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As I sat quietly in worship before the Lord, the Holy Spirit brought forth a vision of a large mound before me. It was a mountain of pain that contained all of my past, present, and even future disappointments. The mountain was blocking my worshipful experience. It was hindering me from getting to that sweet place in the Spirit, which I love so much, where the cares of the world melt away in His presence.

I wanted to ignore the mountain that was looming in front of me and just worship. I tried to move to the left or the right in order to get around It but each way I turned, the mountain of pain was directly in front of me. I didn’t want to think about my disappointments, nor did I want to deal with the pain I experience when I do. I wanted to think about my Jesus and get lost in worship. The presence of God was heavy and I was engulfed in His Love but the pain was present too so I wanted to dance, so to speak, around the mountain.

Pain is not pleasant, therefore I was trying to speak to the mountain and cast it into the sea…but it didn’t work. Suddenly, Jesus was standing between me and the mountain. He took me firmly by the shoulders halting my motion and said, “Tiffany Ann, stand still and know I am God.”

“Yes Lord…I know, that’s why I just want to worship.” I replied attempting to dance away again. But He wouldn’t let me. Over and over again He brought me back to the mountain of my pain.

Finally figuring the Lord had something to say, I stopped trying to get away. In the stillness He asked, “Tiffany Ann, do you trust Me here? Here in front of this mountain? Do you trust Me with your pain? Do you trust Me with your disappointments?” Selah….

As tears rolled down my cheeks the Lord taught me about walking in both trust and disappointment.

The primal instinct to pain is fight or flight. We’ll either fight down the pain or run from it. That’s why I was trying to “dance” around the mountain. I was trying to avoid the pain of my disappointments. The problem with that is when we run, we are running away from God not to Him. Sadly in this life, there are times in which what we are hoping for slips through our grasp and our heart is broken into thousands of pieces. For the believer, often admitting this type of disappointment becomes a battle of the soul and in this vulnerable place the individual might wonder if they really trust God or not.

This type of battle only serves to add painful guilt to already spiraling emotions. At times like this we may find ourselves hiding our real feelings from God. We may feel ashamed to let Him know what is going on deep in our heart for surely if we trusted God we wouldn’t feel disappointed, Right?

Wrong. Experiencing disappointment does not necessarily reveal a lack of trust. What it reveals is a disappointment and we don’t need to hide it from Him. That is just another lie the devil speaks in order to keep us from the love of God. The Lord already knows our thoughts, hurts, and disappointments and He invites us to discuss them all with Him, “’Come on now, and let us reason together…” (Isaiah 1:18) Beloved, we can be real with God and as we trust Him enough to reveal it… He will heal it. Trust in God and feelings of disappointment can walk hand in hand when we are walking hand in hand with God. Let me show you what I Mean.

There are two root words used in the Old Testament to express “trust”. One is batah and the other is chasah. Batah (Strong’s #982) is used most often and means: to trust, trust in, to have confidence, be bold, to be Secure.

It’s interesting to note that this root (batah) takes on a causative verb form. I don’t mean to get overly technical here, but it is very important to know what a causative verb means for this all to make sense. In language, a causative verb indicates the action that is necessary to cause another action to happen. It reveals that somebody/something is indirectly responsible for the action. This teaches us biblically that God will “cause” us to trust Him.

Psalm 22:4-5 says, “Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.” God “caused” them to trust Him through all the signs and wonders that He did in their midst. But let us remember that although they were freed from bondage in Egypt they were also leaving everything they knew, everything that was familiar to them and walked blindly through the wilderness, a wasteland that was full of life-threatening circumstances.

Just imagine some of the disappointments the children of Israel must have faced. They had no food, no water, and no home. What they did have however, was a promise from God and over and over again He provided for their needs revealing Himself as a faithful, loving, and trustworthy God. Through this provision He “caused” many to trust Him more and more each day. Now, this type of hope in God is not some sort of wishful thinking, but a confident expectation and radiates from a heart that has been persuaded one way or another. We see this concept in Rom 5:3-5, “…we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

These tribulations cause us to trust/batach God more. Yes, we hurt but we don’t need to push our feelings down in order to be strong Christians pretending it’s all good saying, “Praise the Lord, I lost my job but it’s all good…praise the Lord.” We just need to run to God and receive the strength we need, one day at a time.

