The Power of Unity

"I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours....that they may be one as We are...I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." (John 17:9,11b,20-21)

In this passage of scripture, we find Jesus making intercession to God on behalf of His disciples. He was praying that they would be one even as He was one with His Father. In this prayer we see how important the unity of the believers was to Jesus. He repeats this prayer for unity three times. Why was their unity so important? Because through this unity, the world will believe that Jesus was sent by God. Without unity, we are ineffective as a church and ineffective as witnesses for Christ.

"And the Lord said, 'Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them." (Genesis 11:6) There is power in unity! God had to change the languages of men because He saw that in their unity, nothing would be impossible that they set out to do. Oh, but if the church would just get a hold of this revelation! Nothing would be impossible for us to accomplish! This is why the enemy works so hard to keep us divided. A house divided cannot stand. The enemy sows seeds of strife and discord and keeps us from walking into our inheritance. We need to begin to tear down the walls that divide us from one another and begin to dwell in unity with each other. It's not about our agenda. It's not even about us. It's about Him. We should have one purpose and goal--to further the kingdom of God and seek that His will would be done on earth even as it is in heaven.

"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting." (Acts 2:1,2) Had they not been in one accord, the believers would have missed out on the "suddenly" moment. Without the power of the Spirit flowing in their lives, the church would have stagnated and died. But because of this encounter, the Word of God spread throughout the entire world.

If we as the body of Christ will come together--laying aside our differences and get in one mind and one accord, we will experience a mighty outpouring of God's Spirit as prophesied in Joel 2. This revival will bring a great harvest of souls into the kingdom of God. Let us begin to pray for unity and to pursue it with all of our hearts. For if we will become united, not even the gates of Hell will prevail against us!

Abiding in the Vine

"Abide (live, remain) in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing...As the Father loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love." (John 15:4,5,9)

The fruit of love is cultivated in our life through the process of abiding in Christ. The branches do not have to strive in order to bear fruit. All they have to do is abide--to be an extension of the vine. Herein lies the key to abundant life.

How do we abide in Christ's love? By keeping His commandments (John 15:10). What does He command us to do? "This is what I command you: that you love one another." (John 15:17) This can only be done by abiding in God's love. The reason we love is because He first loved us. We have no love apart from the love that God has placed inside of us.

Intimacy with God is the key to a successful Christian life. In John 15:14 Jesus says, "you are My friends if you keep on doing the things which I command you to do." Intimacy with God flows from our obedience to Him. Not only that, but one of the blessings of obedience is that we receive His favor (John 15:16) so that He will give us whatever we ask in Jesus name.

What destroys intimacy? Sin and disobedience. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, the bond of intimacy was broken, and fear entered--causing them to run from God's presence. That is why Christ had to come and die--so that our relationship with the Father might be restored.

"Whoever says he abides in Him (Christ) ought to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He (Christ) walked and conducted Himself." Abiding in Christ is the key to walking like Christ. Even as children emulate their parents, we are to emulate our heavenly Father. We are to study Him even as our children study us--watching our every move and facial expression. How do children learn to speak? By listening to their parent's voice. They then repeat what they hear. Even so, we need to hear what the Father is saying and begin to speak as we hear.

We can learn from our children. My youngest son will follow me around wherever I go. Sometimes this is annoying, but I understand his desire to be close to me. We as spiritual children need to begin chasing after our Father. We need to follow in His footsteps. As we do, we will see growth in our lives. We will begin to walk into maturity and become fruitful.

"I have given you an example, that you should do, as I have done to you." (John 13:15) "Jesus Christ does indeed ask everyone of us in everything to act just as we have seen Him do. What He has done to us, and still does each day, we are to do over again to others..." Like Christ: Developing the character of Jesus in your life by Andrew Murray.

"These things have I spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." What is joy? It is love smiling. It is a happiness in knowing that you are loved and secure in love. Where can fullness of joy be found? In God presence. Want to enjoy your life? Abide in God's love.

Love your enemies?!

Lately, I feel compelled by the Holy Spirit to study on love. Love is listed as the first fruit of the Spirit, therefore, it must be of great importance in the life of a Christian. Christ's life was a life of love. For God so loved...the greatest love. I've started listening to a series by Joyce Meyer's titled "Develop the Fruit of the Spirit in Your Life." In it, she teaches the importance of character and in having the fruits of the Spirit operating in your life. "Gifts are given," she says, "but fruit is developed." How is fruit developed? By the testings and the trials that we face in our every day life. As we yield to the Holy Spirit, and walk in the Spirit--bringing our body and soul into subjection, we will see the fruit of the Spirit begin to grow in our lives.

