The Dream

By Kim Ellison

I was one of eight that were about to begin a tubing trip down a wide muddy river. It’s huge choppy waves crashed and churned as they went downstream. We were making our way into the raging waters with rubber inner tubes to transport us. The tubes would be our only protection against the rocks, the waves, and whatever else lay hidden below the surface.

I knew one other person on this trip which provided a small amount of comfort. The remaining people were strangers, but we were a team, and all part of the Body of Christ. Miss Leader and her faceless partner, an older gentleman, were up on the dock. They were not going to accompany us on this journey but Miss Leader was giving my friend and me some last minute instructions. She cautioned us to stay with the group and assured us that if we did, everything would be all right.

Our trip began. We were at the mercy of the raging waters, being tossed to and fro amidst the waves and the current of the river. It was a dark dreary day with not a ray of sunshine to light our way. The river was terrifying in its strength and power. I felt very small, insignificant, and very much alone. Despite my efforts to keep up I began to fall further and further behind the group.

I was floating near the bank of the river when I came upon a beautiful crystal clear river. It was rushing down and away from the muddy river I was on. The sight of it was simply awesome. It seemed to bid me to come, to come and ride upon its current of transparent rushing waters, to leave the dark waves and the rage of the muddy river behind. Although the two rivers were right next to each other, they did not flow into one another. It was almost as if there was an invisible line of separation that neither could cross.

The muddy river had a strong current and was doing its best to push me along, yet I felt this gentle tug to go down the crystal clear river. I wasn’t being forced, but I felt this pull and it was my choice as to which river I would continue my journey on. I wanted to go down the crystal clear river. It was so beautiful. It was bidding me to come, but I was afraid to go down the passage way alone. It was narrow and the water was rapidly rushing down and around the bend. Only one person could go down the passage way at a time. Not that I had anyone with me, my team mates were long gone and I couldn’t even see them in the distance anymore.

I pondered the possibility of going down the crystal clear river for a few moments, but then I began to panic. My team mates were gone, my instructions had been to stay with the group, and now I had lost them. Anxious feelings began to overtake me and I felt I must leave immediately and try to catch up to them.

I continued my journey down the muddy river being tossed to and fro amidst the crashing of the waves. I had little protection and was at the mercy of the turbulent rolling waters. Although my hearts desire had been to go down the crystal clear river, there was an element of fear in doing so. Fear of the unknown and the instructions of Miss Leader had caused me to stay on the dirty old river.

After that I came to a large beautiful house stationed along the side of the river. Somehow I knew I was to stop here, go up to the house, come down the other side, and get back on the river. It was all part of the journey. I made my way up to the house and met a man who was coming out to help me get back on the river. He had a new rubber inner tube for me. We started down the bank, but we were stopped in our tracks as we saw a tornado in the distance rapidly moving in our direction. With out a minute to spare we hurried back into the house and scrambled down into the basement to join the rest of his family.

The tornado swirled down and whipped the wind through the curtains. We had made it to the basement just in the nick of time. Looking out the window we saw the river now in a total uproar. The waves were coming back up river in a violent burst of energy. The storm was fierce, threatening, and totally out of control. The Lord only knows what happened to the rest of my team mates. Did they find cover? Were they okay? I had no way of really knowing.

Then the storm ended. I knew it was time for me to leave but I was reluctant to go. I liked it here. The people were so pleasant, and I loved the surroundings and comfort of their beautiful home. Everything was so lovely and pleasing to the eye. I thought I might like to stay here with them forever, but I knew in my heart that it was not possible. I had my own life that I must return to.

Before I left, the Lord showed me a vision of their church. I expected it to be magnificent with rich furnishings like their home. I was quite surprised at what I saw. The comparison was appalling. There were no walls, no roof, and no floor to protect the church from the elements. Old tattered folding chairs and an old wooden podium were set up outside in the dirt. I really didn’t know what to make of it. Their home was beautiful and richly furnished, but their church was poor, meager, and lacking. Something was terribly wrong and I wondered if the people knew or understood the condition their church was in.

Please understand that the Lord was showing me a vision of their church in the spiritual realm, not the physical realm that we know and understand on this earth. God was showing me his perspective; what he saw in the spirit concerning the spiritual condition of their church. It is quite possible that they really did have a beautiful church building with all the furnishings, yet the spiritual condition of the people who made up the church was poor, meager, and lacking.

After that Miss Leader and her faceless partner appeared. The dream was coming to an end and they had come to take me home. Their disapproval was obvious and I felt discouraged. I had failed to stay with the group and they were not happy with me. It was here that the dream ended.

