Yesterday I had the honor of preaching at my home church (Real Life Church) as it was my second last Sunday before I migrate north and start a new life in Redding, California.
The theme of my message was the Luke 6:45 text that says "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." I felt in the spirit not to prepare a hectic 5-point preach, but to rather allow my heart to spill out and it's contents encourage my spiritual 'family.'
I shared some personal testimonies of the season that I have been through over the past few months, and although one of the toughest in my life thus far, definitely one of the most spiritually enriched.
I also shared with my church some prophetic visions I have had for them as a corporate body.
It was such a beautiful morning, and having a heart-to-heart 'conversation' with all those wonderful people was such a blessing to me.
There is nothing that I would rather do than rave about the unending goodness of God in my life. As I was standing up there, I felt as though this is something I was created to do.
I believe that this is just the first of many opportunities that I will get to preach and proclaim the good news, and I want nothing more than to allow what is in my heart to daily overflow into the heart's of others.
After I spoke, my pastor felt to call up everone that is under 20 (due to the fact that I am under 20 myself) and stand proxy for the coming generation. I was able to release the Kingdom of God over many of the young ones in our church, and impart to them what I have been carrying in my heart, and what the Lord has placed within me. The yound children and teenagers were incredibly touched as the Holy Spirit came upon them. I love the fact that there is no junior Holy Spirit, but children get to experience the fullness of God just as we do. I am excited beyond words to see this radical generation of lovers rise up. I feel they will be a generation that know the voice of God above every other voice and every move they make will be a prophetic statement of the Kindgom. We live in exciting times, and being a part of what God is doing across the planet is the highest honor.
As I will be leaving for the USA soon, many of the members of the church came and laid hands on me and we had a bit of a prophecy-a-thon at the front of the church. Everyone shared visions and words that they had for me, as well as just loved and honored me. The presence of the Kingdom was at hand and hung thick in the room. I have never felt such genuine love and honor anywhere outside of the church, and to me, this is what church is all about. It is far beyond schedules, meetings and programmes, and the core of what church should be founded upon is love, honor, encouragement and edification, and the genuine representation of these things do not originate in the earth's atmosphere but are substances of the eternal realm that collide with this realm.
So I am off to Bethel in T-minus 10 days where I'll be enrolling in the School of Supernatural Ministry. If you are interested in Bethel and would like to know more of what goes on within the Supernatural School, I will be blogging regularly from Redding and keeping friends and family in the loop via this blog. I have added a sidebar link on the right-hand side of my blog called 'Bethel Notes,' and if you click this link it will take you through to all the Bethel related posts.
Exciting times. Exciting seasons.
Bliss and blessings,
Jessica
Monday, August 22, 2011
Thought for the day
If we believe that God only speaks to us when we are feeling spiritual or doing spirutual activities, then that's the only time we will hear his voice.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Heaven Is In His Eyes
The other day I had the most beautiful encounter with Jesus, and I really wanted to share it.
I was lying on my couch after a long day at work and was not feeling particularly 'spiritual' at that moment, but felt more exhausted than anything.
I was reading John Crowder's "7 Spirits Burning" {which is an excellent book that takes a Christ-centered approach to Holy Spirit. A definite must-read}, and as I lay there I became so aware of Holy Spirit, and it felt as though he was hovering over me. He likes to hover {Genesis 1:2}.
Often, before I have had certain spiritual encounters in the past, preceeding them I have felt a hightened awareness of the Spirit, as well as an excitement and stirring within me. That is exactly what I felt this time. So, as I recognised Holy Spirit's presence and became aware that he wanted to do something, I closed my eyes and just began to rest and allow him to sweep me away.
Next thing I knew, I went into a vision as my eyes were closed, and I saw the Lord's eyes.
It seems as though every time I have visions of his eyes, they appear different. Often times I have seen them as firey and ablaze with love and passion, but this time, they were so different.
The iris part of the eye was multicoloured, in fact, it looked like a rainbow that was encircling his pupils. It was spectacular. I felt in my spirit, that when we look into his eyes, there lies our promise, our life and our hope. As rainbows are symbolic of God's promise and his covenants in the scriptures, so the rainbows that are in his eyes remind us of his promises over us whenever we gaze into them.
There will sometime come times in my life when I will begin to doubt the promises that God has spoken over me because they have not yet been made manifest in my life, but looking into his eyes gives hope to the soul as you realise that he has not forgotten, and he is faithful to his word.
God made a covenant with his people in the book of Isaiah 54:10, "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed." When we look into his eyes and are reminded of his promise, we are also reminded of his covenant that his unfailing love for us will never be removed. His love is not contingent on our performance or even our 'sin' but his love for us is based on a promise he made, that will never be broken and the reminder of this is reflected in his very eyes.
