Friday, August 30, 2013

Any smiths in the house? 


            Imagine two warriors, enemies of each other, crossed path in a secluded location. What is the first reaction? Each reaches into his sword sheath and draw the sword ready to fight. Imagine while reaching to his side, one of them only found an empty sheath. With a look of horror on his face and sweat running down his cheeks in fear, the only option at this point is to raise both hands in defeat while his enemy's sword is completely drawn ready to strike. So it is in the spirit.   
            Daddy God desires for us to be smiths – no, not Mr. or Mrs. Smith. A smith is a craftsman or one who is skillful. Strong’s concordance interprets the Hebrew meaning of smith as one who is skillful to destroy – a warrior. As children of Daddy God we should always be armed to fight the battle ahead; not just for us but together for each other. Satan does not take vacation neither is there any holidays on his calendar. He continually seeks ways to destroy us and one of the most targeted areas is to darken understanding from the word of Daddy God. Why?  The word is the Sword of the spirit; the word of our testimonies by which we overcome. The word of God is sharper than any two edged sword; hence, it is our weapon against satan and we out to be skilled warriors in that area – smiths in the spirit. It is important especially for leaders as others depend on the smiths to make/deliver the weapons.

1 Samuel 19:1 highlights the importance of being a “smith” in the spirit.

 “Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:
            The land of Israel depended on the smiths to make them swords so the absence of smiths left them vulnerable to their enemy, the Philistines, who gloated at the opportunity. Verse 22 says
So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan:
            What a tragedy it is when a child of God is caught without a sword. Think of Jesus when He was tempted by satan. He was ready for battle!-a skilled warrior. Likewise, our swords should always be drawn ready to strike the enemy without mercy. We need to be warriors in the spirit – skillful to destroy the enemy at anytime. I pray there will be no smiths wanting in our lives as children of Daddy God.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Voice

The Voice: To take heed or to proceed the choice is yours
I held him down with a strong grip with no intention of letting go. I wanted to keep him down for as long as I could to prevent him from going anywhere. I seized him and fastened him to  one spot with all my strength, mixed with anger, bitterness and every evil thought. “You did me wrong”. I said within myself, “and I am going to make you pay for it”, those thoughts continued to occupy my mind. I could not go anywhere without him. If I turn to the left or to the right I dragged him with me because I refused to set him free. “I want sweet revenge, I hate you, I can’t stand the sight of you, but I will not let you go unless I see you suffer”, my soul struggled with these thoughts. Then I heard my name, I looked up but no one was there. “I am hallucinating” I thought, “but I can’t afford to shift focus or else this offender will go free”, I pondered within. “Tazzy”, the voice echoed within my soul; but still no one was visible. But this time I was certain I heard right. “Who are you? I responded as sweats of fear and anxiety streamed down my cheeks, but I continued to press down upon him disbursing more energy than I could afford – but with fuel of hate and anger sustaining the blazing fire inside of me I held on with determination.
“Come let us reason” the gentle and loving voice continued. “I can’t” I responded.” If I do, I have to drag that one with me and he is too heavy”, I said. “Let him go”, the voice reasoned. ‘And set him free? no way!” I blurted out as I felt violated of my right to revenge- he had to pay! “Remember that thing you asked of me? I have come to deliver it, but you are not in position to receive it because your hands are tied”, the voice continued. “But I can’t let go”, I said applying more pressure on him beneath my grip. “Come” the voice uttered a second time. I turned toward that voice but I couldn’t move an inch because my hostage was gaining strength as my energy deminished and so a tug of war began. He struggled from under my grip. I held tightly onto him simultaneously attempting to go toward the voice because I want that thing he had for me. The more I tried to drag my hostage with me the harder it became because he began to drag me to the other direction in defense. In my determination to win that war, I shifted all focus on keeping him locked down as the struggle continued for some time but he eventually got to tired and worn out so he surrendered. At that point I was confident that I had dominated the situation so it was safe to continue my conversation with “the voice”.
“Are you there?” I called out, but there was only silence. Fear took hold of me, I wanted to continue the conversation with the voice. I wanted what the voice had for me and now that I was in control I was sure I was able to drag him over with me. "Hello", I yelled louder hoping the voice will hear and answer. But still, there was nothing. At that time anxiety was increasing as I restlessly turned in every direction hoping to locate the voice, but alas, nothing! So in desperation and fear of losing what the voice had brought for me I yelled even louder. Suddenly I felt a hard blow on my left shoulder which forced me to lift my head hoping it was “the voice". But I was mystified- it was only grandma standing next to me with a frightened look on her face. “What’s the matter” she uttered. I didn’t answer as I turned my eyes toward the yard and all I saw was the golden sun radiating in its glory, the birds occupying the elm trees as their melodious sounds fill the atmosphere and the children jovially laughed and jumped about in the backyard as I looked on from the balcony where I sat slouching on grandma’s old rocking chair in defeat, again- I had lost the internal battle. I missed a blessing, because I didn’t let him go. “Will the voice return?” I asked myself as I got up from the chair and sluggishly walked passed grandma without saying a word as I made my way into the house, to crawl back into my misery.
Message: You can never win holding onto others grudgingly. When you forgive, you free yourself and only then can you walk freely toward the voice of the blood - the only access to the father with whom are your blessings. Whatever you bind on earth, will be bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Loose yourself today.
Anastasie Destouche © 2012 

