New Blog

Hello all.  I know it has been quite some time since I have posted here.  If you still receive notifications when I post, I invite you to visit my new blog at http://stevenpauljohnson.wordpress.com.  This blog has served me well for a few years but in my efforts to write and publish, it has become more important for me to have a blog with my name on it.  Unless I change my name to ProphecyNotes, I should probably just start over.  Please visit the new blog with the new format and follow me.  Thanks for keeping track of me!

Check Out My New Book!

It has been a long time since I have last posted.  I've been writing and finalizing my first book: Digging Through - A Guide to Biblical Discovery.  God has really uploaded a lot of good stuff to me through this experience, and I hope you will read it and be blessed by it!

It's now available on Kindle as well.  If you like it, please give me a review on one of the sites!  Thanks all and blessings!

Steve

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Life Isn't Fair - Fortunately

Exo 12:41-42 ESV
(41) At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

(42) It was a night of watching by the LORD, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the LORD by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.

Mat 26:38 ESV
(38) Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me."

Mat 26:41 ESV
(41) Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Jesus stayed up and watched… but it did Him no good. He was not delivered. The death angel did not pass Him by.

Those who slept… they were delivered. We should probably never mention the word ‘fair’ to Jesus as we go down our complaint list.

Kingdom Responsibility

The Kingdom of Heaven was exemplified in the Garden of Eden. Adam's job was to maintain the garden and have dominion over all of it. But Adam was also commanded to have children. Pretty soon... that garden was going to get crowded. That's because the intent of God was that the garden would fill the earth. In the book of Numbers, God told Moses:

Num 14:21 MKJV
(21) But truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah.

Know that this was the plan from the very first. God will fill the earth with His glory. How? Through the spreading of His Kingdom.

Our goal as Kingdom subjects - kings, heirs, brothers, children, are to be expansionistic. Adam was commanded to go forth and multiply. What were we commanded?

Mar 16:15 MKJV
(15) And He said to them, Go into all the world, proclaim the gospel to all the creation.

Expand! In order to expand, you have to possess where you are now. Start small. Joshua said, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." As you know, Joshua was responsible for leading a nation into new territory - the Promised Land. But he 'started' in his own house. God's instruction to him was first to possess and occupy, and expand with growth. For that reason, God did not give Israel the entirety of the land all at once, but allowed enemies to possess it until Joshua was ready to take possession.

This is the parable of the talents. In Matthew 25, we see on man given 5 talents of gold, one 2, and one 1, each according to their ability. The man with 5 made 5 more. The man with 2 made 2 more, but the man with 1 buried it in order to preserve it. This is illegal in the Kingdom. The Kingdom is expansionistic - remember!

The weight of making a statement - "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" is not light. If you are the leader of your home and you can't start spreading the Kingdom there, then you are burying your talent.

Whatever the Age to Come looks like, it will not be static. It will resemble in some form the Garden, where the goal is to push the boundary out.

Isa 9:7 MKJV
(7) There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will do this.

Heavenly Growth

Like most Christians, I have pondered the mysteries of Heaven and what it means to live there. Most of us have heard stories of people who have visited Heaven. While some may not be credible, it would be be unwise based on scripture to totally discount the testimonies of those who claimed to make a heavenly visit and return to tell of it. In nearly every one of these accounts, there are children in Heaven - doing what kids do. This is certainly one of the mysteries I'm talking about. If Heaven is outside of time, then what constitutes growth in Heaven?

I believe the Spirit has given me the answer to this one. It is the very same thing that facilitates spiritual growth here, and it has nothing to do with time. It has everything to do with investment from spiritual fathers and mothers.

Am I saying that there is a lack of spiritual nourishment in Heaven? No, naturally not. But at the same time, while time here on earth creates physical growth (whether we like it or not), God in His infinite kindness and wisdom might choose to preserve the honor for a child in His realm to be raised by the child's parents who may not yet be present. Conjecture... yes... but comforting at the same time. Nevertheless, it is easy to see why we have so many spiritual infants here on earth who biologically are in their late adult years. It isn't a matter of time or physical maturity - it's a matter of spiritual parenting and submission on our part, as children.

On the Warpath

The season has not been a dry season. That's what I call it when I cannot figure out what to write - a dry season. I've been focusing on my book - which I do hope to complete soon. We are also about to begin the Adullam School for Warriors, which is leading me down some different paths of thought. What does it mean to be a 'warrior' in the Kingdom?

