Over the years Abba has taken to giving me “a” word for the upcoming year. In the beginning they were paragraphs and now they've come to be a single word and over the time Holy Spirit provides dreams and visions to support the word.
For 2013 the word was “TRUST” and I must say that if I knew everything that was going to happen in 2013 and into 2014 (Abba gave me a two year for one word deal) I might have asked for a new word.
But HE knows what we need before we ask so I've learned over the decades to simply TRUST (there’s that word again).
For 2015 He gave me the word FOCUS
As I meditated on the word the first part of the lesson Holy Spirit gave me was a flash back to the first “Karate Kid” movie.
The scene is just before Danielson’s final opponent - Daniel has been beat to heck, he’s hurting, he can barely stand, and HE IS AFRAID.
Mr. Miyagi, in his typical fashion – sternly looks and speaks
“Focus Danielson, Focus…the battle is not there (pointing to mat)…it is in here (taps Daniel on his head)…focus…”
Daniel had the skill, the training, the knowledge but he had lost his focus on his sensei.
Daniel struggles back to the mat, assumes a crane stance to the wonderment of his opponent and then as the opponent proceeds to attack him he leaps into the air and delivers a snap kick to his opponent’s head and wins the match.
Many of us have been through many matches and battles in prior years – just like Danielson – and we are approaching the point of the final battle in this tournament and we’re tired, hurting, and can barely stand. And fear has found its way back into our mindsets after being absent for many years.
Yet we have a battle that can and must be won – we must FOCUS on our sensei – Jesus our Rabbi and teacher – and we need to stand up and firm no matter what is going on around us and FOCUS on everything He has taught us and like Danielson in the final match – we may be called upon to take a stance that is different than what we have used before, that is different than what our opponents are expecting, but what He has been training us for all along.
So for 2015 – FOCUS on Jesus - knowing that the battle has been won and we are to fear not.
Martin Best
Whirlwind Ministries
Showing posts with label focus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label focus. Show all posts
The Isaiah 6 Generation: Make Me Your Priority.
As there are so many things happening through out the earth right now, I've felt led to share about a generation that is now getting a hold of something that has never been seen before. God is calling an entire generation to be lifted up into the glory of the Lord, to be completely transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Isa 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. [NKJV]
Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord; he saw the activity around the throne of God and heard the conversations of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as they waited for someone to respond. What Isaiah saw in his day was the entrance of a place where the body of Christ has been called to dwell in. We are a generation that is beginning to hear conversations that are coming out of heaven. God is giving an open invitation to anyone that would take the opportunity to seek Him while He may be found. Through out the generations there have always been those who have responded to His call, refusing to be bound by the lifeless restrictions of religion. The Holy Spirit beckons us into this dimension of spiritual transformation; God is giving an entire generation the invitation to be transformed through the Mind of Christ.
Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” [NKJV]
We no longer can sit on the sidelines and wait for someone else to go in and encounter God for us. The veil has been torn in two, and access has been given to those that would come boldly into the presence and glory of God, knowing their identity as sons of God through Jesus Christ. We cannot be satisfied with the experiences of others, but we can be inspired by their testimonies and revelations, so we will become hungry for nothing less than the manifested presence of God.
The Lord said to me, “I've given you this time to make Me your priority.”
After hearing this, I began to understand the opportunity that has been given to me. I've felt a grace come over me to put aside the distractions of life and make my pursuit all about Him. This is a picture of what is happening in the hearts of many believers right now. God has given us access into a very unique place in Him for the purpose of getting direction and insight for what is next. He wants our next encounter with prophesy, or the spirit of revelation to come directly from Him. He wants us to enter His rest so that every part of our being is fully exposed to His glory. Expect to be changed. I pray that God gives you a desire to be in His presence at all times; from faith to faith, and from glory to glory.
Blessings
Josh Crofton,
Crofton House Ministries
The Need for Relationship
I have been very impressed, particularly the last two weeks or so, of not only the need to focus on Jesus, but for the need for those of us who so value the freedom for which He set us free to be in relationship with one another.
Many have not gathered with the family of God, and many of those who do continue to isolate themselves from truly being known by others in the Body of Christ.
Jesus reaffirmed the last promise of the Old Testament when He said Elijah would come, and he also confirmed that he had come, when speaking to his friends about his cousin. When Elijah comes, according to the words of Malachi, he will turn the hearts of the fathers toward the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.
We are coming into a season change of even more rapid than we have seen in the last decade, and it will be very trying for most of us, but will be disorienting to those who are not connected and growing in the body. This makes the word to fix our eyes on Jesus especially timely.
It also means that those of us who might have been casual about our connection to the Body, and have not let ourselves fully be known, must invest our trust in the Body and do so now if we are to bring to the Lamb the full reward of His suffering, and to remain healthy personally.
Many who have been abused by false shepherds and other ‘titled ministers’ in the past have spurned submission to any leadership. Much of the mission of the body of Christ in the next season will not be accomplished if they continue to do so. As intimidating as it is to many of us, there are times when just listening to what Holy Spirit says won’t work, if we are not willing to be obedient when He identifies this one or that one as responsible to accomplish something that requires the submission of the rest of us to his or her leadership to accomplish what Papa assigns.
We fathers need to step up and make ourselves available without reservation. I know many of the younger ones might hesitate…don’t. You are what Papa says you are, regardless of how you see yourselves.
At the same time it is vitally important that every one of us develop and maintain relationships with people that we can respect and learn from in the Body: secure relationships where love, trust and respect grow to a point where we know we are unconditionally accepted, and can ask or share anything and remain loved and accepted.
The
Your love for one another and faithfulness to the call to which He has called you are an example to all the churches of
In love for the King and His people,
Craig Adams, Elmira, NY
Change of Focus
There is a remnant of God’s people who are more passionately pursuing the freedom of the Kingdom than they are pursuing participation in human gatherings. For a long time, these have resisted the control of man’s religion and man’s rules and man’s approval, or lack of approval.
It has been right, it has been good that we have resisted that control that has been pharisaical and restrictive. It has been appropriate that we have resisted constrictions on our freedom in Christ.
For years – perhaps for decades – those pursuing have needed to watch for those who would, knowingly or unknowingly, steal that freedom away. It’s not time to let down our guard, but it is time that we change the focus of our resistance.
In fact, it’s time to stop looking at what we are not; time to stop looking at what we are leaving behind. Instead of focusing on what we have left, it will be good to look at where we’re going. It’s time to fix our eyes on the the One who is leading us.
A very wise man once said, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” If it was not this season before, it surely is now.
We have had to keep our guard up against those who would take our freedom, and it’s good to guard our freedom. But we’re coming into days when we need to keep our eyes on the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. We need to watch Father closely, because he’s moving more quickly, he’s speaking more softly, than he has done before. We need to be close, so we can hear well.
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