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Rent to Own

Location:         777 Heavens Avenue
No: of Rooms:    Numerous
Type of Housing:   Mansions
Leasing Length:     Forever
Price:  Paid in full (FREE)

Amenities:
Utilities include: Living water, pure lights

Guaranteed:
Happiness, joy, peace, eternal life, laughter and many more

Description:
777 Heavens Avenue is nestled in the "Holy New Jerusalem" with streets covered in gold paved with righteousness, aligned with hedges of holiness and offers spacious mansions. Each mansion is surrounded by flowing streams of living water and radiance of pure light.

This property will appeal to any soul with the prospect of living eternally in an imperial environment in the presence of its king. It will also attract one who appreciates the magnificence of a sacred kingdom and who wants to escape the torments of hell; thus settling in a royal and serene place.

If you are interested, please reserve a place NOW. No walk-ins accepted. For an appointment call J.E.S.U.S and He will give you directives on how to be a prospective tenant as the place is being prepared. Ownership will be transferred at the appointed time. This is a contract in which you MUST accept all non-negotiable terms and conditions. You must agree by believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that JESUS is LORD. Thereafter you will receive a receipt signed in His own blood which reads. PAID IN FULL! DELIVERED! with your name next to it.

DO NOT forget to carry your receipt with you when you go there, or you will be denied entrance.
ENJOY!

Tazzy

Thursday, December 9, 2010

My Soul's Sole Desire

My Soul's Sole Desire

To be like Him is what I desire, in words, deeds and thought.
I give thanks to the LORD for His goodness.
My desire is to be filled with the knowledge of His will in wisdom and in all spirtual understanding so that I might walk worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ unto all pleasing and being fruitful in all good work. My desire is to increase in the knowledge of God and to be strengthened in all might according to His glorious power unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness giving thanks unto the Father.

Thanks be to my Lord Jesus Christ who presented me holy, unblamable and unreprovable and I shall be all these if I remain grounded and firm and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel. So help me God. Further, I want to walk in Christ rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith abouding in thanksgiving. I will not allow anyone to spoil me through philosophy and vain deceit, by the tradition of men, after the seed of the world and not after the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created me.

My joy is in this, that there is hope laid up for me in heaven which is to come to me and bring fruit. My God, through Jesus Christ has made me a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light and He has delivered me from the powers of darkness into the Kingdom of His dear son JESUS CHRIST. In Him I have redemption through His blood, even forgiveness of sins. I am therefore, complete in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the head of all principality and power.
Praise the name of the LORD of HOST. Worship O my soul. AMEN.

I pray this too is your soul's desire.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Are you a party crasher?

         
Give the angels something to celebrate - don't crash their party
   There are many who are like “sheep gone astray” from the body of Christ for various reasons and instead of showing them the way home, we tend to push them farther away by our Judgmental reactions towards them. Those who are in the pit, we tend to push them deeper into it not realizing that JESUS will leave us, the ninety-nine, and go out to look for that one lost brother.  
            Jesus said – For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.. (LK 19:10). And He still wants to do that through us but that depends on our level of submission to Him. He said as my Father sent me so I send you into the world. So the question we must ask ourselves daily is “am I being my brother’s keeper”? I wonder how many times GOD must have asked us every time a soul goes astray “where is your brother”? And by our inconsiderate behavior toward the lost we are merely saying to GOD “I do not know, am I his keeper?”
            God relies on those of us who are saved to go and show the lost brother the way to Him but many refuse because they choose to keep the son to themselves lacking thought for others.  People perish because of lack of compassion towards them – We who have the son know the way, we have the truth and we have life – but we refuse to show our lost brothers the way home, we refuse to rescue him from the devil’s deceit, and we refuse to revive them. But one day we will hear GOD say “the voice of your brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground”. (Gen 4:10)
            The word “keeper” in the Hebrew is “shamar” (Pronounced shaw-maw) it means: To protect, to guard, to hedge about (as with thorns) – So in essence, we are to protect each other from the deceit of the enemy – “Pray ye one for the other”. However, in many cases we become the enemy whether inadvertently or otherwise, and cause them to go astray. We ought to be like a hedge of thorns around each other by lifting each other in prayer and by giving the word of life as needed –“so none will lack”. It is in time of lack temptation raises its stronghold against people. So let us be each others’ keeper and bring back the lost sheep home. Hence, rocking heaven with celebration- let's not be party crashers.
You shall not see your brother’s ox or sheep going astray and hide yourself from them; you shall certainly bring them back to your brother (Deut 22)

