December 13, 2006

"The Hall" !


Hello… I wonder if anyone ever checks this anymore since I tend to take so long between posts! :^)… I wish I could write just a little something each day like my other seasoned blogger friends, but the daily details of my life aren’t too exciting and my observations on things seem to take too long to form in my mind… Is it my age? I know I had a birthday recently, but… mercy! I saw an ad yesterday on TV about some game you can buy that sharpens your mind and helps with your memory… I thought- I need that! I really do!… So I guess it’s not just me! That comforts me a little… but only a little! :^)

I do think that a lot of my muddle-brainness (a new word! Yay!) comes from where I am in life. I like categories, labels, titles… where am I Lord? Which season is this? Am I here or there? I’ve come to the conclusion that perhaps I’m neither here nor there! I’ve been hearing a lot of prophetic words about ‘transitions’. I can relate, but what are we transitioning to? There IS the sense of change in the air, yet I’ve felt that for quite some time… I’ve become accustomed to it, perhaps have grown tired in it and have lost the sense of anticipation… At first waiting expectantly… then waiting… waiting… waiting… sigh… waiting… yawn…waiting… I am reminded of the ten virgins in the Bible. They were waiting for the Bridegroom. Some grew tired, they were lulled to sleep in their waiting… then when the transition began, they were dull, sleepy, unprepared, and they missed Him!

I heard a teaching at Brownsville about being in “the hall” of transition. In a house, you have many rooms… You have the kitchen, where people gather and eat. You have the living room where they sit and fellowship. You have the bedroom where they rest. Then you have THE HALL…. What do we do in a hall? Do we sit down? There are no chairs in the hall… There isn’t a bed in the hall… There’s not a stove or a table in the hall…Compared to the other rooms, a hall seems kind of pointless. But wait! It does have a purpose… it is to get you from Point A to Point B. There’s no escaping the hall. If you want to get from the bedroom to the kitchen in my house, you must access the hall… The chairless, empty hall… I never sit in the hall… I keep moving… It is a necessary passageway… I guess it would be kind of abrupt to walk out of my private bedroom into the very public kitchen… The hall sort of gives me time to adjust… I enter the hall with purpose, not just to hang out or to rest, I am moving towards something… Transitioning...

So having said all of this- I am in the hall… I have been for a very long time. All I know is that it must be a very long hall! :^). Keith has been in the hall longer than I have… We have recently become very discouraged and disappointed that we are still in the hall. Perhaps that’s why I have neglected this blog … It seems there have been no great revelations to share from this hall…nothing much to see, nothing much to report… Discouragment often hangs out in this hall... Who wants to hear about that? Confusion also.... I have wondered at times if the enemy was in this whole hall business. Perhaps he even built the hall! He certainly seems to prolong it at times… Although I know that everything in our lives is Father-filtered, our enemy has certainly whispered in our ears that this hall will go on forever… We might as well SETTLE down here, lie down, give up and stop moving… But NO! The hall is meant for movement. You must not stop moving in the hall. That's what it's made for! And the hall eventually does lead to some place else, IF we don’t stop….We are NOT meant to be here forever….But at times we MUST be...

However, there is something very good about this hall after all…. He is here. There are fewer distractions in the hall. It is here that the Lord teaches TRUST. He whispers to those of us in the hall, ”Will you trust Me?” When we don’t see the end, yet we wouldn’t ever want to go back to where we were before- will we still trust Him? Is He trustworthy? Now to this I have a definitive, non-muddled answer- YES! Absolutely, completely, totally- YES! We may not know where this hall is leading us, but we do know Who is with us, Who loves us, Who won’t disappoint us and Who has a great plan for our lives-beyond the hall and even IN the hall! A better plan than we could ever ask for or imagine. He is the Master-builder of this house. His ways are infinitely higher than ours. And He is our Hope! I want to finish this post today with the words from a song that I wrote several years ago when I was in another darker “hall”. Sometimes, in the hall, all we can know is that He is good. He is true….but friend- that is enough! God bless!

“When my dreams are passing by,
And disappointment steals my song
I don’t understand Your ways
And I doubt all that I’ve known
Just one thing, I know to be true… Is You

When my plans have come to nothing.
Hope deferred it clouds my view
When I don’t feel so special
And my thoughts become confused
Just one thing I know to be true…. Is You

You are true, You are true. And my hope is in You
You are righteous, You are just. In Your word will I trust
For Your love won’t let go. And that’s all I need to know.
You are true… Lord… You are true.

Only You can satisfy, in this world of constant change
Seasons come and go but I
Know Your word remains the same
Just one thing I know to be true… Is You

You are true, You are true. And my hope is in You
You are righteous, You are just. In Your word will I trust
For Your love won’t let go. And that’s all I need to know.
You are true… Lord… You are true.”

November 9, 2006

Faith: On a tightrope with God!


I wanted to share something I read recently in LIFE BENEATH THE SURFACE by Mike Pilavachi... It's a simple illustration but it really spoke volumes to me about faith. (I do good with simple!) I hope it will bless, convict and inspire all who read it as it did me.

"Blondin, the famous French tightrope walker, strung a cable across the Niagara Falls. There's a huge crowd watching. And as they watch, he walks across and all the way back like he was out for a Sunday stroll. The crowd goes wild.

He says to them, "Do you believe that I could walk across to the other side with this wheelbarrow? And they all cheer and scream and say, 'Yeah! We believe that you can walk across there with the wheelbarrow.' No problem. They've seen him walk it easily. It shouldn't be too much harder. They believed he could do it.

Blondin then says, 'Okay, you believe I can do it. You've seen me walk across there. Who's going to get in the wheelbarrow and come with me? And there was a deathly hush.

See, it's a different thing altogether isn't it? You can believe that he can do it. But when it comes to believe in him, there's an element of personal commitment being called for...

Face it , most of us wouldn't trust Blondin to give us a ride over Niagara Falls, and similarly most of us get a little shy when we feel one of those 'divine opportunities' coming our way. Our reaction is nothing new: When writing to the Early Church, James pointed out, 'You believe that there is one God. Good! even the demons believe that and shudder.' There's a long line of people who 'believe in God,' but the one that really matters is the line marked"... And Are Prepared to Do Something About It.'

The praise of the spectators 160 feet below meant nothing to Blondin when they refused to trust him. The praise of God is worthless if we are not prepared to hop into His wheelbarrow...

Will we trust Him? Do we truly believe He is able to get us to the other side? More thoughts on faith later...

Blessings! KHJ



October 19, 2006

Meet Me In St. Louis!





