This is an article from Iris Ministires, and you can read it on the Iris site.

Unstoppable Love and a Boat

By Heidi Baker

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Greetings from Iris to all our friends and family around the world; blessings, joy and peace.

As another wonderful outreach in the north of Mozambique concludes, I want to thank all of our amazing donors once again. Your love for the poor and your remembrance for the downcast, the orphan, and the widow are enormously appreciated. Without your generosity, it would be impossible for us to continue reaching the lost and feeding the hungry. You have a great part of all the fruit from this Iris family.

We have just returned from ministering in some of the northern coastal villages, where a deaf mute was miraculously healed on the first evening. As always, it was a truly awesome experience. Everyone in the village had known this person, so the healing was greeted with widespread excitement, exuberant cheering and clapping. Now the whole village wants to follow Jesus!

We stayed at this village overnight, and began our next day fresh at 4:30 am, when the whole village awakened. That morning we held a beautiful wedding at a church in a mud hut. The church family and all the local children sang and danced loudly in celebration of this couple’s union. After that, we went to visit people in their homes and pray for the sick. God continues to do glorious miracles among us! So many people were hungry for spiritual food, we might almost have forgotten how hungry they were for natural food — but after breakfast we also saw children scraping out the bottom of our pans after the pastors and visitors had eaten. The Lord again put it strongly my heart that love looks like something. So we prepared lunch, and everyone in the village who was hungry came and ate. We left solar-powered audio Bibles and a soccer ball, then we had to leave for another village.

The next village was one we had planted a church in several years ago. The pastor there has been through two training sessions at Iris, and is doing well. No words are enough to thank you all for helping us train these young, motivated Mozambican leaders! We won’t stop until every village and tribe is reached by the unending, bottomless, ceaseless love of Jesus. His love compels us. We have been so blessed by your ongoing generosity — God bless you all! And we ask you to remember us in your prayers.

Now I would like to share another story, one that is really close to my heart. In part it is about the boat that took us on our outreach, but it is really about Tenacious Love.

One day my husband, Rolland, was flying me in our little bush plane over a certain area of Mozambique. I noticed that there were no roads at all, but I asked Rolland to take me as low as the plane could possibly go, and when he did I looked down and saw village after village passing below me. And I started sobbing! I was sobbing because there were no roads, and it seemed like there would be no natural way for me to get to those people. I was weeping because I have read the Book, and I know my God — I can’t imagine anyone on this planet not getting the opportunity to know this beautiful Savior! I can’t imagine not doing everything I can to give them the chance. I wept and asked God what I should do. And He said, “get a boat!” So, we began to pray and believe for a boat.

For two years I was told again and again how impossible it was to get a boat to Pemba. Likewise, many of you reading this are chosen and called by God for great tasks, but there may be a lot of people telling you why you cannot go, why it is impossible for you to do what God is telling you to. They may try to explain it to you in detail. They may quote books about what they think we cannot do, and what they think God cannot do. I have read those kinds of books. But the Book tells us what we can do! I know my God, and if He says “get a boat,” He means that we should really get a boat.

So — we got a boat!

The government said that we could not bring it into the country without paying a seventy percent import duty. God provided, and I said, “Here is the money; give me the boat!” No one is going to stop me! Actually, I got really angry at the devil. How could he think he could possibly stop us? When you are in love, you are unstoppable!

It took two years and ten days for the boat to finally get here. On the way, while it was being hauled overland on rough roads, the transporters damaged the hull and put cracks in both the engines! At one point the donors who had paid for the boat came to see us, and it was still just sitting, waiting for repairs, covered in dust and dirt in the backyard of a non-Christian man who owns most of the city. Their investment was not looking very impressive. I thought, “God, this is not what I had planned.”

Sometimes it is like that. It looks like your vision is in the camp of someone who doesn’t even know God. It looks like your vision has been captured and carried away. It looks like it is full of dust, covered over, and without any fuel. And yet God says: “Believe what I said! And do not stop!” Love is tenacious. Faith is tenacious. Love doesn’t give up, even when the engines are toast and you have to pay seventy percent duty! Do not stop short of your promise. Do not stop short of your destiny. Do not stop short of His glory.

I had to keep searching for somebody to fix that boat, and even some of the people I love most told me repeatedly that it could not be done. Finally, I found a Filipino man who said he could repair it — but it took another year just to get the parts! After that, I was told that the hull was too deep, and I wouldn’t be able to get close to those villages because their coasts were so shallow. So I asked them to get me a dingy. I was told, once again, that this couldn’t be done. For some reason we couldn’t get a dingy in Mozambique. But I was convinced that there surely must be a dingy available somewhere! I had seen them! Someone said to me, “You just don’t stop, do you?”

I cannot stop! Everybody needs to know! Every tribe, every nation, every tongue! I am a woman possessed by His heart for the lost. Wholly possessed by the one I am in love with!

After another few months, they finally found me a dingy somewhere. And the day we finally took the boat on our first outreach, one of the engines blew. But the other one worked!

Of course it would have been nicer to have two. But since we had the one, I told the captain to keep going. When we got to that first village, by boat and then by dingy, everyone who lived there came running to us. And I was able to tell them that I had come with good news!

I shared every word that I knew in their tribal tongue of Makua. They had never heard the name of Jesus before that day. We sat in a little carpenter’s shop, which consisted of a few sticks and a ripped piece of plastic, and shared all about Jesus while some of the villagers made furniture. Everyone came. I shared, I sang, and I gave them some little solar-powered audio New Testaments in Makua. When I asked them who wanted to receive Jesus, they all said yes!

What if we had stopped short? What if we had given up?

Do not be stopped by difficulty! Never stop short of what God has promised you! He has a destiny for you.

A few months later we went back to this little village, and even before I had the chance to get out of the dingy, almost the whole village had run up to me, singing songs and quoting scriptures they had memorized from their solar Bibles! What a joy! God has made Himself known to this village, which had been totally forgotten by the outside world. We are now in the process of building a church and a school there, the first of either that this village has ever seen.

