The Kingdom Anointing

 

The Kingdom Anointing

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc.

 

Early on December 15, 2020 God spoke to me and said that He was placing a “Kingdom Anointing” on my life.  I had never to my knowledge heard of such an anointing. I was eager to hear what Father had to say regarding this anointing.  He dropped in my spirit  New Testament scriptures that refer to kingdoms.  I immediately researched them as He began to stir my heart regarding the “Kingdom Anointing”.

 

When Jesus was here on earth, He often spoke of two kingdoms.   They are the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 20:23, Matthew 22:2-4) and the Kingdom of God, (Luke 17:21).  The kingdom of heaven is the surrounding territory in which we live, celestial, terrestrial, and telestial. Celestial refers to the sky. Terrestrial refers to the land. Telestial   relates to the lowest degree of glory that surrounds us.  The Kingdom of God is the plan, purpose, and intent of God that lies within you.  In other words. It is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit living and abiding within you to bring about the will of the God-Head in you.

 

God said that the kingdom anointing is unleashed by binding and loosing (Matthew 18:18).  The Believer has the power (authority) to bind principalities, powers of darkness and the like here on earth and have it bound in the heavens.  Believers also have the power to release the will, plan, and purpose of God right here on earth and have it come to pass. 

 

God gave me some words that would identify this anointing.  They were rip (to cut or tear open), tear (pull apart by force), unearth (to bring to light, uncover), pronounce (to utter officially), and a few more.  He began to explain to me that this anointing would bring death to the works of darkness in the kingdom of heaven and establish the Kingdom of God in my own life and the lives of others.

 

God pointed out to me in scripture that the people of Nineveh were wickedly living their lives (in the kingdom of heaven).  But it was not until the “Kingdom Anointing” landed in their midst with Jonah (who had  the word of the Lord in his mouth) that things changed.  The word of God pronounced judgment over the land and things changed. The king set forth a decree that all people should fast and repent before God to bring forth the Kingdom of God in their land.  Even the animals had to fast (abstain from food and water) to bring the Kingdom of God to the land.  

 

Circumstances and situations can go   on for  what seems like  forever in the kingdom of heaven.  But there comes a time when God speaks judgment upon kingdom of heaven activity within His church (organized church, body of Christ). God rips, tears, unearths, and pronounces His will, plan, and purpose on an issue and everyone must acknowledge. Nobody escapes His justice.  No one can revoke His sentence by the will of man.  After all, He is Sovereign and He is God.

 

God sends His word to a situation before He takes action.  God spoke to Solomon (1^st Kings 11:11) and said that He would tear Solomon’s kingdom from him and give it to his servant.  God followed through with His plan because of the disobedience of a man that He gave everything in this world.

 

On October 2, 2020, God said to me that His church (organized church,  body of Christ) would have fallouts and separations and it would be to His glory (He is cleansing His bride and bringing her into oneness).  Throughout the previous months God has been speaking to many of  His leaders and prophets about  His displeasure of  the unrighteous, racist, immoral, unethical, and cruel  Trump administration. They are now speaking the words of the Father clearly and without reservation.  This will continue to happen and God will be glorified.  He knows the way that was taken and He will bring His body to full understanding.  Prophets of old spoke and were ridiculed, imprisoned, beaten, isolated, rejected, and  hated because of the true word of God.  Nevertheless, they spoke truth and God brought His word to pass. 

 

God does not play favorites.  He has a plan and our job is not to bring about His will with our plan.  When we try to do this, we enter Satan’s territory.  Satan loves self-made plans that mimic God’s will in the lives of Christians.  He can somehow convince them to open a door to slavery, hardness of heart, and rebellion.  No one should chose that door.   Death is behind it.

 

Repentance is all that is ever necessary when we “miss” God.  Pride, arrogance, self-justification, and self-righteousness will only bring further death and destruction.  For the church, It is a time of tearing, ripping, unearthing, pronouncing, and whatever else God wants to do.  No person will stop God’s plan regardless of the earthly clout they have gathered.  This earth, they that dwell therein, and the fullness thereof belong to God. Everyone who fights His plan is ripped, torn apart, unearthed, pronounced upon and ultimately excluded from His plan and purpose.  Don’t let this happen.   Don’t be without Him for eternity.

