//Nikes, Graves, Powerades, and the Cross

Dear Blog World. Please forgive me. yet again.lol I know it's been a while since my last post, but please dive DEEP into the heart of God and pull out some blood to cover my blog sins.lolhahahah

No but really. It's has been a wild[and I mean WILD] eight and a half months of 2011 here in Mississippi. Some major[and I mean MAJOR] shift have taken place for the VERY good and some not weren't as nice. A lot that I wasn't expecting but that's kind of the nature of an apostolic generation. This kind of lifestyle requires FAITH. The lord once told me that to walk by Faith means that every step is anchored in the unseen.

So it has defiantly been an awesome season of transition, reformation, shifting, and establishing[hint the lack of post.busy.lol] Enough lingering. On the the point of the post.

So once upon a time...dot dot dot...I was in shape. I've always loved the great outdoors. I grew up with a big brother who loved sports so as a little brother I already had the propensity to be naturally athletic. Growing up, I practically lived outside . And I've always been a runner.

I can remember some of the most intimate times with the lord as a fourteen/fifteen year old were in the streets of my neighborhood running for hours. During the late hours of the night, I would just be outside communing with the triune God. I would just run and run and run. Something magical would happen as I exhausted my self. I would die.

Hidden deep in the labyrinth of my heart, are levels of brokenness and sin that needed/need to be abolished. Pain is the great revealer of those hidden places. So as I would run, the pain of my current condition would supernaturally be brought to the forefront of my heart. But the Spirit Might would rise in my inner man and strengthen the "real" me to overtake that current level of "brokeness me"[really Josh?sigh].

The old man would get the cover ripped off him, and then beaten violently as I got my eye on where I want to run to and pushed my selft to finish off strong. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that me pushing my self to the limit while running actually was[is] an avenue the lord used to expose some of the "underconstruction" areas and then give me grace to deal with them in his gentleness.

//Hoodwinked

Here's a quick back drop for my point.(Read all the way through!)

Before the lord returns, there will be seven years of Tribulation. Despite popular western belief...the church will be on the earth during the tribulation. It's our privilege not our punishment. Any who, long story short the ant-christ will bring false peace for 3 and a half years to win the heart of the world, become the world political leader, then turn on everyone and make everyone get a mark in order to buy food. He will declare him self as God, and many will believe him, even the elect in Christ(better get grounded in the knowledge of God) will get swept a wave in deception. Then that's when all the bad judgments are released and then at the 7 year mark, at the 7th trumpet, the King will shout and split the skies with passion in his eyes.

Whew...that was a mouth full.

Paul said that the dead in Christ will rise first to meet him in the sky and get there resurrected body, then those who are still alive will get there's in a twinkling of an eye. Our resurrected bodies will be shinning like the sun(hint we will be like him when we see him :] ). The degree of our brightness will be determined by our faithfulness to God in this age. Jesus' sermon on the mount tells us that it's what's done in secret that matters. Faithfulness is measured by our life in secret, not in public.

Our relationship with God in this age will be put on display for all to see in the age to come. He will openly reward those who were faithful in secret. We're going to be surprised by who actually knew God.

I said ALL of that just to say this. Don't get hoodwinked by peoples external expressions of greatness. It's whats done in secret that will transfer into greatness in the age to come. Some of the greatest well known men of God will be just as bright as some of the laymen house mom who know one knew about. The street sweeper is eligible to have a greater reward that the healing evangelist with the world-wide ministry. It's all about the heart. Get wise. Tuck your self into the bosom of his presence and pursue more of HIM and not a bigger whatever. Don't worry your self about who see's you, be determined to be seen by God. Oh, Beloved when you value his opinion over every other set of eyes...freedom is yours. Ok enough bunny trails.

Give your self to the knowledge of God. To know God requires relationship. Relationship demands intimacy. Knowledge is intimacy. You can know as much of Him as you want. He's unsearchable. You cannot exhaust the knowledge of God. Let the pursuit to know God more intimately rule your life(over pursuit for temporary pleasures and greatness). That's holiness. That's your reward. God himself. In all of His Glory. Don't get hoodwinked by what you see ;)

//trancedence

This is an excerpt from A.W. Tozer's book called. The Knowledge of the Holy[which a highly recommend everyone read. often.]

