One day, a post on my Facebook feed caught my attention. It had a picture of a gay-affirming church at a Gay Pride parade holding up a banner with written letters for all the gay community to see: “God is PROUD of you.”

People posted passionate comments on that thread throughout the day. Here are some of the comments:

“These people call themselves a church, but while they think they are being loving, they are actually expressing hate. Their demonstration of ‘love’ and ‘acceptance’ is an encouragement for sinners to remain under God’s wrath. That is not God’s ‘love.'”

“Are you saying people with a different orientation are not deserving of God’s love?”

“How could you possibly read that into what he is saying? God’s love sent His Son to us to save us from our sins. Love doesn’t affirm us in our sins. We all have an orientation towards sinful behavior. But Jesus Christ came to set us free, so that we will not be subjects of God’s wrath on the Day of Judgment. Unless we turn from our sinful orientations, believe and obey the gospel, we will all be condemned to eternal damnation.”

“Who are any of you to judge GAY folks? Discrimination against people of a different sexual orientation is a socio-cultural bias/discrimination. GOD does not discriminate!”

“God does discriminate between good and evil. And in the end Jesus will judge all who have not repented according to their works.”

“God loves all people but hates all sin. He loves the homosexual person just as much as he loves a liar, a thief, a murderer, etc…. We are all sinners, and He loves us all. But He desires to set us free from our sin. He loves us too much to want us to continue in sin and ultimately end up in hell because God and sin cannot coexist. These people are saying that it’s okay to live in sin because God loves you anyway. Basically they’re saying I don’t care if you go to hell. That’s NOT love.”

Why is this logic and rationale so difficult for people, especially the gay community, to accept?

To the LGBT community, I write, God still loves you but cannot endorse or approve your sexual orientation for the simple reason that He would have to change His Holy written Word to do so.

“Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven.” (Ps. 119:89)

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Matt. 24:35).

“If anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him. The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day” (John 12:47-48).

So it really comes down to believing the authority of God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures, doesn’t it?

This basic and fundamental error of doubting the Word of God is the very reason for the controversy surrounding gay marriage and for man’s fall in the beginning. It is the very reason for the curse and calamities that have befallen this world. It set the Law of sin and death into motion.

They, specifically Eve, doubted God’s Word. And the serpent said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1)

It is quite the paradox, that after doubting God’s Word and sinning by eating of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves and hid (v. 7-8). Today, they are coming out of the closet.

The Law of sin and death simply states, “The soul that sins must die.” Or to say it in modern English, “The soul that practices sin must die and be separated from God forever.”

To all the LGBT community, I write again by way of illustration, the true Christian community sees your house burning down and is trying to rescue you from certain damnation. Those who are affirming your lifestyle are like those who watch you burn in the hellfire and tell you that everything is alright and God is actually proud of you.

Do you see the utter hypocrisy and deception of it all? Do you see the mockery of it?

Your approvers are tools of Satan. They are telling you what the devil told Eve. With government, the media and public opinion gone mad, the courts are telling you:

“You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4) 

They are not your friends! They are your enemies in disguise!

The law of sin and death tells us that “the wages of sin is death”, but the good news is this: “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). That is a higher law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus that sets every sinner free from the law of sin and death. That same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead will also raise you from the dead.

“Come out of your grave!” is the call of the hour for the LGBT community.

Surely you have come out of your closet, but your greatest need is to now come out of your grave. You are still dead in your trespasses and sins and need to be made alive. God will do it if you will believe and trust His Word!

To the gay-affirming churches, I also write: Your sin is far greater, for to whom much is given much is required, and woe unto those who call good evil and evil good; and cause one of these little ones to stumble (Luke 12:48; Is. 5:20; Matt. 18:6).

Perhaps you can find yourself in the following story.

One day a certain man went looking for someone to help him change the Bible. First, he went to a church and all they told him was to live clean and holy because some day he will meet Jesus face to face and give an account.

Then he went to a school of theology to speak with a wise church history professor. He told him that throughout church history no culture or society or highest court in the land have ever been able to change the Bible. The professor told him that even God Himself cannot change the Bible because He has placed His Word even above His Name (Ps. 138:2b). If He changed His Word He would permanently tarnish His Name and be the biggest fraud of all, for God has said, “I am the same yesterday, today and forever, I change not” (Heb. 13:8) (Mal. 3:6).

The man went away and reasoned that he is stuck with the Truth, since out of 7 billion people on the planet, he could not find one that has ever been able to change the Bible.