 

Let the Kingdom of God reign and rule in your heart so that life will spring forth from your existence.  The earthly surround (kingdom of heaven) is sometimes void of the plan, purpose, and will of God.  However, the Kingdom of God is always clear.  Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice and another, they will not hear” (John 10:27). Which voice have you heard and what Voice is speaking now to you?

 

Will you allow the kingdom of God to reign in you or will you be satisfied with the kingdom of heaven and its hits and misses?  The choice remains in you.

 

P.S.

The “Kingdom Anointing” pronounces judgment on the unrighteousness of kingdom of heaven activities.  It releases the kingdom of God in Believers to bring His plan, purpose, and intent into their lives here on earth. I have received the “Kingdom Anointing” that God has placed upon my life and will allow Him to teach me His heart for my life and the lives of those He has placed in my path for ministry.

Post Script: I AM Here!

 

Post Script: I AM Here!

By Marsha Deveaux Johnson

 

Post Script:  I Am Here! is my new occasional communication to the Body of Christ.  The Post Script (Positive Statements) will feature my encounters with the “Great I Am” in my walk with Him. 

 

God revealed Himself to Moses as the Great I AM (Exodus 3:14).  He is here, He is present, He watches over His word to perform it in our lives (Jeremiah 1:12).  Here is a moment I share with you in which God has revealed Himself to me.  May you be encouraged by my  encounter to see the Father’s heart toward you as He reveals Himself to you.

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc.

 

August 14, 2020

I spent my teenage years in Sanford, FL about five blocks from the downtown St. Johns River.  It is my “go to” place to have instant feelings of home.  On the above date David and I pulled up to the parking place that gives a view of this north flowing river.  Well, God had already assigned our welcoming committee. They were there huddled near the sidewalk.  As David drove up, I looked to the right and there they were.  David jumped out of the car to go to the trunk to get his camera.  We love the birds on the river and have found them stunning in their creation by God in color, beauty, and unique features.

 

I turned to my right and saw one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever viewed.  There sat a mother duck with four young ducklings quietly sitting in front of her.  My heart melted with this scene as I saw My Creator on display.   I watched her as David and his camera started her way.  She made no sound, she did not move her position, but I noticed that her breathing changed.  It became more labored.  As this happened the four young ducklings got up, wobbled on their legs and moved in closer to her.

 

By this time, I had lost it with revelation!  God we must sit in your presence, hear Your heartbeat and move in ever so closer to you.  My husband’s camera was no threat to these ducks.  Neither are the rantings and raving of the enemy a threat to God’s children.  They are just signs to us to “move in closer to the Father”.  Be loved and protected by Him.

 

I said to David, she did not “say” anything to them!  They just knew by her heartbeat to move in closer.  Needless to say, David quickly reminded me that birds don’t talk like we do.  We must hear our Father as He speaks to us Rhema (inspired) words in our human spirit.

 

He sees the fall of a sparrow (Matthew 10:29); I know He watches over His word to perform it in my life (Jeremiah 1:12).   Be encouraged! MDJ

 

Our St. Johns River Welcoming Committee

 

 

"Stay on the Wall"

 

"Stay on the Wall"

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc.

“I have heard from God, I am doing His work, I will not come down.” MDJ

 

Scriptural Reference:  Nehemiah Chapters 2-7

Nehemiah discerned the times in which he lived and listened to the heart of God for his part in history.  He went through the proper channels to get permission to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city of God.  He heard the voice of God and acted accordingly.

The walls of our country have been torn down.  They have been demolished by factions of those who believe, those who do not believe, and misguided folks who have heard from a god, but not from Elohim (Creator) the God of peace and justice.   They have not heard from the God who gives free choice to every man, woman, boy, and girl to obey Him or not.

Some prophets have said of this current time that there is now a “Global Reset” that has been ordered by God for the “organized” church. However, the agenda for the “Body of Christ” remains the same as it was when Jesus left this earth.  It was “Go make disciples.”  We know in part and “prophesy” in part but we are always subject to the sovereignty  of God.