"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you...if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same....But love your enemies, do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High." (Luke 6:27,28,32,33,35)

The other day Steve's bike was stolen from in front of our home. In the past, I would have become outraged by such an injustice. But this time, I gave it over to God. I'm trusting Him to bring justice to the situation. At first, I prayed for conviction and the fear of the Lord to come upon the person who stole it. But as time went on, and God began to speak to my heart, I began to pray for their salvation and deliverance and that they would have an encounter with God.

Hurting people hurt people. I can attest to this in my own life. Before I began receiving deliverance in my life, I was a bitter, angry person. I had deep wounds in my life that needed healing. I often lashed out at the very people I loved. I would later hate myself for it. I found myself in a vicious cycle--wanting love, but pushing away the people who were trying to love me. I wanted to be free but didn't know how. Then God came into my life, gave me the keys to the prison doors, and I walked out into His freedom. My life has never been the same. I am a changed person. I still fall short at times--I have not reached perfection yet, but thank God I am not where I used to be. He is teaching me how to love, and how to walk in His love.

When we love our enemies, and do good to them, then we are behaving as children of God. Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners. When we were at our worst--Christ died for us. I am so thankful for God's love--that when I was in the muck and the mire, He reached down to pick me up. He got down to my level when I couldn't get up to His. Jesus was God in the flesh. He suffered agony beyond what we could imagine, yet he prayed for the ones who were responsible for His suffering. He manifested the love of God.

Who is your enemy? It could be someone in your church. It could be a member of your family. We are commanded to love our enemies--to do good to them and pray for them. "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21)

You know, if I were to see the thief that stole our bike, I think God would want me to give them our air pump also so they can keep the tires filled up. What do you think?

Returning to our first love....

"To the angel of the church of Ephesus write...I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent." (Revelations 2:1-5)

Yesterday as I was looking at the seven churches in Revelations, this one stuck out in my mind. In my Bible, it was titled "The Loveless Church." This church appears to have it all together--they are commended for (1) working hard, (2) having patience, (3) resisting sin, (4) critically examining the claims of false apostles, and (5) enduring hardships without becoming weary. But one thing was lacking--they had left their first love--the love that they had when they first came to Christ.

This brings a question to my mind. If they were not doing good works out of love for God, then what was motivating them? This causes me to examine my own heart. Do my good works flow out of my love for God or out of a desire for man's praise? You see, the Pharisees were diligent about keeping the law, but they were more concerned with appearances and the praise of men. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that though we speak in tongues, have prophetic giftings and great faith; though we give all we have to the poor, if we do not have love (God's love) in us, we gain nothing--our works will be burned up.

The scripture then goes on to describe what God's love is. God's love is longsuffering, patient and kind. It is not conceited; it is not rude. It does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking. It is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it. Love (God's love) bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything (without weakening).

The Church at Ephesus was instructed to remember, repent and return. "Remember then from what heights you have fallen." The church at Ephesus had at one point been commended on their love of God and others (Ephesians 1:15). So what caused them to leave their first love? Offense will cause your love to grow cold. If we harbor unforgiveness in our hearts, we cannot love with God's love. Our love will become cold and calculating. We cannot say we love God if we do not love our brother or sister in Christ. Hardships can also cause us to leave our first love. When trials come, we often question God. Why is He allowing this? We become angry with Him and draw back from the very One we should be drawing towards. Idolatry will cause you to leave your first love. Anything that you put before God is an idol.

Do you remember when you first came to Christ? Do you remember the joy that overwhelmed you? Do you remember that abounding love--that feast of love that He placed inside of you? When we abide in love, we abide in God. When we abide in God, we abide in love. I remember my first love--how I wanted more than anything to please God. I didn't want to do anything that would grieve His spirit. My heart was tender towards God. As I abided in His love, I found it easier to love others--even when they were unkind. I was more patient and understanding. My life wasn't about me, but it was about Him. I just wanted to stay in His presence and abide in His love.

God is calling us to return to our first love--to do the things that we did when we first knew Him. The church has become ineffective because it has left its first love. We need to serve out of love for God and love for others. We can be busy doing all the right things, but if it is not flowing out of our love for God and our love for others, then it is in vain. All of the commandments of God can be summed up in love. We are commanded to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then we are commanded to love our neighbor as we love ourself. Our love for others must flow out of our love for God. Love perfects us. It brings maturity and growth. It causes us to be an effective witness. "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples--if you love one another." (John 13:35)

Lord, cause us to remember our first love! Revive the passion that once burned inside of our hearts for you! Put a new heart within us--a heart that will follow after you!

