Dear friends,

I’ve been silent for a while, but I wanted to pass these two pieces from openheaven on to you.

God is doing something massive in these last days. The spiritual warfare has been intense, but the tide is turning, and through it the Lord is raising up a people who will be fit to share His very throne with Him, to partake in the Divine nature itself, and to rule and reign with His delegated authority.[1]

Everything that can be shaken will be shaken, we have been warned, and we are seeing this before our very eyes, virtually on a daily basis. Day by day the greatest country the world has ever seen is being brought lower and lower by the weight of its own corruption. Natural disasters worldwide are on the dramatic increase. There currently is a ray of hope in the Arab nations, but this can, and probably will, turn toward the dark side in an instant, setting up a true end-times scenario with respect to Jerusalem. The nations, it is abundantly clear by now, have absolutely no answers. They can only offer photo-ops and smooth oratory. But satan does not care how white their teeth are, and he does not bow before polished oratory.

Jesus told us that when we see the signs of last-days anguish, we are not to despair, but rather to look up to our soon-coming redemption. Even though we are going through a crucifixion now, the eye of faith not only can see the victory coming, it can see the Bride being prepared by the very fiery trial besetting us.

And so I’m going to pass on these two articles from openheaven.com, which I think speak powerfully of the creative work the Lord is doing in the church at this very moment. Openheaven has an email list that sends out roughly weekly, containing such articles and also a useful summary of Christian-related news.

Be blessed,
Paul

[1] For more on the incredibly powerful theme of our being outfitted for glory, and the power inherent in our prayers, see my review here of Billheimer’s book, Destined For the Throne.

1. Kingdom Impact

By Ron McGatlin

Trading Our Limitations for His Supernatural Life

Becoming One Spirit with Christ Jesus is no small matter. It is beyond our imagination – far greater than we could ask or think. It has not entered into the hearts or minds of natural man’s understanding. However, in this new season of emerging kingdom, God is revealing it to us by His Spirit.

In a moment of time we can be transformed by the Holy Spirit – changed in the twinkling of an eye by the powerful impact of the in breaking kingdom of God in the Holy Spirit. This is new, and we have not come this way before. Christ, by His Spirit, indwelling our spirit-being is transforming our weak spirit into His powerful Spirit that is HOLY HOLY HOLY.

No more mixture and no more falling back. What we could not do, Christ in us will do as we truly become one with Him. We no longer live but He lives His pure, holy life of love, power and wisdom where we once lived.

Yes, there may have been many years of “here a little and there a little” – years of three steps forward and two steps back – years of tearing down our foolish self-focused pride filled lives – years of our erecting our own castles in our own kingdoms – deceiving ourselves with religious platitudes from a god of our own making. We built precept upon precept and line upon line to be snared in our own works only to fall backward and be broken.

Isa 28:13: But the word of the LORD was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” That they might go and fall backward, and be broken And snared and caught.

In the passing church emphasis age we, for the most part, did not experience the kingdom impacting us, changing us in the twinkling of an eye. In this new kingdom emphasis age things are not as they were.

Judgment is coming swiftly to chasten and turn believers toward the now visible kingdom and away from our self-sufficient, do-it-ourselves lifestyle. Judgment of God is always for cleansing. Falling upon our faces in true repentance and crying out to God are often brought about through the severe disappointments of the devastating failure of a crumbling life under cleansing judgment of God. If everything kept on working well for us in our less-than-holy living, we would not be searching for change.

When our corrupt lives of mixture are being judged, a space for repentance is an awesome gift from God. In this emerging kingdom age, God provides a space for repentance for us to turn to Him with our whole hearts. Otherwise, there would be no transformation for us. We would continue in desperate disappointment and miserable life.

Are you getting this? Are you feeling the surge of kingdom impact upon your life? Are you sensing the magnitude of what we have walked into?

I tremble in awe at what God is doing in this day. I don’t know that I could have kept going if I had fully seen beforehand how big this change is in this time. I do not know words big enough to describe what it is like to realize that we are alive on earth in this season of the manifesting kingdom of God with its potential of transforming us instantly. God is renewing our bodies to be able to stand and carry the awesome power of the life of Christ Jesus. Our strength is being renewed to host the explosive fire of God.

