I started a new project for a friend.
Please check out
KickStarter Cost of Love Project

I’d really appreciate you backing me in this project. You will love the book, and be helping me help others.

Thanks!

www.thecostoflove.us

In Jail, we are seeing miracles.  I heard a teaching at by Steve Cioccolanti that mentioned miracles often being in the timing of an event, and so it was two weeks ago.

We have been seeing a lot of success praying for folks with diabetes.  Three inmates have been healed, and two widows (in a different ministry), and because of the testimonies, an inmate asked if I would go pray for his dad, who had had both legs amputated as a result of diabetes.  I did go and pray for his dad, and we prayed for his diabetes to be healed, but he was also having issues with his arms, pain and lack of mobility that would not allow him to raise his arms above his head.  We prayed several times, and got full healing of the pain and full mobility restored, and I got it on video with my phone.

I took the video into jail, and asked the inmate if he would like me to show it to him in private, and he said, “No, show it to the whole class”

One of the other inmates had come in with a horrible tooth-ache, and he looked miserable.  I asked him what was going on, because he looked like he was about to scream or cry from the pain.  I told him, “Great, we’ll take care of that in a little bit” [gift of faith].  After watching the healing of the first guy’s father, I asked who would like to “take care of” the guy with the toothache.  The son of the man healed said he would do it, and put his hand next to (not touching) the man’s face.  The guy with the toothache was not moving, and was not moving his mouth, either.  With everyone (14 of us) watching, about 15 seconds into the prayer, “POP!” The guy grimaces as his abscess drained into his mouth.  He managed not to throw up and reported that his pain was now about 70% gone.  After one more quick prayer, 100% of his pain was gone.

Some convictions are fleeting, and some are tested by fire.  This one is tested and true.

Where does the title come from?  As ministers, we all have a “toolbox” from which we draw the spiritual weapon or “tool” that we need to get a job done.  Tools like encouragement, prayer, instruction, healing, deliverance, discipleship, helps, prophecy, empathy, etc….

I am a collector of truth.  If I find it, experience it and validate it, it goes in my toolbox.  It may be that there is a better tool for the job, but that never negates the power of the toothpick.  If you know me, you know that in my areas of ministry, there are times for confrontation, deliverance, healing, praying in the spirit, but there are also times for hugs, encouragement, and tools as simple as asking someone a question, so that the Lord can answer it for them.

I have witnessed over and over again, people in the midst of teaching great Biblical / Spiritual truth…  they just can’t seem to keep themselves from stepping on other ministers, other philosophies, other teachings.  We all like to see “signs that make us wonder”, and the outward miracles that show the supernatural manifestation of God.  But why do teachers (pastors, apostles and the like) need to constantly judge across the body and badmouth other folks’ methods of ministry?  Do they not realize that God is bigger than the method, the truth or the season that He has them in at that moment in time?

Thank you Lord for what I have learned about your spiritual gifts:

1 Corinthians 12

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

I recently attended a ministry school that focused on our identity as Sons of God.  It’s one of my favorite teachings and methods of walking men into their purpose and ability.  It seems that our identity as SONS of God and as the NEW MAN is the key to operating in all of the gifts in their proper time.  No, this is not some power trip for people who want more than the singel spiritual gift they were given (not a biblical concept in my opinion.)  This is the key to walking as Christ walked.

This is the “bigger hammer” that trumps the need for many of the smaller tools, if it can be properly used.  See, if someone can fully realize their son-ship and all the power and freedom that comes with it, and believe all that is ours as stated in Ephesians 1, then they won’t NEED encouragement, inner healing or deliverance.  The problem is, that for some reason, the “working out of our salvation” takes time, and in that time, there is a need for the smaller tools.

So if you are operating in “the anointing” of your particular ministry, please remember not to criticize and judge others’ ministries.  If you do, you instantly lose credibility with your audience, who may know more then you do about using a different tool than the one you are selling.

The Big Hammer of Son-ship comes out every time it is needed.  But sometimes, the body needs the band-aid of consolation, the pliers of correction, the scalpel of deliverance, the duct tape of faithful encouragement, the screw-driver of teaching, or the toothpick of a well-placed question (or post) that will get folks to listen to the voice of God.

Brother, Sister:  Don’t empty your toolbox every time you are given a bigger tool.  And remember to support and encourage those who faithfully and skillfully wield the toothpick!

“So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.
For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.” – 1 Cor 11:27-29

What does it mean to “examine yourself” and to “honor the body”?