God will never change His laws or His Word for anybody.

All you gay-affirming “churches,” I warn you with tears, you are preaching another gospel and serving another Jesus.

The remedy God offers you is simple. Quit adding or altering His Word. Repent of your falsehood and accept and obey the truth.

Former President Bill Clinton on Thursday faced down protesters angry at the impact his 1994 crime reforms have had on black Americans and defended the record of his wife, Hillary Clinton, who is relying on the support of black voters in her quest for the presidency.

The former president spent more than 10 minutes confronting the protesters at a campaign rally in Philadelphia for his wife over criticisms that the crime bill he approved while president led to a surge in the imprisonment of black people.

The Democratic race for the Nov. 8 election has become increasingly heated as Hillary Clinton, stung by a string of losses in state contests, has traded barbs with her rival for the party’s nomination, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, over who is better prepared for the White House.

In Philadelphia, several protesters heckled the former president mid-speech and held up signs, including one that read: “CLINTON Crime Bill Destroyed Our Communities.”

Video footage of Hillary Clinton defending the reforms in 1994 has been widely circulated during the campaign by activists in the Black Lives Matter protest movement. In the footage, she calls young people in gangs “super-predators” who need to “be brought to heel.” Hillary Clinton, 68, who also has faced protesters upset by her remarks, said in February she regretted her language.

Bill Clinton, 69, who was president from 1993 to 2001, defended her 1994 remarks, which protesters say were racially insensitive, and suggested the protesters’ anger was misplaced.

“I don’t know how you would characterize the gang leaders who got 13-year-old kids hopped on crack and sent them out on the street to murder other African-American children,” he said, shaking his finger at a heckler as Clinton supporters cheered, according to video of the event. “Maybe you thought they were good citizens. She (Hillary Clinton) didn’t.”

“You are defending the people who kill the lives you say matter,” he told a protester. “Tell the truth.”

Hillary Clinton promised to end “mass incarceration” in the first major speech of her campaign last year. She has won the support of the majority of black voters in every state nominating contest so far, often by a landslide.

Spokesmen for the campaign and Bill Clinton did not immediately respond on Thursday to a request for comment.

A Surge in Prisoners

The United States has more people in prison than any other country. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1.05 million prisoners were held in federal or state facilities in 1994. By 2014, it was 1.56 million. That year, 6 percent of all black men in their 30s were in prison, a rate six times higher than that of white men of the same age.

Bill Clinton said last year that he regretted signing the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act into law because it contributed to the high incarceration rate of black people for nonviolent crimes. On Thursday, he did not explicitly recant those regrets, but appeared to be angry at any suggestion the bill was wholly bad.

The legislation imposed tougher sentences, put thousands more police on the streets and helped fund the building of extra prisons. It was known for its federal “three strikes” provision that sent violent offenders to prison for life. The bill was backed by congressional Republicans and hailed at the time as a success for Clinton.

Although Clinton is popular among Democrats who view him as a gifted orator and crowd pleaser, he has in the past veered from the carefully calibrated message put out by his wife’s campaign, causing problems for her representatives.

During Hillary Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential bid, civil rights leaders and high-ranking Democrats in Congress criticized the former president for statements he made during a heated campaign against then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama. Bill Clinton said Obama’s campaign had “played the race card.” Obama became the first U.S. black president in November that year.

Bill Clinton’s remarks on Thursday drew criticism online. Some saw him as dismissive of the Black Lives Matter movement, a national outgrowth of anger over a string of encounters in which police officers killed unarmed black people.

Johnetta Elzie, a civil rights activist, wrote online that Clinton “can’t handle being confronted by his own record.”

“This is like watching a robot malfunction,” she wrote.

Earlier in Philadelphia, Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, assailed Clinton as unqualified to be president as the two campaigns became increasingly testy less than two weeks before New York’s nominating contest.

“Are you qualified to be president of the United States when you’re raising millions of dollars from Wall Street, an entity whose greed, recklessness and illegal behavior helped destroy our economy?” Sanders said at a news conference.

Clinton this week sharply questioned Sanders’ credentials and ability to carry out a campaign pledge to break up the big banks.

Spokesmen for Clinton noted she never said the word “unqualified” when she questioned his preparedness for the presidency, but they declined to say whether she believed in that characterization.

Clinton aimed for a more magnanimous tone than her aides when speaking to reporters during a subway ride in New York City.

