By Faith... My Journey to See

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I was ministering earlier this week and one lady was getting touched mightily as we stepped into Heaven by faith and received from the corner of Jesus' prayer shawl.  The other lady standing on my other side was having a hard time with it all because she couldn't feel or see anything.

The lady who didn't "receive" any manifestation that she could feel, see, hear or touch was humoring us... so I thought I might be able to encourage her with my experience.

You see,  there was a time when I couldn't feel, see or hear anything in the spirit realm.  I mean nothing, not one crumb.  I took Patricia Kings "Glory School" in 2003 and over 50% of the crowd were manifesting as she did some of the activations and I got nothing!

I was a little disheartened to say the least.  I did like how she used the word of God as her foundation. At the end of the conference I brought her manual home and put it on the shelf and never looked at it again.  However, I did tell Holy Spirit that if this was for me then he would have to train me up in how to do this. This was a pivotal confession in my life I realize now.

The next couple of years I look back and see how Holy Spirit kept putting visionary type preachers across my path.  Plus Holy Spirit really had me get grounded in the word even more than before.  You see I had head knowledge but I needed heart knowledge that I could stand on.

Then in 2006 I started street preaching and boy did I ever get lessons in the spirit realm.  Thank God for Todd Bentley and his teaching about Power Evangelism because the scripts the other ministry gave me were not working!  They made people really angry and argumentative.

You know, you never realize how real the spirit realm is until it starts hitting you over and over.  It's like Sherlock Holmes said,  "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be truth."   There were times when I would be preaching and I would get hit by an invisible bomb.  It would try to knock me back and all my thoughts and words would disappear and I would be left in a daze for a few seconds.  

Now I've talked a lot and never, ever have I ever had that kind of experience. Praise the Lord it never stopped me for more than a few seconds. It sure left me with some questions about the spirit realm.

Then as I searched for answers I listened to Todd teaching about marking out your claimed preaching area so that the Kingdom of God could manifest in your little area.  It sounded like a cool idea so  I marked out a 50 foot stretch of road the next time I went out to Sparks Street to preach.

All was going normally when I heard  a man cursing a blue streak as he headed towards me.  I mean he was yelling the foulest words I have ever heard!  I stopped preaching because he was so loud no one would be able to hear me.  When he got to the edge of my 'claimed' area he went mute!  I mean the whole lunch time crowd stopped and stared at what was happening.  This man walked right by me and looked at me like "Who are you?" and I just smiled with compassion.  The second he got to the other end of my claimed area he started cursing again.  Don't try to tell me that  didn't happen! That evil spirit  using that man had to bow to the name of Jesus! (Turns out he had a great job in the gov't. but they had to give him a sound-proofed room because he could not stop swearing.  Sad eh?)

Can you see how God set to work to prove how real the spirit realm was to me?  He's so patient with us!

Then I heard Holy Spirit asking me to set aside more time to seek his face -- alone in my secret place.  As I came apart Holy Spirit would ask me occasionally, "What do you see?"  Usually it was black and then I would see a flash of light.  I always  asked him,  "Is that right?" and he would help me to see more clearly. This went on for a few years and Holy Spirit helped me to see more and more.

That's how it all started with me.  Slowly, ever so slowly.  Some people get it by impartation but I didn't.  So I'm here to tell you that if I can do it so can you!  God's no respecter of persons.  Just set your heart on His will for your life and he'll lead you step by step.

The truth is that the veil separating the holy of holies  from the most holy place has been torn.   We are already seated with him in Heavenly places.  We are to set our hearts and minds on things above now.  Every spiritual blessing is ours in heavenly places.  If God wants our physical eyes to be healed (and we know he does),  then how much more does he want our spiritual eyes to be functioning to see the Kingdom that is our inheritance and our eternal home?

Let's agree together: "Thank You Lord for teaching us step by step how to engage your kingdom more and more by faith.  We believe we receive insights and direction as we worship you and wait on You. Amen!"

Have a great day with Him!
Big hugs and bigger blessings,
Brenda Gale Thompson

I'm going to let you in on one of my secrets.  People are always asking me how I get so much done in my day.   My big secret is time with God and lists.  Writing things down when I'm spending time with the Lord helps me to take those thoughts captive so I can focus on the Lord and not what I need to remember to do the next day.

Also,  they help me to get lots done every day.  Here's the list I scribbled down this am.  There's not much to it, but does it ever help me to stay on track.  The best part is checking off the things you get done.  It gives a person a real sense of accomplishment.

Always make sure to have a reward at the end of the day, some 'me' time where you do something you want to do.  Then you won't get frustrated.  There will always be things to do after all.  The devil will make sure that you are busy your whole life, if he can.

Busy = Busy
            Under
            Satan's
            Yoke.


The big goal in life is to find out what God wants you to do and do that, not what everyone else would like to you to do for them.  (more on that in another post) Balance-- it's a huge concept and it ties in with learning to say 'no' politely.  I'm working on how to say no politely to different people.  The closer the people are to you  the harder it is at times to say no.  Also,  it's harder to say no to those in authority over you especially if you want to have favor with them.  Therefore it behooves us as leaders to check with God about what we are asking our families and/or volunteers to do for us.  We don't want to hinder God's plan in people's lives.

It's worth it though.  The more time we spend prioritizing our lives, the more productive we will be. Here are some scripture confessions to build yourself up in your most holy faith:

-Thank You Lord that the desires of the diligent will be fully satisfied. (Prov. 13:4)
-Thank you Lord that because we love your word nothing and no one can cause us to stumble or take offense. (Ps. 119:165)
-Thank You Lord that we are quick to hear, slow to speak and very slow to get angry or offended. (James 1:17)

Have a great day!
Big hugs and many Blessings,
Brenda Gale Thompson

Be the Change You Want to See

I didn't know what to call this post and it came to me.   Be the Change you want to see.   In North America we have the habit of letting the pastor and a few people carry most of the responsibility  of the Kingdom advancing.   This should not be so.  We all have gifts that we can contribute to the body for the greater good.

