Keep the Netherlands in your prayers. God so loves them for the many there who have historically stood for the Jews.
Russia
China
Taiwan
Peru
Chile
Turkey
Pakistan
Christ Church-New Zealand
London-always

This is a very important time for Israel. Many nations are now wanting to expel them from the from their hearts and even from the Earth. We will see God demonstrate His love for the Apple of HIs eye. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

I believe we need to keep an eye out in prayer for North and South Dakota, Montana, Washington, and Hawaii. Pray for a blessing, and stand against darkness.

27 Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. 28 Haran died [k]in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah [l]and Iscah. 30 Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31 Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out [m]together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and [n]settled there. 32 The days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

We will take a break from Mephibosheth for one day to talk about Lent. As many of you know, today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. The word Lent means to lengthen. It’s a season where God lengthens (stretches) us spiritually. During Lent, at an extravagant level, we allow the Holy Spirit to examine us, and convict us of anything that challenges the Lordship of Christ in our lives. We allow Him to deal with us down to the attitudes of our hearts. During Lent we intentionally fast, expressing our desperate desire to become more like Jesus in our walk. Lent reminds us of how needy we are, and how much we need Him to cleans every part of us so that He, who alone can live the Christian life, can live more freely, and fully through us. In verse 31we are told that instead of making it all the way to Canaan, Terah settled in Haran and died there. The word Haran means “half way.”. This is what Lent is about. It’s about dealing with those things in our lives that would make us settle for half way instead of going all the way into the land of promise where we get to enjoy our full inheritance In Christ. Don’t be afraid to come clean before God in this season, for you won’t find rejection on the other side of owning your stuff. Instead, you will find mercy and forgiveness, healing, and a fresh filling. Lent is to prepare each of us to experience a new personal Easter of resurrection life, overwhelming us in our daily lives. May this Lent issue each of us into a new Chamber closer to the heartbeat of Jesus. Have a great Ash Wednesday, and a Holy Lent.

On Friday night the 17th the Lord gave me a word about shifting. Lots of shifting going on around the world, not just in the secular. It was a pretty long word. I will post more about it in the days to come. Be on the alert for a lot of seismic activity, landslides, mudslides, and avalanches as a sign in the natural of this time of shifting. Beginning that night there have been 63 earthquakes of 4.7 magnitude or greater. A lot will be around the Ring of Fire, but some will show up in unusual places. Today Missouri had a 4.0 earthquake. The mudslides in the America will also speak about this election year where there will be a record amount of mudslinging. God will use this to cause the people of America to become disgusted with what they see and hear, and they will begin to long for something different. Shifting. Remember, the Lord said last Spring that He is bringing everything into order. The shifting, no matter how sketchy it make look is all a part of that.

2 Samuel 9

David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

1 Then David said, “Is there yet [a]anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” 4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. 6 Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” 7 David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the [b]land of your [c]grandfather Saul; and you shall [d]eat at my table regularly.” 8 Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”

Let’s talk a little about Mephibosheth. As I mentioned yesterday, he is broken and hiding in a place called Lode-bar. When he was 5 both his father, Jonathan, and his grandfather, Saul, we’re killed at the hands of the Philistines. Mephibosheth was being cared for by a Handmaiden and when she heard that both father, and grandfather had been killed she feared that they would come and kill the child since he would be a possible heir to Israel’s throne, so she took the child and ran. While running, she dropped the young boy and he suffered some kind of spinal injury and was crippled in both feet for the rest of his life. Later in his chapter we are told that he had a son named Micah, but there is no mention of a wife. Obviously life had not been good to Mephiposheth. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to support and raise a young son being that severely handicapped. He likely dealt with a lot of bitterness. Surely he had heard about how close his Dad was to David, and the covenant between them. Why after all these years didn’t he go see David and ask for his covenental rights. He must have been afraid. In verse 7 when he is brought into David’s presence, David encourages him to fear not. What was he afraid of? We can only guess, but I believe his fear was on several levels. For one thing I think he was convinced that David might do him harm if David found him. He was Saul’s descendent, and therefore David might think he could be a threat to the throne. Perhaps also, he simply believed that in light of his own brokeness and messed up life he didn’t qualify for the blessings his father had earned for him. The bottom line is, I believe he knew about the covenant, but couldn’t believe it was for him. He believed the lie that he was disqualified. He simply was too big of a mess. He wasn’t good enough. Sounds like us doesn’t it. We hear about all that’s ours In Christ but we are convinced that God couldn’t love us, because we are too messed up, and haved messed up too many things. All that blessing stuff has to be for those people the Father is proud of, not us. We don’t deserve it. We try to earn it, but we just don’t ever seem to get it quite right. I’ll leave you with this today. Mephibosheth didn’t have to act like a Kings Kid to earn his right to sit at the table and enjoy the Kings presence and provision. He first had to receive his right to sit at the table and enjoy the Kings presence and provision so he could start acting like a Kings Kid. That’s God’s order. We don’t change to get grace, we get grace to change.