What a privilege we have, to share the gospel about Christ Jesus! Oh thank you Jesus! We get to be part of bringing people into His presence! We get to give our little lives. Without Him we are just dry twigs. But He calls us to fruitfulness, to intimacy, and to fearless, tenacious love. Whatever it costs… we count it all joy!

Love and blessings,

Heidi Baker

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There are those who claim to be part of the Body of Christ who spend their time picking apart others while they themselves do nothing to reach the lost. They claim their motivation is purity of doctrine. Well, I don’t seem to recall a single instance of Jesus ever contending for purity of doctrine. He had a much higher purpose — contending for the eternal souls of those he came into contact with. He came to DESTROY the WORKS of the evil one. He wasn’t concerned about words, he was concerned about the bondages that people spent lives in.

Jesus said to believe the MIRACLES because they testified of him. He came to set at liberty those who are oppressed and those who were in prison.

It is the strategy of HELL to get the people of God divided over WORDS, while failing to do the WORKS of the Master. Jesus Christ came to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. And it is my duty as a recipient of that grace to pass it on to as many as possible.

Heidi reminded me again what it is to be compelled by a love for the Master that refuses to quit, that refuses to accept defeat. Jesus loves the lost, and if we love Him, we will love them, too. We will lay our lives down to reach them, just as He did.

The true counterfeit Jesus is the one that values doctrine over people. If your heart is that in tuned with Jesus that you love who and what He loves, the Holy Spirit will correct your. Scripture teaches that the Spirit was sent to lead us into all truth.

But if your heart loves words more than the person of Christ, if you are devoted to being correct over reaching the lost, and blessing those who are reaching the lost, then you are nothing more than a whitewashed tomb full of dead men’s bones, and an enemy of the Gospel, just as surely as the Pharisees were. The Pharisees were the most doctrinally correct of all the Jews, but their hearts were so caught up in pride at their “correctness” that they missed what that correct doctrine should have revealed to them: Jesus.

What is the heart of the Father toward His children who have sinned? What is His attitude toward His children who have repented?

This is what many in the church seem to think should happen to Todd Bentley:

You can get out, Todd, as soon as you've proven your repentance and earned forgiveness.

But is this the heart of God? Is this how the Father treats His children? This is what the Father says:

⁷ I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity ^[a] and will rebuild them as they were before. ⁸ I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. ⁹ Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

Jeremiah 33:7-9

When the Father forgives, He not only forget the sin, but He chooses to rebuild His fallen child as they were before. Is that an expression of “greasy grace?” No, it is so they can bring Him “renown, joy, praise and honor.” It is all about Him. Restoration brings Him joy and honor.

Bill Johnson made a fabulous point in his sermon on March 22. He spoke at length about Todd and his restoration. This is actually an incredibly meaty sermon and covers a lot of points. You can see the entire sermon below:

What he said that was so fabulous was if Todd’s repentance is false and we accept it, God is not going to be angry. Todd will still have to answer to the Father for his sin, but we will have obeyed the word and extended mercy. If, however, Todd’s repentance is genuine and we do not accept it, he will be fine, and we will fall under the judgment of God for our sin.

God has made it abundantly clear in His word that if we do not forgive others, He will not forgive us. He hasn’t given us the option of judging whether a heart is repentant or not because He alone knows the secrets of men’s hearts.

Pastor Johnson also talks about the Political Spirit and the Religious Spirit, both of which oppose Grace. The Political Spirit washes its hands like Pilate did in order to appear righteous. The Religious Spirit takes up stones to kill the sinner, forgetting their own sin and need of mercy, in order to appear righteous.

The Spirit of Christ stands with the sinner and gives grace because, as Romans 2:4 says, “God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?”

Titus 2:11-14 makes it abundantly clear that grace is what empowers us to live holy.

¹¹For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. ¹²It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

The passage above makes it abundantly clear that godliness and purity are processes. Grace teaches us. It is impossible to learn the lessons of grace without mistakes, just as it is impossible to learn mathematics without making mistakes. You do not destroy children for their failure to perfectly master the lessons of mathematics. You do not destroy college students for their failure to master the concepts of Calculus I. In the same way you do not destroy the Father’s children for their failure to master the lessons of grace.

Does this grace lead to compromise? No. Those who have been forgiven much, scripture says, love much. That love expresses itself in gratitude to the Father for His amazing grace that you have no desire to repeat the offense.

Below is part of an article written by Patricia King at the beginning of the year, long before the current Florida Outpouring began. You can read the entire article here.

How to respond to false manifestations?

As I am writing this article, I am dealing with a situation where someone in our meetings manifested some “mixture” in the area of signs and wonders. They were helping God out. They had experienced the true phenomena of God in the past many times and yet gave into the temptation of the enemy to fabricate a sign. In this case, it was the planting of gemstones in a meeting that were not given by God. There was mixture. The true and the false can operate through the same person.

When the Lord revealed this to our team, of course we were devastated. The initial reaction was shock, pain, and in some of our team, anger. We had trusted and now felt deceived. We went back and forth at first with doubt that this could even be happening. We did not want to believe that someone had violated our trust. What about the people who came to the meetings trusting and believing? What about their innocence and the violation of that? How are we to handle situations like this? How are we to respond?

The Lord helped us through with the following insights:

1. Confrontation. We had to lovingly but firmly confront the offender. They denied it at first. We continued to pray for the Lord to give us the Word of the Lord on the situation and to give us more “evidence”. He did! The main goal in confrontation is to bring a brother (or sister) to repentance so they can be restored. This is part of the LOVE WAR the Body is in. Oftentimes individuals get hurt when they confront and the response is denial. This can produce more pain and more uncertainty. It is important to rest in the love of God in the midst of confrontation. Let His peace fill you. Never confront when you are angry for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. It is important not to jump to conclusions but to wait until you have the facts completely in place.

2. Admit Pain. We cannot deny our pain, anger, and disappointment, but we cannot let these things build walls around our hearts. I cried before God bringing my pain to Him and asking Him to keep me strong so that I could help heal the offender and the Body.

