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WhiteDove Ministries July 2003 E-Newsletter FROM: Paul Keith & Wanda Davis Shawn Bolz Ray Hughes & Ramey Hughes Greetings friends, Generally, we do not purposely attempt to create a central theme in the preparation of our E-newsletters. Each contributing author independently prepares their message and forwards it to me to be consolidated in our present format. However, over the past several months there has been a distinguishable clarity emerging in the prophetic articles. It seems significant emphasis is being placed upon the revelatory aspects of the Holy Spirit as a genuinely prophetic generation is being prepared to engage the revelatory realm of Heaven. According to the apostle Paul, the spirit of revelation is essential to apprehend the mind of Christ and the desire of His heart for this crucial crossroad in church history. The Spirit of the Lord, according to I Corinthians 2:10, diligently searches, examines and explores the depths of God and provides divine counsel and access to the hidden things reserved in His heart that are beyond the scrutiny or natural ability of man to comprehend. Only through a spiritual impartation can these great and lofty things be distinguished. Nonetheless, we have His promise to possess eyes that see and ears that hear when we affectionately reverence Him and obey His voice. From that posture we are delegated the privilege to be His "hands and feet" linking Heaven with earth. This is part of the central message we are discovering coming from the Lord. We trust this newsletter will provide further clarity in this endeavor. In order to alleviate having to send the newsletter in a fragmented way, we have chosen to provide a link that will access the newsletter in its entirety. Rich blessings of peace and grace, Paul Keith and Wanda Davis www.WhiteDoveMinistries.org Engaging the Revelatory Realm by Paul Keith Davis When we engage the revelatory realm of Heaven, it carries us into a supernatural dimension of faith in which miracles, signs and wonders result. The healing expression of the 1940s and '50s introduced a more pronounced Kingdom ministry from the revelatory realm that opened the heavens for a season of healing and miracles unprecedented in church history. During that time, many souls came into the Kingdom and Truth was restored. On May 7, 1946 a dear man by the name of William Branham went to a secret place of prayer, deep in the woods of Indiana . This man of God had been experiencing supernatural encounters for which neither he nor his fellow ministers had a grid or base of understanding to compare. Finally, in desperation, he retreated to the secluded place, determined to discover from the Lord what these things were and their significance. According to his testimony, something supernatural occurred well into the night and deep into his heartfelt time of prayer--- A Heavenly Light entered the room in which he was praying. The supernatural light appeared as a pillar of fire and projected illumination in much the same way that a spotlight would. At that moment he heard footsteps walking toward him and eventually standing under the beam of light. One can only imagine the frightful reaction of someone alone, deep in a wooded area without electricity encountering a supernatural being walking into the room in a real and tangible way. The angelic messenger's audible salutation was similar to those we discover in the Scriptures. He said, "fear not, for I am sent from the Presence of Almighty God." As soon as Brother Branham heard this voice, he recognized it as the one who had spoken to him many times throughout his life. The messenger continued by saying that he was sent to impart a commission of divine healing to that generation. However, there was an additional and unique aspect of the commission that introduced a fresh dimension of the revelatory realm of Heaven that accompanied the tremendous healing ministry. A supernatural gift was imparted to allow this man to detect by revelation the specific illnesses, demonic oppressions and deadly diseases that oppressed the people. He was further instructed that if he walked humbly in this gift, he would, at some point, be allowed to discern the very thoughts and intents of the heart. This commissioning introduced an amplified expression of the omniscient attributes of the Lord. When the supernatural revelation was released, it carried the faith of the people above the realm of doubt and unbelief, into the realm of faith where miracles are accessed. On June 14, 1946 the first public healing meeting under this commissioning took place in St. Louis , MO. The impact and responses were immediate. The miracles began to occur on a mass scale that many writers of that day determined were unprecedented in modern church history. When the second phase of the commission was executed, the minister would stand before the people and communicate by revelation their name, illness, resident address, past events, private prayers and many other detailed secrets that no one knew except them and the Lord. Witnesses testify that this produced such tangible faith in the corporate meetings that the feeling prevailed that anything was possible in such an atmosphere of the anointing. The Implications For Our Day With something of that magnitude occurring in just the prior generation, we are compelled to ask the question--- What is the significance of this type ministry for our generation? It is our devoted belief that this form of ministry was a pioneering work of the Spirit to introduce to our generation the fashion in which the revelatory realm of Heaven can be accessed to release supernatural faith. His was a forerunner ministry. The things that occurred between 1946 and 1956 were much more than just a revival. It was the beginning of the end-time ministry that initiated the fulfillment of prophetic Scriptures pointing to this generation. Like Moses, these signs were given so that the people would believe. