There are some things you just cannot do as king. You can’t be common or petty. Relationships determine integrity so careless ones are out. Actually, careless-anything isn’t an option—where thrones are concerned self is secondary to the realm. Kings behave as kings even before the position is granted; at any point you can spot them based on conduct. Poised.

God said David is king; I have rejected Saul from being king because he has become wise in his own eyes and has determined to do things his own way. Saul realized he was out and in un-kingly manner pursued David through the wilderness rocks and strongholds, determined to deprive him of his kingly presence. Pointless.

The problem with Saul’s logic is that a king is a king no matter what, or when. The low place difficulty does not reduce them, the height of opulent power does not woo them. A king is a king and, basically, owns it all anyway. A king is a king no matter where they are, or how they’re treated. It’s what inside–the birthright, the inheritance, not common, not profane, un-coerced. Kingly.

Amen.

In the center of destruction we find the unexpected. It’s a harvest of good things, ordained by the Lord though covered by the sheer weight of oppression and misdeeds, misinformation and absence of applied truth, creating a illegitimate impression—of loss, failure, and worst of all – where is your God now?

By the operation of the Holy Spirit we are able to dig out the center, to excavate the core. God’s Word encourages, “go to the rock from which you were hewn…” The Lord joins with us in the effort. Let no man separate what God has joined, something realized to the extent we know nothing can separate us from His love.

Any trial that separates us from Him must logically be greater than He, correct? Actually, no; only in the mind that is not renewed to God’s Word can that be true. In truth, nothing is greater than His love for us… and His determination to bring us out.

If the current weight pressing against you were legal in heaven, it would be legal to operate against you here and now. But it is not legal there, and therefore not able to succeed concerning you here. God is for you. Who can be against you?

Amen.

Joel 2:17
Isaiah 51:1-3
Romans 8:35-39
Matthew 16:19

Matthew 18:18
Romans 8:31

David was chosen by God to be king of Israel.

He had distinguished himself with ability to out-maneuver situation or opponent; facing the lion and bear alone, developing skill with staff and sling. By the time Goliath stood before him, David’s confidence was in place and the appearance of a boy concealed the heart of a man, and the judgment of a king.

Facing threat he was calculating. In the verbal exchange intimation did not bend him nor did he go with the conventional wisdom; how could he? – It didn’t fit! Saul’s armor was a joke for the good it could do young David, and it wasn’t doing Saul much good either. So the hard decision was made though for David it would be natural, and typical of his style:

Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’

The battle changed even as his words framed what would unfold. Authority spoke and destiny slipped into position. As God’s man David initiated, not waiting for the lesser to lead the greater. With his future on the line and isolated in the struggle, he invested the strength of God He had proven for the cause he valued highly.

But human passion alone did not win the day that day, though our script reads like a thriller. It was the Lord who battled and won, and his man David who delivered the blow. Without the One, would we know the other? Without David would the Lord have arrived; without the Lord would David have survived?

Amen.

I Samuel 17

I love the counsel of those who “listen in” on the Godhead the way Isaiah did, and then devote their life to what they’ve heard. Having heard, they truly have something to say and can do so with few words, though the brevity is profound. (Isaiah 6:8)

It was said of Jesus and His disciples that they spoke the way educated men would, though in fact they were considered not educated. Evidently, what they conveyed to others could not be explained in common terms—these men who had been with Jesus were uncommon. See, I love that, too!

I love the company of the disciplined and uncommon because when destiny is known and valued, elegance is the uncontrived benefit of something that comes from inside. I also think that “something” is power: the Lord’s presence is supremely powerful and His presence in us conveys as uncommon elegance—God’s strength to develop excellence in the details of our day.

We’ve trained ourselves to live this way. Now the power mantle is being passed and here’s the reward for those who are trained. The Lord stands between good men, and Satan; between two powers and two Kingdoms. The Lord is the fortress standing in our midst and His right arm is bared. He is separating evil out of the good and marking for distinction those who are on the Lord’s side.

Amen.

I believe the Lord is pointing out to each person a mandate in the Spirit. Biblically, we see there should never be a prevailing global challenge sufficient to overcome the Church if each member holds the line according to God’s equipping and placement.

As individual members of the Church, there should never be a day when we get by, squeak by, get through the day somehow, make it by the skin of our teeth, or in any way bring a report as the miserable surrounded by the miserable; we do not operate from that mindset and we do not operate primarily as part of that culture, movement or religion. We have much more.

Having understood the Lord in this, we read from Amos the Lord’s perspective: “A lion has roared… the Lord has spoken! Who can but prophesy?”

And isn’t that our mandate? – that today, each one answers up or down – yes or no – to heaven’s roar and call for righteousness; to being on His side of the debate with a response that steadies turbulence and puts things that are out of order back in order. We do what He asks us to do, prophesying—stating with authority—what He has mandated in the Spirit for us – already!

Go through the gate of praise now, before you have what you’ve asked.

Amen.