2 Samuel 9

David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

1 Then David said, “Is there yet [a]anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” 4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. 6 Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” 7 David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the [b]land of your [c]grandfather Saul; and you shall [d]eat at my table regularly.” 8 Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”

David wanted to bless Jonathan’s descendants because of what Jonathan had done. He wanted to give them what Jonathan earned, and deserved. He wanted to give them all that belonged to Jonathan. This is our grace covenant with God. If you are In Christ then you get what He earned, what He deserved, what belongs to Him. It’s got nothing to do with whether you deserve it or not, but does He, and you are In Him. Ephesians 1:3 says that we have been blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing in the Heavenly Places In Christ. That’s true for every Christian, whether we take advantage of those blessings or not.
When David inquired about whether there was anyone left of the house of Saul, a former servant of Saul’s named Ziba said that there was still a living son of Jonathan who was loving in Lode-bar.
For some reason, Ziba felt led to identify him as “crippled in both feet”, as if to say, yes there is one descendant but he is pretty messed up, and broken and doesn’t have much value. That’s what the devil tells lots of Christians. He tells them that they are so broken God could never use them, and they can never really be an Overcomer in this life. The name Mephibosheth comes from two Hebrew words. One means “Shattered,” and the other means “A Thing of Shame.” What a name; A Shattered Thing of Shame. He had another name, Meribaal, which means “God Contends.” The word Lode-bar means, “Famine.” This broken person is hiding (which we will talk more about tomorrow) in a place of famine. At least God is still contending with him. No matter how broken we are, and no matter how long we’ve been hiding out in a place of spiritual famine God never stops contending with us, and He never stops pursuing us to bring us into the blessings of Christ that Jesus purchased for us. None of us would have ever sought Him if He hadn’t sought us first. Have a great day knowing that if You’ve been pursued by someone so magnificent there must be something extraordinarily wonderful about you.

2 Samuel 9

David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

1 Then David said, “Is there yet [a]anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” 4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. 6 Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” 7 David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the [b]land of your [c]grandfather Saul; and you shall [d]eat at my table regularly.” 8 Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”

I thought we would take a number of days and take a look at this story about David and Mephibosheth. One of the great stories in scripture. We will look at this chapter metaphorically. We will see David as a type of God the Father, Jonathan as a type of Jesus, and Mephibosheth as us, played out in this chapter. Let’s start by getting a little background. David and Jonathan were best friends and they had entered into covenant with each other. Simplified, Covenant means what belongs to me belongs to you, and your friends are my friends, and your enemies are my enemies. This is also true about our offspring for they are In You, and I will treat them as you. They made these pledges to each other. The only condition was that each kept covenant with each other by staying loyal and faithful to each other in their love and friendship. 1Samuel 20:14-17,42; 14 If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the LORD, that I may not die? 15 You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD require it at the hands of David’s enemies.” 17 Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life, 42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD will be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’” Then he rose and departed, while Jonathan went into the city.The scripture says about the friendship between the two was that they were “one soul” with each other.
This story picks up many years after the covenant was made. Jonathan died at the hands of the Philistines when Mephibosheth was only 5 years old, and in 2 Samuel 9, Mephipbosheth is old enough to have a young son. At this point David remembers the covenant and asks the question, “Is there anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake.” David initiates the pursuit. He wants to bless any descendant of Jonathan’s, for Jonathan’s sake. He wants to bless them because Jonathan earned it, not anything they earned. He wants to give them what Jonathan deserved, what belongs to Jonathan, only because by being Jonathan’s descendant they were In Jonathan. That’s the way of the grace of God. He longs to bless us. He initiates favor. As a matter of fact, we will see that David didn’t just inquire, he pursued the one he wanted to bless. Just think, not only is God not reluctant to bless you, He is pursuing you to show you kindness, all because Jesus earned it. Wow. More tomorrow. Have a great Lord’s day In Christ.

12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

I’ve always loved these verses from 1Tim.6. So many Christians have been robbed of just the wonder of what it means to be a Christian. It seems that many, are just holding on to life instead of taking hold of life, and celebrating the life that we have In Christ. As believers, we don’t just have life in this fallen world, we have eternal life. Eternal life is not about duration, though it does last forever and will never quit getting better everyday, but it’s about a kind of life.Don’t wait to enjoy it when you die. It’s a Today Life to be enjoyed now. It’s a life described by John as life that’s more abundant. Again, John in 17:3 says its a life of enjoying the intimate and experiential presence of Jesus everyday that lasts forever. Just think, you get to face today knowing Jesus as your love and your very life. You are His treasure, and He is the treasure that lives in the vessel of your humanity. What could be more exciting. All that He is, and all that He has, for all that you need every moment, and in every situation. No longer living as a victim, in fear and self pity, but attacking life as the container of the Victorious One who shares His more than conquering life with us. Don’t be a survivor, instead be an overcomer In Christ. Don’t just endure the day like the lost around you who are just trying to squeeze everything they can out of this fallen world. Be one who Takes Hold of the transcendent Eternal Life that is our privilege to live here and forever. Have a great day In Christ, abandoned to His abundance.

