Welcome to our site. I trust you will be blessed and find encouragement and strength as you view it’s pages. I hope you will become a regular visitor and will make comments as you gain personal insight and experience your own unique revelation. We would love to hear from you. I would also like to acknowledge the tireless work of Jane Belding, Brenda McKee, Penny Johnson and Francis Threadgill for their efforts to bring these words to you. Every significant work must have a faithful team and I think we have the best.
Blessings
Bob Rogers
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To abide in the holy of holies is to behold the mercy seat continually. The mercy seat is indeed the throne of God where His divine grace emanates continually. In the holy of holies of prayer, we now understand the law of God as something lovely and beautiful, because mercy and grace are before us in a constant state of glory. The law of God is but the love of God revealed in divine order. We now understand that it is impossible for this holy God of love to require anything from us that is not fully and perfectly good.
We see with clarity the words of our Savior as He says, “I delight to do thy will, oh God”, even if this will is the cross and rejection of men. His will becomes to us the only path we would ever choose. We are so convinced of His love and grace it is impossible for us to allow any other thought except for the glorious desire for His divine will. Every command and requirement of the law is so covered by grace that they seem to us as honey.
When the Apostle John writes, “I write unto you fathers because you have known the Father”, and uses the same words to the children, “I write unto you children because you have known the Father”, we are able to discern the difference with great clarity. To the children in the outer court He is saying you have known the Father as provider, protector and teacher. To the fathers in the holy of holies He is saying you know the Father in His nature of holiness and power, in His love and patience in His judgment and justice and in His desire to have “sons”. In the holy of holies we, too, become fathers who must have sons!
The joy of our first days of conversion returns to us, and we delight to do our first works over. When I first came to Christ all earthly and material things became only tools to be used up in His service. Homes and cars, tools and toys were gladly and immediately laid at His altar. As I laid them down, there was no thought of loss but only of freedom. My wife and I were in perfect agreement as to what we wanted to spend on His love. It was everything, and still we wanted to give more. Ah, this is the way to live, and this is what we return to in the holy of holies.
Because we only see our marvelous God and His love in the holy of holies of prayer, all of our praying is in agreement with His divine will. We cannot think of asking or wanting anything that would not bring glory and honor to His name. As we look upon His throne, the mercy seat that covers His divinely lovely law, we embrace these verses:
Matthew 21:22
“and all things whatsoever you ask in prayer believing you shall receive”.
John 15:7
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
1John 3:22
And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
As we abide in the holy of holies of prayer, our Lord’s commandments are sweet morsels to be savored and eaten with joy and delight. And then, because like the prophet, obedience to them becomes our only option.
As we continue in this wonderful place, it is impossible for us to doubt. Doubt cannot live in this environment, for this place is filled only with glory and goodness. Oh, but that is not all. It is here that we find what our Savior meant when He talked about “rest”. You see, since we are beholding the Prince of Peace in all of His glory, peace and rest are the only options for our souls.
Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Hebrews 4:3
For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
NKJV
The three functions of our souls are in perfect harmony with our body and spirit. Our mind is filled only with truth, our will has been reshaped to desire only the things of God, and our emotions have discovered such delight in worship that they want to be focused on nothing else. The words balance and harmony, seasons and times are now living realities. Patience becomes the joyous exercise spent waiting for the sure purpose of God to unfold.
This holy of holies has no distractions. Have you ever noticed that your mind often desires to wander as you enter into prayer? Does it not tell you many things that you should be doing? Does it not love to daydream and picture itself in some place or position other than prayer? Unless the mind, will and emotions have been properly disciplined in the inner court, they will not allow you to abide in this place called the holy of holies.
It is here in the Holy of Holies that the triune God is clearly manifested, understood and loved. We are acutely aware of the dear Holy Spirit, for it is He who led, directed and encouraged us though our journey of the Tabernacle. He became our friend and guide, our helper and comforter. It is the Holy Spirit we turn to as we enter the holy of holies to support us. We are like the Apostle John when he saw the Lord, “I became as one who was dead”. So awesome and holy is this place He has led us to that we need His divine support. We know that without the Holy Spirit as friend and guide us we would be lost here. He teaches us the language and protocol of these majestic innermost workings of the tabernacle.
As we passed through the curtain, we found ourselves drawing ever nearer to the Holy Spirit’s side. We are like a child who has come to such an awesome place that is both wonderful and intimidating at the same time. Yet the Holy Spirit teaches us there is nothing to fear here, for we have entered through the blood of the Lamb. His blood has made an abundant entrance as we slowly receive the words:
Hebrews 4:8-16
8 This new place of rest he is talking about does not mean the land of Israel that Joshua led them into. If that were what God meant, he would not have spoken long afterwards about “today” being the time to get in. 9 So there is a full complete rest still waiting for the people of God. 10 Christ has already entered there. He is resting from his work, just as God did after the creation. 11 Let us do our best to go into that place of rest, too, being careful not to disobey God as the children of Israel did, thus failing to get in.
2 For whatever God says to us is full of living power: it is sharper than the sharpest dagger, cutting swift and deep into our innermost thoughts and desires with all their parts, exposing us for what we really are. 13 He knows about everyone, everywhere. Everything about us is bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of our living God; nothing can be hidden from him to whom we must explain all that we have done.
14 But Jesus the Son of God is our great High Priest who has gone to heaven itself to help us; therefore let us never stop trusting him. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses since he had the same temptations we do, though he never once gave way to them and sinned. 16 So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.
TLB
In our next post, we will begin on the topic “Understanding The Prophetic Word.”
Blessings,
Apostle Robert Rogers
Posted in Understanding Prayer | Tagged divine, glory, holy, prayer, understanding, will | Leave a Comment »
Even as the prayer the Lord taught His disciples to pray ends with these words, “for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever”, this is what we experience as we move into the holy of holies. No longer can we be concerned with our own needs; neither are we able to enter into spiritual warfare. For in the holy place of prayer we see only the majesty of our God. Everything else pales into absolute insignificance. We do not wish to war against the devil in here because we see how small he really is in comparison to the glory of our God. We have no need to ask for our personal needs, for we know, it would be impossible for the God that we are beholding to forget our needs. He is the essence of love and goodness. He is pure and holy, glorious and lovely.
We are so made aware of His holiness that, like Isaiah, we cannot boast or list our accomplishments of think of comparing ourselves with anyone else. Pride cannot enter the holy of holies. We only want to cry out for his purity to cover us.
Isa 6:1-8
6 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Here am I Lord
KJV
As we abide in the holy of holies, we come to the place that only His will is important. Our wants and desires that conflict with our wonderful Lord’s purposes melt away into nothingness. It is impossible for us to think of our selfish interests when we are confronted with His majesty and goodness. Like Isaiah we can hear the perfect desire of our God and we have no other goal but to please Him and we therefore cry out with Isaiah, “Here I am, send me”.