I judge what I hear from God by His logos (written) word. I also receive the Rhema word (inspired and spoken to me directly in my spirit) with total reliance on the Holy Spirit.  I thank God that my relationship with Him allows me to hear His voice and follow His leading in my life and decisions.  I honor and revere His words to me both logos and Rhema.  They are the treasures of my life.

Nehemiah’s task was clear.  Rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.  He went about it in orderly fashion and started the project.  He appointed restorers of the breaches to certain parts of the wall. He outlined plans so that the all of the wall was going up simultaneously.  I just recently zeroed in on the scriptural fact that there were women and children engaged in restoring this wall. 

In walks Sanballlat and Tobiah (Nehemiah 4:1) with familiar tactics such as name-calling, lies, tricks, put down, and mockery  about the people and the work of the Lord. Well as it turns out that’s about all they had.  They could not thwart God’s will. It was time for the wall to be built.  God’s project, God’s orders, clear the way.  It will happen, God’s way, God’s time, and God’s outcome.  This nation will hear God’s voice.

If you are building the wall that God wants built, you don’t have to worry or be anxious about the outcome.  You do have to realize that you must rebuild  with a sword (God’s word) in one hand and building tools in the other ( Nehemiah 4:17-18).

Let’s get to the sword first.  I am part of a remnant group who is praying the agenda that God gives us.  It is strategic prayer in the fact that we listen and hear His heart, align with His will and  then pray accordingly.  We have found when you pray His heart and His will you get His answers. We are sometimes figuratively speaking “blown away” by the efficacy of the results of the prayers (God really does speak to His people).                                                                                                               

Soulish prayers (prayers borne of the reasoning flesh of man) are an insult to God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  Besides that, they demonstrate immaturity, selfishness, and blindness. If you have ungodly and/or soulish perspectives and pray, Satan can gain advantage.  It is deadly to engage God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in soulish prayers that serve your agenda and the agenda of unrighteousness.  Seek God for His will.  His kingdom come; His will be done is the only way to prosper in Him.

Secondly, the building tools which you use are so important.  God has in this time ordained His listening ones in giving to others.  The heart of God is for the people whose needs are great in food, shelter, encouragement, and love.  Engage yourself in some way with meeting the needs of others.  It is what Jesus did.  He that gives to the poor lends to the Lord (Proverbs 19:17). 

Also, do not align yourself with unrighteousness to get results for righteousness. A little leavening will leaven  the whole lump (Galatians 5:9).  When you align, excuse away, and court sinful men who personify sin and corruption, it produces death (Romans 6:23).  Nehemiah could not come down from the wall because he was charged to do God’s will and allow the results to God. 

You cannot legislate righteousness for other people.  You have not been assigned to make them believe, receive, or live the God life.  Jesus said go and teach the Gospel.  The acceptance and/or rejection is under the authority of the creature who has been given free choice by the Creator (God) over his own body, life, and circumstance. 

In the end Nehemiah accomplished God’s will.  He allowed God’s will to become his will and thus pleased God. All of us should do the same.  War with the word of God in one hand and do the will of God with the other hand.  The results will be astounding!

 

PS

On a personal note I recently had a precious experience.  I have merged prayer time with my exercise time as I swim.  For each of the laps that I do, I thank God for Who He is to me (Such as Redeemer, Healer, Provider, etc.).  I reached the end of the pool and during the lap that I was thanking Him for being my Rest and Peace  I turned around to return to the other end of the pool when I saw sunlight piercing through one of the trees in my yard directly behind the pool.  The sunlight was so brilliant and white that I almost closed my eyes.  However, circled around this sunlight that was peeping through the tree was a most beautiful moonbow!  I saw it (perfectly round and colorful) inside the screen porch in the area of the two chairs where David and I sometimes sit as we read God’s word.  I have seen rainbows in the sky, but a moonbow in the screen porch of my back yard!  How marvelous is that! 

Look Me In the Eye Part 1

Look Me in the Eye Part 1

A letter to the Organized Church and the Body of Christ

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc. http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

My previous message made a clear distinction between the organized church (wheat and tares) and the body of Christ (wheat only) (Matthew 13:24-30).   I have always listened for God’s voice in my walk with Him.  I have had the privilege of hearing His voice in confirming my actions and also in chastising my actions.  I think every member of His body has heard Him condone and/or chastise their actions ().  He does not deal with His children as bastards but sons to be corrected and conformed to His image and likeness (Hebrews 12:8).