I want to thank ya'll for praying and to give you all an update on the progress of the CD. Well, first of all, thank you so much for praying for my throat. The day we flew out, my throat hurt so bad to talk or to swallow. I was very concerned. But I had a strange peace and a determination to sing anyway- the enemy was not going to shut me up! Kent Henry met us at the airport and we were thinking we'd check into our hotel and relax (I'd been up since 4:00). Well, that was not to be! He took us straight to the studio to begin recording right away. It was an interesting process to watch. Everything is done on a computer program. Cool stuff. Stacey was the first in "the booth". After Stacey sang her song, he took us to dinner and then as we were being dropped off at the hotel (we were so glad to see that hotel- we were exhausted!) he said, "Kayla, you and Stephanie are coming back to the studio with me." Seriously? Well, we went. I grabbed my teabags and threw on a sweatshirt (it was FREEZING!) and off we went. Steph went first since I was busy making tea and it turned out that it was so late by the time he finished with Steph (after 11:00) it was time to go to the hotel. But the next day I was put in the booth (fun!) and my voice was FINE! I was so thankful. It would NOT have been fine had I sung Thursday night when I was scheduled. Whew! Thank You Lord! My voice was totally strong and clear the entire time. I did notice on the plane ride home that it began hurting again! haha. I didn't care at that point!

We had a blast! So much fun and laughter. We went to Destiny Church which is Kent's church (he's one of the worship leaders and his son-in-law Jim Stern is pastor) on Saturday night. What a great church! Dynamic worship and a very friendly congregation. (We especially enjoyed the Starbucks coffee bar in the foyer! ;^).

Kent did amazing things with our songs. Those of you who were at the live recording will be surprised when you hear it. He got creative with our songs (This was the source of much of our amusement! Kent's a character to say the least! And some of the things he comes up with... Mercy!) He made a lot of changes. Although we were usually a bit skeptical at first, once we heard it, we were blown away! He truly knows what he's doing! We all came back encouraged and blessed. My son Max was a particular revelation. My goodness. He was so at home in the studio. There was hardly a dry eye in the studio when he did a duet with Mary on "Yearn". Their vocals together were unbelievable! Kent has now claimed Max for his Revolution School :^)! Yes, Mom was proud!

A perfect end to an exciting weekend--On our way home, in the St. Louis airport, as we were in a gift shop buying souvenirs, we saw Joni Eareckson Tada! (For those of you of my generation, you will know who she is! If not visit her website at
http://www.joniandfriends.org/.) She was very gracious and let us take a picture with her. She asked what type of music we sang and we told her worship music. She said she'd been singing "In Christ Alone" and wondered if we'd sing it with her. So right there in the St. Louis airport we sang "In Christ Alone". It was beautiful, if I do say so myself :^). What a blessing and honor to meet her! How kind and thoughtful of the Lord to do this for us! We were all thrilled!

In closing--Please continue to pray for this project to it's completion. There's so much more to making a CD than I ever realized. You'd think that it'd be done right? Wrong! There's still a lot of work to be done, on the technical side and still some creative decisions to be made. There's also some doubt that it will be finished before Christmas. Please pray for Kent. He's been such a tremendous blessing to give us this opportunity. Pray that he'll be led by the Spirit as he completes this CD for us, and that (if it's God's will) it will be ready by Christmas. We just want this CD to fulfill the Lord's purpose, not ours. We want people to be touched by the presence of God as they hear it. That is our desire. Thanks to you all for your prayers. And we ask that you continue to pray for us.

I am including some photos of our time in St. Louis. First one is me and Kent listening to one of my songs after I'd been "in the booth". Second is Max "in the booth". Third is us with Joni Eareckson Tada in the airport!

God bless. Kayla

October 11, 2006

Will We Trust Him?






Kind of puts things in perspective doesn't it? How unbelievably, incredibly, indescribly GREAT is our God! And how amazingly GREAT is His love for us! So why won't we trust Him? Why do we fret and worry and rely on our puny little created selves when we have the Creator as our Father! Do we think He is unable? Or do we think He is unwilling? He is neither. David said in Psalms 62-
"11 One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that You, O God, are strong,
12 and that You, O Lord, are loving. Surely You will reward each person according to what he has done."
We cannot worry and trust at the same time!
Father, we choose to trust in You God. We choose to not rely on man or ourselves or our circumstances. We choose to not worry. We will trust in You. You are awesome and frightening, yet You are loving and good. And we are Yours! Yippee!
Be blessed! Kayla

September 6, 2006

For Everything There is a Season...(again!)


Somehow in trying to download a different picture I accidentally deleted this entry. I’m pretty bummed about it. I don’t know how I managed that and I hadn’t saved it. Bummer. In summary of what I said earlier is-

There is a season for work and for vacation (KJV- Kayla Johnson version :^). After all of the hard work on the CD, my family was thankfully able to take a much needed vacation to Gulf Shores. It was a time for us to refocus on each other. We can get so busy with good things like- ministry and serving that we can cease to really “see” those that are really our primary responsibility and who are the closest to us. Distractions can come in all forms… even ministry can become a distraction if we lose our focus on the One who we are serving and the ones He’s given us to serve…

As I watched my children playing in the waves this scripture kept coming to me:

Psalms 42
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.



Thank God for an opportunity to just let our hair down, to just be silly and to have no agenda other than having fun and just being together. It was a great way to come back and to begin homeschooling. We were refreshed and encouraged. I want to encourage everyone who reads this to take time out to spend focused, uninterrupted time with your loved ones. We can’t all take big vacations but we can take time out here and there to give them our undivided attention and to just enjoy being together away from the things that draw our attention away from them. Relationships are eternal. The world will not cease to exist if we get away for a time to just be with our loved ones. It’s an investment that’s invaluable. We can’t afford NOT to spend time together. My goal this coming year, is to take time away, even an evening here and there, with each one… Thank God for family. It’s a blessing from the Lord on high. We only have one special group of people that are our very own, that we can say of “This is my family”… Let’s not neglect them! :^) God bless. KHJ

August 31, 2006

It's over! Woo Hoo!



I wanted to give those of you who have been faithfully praying for me and our worship team, (thank you SO much!) a report on the CD recording Sunday. Some of you don't know but our worship team did our first live CD recording this past Sunday.

First I have to say this- I was so proud of our team. I have been in many churches and on many teams over the years due to our travels with Keith's military career. They truly are the most humble, friendly, no-agenda, servants-hearted, TALENTED group of musicians, sound technicians and vocalists I've ever been associated with. We truly are a family... I deeply love these guys and am so honored to minister with them! And I have to mention Eileen, our leader. She is the Momma of the family, no doubt. And what a good Momma she is! She truly puts us before herself in every way. She sang only one song for this CD and we had to nearly make her do that! And she was AWESOME! What a blessing she is. What an example. I want to be like Eileen when I grow up! :^)

After all of the weeks of cramming and jamming, crying, praying, time spent away from family- it's OVER! Hallelujah!!!! The anointing was definitely there yesterday. Our precious church body was there, supporting us- dancing, singing, crying, running, shouting, worshipping... It was beautiful. And the best thing was that during altar call, after the morning service- FIVE PEOPLE GOT SAVED! Praise God! The Lord had given me this scripture (from Psalm 40) Sunday morning before the service and was it ever applicable-

"He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord...I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly. I do not seal my lips..."

