The Cross & The Crown

 This was a race for the soul of humanity…and with each lap, more and more people joined the race and started running…But no longer just gentiles - now it was Jews…I said to the Lord “the vale is truly being lifted…(Read Romans 11:25-26) What does that mean for us?” Then I heard the sound of a bell… the sound that you hear when a runner hits the final lap of a race… And there were many people running…I sensed tension in the heavenly places:  One after another, we entered the final lap - and each time the bell would ring. As a consequence, the bell didn’t stop ringing, but just kept on. And I heard “Last Call!” This is a wake up call for the Gentile Church;  This is the final time around:  I saw nations and people groups I had not seen before… Cultures and tongues I did not know (Matt 24:14)… At the final bell, they entered into The Way, and joined the race with us (Matthew 20:1-16)… And I felt the Lord saying to everyone, “Keep on! Don’t stop:  “For the final la...

 Why do we fast? To get God’s attention…to bend His Arm…to earn His favor…? No: Through the Cross of Jesus Christ, we already have all of this. So why then do we fast? To refine us - For the Lord to teach us that “man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God”…That we would not look to things of this world (what we see,hear, taste, smell, touch) to sustain us, but that we would look to Jesus Christ - who is The Word…our manna from Heaven. (2Cor 4:18; John6:25-58) To refocus us - That our attention would not be on the things of this world to satisfy us…but to the things of God . Because the things of this world are passing away, but the things of God are eternal. (1John2:15-17) To reprogram us - That we would not be controlled by every demand and desire of the flesh, but that we would be controlled by the Spirit, turning to God as our first and only source. (Romans 8:5-11) To humble us - To get our attention back to the Sacrifice of His Son…for His Glory. “And I fed you...

Large crowds came to Him in the desert (the hard place) Matt 14:13-21 But… who was able to come to Him on the water?  (the impossible place) Matt 14:28 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matt16:25)