“I don’t know why he’s saying that,” she said of Sanders calling her unqualified. “But I will take Bernie Sanders over Ted Cruz or Donald Trump any time,” she said of the two leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination.

Sanders returned the sentiment in an interview with the “CBS Evening News” later on Thursday.

“I think the idea of a Donald Trump or a Ted Cruz presidency would be an unmitigated disaster for this country. I will do everything in my power and work as hard as I can to make sure that that does not happen, and if Secretary Clinton is the nominee, I will certainly support her,” he said.

(Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, Megan Cassella, Alana Wise and Amanda Becker in Washington; Editing by Howard Goller and Peter Cooney)

© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.

Some of my most difficult conversations I have had in the midst of my cancer have been with believers who do not see God in a hard plan. So many believe that hard comes and then God makes it better. It is so easy to forget that our salvation came by way of the hard of a cross. In those conversations, the story that always comes to mind is that of Joseph.

He dreamed the moment his brothers would bow down to him, a moment God-ordained to save many in the midst of famine. But what did Joseph have to endure? Rejection, jail, false accusations, misery. Every bit of his hard was part of the plan, and it was all for the glory of God.

I know it’s easy, as a Christian, to buy into the American ideal that happiness is the goal, that protection from suffering is really living. Some people have entered our home uncomfortable with how much my children understand my suffering. Sally Lloyd-Jones was such a reassuring treasure to me. We spoke about how people do not give their children enough credit. Jason and I let our children lead the discussion; we let them ask what their hearts are ready to understand.

I see my children struggle when we keep them in the dark, and they sense our stress without knowing our hearts.

We did not want to tell our children about radiation, that the story of cancer was continuing. The fact is that we didn’t want to tell ourselves that either. But once we faced it honestly, something happened. Peace ran through the painful nooks of avoidance. The stress lessened and the grace to face the new hard entered the crevices of unbelief. We are kept, closely kept near to Jesus in the midst of our story.

Back to Joseph. I’m reminded how he suffered, how he was hurt and forsaken by those who were supposed to love and protect him. Through it all he looked to God. There are days when I’m tempted to grow bitter toward those who have forsaken us in this dark season. But like Joseph, I look to God and offer forgiveness and grace to those who bring harm instead of protection.

I encourage you to read this story in Genesis, and hopefully see why it brings me such comfort. You see, I believe suffering is caught up in the sovereignty of God. I can’t not believe that. Jesus was, after all, the Man of Sorrows, well-acquainted with grief.

An excerpt from And It Was Beautiful by Kara Tippetts. © 2016 Kara Tippetts. And It Was Beautiful is published by David C Cook. All rights reserved.

If you’re like me, you feel the torrent of negative news a bit overwhelming at times. We want to be optimists, not pessimists, but we must also be realists. It’s not a pretty picture today.

Turn on the news and you’ll hear about Trump’s huge discord with Cruz and the GOP, battles about religious freedom and transgender bathrooms in North Carolina, and the latest wave of ISIS jihadist attacks. All these start to feel like the new normal, and it goes on and on.

To counter the avalanche of depressing news that seems almost nonstop, let’s survey the scene to encourage ourselves in the Lord by highlighting some encouraging developments.

Remembering Our Calling as Faithful Messengers

In 1899 an article based on a true story of heroism, “A Message to Garcia”, took the world by storm. In 15 years over 40 million copies were circulating, unprecedented for that time. The movie that was made of the story is still available today.

During the Spanish American War, President McKinley had to secure the cooperation of a General Garcia, leader of revolutionary forces in Cuba. A Lieutenant Rowan was commissioned to undertake alone and unguarded the top-secret, dangerous mission of delivering a sealed letter to Garcia.

Traversing hostile jungle territory with gunfire, poisonous snakes and man-eating crocodiles, this courageous messenger completed his task within three weeks. His bravery helped the United States win the war plus gain Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam. He was decorated for his extraordinary achievement in risking his life for his country.

In the author’s tribute to this remarkable public servant he said the following: “Anything such a man asks shall be granted. He is wanted in every city, town and village – in every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such: he is needed and needed badly – the man who can CARRY A MESSAGE TO GARCIA.”

Amid our serious cultural decline, God is looking for dependable and dedicated messengers who will carry His truth to confused masses no matter what the cost. But we’ve got to stay encouraged “while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18).

