly; Indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your loving-kindness and Your truth from the great assembly. Psalm 40:8-10 ((NKJV)
Your Lord God is calling you to righteousness, purity, a higher standard than the world has right now. Read Philippians 2:1-8 and Matthew 26:39. God created marriage. In Ephesians 5, we read about the husband loving the wife as Christ loves the church. We are not to give up on our spouses, but fight for their hearts to be softened and transformed! The enemy is coming against your marriage and all marriages because God ordained them.
Will you stand up for God's best and never compromise? Believe in God's power! Believe in the power of prayer! God can move mountains and part the Red Sea. He can touch and change your spouse's heart. Cry out to the Lord and wait on the Lord's timing in restoring your marriage.
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord,, make haste to help me!...Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, "The Lord be magnified!" But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God. Psalm 40:13, 16-17 (NKJV)
Keep praying and believing,
Charlyne
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Words
WORDS
words are special,
powerful indeed,
they can sooth a broken heart,
when positive words we feed.
Words spoken wisely,
help heal broken souls;
words guide our foot steps,
as we walk toward our goals.
Words spoken carelessly.
wound innocent hearts;
once spoken,
cannot be reteieved;
We may say we are sorry,
but forgiveness is hard to receive.
Think before we speak,
this our motto be,
use words to lift others up,
giving them dignity.
—- Winston Staples —-
words are special,
powerful indeed,
they can sooth a broken heart,
when positive words we feed.
Words spoken wisely,
help heal broken souls;
words guide our foot steps,
as we walk toward our goals.
Words spoken carelessly.
wound innocent hearts;
once spoken,
cannot be reteieved;
We may say we are sorry,
but forgiveness is hard to receive.
Think before we speak,
this our motto be,
use words to lift others up,
giving them dignity.
—- Winston Staples —-
Rejoice Posting -Hurting As Much As I Do?
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Tuesday's message is from Bob who was a prodigal who returned home and was remarried to me for an additional 23 years before the Lord took him home to Heaven. Bob wrote 19 books from the prodigal's perspective for more than two decades after our divorce and remarriage. - Charlyne
"Does My Prodigal Hurt As Much As I Do?"
This morning I woke up with a backache. Someone awoke with a toothache. We both are hurting right now, but in different ways. That is much the way it is with the pain experienced by standers and prodigals.
Your greatest emotional pain today might be from rejection. Your prodigal’s pain might be caused by guilt or shame. You both may share the common pain of fear of the future.
God designed the family to help care for one another. That other person does not have, nor will they ever have, the unconditional love for your spouse that fills you today. The one you love recognizes the person they are with may bail out when the going gets rough.
The vows of that other person, even though unspoken, may be: "Without God as my witness, I take you as my sinful companion, to temporarily have and to hold from this day, until someone better comes along, for better but not for worse, for richer but not for poorer, not in sickness, only in health, to use and to manipulate, until we are parted by someone else. This is the enemy’s solemn vow."
How much peace, love, and joy can your prodigal be experiencing in a relationship with that kind of non-commitment? Your prodigal has the same fear of the future as you. No amount of money can buy the lasting commitment and assurance of the future that can be found in a marriage based on Jesus Christ.
This can be illustrated by a true story of a family I know. The man had a prestigious job with an American company who had assigned him to Italy. While there, he met someone else and left his wife.
The wife’s doorbell rang one day and the other woman introduced herself. "Your husband and his things are out in the car,” the woman reported. “He is seriously sick and needs to go to the hospital. I didn’t sign on for that. Come and get him."
Let’s follow an imaginary couple, Jack and Jill, through a typical day. Jill awakens and is immediately reminded by an empty bed of what has happened. Even before getting up, she has prayed to her Lord, asking Him to be with her that day, and to help her stand for Jack for one more day. Immediately, she feels the unexplainable presence of the Lord surround her. A few minutes later, during her devotions, Jill receives a Word from God. The Christian song she hears confirms His promise to her for that day.
Across town, Jack also awakens once again, to the dull thud that it is not Jill lying next to him. He starts his day under his own power alone, bearing the guilt of what he has done. He and the other person welcome the day with a disagreement.
At work, Jill loses an important paper. She often misplaces things these days. She silently prays, asking the Lord to help her. Five minutes later, the paper is in her boss’ hand and she is thanking God for being with her all day long.
Across town, Jack loses an important paper. He misplaces things often these days. He searches and searches, but cannot find it. Five minutes later, his boss is threatening his job.
"Jack, you can’t bring your personal problems to work or it will cost your job." Jack goes back to work, more distracted than ever, worried about the divorce and supporting the other woman without a job.
That evening, Jill’s house is empty and quiet. She spends her evening with praise music in the background, praying for Jack and reading her Bible. She goes to sleep with a prayer on her heart.
Across town, Jack’s house is empty and quiet. The other woman has demanded a night out "with the girls." Jack spends his evening worrying if she has found a replacement for him. He and the other woman end the day with a heated disagreement. Jack goes to sleep thinking about how good it was at home, but feeling he can never go back.