According to Strong’s Concordance:

examine = to recognize as genuine after examination, to approve,

yourself = himself, herself, itself, themselves

… and I admit, I am cherry-picking….

honor = to determine, give judgment, decide a dispute

body = a (large or small) number of men closely united into one society, or family as it were; a social, ethical, mystical body as in the NT of the church

Is it possible then, that before communion, the body of Christ is instructed to be in unity?  Without division, without lack of honor, discerning, judging, and correcting the wrongs therein?  If so, there are many among us (a group concept) who are without power or in a slumber.  (sick and dead are the translations most often used.)

Many would insist that these verses are for personal instruction about our personal affairs, I say (as usual), “yes, and yes.”

Today, I believe that Holy Spirit is saying to me that when I am part of a body, I have a mandate to examine, discern and correct the divisions among us, to insure that I have a healthy, vibrant alert, oriented and effective body.

I have been getting what feels like a revelation of truth over the past few months.  I started this post a while ago, and the pieces are coming together.

1 Cor 15  paints a picture of what this world is all about.  It’s about God the father and Jesus the word, co-laboring to create a bride for Jesus the Son.  The goal is family.  Quite simply, we were created to be the bride [I think this is a word for family] of Christ, but we go through a purification process where choice means love, and those who do not choose Him–and even the sin in each one of us–must first be destroyed before the Son can present his radiant bride to the father, and be assimilated with us into God himself.  The story picks up here at the end of the process:

 ²⁴ Then the end will come, when He [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. ²⁵ For He [Jesus] must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ^{27 …… 28} When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to Him [Father God] who put everything under Him [Jesus], so that God may be all in all. [the end game being “God is one”–imagine that, the Jews have it right!]

Here we see the the flesh is merely the “seed” of the spirit.³⁷ When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. ³⁹ Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. [Why can’t evolutionists see this?] ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly [in the sky] bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. [so there must be some correlation with all types of physical bodies to one in the spirit realm… we go back to the axiom that states “that which we see in the physical realm is merely a representation of what exists in the spiritual realm”.]

⁴² So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body….

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. [if this applies to the moon, does it apply to the chair you are sitting in?]⁴⁵ So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”^[f]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.⁴⁶ The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.⁴⁷ The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven.⁴⁸ As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we^[g] bear the image of the heavenly man. [once we are “born again”]

The plan for expansion of the Kingdom is super cool.  Of course our Bible is focused on us as people, because that is what matters to us.  With the mention of the stars, sun and moon, and seeds in the ground, it would be foolish to think that every physical object doesn’t have a spiritual counterpart… how else could rocks cry out our gush with water, or remember, hear or witness Joshua 24:27?

I think of Heaven as a place where everything is alive (living stones) and everything is in it’s most perfect form (spirit) with no sin, corruption or decay in the mix, because there will be no mix, it will all just be what it was originally intended to be… the expansion of Gods Kingdom!

Other related thoughts for other posts:

• Flesh before Spirit
• How can we all (human church) be the single bride of Christ?
• Building Blocks (back up with scripture)

Past, present, future; three primary colors, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, a cord of 3 strands, water, ice, vapor; vanilla, chocolate and strawberry…

There is a certain completeness about 3.  The reason it came up this week, is that in teaching about the Holy Spirit in jail, I found myself explaining that there are three kinds of tongues, three kinds of baptism, three kinds of prophesy, and I can only imagine what else I will discover when I dig into scripture for the deeper truths.  It makes me realize that many people think things are one way.  Sometimes we get the “devil’s advocate”, the “other side of the coin” or the opposing view.  But how often do we look for that third bit of truth?

This post is way overdue.  I’ve been saying that I need to study this out, and 7 years later, it is done!

This is about meditation, and is a follow up to my post (#19!) from October 22nd, Jesus and Eastern Philosophy

This post is to explain why I use the Hebrew word pronounced “daw-baw'” when I meditate.

1696 — dabar daw-bar’ a primitive root; perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue:–answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, X well, X work.

1697 — dabar daw-baw’ from 1696; a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause:–act, advice, affair, answer, X any such (thing), because of, book, business, care, case, cause, certain rate, + chronicles, commandment, X commune(-ication), + concern(-ing), + confer, counsel, + dearth, decree, deed, X disease, due, duty, effect, + eloquent, errand, (evil favoured-)ness, + glory, + harm, hurt, + iniquity, + judgment, language, + lying, manner, matter, message, (no) thing, oracle, X ought, X parts, + pertaining, + please, portion, + power, promise, provision, purpose, question, rate, reason, report, request, X (as hast) said, sake, saying, sentence, + sign, + so, some (uncleanness), somewhat to say, + song, speech, X spoken, talk, task, + that, X there done, thing (concerning), thought, + thus, tidings, what(-soever), + wherewith, which, word, work.

