Pride Must Go

On Leviathan:
     First we must realize that Leviathan is a spirit, one that exists and thrives even today. Then we, in the light of YHWH’s Omnipotence, must understand that the only way for Leviathan to have rights to affect our lives is when we live unsubmitted to the Father, our Elohim.
Let’s look at one single verse about this beast:

Job 41:22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.

     What about such a powerful foe would cause Joy over sorrow? What is this verse doing in the center of a description of something so terrible?


“A more plain translation says: “Strength dwells in his neck, and sorrow dances before him”
- They are strong (Strength dwells in his neck)
- They are cruel and entertained by sorrow (sorrow dances before him)”.
David Guzik Study Guide for Job 41

“Take a view of his neck, and there remains strength, v. 22. his head and his body are well set together. Sorrow rejoices (or rides in triumph) before him, for he makes terrible work wherever he comes. Or, Those storms which are the sorrow of others are his joys; what is tossing to others is dancing to him. His flesh is well knit, v. 23.”
Matthew Henry Commentary


     At first glance, this verse in the KJV has us thinking that sorrow turned to joy in the beast’s presence.  That thought is in plain contradiction to all of the surrounding verses and their descriptions of Leviathan.  Digging a little prayerfully, we find an even more sinister character of the beast: that the fire from his mouth and nostrils causes sorrow personified to rejoice!   How terrible! 
We suffer all of this because we tend our nature and say “I’ve got this.” Rather than, “Yes, YHWH, yes, Elohim, yes, Adonay, yes yes yes, my Father! I love you King! I submit before You wholly and I wait for You to speak to All of me.”

To solidify the revelation of what Leviathan has been given to rule over, listen to the Word of YHWH:

“Job 41:33-34 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear. He beholdeth all high [things]: he [is] a king over all the children of pride.”

Pride Must Go: 

     Pride isn’t something that we can cast out, it’s not something that can be cured or treated with medications, Pride is something that we must choose to reign, something we must be proactive against.  Pride isn’t defeated by seeing it and then battling it down, Pride is defeated by action in its antithesis, Humility.  In all we do we must adorn on ourselves the cloak of humility or Pride will shine and blind us from seeing the enemy’s game to destroy us.  Colossians 3:12-14 has quite a bit of instruction on what this looks like:


Colossians 3:12-14 So embrace, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, a spirit of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering. Bear with one another and forgive one another. If anyone has a quarrel against anyone, even as Christ forgave you, so you must do. And above all these things, embrace love, which is the bond of perfection.


     The Church has been asleep and selfish, seeking week to week to go to a place to get some Jesus and then go on about their lives until the next required dose.  We go to the meetings, not ready to give what Jesus has given us but, to take from the plates of inspiration that our Authority (leadership) has labored to prepare for the flock.  We so quickly forget that we ARE all sheep, even our Authority, and we ALL have the ability, yes even the responsiblity, to labor and tend to the wonderful gardens of inspiration found in YHWH, our Elohim!  How are we to follow the great commission to go and make disciples if we ourselves refuse to be sharpened by even YHWH’s Word!?!?  Save the fact that we all would have to desire greatly to be corrected by another believer rather than to find correction to dole out!

     The enemy of the children of Pride is before you, waiting to deceive and destroy.  We have a task before us, the thing is exposed, and the task is so simple that if you don’t do just that, you’ll miss it. What is it? Surrender. Don’t go, don’t do, don’t guess, surrender!  Then and only then will you be sent, then and only then will your labor NOT be in vain.


Commissioned on this day [insert the date you’re reading this] to surrender to The Father, in Jesus’ name.

The Love of God in Us - Panola County Daily Devotional Extension

When we look at the ABC's of the Christian walk we are looking for a focus, an objective, a goal: something to strive for.  This walk isn't made from works, mind you, but most certainly is evidenced by them.  So what are we looking for?  What can we focus on in our own lives?

