TRANSITION TO SHIFT

 NOTE: Below is a shorter version of a teaching the Lord gave me three years ago. Now is the time!

 

INTRODUCTION:

 

There is a shift going on in the spirit realm & it’s about to hit your life. 

 

It’s a time for new beginnings, a new season.  Prepare for and embrace the new. 

 

This won’t just be a revival; it will be a movement. 

·         The labor pains you have been in are about to cease. 

·         The missing pieces will come together. 

 

Help is coming for the transition time. Some of it is already with you. 

 

S.H.I.F.T. 

 

Seek  

 In order to be part of this shift we are going have to be “totally in”.  We will have to decide that we are going to seek God & follow Him with everything within us. 

·         And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  (Jer. 29:13) (Emphasis added)

·         We need to seek the Lord for His wisdom, His direction… 

 

Honor  

 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. (Rev. 3:8 ESV)

·         If we stay faithful to the vision, be faithful in the house of God… He will be faithful to us.  He will make a way.

·         The Lord has brought about our vindication; come, let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God. (Jer. 51:10 ESV)

·         Some have given up on the plan of God, but He hasn’t. 

·         “I have not lost sight of My plans for you the Lord says, and it is your welfare that I have in mind, not your undoing, for you too, I have a destiny and a hope.”  (Jer. 29:11 KNOX) 

 Inspire 

·         God will inspire us to keep moving forward. 

·         But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” (2 Chr. 15:7) 

·          Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.  (1Cor. 15:58)

Forward 

The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger. (Job 17:9) 

You can’t start the next chapter of your life 

 if you keep re-reading the last one. 

 

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:13,14)

 

Transition 

·         “When God moves you to a new place, you may have baggage from the last place, and the baggage doesn’t usually fit through the tunnel of transition. If you want to go to God’s “nest thing” you may have to let something go.”  --Lance Wallnau 

·         Transition is a process – it’s the space in between. 

·         Failing to make the transition when it is time for transition can be disastrous and can cause untold frustrations. God is a God of seasons, and we need to be like the sons of Issachar who understood seasons and knew what to do. See 1 Chronicles 12:32. 

·         Transition often brings new roles and responsibilities. Don’t try to be a “Lone Ranger” in the transition… Seek counsel… 

 

CONCLUSION: 

 

Are you ready for the shift?  Ready to count the cost? 

The wind is beginning to blow… Things are shifting… Are you in? 

 

Are you ready to sing as an old song says: 

‘I have decided to follow Jesus…though none go with me, still I will follow.” 

You know, that’s not just a salvation song…it’s a song of commitment! 

 

Some are known for saying, “Get ready, Get ready, Get ready!” 

The football world says: “Are you ready to rumble?” 

 

I ask, Are you ready for the SHIFT? Are you totally in? 

God is raising up a new breed… 

 

Let us be the one to be different like Caleb in the bible - 

But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. 

(Num.14:24) 

 

Come on Church, let’s move forward… 

 

 

KNOW YOUR SEASON

    Here we are in October already! Wow! I think 2023 has been one of the fastest years yet. Add to that being in a season of transition in your life and you begin to wonder what in the world is going on.

     This morning I read two quotes that really got me thinking about how much more in these days we need to trust God and have discernment with all that's going on around us. Most define discernment as knowing the difference between right and wrong. Spurgeon says, “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.”

 "The present is all I ever have. There is never a time when my life is not “this moment.” When I feel the uneasiness, anxiety, tension, stress, and worry—they are all forms of fear and are caused by too much future and not enough present. When I feel guilt, regret, resentment, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness, they are caused by me focusing too much on the past and not enough on the present. The basic problem is the attachment of my mind to the past and the future and the denial of the now. My present is the key to my freedom. I do not let my mind create an obsession with the future as an escape from the present. My life is now!" --Lou Tice

Jesus is present in your now moments. You are not alone! --Ceitci Demirkova

Here’s a few scriptures to ponder…

“But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil.”  (Heb. 5:14 NASB)

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,” (Phil. 1:9 NKJV)

“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But wrongdoers will stumble in them.” (Hosea 4:9 NASB)

Are you ready to step into the season God has for you? If so, get ready for a “shift.” I will be posting more about a transition to the shift in the next day or so.