3. Rightly Discern between the True and False. We did not want to throw out the true due to seeing a manifestation of the false. We have seen the true many times over. We have had credible ministries like Joshua and Janet Mills and many others labor with us in the area of supernatural manifestations. They have been real valid experiences flowing through pure hearts. The minister who manifested the lying signs had also manifested the true. We must keep our faith strong in times like these and discern objectively.

4. Don’t over-react. It is easy at this point to want to shut down everything – especially your heart. Jesus taught us in the parable of the wheat and the tares not to react in fear or in haste. He assured us that HE will take care of it and will send angels to remove all stumbling blocks out of His Kingdom. In the meantime, we must not lose faith or trust in Him.

5. Wisdom. Wisdom from above is: pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. (James 3:17) If we ask for wisdom, God will give it. (James 1:5). Wisdom is very important. It is vital that we only proceed as the Father directs. We need to know what steps to take, what to share and what not to share, how to approach the situation, and how to respond. The Lord will instruct us if we WAIT on Him. God showed us how we could walk in love for this individual, to help them get restored and also to help the Body process. He gave us wisdom on how to uphold righteousness in the midst of an unrighteous act. He is so good and His wisdom is perfect.

6. Exposure. We are going to see exposure of the false in 2008. Jesus warns us that the things done in secret will be shouted from the roof-tops. Great wisdom is needed in how things are exposed, but there will be increased exposure coming. We must not cover things up even though we want to cover each other during a time of healing and restoration. We cover in love but we expose in truth with sensitivity. We need to walk in the integrity of the truth. We must not compromise.
7. Keep faith. The enemy desires to produce doubt in our hearts. If he can do this, he has won his battle. When the Lord exposes the false in 2008, many will fall away due to disillusionment. Beware of this. Do not close the door of your heart. Remember, the exposure of tares is inevitable. Jesus told us that wheat and tares would grow up together in the same field. Learn to rightly divide but keep your faith strong. Do not shrink back.

8. Press on. I always like to make the devil sorry he ever tried! Press on for more of God. We are pressing on for more of all that He desires to reveal. If it is of Him, we want it! Allow your love for Jesus and His Kingdom rise up in you like never before. 2008 is going to be amazing!

The heart of God is always, always, ALWAYS redemptive toward us. Even when we blow it, when we sin. Because that is the heart of God toward us, that needs to be our heart toward one another.

Patricia was violated by this minister. His violation not only destroyed her trust in him, but it could have had serious consequences for her ministry and damaged her credibility with her partners. Yet her main concern was how to help heal not only the damage done to the Body of Christ, but to heal the offender as well. She and her team made a conscious decision to walk in love toward this individual and help them.

1 Corinthians 13 shows us the heart of God, because God is love:

1 If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 but do not have love, I gain nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body [to hardship] that I may boast,

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I have been appalled at the tone of many of the things I have seen written on the Internet concerning Todd Bentley. I am not concerned about people’s disagreement with his theology or teachings. There are many people in the Body of Christ that I disagree with, but I am not out on a campaign to destroy them. They belong to God and it is up to Him to discipline His children, not me. I may spat with people on this or other forums, but when it comes down to it, they are fellow believers and there is a line that if I cross, I will have to answer to my Father for how I am treating His children.

Here is a piece that I came across today that blew my mind. This was a copy of an email a blogger sent to Destiny Image Publishing.

“How can you claim to be a publisher of ‘foundationally spirit-filled’, ‘biblically sound’, and ’spiritually inspirational’ books, when you published Todd Bentley’s book ‘The Reality of the Supernatural World’, which as well as containing numerous scriptural contradictions and deceptions, also contains deliberate intentional lies and false testimony?

Notably I draw you attention to the sex changes of Todd’s alleged encounter with the angel Emma from female to an unnamed male angel on page 230 of the book. (See more details here). This is appalling and indefensible and means that you knowingly publish a liar’s books – why, is the money in it too tempting for you? Or do you not care about scriptural truth, general honesty and integrity any more?”

Now, I don’t know about you, but I would beat my kid if I found out she had sent such a rude piece of correspondence out, just on a natural level. It seems that if you are the doctrine police, the rules of polite conduct no longer apply to you.

This person did not even attempt to confront Todd Bentley. They took it first to the publisher and then posted the email on the internet for the world to see, without having ever once sought Todd and tried to reason with him about the issues raised here. Contrast that with what Patricia did. Contrast that with 1 Corinthians 13.

If you think Todd Bentley’s a heretic, fine. You have that right. If you believe you are attempting to defend the flock of God, you even have a noble motive. But scripture is clear about how these things are to be done. Confronting Todd is the first step. If that gets you nowhere, he has publicly submitted to a group of elders in the Body. Take your concerns to his leadership. That is the godly thing to do.

But whatever your actions, you have to love the guy. You have to pray for him. You cannot dishonor him. Scripture says so. And those of you who continue to attack with the desire for the destruction of this man, you are going to find yourself with God opposing you. Scripture says so.

Below is a letter from Todd Bentley that has been posted on the Fresh Fire website. It is Todd’s response to some of the things being said on the internet.

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Lifting Jesus High!

Bringing Biblical Light to Your Questions
about the Lakeland Outpouring & Todd Bentley

June 8, 2008

Dear Friends,

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for hearing my heart on some of the issues that seems to be causing division and some confusion in the Body of Christ. Throughout the Old and New Testaments and in every age following, as far as I can determine, the Lord has given His people dreams and visions, signs and wonders, heavenly encounters and divine supernatural experiences that, for the most part, we cannot understand with our intellect. In the spiritual realm, God isn’t limited by our thinking!
God’s ways of communicating with us hasn’t changed from the beginning of time, although the Bible is the mainstay of His communication to us in today’s Church. Sometimes pictures say a lot, though, and the Lord does speak to us through visions and dreams, just as He spoke that way to the people of ancient days and just as He has promised us that He would in the Last Days. God says, “I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6).
Whenever God pours out His Spirit, dreams and visions become integral to the move of God and are especially a Last Days phenomena according to Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17. God-given dreams and visions are often because of the gracious outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They fall into the category of the miraculous when supernatural revelations are imparted. Ezekiel, the prophet operated in a continuous miracle ministry in the revelatory realm.
Some people desire Scripture for every manifestation of God – for every detail of every God-given, Holy Spirit inspired vision, dream, encounter, or demonstration of the supernatural realm of God manifested on the earth. While I firmly believe that we’re to defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I don’t believe we’re to defend divine manifestations of God, because they are proof within themselves of the Gospel, wherever the Word of God is sent forth. Discern yes, but defend, no. Consider that many of the “greater” things that Christ said we would do hadn’t even been done yet and weren’t recorded in the Bible.