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. Exodus 4:8 According to the commission given to Moses, these supernatural signs have a "voice." There is a message that accompanies the signs. The message is one of restoration of the covenant people of God to a place of spiritual prominence and submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ. It was much more than a gift of the Spirit. It was the manifestation of the Person of the Word discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart. According to Hebrews 4:12-13, For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Heb 4:12-13 The Living Word discerns and peers directly into the secret corridors of our lives. All things are open and laid bare before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. When the Spirit of the Lord manifests in a tangible way, it brings forth revelation, not merely as a "word of knowledge," but the “Spirit of knowledge and revelation” flowing to the benefit of God's people. It carries the reassuring virtue that God not only knows about us individually, but cares and is willing to give expression to the understanding of His heart. The Spirit of The Lord is Upon Me The commission to be imparted to this generation is discovered in Luke 4:18. The Spirit of the Lord coming upon a consecrated and prepared body of people to release--- counsel & might; wisdom & revelation; knowledge & the reverential fear of God. THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD. Luke 4:18-19 That is the Kingdom reality that rested upon the Lord and the one that was restored in 1946. It is far more than just a ministry or the exercise of spiritual gifts. It is His Divine Presence--- The Spirit of the Lord coming upon His body to do the same works that He did while on the earth in human form. The greatest gift is to be able to step aside so that He can step in and do through us the same things that He did. That is what was introduced to us through the prior generation and the incredible demonstration of Kingdom power and authority witnessed in that day. There were a few who touched that realm as spiritual spies who introduced it to the present generation of destiny. Many of the ministers of the prior generation, who flowed in realms of power as healing evangelists, were devoted and sincere saints of God. They approached the Lord in simplicity and humility and obtained from Him the anointing needed to carry the gospel of salvation and power to an entire generation. Even so, the prior generation did not enter into the fullness of the mandate nor sustain the unveiling of the Kingdom message. If such a tragedy can happen to them, how much more to us in this day! We need the great grace of God to access and sustain the open heaven needed to fulfill the harvest generation. Like the commission given to Joshua, Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel . No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Josh 1:2 & 5 Although Joshua was anointed with the same Spirit that rested upon Moses, his ministry to the people had little similarity in its application. There was no need for Joshua to write the law. Moses already accomplished that. The Spirit that rested upon Moses and was imparted to Joshua, unveiled an additional aspect of the Lord as the Warrior who displaced the giants usurping a place in the land promised to God's covenant people. The scribe of the Kingdom brings forth from his treasure both things old and new. While we examine the prior expression of His manifested Presence, we must also remain open to the unprecedented demonstrations of the Spirit. Eye has not seen and ear has not heard nor has it yet entered into the heart of man all that will be revealed through the mind of Christ in this day. We only know that it will be tremendous and require “eyes & ears” opened to the revelatory realm of Heaven and a wholly submitted spirit, soul and body. Fireside Chat with Bob Jones by Paul Keith Davis The following prophetic experience was given to Bob on the day of Pentecost 2003. It provides a further affirmation of our need for the revelatory aspects of the Holy Spirit in order to proceed most appropriately in the days ahead. As it was with Noah, unprecedented events are before us and to be fully prepared we must obtain our strategy through the Spirit of counsel. Apart from the Lord's wisdom we simply will not be able to fully appropriate His provision for this day nor accomplish our prophetic mandate. The Vision Bob discovered himself in a great meeting with pastors, teachers, evangelists and numerous leaders of many churches. Each was bringing persuasive and fruitful messages of truth during the ministry sessions. At the conclusion of the meetings, the leaders in attendance each agreed to come together for a meal and time of fellowship. As they entered the building