When I think about the devil, I realize he is the embodiment and activity of evil.
What is the devil? The devil is…
The devil is a pedophile.
The devil lures away the innocent.
The devil drives an ice cream truck.
The devil is a stranger with candy.
The devil is a kidnapper.
The devil is a drug dealer, trying to get our kids addicted and messed up.
The devil is always more trick than he is treat.
So, Pray. See the devil for the rotten, awful criminal that he is. And, hate the devil and his works of defilement.
The devil performs abortions.
The devil is a child abuser.
The devil fights for rights to do the unholy and ungodly.
The devil tells almost truths.
The devil has a radio talk show.
The devil spins conspiracy theories that keeps our minds mulling with wandering and mouths moving with gossip.
The devil doesn’t give good directions. He’ll get you lost every time.
The devil likes to fuss.
The devil is apt to start stuff.
The devil is divorced from love.
The devil is a divorce attorney.
The devil is the Accuser General.
The devil doesn’t fight fair.
The devil hits children and women.
The devil hates Florida because the devil disrespects the elderly and he hates the sunshine.
The devil shoots on both sides of the court.
The devil is cancer, a tooth ache, and an ear ache.
The devil is the pain in your back, and the pain in your neck.
The devil is compromise. The devil is a message of compromise.
The devil is uncompromising.
Sometimes, the devil is not what you think he is.
Sometimes, the devil is not who you think he is.
The devil is a hypocrite.
The devil preaches.
The devil smiles…on occasion.
The devil wears costumes.
The devil likes Halloween even more than you do.
Don’t play nice with the devil. He doesn’t honor deals, truces, or treaties. So, get him out of your mirror. And, make him your enemy.
1 John 3:8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
Just because someone holds a high ranking position within their church system doesn’t mean they’re an Apostle. Positions are often acquired because of education, resume, politics, or voting. Nevertheless, real Apostles exist and when one is favored by God and allowed into position by man, the results are remarkable.
Peter Griffin also recently shared some thoughts on Apostles that he based on Scriptures from Ephesians. “God gave apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors, and teachers for the “perfecting” of the saints.” Ephesians 4:11-12.
Perfecting. “The greek word here is kar-tar-tiz-mos from the root, kartartizo. The word was originally a medical term to describe the setting of bones and the mending of dislocated joints. It was also used in sailing to describe the mending of nets and repairing leaking vessels. But in America, the Church isn’t exactly known for healing bones. We are a Church ever ravenous for MORE people, buildings, and resources.”
In recent years I’ve observed a dramatic uptick in Apostolic networks. First of all, let me state that I am not against them. I do however think they sometimes exaggerate their superiority in importance, spirituality, and in revelatory understanding. The truth is, Modern Apostolic networks are oftentimes just new versions of denominations, often abounding with a plethora of newfangled terminology. Apostles are sometimes tempted with the lure of spiritual preeminence that comes with their title. They can easily be tempted into allowing themselves to become a subtle idol. Hence, they should persistently work at keeping themselves humble. Their egos must be kept in check or pride and haughtiness will trip them up. Nonetheless, we need them. So let’s pray for them and give them grace to grow into their calling. If they allow Him to, God will keep working on them, perfecting them, and cultivating the right fruit in them. Still, be careful around those that are operating in an attitude and ministry that doesn’t mesh with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
A Pentecostal Pastor recently told me that John Baptist was the last Prophet. That is incorrect and it exposes how cessation theology has continued to negatively affect even the Pentecostal, Spirit-filled denominations and organizations. But God is not dead; The Holy Ghost is still here and He’s not turning down. What God has done He still can do. There’s much, much more to come. He’s a God of power, miracles, signs, wonders, and astonishing works. And He’s a God of Prophets. Not Trump Prophets. Not MAGA Prophets. Not political prophets. Not lying prophets. Not false prophets. I call them the other prophets. I wrote a book about this. The subject matter still burns like lava in my veins. Yes, I still feel the burden of this truth.
Cessationism is a doctrine that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing ceased with the initial wave of the church’s beginnings, the book of Acts.
The above is a link to my book—The Other Prophets.
Amazon
Free pdf version available upon request.
For 100+ years, from Azusa on, the denominations and many other spirit-filled churches and affiliations have been lacking revelation on the ministry offices of the Apostles and Prophets. Yet, these are two of the five graces listed in Ephesians 4:11. Regardless, Prophets and Apostles are alive and well, and these are current, operable callings. Yes, I know there are some false, erroneous, dangerous ministries out there, but don’t let that take away from the real, the true, the authentic. We need these humble but powerful ministries.