It matters not where He desires to send us nor the cost that we might be asked to pay. It only matters that this glorious one be honored by our loving obedience. When men and women have spent time in the holy of holies of prayer, they are changed. The burning coal of purity is not something that we fear, but rather, we cry for it as one would cry for water in a burning desert. We must have His purity for nothing else matters. This is why the cry for holiness is always what proceeds worldwide revival.
One of the reasons we have not seen the move of God we are crying out for is because few have gone into the holy of holies and been touched with the burning coal of His purity. We will know when someone has been in the holy of holies, for his or her heart will be one with God’s. Because we have been touched by His glory and majesty as we return through the tabernacle to our everyday living, we come with a new anointing and perspective.
We now return to minister to a lost world with God’s heart and have little interest in the success or praise of men. We now know true wealth, and the things of this world seem paltry and poor in comparison to what we have seen. As we retrace the steps that brought us into the holy of holies, we must go back through the holy place. We once again are confronted with the three articles of furniture, yet this time we have a greater perspective of their significance. The altar of incense smells so much sweeter, and we wonder why we have not spent more time praising and loving our wonderful Lord. The table of shewbread smells of the sweet aroma of obedience. We no longer think, “It is a hard thing the Lord asks of me”.
Our desire to obey is instant and complete, for we cannot imagine any other response. Loving and full obedience is the only option. We no longer weigh the cost, for we have been lost in His richness. Cost means nothing to us that we might only bring glory and honor to His Kingdom.
To be curtsied by man touches us not one whit, for it is only for His glory that we live. The Apostle Paul’s words now live in us:
1 Cor 4:3-6
3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
Fools for Christ’s Sake
NKJV
Do you know anyone who has spent very much time in the holy of holies? If so, you would not have to wonder if they had, for their countenance and heart would transform things everywhere they went. Their perspective would so enlighten us that we would desire to go there above all else. Our next writing will look at the change of perspective we have experienced because we have been in the holy of holies.
MORE TO COME
Blessings,
Apostle Bob Rogers
Posted in Understanding Prayer | Tagged holy of holies, Isaiah, majesty, prayer, pure, understanding | 1 Comment »
When the Lord said there is a place where bold men of faith are made and that place is prayer, He certainly was saying that we need to be made into these men and women. The Church and the world are desperately crying for leaders of integrity, ability and creativity. All of these things are found in the place of prayer. Since the call to the place of prayer in its purest form is a call into God’s divine presence, it is also a call into His ability. For God desires to share all that He is with His children. Did He not say?
Gen 1:26
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
KJV
The call to prayer then is indeed a call to “dominion”. The word dominion here is the Hebrew word “radah” and means to rule, subjugate, rule or take.
OT:7287
HEBREW radah (raw-daw’); to tread down, i.e. subjugate; specifically, to crumble off:
KJV – (come to, make to) have dominion, prevail against, reign, (bear, make to) rule,- r, over), take.
Yet, the Lord said this is the place where these men and women are made. To make something is to form it, shape it and build it. All of this takes place as we walk through the tabernacle and experience the purpose of each article of furniture. We came from the outer court where we were children who needed to know the goodness and desire of the Father to bless us with provision and protection. After passing by the golden laver where we experienced sanctification, we moved into the holy place. It is here that our minds began to be renewed, as the light of the golden candlestick became our source of revelation and knowledge. There is so much more to learn here as we study the symbolism of this magnificent “light giver”. Truly, the golden candlestick is a representation of the Holy Spirit fulfilling His marvelous office of teacher, baptizer and guide. Yet, as we look around this room called the holy place, we observe two other articles of furniture. We see the “table of shewbread” and the “altar of incense”.
It is to the table of shewbread I would like to call our attention for a few minutes. Just as the outer court was for the cleansing and dedication of our body, so the inner court is for the changing of the three functions of our soul for the fulfillment of God’s purpose and plans for us. The golden lamp stand gives off supernatural light for the renewing of our mind (bringing revelation knowledge to the Word of God). The table of shewbread is for the reforming and redirection of our will, and the altar of incense for the adjusting of our emotions into proper order and function to worship and serve the Lord.
Upon the golden table of shewbread, the priests would daily place bread that had been ground, sifted, kneaded and baked. Is this not what needs to happen to our wills on a daily basis? Do we not need to commit our will to His divine purpose minute by minute? Let us linger then at this table and examine how all of this is accomplished until we cry out as Jesus did, “Nevertheless not my will but thine oh Lord”. Let us fully understand what it means to pray “thy Kingdom come – thy will be done – on earth as it is in heaven”.
I believe it was John Bunyan who depicted the will of man as sitting on the throne in our inner man. He was trying to illustrate that the will is the main ruling faction of a man, that what his will determined to do is what the rest of man would obediently follow. No wonder the Lord had to bring our bodies and minds into a place where they would obey the will before He began to show us His will.
The call to prayer is indeed a call to communion. Sometimes the table of shewbread is called the table of His presence. To stay in the presence of someone, we must be in agreement with them. As we wait in prayer before the Lord, it is so that we might come into agreement with Him. For some reason, we have thought of prayer as some effort to change the mind of God in order for Him to do something that we are asking for. This is one of the reasons a great many of God’s children do not enjoy praying. They take the outer court mentality into the inner court and it does not work. Outer court praying teaches us that God delights to answer our prayers and meet our needs. Inner court praying is meant to mature our praying. Even as a child matures and changes so that not everything is about the child anymore, so our inner court praying is a call for our desires and needs to come into agreement with the nature and character of our Father. This is accomplished in our “will”. Our will changes too, I desire only those things which please the Father.
John 8:29
29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
KJV
For those who are willing to learn the lessons of the table of shewbread, prayer will again become a constant joy. For those who find that their will is being changed as we linger there also discovers that “all of our prayers are being answered, for we only pray and ask for those things that please the Father”. This is not as easy as it sounds. We must quiet our heart and its constant desires. We must renew our mind with God-like thinking, and we must retrain our emotions to learn how to agree with our will and mind.
One of the things I love about my wife is that when I ask her where do you want to eat, honey, she nearly always responds, “oh, I don’t care; whatever you want”. Of course, when I drive to the restaurant of my choice, she informs me that she does not care for that food. I suppose what she is really saying is, “I expect you to know what I want and to make the right choice, honey”. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know exactly what your wife wants and for us to want it as greatly? We would never waste time driving to wrong restaurants.
Is it possible to remain in the presence of God for so long that we know what He wants, and then to pray with passion, accuracy, and see His full will indeed come to pass? Of course it is. That is what mature praying is all about. When this takes place, praying once again becomes an exciting adventure of ever-increasing faith and assurance.