Yes we know the verses of Ephesians 6:12 and 2 Corinthians 10:4 - the enemy we fight is spiritual. But there is something else. There is also the precept of casting stumbling blocks before others (1 Cor 8:9). I think that is a fairly easy concept: do not do anything that might create a reason for others to question God's goodness or that might lead them down a path of spiritual compromise. Where it gets difficult is when you tackle the tendency to throw stumbling blocks in front of yourself.

We do it all the time. In the battle against our own fleshly tendencies, we set ourselves up to fail - on purpose. If our battle is gluttony, why do we find ourselves at the all-you-can-eat restaurant? If the war is against lust, how is it that we have every adult cable channel available in our cable subscription? For some, the conflict is against isolation - and yet every effort is made to remain alone.

What can you war against today? It probably isn't against the principality controlling hurricane Irene, or the dark forces embedded in government positions. Most-likely, it's the demonic tendencies we embrace that keep us feeling powerless, weak, and condemned. Battle these, first. When they are beaten, then we look for a bigger giant.

Darkness - Not Always an Enemy

Are you going through a dark time? Take comfort - it will not always be this way. Life is about seasons. Seasons of darkness can be very painful and otherwise unpleasant. But realize that God has a plan for you to prosper 'while' you are traveling through.

Isa 45:3 MKJV
(3) And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I am Jehovah, who calls you by your name, the God of Israel.

Darkness is where treasures lay. Gold and diamonds are rarely found laying out in broad daylight. To obtain that which really has value, you have to be willing to brave the dark places. If you have been curled up in the fetal position waiting for the dawn, I would encourage you to straighten up, grab a lamp and a shovel, and make the most of where you are. For me personally, I am still living off the interest of the treasures I found in the darkest times of my life.

Where We Are Heading

If a foreigner were to land in America today for the first time, he or she might discover that we love sports. We love American Idol and we talk a lot about politics. Our world is largely work, sports, and recreation with an emphasis on sports and recreation especially when the weekend rolls around. For some, church plays a part, but to the casual observer Sunday morning looks just like Saturday morning. Most cars are still parked in the driveway and the sound of lawn mowers are heard everywhere.

In other nations it is much the same. In the third world, it's a struggle to survive every day for many. No day stands out. Holidays are non-existent. Dictatorships impose a type of king-worship that is strictly enforced. If you want an interesting read, check out what the internet has to say about life in North Korea.

When our traveler lands in China, or Russia, or Brazil, or New Zealand, or you fill in the blank, how much time will elapse before they hear the name of Jesus, and before they realize that He is the King?

There comes a time - and it will be soon - when everything will revolve around the name of Jesus. All commerce will be done in His name. All trips will be planned around His festivals. All Sabbaths will be celebrated to honor Him, and sports will only be done to exalt Him. All talent contests will serve not to reveal our skills and make us famous, but to glorify the One who gifted us. All promotions we earn will be for the sole purpose of throwing our new crown at His feet. There will not be a news cast given that will not mention Him. There will not be a weather forecast broadcast that will not acknowledge the One who gives rain, sunshine, or snow. The issues we have today may or may not exist, but instead of bickering over drilling for oil, or not, we will bring it first before the One who knows why He created oil, and for the purposes it should be used. All things will be done with Him in mind, and for His glory, and for the expanse of His Kingdom which will never stop expanding. Every first fruit will be brought into the King's house - for His table. Every first pressing of the olive will be His. Every fine vintage of wine will His servants carry. Yes - it will ALL be about Him. And I am His son...

The Heat Increases

There is a lot of nervousness in the world today. Uncertainty is a word that is used often. People strive to protect investments, retirements... you know, all the stuff that the Bible says not to worry about. The heat is increasing. How come?

For one, the end of the age is drawing near. We were given signs to watch for, and these are obviously transpiring in our days. But there is another reason that the pressure must be increased. It is so that those who are unaffected by it might stand out. The writer of Hebrews says that everything must be shaken in order to reveal that which cannot be shaken. That 'should' be us, Church.

God is not waiting on evil to hit a number on the evil scale. That is not taught in scripture about our day. Rather, God waits on a bride to prepare herself (Rev 19). The day which Jesus appears for His Bride will be just like the days of Noah, where God was not waiting on a fulfillment of evil, but a boat to be constructed. Are we pressing the Kingdom, or waiting for the sky to fall?

