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Business From a Kingdom Perspective

by Del Hungerford

We often don’t think about business as being a “kingdom” thing. I’ll have to say, that included me until I actually owned a business. There are many principles, like the laws of physics, that work despite your belief system when it comes to business.

I listened to Ian Clayton’s teaching set titled “Kingdom Business 1” and “Kingdom Business 2” a few times when I first purchased them. I’m finding that it’s good to go back and listen again to teachings after I’ve worked through things. Being prompted this past week to listen again, I “heard” this teaching with a fresh set of ears. Go to www.sonofthunder.com to purchase these MP3 teachings.

At the time of my first listen, I was going through some rough spots financially and had been for quite some time. Much of that was due to my own stupidity, involving my lack of ability to handle money. I did some dumb things but, I also learned from my mistakes. We are often brought to a place where we have to deal with our shortcomings. If we don’t, we stagnate and never seem to move forward. However, we do have the option to stay stuck. It’s all about choices.

To purchase Ian's book about business, CLICK HERE. 

In the “Kingdom Business” teachings, Ian discusses integrity as well as the importance of functioning on the other side of the veil for all business practices. In general, I’m finding that when I don’t go directly into the realm of the kingdom for any business dealings, stuff doesn’t seem to work out quite right. It’s so important that even in the midst of the “yuckies” that go on in our lives, we learn to function from heaven to earth out of a place of rest.

Ian discusses the standard view of the “enemy.” This was not something new to me but for some strange reason, it resonated differently this time. We all think the enemy is the devil. That’s the standard thought, right? Ian makes a passing comment (as he often does) that’s a whiz banger! It’s one of those that grabs you around the throat and demands your attention. Ian said that the enemy is often ourselves. In other words, we can be our own worst enemy. What we think the devil throws at us, it’s not him at all! The devil is chilling out in his own depressing-makeshift-power corner thinking “Ah, there’s another person who’s giving me credit for something I didn’t do.” He then leans back in his chair a bit further with a smug look on his face knowing that he has you right where he wants you. It’s called “deception.”

It’s often our own thoughts and actions that wreak havoc in our lives. Thoughts, intents, and actions carry a frequency that’s released around us to frame what occurs in our lives. This can actually be measured via scientific equipment! You see it in those water experiments where Dr. Emoto spoke negative and positive things over water. He then froze the water and looked at how the ice crystals formed. The pretty images were the positive words. The ugly images? They had hateful or negative things spoken. Here’s a bit of my geekiness sticking out – there have been additional experiments completed under more controlled conditions to show what Dr. Emoto found is accurate. So, the next time something goes haywire, check out what you’ve said over yourself in the season before that.

Here’s an example of how thoughts and intents framed a situation in my life: I would have walked through some physical healing much faster had I not wallowed in the “woe is me” attitude. Things didn’t change until my thought processes shifted concerning a particular illness (while I was married). First of all, sickness is NOT mine. I don’t own it. Yes, there may be something on my body from time to time but it doesn’t belong to me unless I accept it. I knew this, too, but didn’t walk in it. I was too worn down (or so I thought) to believe that I could do anything about it. Enough of that. That’s a whole different blog post topic. Moving right along…

Ian also says that choices become important. Stuff literally can sit in front of your face taunting you with the words, “look at me!” Circumstances tend to encourage us to engage them: it’s a choice. Instead, we should engage love (which is the opposite of fear). In addition, it’s important to step beyond the veil into intimacy with God to learn how to deal with the circumstances from a kingdom perspective. It’s only when I’ve done that, I’m in a place of peace. When we learn to function out of that place of rest, life is so much easier!

Another whiz banger that Ian kind of slipped into the teaching has to do with pleasing man. Our affirmation and approval tends to come from our relationships with people instead of God. Ouch!! That hurt but… think about it. How many times have we each done something and looked to another person to approve what we did? Are we doing things to get accolades from people?

I guess a good barometer to make that determination is… when we give of ourselves (clean the toilets at church, be on the worship team, sign up to be a helper at a conference, etc.) and no one thanks us or notices how hard we’re working, what is our response? If this bothers us, we’re trying to please man.

Let me say this before going any further. This can also work in the opposite direction – it’s called “false humility.” It shows up in people when we compliment them. Have you ever gone up to someone and said “That was so awesome. Thank you!” They then turn around and say, “It was all Jesus.” They then bow their head in a humble gesture. Yes, I’ve done that, too. I think it was mostly because someone told me that was how I was to respond when complimented. Either way, what I’ve learned to do is take the compliments to the trading floors and trade for more love, joy, peace, etc. You’ve heard of “casting your crowns?” That’s what trading is all about. You take all those compliments and positive things that happen in your life and cast them before the throne, trading for more intimacy with the Trinity. Once I started doing that, I noticed some big changes.

What does this have to do with business? Well, everything. Circumstances will happen that you don’t like. You will have many choices to make, and you’ll be granted the opportunity to engage the circumstance or... get on your seat of rest. It’s all about choices and learning what to look at and what to turn your back on. We also have to learn to walk in integrity with our business dealings.

News flash! Many of the Christians I have dealt with in business walk in less integrity than the unbeliever. Why? It’s because we have expectations between Christians. It goes something like this… “I’d like you to do this job for me but, because you’re doing it as unto the Lord, you’re going to give me a better price, right?” Or how about what goes through our mind when dealing with a Christian business owner? Try this scenario (thinking to yourself) – “This person should bless me because I don’t have enough to pay for it. Then, God will use that and bless them in return.”

When I ran a mobile espresso business, I was the highest paying espresso business in town. Plus, even though I often worked harder than the employees, I gave them the tips. The only time I kept any was when there were only two of us and we both worked our butts off. I wanted to bless my workers for giving their time to my business.

In return, I had a couple employees that worked for me for several years, even though I was a seasonal operation and the hours weren’t all that good. I treated them well and that made them want to come back. Well, I think making up cheesy songs for every drink helped a little, too. The customers really enjoyed it, which made them come back each week to see what other antics we’d come up with. I guess when you’ve had 8 shots of espresso by 8:00 in the morning, it opens the possibility for some wackiness.

I love what Ian also said in the Kingdom Business teachings. We are to embrace the circumstance to see what we can learn from it. He even quoted the scripture that I literally had pasted all over my bedroom as a teenager. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). Or, maybe it was “All things work together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Either way, these are two scriptures I stepped into. When we learn to embrace the circumstances asking “Father, what can I learn from this?,” we’ll all be in a much better place.

Have you ever been asked the question, “If you could go back and change anything in your life, what would it be?” Honestly, my answer is “My reactions to things that happened.” And, “I wished I’d made better choices.” No, I wouldn’t change who I was married to. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I could change that. Yes, he was abusive. Yes, I responded in unhealthy ways. This situation encouraged me grow up. It’s all about be thankful IN the situation, not FOR it. (I Thess. 5:18)

Ian discusses a particular difficult business problem that propelled him into a deeper relationship with Yahweh (Hebrew name for God). Out of that relationship, things began to change. That type of action changes attitudes, which changes the frequency of our thoughts, which changes intent, which finally leads to circumstance changes. It’s been the same for me, too. There continues to be some interesting situations in my life. Life happens and you have to deal with it. It’s the “how” we deal with it that makes or breaks us.