The Lord once said to me, “Leave the sword I have given you in its sheath until you have my heart and then pull it out”. He had been talking to me about the writing He had called me to do. The Lord had handed me a sword that represented the “ready pen of the writer”. He then told me to put it in a sheath. As I did so I saw that, the sheath was pulsating. As I asked the Lord what this meant, He replied, “The sheath I am asking you to put the sword into is the sheath called ‘My heart’. When the sword is beating in unison with My heart, pull it out and begin to write. You will then see my purposes accomplished by your writings”. What a lovely and simplistic picture of learning to receive the will of God into my own heart before proceeding.
It is the same way with prayer. As we wait for our heart to come into unison with the heart of our Father and pray accordingly, all of the power of our Father is released.
1 John 5:14
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
KJV
1 John 3:21-22
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
KJV
Do you see what 1 John 5:14 is saying? Anything according to His will!
As we mature, we must pray according to the will of God if we expect our prayers to be answered. To discover His will we must linger long at the table of shewbread and allow our will to be broken and sifted. Even as it is necessary for the wheat to yield to the experienced hands of the priest so that it may be made into the fresh loaves that appear in His presence, may we cry out with our Lord as He said:
Ps 40:8
8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
KJV
True life and fulfillment will be found as our old stubborn and selfish will is placed under subjection to the wonderful will of God. When God created you and me, He had a specific purpose in mind for us. Like any great designer, engineer or creator, He placed inside of each one of us the exact mixture of desires, gifting and personality that our purpose would require.
Just as an eagle is designed to soar on the heights of the jet stream and see better than any other creature on earth, so were you and I designed for a specific purpose. An eagle that chooses for its life career the confines of a pigpen will never experience the joy of its divine purpose. In fact, it would find that its feathers, talons and eyesight would all be a hindrance to its chosen profession.
I wonder how many of us are chafing at what we are doing? Perhaps even wishing we had different giftings because we are not fulfilling the purpose we were called to. You might ask, “How could anyone become so confused as to not recognize that for which they were designed”? Sadly, it is a very easy thing to do.
You see, we are surrounded from our birth by a system that pressures us to be something we are not. We are rarely exposed to role models that can demonstrate the joy of godly contentment and fulfillment. Rather, we have been inundated with an advertising system whose goal is to make us unhappy with what we have and who we are. Modern marketing, in order to be successful, must make us discontented. Contented people do not buy useless and unnecessary articles to make them feel better about themselves. Contented people are not driven to have the most recent fashion trend. In order to sell products that people do not need, the advertising community must convince us that we cannot be happy without them. One of the ways this is accomplished is to insinuate that everyone who knows anything should have these products.
Over your lifetime, and mine that system has been able to access ever-increasing amounts of our time. With the advent of almost every electronic device imaginable, the message now follows us everywhere we go. Night and day, it spreads its cry of discontent. Many cannot stand even a minute or two of silence or inactivity. We are addicted to sound, motion, and eye-popping action. We have been brainwashed. Our children are in even greater peril than we ever were. Yet, the word of God declares:
Isa 30:15
15 For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:
KJV
1 Tim 6:6-12
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
KJV
Oh, the sweet peace the Word of God brings. Truly, it is like the smell of fresh baked bread that stirs fond and loving memories of a safe and peaceful time.
The second great challenge is that we still must deal with a fallen nature that relishes all that the marketing world offers. That fallen nature is easily addicted to nearly everything and will fight desperately to get its way. It will take a strong and renewed will to stand up against these demands. It will also take a disciplined mind to join forces with the will to remind this body that it is a servant not, a master.
Thank God, this is what the holy place is all about. We have stated that for the New Testament Christian the table of shewbread is the anointed Word of God that leads and sustains us in His presence. It is for the presence of God that this tabernacle exists. God instructed Moses to build it according to the divine pattern because it is a replica of what exists in heaven. It has always been the will of God that we abide in His presence where fullness of joy is experienced and pleasures are forevermore at His right hand.
Heb 8:5-6
5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
NKJV
In truth, our tabernacle is Jesus Christ Himself. It is He who tears the veil that separates us from the presence of God. Also, Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the divine pattern. The Old Testament tabernacle is but an incredibly detailed picture of Jesus Christ and His ministry.
What then shall we find when we enter the Holy of Holies in prayer?
MORE TO COME
Apostle Bob Rogers
Posted in Understanding Prayer | Tagged church, prayer, shewbread, understanding | Leave a Comment »
As we are called from being little children to that of young men who are strong, who know the word and have overcome, we pass from the outer court into the inner court. The primary thing that we notice is that at first, we cannot see very well. Although there is plenty of light in the inner court, none of it comes from a natural source. The light in the inner court is coming from the golden candlestick. From now on, we are called to see with our spiritual eyes and speak with a spiritual tongue. This means the Spirit of the Lord will increasingly lead us.
Prov 20:27
27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
Rom 8:14
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
KJV
In this inner court, everything about us must change. 
Our mind must be renewed, our will trained and turned toward the purposes of God, and our emotions taught to be obedient to our mind and will. We truly are being called to become strong. Our prayers become Kingdom-minded prayers.
1 John 2:14-17
14 I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
KJV
In the outer court, our body was the focus of God. Now He turns to our soul. Even as our body needed to be sanctified for His purposes now our soul must be as well. The word sanctify has two primary meanings. One is to cleanse and separate; the other is to set aside for a specific purpose. We are not fully sanctified until we fully know God’s will for our lives and are walking in it, no matter how clean we have sought to be. In the inner court, we discover our purpose and gain the strength to fulfill it.
There is a call that comes to every one of us. It is the call that Jesus gave to His disciples when He said, “Follow me”. To follow Jesus is to come to know the Father in every part of our being-body, soul and spirit. The end result will be that we will be made into “fishers of men”. For it is the will of our Father that none should be lost.
Once, while seeking God about the Church and its lack of maturity and anointing, I was given this dream.
I was on my property, and we were getting on a school bus. As I looked back, I realized we were a wrestling team, and I was the coach. The team had been well conditioned; their bodies were in excellent shape and had fine looking uniforms. We pulled away from the property, and I assumed we were headed to a wrestling meet. The bus, however, began to go in very large circles. They were so large that, at first, we did not realize we were just “going in circles”.
Yet, I watched as we passed by the same place we started from several times. About the fourth time around, I saw an F-18 fighter jet being brought out of a hanger. It was complete in every detail except that there was no aluminum skin on it yet. Much to my horror the bus just drove right over the top of the plane. As I looked back, however, the plane was not damaged. We just ignored its existence and drove over the top of it. I awoke.
After awakening, I sought the Lord for the interpretation. I knew that when seeking to interpret a dream from the Lord, we begin with Scripture. I look to see if there is any scripture that relates to the symbolism of the dream. In this case, it was quite easy to know which Scriptures fit this dream. I was immediately reminded of this one:
Eph 6:12
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
KJV
I immediately realized this dream was about “spiritual warfare”, and that the Lord was saying that although the Church has been trained and equipped to do spiritual warfare, she is just driving in circles. When God makes a weapon available to us because we are not spiritual enough, we do not even recognize it. The F-18 fighter jet is known as the “Hornet”, and the later model as the “Super Hornet”. The interesting thing about this aircraft is its assortment of weapons. It cannot only take on anything in the air but also take out anything on the ground. If we look into the Word of God once again, we will find these Scriptures.