Isa 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

I was thinking about this verse yesterday and how much hoped it offered. To be ransomed is to be set free. To be set free is personal revival. I think every time we take the opportunity to genuinely repent and surrender in a new place there is new freedom, and refreshed revival. Luke 8 says, “blessed are those who weep (over their sin) for they shall laugh.” Awesome word. Those who live in the sheer wonder of a repentant, and surrendered life experience everlasting joy, not occasional joy, upon their heads. Sounds fun doesn’t it. Most of the times our heads in this fallen world are not in a good place. Just think, everlasting joy on your head. This verse also say that if you have gladness and joy, sorrow and sighing will flee away. What a great approach to inner healing, instead of constantly digging around to find what is wrong, just come into a place where you are overtaken by joy and gladness. When you do, sorrow and sighing can’t hang around. It’s hard to remember all the yuk when you are partying on the inside. Have a great day On Christ.

The Lord told me last week that we are living in an Isaac time. If you remember, both Abraham and Sarah laughed at God, when after 25 years of initially giving the word of promise concerning Abraham’s seed, God reiterated it when Abe tried to offer Ishmael as the solution. As a matter fact Abraham fell down on his face and laughed at God. He was a 100 years old now, and Sarah was 90 and had been barren all of her life. The situation was more impossible and hopeless now than it was 25 years earlier when they first got he word. Everything changed though when they heard something that is recorded in Gen.18. After Sarah laughed the Lord said in verse in 14, “Is anything too difficult for the Lord.” I believe it is at this point they finally got it. It wasn’t, and never had been about them being able to produce a child. It had always been about Gods ability to do the impossible to keep His word. It’s says in Rom.4 that when Abe was about 100 years old He finally believed (again, that’s 25 years after he got the word). It says that in hope against hope, he believed. Looking at hopelessness straight in the eyes, he pushed back with hope, which gave life to faith because he now was fully persuaded that God was able to keep His word. In Gen.17 God told them to name the child Isaac which means He (God) Laughs. God always gets the last laugh. There of many of you who have held on to promises God has given you, and yet the situation seems more hopeless than it did when you first got the promise. Its important that you don’t waver in unbelief, no matter what the enemy tells you as he points out the situation in the natural. Push back. Throw back your head and laugh the laugh of hope and faith. You will see God get the last laugh.
We will also see this in the affairs of men and nations. Don’t despair by what your eyes see. There will be a lot of heartbreaking things happen around us, but we will see God getting the last laugh. Things will seem to go one way and then God will get His laugh. Even when we see world affairs being influenced by the powers of darkness, know that those things too will come under the laughter of God. We will the Elderly, and others who have been afflicted in minds and bodies for decades manifest the Laughter of God as they get healed in an instant when logic would say after all these years it’s hopeless. In this time of growing challenge and darkness we will Aslan’s Laughter rise up and grow stronger and stronger, and the Church will join in resounding praise in concert with the Laughter of God.

Deliver me out of the sadness
Deliver me from all the madness
Deliver me courage to guide me
Deliver me Your strength inside me

CHORUS:
All of my life
I’ve been in hiding
Wishing there was someone just like You
Now that You’re here
Now that I’ve found You
I know that You’re the One to pull me through

Deliver me loving and caring
Deliver me giving and sharing
Deliver me this cross that I’m bearing

Oh, deliver me

Jesus, Jesus how I trust You
How I’ve proved You o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus precious Jesus
Deliver me
Come and pull me through
Come pull me through

This a song that came from a movie. I’m not sure the name, and Sarah Brighten did this on the soundtrack. David Crowder, a great Christian worship leader redid it, and these are the words. This word is for the 15th, but I’m writing it on Valentines day. I was thinking tonight about those of you who might be particularly lonely on valentines day because you’ve lost someone, or have been abandoned by someone. This song has always meant so much to me because the chorus so expresses my heart about my relationship with Jesus. God has been so good to me by giving me an awesome family, but the ultimate love of my life is Jesus. I’ve shared my story about how He found me in such brokenness and loneliness. I feared that I would be alone all of my life. I was so insecure, and had such a shattered self image that I was hiding away in fear, wishing someone would come along and rescue me from my deep loneliness. I had dreamed and fantasized about what kind of person that might be and then Jesus came along and rescued me and delivered me with His furious and relentless love. I never knew I could be loved like that. His overwhelming love gave me such a sense of worth and value, and His presence became so real that the loneliness became a distant memory and a constant reminder of how awesome He is. His joy over me is still so liberating. I finally became someone’s valentine. Someone so special and so satisfying that I felt such sorrow for those who didn’t have a Beloved like my Beloved. “I am my Beloved’s and He is mine,” and His banner over me is love. Amazing, and still is today. The life of the Shulamite is such an amazing adventure, and to think, if you are a believer you get to live that life. Even though this is a day late, Happy Valentine to all of you whose Beloved is Jesus. All of my life I’d been in hiding, wishing there was someone just like you (Jesus) now that you’re here now that I’ve found you, I know that you’re the one to pull me through. Finding Him is the greatest moment of my life. Have a great day being His beloved.