I didn’t think too much about this dream and soon it faded from my thoughts. One day several months later when I was reading my Bible, I came upon a scripture that said the Lord had drawn me out of many waters. The dream instantly came back to mind. As I pondered the dream the Holy Spirit began to speak to me. The Spirit of the Lord led me to take a walk along the banks of the muddy Mississippi river. As I strolled along, the Lord explained the dream to me. It was an incredible experience that lasted for a couple of hours. I would ask a question and the Holy Spirit would answer me. I would listen and the Holy Spirit would speak. It was not an audible voice. It was as if the Spirit of the Lord was speaking directly to my thoughts.

I asked the Lord about the dream. What was its significance and what did it mean? I had heard the term “Rivers of Living Waters” many times and understood it to mean the flowing of the Holy Spirit in our lives. But what about these dirty waters we were floating around in? What did that mean? The Lord revealed to me that the flow of the Holy Spirit in many of our lives had become polluted and contaminated by unconfessed sin, unforgiveness, disobedience, and a refusal to acknowledge our wrongs and make a change.

Many of our individual as well as corporate ministries had started out pure, but were now contaminated. Instead of repenting and making a change, we continued to make excuses and justify our actions, sometimes even using the Holy Scriptures to do so.

The crystal clear river was the way I should have gone, with or without the team. It was God’s way. The passage way was narrow, the current was very strong, and you could only see a short distance before the river winded around a curve. Its current was so fast and strong that it swept you away from the dirty waters and down around the bend of the river in a matter of seconds. This reminds me of a scripture that talks about being transferred from the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light. That too happens in a matter of seconds at the time of our conversion. One minute we’re unsaved, we pray and ask Jesus in our hearts, and we are immediately transferred from the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light. Hallelujah!

It was the fear of the unknown that kept me from going down the passage way of the crystal clear river. That and the fact that I did not want to go alone. The Lord later revealed to me that once you entered the passage way and turned the bend in the river, many others were there floating on the waters. The river of God was a tranquil place; a place of peace and rest. The muddy waters were choppy and wavy, filled with turmoil and unrest. They were contaminated and filthy because sin had infiltrated the waters, and there would never be any peace or fulfillment in the Lord for those who traveled upon it.

As I walked along the Mississippi river, the Lord asked me if I would swim in the muddy waters. I told him no. I didn’t want to because I could not see the bottom. I was afraid of what might be lurking below the surface of the waters. He spoke ever so gently to me and explained that there were many hidden dangers beneath the surface of the muddy waters that we could not see. The crystal clear waters were transparent, there was nothing hidden from our view, and there was nothing to fear.

The river of mud and dirt was wide and many floated down it, even professing Christians who claimed to love the Lord. Many were not aware that the waters had become so foul and unclean. Their eyes were blinded. They could no longer see the dirt and filth of the waters that they traveled upon. The waters and the flow of the Holy Spirit in their lives had become contaminated because of sin, unforgiveness, disobedience, and a lack of love for the brethren.

Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV) “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

The crystal clear river had a very narrow passage way. I was afraid to go down it because I had to go alone. Yet, each one of us will stand alone before the Lord on the Day of Judgment. Our friends will not stand before the throne with us when the books are opened. They will not be able to save us or change our eternal destination. Only Jesus Christ can do that. It is through His shed blood that we shall stand worthy before the throne of God. The choice to choose Jesus must be made in this life in the here and now before we die. If we wait until the next life, it will be too late.

It was fear of the unknown that caused me to continue down the muddy river. Fear of the unknown can keep us floating in contaminated waters. I asked the Lord where I was in relation to this dream. He said, “Kim you are right at the place of decision. Will you continue down the muddy river, or will you trust me and go down the crystal clear river? There is some life in the dirty waters. Some fish do survive and some plant life does grow in the waters. But, if you drink from the dirty waters and eat contaminated fish for too long, you will eventually get sick and die.” I said yes to the Lord. “Yes, I want to go down that crystal clear river. I want to do your will and flow in the pure waters of the Holy Spirit. Help me, Oh God, to do your will and to be found faithful when you return.”

Contaminated Waters

Proverbs 25:26 (NIV) “Like a muddied spring or a polluted well, is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.”

Many things can contaminate the flow of the pure living waters in our lives and put us back on that dirty river. Disobedience, unforgiveness, gossip, greed, selfishness, and a multitude of other sins we could name. But what about complacency or procrastination? Being slow to do the things the Lord has called us to do. This really is disobedience although we don’t give it that name. When we call it procrastination, it just doesn’t sound quite so bad. But we need to ask ourselves what God thinks when we are slow to do his will. How does God view our procrastination? How does God view our complacency?