Praise God! That's exactly what happened. We did not seal our lips (although the enemy was definitely intent on silencing us) and many DID hear, fear and put their trust in the Lord!!! And many more will hear when the CD comes out!

Vocally, several of us singers had sore throats and colds beforehand and asked for prayer (thanks to you all for your prayers for us, they were felt!). Poor Stephanie was the sickest. But when she sang, my goodness- you would have never known it! I felt vocally weak on a couple of my songs, definitely not my best, but not horrible either. However, the anointing was there on all of the songs. In our weakness, HE was strong. And thank the Lord for the wonders of modern technology in recording studios. We are planning to fly to St. Louis in October for over-dubbing. Hooray for overdubbing!

This has personally been a difficult season for me and others. In the process of dealing with this CD, the Lord has been dealing with our hearts. Several of the songs we sang have this theme and these words- Purify our hearts; Purify, consuming flame; Consuming fire of God; Holy fire, consume us all as we fall; We bow; You are holy; I want to burn with passion for You and only You... That's what He's been doing in MY heart along with many of us. We've all been in the fire... But like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, He's been in it with us. He has burned off our bonds and we are coming out without even the smell of smoke- hallelujah- but with a testimony of His love and faithfulness and with a deeper place of fellowship with Him than ever before. Praise God, He IS faithful and HE is worthy.

Again, I want to thank you all for praying for us. And please don't stop even though the live part of the recording is over. Please pray now that in the editing, arranging of the flow of the songs, that in the "capturing" of the worship and anointing that our producer (Kent Henry) will be Spirit-led. We want God's intention for this to be fulfilled more than we want to sell CD's. We want only His will. Please pray for us when we fly up to St. Louis in October, that the over-dubbing will be successful and will still capture what took place on Sunday...Thank you all so much.

This coming weekend my family and I are going to Gulf Shores to chill out, and reconnect... Keith and the children have been so supportive of me during this entire process but it's time to get back to normal. Even though this has been an overwhelming and exciting experience- and I hope and pray that this venture was successful in advancing His kingdom to His glory- home is where the rubber really meets the road. If we are on the stage ministering in the anointing before hundreds or thousands but our home is neglected, I would have to say we missed our higher purpose. This was an awesome season, and I am thankful for it, but now back to REAL life... Back to what may be viewed as "the ordinary". But it is here that the kingdom is advanced most, before His eyes only. This is what is eternal... As awesome as this CD experience was, this CD will one day be forgotten, (although it's results will hopefully be eternal). But relationships are eternal... Our relationship with God and with each other. Yes, the CD was a God thing and an exciting experience, but now let us not look down on what the world would deem as ordinary. For this- our day-to-day lives, serving Him- is what, I believe, excites the Lord the most!

God bless. KHJ

August 4, 2006

The Uncreated One!


As I've been reading Tozer, I have had this thought mulling about in my head today- the self-existence of God. Have you ever thought of that? Children do, when they ask, “where does God come from?” Whoa! It really staggers me to the core and twists my brain into knots when I think of this. It’s an uncomfortable thought.

Like eternity.

This concept used to scare me as a child. With our human existence dictated by time, by beginnings and ends; the thought of no end, of eternity, was (and still can be) overwhelming and unsettling. No time; no beginning, and no end. Unfathomable!

Yet we are created in His image. In HIS image- the Uncreated, Eternal One. No other creature has this distinction. What an honor. Definitely we are the created and not the Creator since we have a beginning- but what a staggering thought. Those who had the privilege of gazing into heaven and beholding His throne and likeness (Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah, John the Revelator, etc), described Him as best they could using words based on their experience… “He was LIKE this or that”, “in the likeness of…” Yet their experience of Him was still so far above anything they'd known in the created realm. Finite human words could not express the exactness of Him. Although He was similar to this or that, still He was not EXACTLY like anything their human senses had ever experienced or could put into words.

A.W. Tozer says in THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY (which I highly recommend), “’What is God like?' If by that question we mean ‘ What is God like in Himself?' There is no answer. If we mean ‘What has God disclosed about Himself that the reverent reason can comprehend?' There is, I believe, an answer both full and satisfying ...That God can be known by the soul in tender personal experience while remaining infinitely aloof from the curious eyes of reason constitutes a paradox best described as, ‘Darkness to the intellect but sunshine to the heart’.”

But back to the self-existence of God… Does that not just take your breath away? Does that not just cause Him to be magnified in your mind? The more I think on this, the more I want to worship Him. Not because I understand it, but because I do not! He is SO far above what I can even imagine. As high as the heavens are above me, His ways and His Being are just so much higher! Who am I to question such a God. He is no god, He is GOD! Who am I to doubt Him, to not trust Him, to not walk in complete confidence and security. He is GOD! He is MY God! And oh the wonder of it, I am His beloved child. Whoa! The Uncreated One…! May we, His children, bow before Him in holy fear; with amazement and gratitude. Wonder of wonders- He, the Uncreated, loves us; and we who have believed on Him, who have called on His name, the created, will live eternally with Him. Unfathomable, unthinkable! Yet gloriously beautiful! God bless. KHJ

-Please keep our friend George Waites in prayer, who has pancreatic cancer. His faith in the Uncreated One keeps a song in his heart, even in this difficult season he and his family are in. They are a blessing to so many.


“Here we are gathered in Your name.
We long for more, to never be the same
Moving towards the Uncreated One

Overwhelmed as You invade our space
Take us in, to that Holy place
Purify, consuming flame
We love Your name

You are awesome and frightening
Beautiful God
Consuming fire and lightning
Holy One
Enthroned, eternal Love
You are Good; and we bow
We bow down”

August 1, 2006

Conquering Jericho!


Well, it’s been so long since I posted anything, I figured that I ought to post SOMETHING before people give up on checking this blogsite altogether.:^) I guess one reason I haven’t posted is that I haven’t had time. And I tend to wait until I have something really on my heart- something complete and well thought out; something I deem as worthy to be read. I guess I’ve had too many things on my heart to really narrow it down, sit down and write about it. I tend to like to categorize things, and when I can’t put my thoughts in a box, label them, and clearly say, “this is what it is”, I tend to keep them to myself. Perhaps that’s unwise. But as Popeye says, “I yam what I yam” (wasn't that Popeye?). But my Father won't let me stay like Popeye -as "I yam"- Praise the Lord!