On Visions

While it’s good and right and biblical to test the spirits to see if they are of God, it’s vital to realize that just because a type of vision or a sign is not listed in Scripture, that it’s unscriptural, to be discounted, or false. For instance: If you dream of Jesus visiting you, and in your dream, Jesus, the Man, was the most handsome man you’d ever seen, would the fact that the Bible described Him as having no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him (Is. 53:2b), discount your dream as being scriptural or genuine, relative, and of God?
Just as no two people are alike, no two experiences are alike. Guaranteed, the Bible doesn’t list the details of each dream, each encounter, or everything that God has, does, and will eventually reveal to His people. It doesn’t record every detail of every dream, or everything someone has seen in the spirit realm, or on earth for that matter. Nor does it record every possible miracle, but it does say that nothing is impossible with God (see Luke 1:37; Matt. 17:20). We have no account of miracles like amputated limbs growing back, but the absence of this is Scripture doesn’t mean that such a miracle unbiblical.
If a person is of the mind-set that everything spiritual that happens or manifests in our lives has to be found in Scripture to be divine and of God, then that standard or belief would have to be applied to every area of one’s life. God responds to each one of us in different ways so the specific way He speaks to any of His children should not become a doctrine of correctness.
Someone once said that limiting revelation is like trying to fit an ocean into a cup. God is continually restoring truth and light to His Church. Therefore, we should place no limit on further revelation. To have a view that everything that happens in someone’s life because of God’s loving response to us as His children should be listed in the Bible or else it’s wrong or evil, is like saying that Jesus, who is the Word represents a list of do’s and don’ts. Jesus is a Person who, through intimacy and relationship, we perceive and understand by the Holy Spirit what is good and what is evil. If Jesus listed for us everything that we needed to know, then knowing Him would have become an option. It’s in knowing Him, who is The Word that we enter into what He has prepared for us.
To apply doctrine to the response of God in our lives is wrong. For someone to assume that something that happens to us isn’t of God because it’s not in his or her doctrine or knowledge of Jesus is, in my opinion, to grieve the precious Holy Spirit. I believe each experience is unique and tailored to the individual’s background, experiences, circumstances, capacity to receive, and personal relationship with Jesus. The experience is usually one that a person can relate to. The Lord meets us where we’re at and often shows us things in a way that gets our attention, in a way that we, as individuals, uniquely understand and relate to.
Some are questioning the soundness of my visitation from Jesus while I was in Redding, California. I stated in an interview that it was as though He came into this realm and I saw Him as I would imagine Jesus would be with the disciples on the Earth, as the Son of man, a humble servant as He walked the earth, not in His resurrection glory. The purpose of this experience was for God to impart to me His supernatural peace in my life. God chooses, in His infinite wisdom, to reveal Himself in different ways, and in various aspects so that people can understand, relate, and even receive Him. Why do some think it so bad if God wills to come in His grace and reveal Himself to us in whatever manner He chooses?

Focus on the Revelation

This can be drastically different from one person to another. What’s important, however, are not the details of, for instance, a vision, but how it points to Jesus, the revelation gleaned, what we learn from the experience, how we apply it to our life, and/or speak it into the life of another, and how it draws us closer to Him, for His name’s sake. Because one person may not be able to relate to a dream, vision, or experience of another, he or she may attribute this to the devil or to the flesh, or hallucinations, for example. I’m sure many have seen strange things happen in our meetings – things that puzzle, things that aren’t normal to them, but understand – God doesn’t seek approval for how He manifests through His people or in signs and wonders.
The Bible is full of visions, encounters, signs, wonders, miracles, and manifestations that people have experienced, some of which may be downright hard for many to wrap their minds around, let alone believe it could happen today. Again, it’s all relative to each individual, their experiences, and backgrounds, and with what they have learned through intimacy with Christ Jesus, and what they have received as a love response from God. I spend hours and hours at the feet of Jesus and perhaps the next person doesn’t.
As I can recall, Smith Wigglesworth once had a vision of Satan. He’d been sleeping in bed during a thunderstorm that had rattled the windows and made the lights flicker. Suddenly he saw a vision of Satan standing at the foot of his bed. However, he wasn’t in the least bit disturbed because he had first-hand knowledge and experience of God’s protective nature and understood the power of the name of Jesus. “Oh, it’s just you,” he said to the devil, and turned over and went back to sleep.
If this were a new, breaking story today, how would people receive or respond to the account of what he saw? It would all be relative to what you know or have experienced relating to demons, or the knowledge that you have about the authority that you have as a blood-bought child of God, even to the church climate. If you’ve never cast out a demon from your life and seen him run at the mere mention of the blood of Christ Jesus, you wouldn’t understand.