To be complacent is to be lukewarm and satisfied with the way things are. Complacent people are not moving forward in the things of the Lord. In the book of Revelations, chapter three, the Lord said he would vomit the lukewarm out of his mouth. Much of the church in the U.S. is in this condition today. I confess that I too have found myself in this place at different times in my Christina walk. Being lukewarm is an easy trap of the devil to fall into, and to stay in, if we are not careful.

Revelation 3:14-22 (NKJV) “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

“Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked– “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

What is the spirit of the Lord saying to the churches? What is God trying to tell us? The Lord revealed to me that the true living waters of the Holy Spirit will not mix with the muddy waters of this world. Mud is soft wet earth and in relation to this dream represents the things of this world. If people try to mix the things of this world (the muddy waters), in with the things of the Holy Spirit (the crystal clear waters), the waters will no longer be pure. They will become contaminated.

To contaminate is to make impure or unclean. Contamination implies intrusion or contact with dirt or foulness from an OUTSIDE SOURCE. Now who might that outside source be? You are absolutely correct. It is the devil. Satan is continuously trying to get us to compromise, to procrastinate, to be complacent, to not go forward in the things of God. We cannot contaminate the Holy Spirit, but we can hinder the flow and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives because of sin and an impure heart. The gifts of God are irrevocable. We may still operate in the gifts and even flow in the anointing, yet have an impure heart, a muddied dirty contaminated heart. Our lips may praise him but our hearts can be far, far from him.

Help us Oh God, not to fall into contaminated waters. Help us to keep the flow of the Spirit pure and clean in our lives. Help us to truly love the brethren.

Are You Flowing in the Waters of Unforgiveness?

Are you flowing in the waters of unforgiveness? Many people are. Sometimes we feel that we have a right to continue to be angry with someone who has hurt us. Maybe a family member has hurt you, or a brother or sister in the Lord has done you wrong. Maybe they have slandered your name and told lies about you, or took all of your money and swindled you. The list could go on and on. Most of us have a story to tell about someone who we feel has done us an injustice. No one is exempt from being hurt in this world. We live in a fallen world that is greatly in need of a Savior. Until we get to heaven, we will have plenty of opportunities to forgive one another.

I need forgiveness daily. I like what the apostle Paul said about this. He said that even though he wasn’t aware that he had done anything wrong, it did not mean he was innocent. He would leave it up to the Lord to judge him.

Sometimes we unintentionally hurt others, or sin in some way that we are not aware of. Let us extend the hand of mercy to the person who has hurt us. Let us forgive one another daily while there is yet time, for time is truly running out. Jesus is soon to return to the earth, and once he does, it will be too late for us to repent and forgive one another. The offense that we thought was so great will no longer matter as we are cast into the outer darkness because of our unwillingness to forgive. The Bible tells us not to let the sun go down while we are still angry. Be quick to forgive the offense of another.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NLT) “And don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil.”

Unforgiveness is one of the main avenues that the devil will use to gain entrance into our lives. To continue to walk in unforgiveness is to invite Satan’s bondage into our lives. Forgiving one another is the only way to really stop the pain we are experiencing, and to be totally set free. Let us no longer flow in the waters of unforgiveness.

One time when I was having trouble forgiving someone, the Lord gave me a dream. In this dream there were lots of demon possessed people chasing me. Demons had inhabited the people and they were all coming against me. I was terrified as I ran from them, and when I awoke I was very much shaken from the dream. I went to get a drink of water and it was then that the Lord spoke to me. He said, “Your fight is not against flesh and blood. So and So is not the enemy.” God actually named the person I was having a difficult time forgiving. In my mind this person had been very unkind and mean, yet God was telling me that they were not my enemy.

Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) “For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.”

Our fight is not against people. The enemy is using them. They are victims of Satan’s wicked devices every bit as much as the person who has been offended. And it doesn’t matter whether or not they are a Christian. Satan loves to use Christians to hurt one another and to cause division in the Body of Christ. If he can get us mad at the Church and other Christians, he can cause us to quit going to church and to isolate ourselves. Let us not be unaware of his deceitful and wicked plans and strategies. Unforgiveness binds us up. We too can bind others up by being unwilling to forgive them. The Bible tells us to love our enemies and instructs us to have a forgiving heart.

Proverbs 25:21-22 (NIV) If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”

Luke 6:27-36 (NKJV) “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”

We are to be kind, forgiving, and merciful to our enemies and those who have hurt us. I am not suggesting that this is an easy thing to do, but I know it is God’s way and His will for our lives. Whatever God asks us to do; he will empower us to do. We must ask Him to help us. The Bible says, ask and you shall receive (Luke 11:9-10). The Bible tells us that we have not because we ask not (James 4:2). If you are having trouble forgiving someone, ask God to help you. This is a prayer He will surely answer. It may take some time, especially if the offense was extremely severe, but our God is faithful to see us through every situation we might encounter.