So if there is something to share, this is it- God is purifying me! And wow am I seeing lots of dross! Too much it seems sometimes. At times I want to say, “Stop! That’s enough! Don’t show me anything else!” But thankfully, HE knows when to stop! Praise Him for that! As Pastor has preached on the walls coming down, I’ve definitely seen some walls coming down in my life. Okay, maybe not all of the way down… I’m not sure the state of the walls… but I DO know that some mighty big cracks are showing. You’d think that would make for an exciting, joy-filled time, wouldn’t you? Ha! As walls come down, they EXPOSE what’s behind them! When Jericho’s walls came down, the Israelites didn’t just throw a party because the walls were down and then that was it. They had to go in and continue the conquest of Jericho. They had to put to death the inhabitants of the city. The Lord showed me this after Pastor’s sermon. But I wondered how to fight, and Pastor shared the answer the next Sunday- We don’t battle with natural weapons, we put those things to death through the cross--through dying. So if I MUST put it in a box and label it, that’s where I’ve been. The walls ARE coming down (hallelujah), but I’m seeing ugly things behind those walls. Things in me that need to die! And they’re not dying easily… Some of them are fighting to live on! But I am determined! I will not go round this mountain again. I will not jump off this altar again. Jumping off may give me a temporary reprieve, but rest assured- I'll be back at this same place one day again if I do not remain and let God finish what He's begun.

I believe there is an anointing, RIGHT NOW, for breakthrough- to deal with deep-seated strongholds we’ve dealt with for years. Strongholds we’ve become so familiar and comfortable with that we’ve ceased to even fight them. Yes, we hate them, but it’s easier to live with them in the land than to fight them and put them to death. I’m reminded of so many of Israel’s kings who may have been good and who destroyed the idols of the land, but who left the high places… or left some of the inhabitants in the land and didn’t deal with them. And those inhabitants are still a thorn in Israel’s side to this day. The descendants of the children of Israel are today, battling those same enemies who were not dealt with back then. If I continue to leave the high places in my heart and life, if I continue to leave certain strongholds and open doors to the enemy- am I not hurting more than just myself? Am I also leaving that door open to my children? My grandchildren? My great-grandchildren? This go-'round, I feel a determination in my heart that I’ve never felt before when I’ve faced familiar strongholds once again- This time I will not stop fighting and dying until the walls are down and Jericho is conquered. This is the last time I will face this. Because I am going to not only face it, but conquer it in Jesus name! If I won’t do it for me, then I’ll do it for my children; for my generations. As I said before- there is an anointing for breakthrough right now! And it’s not just for me. It’s for everyone. Perazim- breakthrough! Yet we have a choice. Will we respond to Him in this season? Or will we jump and run before He’s done? Lord, help us to remain in the flame! (That sounds like a song! :^). Well- I guess I did have something to share after all. (Let me get out my marker and label this box! :^) If I've seemed not myself lately, just know, I am in the fire. It hurts and it isn’t fun. But I have hope in my heart that after the breakthrough, there will be more of Him! What more could I ask!? HE’s gonna be worth it all!

If I still have your attention- please keep our CD project in your prayers. For those who don’t know, our church, Hosanna First Assembly, is making our first worship CD, produced by Kent Henry. Please keep Eileen our Pastor’s wife and head worship leader in prayer as she organizes, plans, and deals with all of the many details of making a CD (much more details than I ever imagined) and as she deals with us (sometimes more trouble than the all of the details :^). Pray for wisdom and peace for her. Pray for each of our worship team members as God deals with our hearts. We’re all getting the purifying treatment :^). Pray for our unity. For out of unity, flows the anointing- YES! And please pray for joy and peace in the process!

Thanks so much and God bless. I'll try to not wait so long to blog again! KHJ


"Purify our hearts
Cleanse us from our sin
Open up the doors
And let the King of Glory in"

May 26, 2006

One of God's WMD



What if I told you there was a powerful prayer weapon, available to us, that can aid us in drawing near to God, and bringing us into His presence. A weapon we have at our disposal, that expediates revelation, direction and answers to prayer; a weapon powerful enough to break strongholds, to set the captives free, and to bring restoration; A powerful weapon that does real damage to the enemy's camp; that can cause us to gain favor, can bring health to our bodies, that empowers our prayers , that helps to wash away pride and selfish ambition, that exposes our weaknesses so that God can deal with them and makes us more sensitive to the Spirit and voice of God. This is a weapon that clears the channel of ‘self’ and lets the anointing flow... Would you want such a weapon? What sincere, God-chasing saint wouldn’t!? This is a weapon clearly laid out in scripture. Jesus assumed we would use this weapon. There were certain obstacles and demonic strongholds that Jesus said, would not be removed, without this weapon. He used it. His disciples used it. Don’t you want to use it also? What is it? Let’s first see what God’s word has to say.

Mark 9:17-29 says,” A man in the crowd said (to Jesus), ‘Teacher, I brought You my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, BUT THEY COULD NOT. ‘O unbelieving generation,’ Jesus replied, ‘how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.’…when Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. ‘You deaf and mute spirit; he said, ‘I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’ The spirit, shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out….After Jesus had gone indoors, His disciples asked Him privately, ‘Why couldn’t we drive it out?’ Jesus replied, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.’”


Hmmm…..


-David said in Psalm 35:13, “Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and HUMBLED myself with fasting….”

-Isaiah said in Is. 58:6, “Is not this the kind of fasting I (the Lord) have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice, and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter- when you see the naked to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? THEN your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly appear; THEN your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. THEN you will call and I will answer; you will cry for help and he will say Here am I.”
-Daniel said in Dan. 9:3,20:10:2 “So I turned to the Lord my God and pleaded with Him in prayer and in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes…While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God - Gabriel…came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me, ‘Daniel I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed….At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food, no meat or wine touched my lips and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over….I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen...…A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, ‘Daniel, you who are highly esteemed….Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard and I have come in response to them. But the prince of Persia resisted me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me , because I was detained there … Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future…”
-Esther 4:16 says (Esther said) ‘Go gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand..”
-Joel 2:12 says “Even now’, declares the Lord, ‘Return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity. “
-Jonah 3 says, “Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh…He proclaimed: ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned. The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth…When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened.”
-Luke2:36 says, “There was also a prophetess Anna…she was very old;...and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them (Mary, Joseph and Jesus), she gave thanks to God and spoke about the Child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”

-JESUS said in Matt 6:16, WHEN YOU FAST (not IF you fast), do not look somber as the hypocrites do…But WHEN YOU FAST, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who see what is done in secret, will reward you.”

-Matt 9:14 says “Then John’s disciples came and asked Him, ‘How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the Bridegroom mourn while He is with them? The time will come when the Bridegroom will be taken from them, THEN THEY WILL FAST.”

Not scriptures you’re likely to see framed or on anyone’s refrigerator!


Yet Mahesh Chavda says in his book, The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting, "There is no substitute for prayer and fasting if we really want to bring the victory of Christ into the lives of our families, our churches, and our nation! (Matt. 17:21) says "...This kind (bondage, obstruction, etc.) does not go out except by prayer or fasting." It is likely that at some point in your life and ministry you have been stopped cold or greatly hindered by obstructions. ..I've learned through practical application and experience that (fasting) is like throwing a nuclear weapon into your spiritual arsenal. Imagine that you've been using hand grenades of prayer to move a massive mountain of unbelief, hindrances, or demonic obstructions in your life and ministry. When you combine your prayers with fasting, you suddenly drop a hydrogen bomb on the mountain that is blocking your call and divine assignment. I'm not talking about it making a slight difference. Fasting boosts the intensity and effectiveness of your prayer at least tenfold, and often a hundredfold!...It is a crucial end-time tool for proclaiming the gospel to the nations with signs and wonders confirming the Word we preach."


