Stand Together

Me: Lord, as I read the Old Testament I find it quite depressing, reading about king after king who did evil in your sight, and the whole nation suffering for it. It was such a joy to read this morning (2 Chronicles 13-14) of Abijah and then his son Asa, both of whom served you whole heartedly. It was good to see how you blessed them and the nation so much. It's a shame Lord, the good kings seem so few and far between!

Lord: Yes son, it is always a delight to me when anyone serves me whole- heartedly for the one thing I love to do is bless. I do not delight at all in causing individuals or nations to fall or suffer. My delight at all times, is to pour out My blessings from My limitless store. I do this freely and in extravagant abundance.

Sadly, I know the ways of mankind, and I observe with tears how generation after generation turns away from Me to follow the ways of sin. However in every generation there is a remnant who love Me, and serve Me whole-heartedly. It is through this remnant I work. I speak not only of Israel, but of all the nations on Earth. Yes, every nation on Earth has its remnant, its handful of believers, who worship Me in Spirit and in truth. I am raising up this remnant in your day. In the days ahead you will see those I am raising up, as they begin to make an impression on a world which has largely rejected My love.

I have commanded you to pray for leaders and the places of power and influence in the land. Continue in this work. But now I want you to add to that flow of prayer power, individuals who have held on to the truth, often standing alone. As you pray for them and hold them before me, fan the gentle wind of the Holy Spirit into your prayers for them, that the fire and light in their souls will be quickened. They need encouragement, they need fellowship, they need love. Most of all they need to know they do not stand alone. They will know they do not stand alone, as others stand with them. Stand firm in the gospel, hold on to the truth of My Word, tell your faith story to others and encourage an open sharing of testimony. For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy (Revelation 19:10).

Open a blog devoted to testimonies and stories that tell of My working in people's lives. Let anyone send them to you, perhaps with a photo of themselves, and give Me the glory. I want more people to hear the stories of faith, and turn to Me.

A Church On The Move

Lord: Since the foundation of the Earth I have established a place of sanctuary for my children. The first sanctuary was a garden I planted in the East, a place called Eden. It was there, in the beauty and tranquillity of the garden, that I walked and talked with the man I had made. It was there in the Garden that I presented him with the woman to be a companion and helper in the work I was providing for the man. They worked together and learned together. Everything they had they shared together. Eden was the nursery I created to give the man and the woman the foundation they needed, before I sent them out into the wider Earth.

It was because of sin, that I had to send the man and the woman out from the Garden before they were fully prepared. Many men and women have, down the centuries, pondered and puzzled about why I sent them forth from the Garden over so "small" a crime, suggesting I was being petty and small-minded. The reason man finds it petty and small-minded is because he lives in sin. His sin is always with him, and the more man lives in sin the more used to sin he gets and the less grievous the sin appears in his own eyes.

Committing a sin is always hard the first time. This is because I have placed in the heart of man a sense of what is right. When evil thoughts and intentions enter the mind of man, I warn him. Some call it conscience, but it is actually Me speaking directly to the heart. Because of the precious gift I have given of free-will, man has the ability to shut out my voice and make a choice, using only his own reason, or even to make a choice without reason! Once he has done this a few times it becomes easier and he begins to slide down the slippery slope. As My voice becomes fainter through being constantly shut out, sin becomes less ominous. When man walked in the light, sin was like a totally black hole. As you enter the hole and leave the light behind, the blackness appears less black and the darkness less deep. It is then the light that becomes frightening.

The deeper into the darkness man travels, the harder it is to get out, and the fainter the memory of of the light, until there comes a point when it is impossible for man to return to the light on his own. He may want to, he may even remember a little what it was like, but the thought of what he has done and how far he has sunk, becomes a barrier in itself. This is why I have made another sanctuary. This new sanctuary is the Cross of Jesus. The Cross of Jesus is planted firmly in the sin of man. Its foundations go deep into the darkness of man's heart. In fact it goes so deep, that there is no depth that a man may sink that is beyond the reach of the Cross.

Now, while the foot of the Cross reaches into the darkness of sin, the top of the Cross reaches into the heights of Heaven. How is this possible? It is possible because, although Jesus was born of a woman and therefore man, and fully human, he was conceived in My heart, and it was by the power of My Spirit that Mary conceived and bore Him. He was, and is without sin, and therefore died, not for his own sin, but for the sin of all mankind. He freely chose to die, and pay the full price of sin, for one reason only, and  that reason was LOVE.