Our limitations are dissolved in His supernatural life that abides in our spirits. Our spirits are consumed by His Spirit that permeates our souls and bodies changing who we are. Supernatural reality of Christ is available in all who are willing and believe. Supernatural life is not something to be sought after; it simply comes with becoming One Spirit with Christ.

Living Containers Made of Clay

Our bodies and souls are simply a container we live in – a vehicle for our spirit-beings to function in on earth. When our spirit-being is saturated and filled with the Spirit-being of Christ, we are transformed. Our spirit is no longer dominant within our living container (soul and body). Our spirit-being (who we are) is no longer who we were. The far more dominant Spirit-being of Christ becomes one with our spirit-being much as air entering a container becomes one with the air in the container.

We must decrease, and He must increase

There must be room available in the container for the new air (Spirit) to come in and permeate the air (spirit) in the container. There must be death (crucifixion) of the self-life that has been who we were. The cross experience of Christ Jesus truly becomes our experience. We are identified with the cross of Christ as we painfully die to our independent life that is no longer our own. Nothing we are – nothing we have is any longer our own. We no longer have any possessions, goals, ambitions or dreams of our own. There is no longer strength to stand – no willingness to get up from our face to the floor posture of emptiness. Emptied of ourselves we are ready for His new life.

Resurrection Life Only After Death

Actually, our spirit becomes dormant in this death event. We have no strength or ability to figure things out and make things happen. We do not even have a desire to do so. We have come to our end and find no reason to try to fix things again.

The Spirit of Christ Jesus can now enter our empty container.

The new air (Spirit) in the container becomes the fresh new life of Christ Jesus. Our dormant spirit becomes alive in the Spirit of Christ Jesus. It is His dominant Spirit bringing the kingdom of heaven life to our once dormant life that is now filled with His life. We cease to exist as we were, and now exist in Christ and He in us. We have literally become ONE SPIRIT with CHRIST JESUS.

We own nothing, and yet we have everything. We are now joint heirs with Christ. We are crucified with Christ, nevertheless, we live. Yet it is not we who live, but Christ in us. The life we now live is by Him – by His love, power, and wisdom. It is not even by our faith but by His faith we live. We walk on this earth as Christ, and the kingdom of God has come from heaven to earth. The Spirit of Christ within permeates our soul and body and our corruptible and mortal body has put on Christ.

What was corruptible has put on incorruption. Mortality has put on immortality.

Eternal life does not begin after the end of our time on earth. Eternal life is now in the manifesting reality of Christ in you (us). The kingdom of God is in full view as we each turn this major corner in our journey toward “our Father’s farm” – the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.

Keep on pursuing love. It never fails

and His kingdom never ends.

Ron McGatlin

www.openheaven.com

2. The Point of No Return

By Kriston Couchey

MONUMENTAL SHIFTS

Monumental shifts have been occurring within me and with others who are seeking the kingdom of God first. Everything Holy Spirit has revealed as to His purpose and plan for this new season is coming forth as He said. The old order has passed and His new order has come. His is not an order as men have considered order, but the order of the the Kingdom of God, the order of the sons of God being revealed. We are witnessing the culmination of things that all creation has groaned for. Holy Spirit has spoken a clear testimony as to what He is doing. He spoke very clearly in the Gathering in Liberty at Hinesville, Ga. It was made clear we have reached a point of no return. A new day is here, we can never go back. I would like to share some things that came forth from those gathering that are “markers” of season we have entered.

1# MOSES IS DEAD Moses is dead and Joshua (Jesus Christ) is now leading the way into the promised land. Moses represents hierarchal leadership structure in which people have become dependent upon man to lead them and hear God for them. No more do men depend upon other men’s wisdom and anointing to carry them forward. The Word Himself is taking us into the land of promise. His leadership is seen in communion and relationship with brothers and sisters, not a top down leadership from the past. He speaks to us through others as we come into divine relationship with them; but it is He who speaks to each one individually and leads them by means of the inward witness of Holy Spirit.