12 Encouraging Developments

As a 40-year board member of Intercessors for America ministry, I try to remain current on prayer developments. Here are just a handful to encourage you as His messenger and holy ambassador.

1. Our monthly First Friday national prayer call brings together prayer “warriors” from throughout America for a 30 minute prayer time with a theme, prominent leader and segments of unmuted, collective, fiery intercession! Last week featured Lou Engle and 500-600 intercessors. You have to experience it to understand this crescendo of cries to heaven!

2. At a recent Roundtable summit with Rick Joyner, Mike Bickle shared about “Houses of Prayer” with ongoing prayer and worship 24/7 exploding globally. In the past decade alone, they’ve gone from approximately 20 to over 10,000 worldwide!

3. This May’s National Day of Prayer is expected to be the largest in U.S. history with over 49,000 gatherings nationwide. John Bornschein, Vice Chairman of their Task Force, says, “Over the last five years we charted a 226 percent increase in engagement – our largest growth in 25 years!”

4. David Butts, Chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee, tells us, “There are more large prayer gatherings in 2016 then I’ve seen in 26 years of ministry!”

5. Last generation we had more of a disunited, somewhat competitive, denominational approach to prayer. Today we fill large venues, discard denominational labels and actually sing most of the same worship songs in both large prayer events and our local churches.

6. Serving on the Executive Committee for UnitedCryDC16, we expect upwards to 30,000 leaders, intercessors and consecrated Christians this Saturday, April 9 on the Lincoln Memorial grounds for a solemn assembly. With our nation in crisis, we will gather for seven hours of repentance, exhortation, prayer for awakening, and challenge to return courageous in addressing the controversial issues of our day. We invite everyone to join in this historic experience!

This is not an outreach, worship experience, political event or one day rally, but a movement of men and women of God who take 2 Chronicles 7:14 seriously, “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

7. On the West Coast on the exact same day (totally unplanned!), “Azusa Now” takes place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Tens of thousands of young and old will gather under the leadership of my 35-year friends, Lou Engle and Mike Bickle, for over 12 hours of worship and prayer.

This culminates 10 days of fasting and prayer prior to the event. The reason? The original Azusa Street revival began with a nucleus who came to L.A. and started a 10-day fast that precipitated the greatest Holy Spirit outpouring since Pentecost. Over a century ago, pioneer William Seymour prophesied in about 100 years another greater revival would come!

Go and participate in this history-making experience!

8. A little over a year ago, the blockbuster film, God’s Not Dead inspired people of faith and served notice to secularists that God is alive and well and on the move in America.

This past weekend, God’s Not Dead 2 was launched to large crowds and positive reviews once again. It looks like the trajectory is upwards once again! This one brings a sober warning to people of faith and I highly recommend it for everyone concerned about religious freedom today.

9. People are hungry for God and biblical truth as evidenced by two massive gatherings in Georgia and Texas. Last week over 7,000 Christians convened in Atlanta for a fantastic “Stand Up for Their Faith” event with David Jeremiah. This followed Greg Laurie’s  “Harvest America” event at AT&T Stadium where over 82,000 participants were present! Over 6,000 conversions were recorded while hundreds of thousands more engaged on the Internet, TV and radio!

10. Author David Garrison declares in his book, A Wind in the House of Islam, that, “we are living in the midst of the greatest turning of Muslims to Christ in history.” The book is the result of 2 1/2 years of research and involved traveling more than 250,000 miles to conduct interviews with more than 1,000 people around the Muslim world.

“In total he found 69 movements that had started in the first 12 years of the 21st century, in comparison with virtually no voluntary movements of converts to Christianity in the first 12 centuries of Islam.”

Finally, we can be greatly encouraged as we consider two additional developments today.

11. Franklin Graham continues to cross the United States in his “Decision America” tour, stopping at every state capital to fearlessly declare prophetic encouragement and sober warning to assembled crowds. He challenges believers to not only repent and pray but to engage in Christian activism to see America turn back to God.

12. The innovative 15-min/30-day Bullseye Challenge initiative has been launched across America equipping us to understand and communicate confidently a biblical worldview on 30 hot button issues today like illegal immigration, radical Islam, transgenderism, abortion, gay marriage, income inequality, climate change and cohabitation.

Endorsed by America’s top senior leaders, it is a resource for pastors, parents, educators, youth leaders and patriotic citizens. Thirty immediately accessible, compelling three-minute videos accompany the easy-to-read life changing chapters.