Fasting is not only abstaining from food, and it’s not only for long periods of time. Daniel fasted with eating just vegetables and water. Some fasted one day, some three days, some 21 days, some 40 days, some (like Anna) fasted continually (whatever on earth that means!) Yet the Lord answered. There have been times the Lord moved on people to fast from TV, from computer (ouch!) from certain foods that are a real temptation. If we ask God, He will be happy to direct us.


So are you still interested in this amazing weapon?! Did I lose you, when you discovered what it was? Fasting is probably not the most popular subject. But it IS a Biblical subject. Dying to our flesh and our fleshly desires is never fun. Yes fasting makes us hungry, but are we more hungry for Jesus? Are we willing to set aside a time to forgo the temporary pleasures of the flesh to enjoy the more eternal pleasures of the presence of God? No wonder the enemy has feared this weapon and has sought to cause it to be ignored, maligned and dismissed. Fasting isn’t just for wild-eyed fanatics. It’s for all believers. Jesus did it. He assumed we’d do it. He taught us how to do it (and how not to do it)! There are numerous accounts of fasting in the Bible and how when His people, humbled themselves, fasted and prayed- Things happened! I want things to happen in my life, in my family, in my church, in my city, state and nation. Don’t you? More than anything, I believe humbling ourselves through fasting MOVES US towards God. We open ourselves up to Him. Fasting says, 'Less of me and more of Him', and it opens us up to new perspectives, new anionting. We move out of the way, so that God can move in and do what He's been longing to do! What would happen if God’s people, came together in humility and in unity and fasted in one accord for revival. BOOM! So how about it? Still interested in some WMD’s for your spiritual arsenal to use against the enemy? I personally can use all the help I can get!


God bless you all. KHJ

May 10, 2006

What Pleases God!

I want to quote from a book by Joyce Meyers that I’ve recently been reading that truly blessed me. So often I struggle with striving to please God, with feeling disgusted with myself when I fail, with having an inaccurate picture of God and how He feels about me. These are simple truths based on God’s word that just struck me in my heart and realigned my perspective once again. I hope this encourages you and reminds you of God’s heart towards you. Be blessed, KHJ


"The variety of fears people deal with is endless, but an important one I discovered in my own life -the one you may be dealing with yourself- is the fear of not being pleasing to God. If you have been hurt and wounded by people who were difficult or even impossible to please, you may think of God in the same way. He isn't It is not as difficult to please God as we may think it is. Simple, childlike faith please Him. He already knows we will not behave perfectly all the time. That is why He sent Jesus to pay for our failures and mistakes.

I struggled and suffered in frustration many years trying to please God with good, or even perfect behavior. At the same time I was always fearful I was failing. It seemed no matter what I did right, I always saw something I was doing wrong. I never felt good enough; no mater what I did, I always felt as if I needed to do more. I felt God was displeased with me, even though that was not accurate, it was true for me because I believed it. I was deceived!

There are two main things I believe we must do to please God. Number one is to have faith in Jesus, and number two is to desire to please Him with all of our heart. It is important to understand that we cannot have one without the other. The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb.11:6). In John 6:28-29 we read about some people who asked Jesus:

'"What are we to do, that we may be working the works of God?' (what are we to do to carry out what God requires?) Jesus replied, This is the work that God asks of you; that you believe in the One Whom He has sent."

So you see God is pleased when we believe in His Son Jesus, and He is not pleased when we don't. We might do numerous good and benevolent works, yet if we have no faith in Jesus, God is still not pleased with us. But if we believe and trust in God, we enter His rest according to Hebrews 4; we feel at ease and comfortable rather than fearful and anxious about life.

We believe, and God works. Our work- the work of the believer is simply to believe. Remember we are accepted because of our faith, not our good works. Christians are referred to as believers. If our job were to achieve, we would be called achievers, not believers. We often want to place an emphasis on what we do, but our focus should be on what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. We can concentrate on our sin and be miserable, or we can concentrate on God's forgiveness and mercy and be happy.

Once we see this truth, we can enjoy our relationship with God. We don't have to live under the pressure of acceptance by performance, followed by a fear of failure each time our performance is less than perfect. We do not have to be addicted to approval and ready to obtain it by any means. If we want to please God with all of our hearts, all we need to do is believe in His Son Jesus Christ and believe what He says in His Word...

We must learn to trust God's Word more than our own feelings. We often bow down to our feelings without realizing how fickle and changeable they are. Our feelings are not a reliable source of information. God loves us and accepts us unconditionally. His love is not based on our performance. The Bible says in Ephesians 1:6 that we are made acceptable in the Beloved...it is our faith in Jesus that makes us acceptable to God and pleases Him, not our performance. We are not living by faith if we believe how we feel more than we believe what God's Word says. Do you believe the God of the Bible or the god of your feelings.?

Anyone who loves God wants to please Him. The fact that we have a desire to please Him pleases Him. To please someone means to be well thought of or approved by that person. We want God's approval, and there is nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact, a desire to please God is necessary; it motivates us to seek His will in all things. People who have a deep desire to please God may not perform perfectly all the time, but they keep pressing forward and always have the attitude of wanting to improve.

In 2 Chronicles 16:9 we see God is searching to and fro for someone in whom He can show Himself strong, someone whose heart is perfect towards Him. The scripture does not say that He is looking for someone with a perfect performance, but rather someone with a perfect heart- a heart that desires to please Him, a heart that is grieved over sin and evil, a heart that believes in Him and His willingness and ability to forgive and restore. God knows we cannot manifest perfection. If we could be perfect in our performance, we would not need a Savior, and Jesus would have come in vain. Jesus came for those who were sick in spirit, body, and soul, not those who had no need. It is acceptable to be needy! "

May 4, 2006

All Because Someone Prayed

I seem to be getting a lot of prayer requests lately for PWI, with some pretty serious needs. As I was sending out one more request, I wondered if the recipients of my many emails were tired of receiving email from me once again asking for their prayers. Then one lady, a grateful recipient of PWI's prayer, whom I have never met, sent me this little article by Max Lucado. It greatly encouraged me, and I hope it encourages you. For those of you who regularly lift up these requests of these whom you've never met, this is for you. God sees, God hears, God is pleased. Your prayers DO make a difference. When the thought comes to you that "it does no good to pray", know where that thought is coming from. Straight from the pit! The devil can fight, but he cannot win (check out the word Pastor Don had Sunday below). Thank you for your prayers. When you get to heaven, there will be faces you've not seen on this earth, that will search out yours and will line up to thank you. God bless. KHJ


ALL BECAUSE SOMEONE PRAYED - - -
by Max Lucado

Those who pray keep alive the watch fires of faith. For the most part we don’t even know their names. Such is the case of someone who prayed on a day long ago.