Angels

Likewise, if I say that I had a vision of an angel, or encountered one or even spoke with one, but you haven’t doctrinally or experientially, come to terms with the reality of angels being in our midst, then you may not attribute it as valid. You may even tag me as someone who worships angels, seeks them for counsel, ministers under the power of, or misrepresents them in some way. In the case of the angel called “Emma,” who I described as having mother-like nurturing qualities, some have automatically assumed that my doctrine is that I believe in female angels. This has never been the case! For whatever reason God chose to show me this angel in a female persona, He did. This isn’t to say that the angel was female. Angels are spirit and appear in many forms. Perhaps that’s the form God chose this angel to take for the purpose of the revelation He gave me. They are spirit beings of light, created out of God’s glory, without gender, and appear in whatever form God chooses to send them to us.
Let me throw this out there for you to think about. If someone encounters an angel on earth that has come in the form of a female human being, and even refers to the angel as a “she,” it doesn’t raise eyebrows. We know they must sometimes appear to us in human form because the Bible tells us not to forget to entertain strangers, “for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2). There is biblical precedent for angels appearing in human form in the example of the two angels who came to Sodom to warn Lot before the destruction of the city in Genesis 19. They visited, had a meal, and even spent the night. Their human “form” even fooled those who tried to accost them and the angels struck them blind.
Even though they appeared as men, they are still genderless. Emma appeared to me in angelic form appearing feminine, which is not to say Emma was female or had a gender. This was the first angel I’d ever seen in feminine-like form, in this motherly nurturing type of persona that opened up a well of healings and breakthrough.
Mary, Paul, Peter, Jesus, the shepherds, and several disciples, and many Old Testament folk like Abraham, Hagar, Daniel, and others had angelic encounters and some interacted with them in conversation. That doesn’t suppose they worshiped these angelic beings or sought them out for revelation apart from God. I never summon angels directly. I do ask God to send angels to encamp around me, and others. Let it be said, that I seek only God for revelation and should He send an angel to me to impart revelation, get my attention, or open wells of revival and healing, so be it. I’ll echo Mary’s words when the angel Gabriel visited and conversed with her “You see before you the Lord’s servant, let it happen to me as you have said.” And the angel left her (Luke 1:26-38).
Christ paid the price for our spiritual blessings and access to heavenly things – angels included. Where I would be concerned about angelic revelation as being deceptive or as angels actually being demonic spirits, is where not-yet Christians claim angelic revelation while rejecting the cross of Christ.
Angels have a purpose in God’s plan. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to the Body of Christ that an angel, called the “Winds of Change” should usher in a new move of God.
Of the angels we learn, “He makes His angels winds and His servants flames of fire” (Heb. 1:7, NAS; see also Psalm 104:3, 4). If God has chosen to send them to us, it behooves us to welcome their presence as we usher in the presence and move of the Lord.
We see a manifestation of God’s presence and power by means of “wind and fire” in the New Testament on the day of Pentecost “when suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).
Angels are messengers from God in heaven to His church on earth, and they seem to appear at the most critical points in the history of salvation. We get the sense also that they observe what’s happening here on earth at least in the life of the Church. Christ ended two of His parables saying “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:7,10, NKJV). They are also reapers in the great harvest, “…the reapers are the angels” (Matt. 13:39). Described as “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14, italics mine).

Encounters/Visitations

Some people have even ventured to say that my visions and visitations are false. That’s like telling someone who’s just told you about a dream they had in their sleep that they didn’t really dream it.
In the case of my encounter with Paul the apostle, just as Paul didn’t know if he was in his body or out of his body when he was taken into the third heaven, I don’t know whether my encounter was in a vision or an actual encounter. I do know that it was not of the adversary. God had reason for this experience and for the revelation that transpired from it. These things I cannot refute.
It’s not that far out there when you consider that the apostle Peter beheld Jesus, Moses, and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration and was actually commissioned while in a visionary trance, to preach to the Gentiles (see Matt. 17:9, Acts 10:19).
Some may not find my experience doctrinally sound, and liken it to speaking to the dead, and unbiblical, citing the apostle Paul’s warnings in Galatians 1:8, and 2 Corinthians 11:14, of which I’m very aware. My accountability team and I, through careful examination, determined that this vision was not outside of God’s realm. God had a purpose and a plan for the revelation He gave me and it all pointed to Christ.
In visions and encounters that I share, I emphasize that it boils down to Jesus Christ who is the essence of everything and is the All in All. It’s all about Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. An encounter with heaven is an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Many people don’t see what’s happening in the spirit realm, viewing things only from the physical realm. This is one reason why there’s so much division right now. I have found that many are judging things by what they see or hear in the natural, by their natural senses, to feelings, or without having relevant supernatural experiences themselves.

No Prototype for Revival

One of my colleagues told me of a pastor and his wife visiting Lakeland from Las Vegas last week. They pastor a church of over 5,000 people. They shared that they had to repent for believing in their hearts some of the concerns that they’d heard or read about, without first seeking the Lord about it or attending the outpouring, and experiencing first hand what God was doing here. They were amazed by the power and the glory of God there, and have headed back to Nevada with good reports!
This seems to be what I hear from many attending, and from what I read on blogs from people who’ve experienced the fire of God at our meetings. Every night we see hundreds of pastors and leaders all hungry for the fire of God to touch their churches, to disarm the religious paradigms that keep God in a box, quenching the work of the Spirit.
People may see me or others sprawled out on the floor, or in heavenly laughter, or shaking because of the glory and presence of God, but try to look beyond and understand that something’s happening in the spirit, trusting that there’s that other realm that you may not see.
Revival is often messy because there’s a lot happening and sometimes it’s hard for people to take in everything they see in the natural. Many come and some do manifest fleshly things, but for the most part, everyone is sincere and of good intention at a revival. Trust it’s better to be full of life with a little untidiness than to be dead. Also, trust that God is big. He can handle it and can separate the tares from the wheat.
Revival shakes paradigms. It doesn’t fit the mainstream Church’s way of thinking. Revival is an upstream move of God that breaks away from the stagnant pools of religion and tradition. Those bound by tradition and inside a paradigm of do’s and don’ts who give way to an upward stream, find transformation, and a new supernatural, empowering paradigm for their lives.
Moves of God like this are never normal. Do you think what happened in Acts looked normal to the disciples, or even to the onlookers? Pentecost was way, way out there, pretty far out, and must have caused much talk. No one had ever seen anything like it before. Revival is about new things happening, so it’s important not to be quick to judge. There’s no prototype for revival. It’s not a cookie cutter thing. We’re only in our baby stages – and there’s a lot to learn, but what we need now is the support of the Church because unity is crucial.
If you cannot understand the supernatural things of God, or even if you disagree or choose to discount or discredit me in any way, then I urge you to look at the fruit. Every day we’re seeing salvations. Every day people are being healed, not only physically, but emotionally too! Every day, people who thought they knew Christ are discovering Him in a fresh and powerful new way. Every day, we’re teaching people how to use their gifts to evangelize. We’re equipping and sending hundreds into the streets and marketplaces to talk about Jesus.
It’s not even limited to this region. We’re seeing this move of God as exponential growth because people carry the anointing and glory of God home to their churches and regions, empowered to “do the same stuff” and ignite more fires.

