What in the heck is the matter with obama? smaLL o in obama mine...........Something is just not right with this guy, this president, What......................................................................................carl
In the Hebrew calendar we are in the year 5775, which is the Year of the whirlwind. Here's what one prophetic woman sees ahead for 2015. (Flickr / Antonio Sofi)
In the Hebrew calendar we are in the year 5775, which is the Year of the Whirlwind. Five is the number of grace and 7 is the number of completion, which means we have double completion of grace this year. Daniel 4 confirms that grace has an expiration date, by revealing a prophetic word that was spoken over King Nebuchadnezzar and then in verse 28 says, 12 months later, an angel spoke the same word to him and immediately the word spoken had come to pass in his life.
Grace has an expiration date and I believe we are coming upon that date this year. I believe God has been speaking to people about what He wants, even expects from them and he has given us a grace period to obey, but if we refuse to obey in the grace period, when grace expires discipline begins, so we can repent and be restored (Dan. 4).
This year is going to be a whirlwind year, the Hebrew calendar says it is, the signs in the heaven are declaring it with the four blood moons, which mean change in a way that is unprecedented (I encourage you to study the four blood moons and what they are saying to the earth). Another sign in the heavens was the double tornado (whirlwind) that hit Nebraska in June 2014. Any time there is double it means it is going to happen. Jesus would say, truly, truly or in some versions, verily, verily I say unto you. I believe God is speaking through the prophets and the signs in the heavens, truly, truly this is the year of the whirlwind.
So, what does it mean, what can we expect in the year of the whirlwind? I believe the year of the whirlwind means everything is going to change and it is going to happen suddenly. The prophets in the land are speaking of acceleration, fast, sudden, swift change.
When I was inquiring of the Lord about the year of the whirlwind, He reminded me of the movie The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy was in her house, when the whirlwind came and took her into a world she could not even have imagined or dreamed of. Her whole life changed forever. Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kin. 2:1). Whirlwinds take everything and fling it to somewhere new. I believe the year of the whirlwind is going to usher in something brand new, that some have tried to put into words, but none of us can accurately articulate it.
The year of the whirlwind is going to be the end of one age and the beginning of another. My pastor Steve Gray at World Revival Church said that we serve a God of endings and beginnings. He went on to say we cannot have a new beginning without something coming to an end.
I believe we are on the tail end of one age and on the precipice of another. This end is going to mean a season of discipline for some who did not repent (change the way they think), and a season of rewards for others who endured the flames of the last season and came out as vessels of honor. Gold must go through the fire in order to withstand any fire. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were made of gold, so they came out of the fire without even the smell of smoke (Dan. 3).
The signs are in the heavens, the words of the prophets are in the earth, so what is God telling you do? Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! Do what he has told you to do, no matter what personal cost it will be to you. This is the year of the whirlwind, we are about to see everything change forever, and these are incredibly exciting times we are living in. It is going to be very good for the people of God, so repent, heed the warnings you are hearing and get ready for a whirlwind year.
(Charisma archives)There was a time when we taught in our church that Christians could not have demons. I preached long sermons stating that Christians could be oppressed, regressed, digressed, obsessed and suppressed, but never possessed. We believed that a demon could be outside a Christian oppressing him but that it could not be inside him. The reasoning I used to defend this position was that Jesus and the Holy Spirit could not live inside the same body in which demons reside.
The problem was, our experience did not match our theology. When we ministered deliverance, we frequently prayed for people we knew were born-again, Spirit-filled believers--and they manifested demons! We had to face the fact that either our experience was wrong or our doctrine was wrong.
We couldn't question our experience because we knew what we were seeing. So we began to question our theology.
In our search for truth, we realized that in the Bible, Jesus tells us to cast devils out, not to cast devils off. Obviously, for something to come out, it must be in. We finally came to the conclusion that our interpretation of the Bible had been wrong.