Although hurting in different ways, who has the most pain, Jack or Jill? Even though most prodigals display a higher tolerance to pain, the hurt is still present for both Jack and Jill. There will come a day, however, when Jack’s spiritual pain becomes unbearable and another prodigal will start the journey home.
Dear stander, how is your pain threshold today? Do you hurt like Jill but turn to the Great Physician for the pain medication that He can provide? I must warn you that the spiritual pill that He will dispense, every time you ask, is habit forming. Over time, you will find yourself turning to Him more and more. The only side effects are a joyous life and life eternal. There is also a high rate of marriage restoration for those who seek this treatment for their pain.
Are you a Jill, but experiencing the pain of a Jack, attempting to do everything under your own power without calling on God every hour of every day? If so, I have good news. The Great Physician has time to treat you today. Go into His Presence and walk out feeling much better. Remember, the One who wants to treat your pain right now is the Holy Spirit who also treats sick marriages.
"My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.”…“He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.” Daniel 6:22, 27
Because He lives,
Bob Steinkamp
Tuesday's message is from Bob who was a prodigal who returned home and was remarried to me for an additional 23 years before the Lord took him home to Heaven. Bob wrote 19 books from the prodigal's perspective for more than two decades after our divorce and remarriage. - Charlyne
"Does My Prodigal Hurt As Much As I Do?"
This morning I woke up with a backache. Someone awoke with a toothache. We both are hurting right now, but in different ways. That is much the way it is with the pain experienced by standers and prodigals.
Your greatest emotional pain today might be from rejection. Your prodigal’s pain might be caused by guilt or shame. You both may share the common pain of fear of the future.
God designed the family to help care for one another. That other person does not have, nor will they ever have, the unconditional love for your spouse that fills you today. The one you love recognizes the person they are with may bail out when the going gets rough.
The vows of that other person, even though unspoken, may be: "Without God as my witness, I take you as my sinful companion, to temporarily have and to hold from this day, until someone better comes along, for better but not for worse, for richer but not for poorer, not in sickness, only in health, to use and to manipulate, until we are parted by someone else. This is the enemy’s solemn vow."
How much peace, love, and joy can your prodigal be experiencing in a relationship with that kind of non-commitment? Your prodigal has the same fear of the future as you. No amount of money can buy the lasting commitment and assurance of the future that can be found in a marriage based on Jesus Christ.
This can be illustrated by a true story of a family I know. The man had a prestigious job with an American company who had assigned him to Italy. While there, he met someone else and left his wife.
The wife’s doorbell rang one day and the other woman introduced herself. "Your husband and his things are out in the car,” the woman reported. “He is seriously sick and needs to go to the hospital. I didn’t sign on for that. Come and get him."
Let’s follow an imaginary couple, Jack and Jill, through a typical day. Jill awakens and is immediately reminded by an empty bed of what has happened. Even before getting up, she has prayed to her Lord, asking Him to be with her that day, and to help her stand for Jack for one more day. Immediately, she feels the unexplainable presence of the Lord surround her. A few minutes later, during her devotions, Jill receives a Word from God. The Christian song she hears confirms His promise to her for that day.
Across town, Jack also awakens once again, to the dull thud that it is not Jill lying next to him. He starts his day under his own power alone, bearing the guilt of what he has done. He and the other person welcome the day with a disagreement.
At work, Jill loses an important paper. She often misplaces things these days. She silently prays, asking the Lord to help her. Five minutes later, the paper is in her boss’ hand and she is thanking God for being with her all day long.
Across town, Jack loses an important paper. He misplaces things often these days. He searches and searches, but cannot find it. Five minutes later, his boss is threatening his job.
"Jack, you can’t bring your personal problems to work or it will cost your job." Jack goes back to work, more distracted than ever, worried about the divorce and supporting the other woman without a job.
That evening, Jill’s house is empty and quiet. She spends her evening with praise music in the background, praying for Jack and reading her Bible. She goes to sleep with a prayer on her heart.
Across town, Jack’s house is empty and quiet. The other woman has demanded a night out "with the girls." Jack spends his evening worrying if she has found a replacement for him. He and the other woman end the day with a heated disagreement. Jack goes to sleep thinking about how good it was at home, but feeling he can never go back.
Although hurting in different ways, who has the most pain, Jack or Jill? Even though most prodigals display a higher tolerance to pain, the hurt is still present for both Jack and Jill. There will come a day, however, when Jack’s spiritual pain becomes unbearable and another prodigal will start the journey home.
Dear stander, how is your pain threshold today? Do you hurt like Jill but turn to the Great Physician for the pain medication that He can provide? I must warn you that the spiritual pill that He will dispense, every time you ask, is habit forming. Over time, you will find yourself turning to Him more and more. The only side effects are a joyous life and life eternal. There is also a high rate of marriage restoration for those who seek this treatment for their pain.