THE Word (the person of Jesus)

1 Kings 13:34   And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
HEB: וַיְהִי֙ בַּדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔הלְחַטַּ֖את
NAS: This event became sin
KJV: And this thing became sin
INT: became event This sin

Isaiah 30:12 Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression
HEB: יַ֥עַןמָֽאָסְכֶ֖ם בַּדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑הוַֽתִּבְטְחוּ֙
NAS: this word And have put your trust
KJV: Because ye despise this word, and trust
INT: Since have rejected word this put

Psalm 119:42 
HEB: כִּֽי־בָ֝טַחְתִּי בִּדְבָרֶֽךָ׃ 
NAS: me, For I trust in Your word.
KJV: me: for I trust in thy word.
INT: for trust your word

Rhema Word

In Greek, the word rhema means “an utterance.” Therefore, the rhema word in Biblical terms refers to a portion of scripture that “speaks” to a believer. In most cases, a rhema word received while reading the Bible applies to a current situation or need. In essence, the rhema word is timely and extremely valuable in a Christian’s walk with God.

 Daniel 9:23  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

HEB: אָ֑תָּהוּבִין֙ בַּדָּבָ֔ר וְהָבֵ֖ןבַּמַּרְאֶֽה׃
NAS: heed to the message and gain understanding
KJV: therefore understand the matter, and consider
INT: you give to the message heed of the vision

Job 26:14  These are but the fringes of His ways; how faint is the word we hear of Him! Who can understand His mighty thunder?

In Genesys 22:16, the very “thing” IS the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.  The act that God did not require of Abram was to be carried out by Jesus… Something to think on!  Also the very “thing” that demonstrated man’s willingness to be in Christ’s image, to do the most difficult act in obedience to the Lord.

 This is the Wiki definition (it’s even better!)

Dabar

*Now don’t get freaked out by the word “mantra”.  I am not starting a cult.  I just believe that much truth has been stolen by the enemy.  Remember that Demons had over 4000 years to set themselves up as gods, and they used many of God’s own truths to do it, and just left out that inconvenient truth about the Father and the Son!  The bottom line is that focusing only on Jesus helps me get my left brain out of the way so that I can hear the voice of God—the one true God, creator of all, father of Jesus, who is THE word.

Mantra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Mantra” (/ˈmæntrə, ˈmɑːn–, ˈmʌn–/;^[2] Sanskrit: मन्त्र) means a sacred utterance, numinous sound, or a syllable, word, phonemes, or group of words believed by some to have psychological and spiritual power.^[3][4] A mantra may or may not have syntactic structure or literal meaning; the spiritual value of a mantra comes when it is audible, visible, or present in thought.^[3][5]

The earliest mantras were composed in Vedic times by Hindus in India, and those are at least 3000 years old.^[6] Mantras are now found in various schools of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainismand Sikhism.^[4][7] Similar hymns, chants, compositions and concepts are found in Zoroastrianism,^[8] Taoism, Christianity and elsewhere.^[3]

The use, structure, function, importance and types of mantras vary according to the school and philosophy of Hinduism and of Buddhism. Mantras serve a central role in the tantric school of Hinduism.^[6][9] In this school, mantras are considered equivalent to deities**, a sacred formula and deeply personal ritual, and considered to be effective only after initiation. However, in other schools of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism or Sikhism, this is not so.^[8][10]

**this is precicely why I refuse to use the mantra I was given when I went to a school of philosophy and learned how to meditate.

Out of respect to my teacher’s instructions, I will not disclose the word that was given to me to be “my” mantra.  I looked it up, searching on “sanskrit word pronounced [removed]”:

 One who pervades and operates all:

One who roams about. In Sanskrit the word …. means ….’non-stop, moving’
Dark-coloured: In the Vedas the word ….  has been used in the sense of black and not as a proper noun.
Pleasing, delighting, charming …. Because of their oriental features and the wheatish colour of their skin, the … are considered beautiful and charming.
One who pleases or delights others. Roma of Europe do please others and delight others by their exellent music and dances.

It was years ago that my spirit told me not to use the mantra I was given.  Turns out, it is related to visual pleasure (in my case idolatry), restlessness, and control.

 Take-away:  I believe meditation is good, but be sure about what and who you are focusing on!