One time when I was having a difficult time forgiving someone, I was counseled to pray for the person. I really didn’t want to because I felt they were wrong and should apologize to me, but I began to pray for them. I would ask God to bless them, and then I would ask God to forgive me for my negative feelings towards them. I would confess that I had forgiven them and pray blessings on them. I would feel good for a minute or two, and then my very next thought would be how I would like to tell that person a thing or two.

“Who did they think they were to treat me that way?” After playing out that little scene in my mind, I would have to repent again and go back to blessing them. I really feared that I might go crazy over the endless cycle of blessing them, cursing them in my thoughts, repenting, blessing them, and so on.
However, I continued to bless them and pray for them as I was advised to do and eventually I began to feel a release of the anger, the hurt, and the negative feelings. But it did not happen overnight. It took some time. Now I can think back to the situation and not experience such strong emotions, although it did take some time and the willingness to forgive on my part.

I like what Dr. Neil Anderson had to say about forgiveness. He said that we must realize that forgiveness is not necessarily forgetting. God gave us a good brain with an ability to remember. Anderson said that forgiveness is choosing to live with the consequences of someone’s sin and not hold it against them any longer. I like this definition because truthfully we really don’t forget most of the things that happen to us. If we think we are suppose to then we feel condemned anytime we do remember them. But we can forgive and move on, even if we sometimes do remember, yet not hold things against people. God will empower us to do this as we look to Him for help.

It may seem like an unfair expectation to ask people to forgive, especially in regards to really difficult situations. Some people have been through some terrible stuff. But the bottom line is; we must forgive. It is not optional. I believe God will help us and see us through as we put forth our best effort to do what is right. As we forgive others, it will bring a healing to our souls, regardless of the other person’s response. They might think they have done nothing wrong, and we may not be able to change their way of thinking. But as we forgive them we will find that we ourselves will get set free. Hallelujah!

It is true that we must forgive, but this does not mean that we should allow someone to continue to mistreat us. That is not right either. We may need to distance ourselves from some folks if they continue to hurt us. Then again, sometimes we are the person in need of forgiveness. When we ask for forgiveness, people do not always respond graciously. Sometimes they are unwilling to forgive or grant forgiveness, but we must go forth in the things of the Lord and be at peace with one another as much as we are able to. God will surely bless our efforts to be a forgiver and a peacemaker.

Let us not continue to flow in the waters of unforgiveness. It is time to forgive one another. If we don’t forgive, the Bible says we will not be forgiven. We must forgive, for our eternal destiny depends on it.
Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV) “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Psalm 34:14 (NIV) “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

Romans 12:17-28 (NIV) “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Luke 6:35-37 (NLT) “Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don’t be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”

Are you Flowing in the Waters of Fear and Disobedience?

Are you flowing in the waters of disobedience? Have you failed to do something that the Lord has asked you to do? Are you planning to get around to it but never do? Sometimes we give this a nice little name called procrastination. Somehow that makes it better, not quite so bad. In reality we are in disobedience if we are not busy about the Father’s work when he has asked us to do something.

Many times we fail to be obedient because of fear. I remember when the Lord first asked me to do a music recording. My knees were shaking. God provided everything I needed, yet I was terrified to do it, and kept putting it off. He provided a talented brother in the Lord who was willing to do the recording in his basement studio for a free will offering. Now the hand of God was in this because many people pay large sums of money to do a music recording. Roland was a musician too; an excellent anointed keyboard player who was willing to play for my recording free of charge. What more could you ask for? I should have got right on it, but I was extremely afraid and insecure. I didn’t think I had the ability to do a recording. I thought everyone would laugh at me, including Roland. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The devil helped me out with my negative thoughts and proceeded to tell me on a regular basis what a terrible singer and musician I was, so therefore I kept procrastinating.

One day while I was preparing a message about disobedience for a week-end retreat, the Lord revealed to me that I was “flowing in the waters” of disobedience because of my unwillingness to go forth with the music recording. After the Lord revealed this to me, there was no way I was going to be able to go to that retreat and preach to others unless I called and made an appointment to start the music recording. Once the Lord labeled my procrastination as disobedience, I had to view it in a new light. I quickly called and made the appointment to start the recording. I was shaking in my shoes, but I forced myself to do it. I either had to start the recording, or call and say I could not teach at the retreat. Sometimes when we are just slow to do something, we don’t view it as the sin it really is. I had never viewed my procrastination as disobedience, or my fear as not trusting God.