His name is not important. His looks are immaterial. His gender is of no concern. His title is irrelevant. He is important not because of who he was, but because of what he did.

He went to Jesus on behalf of a friend. His friend was sick, and Jesus could help, and someone needed to go to Jesus, so someone went.

John writes: “So Mary and Martha sent someone to tell Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick’” (John 11:3).

Someone carried the request. Someone walked the trail. Someone went to Jesus on behalf of Lazarus. And because someone went, Jesus responded.

The Master heard the request. Jesus stopped whatever he was doing and took note of the man’s words. This anonymous courier was heard by God.

You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice matters in heaven. He takes you very seriously. When you enter his presence, the attendants turn to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored. Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God—and he listens. He listens to the painful plea of the elderly in the rest home. He listens to the gruff confession of the death-row inmate. When the alcoholic begs for mercy, when the spouse seeks guidance, when the businessman steps off the street into the chapel, God listens.

Intently. Carefully. The prayers are honored as precious jewels. Purified and empowered, the words rise in a delightful fragrance to our Lord. “The smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand to God” (Rev. 8:4). Incredible. Your words do not stop until they reach the very throne of God.

One call and heaven’s fleet appears. Your prayer on earth activates God’s power in heaven.

You are the someone of God’s kingdom. Your prayers move God to change the world. You may not understand the mystery of prayer. You don’t need to. But this much is clear: Actions in heaven begin when someone prays on earth. What an amazing thought!

When you speak, Jesus hears.

And when Jesus hears, the world is changed.

All because someone prayed.

______________________________
From America Looks Up
Copyright 2001, Max Lucado

April 30, 2006

"Hidden!"

Here is a word from the Lord from this morning April 30, 2006. I got the CD and transcribed it word for word. I hope you are as encouraged as I was. God bless. KHJ

Keith
Hidden. Hidden for a season but hidden for a reason, in the hands of God right now. "And though things and timing have not lined up as you have foreseen them, I am teaching you about Me," the Lord says. "Because it is about Me and not the thing and not the end. It’s about Me. It’s about knowing Me. Do not be discouraged when time lags and vision seems to dim," says the Lord. "They have not died. For you are hidden for this time to be equipped and the time will come where the release will come. The release WILL come! But wait patiently upon Me. I am doing a work within your heart. Within your heart. Don’t be discouraged. You have not been forgotten nor cast aside," says the Lord. "Draw to Me. Embrace, embrace what I am doing."

April 21, 2006

Dog Pack Doctrine





For those who read this (thanks Tonja for the encouragement!) sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted. Between fighting for my turn on the computer with my children (and I usually lose), and a busy month, it’s been hard to sit down and type! Hint, hint, hint to Keith- I want a laptop for Mother's Day, Birthday, Christmas, Groundhog's Day, or something!

Anyway, it’s funny the great things we can learn from everyday life. I’m convinced that the Lord can use just about anything to teach us. It’s usually been through my children, but here lately it’s been through my dogs! I am the world’s biggest dog lover, I think. I’m not a cat person. Cats make me sneeze and I just don’t understand cats. (You cat lovers please don’t hate me :^). Dogs are pack animals. They usually adapt well to living with a human family because that’s how they were created. They are not independent dwellers but they thrive in a group setting. We have two dogs- Zoe, an aging golden lab mix (who is very fat-85 lbs) and Zeke, our baby. Zeke is a 65 pound 8 month old German Shepherd. Zoe was the “only dog” for 8 years. She’s the gentlest dog you’d ever meet. Children can crawl on her and pull her tail and ears and she’ll only look at us with a mournful "why me?" expression that nearly makes us cry and sends us running to the pantry for a treat(hence why she's so fat). But if you are not a human, it’s another story. She has killed snakes, rats, possums and raccoons. BIG raccoons! Bigger-than-a-cocker-spaniel-sized raccoons. Killed them dead! Violently killed them dead! When my Dad attempted to set his poodle down in our yard to meet Zoe and she lunged at the poodle with blood in her eye, we decided then and there that Zoe was meant to be an only dog! And so she has remained all of these years. That is until Hurricane Ivin hit Pensacola and my sister and her family (and dog) needed to stay with us. We were very worried about what Zoe would do to Tucker their cocker spaniel. I’m not sure what went through her canine mind about Tucker, but she decided to accept him into her “pack’. After that, I was on Keith nearly every day for another dog. (I’d probably have ten if Keith would let me!). So around Thanksgiving, he relented and we got Zeke from the North Louisiana German Shepherd Rescue (www.nlgsdrescue.petfinder.org) in Ruston. Thankfully, over time Zoe has reluctantly accepted Zeke into our pack. She wouldn’t admit it for the world, but she loves him. He on the other hand, worships the ground she walks on. Zeke has been a delight since day one. He’s very good natured and friendly. But he’s also a puppy. I’ve wanted to train him right because German Shepherds are “powerful breeds” and it’s important to get them trained early on since they like to be dominant. So I bought some books on dog training. Have any of you heard of Cesar Milan the “Dog Whisperer”? Okay, don’t laugh- although Keith did (and continues to!) Anyway, I bought his dog training book, Cesar’s Way. The book was a bit of a disappointment. It didn’t give me specific commands to teach him like I’d hoped, but it basically taught the “dog pack philosophy”. How we (American’s are the worst), treat our pets like our human babies. (Okay, I’m very guilty of this!) We train them all wrong. We need to appeal to them as dogs, not as humans. (I spent $25 on this book for it to tell me that?!) Now, I don’t agree with everything he teaches, not by a long shot. He’s a bit New Agey and definitely an evolutionist. However, I did learn some things. Through Cesar’s explanation of pack behavior I began to see God’s plan of divine order. The book taught that if you do not establish yourself as the leader, in his doggy mind your dog will establish HIMSELF as the leader. Certain behaviors, (jumping up, aggressiveness, pushiness), indicates his own perceived status in the pack. Have you ever been in a meeting where there was no clear leader or more than one person who perceived themselves as the leader? Do you remember the chaos and disorder and confusion? Even DOGS know that this isn’t right. If we won’t lead them, they will lead us. Hmmm…. Something in all of us, put there by God, cries out for order and for leadership. As much as we hate to admit it, we crave for somebody to be in charge! Even children (although they’d probably beg to differ :^), are more secure and settled when there is a firm, confident authority in their life. I’ve seen this in my own children at different seasons of our lives. They’d push the boundaries as if to check and to see if the boundaries were still there. Although their crossing the line usually resulted in their discipline, they actually seemed somewhat relieved to know that there was a line to cross. Usually when I’ve sensed disorder and chaos in my own life, I’ve had to step back and ask the Lord, “Have I gotten out from under Your ordained authority somewhere in my life”? Oh but how He delights to teach His eager children when they desire to know His way.