When Barack Hussein Obama was elected for his first term as president of the United States of America, God said to me that it was a judgement on America’s race problem.   Throughout his eight years as president, many in the land condemned him not only for his decisions, policies (right and wrong), and actions, but also for the color of his skin.  Needless to say, the country as a whole dug in to its racism (systemic or otherwise) for one reason or another under his presidency.  America failed the test God gave it to deal with the racism issue.  The organized church was silent.

Fast forward to today.  God has brought us to the election time for the president of the United States of America and what is the number one issue on the agenda? Racism!  As a nation we did not hear God’s heart for the church world to unite under love, but instead it split under embedded, ignored, and quietly whispered racism. 

The organized church chose two sins (abortion/homosexuality) and sought a man who would condemn and legislate against those sins while exemplifying and practicing other sins. Please understand that abortion and homosexuality take their place as sin with all other sins in God’s eyes (Exodus 20:13), (Leviticus 18:22).  The Bible is clear, however not everyone knows what it says.  God speaks to His Believers and we follow His words in the Bible.

There are those who do not know God’s word and/or do not choose to obey His word.  Those who do not choose God are still created in His image and His likeness (Genesis 1:26) with free will to choose their lifestyle.

 The organized church skipped right over the scripture that says “All unrighteousness is sin” (1^st John 5:17) and excused lying, hatred, racism, put down/bullying, non-repentance, elitism, social classism, cursing African nations, cursing human beings, caging children, blasphemy, mistreatment of God’s creation, etc. (These actions are the documented ones with audio/video tapes to confirm). Only God knows what else has been perpetrated on the citizens of America. 

Christianity is based on repentance, confession, and change of life.    And yet the organized church praises and follows a leader who employs no Christian values.  This leader never admits to wrong doing and corrals all around him to become engaged in the same ungodly practices assuring damnation for their lives also. In fact, the organized church asserted that “you elect a saint/king and not a priest”.  Was this also applied when Obama was president or did this principle somehow surface with the subsequent president.

The organized church did not want to deal with, acknowledge, or dialogue with racism. It is Father God who has said it is on His agenda.   The current United States administration presents an overtly racist stance.  The organized church (wheat/tares) for the most part was complicit or remained silent.   God is now saying to America and the organized church that you are going to have to deal with racism as a nation.  The body of Christ (wheat) sees clearly.  Those of us who hear God’s heart understand what He is doing.  It is the organized church who has attempted to drown out the voices of Christ’s Body with politics, power, money, and arrogance.

 This earth is not the eternal home for the body of Christ (wheat). The organized church’s (wheat/tares) home is in the earth. The organized church will have no place (in Heaven) when the tares are stripped from it by the Lord of the Harvest. 

God has a documented proven plan (Bible) with prophetic words that have and are also yet to come to pass.   God’ word is the plumb line.  It is the final authority.  It is irrevocable, infallible, and irrefutable.  It does not belong to a man (regardless of the size of his/her ministry). God’s word is of no private interpretation (2^nd Peter 1:20).  It is to be read and accepted by all His chosen ones who heed His call.  We must remember that the “Lord of the Harvest” (Jesus) does the separation.  If a man condones a tare, he endangers himself to become a tare.  You cannot serve God and someone else.

Our biblical example of this is found in (1^st Kings 3:1).  Solomon made allegiance with kings by marrying and bringing into his household their daughters. This would in his mind elicit their loyalty to him.  He would get what he desired from foreign countries.  He found out to his dismay that these women brought their gods and practices into his godly kingdom and changed it totally.  The saddest part was that they changed Solomon’s heart toward the true and living God.  Solomon found that a deal with the devil is just that, a deal with the devil (Ecclesiastes Chapter 1).