Imagine if Jesus were right here on this earth today and he asked you to go somewhere to tell someone about him. Can you imagine telling the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords that you were too busy today? Would you tell him you would do it tomorrow? I don’t think there is one single person reading this who would tell Jesus to wait a day or two. Yet we do it all the time by ignoring the promptings of the Lord, by ignoring that still small inner voice. We must realize that even though we cannot physically see Jesus, He is here in spirit, He is still alive, and He is trying to get our attention. He is trying to speak to us about some things He wants us to do. He speaks to us in our thoughts. He speaks to us through the Bible, and He speaks to us through people. Are you listening? Are you trying to hear His voice? Are you interested in what He has to say?

We may not see him in the flesh, but He is here in the Spirit and He has commissioned you and I to spread the good news (Mark 16:15). The Bible tells us that when we know to do right and don’t do it, we have sinned. Sin is not just restraining ourselves from doing the evil thing. It is also failing to do the right things we know God has called us to do. We can err either way and fear is not an excuse. God calls us to overcome our fears by trusting in Him.

The devil will continue to help you out with your fears and doubts if you allow him to. He will lie to you for he is the father of lies. He will tell you that you are not able to do the things that God is calling you to do. He will try to confuse you and tell you that you have not really heard from God. Many times I have had to fight this lie of the devil. Who was I to write a book? Who was I to do a recording? But we must let go of pride and our feelings of being inadequate. We must allow God to use us for the sake of others. If only one person comes to Jesus through something I write, sing, or speak, it will all be worth the effort.

I remember when I first started to lead praise and worship for our church Bible study group. It was a struggle for me. Every week the devil would lie to me by filling my mind with negative thoughts about what a lousy job I did. I experienced a fair amount of anxiety over the situation and was quite sure that my Bible study peers did not want me to continue leading the praise and worship. I thought they were such nice Christian people that they didn’t want to ask me to quit playing my guitar for fear of hurting my feelings. Therefore they continued to persevere through my “not so good” praise and worship services. These thoughts would attack my mind and I couldn’t believe I did a good job no matter what anyone said to me. It was total torture to go each week. I thought the only way out of the commitment was to quit church altogether. Thank God I didn’t give up and do that.

The struggle continued for about six months before I overcame Satan’s wicked lies and began to flow in the anointing and gift of God. Sometimes when we are fearful, we come into agreement with the devil instead of God. This can be dangerous because if we continue to believe Satan’s lies, it will keep us from the call of God on our lives. Satan wants to keep each one of us from going forth in the plans of God. Let us go to the book of Exodus and take a look at the story of Moses when God called him to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. God and Moses had a very interesting conversation and I think many of us will be able to identify with Moses.

Exodus 3:11 (NIV) “But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

Does this sound familiar? How many times do we say to God, “Who am I that I should go and preach the gospel?” “Who am I that I should have a Bible study in my home? Who am I that I should go on a mission trip overseas? Who am I that I should start a prayer group in my home? Who am I that I should give a testimony in the church? Who am I that I should do a music recording? Who am I that I should be a children’s minister?” But God had just the right answer for Moses, and for us.

Exodus 3:12 (NIV) “And God said, “I will be with you.”

God told Moses that He, ALMIGHTY GOD, would be with him. It is true that there are many things we can’t do, but God in us can. With God all things are possible. God will be with us. Somehow Moses still didn’t get it and He began to give God a list of all his inadequacies.

Exodus 4:10 (NIV) “Moses said to the Lord, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

Sometimes we do the very same thing. I told God that I really couldn’t sing. I really couldn’t play the guitar very well. I was sure people would laugh at me and sometimes now I will do the same thing with writing. I have no formal training. Who am I to write a book? Listen to what God told Moses.

Exodus 4:11 (NIV) “The Lord said to Him, “Who gave Man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, The Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Now this is Almighty God talking, the Creator of the whole universe, yet Moses was still not convinced. He wanted God to send someone else to do the job. Isn’t that just like you and I sometimes?

Exodus 4:13 (NIV) “But Moses said, “O Lord, Please send someone else to do it.”

How many times have we prayed to the Lord to send someone else to do the job? I remember once driving by a homeless person after I prayed to the Lord for that person to come to know Christ. I was very sincere in my heart and I prayed and asked the Lord to send someone to tell him about Jesus. Then I drove right on by and went home to my nice warm house.