 

Will the Real Church Please Stand Up?

For the past year I have been thinking a lot about the church in general. I have been concerned that as the church we just need to stand up for truth and be who God called us to be in order to influence those around us. While we should pray for our government I don't think our focus is to get so involved fighting the government that we forget what we're here for.

One thought that keeps surfacing and was especially strong recently as I was reading the book of 1 Thessalonians is this: As the apostles went forth ministering the gospel in various communities, people received the good news of the Gospel, which is what the word gospel means. It means “good news.”

 But it didn't stop with preaching the gospel, discipleship followed. Look at the following command from Jesus that we in the church are to obey.

  Matthew 28:18-20

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Emphasis mine)

 Hmmm, so the command wasn't to see how flashy the service could be designed or how flamboyant a minister can be, it was simply to preach the gospel and make disciples.

Throughout the New Testament (NT) one of the main teachings that was emphasized was the return of Jesus Christ. Jesus wasn't just some celebrity preacher. He was the son of God who died for us and gave a promise that He would one day return for us. The NT disciples believed that. Yes, Jesus did miracles along his journey. But the one thing that impacted people was the love and acceptance Jesus extended to them. Yes, there was both truth and grace as He ministered. He was sensitive to what each individual needed for them to be free. The subject of ministering in truth and grace is a whole separate teaching which we won't go into at this time. Back to my earlier statement, the focus was on preparing ourselves and others for the return of Jesus. Look at this verse -

1 Thess. 4:16-18

 ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words. (Emphasis mine)

While Jesus was on earth and after he was taken up, the focus of the believers was always on Him. Their hope was in the promise of His return. Look what happens after the Apostle Peter preaches a fired-up message about Jesus where 3,000 people make Jesus their Lord. The apostles and other believers didn’t simply rave about what had just happened or ramble about Peter being a superstar Christian, they followed up with discipleship. They didn’t try creating sensationalism, a doctrine or movement out of that event. They recognized it was a supernatural move of God which turned out to be the birth of the Church.

OK, put on your steel toed shoes for a moment. Peter after that great revival didn't change his image to quote look the part he just continued to minister on a day-to-day basis as did all the other apostles and believers. Where did we get the idea that we have to market the Holy Spiri.? OK enough on that let me move on.

Let’s take a brief look at the New Testament Church.

ACTS 2:40-43, 46,47

⁴⁰ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” ⁴¹ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. ⁴² And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. ⁴³ Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles… ⁴⁶ So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

 Those of you who have known me for a long time know that my word is the word “balance.” We read in the passage above about many being saved and baptized and continuing to be taught and discipled on a regular basis. In verse 43 it talks about signs and wonders being done among them. I believe in signs and wonders. I believe that miracles are for today. And they have their place. However, that is not to be the emphasis of our gatherings, it is a byproduct of being a part of the Kingdom of God. In the book of First Corinthians chapter 12 it talks about how the Holy Spirit offers those gifts as He wills. It's not something that we decide. But what we can choose is… Here I come with my balance statement; We can choose to make disciples of people as they come to Jesus. We can choose to love people, to give them hope beyond where they are, to give them Good News.

 Where will the people come from who become believers and need discipleship? They will come to our services when corporately or individually we have been a part of the community showing them the love of Jesus. When we show that we accept them as they are, and that there is hope beyond where they are, tell them transformation is possible. It appears to me that the church at large has lost our sense of awe of Jesus… no longer have a burden for the lost. We got comfortable. We got distracted and deceived with popularity, celebrity preachers, sensationalism, the list goes on.

 Putting this all together…

 Recently I have been thinking about how we all have concerns as to what our gifting is and how we can serve in the body of Christ.  While I may not be the best out there, I do know that my calling is to teach, disciple and counsel people through the ministry of teaching, discipleship, and writing. Lately I find myself being so burdened with the need, to reach people in the community, to see them become born-again, then walk them through the process of discipleship. I'm not sure how the Lord will put this all together, but I am preparing for that moment now.