Businesses have ups and downs. When we learn to walk in integrity, allow God to lead us through everything in our lives, turn our intents toward our Divine Creator, and watch what comes out of our mouth, things tend to line up. There are spiritual laws put into place. It’s our choice whether to live by them or not.

How do you walk in integrity through business interactions?

 

  • Treat your employees with respect and pay them well.
  • Be giving and do so without an agenda (both bosses and employees).
  • Honor the people you work with and work for. Even when they’re acting like a dork, remember the issue is probably more about them and has nothing to do with you.
  • Be fair and balanced in treatment of ALL employees.
  • Creative a positive atmosphere by bringing heaven to earth.
  • If you’re the consumer doing business with someone who is a Christian, don’t expect their services to be cheaper for you. They, too, have to make a living. Your money is literally a “trade” into what they have to offer you. Pay them what you’d pay anyone else for the same service.
  • As an employee, don’t cheat your time, give 100%, don’t whine and complain every time other workers do something stupid, and don’t complain about the management and/or customers. Instead, go beyond the veil (into the kingdom realms) and see what Father has to say about it.
  • Be prepared to accept responsibility for your actions. Be quick to repent (before the Father) and then establish patterns in your life where change creates positive rather than negative actions and reactions.
  • Feelings? There’s nothing more than feelings? Uh, yeah.. let’s not be led by our feelings. People will frost your buttons so be prepared to take those frustrations before the Father. He’ll show you what to do. Hint – it will probably involve some repentance, either on your behalf or those around you. The quicker we repent, the quicker things have the opportunity to turn around.
  • When people come at you with accusations, go to the mobile court (court of accusations) and deal with it there, even if you did nothing wrong. By repenting, it disarms the situation. Ian has a teaching titled “The Mobile Court” that will help you walk through that process. Again, go to www.sonofthunder.org to get that teaching. Enter the title into the search box and it should show up. Mike Parsons also has a really good teaching on YouTube. CLICK HERE for that link.
  • I also discuss the mobile court in several of my books. You'll find all my materials on Amazon. Simply type in my name under the "books" category. 
  • Don’t expect ministerial services to be free. This includes music, teachings, books, healing sessions, etc. If you’re offering one of these services, set a price worthy of your abilities. If you’re the consumer, think of it as a trade into what that person offers. You’re paying for their time.
  • Don’t share “purchasable” materials with others. If they want it, they should pay for it! This is against copyright laws. So, don’t do it!
  • Learn to enjoy what you do! Quit complaining and see the positive instead of focusing on the negative. Abiding by the phrase from the 1970’s that was plastered all over bumper stickers – “bloom where you are planted” is a good place to start.
  • Add your own…

If this seems a bit harsh, there’s probably a sacred cow (stinking religious thinking) that needs dealt with. Honestly, these are spiritual laws. People who live by them that aren’t Christians generally fare quite well. The Christian community often whines and moans saying “Why are they having such great success and I’m not!” Well, it’s probably because there are spiritual laws not being followed. We have to be willing to see our own faults before we look at the faults of others. Our barometer is registered by what’s going on in our personal lives, our families, and our businesses. I did well in some areas but horribly in others. Once I started to focus on the pieces that were way out of kilter, it was amazing how my overall life began to change for the better.

Had I not looked at the crap in my life, I’d still be in the same place today that I was several years ago. Even though I was a good business person in general, there were things in my personal life that needed attention. I’m still on the journey but as I walk through the tough stuff, I literally graduate to that next level where I get to deal with more stuff! But, with that comes a new level of authority as well as freedom in my life. If I can do it, so can you. This may sound goofy but when hard stuff happens now, I say “Woo hoo! I get a chance to learn something through this!”

Thank you for taking time to listen to my musings on the subject of kingdom business. I hope it provided some insight for you. Feel free to post your questions/comments below or shoot me a message by clicking on the “contact us” button in the right side bar.

Here’s my declaration for you today: May Yahweh, Jeshua, and the Holy Spirit become so real in your life that no circumstance can pull you away from that love. May your whole being resonate with the light, Glory, and Love of the Father!

Blessings,

Del

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Taming the Soul

by Del Hungerford

Taming the soul – what a title! You’re probably thinking “what does that mean?” 

For quite some time, I’ve been releasing Perfect Love into the spirit, soul, and body gateways. The gateways involve opening them up and exercising them by allowing the life, light, and glory of God to flow through them into the soul and body gates. Huh? If you’re not familiar with your gateways, I suggest that you purchase my self-paced course, Mountains, Gates, and Castles. When I first began the process of "cleaning" the gateways, I didn't use this gentle approach. What I've discovered is that because Perfect Love is the strongest possible frequency, it can take out some pretty nasty stuff when we infuse that frequency into our gates. Perfect Love is like a weed killer with a lot more strength. That then allows for a more gentle approach with issues that feel so hard. Hmmmm....

Our goal as kingdom-minded believers is to function out of who we are meant to be by developing an intimate relationship with the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. There’s only one problem… we all have junk to deal with. And, that junk clouds our ability to function “in Him.” This is where starting with the gateways comes in. Think of a gate as an opening that allows things in and out. Look at all the scriptural references in the Old Testament about the purpose of each gate in the city. Remember that everything in the natural is a mirror of what’s in the supernatural so by studying the gateways in and out of the city of Jerusalem, we can learn a lot about our own gateways.

I’ll give a quick synopsis so I can introduce you to the gateways concept. Basically, we have four sets of gates: First love, spirit, soul, and body. First love is our direct communion with the Father where we truly function in Him. We allow the life, light, and glory of the Father to come into us from the Throne of Grace. It’s in the first love gate that we are infused with all that we need to function as a spirit being.

From the top of our mountain, we're seated on the throne of our life where we govern "in Him" all that's below Perfect Love. Your seat of rest is on that throne. Whatever we allow into the gates of our lives is what dictates our behavior. 

The spirit gates are prayer, reverence, faith, hope, intuition, revelation, fear of God, and worship. We are to allow the life, light, and glory of the Father to flow from the position of first love into our spirit gates. In reality, we are to be governed by our spirit instead of our soul. However, for most of us, it’s the other way around. And, that’s why we run into issues.

The soul gates are conscience, reason, imagination, mind, will, emotions, and choice. Notice that our emotions are a soul gateway instead of a spirit gate? When we let our imaginations and emotions run wild, we are functioning out of our soul. The soul is to bow down to the dictates of the spirit. In other words, the soul has to take orders from the spirit once we are “born again.”

The final set of gateways are the body gates: seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling. I see the gates like a mountain with First Love being at the top where I sit in my seat of rest and rule my life from that position. As I function out of my spirit, those gates open and the life, light, and glory of the Father flows down the mountain into the spirit gates, then to the soul gates, and finally to the body gates at the bottom of the mountain. Everything is governed from the top down. Or, from inside out since we are spirit beings first.