Two Sections of scripture come to mind:  II Corinthians 10:3-5 and Romans 12:1 & 2.

This week, We've been taking steps to share what the Lord has give us here.  We pray that it has shed light in your heart and that today we can add to that in the name of Jesus.

Tuesday we looked at Romans 12:1 and saw that Paul was Calling the Roman Believers to do submit to God; "I Beseech you Brethren".  We found out that our submission to God is produced in us "by the mercies of God".  

Wednesday, yesterday, we talked about how real sin is in our own lives and that when dealing with other's we must keep that in mind, "Looking at specks past our planks"

Today we explore in our brief time: The Love of God In Us. For more on today's message click the BLOG link @ ChristCarriesMe.org

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                All of Scripture reveals to us that God’s will in the earth is to be glorified by His creation – you and I as a born-again believer, have the key and the access to grant His requirement: worshipping in Spirit and in Truth.  Don’t let the doctrine of man sway you, dear believer.  If the Lord says you can talk in other languages, believe that, if He says that you can pray in the Spirit without understanding and then pray FOR understanding afterwards then by faith DO THAT!  Trust that you’ll receive what your spirit has spoken in conversation to the Lord.  If you believe that God has said (to do) and it lines up with His word, do it BOLDLY and quickly.  I promise you this, by follow the commands of Jesus to Love God first, you will get to know Him.  Begin loving on God by pouring out in prayer and using His word (the Bible).  He will disciple you in how to approach, with understanding, His character AND you’ll love your neighbor as yourself.

                Following the first commandment of Jesus, to Love God first, is something that increases in us, grows, until we leave this earth.  The increase of our love is by God’s revelation: it happens within our relationship with Him.  It is impossible for man to completely know the depths of the Love of God, for God is Love.  HIS depths are unfathomable to us!  How could our finite minds wrap around the infinite?  Think of it: as a child of God, you have an inheritance that is infinite.  Infinite.  Would you like to hear the good news?  WE HAVE ACCESS TO IT ALL BECAUSE OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD WITHIN US!!!  Let me see if some Word can help us grasp this… 

“We love because He first loved us.” – I John 4:19 MEV

So, the cause of my love for Him is His for me?  What a spark!  Does this mean: My love for Him is full & complete or He doesn’t love me at all?  Well, not exactly: Our love for Him is instant in that we have met someone that Loves us completely but as time goes by and He continues to love us our love for him grows as we discover more of Him. 

First, there is the initial sanctification of man to Him in salvation: A man can “will” a change by putting pressure on his nature.  He’ll even show change but the moment he releases the pressure he’s back to square one.  When God changes our Nature (in salvation [new heart, new mind]), this radically changes our desires to be aligned with His.  Then, the process of continued sanctification excels and we move on from Faith to Faith and from Glory to Glory.  The more revelation and understanding I have of His love FOR me, the more I’m enabled to retain and to share His love – with Him.   Did you see that?  It’s His love shed abroad in our hearts that makes the difference.  We don’t have it in and of ourselves.  Being born again sets us into our access of the things of the spirit realm by our born-again spirit (“inner man” Eph 3).  THEN AND ONLY THEN can we Worship in Spirit and in Truth.  It is our born-again spirit that has access to the Throne Room, it is there we commune with God, it is there that our RELATIONSHIP is: it cannot exist without it – God is a Spirit & God is Love. 

                Hold on, let’s go deeper:  If God is love and we are one with Him, who is it that loves others and how is it that we love others as ourselves if we ourselves can’t even love ourselves?!?! Did you see that?  Praise God for Revelation Knowledge of the workings of the Kingdom!  It is GOD who loves us and it is GOD who loves others – we are a vessel for HIM, not for us.  When we are full of self,   we have NOTHING to give and when we are full of Him we STILL have NOTHING to give – That's why Hebrews calls us to strive to enter His rest! HE loves others through us while we rest in Him.  We simply yield and become a conduit of His “electric” power.  We are the connection from the place where He is in the Throne Room and the place where we are in the earth realm: a true "manifestation of the sons of God."