 In closing, I am aware of a few churches that are clearly following the NT church model. But, the question remains; From the Pulpit to the Pew, what are we really living for? What are really emphasizing in our churches? How many disciples have we made who in turn have discipled others?  How many people are excited about attending their church? They're there early, they're excited about what the church has to offer versus just going to get full of more information. This summer at a revival service I heard the preacher say, “Is your church full on Sunday morning? If not, why not?” Ouch!

 Brothers and sisters let's move forward empowered by the Holy Spirit to be the servant leaders we are called to be. My sharing here is not to condemn anyone but to challenge all of us to be who Jesus has called us to be. The world needs us now more than ever!  May each of you be blessed in all your endeavors to sincerely further the Kingdom of God!

 

HOPE HAS A NAME

      I hope I can briefly yet clearly convey what I want to share here. You might not know much about my life journey, especially the past 4 years. We all go through challenges in life. My goal is not to focus on me but on the amazing power of hope that God puts into each of our lives.

     In our journey with Jesus, we know that when we’re first, born-again, He often takes us on a healing journey where He deals with most of the “biggies” in areas of woundedness we’ve experienced. Reality is that even after what I call the “Primary Healings”, there will be times of trial later in our journey with Jesus when we realize, “Oh yeah, I am healing in this area also.” That moment often encourages us to keep pressing forward. – “I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” (Phil. 3:12b)

     Recently, I experienced one of those “oh yeah” moments. I went through several years where the enemy (Satan) worked through people and circumstances in attempt to steal my identity, sanity, calling, vision, respect and hope. If it weren’t for the grace of God and remembering all He has done for me through the years, I would have given up. In 2020 God started me on another healing journey. It was quite a roller coaster ride.

     As mentioned above, at first, He dealt with the “biggies” doing a very deep work in my soul. He has brought me so far. All praise to Lord for the power of restoration by His Spirit. Again, after the “biggies” came some “Oh yeah” moments. The most recent one is what I want to share here.

     It would take too much space to share all the details at this time. Simply put, through my pastor, church leaders and members of my church those things that the devil once tried to steal are being restored. Once again, I am remembering who I am in Him, holding on to the promises, vision and love Jesus has for me. One of my “key words” for this year is “Hope.”  As long as we have hope, we will eventually see restoration in our lives.

     In closing, am I perfect? Not even close.  I said all of the above to simply encourage you to never give up on hope. There is hope beyond where you are! Hope has a name – JESUS. 

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

(Romans 15:13)

READY FOR A CHALLENGE?

 Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how the media rules everything right now. And, how it's also been interesting how many Christian movies have come out. I think that shows that people are looking for something different. They’re hungry for hope.

The movie “Jesus Revolution” stoked the fire in me to “really” reach people for Jesus.

 A little over 2 years ago the Lord moved me to Taylorsville with a burden and a vision to reach this area. It has been an uphill climb.

Then today I watched a very convicting movie. Yes, there were parts of it that were tough to get through because of the conviction. But it fanned the flame of fire ignited by the Jesus Revolution movie. Ultimately the fire is lit by the Spirit of God in me to do something.

 I am going to be praying that God will show me a strategic plan of what to do to reach people locally with the gospel.  Yes, I will still be working to launch Free Indeed RM. But until it is launched there must be something else that God wants me to do first before Free Indeed is launched. I want to be open and obedient. Maybe help awaken Christians first so there will be people available to help with an outreach of some sort, people ready to share the Gospel without fear?

Through the years there’s been all kinds of “challenges” on Facebook. Some of them very disturbing.

Here is my challenge:

Watch the movie called “Power of the Air.”  No, it’s not a true story but it has a true message in it. Yes, it will be uncomfortable at times, even seem fanatical at times.  But the ending is powerful. After watching it, pray and ask God to stir a fire in you to be more bold for Him than you’ve ever been. Watch the Jesus Revolution movie also if you so desire.

