Lubrication for Harmony

Me: Good morning Lord. Thank you for waking me this morning and for this new day. Thank you Lord  for the signs of your hand at work fulfilling the words you have given to me and to others. You are faithful Lord and I love you.

Lord: Good morning son. Thank you for joining us this morning. Yes, I promised that you would begin to see me at work, and I shall continue to do all that I have set out. The pace of revival and renewal is gathering, and I am continually raising up and moving around My workers, to bring in the harvest.

Vision: I see before me a watch or clock mechanism. It is running and all the parts are functioning. Then, as I looked, I became aware of a noise, like metal grinding against metal, and I became aware of imbalances in the tiny cogs and gears. I see it as if through a powerful magnifying glass, and can see tiny bits of grit scratching the otherwise shiny surfaces. It is obvious that all was not right. Then I saw the mechanism bathed in liquid, like very fine oil. The bits of dirt were washed away and all began to run smoothly again.

Lord: You see well. A dry, rusty mechanism will always require much more energy to get started and keep moving, and will cause a lot of friction, which distorts, cracks, damages and hinders the purpose of the mechanism, However a well-lubricated mechanism is easy to start, and runs smoothly with little or no friction, and therefore no damage. The energy required is only a fraction of that required to run the dirty one.

From this illustration, it is easy to see that all the elements are vital to the correct and smooth running of the clock. Without the gears and mechanism, there would be no way to tell the time. Without the mainspring or source of energy, the gears could not turn. Without perfect balance and the right lubrication, the whole thing would grate, grind, and screech, eventually distorting and grinding to a halt! All the energy expended would have been wasted!

Now let's see what all this means in relation to the Good News about Jesus. My Church is a mechanism for taking the good news about Jesus, and all He has done, to the people of the world. Just as the purpose of a clock is to mark the passage of time, so the purpose of the Good News is to bring salvation to the lost. The mainspring of the Church is the power of My Holy Spirit. It is my Spirit that that moves all the component parts in harmony and drives the evangelists, who are like the hands of a clock; they point to Jesus. The things that bring disharmony and cause the Church to grate, grind and screech, are those who are not working with the Spirit, but trying to resist Him. Every church has those who are not working in total harmony or who resist the flow of the Spirit. The answer to the problem is not to get rid of them for, just as in a clock, where every component has a purpose, so in a church every member has a ministry and purpose.

In any quality watch or clock there is another element, not very obvious, but nevertheless vital to its smooth running, the lubrication! The purist will tell you that a watch or clock doesn't need lubrication. This is not true; every mechanism where metal rubs against metal needs lubrication. In the case of a watch it is provided by the jewelled movement and very fine, almost vapour, oil. Without these it is only a matter of time before wear and tear take their toll.

For the mechanism of the church to run in perfect harmony, it also requires lubrication. No, the lubrication of the church is not the bishop or the minister, and no, it isn't the preaching or the training! The lubrication of the church is its intercessors! Those who remain in My presence, making intercession for all the saints, these loved ones are the lubrication which maintains the smooth running and harmony of all aspects of my Church. They are vital! Never underestimate their role or hinder them in any way. When economies need to be made, increase the lubrication! When new ministries are rising, back each one with intercessors. No one should go out into the mission field, whether at home or abroad, without the backing of people praying for them every day and every hour.

Value and support My intercessors, remember that though they are vital support for others in the field of mission, they too need love and support. They are the peace-makers within the family of the church, for by their prayers they bring harmony. In today's divided church, the role of my intercessors is vital. In today's divided world they have an even bigger task. Therefore I am calling all my church to support them in repentance and prayer!

Act of Righteousness

Lord: The story of Abigail is the story of how I saved and redeemed a nasty situation. She was a righteous woman, caught in an arranged, loveless marriage to a man who wasn't worthy of her. In her righteous act of sending gifts to David to avert his wrath over the insult her husband had heaped on him, she diverted his wrath and kept him from acting without consulting Me. His reward, and her salvation, were both satisfied when he asked her to be his wife. You see her security was all tied up in her marriage. If David had attacked and killed all the males in her household, she would have been left with no security and in contempt of David and everyone else. She would probably have ended up as a slave. Even if her husband died of natural causes her fate would rest with whoever inherited his estates, as they had no children. That would mean someone of her husband's choosing and of like mind to him. Her fate would be to become the wife of an equally obnoxious man, or to be turned out of her home, penniless. So, because of her act of righteousness, David met her and saw her in a good light. He fell in love with her and she with him. When she was freed by the sudden death of her husband, David sent to her and she became his wife. Thus her situation was redeemed.