This is why the ABC's are so important: Romans 12:1,2 and II Corinthians 10:3-5:

Remember: the increase of our love is by God’s revelation in relationship.  Loving others starts with loving God.  You cannot love them without ministering to Him first.  

I thank you for joining me today, I'm JD and I call you Blessed and Highly Favored!
  

Ministry Update - June 2017

     We Praise God for you! This past 2 weeks has been crazy with little office time to sit and write.  It is VERY encouraging to us to see fruit of God produced in others and to be a catalyst for that is humbling.  I guess we never really know which moments in our lives count for someone else in an eternal way.

     Ministry is a calling for sure: you have to know that you know or else you’ll let the vision slip from you.  I believe that we received the vision in 2011 for this ministry.  Even the name Christ Carries Me was given then.  It’s easy to see that God is with us because of the connections He’s made in relation to the vision.


     For instance: Hellen and Robert Howell and Anne and Al Sherril, two couples, both were
volunteers at Coffield for over 20 years.  They faithfully, week by week, went to the Coffield Boot Camp.  Even on Christmas day, there they were, it was a Saturday, second nature, no questions!


This has impacted us greatly to see people with hearts of gold that go.  Now we see Bro Robert and Sis Hellen pretty much once a month minimum and we are involved in street ministry together as a band (Vessels of Clay) among other things.  Family ties are made in the Blood of Jesus!

The street ministry is called Jesus Burger.   Yeah,  Jesus Burger!  It’s really simple.  The place it’s held is spotted, prayed and fasted over, cross-walked (with giant crosses these guys go door to door and knock on ‘em to love people), finalized and then the events start in that place and continue month to month.  They are usually held in the neighborhoods where the need is and the ministry is “free clothes, live music, free meal.”   Ministers like us are EVERYWHERE and you have a place wherever you go no matter where you are if you're in the Call.  We go and are present and accounted for.  When the meal is served we eat and fellowship with the people.  In the pictures you see, we’d be overdressed for a Jesus Burger… It's not about show, it's about relationship. Check out that LOGO!
 We’re blessed to be a part of that Ministry – On Mission Ministries out of Treasure Church, Longview Texas.  They multiply them in cities all over this area every weekend… Amazing people.

We went to the Boyd Unit a couple weekends ago too.  We RV’d like a pro!  Anne and Al and Hellen and Robert and I all stayed overnight because the service time is 7 am.  Robert, Hellen and I went to Tenn Colony directly after that, met up with David and went in to the TC @ Coffield for services.

God is good and faithful to supply open doors to us as we go along.  It’s really something to go and testify or to give a word to someone the Lord shows you.  God is SO good.

    Most recently we've connected with Mike Barber Ministries and Bill Glass Behind the Walls.




      We send our love to Mike Barber Ministries. We LOVE Sean and the team over there… Their hearts are for God and His in the jails… it’s a big deal, really.  We've entered in with them twice and look forward to working with them MUCH more in the near future.

     Mickey Webb wrote to us and suggested we touch base with Volunteer James Guerra.  Well we reached out to him through Mercy Heart where he was at last we knew and he called us back.  He’s now the area director for Bill Glass Ministries and he just so happens to have an event in our area coming up and needed help laying the foundations.  It is SO awesome the way God works.  They’re coming to the Henderson area and need over 200 volunteers to come along.  Here’s James and I at our meeting last week.  We’re excited to be a small part of what God is doing state-wide.  Fear not!

