Remarkable for Success

Some people like to paint life outside the box, while others desire to paint life inside both the real and perceived boundaries of their lives. You can find fear and safety inside and outside of borders and structures. The key is to become consistently, and fearlessly remarkable. Love bigger, give bigger,and live happy, inside and outside the box.

Seed to a Forest

God put the seed of everything within itself. Looking at an apple seed, you may imagine a tree or more apples. Think of that seed carrying a forest within it. A seed that never takes root is now a forest that will never be realized. The seed of eternity is within you; the seed of "all things possible" is within you. You are the seed for a forest of His love.

Suddenly I See

I know what I know, I know what I do not know, But I have yet to discover the things that have not reached my conscious mind. Until they are revealed I just don't know. Then suddenly I see, another dimension of the Divine, and I am forever changed towards His image. And so I watch and wait expectantly for suddenly to appear once more.

Humility in the Divine

There can be a downside to spiritual insight. Pride can creep in, because we now know something someone else may not. We may take on a loftier attitude rather than the wisdom in humility which says this; "I am thankful for the insight, yet I can learn from a child, or a fallen acorn." Our position is in Him, and He says, "Stay low my child, and become a servant to all."

More of Him, Less of Me

Human ego is the greatest hindrance to releasing the substance of heaven on earth. We are Kingdom of God vessels of His eternal substance. As we die further to the grips of ego, we will see increased measures of His presence. So we choose this day for ego to die more, so that more of Him and less of us is revealed to those around us.

Mistakes Are Opportunities to Learn

As you continue your spiritual journey, your path will often take you through difficulty, and not around it. As you move through difficulty, be mindful to view your mistakes, and the missteps of others, as lessons learned. These painful lessons will often become the foundation for transformed hearts, and empowered living.

Challenges Reveal Much

Challenges give us the opportunity to reveal ourself to ourself. In the midst of struggle, is it fear or faith that is winning? Do we trust in man's ability, or are we trusting God? How we react during a challenge or crisis reveals much, and can teach us much towards adjusting to Father's world-view. See with His eyes, love with His heart, and let fear subside, because the Lord your God has your life in His hands.

The Greatest Still is Love

The foundation of love is eternal truth. Love extends to those in truth, and to those yet to know the truth. It is both mercy and truth that leads people to God. Faith, hope, and love remain, but the greatest still, and for all eternity, is LOVE! Love first, love often, love abundantly, and watch what the Father does through your life.

Revolutionary Living; Everywhere, ALL THE TIME!

Revolutionary Living; Everywhere, ALL THE TIME!

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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Worship and living are not two different things when you live “As Worship” to the Lord. Our faith should not be expressed only in certain settings, but all of life, ALL THE TIME! We must partake in the realm of living where every climate is impacted because His transformational presence goes with us into every atmosphere, ALL THE TIME.

Can you imagine if God’s people could grab on and hold tight to the Wind of His Spirit for everything they engage in? Can you imagine ambassadors for heaven that live from moment to moment, and place-to-place, expecting atmosphere to bow to Fathers presence? It would be the birthing of a revolution for sure. We would see God’s people filled with His presence and consumed with doing good to others, doing good at home, doing good on the job, doing good on the bus, and just doing good, because of the Goodness of Father that has overtaken them.

They had been blind and on the wrong trail and then a divine interception took place. They were intercepted from death and receptive now to the inherited life that Christ had given them. They were intercepted from darkness and into a reception of light illuminating the Agape road.

Eternal perspective is wonderful, but living the realm of eternal perspectives in “real time” is what Father has always desired and planned for His children. It is “Go time” and “Now time” to be set free from dualism, and the darkness of sacred and secular division. The Kingdom of God beckons the releasing of Kingly Priests into every sphere of society. Giving Him glory in every context and jurisdiction of life is becoming more and more the way, because it is His way, and His people are catching on. Glory!

Glory to God for the CEO’s who are doing business God’s way and worshipping Him on how they steward resources, go to market, and steward God’s greatest created asset, people.

True worshippers who work in businesses and performing for the Lord’s pleasure are receiving favor from God and man. They are advancing in so many ways, not only financially, but also with increased joy and peace because of their willful submission to their Heavenly Father.

Godly scientists begin discovering things that were not even thought of, because they have entrusted their lives, their minds, and their research to Almighty God. Father gives them scientific breakthrough as we are reminded in Proverbs 25:2, “that it is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search for it.”

Government strategists are now finding ways within systems, or outside of systems to do people good, and to honor God in the areas of public policy. We will see more worshippers raised up in local, state, and national governments.

Green earth enthusiasts are increasingly not being called tree huggers any longer. Many are becoming God lovers that desire to steward the land, and fulfill Father’s desire for creation that goes all the way back to Genesis. And they are working alongside those they once religiously opposed.

Doctors and patients are seeking freedom from the pharmaceutical and insurance cartels. Free market healthcare strategies that are affordable, functional, and go to the root of the issues, are being formed. Worshippers for freedom in healthcare are rising up.

Creative currency and trading at grassroots levels are preparing the groundwork for change that will eliminate much of the fear and control of existing establishments. True worshippers in Fathers strength in the societal mountain of finance will present opportunities for freedom to the captives.

We will increasingly see a new generation of spiritual leaders that are not in it for self. They live in the righteous fear of God, with motives of love and service to all they are called to. They seek first the Kingdom and His righteous nature as they lead. In Spirit and Truth they worship by becoming servants of all, with little or no desire to be served… yes the Jesus type leaders the world has been groaning for.

Worship will relevantly and powerfully go beyond our singing and praying in a church setting a few times a week. It goes far beyond our rituals. It is something that is intentional, but at the same time flows from lives prepared by Him, that are now free to act against themselves. It is His presence manifested through His ambassadors for His glory alone. These worshippers will bring light to the darkness in every phase of life.

You say you want a revolution, and you say you want a real solution. Are you ready to release His solution through your life? Can you see it? Will you live it? The goal is ever becoming like Christ for the world, so that through our worship, we ooze His love, and ooze His life with every breath, until oxygen is no longer needed.

One Nation Under God and Above Nationalism by Robert Ricciardelli

One Nation Under God and Above Nationalism

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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Can a nation be born in a day? You are that nation, you are that people, you are my people. Beyond America and nationalism, and in all nations, is a people called by my name. The shaking felt around the world is my doing. Many of you have asked, “Lord where are you in all of this? Have we not prayed? Where are you in my challenges? Where are you in my problems?“ I say, “I am in them, around them, and have cause many of them. “ What is a temporal shaking will cause an eternal awakening for those who will hear my voice. Much of what has been built by man, I have not built. What I have built, many have failed to see and understand.

Eyes that have not seen will see. Ears that have not heard will begin to hear my sound. My sound will resonate above the noise of confusion, and beyond the bankruptcy of religion. False centers have risen up and missed my center, which is me. What they have created and called me has stood in the way of who I am, and cannot contain I Am. My Kingdom ever expands, and my glory will fill every gap upon the earth.

What has been good in the past will not take you to my best for your future. The things that are good are often the enemy of best. This is a swift season of change, like a mighty wind blowing. Can you see it? Can you feel it? Will you embrace it as I blow this season of change from the north, the south, the east, and the west?

As my Wind blows, false centers will have to go. The walls of religion will crumble. Systems that oppose my will, will be deposed by my will. My people will be drawn to come under one banner and one name, the Name above every other name. I am returning all things unto myself. Posers of my Kingdom will be exposed, and ambassadors of my Kingdom and of my love will rise up and be released in power. As they return to me, my love will remain, because all else has been removed. My light in them will increase because more darkness has been dismissed.

The nation of my love and of the substance of heaven can now love me, and love one another in supernatural abundance. I in them, them in me, and in one another. A love force will come forth that the world has not seen. My Kingdom has come, and my will is going to be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Embrace my Wind, embrace my change, watch, wait, and go as I lead. This nation, my people, will never be the same, cannot remain the same, because of what I am doing, and what I will do.

You have questioned many things. I have put those questions in you to expose the false foundations that have kept you bound. I declare, those foundations will no longer bind you. I have shown you what to do in the past, but fear had gripped you. But now the fear of missing my best for you will cause an overcoming of all previous fear. My love and purpose for you will propel you through all hurts and setbacks, as the journey forward continues to unfold.

My glory that has been concealed in you, will be revealed to you and through you in transformational ways. Atmosphere will change because of my glory. Where you go, I go, and where I go, you go. Circumstances and natural elements will bow to my supernatural substance. My eternal seed in you will reap an eternal harvest, and that harvest is both here and approaching. The seed in you cannot die, but can only be delayed for maturity. Maturity will surely come as those hindrances are exposed and removed. Live daily in the inheritance of my Kingdom. Let me take you where I will, and I will do what only I can do to fulfill everything I have planned for you in the days ahead.

You are that nation of kings and priests. This is beyond your nation, as it is about my nation of people of every nation, race, and creed. You are born from above, and you are the ambassadors of my love to a world in need of me.

Whole Lot of Shaking, Whole Lot of Kingdom by Robert Ricciardelli

Whole Lot of Shaking, Whole Lot of Kingdom

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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I do not think it has come to any surprise to most of us that there is a whole lot of Shaking going on. Hebrews 12 talks about all that can be shaken will be shaken; so all that remains is the unshakable. As I look at unshakable possibilities, the only thing that comes to mind is Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and the unshakable, unmovable, and Glorious Kingdom of God.

False foundations, paradigms, illegitimate structures, systems, and limitations, must bow to the Fathers Kingdom. His Kingdom is perpetually coming to earth, and one day will fill the earth in Father’s glory, as the water covers the sea. The Kingdom of God is within us, without us, and whether we are noticing it or not, will continue to breakthrough on earth as it is in heaven. The shaking must happen, and yet those who desire to live in His inheritance that Christ paid for, will see His glory now, in the midst of the natural chaos that is seemingly all around them.

Some reminders of Fathers Kingdom ….

• Kingdom is within: "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within [or among] you." Luke 17:20-21
  
• Kingdom approached through understanding: "When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him "You are not far from the kingdom of God." Mark 12:3
  
• Kingdom accepted like a child: "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:15
  
• Kingdom entered through spiritual rebirth: "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit." John 3:5
  
• Kingdom entered through doing the will of God: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 7:21
  
• Kingdom that will be inherited by the righteous: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?" 1 Corinthians 6:9
  

Christianity has received a heavy dose of the gospel of salvation or rebirth through our Savior, but Father is making it clear that He desires far more than eternal destiny in some distant future. Father is making it clear that He desires for us to live in His inheritance now, intimate and obedient to Him on this planet, while eternity unfolds.

One of the big reasons we have not seen the power of God through the Body of Christ is because most of the Body of Christ does not even know who they are, and the incredible eternal seed of Fathers glory that is within them. We are stuck in the idea of waiting on Jesus and heaven, while Jesus and the substance of heaven is waiting on us. So the shaking and awakening continues as the Lord brings us from our bankrupt paradigms and lifestyles to Ambassadors of His Kingdom, and influencers of His Heavenly Substance. Keep in mind; heaven has never been the Fathers goal. Fathers plan through creation and the new birth in Christ has always been to know Him intimately as Father, while being His light and His love to the world.

Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Heaven can wait, and when we die in this physical dimension, the pearly gates of the next dimension will be ready to receive us. But we are not dead yet in this world, but alive and well in Him, regardless of what is trembling around us, or even what we have come to believe.

Our identity is in Him, as movers and shakers of faith motivated by His love, and He has given us freedom to act against ourselves to live, move, and have our being in His will, and in His ways. By His Spirit we can choose to abandon fear and hopelessness, and embrace the agape love of Father that has been deposited within each of us.

We must embrace His love on a continuum and not rely on what we see. As we seek His Kingdom, His love, His righteousness, what we need will be added, and Father will remove all fear and limitations that have kept us from His best. Healing and wholeness for the journey will come as we allow His light to dispel the darkness in our souls.

Remember beloved, that you can never be too good or too bad for His love, and finally, that our life is not our own, or about us anyways. It has always been about Him, and for Him.

I have chosen to grip on to the Father and be Christ to the world, and I know some days I will do better than others, but there is no other way to live. So as I grip on to my Father, I hold loosely all the rest of my thoughts, paradigms, and desires, while allowing my loving Father replace them with His.

Symphony of Praise- The Four Winds

Many of you know that I am not event driven, but am consumed by His presence. His presence does inhabit the praises and lives of His people. Any event that brings His people together seeking Him, and the sound of heaven, can be assured of His presence, and assured that in His presence, transformation takes place.

We are co-sponsoring an event on October 3, 2009 that I believe will be historic. It is a FREE event, so the only cost would be to get there. Many streams coming together in unity to praise the Father. This does not involve anyone of significance, but Him, and yet everyone is significant because of Him. The only star of the night is His Bright Morning Star, and Father's seat is secured. Father will bask in the pleasure of His children as we come together for 10 hours of sustained sounds for heaven and from heaven.

There will be worship teams, dance teams, and prophetic artists coming from all over the country, including our friends Leonard Jones and Janice VanCronkhite. People are already making plans to be there from different parts of the world.

We envision this as a beginning of just our little part of pleasing the Father in a way He has given us to do. He is doing the same thing all over the world, so we are not exclusive, but inclusive of all, and inclusive to the obedience He has for all of us. This will be our first Symphony of Praise, and we see at least 8 of these with the next one coming in spring of 2009.

We believe many who make the journey with us will be refreshed. Many who have been dry and weary will get a drink from heaven and be renewed. This is a monumental effort for so many, so please pray for the resources, and for the Father to make every way possible for those who are led to make the call, and the journey on October 3rd.

Please see the vision at our website www.symphonyofpraise.net along with those who are joining us in making the call. The venue is spectacular, and it does seem to be a generational well of His glory, you can see the venue at www.vanhoyfarms.com

Everybody Has a Seed to Grow and Sow by Robert Ricciardelli

Some people walk, some people race
Some people vary in their pace
But God can use what you can give
Within the mystery of His ways
Don't underestimate...

One thing I know
Everybody's got a seed to sow
let your heart of hearts
Take you down the road
Everybody's got a seed to sow "Michael W. Smith"

Every Human being was born with an eternal seed… God’s nature!
Everybody who was born was created in His image. By the grace and mercy of God, He brought us life through Jesus Christ, His Son. Redemption came through Christ, as the now, and eternal life for the worlds eternal seed. Ah, and what a life!

We often get so consumed with redemption and a future heaven, that we miss living His life in the present, on planet earth. We hear a lot of misappropriated teaching on the “Abundant Life” the Father has given us, but the truth is, it is “Abundant Life”, and it is “Abundant Life” now, regardless of the circumstances or where you are on this amazing journey.

When the bible talks about being saved, and whole households being saved, it was not to focus on some future heaven, but it was access to heaven on earth, in the NOW. The seed redeemed now, expecting now, looking for now, can begin the maturation process.

Jesus always pointed to the Father. He taught us to pray to the Father to bring His substance to earth through our very beings. It has always been His original intent for ALL of mankind. His intent has always been to be a loving Father to His creation, and dwell with His people. We all have been derailed one way or another until Father was revealed to us through His Son. We also are all different in where, how, and what we are to sow for His glory, as we sow seeds of His substance on earth as it is in heaven.

Theology and doctrine has been used to define what we have come to know, but has often been the very thing that stops the “sow flow. “ We began to judge each other’s sowing based on our limited knowing. So division happened because of knowledge and not on what we actually were doing. We were designed for love; we were designed to deliver His love to the earth. Simplicity of love becomes evil darkness when we are judging what we think we know rather than judging ourselves on what we actually are doing. And how presumptuous are we in thinking that we can know what the Lord is doing in another’s heart?

Joyce and I are determined to look at all people as part of God’s original design. We point the way to the Father as Jesus did. We point to the Way, the Truth, and the Life through His obedient Son… And then as we seek after Him, we become sons in the image of Christ, FOR GOOD WORKS, AND FOR HIS LOVE.

Consider eliminating thoughts of “us and them”, and look at all of us as part of God’s glorious creation, while needing Him, and needing one another.

Father desires that we love Him, and love others. What adjustments need to be made in our paradigms to live in His Agape paradigms more often as Father pleasers? What steps do we need to make towards being givers rather than takers? We are with you in all of this, and ask ourselves the same questions often. Lord what do we need to do to learn to love you more, and love others as ambassadors for you?

Everybody has a seed to sow, and a seed to grow. Father, by your Spirit, help us to grow, sow, and flow in amazing ways in loving and serving You and others.

Be ready, He is speaking. Listen, He has a more excellent way for all of us, and His Kingdom will surely come, and will be done, through our lives, and to the glory of God.

Dime Store Prophecies by Robert Ricciardelli

As God continues to release Himself through His people, we are hearing His voice as a prophetic people more than ever before. His Kingdom comes, and His will is being done on earth as it is in heaven. In the midst of His light being shed in greater measures, there is still the big issue of the fallen nature of man and the darkness within that nature.

We continue to see a rise in personal prophecies and words that are brought forth out of man and delivered to man, as the Lord wills. The problem arises when it is mans will and not God’s, or a mixture of God and man’s fallen nature. We have seen this cause hurts in many, and in fact some have never recovered from the hurt.

Prophecy is the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of Life.

I have received many calls the past several months from those who have been hurt by such things. They either were given a “word” that was tied to a benefit for the one giving it, or it was given with control and manipulation in mind. Other times it was given innocently, and the person received and acted upon something that they thought was from the Lord.

In one case the person was given a word saying that the Lord wanted to bless them, but to release the blessing they needed to sow into the “word givers” ministry. This is not how God operates, and I would reject those types of words immediately, or at least consider some impartial counsel.

It is so important in the season we are in, to hear from the Lord for your self. If you are having problems hearing from Him, go to those who love you and have no other agenda but love, and seek counsel from them. If you have been given words by someone other than those who God has placed in your life relationally, it is important to share it with others who may have wisdom on what the Lord may be doing and saying for your life. Others will add another level of discernment and accountability for those speaking on behalf of the Lord.

The Lord does speak through people at times, but it is important to get a multitude of counsel on those words, especially if they are directional, or involving a decision you have to make. Discount the words that bring condemnation, and love the person as they may not know what they are doing. Be overly cautious of words trying to bring extreme conviction, or extreme tickling to your ears. There may be a hidden agenda in those.

I know this may be hard for some to hear on either side of this, both those who desire to get a “word”, and for those who seek to give a “word. I believe there is a lot of misuse, and occasional abuse going on in charismatic and prophetic circles, and felt led to address it. We rejoice when the Lord speaks, but we want to make sure it is His voice, and thus the reminder for all of us.

John 2:24 it says that Jesus entrusted Himself to no man, for He knew the heart of men.

The key consideration here is the idea of “entrusting ourselves to others.” We can trust others but entrusting ourselves to anyone other than the Lord is risky. My wife and I entrust ourselves to one another as unto the Lord, and there are those relationships that God may have given you that are foundational. But when it comes to listening to someone speak as coming directly from the throne, it is important that we make sure it is Him, before we speak, and before we receive or act upon a word given by man.

There are some that use their ability, position, and charisma, to influence in ways that are not the heart of the Father, and grievous to Him. I really believe the Lord when He says my sheep hear my voice and listen to me. I believe we can hear His voice and by His Spirit discern correctly as to what is Spirit and what is flesh. During times of immaturity and times when discernment signals seem to be clouded, that is when a multitude of counsel may be necessary, especially on major directional issues.