Are you a Jill, but experiencing the pain of a Jack, attempting to do everything under your own power without calling on God every hour of every day? If so, I have good news. The Great Physician has time to treat you today. Go into His Presence and walk out feeling much better. Remember, the One who wants to treat your pain right now is the Holy Spirit who also treats sick marriages.
"My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.”…“He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.” Daniel 6:22, 27
Because He lives,
Bob Steinkamp
Sunday, March 11, 2012
The Riches of God’s Amazing Grace!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
The Riches of God’s Amazing Grace!
To the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:6-8
Do you personally know the amazing grace of God? What is God's amazing grace? We could sum up the meaning of grace in one sentence: Grace is God's unmerited favor; mercy; and compassion, (Nelson's Three-In-One Bible Reference). God does not give us what we deserve, but rather, what we do not deserve, that is, life eternal, without punishment on Judgment Day. Our Lord gives us His Holy Spirit to be our Guide, Counselor, Deliverer and Friend as we walk through our life in this sinful world. He is with you all the time and wants to direct your steps every day of your life.
I pray that you will read and then re-read these scriptures I have included in this devotional. They are very powerful. I pray that you would be hungry enough to look up in your Bible concordance to read all the scriptures on “grace.” Can you imagine the riches of God’s grace that He is lavishing on us with all wisdom and understanding?
God’s amazing grace is so powerful that it brings salvation to ALL men. You and your beloved spouse can say “No” to ungodliness and worldly desires and live decent and honest lives in this world.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. Titus 2:11-12
"We believe, that the work of regeneration, conversion, sanctification and faith, is not an act of man's free will and power, but of the mighty, efficacious and irresistible grace of God.” - Charles H. Spurgeon
PTL! Will you pray for a mighty harvest this Lord's Day at all our churches around the world? Let us pray in agreement for all prodigal spouses, teenagers and lost loved ones that they will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit calling their name today to "Come Home!" to their Lord and back to their spouse and family because of God's amazing grace. May thousands of sinners come to know God's amazing grace for their personal salvation this Lord’s Day.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
When I think of the word grace, I think of the song"Amazing Grace," written by John Newton. He was a slave trader in the 1700's, but by God's grace, God got Newton's attention. One day the grace of God put fear into the heart of this wicked slave trader through a fierce storm. Being alarmed and fearful of a shipwreck, Newton began to read a book,"The Imitation of Christ," by Thomas Kempis. God used this book to lead Newton to Jesus Christ. A dramatic change took place in Newton's life. He felt a call and continued on to become an ordained minister in England. Newton introduced simple heartfelt hymns rather than the usual psalms in his services. When enough hymns could not be found, Newton began to write his own hymns. John Newton never ceased to marvel at the grace of God that transformed his life so completely.
Is that not what you want for your spouse and loved ones? The grace of God can put a fear into your beloved spouse who may pick up a book or watch someone on the television or listen on the radio. This transformation that Newton had was like Saul had on the Damascus Road with His Lord before becoming the Paul whose writings we all love to read. I pray that John Newton's testimony will give you hope and encouragement for you and your beloved spouse.
God loves all sinners. He wants them each to turn from their own selfish, self-centered, prideful, sinful nature and ungodly lifestyles. We need to pray for all spouses that they will stop being selfish and self-centered husbands or wives, but they will put God, their spouse and children before themselves. May each of us never lose sight of this truth as we pray for all prodigals, all spouses and all loved ones. Let us never forget God's amazing grace every day of our lives.
"Amazing Grace" -
"Amazing grace! How sweet the sound - That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, Was blind but now I see.
"'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed!
"The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures.
"Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come; "Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.
"When we've been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We've no less days to sing God's praise, Than when we'd first begun."
Written by John Newton, John P. Rees, stanza 5. Public Domain
Regardless of what you are facing today or in the future regarding your marriage problems, your financial needs, problems with your children or if you are having health problems, God is saying to you:
…"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ will take away every sin for both you, your spouse and other loved ones who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus as Savior and Lord. God's amazing grace is what will restore your marriage!
…But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20b-21
God bless,
Charlyne Steinkamp
The Riches of God’s Amazing Grace!
To the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:6-8
Do you personally know the amazing grace of God? What is God's amazing grace? We could sum up the meaning of grace in one sentence: Grace is God's unmerited favor; mercy; and compassion, (Nelson's Three-In-One Bible Reference). God does not give us what we deserve, but rather, what we do not deserve, that is, life eternal, without punishment on Judgment Day. Our Lord gives us His Holy Spirit to be our Guide, Counselor, Deliverer and Friend as we walk through our life in this sinful world. He is with you all the time and wants to direct your steps every day of your life.
I pray that you will read and then re-read these scriptures I have included in this devotional. They are very powerful. I pray that you would be hungry enough to look up in your Bible concordance to read all the scriptures on “grace.” Can you imagine the riches of God’s grace that He is lavishing on us with all wisdom and understanding?