    I see every act of righteousness and I honour every deed done in love. There is no situation that I cannot redeem. I have proved that with the Cross. Even the hardness of man's heart can be softened! All the problems of the nations today can be solved overnight, yes, overnight, by that nation turning to Me and asking forgiveness! A national day of prayer for the nation, called by national leaders and backed by all the churches, would restore this nation of yours overnight.

    Keep these things before you, and pray for the moving of My Spirit in your land. I am with you and I am listening and waiting for those prayers of repentance. 

    “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Pilgrimage

Me: Good Morning Lord. Thank you for waking me this morning and for this new day. Lord be with the young people of the diocese of St. Albans today as they converge on St Albans for the Annual Youth Pilgrimage. Please be with all those on a pilgrimage today for whatever reason and bring them to know you. I love you Lord.

Lord: Out of the many pilgrimages and retreats throughout the world I raise up my leaders. Today My Spirit will be working on the hearts of many young people, and you will see the results of His work before too long.

Life is a pilgrimage, which every man, woman and child, is on. The start of that pilgrimage is their birth, and the end is when they find me waiting for them at the gate of My home in Heaven. Some walk most of the journey with Me at their side, trusting Me, and following My leading. Some only find Me at as they near the end of their journey. Battle-worn and weary, they stumble into my arms as they reach the gate. Some just follow the crowd. Depending on which crowd they are following, some make it to the gate, while others are led astray and never arrive.

The ones I am raising up today, are those who are brave enough to follow the leading of My Spirit, and venture into the crowd going in the wrong direction. Their task is to bring back into My flow those who are lost. This is dangerous and distracting work and requires those who have a close relationship with me, and a love for the lost. These workers in my field require the support and prayer of My intercessors, whose prayers will be like a climber's safety rope, or a lifeline attached to a swimmer or diver. Never underestimate the power of intercessory prayer! It is the prayer of the saints, powered by My Holy Spirit, that keeps the work of the Kingdom going.

Look with your inner eyes for pictures and visions of My revival. Yes son, the revival has begun, and even now My Spirit is bringing many people to their knees for the first time. This work of My Spirit will touch princes and politicians, leaders in industry and commerce, scientists and teachers, workers and graduates, students and children, immigrants and indigenous, and people of all faith backgrounds and none. No one shall be outside the influence of My Holy Spirit as He sweeps through this land. Even the media will be caught up, and will find reporting what I am doing is more exciting and fulfilling than everything they once looked on as newsworthy. Even bishops, priests and ministers will fall under the power of the Holy Spirit in these days.

Look out for these events and rejoice. Sing from the heart your songs of praise and worship, that your voices may rise to the heavens, and fill My throne room with a pleasing and sweet smelling aroma. Join now into the praises of Heaven. Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord.

Easter Sunday

Resurrection by Luke Hogan Copyright 2012

Me: Good morning Lord. Thank you for waking me this morning and for this new day. Thank you for Jesus' Resurrection from the dead, and with it, the promise of new life in Him. I love you Lord.

Lord: Good morning son. Thank you for joining us this morning. Yes, son, the Resurrection is the key, or pivot of creation. It is through the Resurrection that Jesus completed the work I sent him to do. He overthrew Satan and banished sin once and for all. Now, for the first time since the Garden of Eden, man can cross the great divide between Heaven and Earth. Now, for the first time since Adam's sin, man can lay down his burden of sin, and need never lift it up again. This is because when he lays his burden at the foot of the cross, it is absorbed and disappears.

The work of Jesus on the cross was a complete work! It was accomplished for ALL men everywhere, and for all times. No one need be exempt, who comes to the Cross. The past is forgiven, all of it. This is not just past sins of the individual, but all the sin that has caused the separation of men into races and cultures, with all their various divides. All that keeps mankind apart from his brothers and sisters, all that causes wars and divisions, all that causes sickness, pain and suffering, are now forgiven and dealt with, through the Cross! All that is left is for all mankind to enter into, and claim, the freedom for himself and his family, for his nation and his neighbour. Through Jesus, mankind CAN live at peace with all men. Jesus is not just for Christians, or white westerners, but He is My Son and is for ALL men and women everywhere. I love you.