Houston! We have a problem!!! This is where it gets very tricky. We are too often ruled by our emotions, our mind where we reason everything out (oh how busy the mind can be), our choices, and our will. The conscience feeds into all the others. We have these things called “familiar spirits” that whisper sweet nothings into our ears. Many times, we don’t even realize it’s a familiar spirit talking and we actually think it’s God.

Time out! Yes, familiar spirits are even around Christians. What renders those nasty little familiars useless is our UNwillingness to listen to them and heed their whisperings. It’s a choice despite how you feel. When we allow our soul to rule, we entertain familiar spirits on a regular basis. The mind of Christ comes directly from Father, into our place of first love with Him and then through through the spirit gates (prayer, reverence, worship, faith, hope, intuition, revelation, and the fear of God). As we allow the spirit to govern the soul, our emotions and thought life begin to line up with who we are in Christ.

Need an example of a soul in control? You’re at a social event. Everyone is talking and having a great time but it appears as though people are leaving you out of the conversation or… you make eye contact with someone who quickly glances the other direction. You have a choice here… If you start thinking and the pondering on thoughts like, “why are people ignoring me?,” you’re actually entertaining a familiar spirit. Or, how about one of my favorite examples… You’re talking with friends and joking around with one another when someone pipes up with a comment such as “You might look better in that outfit if you were twenty years younger.” Again, you have a choice. Will you be offended? Trust me, the moment those words hit the atmosphere, we are given the opportunity whether to listen to a familiar spirit that sits by the soul gates just waiting for us to engage it or, turn into our spirit and let it make the decision on how to respond. Yeah, people who say such dumb things have their own issues but you have a CHOICE in how you want to deal with any stupidity that comes your way. 

Hear me out for a minute. I’m willing to put my neck out on a limb to say that many of the issues we face with our emotional state could be rectified IF we allow the spirit gates to rule over the soul gates. What do I mean by this? Another example should help explain. As many who’ve read my blogs know, I left an abusive marriage. There were some physical ramifications from that marriage that lasted for nearly 20 years. In all honesty, it was easier to stay in that place because it was more comfortable. And, I didn’t know a way out. The unknown was scary. I was fearful and didn’t know how to move forward, especially since the physical issues lingered for so long. For that to change, I had to make some conscious decisions and then then practice (yep… PRACTICE) a new way of thinking (renew the mind). I also had to carefully watch the words out of my mouth (Proverbs 18:21). Words are a huge creative force. It was with words (and possibly song) that God created the universe. But, that’s a topic for another blog post.

Kingdom Principle break! I really believe that there are many physical illnesses that are directly caused by our emotional state of mind. Check out the “Emotional Roots of Physical Symptoms” chart that I assembled with my friends Alice and Seneca. Once we deal with our emotions, our bodies tend to heal. We should be under the governance of the spirit gates. That in turn trickles down through the soul and into our body. What does that mean? When you have a symptom on your body, don’t immediately bow down to it. Watch what comes out of your mouth and don’t immediately go into Facebook and say “Please pray for me! I woke up this morning feeling ______” In a sense, that’s bowing down to it and acknowledging that it has a place in your body. Instead, step into the presence of God and allow Papa to speak to you on what needs to be done to bring your body back into health. This doesn't negate going to the doctor is you need to do that. But... be careful who you ask to pray for you  Choose people who will align with God's thoughts about you, not their personal opinions. 

Please note, I do ask people to pray for me. I see no problem with that and we should come alongside those we consider to be part of our inner circle. Outside of my circle, I tend not to tell everyone else what’s going on in my personal life. Why not? Because words ARE a creative force, I want prayers to be brought from heaven to earth and not the other way around. I want people praying for and with me that know how to function from that intimate place with the Trinity. And, I need to be able to take care of my junk on my own, seeking Father for answers. Often times when we ask others to pray for us, we rely on those prayers more than our own. In order to grow out of the baby Christian mentality, we need to learn how to take care of our own stuff. This has been a huge lesson for me. I wasn’t called “motor mouth” for nothing. Ask my dad. He’ll enlighten you on that subject. Just saying…

Back to my example… I eventually figured out how to put my emotions and imagination into their proper place. First off, I had to make a conscious decision not to live out of the fatigue that seemed to plague my body. It was a mindset that I needed to change. When a familiar spirit would come and whisper “But, you know how tired you feel? It’s OK to ________,” I had to get onto my seat of rest and imagine being in that place of intimacy with Father. I then focused on letting the love, light, and glory of the Father flow through a spirit gates and into my emotions or another soul gateway (depended on what Father was showing me at the time). I asked Jesus to show me where I needed healing (emotionally). I then spent a lot of time repenting for wrong mindsets and emotional traumas that I “fed” and hung on to. In case you’re not aware, fear is almost always going to be feeding an emotional trauma.

News flash!!! Things didn’t change right away! I had to practice and practice and practice new thought patterns despite how I physically felt. At first, the more I practiced, the more familiar spirits would try to entice me with some new and twisted theory of staying stuck in that place of emotional pain, which led to physical pain.

I hated spending many years of my life so fatigued that I could barely function. They say when you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, you finally do something about it. As I became whole emotionally, my body healed.

I went through a lot of Inner healing, which may be necessary to help get over the issues that we tend to have. That being said, I think it’s also important that we don’t get stuck there. Look to see if you’re doing what you’ve been asked. To me, emotional healing should start with making sure we’re functioning out of our spirit first. We aren’t supposed to be led by our emotions or how we physically feel. What does that look like? Have you ever said, “That’s just the way I am…” or “I’ve had ______ happen to me” or “All my parts and pieces aren’t liking this.” We’re told that we have the mind of Christ and that we are a new creation. Well, in order to function as a new creation IN HIM, we must put our focus on Him instead of what negative thoughts and emotions run rampant in our minds.

The hardest part of not having dinner with the familiar spirits? They are ever-so-willing to whisper if I give them a sliver of a listen. They can be like vultures waiting to pounce on their prey. I had to look past the physical symptoms and see myself soaking in the River of Life where I allowed the very essence of God's Love to flow through me, changing me into His image. I will also note here that worshiping, praying in tongues, and spending quality time with Father makes a HUGE difference with everything in my life. It starts from the inside out.

What HAS changed through this is my attitude. What other people think should have no affect on what I do or don’t do. Really, it all began with me stepping into who I am in Christ. Out of that I am learning to function as a spirit being first. Then, my spirit governs the soul which in turn pounds out “Yankee Doodle” on my body. And you know what? My body eventually gave up the extreme fatigue. But, it required me governing my life from heaven down to earth - from the top to the bottom of my personal mountain. Everything takes time and PRACTICE in learning new mindsets.

As the familiar spirits try to tempt your ears and eyes, focus on being in Him and choose a response that comes directly from your place of rest in Christ, even if your body continues to be in physical and/or emotional pain. Things that stop the flow are constant complaining/whining, being pessimistic, doing the hypochondriac bit (where you always have to tell others what’s wrong with you), dwelling on the past horrible things that happened to you, unforgiveness, fear, anxiety, and lack of hope. The list could go on but you get the idea.