I then began to gaze deep into his eyes, and just as the saying "the eyes are the window unto the soul" states, so I began to look into the depths of him. What I saw 'within' him was a sort of Promised Land which I now know to be Heaven.
Heaven is not somewhere off in the distance, but is the very substance of who God is. He is not merely in Heaven, for it alone cannot contain him, rather Heaven is within him.
There I saw life and vibrance. Colour and beauty. The Tree of Life and the River of Life that flows from within the Father. In him there is abundance. In him there is no lack. He is the source of all pleasure, for every so-called 'pleasure' that we experience upon this earth originated from him. Apart from him, there is no such thing as joy or pleasure or life.
In Ephesians 2:6 it says "We are seated in the Heavenly places IN Christ Jesus." Heaven is in him and we are in him, seated in the heavenlies.
All this time I had been so preoccupied with the eyes of Jesus that I did not even 'see' the enormous smile that was plastered across his face. When I say enormous, I mean enormous! I have never seen a bigger, happier smile anywhere on earth. He was literally grinning from ear to ear, his happiness and joy became so contagious that I started laughing with him, and could not stop.
I personally think that Jesus had been desperate to reveal to me this aspect of his character. Although I have never viewed him as being angry or upset, I can't say I've ever seen his face in this way before. He doesn't like being stereotyped as a troubled, solemn man. I'm sure he may have looked this way as he was led to the mount of crucifixion, but now, he is alive and has not an ounce of sadness whatsoever. The Lord Jesus is a laughing, smiling, happy God and although he is 'all knowing,' this knowledge doesn't bother or burden him, because he knows that on Calvary his work was finished and all things have been placed beneath his feet and under his control.
As I stood before the Lord, he was exuding light from every pore, and the whole area {within my vision} filled with light. I felt almost weightless as if gravity did not exist. The light of his countenance incinerates every worry and concern, and every burden of the world melts in his presence. Darkness flees and all that is left is love, light, joy and unspeakable peace.
His presence is so pure, so refined and is of a different substance than the Earth's atmosphere. I am battling to describe it or find a comparison in which to contrast it with. There is none.
There is such a purity about him. Purity in it's purest form, and although he possesses all knowledge and nothing is hidden from him, this knowledge does not defile his holiness but rather stands to compliment it. There is a childlikeness about him yet he is not naive. There is a rest in him, yet he still has everything under control. He is magnificent beyond what words could ever hope to articulate, and how anybody could crucify this Lord of Beauty is something my human mind cannot understand.
In ending off, I would like to encourage anyone who reads this by saying that if you feel weak, burdened or perplexed by life and it's happenings, do not allow your back to bend with the weight of these things, but rest in the fact that he bore those burdens 2000 years ago, and now you get to enter straight into his presence wherein no burden, fear or worry can exist.
The shoulders of human beings were not created to carry burdens of sin, worry, fear, condemnation, anxiety, and that is why God came to earth in the form of a man so that he could carry these things on our behalf. Rest in what he has done.
Matthew 11:28-29 "Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest. Place my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." {ISV}
I was lying on my couch after a long day at work and was not feeling particularly 'spiritual' at that moment, but felt more exhausted than anything.
I was reading John Crowder's "7 Spirits Burning" {which is an excellent book that takes a Christ-centered approach to Holy Spirit. A definite must-read}, and as I lay there I became so aware of Holy Spirit, and it felt as though he was hovering over me. He likes to hover {Genesis 1:2}.
Often, before I have had certain spiritual encounters in the past, preceeding them I have felt a hightened awareness of the Spirit, as well as an excitement and stirring within me. That is exactly what I felt this time. So, as I recognised Holy Spirit's presence and became aware that he wanted to do something, I closed my eyes and just began to rest and allow him to sweep me away.
Next thing I knew, I went into a vision as my eyes were closed, and I saw the Lord's eyes.
It seems as though every time I have visions of his eyes, they appear different. Often times I have seen them as firey and ablaze with love and passion, but this time, they were so different.
The iris part of the eye was multicoloured, in fact, it looked like a rainbow that was encircling his pupils. It was spectacular. I felt in my spirit, that when we look into his eyes, there lies our promise, our life and our hope. As rainbows are symbolic of God's promise and his covenants in the scriptures, so the rainbows that are in his eyes remind us of his promises over us whenever we gaze into them.
There will sometime come times in my life when I will begin to doubt the promises that God has spoken over me because they have not yet been made manifest in my life, but looking into his eyes gives hope to the soul as you realise that he has not forgotten, and he is faithful to his word.
God made a covenant with his people in the book of Isaiah 54:10, "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed." When we look into his eyes and are reminded of his promise, we are also reminded of his covenant that his unfailing love for us will never be removed. His love is not contingent on our performance or even our 'sin' but his love for us is based on a promise he made, that will never be broken and the reminder of this is reflected in his very eyes.