Prepare the way of the Lord

Lately I have been hearing these words from God--"Prepare ye the way of the Lord." Isaiah 40:3 reads "Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God." We must prepare the path of our hearts for the Lord through repentance. Even as John the Baptist preached in the wilderness, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" There is a call to return to the altar while the season of repentance is still with us.

"Repentance prepares us for His presence. In fact, you cannot live in His presence without repentance. We need to repent for designing services that men like instead of yielding to what God likes...we have wanted 'life' in our services when God was after 'death' in our gatherings. It is 'death' through repentance and brokenness that ushers in the presence of God..." (The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney).

I believe God is going to bring a new wave of revival to the Pacific Northwest that will sweep across the nation. This revival is going to flow from the altar, first. Ezekiel 47 tells us of healing rivers that flowed from the sanctuary of God. These rivers began as water flowing from the altar. We as the church need to get back to the altar. The altar was a place of death and sacrifice, but it was also a place where the fire of God would fall.

Too many times we as Christians are guilty of "Sunday religiosity"--we go to church, get our ears tickled, fulfill our religious obligation for the week and walk out the door the same way we entered. As a result, we have had no impact on the world around us. The world is not impressed with our piousness or spiritual gifts. They are looking at our quality of character.

"The Church has lived in self-righteous smugness for so long that we stink in God's nostrils." (The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney) God is not impressed with our good works. He judges our hearts and motives. For too long, the church has had a "form of godliness" but a lack of power. Could it be that we have turned the House of Prayer into a clubhouse for the saints? We need to repent of our lukewarmness and mediocrity and begin to seek the Lord with all of our hearts once again.

Prepare the way of the Lord! "Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." We need to begin to lay a trail of tears for the feet of God to walk upon. As we do, we will see a visitation like we have never experienced.

Steps to Revival

2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

America needs a revival. We have strayed from the faith that this country was founded upon, and have begun to follow after other gods. There is no fear of God anymore. Instead, humanism runs rampant and man has become a god unto himself doing that which seems right in his own eyes. We as the church have stuck our head in the sand and kept silent for too long. They have taken prayer out of our schools. They have tried to take God's name from the courtroom, the pledge of allegiance, and off of our currency. They have tried to destroy the sanctity of marriage. We need to begin to fall on our face, repent, and seek God on behalf of our nation, because judgment is inevitable unless we turn from the direction we are heading.

1 Peter 4:17, 18 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

God is going to judge our nation beginning with His house first. The church has allowed herself to be defiled with the world. In my own life, I have not always walked in total obedience to God and have compromised at times, justified my sin and deceived myself. God is calling us to holiness. We as the Bride of Christ cannot compromise anymore. God is no longer going to wink at our ignorance, but instead He is calling us to repentance.


If we want to see true revival, there are four things that we must do.

First we must humble ourselves. America is a proud nation, boasting in her power and ability. But on 9/11 we began to see just how vulnerable we are and how easily the enemy can sneak in and destroy us. Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. God is far off from the proud, but is near to those that have a broken and contrite spirit. If we want God to come near, we must first acknowledge our depravity and our need for Him.

Second, we must begin to pray. We need to align ourselves spirit, soul and body and begin to pray that God's will would be accomplished on earth even as it is in heaven. Our will must be aligned with His will. Prayer is our lifeline to God. When we are lifted up in pride, God will not hear us. It is when we pray in humility and brokenness that He answers. You have not because you ask not. Do we really want revival or are we content to go on with things "as is"? While Moses spoke to God face to face, the children of Israel were content to worship from a distance. I am tired of worshipping from a distance. I want to experience His glory and power. I want my very countenance to be changed by His presence. You see, once you encounter God's glory, you will never be the same.

Next we must seek His face. Too many times we use prayer to seek God's hands--what He can give us. Prayer becomes about me instead of about Him. This is why it is so important to get in alignment when we pray so that we can be in tune with the Spirit and hear what God is saying. I want to feel the heartbeat of God. I want to be led by His eye. I don't want Him to have to shout from heaven in order to make me hear. I want to be able to hear His whisper.

Most importantly, we need to turn from our wicked ways. Once you have an encounter with a Holy God, it becomes much easier to let go of your sins. In fact, you are compelled to throw yourself upon the altar and beg for His mercy. You realize just how holy He is and how unrighteous you are. You become like Isaiah and say "Woe is me, for I am undone!" Your own righteousness becomes as filthy rags in His Holy Presence. A holy terror and reverent fear falls upon you causing you to prostrate yourself.

If we will take these steps, then God will meet with us and we will experience true revival like we have never seen before. As we cry out to Him, humble ourselves, and seek His face, He will hear our cry, forgive our sins and heal our land.