On that note I have asked the Lord to let me be a fool for Him if it means that He can use me more.   We are in an upside down Kingdom where the way down is the way up.  "He who wants to be great must be the servant of all". (ref. Mark 9:35)   God chose and still chooses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and the weak things to shame the strong. (ref. 1Cor. 1:27) That means that we all qualify to be used in God's kingdom.

How that looks can be completely different than anything you have done previously. All I can say is, be open to new ideas and new ways of doing things.  Let me share a neat example with you.

A few weeks ago we were having a Friday night service and a few of the regular intercessors were missing.  The music had started and as I walked in late I said to a friend, "I guess I'm going to make a fool of myself."  I was surprised at what I blurted out and was thinking about it as I made my way to the front.  (Our church opens up the alter area for passionate worshipers so they can intercede and worship and break through for the whole congregation. I wish all churches did this!)

The music was great, but we weren't going anywhere in the spirit so I asked Holy Spirit what to do.  He said, "Dance."

"Right." I thought and I didn't, because I didn't have the foggiest idea of how to start. I was holding a flag and waving it around a bit, but that's a far cry from dancing.

Well, the next song started and we still weren't going anywhere.  The Heavens felt like brass so I asked Holy Spirit what was up and He said again, "Dance!"

I thought to myself, "Okay but You have to show me how."  I took one step to my right and all of a sudden I was waltzing around the front.  The people moved out of the way and I was holding/waving my flag and singing a beautiful harmony in tongues. But the most important thing was that I felt a 'boom' in the Spirit as the Heavens opened up.  Breakthrough!  That's what I was longing for.  Then the tears were streaming down my face and I was whirling around, dancing with my Lover and I couldn't care less what the people were thinking.  It was just me and Jesus and Holy Spirit was teaching me how to move and flow in the Spirit. I felt like I was dancing on air.

The rest of the service was good, but nothing can compare to the joy that Holy Spirit gives when He's happy with you.  When He says, "Thank you!"  every fiber of your being knows it!

So let me encourage you to be a fool for the Lord.  Be the change you want to see.  It shouldn't be just at conferences,  that you see spiritually hungry Christians.  I have asked the Lord to keep me hungry!

It always pays to obey Holy Spirit's promptings, even when they don't make sense to your natural mind.  As we honor Holy Spirit by obeying Him, He helps us to bless the Father's heart.  Since we can never out give Father God, He responds by pouring out more healing, more glory, more deliverance in waves and the whole crowd gets touched around us too.

That's Heaven on Earth folks.  That's what I have experienced when I've been in the Spirit.  There is so much love in Heaven and all the people use what they've got to help and bless others.  There is no fear of loss there because Father gives us more and more of whatever we have been giving out.

I want Heaven here too.  I really think that if some of us keep pressing in, we are going to open up an even bigger oasis of Heaven on Earth and the glory waves will flow out and touch our nation and the nations of the world.

Let Your Kingdom come more Lord Jesus and May Your will, not ours get done today in our lives, in Jesus' name we ask. Amen!

I Bless you as you go!
Big hugs,
Brenda Gale Thompson

Honor

This is not an easy post for me to write as I am still learning what it means to honor people. I don't have a problem honoring most people, but when they are mean to me,  I want to pull back and protect myself.

What I do know is that the fog that I wrote about in my last post cleared when I chose to honor my husband instead of stating the obvious.  I had the opportunity to say bluntly what he was like, but I chose to say what I appreciated about him instead.

Two minutes later as I was driving home and I got the song, "Here comes the bride, here comes the bride."

So I put two and two together and figured that, for me at least, it's not okay now to state the obvious. It doesn't matter what kind of a stinker he has been, I still have to walk in love. I heard myself telling a lady that when the going gets tough, to just imagine that her husband is Jesus, and how she would you treat him... then act accordingly.

Not the easiest thing to do that's for sure.  It's back to Phil. 4:8... think about (and speak about) whatever is pure, lovely, praiseworthy, noble and of good report.  I am also calling forth those things 'that be not as though they were'. (Rom 4:17)  God told me I could have a better marriage than I dreamed possible and I'm hanging onto his promise and speaking it out loud as a war declaration.

That doesn't mean you don't get help or don't speak the truth.  "I'm hurting, " is very real.  It just means be careful who you talk to. The whole world doesn't need to know about your 'stuff'.  What the Lord told me once is that, "If you wouldn't say it to Me in prayer, then don't say it, period."

It gives us an idea of how far the Lord wants us to take this supernatural love.  Every time we run out of love we can ask Holy Spirit for more because there is an unending supply. (Rom. 5:5, Psalm 136, 1John 4:8)

Since I have been given the opportunity to be on the ministry team at church I have had many more opportunities to pray for people.  I started asking the Lord, "How do I activate your power flowing through me to them?"  He said, "Just love on them."

I started experimenting during ministry times and when I am the support person I just put my hand on them and say quietly how much I love them and how I know that Holy Spirit loves them so much more. People have stopped me and asked me to move my hand to where they hurt because they can feel the heat of Holy Spirit flowing into them. That is very encouraging.

I hope I have helped you. I certainly don't have it all together.  I am going to keep working on this honor thing and not judging another man's servant.  With the Lord's help all things are possible. (1Cor. 1:26-29, Rom. 14:4, Mark 10:27)

Bless you as you go, in Jesus' name!
Big hugs,
Brenda Gale