Scripture says if you walk with wise men you will be wise, but a companion of fools will be destroyed (with the fools) (Proverbs 13:28).  Scripture further says, “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). Whenever we reduce ourselves to aligning with evil to accomplish God’s will, we have crossed a deadly line.  We are now using our fleshly tactics to bring about God’s will.  God does not allow the works of flesh to bring about His will.  In the end as Solomon said, “all will be vanity”.

I once heard someone say, “Hold your nose and support this administration”.   I have read the Bible many times over and I can’t find this or its sentiment in the word of God.  God says all unrighteousness is sin (1^st John 5:17). This is never going to change.  Sin will not enter God’s Kingdom.  This won’t change no matter who commits the sin.  The wages of sin (in any form or fashion) is death (Romans 6:23).  

My view is biblical.  Find a sinner, make sure that they have an opportunity to see “real Christianity” in your life and allow the Holy Spirit and God’s word to minister life to the potential Believer (The Great Commission).  If you cannot reach a person for salvation with God’s love and the good news of the gospel then leave him to the power of prayer. You must always remember that you present Jesus to others and they have free will to accept or deny.  If he denies acceptance of Christ and His teachings no laws or judges will interfere with the choice of his lifestyle. He will sin regardless of your laws or your judges who will discriminate against him because of his lifestyle.  

I choose to stay on the line that Jesus drew.  He said “Whosoever will, let him come and drink of the Fountain of Life freely” (Revelation 22:17).  The God-life is produced when a heart is changed.  I’m sorry folks, laws and discrimination against people will not produce citizens of heaven. Only a heart change will.

I am a seventy (70+) year old Black Woman who has lived her life since the age of fourteen (14) following the teachings of Jesus Christ.  I am Spirit-filled and keep my ear close to the Father’s heart.  I have ministered to children and families in education as a school teacher, program consultant, and principal (30+ years).  After retirement God sent me to teach His word and rescue broken lives in drug rehab centers (I have volunteered there for 13+ years preaching His Gospel).  Not one of the lost souls (who were found and rehabilitated) regarded the color of my skin.  God’s Love and my love for them was the saving grace.   I have spiritual sons and daughters of other races.

 I take no personal woe from slavery, insult, slight, curse, or even put down as a Black person.  Once I found Jesus, I began to see men as men not as trees (Mark 8:24).  I forgive others before it becomes an issue in my own heart. I cancel out the works of the Devil regarding racism and any other lie that Satan brings by listening to God, reading and studying His word, practicing His word, and showing God’s love. God has frankly been marvelous to me.  I can hear His voice for my own life and also minister to others in love.  I live in peace. I love and am loved by God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, family, and many others.   

I say to the organized church look me in the eye and tell me:

That you believe that people should be discriminated against because of their skin color, nationality, religion, and lifestyle choice when God made and gave free will to all men.

That you did not know God’s heart (and the hearts of people of color) were bleeding from the racism in America.

That you did not know that the hurtful symbols of slavery and racism that surround people of color every day were offensive to them.

That you did not know that racism was an issue that the organized church in many instances refused to address and quietly swept it under the carpets of churches large and small in America.

Did you not know? Could you not hear or see? Did you not care? By the way, what was God saying to you about racism and what is He saying now?

Oneness, Union, Total Alignment with Father, Son, Holy...

Oneness, Union, Total Alignment

With Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (God-head)

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc. http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

God has His ordained way of bringing His will to pass.  My prayers for years have been for the body of Christ to enter into the oneness that Jesus prayed for in John 17:21, “That they all may be one; as thou Father art in Me, that they also be one in Us, that the world may believe that Thou hath sent Me.”(KJV)   Little did I know that God needed me to understand this prayer Jesus prayed and how it would be answered. 

My thoughts had always been that everyone naming the name of Jesus had to come together in unity in thoughts, deeds, and actions (Thank God I now know better).  God’s word is infallible, irrefutable, and irrevocable.  Our understanding of His word lies in the revelation of it to our spirit, soul, and body.  This revelation of His word comes as we read, meditate, be obedient, and live out His word in our lives daily.

During the increased time of sheltering in my home, I have been on a path of increased reading, studying, and writing God’s word.  This always leads to revelation pouring out of His word like sparks from a hot wood fire.  He began to speak to me about the word concerning the oneness of the body of Christ.