Ephesians 4:11 NASB And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers,
Peter Griffin has noticed in Scripture that Apostles are supposed to be problem-solvers, and menders of brokenness. This is important in this hour, as he explains, “Some of the brokeness we are dealing with today isn’t happening on the fringes. We are talking about masses of believers who are bound by sin, unable to create an atmosphere for God to dwell, have horrid worldviews, and so on.” This further helps us realize where and how Apostles can and should be helping the Body of Christ.
Concerning local churches, I believe that if a church has significant size it should probably have a leader with an Apostolic grace on their life. Large, or growing churches face natural and logistical challenges. Apostles seem to have administrative abilities that God imparts to them. In Acts 6, Holy Spirit allowed this Apostolic ability to come forth. The church was growing with multiplication but individuals with needs couldn’t be overlooked.
Apostolic grace allows for crowd growth without losing the value of singular persons. Furthermore, God uses Apostles by granting them wisdom to delegate, oversee, and to keep the primary focus on prayer and the Word. The Apostle is one of the five ministries listed in Ephesians 4:11. And just as my hand needs all five fingers, the Body of Christ needs all five ministry graces. A sizable church needs the governing, organizing, and executive abilities of an Apostle. The Apostle will be humble and keen enough to assemble and rightly appoint or employ Pastors, and Elders. They will also yield and effectively welcome the staff positions or occasional guest voices from the Evangelistic, Teaching, or Prophetic offices.
Unfortunately, we’ve had more than our share of false prophets and power hungry Apostles. But, as Jeffrey Fisher said, “ having false prophets and self-promoting apostles doesn’t take away from those that are truly sent by God.”
Many of the old Pentecostal denominations didn’t recognize the offices of Apostle or Prophet. They just didn’t have a revelation of it 100 years ago. Mind you, almost all of the Pentecostal denominations were birthed in the moment of or afterglow of the Azusa Street Revival, a revival that restored Pentecost and Holy Spirit reality. Unfortunately, most of these Pentecostal denominations still haven’t updated their awareness, and total acceptance of the offices of Prophet and Apostle. Accordingly, many Pentecostal churches and individuals are still old-fashioned in this regard, meaning they’re still lacking revelation and teaching.
In Acts 1, we see an impromptu business meeting being called. They realized that they currently had eleven Apostles but Jesus had operated with 12. So, they decided to fix the number and adjust to an order that Jesus had surrounded Himself with. Jesus didn’t cast lots, but this business meeting was trying, on a whim, to figure out how to know the will and choosing of God. Casting lots was mostly an Old Testament custom utilized to assist in making decisions. Their quick, make-shift standards that are referenced especially in verses 21-26 are the qualifications they adopted for that particular spontaneous business meeting.
Ephesians 4 speaks of Apostles as part of the ongoing ministry of the church. There (or no where else) is there use of the Acts 1 business meeting standard. Ephesians 4 is written 60-100 years after Christ’s resurrection. Obviously the pool of people who walked with Christ 100 years prior was getting smaller and smaller. Also, casting lots is not how we seek the will of God, and the other hasty standards they used were not meant for ongoing church operations.
Apostles and Prophets exist today. That’s a legitimate actuality. Their existence, and need, are just as justifiably pertinent (and normal) as those who are Pastors and Evangelists. It’s unbiblical to not realize and accept this as the norm.
Zechariah 1:3 Therefore say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.
As we entered July, God spoke to me about 90 hard rains that were coming.
The 90 rains prophecy is a prophecy of 90 very hard rains coming, particularly to America. These will be acts of God that are actually demonstrating patience towards the church while she is busy drifting into error. Instead of unleashing harsh justice, God is giving us space to repent.
By communicating via dramatic changes in the American natural atmosphere, God wants there to be a realization, an awakening of senses, and a heart that returns to Him in humility, simple devotion, and love. 12 of these rains have already happened. Less than 80 more are coming.
God gave me this word to release as a trumpet. The goal and prayer is that the church will awakenThe patience of God is allowing what appears to be bad, destructive things to occur. As Elisabeth Elliot said, “God will not protect you from anything that will make you more like Jesus.” He doesn’t promise to keep us from valleys, He promises to be with us. He doesn’t promise to keep us from the cross, rather He calls us to it. There are dark times, but God is in the awakening. He’s the joy that comes after the sorrow. Or, maybe he’s the joy that ends the weeping.