Friends, time is short! First we must make sure we are truly living for God, then we must reach as many as we can with the Gospel. The word Gospel means “good news.” People are looking not only for good news, but for hope. That hope can only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

If you take the challenge or have questions feel free to PM me or contact me by email. If you’re interested, as soon as I know a date and some details, to start planning, I will inform you.

 

YOUR LIFE HAS WORTH

      The last week I received a phone call that was quite heartbreaking. I was told about a young man that I knew who struggled to get silent in his walk with Jesus. They finally gave in to the struggle and committed suicide two weeks ago. Another time in 2019  received a phone call from a woman who in the past couple of months her family had experienced the deaths of two relatives from suicide. And a third relative attempted suicide.  Receiving the most recent call reminded me of times when others and I have had to battle the lies about suicide. According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2016 suicide took the lives of nearly 45,000 people. All that said, I would just like to encourage you once again that there is hope beyond where you are.

     There were several people in the bible that battled depression, fear & being suicidal for one reason or another. King Saul, King David, Elijah, Jeremiah and Judas; just to mention a few. Let’s look at a few examples from the life of King David. In Psalm 38:6-8 “I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long…I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.” Sound familiar? Depression, fear, suicidal thoughts, etc. all begin in the mind. The mind is the battlefield that the devil uses to bring us to a point of despair, defeat, and the desire to give up on life. The fact of the matter is that none of those negative thoughts are true. The Word of God is true.

     In many of the Psalms you find David going through depression and other negative emotions. Depression, self-condemnation, etc. are usually rooted in guilt. We feel so badly about our life that we begin to isolate ourselves from others. Isolation is a major tool that the devil uses against us. If he can get us alone and keep bombarding our minds with his lies that we’re no good, useless, or no one cares… The list of lies goes on.

     Back to King David. In many of the Psalms you will find that David starts off with despairing thoughts but by the time you get to the end of the Psalm he ends on a happy note. Why is this? We find the answer in 1 Samuel 30: 6 – “Now David was greatly distressed…But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” God is the ONLY one who can help us and deliver us of our hopelessness. Allow me to share just a few points from the bible that may be helpful to you.

God Has a Good Plan For Your Life. ¹¹ “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

¹² Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” )Jeremiah 29:11-12)   God has a specific plan in mind for everyone, but we won’t know that plan unless we ask him. God's plan for you is life, not death. The Bible teaches that both physical and spiritual deaths are the result of our sin and disobedience to God, but eternal life is a gift to those who receive it. (See Romans 3:23) Repentance is the first step in moving forward.

Death And Destruction Are the Work Of The Devil.  “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “ (John 10:10)

     In this scripture Jesus refers to the devil as a thief. That’s what he is! All that Satan wants to do is steal from our families, and us. He does it by filling our minds with his lies so that we will become discouraged and give up.

The Giving and Taking Of Life Belong To God. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

I won’t dwell on this point because I want to focus on some positives in closing. Simply put, it is never our place to take our own life or someone else's life.

     If suicide is not the answer, then what is?

Hope in the Lord “Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.” (Psalm 33:20)

     We must put our hope in the Lord, not in other people, not in our job, not in ourselves. Our hope should be in the Lord Jesus Christ only.  The solution to hopelessness is not suicide, but faith in God.

Tell Someone “¹² Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, ¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.” ( Hebrews 12:12-13)

     Tell your pastor or youth minister, your parents, a close relative, your teacher or school counselor, about the struggles you are facing and that suicide is in your thoughts. You can’t get help if the need isn’t made known.

     Lastly, but most importantly…

Accept Christ's Free Gift Of Eternal Life and Salvation “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

     If you call out to Jesus, He will answer you! But He’s waiting for you; he will not force himself upon you.  Look at what John 1:12 says; “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”  Once you accept Christ, God gives us a brand-new life and helps you learn to walk a holy life. Allow me to close with one of my favorite scriptures… “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. “  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

     We are here for you. You are not alone!