The first clarity came when I had to understand just who God said could be “One”.  God clearly made a distinction to me between the “organized church” and the “body of Christ”.  They are not one in the same.  This fact alone brings scripture illumination.  Jesus said in a parable about the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13:30, “Let both grow together until the harvest:  and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers. Gather together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them:  but gather the wheat into my barn.” (KJV) The organized church has wheat and tares all lumped together.  We are not charged with the separation of them nor to be at one with them.  The body of Christ consists only of wheat.  Wheat that must exist with tares while the Lord of the Harvest tarries.

Furthermore, God says in His word in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils?   and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” (KJV) Never means never, no oneness, no union, no total alignment with the God-head.

So, then we often see tares that are doing great “works” in the name of Jesus, and Jesus does not know them.  Their charade looks like, acts like, and proclaims to be wheat, but they are tares that cannot be one with Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit. 

By the way tares distort God’s word, use it to promote dissention, factions, and hatred among brethren. Tares cannot exhibit true love to others (races, sinners, social classes, etc.).  They see these groups as threats to the Kingdom as opposed to potential sons and daughters of the Kingdom.  Tares are mean, callous, and hateful toward God’s creation all in the name of Jesus.  They have an agenda to cleanse the world and not change the world through the love of Jesus Christ. Tares cause Christianity to be viewed as Satan desires it to be viewed, divisive, racist, and elite.  “Jesus came to save sinners of whom I am chief” are the words of Apostle Paul who was changed from a tare to wheat. (  ) The body of Christ (wheat) can never be one with the tares.  Are you a wheat or a tare?  God knows who you are.  He forgives and restores.

Let me now tell you who enters into the oneness with the God-head.  John 14:23 says, “Jesus answered and said unto to him, if a man loves Me, he will keep my words:  and My Father will love him and make our abode with him.” (KJV) The oneness that Jesus spoke of is when each of us who receives Him obeys His words and the Father comes to make His abode in us.  It is at this time that the prayer of Jesus for us to become One (with Him, the Father, and the Holy Spirit) gets answered. 

This scripture has been clear all the time.  I thank God for bringing my understanding to this word. I do not need to seek alignment with the organized doctrines, attitudes, and practices that do not represent the heart of God.  Tares are not going to enter into God’s kingdom.  God says so.  When we are One with Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, we have entered into where God would have us to be.   God’s word says in Ephesians 4:13, “Till we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” (KJV) The perfection is not in the organized church but in the body of Christ.

Let me make three basic distinctions between the body of Christ and the organized church.  There are others, however these categories are basic and understandable as we watch the current situations play out in the earth.  When you review this, you will see why the church world is all over the map with practices, doctrines, teachings, priorities, and more.  It is only the body of Christ who is hearing what the Spirit of God is saying to the church and the world.  Be found in the body of Christ!

Body of Christ                                                         Organized Church

Wheat Only                                                                             Wheat and Tares

(Matthew 13:30)                                                                     (Matthew 13:30)

Entered into Oneness with                                                     Not all entered into

God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit                                                     Oneness with God, Jesus, and

Union, Total Alignment, (John 17:21)                                     Holy Spirit, different factions exist

Sees God’s word as final authority,                                        Seeks power from status, politics,

deliverance, and instruction for daily living                           worldly connections, man’s favor,

Trusts God for all outcomes                                                    and money (2^nd Timothy 2:4).

Manipulates God’s word for agendas

Make no mistake about this.  Tares will be judged and handled by the Lord of the Harvest. Abide as Wheat!

The Shut-In

The Shut-In

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc. http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

I grew up in a rich environment of faith where I saw faith lived out in my grandmother and my parents.  For a short period of time as a child I lived with my grandmother.  I look back now and I cherish those days when I saw right before my eyes simple faith exercised by these precious ones.  They believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and served Him with their whole heart.  Of course, as a child I did not realize the total value of what I was seeing in them but God knew.  God so loved me that He made it possible for me to have heroes of faith in the household where I grew as a child.

