|City on a Hill - Writings for Refuge

God has called those that are His to weakness...so that he may be their strength. It is one thing to know this in your mind, and another to embrace it with your choices. Mankind has been covering his weakness and shame ever since Genesis 3, but Jesus is taking away every covering but Himself...every covering but righteousness, and man's righteousness is filthy rags. Only one righteousness will withstand the coming years, and it's Jesus'. He gives it freely to all who accept it, but it is the embracing of our own weakness that is required to have His strength cover us. It is one thing to know this in your mind, or even for yourself, and an entirely different thing to choose this as a church. In our hour we have become very confused about church. In a time of powerful media, resources, buildings, instruments, and fashionable clothing, we find ourselves putting forward a face of strength. This is entirely opposite the New Testament church mentality. We exchange messages about

No matter what anyone says, hearing God takes faith. That means there is a choice between doubt and believing. This is the only way a true relationship with God, including hearing him, works. When someone says they heard God say something, they mean they are believing God said some thing to them. Generally, this is the only way hearing God works. There may be a few exceptions where the Lord literally appears and tells a person something, like on the road to Emmaus, but even this encounter required faith: Luke 24:13Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven milesfn from Jerusalem. 14And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. Without a faith component...without part of the conversation requiring a CHOICE to believe, it really isn't hearing God. God a

Hearing God No matter what anyone says, hearing God takes faith. That means there is a choice between doubt and believing. This is the only way a true relationship with God, including hearing him, works. When someone says they heard God say something, they mean they are believing God said some thing to them. Generally, this is the only way hearing God works. There may be a few exceptions where the Lord literally appears and tells a person something, like on the road to Emmaus, but even this encounter required faith: Luke 24:13Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven milesfn from Jerusalem. 14And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. Without a faith component...without part of the conversation requiring a CHOICE to believe, it really isn't he

The trouble with this moment in time is the perception of enemies. We don't fight against flesh and blood, but rather against an unseen enemy who hates everyone. More and more, because we refuse to see people as precious and spirits as harmful, we are taking on spirits of anger, fear, violence, and hatred and thinking these are friends, and seeing people as enemies. The church is upside down on this. We are not going to win a war against people in the name of Jesus. He isn't warring against any person. Jesus is orchestrating the perfect circumstances to save as many as possible by them laying down their strength and coming under His. His strength is HUMILITY. If you took all the fruits of the Spirit and put them in a salad, it would taste like humility. The fruit of the Spirit of God is this: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self control. We want to be a people manifesting these traits by studying Jesus' emotions and not embracin