Miracles - Tools of the Kingdom

Mar 1:16-17 MKJV
(16) And walking along beside the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
(17) And Jesus said to them, Come after Me and I will make you fishers of men.

Jesus said these words immediately after He was baptized by John, and then came out of the desert from being tempted by Satan. Luke records that when Jesus left the desert, He "returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee". It is good to notice the sequence of events. First Jesus hears what His Father says when the dove descends: You are MY Son. Next, that word is tested by Satan: IF you are the Son of God... And finally, Jesus emerges from all of this IN POWER. No, Jesus did not have this kind of power as a boy who sat in the Temple. But now... He did.

And then Jesus walks along the shores of the sea calling His disciples. Why do you suppose He didn't just walk out to them (if they were in the boat) or approach them from the water? I would think recruiting teenage boys might have been much easier had Jesus just skipped on out to the boats and said, "Hey guys, do you want to be like me?"

He walked along beside the sea of Galilee. God established rules on earth. Rules such as gravity, weather patterns, harvest cycles, sowing and reaping - were rules that Jesus did not come to shatter just for the sake of being "one who could". Miracles are tools of the Kingdom to be used only when LIFE can be imposed where before death had a grip. Yes, it's all about life. It's not even about good or bad... it's about LIFE. If there is any question about this, refer to the garden of Eden, where there were multiple trees to choose from. Don't try to figure out good and bad - just eat from the tree of life! Joshua said... choose life! Life comes from seed.

This raises a question. When Jesus did walk on the water, how was He imposing life? You could ask this to the disciples who at that time were in a vice of terror over that storm. Remember, not all of the disciples were fishermen. Some were accountants and politicians. What they learned from that miracle was that the One in which they had placed their faith was capable - even above the power of death and the abyss. There were seeds sown during that episode that bloomed into every sign and wonder that those young men performed later. Life!

Revolution

This word was given by Napoleon Dezaldivar on November 14, 2007.

My favorite word...
Revolution

Just stop and feel the heat on that word for a second.

You are part of a revolution. A revolution that causes disruption. And you guys are the great disrupters :).
There is an explosion that is happening in the earth to where small hidden community churches are seeing healings, signs, and wonders come to life. Diseases are confronted and eliminated.

There is a revolution that is to lead a a reformation. There is to be a reordering of things that comes as a result from this revolution.

Do you want a revolution?

To have a revolution, you have to be willing to overthrow a government. You have to be willing to overthrow a social order. One that has become normal and comfortable, and established.
The goal is that we lead to a reformation. There is not an elimination of an institution but a reordering, a restructuring of what we have known as church and what we have known about Christianity. The whole point is to see daily life in the church become different. Change must come. We can't just dress up our everyday cows(its more than just changing our brochures and re-doing our buildings).
Men and women must come into their destiny in Jesus.

We need radical, cultural experiences. Everyone must be free, from adults to babies.
Everyone must be empowered. The freedom of heaven's government must be employed in the workplace and marketplace. We don't have control over people, we don't need control over people.

If we preach power, freedom, joy, and life and don't provide it, then we just sound ridiculous.

Our relationship with the Lord is more than just praying a prayer and "working out our salvation." Jesus said, "it is finished!" We now have instant access to the kingdom of heaven. Our relationship is now restored to now where we can approach the throne of grace and mercy.
God's will is not for us to provide good arguments in defense of the Word, but to live a life of freedom in this world. Practice the presence of God where ever you are at and you will bring freedom into the environment.

Freedom, Love, and Power works everywhere.

revolution, reformation, freedom

-napo

Spiritual Leprosy

2Ki 5:1 MKJV
(1) And Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and exalted man with his master, because Jehovah had given deliverance to Syria by him. He was also a mighty man, but a leper.

The King James Version says Naaman was a mighty man of valor, but a leper. To be mighty, or valorous, is to have great strength of will, resource, and fortitude. Naaman was a physical force to be reckoned with. But he had a problem. He had leprosy. Leprosy was a degenerative skin disease of which there was no cure. Naaman, though strong, was rotting away.

There are many spiritual giants that walk among us. They have great strength and resource. They are gifted and wealthy in ability, but they have this one hinderance. They are lepers. A spiritual leper is one who has open wounds. These wounds never seem to heal, and as sure as one finally appears to be healing, another opens. They are infectious. They tend to be bitter and carry unforgiveness and are often driven by these. Anyone who is around this type very much realizes that they, too, are beginning to feel wounds of the past. Leprosy is contagious!