for the meal, a resource center was prepared adjacent to the table at which they were going to eat. On the table were many of the books, tapes and other materials from the speakers that had been effective for the season of church history just complete. However, it was apparent, a new day stood before the church and a fresh release from Heaven was greatly needed. Bob indicated he was going to get "in line" for the meal. This was actually a play on words indicating a call of the Spirit to begin to rigorously line up with the Lord’s plans, purposes and will for this day. At that place Bob further noticed on the floor a bundle of fiery red hair. This symbolism seemed to here represent divine virtue and a fiery anointing now accessible through the Holy Spirit. It is pointing to a baptism of fire and the unfolding of the Holy Spirit as a consuming fire to transform our thoughts and ways into consistency with His. Fiery words of God are coming forth through the prophetic anointing resting upon His people to proclaim the birthing of the new day and the resources of Heaven now available. A man dressed in a military uniform was standing adjacent to this place and assisted Bob in gathering the hair to be placed upon the heads of the prophets for this purpose. At the conclusion of their meal in this vision, Bob was asked to close the service with a prophetic proclamation. However, the Lord was leading him to conclude their gathering in a much different manner than they originally expected. The Holy Spirit then released a challenge stating, "there is no fault in the teachings, preaching and prophetic words presently being offered, however, there remains a measure of blindness upon the eyes of the people that must be extracted. If the blind are leading the blind then will they not all fall into the ditch?” Many loyal servants of Christ have had great difficulty fulfilling their commission and mandate because there were no spiritual eyes present to detect and unfold plots and schemes of the adversary initiated against the Lord's anointed. Many others have stepped upon spiritual “land-mines” deposited by the accuser resulting in a crippling of the walk of many leaders and their call to ministry. The land mines (land= earthly: mines= minds) are also representative of human wisdom employed as direction from Heaven. When present, this form of wisdom introduces jealousy and selfish ambition leading to every manner of evil thing culminating in spiritual division. The result promotes a form of ministry for many who attempt to do spiritual labor to fulfill a human agenda without the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This road leads to sickness, burnout and premature death. All of these devices of the adversary can be alleviated with the revelatory anointing of the Holy Spirit resting upon God's people and our obedience to it. The promises that are presently before us are conditional upon our embracing of the full resources of Heaven and the supernatural realms essential in this mandate. The admonition of the Holy Spirit is for our intercession to go before the Throne of Heaven for the reversal of Isaiah 29: 10— For the LORD has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep, He has shut your eyes, the prophets; and He has covered your heads, the seers. The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, "Please read this," he will say, "I cannot, for it is sealed." When awakened we possess illumined eyes and no longer grope in darkness or partial illumination but with clarity and purpose. The spirit of poverty will be broken when we fully embrace the prophetic anointing providing spiritually anointed eyes and ears. The joining of the Head, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, to the body provides the full anointing of eyes, ears, smell and tasting of the goodness of Heaven. When the Head comes to the body and is uncovered, it will be the fullness of this anointing present with a restoration of the things spoken by the mouth of the prophets and the unveiling of Kingdom secrets hidden in Christ. We are not going to be able to cross the Jordan without the fullness of the revelatory anointing. Spiritual eyes & ears are essential in the fulfillment of the end-time mandate. A person was not allowed to minister before the Lord in His Priesthood if they carried unhealed wounds or blindness. (Lev. 21-17-23) The prophets are representative of the "eyes" vitally necessary in the scheme of Heaven. In his experience, Bob discovered that these revelations were taking place on the fifth floor of a building which likewise contained spiritual significance. The provisions of God are on the fifth floor (grace) and the complete functioning of the fivefold ministry. The Lord is indicating His desire to move in our generation with the conditions of Heaven. It must be according to His prescribed way. We must faithfully embrace every word proceeding from the mouth of God. Any other alternative is unacceptable for the accomplishment of the commission being placed upon this generation. Obedience truly is greater than sacrifice. One of the things shown as a warning is a flattering form of honoring extended one to another rather than honoring and reverencing the Holy Spirit. Those called to a place of leadership must carry the garment of humility in order to access the fullness of our provision. The only honoring extended towards man should be in the adherence to the word of the Lord resident in them and the revelatory anointing giving expression to the Voice of Heaven. We do not give undue honor to man but we must certainly honor the Holy Spirit and His revelatory plan. WHO CAN UNDERSTAND THE THUNDER OF GOD’S POWER? By Shawn Bolz Rev 10:4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down." In a prophetic vision, I heard the voice of God saying ‘The Seven Thunders of Heaven are Speaking.’ I can feel a contending going on in the body of Christ in the western world because we are in a ‘between times’ interval before a great outpouring of the Spirit. During this season it is hard to maintain vision for what is to come without comparing it to something we have already lived through or experienced. God is about to do a new thing though, something that we have not seen. In this time, there is a great danger because the spirit of unbelief is plaguing many, including some mature Christians who have been through past moves of the Spirit of God. The enemy is trying to steal their hope and anticipation that something better is truly on the horizon. Heb 11:15-16: If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country-- a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. In this passage of Hebrews, it is clear that if we are preoccupied with the past then we will be crippled in our attempt to pursue the heavenly goal. This passage wasn’t just for those who left their past lives of sin…it was God-fearing believers who left even the good things behind in order to pursue the glory cloud of God. If we continue to look back at old days where God poured out a measure of His Spirit to us, a.k.a. past ‘glory days’--- then we could limit the coming expression of what He wants to do with us. We need to be looking ahead and pressing into the longing that God is allowing the body of Christ to feel… which is a hunger and desperation for an expression of Heaven to manifest that no eye has seen and no ear has heard. The Past Can Be an Idol Many people in the body of Christ have a hard time not living vicariously through their past ‘glory days.’ When this occurs, the past moves that we have experienced become a stumbling block that we can actually then try to feed our faith from. When we attempt to emulate the past it can block the prophetic move of God to build a container or new wineskin for something He is longing to bring that is fresh and incomparable. It is hard for our human nature not to compare current moves or even the vision for future moves to something we personally have experienced. If we are going to press on towards a heavenly goal, however, we will have to trust that God is not limited to our experience, our imagination, or our practice. He wants a people who are expecting more than a powerful re-creation of a past revival. Rather, He wants a people who will pray for Heaven to be manifest on the earth. The Past is only One Of God’s Building Tools God always uses past moves of His Spirit to build toward the future, and it is appropriate to respect and honor what His hand has accomplished. We need to understand the testimony of the church so that we can build wisely on the foundation of it. When these movements become idols, though, we begin to set our eyes on a lesser focus than on Him. Again, many believers live vicariously through their first few ‘glory years’ of Christianity, just as many church denominations and movements live through their first two to three years of history where they experienced the hand of God moving in a sovereign way. If we do not press on for more experience, more of heaven’s manifest presence, then we will be living under the judgment of the Laodiceans in Revelation chapter 3. We become lukewarm because we are only warmed by the fires of past experience, no longer having current revelation to add as new logs to the fire of our passion. Past expressions of the Spirit is only one of the many tools God uses to build His house. If we have an over-reliance individually or corporately on any one of the tools in God’s tool chest then we will grow imbalanced. The Spirit of Sentimentality Bob Jones recently saw a demonic spirit of ‘Sentimentality’ operating against the body of Christ, trying to keep our eyes fixed on what was or could have been. This will cause our focus on what God is doing to become clouded. The Spirit of Sentimentality is a spiritual force that tries to keep good Christian people engaged in their hearts to idolize “what was.” It keeps people constantly holding the past experience as a judge and weight to dictate the future. When people are focused on the ‘glory days’ of the past, then they oftentimes give them ‘legendary’ status. They forget the weaknesses and hardships and sacrifice reality for the sake of holding on to a shadow of the truth of what was. When people experience emotional pain because of changes that are taking place in this season, it is probably because of this very spirit of sentimentality that is so viciously tying emotions to familiar past experiences. Paul addressed this issue to the Philippians: Phil 3:13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it (the goal of union with Heaven). But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead Even Paul recognized the weakness of his own position in God. He had seen incredible manifestations of the Kingdom, more than most of us have ever seen, and yet He was still