We are all called to be faithful messengers in this challenging time of history. This weekend is my wife and my 40th wedding anniversary but considering the condition of America we will not be sunning in Bermuda but praying in D.C. for awakening in America!

Let’s realize the negatives surrounding us today but remember the encouraging reports of God’s supernatural activity to keep us “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10).

A very good question is why hasn’t God already judged us as we deserve? Despite our massive moral failures over the decades, clearly God has not judged us according to our sins. There are several reasons for this, but this may be the biggest one:

Support for Israel from the day it was born. Harry S. Truman could not sleep on May 13, 1948. He kept seeing the face of the man who would be Israel’s first President, Chaim Weisman. Weisman had begged for his support in a previous meeting. Truman shared his feelings on the morning of the 14th with his top aide, Clark Clifford. Clifford said, “Mr. President, if you are going to recognize the Jewish State, you must do it today.” The president asked the Israeli consulate to send a request for formal recognition.

When Truman sent the letter to the diplomats, he didn’t even know the name of the new state that would be declared at 4 p.m. that day. The letter simply said “the Jewish state.”

At 9 a.m. (4 p.m. in the Middle East), it was announced in Tel Aviv that the new prime minister, David Ben Gurion, proclaimed that the Jewish state would be called the State of Israel. The president’s envoy caught up with the courier on the steps of the White House and the words “Jewish state” were scratched out and the word “State of Israel” was handwritten in its place.

Meanwhile, the anti-Jewish State Department was arguing another plan for the area, when the U.S.’s U.N. ambassador was given a note that Truman had recognized Israel. He angrily got up and returned to his hotel. The State Department led by General George Marshall was 100 percent against the idea of a Jewish State and had made that abundantly clear to Truman. It took great courage, but Truman did what was right.

This support for Israel undoubtedly brought the blessing of God on the United States as Genesis 12:3 declares that God will bless those that bless Abraham and his descendants and curse those who curse them.

Before America, it was Great Britain’s Foreign Secretary Lord Arthur James Balfour who fought in England’s parliament chambers for a Jewish state and God blessed Great Britain as the greatest power on earth. It was said that the sun never set on the British Empire, as she controlled lands from Africa to Hong Kong, from India to the Caribbean.

Yet the minute she turned on Israel in 1922, taking 80 percent of the lands she promised to Israel in the Balfour Declaration and instead created the Muslim state of Jordan, the sun began to set, and today Great Britain is a shell of her former self. In fact, how ironic is it—as Britain in 1922 chose oil over the Jews and the Muslim world over Israel that according to demographic experts, Britain is now in danger of being overrun with Islamic migrants.

So, while judgment on America has been held back, is there a limit? The question is, will we remember our calling as a world leader, protector and refuge for the persecuted, or will we reject that calling in favor of mediocrity, wickedness, socialism and protectionism?

It is time to repent.

It is time to rise up.

It is time to be who God called us to be.

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).

Ron Cantor is the lead pastor of Tiferet Yeshua congregation in Tel Aviv, a Hebrew speaking outreach to Israelis. He is also the author of Identity Theft, Leave me Alone—I’m Jewish and his newest book coming out this spring, The Jerusalem Secret, a novel about the first Jewish believers. Ron blogs at messiahsmandate.org.

For the original article, visit maozisrael.org.

“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ezek. 22:30).

This verse is commonly cited by those describing the vital place of intercession—the role of prayer—Christians have for our nation. That application seems acceptable, as it describes one who will “stand in the gap” on behalf of others. But is that the full interpretation of this passage?

If you look into the context and examine the previous few verses, the Lord indicts the Israelites with the following charges: leaders who conspire for personal gain, priests who violate His Word, killing of the innocent, extortion, oppression, immorality, and injustice. Was this man the Lord was actively seeking to “stand in the gap” simply to pray? The Scripture does not mention prayer at all. The Hebrew word used here is perets, meaning “bursting forth” or “breach.” This lends a connotation to this passage of the necessity to burst forth with a representation of God’s heart for the land to stop the outbreak of wickedness that was so rampant.

As we look to apply the Word of God in our day, isn’t voting a critical act of intercession? Are we not standing in the gap in the ballot box? When we cast our vote for the persons we feel would best bring God’s heart and destiny to this nation, is this not standing in the breach between God’s ideals and mere human goals? We have the opportunity to stand in the gap this year, not only by praying for our nation, but also by voting in a way that God’s purpose for the U.S. will be accomplished.