What we know of Naaman, beyond his might, was that he was short-tempered and had a decided impression of how others should treat him. He was upset that Elisha sent his servant with instructions to wash in the Jordan river. Naaman had a chip on his shoulder, as most with leprosy do. Spiritual lepers tend to be angry people.

In the end, Naaman followed the advice of Elisha and was cleansed. His cure was to humble himself to the instruction of someone who did not even show him the respect he thought he deserved. He humbled himself to the advice of his own servant girl, as well. The cure for spiritual leprosy is humility. Place yourself in under the submission of a spiritual elder.



If you can identify someone with spiritual leprosy, the best thing you can do is to serve them as the servant girl did. She guided him to a place of spiritual authority where he had a decision to make. It was her love for her master that 'cleansed the leper'.

Honor

From Stan Tyra

Honor is almost extinct in the day we live. Recently as I watched a little of the Royal wedding, I began to think what a waste of time and money. In my heart I was being cynical about the entire extravaganza. At that moment the Lord spoke to me and said, “Your culture no longer values honor”. It really caught me off guard. As I contemplated that word, I realized how true it was. Most of our culture is based upon dishonor. Most news programs and talk radio is mostly about dishonoring someone else. We have come to the place where we actually honor dishonor. The Bible is very clear about the importance of honor. In the NKJ the word honor is used 178 times. We are called to honor all people not just the ones we agree with. The Bible says, “give honor to whom honor is due”.

I want to see honor restored to the sons and daughters of God. I want the church to be a community of honor that creates a culture of honor. Honor is not merely being nice to one another. Has to do with value. Honor is showing value to another. Honor elevates the status of others. If you give honor, you will receive honor.

Honor carries with it great rewards. Honor is the key to either full or partial reward.

Honor is the essential key to receiving from God.

Honor or dishonor can be displayed in thought, deed or word, but all honor originates in the heart.

A Thought About Glory

A king had two sons: a wise son and a wicked son. When people encountered the wicked son, he would abuse them and carry on in a manner unbefitting the prince. People would remark, "Is this how the king raises his son? Is this the kind of man the king is?" Yet when people encountered the wise son, he would treat them courteously and provide them all manner of service as befits a prince among his people. Then they would say, "What a fine king we have over us who has raised such a fine son. Truly he is worthy of his throne."

Your Response is Requested

In the Kingdom, your success is measured by your response. Jesus told multiple parables to demonstrate this. One was about a sower who threw seed onto all types of ground. Some ground responded and produced greatly. Other ground rejected the seed and nothing grew at all.

In another parable, a master gave his servants a sum of money to steward for him. The man who took risks in order to increase the money was not only successful, but he was given more. The man who was afraid and buried the money ended up with only what he was given... and 'that' was taken away (and given to the man who had much).

Mat 13:12 MKJV
(12) For whoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance. But whoever does not have, from him shall be taken away even that which he has.

This is not a popular view in our present society. The oval office believes that he who has much should have much taken away and given to those who do not have much. If you want to walk in a level of success beyond what that office would dictate, ignore that viewpoint. When you walk in the Kingdom and operate - truly operate - within its laws, then it matters not what sort of legislation comes against you through worldly systems.

In the Kingdom, risk is rewarded. No risk not only gets you nothing... it gets you stripped naked of what you do have. You only get to keep what you give away. He who clings to his own life in order to save it - will lose it. What is your response?

Very Basic Anatomy

In the Church, we throw around the word 'body' quite often. That's because we are 'the Body' of Christ here on earth, but what does it mean to be a part of a body?

Our body is made up of a trillion little tiny cells. They are constantly dying and being created. While a cell is living and productive, it constantly gives and receives. If the cell does more giving than receiving, its life if shortened. If it only receives and never gives, it is equally as unhealthy. In order for a cell to be healthy, it must give and receive. It MUST!

Note, cells that only destroy and tear down other healthy cells are cancerous. But, beware cancer cells! A healthy body will eradicate you!

Not all cells are designated to the same tasks and purposes. Not all cells are 'supposed' to communicate with all other cells. I do hope we can see the church application in all of this. And then we have the cross-shaped protein, laminin, that holds everything together (see Tomlin's "How Great Is Our God" DVD).