We must not think of God as highest in an ascending order of beings, starting with the single cell and going on up from the fish to the bird to the animals to man to angel to cherub to God. This would be to grant God eminence, even pre-eminence, but that is NOT ENOUGH. we must grant Him transcendence in the fullest meaning of the word. Forever God stands apart, in light unapproachable. He is as high above an archangel as above a caterpillar, for the gulf that separates the archangel from the caterpillar is but finite, while the gulf between God and the archangel is infinite. The caterpillar and the archangel, though far removed from each other in the scale of created things, are nevertheless one in that they are alive created.

//Glorious Gloom

Thank God for the Night,
for without it, the Morning's glory isn't put in perspective.

Thank God for the Rain,
only then can you experience the true splendor of the Rainbow.

Thank God for the Cross,
for without it, the resurrection looses it's power.

Thank God for the Battle,
because only then came we taste the sweetness of Victory.

Thank God for the struggle,
because only then can he touch our hip and let us lean upon our beloved.

11:11//

This blog is just a teaser :) I'll release the fullness of what God is downloading later. But till then, I'll keep the anticipation building.

This morning, I was suddenly awakened out of my sleep. It was a strange(not in a bad way) feeling because I was fully awake in an instant. It wasn't like a gradual wake up call but a sudden, almost violent awakening. I looked at my watch and it was 11:11.

Just to give you guy's some background info, about a month ago the lord started speaking some things over me and highlighting some key scriptures. One of the verses was John 11:11, which says, After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

I believe the lord gave me a prophetic wake up call this morning as a parabolic picture of what's going to happen to this Lazarus generation this upcoming year.

God is releasing the Spirit of Awakening to tear down the strongholds of the Spirit of Death and Lethargy.

This is truly....Zions Horizon//

//Divine Wound

Hello Everybody, first I want to apologize for the lack of blog post but it's totally for a legit reason. God has been doing some cool stuff and has opened some huge doors. I just started an internship here at IHOP and we've been in orientation the last couple weeks and things have been crazy.

But I just kind of want to share whats been on my heart the last week or two. One thing that was put in perspective when arriving to IHOP was my level of hunger. I thought I was hungry....pssshhhhh. One thing I've realized it the fact that no one is desperatly hungry because we feed all the other appetites in our lives. My mom always told me not to eat junk food before dinner because I wouldn't be hungry. I'm sick of spiritual junk food. I want the real thing.

I use to wonder what in the world would drive people to sit in a prayer room and pray for 8 hours. Then I encountered the lord deeper and it hit me. For no other reason that the fact that....He's worth it. His greatness is UNSEARCHABLE. It's the beauty of Jesus that drives those angels to worship him non stop. It's the same with us.Why do we offer up prayer and worship 24/7? Because he deserves unceasing adoration.

I've just been so tender and sensitive the last couple weeks. My heart is addicted to his presence and the pain of wanting more. I have this dream. That I would be an old man and still be moved by his affections to the point where I just weep in his presence. So I want to share with you the prayer of my heart for the last couple days. It's a prayer to position my heart to burn. A prayer to ignite my heart with the flame of his love...that many water cannot put out. I totally recommend you prayer it too but I have to warn you. It's dangerous. We pray stuff all the time and then opposition comes up in our lives and we don't realize that in the opposition is the key to get that burning heart your asking for.

We want our Goliath moment but complain when lions and bears come in our lives. When it's our lions and bears that produce the boldness to go against our Goliath's.

The lord spoke to me the other day and said, "Son, do you understand the degree of burning that had to be on that mans heart to go to that cross? You have to get a vision to burn...But realize that, that fire will lead you to a cross of your own...."

