Category: teaching (Page 3 of 9)

Hello everyone, I’m here to talk about a word the Lord gave me a week ago. It went as follows. “The Tree planted by the River grows deep roots. Long and wide are they. The Tree grows tall, wide and deep. The Tree prevents erosion. Therefore you need more Tree’s. Prevent the erosion of my Word. Erosion causes detours of my River. Even to the point of stopping it. Grow, plant and take deep root in my Word.” This was given to me during a prayer meeting on a Sunday evening at a good friends church. First of all the “Tree” is a child of the Lord. One of His sheep. The “River” is the flowing of the Holy Spirit. With the “Word” being the soil that is eroding away.

So here we see a Tree that appears to be healthy. Growing well in the soil. In Deut.8:3 it states “…that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” And what would that be? Yes, His Word. This is why the Tree grows so well. As this prophecy points out. But there is still a problem. We need more trees. With more trees His word is live and active. For it is easy to come against one tree. Now when there are more than one it’s a different story. Remember that a three stranded cord is not easily broken (Eccl.4:12). Can you imagine what a small remnant can do?

Now as we look at the erosion itself we see His Word being cast aside as there is no one to help this single tree. This is a good example of “iron sharpening iron” when there are many tree’s. We need all these tree’s to take deep root. To grow together. Which will keep the River flowing in its intended path. A path established by God for us. We tree’s need the River to keep flowing by us. Another symbol of the River is the “Living Water” talked about in John ch. 4. For the tree’s at the edge of the River draw from the River this “Living Water” and are fed from the source itself. Growing stronger all the time.

This word of the Lord points to our world today. We have an ever increasing desire to dumb down and even change the Lord’s Word. People are trying to make it fit their desires of today. God’s Word has stood the test of time and will continue to do so. We must be firm in our faith and stand strong in the face of change. “Take deep root” and encourage others to do the same thing. At a conference that I had recently gone to one of the main speakers talked about Rev. 21:8. This is a passage that mentions the second death. Of those going to it will be the cowardly. We all have at times found it to be difficult to share the good news at times. But this is not an option any longer. When he pointed this out in scripture, it caught my attention. There can be silence no longer. It may be scary at first, but as we continue to share it will be easier. Personally I am to old to worry about what people may think. I want to stand before God and hear “well done” when I’m in His presence.

Please be encouraged to pray about this. Spending time with God is always good. Trust me when I say that you are not alone in being uncomfortable sharing His Word. This is one thing that we must get over.

Thank you for reading this and please share this posting with others. Its a good thing to encourage others.

Be blessed, Ken

Well here we go with another word. This one is short. It is this; “Shelter under His wings.” As I heard this I saw a picture of God scooping up His people and was bringing them close to Him. This was given to me at the beginning of a Saturday night prayer time. The focus of the evening was people who got hurt from others or were just hurting. As I pressed in I was being guided to scripture. In my search two scriptures were pointed out. Both of them from the gospels and were of the same example. So lets use the one found in Matt. 23:37-39 ( the other is Luke 13:34-35). It states “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, The way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you are unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD’ “

After I read this I went to the commentary below and read about how God wants to gather those who are hurt, but we won’t let Him. We don’t think He can help us. How is that for a “dumb” thought? Who knows us better than the One who created us and gave us life. Now if we look at the word gather we think about bringing together. Why? Why does He want to do this? For our protection. When someone is hurting they are in a vulnerable place. Often looking for help anywhere they can get it. Listening to those who don’t have the best of intentions. Those seeking to gain from your hurt. Or we think that we can handle it ourselves. All of these thoughts are so misplaced. Once again Who better than the one who created us. God is able to meet and take care of ALL our needs. We need to just let Him do it.

Also in this section of scripture I can’t help but think about how it applies to us here in America. We have elected people to government offices who want nothing to do with Christianity. They’re behaving like Jerusalem’s reputation. More or less killing or stoning those who live and speak God’s word. Then comes the warning. We may be left desolate. Not seeing Him again until He returns to gather His people for good.

Yes, I know that there are prophecies out there about blessings, increases in churches and ministries, but we also need to do something about it. We need to be obedient to Him and His Word. Staring with our walk. Reading and praying are a good start. Followed by spending time in praise and worship. Going into a time of His presence. Listening to Him. We also need to get out and vote. Voting for those who walk with God or those who at least live by His values and morals. The enemy of our souls is out there. Seeking to kill, steal and destroy those who are against him. Remember James 4:7 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” We need to pick a side and it needs to be God’s side. There is no more walking the fence and trying to have it both ways. Stay out of the gray area and walking clearly with God. Do this or you may be left behind.

As always I thank you for reading this. Please let God be the ALL of your life. Share this with others so they may be blessed also.

Be blessed, Ken

Hey everyone I’m back again with another word. Here it goes. “The snow marks where you have come from. It doesn’t mark where you are going. Go forth, blaze a trail. Walk the unmarked path. When you walk with me the unmarked path will be clear. Have faith and go forward.”

As this was given to me I saw an open area. ON both the left and right of me were impressions in the snow. From footprints to tire tracks. But directly ahead of me was an open, clean and unmarked up area in the snow. It was so pure looking that I didn’t want to mess it up. Then I thought about the path (marks) behind me. Yes, I have come long way since I was first saved. Yet, there is a long way to go. In the vision I saw a small area in front of me. Not a large or vast area. Just a small one. This reminds me to look at what is directly in front of me. Don’t be overwhelmed with the big picture. Don’t be overwhelmed with what we think is the goal. Just focus on the here and now.