As I often share, I’m speaking out of experience here because I’ve done every negative item on the list above. It wasn’t until I chose to change my mindset and then practice the new mindset before things started to change. And, I took every small change as a step in the right direction. Little changes are better than no changes.

Lastly, if you need some assistance in walking through healing from trauma, get the Mountains, Gates, and Castles course. Take your time and enjoy the journey!

My declaration over anyone who reads this… May you come into that intimate relationship with the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. May you be healed in your soul and body as you function out of who you are in Christ. I speak blessings over and above all that you could ask or think! May you be physically pain free, emotionally whole, and spiritually sensitive to all the Father has for you. May you walk here on earth in what you’ve been called to do and that’s mandated for you life! In the Mighty Name of Jeshua – AMEN!

Blessings!

Del

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Why is Identity Important?

by Del Hungerford 

When you hear the words “step into your identity in Christ,” what is that truly saying? By definition, identity means that you are yourself and not another. It’s a condition or character of each individual person – who they are, what they believe, and other qualities that make us each identifiable from others. So, when the Word tells us that we’re a new creation in Christ, our identity is now with Him and the more time we spend with Him, the more we become like Him and identify with what He does, says, and acts like.

Here’s the problem… because of trauma and life circumstances, we often struggle with truly knowing who we are. We take on an identity that others have put on us. It’s pretty hard to identify with Christ if we can’t be secure in who are created to be. It’s going to be hard to step into Christ’s identity if we are negatively affected by the world around us.

Growing up, I was a show-off. I did dumb things to get people to pay attention to me. I now call that an “A.G.D.” (attention getting device). I can laugh at some of my silly antics now but at that time, I was pretty serious about needing some major attention. My goal (unconsciously) was to get people to affirm me as a person. Most of the time, that backfired because how I went about it was rather annoying. I’ll spare you the details but I’m sure if we’re all honest, we all relate on some level. My issue was my lack of being comfortable in my own skin; I didn’t like ME.

I spent a lot of time with college students in a variety of situations (teacher, fraternity cook, house mother at a sorority, etc.). So many of the conversations centered around what others thought of them. If someone said a mean thing, for many, it was devastating. Imagine if Einsten or Tesla took all the negative comments thrown their direction when they came up with new ideas. Hmmmm..... 

In recent years, it's like any negative comment is an attack on the identity. Most recently, many have come to talk with me who battle anxiety, depression, and other emotional things. These issues appear to keep these people from having a normal functioning adult life. Many struggle with “adulting” in general. When we get overwhelmed, life itself tends to throw curve balls at us. We then get hit with those curve balls and think there’s no way out because we listen to what society tells us.

It's interesting that these types of issues began to escalate somewhere around 2012. Why was there such a spike in mental health issues? As a teacher, I noticed that by the time I retired (2022), HALF of the students in my classes were on some sort of plan to manage their mental health. I have some theories about the "why" of these issues but will save my comments for personal rather than public discussion at this point. 

News flash #1 – When people are mean, nearly 100% of the time, it’s their own issue and they are simply projecting their own hurt at you! Hurting people hurt people. Once we become comfortable in who God created us to be, nasty comments have less of an effect on us. But, that’s easier said than done.

Why? Because when people say nasty things, we like to “entertain” those little nasties, mulling them over and over in our minds. The more we do that, the more stirred up we get. I wonder what would happen if we did this more often with the compliments people give us? I can’t seem to figure out why it’s the negative comments that get the most “mind attention.”

Everyone on the face of the earth has had trauma of some kind. At some point, we have a choice in how the events of those traumas rule our lives. The process of choosing an alternative takes consistency of practicing new thought patterns. In other words, we need to dwell on the opposite and let who God says we are become the ruling force in our lives. There was a time where I had note cards of scriptures pasted all over my bedroom as a child so my focus was the words of God’s promises and not on the circumstances. We are told to give thanks IN everything but not FOR everything. (I Thess. 5:18) When we learn to put our focus on the good and Holy things, then, and only then, do we even stand a chance of overcoming the traumas that can plague us. When we keep our eyes on Jesus and put into practice what He says about us, it’s easier to focus on the good and holy things.

News flash #2! The road will have twists and turns. It’s gonna take time and persistence of being consistent to learn how not to pay attention to the negative crap that comes at us all the time. Even in the midst of some of the slimiest stuff, we can still be in a place of rest. It’s a choice. It’s easy to be offended but, that’s a choice, too. We live in a society where people look for opportunities to be offended. We seem to feed off the latest and greatest disasters and bad news by calling the “bad guys” every name in the book or complaining how the situation has ruined our lives, etc. Maybe it might be more worth our while to pray in our prayer language over those situations and release blessings to all those involved.

What does any of this have to do with our identity in Christ? Well, everything. The reason? We get so wrapped up in what others think of us. Why? It's because we tend to look to the world for affirmation or approval rather than believing what God says about us. We're too sidetracked by the things of the world which keeps us from moving forward out of fear. It's the "what will people think about me?" syndrome that is a destiny killer. 

We think because bad stuff happened to us, we’re of no use to God. We believe lies that keep us from moving forward (I’m not good enough, I can’t do that, no one will notice so why bother, etc.). 

I really do like the story of the little engine that could. All the way up that entire mountain, his words were “I think I can… I think I can” and it wasn’t easy. But, he kept his eyes on the top of the hill – that hard place that he knew if he could only get to, things would be much easier.

News flash #3 – If we can’t develop a sense of our own identity and be comfortable with who we are created to be, it’s going to be rather difficult stepping into our identity in Christ. How do we adjust our paradigm in this area? Glad you asked! First of all, this thing called “practicing” is key. You put before your mind what you know to be true. This is what the Word calls "renewing your mind." And, when those little familiar spirits start whispering nastiness into your ear, turn your ear towards what God says about you or that situation. If you don’t know, find scriptures to stand on about who you are in Christ. Turn them into declarations and speak them over yourself several times per day. 

What’s a familiar spirit? It’s a voice in your head (your thoughts) that tells you junk that’s contrary to God’s Word and His thoughts about you. These little "familiars" go after all of us because they know that if they can wear us down, they win and we don’t get to move forward. That’s their job. Not that we pay attention to them (which we shouldn’t) but if we “take that thought captive” (II Cor. 10:5), what’s being whispered, or flashes across our the eyes of our imagination, it won’t take root and develop into a nasty thought process, imagery, or action in our lives. But, like anything else, it must be nipped in the bud before it takes root. Once the root is developed, it’s much more difficult to deal with.

For us to truly step into our identity in Christ, we need to see ourselves as Christ sees us. This requires getting rid of the junk that pollutes our minds and actions. This requires "heart-brain coherance" where the brain (soul) comes into agreement with the heart (spirit). It’s like cleaning up after a tornado or hurricane where there are heaps of smelly things strewn about. It takes our whole lives to get where we are today so we can’t expect that over night we’re going to clean it all up. Wise counsel, spending time with the Father so He can show us what needs work, and practicing new habits are all a part of the clean-up process. Also, please note, when we spend time with the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, many things happen organically because we are being changed from the inside out. In building that intimate relationship, our paradigms change and so will our actions.