Shaking The Dust Off

Mar 6:11 MKJV
(11) And whoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them.

What a confusing custom! I've read this verse many times, but today, I 'landed' on it. Does that happen to you? For some reason, all of a sudden I'm suspicious of a verse. It screams of mysterious significance. My first inclination was to start Googling the verse in attempt to find some rabbinic explanation. I really found nothing. The closest I got was 'some rabbis suggest...', or 'apparently this meant...'.

First of all, the Jews used to shake the dust off of their sandals when leaving gentile lands. From that, the custom morphed. Jesus told His followers to do it when they (and their message) were not received by a city.

Praying should always be our first resource. I am still learning that.

Dust is humanity. Man was made of dust. More exactly, dust represents a nation of children of faith (Gen 13:16).

Old Testament prophets were warned that to neglect delivering God's word to a people would result in having the blood of that people upon the prophet's head. But if the word was delivered - whether it was received or not - there would be no guilt on the head of the prophet (Ezekiel 33:6). To shake the dust off one's sandals means that the message has been delivered, and that the messenger does not 'carry' the burden of the people. If the dust of a city resides upon the shoes of the messenger, there is still work to do for that messenger because he still carries the burden of that city.

Shaking the dust off today is very much a stewardship issue. We are given so much time and resource for use in Kingdom work. The Holy Spirit guides us in how much time to spend on a certain person or group before we move on to someone who is receptive. The problem arises when we - in our impatient or judgmental humanity - decide to shake the dust off our sandals when God has not given up yet. We cannot be like Jonah, ministering with a very short (or non-existent) fuse.

Spiritual Wisdom for Today

From Rick Joyner:

Here’s a principle to consider—the Lord would usually rather us grow in faith and in wisdom than to need prophetic revelation for every thing we do. If He had to send us an angel to tell us specifically to move somewhere, it may not have had anything to do with the importance of our move as much as it did with the dullness of our hearing. If it takes another angel to get us to move from there when our time is up, it could be because we’re still dull.

If we are wise, we will guard against thinking that because He did something one way, or spoke to us in a certain way, that we can expect the same again. I think we would be much better off to understand that “He is new every morning” (see Lamentations 3:23). This does not mean that He ever changes, but that there is so much more to Him that we cannot reduce Him down to our own narrow-minded concepts. In a relationship when we become too set in our ways, it will become boring and lukewarm. Our God is so awesome that those who stay close to Him will never be bored!

The Snake Loses

1 Samuel 17:4-5 MKJV
(4) And a champion named Goliath came out of the Philistines camp; he was from Gath. His height was six cubits and a span.
(5) And a bronze helmet was on his head, and he was armed with scaled armor. And the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.

Most Christians learn the story of Goliath in Sunday school. There are some very profound things to note about the description of Goliath, particularly the 6's that describe various parts of his equipment. I would like to point out his armor. It was scale armor. This devil-man was armed like a serpent.

Genesis 3:15 MKJV
(15) And I will put enmity between you (serpent) and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.

The Seed of the woman is Jesus, our Rock. He was polished smooth in the stream of the Holy Spirit. We are His brothers, still waiting in the pouch for our chance to fell the next giant.

Perilous Times

2Ti 3:1 KJV
(1) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

When we think of the last days, we think of perilous times. Do you know what I think of? Earthquakes, famines, diseases, all sorts of disasters which would qualify as 'apocalyptic'. Do you want to know what God says about perilous times?

2Ti 3:2-5 MKJV
(2) For men will be self-lovers, money-lovers, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
(3) without natural affection, unyielding, false accusers, without self-control, savage, despisers of good,
(4) traitors, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
(5) having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it; even turn away from these.

The hearts of men define our times as being perilous. Of all the adjectives that describe these men listed above, look at the last two. They have a form of godliness, but deny that what they possess has any power.

I spent the weekend with 80+ gentlemen last week who, for many, learned that they could possess God Himself. They learned that a powerless life was an option, not a law, and that a life of power was also an option. Again, the heart is the key. A good description of heaven on earth would be this:

(2) For men will be lovers, humble, reverent, obedient to parents, thankful, holy,
(3) with natural affection, yielding, honest, temperate, civil, lovers of good,
(4) loyal, careful, approachable, lovers of God,
(5) demonstrators of Godliness, embracing His power;