Deut 7:20-21
20 Moreover the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.
21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.
KJV
Josh 24:12-13
12 I sent the hornet before you
which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow. 13 I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’
NKJV
I received great strength and encouragement because of this dream. I could not have interpreted it, however, from the light in the outer court, the natural light. No, I needed the light of the inner court for this, the light that comes from the golden candlestick. This dream could only be interpreted from a renewed mind, a mind that trusts God’s word implicitly.
What I love about the “hornet” is this. The “hornet” will find wherever the enemy is hiding and drive him out! Oh, how exciting is that? Later, I was watching a special on the finding and detection of illegal drugs being smuggled through the airports. Do you know what they were using to detect them? No, not dogs, but hornets. They discovered hornets are far more sensitive to “smelling things out” than dogs.
Still, there is more to learn from this dream concerning spiritual warfare. The airplane in my dream did not have any skin on it. I used to work on planes and repair damages to both the structural as well as the skin of the plane. So I knew exactly what needed to be done to get this plane ready for combat. The plane that I saw was complete except for the outside metal skin. Do you know of any Scripture that talks about an army that needs skin on it? Of course you do. It is found in the book of Ezekiel the 37th chapter.
Ezek 37:6-8
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above
KJV (emphasis mine)
The point the Lord was making was two-fold. First, the Hornet in the dream needed work. It needed skin. Years ago, the Lord spoke to my heart saying it is the teaching ministry that puts muscle and sinew on the Body of Christ. If the Church is weak, it is because we have not valued or developed anointed teachers. Second, although the Church has been taught in recent years about spiritual warfare, she is unwilling to engage in it.
Not only that, but she does not recognize the weapons, even though she has prayed for them. We have learned that our God works progressively in the earth. One of the ways He does this is through prayer. Prayer is primarily for the discovery of the will of God and for bringing His kingdom to earth. As we pray, the Lord gives us revelation of how to do this. Once this revelation is given, we are to move from the prayer mode to the “prophesying mode”. The only way to get the plane in my dream ready for battle was for the “wrestling team” to get off the bus and go to work “prophesying” to the Hornet! As Ezekiel said, “So I prophesied as I was commanded”.
The truth is that we are ourselves the “Hornets” the Lord wants to use. He sends us into every kind of situation where the enemy hides and uses the “spirit of truth” to uncover him and drive him out. Yet, He tells us to put on our skin first.
Eph 6:12-18
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
KJV
Are you ready to get off the bus? Are you ready to join with me in spiritual praying and prophesying? Well let’s go – declare these words with me. “Jesus, you are the helmet of salvation.
Through grace, I put on the helmet of salvation that gives me a renewed mind. A renewed mind comes from a knowledge of the Word of God and Jesus is the Word. Therefore, I put on Jesus and have a renewed mind. Jesus, you are my righteousness. I put on the breastplate of righteousness and have great boldness. Jesus, you are truth, and I put on truth as the belt that binds together all spiritual things. I put on the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace. Jesus, you are the Prince of Peace. I therefore have the peace of God that passes all understanding. I now take up the shield of faith up and am able to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy. My faith is founded in Jesus Christ; therefore, Jesus is my shield and buckler. Jesus, you are the Word of God. I therefore take the sword of the spirit and am skillful in using your word. I am now clothed in the full amour of God and ready for battle”.
Do you know what you just did? You entered into spiritual warfare; you prophesied over yourself. You are now ready to stand up with the rest of the army of God. You see, prophesying goes beyond “asking”. Prophesying believes that God has answered your prayer and has clothed you and anointed you to “prophesy” to the wind. You have now moved from asking to commanding. I know that is difficult for some of us to take hold of this. If may sound arrogant. No, do not let arrogance have any part of this. Walk in humility but do it with the boldness of God, even as Jesus did. You see, prophesying is speaking for God. It is discovering the will of God through humble prayer and then standing and speaking for God with bold anointing.
Ezek 37:9-10
9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
KJV
Remember, when we are prophesying, we are only doing what we have been commanded to do. The word “say” in Ezekiel 37:9 is a powerful word and means:
OT:559
say
‘amar
KJV – , appoint,, call, certify, challenge, charge, command, declare, demand, desire, determine,
Will it not take strong young men to do this? This is not outer court praying but inner court prophesying. It will require a renewed mind, will and spirit to enter into this warfare. When Jesus said, “All authority is given unto me, go ye therefore”, He was enduing us with that authority. Our problem is that we want to get all pumped up with pride and then start commanding, when the Lord is wanting us to be filled with humility and command only because we are only obeying our Lord. To obey is to walk in humility with power. Remember, the almonds bowls on the lamp stand represent the fruit of the Spirit as well as the gifts.
Blessings,
Apostle Robert Rogers
Go to the www.oakcrestministries.org/eagles to register for the upcoming Soaring with Eagles Conference. You can register & pay online or register online and pay at the door. REMEMBER - there is a $10. Discount per person or couple for groups of 10 or more. In addition, it is ONLY $5. (Optional donation) per family for all day childcare on Sat. Any questions? Call the office at 231-773-1220.
Posted in Understanding Prayer | Tagged Change, hornet, inner court, obedient, prayer, Prophesy, understanding | Leave a Comment »
Are you still considering whether to attend the SOARING WITH EAGLES Conference?
Listen in as I share my heart why this is the time we need to HEAR FROM GOD.
Please click on the following link which will take you to a special message.
Thank you,
Pastor Bob Rogers
Posted in Soaring With Eagles Conference | Leave a Comment »
As we move from the outer court to the holy place of the tabernacle, we take the lessons learned about the body and learn how to deal with our soul. The soul is made up of the mind, will and emotions. The three articles of furniture in the holy place are the golden lamp stand, which deals with the renewed mind, the table of showbread, which is the renewed will and the altar of incense, our renewed emotions.
Many are excited about the restoration of the tabernacle of David in this hour. We know that the tabernacle of David is all about praise that leads us into the presence of the Lord. The presence of the Lord is found in the holy of holies of the tabernacle between the mercy seat. This truly is our goal, that we may know the Father in the holy of holies. But, we must learn the lessons of the holy place first; we must grow from a little child to a strong young man.
Prayer, in its purest sense, is a call to know God and to abide in His divine presence. In the presence of God is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.
Ps 16:11
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
KJV
So, prayer is meant to be joyful and full of pleasure. Why then do so many have a difficult time with prayer? One of the reasons I believe is that we often do not understand what season we are in as regards to prayer. What do I mean by this? As we have already stated, prayer is progressive. We are being called by God to become like Him. Prayer is meant to transform us into His image as we behold Him.