God’s amazing grace is so powerful that it brings salvation to ALL men. You and your beloved spouse can say “No” to ungodliness and worldly desires and live decent and honest lives in this world.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. Titus 2:11-12
"We believe, that the work of regeneration, conversion, sanctification and faith, is not an act of man's free will and power, but of the mighty, efficacious and irresistible grace of God.” - Charles H. Spurgeon
PTL! Will you pray for a mighty harvest this Lord's Day at all our churches around the world? Let us pray in agreement for all prodigal spouses, teenagers and lost loved ones that they will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit calling their name today to "Come Home!" to their Lord and back to their spouse and family because of God's amazing grace. May thousands of sinners come to know God's amazing grace for their personal salvation this Lord’s Day.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
When I think of the word grace, I think of the song"Amazing Grace," written by John Newton. He was a slave trader in the 1700's, but by God's grace, God got Newton's attention. One day the grace of God put fear into the heart of this wicked slave trader through a fierce storm. Being alarmed and fearful of a shipwreck, Newton began to read a book,"The Imitation of Christ," by Thomas Kempis. God used this book to lead Newton to Jesus Christ. A dramatic change took place in Newton's life. He felt a call and continued on to become an ordained minister in England. Newton introduced simple heartfelt hymns rather than the usual psalms in his services. When enough hymns could not be found, Newton began to write his own hymns. John Newton never ceased to marvel at the grace of God that transformed his life so completely.
Is that not what you want for your spouse and loved ones? The grace of God can put a fear into your beloved spouse who may pick up a book or watch someone on the television or listen on the radio. This transformation that Newton had was like Saul had on the Damascus Road with His Lord before becoming the Paul whose writings we all love to read. I pray that John Newton's testimony will give you hope and encouragement for you and your beloved spouse.
God loves all sinners. He wants them each to turn from their own selfish, self-centered, prideful, sinful nature and ungodly lifestyles. We need to pray for all spouses that they will stop being selfish and self-centered husbands or wives, but they will put God, their spouse and children before themselves. May each of us never lose sight of this truth as we pray for all prodigals, all spouses and all loved ones. Let us never forget God's amazing grace every day of our lives.
"Amazing Grace" -
"Amazing grace! How sweet the sound - That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, Was blind but now I see.
"'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed!
"The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures.
"Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come; "Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.
"When we've been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We've no less days to sing God's praise, Than when we'd first begun."
Written by John Newton, John P. Rees, stanza 5. Public Domain
Regardless of what you are facing today or in the future regarding your marriage problems, your financial needs, problems with your children or if you are having health problems, God is saying to you:
…"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ will take away every sin for both you, your spouse and other loved ones who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus as Savior and Lord. God's amazing grace is what will restore your marriage!
…But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20b-21
God bless,
Charlyne Steinkamp
What Wants To Emerge
What Wants To Emerge
Dear Friend,
The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 of the Ascension-Gift ministries inaugurated by Christ when He returned to His Father’s Throne having finished the work He came to accomplish.
One of the greatest and most significant dynamics of these “gift-ministries” is that they did not exist at all prior to the Finished Work. Certainly there is a foreshadowing of them as you read through the pages of the Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi in the Old Testament. However, the shadows only give us outlines, and not the full substance of their significance. It is the difference between a shadow cast by the moon that reveals the outline of a tree, as opposed to the tree standing in the full light of the noonday sun revealing every detail of its nature and its dynamics and rich texture.
When all you can see is the shadow of a tree under the moonlight casting its image on a translucent surface, you can only but guess at what the substance of the outline actually contains. For that reason, the writer to the Book of Hebrews instructs us to understand that while Old Covenant Israel was governed in their seasons and times by the New Moon, at best what they saw was the shadow of Christ and all that it implied.
In Christ, the Son, God has spoken fully and finally because He, the Son, is the TRUE LIGHT, Who, when coming into the world, enlightens every man. The full light of Christ governs the New Covenant and we have moved from SHADOW to SUBSTANCE!
In His light, we see light!
As a result, when it comes to anything that has to do with the substance, which Paul tells us in Colossians and in other places, belongs to Christ; that applies as well to the Ascension-Gift ministries of Ephesians 4, INCLUDING THE PROPHETS!
This is vitally important because all too often there is an undue emphasis on Old Testament prophetic tradition to describe a New Testament prophet. This puts a major constraint on the ability to grasp with firmer hand the grace that comes to the New Testament Ascension-Gift ministry of the prophet, as well as the others.
We have to come to a place of accepting the fact that the Cross is the pivotal point in all of history and EVERYTHING that leads up to the CROSS changes once it passes through the Cross, including the ministry, the word, and the voice of the prophet.
We can glean many things from the types and shadows of the Old Testament regarding those God appointed to lead the people out of bondage into freedom, out of the brickyard into the Promised Land, out of Exile and back to their homeland, and all that goes with those things. However, there has to be a radical acknowledgement of the words of Christ Himself when He says, “the law and the prophets was until John (the Baptist).”