     We've been in talks with Kevin Brown.  He and his wife, Debra, are precious to us.  Also Sister Gardner, who is a mighty woman of God and since her husband Anthony passed away, she’s stood strong! She misses him greatly.  The way I figure, he’s missed by many.  Pastor Gardner, was a man you knew to approach well as the Spirit of the Lord was with him.  So, Kevin and I talk regularly.  He gave me a life verse one day in the beginnings of the Ministry vision and didn’t realize it at the time (Genesis 28:15).  That verse stuck with me HARD.  He is doing well and is working to get in to the prisons and volunteer also.  He’s as stout in the Lord as always and he still has a big head! (physically LARGE) 😊



TESTIFY!
        Leaving the old life behind is evidence of a true move of God.  It didn’t happen for me until then and I tried to do it on my own.  We were working in the ministry, laying hands on the sick, casting out devils, all that but so did the people in the book of Matthew BEFORE the Holy Ghost and the Salvation of Man!!!  I read once the verse “...but Lord, didn’t we cast out….  Yes, but depart from Me for I never knew you.”  WOAH! That frightened me to no end when I saw that!!  That was the beginning of what I call my “conversion”.  It was the truest point of my life in that I was able to see God as Holy and me as NOT AT ALL WORTHY.   But praise GOD for His Grace (Luke 11:5-13)!  After that experience, the Word came alive, my prayer life began to matter and the prayers I asked I could see being answered, God got involved…  I told God in that deepest pit, “Father, this is what I can do with my life.  I can’t.  You have to!”  and that, my friend, was it.  But HE had to bring me there, you know?  The thing is, now that I know church is full of messy people (As I was one and still am) I can go without being mad at the “hypocrites”.  Where else you want ‘em to be?  HOLY GHOST SETUP! YEAH!


 Dearest Reader: That's our update.  Know that we’re praying for you.  We Love you.  Peace!


Genuinely,

Rev JD Pierce
Executive Director
Christ Carries Me Ministries
p: +1 903.265.4424  f: +1 903.900.4981
a: Post Office Box 354, Carthage, Texas 75633-0354
w: ChristCarriesMe.org   e: JD@ChristCarriesMe.org

Report from Gilmer - Jesus Burger Success, yet again!

     When the Lord woke us up a little after 4 am, the first call in our spirit was to pray that God would come down in Gilmer and for fare weather.  Laying in bed, before our feet hit the floor physically our hearts entered the Throne Room spiritually.  PRAISE GOD for His love and His faithfullness to grant us entrance to such marvelous moments!  As if standing on the streets of Gilmer we spoke to the wind and rain calling it to be dispatched elsewhere for a while today, that the Lord's business might transact there.  Instantly a conviction and a searching rose within me.  "Am I coveting the power of God here?  'Father, I'd rather your pureness than power.  Would you forgive my flesh for longing to see Your power?  Lord, give us fare weather, just as we've spoken, but help me maintain pure motives.'".  I felt released there, as if that matter was settled.  It was.

This is the view of the weather over Gilmer from about 20 miles away.

     It rained on me from the time I left the house until I finished taking these images.  I rejoiced in the LORD when on the distant horizon I saw that He'd breathed and the wind and the rain obeyed.  When we finished up near lunch, it was  blue sky's and cirrus clouds. 

Awesome God.

Here is the video of Jesus Burger Gilmer.  These are only the moments seen on the platform, it was here that ministry flowed from.  You should have seen what we didn't get on tape!  God was there all day!  

We love you!  Thank you for supporting us, in Jesus' Name

...but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

 

"And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you , even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow." Josh 24:12

Read Joshua 24:1-15

You want to win a war but you don't want to service God?

"It's not my war. The battle is the Lord's!" has become cliche and we've lost the understanding of how our pride and arrogance impact the spirit of our words.

     "It's not my war." should come to mean, 

"How dare I think for a moment that something God has chosen to glorify Himself with, the victory over my enemies, is something I can take credit for." 

     Joshua gathered all of Israel together because what he had to say was important (v1).  He then, with authority, announced and imparted the vision and majesty of Who God is and had been to the people (vv. 2-13) and then brought the responsibility of each person to light with a commission, a plan of action, a call (vv. 14-15).