This becomes possible through our second word for trust chasah. This word used to define trust is similar…but not the same. There are some shades of meaning found in chasah that may really help the weary soul. Chasah (Strong’s # 2620) means: to seek refuge, flee for protection, to put trust in God, to hope in God, and to make someone a refuge. Simply said, batah “relies on” where as chasah “takes refuge in.”

We find a beautiful word picture of chasah in Psalm 57:1 where King David is portrayed as nestling under God’s wings for refuge like a baby bird hides under its parent’ s wings. “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge [chasah], Until these calamities have passed by.”

Notice how in this psalm David wrote: “Until these calamities have passed me by.” We can think of it as, until my tribulations produce perseverance, character and finally hope in God which will…not disappoint. They won’t disappoint because at the end of it all God’s love was poured out through Calvary.

The situation may be disappointing…O’ but God. It’s interesting to note that chasah is found in the verse that is the middle of the Bible, Psalm 118:8. “It is better to trust [chasah] in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” How profound that it’s chasah that is used here not batach. You see, if we run away in our pain trying to numb it somehow on our own, we will never fully experience the protective refuge of what it is to chasah/trust in God.

When we run to God seeking shelter in our pain, we will find it. He will be there at the mountain of pain and disappointment spreading His arms wide inviting us to crawl under His wing and find our rest. When we are “here” in this place we can experience a soothing peace that wells up from deep within and although all hell is breaking lose around us we will be able to declare “it is well with my soul” because we trust Him.

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust [chasah]; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior…” (2 Samuel 22:2-3a) Amen and Amen.

Dancing With the Flame of the Lord Ministries
Tiffany Ann Lewis
http://www.tiffanyannlewis.com/

Deuteronomy 4:23-25 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden. For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

The scriptures say that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and there is freedom. Jesus himself said that he had come to set us free, and if the Son sets you free you are free indeed. His heart was in the Father’s heart, and the Father’s heart was in the Son’s heart, and when Christ ascended into the heavenly realms he sent down the Holy Spirit who is the manifest presence of the unified heart of the Trinity of God. There is a holy fire of love that burns within the center of this godly alliance. It is the fire that has fueled the universe in all its glory even before ancient times, it is the fire that provides fuel for all humanity, and all that we have been asked to take dominion over. It is a refiner’s fire that burns away all the chaff, hay and stubble within our souls that we may become true children of the Living God.

Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. 1 Kings 18:21

We have entered into a season of God’s consuming fire on this earth, and during this season of the refiners fire when God will start to separate the wheat from the tares, this same question will be asked of you and I; “Will you continue to follow Baal and the idols of this world, or will you lay down your lives and follow Jesus?”. The season for wavering between two opinions is coming to an end of this you can be certain, for the holy scriptures have proclaimed that our God is a jealous God. The very first commandment that we were given was to love God first, with all our heart, our soul, our mind and our strength. “Seek ye first the Kingdom”, Jesus said; and the riches of heaven will be made available to you. A meteor shower of God’s glory has already become evident in varying places all over the earth, and as the darkness of evil continues to increase the meteors will become asteroids of God’s power and his transforming presence will shake the very foundations of civilization itself. I can assure you, that this is no time for a mambi pambi church. This is no time to be hiding behind excuses as we lick the wounds that have been inflicted on us by us. OUR GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE and it is high time that WE BURN FOR Jesus! John Wesley was once asked how he was able to draw such large crowds and what he said penetrated the depths of my soul. He said; “I set myself on fire for Jesus and they come to see me burn.”

Revelation 3:15-17 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

The church in America today is lukewarm at best, this is not to say that the fire of God is not present in various people and places within this nation, it is to say that the fruit being born from our collective church efforts has fallen far short of God’s glory. If this were not so our nation would not be what it has become, a place of open sexual promiscuity and perversions of all kinds, a land where millions of children are being snatched from their mother’s wombs and placed at the altar of Baal, a nation that has placed Jesus at the back of the bus. A nation that has been wavering between two opinions for far too long.