Amos 3:8
John 10:10

Some are called to stand, holding the line until others gather sufficient understanding to step up. Those who stand this way are the forerunners and they make all the difference. Strength and dignity is a way about them—with courage to lead presently and as a deposit that pays off in multiples through the many who follow after them. While standing, words from the Lord anchor and strengthen their resolve to keep going, persuaded that every word of the Lord proves true. With the example they give, we follow and realize we are moving toward destiny. The time is such that we each have much to gain by hearing clearly what the Lord is speaking and leading us to do. We are not political really; but rather we are voices who continue saying to the nation you were born for such a time as this! The baton is passing. We step into the cadence to stand—to make up the hedge and watch for those who do not know, to see to it that character now needed is precisely what steps up to take the point.

Amen.

1 Samuel 17:40-54

“To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.” (Mark 9:12-13, NIV)

Christians believe the Elijah already come is John the Baptist who came “in the spirit and power of Elijah.” Many agree the spirit of Elijah remains even now among us and that as God’s end-time people we are carriers of that same spirit and power, likened unto the voice of the two prophets, calling for the restoration of all things. In John’s ministry we hear the voice of restoration, which evil men sought to destroy. Concerning this restoration, we focus on the possibilities originally delivered to Adam and with that perspective, we declare God’s original intent rather than rehearsing man’s poor choices.

Every true restoration begins with truth and is built with integrity, not with half-truths convenient for man’s flesh to act out.  We pray all things will be restored according to the Lord’s end-time plan!

In prayer, declare:
I declare true restoration for my house and nation. I set my affections on, and focus on things above–declaring Godly inspiration for my home and for the leaders of my nation. I establish truth as the measure and invite the spirit and power of Elijah to come and reside within the borders of my authority–both my home and my nation. Amen – so be it!

Just as there are levels of belief – believing, there are also levels of prophecy; just as there are national and international voices speaking by faith to those spheres, so there is also a prophet in every home whose prophetic authority is predicated on the level of faith developed for that home.

Details of what is prophesied are not what we understand—not at first. If we prophesy according to understanding only, the resulting limitations would paralyze us; instead, we prophesy according to faith so that what is not seen becomes our possibility, and that which is seen sets the stage for fulfillment of that prophecy, for that which is being revealed.

Without faith it is impossible to please God; without faith that corresponds to the words I prophesy, what I speak is only a gathering of words, with merely natural meaning and little eternal value. Scripture explains that we prophesy 1) according to faith – according to a level of knowing, and based upon God’s Word rather than upon intellectual understanding; and 2) according to what we believe – are assured of, and have all confidence concerning. God has said, and we therefore have prophesied.

Our prophecies are expressions of faith. Faith is an expression of what is known, understanding plays critically into what is known, and the circle is drawn. Begun with prophetic declaration and moved by faith with knowledge, we arrive at understanding. The order is important.

Amen.

Romans 10:17
Romans 12:6
Joel 2:28Acts 2:17-18
Amos 3:8
Ezekiel 37:4, 9
1 Corinthians 13:9 14:1
Hebrews 11:6
Matthew 10:41

The Lord is working on your behalf in ways you do not imagine, and would not believe, were it not for the evidence of supernatural working as it unfolds and becomes obvious to all. These are times when pencil and paper will serve you well—write each day, keep a record, and make a list of every detail that could not have taken place had it not been for God’s love for you. If you do not write, tomorrow’s hardship will erase in your consciousness the benefit gained for your faith as the Lord intervened. The very same people who saw the Red Sea open, and who walked across on dry ground, forgot the miracle and went back to expecting less than the miraculous; they were captivated by the “natural” and  “seen” realm. Sad.

Listen. We live in a day where mankind is being separated along the lines of belief in the basic principles of our faith; we – you and I, our children, and grandchildren – must understand and use this key: What we face is not just evil in a human sense, but demonic in the spiritual sense; the result God has for you involves one major miracle and many smaller, supportive miracles… and most probably it will not unfold in a natural vein as one might expect The supernatural power of God is at work and you must recognize, and receive the miraculous. Otherwise, you may have to settle for only what man can contrive.

Go back. Make a list, beginning day one. Keep a log. Name names, record everything the Spirit brings to your mind. WRITE!

Amen.

Acts 12:1-17

Being dedicated to something or someone is part of the human capacity, and dedication in a religious way is not only typical of the natural man but notable in the history of man. Unfortunately, a popular application of personal dedication today derives from Greek and Roman antiquity rather than the dedication demonstrated in the life of our Lord.

As the Son of God, our Lord set Himself apart (sanctified) unto the Father and set the Father apart (hallowed) above all of creation as the Son’s only object of worship and dedication.

We should make the same distinction and teach our children accordingly; that God Almighty is not just part of the universe but as Creator is set apart (above) the Creation. A lesser god or gods, common to pagan dedication, may be part tree, part animal, part angel or part of the so-called human energy circle, but the same cannot be said of the Christian’s Lord.

As Christians, we understand dedication to be a measure of our deepest convictions and preferences. Our history is marked with demonstrations of allegiance to God and, at times, allegiance to something other than God as God, something usually of our own creation. Thankfully, we serve a merciful God. Time after time He has pardoned individual and corporate preferences for priorities that are more pagan than Christian; He has pardoned our ignorance.

Today, decisively realign your life:
Father, today with discernment I separate my life from things that are common to man, dedicating my life and passions to You, redirecting my strength for Your purposes rather than those of my own creation.

Amen.

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man . . .” (1 Corinthians 10:13, NKJV)