Earlier that week my Pastor had asked me to go street witnessing. I didn’t even pray about it. I just told her no. There was no way I was going to stand on street corners and hand out little tracks. What if someone I knew or someone from work saw me? They would think I had totally flipped out, gone crazy, lost it, joined a cult, or something worse. Besides, the area she was going to go to could be dangerous and I thought for sure we might be hurt, killed, or permanently messed up. God couldn’t really be calling us to do that, could He? To make a long story short, later that week I was reading my Bible and I came upon Matthew 10:8. Let me share it with you.

Matthew 10:8 (NIV) “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

Right after I read this scripture, the Lord brought the homeless man to mind and He said to me, “I SEND YOU.” I knew God was calling me to go street witnessing and I went every Monday night for a couple of years after that. Was I afraid? Yes, I was shaking in my shoes the first time out, but it got easier each week and eventually I loved it. I can’t think of a more rewarding and wonderful experience than leading a soul to Christ. It brings tears to my eyes even as I write about it.

Did I run into anyone from work? Yes, but it wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. She didn’t tell absolutely everybody at the office that I had gone crazy and was handing out little tracks on the street corners. At least if she did, I didn’t hear about it. She just asked me what I was doing. I told her, and as far as I know that was the end of it. In fact, as street witnessing became more and more exciting, I was the one telling people on the job about it. How exciting it was. How rewarding it was. Did they think I had totally lost it? Maybe, I’m sure some of them did. But one thing I do know; we can’t allow what others think about us to stop us from doing the will of God.

Did we get mangled, hurt, or killed? No, threatened a few times, but God is able to protect and keep His people. Our street witnessing efforts turned out to be one of the main avenues that God used to start a church. Many of the homeless have been fed, clothed, and brought to Christ through this church. Jesus is preached and lives continue to be changed. Street witnessing turned out to be a major blessing in my life, and helped me to become bold for the Lord. It also was excellent training for the mission field.

In summary, after Moses asks the Lord to send someone else to do the job, the Bible tells us that the Lord’s anger burned against Moses. But God in his mercy decides to let Aaron help Moses out. God is merciful and will give us all the help we need. He will fully equip us for every job He wants us to do.

Sometimes in our ignorance we nonchalantly brush off what the Lord is asking us to do. We respond to the Lord’s requests as if it is no big deal whether we do them today, tomorrow, or next year. Sometimes we respond as if it is optional whether we do them at all. It is a serious thing to ignore the call of God. Let us not forget Jonah and the whale. More times than not, I think many of us are slow to answer the call of God because of our many fears like

Moses had. If God has been speaking to you about doing something, don’t allow fear and intimidation to hold you back. Almighty God the Creator of the whole universe will be with you, just like He was with his servant Moses. We miss out on many wonderful, wonderful blessings and opportunities by not going forward in the things of the Lord.

What About the People in the Nice Big House?

Remember the people in the nice big house that was situated along side of the muddy river. Well I asked the Lord about them too. They had a beautiful home (nice middle class) but their church was poor. The church had no walls, no floor, no roof, and only a podium and tattered folding chairs set up in the dirt. Now don’t get me wrong, I have been to churches like this in third world countries and the people are on fire and love God with all their hearts. However, in this dream the people had a very rich home, but a very poor church.

This was a spiritual picture, if you will, of how their church looked in the spiritual realm. I did not see a vision of how their church building might have actually looked. It was probably a very beautiful facility, much like their home, but we must understand that in the spiritual realm they were not rich toward the things of God. Their riches were tied up in the physical realm with beautiful homes, nice cars, and nice things. They were nice people, upstanding citizens, but their hearts were far from God. The Lord showed me that they weren’t flowing in the dirty waters, but they were docked along side of them. They were more concerned about having nice things than their spiritual condition. The almighty dollar was becoming their first love. Materialism was becoming their god.

They can be likened to the seed (Word of God) that fell on the thorny ground in the Bible parable of the farmer sowing the seed. (Mark chapter four) The farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seed fell on a footpath, some seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock, some seed fell among the thorns, and other seed fell on good soil which produced a harvest.

Mark 4:18-19 (NLT) “The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the good news, but all to quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for nice things, so no crop is produced.”

Beloved, God does want us to prosper and be in good health, but he doesn’t want us to flow in the waters of greed and materialism. Many Americans are trapped in the flow of materialism and won’t give up a penny to help bring in the harvest of souls. God gives us money to use for the kingdom work, not to spend it all on ourselves. If you are not tithing and giving to missions of some kind, I would ask you to reevaluate where your treasure is. Is your treasure on this earth, or in heaven? Only you and God can truly answer that question.

