1. They Rose Up To Play

By Ron McGatlin

The civilized educated citizens of western “Christian” nations have in recent generations lost touch with the source of their freedom. Many take the liberty in which they have lived for granted. As if personal freedom and liberty have always been and will always be their personal right granted by the civil governments.

Few retain the wisdom of their forefathers that recognized that freedom and liberty were direct provisions of God for those who follow Him and His ways. Their forefathers knew that believing alone was not enough to produce and maintain freedom and liberty. We are not talking about whether it is enough to get you to heaven when you die or not. We are talking about the kingdom reality of living in freedom and walking in liberty now in this life.

Jesus spoke to those who BELIEVED HIM, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

For an individual, family, tribe, or nation believing in JESUS is only the first step toward freedom and liberty. Many, if not most, Americans believe in Jesus, and yet our nation is apparently falling rapidly toward severe bondage that begins with fear and ends with the dreaded bondage of poverty and slavery.

There is a big distinction in a people who ABIDE IN THE WORD OF JESUS AND ARE DISCIPLED OR DISCIPLINED BY JESUS AND HIS WORD and those who only believe.

Today there are many of us within western nations who not only recognize the faith of our God-seeking forefathers, but also now ABIDE in Christ Jesus and His word as Christ Jesus ABIDES in us by the Spirit of God. We are able to hear directly from Jesus by the Holy Spirit and thereby know the truth that makes us free. The Word is alive in us for empowerment, correction, and direction. He is life in our bones that sets us free from the lust and pride of the self-life. It is His wisdom that brings peace and order of prosperous living of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The Offence of Christ in Us

Christ in us is offensive to some of the people who are not yet fully in that place of ABIDING, but are to some degree trusting in their position in the church are their lineage of Christian traditions of believing in Jesus while yet abiding in some of the fallen world’s ways and man-made religious system’s influence.

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  The people that Jesus spoke this verse to were offended in this same way. ³³ They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. ³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Freedom is living under the rule of and by the life of the one true LORD and KING Christ Jesus.

God’s kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Bondage is living under the rule of any other god or system.

If you have not yet realized it, there is a war going on for the hearts of man between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. We are a part of the war for the freedom of mankind on Planet Earth. One of the few things worse than the hell of war is the bondage of living captive under the rule of an evil tyrant king.

Sin is a tyrannous master often supported by man-made religious political systems.

The True Test of Character

One of the most difficult things for us is to remain free after the intervention of God has set us free. When times are difficult we seem to be able to turn to God and move into His ways of righteous living that leads to our freedom to live in His righteousness, peace, and joy. However, after a short time in prosperity we often return to our old lifestyle that got us into bondage.

In the same way nations of people, after a few generations of living in the peace of the last victory, historically begin to live independent of God and take the good times for granted. The people relax and sit down to eat and drink and then rise up to play. Soon they become self-seeking and seek after natural fleshly pleasures more than seeking God and His kingdom. Thus they are again headed back toward bondage and destruction.

God is looking for a people who, after He has set them free, will remain in His kingdom freedom in their personal lives and through all their successive generations. Paul warned us and wanted us to be aware of this truth. He spoke of how all the people of God were blessed, completely set free and delivered from their bondage. Yet most of their bodies were scattered in the wilderness outside the Promised Land.

“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, ² all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³ all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. ⁵ But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. ⁶ Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. ⁷ And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” ⁸ Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; ⁹ nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; ¹⁰ nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. ¹¹ Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:1-11).

God is still jealous for His people and will not allow them forever to go after other gods and disregard His great love and magnificent provisions. He will have a people.

I personally believe that the people of the kingdom are coming forth – a people who will never turn back to the bondage of self and sin in seeking to become our own gods – a people who will get our pleasure from His presence and doing His will – a people who will not forget from where we have come. – a people who will not take His provisions for granted, as if we had gained these things by ourselves and as if all these things were for our consumption upon our own self-desires apart from His desires and directions.