Since much of what we have been taught about prayer has been the process of getting our needs met through prayer, we have forgotten that this is but the glorious beginning, the little children part. We should never lose this aspect of prayer, but when we are being called to be transformed into His image, we must go farther into His character and nature.
As we are called into the inner court from the outer court, it is a call to learn character first, needs, and wants second. This at first does not seem to be very pleasant. When we are being called to move on with God, it seems that He no longer answers our prayers. Since the outer court was the place where our Lord’s goal was to teach us about trust and provision, we want to rush back there. But there is nothing as frustrating as trying to live in a season that has passed.
Let us look again at Johns’ words:
1 John 2:12-16
I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
KJV
Just as the outer court was a call to deal with the flesh, the inner court is a call to deal with the soul. It is here where we become strong and overcome the evil one. It is here where the Word of God becomes our dwelling place. We are moving from being concerned about provision to being caught up with purpose. We are moving from body prosperity to soul prosperity.
3 John 2
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
KJV
Soul prosperity has to do with the fruit and gifts of the Spirit fully functioning and manifesting in our lives. Do you know the first thing we encounter when we move from the outer court to the inner court? It is the golden lamp stand. The golden lamp stand has eighteen almond clusters on it representing the nine fruit and nine gifts of the spirit.
Gal 5:22-25
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
NKJV
The passage in I John 2 is explaining the principle of progressive revelation. In the outer court, we experienced the brass altar and the brass laver. These two articles were for the forgiveness of sin and the crucifixion of the flesh. Now, we are being called to the changing of our nature and character through the development of the fruit of the spirit and learning how to be used by the gifts. Our prayers now not only include our daily needs and our trust of our Father’s love to provide for us, but we now have the wisdom and patience to wait for His divine timing. We are being developed in the area of perseverance and patience, in self-control and longsuffering, in kindness and gentleness, in joy, peace and faith.
Heb 6:12
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
KJV
Heb 10:36
36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:
NKJV
The light, too, is different in the inner court. In the outer court, it was natural light. There is, however, no natural light in the holy place. The only light that is found there is given off by the golden lamp stand as it burns the pure oil of the Holy Spirit. So, as we move into this new realm, all of our thinking must be renewed. We are not permitted to think as a natural man any longer; our thoughts are now renewed. We begin to function from the spirit of revelation. In order to do this we must have a renewed mind.
1 Cor 2:14-16
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
NKJV
Can you now see why so many of God’s children no longer enjoy prayer? We are thinking and praying in the natural mind when we have been called to pray as a spiritual man. We are praying for our natural needs to be met first when the Lord is more concerned with the spiritual man. We are at odds with God; we are not in agreement with Him. Our fellowship is broken, and we do not enjoy prayer as we once did.
It is, however, very easy to rectify this problem. We simply repent and say to the Lord, “I am sorry, I did not realize I have been called from the outer court to the inner court, please forgive me. I want to mature even as you want me to grow into your likeness. You indeed are a Father who can be trusted and who delights to give us all good things. I now want my spiritual man to be first and my natural man to be second. I desire to move from the outer court to the inner court”.
We now understand the verses in Romans 12 that state:
Rom 12:1-2
12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good ( having our needs met-physical- little children)and acceptable(becoming Christ-like and strong -soul- Young men)-and perfect will of God. (Becoming spiritual Fathers”.
NKJV
We also begin to see the Lord’s Prayer in a new light as He teaches us to pray – “Our Father who art in heaven” and “I write unto you little children because you have known the Father”. Yet, the second part of the Lord’s Prayer is a call to maturity, for He now calls for us to pray “thy kingdom come thy will be done”. We move in the Lord’s Prayer from little children who come to know the Father as one who meets our needs to a young man who learns to pray for the Kingdom of God. The call from little children to young men is a call to become Kingdom- minded. The call from the outer court to the inner court is a call for us to use all our strength and knowledge of the Word of God to see that the Kingdom of God is established in the earth.
To understand God and His ways, we must know that this is ever His way. First is the acorn then the oak tree. God works progressively in nature, and He does so in the spiritual realm as well. We must pause here and ask ourselves a question – What season am I in? If we are concerned solely about our personal needs, if things must revolve around me and my needs, I am in the outer court. Yet, where should I be – “ah” that is the great question.
In the next part, we will begin to examine the vast lessons to be learned in the inner court. Are you ready?
Blessings,
Apostle Robert Rogers
If you have enjoyed this series on Prayer, you may consider purchasing the book to share with a friend. Contact Penny at 231-773-1220 or email her at oakcrestcog@msn.com . Write “Book” on the email subject line.
Soaring With Eagles Conference
Hearing God through the Five-Fold Ministry Foundation
CALLING all Ministry Offices
Calling Intercessors and Armor Bearers
October 16 & 17, 2009 – Friday evening & Saturday
Muskegon, Michigan
To register and find out more go to http://oakcrestministries.org/eagles
Posted in Understanding Prayer | Tagged divine presence, lamp stand, prayer, restoration, tabernacle, understanding | 1 Comment »
We are using the Old Testament tabernacle to learn new insights about prayer. We have learned that prayer, like so many other truths contained in the word of God, is revealed in a trilogy. Just as the tabernacle is divided into three distinctive parts, God has created us as body, soul and spirit.
The outer court of the tabernacle is primarily for dealing with outer things, the body in particular. If a believer fails to deal with his or her body and bring it under subjection, there is very little hope for progress in the Christian life and a Christ-like spirit. It is in the outer court that we learn the lessons that give us victory over laziness, sexual sin, addictions and excessive concern about appearance or vanity.
Someone said there is three times more Scripture about laziness than drunkenness in God’s word. Yet, we rarely hear anyone preach or teach on laziness. I wonder if the inability for many of God’s children to discipline their bodies to obey their spirits is not the major hindrance of spiritual growth. Not only does God reveal Himself in three-fold things, He also has often chosen to reveal truth as oppositeness. We see this everywhere, as we think of hot and cold, hard and soft, light and darkness, truth and lies, day and night, winter and summer. You get the picture.
The spiritual application of this is that we must teach the negative and the positive to be balanced. In other words, we not only learn to deal with the body in the outer court, in putting things away through crucifixion (the brass altar), but we also must learn to receive eternal life. In the outer court, we learn to discipline our bodies, but we also learn that God delights to answer our prayers. We learn that He will not tolerate His children to remain and continue in sin, but He will give us all the grace we need to come out of sin. The Apostle Paul, through the Holy Spirit, said it like this:
1 Cor 9:27
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
NKJV
In the outer court there not only is the brass altar that foretells the wonderful cross of Christ and forgiveness of sin (justification), but there is also a brass laver that speaks of water baptism. Water baptism is the doorway of “sanctification”. It is said that as you walked toward this brass laver, that it was so polished you could see your reflection and detect the dirt and blood upon the body. After approaching this laver, you would take the holy water and wash off the outer dirt that was visible. That is why I say the outer court deals primarily with the sins of the body.