The heart beat of God is for souls to be saved, not for us to live in luxury on this earth. God desires that none should perish and He uses you and me to bring in the souls through our witnessing, our ministries, and our money that we give to the Kingdom work. I have heard it preached that only about 20% of people in the Body of Christ actually tithe today. If this is true, this should not be. Some people feel they cannot afford to tithe but I have heard many amazing testimonies of how God delivered people out of debt once they trusted God and began to tithe. We must ask God about our finances. We must ask Him to give us wisdom concerning the wealth He has given to us.

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Where is your heart today? Is it rich towards the things of God or rich towards the things of this earth? Only you can truly answer that question. It is time to be rich towards the things of God.
Materialism calls out to each one of us every day. “Buy me, you need this, you need that.” Don’t allow it to grab a hold of you and hinder the flow of the Holy Spirit in your life. We must not allow things to control us. We need to exercise some self control. We need to allow God to be in control of our spending. God has called us to rule and reign with Him, not to be controlled by material things.

The good news is we still have time to make a change. We can truly be rich towards the things of God and store up treasure in heaven. Be assured that God will not disappoint you as you begin to sow your finances into the kingdom of God. There is a saying that is popular in the Body of Christ, “You can’t out give God.” This is true because the more you give, the more God gives back to you. I have found this to be true in my life and in the lives of many of my friends. Begin today to trust God with your finances. You won’t be sorry, or end up destitute. Hallelujah!

Are You Flowing in the Waters of Hidden Sin?

Sin contaminates the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Sin separates us from a Holy God. God does not love us any less when we sin, but He is holy, and where sin is, He will not abide. Many of us have had a particular sin or habit that has been difficult to get rid of. Just when we think we have the victory, it pops its ugly head back up. I too have experienced areas where I felt powerless and defeated by sin but we must remember that through Christ we can do all things. When we are weak, he is strong. God is able to see us through every difficulty that we may encounter.

One habit I really needed to get free of was smoking cigarettes. Smoking was a habit I wanted to hide because I didn’t want certain people to know I smoked. I would spray myself with perfume, eat breathe mints, and do a variety of things to cover up the smoke smell. I tried, tried, and tried again and again to quit smoking. I tried to quit smoking long before I had a personal relationship with Jesus, although once I knew Jesus I wanted to quit even more.

Hypnotism failed, acupuncture failed, behavior modification failed, and I smoked while I chewed the nicotine gum. I felt doomed to failure and hopelessly hooked on cigarettes. It was a frustrating and discouraging situation for me as I failed time and time again.

Although I would try to hide my smoking habit from the church, every now and then I would go up for prayer determined to really quit this time. I would crush up the cigarettes, stomp on them, and vow never to smoke those nasty things again. But before the night was over, I would be totally crazy from the lack of nicotine and digging the cigarettes out of the garbage, frantic for just one puff.

I smoked cigarettes for eight years after I was born again. Some of the most critical and unkind people concerning my habit were my fellow Christians. My non Christian friends didn’t care if I smoked and were much more sympathetic, although it was becoming increasingly unpopular to smoke in many social circles. I cried out to God daily about the cigarettes, but it seemed to no avail. I lived under such heavy condemnation over the cigarettes that I didn’t need anyone telling me how bad I was for smoking. I knew it was unhealthy for my body. I knew I was supposed to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. I just couldn’t seem to quit. I had smoked for 22 years and it was not an easy habit to break. To me it seemed hopeless. But, Praise God, I did not quit trying.

Eventually I got the victory, but not without a struggle. Quitting smoking was one of the most difficult things I ever did in my life. In a sense my quitting really was a miracle of God, even though it was not easy. I struggled daily for many months. God loved me in spite of my smoking habit and he didn’t condemn me. Jesus never said that He would save us if and when we quit smoking, or if and when we quit drinking, or if and when we quit any other habit or sin. Jesus tells us to come to Him as we are. He loves each one of us so much. It is only after we receive the Lord Jesus Christ that He is able to help us with our many sins and flaws. What ever you do, don’t give up. Keep crying out to God about your situation. Victory will come.

Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking that they have to become perfect and very, very good before they can have a relationship with God. I have had people tell me that when they quit drinking they would come to church, or when they quit taking drugs, or when they quit some other sin or lifestyle. When they get it all together, then they would come to Jesus. They didn’t want to be hypocrites. I understand where they are coming from. No one wants to be a hypocrite. But without Jesus in our lives, many times we are powerless to quit the sin or the habit that is keeping us in bondage. We need

Jesus living in us to have the power to overcome in the areas that each one of us needs help in. God does not condemn us. We need to come to Him as we are, now, before it is too late. God will help us make all of the necessary changes to become the person he wants us to be as long as we are willing to put our trust in Him and allow Him to help us.