Today, were is the Spirit of the Lord in Power in our meetings?  What is it that is needed to reveal the fear of the Lord in our congregation? Why, it's the Lord Himself, coming down, being present, holiness manifested!  It's a place we've heard about.  It's a place some of us have experienced a portion of in our lives.  It's a place people talk about.  Where is it right now?

We're so busy and caught up in our phones and computers!  Even now as I type this message I feel His conviction!  We should call facebook and twitter what they really are, "Anti-Social Networks" because what they do is allow us to show a face without action, a mask, the VANITY OF OUR MINDS rather than the evidence of our walk!  Oh Lord help us to seek You!  Lord help us to find You!  Lord, call us into times of prayer and fasting that are unheard of today!  Lord, help!  Come down! Lord, please!

Reader, don't you want to feel the cleansing power of the presence of the Lord corporately?  Would you like to see your husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters flee from sin as if they'd seen the devil himself in it?  THAT is revival, THAT is what happens when God Steps Down.
Have you tried to help them? Have you cried trying to get them to listen?



It's time abandon all our own devices and minister unto the Lord.  "If My people," the Lord said, "which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 


#Commission - Time to pray without ceasing.

When God Stepped Down from Heaven by Duncan Campbell
Topic: Revival History   
Description: Listen to this first-hand account of the Lewis Revival during the early 1950s. Duncan Campbell was God's instrument in this extraordinary awakening. In this tape Campbell recounts point-by-point this three-year movement of the Holy Spirit over the Hebrides Islands. Thousands were converted, conviction overwhelmed villages, outward sin disappeared, and prayer meetings were packed! Your heart will be thrilled as you listen to this tape about this heaven-sent revival in Lewis. 

You mean "always" always?

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

 II Thes 5:16-18 KJV


     How we spend our time in life makes the difference.  The days are passing moment by moment and our life script is being recorded in indelible ink by the very finger of God Almighty.  "Consider the ant..." the Proverb instructs us, consider the ant indeed...


It seems to me that one little ant all alone carrying a grain of sand doesn't constitute much of a threat to humanity, but that's not the only grain he's going to tote!  Fire ants were introduced to the US in the 30's. Little biting critters in the Ports of Alabama and today that little grain of sand has expanded their territory to cover over 1/2 the United States! 

That being said, considering the ant, every thought is as a grain of sand, every moment is a placement or displacement of the ground we're standing on. 

The Word tells us to REJOICE ALWAYS, always is a lot of time and a lot of that time we're disobedient to that command and in doing so we lament, regret, grieve and weep instead!  

To PRAY WITHOUT CEASING is cited: how hard do we struggle to find 2 1/2 hours with God a day in this age?  Even if we mumble "Lord Jesus, guide me." every 15 minutes that's still disobedience!  

GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES: are you thankful reading this right now?  

All of this to prove that man can't do it and if it's to be done that God must! 

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.   Galatians 5

 "Walking in the Spirit" is, I believe, what Jesus was doing when He said, "even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.". and it is what we are commanded to do:

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.   John 4

 Part of our recovery program teaches that we must "turn over our will and our life to Jesus Christ".  It is a teaching on submission.  If we get turned around and start focusing on submitting one to another it gets hard but when we focus on submitting to God and get THAT right the "one another" part comes naturally as that battle is fought and won at the cross rather than on this battlefield called "one another".   There is more here to dig into but another time perhaps.  We'll leave you with this:  You can walk in the anointing of God

Wow, so, what now?

Deuteronomy 10 and 8 informs us that the Levites are to stand before the Lord to minister. This part of your job gets to be the very essence of what worship is.
The second most used Greek word in the Bible that means to worship is latreuo, which means to minister to God ... For now it is enough to know that there is not a single word for worship in the Bible, Greek or Hebrew, that includes the idea of ministry to mankind. Worship is simply not for us. It is for God.
If the church would embrace this, we would have a cultural revolution within our own drinks - a conversion from idolatry to the truth. Why do I say idolatry? Because we have marketed to people what was meant as ministry to Jesus.

HOW TO WORSHIP A KING.