We all face challenges in life, and there are times when we need to confront them. It could be something in your past that you’ve been avoiding. Or maybe it’s a person you need to forgive.

No matter what the issue may be, we need to understand how important it is to deal with it because, if we don’t, we will miss out on the wonderful life Jesus died to give us. We won’t experience the freedom of a peaceful, joyful life (Rom. 14:17).

Now, I realize that there are things we can’t go back and fix. But sometimes God asks us to make restitution. When He does, confrontation is necessary. This means we need to face the truth about our circumstances, other people and ourselves.

I’ve had to confront a lot of difficult, hurtful things in my life, and it wasn’t easy. But I know from personal experience that if you will face the truth about yourself and let God change you enough, you can learn to be happy no matter what anybody else chooses to do or what your circumstances may be.

Maybe It’s Me

I remember a time many years ago when I thought all of my problems were caused by other people or circumstances I couldn’t control. One day I was praying aggressively for God to change my husband, Dave. I was giving it everything I had, crying out for God to “fix” him, and in my heart I heard Him say, “Excuse Me, Joyce, but Dave is not the problem.”

My next thought was, “Well, then who is? It’s just me and him in this relationship.” For the next two days, God showed me what it was like to live with me … and I cried for two days. It was so hard! I had a long way to go to be free of the hurt in my heart and the wrong behavior I had lived with for so long. But it was the beginning of my journey to experiencing the freedom I enjoy today.

One of the first things I had to understand was I had to stop blaming everybody else, stop looking at what was wrong with other people and start taking responsibility for my attitudes and behavior. It’s amazing how easy it is for us to point out what’s wrong with others while we totally ignore the issue in our own lives.

The truth is, no matter what’s wrong with everybody else, you can’t change them. Only God can do that. You can choose to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and let Him change the things in your heart that need to be changed. But you have to be willing to face the truth about yourself and deal with the issues He reveals that are causing your problems.

It’s a Choice We Make

We need to make a determined decision to be Christlike in our behavior and be so committed to God that we won’t go back.

A good place to start is to ask yourself: Do I want to know God or just know what He can do for me? In Philippians 3:10, the apostle Paul says, “[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from Him resurrection…and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness…” (AMPC).

Paul wanted to know God—to know Him more deeply, more intimately. He wanted a deeper revelation of who God really is and how he was nothing without Him. That’s true for us too: We’re nothing without Jesus and we have everything when we’re in Him.

We need to live deeper lives in Christ. I’m talking about knowing God intimately, personally and walking in the Spirit, not our flesh, or what we want, think and feel outside of our relationship with Him.

When we seek God’s face—not just His hand or what He can do for us—that’s when we grow in our faith and become what He created us to be.

Ephesians 4:15 (AMPC) says, “Let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).”

God wants to reveal the truth about us, to us. It’s time to stop running and start facing the things that are coming between us and Him … the things that are holding us back from His good plan and purpose for our lives. I want to encourage you to sincerely repent of your mistakes and trust God’s love for you, that He will forgive you and help you move past them. You don’t have to live under the burden of your mistakes and regrets. 

Turn to God. Serve Him with your whole heart. Believe His Word and walk in His ways and you will reap the rewards of living His wonderful plan for your life! {eoa}

I gave this word concerning the West Coast Rumble for over a three-year period of time in multiple locations. I wrote it up on my personal ministry e-blasts and it was then partially picked up both by Charisma and the Elijah List.

I always stated that I saw it beginning in San Diego, and then going to seaports up and down the entire West Coast. It started with one dream around four years ago. Later I had other dreams and expanded the word some, so as to include Tijuana, Mexico, because that was what I saw. When it goes there, it will go more into a Crusade-type mode.

After it would begin to land in San Diego, I saw it going up and down the entire West Coast and up as far (not limited to) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I heard, “Do not call the West Coast the Left Coast, but there will be such a move of My Spirit that it will be the Righteous Coast.”

I repeatedly saw that Jerame Nelson would be given a spearheading assignment concerning this movement of signs and wonders where healing and miracles will eventually become easy. I saw many leaders being anointed for such a time as this.

I saw Che Ahn of HIM releasing a “Father’s Blessing” to this activity, and this has happened at the San Diego meetings. Che is one of the “Fathers” to give a blessing to this historic period of time. This deals with the generations coming together. The Lord gave me a dream in January 2016 to: “Keep your eyes on your sons and your daughters.” Yes, it is happening! It is generational, and it is cross-cultural, and it includes both men and women.

