|City on a Hill - Writings for Refuge

When I doubt and lack faith, it is a symptom of arrogance. It is actually the rising up of my heart over the leadership of my spirit. God made the human enterprise to operate in a very specific order: spirit leading heart leading body. We are supposed to be led and to grow from the inside out, a lot like a tree. This is because Jesus himself is the tree of life and we are supposed to eat from this tree. He called himself this more than once: John 6:54-58 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” So, according to Jesus, HE is the food that brings eternal life

I was hoping to finish my little series with a third message, but I realized this morning that I really need to "set the stage" for the final portion. In order to understand the timing of the Tribulation, and WHY it works from the inside out, you have to take the time to breakdown some very important prophecies in the old testament. Just like I have talked about Tribulation…the evidence of real change taking place…happening from the inside out in our hearts, and in our churches…tribulation is also going to take place from the inside out in the earth. The middle of the earth IS the Middle East…the middle of the Middle East IS the city of Jerusalem. The spiritual middle of Jerusalem IS the temple mount…from the inside out great trouble is coming to earth, and Daniel was told how and why this thing is happening: Daniel 9:24-27 "A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to aton

Habakkuk 1:5-6 “Look among the nations and watch— Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you. For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs. Every time Jesus spoke of His return, He said to watch, pray, and/or be ready. Everyone who loves His return will do these things. For much of the church, tradition has replaced the truth of the word. When the subject of the end times comes up many go on what grandma said, or what Hollywood is making movies about, or what they heard at church... MANY mistakenly believe "no one will ever know the day"... or "no one can really understand Revelation." The end time events Revelation describes were not just known by Jesus’ disciples, they are literally what drove every writer of the New Testament. James, Jude, Paul, Peter, John... these guys were all

Tribulation happens from the inside out, because change happens from the inside out. Tribulation is simply the evidence... the turmoil produced by... change. If you want real change, then you are wanting, consciously or not, some form of tribulation. Because mankind is triune... spirit, soul, and body... change has to take place in three areas. There is a divine order to it: spirit, the soul (mind, will, emotions), then eventually our bodies. This works both ways... for life or death. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of darkness...the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... death entered their frame. First their spirit died and shame filled the void left by the departing of the Holy Spirit, who is the connection to divine leadership. Then their hearts began dying... choice by choice veering further from the perfect leadership of God who IS the source of life. Eventually, their bodies that were made to live forever died, being so distant from the light of mankind... the source of l

Isaiah 30: 9 That this is a rebellious people, Lying children, Children who will not hear the law of the LORD; 10 Who say to the seers, "Do not see," And to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. I don't want to teach smooth things, I want to teach right things. Smooth things won't actually help. Right things will. Saying "everything will be ok" when God is trying to stir people to respond is rebellion...it is lawlessness. It is agreeing with the spirit of the antichrist: Matthew 7:21-24 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' 24 &q

Acts 20:7-12 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.” Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted. This passage is describing what was going on in the midst of a revival that started in Ephesus, and began to spread throughout Asia Minor. The people were hungry for truth. Paul was not, by His own admission, a captivating speaker:

God promised that a flood would come. One man responded and his family then responded with him. He built the strangest boat. It was built specifically for something the earth had never seen. The faith of that man! Hebrews 11:7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith. Building the boat by the faithful man actually condemned the rest of the world. One responding demonstrates that it was possible for everyone to respond, if they only cared more about God than their own agenda. The promise was kept by God. The trouble did come. No one had ever seen this kind of trouble. The same flood that killed those who didn't care to respond is the SAME flood that lifted Noah and his family to safety. It was great for Noah, and terrible for those who didn't do anything in advanc

Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. From that time forward... Time is really important to God, and so is government. We need to understand the nature of God's government in order to agree with it. Agreeing with Jesus about His kingdom... His government... coming is not about voting. Voting in American elections is fine, I wouldn't miss a chance to vote, but it has very little to do with what Jesus is doing. Jesus doesn't want to infiltrate our government with more conservative or liberal leaders... he wants to crush it at the right time: Daniel 2:44-45