I also believe the Lord would honor the time taken for fleeces and multiple confirmations for such important decisions. I usually say something like this, “Father you know my heart and that whatever you say, I will do. Please confirm this thing in ways that I will know it is you. I do not want to miss you, and I do not want to hold back from pleasing you, so will you send other signs, and other voices to confirm such things?”

If you are struggling with words that others have brought to you, release them to the Lord. He is not the author of confusion. Ask Him to sort out what is from Him, and He will show you. Forgive those who have utilized His name for any intent other than His perfect will for you. Be humble in giving, and receiving what may be from Him. Fear God when it comes to utilizing His name and His message. Typically I will let someone know that I believe this may be from the Lord, but to test it and see that it be true. At the same time, I have never been prompted by the Lord to give something that is not encouraging, exhorting, or pointing back to Him and His ways.

When you receive something from somebody, politely thank them, and begin the process of asking the Lord to reveal what may be true, and then seek after multiple confirmations for anything that may create a decision you may have to make. In all things both giving and receiving, check the love meter, and if it was delivered in His love. Those things that are not delivered in love, should be highly suspect…

When you combine subjective content, with human emotions attached to it, it can really seem like God, but it often can be complete deception.

When the Spirit and the Word are confirmed, release takes place, and heaven is in motion to fulfill the plans and purposes of God. May the Lord continue to show you His perfect way, and may your ears be tuned only to Him, and only to His voice, in Jesus name.

Ambassadors Missing in Action by Robert Ricciardelli

The more I learn of God’s Kingdom the more goodness I see, the more love I see, and the more I want to endlessly live in His realm. Living in His realm allows you to see the world as Father sees it, above the noise, the chatter, the evil, the fear, and all the stuff that consumes us, and tries to take us away from His glorious presence.

We have a Father who is not moved by the plans and devices of men. The world today is not catching Him by surprise. His plan, His Kingdom, continues to come until one day, all kings and kingdoms bow to Him. As part of His plan, we are the ambassadors that He has chosen to bring His Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. It is good news that He has chosen those who believe, and it is good news we must bring to those who have yet to believe in our King of kings, and our Lord of lords.

Hebrews 12 talks about how everything that can be shaken will be shaken, so that all that cannot be shaken will remain, and the only thing that cannot be shaken is His Kingdom, which will never be shaken. The challenge is that we have many ambassadors who do not yet know who they are, and are not living in His Kingdom reality. They are in fact missing in action, all kinds of action, but often not the actions becoming as sons and daughters of the Living God.

Missing in the actions of wrongful focus.

As kingly and priestly ambassadors of good to the world, many of God’s people are displaced by the cares of this present age. Many have been swept away by doctrines of men, and the doctrines of demons. We are following ineffectual pursuits that please the flesh and yet have no Kingdom value.

We have many who have embraced Christian religious activities, but are not moving in the love of the Father through their daily lives. These activities are not bad, as they are just inadequate in light of His Kingdom, and Fathers desire for us to be Jesus to the world. Being Jesus to the world may include some of these activities, but unfortunately many times people have been stuck in the limitations of these activities. This has mostly made our Christian expression irrelevant to the very people we are supposed to reach. Fathers intentions has always been to dwell with His people in everyday life, and bringing His loving presence to the earth.

During this shaking, we seem to be just as anxious as those who do not have Holy Spirit indwelt lives. We seem to be “of the Shaken world” rather than “of His Immovable Kingdom.” It is a process, it is a journey, and thankfully some of us have embraced the narrow way that brings glory to God and His victorious life. I am encouraged to see this during the most challenging times many of us have ever faced. Praise God!

We need to thank God to be alive in such a season as this. We must continue to think less of self, and become a lot more thankful in embracing Fathers Immovable Kingdom through Christ. Kingdom hearts are hearts filled with gratitude, and hearts motivated far beyond self. Kingdom priests that do not rely on what the natural eye can see. We must give way to the eyes of His Spirit in what we are seeing all around us. Our motivation must be, to be obediently pleasing the Father in all of our ways.

This is probably the greatest season of opportunity in our lifetime to cling to, and advance His Eternal Kingdom. The things people used to rely on, they can no longer falsely rely upon. It is more evident than ever that they cannot rely on the things that literally are crumbling before their very eyes. Securities of the past are no longer secure, and false foundations are being exposed as such.

Many Americans have been deceived in believing that the USA government was somehow immune to evil. Because of Americas past godly principled foundations, many did not see the deception that has eroded these godly foundations for more than 100 years.

The world seemed to notice before many Americans did, a government that did not operate under the principles of the God they professed. We are thankful we still have the quote “In God We Trust” on our currency, but the majority of hearts are far from it in the political arena.

I would gladly remove the quote from our currency if we could have godly character to lead our nation. This is about the system more than the people. By the grace of God, we have had many godly people be a light to the world over the years in the midst of a godly professed government in decline.

Many religious systems and churches have operated very much in line with worldly systems rather than a Spirit led Kingdom army for good. So we pray for godly ambassadors who know their identity, to rise up, and bring truth, and godly principled influence into government and every fabric of society.

Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against her. This shaking is for everyone, and especially for the church, in aligning us with His will. His Kingdom will come, and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. His church is waking up out of the fruitless slumber of religion and increasingly engaging by His Spirit into the work of the Lord for this season.

I am committed to the journey and continuing to grow in Fathers wisdom, stature and favor. As we seek Him and His Kingdom, His righteousness exposes the weights that so easily beset us. As He reveals the things that we must move away from, and deposits the substance of heaven, we can bring Him more glory. As we bring Him glory, His glory is revealed through our lives in power, and will transform others we engage with in His presence.

Will you join me and embrace your calling like never before and join the reality of His Kingdom life? He is not looking for perfect, but He is looking for willing hearts who will surrender their lives for His. Let’s be willing for all that He has for us in Jesus name.

Ground Zero Theology by Robert Ricciardelli

Joyce and I recently chatted with friends about what the Lord has been showing us. Here was Joyce’s reply that I whole heartily agree with;

“God has been reducing my theology to loving Him with all that I am, and loving others with His love. “

Matthew 22:37-40
37Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Jesus gave His life to fulfill all the law, and all the commandments that we could never fulfill, and then presented us with His new commandment, that we love.

It seems like theology and doctrine that does not bring life needs to be reconsidered. We have created quite a mess in the messed up mindsets of doctrine, theology, and religion. We have had a severe famine in the agape love of God, the very thing Jesus said was everything.

1John 4:19- We love each other because he loved us first.
It is time we come down to ground zero of our faith as He takes us from the pinnacle of powerless religious activities to becoming ambassadors of His divine nature, and His Glorious Kingdom.

It takes God to love God!
Our love can only join His as we engage in loving Him and loving others in His “Most Excellent Way.” Everything of the Kingdom originates with God. Father is Agape… He is Love. The essence of the Kingdom is returning to the Father, His love in the purest form, 30, 60, 100 fold, for His glory.

I have heard of a ship that is now built that is fueled with Plutonium. The Ship does not need to be refueled for 35 years. The Plutonium of God is His agape love, and as His people we need to be fueled for every good work, by His divine agape.

Jesus plus nothing is Everything!
Jesus said that if you had seen Him, you had seen the Father, and that He and the Father are one. By His obedience, death, and ressurection, we have been included in the mix;

John 17:22-23
22“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me, and that you love them as much as you love me.

Jesus was the Incarnate of the Father and now has established us as the Incarnate of the Father to bring His government to the earth. How is this done? By His Agape presence within us and His Agape presence as we relate to a hurting world.

The Kingdom of God does not need or want revival. It just is… Revivals often turn into man centered and man controlled environments, and then they end. They are not bad, just inadequate in light of His Kingdom. The Kingdom has no end, so that is what I am pursuing.

Matthew 6:33
Seek first the Kingdom of God, and live in His righteousness, and Father will give you everything you need.

Religion loses its plutonium, (agape) and functions on principles… Gifts that the Lord has given us can be operated outside of love, and can manifest through personal agenda’s in the form of manipulation and control.

Faith plus anything without Love is Dead

Galatians 5:4-6 I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love

May we all seek after His “Most Excellent Way”, the way of His Kingdom, and an authentic visitation that overwhelms us in the embrace of His Agape…..

Foundational Prayer Before Crisis or Blessing by Robert Ricciardelli

Foundational Prayer Before Crisis or Blessing

Living by the Spirit of the Lord is something we all pursue in our every day life. How we do this, can be a challenge for sure. Jesus lived a life of prayer, and when He needed dedicated prayer time, He would even send crowds and most likely potential resources away, so that He could be with the Father. As a result, He would not move, speak, or do anything that the Father did not ask Him to do.

As I think of prayer and how often we come to the Father during a crisis, I am thankful that our Loving Father responds to hearing our cry. I am also reminded that prayer is really for us to connect with Him, His nature, and a conduit for His peace and joy to flow through us. His Spirit never leaves us, but we must participate and engage relationally with Him in order for His presence to manifest through our lives in power. This happens most often through prayer and spending time with Him.

I also want to make a distinction between prayer and talking or listening to God. Prayer is a focused time, and talking and listening to the Father should be a continuum or seamless activity. When we are in conversation with anyone we should ask the Lord “Father what do you want me to hear, and Father how would you desire me to respond.” When we are consciously doing this, the Lord will do amazing things, and you will find that you are now giving God glory in many more conversations, and releasing His love more abundantly to others.

When prayer is foundational and we allow His will to supersede our will, every day activities take on a new light. I begin to see as He sees, I begin to hear His voice more clearly, and I begin to respond to life’s successes and challenges to the glory of God, our Father. I have also found that prayer times for me, is tuning everything elase out so I can hear from Him. I make my petitions known before God, but more importantly I listen for His petitions to become reality for me and for others, according to His will, and His plans. Below our some quotes that will encourage you to pursue prayer in an increased fashion, and watch the Father do, what only He can do.

Richard Sibbes said, "God can pick sense out of a confused prayer."

Thomas Watson said, "The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel."

Oswald Chambers said, “Prayer is the exercise of drawing on the grace of God.”

Andrew Murray said, “Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue; God's voice is its most essential part. Listening to God's voice is the secret of the assurance that He will listen to mine.”

Abraham Lincoln said, "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day."

This one's from John Bunyan, the imprisoned pastor who wrote Pilgrim’s Progress: “You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”

Robert Murray McCheyne said, "What a man is on his knees before God, that he is, and nothing more."

E. Stanley Jones said, "Prayer is surrender—surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boat-hook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God."

And now the story, from the life of George Mueller:

Things looked bleak for the children of George Mueller's orphanage at Ashley Downs in England. It was time for breakfast, and there was no food. A small girl whose father was a close friend of Mueller was visiting in the home. Mueller took her hand and said, "Come and see what our Father will do." In the dining room, long tables were set with empty plates and empty mugs. Not only was there no food in the kitchen, but there was no money in the home's account.

Mueller prayed, "Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat." Immediately, they heard a knock at the door. When they opened it, there stood the local baker. "Mr. Mueller," he said, "I couldn't sleep last night. Somehow I felt you had no bread for breakfast, so I got up at 2 o'clock and baked fresh bread. Here it is." Mueller thanked him and gave praise to God. Soon, a second knock was heard. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. He said that before the milk spoiled, he would like to give it to the children.

Looking at George Mueller’s ability to know that Father would provide, makes it very clear that prayer preceded the miracle that was about to happen. Through prayer, and revelation, George knew that His Father would provide, and activated the faith in others, while preparing the table for the miracle.

“Prayer is not pulling God to our will, but the aligning of our will to the will of God." May we all pray like never before, in the midst of crisis or blessings, and begin to prepare the table for His miracles to appear in our lives, and the lives of others, in Jesus name.

Growing Together "As One" by Robert Ricciardelli

Growing Together "As One"

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-13)

I want to talk on unity here. This scripture says “Till we all come in the unity of the faith”. If we're ever going to truly advance the kingdom of God, if we're ever going to transform our communities, cities and nations for Christ, we're going to have to grow up together “as one” Body of Christ.

It is not enough for some of us to come into relationship and further revelation in Jesus and not be concerned with the needed contribution of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. It has never and will never work that way. We're a part of each other. The Bible calls us to be one body...the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ.

When one of us is prosperous in the kingdom, the whole body prospers. When one of us quits or is defeated, the whole body of Christ suffers. How can that be so, because we are one body and all one in Him. Well, how significant can my little ministry be? How can the small things I do make a difference. You may not even have a clue on how big a difference you can truly make.

Some women have on of the greatest ministries of all, to raise their children. What a tremendous ministry of birthing, and raising up the next generation of Christ’s Body upon the earth for His glory. If that is all the ministry God may call them too, praise God for their faithfulness in preparing the future Bride .

They are making a difference in the kingdom of God by fulfilling the role that the Lord has asked them to fulfill. Do they get world adulation in leading their children in the ways of their Savior? Certainly not, but she receives even greater adulation and comfort in pleasing Almighty God & Father who has given her a key place in His advancing kingdom.

Before I go on, I would also like to note that I could not fulfill all that the Lord has called me to do with out the bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh woman the Lord has blessed me with in Joyce. Joyce is an incredible woman of God and together we make a difference as we die to our ways and agenda’s to fulfill His ways and His agenda’s together “as one”

Have you ever tried to walk with a broken or sprained little toe. It truly is difficult to keep your balance and yet it is just such a small part of our body. Such is the significance with every believer. They can advance the kingdom of God by fulfilling their part of obedience to the word and will of God. Or they can sadly hinder the body by not fulfilling the word nor will of God for their life.

I am talking to all of us, I am encouraging all of us to seek after Him like never before in fulfilling all that the Lord has for us. You truly are significant in the kingdom of our Lord. If you are a mother, then you have the ability to multiply what the Lord has given you in your children and they will become multipliers in the harvest of souls for years to come. That is significant! If you work in healthcare, business, finance, education, etc. , you can be radical transformers to the glory of God.

Always remember, we're not islands unto ourselves. I can't do anything without affecting you. You can't do anything without affecting me. We're joined together by God and held together Him through one another (Eph. 4:16). We can only grow up...together!

Learn to walk in the love of Christ. Do not fall prey to division and isolation. Feed on the Word daily and encourage your brothers and sisters by feeding it to them too, so we can all grow up to be "a perfect [or mature] man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

And finally…… the Message says this so well….

1 Corinthians 12: 13-28
¹³By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain--his Spirit--where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves--labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free--are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.
¹⁴I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together.
¹⁵If Foot said, "I'm not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don't belong to this body," would that make it so?
¹⁶If Ear said, "I'm not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don't deserve a place on the head," would you want to remove it from the body?
¹⁷If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell?
¹⁸As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.
¹⁹But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn't be a body, but a monster.
²⁰What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own.
²¹Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, "Get lost; I don't need you"? Or, Head telling Foot, "You're fired; your job has been phased out"?
²²As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way--the "lower" the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach.
²³When it's a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons.
²⁴If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn't you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?
²⁵The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't,
²⁶the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.
²⁷You are Christ's body--that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything.
²⁸You're familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his "body":

This includes you, wherever your ministry may be,
parents, family, healthcare, education, business, government, church organizations, missions, environment, law…. Do all as part of the whole of His Body, and do all to the glory of the One God & Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. "As One" beloved!

Soar On His Wings by Robert Ricciardelli

Soar On His Wings

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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God has tremendous purpose and original intent for all of His people! To dwell with them, and bring revelation of Himself through them to the world. This is no surprise to those of us who have made the choice to love God with all of our heart soul and mind, and love our neighbors and all the Lord brings our way abundantly. These two pillars of our faith are the foundation for everything we do in life. First things first, love God, for it is out of the abundance of our love and relationship with Him that makes loving others even possible. Mercy and grace and our lives of service to the King and His kingdom all permeates from our heart of love and obedience to Him and His word. If we truly love Him, we will truly obey Him and submit ourselves, our lives, our resources to the guidance of His precious Holy Spirit within us.

The revelation of the priority of this life is that every part of our being is His. Every moment, every day, every victory, every trial, every abundant season and every season of lack is His, for it is He that is our very breath and the sustenance of all things. Such loving requires a listening ear, a giving spirit, and a desire for the best in life for others, even as we offer our best to God. As children of the Most High God, we live to please the Father and serve Him as He leads us in the journey called life. We are ambassadors of His glory and light to the world through Christ. We have become reflections and channels of God’s love for all people.

If we are His people called by His name, we will live our lives fully in Him and strap on our boots to do the works of God. And it is truly work to fulfill His purposes in each of our lives. Jesus said, "My Father works, and so must I", so then as Christ works through us, we co-labor with Him in Father pleasing ways, and doing only what the Father desires. But there is a kingdom dynamic we must know.....we must rely on God working through us and not to work with our own strength.

Isaiah 40:29-31 reflects an awareness of this truth.

29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Following are some principles from this passage that are worth considering.

First, God does not expect you to do by yourself what only He can do by working through you. The Lord gives the energy, power, and tools you need to do your God-given tasks. Second, even the young and energetic will become exhausted if they try to serve God in their own strength rather than in His power. Third, through all the difficulties of life, God renews the energy of the faithful. He grants men and women of faith new strength so that they can fulfill their call to service.

God loves you! That is the good news of faith. And God can use imperfect people like us to do great things for Him. HE will fulfill all in us for His glory and purpose. In those moments when we fail, become weary, or feel discouraged, God will give us the strength to continue to the end. We inherit His crown of glory as we live, and move, and have our being into eternity with Him. Eternal glory begins today, and engages in everyday live, in the measure and grace of His choosing

Father bless my brothers and sisters around the world. Strengthen your servants that are in the trenches of this world doing battle for your Kingdom. Father, advance your Kingdom mightily through each of us. Mold us into the image of your Son, so that every motive and intent is pure in Your Agape Love. Give us Your power in replacing our power, Give us your will to replace our own will, and give us your burden for all people. May your people be consumed by the power of the cross and resurrection life of your Son, that gives entrance into your glorious Kingdom, and the Good News Gospel of freedom for every captive in Jesus name!

Every Day is Father's Day! by Robert Ricciardelli

Every Day is Father's Day!

Happy Fathers day! As I reflect this day that we celebrate our natural fathers, I must reflect in the revelation of our heavenly Father. Fathers should be honored every day and every moment, but thankful that society gives us a day of reflection for fathers. Our heavenly Father set a standard for all fathers in His desire to impart His nature, His love, and His never ending desire to dwell with His children through redemption, and restoration of His original intent. Father always has His arms wide open for prodigals to run into.

Being a father is far more than just a biological function. I became a father to my first son at age 21. I had no formal education, nor is there one that I was ever aware of, for what I needed to do practically as a father. I had experience of what it was through my amazing dad Carmelo, whom I call Papa. Yes I knew some of the bible verses as well, but it takes being a father to know what it really means. So here I am as a newly married young man with a wonderfully created young son name Anthony, and four years later another wonderfully created son named Aaron.

As I look back at where I was at the time, I am so thankful I had grown up with a Papa who loved me and also parents that had guided me towards the revelation of our Heavenly Father. So I tried to live and love the best I could in light of my experience and in light of my revelation of the Agape love of God. I did my best, but needless to say, I fell short many times. Self gets in the way a lot in trying your best, but I am thankful for Father God’s grace and mercy, which wipes away the condemnation of all shortcomings in life.