Yes, it is happening. I saw other people and leaders being anointed to lead in different locations. Eventually, there will be so many different pockets and centers opening up that it will be impossible to track it all. It will not be like the past when there was primarily one location where the nation or the world came to—Toronto, Kansas City, Pensacola, Charlotte, Redding, etc. There would be so many hubs opening up and so many new things happening, that this movement will not be one ministry centered, not one city or region centered, not one apostolic center highlighted, or one leader centered. But it all begins with someone and somewhere.

I later pondered on the next location where the possibility of the finger of God would be coming down. The Holy Spirit instructed me that this would be somewhat more like the charismatic movement. On the West Coast, it somewhat had its birthing in Southern California and then went to Seattle, Washington with Dennis and Rita Bennett.

I felt the Lord was going to honor the legacy of the charismatic movement and one of the cities where there could be a sustained presence was Seattle. And thus it has begun at the Seattle Revival Center and possibly other locations with different emphasis and manifestations.

AzusaNow, Past Moves and the Sons and Daughters!

TheCall AzusaNow led by Lou Engle on April 9, is a big part of this entire word also. I gave separate words both privately and publicly to Lou Engle over a two-to three-year period that he was being given the stewardship of his second greatest assignment in his life—TheCall Azusa. These are separate but interlocking words.

TheCall Azusa will act as a “rocket booster” to the entire movement. It brings together the streams of the prophetic and prayer with the power (supernatural culture) with evangelism. The merging of these two great streams will create combustion or a convergence where this rocket shoots forth apostolic and prophetic evangelists, not just to the West Coast but globally. It is another booster to the movement that shoots forth signs and wonders evangelists globally. 

So I bless what is happening with “sons and daughters” of the faith in multiple locations. I bless Jerame and Miranda Nelson and Joshua and Janet Mills and the leaders in San Diego. I bless the leaders in Seattle and Charlie Shamp and Munday Martin and their wives and so many others. We are grateful for the impact of the Revival Alliance and the amazing sustained supernatural culture with the generational inheritance with the Johnsons at Bethel Church in Redding, California. Oh my … what a legacy!

We are grateful for the Jesus People Movement and the remnants that remain. We are thankful for the evangelical sphere and the birthing of Billy Graham’s statesman anointing so many years ago. We are thankful for Frank Bartleman and William J. Seymour and the Pentecostal global fire.

We are grateful to the Lord for the Latter Rain Movement and the heritage of Violet Kiteley and the manifested presence of God at Shiloh. Oh how grateful we are for the mighty Signs and Wonders of the 1920s and beyond! Such with Aimee Semple McPherson and the gifting, power, grace, and the artistic culture of Angelus Temple and yes, so many other places! The lasting impact of the Faith Movement. It goes on and on! Yes, it is HISTORY! It is HIS STORY!

Thank the Lord for the pioneers such as Jack Hayford, Dick Mills, Dick Iverson and so many others! Oh thank You, God, for raising up Chuck Smith and Lonnie Frisbee, and then the impact of the global Third Wave Movement with John Wimber, Peter Wagner and hundreds of others!

I could keep going on and on! All the intercessors! All the pastors! All the older saints who have held their place before the Lord! All the revivalists. All those who have gone on to glory peering in with great interest for such a time as this. Oh, but this is about Jesus! Not a center! Not a place! Not a ministry! Not one church! This is about “the Lamb of God” receiving the rewards of His suffering.

Let’s Rumble Together!

I saw that there would be a time when it would seem that the Lord stepped down out of heaven, and did a new dance step. It would be called the “rumba.” And everywhere the Lord’s foot came down, the Earth would shake, and it would create a church quake. The Lord and His people would rumble together.

So keep on coming, Holy Spirit! We want more, Lord! We want You to be magnified! We therefore, pray to the Lord of the Harvest, that He thrust forth laborers into the field!

Dr. James W. Goll is the president of Encounters Network, the International Director of Prayer Storm, and the Founder of God Encounters Training—an eSchool of the Heart. He is a member of the Harvest International Ministries apostolic team and an instructor in the Wagner Leadership Institute. With great joy, James has shared Jesus in more than 50 nations, teaching and imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry, and life in the Spirit. James is the prolific author of numerous books, including The Seer, The Lost Art of Intercession, The Coming Israel Awakening, Deliverance From Darkness, A Radical Faith and many others. He has also produced multiple study guides and hundreds of audio and video messages.