Ex 30:18
18 Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of brass, to wash withal: and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein.
Ex 38:8
8 And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the looking glasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
KJV
Oh, the wonderful grace of our God. He loves us too much too allow us to remain in sin, but He fully provides the solution to our need.
1 Cor 9:24-10:15
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Old Testament Examples
10:1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Flee from Idolatry
Oh, that we would love and value the ordinance of water baptism again. For it is, as we step through this door, that sanctification of our body, soul, and spirit truly begins. Few have understood the significance of the brass laver in the outer court, and few understand the absolute necessity of water baptism. May we give ourselves afresh to the revelation of the Word and the doctrine of sanctification.
What we learn is that purity always precedes power, that the lessons we learn in the spirit will always be tested. Even after Jesus was baptized by John, He was driven into the wilderness where the Word of God given to him was tested. That is what happens in the next level of prayer. We are tested. Still we remember the words:
1 Cor 10:14
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
NKJV
As we move from the outer court into the holy place, we learn to become strong through the word and to overcome. Are you ready to go there with me?
MORE TO FOLLOW
Apostle Robert Rogers
“Soaring with Eagles” conference info. Go to http://www.oakcrestministries.org/eagles
Posted in Understanding Prayer | Tagged forgiveness, laziness, prayer, race, run, understanding | 2 Comments »
When the Lord said, “There is a place where men and women are made into courageous, anointed builders,” it certainly includes this first place of prayer where we “ask anything in His name and receive it”. Yet, it is a call to a place that is so much more. We can best describe this journey as the one that the high priest took as he moved from the outer court to the inner court and ultimately to the holy of holies.
Again, we see the three-fold nature of God. I do not know if you ever saw the “tabernacle” as a pattern of prayer, but this was an area of revelation that began to pour into me. I have heard and also taught many times from the principles of the tabernacle but not as a pattern for prayer. Of course, the tabernacle teaches us the major doctrines of the Church as well as the walk of a Christian from a child to full maturity. Prayer is progressive in nature. We begin as an infant and mature to an adult. Along this journey, we will learn to discipline and mature our body, soul, and spirit through the power of the Holy Spirit. We will experience this transformation as we move from the outer court, inner court and holy of holies.
Perhaps you recall that the first article of furniture we find in the tabernacle is the brass altar in the outer court. It is here where the children of God stood in line waiting for the priests to lay their hands on the offering and then sacrifice it on the altar. This truly is a wonderful place to begin; it depicts the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death for our sins. It is the place where salvations begin. That is why I compared this line to the modern day prayer line. It is at this place in the tabernacle that everything is done for us.
Just as the people in the Old Testament stood in line waiting for the priest to lay their hands on their sacrifice, even so, today, the people of God are waiting in line for the man of God to lay their hands on them. My point is not that this is wrong, bad, or anything like that. It is truly necessary, but it is not the highest level of prayer but the beginning.
There will always be a need for a prayer line for there will always be those who are beginning their Christian walk. Then also, there will continually be men and women of God who have come into a new and greater anointing and wish to impart that anointing to hungry souls.
Yet, if we want to avoid wearing the people out, as well as our ministers, we must go beyond the day where the focus is on a single man to the place where that man looks around for those who are ready to be used of God. He lays his hands upon them, anointing and imparting his authority to them and equipping them for service. He then steps back and watches them minister. If there is a difficult case, it can be brought to him, and he not only ministers to that difficult case, but he is in the process of training others to do so at the same time.
I am afraid the five-fold ministry has fallen for the world’s method of idolizing the gifts of the singular individual, whether that is a sports figure, movie star, or political leader. This is not God’s way. His way is to unlock the gifts and anointings in His entire body, equipping each one to be fruitful and effective, powerful and anointed. Watch what Moses says once he has learned to train others.
Num 11:29-30
29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
NKJV (emphasis mine)
The problem we have is that today’s ministry leaders not only do not want to give up the spotlight, they do not even want to share it. When John the Baptist said:
John 3:30
30 He must increase, but I must decrease. KJV
This was said in the context that some of John’s disciples were alarmed that the crowds were flocking to Jesus to be baptized. When will we mature enough to rejoice at another’s success? Somebody reported that the Lord told them, “My people want things to be different without anything ever changing, and that is impossible.”
Many believers and ministers find themselves worn out, burned out and frustrated. We want things to be different, but we do not want anything to change. That is, we do not want anyone else to receive the attention, praise or honor. I tell you that as long as we focus on our success at the expense of others, there will always be burnout and weariness. Things will change when we get tired of being tired and worn out.
As long as we feel like, as one leader said to me, “We want others to be successful; we just don’t want them to be too successful”. What is “too successful”? Perhaps that can be best described from the definition of a fanatic, which is “someone who loves Jesus more than me”. In other words, “too successful” often means anyone who is more successful than I am.
It is, in one way, understandable why we would not want to leave the first level of prayer for the second. When we move to the second level of prayer, we are being called to move from being a child who has its needs instantly and abundantly met to being a young man or woman who is called to be an over comer. When John says, “I write unto you young men,” he adds:
1 John 2:13-14
13 I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one,
14 I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
KJV
When we begin to move from the first level of prayer to the second, we take with us all that we have learned about the Father’s love and desire to give to us anything that we ask in His name but we now go a giant step forward. For we are now being called “to be strong, to be filled with the Word of God, and to be an over-comer.” The word for overcome is the word the famous maker of gym shoes uses to title their famous sneakers. That word is “Nike” and here is the Greek definition:
NT:3528
nikao (nik-ah’-o); from NT:3529; to subdue (literally or figuratively):
KJV – conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory.
Does that excite you? To be an over-comer means that you and I subdue, conquer, overcome, prevail and get the victory. In order to do that, we must be strong in the Word.
MORE TO FOLLOW
Apostle Robert Rogers
NOTE: Soaring with Eagles” Conference coming on October 16-17, 2009 for more information go to ”http://oakcrestministries/eagles”
Posted in Understanding Prayer | Tagged holy of holies, mature, power, prayer, principles, tabernacle, three-fold, understanding | 1 Comment »
A few weeks ago, I wrote a number of articles on the subject of “Filters that Falter.” These articles were a result of a vision the Lord gave me of a wooden bucket filled with extremely clear water. He brought the bucket into my room and placed on a table saying, “This is not only a bucket but also a well.” He then proceeded to put His hands into the bucket and began to remove handfuls of Zebra mussels and place them into my hands. I wondered what I should do with them. Then I realized these were filters hindered the word of God from being powerfully effective in my life and the life of the Church. So I discarded them. This brought a smile to the face of the Lord and He continued to remove handfuls of these “faulty filters” and place them into my hands. All of which I discarded. After much prayer study and research, I came to realize that these Zebra mussels represented the natural, cultural, and religious thinking that weakens the word of God. Many of us have exalted “reasoning and practical” above faith, even though we believe strongly in the supernatural.