As mentioned above, we all have stuff in our lives that tries to pull us down. I’ve known people that have had horrendous childhoods that have come out of that experience and live normal happy lives. Others who still dwell on trauma and what it’s done to them, they can hardly function. What’s the difference? From my personal observation, it’s all about a choice to move beyond trauma and life difficulties. Even with major mental issues, I believe there is a way out. It starts with a full understanding of who we are “in Christ” and taking on His identity. But, in order to do that, we must learn to let go and forgive, learn to love ourselves for who God created us to be, and believe that we are created for a divine purpose. If the opposition can steal our identity, it’s won. We then won’t fulfill what we’re called to do.

Conclusion

Let’s answer the opening question… ‘Why is identity important?” Until we understand who we are created to be, it’s going to be difficult to see ourselves seated in Christ so we can become like Him. When we’re going around constantly having to remind ourselves not to be hurt by what others say, our focus is on those issues instead of the solution.

Or, if we believe we’re not good enough to do something or don’t have what it takes, again, our focus is on the problem and not the answer. In Christ, we can DO ALL THINGS! (Phil. 4:13)

How do we fix this? First of all, it’s going to take practice and lots of it! You’ll need to find methods of reminding yourself what God says about you ALL DAY LONG. Once it begins to soak into your memory banks so the new thoughts and behaviors are your first reactions, that’s when you’ll start seeing things around you change.

I’ve seen some amazing transformations in people. The key ingredients are a willingness to move past circumstances, traumas, and hurts. It’s fairly easy to see how we’re doing on this journey by looking at the “fruit” we’re putting out. It’s also obvious in how we react to situations. If you’re unsure, ask those closest to you to describe your behaviors.

When we find our true identity in Christ, that’s when we’ll see things around us change. And, I’m saving the most important comment for last. EVERYTHING comes out of intimacy with the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. When we spend time in our spirit (heart, heart garden, etc.) with them, we can learn to walk like them, talk like them, and behave like them. Jesus only did what He saw the Father do. OK, how did He do that? Jesus told us we'd do that sme things He could do so, if He can do what His Father shows Him, so can we. We put ourselves on the alter as a living sacrifice daily being crucified in Christ. Everything about us (what we want, our stinking thinking, our frustrations, anger, bad habits, etc.) begins to be overtaken as Love itself infuses us to the core of our being. It’s done by faith even if you don’t see anything happen right away. As with all things, it takes practice, patience and perseverance.

Shalom!

Del

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Treasury Room in Heaven

by Del Hungerford

This post is a continuation of "seeing in the spirit." By providing examples, this should help you on your own journey of discovery. I'm sure that as you read these encounters, visuals come to your mind, just like your imagination is at work when reading stories in the Bible. This blog post was on another site until it was posted here in 2025. I don't remember the original date but just by reading it again, it appears to be the fall of 2015 and into the spring of 2016. 

As we learned in a previous post, our body is a living temple where we commune with God. It, too, has rooms and places for us to do that. Imagery is one way God helps us understand the concepts He's trying to teach us. When I first wrote this post, I didn't have that understanding. Therefore, I now know that this treasury room is in my heart and has been there since the beginning. It's a matter of tapping into the resources already within me. This may seem confusing at first but think about it... We are in heaven and on earth at the same time. Everything on earth is a mirror of what's in heaven so it only makes sense that "as above, so it is below." We are multi-dimensional beings!

All the rooms and spaces I mention in these encounters are all within the garden of my heart - my personal temple of intimacy with the Trinity. These two encounters take place in what I call the "treasury room of heaven" but it's probably my personal treasury room that I'm finally realizing is there. 

October

I’m suddenly standing before a thick HUGE wooden door, vines growing all around. It’s very ornate and shaped like one of those rounded church doors at the top. All I can see is the door because it’s so huge; nothing else is visible.

As I approach, the door opens so, I go in. I see chests with money falling out all over the place. Then, I look to the right and see several envelopes. One is marked “payday.” Another is marked “what the enemy stole.” I see several more envelopes with writing on them. I can see there is much more to this room than the eye can see but stop here and ask “What am I supposed to take?” Although I don’t hear an audible voice, I have a sense in my spirit that I’m to take two payday envelopes along with two “what the enemy stole” envelopes. I also “feel” through thought transfer that one of each of these envelopes is mine and the other two are for a someone whose name I hear in my thoughts.

Jesus, who is standing beside me, hands me the four envelopes with a twinkle in His eye. I can tell that this is His pleasure to do for me. Nothing is said but I feel and understand His thoughts. I also understood that I’m to go back into the realm of earth and “deliver” the envelopes.

By faith, I see myself come back and deliver two of the envelopes to the person whose name I heard. In my spirit, I see myself handing them to her spirit. Holy Spirit then speaks to me… “Go to the Bank.” Again, by faith, I go to the bank in the spirit and deposit the remaining two envelopes into my bank. I stand at the counter and hand over the envelopes to the teller, one I’ve not seen before. Her eyes open wide as she peruses the contents of the envelopes. I see cash literally pouring out of them. After some time, she finally hands me my deposit slips.

January

I’m worshiping and then find myself in heaven with Jesus. We are skipping down a sparkling golden pathway towards the treasury room in Heaven. The grass next to the path is an iridescent green.

As we approach the entrance to the Treasury Room, I can see the massive arched doorway. It opens as we approach. A tall being in purple robes with a gold belt and all kinds of shining stones welcomes us. I know this is Melchizedek because he is the keeper of this room.

I’m led to the right wall by Jesus where there are many jars on shelves stuffed with rolls of bills. Jesus nods that it’s OK to take one, so, I do. I take the lid off and ask what to do.

“Hold them at the tips of your fingers,” Jesus says.

I do and the money disappears inside my fingers, soaking completely into my hands.

Jesus then leads me to a rock on the floor. After lifting it up, I see a gold bar.

“Hold it up to your belly,” instructs Jesus.

As I do this, it soaks into me through my belly. I’m then directed to the left wall where more jars are stored. They are crystal clear and upon opening one of them, I see all kinds of precious gems.

“Pull as many out as you want,” Jesus motions to me.

I then grab diamonds, rubies, sapphires, topaz, turquoise, and others I don’t recognize. I look to Jesus waiting for the instructions on how to assimilate these.

“Press them into your skin so they cover every inch of your body. Don’t leave any skin uncovered.”

As I begin to do this, each gem becomes a part of my skin. I’m reminded this is how Satan looked when he was in Heaven. After I finish, I sense that it’s time to go. Jesus and I turn around to leave, thanking Melchizedek on the way out. Although I just now realize it, Melchizedek had been with us the whole time watching and enjoying my time with Jesus.

I turn to leave with Jesus and as we stand in the doorway, the music “The Wedding” comes on. I know Jesus hears it… He takes my hand and we waltz out of the Treasury Room, back down the golden path.

Upon arriving back in my room, I know that it’s important to release what I’ve received into the atmosphere around me. I have a basic understanding of what some items I received cover and others, I know will be revealed to me at a later time.

Conclusion

These experiences happened a year before the original writing of this blog post (on another site). Reading these journal entries once again, I realized much of what I received began manifesting around me within a few months. 