Further, I believe this is the remnant of God’s people in America and the rest of the nations of the world that will survive whether or not their nations survive or not. All nations, tribes, families, and individuals must become the kingdom of our Lord Christ Jesus to be returned to Father God. It is the full grown sons of God who will make the enemies of Jesus His footstool.

Victory is before us, and a wasteland of ungodliness is behind us. God’s kingdom shall reign forever in the glorious colony from eternal heaven on earth. In the natural, we have not yet seen all the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God. However, it is clearly visible in the Spirit, and it is in the reality of the call of God within the heart of every son of God called according to His purpose.

As we agree with God and rejoice in what we see in the Spirit, it will eventually grow into place as all the forces of Heaven align with the vision of God’s kingdom in the hearts of His people.

God will not do this without the participating agreement of mankind. All that looks like it is bad and destructive to the existing world is in fact a part of God at work on the transformation of the earth. It is part of bringing the people on earth into full agreement with the plan of God for His kingdom to reign on earth through His people now and forever.

Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD!

The kingdoms of this earth are become the kingdoms of our Lord.

Ron McGatlin
www.ooenheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

2. The Birth Canal

By Lisa Enebeli

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

You don’t have to go far to hear a sermon that preaches the promises of God for you. Whether you need healing, prosperity, freedom or love, all you have to do is pull up a You Tube sermon or go to your local church on the corner. We have preachers all over the world telling you of all the great things that God can and will do for you, but few and far between are those who will tell you the truth about how to activate those promises.

I have watched for years as people have given their money in hopes of getting a windfall of money back, only to be disappointed that it didn’t work for them. I have seen people come up for prayer in the healing line, only to turn around and go back to their seat in the same condition of which they came. The church has promised a magic wand type message that if people will only follow these 4 steps, or give this amount of money, they will get their breakthrough. If only it was that easy, we would be the richest, healthiest people on the planet. But just like diet fads that promise weight loss if you just buy their product don’t work, neither do the gimmicks we see in church work.

The key to everything you desire from God is found in God. There is no trick to getting the promises of God to be activated in your life, but there is a gate you must pass through. The bible says only a few find it, for it is not an easy gate to pass through. It is the narrow gate. Narrow in the Greek means, to press; afflict; suffer; compress; constrain; squeeze; break; confine; experience a tribulation that may affect either body or mind or both. Paul talked about how suffering produces, but very few people are willing to suffer in order to obtain the promises of God for themselves. I wonder if the reason we preach the promises without the pain, is because people want to believe there is a shortcut. The truth is, there is no shortcut, you have to go through pain in order to obtain the promises of God.

As I was studying this out, the Lord began to speak to me and He said, obedience is the birth canal you must go through in order to give birth to life. When a baby is conceived in their mother’s womb, everything is provided for them, they have food, shelter, safety, comfort, etc. But there comes a time in that babies life cycle where it grows to the point where it must enter the birth canal if it is ever going to experience life. Many Christians are so content in the womb, that even though they have outgrown the womb, they are not willing to go through the birth canal of obedience, in order to really live. I believe this is why we have not seen all that God has promised us, because most Christians are comfortable in the womb.

The birth canal is a very narrow place, doctors even say, it can be the most traumatic experience a child will ever go through, though they will not remember the trauma of it. As we enter the birth canal of obedience it is very narrow, it is painful, it is a tribulation that affects your mind and body. I have been through this birth canal, so I know first hand the pain of it, the process of it, and the amount of time it took me to get through it. The Apostle Paul was in the birth canal for 14 years, it is no quick process. However, if you will stay in obedience and allow the process of the birth canal to complete its work, you will come to life. It is a life that is beyond anything you have ever experienced before. But to get there you must go through the birth canal.