Here's my prayer:

• Awaken love.
• Would you be the dream of my heart?
• Would you come and be the longing of my soul?
• Would you fascinate my heart till my affections are reserved for one?
• Would you be the joy of my heart,…the prize of my life?
• Write Psalms 27:4 upon my heart.
• God, Give me doves eyes,..un-distracted devotion.
• Baptize me in the gift of hunger.
• O that you would wound my heart with love sickness.
• That I would have a heart aching for the fullness of your presence.
• Let me love you more, this is all that I desire.
• Let me miss you, mourn for you, be jealous for where you are.
• O that my heart would be wholly yours.
• O that my heart would crumble under the weight of your Glory.
• Pierce me with an arrow of your unfailing love.
• Overcome me with your zealous affections.
• Leave me undone at one glance at your face.
• Ravish my heart, & never let me go, I want to be desperate.
• Promise to satisfy me, & leave me unsatisfied.
• Catch the little foxes.
• Remove anything that hinders love. No matter the cost, put me through the fire, test me, try me, refine me in the fire like the Gold.

//Apostolic Miracle. The IHOP-U Awakening.

 Hey Guys, welcome back, I want to discuss the Apostolic Miracle called the IHOP-U Awakening. To give you a little background on when the revival started here at Ihop-kc, I have to go back to November 11, 2009. During a 9 a.m. Wes Hall class in the International House of Prayer University, the spirit moved heavily with healing and deliverance's. In fact it moved so heavily that it turned into a 15 hour meeting where thousands of people heard about it and flocked to the building.

    These services are absolutely out of this world! Scores and scores of people get healed, delivered, and renewed every service. Not just a couple of people with colds. I mean cancer dissolving by just being in the meeting. The wine of spirit flows like a rushing riving bringing life to the message. It's not just another good idea. The wine of the holy spirit allows people to feel the love of God in a tangible way. This manifestation of the Holy Spirit brings a supernatural intoxication that often makes one feel "high" and laugh uncontrollably. The word(which is the greatest vehicle for the spirit to travel in) is preached with Apostolic Grace and Power. There are different manifestations of the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost, He came like wind, fire, and wine. The realm and weight of Glory in these meetings are rare in these times. But the movement of this isn't rare. What I mean by that is the fact that revivals start all the time. But they end shortly after. This is why I called it an Apostolic Miracle. Because this one is a lasting one. This one has substance behind it. It's not an empty era of really good revival meetings. Nope. It's so much bigger. Let me explain.

    International House of Prayer has been in 24/7 prayer and worship since 1999. They live, breath, eat prayer. If you know anything about the history of revivals, prayer is the main, not the only, catalyst that revivals are birthed in. Prayer isn't just an activity here as I talked about in my last blog. It's a way of life. A culture. A thought process. An attitude of the heart that is grounded in OneThing. The Presence. So it was like all theses years they were not only building up revival "Credit" through prayer, but a culture. So now when revival hits IHOP…They are more than ready for it. They have the perfect ecosystem for revival. It was only a matter of time. I guess I can say "WE" now huh! We have a perfect culture fit for revival that transforms nations. Literally. It's not just a sentence in a vision statement anymore. It's happening.

In the old testament, when there was a fire on the altar, God lit it. But the priest had to keep it burning. This is where most ministries fail at. Epically. I want to teach about 2 things that put the fire out on Revivals. First one is that having a good meeting becomes the focal point instead of the thing that started it, the Presence. Here at Ihop, we have the Awakening services every thur-sat from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight. But when revival broke out, 24/7 prayer never stopped. Usually in ministries where revival breaks out, everything shuts down and those meeting become an attraction. In other words, Revival meetings are the dessert. Don't forget about the meal. Some ministries live off of dessert. Not healthy huh? Nope.

Another hindrance to continual revival is insecure leadership. Wes Hall and Allen Hood are the number three and four behind Mike Bickle(the founder). These two powerful men are the lead ministers of the Awakening services. God birthed it through them, and it's still flowing with them because they took the time in the secret place. In most large ministries that experience an outpouring of this magnitude, the head of Ministry usually takes over and has to be the Face of the revival and put his hands in everything. it takes an humble leader to allow your sons to do what they were created to do and not try to take it over because it's "Your ministry". Just sayin…. Oh and you should definitely tune in! It's live...just click here. They are all archived if you cant join in live :)

Be looking out for my next blog early next week, "Wasted life. Not in Vain". It's really dear to my heart and I was going to put it with this one but it deserves it's own. Peace. Love. & Revival.