Stand Firm for Me

Me: Good morning Lord. Thank you for waking me this morning and for this new day. Thank you for the powerful witness of the Passion Play yesterday. Please speak in power to all who saw it. I love you Lord.

Lord: Good morning son. I do indeed use the Passion Play to speak, and be a witness to many people. I also use it as a way to draw My real Church together. In the coming together of many people, from all the denominations, new friendships are born, and new opportunities for the gospel to be shared. Just taking a part in such a production can deeply affect the faith of those who act.

What does grieve me greatly is the interference by institutional church leaders in works of Mine, bishops and archdeacons, who see works of My Holy Spirit as a threat to their authority! It is happening all over the church, but such action will not prevail over the works that are Mine. Pray for those who I am speaking to, and revealing My will to. Pray that they will recognise it as My voice, and will be clear in their discernment. Pray that they will be bold for Me and walk in the path I have prepared for them to walk in. Pray also for the church leaders who oppose My Spirit, and trample on the new life I am giving to the dry and parched land. Pray that they will discern My will, and be prepared to acknowledge Me. If they refuse, I shall remove my covering from them and they, and their institutions, will crumble and fall. There will be occasions, some very public, when I will move My children to oppose their bishop, when he or she is against Me! This will seem shocking at the time, but My Spirit is moving in these days and nothing must stand in His way.

I continue to call My people out of the wilderness of institutional church life, and into the garden I have planted, where my Spirit flourishes and blossoms in the spiritual lives of many young Christians.

To all My children, I say walk in My way, keep Jesus in the centre of you life, listen to Him and keep watch with Him. Do not be threatened or frightened by the instability of the world, for I am shaking the institutions of men, and bringing to naught the actions of the wicked. At the same time I am raising up men and women who listen to Me, upon whom My Spirit rests. They will prophecy in My name. They will freely share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They will heal the sick and raise the dead, in My name. The established churches that oppose Me will not be able to stand against them, for I am with them. Many in these days will come to me, and lives will be transformed. Many with worldly influence will be saved and will help to change society. I love My children and I am releasing them from bondage, to spread the good news of My freedom and My love.

Pray for forgiveness and pray for your nation. Pray for your leaders and pray for those with worldly power, that they will surrender to Me and allow Me to advise and guide them in the use of that power, for those who oppose Me I will remove!

Children let your light and your righteousness shine brightly before men, that all will be drawn by the light into My presence, and see Jesus, who I have lifted up before all men. I love you.

Good Friday Passion

Me: Good morning Lord. Please be with those who are performing the Passion this morning. Help them and let this act be a powerful witness to all those who see it. Also bless those who will walk the walk of witness today, and all who hear about you.

Lord: Good morning son. I love these performances, whatever form they take, because they spark the imagination of men and women everywhere, and speak far more powerfully of the gospel, than hours of sermons.

Reading: 1 Samuel 4-6

The penalties for looking upon the Ark of the Covenant were set in place by me to be a lesson in respecting My holiness. You only have to glance at what I had done for Israel in delivering them from Egypt, in caring for them in the wilderness, then in occupying the land, to see that I was moving with them in mighty power. Under Eli they had become too familiar with Me, and taken Me for granted!

I am the Lord Almighty. I bow to no man. All things in the Heavens and on the Earth, are made by Me, and are therefore subject to Me. That is why I am holy and should be respected and revered in the heart of every man. But the heart of man is rebellious and hard, and he has filled the God-shaped hole in the centre of his existence, with self and man-made images. Mankind will not return to Me, if I let this situation continue!

Because I am God, and I really care about My creation, I cannot abandon man to the results of his sin! I want him to return to me, to be saved. For this reason I sent my Son Jesus into the world, to deal with sin, once and for all. There was no other way than Passion Week, to deal with sin.

Sin had to be dealt with by Me, not by man. For man there is no escape from sin. For Jesus, sin could not hold Him, because He alone, born of a woman, was without sin. Original sin passes down from Adam, the first man. Even Eve was a descendant of Adam, in that she was taken, and cloned, from Him. Jesus however, was not descended from Adam, for it was by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit that Mary conceived him. I am His Father, not Adam, or a descendant of Adam,s!

