January 18th & 19th, 2006
"It's Not About You..." saith The Lord
After 21 years of walking with the Lord and submitting to His loving molding and shaping, His crucifying and teaching, it has only been during the last two years that He has truly released me to speak prophetically to individuals, churches and nations around the globe. From healing to deliverance, judgment/correction to a word of His gentle, tender love and encouragement, He leads me in the pathway of righteousness, uttering forth His truths.
BUT...
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME...I have submitted and surrendered unto His perfect will, becoming a yielded vessel in the Master Potter's hands! A few days ago, someone dear to me said, "Ah, but YOU had to say 'yes'"! True, we are to be willing, we do have to invite Him in by surrendering our lives. BUT...HE is the one who made us so that we COULD say "yes". HE is the one who wooed...HE is the one who changed us...HE gave US the desire to be crafted by His loving hand!
If you desire to become usable to God and His Kingdom for His Glory, it can never ever be about "you". There can be no "I" when you are sold-out to Jesus...except perhaps to say things like, "I...love you, Lord!" "I...worship YOU, O God!" "I...surrender!" "I..obey!" "I...submit!" "Here am I Lord - send me!!!" But even the "I" in these statements come forth when HE gives US His heart. To then say, "I surrender...I obey...I submit," is still about HIM. For if you can take credit for ANY thing spoken, written, done, thought through you, it is a manifestation of flesh NOT Spirit! ALL glory, honor, praise AND credit for words, deeds, actions MUST be unto Him.
Why would you DESIRE the credit anyway? (prompts Holy Spirit). Is there some need within you to be recognized by others? Are you struggling with pride?
Genuinely ask Holy Spirit for a spirit of humility. Then ask Him to reveal ALL of the motives of your heart - for when one is TRULY DEAD TO SELF, "I" no longer matters. Instead, beloved, it is all about HIM - "Look at HIM, world!... Look at what Jesus said!...Look at what Father God did...isn't He a great and awesome God...?!?!"
The Lord is saying unto you (us all) this day, "It's got to be all or nothing". It is time to humble ourselves. It is time to surrender ALL. It is time to submit, to obey.
"How do you become usable to Me for My purposes? By submitting to the cross, by allowing every aspect of your 'self' to be crucified. Embrace My cross - ask Me for favor to do so. When I allow difficult situations to come your way, do not try to find ways to cruise through them; do not run and hide; do NOT try to find answers, solutions, 'a way out'. STOP and ask Your God what I AM trying to show you. Do you still not realize that ALL things work together for good to them who love Me? "ALL things" includes the hard things, My children! Praise Me that all things work together for your good, for truly I AM the Father that loves you and brings only that which will strengthen you, causing you to grow in My wisdom and My truths. Then, speak forth My Word - not what it looks/feels/seems like in the natural, in your flesh - what does MY WORD say about you and your life in ME? SPEAK IT FORTH! DECREE MY TRUTHS! For these are all prophesies to be released into your lives for My glory! Once you speak forth My Word, AM I not faithful and true to perform MY WORD? Alter your confession, beloved. For if you do not put your hands tightly clasped behind your back, in a position of surrender of 'self' and back off of trying to handle and manage your lives - if you do not stop trying to handle things in the natural, with your own worldly wisdom and means, then surely I say unto you it is I WHO WILL STEP BACK WITH MY HANDS TIGHTLY CLASPED BEHIND MY BACK AND LET YOU HANDLE IT. For surely those who feel that they can handle all things or even some things 'on their own' without Me shall surely get the opportunity to try and do so! I AM not obligated to perform a thing once you decide to handle it alone. I LONG to help you in ALL THINGS, beloved. I WILL if you will SURRENDER COMPLETELY. And yes, My loves, I will be here waiting with My loving arms spread wide open to embrace you when you fail...and then we shall try it all again. For verily I say unto you in this hour, fall upon The Rock, or The Rock shall surely fall upon you!"
"If something offends you? You are not dead to it."
"If something embarrasses you? You still have pride. Pride is the worst. GIVE THAT UP, nail it ONCE AND FOR ALL to my cross and seek the mantle of My humility," saith God.
"If you get offended with a brother or sister in Christ? You are then offended with My Son."
"If someone says something bad or wrong or hurtful about you and you defend yourself? YOU ARE NOT DEAD. If you have to say aloud that the things people say and do toward you 'don't bother you'? IT BOTHERS YOU! For people who aren't bothered don't feel the need to bring up such things, to offer forth statements or explanations! YOU MUST DIE!"
"If you go around talking about other people, even under the 'guise' of concern and care? YOU ARE A BACK-BITING MURDERER," saith the Lord.
"When people come to you to tell you their hurts and pains, the problems and disasters they are facing, and you answer them with a story of your OWN pain (past or present)? THAT'S PRIDE - that is NOT walking in My love, for verily I say unto you, MY LOVE LISTENS. MY LOVE DOES NOT FEEL AN URGENCY TO SPEAK AND BE HEARD OVER SOMEONE ELSE. MY LOVE ESTEEMS OTHERS HIGHER THAN ONESELF. The word of YOUR testimony, beloved, is the WORD OF YOUR GOD! It is what I HAVE TO SAY to that person that is to be your testimony, for only MY words offer and provide life, healing, salvation, eternity!"