So how can I learn from this “dog pack doctrine”? I ask myself- As one UNDER authority, am I honoring those in authority over me by what I say and in my attitude? Am I praying for all authority as Paul instructed us to by the Holy Spirit? I recently read a prophecy on "Elijah List" about how the Lord was going to expose those with an ‘Absalom spirit’ in the church. If you remember the story, he was David’s son. He was charming and handsome, but he was also bitter, unforgiving and rebellious. He basically thought “he could do it better” than the authority over him. He charmed the people of Israel, listening to their complaints and telling them how HE would do it if HE were king. The Word says he “stole the hearts of Israel”. They were robbed. Authentic authority doesn’t need to steal anything. It is already established, set in place. JESUS is established as Head of the church and the husband as head of the wife. Parents are head of the children. Our pastors are called BY GOD and set in place BY GOD. HE does it, not man. If we have any fear of God, would we even desire to challenge His choice? And that's not even mentioning our elected officials. Like Absalom, when we rebel against authority, we are attempting to “steal” that authority by making it our own. We are basically saying, YOU shouldn’t be in that position, I should! (although we usually wouldn’t admit that). Now, having said that I realize that there are times when those in authority abuse that responsibility. I’ve been under those types of authorities before and it was very harmful. But assuming that the authorities in our lives aren't neglectful or abusive, are we abiding, even in our hearts and with our words, where the Lord has placed us?

Also as someone IN authority- am I leading by Christ’s example? His disciples argued over who would be first, who was the most important. And Christ’s response? He girded Himself with a towel and washed their feet. I heard a song recently that said something like, “His is an inside out, upside down Kingdom; First is last, last is first and the way Up is Down and the way Down is Up. To Live, You Die”. He is always our example. Having been in glorious heaven with His Father, He humbled Himself, and came to earth as a Servant, and put on His earth-suit for US! He came to suffer and to die so that we could live. That is love! THAT is leadership!

May we find our God-ordained position. The enemy would tell us that it’s a place of bondage and drudgery. He is a liar! May we flourish there joyfully, with complete trust in Him who is the one who sets us in place. And it is a delightfully fulfilling SPACIOUS place. Even the animals know that! My doggies surely do! :^)

“Lord forgive us for so often stepping out from under Your God-ordained authority and going our own way or for not leading like Christ. When we are in our proper place, in Your order, everything works so much more smoothly, we are so much safer. May we not rebel against Your way and swing wildly out of balance to our great harm but just like the planets orbit the sun, may our lives orbit Your Son. Amen.”

March 28, 2006

Onething!


Hey guys, This past weekend, most of our worship team had the awesome opportunity to attend the Onething regional conference in Dallas. It was hosted there by CFNI (Christ for the Nations Institute). Onething is a conference put on by IHOP (International House of Prayer) in Kansas City. (If you want to check them out on the web, their address is: http://www.fotb.com/.) It was begun by Mike Bickle and is a 24-hour a day ministry of “Worship with Intercession” in the spirit of the Tabernacle of David. The Prayer Room has continued without stopping in intercession and worship since September, 1999. Onething’s focus is on calling young adults to pursue the “onething that is needed” (Lk.10.42) as the focus of their lives. They have several conferences around the nation each year imparting vision and giving practical ways to become a people of ‘one thing’. On their website they say:

”In Ps. 27.4, King David prayed, “…one thing I ask, this one thing I seek, that I may behold the beauty of the Lord…” This prayer is central to what we are trying to cultivate in this generation. What if a generation without focus would rise up with vision, in confidence, to be burning and shining lamps? What would happen if a million young adults would have deep understanding of God’s emotions and profound knowledge of the hour in which we are living? Is it too much to ask, too much to dream for? These are the prayers that we are longing to see answered. This is the one thing that we desire. “

This is the heart of those who ministered to us this weekend. The leaders shared their hearts with us. Oh my! What radical lives they lead! But they don't see themselves as radical, just living what the Bible teaches! I felt awakened again to the revelation of the age in which we are living. Jesus is coming back soon! We are all going to die one day. That's a fact we cannot ignore. What are we doing with our lives? And what we are living for? My challenge was to press in closer, and to live more responsibly, always in light of eternity. The worship was awesome. Worship and intercession and the reading of the word flowed seamlessly together, weaving in and out. It was something that could never have been arranged by man but was orchestrated by God- even in the musical sense. We had many discussions about worship on the way back. Where we have been and where we are headed. How our worship has changed recently. What are those changes? It definitely is more than just in “style”. When I returned home, I found this flyer in my suitcase (I honestly don’t know how it got there), from IHOP’s Forerunner Music Academy. I want to share with you, the introduction. It sums up, I believe, what the Lord is doing in our worship services. Why our worship music is taking on more significance. Please read.

"King David grasped the Lord's intention in creating music. He understood that prophetic music and songs would release the power of God. He made that truth a living reality when he launched a national movement of singing and instrumentation that helped thrust Israel into her Divine destiy. He paid 4,000 full-time musicians and hundreds of prophetic singers to gaze day and night upon God as they sang the prayers of Zion. This was their primary occupation in life. They were employed in the Tabernacle of David, which combined worship and intercession that never ceased as it continued 24/7. Many worship leaders love Jesus and music, yet they do not have a revelation of the power of prophetic music and worship. We have a vision to see music restored to the place of glory God intended for it. We must never allow music to be reduced to a hobby, career or simply a nice way to warm up the church service when God intended it to be the vehicle that transports us into the glory of the Uncreated One."

May we truly desire this One thing- Lord, we want to behold Your beauty. Because when we do, we will never be the same! Amen! God bless you all. Kayla

March 22, 2006

Transition Word

Wednesday 3/22/06
Here is the word that the Lord gave Keith today and Pastor read at church tonight. KHJ

Transition, this is the word I am hearing. Positioned for transition. Transition is the act of passing from one state or place to the next, an event that results in a transformation. Events in your life leading up to this have brought you to where you are today. As you have been obedient you NEED to know that you are in God’s will, If you have obeyed me, if you have heeded my direction then you have no need to doubt that you are where you are supposed to be right now. I have positioned you for this time of transition. For many it has been a long time, and you have thought that my time has passed or my window of opportunity has closed. Not so, says the Lord. For I am about to propel you into what I have prepared for you, what I have spoken to your heart, what I have promised you. It has been a time of preparation.

It is close, it is near at hand, not afar off. The breakthrough is eminent. It is for you AND it is for the Kingdom. Those that are Kingdom minded will quickly heed the call to come up, to move. It is as an army that is amassing to move forward. The objective has been identified and the orders to move out have been given. Move in to possess what has been prepared for you. Do not let doubt or unbelief keep you from moving forward.