Mark 7:13
13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
NKJV
After the Lord removed these “faulty filters”, from the bucket, I was able to put the sword of the spirit into the bucket and after some effort; it broke through into a deep, deep well. The sword descended at an astonishing rate for a long time and then struck something that startled and shocked me. When I looked closely at what the sword had struck, I was astonished to see that it was the “heart of the Lord.” I realized that much of our natural and practical thinking keeps us from ever touching the true heart of God. As a result of this vision, I prayed fervently for the grace to allow the Lord to remove the “faulty thinking” that was keeping me from touching His heart. I did this for several weeks and then two more visions followed that helped me to understand just how difficult it would be to get rid of the many things that were hindering us from touching His heart.
In the next vision, the Lord reached into the bucket once again and began to remove more Zebra mussels. This time however a thick opaque sticky substance joined the Zebra mussels together. This substance was so sticky it was impossible to separate them and to get them off my hands, once the Lord had graciously placed them there. I realized this was another level of “false filters” in my life that hindered the power of God’s word. No matter “what I did to try and rid myself of this sticky, gooey conglomeration of Zebra mussels I could not get them off of my hands. I shook them scraped them, hurled them but they stuck as they say “like glue”. As I pleaded with the Lord for several days about this vision and my inability to rid myself of these “false filters” the Lord said, “These are the things that are impossible for you to get rid of because you are so attached to them.” The sticky, gooey substance was my own thoughts, emotions, preferences, fears, affections and desires that combined to hold onto that which hindered God’s word from working powerfully in my life and the life of His church. What might be in your life that you do not even realize, that is hindering the word of God?
The wonderful news is that as I continued to seek the Lord about this terrible condition that He showed me surgical gloves that I could put on and then easily peel off once He placed this combination of sticky, gooey, false filters into my hands. The gloves had names. One was named “humility” and the other was named “grace.” For many days, I would put these gloves on as the Lord removed from my life those things I could not remove because of how powerful they were connected to who I believe myself to be.
One of the reasons I am going back over these visions is because I ran across a “prophetic word” today that spoke very clearly of what the Lord is doing and the glory that is about to be revealed, if we will submit to His work in our lives by continuing to “seek, ask, and knock.” I will relate the prophetic word immediately after my writhing.
I thought after I had worked with the Holy Spirit to rid myself of these things that clung to my life with such tenacity that all had been accomplished that needed to be done. Remember these “false filters” are not sin but rather thoughts, traditions, affections and preferences.
For a third time the Lord came into my room bringing the bucket that had been purged of the handfuls of Zebra mussels and then the sticky, gooey conglomeration of “false fitters”. This time however the Lord showed me the sides of the wooden bucket and much to my surprise I saw pieces of the shells of old and ancient shells of Zebra mussels that were literally imbedded into the wood itself. These shells were all dead and broken but had become part of my natural man so intimately that they had become who I thought myself to be. The Lord showed me very clearly that He would begin to remove them if I would consent. I cried out and said, “Oh, yes, Lord, please finish it completely!” He then pulled out a wood chisel and instructed me that He would, with great care and skill, begin to remove layers of my wooden bucket (the natural man) until the pure and new wood was exposed to His refreshing water. When the new fresh and pure wood was exposed, it would soak up the pure water. The Lord then began to remove such fine layers of these false filters that I realized it would take Him many trips around the inside of the bucket to finish the task. That is when I came across this powerful word from the proven prophetic voice of Mark Chironi on the Elijah list.
“Cloud of Glory”
Prophetic word of the Lord given by Dr. Mark Chironna on Sunday, September 6, 2009 at The Master’s Touch International Church in Longwood, Florida:
I hear the Spirit clearly saying, “Prepare yourselves. Prepare yourselves. Something is being released in this season; prepare yourselves.” The Holy Spirit is coming in a brand new way; prepare yourself. The visitation of God is coming in a fresh way; prepare yourself. Joshua walked through the camp and said, “Prepare yourself for tomorrow.” Saints of God, the Spirit is saying, “Prepare yourself for tomorrow.”
We are about to step into a new dimension and future in the cloud of glory. Prepare yourself before God even now. If you need your heart to be cleansed by the Blood, just confess what you need to confess right now. All things are naked and bare before Him with whom we have to do; present your heart to the Father, by the Blood of Jesus. Prepare yourself. The Scripture says that we are to cleanse ourselves of all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Beloved, something is coming—we are actually on the threshold of something we have never known or had before. Prepare yourself.
I keep hearing the Spirit cry, “Prepare yourself. Prepare yourself. Prepare yourself.” You are crossing a threshold, prepare yourself. There is a tomorrow you could not see but it is dawning now; prepare yourself. Prepare yourself. There is a new manifestation of the power and glory of God, prepare yourself. Heaven is opening; prepare yourself. The rain of the Spirit is going to pour in torrents; prepare yourself. The wonders and signs of the Almighty are coming, prepare yourself.
Ask, Seek and Knock
“For in the declaration and the utterance of My Son, as He listened to My voice on the mountain, He cried out and said to the multitudes, ‘Ask and it shall be given. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened.’ I have had you on a journey. You have been asking, you have been seeking, you have been knocking and now I would reveal to you that this is a process whereby I wean you away and draw you away from everything you consider familiar, everything you consider understandable. And I have allowed you to go through a period of darkness and even confusion. And you would say, ‘God, where are You?’
“And I would remind you that My Son exhorted you to ask, seek and knock; for the process and the progress of your soul when it asks and when it seeks and when it knocks, leads you through a place of radical disorientation. Many would refuse the progress and the process. But it is a spiritual pathway that you must take if you will learn the way of wisdom and the way of power. You say, ‘Well God, You promised.’
This is what has been happening through the process of the removal of the Zebra mussels. Radical disorientation!!
“I know I promised. I said, ‘Ask, seek, knock and you will find.’ You say, ‘But I have found loss. I have found dispossession. I have found letting go.’ And I would say to you that until you dispossess what you have you can never possess what I want to give to you. Until you surrender your understanding, you will never get My wisdom. You would say, ‘Lord, what is at the end of this process?’
The next level of His removal of these false filters has brought loss and dispossession. It is a three-fold process.
“And here I would reveal it to you by My Spirit. Through the disorientation, through the season of confusion and disillusionment, I bring you to a place of mystery. I bring you to a place of wonder and I bring you to a place of awe. For there can be no release of what I desire for My people; there can be no manifestation of what I yearn to give My people, except I draw them by their hunger, by their asking, by their seeking, by their knocking.
“I draw them out of the known, out of the familiar, out of the safe, out of the comfortable, out of the place of possessing what they have had into a place of unknown, uncertainty, confusion, disorientation, disillusionment, disappointment; and in that void, in that void, in the place between the letting go and the taking on, I then bring you into the mystery of faith. And there, as I invite you to step across the threshold into the mystery of faith, is something that goes beyond your comprehension and can only be apprehended by your spirit, for I am bringing you to the spirit of faith.”