Something shifts once John the Baptist decreases and Christ increases, which by the way is one of those verses that is all too often misinterpreted and mishandled in the name of “spirituality.” “He must increase and I must decrease” is not the template for New Testament spirituality. In fact, it is the last and greatest of all the prophets of the Old Order letting us know a New Day has begun, and in Christ it is not marked by being merely servants who are in a “decreased” position, it is marked by a revelation of sonship, which puts all of those who are in Christ in a position of increase by the grace of Christ’s Finished Work!
How come all of this is so important?
We live in a day when much attention and much reproach has come upon “prophetic” ministry due to excesses, abuses, lack of accountability, and a lack of mature understanding from Scripture on the work of the New Testament prophet in light of the Finished Work and the coming of the Kingdom in Christ and the New Day of the Holy Spirit, which began on the Day of Pentecost and continues even until now.
Often the prophets of old called the people of Israel “back” to something they had wandered from. In the New Covenant, the prophets of the Ascended Christ call people “forward” to what wants to emerge in relation to the Finished Work and the Eternal Purpose of the Father, which is all about “bringing many sons to glory!”
What if the Father really did spend His anger and wrath on Christ on the Cross, and is now operating on a basis of a “covenant of peace that shall not be shaken,” as promised in the last half of the prophet Isaiah? What if it is the “kindness of God that leads to repentance” rather than the wrath, anger, and judgment of God?
What if God is begging the lost through us to “come home” and experience the fullness of redemption because Christ has reconciled us to the Father, and is not counting our transgressions against us? What if the Word of God is really true? I know it sounds like I am being satirical, however, I am endeavoring to make a point: all too often we have presented prophetic ministry from an Old Testament notion (and I say notion because a careful examination of the prophets doesn’t reveal a group of angry, judgmental, people-cursing group of individuals who delight in seeing people suffer) that the prophet is a prophet of judgment.
I have grown weary of the voices that always look for another reason why God is mad at either His people or at sinners, and is just waiting to send fire from heaven to destroy them. Is there sin? Oh yes, and indeed it leads to death, without question. It is alienation and separation from God. Yet even alienation and separation from God is only a portion of what sin and the principle of sin created. It is alienation from God, self, and others. When you look at it in its totality, it leaves the stark awareness of the abject pain and poverty of the human condition, and the desperate need for redemption, grace, and mercy.
Jesus Himself described the “day” He inaugurated when He found in the scroll of Isaiah the words, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…” Jesus goes on to describe a ministry of deliverance, healing, reconciliation, and well-being, and He closes the BOOK just prior to announcing “the day of vengeance” of the Lord.
All too often, when I hear some people speak prophetically, claiming they have the heart of God when they speak, they determine to convince their hearers that their “judgments” are “righteous judgments,” for the sake of justice and righteousness. Yet the more they talk, the more evident it seems that their goal is vengeance and not justice, and they unconsciously step over a boundary and take God’s place, Who alone says, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.”
No, the New Testament prophet has to be just that: a prophet of the New Covenant, the better covenant, enacted on better promises, and based on the Blood that speaks BETTER than the blood of Abel. The standard for New Testament prophetic ministry is the Finished Work, and the immediacy of grace and glory available to every child of God because God has shone His light in our hearts in the face of Christ, and we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being changed into His image from glory to glory!
If you really, truly want to be an effective prophetic voice for the Risen Christ, you just may have to “repent” of wanting to call fire down from heaven on all those who oppose you or perhaps oppose God. James and John were called “the sons of thunder” by Jesus for a reason: they were hot-headed and had tempers. In fact, when they wanted to call fire down on the Samaritans, they claimed Biblical precedence because in the very place where the Samaritans rejected Christ as He made His way to Calvary in the last three months of His earthly life, James and John wanted to repeat what Elijah did to his enemies in that very region and on that very site generations before, which was to call fire down from heaven and destroy the enemies of God.
Listen, James and John had Biblical precedence, Elijah had dealt with this same ethnic group and called fire down from heaven when they rejected the word and the way of Jehovah God. However, when we move from the shadow to the substance, which is all in Christ the Son, and God no longer speaks that way, rather He speaks in and through His Son, the Son says to the “sons of thunder,” “You know not what spirit you are of!” In other words, Jesus is now saying, “in light of where things have advanced in the coming of My Father’s Kingdom through Me, you are now operating under a spirit that is not the Holy Spirit, nor is it a spirit that is congruent with what I came for and what I am about!”
On March 22nd and 23rd, I am inviting a number of individuals from every tribe, race, kindred, and tongue, and generation and age group, who are truly desirous of seeing a manifestation and recovery of the power of New Testament prophetic ministry, to join me for two solid days of dialogue, teaching, and the exploration of the Scriptures regarding prophetic ministry in the 21st century.