We have all heard the Word of God about training a child in the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not depart from it, (Proverbs 22:6). While this is true, we also must remember that children watch far more than what we say in our instruction to them. They pick up on all of who we are, not just what we teach or preach. They learn by how we love, nurture, have patience, and participate in the world around us.

I also realized, especially as they grew up to become young men, that ultimately I had little control over the choices they would make. I liked to think that I had enough influence towards healthy choices, but the bottom line was that the choices were theirs, just like the choices were mine, when I was maturing at their age. No matter how I disciplined them, shouted at them, or coaxed them towards my way, they were going to do it their way at times. They chose their way far more often than I had expected, yet as I look back, so did I in light of my Papa’s expectations for me.

As I became more knowledgeable towards my Heavenly Father, it was such a release to allow the Father of all things created to watch over these sons of mine. I would do my best to prepare good soil around them to grow successfully. I also realized that some of the weeds in the soil were ever increasingly being pulled from my own life as much as they were being pulled from their lives as they released themselves into Heavenly Fathers hands.

Ultimately it is about pleasing the Father!

My sons mostly always desired to please me. When they were doing things that would not please me, they would hide them from me, as they did not want to disappoint me, because they loved me. Some of those choices were just their own way, which was different from my ideas, and not necessarily rebellious or sinful to God.

In pleasing the Heavenly Father, you can run, but you cannot hide, because He knows and sees all, even before you make the choice to please Him or do your own thing.

Acts 17:28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, “For we also are His children.”

So we are all called to be Father pleasers, knowing that in Him there is life and outside of Father no life exists as God is all and in all. Father, through Christ, has called us His children with full birthrights once again, as we look back at original intent for creation.

If God is just someone we think about on certain days and not a living Presence then we have engaged in religious activities as a substitute comfort for a living Father who wants the best for us in all (His) ways. His desire is for us to love, honor, and seek to please Him, in our homes, our businesses, and in everything we do.

So fatherhood is just a part of the “whole” of pleasing God. A big part, as we set examples for our natural and spiritual children to follow. If pleasing God is our aim in life, what difference should it be making in how I am fathering? How much more of my life do I need to give in preparation for increasing His standards of fatherhood. As He reveals these changes, are we willing to say Father, your will and your ways and not my own ways any longer? May it be so, and may it be daily to the glory of God the Father, so that every day is Fathers day for Him.

"From Eternity to Here" by Frank Viola

"Frank has hit the mark by unfolding to us the true foundations of faith-filled living. Father has always designed us for a relational journey of being rather than to doing. He did not create religion, but a people who would walk in His supernatural presence rather than lifeless doctrinal divisions. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to escape the systematic matrix of today, and live in the reality of Christ's glorious Kingdom."
Robert Ricciardelli, Visionary Advancement Strategies

OTHER BLOGS PARTICIPATING IN THE “FROM ETERNITY TO HERE” BLOG CIRCUIT

Today (June 9^th), the following blogs are discussing Frank Viola's new bestselling book “From Eternity to Here” (David C. Cook, 2009). The book just hit the May CBA Bestseller List. Some are posting Q & A with Frank; others are posting full reviews of the book. To read more reviews and order a copy at a 33% discount, go to Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Eternity-Here-Rediscovering-Ageless-Purpose/dp/1434768708/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233609867&sr=1-4

For more resources, such as downloadable audios, the free Discussion Guide, the Facebook Group page, etc. go to the official website: http://www.FromEternitytoHere.org

Enjoy the reviews and the Q and A:

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Out of Ur - http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/05/viola.html

Shapevine - www.Shapevine.com (June newsletter)

Brian Eberly - http://www.brianeberly.com

DashHouse.com - http://www.DashHouse.com/

Greg Boyd - http://www.gregboyd.org/blog/

Vision Advance - http://vision2advance.blogspot.com/

David Flowers - http://ddflowers.wordpress.com

Kingdom Grace - http://kingdomgrace.wordpress.com

Captain's Blog - http://www.captainestes.blogspot.com/

Christine Sine - http://godspace.wordpress.com

Darin Hufford - The Free Believers Network - www.freebelievers.com

Zoecarnate - http://zoecarnate.wordpress.com

Church Planting Novice - www.churchplantingnovice.wordpress.com

Staying Focused - http://kimmartinezstayingfocused.wordpress.com/

Take Your Vitamin Z - www.takeyourvitaminz.blogspot.com

Jeff Goins - http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org

Bunny Trails - http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com

Matt Cleaver - http://mattcleaver.com

Jason T. Berggren - http://blog.jasonberggren.com/

Simple Church - http://www.simplechurchjournal.com/

Emerging from Montana - http://wordofmouthministries.blogspot.com/

Parable Life - http://www.theparablelife.blogspot.com

Oikos Australia - http://www.oikos.org.au/blog/

West Coast Witness - www.WestCoastWitness.com

Keith Giles - http://www.Keith.Giles.com

Consuming Worship -- http://www.consumingworship.org

Tasha Via - www.tashavia.blogspot.com

Andrew Courtright - www.andrewcourtright.blogspot.com

ShowMeTheMooneys! - http://www.showmethemooneys.com/

Leaving Salem, Blog of Ronnie McBrayer - http://leavingsalem.wordpress.com/

Jason Coker - pastoralia.missionaltribe.org

From Knowledge to Wisdom - http://isthistheway.typepad.com/

Home Brewed Christianity - http://www.homebrewedchristianity.com

Dispossessed - http://kblog.kevinjbowman.com

Dandelion Seeds - http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Dandelionseeds

David Brodsky's Blog- "Flip the tape Deck" - http://flipthetapedeck.blogspot.com/

Chaordic Journey - http://jeffrhodes.wordpress.com

Renee Martin - http://www.reneemartinmusic.com/profiles/blog/list

Bob Kuhn - http://organicchurchnola.wordpress.com/

Living with Freaks: www.livingwithfreaks.com

Real Worship - http://therealworshipleader.com

Fervent Worship - http://ferventworship.blogspot.com

Julie Ferwerda Blog - www.JulieFerwerda.com / www.OneMillionArrows.com

What's With Christina?! - http://w2christina.blogspot.com

Irreligious Canuck - http://www.irreligiouscanuck.com

This day on the journey - http://guychmieleski.blogspot.com

Live and Move: Thoughts on Authentic Christianity - http://liveandmove.blogspot.com/

Spiritual Journey With God - http://www.elvineve.blogspot.com/

Dries Conje - http://www.echurch.co.za / http://www.thejesusfeed.com / http://www.bookdisciple.com.

Journey with Others - http://journeywithothers.blogspot.com

On Now to the Third Level - www.080808onnowto.blogspot.com

Christine Moers - www.welcometomybrain.net

Breaking Point - http://marybethstockdale.wordpress.com

Hand to the Plough - http://www.handtotheplough.com.au

Jon Reid - http://jonreid.blogs.com/oneanother/welcome-pilgrim.html

Weblight - www.blog.worldwidewebservices.se

D. L. Webster - http://gzmproductions.com/dlwebster

Searching for the Whole-Hearted Life - wholeheartedlife.blogspot.com

Presence Powered Through Obedience by Robert Ricciardelli

Presence Powered Through Obedience

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. John 14:15-16 (ESV)

Jesus, gave His life to give us life; a power filled life for today to accomplish His will for our journey. A Spirit led life is what we all desire, and when we obey His leading, amazing things happen. In fact the greatest worship we can give to the Father is living obedient lives that please Him. I love that thought of praising Him with obedience. Maybe partially because I just do not sing all that well. (smile)

The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalms 22:3). So in a life of worship to Him by obediently pursuing Him and His Kingdom, God brings habitation of Himself. In other words, we can expect atmospheres to be altered as we obediently live and move and have our being in Him.

Obedience then becomes the vehicle of faith which brings us into the presence and power of God!

Living as Kingdom dwellers is not a time of waiting for heaven, but it is a time of participating with heaven, and being conduits of His presence on earth as it is in heaven. We all have experienced His presence and hopefully we are witnessing this in every context of life, and seeing atoshphere and lives changed in every jurisdiction in life

Since we live in the Kingdom of God reality, we live in the reality of a King who rules everything... The King commands, and then we obey. He is filled with joy when His kids pay attention and listen to Him, and He responds by engulfing them with His presence.

John 8:27-29 They still didn't get it, didn't realize that he was referring to the Father. So Jesus tried again. "When you raise up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am—that I'm not making this up, but speaking only what the Father taught me. The One who sent me stays with me. He doesn't abandon me. He sees how much joy I take in pleasing him."

Wow, He will not abandon you ever as He guides you along your journey in life and because He is in you, you can expect miracles to show up all around you.

Jesus demonstrated how that worked while he was on earth. He came to earth in obedience to the Father. He spoke what the Father told Him, and did what the Father showed Him. He even declared and spoke a word that was made manifest regardless of space, time, or matter.

Remember the centurion who had a sick son and wanted Jesus to heal him? The centurion knew that Jesus did not have to come to his residence, but by His word, the atmosphere would change at home and God's presence would heal his son who was miles away. Somehow he recognized that Jesus had authority over everything and including the 4th dimension. Christ and His Kingdom reality changes any 3rd dimensional situation to the glory of God. Jesus only had to give the command--which he did. So as we obediently declare His works upon the earth, transformation takes place.

What if God's people did everything as an act of obedience to their Father? We could be confident of his accompanying presence and power in every moment and in every situation. He will not send His servants, (all of us), without supplying all the needed resources to accomplish the task. If we live obediently in His Kingdom reality we would never fear failure, and we would have no excuses for not going and doing as He requests. We would just go and expect God to supply everything practical, and everything supernatural, to accomplish His will.

No matter what you are going through, no matter what you have been through, nothing has caught God by surprise, and He will move on your behalf as you follow His commands. Obedience leads to seeing God intervene on behalf of his servants, and His presence is all that we need for His divine intervention.

He has given us the earth to steward on His behalf. He desires us to love and bring His heavenly presence to the multitudes, and teach them to do likewise in His name. We have been commissioned by Almighty God to be His representatives on this planet of His goodness. We are called to do this every moment, and in every day life. There are no time outs in serving the King, because it applies to all of life. So when you are working, playing, vacationing, reading, relating, etc. You are doing all to the glory of God, and will see His glory, power, and presence transform the world around you.

When Revelation Becomes Your Reality by Robert Ricciardelli

I remember a song from way back titled, "What You See, Is What You Get"! Much of the world lives in that reality, and has little hope beyond it. That type of reality does not demand any faith to see beyond current day happenings, and that reality is not what the Father has in mind for His family. With all that is going on around us, we are continuing to hear the fears of many, because of all the challenges they are witnessing, and experiencing. There are many things going on in the natural to discourage us, including, economic challenges, morality challenges, and for many American Christians, the continued erosion of a once biblical principled government.

When we see with the natural eyes upon these things, it really can breed fear, hopelessness, and even despair. My encouragement for those who are in the family of faith, and who are going through these challenges, Father is with you, and this has not caught Him by surprise. If you have been given a vision or dream from the Lord, it will be accomplished. Though it be delayed, continue to hold on to that promise. If you are bombarded by darkness, the light will come, and in the mean time remember that His light is within you, and He will never leave nor forsake you.

We must not rely on what we see, or even on what we may be able to do. We must rely on what the Father is seeing and what the Father will do. We are created in His image and because He is a creator, we are very good at creating. The difference is that Father designed us to be co-creators with Him. He wants to be acknowledged as partner in all of our lives and in the things He has planned for us.

This is a good season, a necessary season for all of us. He is causing some of the shaking, but is allowing all of the shaking for the good of all. Those who do not know Him, cannot rely on government as their Savior. For those who do know Him, he is stripping away all false foundations and bringing us to the only Sure Foundation, Himself.

Abraham had a promise from God and there were many years of waiting for God's timing before the promise was fulfilled. Abraham tried to manufacture his own way to fulfill the promise and it was not God's best. God's best is for us to be His people of faith on the earth. God's best is for us to believe Him, and His promises, no matter what we see around us, and how long we have waited.

We are all being disciplined, discipled into the reality of God. It is not fun, but it is what He is doing, and when we can understand the disciplines of God, and the rules of engagement in His glorious Kingdom, it is well and very well within our soul. There are challenges, and there is an enemy that makes things more challenging, but we who are of the faith shall not be moved by anyone, or anything, if we remain in Him, and hear His voice during this season.

We must live daily with the revelation of Father who loves, and who knows what is best for our journey. Our journey and our calling is not alike, so do not look at one person who may seem to prosper and wonder why it is not happening to you. You will not be moving objectively, if you are subjectively trying to figure out what God may or may not be doing in others. Rejoice in those who God may be bringing into a season of harvest, and also rejoice when He is weeding your garden.

I am not one who listens much to "blanket Prophecies" for the worldwide church. When I hear that this is a season of abundance for all of God's people, I cringe, because He is a personal God, and knows what is best, and the timing of what is best, for every individual. He would not be a good Father to give to one who has not learned to steward, and there are many other reasons for what God may do. His ways are so above ours, and why are we so consumed with figuring Him out, more than we are in obediently pursuing His will for our own lives?

We are looking for abundance in wealth and He may want us to be abounding in His joy. If our pursuit is wealth, joy will be hard to find. We may want abundance of fame and popularity, and yet He wants us to be abundant in humility. So if we pursue popularity and fame, humility will be far from us. The sadness of this last truth is seeing much in American branded Christianity, which now you can see in many nations, who looked to our leaders as examples. So the shaking continues until Father brings His alignment to us, so that through us, we can bring real hope to the world.

What is the revelation we need to become our reality to live by? Maybe we need to live as if everything we do daily is part of eternity, because it is. Father will show you if you seek Him and His Kingdom, but there are a few questions we must continue to ask ourselves. Here are a few of those questions followed by some potential answers, but the Lord will show you what He desires for you, if you seek Him through Jesus Christ our Lord...

Whose Are We? (Hint, we are not our own!)
Who Are We? (God's Kings and Priests, His children?)
What Are We Doing? (His will, or our own?)
Who Are We Pleasing? (God or man?)
What Will We Do? (Change and become more like Him, or remain unmoved?)

Now is a good time to live in His revelation, until it becomes our reality for daily living.

It's about Who You Are more than Where You Meet

It's about Who You Are more than Where You Meet

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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All of you who have known us through the years know how much we value relationships. We encourage everyone to pursue relationship with the Father and each other in ever increasing ways. Loving God with all that we are, and loving each other as the Body of Christ regardless of Race, Creed, or Expression. We have friends in many streams who love God, and follow after Him with their lives and yet are very different in how they may express their faith. We know some who meet regularly in a church building and we know some that gather in homes, some who meet in coffee shops and some meeting each week to honor God in a business environment.

We see people walking uprightly before God and man in all of these gatherings and actually the most healthy ones we have observed relationally meet in a variety of places regularly. We see conversation, ministry, prayer, healing,, and transformation take place as the Spirit of the Lord is concerned about the hearts of His people. Father is concerned about people more than He is about a building or structure. He uses structure at times to create context and a conducive environment for His will to be accomplished

We can have all kinds of reasons as to why our expression and methods are the best, and we can create every reason and find ever scripture to prove it. The bottom line is, God is much bigger than our pradigms, and He uses many things that do not fit within them. Jesus was a rebel to the established religious community of His day. The Disciples were radical in their ability to bring in the New Covenant in the midst of the old. The truth is, we all need to open up a bit more, without compromising plumb-line biblical truth of love, honoring God, each other, and in bringing the Gospel of His glorious Kingdom to the earth.

In years past, there seemed to be a wide gap between Catholics, protestants, house church, and approximately 36,000 Christian denominations .The gap seems to be closing as His Spirit is being poured out and the Lord is converging His people unto Himself and one another. Those hearing His voice cannot remain exclusive any longer, and are becoming more inclusive in relating to others and their differences. We must hold true to Fathers foundations while accepting those who have a worldview that may be just a bit different than ours.

Regardless of structure or preference, there are those who are walking obediently and humbly before God and man, and there are those that are not. There are those who have moved on to new expressions because they may have been hurt by a previous system. Anyone operating from hurt rather than from a progressively whole position need healing and need to move from bitterness to forgiveness of those who may have caused pain. Regardless of the reasons why people choose the community of faith that they do, we must try and work with those we can, and accept one another as family in order to fulfill the Lord's prayer in John 17 of being one in Him.

Last year I was part of the annual House Church Conference. It was a wonderful experience and yet Joyce and I were asked by some if we were house church people. I shared with them that we were not house church people, but that we were obedient to gather as the Lord led which meant, sometimes in homes, businesses, or coffee shops, and sometimes in dedicated buildings. The answer I usually give is this, "I am a Kingdom of God person that includes everyone who is pursuing Christ and His Kingdom, regardless of how they may be led to do so". Through relational and organizational community, we can bring accountability to one another that challenges us to live God honoring lives.

Tony and Felicity Dale, the Founders of House 2 House Ministries are friends of ours, and we will be involved once again at the annual conference on Labor Day weekend in Dallas. We will be facilitating the Marketplace portion of the conference. I was very excited to hear from Tony that this year includes some main stream church organizations and leaders. This was such a thrill to hear this and see how God's people are coming together to find dialogue, and ways to connect with each other while building community. As our friend Bob Mumford says, "It is not about the system or structure, but about His people moving in His Agape ways while moving towards the center, which is Christ, and the Kingdom of God".

There are many in every expression of Christianity trying to find ways to connect with each other and those around them towards Agape life-giving relationships. For those of you who would like to experience this unique opportunity of smaller relational gatherings within a larger faith community, this is one conference to consider. There will be several workshops that are heavy in the participation and dialogue of all those attending. I will keep you posted on these workshops as well as the marketplace sessions that I will facilitate. There is an early bird special rate until June 8th and here is the link with the information needed.

http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=721026

Everything Is Spiritual Because God Made Everything by Robert Ricciardelli

Everything Is Spiritual Because God Made Everything

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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Everything is Spiritual because God made everything. Everything has it's origins from God. Computers originate from God through His creation. Even things had began with good intentions because they were God's intentions, all originate from Almighty Creator of ALL Things. The devil himself originates from God. You cannot escape God as He "is", always, He "is" everywhere, and He "is" at all times. He is in this galaxy and He is in all the billions of galaxies. Truly all things are spiritual regardless of space, time, and matter.

If you are a banker, it is spiritual because you are His in the day to day context of banking. If you run a business, Father is the Senior Partner of your very existence and therefore is the Senior Partner of your business. Are you asking Senior Partner for ways of bringing Him glory, and expanding His Kingdom family upon the earth? Whether it is music, or art, or whatever Father has called you to do and to be in everyday life, are you bringing Him glory? He is yours, you are His, and He cares about the whole of our lives. He desires that we acknowledge Him in all of our ways.

Thus everything is spiritual because the Lord made everything, and the Cosmic Christ wants to redeem everything back to the Father. Although full restoration will not come until Christ returns in the fullness of His glory, it is our calling to obediently bring restoration and Kingdomized influence to every sphere of life. And we do this "along the way" of every day living, understanding that His transformational presence is in us, and goes with us into every moment and every context of living.