Two Sundays ago, I went into the county jail.

With a stack of new Daily Breads in hand, I went door to door in T and U pods, solitary and the hole, respectively.  Most inmates just held out a hand for a handout.  Some waited at the door for prayer.  It was all good.  The guard was especially helpful and opened the doors necessary for me to hand in a bible, Daily Bread and a fist-bump.

On to J pod, where just 3 minutes before switch out, about 14 guys gathered around a table to talk about Jesus.  3 had never been saved, so I got permission from the guard in charge to get an extra 10 minutes.  Fortunately Holy Spirit took over and I gave a very thorough presentation of the Good News and still had 3 minutes for two out of 3 unsaved to receive Christ.  Instructed them on the baptism of the HS, but didn’t have time to pray for that.  To M next.  Walked in and barely anyone noticed.  I saw a thick-necked black dude facing the TV and God highlighted him to me, even though he showed no interest.  So I stepped between him and the TV and asked “you want to talk?” he said “yeah” and got up.  Just then another guy looked over and got up an hurried over.  A third joined us by the time we sat down.  All had been saved, all were stuck.  All learned about the baptism of the HS and prayed for it, one began speaking in tongues.

Once again, I went in empty, and came out filled up.  I just need to keep showing up.

Shawn Julius _____ has one of the best attitudes of all the inmates I have seen.  He is always smiling.

We have been watching Pete Cabrera Jr. videos lately, pressing in for power to produce signs to make folks wonder!

Shawn was the second guy I prayed for that day, Dylan received prayer for depression and swollen ankles.  He broke down (cried) when Holy Sprit led me through a mini-deliverance prayer with him, and his ankles where healed that night.

Shawn said that he had back pain from Scoliosis, and that he had one leg shorter than the other.  I had seen this done on video, and just about a month and a half before in a prayer ministry session that I was leading, so I was pretty sure we could geterdun.

I put the chair against the wall, his back in the back of the chair, and had him put his feet up on another chair.  The other guys in the room (about 8 of them) verified that one was definitely shorter, and I had Shawn get up and down two more times, shake out and show that one was definitely shorter.

I began speaking to the leg – commanding it to grow in Jesus’ name….nothing was happening.  7 minutes go by, I’m still talking to this guy’s leg, and one of the inmates starts a mocking laugh.  I got pissed (righteously indignant, for you theologians).  I stopped praying, slammed my hand on his Bible (the guy laughing), and said, ” I have devoted my life to what’s in this Book, and I saw this very miracle happen no less than two months ago, and I fully expect it to happen here today.”  He looks up at me and says in a mocking voice, “Well were you chewing gum last time you prayed for it?”

I spit out my gum right out on the table in front of him and said “No!”  I went back to the leg and started commanding it to grow again.  The other guys in the room were praying under their breath, “yes Jesus, Please Jesus, Please…”  I got a little forceful and shouted to them, “Stop ASKING for this to happen!  I am not begging, I am APPROPRIATING this healing… I don’t know what that means, but that’s what we are doing!”   (we really do know, because we had just watched Pete’s “Milk to Meat Part 2”)

After about another 90 seconds, the leg jolted forward a quarter inch.  The guy closest on the left yelled “Holy Sh…!” and everyone else started watching.  It moved forward again, and again, and once more, but it had gone too far.  Now that leg was longer than the other one.  I commanded them to be even, and they immediately corrected.

We had him stand up and sit down and put his feet up and check about three times, and it was verified with witnesses.  Julius has since reported that 4 weeks later, he is still completely healed.  No more back or leg issues.  Praise GOD.

Here is a list of the healings that I can remember happening in the jail, mostly in weekly Reclaimed group.

Larry – healed of diabetes!

unknown- in wheelchair–legs has been beaten with bat.  pain gone and healed to the point where he could walk again

Allen B – Sty instantly removed when prayed for eye.

Shawn (Julius) – HEALED of scoleosis, and leg lengthened to match the other.  About 1 inch.  That one took a while.  I’ll post on it.

Reginald – week one, forgot to pray for swollen ankles, week two: prayed–ankles VISIBLY healed from swollen condition.  Week three, pain in hips REMOVED.  Still trying to get mobility in a fused ankle that has 7 screws in it.

Dylan- set free (temporarily) from depression.  Then spiritual battle ensued the following week.  Had BADLY swollen ankles, looked like a pregnant lady.  Showed all inmates.  No visible change when prayed, but they were normal the next DAY!  I saw him in a night visit 3 days after the prayer.  He showed us all the next class, one week after prayer.