One Sunday evening, after I had spoken at a church in the morning and then led their prayer meeting in the evening, a gentleman came to me to ask a question. He had seen me respond quickly to God’s voice and wanted to know how he could do it as well.

The answer I gave him could help you too, so I thought I would pass it along.

I basically told him he needed to do two things. First, he needed to walk outside his comfort zone more and make some mistakes. Second, because of the first one, he was going to have to walk in a high level of humility.

Let me unpack it a little more. I will add an important bonus at the bottom as well.

1. Make more mistakes. First, my challenge to him was to try and step out of what was easy in listening to God. I enjoyed reading Joshua Foer’s New York Times best-seller, Moonwalking with Einstein. It is about memory and the world memory championships and is not a spiritual book (I have embraced the nerd within). But he shared a principle that fits in this situation.

He describes a place in learning that he called the “OK Plateau.” Basically he says you can get to a place in learning a skill where you feel good enough. You are not making a lot of mistakes. But at that point the only way to get better was to make more mistakes. By going faster, and therefore making more mistakes, you are actually able to learn more.

The same is true of listening to God. It is one thing to hear God when you have spent hours in His presence. It is another thing to listen as you are walking in the middle of a crowded grocery store. But in the stretching is new learning.

2. Walk in humility. This leads us to the important second part. We must walk in humility. When I am walking outside of my comfort zone in listening to God I make more mistakes. This means I can’t be arrogant. It requires us to say more things like, “I think the Lord is saying this … I could be wrong …” I may even need to clean up some messes along the way.

Without walking in humility in listening you can produce a lot of damage. Coming at things from a “Thus sayeth the Lord” perspective gives people no out if they are hearing something different or if you make a mistake. We need a lot a grace and mercy for each other as we walk out the adventure of listening to God. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stretch ourselves (we should), but we just need to walk in humility as we do it.

A bonus thought is the encouragement to increase your reading of God’s Word and walking it out. It is a fun place to grow. I recently read the excellent book by Rod Loy called Immediate Obedience. Loy challenges us to listen to God’s Word and immediately obey. The book is full of stories of where that adventure took Him. I dare you to read the Word and obey what God tells you to do. Who knows where it will take us?

But if we are willing to make some mistakes and we are willing to walk with humility, we can experience more of God. As we listen to the whisper of heaven, we enter new zones of spiritual adventure.

I want to go there even more. Do you?

Kevin Senapatiratne is head spiritual pyromaniac for Christ Connection. Kevin speaks around the United States helping Christians find the fun of prayer. He is the author of Enjoying Prayer. You can learn more about his ministry at enjoyingprayer.com.

For the original article, visit christconnection.cc.

Attackers in Bangladesh wielding machetes killed a liberal blogger, police said on Thursday, the latest in series of murders of secular activists by suspected Islamist militants.

Postgraduate law student Nazimuddin Samad, 28, was attacked as he was returning from a class at his university in the capital, Dhaka, late on Wednesday, police said.

Last year, suspected militants killed five secular writers and a publisher, including a Bangladeshi-American activist. A banned Islamist militant group, Ansarullah Bangla Team, claimed responsibility for some of the attacks.

Police officer Tapan Chandra Shaha said three or four men attacked Samad with machetes and then shot him after he fell to the ground.

People heard the attackers shouting “Allahu akbar” (God is Greatest) as they fled, he said.

Imran H. Sarker, convener of the BOAN online activist group, said Samad was an outspoken critic of injustice and militancy.

“We found him always a loud voice against all injustice and also a great supporter of secularism,” Sarker told Reuters.

Bangladesh has seen a wave of militant violence over the past year or so, including a series of bomb attacks on mosques and Hindu temples.

Some attacks have been claimed by Islamic State, including the killing of Hindu priest, a Japanese citizen, an Italian aid worker and a policeman.

The government denies that Islamic State has a presence in the Muslim-majority country of 160 million people.

Hundreds of students from the Jagannath University where Samad studied protested against his murder and demanded the prompt arrest of the killers.

They blocked roads in and around the university and told reporters that if those behind the earlier murders of bloggers had been punished then Samad would not have been attacked.

“Talented youths are killed one after another, but there are no visible measures against these heinous acts,” said Kabir Chowdhury Tanmoy, president of the Online Activist Forum, which advocates secularism.

EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon condemned the killing, saying freedom of expression was a fundamental human right. {eoa}

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