The second experience was in January. By July, seven months later, most all of my debt was paid off. Yes, I was in the process of getting there anyway but difficulties did come along to try and keep that from happening.

Within four months of the January date, I lost one of my highest paying jobs. Not feeling that I was to go out and find another job, I waited to see how Papa wanted me to proceed. Circumstances around me got quite intense during this time, too. In fact, more intense than it had been for several years. But, I was learning how to sit on my seat of rest and function from a place of rest and peace so… what would have frosted my buttons a few months earlier where I’d have retaliated, I stayed in that place of rest and legislated the situations from my seat of rest… in Christ.

To make a long story short, Papa worked it all out, and I now have more than enough, which to the natural mind, doesn’t seem possible. In the Treasury Room, I received some provision way ahead of when it was physically needed. Out of rest, even during the midst of some tough circumstances, the promises of YHVH were handed to me. It was mine to receive that provision by faith… a choice to receive and then believe.

What can you do with this?

The best part about stories is they paint  picture. If you are in a place where finanances need to manifest that seem impossible, then practice bringing what's needed into your treasury. Oops... there's that practice word again. Go into that intimate place whether it be on a bench next to the River of Life, in a flower garden, or someplace else you enjoy spending time with Jesus. Start asking questions and wait for answers. For me, it was easier to do it while writing. I'd start to write whatever came to my mind and then it began to flow out of me. This way, I didn't judge what I was sensing, seeing, hearing, or feeling. 

I know what's in these two encounters was real because it had a positive effect on my circumstances, especially in the financial arena. It's interesting that we eventually get a new level of trials that can brings us to greater levels of authority. We're in 2025 now, many years later, and I'm met with a similar situation. Hmmm... what are the odds of that? More is being required of me just like a 6th grader has harder materials to learn than a first grader. We literally go from maturity to maturity. The key here is to embrace the trials and learn from them which launches us into greater authority as Sons of God.

If you're interested in seeing how this works, might I suggest you read two books I wrote recently that show us HOW we mature throughout our Christian walk? Here are those links so check them out! Don't be concerned with the title. The word "mystic" simply means "mystery." Here, you are learning about the mysteries of God and how they apply to you in your personal maturing process as a Son of God. 

Blessings!

Del

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Life can be Painful!

 

Boy, I’m telling you. There are seasons and then there are seasons. As of late, I feel like I’ve been living in a coffee grinder. I’m ground up, but refined. I’ve had to look at myself in a new light. I found things inside of me that I didn’t know existed. They were mostly lies. I had a great fear of loss. I didn’t know that I thought myself unworthy of God’s provision.  I also found that I had difficulty accepting honor from others. But, I believe the biggest one was, “Who would want to listen to me.” Seriously, you can’t travel, teach, and speak when you are continually tripping over these issues. Yet, God kept nudging me forward.

 

In the process of searching my heart. I found that two sections of scripture had become extremely meaningful. The first is the Beatitudes, chapter 5 of Matthew. The second, Psalm 36, verses  5 through 9. I going to tell you about the most meaningful verses and leave the rest alone for now.

The Beatitudes (CSB)

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Have you ever felt that? Dear God, “There is nothing left of me!   I am nothing, and I have nothing to offer.” Then it dawns on you that through Him, you have so much more. Your inheritance “is” the kingdom of heaven. In and of God, you have exceedingly more than enough to live in the kingdom of heaven here on earth and do His will.

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Have you had a dear loved one die? Have you lost realms and reams of friends because of the path God has directed you to walk? What about a near-death experience? There’s nothing like being told you were dying. Oh, let’s not forget bankruptcy. Financial trouble because you lost your job or your mate left you is such a stressful experience. The only place to turn is to God. Only he can truly help.

Recently, I  spent the evening crying and singing worship songs? I knew it was okay to mourn. I knew joy would come in the morning. However, for that moment it was all I could do to just grieve.  And… joy did come in the morning!

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

I have lost count the number for times I’ve cried out to Him. I  just wanted to see His face and know Him. I’d call that to hunger and thirst. Wouldn’t you? Did you know that righteousness, in this case,  means to be just like Jesus? God says He sees the end from the beginning. He sees us as whole and complete. That means we are already just like him. As we accept the truth, and our faith grows, the manifestation of Christ in our lives will become obvious.

7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Recently, I stood my ground on some issues. I held someone accountable for their actions. I told them they needed to repent. Remember, that repenting is a change of mind which brings about a change of ways or actions.  Consequently, I was pronounced bitter and unforgiving. That’s a very mild form of persecution. What would happen if another religion or government told you that you had to renounce your faith? Wowsers! I think it would take the grace of God to live through that. But, the end result is that the kingdom of heaven is yours. I think the more we ascend and spend time in the kingdom of God that it will become an increasing reality to us.

Psalm 36 is the cap to my blog today. It’s all about His love for us. He is our refuge in intimacy. We are safely nestled next to His body under his wing. When we stay in His love, we see His provision from His house and His wellspring. What a picture of love that is me.

Take a moment to meditate on this passage. It will comfort you and encourage you. Especially if life has some challenges right now.

Psalm 36 (CSB)

5 Lord, your faithful love reaches to heaven, your faithfulness to the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your judgments like the deepest sea.

Lord, you preserve people and animals.

7 How priceless your faithful love is, God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

8 They are filled from the abundance of your house. You let them drink from Your refreshing stream.

9 For the wellspring of life is with you. By means of your light, we see light.

 

See you in His light,

Anna

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Just Say Yes – Part 2: The Cost and the Gift

For me to just say “yes” is not a DO NOT GO TO JAIL pass allowing me to continue with life as I had been living it. Father might give me healing to demonstrate His love, but there is a need for me to desire and allow change. Otherwise, what’s the use? Why should God grant me my “wish” only to have me remain in the state in which I began? What good is that? How does that help me to remain healed?

I have found that my saying “yes” to God has two parts. The first is an expression of my desire. More importantly, it is permission for Him to be involved. The second aspect of “yes” is the desire to grow and change. I cannot overemphasize this enough; my life in relational-faith with Father God is a life of growth and change. That’s why I left the organized institutional church in the first place. There I found no impetus to grow. Here in relational-faith, I am loved by Him and He loves me. I want to grow out of love for Him.

No, this is not a free gift in the sense of me doing nothing to invest some of myself. I must float out of the way in yes and submission. In the midst of all of this work, I must continue to stay out of His way and keep saying, “yes.” I must do whatever it is that Father counsels me to do or invites me into. I must be proactive in this process. I must be willing to be transformed into the new, whole being that Beloved God designed me to become in the first place.

I have also discovered another fundamental aspect to this process of transformation. That is always the case. I must be willing to give up something I neither need or actually want in order to make spiritual room for what I do want. I’ve found that there is a need to let go of whatever it is that’s hurting me to make room for what it is that Father wants to give me. This too is a big part of saying “yes”.

There is a simple process of letting go that a friend of mine leads me through to help me. I’ve come to understand now that I can do this on my own in Father’s Presence. But at times, I don’t always see what is needed or how really very simple this release is, and so my friend’s help aids my focus.