Man is not able to turn around and make his own way back to the light. He needs help, and the only help available is Me. His fellow man cannot help, for he is equally as lost in the dark. Satan, the cause of his sin, won't help him. His intention is that man should die, wallowing in his own sin. Only I can help him, because only I am Light, and only I love him.

The Cross deals with the sin, and reaches into the depths. As Jesus died and carried man's sins into the depths, He punched a doorway into the darkness, allowing the light of His love to shine into the depths and become a beacon for man to come to. Through the Cross, and only through the Cross, the Church is able with Jesus, to reach out to the fallen and help them back into the light. There is no other way, because there is no-one that loves mankind except Me. The Cross has become the new Eden. Once firmly in the Cross of Jesus, sinful man can shed his garments of sin and be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus. Then and only then, can he begin the ascent, out of darkness and into the light.

The ascent through the Cross is a cleansing and learning experience. At first the stain of sin clings to man, but as he walks the walk, the blood flowing from Jesus' side washes away the stain. The Christian walk is that climb. It is not accomplished through human effort; it is another gift I have given man, a gift which brings him right up to the very gate of Heaven. My desire is for every man, woman and child to come to the Cross, and find in Jesus the way out of darkness and back into my glorious light.

So I say to My Church, return to the Cross of Jesus. Put your trust in Him and not in your own cleverness! Take a firm hold on the Cross and allow the blood of Jesus to wash you. Stand firm in the Word I have spoken to you and have presented to you in the Bible, and return to Me, for I am about to spew out of my mouth those who have become lukewarm.

Encourage the and help the faint-hearted, bind up the wounds of those who have fallen. Leave behind the structures and rituals that have bound you to the present darkness, and become a Church on the move! Move with Jesus towards the gate of Heaven. You know the way, it is the way of the Cross. Bring with you all who will come, and lead them to Me, for I would that My house shall be full. I love you.

Return to Me

Lord: If my Church is to have any impact in the world today they must return to some basic principles. The first is to accept that I am God, and return to me.

When I gave the children of Israel the 10 commandments, the first one was :

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.

It saddens me so much that many who claim to be Christians, and have positions of trust within the church, do not believe that I am God. With their lips they say, yes, but with their actions they say, no!

Every day the second commandment is broken from dawn till dusk :

You shall not make for yourself any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: You shall not bow down yourself to them, or serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy to thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments.

In the 21st century world, there are so many gods which get in the way, and so often are placed in a place of honour in man's heart, and have become to him, more important than Me! These gods range from articles made by human hands, such as TV's, computers, cars and houses, to ideologies, fantasies, and addictions. Other human beings are often revered like gods, such as film stars, models, politicians and sportsmen and women. The worship of these other gods, is backed by a massive human invention called the popular media. For those with a weak will, the media, and the power of advertising is an almost irresistible force, which claims the lives and freedom of many thousands, especially young people, every day.

And that's only two out of ten! The second principle that My Church must return to, is an acceptance of the Bible as My true and unchangeable Word.

The scriptures in their entirety were given to the Church as their authority. Being my word, the Bible is your authenticating document, your royal commission, your qualification. My word will gain you access to places normally unreachable. But not if you yourself do not accept its authority and truth. I have not made it hard to accept it as authentic. Every day its truth is lived out and proved by countess individuals in a life-changing way. No other document has that effect on men and women of every culture across the world. No other book has stood the test of time remaining unchanged and true, and as relevant today as it was for the first Christians. No other book reveals Jesus, My beloved Son to mankind.

The third, but by no means the least, basic principle, is to place Jesus in the centre of the Gospel. In the last few years in Western Christendom, Jesus has been pushed out of the centre and replaced by statements of belief, some of which don't even mention His name! Generations are growing up who only know the name of Jesus as a swear word.

The third commandment clearly states that :

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.

Jesus, My beloved Son, bears My name, as all sons bear the names of their fathers. When you dishonour Him, you dishonour Me! If seekers are not being introduced to Jesus by the church, The church is not My Church any more. Jesus' command or commission to his disciples was to :

Go into all the world, and make disciples of all men everywhere.

A Church that looks only in on itself will crumble and die. I have given you a wonderful Gospel, good news for all men everywhere. It's all about Jesus, and it hold all the answers for all the problems of mankind.

Return to Me, and let Me set you free. I love you.

What have I done for you?