Lisa Enebeli
Mouthpiece Ministries




3. News Headlines

A Must Read! Pastor Saeed Calls His "Beloved America" to Repentance - 5/21/2015 "As an American and as a prisoner for Christ I have spent many hours praying and crying out to God for revival for this great nation. We all hope for the success of our nation and for America to be blessed, but without revival there can be no true success or blessing... I would like to ask you to join me in repenting and praying for revival. Me from inside of this"

"Grave, but Not without Hope"—Sister Diana’s Testimony on Capitol Hill about Persecuted Christians in Iraq - 5/21/2015
Sister Diana Momeka, Mosul, Iraq appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to testify about ISIS' war on religious minorities. More than (120,000+) people displaced and homeless in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, leaving behind all they had worked for over the centuries. This uprooting, and theft of everything they owned, displaced them body and soul.


Praising God amid rising persecution in India - 5/21/2015
Persecution in India is on the rise. Yet, God is at work. “We are in a time that is unprecedented in history for what the Holy Spirit is doing in India.” Persecution in India may be growing, but so is the Body of Christ. “The Holy Spirit is using Indian Christians to start churches, to transform their cities, their neighborhoods, their villages, and the nation of India.”


News From British Isles, Ireland, Europe and Worldwide - 5/21/2015
Afghanistan – Magnifying Jesus as Lord - Teenage gangsters drawn to terrorism - The authority of religious leaders has fallen - Russia: Increased fines for ‘extremist’ texts - Danger from IS terrorists posing as refugees - Sudan: Pastors on trial - Iran: Sending aid to Yemen - Iraq: Calls for volunteers to fight as more residents flee from their homes - More>


China growth spurred by rural development - 5/21/2015
In a country of 1.3 billion people, half live in villages dotting China’s massive countryside. Economic and social development of these regions has been remarkable in spite of inattention. It boils down to the people. They’re determined, hardy, and persistent. In a visit to a rural church, it’s not unusual to see 600 people walk in from the countryside to get a Bible.


Left-Wing Pundit: Liberals Killing Free Speech - 5/21/2015
A liberal pundit is calling out her fellow liberals for their growing intolerance to conservative and Christian viewpoints. The country is moving in an authoritarian direction, which endangers free speech and even free thought. The First Amendment protects free speech and free exercise of religion. Fellow liberals are attacking free speech as part of a systematic silencing.


Suffering for Christ: unfortunate or opportune? - 5/21/2015
If you were unjustly thrown in jail, would you cry out and ask God why? Seven Ethiopian Christiansan see it as an opportunity to share Christ? The seven believers were thrown in jail. More than 168 inmates are stuffed into a small space. They have just enough space to lie on their sides at night. They trusted God and spoke of Christ while they were in the prison.


Nepal Christian Community in Forefront of Disaster Relief - 5/21/2015
In the aftermath of the April 7.9 and the May 7.3 Nepal earthquakes, the Christian Nepalese community is filling in the gaps in disaster relief. They have been delivering relief supplies to Kathmandu and remote villages in Gorkha and Dhading areas. They are also assisting people in repairing their homes and providing 5-10 kg of rice per family, dahl, masala, salt and oil.


Violence consuming Burundi - Over 105,000 Burundians have fled to neighboring countries to escape violence - 5/21/2015
In refugee camps, they’re lacking food, water, and medicine. Seven have died since the evacuation, and 300 are suffering from acute diarrhea. In Tanzania, officials reported an outbreak of cholera. But organizations are giving their support to feed and give medical attention to sick refugees. Food for the Hungry is working with partners to set up emergency care programs.


Mayday: Anne Graham Lotz Warns Judgment Is Near - 5/21/2015
Billy Graham's daughter is sounding an alarm to Christians across the nation, calling America's Church to cry out to God in prayer and repentance. God is sending clear signs that His judgment is coming on America and the world. "There will be mass chaos, confusion, fear, grief, despair, anger, threats, danger… judgment." She's launched the a distress call for prayer.


MORE NEWS HEADLINES

Unlimited permission to copy and post or reprint without altering text or profiteering is hereby granted subject to proper credits and inclusion of this web address: archive.openheaven.com . However, if an item not written by Ron McGatlin is marked Copyright, you should contact the original publisher for permission to reproduce.

Thank you for forwarding the OpenHeaven.com Digest to your mail list.

archive.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net