Be watchful for the spirit of confusion do not let it enter in and create chaos. During this transition the enemy will seek to cause disarray will seek to discourage the troops. Be focused be single minded, be n unity Remember he(the enemy) is but a shadow, a lie, a deception. The ground you are taking is already won. Obstacles that seem huge and insurmountable are not! Does not my word say for by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall? The road to victory is clear. It is time to pursue to overtake..

“So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

March 20, 2006

Distractions

I don't have any new prophecies transcribed for today (sorry!) But I hope to listen to the CD from the worship/intercession service tomorrow before my week gets crazy.

I've been thinking about how Pastor keeps talking about and praying against distractions... I have known that he was praying 'right on' but it has really come home to roost lately how distracted I've really been without even realizing it! Those united prayers he's been leading us in must be beginning to crack that wall, because I have begun to recognize where the distractions lie in my life. I still need more victory in that area so I plan to keep pressing against that wall until full victory comes. Pastor has been mentioning that concept lately. He said last Sunday that if you were trapped in a place and there was a crack in the wall, you wouldn't settle down and not doing something about it- you would press on that place until you eventually broke down that wall. If we do not grow weary, but see this window of opportunity and press in, I believe we're going to see some major breakthroughs in our individual lives and in our church. I am being challenged by the Lord to do just that. I do remember last Sunday night Sister Hazel sharing about pressing through till victory and we had a prophetic/spontaneous song that basically said, "We're gonna push until breakthrough comes". That seems to be a theme lately... Anyway, back to distractions (before I become distracted :^)... In our Beth Moore study we read the parable of the sower and how Jesus told of the different types of response to the seed that was sown. He explained the parable to His disciples in Mark...

Mark 4:14, (Jesus said) "14The farmer sows the word. 15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

How often is that us? We do hear the word, but then the distractions come- worries (fears, being overwhelmed, anxieties, busyness), the lure of acquiring more (making sure we're comfortable), the pleasures and entertainment of this world draw our gaze away. It shouldn't be this way but too often it us. When I truly do behold Him I wonder how I could ever be fascinated with anything other than the One who created me to be fascinated with Him! But thankfully He is gentle and He understands.

38 "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."


I don't believe that Jesus said this to her with a stern look and a wagging finger, but I bet He probably smiled and put His hand on her shoulder. He knows the difference between when we need a swift rebuke because there is rebellion in our hearts and when we truly want to please Him- but in our striving, have gotten off-focus along the way. Martha loved Jesus. Martha wanted to please Him. But Martha was distracted. She got busy with things that probably needed to be done, but perhaps not at that time nor by her. You know- I wonder if she could have continued to do these necessary things, but not become "distracted" by them. But this time, she missed the best that her Lord had for her. To just "be still and know" Him. In our busy, hectic lives, if we would purpose to steal away alone with the Lover of our souls, in sweet communion and with His word, the ground of our heart would be fertile, broken up, and prepared to worship and to receive the word when we come together in the assembly. Good soil is not as vulnerable to thorns. May the enemy of our souls, the liar, accuser, spoiler, distracter, be exposed for who he is. And may we be prepared, alert and not vulnerable to his cloud of worries or lured away by busyness or the inferior pleasures of this world. But rather may we be ruined and fascinated with the only One who can truly satisfy and Who is worthy of our complete attention. Am I ever thankful for a Pastor who hears from the Lord! "Help us Lord and thank You for leading us in Your truth!" Amen. God bless you all! KHJ

March 18, 2006

Prophetic Words for Hosanna

With the "new thing" that the Lord is doing in our midst, I am wanting to begin compiling recent words that have been spoken at our church during our services. I have been convicted that I need to take the prophetic word seriously and to pray over it when we receive it. Not to just say, "that's nice" and continue on as before, praying as before, as if the Lord has not spoken. So for my own remembrance I am wanting to put the recent prophetic words spoken in our services here, in order to better aid us in how to pray for our church. Here are two that I transcribed from tapes of the Worship/Intercession services we've had for nearly a year and given by my husband Keith. (If any of you have copies of any other words spoken in our services by others and would like to share them with me, I'd be most appreciative. I especially would like the "new thing" word spoken by Pastor at the beginning of the year.) I will attempt to get more to post but for now I will post what I have. The first one I am sharing was spoken 8 months ago and the second one, 5 months ago. I am awestruck to see how these words have been coming to pass! As soon as I can, I am going to attempt to transcribe the words spoken at our last Worship/Intercession service this past Sunday and post it here. So stay tuned! Be blessed by the Word of the Lord but also pray over it!

7/10/05
"Recount the days gone by and ask yourself when has God not been faithful. Look at your life and where you have been. He has always come through for you. He has never failed you nor will He fail you now. Acknowledge His goodness, His perfect will for you and move forward in faith and possess all He has prepared for you for there is more, much more. Where is your faith? Do you really want to see My glory? I am preparing to move in your midst and I will show you the supernatural and you will see it with your natural eye. And there will be miracles and there will be healings and I will move on your behalf and it will be so that it will be undeniable that it is the Lord in your midst. 1 Cor. 2:9 says, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him".

10/9/05
"Do not be satisfied with leftovers, over remnants of past revivals or the former moves. The former has passed away like the manna. Prepare yourself for a new fresh move of My Spirit. I have sent the wind before and the rain of My Spirit before and I will send it again, and this- I am also sending the fire, and it will refresh and purify, and it will cleanse and strengthen and it will cause My Body to grow both in scope and depth. And do not doubt that you will be able to discern it, for it will be obvious. Especially to those who are forerunners. For those who are pressing forward, it will come unannounced, unplanned. But you will sense it like the strengthening of the wind. Even now I have dispatched it!"

March 15, 2006

PRAYER WARRIORS INTERNATIONAL

This is my first attempt at blogging and it's sort of by accident! As I was trying to post a comment on one friend's blogsite, I somehow hit some buttons which had me creating my own! So here I am (sort of reluctantly!) Then I had the bright thought (could it be God?) that with the prayer requests I am always receiving and sending to everyone, perhaps this would be a better way to post them... I'm not sure how it will work (suggestions welcome!). My initial thought is that perhaps when I receive a request by email, (I'm not going to post my email address here for privacy reasons but most of you have it) I could post the requests here and you guys could just periodically check the site for prayer needs. I don't know if anyone will think to check it or if email is a better way, but please humor me and let's tentatively experiment with this. If it doesn't pan out, we'll go back to email... But I'm going to give it a shot. How about you? Who knows how this will evolve!

So for my first prayer request, I want to ask ya'll to continue to pray for George Waites, our friend who has pancreatic cancer. You can check out his blogsite at http://shadowofalmighty.blogspot.com/. Pray for his recovery after major surgery and for complete healing. Also for his family and for them to continue to walk in strength, peace, faith and hope. They are truly amazing and have been a true example of praising the Lord in the good times AND the hard times. Anyway that's all for now (hopefully I'll post it right- yikes! :^o ) God bless you all! Kayla