There is a heart cry that is resonating deeply within the body of believers, a heart cry for true freedom in Christ, a heart cry for more of Jesus and less of man, a heart cry that will shake the very foundations of church as we know it in the coming days. The days of being lukewarm are coming to an end for you and I. God will have his way with us or without us, he will take his rightful place as King of Kings and Lord of lords. It is not his desire to leave anyone behind, but he will because he is holy and his word is faithful and true. Many will be burned by the fire of his presence during this great movement of his Spirit, but far more will be set free to live and to die for him.

Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

The fear, awe and wonder of God will fill the hearts of his true believers in the coming days and people from very tribe and every nation will come to watch them burn for Jesus. It will be an unprecedented time of evil, but it will be an even more unprecedented time of God’s manifest power and glory.

Isaiah 6:5-8 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

I pray that each and every one of us will encounter God in a way that will set us on fire forever, and ever and ever so that when he asks; “Whom shall I send?” we can all answer in unity, in spirit and in truth “Here we are Lord, send us” Amen.

In Jesus name and by his love

Barry

A Consuming Fire

~ Barry Bowers
Binghamton New York USA
February 07, 2010
familyrestoration739@msn.com

As we enter into this next era with God, the Kingdom Age, we will begin to notice many new characteristics of God’s people. In fact, the greatest characteristic will be ‘the character’ of the men and women leading this new era (Kingdom Age). You will know them by their fruit. First and foremost, Kingdom Age leaders will have their own money bag; they will be self sufficient and will never fleece the sheep with money generating tactics. They will abhor terms like ‘love offering.’ They will not impose the legal ritual of tithing upon anyone. They will offer much of what they have in terms of ministry items; CDs, tapes, teachings, etc., free, and be a blessing to those around them. With some exceptions, the ministry will not serve as their primary source of income. They will always look to God for their provision, and will never look to man or the tired worn out exploitive systems that have been used to exploit the Body financially. If they take an offering, it will be to bless the poorest in the meeting.

These men and women are emerging today, without motive or ambition, except obedience to the Father. A true characteristic of many of today’s ‘Church Age’ ministries is rooted in personal ambition; men and women who want to be known. The World’s System applauds this behavior, which so subtly corrupts what we have traditionally called ‘The Church.’ I know lost ambitious men in corporate America today, who are less ambitious than many ministers and ministries I know. This should not be, and is about to change as the Kingdom Age makes its presence known. Kingdom Age ministers do not seek to be known; in fact, they prefer to be unknown. They do not seek to share God’s glory, and any situation that puts them in position to do so is avoided at all cost. They will duck and run when man starts heaping his glory upon them. In contrast to their Church Age counterparts, there is a deeply rooted humility that has come through much tribulation; a characteristic that can only gain its identity through fire and affliction. The leaders of this new era know something about adversity. They have faced death and ruin on many occasions; dealt with physical, emotional, and spiritual pain – they have died, yet live, but now ONLY for His purpose.

Kingdom Age leaders are not ‘loud mouth know it alls, spewing scripture with every breath who ‘act’ with a practiced and contrived stage presence to invoke emotional response. They have utter distain for the ‘big me, little you/clergy, laymen divide that flows from most pulpits and TV preachers today. They are quiet, and only speak when God gives them something to say; but when they speak…Oh God! Listen, those who have ears to hear, you will hear from the throne room of God. Are these men and women perfect? Anything but, their weak flesh keeps them bound to the Father.

The Kingdom Age in which we are entering is a time of supernatural exploits. God is revealing himself through His dead vessels that are alive in Him. As healing was a major characteristic of the Church Age, Power and Authority will be a characteristic of the Kingdom Age – an Age that will ‘prepare the way.’ God is birthing something completely new; His fire is falling, but we must be careful to recognize the form in which it is falling. An evangelist would suppose it to be revival; a teacher would call it more word, an apostle, more churches, a prophet, more insight, a preacher, more people. Perhaps some of all of this is true; but the context of fire, from my humble depths, is greater authority and power to carry out His Will upon the earth. Test this by your Spirit! Always test any prophetic words you hear, read, or touch.

I will be writing much more on this subject in the future. I am full, and want to let it out.

In Him,

Clay Sikes

Lighthouse Prophecy

clay@springtidecommunities.com