From Page 38, The Seer, By Jim W. Goll
"Prophetic Worship Leaders Who Usher In The Manifested Presence Of God Through Prophetic Worship."
"Prophetic worship leaders help release people into the liberty of both expressing their love for God and receiving God's love. Under their prophetic leadership, the gifts of the Spirit flow and operate more freely. Because they are carriers of the Spirit, they can help lift others into His marvelous presence where change occurs. Jesus is truly exalted and enthroned in the praises of His people.
The prime Biblical example is David who, in addition to being a shepherd and a king, was also a prophetic psalmist. Half or more of the psalms in the Bible were written by David. As a young man, he played his harp and sang, causing demons to flee from King Saul. What a combination!
Several examples of the prophetic psalmist in our own generation would be Jason Upton, David Ruis, Theresa Griffith, Matt Redmon, Heather Clark, and Jeff Deyo."
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Gift Of Discernment
Wow, today is a writing day! Two hours after I wrote my last post I sat down to read a book and was wowed in particular by # 3 (out of 6) in this particular section:
Guidlines For Operating in the Gift of Discernment
#3. Examine the fruit. One of the best ways to test the spirits is to look at the results, keeping in mind that fruit takes time to develop. That is why we should be careful not to enter into quick judgement concerning whether or not something is of God, but take a little bit of time to watch. At the same time, however, we need to be sensitive to the "smell" of rotten fruit, so we can nip it in the bud. Does the activity draw people to Christ or pull them away from Him? Does it encourage them in righteousness or lead them into unrighteousness? Jesus said:
"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits." (Matt. 7:16-20)
Pages 97-98, The Seer, By Jim W. Goll
Guidlines For Operating in the Gift of Discernment
#3. Examine the fruit. One of the best ways to test the spirits is to look at the results, keeping in mind that fruit takes time to develop. That is why we should be careful not to enter into quick judgement concerning whether or not something is of God, but take a little bit of time to watch. At the same time, however, we need to be sensitive to the "smell" of rotten fruit, so we can nip it in the bud. Does the activity draw people to Christ or pull them away from Him? Does it encourage them in righteousness or lead them into unrighteousness? Jesus said:
"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits." (Matt. 7:16-20)
Pages 97-98, The Seer, By Jim W. Goll
The Fear Of The Lord
Something that I have heard and see (in the spirit) is the restoration of the fear of the Lord coming to the Church.
The NIV Bible defines fear (v) 1. To respect highly; to feel reverence and awe for; 2. to be afraid of. (n.) profound reverence toward God; anticipation or awareness of danger.
The restoration of the fear of the Lord helps us to run from sin.
As the end of time draws near and the Bride of Christ is being prepared (to be without spot or wrinkle) for her coming Groom and King we are going to see an increase in the exposure and judgement of unrepented sin in the Body. Without repentance the seeds of sin will bear fruit. Without repentance the fruit of sin will become evident and will be judged. Ananias and Sapphira experienced immediate judgement because they lied to the Holy Spirit and did not repent. The result of that caused the early church to be gripped with fear (Acts 5). I believe this was a prophetic sign of how unrepented sin will always lead to death.
"...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling..." (Philippians 2:12b)
"...Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." (Job 1:8)
"Fear the Lord your God and serve Him only...Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land...thrusting all your enemies out before you...obey...fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive..." (Deuteronomy 6:13a, 18a, 19, 24)
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." (Psalm 111:10)
In my own walk I have learned to ask people to give me feedback, keep me accountable. I want to "nip sin in the bud" so to speak, so that it doesn't have opportunity to flower and bear fruit. As painful as the process usually is, asking God regularly to remove any strongholds helps to pull up your stuff by the roots. As long as there is any root, you will be fighting an impossible and exhausting battle. God is faithful and you don't have to beg Him to remove your strongholds, when you ask, he is so gracious in His methods (speaking from personal experience). It is so much easier to take when we humble ourselves rather than to resist and be forcibly humbled by God (for our good and the good of others).
The NIV Bible defines fear (v) 1. To respect highly; to feel reverence and awe for; 2. to be afraid of. (n.) profound reverence toward God; anticipation or awareness of danger.
The restoration of the fear of the Lord helps us to run from sin.
