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David is running for his life. But he had not done anything wrong. In fact, he had killed the giant Goliath and defeated the Philistine army. The book of I Samuel tells the whole story. First King Saul had welcomed David into his household and David even became the king’s son-in-law. But now David is running. And King Saul is his pursuer, determined to take his life.

Most of us can identify with David. Even though we have tried to do what is right and good, circumstances, people and even sometimes those we love, have turned against us. Everything seems to be going wrong. We feel pursued, forsaken, alone and sometimes even hopeless. We’re in survival mode – and we feel like we are running for our lives.

As I read chapter 23 of I Samuel today, I was encouraged. First of all, David took time to seek the Lord and His counsel in the midst of the challenges he faced. Verse 2 recounts that the Philistines were attacking Keilah and David inquired of the Lord whether to go up and fight them. The answer is that the Lord is with him and will give him victory. But David has no support. His men didn’t want to go! (verse 3) So David went back and asked the Lord again. With His confirmation, David’s men finally agreed to go.

Just a few verses later, Saul finds out where David is and word gets back to David that Saul is on his way to kill him. So once again he asks the Lord in verses 10-12, whether he should stay where he is or whether the people of Keilah – the very people he had just rescued, would deliver him into Saul’s hand. The answer is “yes.” If I was David I think I would have felt pretty sorry for myself at that point. The people he had just risked his life for are now ready to turn him in.

So David escapes to the forest and there Jonathan, his best friend and King Saul’s son, meets him and in verse 16 it says that Jonathan encourages him in the Lord. Who is your encourager, your mentor, the one who understands you and can strengthen you in the Lord when you are going through trials? If David needed someone like that, how much more do we! Having a Jonathan in your life is probably one of the most neglected, yet most vitally important principles for life success. Everyone goes through times of discouragement and needs to be encouraged.

As the story continues, King Saul is closing in on David and is about to catch him. But the Lord himself intervenes (at least that’s my interpretation)! And a messenger comes to Saul with a message to hurry and go back home to defend the land against an attack from the Philistines! And in verse 28 that place becomes known as “The Rock of Escape.” The reminds me of the verse in I Corinthians 10:13 that says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

As we approach Christmas and everyone is busily shopping, baking and making preparations to be with family and friends, maybe you are among the many who have no money for buying Christmas presents and no family with whom to celebrate Christ’s birth. Perhaps you feel a little bit like David.

Let me encourage you to do what David did. Seek the Lord. He will answer you! Then find someone to encourage you. Maybe that will be a family member, a close friend, a pastor. If you have no one, seek out a church where you can find an encourager, a mentor. And look to the Lord for a way of escape as it says in I Corinthians 10:13. He is faithful!

All of David’s trials were part of God’s program to build character in him and a heart for God. Let Him do that in you. All of us will face trials so it isn’t a matter of “if” but “when.” As the book of James exhorts us, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (verses 2-4)

So if you’re running for your life, run into the arms of Jesus.

I just received this excellent message from David and Kathie Walters and I wanted to share it with everyone I could. What he says is so true and I believe one of the hindrances to true Revival is our unwillingness to wander away from the routine, and venture into total abandonment and uninhibited, undignified worship. If God doesn’t show up, what are we doing here anyway?

I remember times in our church in Brazil when sometimes we would sit in silence for as much as 40 minutes just waiting on the Lord. The only other time I have seen that was when we went to the World Gathering of Christian Indigenous People in 2004 in Hawaii. That conference was the same way. There was no agenda, and no chairs (except for the Kahunas or grandparents). We waited in silence, listening to the Lord until He gave direction. It was beautiful! I’ll try to write more about this in a future post, but for now let’s get on to David’s article.

Rick Reece

(Be sure to check out our business site: www.7ksuccessmentors.com )

ALLOWING THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CONTROL YOUR MEETING
DAVID WALTERS
Nov 21, 2007

davidmwalters@mindspring.com

I remember being at a church years ago when I was trying to help them with their worship. I suggested to the worship team that they sing the songs which the Holy Spirit tells them, rather than songs from a rehearses list. They said it was impossible to do that as they had to have the music, because they couldn’t sing songs for which they didn’t have the music.

To me it was kinda like a preacher saying that he can only preach from a printed sermon, or he must have his notes, otherwise he is unable to minister. What ever happened to spontaneity? What ever happened to being Spirit led and God being in control?