#2 THE ARK HAS MOVED The wanderings of the wilderness have ended. The Ark and the Glory are moving across the Jordan river and there is no grace for those who would stay on the other side. His blessing is where He is, and He has moved on from the ways and structures of the past that have at one time carried the Ark of His presence. The understandings and operations of the previous age are superseded by the fulfillment of the promise and WILL NOT proceed into this NEW DAY of the Lord. Organizations, leaders, and followers that are unwilling to move will be left without grace if they will not move with the Spirit. Father will still give way for those that repent, but the Ark is in the river Jordan and will be leaving the dry river bed. Men must respond and follow or they will be left on the other side.

#3 LEAVING THE CAVE OF OBSCURITY Like David, we have left the isolation of our caves in the wilderness to find connection with others Father has hidden away for this hour. He is connecting His body; and the bones and flesh are coming together to form the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ upon the earth. Christ Jesus is being known upon the earth in His people as they manifest on earth His very nature and authority as seen in Christ. Christ is emerging upon the earth as His people embrace death to the old life and partake of resurrection life that empowers, aligns, and connects them with others they are destined to be ONE with.

#4 SEPARATION OF ISMAEL AND ISAAC There has come a clear distinction of what is birthed of flesh and what is birthed of the Spirit. There is separation of those who operate by the arm of the flesh and those who walk by the Spirit. The son of the slave-women shall have no inheritance with the son of the free-woman. Father is not tolerating selfish ambition in his house in this new day. There is no more tolerance for pleasing and placating man’s flesh for the sake of peace. The flesh wars against the Spirit and is a tool of the enemy to hinder the work of God. The time has come for His sons to be about their Father’s business and not tolerate the distraction of those who have and promote man’s agenda. It is time to cut loose those that are distracting us from the purposes of God with their own ambitions and agendas.

#5 ISAAC IS ON THE ALTAR God did not ask Abraham to sacrifice Ismael, He asked for Isaac. Isaac is the promise, the vision, the future, the destiny. Everything we have “perceived” to be our vision and destiny is required to be laid down. We have not been this way before and our preconceptions from the previous age only limit us. It is a matter of faith that He can and will resurrect Isaac as He sees fit and fulfill the promise. Father has brought us to the place of surrendering the vision of our destinies and purpose into His hands that we might receive a clarified and pure vision and understanding of the days we have entered.

#6 FROM TEACHERS TO WITNESSES A teacher dispenses knowledge, A witness makes disciples. The Pharisees taught knowledge and understanding, but Jesus came made disciples that were witnesses to what they had seen and heard. We are now witnesses to what we see and hear Father doing. And WE are what Father is saying and doing. We are witnesses (testimonies) of the Power and Presence of God that changes men into His very likeness as sons. The kingdom is not in simply words but power, and power is the portion of sons who are His witnesses/testimonies.

#7 ONE WITH GOD As a bride is united with her groom so we are coming into union with our God. We have moved on from Man working for God (Outer Court), to man working with God (Holy Place), to ONLY GOD working(Holy of Holies). The operation of the past has been a mixture of men doing work for God and doing work with God. This new day is characterized by God Himself doing the work. NO FLESH SHALL GLORY IN HIS PRESENCE. We are coming from the place of seeing “Christ in me” to simply seeing “Christ”, as He establishes His kingdom in “UNITY”(ONENESS) with His sons. It is no longer us, but “Christ” in us. We are not seeking Him “out there” anymore, but resting in our UNION/ONENESS in Him within. In this place it is HIM that people see, and HIM that is manifest to the world. This is the day of Tabernacles, or the indwelling of God in His temple (people).

THE POINT OF NO RETURN

Just as Jesus came bringing a new day, so today is the day we are stepping into the fullness of His purposes that changes everything. There is no going back to yesterdays anointing. There is no going back to the church age. The kingdom age is HERE. The Day of the Lord is at hand. Our vision and destiny are laid at the feet of the king and He is giving us clarified vision as to His purposes and destiny within us. He is bringing heaven to earth, and the reality of heaven is now colliding with the earth in a way that changes everything for eternity. This place of heaven on earth has been birthed within His people, but it will grow to fully manifest Christ in His body unto all creation. There is no going back, only joyous expectation.

But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.

In His Love

Kriston Couchey

http://my.opera.com/Boanerges/blog/