I Am Bringing My Body into the Way of Wonder
“For do you not know the Holy One of Israel, His Holy Spirit is the spirit of faith? And there, when I bring you there out of the darkness, out of the confusion, out of the letting go, out of the dispossessing, I then bring you into the place of wonder. For am I not a God of wonder? Am I not a God of miracles? Am I not a God who manifests His goodness in the midst of conflict and decision? Know this My people, I am bringing My Body into the way of wonder, for I have seen the failings of My people. I have seen the failings of the traditions of men. I have seen the failings of those who would want to maintain the status quo, and it has been My finger that has been toppling these things, both in the nations and in your personal life.
“Fear not. Fear not, neither let your heart be troubled, for what lies ahead is the way of wonder. I am bringing you into the mystery of faith and the way of wonder; prepare yourself. Cleanse your hearts. Cleanse your hands. Let go of what is no longer necessary; let go of what is no longer useful; let go of what does not serve My purpose; let go of your agendas; let go of your presuppositions; let go of your projections; let go of your judgments and surrender, for you are at the threshold. You are at the precipice.
“You are, as it were, standing on a cliff through the darkest of a night only able to see the shadows of that which is in the valley. But now, as the light on the horizon begins to rise and the sun announces the dawning of a new day, the outlines that you saw in the shadows will become the substance of My provision that you see in the light. For I am taking you out of the shadows into the substance and I declare to you, a new day is dawning and the light is rising and I am bringing you into the mystery and the wonder of My glory!”
He that hath an ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
I wonder if you and I are hungry enough to allow the Lord to remove the “false filters” from our life until we are brought into this place of glory and wonder. I for one say “Lord do not stop until you have finished your work”.
Song of the Lord:
Father, let it be
Father let it be
Even unto me
Father let it be.
Spirit, let me see
Spirit, let me see
Even unto me
Spirit, let me see.
Jesus, set me free
Jesus, set me free
Even unto me
Jesus, set me free.
Father, let it be
Father, let it be
Even unto me
Father, let it be.
Dr. Mark J. Chironna
Mark Chironna Ministries
Email: markchironna@markchironna.com
Mark Chironna’s Itinerary:
September 28-October 2, 2009
Christian Family
BLESSINGS
APOSTLE ROBERT ROGERS
Posted in The Coming Glory | Tagged bucket, cloud of glory, coming, Dr. Mark Chironna, faith, glory, practical, reasoning, supernatural, vision, zebra mussels | 2 Comments »
Many familiar Scriptures took on new meaning and began to come together in a seamless path that led to the “inner sanctuary”. Perhaps, like many others, when you heard the Lord say, “It is called the place of prayer” you were not as excited as you once were. You have been to the place of prayer countless times and have come away a little encouraged and perhaps even blessed, but it never quite led to the fulfillment for which you were looking.
Wait a minute! I have great news for you. What the Lord showed me was the progressive pattern that prayer is meant to lead us into. You see, there are three levels of prayer. Have you ever heard of that before? Our God is a God of three-fold things. He reveals Himself to us in the natural world as animal, vegetable, and mineral, as solids, liquids and gases, as protons, neutrons and electrons. He is a triune God. He is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. He created you and me as body, soul and spirit.
He writes to us as little children, young men and fathers. He multiplies thirty, sixty and hundred fold. The vast expanse of creation is solar system, milk way and the universe. Our God is a triune God. In the book of Proverbs, chapter 22 and verse 20 the Lord says through His servant:
Prov 22:20
20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
KJV
The word excellent here is from the Hebrew word “shaliysh” (ot:7991) and means triple or three-fold things. The great warrior and king, David, experienced three separate anointings, even as our Lord did.
While in the spirit in 1986, the Lord spoke to my heart saying, “There are three levels to your calling. You are presently in the second level of your calling. If you remain faithful and continue to pursue Me, I will bring you into the third level of your calling, and here are the things you will experience. (I am not allowed to share these things). Still, the point is that for all of us, there are three levels of our calling, and there are three levels of prayer. Most, however, have not gone beyond the first level of prayer. Let me explain.
When the Lord says:
1 John 2:12-14
12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one….
NKJV
He writes to the little children first. This is the first level of prayer. It is at this level in which God wants to teach us that He is a Father who delights to give good things to His children. Our Father’s goal, at this level of prayer, is to teach us that our sins are forgiven, that we can trust Him, and that we can ask anything in His name and know that he hears us. At this place of our prayer journey, we do not have to worry too much about character and principles; we are just learning how much fun it is to walk with our Father.
John 14:11
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
NKJV
Don’t you just love this place of prayer? It is so much fun here. God answers all our prayers and gives us just about anything for which we ask. We rarely have to ask twice or to wait very long until our requests are fulfilled. Is this not what it is like to be a little child? We ask mother for milk, and she gets it for us. We ask her for cookies, and she gets us cookies. We go to the store with her, we see a toy and ask for it, and she buys it. Yet, mother’s dream is that one day we will grow up, and that we will be men and women of godly character. Instead of asking, we will be giving. Instead of being served, we will serve. Instead of whining and complaining, we will be speaking faith and encouragement. Instead of waiting on someone else’s anointing to heal, deliver and meet our needs, we will stir up the gift within us and be the ones who heal, and anoint and bless.
One of the problems we have is that many think this is the highest level of prayer, when it is but the beginning. Let me give you an illustration of this. Have you ever seen a man of God ask the people to line up so that he could pray for them? Of course, you have. I have done that many times myself. I remember on a Sunday morning, after I had come into the prophetic anointing, I had the people line up and I prayed for them until 3:00 p.m. The elders had to literally carry me out of the church; I was so exhausted. Oh, it was an anointed time, and many were greatly blessed, but I tell you that this was only but the first level of anointing as far as teaching goes. I only taught the people that, “I was anointed, and they needed to come and get their needs met”.
There is an Old Testament example of this. Let us look at it. A father-in-law is teaching his son-in-law and telling him that if he does not change how he does ministry, he will wear out and will wear out the people as well. (Does this sound a little like our churches today?)
Ex 18:13-20
13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and laws.”
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good.
18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.
One of the problems we have created is that we have often taught the people and the young ministers that this is the highest level of anointing. We minister, and everyone stands around waiting for us to lay our hands upon them, with a few helpers catching those who are slain in the spirit. The problem is we will be doing the same thing a year from now, and the same people will be slain in the spirit. They do not need to be slain more than once. After that, get up and take that anointing to the world.
MORE TO FOLLOW IN A COUPLE OF DAYS
Apostle Robert Rogers
Posted in Understanding Prayer | Tagged pattern, place, prayer, progressive, understanding | Leave a Comment »
Muskegon, MI
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