Before You Pick Apart the Worker…

Please examine the fruit before you pick apart the worker. People are being saved! Certainly this is common ground with every believer – our hearts should always be for the lost. Can we not come together and make this our mission, understanding that our theologies may be different but that we agree on this very important and vital commission. We serve the same God. God is the Father of all of us. We are His children. We are all in the same family. We are all running the same race but at different paces. The Word planted on good soil bears good fruit!

Salvation of the Lost

If you’re watching out a window from a distance and see a child running around a busy street and in obvious danger of being hit, but see someone close-by who could help, what would you do? Would you first judge the person to determine if he or she is “fit” enough or qualified to lend assistance, in your eyes? Would you check to see that the person is wearing an “S” for “Superman” on his shirt? Would you wait for the right person to come along that fits your mold, or would you throw open the window and yell, “That child – save that child!”
Please. Our mission is to save the lost. Period. Everything that is happening at Lakeland is to that end. God is good. People are being saved. That should be the priority of every believer. You may not understand some of the things that you see. It may be out of your paradigm or traditional way of thinking, but trust that if God didn’t want this to happen that He is more than capable of shutting it down single-handedly without the help of man.
Jumping into rivers of condemnation, disapproval, even censure before experiencing things for yourself could make you responsible for the loss of the one who may have come to the Lord but for quick judgments or criticisms. God is doing new things! Church history should never be used as a blueprint for experiences or beliefs, that’s what the Word of God is for.

New Wineskins and New Garments

This move of God may not fit your perception of revival, especially if you are basing it on previous revivals, or even on the traditions of the Church. So too, I likely don’t fit the mold of the traditional evangelist. Jesus used the Pharisees’ disapproval as an opportunity to teach why it was important that He didn’t fit into their mold. First, He used the metaphor of the patched garments and said “No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old” (Luke 5:36). To try to attach a new, unshrunk garment to the old will not only tear and destroy the new but also the old won’t look right and will eventually tear again. Jesus contrasted the old and new again with a parable about new wine and old, saying that if a person pours new wine into old wineskins the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out, and the wineskins would ruin (Luke 5:37, 38).
What could possibly be so new in Jesus’ day as to be ruined by being attached to the old? The radical Gospel! Man-made rules and tradition would hinder the work. Jesus wanted them to see that the dead Pharisaical traditions didn’t result in heart transformations. It would be easier for them to clasp onto and justify what was familiar and comfortable, than to be led by the Holy Spirit but the two can’t be combined. Jesus wasn’t throwing out the law or discounting it but came to fulfill it. The Gospel needed to be free of the confines of tradition and religious comfort zones to work its power. Jesus wanted to restore the hearts of the people, to restore life to the core of the Hebrew faith. Those external things, as Paul wrote in Colossians 2:23, “have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” Their system of laws had lost Christ who was their substance. They had the shadows but not the substance of Christ. Pride pretended to penetrate heaven but hadn’t.
Signs, wonders, and miracles should be proof of the Gospel. However, Jesus said there would be false signs and wonders in the last days that were not done by Him (Matt. 7:21-23). Of this, I am well aware. Some people may do these things in His name and yet never really have a relationship of love and fellowship with Jesus. Salvation is knowing Jesus and being known by Him – it’s much more than spiritual works or a verbal confession. I understand that lofty places in this visible kingdom are no proof of anyone’s acceptance with God, and neither are the mighty works, even done in Jesus’ name. However, the condition of the heart is what truly allies us with Him. This I’ve stressed repeatedly in my ministry. The heart changes when someone spends much time with the Lord. This is the foundation of my ministry and my walk with Jesus. From the outset of my salvation, my ministry, and even today, I spend hours in the secret place of His presence. I seek Him and His will for every meeting. My team here at Lakeland knows that several hours of every afternoon; before every meeting, I’m not to be disturbed as I spend time with Jesus. Signs, wonders, miracles, dreams, and visions I believe are His loving response – the fruit of fellowship.
Spend time in His presence and you won’t be as resistant to change. You won’t be afraid to be a new wineskin, God’s present wineskin. You won’t even be the same wineskin as tomorrow, because with God wineskins are new and newer. New wineskins won’t limit God or what He can do.

When Did the Devil Change His Plan?

From what I’ve been hearing, my heart is saddened because critical people are bringing more attention to the supposed “works of the devil” in my life, and here in Lakeland than to the very real and wondrous works of God. Too much credit is being given to the devil and to man to the detriment of God’s sovereignty and power. Some are even attributing good and wonderful manifestations of God’s loving response to His children, to the devil! But this exalts no one but themselves when they choose to make a ministry out of their judgments and criticisms in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Since when did the devil come to heal the sick, raise the dead, open deaf ears and eyes, lead people to salvation in Jesus, or preach that the Kingdom of God is at hand? Just when did the devil change his plan? Jesus promised life and life more abundantly, and that’s the fruit that we’re seeing in Lakeland.
For this reason, I asked my staff to remove from our website, articles that are causing such strife and division and deterring the Body from the very real and pressing focus of these last days. Jesus wept when people missed the purpose. Every blessing flowed and people received, but they missed the purpose. Don’t miss the purpose!
Again I emphasize, it’s good and right to search out the Truth and to discern the spirits, God expects us to do so. Nevertheless, it’s also important to do so outside of one’s comfortable box, not mistaking discomfort for discernment, and realizing that God is not only a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, but also a God of new things. Realize also, that if you spend time in His presence, in fellowship with Him, and if daily, you put on the full armor of God and spend time in His Word; you’ll be more comfortable erring on the side of extravagance rather than quench the Spirit. A body of believers without the Holy Spirit is a breathless, lifeless body.