During the period of time I spent with my grandmother I experienced what was then called a “Shut-In”.  Men and women of God would set a time for this (usually overnight but it could also go on for days).  They would gather their bibles, some clothes (remember housecoats), and food (now referred to as snacks) for the children and go to the church for this event and it was an event.  Fasting, praying, singing, and repenting took place to the glory and honor of God.

I can remember the “saints” (we now call Christians or Believers) would lay blankets near the front of the church where the altar was and put the children there to sleep.  Although the prayers were loud and many of them walked around (in housecoats) with praise and adoration for God, the children slept sound.  I believe that the grace that is upon my life today was pronounced as I lay asleep as a child surrounded by the prayers of the righteous that avail much.

I also experienced this with my parents who pastored a church.  This same event was called “All Night Prayer”.  It took place in the church.  There is a childhood memory of one of these events.  We lived next door to the church in the parsonage.  I was the youngest of four children and my parents (then it was safe) left me asleep at home while my sisters and brother went with them to church next door.  Somehow, I awakened during the night and found my way to the church next door.   My mother recalled that she looked across the church and saw her toddler walking down the aisle on the opposite side of the church.  Needless to say, from then on, I was never excluded from all night prayer.

God has always summoned His people for a “Time Out” with Him.  It is the “Solemn Assembly”, the “Gathering”, the “Convocation”.  It is Him calling us to repentance, redirection, and love for the mission He has given us.

The Bible records a God ordained Shut-In for the children of Israel when they left Egypt.  They were instructed to apply the blood of a lamb to the doorposts of their houses and go inside and shut the door.  The death angel was passing by and would only spare those who were obedient to the instructions that they had been given by God (Exodus 12:13).

Moses was Shut-In or hidden in the cleft of the rock as God passed by to reveal Himself to His servant (Exodus 33:22). 

Perhaps the most famous Shut-In took place when the resurrected Savior of man(Jesus) told His disciples to go into an upper room in Jerusalem and wait until the Holy Spirit would descend from heaven (Acts Chapter 2).  After a Shut-In there will always be an unveiling of Truth, an unleashing of Power, a releasing in Anointing, all in the person of Jesus Christ to His body.

I can remember the refreshing that always accompanied the “Shut-Ins” and “All Night Prayers”.  Sometimes afterwards revivals would “break out” in the churches.  The bodies of Believers would be healed and lost loved ones would return home. These events served as a reset button for the lives of God’s people. 

We have one of these events now, a mandated “Shut-In”.  This one has been so ordered by our Heavenly Father.   Listen to Him.  Hear Him. Be refreshed by His ordinance and His power to change you and the world in which we live.  What has He been saying to you that you could not hear when you were not Shut-In?  Has your outlook on anything changed?  Have you begun to see current conditions, opinions, and attitudes in a different light?

I speak for myself and say that in this Shut-In Father God has moved in my life in a depth that He has ordained.  I am delighted to submerge myself in His logos (written) word and He is revealing Rhema (inspired) word to me.  I have grown to love the word of God even more than I have in the past.  I see His eternal plan more clearly. 

God’s plan makes the plan of man so small and insignificant that I am strengthened as a Believer to carry out the commission, “Go make disciples”.  I know that this “Shut-In” will yield a tremendous harvest for the Kingdom of God.  Don’t attend to the distractions.  They are just that.  Attend to God’s word and His promise of eternity.

At the beginning of the pandemic, God instructed me to pray for the people (all people) and to walk and talk with Him.  I remain faithful to this simple request that keeps me focused on God and what He is doing rather than the rhetoric of other voices in the earth. 

Years ago, God spoke to me about the “Underbelly” of this nation.  He is exposing it now for what it is.  It is not pretty but needs to be exposed and dealt with.   This reckoning is necessary for the release of His purposed revival for this nation.  We can only believe as Believers the truth as God sees it.  Not as we see it.   We must stop now and hear what Father is saying in this Shut-In.  Are you listening? 

Truth is going to prevail.  Align yourself with God’s plan, purpose, and desire or you will circle around in your own plan (or another man’s plan) as did His children in the wilderness.  His glory and revelation are now being revealed to His body.  Receive from this Shut-In all that God has ordained for you to receive.  Journal and write down what He is saying to you because He is speaking very loudly.  Pray for people, pray for blindness to be lifted from the body of Christ.