Romans 8:1 (NIV) “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Put your focus on Jesus. He is able to deliver you from any hidden or revealed sin. The more we spend time with Jesus in prayer and in the Word of God, the more we will become like Him. Ungodly things will fall away. The worthless and sinful things of this world will no longer be attractive to us as we taste and see that the Lord is good.

Sometimes, we don’t get rid of certain sins because we are too ashamed or too prideful to ask for prayer. We cannot allow pride to keep us from getting the prayer we need. It was the sin of pride that made Satan fall. In order to operate in the fullness of the Spirit, we need to get free of every sin that hinders us from running the race that is set before us. God is more than able to deliver us. Don’t give up. Keep crying out to God. He is faithful and He will deliver you.

I cried out to God for eight years about smoking. I realize that some people might think that I should have been set free long before that, but the truth of the matter is, I wasn’t. I struggled daily for a very long time. I needed friends in the Lord to fast and pray for me, and thank God they did. Needless to say, I have a lot of compassion for people who smoke, or have addictive type issues.

Always remember that God loves you whether you smoke or not, and the time will come when you will quit. Just keep talking to Jesus about it.
This is true for any habit or sin we have in our lives. Maybe you have something to overcome that is far more serious than smoking a cigarette. Most of us do. I had many things to overcome in my life, some of which I would not want to put in writing, but we must realize that the only hope we do have is in God. If we think God is mad at us, and won’t help us, then it all becomes hopeless. Why try?

But the truth of the matter is, our God desires that none should perish and He loves each one of us with an everlasting love. The Bible says that His mercies are new every morning. I thank God for that because I for one certainly need his mercy. Many times I fail in this life. Sometimes I fail to be kind, sometimes I fail with the words I speak, sometimes I fail in my thoughts, and sometimes I fail to love God as I should. If we are truly honest, we all fail. That is why we so desperately need a Savior.

Jesus Christ is that Savior. He was the perfect sacrifice. The Lamb of God who gave His life for you and I. He died on the cross for our sins. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. We earn death for our many sins but the only begotten Son of God came to earth to pay the penalty for our sin. There is no greater friend than one who would lay down his life for a friend. Jesus did that for you and me and He calls us friend.

If you have never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, today is the day of salvation. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Ask Jesus in your life today. Maybe you have gone to church your whole life, maybe you have been confirmed and baptized, but it is imperative that you have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

We can praise Him with our lips, but our hearts can be far from Him. We cannot work our way to heaven. Going to church every Sunday won’t get us into heaven. Giving all our money to the poor or feeding the homeless will not get us into heaven either. These are all good things but we must ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins and to be our Lord and Savior. We must lay aside our pride and acknowledge our need to be forgiven, and our need for a Savior. The Bible says our works are like filthy rags. If our good works could get us to heaven, if being good enough could get us through the gates, then there would have been no need for Jesus to come to earth and die on the cross. But being good enough will never get us in because we will fall short in one area or another. No one is perfect. That is why God made another way.

Jesus is the way. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 NKJV) There are not many paths to God. Jesus is the only way Goad has provided. Jesus proclaimed this himself. Either we accept what Jesus said, or we call him a liar. There really is no other position to take. Jesus is the way. If you want to know Jesus in a more personal way, please pray the following prayer. Your eternal destiny depends on a relationship with Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving me so much that you sent your one and only son, Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins. To pay the price I could not pay. I confess that I have not loved you like I should and I have not lived my life for you. I acknowledge my need of a Savior. Dear Jesus, I ask forgiveness for my sins. I receive the blood you shed at Calvary to wash away my sins and the gift of salvation that you freely give. Please come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. Fill me with your Spirit and help me to live my life for you from this day forward. Amen.

If you prayed the above prayer and you meant it, then Jesus did come into your heart. Your name is now written in the Lambs book of life. You can be assured of your salvation. You may feel different, and then again you may not. It does not matter because it is by faith that we believe and are saved regardless of our feelings. It is important to get involved with a Bible believing, Spirit filled church to help you learn and grow in the things of Christ. It is also important to read your Bible every day and to spend time in prayer. You can talk with God just like a person for he is personal and He is waiting to spend time with you. God loves you very much and the angels in heaven are rejoicing over you. Your name is now written in the Lambs book of life. Hallelujah!

John 3:16 (NKJV) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Come to Jesus today. You don’t know what tomorrow may bring. Time is short and it may be your last opportunity to receive Jesus and the wonderful gift of salvation that He offers to you today. Know this; God really, really loves you. There is no sin too great that He will not forgive, and there is no problem too small that He doesn’t have time to listen to. Reach out to Jesus today. He is reaching out to you.