Now I am convinced not only that a Christian can have demons but also that there are demons that operate in the realm of theology, encouraging us to argue and debate endlessly over doctrine rather than meeting the needs of people who are hurting. Demons actually help promote the teaching that a Christian cannot have a demon, because they gain strength from staying hidden. They can operate in their destructive ways without being challenged!
Some may argue that a believer cannot be possessed. But the dismaying fact remains that born-again Christians, including leaders, are experiencing difficulties that can find no solution in natural infirmities or the endless conflict between the flesh and the Spirit.
It's time to acknowledge that we are dealing with real people who have real problems and that God did not save and commission us so we could argue over doctrine. He called us into ministry so we can help people who are hurting, wounded and bruised.
When you come into contact with someone who is controlled by demons, the answer is to cast the devils out, not to argue about whether or not the person is a Christian. The answer is to bring help to that person. Possessed or Not Possessed?
I realize I'm not the only believer who has ever had an erroneous idea about Christians being possessed. And the sensationalized picture Hollywood has painted of demon possession has not helped. It has led us to believe that if we say a Christian can be possessed, we are saying he can be fully owned and controlled by the devil and will manifest, Hollywood-style, with head spinning and eyes popping out.
The word "possessed" is an unfortunate translation because it connotes ownership, and we know that the devil cannot own a Christian--that is, have complete control of him. But in the Bible, there is no real distinction between being possessed and being oppressed, digressed, suppressed, obsessed and so forth. All these terms mean that a person is, to some degree, under the influence of a demon.
Personally, I do not have as much of a problem with the word "possessed" as other Christians do. In fact, to me the word "demonized" sounds worse.
When I looked up "possess" in the dictionary, I discovered that one definition of the word is "to occupy." My contention is that if a demon occupies your big toe, he possesses that part of you. It doesn't mean he possesses your spirit, soul and body. But if he occupies even a small portion, such as a physical organ in your body--as a spirit of infirmity does--then there is possession to some degree.
I often ask those who are skeptical of demon possession whether or not cancer is demonic. Most will agree that sickness is of the devil.
So then, I continue, is cancer inside the body, or is there something on the outside that's the problem? If it isn't on the inside, doctors probably wouldn't cut people open trying to remove it. Evidently, as a Christian, you can have something in you that is possessing a certain organ of your body and is not of God.
Knowing that a Christian can be possessed (or demonized) in some part of his being raises the question: Is any part off-limits to demons? Here is where we can reconcile the issue of Jesus and the Holy Spirit residing simultaneously within someone who needs deliverance.
One thing that has helped us in our understanding is the realization that every person is made up of three parts: spirit, soul and body. When Jesus comes into a believer's life, He comes into that person's spirit. John 3:6 tells us clearly, "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (NKJV). A demon cannot dwell in a Christian's spirit because that is where Jesus and the Holy Spirit dwell.
Every once in a while something comes along that is so important it rises above many other things that are clamoring for our attention. Two weeks from now in Colorado, a new organization will be formed uniting Christian ministries who love and support Israel.
It is called the Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries (FIRM). They are holding their Israel Summit from Feb. 4-6 at Resurrection Fellowship Church in Loveland, Colorado.
There are many organizations that support Israel, and most have different functions. Some are more focused on lobbying and working with the Jewish community and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
I believe that it is time for Christian ministries to join together to support Israel, even embracing those believers who come from a Jewish background who are often excluded from participation in other pro-Israel organizations.
You know that I have been a big supporter of Israel. I have donated my time and resources helping to do what I could. Now I am throwing my weight behind Wayne Hilsden, the visionary and founder of FIRM. He is the pastor of King of Kings Community Jerusalem in the heart of the Israeli capital.
A Canadian by birth, he has pastored that congregation for more than 30 years. He has written for us numerous times, and I've had the privilege of visiting his congregation and seeing the impressive work, also over time becoming friends.