His Presence

His Presence

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc. http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

Exodus 33:14

“And the Lord said, My presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest.”

One of the benefits of friendship is the comfort level we have with a trusted friend.  We recognize their phone number when we see it on the digital screen.  We know the sound of their voice on the other end of the telephone.  We have a comfort level with them just “dropping by” our home if they are out or in the neighborhood.  We are comfortable in their presence.

I am always fascinated by the words that God speaks to me because of the power that lies in His spoken word.  God has been speaking to me lately about the word “presence.”  He reminded me of the above scripture and pointed out to me that the word “rest” was used instead of peace.  Rest in this instance seems to be a destination or state of existence that God brings us into.  This rest is brought on by His presence being with us. Moses was so committed to the will of the Father that his response to God was, “Lord if Your presence does not go with me, let me not go anywhere” (Exodus 33:15).

 As I meditated upon the word rest in the Exodus scripture, I began to understand that “rest” was all encompassing.  You can have “peace” regarding certain things in your life but be challenged and not at peace with others. 

“Rest” is a place of destination that is entered into by faith and manifests the total presence of God almighty.  Hebrews the 4^th chapter speaks of the “Rest” as a destination.  It is to be entered into by the faith that God’s people exercise in His written and spoken word.  His presence is the optimum benefit of entering into His Rest.

Prerequisites to “His Presence” and the “Rest”

·         You must know Jesus Christ in the pardon and forgiveness of your sins. John 3:16

·         You must know that you are redeemed from the curse of the law (sin, sickness, poverty, spiritual death). Galatians 3:13

·         You must have a revelation of Satan’s Defeat. Isaiah 14:12-17. Ezekiel 28^th Chapter 

·         You must have a revelation of Christ’s Victory. Revelation1:18    

What does “His Presence” entail?

To view a snapshot of His presence, I will go back to the statements I made about a trusted friend.  I will apply these statements to our Trusted Friend.  You know His voice.  Of all the voices that are in the earth, and there are many, you discern when He speaks to you.  You have absolute clarity of His promptings, desires, and orders.  You also recognize and know His footprint on circumstances, situations, and occurrences.  You would never mistake another for Him (Calling good evil or evil good).  You understand and exercise His heart toward mankind. 

And last but not least you are comfortable with Him “dropping by” and visiting with His divine presence anytime He desires.  In fact, your spirit lives continually in His divine presence and promptings.  Your spirit remains in constant communication with God. This communication is likened unto the flame in the tabernacle that burned continually, (Leviticus 6:13).  This communication in your spirit takes place regardless of the engagement of your soul (mind, will, emotions) in temporal things.  This candle just keeps on burning (Proverbs 20:27, “The  spirit of man is the candle of the Lord”).

What does “His Rest” entail?

Well first of all it can only be experienced if the “Presence” of God is with you.  There can be no allegiance to man or self in this place of “Rest”.  You have abandoned your own plan, will, actions, desires, and submitted to the will of the Father (John 5:30).  This is sometimes where it gets hard for some who genuinely love God.  You must abandon self-seeking and approval of man desires.  This abandonment will allow you to enter into His presence and His rest.  God’s presence can then invade your spirit with the union He desires. 

Just as the Father and the Son are One (John 10:30), we also enter into that same “Oneness” as His presence engulfs us.   It is here in this “Oneness” and “Union” that the world and its system have no stronghold over our lives.  Like Jesus, our kingdom truly becomes not of this world.  We are in it but not of it.

Benefits of His Presence

·         You are void of desires that promote self and the approval of man.  Your lips constantly speak forth the plans, purposes, and will of God.  You have denied yourself, taken up your cross and are following Jesus (Matthew 16:24).

·         You constantly feast on the “Hidden Manna” (Revelation 2:17) that God floods into your spirit daily.  You radiate a purity of spirit and love in your dealings with others.

·         You have peace and contentment that defies the chaos of the world. God can trust you to know and do the right thing.

·         You immediately identify the plans, purposes, and desires of the Father and seek to agree with and accomplish His agenda.

·         You bring the anointing and presence of God wherever your voice is heard, wherever your words are read, and wherever you  go.