Lord: Open your hearts to all that I am doing for you. Open your hearts to the beauty I surround you with. Open your hearts and lift your praises, for I am excited by all that I have made, and I want you to be as excited as I am.

Children, do not suppress the praise that wells up with in you as you recognise the work of My hands. Your praise is a natural expression of your delight, and I long to hear your voices join the praises of those who are already praising me in Heaven.

Every day I hear my people asking Me, what they have to praise me for? As if I have never given them anything of value! What do you have to praise Me for? Everything! Yes, everything! There is nothing that you see, hear, enjoy or experience, that does not come from Me. I am the Lord your Provider. Your life and existence is My precious gift to you. When I breathed life into you and made you in My image, I set you apart from, and above, all the animals and creatures of the Earth. I made you able to reason and experience, to observe and to learn. I made to to know and love me, as I love you. I made you to be company for me throughout all eternity.

Even when mankind fell from the special relationship I had with him from the beginning of creation, I have gone to amazing lengths to provide a way for you to return to me and through My beloved Son, Jesus, I have lifted you from the pit of total despair and sentence of eternal death, to the promise of abundant life with us. And man still asks, what have I done for you that I should praise you?

Every morning I cause the sun to rise and warm the Earth. I send the rain to water the ground. I swell the seed, and set the blossom. I provide food for you to eat and clothes for you to wear. I have given you family and friends. I reach out and touch you each day, with My love. Yet, still you ask Me, "What have you done for me, that I should praise you?"

When you turn away from Me and look only at the darkness that is you own shadow, you will sense the utter cold and loneliness of separation from Me. It was this darkness and separation that Jesus experienced, when He took your sin away and carried it to Hell. He did that in order that you might not have to experience that intense loneliness, that complete separation from Me, that death! Turn back to Me and live! Gaze into My brightness and come into My presence and know that you are loved by Me and need never be alone again. Let you heart fill with praise as you realise just how much I love you, what I have done for you, and how I sustain and uphold you every single moment of every single day. Open you heart and your mouth as you lift your voices in praise, and experience with the angels and all the Heavenly hosts, the nearer presence of My great home in Heaven. I love you. Oh, I love you.

Use the Senses I have given You

Me: Good morning Lord. Thank you for waking me this morning and for this beautiful day. Thank you for being able to see the sun rise over the horizon and for the beauty of that fantastic light show. I love you Lord.

Lord: Good morning son. Thank you for your company. I painted the sky specially for you this morning. No two sunrises are ever the same, and as with a rainbow, no two people see it in exactly the same way. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I did too.

As you took delight in the rising sun, so I want you to take delight in all I have made for you. Let the little things of every day bring a sparkle to your eyes, and look less at the big disappointments. Throughout history mankind has endeavoured to look beyond the limit of his eyesight. He seeks to gain knowledge by looking through the microscope and the telescope. In every discipline of study and learning he looks for what he cannot see! This approach certainly does stretch the mind, and increase understanding, but not in every field. In the area of literature, for example, looking too deeply at a text, as though it has a hidden code or meaning, is to ignore the original intention of the writer.

Looking for the unseen can become an obsession, and those who indulge in such a practice can lose touch with reality and not see the obvious. The same is true of speech and language. Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no. Listen to what is said, and dare to take it at face value. Read what is written, and take it that the author intended you to understand plainly what he/she has written.

Look at Creation through the eyes I have given you, and wonder at what you see. Listen to the sounds around you and learn to recognise them and understand what each one means. As you learn to interpret what you see, hear, smell and read, the world in which you live becomes an exciting place with plenty to learn and understand. As your understanding grows, you will learn to recognise the stamp I have placed on everything I have made. It is like a trade mark. When you have learned to recognise My mark, then you will realise the best one to ask about anything in Creation, is the maker: That's Me! Then I can direct your use of the microscope and telescope, and your investigation into patterns and form. As I direct you in these fields I will keep bringing you back to the world you live in and sense with all your senses. You cannot live in the world of microbes, or beyond the stars. I have made this Earth for your enjoyment and learning, and there is plenty to keep you occupied here.

In relationships with others, remember that every man, woman and child on this Earth today, is your brother and sister. Yes, you are directly related to everyone on Earth. That means you have a good reason to bless them in every way you can. Laugh with your brother, even if his skin is a different colour, mourn with him, and work together to make the world I have given you both to enjoy, a wonderful place to be in. Focus on what your eyes see, and look with the sight I have given you. Hear with the ears I have given you, think with the mind I have given you and be true to the sight, sound and thought I give you. Lay aside the wild, fanciful and evil imaginings of evil men, and trust me to show you all I have created for you to see and enjoy. Let me introduce you to brothers and sisters, you never knew you had. Be fulfilled in Me. I love you.