Like the days of Jeremiah, we’ve been in a time of weeping. We’re in a dark time. We’re in an opportunity to share in the burden of the Lord. We’re in a moment like Joel 2:17
Let the priests, the LORD’S ministers, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, “Spare Your people, LORD, And do not make Your inheritance a disgrace, With the nations jeering at them. Why should those among the peoples say, ‘Where is their God?’”
When God gave me the 90 rains word, He told me it was about His will. He told me the church had drifted out of alignment with His heart. Too many folks in the church have become warmongers. There’s an eagerness for fighting. There’s an unusual amount of unholy aggression that’s characterizing the church. Flippant, childish name-calling has seemingly replaced fruits of the Spirit in this season.
Meanwhile, God has been continuing to remind me that He wants His will to become beloved, valued, and prioritized again.lpp
Sadly, after reading a recent article about Christian Nationalism in Rolling Stone magazine, I was unequivocally prodded and freshly aware of God’s heart wooing us back to His will. He’s the father, waiting on the prodigal, wayward church.
The article pointed out specific thoughts and talks from a particular spirit-filled leader and influencer. This article highlighted the exact problem God told me He was waiting to be repented of.
Per Rolling Stone: In videos posted earlier this year, [a well-known preacher] decried the notion that Christians should pray for God’s will to be done, but not involve themselves directly in politics as “one of the greatest deceptions Satan has ever visited on the church.”
Here in this message, is the notion that praying for God’s will is not enough. It proposes that we have to get involved in politics and work to take over, and fix things ourselves.
I wouldn’t dare share such a specific word if I didn’t feel God’s pain over this. The will of God is beautiful, trustworthy, and valuable enough to be sought out. Conversely, trying to make the ways of God happen in our own efforts will create Ishmaels. Abraham wanted to get involved and help make the plan of God happen. So he slept with a concubine (Hagar) to help make the hope of a son come to fruition. Dear church, we can’t keep mixing spirit with error.
God doesn’t need the arm of flesh to help Him along. Sure, God uses our obedience and involves us in His workings, but we can’t always trust our good ideas of what and when to act especially when those behaviors are brazen or violent. It’s got to, got to, got to be God’s will.
Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
Like Abraham bedding the wrong woman, we can’t become intimate with worldly politics. It will only birth an Antichrist, and not the true plan of God.
Dear forerunners and pioneers…Americanism, Nationalism, Republicanism, Democratism, conservatism, liberalism…they’re all the wrong road.
Come out of that error.
Trust God. Pray “thy will be done.” Repent. God will forgive and restore. Begin to love again. Quit trying to be a chief apostle, a father, or a brand…and be what Jesus was always teaching us to be—a neighbor.
God is higher than the devil. Paul referenced the place of God, the third Heaven, in 2 Corinthians 12:2. But, the devil is also currently in the sky. In Ephesians 2:2, he is called “the prince of the power of the air.” The devil was long ago cast out of God’s Heaven. From that time, the devil has been…in the fall (Luke 10:18). Like any fall, there is a downward spiral. It can seem like a slow-motion progression. Rev 12 speaks of a war in the heavens.
“I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven.” —Jesus
Let me add, Second Heaven warfare isn’t our realm.
Anyway, the devil and his dark ones lose this battle (12:8). “The fall” is then escalated. Satan is hurled downward (12:9). He comes onto the earth. He is furious. He senses the time slipping away from him (12:12).
Has this happened? Is it yet to happen? I’m not completely sure.
Nevertheless, The devil is/was in the sky. But the Holy One is [always] higher than him.
Now, the devil wants us looking for aliens. But the devil is motivating this search because he is secretly searching for the real Heaven. Knowing where Heaven is, in a spiritual sense, is different than knowing where Heaven is from the Earthly/flesh-bound perspective. Seeing from Earth is different. The Earth realm operates on a different set of rules and abilities than those the devil has known from his place in the air, the spirit. That’s why he is additionally cast down; he’s still falling, he’s still being judged.
And right now he is frantically inspiring humans to develop telescopes. He wants—needs—earth realm eyes searching, looking at, and into, the sky. The devil’s dispensation of looking down, toward humanity and the goings on of Earth is beginning to shift. I believe the devil is preparing for his increased fall. Soon the devil will be looking horizontally and/or upwards. Both of these vantage points will be different because he won’t have as much aerial intel. He will be plagued by his lack of wisdom, and his growing ignorance towards all things heavenly. Heaven is a place the devil is increasingly afraid of. Yes, Heaven is a place the devil was kicked out of. And, in a general sense, Heaven is a place the devil is planning to fight against.