This is a very tumultuous season we are in but we can confidently live, and move, and have our being, knowing we are loved. We are in fact His ambassadors and have a divine mandate of carrying His Agape love to the world. As we trust Him more and give over our fears, frailties, and imperfect ways to Him, He sets our path straight, and His glory is revealed through us to the world around us. Does fear or doubt come? Of course fears and doubts come; but we must remember that our life is in His hands, and that we have all the promises of His Word to stand on, not for just the future, but for today, and for every situation in life. Because we are His, we live to hear His voice and respond to Him as He navigates our steps for His will and purposes. He gives us the strength to overcome, as we disengage further from sin and other hindrances that can keep us from His best, and from His glory.

We must rid ourselves of the ancient mindsets of dualism that bring a false division of what we call sacred and secular. The worldview that limits the influence of God in all things is th primary reason the church has not been relevant to a creation that is eagerly awaiting the manifestation of God through His sons an daughters. It has kept God's people from the realization of a Kingdom coming upon the earth as it is in heaven. What gospel is on our lips? What gospel are we living?

Worldliness is seeing anything in life from a purely materialistic perspective - When we see the natural through natural eyes and not by His Spirit we can see why even believers have not been able to participate in bringing hope and transformational reality to others. Our worldview must be redeemed and enlightened by His Word to truly see what He sees, and to move as one with Him, and for His purposes. Father may your Kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, through your people, and in every aspect of their lives, their motives, and their interaction with you and with the people you call them to serve.

Almighty and Kids! by Robert Ricciardelli

Almighty and Kids!

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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God’s intended purpose for each of His creation was to birth an extension of Himself. A family, with a family business in mind, called “Almighty and Kids”. Can you imagine? From eternity past until now, God’s desire was to have a family called to Himself. So let’s break it down a bit and look at some of Fathers design for all of us who were created in His image.

• Father the Creator - Look all around and you will see a world full of creation by not only the Father, but by His children. A child of the living God created this computer I am using right now. Regardless of redeemed or not, we are not talking eternal family, that can only be accessed by Christ, we are talking about the Lord creating a wonderful family of creators in mankind, operating in the Fathers image to create…

• Father the Lover – Agape love in perfection, no agenda but love, and extending it to each of us. Look at creation, even in animals, and the nurturing that takes place in the animal kingdom. I remember when my sons were born, and how I would do anything for them. For my wife, my partner, the love is birthed in God and we can see glimpses of this love nature in most every nation and culture.

• Father the Redeemer – Forgiveness is a quality that comes from God. When we forgive, we operate in his nature, when we do not forgive; we operate against Him, His Kingdom family, and His design for humanity. This is an awesome quality and a necessity for those who want to be Kingdom of God dwellers with full inheritance rights. Of course Jesus, Big Brother to all creation, allowed us to have full rights and become full inheritance citizens in Fathers eternal Kingdom.

• Father the Giver – Father has given to His creation from the very beginning and called it good. What a wonderful world filled with amazing things the Lord has given us. It will be in His children’s nature to be givers, and once again, when we operate in greed, or horde for self, we oppose His nature.

• Father the “Do Gooder” – God is always operating in the nature of doing good to the world. Prior to His ultimate “Do Good” in Christ Jesus, He gave us principles, and eternal ways of family living so that we could in turn “do good” to those around us, protect the innocent, and allow His justice to flourish upon the earth. Healing and many other resources are the children’s bread and sustain us towards eternity.

These are but a few of Father’s qualities that he predestined us to live by. What religion does sometimes is allow us to narrowly focus on segments of life rather than the whole of life. Father desires that we be wholly His, everyday, every moment, and in every aspect of living. Religion often gets in the way of seeing His eternal truths for all of life.

In other words, how are we being like Father in our work? How are being like Father to our wives? Our children? Our neighbor?

Jesus said the world would recognize the Father’s family by our love for one another? Has our love waxed cold? Have we become so consumed with self that we have no tolerance, and even better than tolerance, real acceptance and love for one another?

We are all wired differently. Can we appreciate our differences, and see strength in our differences as part of the whole of “Almighty and Kids”? I have sought to do this, and failed many times, but continue to try and operate in Fathers love to all people. I ask the Father to continuously change me on the inside to be more like Him. I am maturing, so they say? Who are they that say so? Those who knew me when………….

Those who knew you when, can be very objective in seeing who you are becoming.

We must focus on God’s eternal intentions for us in the NOW.. Yes there was a fall, but before the fall there was a wonderful Creator creating a family to Himself. Part of the trap of self- centeredness is we are blinded to God’s perfect plan before, and His perfect plan now and for all eternity. Almighty and Kids bringing heavenly qualities upon the earth, to please the Father. The goal is to be Father pleasers through the transformational power of His Son to bring the lost of creation back to the loving arms of the Father.

Lord we want to become more like you, your nature, your ways, and we want to start today.

Getting Back to His Original Intent by Robert Ricciardelli

We are a peculiar people. It is amazing the watch the creativity of our God represented in the lives of His creation. We are all so different and yet each of us have been created by His design, and with His intentions in mind. When God created the heavens and the earth, and His most coveted creation, man, He called it good. What God calls good, is very good, so what happened?

As we look back at the goodness of God and His original intent, we can see a God who desired to create a people in His image, His likeness, and His nature. Father’s plan has always been to establish His Kingdom upon the earth, stewarded by a people who would manifest the goodness and truth of His intentions. We all know the story from Genesis where His plans became delayed. We chose our own way and rejected his original intent, and plans for mankind. The good news of eternal God is that His plans will come to pass with or without us, and thankfully He loved us to make a way for us to participate in the fulfillment of His plans.

As we seek to navigate through the times we are in, it is so important for God's people to engage like never before into the divine nature of Father. His ways are so pure and so clear that it shakes every foundation that gets in the way. Father’s divine qualities test the intentions of every heart, and bring standards to the daily choices of every life regardless of whether they are conscious of His inescapable presence. As we discover through the Word of God the supreme qualities of God's divine nature, we see a God who is absolute truth, and absolute love, absolutely.

What I have noticed as I look at my own life and the lives of those around me, I notice that we are all over the board in what we call truth and in what we call love, and yet many times we feel we are absolutely justified in what we have defined as truth and love.

The mind justifies what the heart has chosen

Father desires for us to become a people called to Himself, and are to become reflections, representations, and co-creators to His divine will and nature on this earth. By the grace of God and His immeasurable love through Christ, He has paved the way for mankind to willingly choose to come back to the reality of His original design for us.

The challenges for those who have chosen to follow the Christ, who is the fullness of God's love embodied, is that as co-creators, we often create realities that fall short, and at times, in direct opposition to His divine nature and power to manifest His Kingdom reality upon the earth. In other words, we create a reality that is not often God's reality and yet call it God.

In our humanity and often with the best intentions we will utilize logic, religion, and the manipulation of Scripture to package and control our own reality. When we become aware of these tendencies, we begin to see this all around us in what we call, Christianity. We must begin to disseminate between the reality we have created, with the reality of Father's original intent and desire for us. It certainly is not easy, as we have become pretty good at creating the life we want and having our mind justify it by our religion and worldview. We often miss the Fathers worldview and plan directed by Him, and for Him, and with only His will in mind.

Even though we have found "The Way" we are often not living "His Way", because we have created "Our own Way", and put His name on it.

The best way to see if we have exchanged God's purposes for our own is to recognize what we are getting out of it. What is our motivation? Is He being glorified in our choices, actions, and modality of life? Is His love being expressed, or is it only our perceptions of what love and truth is?

The best assurance of living as Christ to the world is to live every moment consciously in His presence. To live in His presence more fully is to die to ourselves by exchanging our life for His Agape life. We must pursue Him with all that we are to partake of His divine nature, and get back to living in His divine intentions. As we do, we become co-creators with Him so that His Kingdom comes to the earth in powerfully relevant ways all around us. As His presence captures our own hearts for Him, and for others, we will begin to see the supernatural release of His glory.

As we pray for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to overtake us, we will come to know the exceeding greatness of God’s power and intention for us, according to the working of His mighty power through Christ Jesus our Lord. We must believe that the mighty power of Christ is ever present and working through us. We must yield to His will by faith and allow Him to draw us into His life on earth as it is in heaven as He transforms the environments He leads us into. As we believe and walk in His reality and trust Him for all things, HE Himself will make it our experience and His reality.

Beyond the limit of words and images that Scripture gives; they are meant by God to become actual realities for our daily life and walk. God has given us such favor through Jesus so that we begin to live a reality of life beyond human reasoning, and a supernatural life empowered by Almighty God. His power begins to transform our minds and false realities so that the subjective realm turns into the objective resources of God. Our life matters little because His life has consumed us. Our cares dissipate because His cares become ours. Father, I pray that we all can get back to your plumb-line truth, which is expressed so majestically by your love for all creation, and your willingness for us to be catalysts of your intentions to the world for your glory.

Soar On His Wings by Robert Ricciardelli

God has a purpose for Christian men and women! This is no surprise to those of us who have made the choice to love God with all of our heart soul and mind, and love our neighbors and all of those the Lord brings our way abundantly. These two pillars of our faith are the foundation for everything we do in life. First things first, love God, for it is out of the abundance of our love and relationship with Him that makes loving others even possible. Mercy and grace flow out of our lives of service to the King and His Kingdom. If we truly love Him, we will truly obey Him and submit ourselves, our lives, our resources to the guidance of His precious Holy Spirit within us.

The revelation of His priorities is vital because truly every part of our being is His. Every moment, every day, every victory, every trial, every abundant season and every season of lack is His, for it is He that is our very breath and the sustenance in all things. To be Father pleasers we must have a listening ear, a giving spirit, and a desire to do good to others which will agree with the Spirit and the Word. As we live the exchanged life of service to Him, our agreement allows His presence to flow and impart freedom to others. As ambassadors for Christ we are reflections and channels of God’s love for all people.

If we are His people called by His name, we will live our lives fully in Him and works of God will be manifested. And it is truly work, a conscious choice to forsake self in order to fulfill His purposes for our lives. But there is a kingdom dynamic we must know.....we must rely on The Lord Himself working through us, and not to work in our own strength. Jesus said in John 5:19 that He Himself could do nothing of His own accord... We therefore should know that we are powerless except for the choice to receive His power in and through our lives.

Isaiah 40:29-31 reflects an awareness of this truth.

29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Following are some principles from this passage that are worth considering.

First, God does not expect you to do by yourself what only He can do by working through you. The Lord gives the energy, power, and tools you need to do your God-given tasks. Second, even the young and energetic will become exhausted if they try to serve God in their own strength rather than in His power. Third, through all the difficulties of life, God renews the energy of the faithful. He grants men and women of faith new strength so that they can fulfill their call to service.

God loves you! He loved us before we loved Him. The is good news of faith in the King is that we now become sons of the Almighty God, and can operate as His sons. Father can now use imperfect people like us to do great things for Him. HE will fulfill all in us for His glory and purposes. In those moments when we fail, become weary, or feel discouraged, God will give us the strength to continue to the end.

Father bless my brothers and sisters around the world. Strengthen your servants that are in the trenches of this world doing battle for your kingdom. Father, advance your kingdom mightily through each of us. Mold us into the image of your son, so that every motive and intent is pure in the love of God. Give us God power to replace our power, Give us your will to replace our own will and give us your burden for the lost. Renew the vision in your people to know there is no greater revelation then the cross and resurrection of your son and the power of the gospel to bring in your harvest in Jesus name!

Who Got Left Behind? by Robert Ricciardelli

This sure is an interesting season... No doubt people are scrambling to make sure they are not "Left Behind". Not sure where you are in your eschatology, but we can certainly presuppose that the famous books and movie series are highly fictional. So where does that leave us? Behind for sure, but not left behind. Father certainly has not left us behind, but in many ways we have left Him behind. Besides all the normal trends in societal degradation of biblical standards, there sure is a lot of frightened believers.

Jesus said He would build His church and it was to be a people that the gates of hell would not prevail against... Seems like at times the hosts of hell are giving us a whooping. Well it is time for God's people to put out an all out assault on the enemies of God and especially the biggest enemy at times, ourselves. Where is our overcoming faith? Where is the true identity of the believers that will stand in Him, regardless of their circumstances?

Well I am asking the Lord to put an all points bulletin out on me. That He would capture me more, and use whatever it takes to do so. We play a huge part in all of this, and we all must reckon with the fact that the Father desires us to be baptized completely through death to self, and allowing Him to rise us up for His purposes and glory. To live an exchanged life, our life for His, where there is no other way, and no retreat from His best.

This is not the end of the story, the Word of God has clearly pointed to a new creation through Christ Jesus. A creation of "Agape Life Carriers" to the world. And it time for us to mount up in His strength, and begin to be carriers of faith instead of fear, and concern for Him and others instead of self. We will overcome worldly cares bey passionately pursuing the Father and His Kingdom. To live is Christ and to death is gain, in whom shall we fear?

There is a new heaven and a new earth that the Lord has waiting for us. The new heaven and the new earth can wait, but the world needs us now. Let's set our sites on the beginning and the end of our faith, Jesus Christ our Lord and begin to realize transformation in our own hearts, and then extending it to others. This is an awesome season to be alive in Christ, with so many opportunities to serve and just do good to others.

With our ways "left behind" we can now live for Him and His ways. Lord may we all live with your intentions for us and for your Kingdom to come upon this earth as it is in heaven.

Love Crucified Arose by Robert Ricciardelli

Love Crucified Arose!
By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

Long ago He blessed the earth, born older than the years,
And in the stall a cross He saw, through the first of many tears.
A life of homeless wandering cast out in sorrow's way,
The Shepherd seeking for the lost, His life, the price He paid

Love crucified, arose, the Risen One in splendor
Jehovah soul Defender, has won the victory
Love crucified, arose, and the grave became a place of hope
For the heart that sin and sorrow broke, is beating once again
(Love Crucified Arose- Michael Card)

Are we living daily in the reality of Christ’s sacrifice, and the power of His resurrection? So great a love was given to us, and all we needed to do was respond to Him. Out of this Great Love, He is beckoning to love Him, love others, and be His Christ carriers to the world. We have received His resurrection power and are commissioned by Almighty Father to carry out His redemption plan for the world.

Father’s love is beyond human description. His love is not expressed because of what is in us, or by anything we could ever do. His love encompasses who He is is, and extends to us by the nature of who He is. He loves us because of the fact that He is love. He sent His son to die for the unlovely, and the undeserved. How can we describe such wondrous love?

Exodus 34:5-7 gives a great picture of the nature of God.

Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."

Let’s take a look at the nature of the Father in this passage:

¬ Merciful and gracious: Merciful could be translated, "full of compassion." In five of the 13 times it is used, this word is translated full of compassion in the NKJV. This is the first place in the Bible where this Hebrew word rachuwm is used.

¬ The same word was also used regarding Israel and the Exodus in Psalms 78:38: But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath. This is compassion in action.

¬ The word translated gracious comes from the idea "to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, or to bestow." It is grace, giving to the undeserving.

¬ Grace is still the greatest word I know in representing the undeserved, and free gift of the Love of God."

¬ Longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth: The idea behind the word longsuffering means that God is slow to anger. He doesn't have a short fuse and is patient with us.

¬ We all know what it is like to deal with people who have a short fuse - the slightest offense, the slightest perceived wrong, and they are up in arms about it. God isn't like that. He is longsuffering.

¬ Not merely adequate, but abounding is this great God of glory. He has barns and silos full of love and faithfulness; he is stacking it in the streets looking for a distribution system." (Erwin)

¬ Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin: God's goodness is shown concretely towards us in His forgiving character.

¬ Iniquity and transgression and sin are all mentioned so no one would think there was some type of sin , or sin nature, God was unable to forgive.

¬ This revelation of the character of God to Moses forever puts away the idea there is a "bad" God of the Old Testament, and a "good" God of the New Testament. God's character of love and mercy and grace is just as present in the Old Testament as in the New Testament.

¬ Psalm 86:15 repeats this exact same revelation of God: But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

¬ His loving, gracious, and giving character do not "cancel out" His righteousness. Nations and generations have paid the price for rejecting His Goodness and His Governement. Because of the work of Jesus, the righteousness of God is satisfied and the grace and mercy of God are righteously given.

As we continue on this path towards bringing His Kingdom, His love, and His influence and nature to the world, we not only have the Word of God to give us the standards of His ways, but we now have His Spirit within us to empower us walk in His Divine standards. We now are carriers of His presence wherever we go, and in every context of life. We must take the high road, His Agape road to get there.

Bob Mumford has written a great book that Joyce and I highly recommend called “Agape Road”, that disseminates the differences between the foundations of Eros, or self-love, and His Agape love that is pure agenda-less love. Will we choose His life, and His Agape Road? Will we choose to exchange our life for His? Can we diminish thoughts of self, while being consumed with loving thoughts for Him and for others? In the power of His presence within us, and His love that desires to extend from us, we can make a difference to the glory of God.

Love crucified arose, may be arise each day, empowered for every good work as "Father pleasers".

"The joyful news that He is risen does not change the contemporary world. Still before us lie work, discipline, sacrifice. But His resurrection gives us the spiritual power to do the work, accept the discipline, and make the sacrifice." – Henry Knox Sherrill.

"Hearers" Can Change the World! by Robert Ricciardelli

"The world is dying for want, not of good preaching, but of good hearing.”
(George Dana Boardman)

It is time that Gods people begin to take the initiative in seeking the Lord like never before. Going to church on Sunday and yet not living as the church on Monday has given us a powerless message to society. We have an identity crisis in the fact that we have created a place for ministry instead of a people mobilized for the work of the ministry. We are a nation of kings and priests, filled with the Spirit of the Living God, and supposed to be a church in which the gates of hell has no chance in hell to defeat.

As the Body of Christ continues to go through a global transition, it is increasingly evident that much of what might have worked in the past, right or wrong, will not work going forward. The times of leading with fear, control, and manipulative tactics to capture the lost, and lead the gullible is over. It has had its day, and the results are in, it simply has not been effective in impacting society around us. Organizational agenda’s can serve the system so well that it leaves little ability to serve the needs of the people inside or outside the system, beginning with authentic relationships.

Ears to Hear!

Are we hearing the Lord’s voice for our own lives, or have we become accustomed to listening to the voices of others in how we live, move, and have our being? Teaching others to hear the Lord's voice for themselves is often a threat to some systems and its leaders. Letting God speak His directives to His people can sometimes threaten others agendas. If leaders are not being discipled by Jesus, and His Kingdom principles, then how are they able to teach, disciple, and lead others to Him? By not being disciples themselves of His Eternal Kingdom, then to where and to what are others being led? Religion? Agenda filled organizations? Another movement or trend?

God’s people can begin to bring God’s presence to others when Christ is leading them daily in their personal lives. He will direct them to faith communities that will allow them to grow in the areas of "one anothering". We all must attain another level of obedience in pursuing His Kingdom standards because we understand that His life matters most. As we live the exchanged life, we can trust the Father for all things, and to work out all things according to His plan.

All that we would seek to accomplish must be done because we are hearing His voice. His destiny for us can only be fulfilled because we have the revelation and vision of His plans and purposes. This does not mean we may know the forseeable future, but that we are obediently moving towards our future as Fathers children who desire to please Him above all things.

Where do we start?

