You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. -Deut 4:2 (NASB)
I had a short discussion with a buddy at work this past week. If God's Kingdom is supposed to be here on earth as well, and we know there's no denominations in Heaven- why is the church separating itself with denominations and losing ground in this nation?!? I also read that Muslims and Mormons are the two fastest growing religious groups in America- yet we spend all of our time bickering about which "church" is the best and teaching our kids tales of bunny rabbits and flying reindeer rather than our Savior's return. We have different stances on topics such as pro-homosexualtiy and church buildings closing left and right. There were NO denominations when Christ walked the earth, and He is coming back for ONE Bride- not to pick and choose the best out of the group. It's time for the Church to regain what it was created to do- and that's spread the Good News and reach the lost while we still have time.
One such event that is taking an approach to this is the "Gathering the Bride" here in Grand Rapids, MI on July 14th. This is a gathering of the Body of Christ (we're all one) to worship and pray for our city, state, and nation as a whole. You can find more information on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/gatheringthebride#!/events/441159229234426/.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
A Recent Prayer Vision
As I was in some prayer time this weekend, God showed me something really cool. I will say that I honestly do not get many visions when I'm in prayer, so that's what makes this one extra special. The first thing you need to know is I was in prayer asking the Lord's forgiveness for bowing down to so many idols and false gods throughout my life, namely lust and addictions. Here is the vision that followed.
I saw myself back in the late 90's (at the height of my addiction to drinking, drugs, and sex) outside of a club I used to frequent regularly in Tampa, FL. What I saw was two men. I saw my natural man: Laughing, partying, and drinking in the streets. Then I saw my spirit man: Being bombarded by spiritual bullets as if from an M-16. I watched as my spirit was gunned down in the street, laying dead in a pool of blood as my natural man continued to fall deeper into the abyss of self worthlessness. I was literally dead spiritually at that point in my life. Then, the timeline fast forwarded several years to 2001- when I first gave my life to Christ. Jesus breathed life back into my spirit man and I began to stand up. Just then, another wave of bullets pierced through me and I once again fell to the ground. This symbolized my lack of surrender even though I asked Jesus into my life. Just as I was beginning to walk with Him I fell back into addiction and once again began spiritually perishing. However, upon this next wave of bullets, Jesus immediately jumped in front of them. I watched as they bounced off of Him with zero effect. At the same time, He reached around and took my dead, lifeless body by the hand. "Get up Matt!" He commanded. I slowly rose to one knee. "Get up!" He repeated. I stood to my feet. As the bullets continued to ricochet off of my Savior, a strength that I had never known flooded through my body. Not only did I continue to stand, but I stood tall and strong! What I was seeing was another few years into the future- this time in 2007 when I COMPLETELY SURRENDERED myself at the Cross and made Jesus Christ the Lord of my life once and for all. This time I have not allowed myself to step out from that physical and spiritual protection that ONLY He can provide.
The final part of the vision was rather amusing. It's almost as if I compared my surrender, sanctification, and salvation to the ending portion of the movie Hancock. If you've seen the movie and remember the hospital scene, then you know that as Hancock moved further and further away from his counter part (Charlize Theron), he became stronger. Each leap became a bit more significant. He pushed through a wall, fell into the street, but gained form, strength, and stability with every leap further from the source that had drained him of his powers. Eventually, Hancock FLEW to heights that were once a natural part of his life. I saw the same in my life: With Jesus as my covering and foundation, I went from a bloody and eternally condemned spirit man in the streets of Tampa- to a man, father, and disciple of Christ who is now flying in his God-given destiny! It is only when we come to the Cross fully abandoned from worldly lusts and idols that we can reach these heights. Romans 5:19 states, "Just as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." (NKJV) So if you are being gunned down by spiritual bullets today, run to the only One who has the power and authority to not only save you from yourself, but take you to the heights and restore you to the level that you were created for!
I saw myself back in the late 90's (at the height of my addiction to drinking, drugs, and sex) outside of a club I used to frequent regularly in Tampa, FL. What I saw was two men. I saw my natural man: Laughing, partying, and drinking in the streets. Then I saw my spirit man: Being bombarded by spiritual bullets as if from an M-16. I watched as my spirit was gunned down in the street, laying dead in a pool of blood as my natural man continued to fall deeper into the abyss of self worthlessness. I was literally dead spiritually at that point in my life. Then, the timeline fast forwarded several years to 2001- when I first gave my life to Christ. Jesus breathed life back into my spirit man and I began to stand up. Just then, another wave of bullets pierced through me and I once again fell to the ground. This symbolized my lack of surrender even though I asked Jesus into my life. Just as I was beginning to walk with Him I fell back into addiction and once again began spiritually perishing. However, upon this next wave of bullets, Jesus immediately jumped in front of them. I watched as they bounced off of Him with zero effect. At the same time, He reached around and took my dead, lifeless body by the hand. "Get up Matt!" He commanded. I slowly rose to one knee. "Get up!" He repeated. I stood to my feet. As the bullets continued to ricochet off of my Savior, a strength that I had never known flooded through my body. Not only did I continue to stand, but I stood tall and strong! What I was seeing was another few years into the future- this time in 2007 when I COMPLETELY SURRENDERED myself at the Cross and made Jesus Christ the Lord of my life once and for all. This time I have not allowed myself to step out from that physical and spiritual protection that ONLY He can provide.
The final part of the vision was rather amusing. It's almost as if I compared my surrender, sanctification, and salvation to the ending portion of the movie Hancock. If you've seen the movie and remember the hospital scene, then you know that as Hancock moved further and further away from his counter part (Charlize Theron), he became stronger. Each leap became a bit more significant. He pushed through a wall, fell into the street, but gained form, strength, and stability with every leap further from the source that had drained him of his powers. Eventually, Hancock FLEW to heights that were once a natural part of his life. I saw the same in my life: With Jesus as my covering and foundation, I went from a bloody and eternally condemned spirit man in the streets of Tampa- to a man, father, and disciple of Christ who is now flying in his God-given destiny! It is only when we come to the Cross fully abandoned from worldly lusts and idols that we can reach these heights. Romans 5:19 states, "Just as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." (NKJV) So if you are being gunned down by spiritual bullets today, run to the only One who has the power and authority to not only save you from yourself, but take you to the heights and restore you to the level that you were created for!
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