|City on a Hill - Writings for Refuge

The wisest thing a person could do right now is ask God what to expect next. Things are not about to calm down. That is a wrong expectation. What is happening is a massive transition in the government of creation. Jesus is coming. His coming was always promised to be with tribulation. John 16:19-22 NKJV — Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. “A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. “Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will t...

God's authority is complete. Consider these two verses: “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” -1 John 4:4. “Behold, I give unto you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” - Luke 10:19 The implication of this truth should reach to my vision of what God is actually doing to rescue me from death. In the current circumstances, in the body of Jesus, I mostly hear teaching of a fear of man, the devil, and demons... With an asterisk on the fear of the Lord (and even the fear of the Lord being reduced to something other people that don't seem to know the Holy Spirit should somehow have!). If God is sovereign over all, then wasting any time pointing out any other being as problematic is a complete redirection. If God is sovereign, then truly the only thing that I have any say in that needs to be born again is ME. If I get the log out of my eye, then I can help others do the sa...

A church is barren and lifeless  where there is no Holy Spirit leadership,  although it may be extravagant and a huge production designed to engage the flesh. The lack of the Spirit's leadership = a lack of authority.  A lack of authority = a lack of power. You could attend every day of your life and nothing would actually change in your submission to God and enjoyment of His peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control. We are born again by grace/power, not information. If you are in a barren church, don't just leave!  Ask God what to do. He might have you there to bring life!  Walking in power is simply learning to walk in authority.  Walking in authority is simply seeing God and what He is doing and submitting to His will in faith. Any Spirit-filled believer can bring life to a body of believers if they make their lives about God and not themselves, or even others.  Mostly we go to church hoping things will be the way we like...

When I ignore heavenly authority I do so unto my own death.  This happens mostly on accident.  It is why Jesus warns over and over, "do not be deceived." The reason we resist heavenly authority is our own will and the earthly authority structures all around us.  Satan is the "king of this world." John 14:30-31 NLT — “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going. Consider: Pontius Pilate was fully in His authority to execute Jesus.  He literally did nothing wrong and dutifully exercised his responsibility from Rome's perspective.  Same with the Pharisees.  They were within their authority and responsibility from Judaism's perspective. But they both violated HEAVENLY authority because they didn't understand it. John 18:33-40 NLT — Then Pilate went back into his headquarter...

God sows His kingdom into the earth by human agreement. He gave the earth to man: Psalm 115:15-16 NKJV — May you be blessed by the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men. The world I am experiencing around me is the way it is because of what I am praying... Not just saying... Listening, taking in, and repeating. The earth around me is mine to tend. How am I tending it today?  The results all around me tell me for sure. If I am letting the world choke out the kingdom... Or hard heartedly resisting the kingdom, though I am excited about it... Or just distracted and missing all the goodness that could be my testimony... It isn't that God isn't speaking, it's that I'm not doing anything helpful with what He is saying!  Am I living in the reality I actually want? We open our heart to receive the truth God sows. God makes the truth grow inside of us and we sow, more and more into the...

No one thinks they are fighting what God is doing, but all people do that naturally: Galatians 5:17 NKJV — For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. God’s kingdom is God's responsibility.  It's His idea. It requires HIS plans and power.  That makes man's job, if I want to agree with God and stop competing with Him to save the world, to die to the natural ways I would try to help God!    This is what “casting down crowns” at Jesus’ feet is about . Adam and Eve tried to "help" God with His plan to make them like Him over time, in their own impatience and delusional ideas that they could be God and be God's at the same time. We cannot. My natural ways of trying to get the world around me to see God, love God, experience God, and ultimately submit to God, are completely incompatible with my own submission to God!   To submit to God is t...