not satisfied or finished. He was not holding on to what God did yesterday to dictate what He will do today. When Paul made this statement he was talking to mature believers. We too have to strain for what is ahead. It is time to break the ties of our soul to the past and press into Today! Job 26:14 In 1995 I was doing a conference in Rochester, New York . I don’t say this lightly, but right before I went up to speak I had an open vision of a Hand writing on the overhead projector screen. It wrote out a scripture: Job 26:14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?" I had never before had this scripture emphasized to me. I was not familiar with it and could never have quoted it. It was completely supernatural that it was quoted exactly as it was written in the word. The Lord spoke to me right after I saw this saying, “The Church has not seen anything yet… everything that has been is the outer fringes, but I am going to pour out the Thunder of My power on a whole generation of the Earth.” If we believe we understand how God moves, then we are claiming to have seen the ‘THUNDERS’ of God which I believe no one has yet seen. I do perceive the time is coming when He will thunder on the Earth. But in order to see Him do this we have to come out of the place where we think we possess understanding that is based on past experience and sentimentality. It’s a posture of humility that depends on God’s understanding and not our own for what is to come. No matter what anyone has seen in this generation or read about in other segments of church history, including the first, it is not comparable to what the THUNDER of God is about to do in one generation. God is allowing us a personal time to open our hearts and be healed of our unbelief and idolatry of what was, and in some cases what is, so that we can press into and strain for what is to come on earth and in heaven. Beat Your Plowshares Into Swords! God is about to call forth an army that will fulfill what Joel saw and begin to take the territory for Jesus that the Father promised Him. They will manifest Heavenly dominion while still on Earth. They will plunder the earth using the resources of Heaven. Joel 3:9-14: Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, 'I am strong!' 11 Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, O LORD! 'Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat , for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow-- so great is their wickedness!' Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. It is about to be the time for those in jobs outside the church to enter into taking that which they are doing and bringing a harvest through it. It is a time when God is about to release a people to enter into the secular arena with authority and begin to move in Kingdom dominion. It is a time in the valley of decision for those who are called into the business, political, educational, or entertainment arena. Opportunities will come over the next decade to many who have influence in these areas to begin to take their secular calling and make them into weapons for the kingdom…to beat the plowshare of the entertainment industry into a sword… to make the pruning hook of politics into a spear. The Father has promised Jesus the Earth as His inheritance, and now is a fresh beginning for those who have been in the valley of decision paying a price to partner with Heaven to deliver to Jesus that which belongs to Him--- not only in the church but in all of these secular arenas. We are going to see many Christians and Christian efforts forerun this kind of authority in the years 2004-2006. 1 Cor 1:28-29: He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-- and the things that are not-- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. The Holy Spirit is going to anoint the weak broken Christians in these arenas who seem to have no authority or position but have paid a great price personally. He is going to promote them in a supernatural way with favor that will nullify things that are already established. God is Governmentally Shifting People Into Place We have to come into a higher understanding of dependence on the Holy Spirit. The Thunder of God’s power is coming and it will not just be a move to awaken the church, but it will be for the purpose of Jesus inheriting His reward through the church that is not just the four-walled building, but those in whom His presence dwells all over the world. There is a harvest coming that will have a whole generation of desperate believers with hands on a sickle, sweeping through the nations on Earth capturing over one billion souls for Jesus in one generation. This has never happened before, and it will not happen in an ordinary way or even a known way. In Galatians 4 Paul talks about us being children of promise longing for the supernatural fulfillment of our promise, not being ordinary in any way. This passage is pertinent to this very hour. We have to cleanse ourselves of the ordinary and the past, and allow ourselves to be a new wineskin for what God is about to bring. The voice of the seven thunders is being released on the Earth to bring promises to people with an end-time focus. There was a move of the prophetic in 1989-1991 that helped establish the government of the church that we are walking in today. There was prophetic power and signs in the 80’s that opened doors of opportunity for people who had been