For believers, the spiritual warfare will continue and even intensify. Persecution will very likely increase. Some will even lose their lives. But don’t think, for even a moment, that you should fear this. Instead, press into Jesus. Get free, or stay free, from all sin. And get ready to overcome.
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
Man is human. Woman is human. God took a rib from man, and made a match. Man was made from dirt. Woman was made from man.
The woman is a literal equal part to/of the man. Woman is human—the same species—not a different, inferior species.
Gal 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
There are gender roles in sex and marriage. There are obvious differences in our bodies and abilities. There are cultural cues that give us customs and manners. These assist us in serving and respecting each other. However, man-made traditions are never meant to be interpreted as dominant vs inferior, roles.
The fact there were slaves in the times that holy scriptures were penned does not justify slavery. Scriptures pertaining to slavery were nuggets of wisdom on how to be a good Christian regardless of your situation. By no means does the Word of God intend to legitimize the injustice of slavery. Such insinuations are poor interpretations of the heart of God. God is a deliverer. God looks at slavery and writes the glorious, supernatural book of Exodus. And God is the grandest HR Director. He established the sabbath and jubilee without the assistance of a labor union. Those ideas and accomplishments are more remarkable than people credit them.
And just as the existence of slavery in historical times doesn’t excuse the idea and practice of slavery….the lack of females in leadership roles in biblical/historical times doesn’t set a precedent that females can’t or shouldn’t function in any particular leadership role.
I believe 1 Corinthians 14:32–35, 1 Timothy 3:1–7, and 1 Timothy 2:12 are written by Paul to young Pastors to help them lead and conduct church services, particularly in the understood cultural norms of their day (around 55 AD).
1 Corinthians 14:34-35
the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
The above Scripture certainly isn’t meant to be interpreted as concrete and oppressive as some attempt to use it. After all, Joel prophesied that daughters would prophesy, an angel told women to go and tell of Jesus’ resurrection, women spoke in tongues in the Upper Room, there were prophetesses in the New Testament, and there were women teaching in the New Testament, albeit false teachers such as Jezebel are mostly what we’re aware of.
Still, the problem of Revelation’s Jezebel—as a teacher—was not her gender, but her content and negative influence.
Also, tough Scriptures pertaining to women in ministry are seen in 1 Timothy chapter 2:
11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
Although these verses seem (on the surface) pretty clear-cut, the underlying lessons are the loudest thing we should hear. For example, quietness of spirit is an important emphasis in this chapter that Paul is trying to convey, beginning all the way back at verse 2. This important message is also seen in 1 Peter 3:4.
“but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”
Such meekness aligns fully with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that applies to both male and female. These characteristics contrast with Queen Jezebel who was ambitious, opportunistic, conniving, and domineering in nature. Also, Miriam who was a prophetess (Exodus 15:20), instigated rebellion toward the leader-Moses (Number 12) and she is judged by God with leprosy, before later being healed. Therefore, Paul and Peter were inspired by the Spirit to encourage a sweet, lowly, submissive nature.
A quiet, gentle, submitted personality is important for men and women alike
Ephesians 5:21
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Women receive a specific admonishment concerning submission and it’s very much on purpose. And the reason is not just to better their marriage, although that’s important. All the more, God compares the church to a woman. Christ, by the way, is in love with the church. Hence, the analogy expands to make the church a betrothed bride and Christ is referred to as the soon returning groom. To the greater degree, it is a logical application for us to see that the heavy instructions given to women are to be also seen as discipleship notes for the church. This kind of imagery extends all the way back into the Old Testament, seen vividly in Song of Solomon. Jesus continued the imagery with familial parables. And the bride comparison continues all through the New Testament, even into the book of Revelation.
It was a woman who first fell and birthed sin into humanity. But it was also a woman who birthed the redeemer who would save us from sin in the first book of the New Covenant.
In Scripture, women have been judges, prophetesses, prayer leaders, worshippers, warriors, teachers, intercessors, testifiers of the resurrection, in-church tongue talkers, feet washers, and givers. So…
I think it is biblically okay for a woman to hold any position or perform any ministry.
It isn’t, in my opinion, a misinterpretation of Scripture, to view these seemingly restrictive scriptures through a more culturally and socially evolved eye. Our primary lens should be Galatians 3:28. We mustn’t allow the enemy to distort God’s heart, or shame the church as being archaic, and insensitive.
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Christ is the Head of the Church. The church is the Bride of Christ. The church is to be clearly, eternally submitted to its Head. Christ is in love with the church. He has given her the Spirit, and gifts. Don’t stifle her from serving.
Great Expectations 