  

I believe the we should not hold church services, but have church meetings. When churches have an order of service or a printed program then that may be the religious way, but not the Bible way. If you were to attend a church service and start up a song, share a vision, a prophecy, a testimony, or a word of exaltation, you would more than likely be told to sit down, because you would be out of order. The justification scripture would be, “Let all things be done decently and in order.”               

(1.Cor.14:40)  But God’s order is different from man’s order and God’s ways are different from man’s ways even man’s religious ways.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”  ( Isa 55:9). If you want everything in so much order I suggest you find a suitable graveyard! 

  

When Jesus was approached by Nicodemas he was told that he must be born again. When Nicodemas questioned how, Jesus told him that he needed to be born again of water and the spirit. Then Jesus said the following, “The wind blows where it wills you hear the sound of it, but you can’t tell where it’s coming from or where it’s going, so is everyone who is born of the spirit.”(John 3:8) In other words True Christians are supposed to be like the wind, unpredictable.

Our lives should be an adventure where we don’t every quite know what the Lord has in store for us. We are not supposed to have everything and every minute mapped out.  We can Living in a rut, but a rut is a shallow grave, and nothing ever changes.

  

So when we come together corporately, our gatherings, or meetings, should also be unpredictable, like the wind. “How is it then? Whenever you come together each of you have a psalm, have a teaching, have a tongue, have a revelation, have an interpretation.” 1.Cor.14:27. Every time we gather together the Lord has a purpose, a theme, a message for His people. We gather together as a Body primarily for worship, exhortation, celebration and revelation. Teaching with line upon line and precept upon precept, is really for the special Apostolic teaching meetings.

  

 Everything should flow like a piece of music. A symphony, a melody theme, flows through with variations, but at the end everyone recognizes the melody, the theme, the message. It’s come through the songs that are brought by the Spirit,  the visions shared, the prophecies, and tongues given, the message preached. They all connect. No one is unsure what God is saying, even the children and youth understand it, because they also participate. Not all the songs come from the worship teams and not all the songs or worship is done at one time. A song may come, followed by a prophecy. Then another song, followed by a vision. Then perhaps a testimony, with another song. They all connect so that at the end the pastor sums up what the Lord is telling and showing the Body for that week.

  

Every week God has things to say to His people. We no longer suffer canned services,  canned preaching, or canned worship. It becomes exciting. Miracles begin to happen, signs and wonders are present, people are ministering and activated. They are no longer passive, just observing, but involved and activated. We are now having a God meeting, rather than a good meeting.

  

Years ago, when we had these kinds of meetings in England, an Anglican Curate, (which is an associate minister), visited us. After the meeting was over, He said to me,”What a wonderful meeting that was, everything thing just fitted together so well. You must have rehearsed for days.” “No I said, we didn’t know what was going to happen; we just followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.” “That was amazing.” he said, ”I can hardly believe it.” 

  

The local Body became so mature that the Saints would only respond to what the Lord was saying or doing. If someone got up and started a song which was not what they felt the Lord was saying, they didn’t  participate or respond and after a couple of verses sung, the song would fade away. If we felt the presence of God wasn’t  really there, we would close the meeting and acknowledge that we missed God. We would have a coffee.

That did not happen often, but we were so hungry to meet with God, and not just have a meeting, even a good meeting. Many churches can organize good meetings, but good can become the enemy of God, because we can become content with “good” and miss the anointing. 

  

One of the greatest needs in the church today, is to teach and show people how to be Spirit led. Even many pastors need to learn how to be Spirit led and be delivered from the fear of losing control. They need to trust the Holy  Spirit’s leading and presence in the church meetings. The worship leaders need to learn how to be Spirit led, and stop trying to be in control. If elders, pastors, leaders and worships leaders, keep controlling the meetings and the people, they will never enjoy the real power and presence of the Holy Spirit and the Body of Christ will never mature. Where you allow life to flow, there will be messes. If you don’t want messes, keep organized, keep everyone in order, then you will have sterile meetings. “Where no oxen are the trough is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox.”  (Prov.14:4)  

  

A young evangelist who traveled with me was in one of our meetings on a Sunday morning. The meeting was packed and there were many visitors. Sometime during the meeting he stood up and said, “The Lord has shown me that there are six people here that are involved in immorality and if you don’t stand up right away, I will stand in front of you until you do. One by one, six people stood up for prayer and deliverance.”  Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.” (Acts 5:5)  

  

Young teenagers used to say, “We can go to our Evangelical church and mess about at the back and go out in the parking lot in the dark and fool around, but when we come to your meetings we are scared because be know our sins will probably be exposed. 