Accountability

I am accountable to God, and to those who He has sent to me to speak wisdom into my life and ministry – (I submit to an accountability team that comprises my pastor and spiritual overseers from varying backgrounds and denominations). They have not discounted the things that the Lord has shown me just because they don’t fit the mold of tradition or the old wineskins that some are carrying. The dreams, visions, and experiences that I’ve brought forth have been solely for ministering to the Body of Christ. My experiences have made me even hungrier and more zealous for God. That hunger transfers into a hunger to see others experience what I know to be true. They’ve been substantiated through the Word of God in principle, and accepted and given the go-ahead by my accountability team.
I also have an entire department of our ministry devoted to intercession, to coordinating and administering prayer covering over my life and family, over the ministry, and to those to whom we minister. We have an email list called The Firewall that comprises hundreds of intercessors from around the world who keep us covered in prayer.

Steadfast Word of God

Certainly, some people may not understand the visions God has given me, just as I may not understand theirs, but I’ll always hold and stand firm on the truths and the promises He’s given me because He lines them up in my life with the Word. What eternally matters is His Word, which is steadfast and true. My visions may fade away but God’s Word never will. As long as I have the Word, I don’t even need manifestations to prove to me that God is God.
However, God has promised that it shall come to pass in the last days that He will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh: that “your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28). God is raising up an Ezekiel company empowered with the gifts of faith and the working of miracles, with voices like trumpets commanding and heralding the miraculous power of God. Effectiveness and power isn’t limited to clergy. God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh.
We have to be immersed people. I want to be saturated with everything that God has for me – including dreams, visions, miracles, signs, wonders, and everything accessible to me as a child of God in the supernatural realm of His kingdom. I want the same for you, and so does God.

Go the Distance

People may criticize me for my boldness and zeal, for my methods and ways, for my intensity and urgency, but when we follow the Holy Spirit, He often leads us to do bold and even unexpected things – even outside of our norm. Samuel prophesied to King Saul that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon him and that he would prophesy and be turned “into another man” (1 Sam. 10:6). I am another man. Try to look beyond my paunch and the tattoos, and see how God has used me, and see how He can use you, and is using others.
Christianity shouldn’t be a dead religion but full of life, vim, and strength! Supernatural signs and wonders so often lead people to the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether people know it or not, no matter which way a person comes to Christ, the supernatural is involved.
It’s vital for us to go the distance with God if the world is ever going to experience the might of who He really is! Walking in communion with God and in the reality of heaven on earth is the distance to aim and reach for but you have to be open to the impossible happening, even if it bursts your wineskin. The realities of heaven that have happened in my life, and that are happening here at Lakeland are to glorify God so that the lost would come into right relationship with Him, for He is mighty to save.

Take Part in the Feast

God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. For some reason, He’s chosen a bald-headed, red-bearded, tattooed, pierced, imperfect man as an agent for revival. I understand why I would come as a shock to the religious camp. Nevertheless, trust that if what I’m doing is of the flesh or of the devil, I will fail, but if what’s happening is from God, nothing and no one can quench this blazing revival fire unless God wills it.
We’re throwing a feast and we’re inviting the sick, the poor in spirit, the oppressed, and those bound in old wineskins. We’re going out to find and minister to those that no one else can touch to bring them in, and we’re seeing an outpouring of God’s blessings such that we cannot contain. Is it the work of the devil?
Spend time praying for souls. I pray you can see past my imperfections and gaze at the perfection of Christ Jesus. Break through your old wineskin and into the present one. Trust the wisdom of God and His hand in all of this.
I’m thankful that people are being watchful in these last days, just as I am watchful. Questions are good when we’re uncertain of things. Trust too what a respected Pharisee advised in Acts 5:38, 39: “And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it – lest you even be found to fight against God.”
I understand that people have questions, and God understands too! I invite you to come to Lakeland to see what God has for you, and to see for yourself the mighty and wondrous things that God is doing here. Thanks again for hearing my heart. It is my heart that we can bring unity to the Body of Christ to see a great harvest.

Fresh Fire to you,

Todd Bentley

PS: Just as I was wrapping up this letter to you, I received an unsolicited email from Dr. Gary S. Greig, PhD., a former Associate Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Regent University School of Divinity, and Senior Editor, Theology and Acquisitions for the Regal Publishing Group. In his letter, this biblical scholar and theologian shared that the Lord had healed him of sleep apnea while entering into worship while watching a telecast of the Lakeland Outpouring. He wrote that the Lord prompted him to write and send us an independent theological witness to help as many leaders and believers as possible understand that the Lakeland outpouring is from God. That by writing this theological response to questions and criticisms in: Biblical Reasons to Receive God’s Glory and Give it Away in Power Evangelism, that as many as possible would receive “biblical permission” to get on board and fully commit to receiving the Lord’s glory and anointing, and to give it away in power evangelism.

This paper is written at a high level of scholarship for pastors, church leaders, and theologians yet is understandable to the layperson. The Lord told Dr. Greig to “sow into the revival,” not by publishing this 55 page booklet in a conventional way, but by donating it to Fresh Fire Ministries to use as we will, even if it’s just as an encouragement to the ministry. He has granted us permission to post or distribute this paper free of charge and advised that the Lord told him to suggest a donation of $3-$5 to go to Fresh Fire Ministries to help cover the costs for ushering in the outpouring in Lakeland, though to remain free for those who cannot afford the cost of the booklet. [Click here to donate] If you are unable to donate at this time, we invite you to download the paper anyway. [Click here to download the booklet]

Dr. Greig writes: “(God’s) desire is to help every potential reader know that what God is releasing through Lakeland and through the Fresh Fire Ministries team is indeed squarely biblical and is not New Age or outside the clear teaching of Scripture and historic Christianity.”

According to the Lord’s leading, and our examination of the booklet’s contents, we are in agreement with his theological assessment. Our accountability team has made this very informative document available to you on our website in PDF format for download, and will have print copies available as soon as possible. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Dr. Greig and to the Lord for this timely and vital theological response to concerns and criticisms. Please click here to download the PDF of Biblical Reasons to Receive God’s Glory and Give it Away in Power Evangelism, by Dr. Gary Greig.

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Todd is being very transparent in his motives. I like the guy and have since I first saw him in 2004. Is he doing everything right? Probably not. Is he doing the best that he can? I believe so. I have every confidence in the Lord’s ability to correct my brother in those places where he is missing the mark. He is growing, just like the rest of us.