The Spirit wants to “disclose what is to come.” That Beloved is FAR MORE than the end of the world and the judgment of the nations. As long as we are in the Day of the Spirit, and there are multiplied billions of souls in need of the Savior, there is much that can happen by way of true New Testament prophetic ministry that can serve to bring about the Eternal Purpose of the Father.
Are sinners in need of salvation in Christ? We know that answer, and it is YES.
Are there conditions to receiving the love of Christ? We know that answer as well, and it too is YES.
Is repentance no longer necessary? If you love God and believe the Scripture you know that answer as well, and it is NO.
The question we may need to rethink, however, is whether or not we “embody” what Christ came and did as the Incarnate Son. When the Word became flesh, He was moved with compassion and healed the sick, and delivered ALL who were oppressed of the devil. His miracles, signs, and wonders, which accompanied a message of radical forgiveness and an invitation to be a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven caused the masses to recognize Him as a “prophet.”
The only people Jesus got angry at were the religious leaders that misrepresented the heart of His Father. In fact, He went so far as to say that they were of their father, the devil himself. As you know that didn’t go over well, and from that point on they sought to kill Him (which is what the religious spirit always wants to do to the prophetic).
Isn’t it interesting that sinners were attracted to Him, while the Pharisees and Sadducees were appalled by Him? Isn’t is interesting that sinners were attracted to the “beauty of holiness” in Him and not repelled by holiness at all. It was the religious spirit fueled by self-righteousness that hated Him and the beauty of holiness He embodied, without a cause.
It is time to return to the Christ of Calvary, the Christ of the Finished Work, the Son of the Living God who came to reveal the perfect love of the Father.
It is time to reacquaint ourselves with what indeed is foreshadowed in the Old Covenant and revealed in light in the New Covenant as it relates to prophetic ministry.
There is a desperate need for a recovery of:
Prophetic Imagination
Prophetic Intuition
Prophetic Integration
Prophetic Initiative
I am going to systematically and carefully lay down an architectural framework for prophetic ministry during this two-day period at The Prophetic Initiative.
There will be many seasons of direct experience with the Spirit of the Lord in worship, intercession, and the expression of His heart in prophetic release.
There will be times of impartation and laying on of hands. There will be demonstrations of the Spirit and power so that your faith will rest on the power of God and not the wisdom of man.
There will be instruction regarding the keys of the Kingdom and the manifestation and operation of the charismata in full expression.
There will be opportunity for personal ministry.
There will be the teaching regarding the lost art of spiritual dialogue and its essential importance in this current hour if we are to “hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
We will talk about the significance and importance of direct experience with Christ, and the all-too-often ignored and needful aspects of how direct experience is the very root of transformation and the renewal of the mind.
I can assure you of this: I have not lifted my voice to teach on the prophetic or even have a “school of the prophets” in years because I felt impressed by the Lord to lay it down until another season.
This is that season, and I am prepared to share my heart, my life, and the insights I have gleaned from the Word of God, the processes of God I have been through, and the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life.
If you want to fall in love with Jesus all over again, and experience the experience of genuine generative power by the indwelling Christ, and the refreshing, renewing, and restorative Presence of the Holy Spirit, and the love of the Father, than join me in Orlando, on March 22nd-23rd for The Prophetic Initiative: What Wants To Emerge.
I will share key insights that are tied to where the Lord is taking His church in the next 5 to 10 years so that you can recognize His goings forth, which are from of old!
If you cannot attend in person and want to participate by way of the internet, I need you to write a letter letting me know the reason you believe I need to allow you to participate at a distance.
What wants to emerge in your life in the next decade?
Do you know what it is that is demanding your full attention from the heart of the Father?
Do you have a sense, yet need clarity of thought in order to bring it to speech?
Are you tired of the rehashing of the traditions of men and are you looking for an authentic and genuine expression of the Spirit of the Lord in this hour?
I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you for The Prophetic Initiative.
Much love in Christ,
Mark J. Chironna, MA, PhD
Dear Friend,
The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 of the Ascension-Gift ministries inaugurated by Christ when He returned to His Father’s Throne having finished the work He came to accomplish.
One of the greatest and most significant dynamics of these “gift-ministries” is that they did not exist at all prior to the Finished Work. Certainly there is a foreshadowing of them as you read through the pages of the Scriptures from Genesis to Malachi in the Old Testament. However, the shadows only give us outlines, and not the full substance of their significance. It is the difference between a shadow cast by the moon that reveals the outline of a tree, as opposed to the tree standing in the full light of the noonday sun revealing every detail of its nature and its dynamics and rich texture.
When all you can see is the shadow of a tree under the moonlight casting its image on a translucent surface, you can only but guess at what the substance of the outline actually contains. For that reason, the writer to the Book of Hebrews instructs us to understand that while Old Covenant Israel was governed in their seasons and times by the New Moon, at best what they saw was the shadow of Christ and all that it implied.
In Christ, the Son, God has spoken fully and finally because He, the Son, is the TRUE LIGHT, Who, when coming into the world, enlightens every man. The full light of Christ governs the New Covenant and we have moved from SHADOW to SUBSTANCE!