So when asked me to be involved, I jumped at the chance. I am planning to attend this important summit. I understand that more than 1,200 already have registered and the number continues to grow. Additionally, between 450 and 500 high school students who will be attending Friday's sessions, along with 75 to 90 Youth With a Mission (YWAM) students.
The Israel Summit is for all ages but Wayne says, "it will especially inspire and challenge youth to stand united with the Jewish people as anti-Semitism is spreading like a cancer."
"We'll hear God's heart for the Jewish people and reveal our biblical mandate to stand with Israel at this critical moment in history," Wayne says.
The cost is only $39, which is very reasonable. I urge you to quickly make plans in the two weeks that are left to participate in what I believe will be a historic event.
Featured speakers at the conference include Hilsden, Pastor Jack Hayford, Dr. Michael Brown, Calev Myers of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice and Jewish Voice Ministries International's Jonathan Bernis. Other leaders from Israel and around the world will be in attendance as well.
Billy Graham's daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, voiced her endorsement for FIRM on her Facebook page:
"My good friend, Wayne Hillsden, founded and pastors King of Kings Church in downtown Jerusalem. I have spoken there on two occasions, and each time I've been thrilled by what God is doing in the midst of the city He uniquely loves. Wayne has begun an initiative that is seeking to bring together ministries that stand with Israel during these very difficult days. His first public launch is a conference called the Israel Summit ... ."
Please share this link about the Israel Summit by email and social media to spread the word. Be sure to share this Strang Report as well.
As Wayne says, "There is a sense of urgency, and we need to rally the troops now, especially younger people, for worldwide support of Israel."
Steve Strangis the founding editor and publisher of Charisma. Follow him on Twitter @sstrang or Facebook (stephenestrang).
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I love the Scripture when it makes extreme understatements. For instance, in I Samuel, there is a passage that says, “And David was greatly distressed” (I Samuel 30:6). Yeah, I bet he was. You see, the rest of the verse says, “Because the men were talking about stoning him.” Eek! Now that is something to be “greatly distressed” about! But What was going on?
Now, he had just returned from Gath, where King Achish had said to him, “I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God . . .” (I Samuel 29:9), and with those praises ringing in his ears, David and his men returned to Ziklag, anxious to be reunited with their wives and children. However, what they found was that their city had been burned to the ground; their homes destroyed, and their children and wives gone. The Amalekites had invaded while they were in Aphek and taken captive everything that was precious to David and his men.
What a horrible day of infamy in the life of this anointed man of God! “So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep” (I Samuel 30:4). Oh, what anguish they must have felt. I don’t think we can even imagine the pain and loss they felt. As I said, because of their loss and the pain and anger, they were talking about stoning David. Even David was torn with grief. David and his men had come to the end of their rope; all hope was swallowed up in grief and despair. Have you ever been there? Have you reached this point?
So what is a child of God supposed to do when discouragement sets in, and he feels useless, like a complete failure, abandoned by God and rejected by everyone who once cared? Believe it or not, YHWH was with these men in this tragedy. He had incredible blessings ahead, but it had to be cast completely into the hands of the Lord. This was a situation that no amount of human resources could solve.
That’s when I Samuel 30:6 says, “But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” David had learned to stand alone, dependent only on his Lord and finding everything he needed through personal communion and affection for the Lord. This is a victorious sight — David standing amid the ruins of his life, rejoicing in his God’s faithfulness and encouraging himself in the presence of the Lord. David had come to see that all that really counts in the face of death and despair, is a personal knowledge of YHWH.
Once the lesson was learned, YHWH opened the heavens and spoke clearly to David. Directions came loud and clear. David inquired, and God answered, “Without fail you will recover everything” (I Samuel 30:8). There was nothing lacking — David recovered it all.
My friends, if you have reached the end of your rope; if you cannot go any further, encourage yourself in the Lord your God. Call out to Him and seek His face. He is your rescue and your peace.
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