We must get a hold of the fundamentals or foundations of our faith, starting with, God is love. It is not all about trying to sin less and become better. Conscientious living of the moral majority standards is not the answer. The law proved to the world long ago that the answer is not in following the do’s and the don’ts of the law, as interpreted by the "Whose Who" of our faith communities.

Morality can only change because His loving presence has overwhelmed us to the degree that sin nature that was once prominent, continues to lose its steam because our former lives have been exchanged for His agape life. The answer is a Person, the answer is the Lord Himself, and not anything we can do.

When we choose Jesus, it means we do not choose us before Him any longer. It means we have relationships that are not birthed by agendas, but by His love and by truly caring for each other. It means we choose His ways and no longer our ways. It is a constant battle, no doubt, and one that needs intimacy with a most glorious Father and Savior. And the methods of our journey can no longer be carnal, but strategically supernatural because He lives and moves us towards His best daily, as we submit to His directives in every sphere of life…

And so we seek Him, we listen, and learning Him, we become empowered to bring His transformational Spirit into every environment and rejoice in all He will do through our lives. Gods "Hearers" can truly change the world.

Beware of Grammatolatry by Robert Ricciardelli

"Again, let us beware of interpreting these commands rabbinically, that is, in chief concern for the letter, to the missing of the Spirit. The cheek, the coat, the mile, the borrowing---- these are but the costume. Look within the costume for the body, or rather within the body for the Spirit. Having mastered the words as words, let us throw away our lexicons and grammars. For the letter, if alone kills; it is the Spirit within the letter which alone gives life.”

(George Dana Boardman- The Kingdom -1899)

Grammatolatry: Idolatry of the letter that gets in the way of Spirit led life… hmmm?

Have you ever wondered why there are approximately 30,000 Christian denominations? It seems that every organization claims to have some distinctive that makes them different than the rest, and therefore finding it necessary to separate from the whole. We even assess and prejudge one another in like fashion with our presuppositions and various worldviews. When we ask the question, “What church do you go to?” What we sometimes really want to know is “what is it that you believe, or do you believe like me? “

Last time I checked, there is only one Church, one Body of Christ. The Lord does not mind the variety of cultures, expressions, etc; especially if they are following Him. Why is it that we often see it as a wall towards relationships and working together for His Kingdom within our communities? We are missing the beauty of our uniqueness, and the ability to challenge, correct, and love through our differences.

I need you, you need me, we are one big family… hah!

We often read the Word of God and each other based on our self-bias, culture, experience, etc. We read and interpret out of context, and instead of unity we continue to build walls between us that diffuse the power of God in our lives and how we engage with a world that needs Him. And we are the ones that are supposed to represent Him as ambassadors of His eternal Kingdom.

Is it possible that our grammatolatry, or in other words our preference, and interpretation of His written word have caused us to miss the big picture? Is it possible that all enemies of the Divine, including self has even used Scripture to divide rather than bring us together? What will it take to get beyond the divisions and factions that remain in the Body of Christ?

We continue to hear the word unity quite often these days in the body of Christ. We have many leaders of the church who have it as a goal in their life, and preach it as a goal of their church organization. I do not want keep hearing about unity as a goal, or something that we preach; I want to see unity as a reality and something we live. Jesus prayed for unity and it is the heart of the Father for His people to live in the harmony of Himself towards one another. Let’s reflect on the Lord’s Prayer for all of us in John 17;

John 17:20-23

²⁰“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. ²¹I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. ²²“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. ²³I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me, and that you love them as much as you love me.

Jesus desired that believers from every generation would be one just as He and the Father are one. This is a powerful prayer from our Lord for us to fulfill in Him. It is also a prayer that has yet to be realized fully in the Body of Christ. He has given us new life, He has given us His Holy Spirit, He has passed His glory on to us, and yet we have moved slowly into this powerful reality.

Jesus said that in perfect unity, the world would see that He was sent from the Father, and that the world will see that the Father loves the world much as He loves Jesus. We should all pursue this type of unity, because our lives should be about obediently impacting others to bring glory and much joy to our Heavenly Father. The power of God can flourish through the fruits of our unity, and His glory in us will overwhelm nations for Christ and His Kingdom.

I believe it is going to take a reformation. A reformation of what we have erected in our minds, our lives, our organizations, and a reformed outlook on what we call relationship and community. Basically it is time for us to get real, get authentic, repent, and get on with living lives that glorify Him. Two major ways to get there, Love, and get intimate with our Father, and love and serve others with no agenda but to love and serve. I am longing to see an influx of leaders who do not even think about what they can get, but what they can give.

And finally, can we try and move towards the things of Jesus the person, our Savior, our Brother, our Coach, our Model, our Life? Can we exchange our life for His? Can we all move to the center, which is Him and His Kingdom? In order to do this, we must stop creating and existing in the false centers of religion. We must begin to establish relational communities that are authentic, have no agenda, and establish a safe place where expressions or preferences take a back seat to love and serving one another.

Whose Business Is This? By Robert Ricciardelli

Whose Business Is This? By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

A friend sent me this the other day. It is part Hobby Lobby’s Mission Statement.

" Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles. Offering our customers an exceptional selection and value. Serving our employees and their families by establishing a work environment and company policies that build character, strengthen individuals, and nurture families. Providing a return on the owners' investment, sharing the Lord's blessings with our employees, and investing in our community. We believe that it is by God's grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured. He has been faithful in the past, we trust Him for our future."

One of the things Joyce and I do is help leaders understand Fathers desire that they live every moment of life recognizing His eternal presence within them, and His desire and interest to engage in “total life” with them. This includes family, and business, and not just the times of prayer, or worship at some specific gathering. Our lives, every minute of our lives, is to give Him glory, as we live as worship to Him.

Let’s consider and expand some of these values from the mission statement above.

• Honoring the Lord in all we do! That means everything. Are we doing business God’s way with integrity, or a way that makes only dollar sense? How are we treating our employees, our vendors, our customers? Do we look at them as a commodity or with the eyes of the Lord who cares for them more than any business transaction or earthly agenda. How do we glorify God in our processes? Our planning? Are we measuring such things by His Word?

• Exceptional selection and value! What are we bringing in products and services to serve those who Father has called us to serve? Are we maximizing our value proposition in God glorifying ways?

• Strengthen individuals, and nurture families! What may the Lord have us do to create an atmosphere of trust, character development, and nurturing those we work closely with. This does not mean compromising standards of excellence for the employees, but what can we do to bring His presence towards those who are serving the vision? How can we make investors, and employees feel more a part of the blessings that God will bring upon a company He is leading?

• Investing in your community and the nations! It must be very clear that Father did not only put you in business to make money and take care of yourself and immediate family. God is always a God who extends His goodness as far reaching as possible through His servants. As ambassadors of the Living God in your community, have you asked the Father for the ways you can influence and impact your community and the nations for His glory?

We work with several companies that have received the revelation of how their company is to advance the Kingdom of God in their community and beyond their community. They now see their business as a mission in being able to influence God’s goodness to those the Lord allows them to reach. Some are reaching the globe with the resources the Lord has given them. Thank God they did not just see their business as a way to get bigger and better stuff, but as a tool for the King, the Kingdom, and His glory.

One of the businesses we partner with are an evolving testimony of God’s desire to go beyond doing business the usual way. These friends have become family and by the grace of God the Lord will continue to increase in their lives because their increase continues to be poured out to others. I cannot share all of their testimony, but here is a link to some of it. South Africa - Business As Missions.

We are thankful for all of the business partners and families that have allowed us to go where the Father has directed us to go. We continue to encourage and impart the good news of the Kingdom of God in everyday practical living. We all participate as ambassadors of His glorious Kingdom by being obedient to His moment to moment leading in every jurisdiction of life. We do the practical, while He brings His Supernatural presence and influence into every personal or business situation.

It is so important to understand that every aspect of our lives is worship, and every aspect of our lives is spiritual, because The Spirit of Truth Himself is in us, with us, and in every realm we step into. We must realize that His presence is with us in that interview, and that He desires to give us wisdom for that business meeting. As we acknowledge Him in all of our ways, watch the impact He will make that only He can get the credit for. It is not about chapter and verse as much it is about Jesus Himself living through us.

When I was in corporate sales, people did always make a purchase because I had the best product or the best price. But what I did have, I could not get credit for. Here are a few things that the Lord blessed me with in my 25-year career in sales:

• Favor – People would often comment that they could not explain it, but they had a lot of trust and “feel good” about me, even from my first visit or call. This was clearly the favor of God that continues with me in my life.

• Wisdom – Father would give me the strategy as to what would best serve the client.

• Discernment – There were times when the still small voice of the Lord would give me insight into issues or potential problems before they were magnified, and times when the Lord would give me a word fitly spoken to bring trust to a person who had not trusted in a very long time.

• Love – It is His love and His compassion for people that the Lord put into me even in childhood. I cared much more about the person than the “sale”. I cared more about serving the interests of the client than any gain for my company or myself. The client felt this tangibly when I came to serve them, and they knew that I cared about their “total life”.

• Trust – In any relationship, including business, people need to be moved to trust you, that you are a “safe place”, that you are in it for them and not for self. They knew that the company needed to make a profit, same as theirs, so price was not as significant as the “trust factor”. They also saw that I would often negotiate on their behalf to change company policies or forgo them, when it did not serve the needs of the client.

• Presence – All the above and more are included in His presence. When we understand that His presence desires to impact us and influence others for the the good in "real time", life becomes and awesome journey. It is not about us any longer, it is not about our perceived idea of success, but it is all about His supernatural presence Having His will and way through our lives. He wants to do good, and He wants to do it with you...

These are a few examples of God’s presence in the marketplace, and in my life that I could never take credit for. He made me this way, and by His grace I was in top 2% nationally in sales for 25 years to the glory of my Father.

Next time you are preparing for a client, or to bring vision to your employees, ask the Father for His Wisdom and His Words that will make a difference. He cares about stewardship of your; family, resources, time, business, Profits and Loss, relationships, and especially His love, grace, and truth expressed through you to others.

Lord break us away from dualistic mindsets that highlight organized church meetings while minimizing your Spirit led influence in the marketplace. Father help us to realize that you are the same transforming God in our gatherings, in our homes, and in our work.

We welcome the opportunity to serve you, your business, and/or your community or church. We all must ask the Father to illuminate practical ways in our personal and business environments that is conducive for His transformational presence to change lives to the glory of God.

Jesus, the Completer of Law, Prophets, and All

Jesus, the Completer of Law, Prophets, and All
By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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Matthew 5:17-19 ¹⁷ “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. ¹⁹ So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

King Jesus came with the policy of completion and not destruction of the old policies and procedures…

And yet, how do we reckon with the fact that He did in a sense destroy the “shadow” of what He was coming to fulfill. The Pharisees looked at Him as a heretic to the Mosaic standards. Stephen was stoned as a rebel against the current system, and Paul was a huge menace to the old patterns of expression, even amongst Christian brothers.

If we look at the seasons of God and especially the old covenant, we can see His Spirit driving the contents of the letter towards His Promise for all humanity, His Son Jesus. When the Completer comes, (the consummation of the law and the prophets), the letter is now replaced by the Life in the new and final covenant between God and all mankind. And yet while the letter is replaced, the Spirit of the letter remains in a perpetual continuum, represented in the fullness of Christ.

So Jesus did not abolish, but transfigured the law into His life and furthering the conceptual into His indwelling Spirit for every believer. Jesus engages us forever by being our Law and Guide for everyday life in the heart of every Christian.

A great example of the New Covenant overwhelmingly completing the old, is this scipture.

Matthew 11:11 - Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Any believer in Christ Jesus is greater than John the Baptist and any of the Prophets of old, because of the Promise, and the fullness that the old covenant pointed to. Having the Holy Spirit of God indwelt with us through Jesus Christ absolutely fulfills and exceeds the shadow of the law and the prophets. This is both amazing, and should further our desire to die to anything else that comes against living in the realm of His glory. Oh beloved, that we may all die to self and live for Him in ways that will give Him all honor and all glory.

Matthew 5:20 - Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.

Father has a standard of life beyond rules, regulations, and the Law.

Jesus is the law, the prophets, and the Eternal Word of God transfigured into the Spirit of life, and for all of life. Individual and Corporate Systems and Expressions, bow to the King and the Completer of our faith.

So much of the Body of Christ is still fragmented over the “letter” of what they believe. There are factions that resemble Judaism in expression, there are charismatic expressions, Baptist, and about 30,000 other expressions that just do it a little different, and often in their opinion, better, or more pleasing to God than the others.

When we make it about "our interpretation of the letter of the law", mostly we are missing the point, missing the Life, and certainly missing the unity Jesus prayed for in John 17 about being one as He and the Father are one. Can you imagine if we realized that it was all about Him, and being supernatural citizens of a supernatural Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven?

Are we willing to give up our way for His way? Are we willing to be wrong to be right? Lord may your Kingdom come to overwhelm us. Override our ways and our religion that gets in the way of your glory being expressed through us individually, as well as your body of light to the world.

Lacking Wisdom? Just Ask! by Robert Ricciardelli

James 1:5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

There was a young man once long ago, who grew up in a wealthy household. He had all the luxuries of wealth. He also grew up in the fear and knowledge of the Lord. He was not ensnared by many of the trappings of wealth as he was taught from a very young age, the virtues of God.

As the young man grew, he finally replaced his father David on the throne of the family kingdom. Because he was taught well, and knew the God of His father David, he began to talk to God often as a new king. The Lord loved his heart and his communication and wanted to bless him with any desire of his choosing.

This new king could have asked for endless wealth, or long life, but instead asked for wisdom. He asked the Lord for help in ruling the people with godly wisdom and understanding. As I look at myself and other leaders around the globe who are stewarding resources and our very lives for Father God, the great question is;

Are we asking the Father for the right and most proper thing a leader can lead with, His wisdom?

The reality is, how can we not ask of this if we truly want to be ambassadors and lead well for the glory of God? Leading without His wisdom, His understanding is absolutely fruitless.

We face many choices daily. When we choose with His leading, His wisdom and understanding, it goes well with us. When we are lacking in His wisdom and discernment, it often is disastrous. Disastrous because lives are being led in a wrongful focus or direction; Disastrous because Fathers provision and resources that are meant to build His Kingdom church, are being squandered in self-glorifying ways; Disastrous because those who do not know the Father are watching the foolish lead in ways that do not promote the King or His Kingdom justly.

Here are some directives we must WILLINGLY Pursue if we want His Wisdom activated in our lives…

• Value Wisdom beyond perceived needs and wants
• Allow His ways and wisdom to overwhelm our ways and mans wisdom
• Learn from our mistakes, stop it, just stop it, from making the same mistakes.
• Learn ways to impart wisdom to others
• Check your own heart first for wisdom before the hearts of others
• Build relationships with those who operate in wisdom
• Meditate on the word of guard regarding wisdom He has for you through His Spirit, and ask the Father to remove barriers to operating in His wisdom for your life.

Some Things to Remember

• Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. ----Psalm 51:6

• God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. ----1Kings 4:29

• Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.----Proverbs 3:13-18

• The reverent fear and worship of the Lord is the beginning of [Wisdom and skill], [the preceding and the first essential, the prerequisite and the alphabet]; a good understanding, wisdom, and meaning have all those who do [the will of their Lord]. Their praise of Him endures forever. ----Psalm 111:10

• Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. ----Psalm 90:12

• The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him, the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding, The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength, the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God. Fear-of-God will be all his joy and delight. He won't judge by appearances, won't decide on the basis of hearsay. He'll judge the needy by what is right, render decisions on earth's poor with justice. His words will bring everyone to awed attention. A mere breath from his lips will topple the wicked. Each morning he'll pull on sturdy work clothes and boots, and build righteousness and faithfulness in the land. ----Isaiah 11:2-5

Chills, Frills, and Daffodils by Robert Ricciardelli

Those of you who know me, know my love for the Body of Christ. I look for Christ in people of every system, organization, expression, and through the various ways and doings of God’s people. I do my best to keep my eyes on Father, Son, and, Holy Spirit, and obedient to His Word and ways. I continue to encourage the Kingdom and will of God being expressed through every part of our being.

The Body of Christ does not agree on everything, but if you are a Christ follower, then you must agree on the major points Jesus expressed through His Word and His life… Here are a few of the truths we all should be in agreement on as Christ followers…

Romans 14:17 For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Mark 12:28-31 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

"The most important one," Jesus answered, "is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.

Matthew 6:7-14 And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] 14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

And finally Jesus famous prayer in John 17, and the key passage of all of us being one as He and the Father are one, so the world may know Him

John 17:21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

I am all over that stuff and by His grace and through His Spirit, I seek to live in those ways. It is much easier when we are led by Him, to love as He does, and have grace as He does, but also live in His truth, as we should…

Now we come to the point of the title of this weeks pondering… And this is not easy, and I pray you will hear my heart on this.

One concern I have today is for the seemingly abundant pursuit of experience over content. Many in their hunger for God are being seduced into trends that do not breed sound doctrine or a sound mind. Many subjective teachings from charismatic leaders especially, are becoming doctrinal to some, and it seems in some situations it has become a completely wrongful focus. Now that does not take away from the real supernatural and unexplainable ways of God, but it calls to question the hype, manipulation, and deception that comes in the guise of something more, something different, fun, frenzied, and with a “wow” factor kick.

It seems like the more “extreme” the experience the more audiences it is capturing. So we now have a segment of people getting addicted to these experiences, waiting for the next “extreme” opportunity. I have seen several people, families, and churches drawn into this and though it has brought forth some numbers, in most cases it has been counter productive in bringing forth fruit that remains.

Father has deposited everything we need in each one of us to live in His supernatural presence and engage with Him in miraculous ways as He leads us and gives us grace to do so. In everyday life, most of the time He operates in powerfully practical ways, as He is motivated to flow through our lives as relevant witnesses of Himself to the earth.

Jesus was practical, supernaturally practical… What is it you need? And then He would answer the need in miraculous ways… We are now going around as the needy. A part of the Body of Christ is hungry and thirsty for self-pleasing excitement, manifestations, “glory realm” experiences, and often missing the real opportunities of relevant service and love to those who need it the most.. I am all for experiences and supernatural transformation when God’s glory brings them, but it should not be our pursuit, and shame on those that lead others to chasing frenzied experiences rather than the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness.

One woman was so thrilled as she had traveled to 3 conferences in a row that had gems seemingly appear on the floors of the church, (the leader is known for having gems in their meetings). I asked her what it meant to her when she saw gemstones in meetings, and she said that it meant that God loved her. I do not pretend to think I have a lot of answers, but I am always good with the questions, so I asked her. “Can you feel God’s abiding love when you do not see gemstones?” Could it not be severely compromising to seek after a sign for proof of God’s love? Later it was found out that an assistant to this speaker had planted the fake gemstones in the church before the meeting began.

Matthew 16:4 Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah 6 “Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Now keep in mind, I have experienced as well as many others the unexplainable miraculous power of God, but we were not seeking after the signs, but the signs follow believers as they follow after Him. I do not doubt that God can do whatever He wills, but they it will be real, and not staged. And because it happens, we hope people do not sensationalize and market that this is what happens when this person shows up at your conference. I had heard of another church that found dozens of these gems. This is a poor church in another country. I asked if they were able to sell the gems and feed the poor, and the answers was no, because they could not identify the stone. They said experts claimed it was from another planet, so they had no value on earth. I asked if it were possible for me to get a sample to do my own test and they declined.