  

In another meeting of a church there was a  visiting pastor who arrived with some of his congregation because he heard of the remarkable moving of the Spirit. 

  

During the meeting there was a call for baptism and a number of his congregation went forward to be baptized. He was confused and finally prayed, “Lord I don’t know about this baptism. If You want me to be baptized you need to write it on the wall, only I need see it, but write it on the wall.”  

There was a cross painted on the wall of the church with a scroll around the cross which said “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” The pastor said, “Lord write it on the wall, like the cross.” Immediately a little old lady in the back of the church stood up and prophesied, “Why do you say to God, write it on the wall, when He has already written on the tables of your heart?” I think you can imagine his response! He ran to get baptized  

  

When this revival was happening, I took my Dad and Mother to the meeting at this church. She was a little Catholic lady and was very apprehensive, because she had never been to a Holy Spirit led  Body ministry meeting. I discovered that there was a German Roman Catholic priest in the meeting. He was a professor of comparative religion. He had been to many different kinds of strange meetings including séances. I said to her, “Mom keep and eye on the Catholic Priest. If he likes the meeting then you will know its OK with God.” 

  

The meeting started with worship, dancing, words of knowledge, and visions, coming forth, when suddenly the priest stood up and let out a blood curdling scream and run down the isle, fell on his back and slid along the floor knocking chairs in every direction. My mother stood up and said, “They are killing the priest!” “They are killing the priest!” and she ran out of the church and ran down the road with me following, trying to stop her.

  

Eventually I was able to calm her down and took her back to where she was staying which was a house next to the church. I couldn’t persuade her to come back to that meeting or any others that weekend for love or money.

  

About twenty minutes later I went back into the meeting to see the priest climbing out of the baptism tank dripping wet, speaking in tongues, prophesying, and praying for the sick, and everybody was still worshiping. Talk about being “seeker friendly.” 

Eventually my mom did enjoy coming to the meetings and accepted the Lord. My Dad loved that meeting and he really was a faithful member of our fellowship after he found Jesus as his Messiah in his sleep. He was Jewish. 

  

  

For more information on Spirit Led Worship. check David’s book,  “Worship Fur Dummies” on our website 

http://www.goodnews.netministries.org/spiritual.htm            

  

David Walters    davidmwalters@mindspring.com

www.goodnews.netministries.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Power of Blessing.
 

The son had never received affirmative words of blessing from his father. The more he strived to gain his father’s acceptance, the more he felt that he could never measure up to his dad’s expectations. Until finally he gave up trying. He left home, and went into business. He said, “I’ll show my dad what I can do.” But he held bitterness and unforgiveness in his heart until the day his father died. Then he felt guilt and shame because he had never been reconciled to his father, and now it was too late. He started playing on the worship team at his church, but on the side he was getting involved with girls and drugs. He was slowly sliding into the abyss of hell, and it only got worse when he got kicked off the worship team.
 

But one day his sister dragged him to an Ancient Paths Seminar. I was supposed to be the facilitator in his small group, but I had arrived late because we had hitched a ride from one city to another (in Brazil). When I arrived I noticed he sat angrily in his chair with his arms folded and a glare in his countenance as to say, “Don’t you dare mess with me.” After the first evening’s sessions he came up to me and said, “Who put me in this group? I want to change to another group. I know that kid who is assisting you and I don’t want him to minister to me.” I told him that we really don’t like to change the groups around once they have started, but he didn’t have to finish the seminar if he felt like he didn’t want to – he could do it another time. Then I prayed a brief prayer for the Lord to show him during the night if He wanted him to return tomorrow. It was already past midnight and I was tired from my trip.
 