What she has me to is in the Spirit. I see or visualize the thing that I am willing to release. I hold it out offering it to Father or to Jesus in both hands – palms up. I then see Him take it from me. I wait because His gift for me is then placed in my open, upturned hands.

Often I don’t know what it is that I’ve received. For me seeing in the Spirit is somewhat abstract. No matter, I almost always understand the precious power and significance of His gift to me. I know in my heart that this gift is many times more precious and more powerful than the misery that I’ve just let go of.

It’s interesting to me how all of this happens. On the one hand, God is willing and able to provide all that’s needed for my healing – spiritual and physical – but there is always something I must be willing to give up to receive what He has for me. I don’t always know what His gift will be. I am very often pleasantly surprised.

Release is the central aspect of the “yes.” I must freely let go of what it is that’s making me sick, spiritually or physically. I need to allow Father to make room within me for the new healed reality that He wants to give me – Amen.

God is not going to just zap me into becoming some new healed person so that I can just go out and destroy myself all over again. That’s not what will help me to become something new. That’s nothing more than codependency – He gives, I take, nothing changes. Nope, that’s not how love works.

Love offers the best of things, not items or objects, but things which empower us to become our true selves as God Himself designed us to become. That true self is a reflection of Him – period. That true self knows something of and lives in His Presence and His love. That true self loves to do what it is that it is designed to do and be – especially the be.

Always,

Lew Curtiss

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Just Say Yes – Part 1: Allowing God to Heal

 

Yesterday I discovered yet another area of my life where I’ve been getting in God’s way. I tend to do that sometimes. But He lovingly showed me how to stop blocking Him and just say, “yes”. I thought that I was doing well by “trying” to do what was needed, but now I realize that I was cutting God out of the mix and trying to do something on my own strength. It’s what a friend calls D-I-Y religion.

Last night I was reading Thomas Merton – New Seeds of Contemplation. Something that he said in that book struck me with revelation. He was talking about contemplation being a gift from Father. My job was simply to be fully present and to allow Him to bless me. This idea is what lead me into thinking about my need to be the “yes” for both my growth and healing. Merton further said something that lead me to grasp that my growth was my healing. They are one in the same thing. If I will simply turn toward growth, the healing happens all by itself.

I’ve come to realize that “yes” is my first and simplest expression of the powerful freewill that Father God has given me. Because He will never override or violate my freewill, this simple first expression is my permission to Him that I am willing to receive whatever He wants to bestow upon me. After that permission, it is imperative that I remain in “yes” and stay out of His way as He helps me. Lastly, a big part of my “yes” is that I want transformation. I want to change.

The other day I got a rather serious medical report from my neurologist telling me that I have problems. Some of them are in my brain. Some are my body. Most, if not all, of them are reversible, and it’s up to me to just get on with it. It’s up to me alone. This is my own choice.

Okay, back to my being the “yes”. It has to do with the idea that at times I get in God’s way when He has simply wanted to help me all along. My various doubts, challenges, and fussiness all add up to my blocking Him and not allowing Him to guide me into full health. This is the barest essence of what Merton was talking about. Many times I get in God’s way. Somehow I seem to think that it’s up to me alone to do the doing without a full submitted reliance upon Father God. Even though I know better from other ares of my life, I’ve found that I have still been doing this with regard to my physical healing.

I had to ask myself, has my health improved in the last few years? The truthful answer is no. On my own effort, nothing has changed long-term. I’ve not become the new person physically that I can and want to be. I’ve been doing all of this work on my own strength. And that’s what Merton was talking about in his writings on contemplation; it is God Himself who brings me into the relational experience, the intimacy, and the revelation through contemplation. It’s a gift pure and simple. All I need do is say, “yes” and receive – Amen.

Lew Curtiss

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Do you Need Fellowship? Have hope.

The number of home fellowships, small fellowships, faith communities, or ekklesiae (whatever you choose to call them) are increasing across the globe. These groups are not house churches with regard to current church concepts. There’s no three songs, a prayer, offering, and a senior leader preaching. This is family and community in action. All participate in one form or another. All are responsible for their personal growth. These groups are not church small groups governed by a larger organization which tells them the agenda and what to teach. The fellowships that are organically popping up all over seek the Lord with regards to what He wants to reveal to them.

In a matter of a few years, the concept of the global faith community will encompass the earth. There will be no denominations or hierarchies which stipulate regulations for these fellowships. It will be comparable to families that unite and share with each other what God is saying and doing. Families that agree by the inclination and conviction of the Holy Spirit. Believers will have a common goal to see the Kingdom of God manifest.

These fellowships will be unique. They will have their interests and characteristics. All this is wonderful. But, what does it look like? John 13:34-35  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”

Love! The core people in NW Ekklesia feel like they have found genuine relationships, family, and yes love. We adore each other. We trust each other with our deepest problems. These groups are defined by the Hebrew word qahal, community, and family. We’ve heard other fellowships tell us the same.

Personality! Each group has its own personality. Freedom, the group Mike Parsons belongs to operates what they call a therapeutic community. They help homeless and drug addicted individuals. We tease about NW Ekklesia. We say we are an artist’s commune, even though we don’t live together. But, somehow almost everyone is a writer, visual artist, or musician. Every fellowship finds it’s own identity, purpose, and personality. There is no formula as to how we function.

Kingdom Government! Most small groups will have benches of three. Three leaders seeking God’s direction. Groups that are a bit larger will have councils of ten. They will have a leadership or governmental bench of three plus seven others to make up the ten. The two function separately and together. Individuals in their groups will find that they have specific tasks within their community. Tasks such as benevolence, records keeping, mentoring, healing, etc. In order to mature to this level, they have studied and done activations with people like Mike Parsons, Ian Clayton, Justin Abraham or Nancy Coen just to name a few.

Communion! We have found that there is more to communion than a cracker and some wine. Communing is one to another and to God. We have learned that a spiritual family has parents and younger members that eventually grow into parents. So, pretty much, it’s based on peer relationships. Families sit in the round when they eat and talk. So do we. The communal meal, which is dinner for us is very important. (You may meet in the morning. So breakfast would be the communal meal.) Within that meal, just as they did in the last supper, we serve the bread and wine. We usually ascend and participate from the Kingdom realms when we take communion.

Ascension! Yes, this is another earmark of this kind of fellowship. We see in the spirit and travel in the spirit. We’ve been to heaven. we function in the courts of heaven. We carry out God’s directions.

It sounds so simple. But, it is difficult to transition to this kind of fellowship. Old mindsets get in the way. Years and years of programming make us stumble over the simplest things. Lately, we have been helping other groups that ask us about ekklesia. We are also meeting individuals that want to start an ekklesia. We are now seven years functioning and we want to help them steer clear of many of the mistakes we made.

I believe there is much more coming. These groups are popping up all over the globe. I heard about one in Germany made up of theater people. I think one day soon there will be something akin to family reunions. Members from various groups will get together to share what God is doing with each fellowship, and you know there’s always a communal meal. It could be a Barbeque, a banquet, or a potluck. Putting it in simple terms, there will be big parties in the Holy Spirit. As Ephesians 4 says, I am waiting for the day that we all reach unity in the faith and we all attain the whole measure of the wholeness of Christ.