waiting on God. Just like then, there will be a move of the prophetic in the next decade that will begin to governmentally shift people into position, not only in the church, but in the secular arena as well. Prophetic voices will move in signs & wonders and prophetic words that shift the government into a right state. God will be speaking clearly to prophets about His key people, (and I am not speaking just of a ministry focus here but also in all the secular arenas), especially hidden ones that will require the revelation of seers to even identify. There will be a release of proven vessels in the prophetic that will not just be encouragement and blessings, but will actually begin to establish the government for the coming move of God. Listen… can you hear the voice of the Seven Thunders? Who can understand the THUNDER of God’s power? Shawn Bolz A Living Sacrifice by Ramey Hughes The Lord is looking for a new generation of believers with an ancient understanding of what His heart desires. He seeks those who will cheerfully offer up their spirit, soul, and body. He requires our sin while He longs for the sweet aroma of our praise. God is listening for an answer to His call to be a living sacrifice. But how do we do this in spirit and in truth? Jesus finished the work on the cross and became the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind. What is a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to Him now? Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Romans 12:1 nau). Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life (Romans 6:22 kjv). Undoubtedly, there is no sin in this world worth choosing over His presence. Anything that will bring sorrow to His heart is not even worthy of entertaining. There is certainly not any emotion or inner pain of ours that deserves to become our ultimate division from Christ, and cause our own spiritual death. Why is it so easy to live according to the law of sin and death instead of the law of the Spirit? Aside from avoiding such blatant sins as murder and stealing, there are so many of us who are still inclined to watch movies that feed our lust, listen to songs that feed our depression, and surround ourselves with people that encourage our neglect of spiritual things. Paul confessed that even he would do the very thing that he did not want to do. The enemy, even in very subtle ways, wants us to find glory in our pain and build an identity around our wrongs and sins instead of losing our identities in Christ’s victories. Why wear betrayal and pain as a badge? Why justify our jealousy or hurts instead of sacrificing them? After confessing and believing on the Lord Jesus, we then must make the transition from serving sin to serving God. Idols and Altars Through the cross we have already been crucified with Him. We were given the map and the keys to overcoming our enemies. Now we must daily walk the path and use the keys given to us through His Word to open the door of continually “being made free from sin.” When we hold anything back from Him, we are allowing those things to stand between us and our God. We are entertaining sins when we don’t immediately give them over to the Lord—this is spiritual adultery. These sins sometimes come in forms that are hard to detect. One way they often enter is in the form of being wronged by someone else, which can result in simply feeling hurt. A single hurt holds a powerful potential in a person’s life. It can soon become the platform on which many idols of sin are erected and strongholds are secured, or it can become a living sacrifice on the altar of our lives. Strongholds of rejection, betrayal, fear, and anger surely must be torn down lest they become idols that stand between us and God. However, they do not always just disappear when we choose that we do not want them around anymore. The way we tear these abominations down is to use them as an expression of sacrificial worship to the Lord. We can simply say, “Lord, I choose to give this jealousy and this rejection to You as an act of worship. I release it and will not keep anything back for myself or the enemy.” We do not want to take away from the work done on the cross but rather partake of it more fully as true “servants to God.” Everything from lust, to jealousy, to depression, and unforgiveness can be changed from a sin leading to spiritual death to an act of worship leading to “holiness and. . .everlasting life.” When we offer them up to God in sincere love and exaltation, we are acknowledging that He is God and we will put nothing before Him. Any situation, attack, emotion, hurt, or desire can be used as a demonstration of our faith, hope, and love for our Lord Jesus Christ. Whether something glorifies God by its very nature and life or by its death, all things exist to glorify the Father. When we daily choose to lay down our depression or fear and not take it in unto ourselves, we have just chosen to turn that “pet” pain or that demonic chain into a profound act of praise. This in turn releases the Lord to move on our behalf and overcome our enemies for us. This is the basis of spiritual warfare. As we exalt God by worshipping and placing Him above every circumstance, sin, idol, and stronghold, we are causing Him to arise and, “His enemies be scattered” in our lives (Psalms 68:1). This is one biblical principle that is often neglected. Temples of Flesh Amos 9:11 says that in the last days