The next morning, I looked around anxiously to see if he had returned and was relieved to see that he had. But during the first morning session he still sat there with his arms, legs, and heart crossed, and an angry glare on his face. He listened to the other young men in his group share, but he would not say a word. I was concerned, and was praying earnestly for the Lord to break through his shell. That afternoon while the video teaching part of the seminar was going on in the auditorium, each of the 15 ministry teams went to their rooms to pray together. As I and my team walked down to our classroom, my assistant asked me if I could translate a song into Portuguese for him. I said, “We really need to pray, but if it’s quick I can do it if there is a CD player in the room.” He told me there was, and I began to translate the song. It was a MorningStar CD and the song was a spontaneous “testimony song” about how the singer had been living a life in drugs, thinking about suicide until one night he heard a song on the radio: “What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus.” As I translated this song, suddenly all three of us were overwhelmed with a burden of intercession not only for each participant in our group, but also for this city, and the whole nation of Brazil. We were forced down onto the floor by the presence of a Holy God, and could not rise as weeping and wailing intercession came out of our lips. Then just as suddenly as that had come, there came an inexplicable joy, and our sorrow turned into laughter. Literally one second we were on the floor crying, and the next we were laughing uncontrollably. Then we could finally arise and return to the room where the other teams were meeting. When we shared what had just happened to us, the whole room was also suddenly down on their knees crying out to the Lord. Then the video in the next room ended, and the seminar participants started moving to their groups. I knew that something had happened in the spiritual realm, but had little idea what would happen next.
 

This time, our young man was the first to open up and he began unfold his story as I have started in the first paragraph. He felt such guilt because he had never received blessing from his father, and because he had never been able to go to him and ask for forgiveness before he died. I told him that he may not be able to ask forgivness of his father, but he can ask it of God, his Father. And he could release forgiveness to God for the offenses of his own father. So I asked him to pray a prayer like that, and he did. Then I asked him to ask Jesus how he saw him. Jesus began to show him a beautiful vision of himself as a warrior who had been stolen from, but now the King was about to bestow on him a new beginning. Then I told him, “Your father never was able to bless you, but your Heavenly Father has never stopped blessing you. Can I pray a prayer of blessing over you? I am not your father, but I believe God would have something to say to you.” He agreed, and I prayed a prayer blessing this young man, straight from the Father’s heart, through my voice into his heart. I cannot remember what I said that day, but I remember that the glare on his face, and his whole attitude changed that Saturday afternoon. And several years after that I heard report that it had totally transformed his life. He was free of his addictions, his suicidal tendancy, and he was back on the worship team, and now had a good job. He no longer had to strive for his father’s blessing, because he was receiving blessing from his Heavenly Father every day. And please note: All I ever did, was basically to lead this man to Jesus, the wonderful counselor. He did the rest, and I got to see it!
 

Perhaps you have had a story similar to this man’s. I would encourage you to go to an Ancient Paths seminar and allow the Lord to minister to you. We could tell countless other stories similar to this one of how the Lord has changed hearts to bring about a changed life. Check for a seminar in your area at www.familyfoundations.com

But the words that come out of your mouth come from your heart. And they are what make you unfit to worship God. Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. These are what make you unclean. Eating without washing your hands will not make you unfit to worship God.

Matthew 15:18-20 CEV

When I saw this phrase, highlighted above, I was taken aback. I thought “Wait a minute, that’s not what other translations say!” so I checked and sure enough the word translated “unfit to worship” is normally translated “defiled” - unfit for worship, unclean, contaminated, dirty. So I came to the conclusion that these things make us unfit according to Old Testament standards.

So what are some of the things Jesus the son of God said that make us unfit?

• Words that come out of your mouth which come from your heart.
• Evil thoughts
• murder
• unfaithfulness in marriage (Adultery)
• vulgar deeds (Sexual immorality)
• stealing
• telling lies
• insulting others (Slander, complaining, dishonoring)

There are other lists in other places in the Bible, but I would like to just comment on these. I have seen others, and have been guilty myself of trying to enter into worship to the Lord Almighty with a defiled heart - unfit for worship. How many people sitting in pews, or even standing up in front are guilty of this? Perhaps 100 percent at one time or another. Thank God that He has given us the means by which we can be purified and undefiled, and FIT FOR WORSHIP:

The whole chapter of Hebrews 10 speaks of this. Look at these verses:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:19-25 NIV

Praise God it is through the once for all sacrifice of Jesus’ blood that we can be made able to approach the living God in worship. So if any of these issues cause you to feel guilt, please take care of them through Jesus’ help and blood, and go Worship the Lord FIT FOR WORSHIP!

Did you ever wonder why we have to put up with so much pain and suffering in this life? I can remember several times in my life when things looked so glum that they just had to get better. But the Bible is clear regarding adversity, trials, and tribulation: We Shall Have It!