How about you? Do you need community and spiritual family? Is there nothing happening in your neighborhood? It’s really simple to start. Invite your best friend over for lunch or a snack. Spend time sharing what God is doing in your lives. Watch videos together from Kingdom minded speakers. Participate in the activations the speakers have at the end of their videos. In a short time, you will be saying to others, “Guess what happened? God changed my life or I got healed.” You’ll find that others want to join you. If you have questions, ask us. We will be glad to help.

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Feeding your Ability to See in the Spirit

(Part 2, Tongues and Meditative Prayer)

 

Can you improve your ability to see in the spirit? Can you improve your ability to travel in the spirit?  What’s the difference between seeing in the spirit and remote viewing? What’s the difference between traveling in the spirit and astral projection?  Should Christians open their third eye? … Wow, that’s a scary thought.

 

Some Christians are really afraid to face these issues. Some think it’s evil or demonic. However, I find that most believers who fellowship and associate with us see these activities as things that the Lord would have us do.    I am going to address these issues from the standpoint that supernatural activity is a part of a victorious Christian life.

 

You know that when we become born again, we receive the Holy Spirit. Simply, our spirit connects with God. Therein lies the difference to all of this.  If you are not a believer, you are using your soul to see,  or travel outside of your body, or prophesy, or participate in healing.  Several symptoms earmark the differences. If these practices are done by the guidance of Holy Spirit, we have peace and God’s love guiding us. People who do these practices by their soul say that it is uncomfortable. Testimony given says that it can even be painful.     But, as believers, we have very clear tools to guide our way. Galatians 5:22-23, ” The fruit of the spirit is love,  joy,  peace,  patience,   kindness,  goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Against such, there is no law.”  You should sense those attributes when you participate in supernatural activities. If you don’t, STOP!

 

I’m going to divert from my train of thought for a moment and talk about the third eye. What is that?    Its when a nonbeliever forces open the pineal gland or force the pineal gland to function in the brain?  God gave us the pineal gland. It’s a little bitty cone-shaped gland that’s near the pituitary gland, the auditory canal, the top of the spinal cord, and the optic nerve. It’s at a transitional or pivotal point in the brain.  Opening it can be done by satanic ritual, new age practices, or other religious rituals done by groups such as the Hindus.  It is forced to work.

 

However, when we participate in supernatural activities through God’s peace and love  The organs and glands of the brain work as a symphony our spirit and Holy Spirit. Yes, you’re nervous system, your endocrine system, and your organs all support supernatural activity. God built us that way.   I think God knew what He was doing when he placed the pineal gland adjacent to those other glands and nerves.

 

If you haven’t read the first half of this blog, I encourage you to go back and do so.  Because, when we pray in tongues, or pray and meditate on the name of Jesus, or say the  YHVH, the pineal gland secretes Melatonin and the frontal lobe of our brain relaxes. Basically, we go into a receiving mode.  We hear God more clearly. We see visions. Some people even smell and hear in the spirit.

 

So here’s the $50,000,000 question. How do you feed your supernatural abilities? You make praying tongues, meditating on God and his word a continuing practice in your life.  Practice in one form or another improves your life. You become a better gardener when you practice gardening techniques. You become a better musician when you play your instrument daily.     You will improve your intuition, discernment, ability to prophesy, seeing in the spirit, traveling in the spirit, and more if you practice it. Once again, it begins with praying in tongues along with prayer and meditation on God and his word.

 

Let me know if this post helped you. I’d love to hear from you.

 

Abundant blessings,

 

Anna

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Part 2 – Crown of Thorns: Love and Dignity

Crown of Thorns – flickr commons

In a previous post, I shared my vision of seeing and receiving my Crown of Thorns. At that time Father God had given me a spiritual tool to help me endure life’s challenges without feeling a desire to give up. My Crown of Thorns enables me to keep moving into creation, life, and light. It reminds me that I am loved and am not alone.

Since then Father has also revealed a good deal more about the significance of the crown and how, at His crucifixion, instead of mocking the Christ, it was actually one of His highest honors. So too can it be for each of us as well.

First, Christ went to the cross out of love for us. He went to restore us to full relationship with Father God.

Second, any mockery from the Liar toward Christ that came through His executioners was foiled by God’s love for us and by the truth that indeed Christ is King.

Christ’s Love for Us

Christ – to my way of looking at it – went to the cross entirely out of love for the children of God. It was out of love for all persons that empowered the Christ to say, “Father forgive them for they know not what they’re doing.” Christ loved even His persecutors, so much so that He forgave them.

The purpose of Christ’s sacrifice was not – first and foremost – to save us from our sins. For me to think so, I would actually be living in a spirit of fear – fear of hell and damnation. If there is anything to fear it would be separation from God. If you know anything about my life story, separation from God was not what I wanted.

Christ’s sacrificial gift is a gift of life. It is a gift of restoration allowing to move us back into deep, personal relationship with God the Father. The sin issue is minor when compared to our full and complete restoration into relationship.

Christ’s example is a love that we know almost nothing of here in this world. We live in an eye for an eye culture that demands vengeance and retribution instead of forgiveness. In our human condition, we prize justice instead of righteousness. I am convinced that most of us don’t even know what justice and righteous actually are. Most of us in this world seem to believe in a resolution of violence, however mild or severe as if they will solve our problem and make the world a better place. Personally, I’m not convinced that any of us even know what that so-called better place would look like. We’re so profoundly governed by our own self-interests which affect our grasp of these concepts.

Christ as King

In a way, it’s funny how often the Liar tries to mock Christ, God, or the Holy Spirit because he reminds me so much of Wiley Coyote from the Warner Brothers cartoons. Everything that the coyote tries in order to catch the Roadrunner literally backfires on him. That, of course, is what’s so funny in the cartoon and the unmatched futility of both the coyote and the Liar are what amuses me. Mocking God however is not a laughing matter even for the Liar.

At Jesus’ crucifixion, I’m guessing that the Liar thought that he had won. After all, he was killing the Christ, the very Son of God, whom he knew full well had come to save the world. But as it is stated in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, the White Witch had forgotten the deep magic.

So it was that the Liar lead the Roman executioners to mock the Christ with a crown of thorns instead of giving Him the usual gold crown of laurel or oak leaves. Both were traditional in those days.

I firmly believe that Christ wore His crown of thorns joyfully, maybe even with modest pride. That crown spoke truthfully of His Kingship. I’d like to believe that angels by the thousands were singing songs of praise and honor to Him, and perhaps He heard them.

I’ve come to see more in my own Crown of Thorns. For me, my Crown of Thorns is far more than just a wondrous tool that helps me to endure hardship. It is indeed a celebration of my own son-ship as a prince of the heavenly realms – one among billions. My Crown of Thorns reminds me of and reinforces my own identity in Christ, my Lord, and my Brother.

Lew Curtiss is a facilitator and artist with NW Ekklesia. To read more of his story click on the link here; http://nwekklesia.com/artists/lew-curtiss/