God will rebuild and resurrect the tabernacle of David. This particular tabernacle was especially pleasing to the Lord, even more than Moses’ or Solomon’s. One of the more notable things about King David’s reign was King David’s heart. He had the heart of a fierce warrior. He knew the taste of victory and defeat on the battlefield and in life. He knew where his strength was found and he always leaned on the strong arm of the Lord to overcome his enemies. David had the heart of a king and priest. He understood what it was to shepherd and protect, and he would boldly run to the Lord to intercede on behalf of his people. He had the heart of a poet and God’s creative nature flourished within Him. He also had the heart of a worshiper that spilled over with pure love for His Creator, Jehovah. He had an insatiable desperation for the living God. David established a people who offered up a musical expression of praise twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for thirty-three years. He designed nearly all of the instruments in this spectacular orchestra as well. He established authority by which God could greatly reveal Himself. He dictated strict requirements for every musician and teacher who were to minister in the tabernacle. He was dedicated to truly knowing and glorifying his God. David knew the world of a shepherd’s tent, a warrior’s tent, and a king’s palace, but he desired to “dwell in the house of the Lord” all the days of his life. David also had a sinful heart. He was wicked and deceitful. At times he was outright disobedient—but David had a hold of the heart of God. When he recognized his sins as such, he would immediately run to the rock of his salvation and sacrifice them there as an offering of praise. He did the same thing with the sins that were sinned against him. He chose to bring them always before the Lord, lay them at His feet and simply walk away. He never harbored them or took a personal offense. He let the Lord take offense to vindicate Himself. This was because David wanted to be rid of the entanglements of sin to be free to worship. This was how he worshipped—he lived his life completely before the Lord. In David’s tabernacle he offered every sin, fear, hurt, betrayal, joy, and victory unto God as a living sacrifice of praise. As God inhabited this praise, the darkness was dispelled. Who can stand against the presence of the living God? Son of David Jesus, the Son of David, came to earth, humbled Himself as a man, and became the ultimate sacrifice to prepare us as the new tabernacle of the Lord. David understood that in God’s tabernacle the Lord desired humility and a contrite spirit above sacrifice. He is the same today as He was then. There is nothing that we can do in our own righteousness to please Him. There is nothing that we can give or attain to without Him. We can only bring to Him our weaknesses. We can only lay our sins and failures at His feet in worship. All that we have that is of any value, we attained at the foot of the cross. Jesus also came to take His place on the throne of David so that He might restore the heart of David into us, His dwelling place. An angel confirmed to Mary that: “He (Jesus) will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David (Luke 1:32 ). Acts speaks of how Jesus was the consummation of Amos 9:11-15. The apostle quotes the prophesy concerning the Messiah: “. . . I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord. . .” (Acts 15:16-17). Through Jesus we may all boldly enter into the holy place and be changed into His image from glory to glory. Once salvation and redemption are received, He sets into motion the restoration of the heart of David within us—a heart after God, and a life willing to crucify its “body of sin” as a living sacrifice of worship. The Lord will take this heart and rebuild its ruins, repair it, and set it up. As this happens, our lives truly become living testimonies of Jesus. This is when the beauty of the Lord shines forth from us and the world cannot help but see, hear, fear, and trust in the Lord. The world will not be able to resist this undeniable beauty of His pleasure upon us, and they too will seek Him. Conclusion God wants to continue to restore David’s true tabernacle in this generation of believers. Through this new covenant sacrifice He wants us to experience His faithfulness, His beauty, His presence, justice, and holiness even more than David did. God is now raising up a people who are fierce in battle, humble and bold in their intercession, and who are godly leaders, full of the humility of Christ. He is releasing His Spirit of creativity for the purpose of designing innovative and outlandish ways of exalting Him. God is determined to give us His presence so that all of His enemies, within us and coming against us, will be scattered. His truth will be revealed through His people who willingly lay down their lives as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him. May there continually be a billow of praise rising to His throne as we never cease to lay our lives, and bodies of sin, on the altar of His mercy. He longs to abide in the midst of a people who offer up this sacrifice twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for the rest of their time on this earth. This is our service of praise unto Him. This is becoming a living sacrifice. Ramey Hughes

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