I have a lot of questions. I don’t have all the answers and only the Father can show you His way for you. I am not sharing this out of experience, and I am also not sharing this for any other motive than to encourage the very best for the Body of Christ. If it is not His best or His intent, will we embrace change. Will we go after His best in character, integrity, love, mercy, and all the good God stuff? Can we begin to embrace the “BE ATTITUDES” of His word, and allow Him to bring the experiences of His glory that we need as we worship Him in every day life?

If you are pursuing Him and your experiences are a part of that flow, who am I to anyone really to question that? I am simply asking all of us to consider what we are engaging with. What are our motives? What is Father doing? What does He desire for us through our relationships, communities, and experiences? Is there more that He desires from us in our pursuit of Him?

Lord, help us pursue you alone, and not chase after signs or wonders? May we allow You to bring your signs and wonders as You see fit to follow our obedience to You. Lead us towards your agape love and pursue those who need your love. Help us to not get caught up in feel good phenomena’s in order to serve You and others more. Help us to think less of self as we are busy about your business in doing more good to others. When your presence overwhelms us, many awesome and wondrous things begin to happen. We desire to pursue You, Your presence, Your will, Your love, and expect the supernatural to occur in everyday life. We know that as we allow You to lead us into Christ-likeness, the gates of hell will not prevail against us and Your beloved church.

Beauty & the Beast by Robert Ricciardelli

We have often heard the truth, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. As I looked at the world around us, creation, people, it is amazing how beautiful it all is. God calls it good. And when we look at His most prized creation, people, He has many wonderful things to say. He knew us before He formed us, He formed us in His image, we are fearfully and wonderfully made, the apple of His eye, and all kinds of wonderful things.

So we know that God places value on each one of us. Dirty, clean, saved, unsaved, Christian, Muslim, Jew, or Atheist, God sees value. That value will never diminish from his eyes or His hope for each one. The value may never reach the promise God had planned, which is culminated in the Lordship of Christ, but yet the value seed remains in every human being. Whether we see the beauty and value or not, there is no doubt in how Father God sees it.

Ultimate Beauty – God perspectives

When I consider ultimate beauty it must accompany parts that are not visible at a glance. These parts however will reveal themselves over time in people. Wholeness is godly integration of body, soul, and spirit. In becoming a “whole” person, a person of ultimate beauty, there are foundational features that exhibit His nature while revealing God’s hope for all humanity.

Love - This is foundational because God is love. Everything He has done or will ever do is motivated by His Agape love. Love has many adjectives attached to it, as we see in 1Corinthians 13 and all through the Word of God. And it is a word that encompasses motivation and deed, “doing good to others”, “Preferring others before ourselves”. It is a word that demands acts and expressions of His nature. Loving as He loves is a beautiful thing.

Justice - God is a God of Justice; you cannot separate godly justice from love as they are fully integrated. Many times when justice comes, many may cry out, “but where is the love?” and the answer is, God’s justice encompasses love. Walking justly before God and man is a beautiful way to walk.

Worship – What is it that motivates the person? What is the “apple of man’s eye”? We know that there is only One worthy to be praised and worshipped. Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! When we live our lives, every aspect of it, as worship to our Father, His presence is pleased and manifests powerfully through us.
A person who lives as worship to God is a beholder of beauty.

Wholeness would seem to be an integration of all these in a persons life that would reveal ultimate beauty and not the “skin deep” variety that the world’s eyes promote and worship. It is the ultimate beauty that the world needs, and Father through His Spirit has allowed us access. If we remain in Him and obedient to walking in His Beauty. we must walk in Love, Justice, and Worship. As we do, we will become the soul catching ambassadors of promise that Father desires us to be.

The Beast

Oh but what about the beast? Oh yes He is lurking in the shadows waiting to strike and bring his ugliness out. We know there are principalities at work all around us and yet there is still ourselves that often choose to exhibit the beast. It is called flesh and it is ugly, and comes directly against the beautiful nature of God.

It comes out in all kinds of ways, jealousy, murder, envy, selfishness, greed, lust, and exchanging lies for truth. The sadness comes when His people of light to the world are living in this manner. You can see it across the board from pulpit to pew, from prince to pauper, and many times in Jesus name. We have all fallen short, so none of us have been exempt. But there is a remedy; there is a better way.

Taming the beast

1. Repent - The greatest way to begin to tame the beast and live a life of ultimate beauty for God is to acknowledge our sin, and repent and turn from it. He says He is faithful to forgive, but are we faithful to turn, and stay turned from self seeking lifestyles?

2. Humility - When we walk humbly before our God, and realize that He is our only sustenance of life, the beast begins to lose some steam.

3. Intimacy – Father wants our hearts and not anything more. The more will come when the heart is in loving relationship with Him. He wants time with us. Are you giving Him time? Are you talking with Him, listening to Him, and giving Him something to work with?

4. Obedience – He desires this above any sacrifice. He loves “Father pleasers”, so be a “Father pleaser” rather than one who pleases self or any man.

5. “Ultimate Beauties” the beast cannot come out if we live in His ultimate pleasure and beauty. Love much, Love truth and justice, while walking in it, and live your life, your “whole” life, as worship to your Father.

Unsettled, Resettled, Then Mettle! by Robert Ricciardelli

The pathway toward the Kingdom of God is interesting, isn't it? We think we have made it to the summit only to see another pinnacle to climb. When we think we can relax, plant roots, and get comfortable, all of a sudden - a mighty wind blows, once solid foundations begin to crumble, and we stand there bewildered, asking God, "WHAT NOW?"

Please let me share a bit of our story with you…

UNSETTLED
Several years ago the Lord began to allow a stirring within Joyce and me. Our life within Corporate America became very uncomfortable. Our ministry was fully funded through my business to business sales and marketing career. God's continued favor over our business life allowed us to endure tough economic times and competition, yet all the while, an unrest seemed to settle over all that we called normal life. We sensed that God was requiring us to look beyond the security of our present circumstances, and acknowledge that life as we knew it was about to change. We spent the next 5 years knowing we were in transition, but when it finally came, it came suddenly. God told us to go - leave jobs, our beautiful home, all our family, and head to Waco, Texas. Though it came swiftly, the Father had prepared us with a resolve to serve Him wherever His Spirit led us to go, and to fulfill all that He had for us to do. (I am so blessed to have a wife who is a pioneer and sojourner with me on His journey.) In my mind, I had it all figured out. God was going to take us to the Promised Land - the land of milk and honey, and prosper us financially in the course of helping with a friend’s business start-up; all for His purposes.

RESETTLED
So we went to Texas with the hopes of success and funding for the journey the Lord would send us on. We began to settle in. Our house in Washington was up for sale, and we had a buyer within weeks, the business concept (children's academy of movement, sports, and character training) was unique, viable, and in great demand. We had a dear godly friend and NFL veteran coach as a partner, along with a famous football player, and it was going to impact communities for Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

The Promised Land began to quickly become the backside of the desert for us. The house did not sell (it fell through 2 days before closing), the finances that went into the business was depleted, along with our life's savings and retirement, all within a matter of 9 months. Our friends also put everything they had into this adventure. What happened to the promise? Did we hear wrong? Being human, we admit we all made some mistakes, but where was the Lord in all of this? A friend said to me, "God is unsettling you to resettle you." The Lord was removing everything that stood between us and Him, so that He would be our only source.

METTLE
By this time we were desperate to hear from the Lord for direction. Did the Lord want us to go back, stay, or move elsewhere? Many were praying for us and the Lord responded through His messengers. Many times through those that were not even aware of the petitions we had before the Lord, and many times through those who knew nothing about us. One passage given to Joyce was confirmed over and over in unique ways. Hebrews 11: 8, “It was by faith that Abraham…went out without knowing where he was going.” We felt we were to continue forward even if we did not have answers to all our questions. It was confirmed over and over again that we were not to go back by the way in which we came, and if we stayed on this faith journey with Him, the Lord would show us His best for our life. In the end, we felt God telling us to go east. This was not an easy decision - by any means; because many good things (but now in hindsight - not God things) seemed to open up that would allow us to return to our comfort zone. But in the end, after turning down job offers in San Diego and Seattle, with our house still empty and waiting for our return, family beckoning, and finances depleted, all the indicators still pointed East. And, in God-like fashion, as we were stretched, we became stronger in our faith like never before, (Mettle).

Many things that have come up unexpectedly have kept us on this narrow path from month to month, but the Lord has been so faithful. Had many of the things happened along the way that we “expected” to happen, we would have missed seeing the Lord intervene on our behalf, again and again. From two people who had been taught “to make it happen”, we are learning to be content in the place we find ourselves and not lean on our own understanding. We have become accustomed to, and even comfortable with “going without knowing”.

We believe God has more for us, and we are not pretending to think that we have done all the right things, or, that we have not missed His voice from time to time. We are thankful for those dear friends who have loved us, believed in us, and listened to the Father on our behalf, helping us to go and do His bidding. We are thankful for a roof over our heads, a vehicle, and our health. We are still standing. We have had divine opportunities to coach and consult, along with obedient givers to get us through each month. Our journey would send the financial prosperity message in a tailspin, but the prosperity of faith and favor has soared tremendously over us.

LESSONS LEARNED
• Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all things will be added to you for the journey ahead, to the glory of God.
• There is no cookie cutter way or method to the things God may have specifically planned for you.
• Be ready to be unsettled, resettled, and go through some repeat cycles.
• Be ready to be tested severely, but the pay off in obedience more than makes up for the pain you had to endure.
• Nothing is permanent; Christ is the only rock we can be assured of now and for all time.
• Your pain and suffering will end. There is an end and for us it is a very good end. The end of the matter is always greater than the beginning in Christ.
• All things work together for good.
• Many are the plans of man, but the Lord's purposes prevail.
• Going without knowing, is the only way to go.
• God is our only source.

Many of you have been receiving these articles for the past 8 years. Thank you for your prayers and for your love. We know the Father has heard those prayers, and each have lent strength to help us endure the path He has us on. We love you...

"Gappers" For the Kingdom by Robert Ricciardelli

"Gappers" For the Kingdom

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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Hebrews 12:26-29
²⁶At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." ²⁷The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

²⁸Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ²⁹for our "God is a consuming fire."

If you have a pulse you should be noticing that we are in a shake, rattle, and roll season of life. It is vital that we remain confident in our Lord regardless of the turbulent atmosphere swirling all around us. Jesus was not moved by elements, and He is encouraging us all to not me moved by our present circumstances. He wants us to live, move, and have our being, totally in Him. He desires for us to move boldly into every storm knowing that He is with us, He is for us, and He will never leave us. We do not have to abandon ship, because He is the Ship, He is the Captain, and He is with us to the depths of every dark and murky sea.

So as we move boldly in Him we can now approach His throne of grace on behalf of those we love, and those we are called to intercede and stand in the gap for. Yes that is right, we are the "gappers" that the Father has chosen to come before Him on behalf of others. The current shaking has caused many to be operating out of fear instead of faith, and we must lift them up. We need His effectual empowerment daily, and we need our brothers and sisters to rise up in His overcoming strength.

The Body of Christ must realize how much we need each other. We all have gaps and we all need them to be filled and the Father has called us to fill each others gaps not only in prayer but in supernatural "one anothering" I am reminded of the first "Rocky" movie when Rocky says to Adrian, "I got gaps you got gaps, and together we fill each others gaps". It is a great way to serve, and a great way to show His Apape love.

We must become Kingdom personalities that operate in our true identities of Christ in us, the Hope of glory! With Christ in us, who can stand against us? Can the economy? What can mere man do to eternity and the Eternal One in each of us? What can the devil or any opposition really do?

If we are operating in religious protocols versus Kingdom resurrection power in Him, we can be moved, stopped, hindered, and overwhelmed by the opposition. When we are not knowing who we truly are, we do a lot of unfruitful things operating out of that false identity. The enemy has no fear of a Kingdom-less church, and does not fret over Kingdom-less believers. What must we do?

First of all, we must engage intimately with Him, stay on His track for us, His will, His purposes. And go about it without fear. Fear is a myth in our mind. If we continue to die to self and live in Him, fear decreases, and eventually becomes powerless... I wish I could say that I have attained that every moment of every day, but as I pursue Him, I am seeing greater episodes of His glory. Here is a thought we can all stand on......

Philippians 3:12-16
^12-14 I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

^15-16 So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.

Who has God called you to be a "gapper" for? Are you praying for them boldly, or mired in the muck of self-pity and self-focus? Has Father assigned you to meet the practical needs that someone may have? Have you asked Him whose gaps you need to be filling? As you become "gappers" in obedience to the Father, you will begin to see Him fill yours supernaturally, and through those quickened by Him to be "gappers" for you.

Great Shaking and Awakening by Robert Ricciardelli

The shaking and dismantling continues around the world’s systems, within the church systems, and within each of us. False foundations exposed brings opportunity for godly foundations to be established. I just got back from the annual Charismatic Round Table held at the offices of Strang Communications in Orlando. This continues to be a valuable dialogue, and I am thankful for Steve Strang, Lee Grady, and Strang Communications for their obedience in hosting this venue each year. 75 church and ministry leaders gathered to understand more fully where we are, what we are doing, and especially what must we do going forward, to improve and give God glory in this segment of His church in America. There were various discussions surrounding several topics, and hopefully all of us came away with some possible solutions as we go forward.

This pondering came forth as I reflected, as well as looked ahead to the opportunities before us. This year culminated similar to the trend of recent years, yet with more shock and awe to those not discerning the times. It was another year of God exposing us to us. Exposing the weaknesses in our systems and methods of trying to touch Him, and trying to touch the world around us. We seem to continue to lower our standards in valuing character and integrity, especially in those who lead. Many have fallen into experiential leading of self-agenda’s, comical methods, and frenzied impressions of His presence. Nobody is laughing any longer, these are serious times, and it demands a people who know the wealth we carry in us, and the God who designed us for so much more.

There is no question that much of this has come through hunger for the real thing, so I thank God for that hunger in those seeking His presence. For those who worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, He is a loving God that answers them regardless of the chaotic environment in which they may find themselves. We saw some of that again this year as well. The good news is that many are hungry. The bad news is that some are hungry enough to manufacture a filling for their desires. We are created in His image, and so we do have the ability to create. When we create outside of His heart, His leading, and His character, we can sure make a mess of things.

Thank God for grace, but we are living in the days of toleration for leaders regardless of their personal character or integrity. In pursuing what seems to be His glory, many may drop their guard and engage, rather than having full disclosure as to who is leading, what are they doing, and where is this all going? Many have neither matured towards rightfully discerning God’s truth, or they have chosen to shut down discernment for their own agenda’s or desires. When the mess comes the leaders may try and present a silver lining in the chaos, or utilize spin-filled reasoning for the lack of sound judgment. Finally, it sometimes sadly comes down to the fact that they just don’t care what happens as long as somebody got touched for good. There are those in the world, and even among us that may be more likely to trust a bartender than a Christian leader, and that is truly sad. I apologize to the bartenders in advance for comparing them to these types of leaders.

Many are questioning the established church because of its failures, and inability to impact the people and communities we live in. They are wondering why it just is not working. There are so many expressions of Christianity, and so many that are missing plumb-line truth, that it leaves one confused as to what Christianity really is. I am often compelled to give a more complete answer now when I am asked if I am a Christian. Here is my current response, “I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and the ways of His eternal Kingdom”.

Expressions and labels are inadequate of themselves in communicating and bringing forth the power of who we really are. We are Christ to the world and our identity must be in Him, and through Him. Our identity must be in the person of Jesus and not in a label—whether it is what others have given us, or one we have given ourselves. Denominations and church gatherings of all types are vehicles of directing us towards Him, but we will come to a powerless halt when we look to them, rather then the Father and His Eternal Son. It is not about the structure, but He will shape the environment and the community as we seek Him first.

“The shaking we are experiencing today is a move of God, who wants to live and move and have His being through His people. He wants to change the world through us!”

God is bearing down upon established systems of men, whether it is government institutions, or institutional churches. I must include organic gatherings too, because humanity often has it’s grip in those gatherings as well. He is truly shaking all things so that all that we can look to for security is Him. He is making it clear that He is a jealous God, jealous for our love, our affection, and our very lives. During this season, He is giving us a tremendous opportunity to go a better way, to walk in His eternal ways, and to love in His supernatural and transforming love.

Because we have continued to make the wrong things the main things, He is bringing us towards simplification of the one and only truth, It’s ALL ABOUT HIM. We have relied on systems and it was never about the systems. We have relied on Government systems and Jesus paid very little attention to Caesar and made it clear that Caesar was only to be given that which was his. Certainly we were not to entrust ourselves to these systems and governments, nor relying on them for sustenance that can only come from Him.

He did not want us to look too intently on our church structures, because at best they were inadequate in light of whom He is. This is not to diminish our need for gathering with one another, or making sure we engage with those that God has ordained as teachers and nurturers of our soul. He wants our identity and focused attention on Him and not on the peripherals of this world. His original intent was not for religion, though He has used it, but His original design was for a people freely willing to be called unto Himself.

We are seeing so many looking here and there, for “this” and “that”, while expecting the deceptive “this” and “that” to be the keys in finding Him. Father is desires for us come to Him so He can show us this, that, and the next thing He has for us. If you are spiritually unsatisfied, don’t remove yourself from your faith community to search after a better one, seek Him first and He will point you to all the right places and all the right faces. We do not want to continue to be looking for love in all the wrong places. Don’t expect that by moving from one system to the next, you are going to find what you are looking for. Father knows best, ask Him what you must do.

The Lord is bringing a mighty shaking to man-made religious, government, and various other structures in this hour. He is beckoning us to be free. He does not want anyone or anything to interfere with His personal guidance for each one of His children.

In other words, He desires for us to be in the world, but not of it. Our divine priority is not to so much in establishing organizations that grow, but to establish people who grow in relationship with Him, and each other, while pursuing Christ-likeness.

I like the way The Message describes the shaking we are experiencing: “‘One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.’ The phrase ‘one last shaking’ means ‘a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered’” (Heb. 12:26-27).

We have seen various movements and church systems come and go through the years, and many have been ineffective in producing lasting spiritual fruit that releases people into God’s directive destiny. We have institutions that have done little to impart to, empower, or release God’s people so that we can have genuine impact for the kingdom of God.

None of these organizations are necessarily wrong, but often they point to men or methods rather than releasing them to hear from the Father themselves. Scripture led controls under the descriptions of protection, covering, and obedience; often enslave those whom Christ has set free.

These organizations often become destiny stealers rather than destiny enablers. They captivate people within the four walls of a building instead of empowering them for service in the harvest fields of everyday life. Deception, fear and unhealthy authority structures often pull people into man-centered movements that fulfill the leader’s agenda.

When we become free from systematic controls and false “coverings,” Jesus can rule and reign within us and guide us into all truth. We will continue to chase experience, chills, and frills, in substitution of the real thing, until we decide to use our brains, common sense, and at least an ounce of discernment. A friend of mine recently made a profound comment to what we are seeing, “We have taken a quart of His Spirit, and three quarts of humanity, and called it a gallon of God.”