"If you are in a ministry platform and are always giving 'props' to your people for their talents, their words, their deeds, their walks? You are focusing on man and not on ME. You are directing man's attention toward man and not toward the Kingdom of Heaven!"
(The Lord had me stop at this point and told me to look up what it means to "honor" someone. He highlighted: "to give glory to; fame source of credit; great respect; act that shows respect, high regard").
"Glory is reserved for Your God," saith Holy Spirit. "How can people die to self and take no credit for anything but instead give all credit unto God, giving unto God all glory, honor and praise, if the things and gifts I do through them are then credited back to the man/woman doing them, for what should be being done on My behalf? How can man humble himself if you exalt him? I've asked you to be no respecter of persons, to esteem none highly. Does not My word say that if you will HUMBLE yourself I SHALL then lift you higher? Do you want man's promotion or mine," saith God.
"Choose this day whom ye shall serve."
(The Lord again had me stop and look up "respect" - it is from the Latin "respectus" -meaning "regard", which comes from "re"-meaning, "back"; and "specere" -meaning "to look". A respecter would then be a "look-back-er" (someone who looks back). "To regard" - means to consider, think about in order to decide. )
Holy Spirit again pointed out that regarding and respecting people exhibits a lot of time and energy paying attention to fleshly, corruptible beings - time and attention and energy that could, instead, be spent focusing on, considering, regarding, and respecting Almighty God.
"If your feelings get hurt when you go to meetings claiming to represent Me and no one seems to talk to you, greet you, hug you, sit by you, or pay attention to you...and it bothers you?
-You aren't dead enough yet
-You care too much about man and being accepted by man
-You long to be seen
For when you are truly dead in Me, you want people to ONLY see Me - not you. Your goal should be to point them to Christ! Most sad to My heart," saith the Lord, "is that you seem not to discern that I AM by your side no matter where you go - for I will ALWAYS love you and notice you, greet you and hug you - I shall always be sitting right beside you, for yea, I have NEVER left you nor forsaken you. I say also unto you, why did you go to the meeting anyway - to encounter man or to encounter Me?"
"Do you long for more of Me?", says the Most High God.
"I have been crying out to those who love Me - crying out and inviting them to surrender upon the altar - privately and publicly - humbling themselves before Me and man to receive MORE intimacy, MORE humility, MORE blessing, MORE wisdom, MORE power, MORE revelation - but YOU DO NOT GET UP OUT OF YOUR SEATS AND COME UNTO ME!!! Do you think that you have enough? Do you think I AM not calling out, crying out, pouring out My heart in loving invitation unto You? Do you think I call another instead of you? Why don't you answer My call, My beloved? Why do you reject more of Me? Will you decide this day to run unto Me? Will you cast off, ONCE AND FOR ALL, your care and concern for what others might think of you no matter what? WILL YOU COME? What I THINK should instead matter most! A Bride without spot or wrinkle won't operate in pride - self - flesh - and most assuredly won't need the approval of others! How long must I delay My return unto you - YOU, who I long for with ALL OF MY HEART???"
"Won't you come for what I have for you?"
"Won't you let what I have for you, how I FEEL FOR YOU, matter most to you?"
"Come for what I can do THROUGH you, so that you can then be My hands and My feet to a hurting, dying world!", saith God.
"For this is the hour for you to share Me and My heart to the least of these - the widows, the orphans, the needy, the sick, the lost. For in this hour you must not only be willing to surrender self but ALL THAT I HAVE GIVEN UNTO YOU TO STEWARD ON MY BEHALF. For if you are not willing to give up that car, that house, those material possessions, that paycheck - all of these things that are mine and that I have LENT TO YOU TO DO MY WILL UNTO OTHERS - if you are not willing to GIVE WHEN I SAY GIVE THEN VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, I CANNOT USE YOU, for you do not have My heart and you have not died unto self and selfishness," saith the Most High.
"Finally, beloved, I say unto you that you must look for Me in everyone. You must discern My true presence, My voice, and not only hunger for but also embrace ALL that I would say in this hour - NO MATTER WHO THE MESSENGER IS OR IS NOT (ESPECIALLY IN YOUR OWN ESTIMATION), AND NO MATTER WHAT MY MESSENGER LOOKS LIKE. Do not be threatened by others' giftings but instead ENCOURAGE those who represent Me! PRAY FOR those who represent me! and PRAISE YOUR GOD AND SAVIOUR not only for them but that I have sent them unto you out of My unfailing love for you."
"O won't you hunger to hear what I have to say in this hour through My appointed messengers,?" saith Almighty God, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Aleph and Tahv, Alpha & Omega, Lord and Saviour."
(The Lord spoke forth all of the above from 11:22 pm on January 18th, 2006 until 8:17 a.m. on January 19th, 2006).
And as always, beloved brethren....
Spoken to His Messenger
January 18th, 2006 from 11:22 P.M. to January 19th, 2006 @ 8:17 A.M.