In His light, we see light!
As a result, when it comes to anything that has to do with the substance, which Paul tells us in Colossians and in other places, belongs to Christ; that applies as well to the Ascension-Gift ministries of Ephesians 4, INCLUDING THE PROPHETS!
This is vitally important because all too often there is an undue emphasis on Old Testament prophetic tradition to describe a New Testament prophet. This puts a major constraint on the ability to grasp with firmer hand the grace that comes to the New Testament Ascension-Gift ministry of the prophet, as well as the others.
We have to come to a place of accepting the fact that the Cross is the pivotal point in all of history and EVERYTHING that leads up to the CROSS changes once it passes through the Cross, including the ministry, the word, and the voice of the prophet.
We can glean many things from the types and shadows of the Old Testament regarding those God appointed to lead the people out of bondage into freedom, out of the brickyard into the Promised Land, out of Exile and back to their homeland, and all that goes with those things. However, there has to be a radical acknowledgement of the words of Christ Himself when He says, “the law and the prophets was until John (the Baptist).”
Something shifts once John the Baptist decreases and Christ increases, which by the way is one of those verses that is all too often misinterpreted and mishandled in the name of “spirituality.” “He must increase and I must decrease” is not the template for New Testament spirituality. In fact, it is the last and greatest of all the prophets of the Old Order letting us know a New Day has begun, and in Christ it is not marked by being merely servants who are in a “decreased” position, it is marked by a revelation of sonship, which puts all of those who are in Christ in a position of increase by the grace of Christ’s Finished Work!
How come all of this is so important?
We live in a day when much attention and much reproach has come upon “prophetic” ministry due to excesses, abuses, lack of accountability, and a lack of mature understanding from Scripture on the work of the New Testament prophet in light of the Finished Work and the coming of the Kingdom in Christ and the New Day of the Holy Spirit, which began on the Day of Pentecost and continues even until now.
Often the prophets of old called the people of Israel “back” to something they had wandered from. In the New Covenant, the prophets of the Ascended Christ call people “forward” to what wants to emerge in relation to the Finished Work and the Eternal Purpose of the Father, which is all about “bringing many sons to glory!”
What if the Father really did spend His anger and wrath on Christ on the Cross, and is now operating on a basis of a “covenant of peace that shall not be shaken,” as promised in the last half of the prophet Isaiah? What if it is the “kindness of God that leads to repentance” rather than the wrath, anger, and judgment of God?
What if God is begging the lost through us to “come home” and experience the fullness of redemption because Christ has reconciled us to the Father, and is not counting our transgressions against us? What if the Word of God is really true? I know it sounds like I am being satirical, however, I am endeavoring to make a point: all too often we have presented prophetic ministry from an Old Testament notion (and I say notion because a careful examination of the prophets doesn’t reveal a group of angry, judgmental, people-cursing group of individuals who delight in seeing people suffer) that the prophet is a prophet of judgment.
I have grown weary of the voices that always look for another reason why God is mad at either His people or at sinners, and is just waiting to send fire from heaven to destroy them. Is there sin? Oh yes, and indeed it leads to death, without question. It is alienation and separation from God. Yet even alienation and separation from God is only a portion of what sin and the principle of sin created. It is alienation from God, self, and others. When you look at it in its totality, it leaves the stark awareness of the abject pain and poverty of the human condition, and the desperate need for redemption, grace, and mercy.
Jesus Himself described the “day” He inaugurated when He found in the scroll of Isaiah the words, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…” Jesus goes on to describe a ministry of deliverance, healing, reconciliation, and well-being, and He closes the BOOK just prior to announcing “the day of vengeance” of the Lord.
All too often, when I hear some people speak prophetically, claiming they have the heart of God when they speak, they determine to convince their hearers that their “judgments” are “righteous judgments,” for the sake of justice and righteousness. Yet the more they talk, the more evident it seems that their goal is vengeance and not justice, and they unconsciously step over a boundary and take God’s place, Who alone says, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.”
No, the New Testament prophet has to be just that: a prophet of the New Covenant, the better covenant, enacted on better promises, and based on the Blood that speaks BETTER than the blood of Abel. The standard for New Testament prophetic ministry is the Finished Work, and the immediacy of grace and glory available to every child of God because God has shone His light in our hearts in the face of Christ, and we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being changed into His image from glory to glory!
If you really, truly want to be an effective prophetic voice for the Risen Christ, you just may have to “repent” of wanting to call fire down from heaven on all those who oppose you or perhaps oppose God. James and John were called “the sons of thunder” by Jesus for a reason: they were hot-headed and had tempers. In fact, when they wanted to call fire down on the Samaritans, they claimed Biblical precedence because in the very place where the Samaritans rejected Christ as He made His way to Calvary in the last three months of His earthly life, James and John wanted to repeat what Elijah did to his enemies in that very region and on that very site generations before, which was to call fire down from heaven and destroy the enemies of God.