In the last 25 years in every county in America, the growth of Christianity has decreased per capita. That does not sound like the overcoming church in which the gates of hell cannot prevail against. Thus the shaking and awakening from a loving Father who sees His potential in us that we have yet to realize.

CLARIFICATION: Please do not misunderstand me; this is not a call to leave a system or institution to another form, but a calling forth of a revolutionary people that will not settle for what was, or even what is, but to engage in more of what the Father wants. His desire is for more relating with Him personally, outside of our larger gatherings, while going to another level in relating and loving one another within them. As we live as His disciples, we can then take His love and presence into the marketplace and into every fabric of society the Lord has released us into. Let’s kick our unfruitful habits to the curb, while allowing His presence and His nature to abound.

The shaking we are experiencing today is a move of God, who wants to live and move and have His being through His people. He wants to disciple and transform nations through us! He is working a divine exchange by demanding His plans to prevail over ours.

Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man's heart... but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

Jesus said, “‘My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me’”.
If we listen to His voice, it doesn’t matter what denomination or structure of community we belong to. It is not about a system; it is about Him.

The rumbling we hear will continue until revelation of Him increases in order for us to walk powerfully in the reality of His purposes for each of us. As we yield our will for His, He will empower us to present His supernatural Kingdom to the world. His power and love will pour out of us as we allow Him to use us to bring about His purposes. Let us now choose to embrace the shaking, examine ourselves, and shake more of the flesh away to reveal His Spirit.

Father, may we bring you glory in the freedom we have in you, and in your ways. Shake us and wake us towards your Kingdom and your truth. Help us to live in moment-to-moment reality of your presence, and your better way, in Jesus name.

You Can't Handle the Truth by Robert Ricciardelli

A friend sent some pondering thoughts the other day. I have copied it at the end of this, so you can see how the Lord stirred my own pondering for this week. Most of us remember the movie “A Few Good Men”, and the famous line by Jack Nicholson, “You want the Truth? Well you can’t handle the truth”. I thought about this in light of my own life, the lives of God’s people, and how the same question and statement could be made to us.

Do we really want the truth?
Jesus says you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. It seems that many believers simply desire to live out of compromised paradigms, traditions, and religion, rather than seeking after the truth that will set them free. They say truth hurts, but it “hurt is so good”, when it can set someone free. If we are serious followers of the King and His Kingdom, it would seem to be a high priority for all of us to passionately go after truth. We must constantly declare, bring on the truth Lord, set me free to know you more and bring you glory through my life.

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Hearing the Truth
I was speaking to the leadership team of a church recently about relationships. Do we know how to relate? Can we trust one another? What can we do to move towards greater trust filled relationships? As a coach and consultant, one of the biggest challenges I often witness is the fact that God’s people are so easily offended. Jesus promised we would be, and yet we will end a God ordained relationship over some of the smallest offenses.

One of the smallest offenses that often happen in people’s lives is when someone exposes them to truth. Let’s consider truth that is given through relationship and love with godly delivery and timing. Why then would the truth not be received? And even if timing was off, and the delivery was awkward, would not the truth still be The Truth?

Get Over It
One of the people I was coaching was painfully offended by a close friend. The friend had revealed some tendencies that this person may want to consider changing. This Relationship that had been forged for many years came to a screeching halt because of this. The client admitted that all that the friend had said was true. Instead of being offended, my client should have thanked this friend for loving them enough to speak the truth. It turns out that even family members and other friends were aware of these unhealthy relational habits, and said nothing.

A deceptive reality often presents the one with truth as the bad or unloving person. Kingdom of God reality presents those willing to bring truthful enlightenment, as ones willing to risk for the sake of His love and His freedom. Therefore the one that becomes obediently willing to bring truth to set the captives free, loves much. The one’s that hold back truth to a friend because of fear, must now question their agendas, bondages, or the ability to operate in Fathers agape love.
Spirit Led

Keep in mind, that Jesus, being led by the Spirit, only spoke what the Father intended. So even in our humanity, we must be Spirit led in His ways. A word of truth fitly spoken should be intended to be divinely timed, delivered, and in the Spirit of love as we are led by Him.
Timing and language is critical. We can get in God’s way when we do not operate in high level discernment. Are we praying for this person? Are we coming with the heart of the Father, or the desire to be right? What is our motive? Many have brought forth truth maliciously and this is not God’s will.

Can You Handle the Truth?
So can we handle the truth? Can we live in His presence, hear His voice, and deliver His truth to those we love? Can we receive the truth? Can we receive it from those who desire the Fathers best for us? Can we appreciate truth from someone who can see truth for us, and yet lacking truth in their own life. Can we receive it even if the person’s timing, delivery, and agenda seem to be off? Can we have grace and appreciation for those who may miss the mark in their willingness to risk for the sake of truth?

Embrace the Truth, bring it on!
Truth is truth, can we receive it without rejecting the messenger. Let’s begin a fresh new journey of safe authentic relationships in which we begin to not only give permission, but insist on genuine, relational truth exchanges. These are serious days, and we must be serious about our relationship with the Father and with one another. This is a great season to be the overcoming church that Jesus lived and died for. Lord bring forth your transformational truth and we receive it in whatever form you bring it. Bring it on Lord!
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A Few Good Men, by Vincent Sucec
Movie - "A Few Good Men" with Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise. Famous court room scene, "YOU CANT HANDLE THE TRUTH !!!" If the nature of Truth is revealing the nature of things then wouldn’t He have to slowly do this ? If we couldn’t handle the truth wouldn’t the issue be US? So by nature then the Light is the Truth - illuminating areas that are closed or hidden.
The question to then should be Lord show ME where I am missing it ! This position in the Lords Light is not topical, it is not a matter of proving anything, it is entirely relational at that point - it is a matter of alignment to theTruth that already IS. A photograph is developed in darkness. A copy.

An original is appreciated, adored, honored. It is priceless. The Master Artist is just trying to teach us How to paint a true Original.

An original relates to an ultimate origin – to identity. The enemy is the father of lies. A lie is a mutation of the Truth - it is a copy - a re-production. We are all originals and plagiarism is akin to usury and envy ...

You Have Hope, You ARE a Hope by Robert Ricciardelli

Joyce and I want to thank God for each of you and pray that this year becomes increasingly significant because of His overcoming presence in your life. We pray that despite the challenges you face, the Lord would show Himself mightily in every aspect of your lives.

Recently I met with someone who knows the Lord, but has been bruised by the things of this world, and especially the current challenges many of us now face. Mostly there was discouragement on a pathway to despair. There is despair, there is sorrow, and many times there is just a flatline,….No hope. Without hope or purpose, insignificance, discouragement, and ultimately despair can become a stronghold.

The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 29:18 that without vision or purpose, people perish. It triggered me to consider a response for this person that is similar to what I am about to share. YOU ARE CREATED FOR A PURPOSE THAT EFFECTS MULTITUDES AS IT IS FULFILLED IN HIM AND THROUGH HIM. Everyone born into this world has a purpose. There is not one who has been born or will ever be born without a purpose.

Jeremiah 1:5 "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world." Psalm 22 10When I left the womb you cradled me; since the moment of birth you've been my God.

Thankfully this person I met knows the Father and is on their way towards His purposes and plans. Whether those that are born into this world ever realize their purpose, or ever know their God, does not take away the fact that the Lord is LORD of all things, and He has an intention for good for every living soul. You have hope if you know Jesus, You have hope if you know you have a purpose to live out. You ARE hope and a light to potentially everyone you will ever meet. You are not of this world, so may times your battle is what you feel or see, rather than who you truly are in Christ. The kingdom of God is beyond matter, it is beyond what we can see or even imagine.

Isaiah 55 8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD . 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Life with the Lord on this earth is a process of understanding and fulfilling the reason you were born. To the measure we allow ourselves to draw near to our Savior and renew our minds to His Word, is the measure by which we will hear His voice, and follow the destiny He had purposed for us before the foundations of the World. Hearing His voice, responding in obedience, and living in His presence is the reality we need to engage with every moment of every day.

1 Samuel 2 "For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; upon them he has set the world. 9 He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. "It is not by strength that one prevails;

Even those that were born out of a rape or perceived accident were created for a purpose. It is a powerful revelation. As you walk through this life and trust God with everything, He will open up doors for you and in time, you will know your purpose. Consider this…… After you go through your whole life here on earth, you will be amazed when the Lord brings up your life’s video on how much impact you made in this world, even if you think, or the devil tells you that you were insignificant. You will also see the opportunities missed, but He will remove every tear. Obedience now leads to less tears for missed oppoertunities, and the joy we can live in as willing and obedient children of our Almighty Father.

The Lord will replay for you in His home theater the times that love, grace, or prayer, set in motion the eternal destinies of others. He will show you times that you heard His voice, which sparked a discussion, which triggered an answer for someone, which changed their thoughts, which changed their direction, which saved their life, and the life of many others they were ever to meet. There is this eternal stuff going around us everyday that we have no clue about. In your work day, you may react with love in a situation that most people would not and guess what, you could be changing the outcome or direction of another life.

Everything is eternal and has eternal consequences for good as well as for not so good….. We choose doing good as faithful servants to store up heavenly treasures and please our heavenly Father. You do make a difference even when you may not feel like you do. We are a witness everyday whether we want to be or not. The type of witness depends on how much we die to ourselves and let the Lord live through us in His intended plans and purposes. The world without you fulfilling your destiny effects not just your life, but multitudes. Your life as an ambassador to the King will effect multitudes even if you are not fully aware.

Philippians 3 13 -Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.

Let us press on together my brothers and sisters…. We have a life in God to fulfill. Do not let this world stop you. Do not let the devil or self thoughts hold you back. You have a hope, but now knowing this, you must live and BE the Ambassadors of Hope in Him to the World. We are soldiers of the King, we have the victory in Him. It is already won .. It is finished… and all we have to do is march in His purposes and plans in this life, and march on into our eternal destiny with Him. My love, His love, abounds for all of you in Jesus name!

"What Ifs" for 2009 by Robert Ricciardelli

Every Year I share my evolving "What If" list. There are many what ifs in many situations in life. What ifs can be good, especially reflecting about the way things are and “what if” we changed them, or aligned ourselves toward them to the glory of God. We only know in part, so it is always good to check what we think we know often.

Please remember that these are only what ifs, purposed to shake up paradigms, while firming up Kingdom foundations. Many "What Ifs” are happening all around us, but what if they were not just the exception? What if they became realities? My prayers are to continually stimulate possibility thoughts towards ways that bring forth His Kingdom through our lives.

Here are my What Ifs as we move into 2009:

What if we prayed for our leaders rather than complain about who we have or didn’t have in office?

What if we realize that God is on the throne and will have His way regardless of who is in office and that we are called to pray His will and purposes for the nation?

What if we gave to Caesar (government) what is Caesar’s, and gave to God what is His, which is our very lives?

Jesus was consumed with His Father’s Kingdom being brought to the earth, what if we focused on that rather than our political processes and gave that burden to Him?

What if we were using what we do have, and quit wasting time worrying about what we don’t have?

What if we did not fear any longer, no fear of life or death, because we are in His hands?

What if we heard the words “Stop it, just stop it” and began to truly stop the negative thought patterns? Stop it, just Stop it, thinking that way, in Jesus name!

What if we could really understand and activate true repentance in every area of our lives, instead of just feeling sorry for our patterns of sin?

What if we could forgive every wrong ever committed against us in the past and swiftly in the days ahead?

What if we allowed His presence to eradicate bitterness from the depths of our souls?

What if we realized and applied His freedom from every deliberate and unintentional wounds of our childhood?

What if we were never a victim again, because the revelation of Christ and His grace sufficed daily for us?

What if we could forgive ourselves and move on past the shame simply because Jesus has forgiven us?

What if we accepted and believed with all of our heart, soul, and mind that Jesus loves us, accepts us, and is for us every moment of every day? And just the way we are!

What if we accepted the fact that HE ACCEPTS US AS WE ARE to the point that it overwhelms the fact that we do not accept ourselves?

What if we could live the way of the cross, persecution, and dying to self, because it is the narrow way He asked us to follow?

What if we died to self more so that Christ lived through us more, and every single need met as our joy was made complete in Him?

What if we could just rest in who we are in Christ, rather than running around doing activities He never called us to do? Being rather than doing!

What if we really believed God loved us and it had nothing to do with our past, or our future performances? Resting in Him!

What if pastors and leadership teams around the world would train and release every member of their church into the ministry that the Lord has called them to, and especially beyond the four walls of organized church?

What if we actually picked up our mats and walked in obedience when we were delivered, rather than come back for prayer and healing for the same things week after week?

What if leaders would seek to always serve beyond ever having to be being served?

What if leaders would seek to train and lead others in the vision God has for them as individual ministers and trust the Holy Spirit to move on them to support the community or corporate vision.

What if leaders did not respond to fear of rejection and failure but trust the Lord for any perceived numbers they expect to see. Or, not look at numbers at all!

What if city wide transformation begins to take place because each individual realized their purpose and calling and was released to fulfill it beyond the four walls?

What if every church pastor sought relationship with the other pastors of the community to fulfill a city wide vision beyond their own ministries? That they realized their vision for the city could not be realized without partnering with others.

What if we realized the Lord owned everything we have and asked us to steward everything, and that we would ask Him how much to give and to where, always willing to give 100% if He were to ask that of us?

What if all the children of God understood and operated in the full authority that Jesus Christ sacrificed for us to have?

What if Kingdomized people began to bring the Kingdom authority to all the gates of the city. That Kingdom people would lead the way in government, business, healthcare, media, law, and educational jurisdictions of our cities?

What if every believer never settled for how they view themselves while seeking the Father to know the full potential of what He sees in them?

What if we would accept others and the blessing they are, rather than be offended by them in their differences?

What if we chose to see the good in people, pray for the rest, and love them regardless if they changed as we think they should?

What if more souls for the kingdom and the releasing of every saint into ministry far outweighed any focus on mammon or control?

What if we all were willing to serve in every phase of our lives rather than being served?

What would happen if every believer realized the lifetime process we are in and could walk without judgment, beside those not as far along in the process?

What if what we thought was reality was revealed as not, so as to get us to living a life that is filled with reality and purpose for the kingdom?

What if we choose to not be offended when offenses came, or at least choose to let go of all offenses immediately?

What if we chose to forgive in every situation and not only because the Father said He would not forgive us unless we did, but because it was in our hearts to love in that way?

What if we really were blinded to culture, creed and credentials as the family of God?

And what if we were excited about the uniqueness of each difference, and the value of each expression of God's people?

What if spiritual Fathers would be motivated with a heart of giving to their spiritual sons that far outweighed any thoughts of what they would receive in return?

What if we had abundantly more Shepherds, (pastors), willing to run after the few of the flock that have been hurt, isolated and in need of life giving expressions of our Saviors love?

What would happen if God's people really prayed and communicated intimately with the Father on a daily basis?

What if we had every Christian home open and available for the faith community every week? And how about daily?

What if every believer was more concerned about being Father's change agents for people, families and communities, rather than holding on, and waiting for Jesus to mystically remove them from the very earth He desires them to change.

What if the perceived rapture were a long ways off, or to not to come at all, would we still be about our Father's business in establishing His kingdom upon the earth?

What if we really did not fear dying for Him and in fact chose to die to self daily in order to truly live in and through Him?

What if we lived and moved and had our being in the Holy Spirit 24 hours a day and 7 days a week?

What if every word or deed was received with the Father's heart and mind and every response that came forth from us in word and deed was likewise from the heart of the Father?

What if we would rather have a towel (servant), than a title in leadership?

What if we realized that we must seek to trash every idol in our life to really be free to serve in the army of our Lord?

What if we realized that the greatest idol that you and I have is "self", then began to become selfless in our pursuit of Christ and His Kingdom?

What if every believer realized that their obedience to all that they do each day was ministry unto Him and His kingdom?

What if every housewife and mother understood that she was in full time ministry in her role?

What if the people of God saw the ministry the Lord is doing through His daughters, while becoming free from limited mindsets regarding the Father’s potential and ministry in women.

What if we saw that the Kingdom of God as beyond race, gender, or age, but diversity of expression in His glorious Kingdom.

What if every businessman or blue collar worker realized that in Christ, they were full time ministers in their calling?

What if every business owner understood that people are their greatest resource and began to pastor their businesses?

What if every business owner looked at their employees, vendors, and customers, as part of their household or sphere of godly influence?

What if every Christian business owner looked as their lives and businesses as an impact for the community?

What if there was no difference in the perceived spirituality of a organized church pastor and one who pastors their home, business, and community.

What if we actually believe God speaks in relevance for today beyond the written word in alignment of the written word?

What if we actually could actually hear a relevant word for today that was in line with the heart and written word of God?

What if there was greater prophetic accountability?

What if there were more prophetic people apologizing when they spoke amiss, as often as they publicly acknowledged when they got one right?

What if we worshipped the foundation of all order, (Christ), beyond the order or perceived order of things?

What if the living Word, (Christ Himself) replaced any dead theoretical, theological, Christological religion?

What if we had fellowship or connections with others during the week instead of relying on one Sunday Service, which was never designed to meet our ”one anothering” needs.
What if the earth really was filled with the glory of the Lord and He is just waiting for us to get involved?

What if true wealth is measured in what you give away?

What if the family became the primary context of the Church?

What if we loved as He loved?

What if we spoke as He spoke?

What if we did what He did?

What if we really believed we could lay hands on the sick and watch them recover?

What if my opinions were okay, because they were my opinions and people would love me even if my opinions were different from theirs?

What if we all could appreciate the different cultures and expressions in God’s Kingdom, regardless if we understood them, or fancied them.

What if people understood the commanded to love, and would love by choice rather than out of having to feel "the love"?

What if even a few of these "what ifs" became realities in people's lives, enabling them go out and make a bigger kingdom difference?

What if …………………………………. You fill in the blank, as with God, All things are possible. The What if’s stated can be realities because of the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us.… May the "now" questions become future solutions to the glory of our God.

Allow Him to Refine, Define, and Align in 2009

You Do Not Labor in Vain by Robert Ricciardelli

1 Corinthians 15:58

With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.

Have you been noticing lately how we as Christians can get caught up on the peripherals of our faith? We get so absorbed in non essentials that we miss essential foundations like love, forgiveness, and even how practically the Holy Spirit desires to be in everyday life with us and through us. We can all miss the basics sometimes. You have heard the term, “Being so heavenly minded, but doing no earthly good”. We have been taught mostly through religion, that we are saved for the afterlife, when in fact, Jesus made the way to save us now, and for NOW. We are saved completely and wholly now by Him to engage in His life, and labor for His Kingdom.

Throughout Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, the message is very clear. “This present bodily life is not valueless because it will die. God will raise it to new life one day, it is of great value to Him and the world around us. What you do in your body today matters, because God has a great future in store for you. I would say that probably ninety percent of His church is coasting and trying to just get by this earthly realm in waiting for the life beyond. It probably is one of the biggest deceptions that have impacted the church. Being saved is for the now and not just for the later! When the Body of Christ is immersed in His life everyday and in His ministry in every sphere of society, nothing will hold back the multiplication of transformed lives and societies to the glory of God.

What you do in the present --- by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, advocating justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself, will last into God’s future. They are not just good things to pass through this life with, but they are all part of building God’s eternal Kingdom. We are now at a time when the church needs to rise up and know their identity and mission. It is time that each member knows that everything they are and do is ministry, and has eternal impact. Evangelism that has been focused for what will come after this life, must now be focused on what we have been born into RIGHT NOW!