Jesus said “In the world you shall have tribulation, but fear not, I have overcome the world.” Paul said, “Who can separate us from Christ’s love? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or a sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all day long. We are thought of as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through the one who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39 ISV

“Just come to Jesus Christ and everything will be ALL RIGHT.” has been the message many well meaning evangelists have told us. But the message Jesus gave us was “You are blessed even when men persecute you.” Peter said “On that day you will be glad, even if you have to go through many hard trials for a while. Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns. You have never seen Jesus, and you don’t see him now. But still you love him and have faith in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy you are to be saved. That’s why you have faith.” 1 Peter 1:6-9 CEV

One of the reasons we have such adversity is so that we will learn how to resist. We learn how to engage in warfare by engaging in warfare. There is a principle found in Judges 3 which I believe carries through to our spiritual battle: “And the LORD had another reason for letting these enemies stay. The Israelites needed to learn how to fight in war, just as their ancestors had done. Each new generation would have to learn by fighting the Philistines and their five rulers, as well as the Canaanites, the Sidonians, … Moses had told the Israelites what the LORD had commanded them to do, and now the LORD was using these nations to find out if Israel would obey.” Judges 3:1-4 CEV.

So faith is increased through our adversity; we learn to do battle (I am talking about spiritual battle in this context here, although it is just as true in the physical realm - just ask any soldier who has been through one or more battles.); also our hope grows. Romans 5 says it best: “But that’s not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:3-5 CEV

So if you are a Christian and you are going through trials, just rejoice, and trust God’s infinite wisdom. You will be strengthened for the next trial may be even more difficult than the one before and you will need that strength. It will get better - eventually!

Here is an interesting story sent to us from Tim Darnell:

We estimated our expected tithe.  It was unusual, but we estimated the amount of income we wanted for the next year.  Then, starting in January, we tithed on that amount monthly.  (We estimated the income, divided it by twelve, and tithed that mount).  Guess what?  At the end of the year that amount of our business profit was exactly what we had estimated. 

The next year we increased our estimated income, and we tithed on that increased amount each month.  That year, the same thing happened; we made that income.  The third year, we increased the estimate again.  But something went wrong.  We blew a fuse!  We made far more profit than the estimated amount. 

God surprised us.  He is wonderfully exciting.  Over the years, He has surprised us again and again. 

We are saved by faith.  We are healed by faith.  We get answers to prayers by faith.  Our finances are blessed because of faith.  God blesses our homes and families because of our faith. 

As my friend, the late Dr. Edwin Cole, once said, “Faith never limits God, and God never limits faith.” 

Don’t allow low expectations.  Lack of expectancy is evidence of little faith.  Faithlessness is irreverent.  The element of expectancy is the basic DNA of faith.  Things seen are temporary and subject to change. 

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  II Cor. 4:18 

Faith is not ‘trying’ to believe; faith never ‘tries’.  Faith speaks.  Faith commands.  Faith expects.  Faith receives. Faith refuses to compromise.  Faith praises.  Faith doesn’t waver.  Faith wins! 

From “Millionaire in the Pew” by Don Ostrom 

As a missionary who has experienced and seen the Church in the Amazon exploding over the past 34 years, returning to the States and seeing the same old churches dwindling slowly away; I am convinced that we are guilty of “NOT MULTIPLYING”. Lord, have mercy on us for we have filled our buildings with empty people, and now the buildings are emptying.

I believe the multiplication we saw in the Amazon can be atributed to several factors:
1. A Call to repentance.
2. A Call to Holiness.
3. A Call to Reconciliation (between spouses, children, fellow believers, etc.)
4. Sacrifice: Many churches have held all night prayer vigils every week for several years. Fasting is a regular way of life among the saints. There is liberal giving going on.
5. Abandoned Worship - That is free, spontaneous, non dignified worship, laying down all inhibitions and preconceptions.
6. A Cellular or small group based accountability and training structure. - No new believer is easily let go. He is followed up within 24 hours, and assigned to the care of a more experienced believer.
7. COntinual training of leaders, and multiplication of cell groups.
8. Non professionalization of the clergy. In other words, lay leaders are being raised up to carry on the task of multiplication.
9. Passion for Jesus, and Compassion for souls.

May we catch the vision here in America.