Be blessed.
Tasie

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Through the ordinary is manifested the extra-ordinary

 That is the result of my street ministry today - oh How great is the Lord, our GOD.

“My pain is gone, my pain is gone, oh, I am healed, O God, my pain is gone” was the joyful sound coming from the middle aged woman sitting across from me today with tears rolling down her cheeks.  Katrina,  who had no intention of entering into the little sanctuary at the hospital today experienced the power of GOD. She was on her way from an appointment and as she walked in the hall across from the sanctuary supported by her son and a cane, according to her, “something told me to go in there”. She entered and joined us, four ordinary people - another minister and I, and 2 older women.

The spoken word was "no matter what you are going through, whether pain, whether a bad report from the doctor, still praise God. We were just praising with hands lifted, clapping and dancing unto our God. We opened the Bible and sang the word of God. In all this Katrina joined us but due to the extent of the arthritic pain in her right leg, she remained seated but joined in clapping and singing. Suddenly, she got up from her seat with tears rolling down her cheeks blurted the words above. She walked up and down the little aisle leaping without her cane; she could not believe what had just happened to her.  It was the book of Acts chapter 3 all over again in which the lame man went walking and leaping and praising God after being healed.

She no longer needed the assistance of a human or cane; She walked flawlessly!   At that point she was so overwhelmed she was just praising God saying, “I am delivered thank you Jesus” and she laughed and laughed, again saying, “my pain is gone, I am taking the bus home, I am going to tell everyone I meet”. I have never seen that much excitement. I think it was more “wow” than excitement. She still could not believe it.

We were just rejoicing with Katrina, oh the glory of the LORD, the POWER of the Lord our GOD. It was so very simple; nothing dramatic, no big “healing service”, nothing of that nature. It was just a very reverential atmosphere where four ordinary people lifting up their voices in praises to God and He came down to see what that sweet aroma was and His power healed that woman. O, truly, He inhabits our praises.

It is therefore safe to conclude that The Lord, our God (blessed be He) through the ordinary, manifest the extra-ordinary. Give Him praise HIS people.
I will never stop going on the streets / hospitals to be a witness to the LORD JESUS CHRIST. (BARUKH HU) Blessed be He.  


Friday, October 29, 2010

The Pseudo-Faithful

Too often many who withdraw from the faith does so on the common ground of church or individual error. The church's or other individual Christians' behavior is usually the culprit for their falling away from faith in Jesus Christ. Withdrawing from Christ due to the error/s of others is a manifestation of speculative faith. Clearly, Jesus was never the foundation of their faith; otherwise they would not have allowed the behavior of other Christians to influence their decisions to stop following Jesus. Ostensibly, these "pseudo-saved" people never transformed from discipleship to friendship and probably were never taught to "work out your own salvation". (Phil 2:12).

One's faith in Christ should not be contingent upon what others believe but on the words of the Lord. Jesus never told anyone to believe in humans although He appointed humans (earthly beings) to do a heavenly work here on earth under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Yet, He only told us "you believe in God, believe also in me".

Further, He stated that "by my words you will be judged". The Lord's word is a manifestation of His will. In fact, He said that "my food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work". In essence, He gave precedence to the fulfillment of the word of God over everything else. With that said, I caution you brethren to work out your own salvation and walk in obedience to God's word. Pinning your disobedient actions on others does not provide an escape route from His judgment. I therefore encourage you to develop a deeper relationship with your savior - Jesus. You do not need a high priest to enter the holy of holies for you anymore. You have access by His Spirit so go and hear from your Father for yourself.

Be blessed.