As the end of time draws near and the Bride of Christ is being prepared (to be without spot or wrinkle) for her coming Groom and King we are going to see an increase in the exposure and judgement of unrepented sin in the Body. Without repentance the seeds of sin will bear fruit. Without repentance the fruit of sin will become evident and will be judged. Ananias and Sapphira experienced immediate judgement because they lied to the Holy Spirit and did not repent. The result of that caused the early church to be gripped with fear (Acts 5). I believe this was a prophetic sign of how unrepented sin will always lead to death.
"...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling..." (Philippians 2:12b)
"...Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." (Job 1:8)
"Fear the Lord your God and serve Him only...Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land...thrusting all your enemies out before you...obey...fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive..." (Deuteronomy 6:13a, 18a, 19, 24)
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." (Psalm 111:10)
In my own walk I have learned to ask people to give me feedback, keep me accountable. I want to "nip sin in the bud" so to speak, so that it doesn't have opportunity to flower and bear fruit. As painful as the process usually is, asking God regularly to remove any strongholds helps to pull up your stuff by the roots. As long as there is any root, you will be fighting an impossible and exhausting battle. God is faithful and you don't have to beg Him to remove your strongholds, when you ask, he is so gracious in His methods (speaking from personal experience). It is so much easier to take when we humble ourselves rather than to resist and be forcibly humbled by God (for our good and the good of others).
Starbucks Cup Quote
I bought a cup of Starbucks coffee at gate C41 on May 2nd at Toronto Pearson, (or was it Calgary?), anyway, I love it when God confirms what you feel (know in your spirit)!
In God's Kingdom, true spiritual leadership has to function a certain way to produce good fruit. Those same Kingdom principles for leadership will also produce good fruit in the natural. When my sister was a retail store manager of a Canadian flagship cosmetics giant in Vancouver she employed these principles. Needless to say the fruit was very, very good, she was granted much favor with both employees and employer. Her superiors were enthralled and curious about her leadership style.
Here's the quote that sums it up:
The Way I See It #284
"You can't lead the people, if you don't love the people. You can't save the people, if you don't serve the people."
Cornel West
Professor
Some may argue this and give numerous examples proving otherwise, but I re-iterate: true spiritual leadership in God's Kingdom is the only form of leadership that produces good fruit. I am not talking about temporary natural success (and yes, it will be temporary). I am talking about good fruit. Good fruit can be identified (but not limited to) the following (Galatians 5:22-23):
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self Control
As a contrast, the following fruit will appear when any other form of leadership exists (Galatians 5:16-21):
Sexual immorality
Impurity
Debauchery
Idolatry
Witchcraft (rebellion)
Hatred
Discord
Jealousy
Fits of rage
Selfish ambition
Dissensions
Factions
Envy
Drunkenness
Orgies and the like
We can judge fruit to discern spiritual condition. If I discern a bad fruit in my life I know that something is not right and I take it to the Lord and ask Him to cleanse me. Cleansing and change of heart is done by the Holy Spirit, but before that can happen we must choose to humble ourselves and repent. Grace comes through the blood of Christ and the blood of Christ is appropriated through repentance.
In God's Kingdom, true spiritual leadership has to function a certain way to produce good fruit. Those same Kingdom principles for leadership will also produce good fruit in the natural. When my sister was a retail store manager of a Canadian flagship cosmetics giant in Vancouver she employed these principles. Needless to say the fruit was very, very good, she was granted much favor with both employees and employer. Her superiors were enthralled and curious about her leadership style.
Here's the quote that sums it up:
The Way I See It #284
"You can't lead the people, if you don't love the people. You can't save the people, if you don't serve the people."
Cornel West
Professor
Some may argue this and give numerous examples proving otherwise, but I re-iterate: true spiritual leadership in God's Kingdom is the only form of leadership that produces good fruit. I am not talking about temporary natural success (and yes, it will be temporary). I am talking about good fruit. Good fruit can be identified (but not limited to) the following (Galatians 5:22-23):
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self Control
As a contrast, the following fruit will appear when any other form of leadership exists (Galatians 5:16-21):
Sexual immorality
Impurity
Debauchery
Idolatry
Witchcraft (rebellion)
Hatred
Discord
Jealousy
Fits of rage
Selfish ambition
Dissensions
Factions
Envy
Drunkenness
Orgies and the like
We can judge fruit to discern spiritual condition. If I discern a bad fruit in my life I know that something is not right and I take it to the Lord and ask Him to cleanse me. Cleansing and change of heart is done by the Holy Spirit, but before that can happen we must choose to humble ourselves and repent. Grace comes through the blood of Christ and the blood of Christ is appropriated through repentance.
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