Listen, James and John had Biblical precedence, Elijah had dealt with this same ethnic group and called fire down from heaven when they rejected the word and the way of Jehovah God. However, when we move from the shadow to the substance, which is all in Christ the Son, and God no longer speaks that way, rather He speaks in and through His Son, the Son says to the “sons of thunder,” “You know not what spirit you are of!” In other words, Jesus is now saying, “in light of where things have advanced in the coming of My Father’s Kingdom through Me, you are now operating under a spirit that is not the Holy Spirit, nor is it a spirit that is congruent with what I came for and what I am about!”
On March 22nd and 23rd, I am inviting a number of individuals from every tribe, race, kindred, and tongue, and generation and age group, who are truly desirous of seeing a manifestation and recovery of the power of New Testament prophetic ministry, to join me for two solid days of dialogue, teaching, and the exploration of the Scriptures regarding prophetic ministry in the 21st century.
The Spirit wants to “disclose what is to come.” That Beloved is FAR MORE than the end of the world and the judgment of the nations. As long as we are in the Day of the Spirit, and there are multiplied billions of souls in need of the Savior, there is much that can happen by way of true New Testament prophetic ministry that can serve to bring about the Eternal Purpose of the Father.
Are sinners in need of salvation in Christ? We know that answer, and it is YES.
Are there conditions to receiving the love of Christ? We know that answer as well, and it too is YES.
Is repentance no longer necessary? If you love God and believe the Scripture you know that answer as well, and it is NO.
The question we may need to rethink, however, is whether or not we “embody” what Christ came and did as the Incarnate Son. When the Word became flesh, He was moved with compassion and healed the sick, and delivered ALL who were oppressed of the devil. His miracles, signs, and wonders, which accompanied a message of radical forgiveness and an invitation to be a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven caused the masses to recognize Him as a “prophet.”
The only people Jesus got angry at were the religious leaders that misrepresented the heart of His Father. In fact, He went so far as to say that they were of their father, the devil himself. As you know that didn’t go over well, and from that point on they sought to kill Him (which is what the religious spirit always wants to do to the prophetic).
Isn’t it interesting that sinners were attracted to Him, while the Pharisees and Sadducees were appalled by Him? Isn’t is interesting that sinners were attracted to the “beauty of holiness” in Him and not repelled by holiness at all. It was the religious spirit fueled by self-righteousness that hated Him and the beauty of holiness He embodied, without a cause.
It is time to return to the Christ of Calvary, the Christ of the Finished Work, the Son of the Living God who came to reveal the perfect love of the Father.
It is time to reacquaint ourselves with what indeed is foreshadowed in the Old Covenant and revealed in light in the New Covenant as it relates to prophetic ministry.
There is a desperate need for a recovery of:
Prophetic Imagination
Prophetic Intuition
Prophetic Integration
Prophetic Initiative
I am going to systematically and carefully lay down an architectural framework for prophetic ministry during this two-day period at The Prophetic Initiative.
There will be many seasons of direct experience with the Spirit of the Lord in worship, intercession, and the expression of His heart in prophetic release.
There will be times of impartation and laying on of hands. There will be demonstrations of the Spirit and power so that your faith will rest on the power of God and not the wisdom of man.
There will be instruction regarding the keys of the Kingdom and the manifestation and operation of the charismata in full expression.
There will be opportunity for personal ministry.
There will be the teaching regarding the lost art of spiritual dialogue and its essential importance in this current hour if we are to “hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
We will talk about the significance and importance of direct experience with Christ, and the all-too-often ignored and needful aspects of how direct experience is the very root of transformation and the renewal of the mind.
I can assure you of this: I have not lifted my voice to teach on the prophetic or even have a “school of the prophets” in years because I felt impressed by the Lord to lay it down until another season.
This is that season, and I am prepared to share my heart, my life, and the insights I have gleaned from the Word of God, the processes of God I have been through, and the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life.
If you want to fall in love with Jesus all over again, and experience the experience of genuine generative power by the indwelling Christ, and the refreshing, renewing, and restorative Presence of the Holy Spirit, and the love of the Father, than join me in Orlando, on March 22nd-23rd for The Prophetic Initiative: What Wants To Emerge.
I will share key insights that are tied to where the Lord is taking His church in the next 5 to 10 years so that you can recognize His goings forth, which are from of old!
If you cannot attend in person and want to participate by way of the internet, I need you to write a letter letting me know the reason you believe I need to allow you to participate at a distance.
What wants to emerge in your life in the next decade?
Do you know what it is that is demanding your full attention from the heart of the Father?
Do you have a sense, yet need clarity of thought in order to bring it to speech?
Are you tired of the rehashing of the traditions of men and are you looking for an authentic and genuine expression of the Spirit of the Lord in this hour?
I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you for The Prophetic Initiative.
Much love in Christ,
Mark J. Chironna, MA, PhD
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