It is not easy to ride heard over the cats that make up this revival. There is a fine line to walk between giving the Holy Spirit free reign to do what he wants and trying to keep people from fleshing out. I think Todd and his team are doing a good job. It cannot be easy to learn on the fly as they are doing in this with the entire world watching and able to comment on every single move they make.

One of the things that we are undertaking here is to revolutionize culture. I mean we are challenging the standard of earth with heaven’s standard. If we were to try to attract the world to Jesus by becoming relevant to their culture, we would be moving in the wrong direction. I am deliberately calling people away from all of their previous commitments and understandings to commit without reservation to the cultural standard of heaven as it is revealed in the Bible.

It is not easy to question the beliefs, customs, practices and social behavior of our nation, but it is really needed. Think about it.  The world is disgusted to hear that the culture of the church does not differ from theirs.  The church has adopted the culture of the world. You have, no doubt, seen the statistics about divorce, morality, spirituality, character and on and on. Worse yet, you have probably seen the worst sort of failings in those who are called to lead the church. How would you like to be a part of heaven’s answer to this?

Kingdom culture goes right to the question of, “What is God doing?” As the song puts it, “We will go where He goes, say what He says, and pray what He prays!” I am not condemning the church or its leaders, because I do not believe that is what God is doing.

Heaven models finding ways for the prodigal to come home, even if you must bear the cost yourself–like Jesus did. We do not see him leveling blame at people for being in bondage to the devil. Instead, he sets them free and encourages them to walk in the things that he created them for. Even though this strategy did not always result in freedom for the individuals he was ministering to, he offered the chance anyhow. Consider Judas, who was a thief before he was put in charge of the offering bag. Did Jesus not know what he was? No way, Jesus knew what was in men without asking. He was offering Judas a chance to become something more. Judas did not choose to take the offer.

Forgiveness is one part of heaven’s culture and has to be exercised towards yourself before you can take it to others. When you don’t let yourself off of the hook, it is called shame. Jesus paid the whole price for you to walk out from under shame. The devil will try to convince you that you are forever tainted by…whatever. We need to realize that that is not from God. Forgiveness and redemption come from God through Jesus who bore all of the blame and shame that we deserved.

The same is true for people who have offended and hurt us. They need to be let off of the hook. The mission that Jesus was on, and is still on, is destroying the works of the devil. Although people hurting people is one of the major themes that the devil employs, we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.

Let me put it another way. The culture of heaven is more concerned with maintaining relationships with people than with rules and regulations. We are told to maintain the unity of the Spirit, but some people add all kinds of junk to that. Do you know people who are willing to destroy relationships if someone does not agree with their favorite ideas about the faith? That is what Jesus said that the Scribes and Pharisees of his day did. They were too interested in their interpretation of the law and in their rules, and too little interested in the presence of God and his love for his people.

The presence of God, and his love have enough supernatural power in them to transform everyone who comes close. Lets let go of the culture of the world that keeps us from putting our full attention on Jesus, and with passionate, abandoned love for Jesus chase him until we catch him!

Pastor Randal

I was at the Growing in the Supernatural Conference that Extreme Prophetic hosted back in May and heard Patricia King preach a message on declaring a Love War. This message has tremendously challenged me and forced me to re-think a number of attitudes that I have held.

I was a part of an abusive ministry for a number of years and still carry scars because of it.  The Lord has been faithful to bring healing into my life, but there are still areas I struggle with.  One of the big ones has been a driving need to protect other people from the abuse that I and others have endured from this ministry.  Make no mistake, this group is listed on every cult/abusive ministry site there is.  I have engaged for a number of years in helping others who have been abused by this ministry recover from the experience.

I will be the first to admit that my attitude toward the leadership of this organization has been far, far, far from loving.  I will freely confess that there were points that I felt if I came across members of this leadership, I would cheerfully run over them with my car and back up to make sure that I didn’t miss.  I tried to hide that one behind righteous indignation.  The Holy Spirit didn’t bite on that.  He has consistently dealt with me about my hatred and has refused to let me call it anything else.

God is love and that makes love the most powerful force in the universe.  Everything the Father does is motivated by love, because that is what He is.  In order to be like the Father, I must be motivated by love.  I must love as He loves.  That is part of being holy as He is holy.  That can only happen when I yeild my life completely to the Holy Spirit and die to myself.

One of the things that Patricia King shared in this message was about the destruction of the two temples.  She was in Israel and saw a presentation on this.  The first temple was destroyed because of idolatry and sexual sin.  The second temple was destroyed by hatred.  The Jews had divided into factions, and the factions had allowed themselve to come to the place where they hated each other over their theological differences.  They were too busy fighting among themselves to be able to band together and fight the enemy on the outside, who eventually destroyed them.  There is a serious message in this for the church.

A number of years ago, I read Rick Joyner’s The Final Quest.  One of the things that struck me from that vision is what happened when they picked up the enemy’s weapons and tried to use them against the enemy.  It only strengthened the enemy. 

We need to look at not only what we are doing, but why are we doing it.  This has been my whole point about the doctrine police.  The weapons of our warfare are not supposed to be carnal, because to be carnally minded is death.  The weapons of accusation belong to Satan.  He IS the accuser of the brethren and we, as Children of the Light, should not model our conduct on his.

Jesus waged a Love War.  Scripture states that He made intercession with tears.  Who was He crying out to God for?  For the people who loved Him and followed Him?  Why would He need to weep for them?  No, He interceeded for those who opposed Him.  He longed to gather them up as a hen gathers her chicks, but they would not.  His heart was to redeem them, not destroy them.  I firmly believe if He had asked the Father to swallow them whole, the ground would have opened up before them.  But that was never Jesus’ heart toward those who ultimately killed Him.

We have to decide whether or not we are going to be true followers of Jesus and model our lives on His, or whether we are going to be agents of destruction.  I decided in my own life that it was more important for me to attempt to demonstrate the heart of Jesus than to be “right” in my own sight.  Loving those who have hurt you is not always easy, but the only alternative is becoming an agent of darkness and that is not something I am prepared to continue being.