We have slowly been enslaved into the idea of bliss, enlightenment, and streets of gold when we leave this earth, versus the truth of working presently for His Eternal Kingdom. Many have been paralyzed with thoughts of the end times and the afterlife, leaving little room for TODAY life. Father has always desired for us to begin living in His eternal promises now, and bringing His Kingdom of heaven to the earth. His Kingdom come and His will be done, now and into eternity. He saved us out of our past lives and into His glorious Kingdom now, as well as into the next life. We must realize that we can engage in His life, His power, His eternal presence, the moment we accept Christ, His Lordship, and His precious Holy Spirit into our lives.

It is time we rethink the very meaning of salvation itself। When you mention salvation, most people will immediately think that you mean, “going to heaven when you die”. Let’s presuppose that the bible teaches us that God’s creation is good, including the world, life as we know it, our bodies, brains, cells, etc. The bible does teach this by the way, while at the same time God reconfirms this with us in the promise of our bodily resurrection at His appointed time. If this true, then limiting God’s salvation for a later time actually is a far departure from foundational Christian Jewish beliefs.

Christian Aid has a slogan, “We believe in life before death”, now that is a great slogan. Life before death is what is threatened, and called into question, by the idea that salvation is merely life after death. If we live like we are waiting for a timeless, bodiless eternity, why would we put any effort in putting things right in this present world? But if what matters is God’s people as new creations with life before death, then we must see salvation as not “going to heaven” but “being raised to life now” and continuing in life after death in the new heaven and new earth… So remember, Jesus did not just save our soul, but our whole.

Pause, Reflect, What Are We Doing? by Robert Ricciardelli

We are all living in a fast paced, hard driven, make it happen world. I know this world well, and have operated in it for most my life by the worlds standards and measures. By the grace of God, the Lord took us out of the Matrix several years ago. Through continued trials and tests, Father has forged in us a resolve, and a faith in Him, that otherwise had been and would have continued to be minimized. As we travel, we see common patterns that limit our effectiveness and ability to be Kingdom ambassadors to the world. If we do not pause, reflect, and hear correctly, we will often look back and say, wow, so much time has passed and very little of what we had intended to do, ever got in motion.

PAUSE… Be Still and know I am God

“Pause”, “Be Still”, can that really happen in our lives on a regular basis? We all know it should, and should know that it is vital if we want to be “Father Pleasers”, and hear from Him on what He has to say, and how He sees things going. This does not have to be in the form of a ritual, but just time with Him. He will take every moment you give to Him and make something good out of it. As we pause long enough to hear His voice, we can now then move on and reflect based on His divine plans.

REFLECT… Navigational fine tuning

His ways are not our ways should always be part of our reflection. As we look into the spiritual mirror of our existence, how much of our lives are spent reacting to the world and its systems. How much worry or focus is given to these very same systems? Even Jesus reminded us to give to Caesar and His systems, what is his, and to give to God what was due Him, which are our very lives. Jesus was not concerned with politics, He operated beyond the worldly systems, while still within them. He was in them but not OF them. We must begin, or continue our conversations with the Father to hear His plan, engage with it, and seek His voice for the next steps. Then we can seriously begin to objectively ask the real question, what are we doing?

WHAT ARE WE DOING?... Good question, but do we have the answer?

God never intended for religion. He intended to have a people; called by His name to steward, be productive, and carry His presence to those around us and to the nations. Does sitting in a church service each week hearing a good message and worshipping together give us all of what we need? Are we living our experience of being the church through two hours on Sunday and maybe a home cell on Thursday? Are we active in our thoughts and communications with the Father in everyday life? Are we being transformed by His presence? Is the transformation manifesting selectively depending on the people we engage with or the environment we are in?

I love corporate worship and the time you can have when you come together, whether it is Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, but what are we doing in between those corporate gatherings? It is great to have a corporate vision, but do we have an identifiable vision and revelation from God for ourselves. Are we living our lives thinking we are okay because we sit and listen to great preaching and have a wonderful church expression each week, or are we allowing the Holy Spirit to mobilize us every single day into His purposes and plans?

His Kingdom wants to encompass everything. The King and His righteousness desires to influence everything we are and everything we do. We must pause, reflect, and examine all that we are and all that we do. How is our heart towards those who have rejected us? Do we forgive, do we love, or do we just move on?

How do we treat co-workers that are different than us in their beliefs and lifestyles? Are we praying for them, loving them, or do we sit back in judgment of them?

Those who run businesses, have you examined how you are treating employees, customers, vendors in light of His love and His Word? Are we living in the revelation that the Father is your Senior Partner in business and in life, and have you been making important decisions without Him? Are you living in the reality that people are God’s greatest asset, Always?

These are the types of questions we ask in our coaching and consulting of others. Here a few beginning steps..

Some Steps towards Kingdom reality

• We must all continue to migrate towards relationship with Him first, which is the only hope of real and lasting transformational change.
  
• We must examine our hearts and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate and reflect back to us the things that we may not be aware of. Once revealed, our love for Him should motivate us to take the steps He shows us to get healed, get whole, and forgive or release others to Him.
  
• We must look at our daily activities and check and see if the actions please the Father or grieve the Father. We should decide today to be “Father Pleasers”. We also must recognize that religious activities do not cut it in pleasing the Father in everyday life. How we treat our spouses, how we love our children, how we give without having to receive, how we become absorbed with Him and others, rather than self.
  
• Talk to Him continuously. Jesus only did and said what the Father gave Him to do and say. Jesus is always our model. Sometimes Jesus would turn away the crowd, the noise, the ministry stuff, to get away with the Father. So must we. He loves to hear from you and He is big enough to listen to the gripes and complaints. He is also big enough to show you that the gripes and complaints are insignificant in light of His eternal plans for you.
  
• Just love. God is love. Everything about Him oozes love. Love does not mean we ignore justice. His perfect Love always includes truth and justice. But how our hearts move towards truth and justice often reveals where we are in His love. Love seems to gravitate towards healing and restoration, rather than judgment. You will find that your life does not matter and will pursue loving those who have hated and rejected you. You will pray for your enemies and you will begin relationships with those who are different than you.
  
• Walk humbly before your God and others. When I write, I am writing these things to myself. I thank God for my development, but boy I have a long way to go, just ask my wife. The more I know, the more I don’t know and the more it keeps me pressed into Him. If you think you are nearing completion, think again. You’ve come a long way baby, but He has eternity waiting and changes are going to happen. I have found it much easier to be a willing partner with the Lord. He loves us enough to make our path straight, but it is so much better to get on the right path first, rather than being extracted from the ways we thought were the right ones…

Lord we embrace your path today. Illuminate all things to us and we choose to follow all that you show us. Forgive us for our rebellion, and our religious ways that have brought us a false comfort. Show us how we can truly live and move and have our being with you each moment for your glory alone, Amen.

Zimbabwe Freedom is Near by Robert & Joyce Ricciardelli

This is some of what the Lord gave Joyce and I on behalf of Zimbabwe in prayer today. The context came from 2nd Chronicles 20. After spending time in Zimbabwe the past few weeks, revelation continues to unfold. This is what we sense the Lord is saying:

Zimbabwe - A destructive force has enslaved you, and decimated the land and its people . This is not a time to lay down, a time to quit, nor a time to despair. There's no time to waste—destruction is at hand from all sides.

Shaken, the Zimbabwean faithful have continued to pray to the One and only hope. Many nations united in seeking God's help—they are united from all over, praying to God.

"O God, God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven above and ruler of all kingdoms below? You hold all power and might in your fist—no one stands a chance against you! And didn't you cause some of the natives of this land to leave, while many remained? They have lived here and abroad as Holy Temples of honour and worship for you, saying, 'When the worst happens—whether war or flood or disease or famine—we can take our place before You Lord. We know you are personally present in this place and in our hearts each day. We pray out our pain and trouble, we know that you will listen and give victory.'

"And now it's happening, as many are called back to the land and foreigners are coming to help rebuild the walls as the Lord prepares the way for that day! The enemy had come to kick us out of the country you gave us. O dear God, won't you take care of them that remain, and us that will go? We have been helpless before this vandal horde ready to attack us. We relied on men and mans devises and found it empty and fruitless. We don't know what to do; we're looking to you, our hope, and our only salvation."

The prophets of God are declaring by the Spirit of God from the midst of the congregation. "Attention everyone—all of you from out of town, all you who remain, and those of you who will lead, Listen to the Word of the Lord: Don't be afraid; don't pay any mind to this vandal horde. This is God's war, not yours. You won't have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, stand in Him, my fellow Zimbabweans, and watch God's saving work for you take shape. Don't be afraid, don't waver. March out boldly Just Now—God is with you."

Then the leaders both near and far, along with all of the people knelt down, bowing with their face to the ground, worshiping God. Then they arose knowing the victory is near, they stood to their feet to praise God, the God of Israel; they praised at the top of their lungs!

The prophetic cry arises.. "Listen Zimbabwe, Listen to what I have to say! Believe firmly in God, your God, and your lives will be firm! Believe in the prophetic and relevant words of the prophets and you'll come out on top!" Give thanks to God, His love never quits.

As soon they continued shouting and praising, God set ambushes against the enemies of God in Zimbabwe and they all ended up dead, or vanished in fear. God set up confusion and in-fighting among them, and the destruction began from within. Confusion and implosion of their evil ways shall over take them says the Lord. In their confusion, they will go at each other, and the end of their ways will be swift and sure.

As the Zimbabwe faithful come up over the rise, looking for their attackers, they will see them no more—not a forceful enemy in sight.

When the leaders and the people sort out through the victory of the Lord, they begin to see justice and goodness overtake them. Lands restored to the proper stewards, crops grow, and the disease and famine begin to melt away from the presence and goodness of their God. They came together and blessed God as it became a blessed land once more as God set things to His order.

God had given them joyful relief from their enemies! They entered the city gates worshipping God. They paraded around the city along with all the instruments of the band playing. What God we have. We could do nothing, and yet He did all things and it is wondrous in our sight.

"'For here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I'll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You'll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You'll be my people, and I'll be your God!

The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
When surrounding kingdoms and the whole world got word that God had fought Zimbabwe's enemies, the fear of God descended on them. As long as God's people reigned, peace reigned, and the enemies of God would not touch His people nor move against His presence on the land. When the righteous rule the people rejoice, and the enemies are scattered by the hand of the Almighty.

Pray For Government Leaders, Trust Only God for All Things.

Joyce and I have been grieved by the response of God's people regarding the current President elect, Barack Obama. We have heard everything from Barack being judgment for America, to Barack being the anti-Christ. In a time when we should be praying and speaking life into the people God sovereignly has placed to help govern the nation.

A great barrier was broken when Barack was elected that has brought healing and hope to many, not only in the USA, but in fact to many nations. We should be rejoicing with them in what it means for them, and for all of us together as a nation. We know that it is not about an individual or even system, as God can work His ways through all of it. Mr. Obama is coming in to his first term at a time in history that gives him a challenge no president has faced, especially in the past 50 years.

We also must remember that Jesus was never concerned with politics and even said, give to Caesar what is Caesars and to God, what is God's. God wants us to cry out to Him, look to Him, and not to man, or mans devices. But we do have a responsibility to pray for those in authority.
We also must remember how the Lord has used many through the centuries that may seem in appearance, impossible.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.

Our thoughts and words carry power. We can bring forth blessing and cursing, life or death by how we are driven and what we choose. May we choose life. People of God, May His Kingdom come, and His will be done on earth through our thoughts, through our words, through our prayers, and through our actions motivated by faith and His abundant love, in Jesus name, Amen

Zimbabwe

Joyce and I just returned from Zimbabwe. It was an incredible 6 days of watching, listening, and especially relating to those who have now become a part of our eternal family. We have loved and prayed for Zimbabwe for many years, and have fallen even more in love with the land and it's people. The suffering they have endured is unprecedented in so many ways. Inflation rates in the trillions, and most public systems have collapsed or are collapsing, including water, power, food supply, fuel...etc.

In the midst of all this, we found many of God's people with nothing but Him to hope for. They know that there is no hope from government, no hope from the outside, and it is up to God and His people who are willing to be obedient to His Kingdom ways and plans. We met with many leaders in business, church, and community. We know that Zimbabwe will be a continuous part of our future, along with South Africa. There are other African nations the Lord will be sending us to as well, but for now, most of our work will be in the south of Africa.

The new friends we have made have become family. Their resilience, faith, and courage, against incredible odds, can only be God. We were blessed to feel so welcomed, as well as received as partners for the future. God was recognized as the only source for them. They also realized how important it is to build relationally, and in the Spirit of unity, engage in the Fathers strategic plans daily. They were not to wait for the resources and stuff, but they were going to commit their lives and their every resource to begin to heal, restore, and build wherever they are led. Every one just doing what they are called to do while encouraging others to get in plans of God.

We are already planning to go back as early as January for training, implementing, and coordinating efforts as the Lord leads. Please pray for them, and for all those who God may call into His plan for this nation. One of the things we were able to do is bring some text books into one of the schools. We realized that even though we brought books in, they were just enough for one school. The Headmaster was so thankful, and the high school youth began to rush to look at the materials. It broke our hearts to see such eager learners and yet with no one to teach them. This school usually has 57 teachers and now only 4. So these children are left on their own. They dress every day in their uniforms and go to school knowing that there will be likely no one to teach them.

Joyce and I prayed for a small group of the High School age youth, and declared their future, their hope, and their destinies as they look to the Father. After praying there was not a dry eye as we cried out to the Father for only what He can and will do on behalf of the children, which are the future of the nation. For those of you who may be called to go, or send resource's as the Lord leads, we will gladly coordinate this for you and also provide a family for you to stay with when you go. It is such a beautiful place and it is sad how greedy and murderous hearts have been exploiting the land and it's people.

We also are preparing to go and train business leaders into the practicals of Kingdom life and business. God will not be mocked and those who have sowed the evil in that place will have a day of reckoning, and it is coming soon. We pray that they will repent, for the judgment will be swift and severe. We pray for Zimbabweans will not trust in horses, chariots, or even wall building foreigners. We pray that they will trust only God, and in hearing His voice only on what they must do. HE will send His horses, HE will send His chariots, HE will send the wall builders from foreign lands, and HE will retain all the glory as the world looks on in awe. Here are the natural realities of what is happening in Zimbabwe. The Lord is working in the midst. Please pray with us and partner with us as we engage in Father's miracle for Zimbabwe.

CRISIS POINTS

• Financial sector instability


• Critical food shortages


• Inadequate treated water supply for urban areas


• Crippled health delivery


• Education Collapse


• Forced business closures


• Failed agricultural seasons


• Collapsing infrastructure (roads, rail, water, telecommunications, etc.)


• People unable to access their cash from banks


• Unable to conduct business due to Infrastructure collapse
  

IMPACT OF CRISIS

• Unprecedented collapse of the financial sector, with imminent closure of all businesses.
  
• Businesses and private sector cannot transact through the banks and therefore cannot pay wages and salaries. We witnessed queues or lines that extended around the block. Individuals can only take 50 cents out of the bank daily. This is enough for one banana, and they have to go there and spend all day in line for 3 days to afford a loaf of bread.


• Soldiers ranked below captain are in the same situation and are becoming angry and taking it out on bankers, and civilians. Mugabe is now arresting his own troops in fear of rebellion to what is happening.


• Hunger and starvation countrywide leading to disease, low productivity, and threat to lives. CNN reports up to 5 million dead in 6 months if something does not change. Anthrax is now showing up in the cattle.


• Nationwide cholera outbreaks with over 500 dead already. This has been found in the public water system.


• Hospitals have closed down completely. Some aids patients have taken over a section of hospital for their treatment's.


• Closure of most public schools and colleges and now even the private schools are being impacted. Teachers cannot get paid, nor afford to even get to the schools to help.


• Accelerated flight of qualified and skilled staff. Massive exodus of doctors nurses and other professionals out of the country.
  

WAY FORWARD

• Only God! There simply is not other solution or back up plan than Him and His providence, wisdom, and direction for His people.


• For smaller communities, they must pool their resources and talents and possibly go to a bartering system or God created new currency.


• Start now. We told those who are able to begin now. Start to ask the father what they must to help others and prepare the way for the future.
  
• Pray for God to sort out and deliver the people from the current government and begin to build the government that honors Him and His principles of leading a nation.
  
• Pray for God's people to rise up and not move in fear, but supernatural faith, and His supernatural ways.
  
• Pray for Isaiah 60 rebuilders of the walls from foreign lands that will come with no agenda other than to serve. That the doors will open only for God's people and provision and that all roads in for those who are not coming to serve to be closed off.

Joyce and I welcome any and all partners in this. We have no idea how the Lord will provide for our way back, but we have no doubt He will do this. We believe God will get all the glory for what He is doing there, and what He is about to do. Please pray and also go, send, provide as the Lord leads, in Jesus name.

Loving Beyond Religion

Joyce and I are on our way to South Africa. We are blessed to stay with some friends in the UK that are Muslims. Christina and I knew each other in High School and have not seen each other in 30 years, and then she married a Saudi Arabian Sheik 8 years ago. They have a daughter named Sirina who is 6 and is adorable. Divine providence allowed us to connect this year, and to be here for a few days to love and be loved. There simply was no other agenda but to build relationally and love one another. In the brief time we have had together, we have been able to share many things. We have talked about Jesus, (Isa), and God, (Allah), and the common ground we have.

Their Holy Book the Q'uran mentions Jesus as a prophet 110 times. Though they do not acknowledge Him as the Son of God, they do acknowledge that we must follow His ways, so we talked much about following His ways. I was so amazed at how much we can grow together this way, and that Muslims are not our enemy like the media sadly portrays, but truly can be our friends towards doing good to those around us, and around them. It is from this premise that we can believe the power of God to get all of us on the journey towards living as Christ to the world and agents of God for doing good to others.

I have watched in recent years how much religion really kills. We talked about Jihad and the Crusaders who allowed religion to turn to hatred. Religious Christians can be brutal towards one another and to others. When you see the tears and compassion of my Muslim friends for the injustices in the world, it is touching and we actually found more in common with them then we do the religious right, and the religious self righteousness that is a stench to the throne of grace. James 1:27 says that pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. From this premise, we can work with all of God's creation who desire to pursue God's view of religion together by doing good to those who need it the most.

I look at our self serving western Christian practices that have been infiltrated with mammon, ego, and glory stealers, and I realize that I have much more in common with those that may not share my faith, but share my desire to be set apart to touch the poor and bring glory to God. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life to our heavenly Father. Can we get others on the journey and trust the Holy Spirit to transform lives as we work together for the good of mankind? I think we can, and I am so thankful that religious agendas, and mindsets, continue to diminish while His love increases in our hearts. In freedom we can bring His light and His truth to those who will receive the Jesus in us.

My friends embraced us and the Jesus in us, and we have found a language called love that will continue to bring us closer to one another, and closer to God. We appreciate your prayers as we leave today for South Africa, and also Zimbabwe for the next 3 weeks. We love all of you and thank God for your lives, and your friendship... Go and find those who you can touch today in the midst of your differences and watch the miracle living God in each of you to impact others forever, and for His glory alone.....