When we blaze a new trail we don’t do it alone. Jesus will walk there with us. Therefore its 2 sets of steps in the snow. What we need to do at this point is continue to be in God’s presence and in prayer. Making sure we keep ourselves in the straight and narrow. As mentioned in the prophecy is the need for faith. It takes faith to walk a path like this. It takes obedience to go forward. Walking this path will lead you to trials and challenges. Its not going to be easy. God didn’t say it would be. If it was easy then many people would be walking it.

This word was given to me during an all night prayer meeting. As I was sharing it God mentioned that he was going to do a new thing. Then this word became clearer to me. He can’t do a new thing down an old path. Or even a path that is being well traveled. Once again this takes faith.

I find this interesting in that it follows the word on barriers. One needs to be dealt with first before the other can take place. Which makes sense. For in order to walk an unmarked path we need to be able to hear clearly. There can’t be anything in the way. Having barriers will make traveling this way difficult. Why have extra challenges in our path when we can get rid of them with some preparation. Taking time to cleanse ourselves of sin is the first step. Repenting, asking for forgiveness and receiving His forgiveness are always important. Even if you are just beginning to step out in faith or do so on a regular basis.

If God is showing you or asking you to step out in faith then go. Be sure you pray first about it and go in peace. If there is not peace then keep in prayer until you get peace. Getting confirmation from a trusted mature christian seeking for you. Being sure you are going in obedience.

Stay in prayer and walk forward.

Be blessed, Ken

Well, good day to you all. It was the last Sunday of 2019 and our Lord gave me a word. First of all I don’t have it with me at the moment. What I do remember was the first part of it. The Lord told me “barriers are defiance.” A short yet very thought provoking statement. As I meditated on it I have come to realize that anything I put before our Lord is a barrier. Meaning that what I don’t want to give up becomes a barrier. Anything that I want to keep hold of. One example in my life would be music. Being a traditional hard rock fan from the 70’s on is the type of music I enjoy listening to. Thou it didn’t tell you to kill the cop or promote violence it did sing about sex and drugs. This is what I grew up with and knew about. And still this is what I choose to put into my mind. It has become a barrier between God and myself.

Now some could say that not all of it is bad. But the point is that it has a place in me that God wants and needs. It is like putting up your hand in God’s face and telling Him to talk to the hand because I’m not listening. So, my alternative is to listen to more worship music and good christian songs. At least this way I’m putting something good into me. In Phil.4:8 it says “Finally, brothers, Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.” This says it all. Fill yourself with that which is good.

There are other areas of concern. Like TV, social media, reading, movies etc. and the subjects of sex, violence, porn and more. We have access to so much stuff it can be mind boggling. Another area is our careers. Putting in so much time into work by choice. Doing overtime because it means more money. This is something that can drive a person away from God.

All these areas and more can be barriers. Its whatever we put in between God and ourselves. If God wanted to He could destroy all the barriers Himself. But He doesn’t. For He has given us free choice of how to live our lives. That is why we need to choose to have Him in our lives. We need to choose not to have these barriers. If we ask God to help us get rid of these barriers He will. We just have to ask. Then we need to find an alternative to those things. Find something that goes with Phil. 4:8 and get closer to God. Let Him have all of your life not just a part of it. Not what we are willing to give up. Give Him all of it.

Oh and by the way some synonyms for defiance are: confrontation, contempt, opposition, provocation, rebellion, spite, affront and audacity. These I found at Thesaurus.com by googling the word itself. How does rebellion sound to you? Not exactly a word I want to use to describe my relationship with God. Think about it. Changing one area of our lives will go a long way toward a better relationship with God. Spend time in prayer to seek out help from Him. He will give you what you need to be an over comer.

Be blessed, Ken

I know it has been awhile since my last post and I thank you for your patience. In the time since then there has been one prevailing thought running through my head. It goes back to a Sunday morning service and Pastor was talking about being the clay in the potters hand. As this was going on the worship team singing about the River of Life flowing. Then I get one of those God moments. This is usually a 2×4 across the head kind of moment. He tells me that clay needs to be wet in order for it to be molded. Wow, how simple a statement and yet so thought provoking. Hence my long time without posting anything.

We all know the scripture in Isaiah 64:8 “But now, O Lord You are our Father, We are the clay and You are the Potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.” Have you ever watched a potter work. Or even made any pottery yourself? It is very hard to do with dry clay. A potter has the clay on a spinning board and the clay in the middle of it. They keep the clay wet (moist) in order to work it properly.

So, what is it going to take for us to let God mold us into what He needs? First we need to let go and let God be God of our lives. Then we need to let His Holy Spirit drench us. Ezekiel ch. 47 talks of the River flowing from the throne in the Temple. In verses 3-5 we read about stepping into the River. This is an example of how we start to get drenched. All of this has to do with faith and obedience. Easy to say and challenging to do. Many of us question God and what He is trying to do. Like in Isaiah 45:9-10. Where we read about the clay talking back at God. “What are you doing?” It is becoming to common place to question God these days. That’s not obedience, but rebellion. Yet God is compassionate and patient with us. Having a profound grace and mercy to share with us. Just don’t take advantage of this and make Him wait to long. For He will not wait forever and will find someone else who is willing. Then you miss out on the blessing.

Saying yes and becoming obedient to Him is not always easy. There are times it may be painful. Just trust God. He knows what He is doing. In Jeremiah 18:1-4 we read about a potter destroying one vessel to remake it into something more pleasing. God does this to us in order for us to be more useful for His will and work to be done. Its a matter of getting rid of the impurities and becoming a cleaner vessel. Its about God getting the “world” out of us and more of Him in us. For when the world sees us they need to see Jesus not me.

Don’t wait to long. Get close to God today, for tomorrow may not come and then its too late. Allow God to mold you. Go to His River and take a swim. The current will carry you where you need to be. Thank you all for your patience in waiting on me to post something new. Please share this with anyone who can and does need this message.

Be blessed, Ken