Once Jesus had dealt with the sin issue, by dying on the cross, I made it possible for anyone, yes, any man woman or child born of Adam, to come to me, through the work Jesus had done. The Cross of Jesus is, in every sense of the word, a bridge, over which man may cross, and come back into My will. It is the Jesus who died upon that Cross, that must occupy that God-shaped space in the heart of every man. It is only when Jesus has His rightful place in the centre of your life, that you can gaze on anything that is holy. This is why Moses could come into My presence, and could touch the tablets on which I had written with My own finger, and live! If I were to reveal the Ark of the Covenant to man today, only those whose hearts are Jesus-centred, and are right with Me, could approach. What I have made holy, remains holy for all eternity, which is why, throughout the dark ages of man I have kept certain things from the eyes of man, until He is right with me, and ready to look into My face.

Effective Prayer

Lord: Prayer is a very powerful tool for the Christian to wield. I want you to encourage all My children to enter more whole heartedly into prayer!
 

Prayer is not about instructing Me, or informing Me about needs and situations. I know everything and I know all mankind and all his needs, long before he knows about them himself or even dares to ask Me.

Much of what is taught about prayer and methods of prayer is elementary, and geared to get children into a habit of prayer. But it is also largely detached from the relationship with Me aspect. Children and adults alike are taught to pray in a detached way. Many grow up believing that the once-a-month, or at best once-a-week, diet of community prayer 'in church' is all that is required. Sadly, a very high percentage of such prayer is unbelieving and half-hearted, and thus virtually ineffective. I won't even say it's better than nothing, because it is so luke-warm that I find it distasteful and would spew it out of my mouth. Oh I don't reject it all, for even in the greyest area of prayer, there are pure thoughts, pure hopes, and heart-felt desires, but this is not the sort of prayer that is going to change the world, or bring in the Kingdom! To do that you need dynamic prayer!

Q.    So, what is dynamic prayer?

A.    Well son, dynamic prayer begins with a love relationship with Me! In order to make the sort of dramatic changes in the world, you have to talk to the Creator who designed and made everything. The reason for this, is that the changes needed to bring My kingdom in, require the undoing of centuries of wrong teaching , deceit, and mis-direction. The human heart has been corrupted and beguiled by the Evil One, and needs healing and repairing. This is a job that can only be carried out by Me. It is a job for love!

Take an example: In human society, if an individual wants to change society, he has to work his way into the political system, and come under the eye of those who wield power. Becoming a friend and colleague of the Prime Minister, means that you are able to talk to him about the things that are dear to your 'political' heart. Learning about the process of decision-making, and catching the wider picture, helps you to see what changes are required, and are best for society. This takes a lot of effort and cannot be effective if you are uncommitted or half-hearted.

If that is true in a human political arena, it is also true for the Christian. To change the world and bring in the Kingdom, you need to get to know the Creator of all things, as a friend!

Did you realise that it is easier to get to know Me than it is to get to know the Prime Minister? Well, it is! The big difference is, that I want to be known, and I want to be your close friend, more than the Prime Minister does. And even better, I am available to you 24-7!

However, as in the human political arena, to understand the situation and catch the wider picture, a great deal of effort is needed. You need to spend time in conversation with me,  listening and asking questions. Our prayer relationship must move on from, 'Dear God, please bless Mummy and Daddy..... ," to a more adult conversation, in which we engage each other in deep conversation, about the necessary big issues that need to be dealt with. As I have told you before, I do not withhold anything My children need, and as a father is pleased when his children seek his help and understanding, so I am pleased when you engage with Me and I can teach you!

This sort of intercourse requires a commitment of time and attention and cannot be achieved by a once a month or once a week brief encounter. It requires regular practical workshop sessions and classroom work. Oh I'm not talking about a college course or a university degree, I am talking about time spent with me. watching me at work, learning how to, and when to, use the tools and gifts I want to give you.

This is why I have, over the last few years, built up our relationship from one of comparative strangers to close friends, from a short daily quiet-time, to a much longer period of deep conversation, Bible reading, wider reading and study, through to journaling. This is your training for the next stage, which is the real field-work of bringing in the Kingdom.

Field work is not sending you out on your own. Field work is going out into the mission field with Me, and doing the things I direct you to do. It is far more effective and much safer that trying to do it on your own. Son, I never send any of my servants out on their own. I am always with you. Even when Michael or Gabriel go out from the throne room on an errand for Me, they do not go alone. I am with them as I am with you.

Real, effective prayer is pro-active, fully engaged and fully involved, full-time communication with your very best friend, Me. I want our relationship to be deeper than a friendship, for I love you and I want you to love Me.