Build upon the Rock

Lord: Martin, what do you see?

Me: Lord, I see a number of, what appear to be, marble columns, each about two metres high, with stone statues of people on the tops. One of the statues is a man dressed like a Greek philosopher, another is a soldier, there is a man with a hard hat, a group of three making a family, a man with a briefcase, and one dressed like a scientist with a white coat and an instrument in his hand. They seem to represent all walks of man!

As I continue to look, cracks are appearing in the columns and they are beginning to crumble. The way they are disintegrating suggests they are not made of marble at all! As they crumble the statues are toppling off their perch, and falling to the ground. Some have broken and lie scattered amongst the remains of their columns, others have remained intact. Soon there is no sign of the marble at all; it has all crumbled into fine dust.

As I look, some of the statues have come to life, and are standing on their own. Some of them are even walking around. The wind is blowing, and the fine dust is being blown away. The broken statues are sinking into the sandy ground are are now nearly buried, but those who are walking around are moving towards the high ground, away from the sand, and towards the rock. What does it mean Lord?

Lord: What you see is society today. You live in a society where things are not what they seem. It's a world of false values and fraud. Rock-solid investments and business propositions crumble into dust, because the foundations and the material of which they are built, is like sand. The majority of people in this society had trusted in these structures as though they were made of solid rock. They have looked upon their pillars as beautiful, but it doesn't take an earthquake or a flood to destroy false assumptions; it only take the light breeze produced by truth to shatter the illusion.

The level of trust placed in falsehood is very great, so when the inevitable crash comes, many who fall with it will be broken, not to rise again. Others will weather the crash and will rise again, wiser than before.

The high ground, is the rock that I am. All things made by man are like sand castles. Only the rock that I made is firm and lasting. Those who take refuge in the rock, and build their lives on that rock, build to last.

I am calling the nations now, before it is too late, to return to Me, and to build their society upon My rock. Move away from the shifting sand of human greed, the corrupt columns of evil and deceit, that can only bring heart ache and human misery. Build upon truth and honesty, upon the standards and statutes I have made, for your good.

I am the Lord your God. Trust not in the gods of your own making. Trust only in the Rock that I am. Jesus, My beloved Son has opened a way for you to move away from the shifting sands of sin, and on to the rock which stands firm forever. Turn to Me, and I will heal your land. I love you

I am Working

Lord: Do not, as many do, fall into the trap of thinking that, because you cannot see what I am doing, I am not at work! If the sun rises each morning, and sets each evening, these are the signs that I am still in control of My creation. Moment by moment, since the dawn of time, when I formed the earth and placed the sun, the moon, and the stars in heaven, My Spirit has moved upon the whole of creation and given it life. Without the movement of the Spirit all things would pass away, like the shadows of the night when the dawn comes. I sustain all things, and provide for all my children. Even though man often believes he has provided for his own and his family's needs by the work of his own hands, it is I the Lord your God, who provides for you! I do this because I love you. You are My children whom I formed from the very dust of the earth. I breathed life into you at the beginning, and I keep that breath of life flowing, from day to day, and year to year. Without My love you cease to be.

Recognise Me in all I provide for you, every day. As you acknowledge and thank Me for all I give out of My abundance, so that provision grows and fills you with the nourishment you need. If you continue to ignore me, and not acknowledge My provision for you, then that provision will become like the dust of the Earth to you, and you will be dissatisfied, and will begin to wither, like a plant that has no water. This slow death is not a punishment, but a direct result (cause and effect) of turning your back on the bounty I have provided. Like a branch cut off from the vine, you wither and die. My heart-felt desire is for you all to turn to Me, and accept the love and bounty I am providing for you and pouring out upon you. It is in My heart that you will flourish and blossom, becoming the fulfilled people I made you to be.

You do not walk alone, for I am with you. No step you take along the pathway I have set out for you, goes unrecorded. Those who you meet along the way and those who walk with you, are there because I have caused it, both for your comfort, and for theirs. Bless those who walk with you and allow them to bless you, for as you bless others, so I will bless you.

Many who walk with you will not know me. Let the light I have given you shine upon them, and share with them your witness of all that I have done for you. Remember always, conversion is My work, witness (telling your story), is yours. I am with you and I love you.