I then began to gaze deep into his eyes, and just as the saying "the eyes are the window unto the soul" states, so I began to look into the depths of him. What I saw 'within' him was a sort of Promised Land which I now know to be Heaven.
Heaven is not somewhere off in the distance, but is the very substance of who God is. He is not merely in Heaven, for it alone cannot contain him, rather Heaven is within him.
There I saw life and vibrance. Colour and beauty. The Tree of Life and the River of Life that flows from within the Father. In him there is abundance. In him there is no lack. He is the source of all pleasure, for every so-called 'pleasure' that we experience upon this earth originated from him. Apart from him, there is no such thing as joy or pleasure or life.
In Ephesians 2:6 it says "We are seated in the Heavenly places IN Christ Jesus." Heaven is in him and we are in him, seated in the heavenlies.
All this time I had been so preoccupied with the eyes of Jesus that I did not even 'see' the enormous smile that was plastered across his face. When I say enormous, I mean enormous! I have never seen a bigger, happier smile anywhere on earth. He was literally grinning from ear to ear, his happiness and joy became so contagious that I started laughing with him, and could not stop.
I personally think that Jesus had been desperate to reveal to me this aspect of his character. Although I have never viewed him as being angry or upset, I can't say I've ever seen his face in this way before. He doesn't like being stereotyped as a troubled, solemn man. I'm sure he may have looked this way as he was led to the mount of crucifixion, but now, he is alive and has not an ounce of sadness whatsoever. The Lord Jesus is a laughing, smiling, happy God and although he is 'all knowing,' this knowledge doesn't bother or burden him, because he knows that on Calvary his work was finished and all things have been placed beneath his feet and under his control.
As I stood before the Lord, he was exuding light from every pore, and the whole area {within my vision} filled with light. I felt almost weightless as if gravity did not exist. The light of his countenance incinerates every worry and concern, and every burden of the world melts in his presence. Darkness flees and all that is left is love, light, joy and unspeakable peace.
His presence is so pure, so refined and is of a different substance than the Earth's atmosphere. I am battling to describe it or find a comparison in which to contrast it with. There is none.
There is such a purity about him. Purity in it's purest form, and although he possesses all knowledge and nothing is hidden from him, this knowledge does not defile his holiness but rather stands to compliment it. There is a childlikeness about him yet he is not naive. There is a rest in him, yet he still has everything under control. He is magnificent beyond what words could ever hope to articulate, and how anybody could crucify this Lord of Beauty is something my human mind cannot understand.
In ending off, I would like to encourage anyone who reads this by saying that if you feel weak, burdened or perplexed by life and it's happenings, do not allow your back to bend with the weight of these things, but rest in the fact that he bore those burdens 2000 years ago, and now you get to enter straight into his presence wherein no burden, fear or worry can exist.
The shoulders of human beings were not created to carry burdens of sin, worry, fear, condemnation, anxiety, and that is why God came to earth in the form of a man so that he could carry these things on our behalf. Rest in what he has done.
Matthew 11:28-29 "Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest. Place my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." {ISV}
Thursday, August 18, 2011
In the words of Jesus
I died on the cross so that I could hold you. Do you think I'd ever let you go?
I gave up my life just to be near you. Do you think I'd ever leave you?
I suffered so that you could receive my love. Do you think I would ever hold it back from you?
Monday, June 27, 2011
Thought for the day
Viewing every circumstance through the lenses of the good nature of a happy God.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Thought for the day
The bigger my impossibility, the more fun I have watching it yield to the name of Jesus.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
A torrential downpour of the goodness of God...
I have had the most incredible week and God's faithfulness and timing is astounding.
I wanted to share a personal testimony of the goodness of God because "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10), and by sharing about God's provision in my life, it releases faith for it to happen in yours too!
For quite some time now I have wanted to enroll in the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry run by Bethel church in Redding, California. I was contemplating doing it last year, but I felt the Spirit guide me to to take a trip to Australia, where I attended a few life-changing church conferences and met the most incredible salt-of-the-earth people who I absolutely adore. After arriving home from Australia, I couldn't help but feel unsettled because deep in my spirit I knew that my being home was only a temporary phase, yet due to no doors being open for me to travel again, I was unsure as to exactly when and where this would be. Resting in God was hard over this time because my Spirit knew something that my mind couldn't understand. I eventually decided to settle at home, I got a job and got my head around the fact that I was here to stay (despite my spirit feeling like a racehorse that knows it is about to be set free to run, yet knowing when that gate will open.)
Then, I felt the Lord remind me of my desire to go to Bethel, and felt such a strong stirring and an awakening of that desire within me. Whenever I would think about Bethel I would feel excitement bubbling up in my spirit. So, being led by my peace, I made a very sudden and unexpected decision (by faith) to apply for the school.
With relocating overseas being such a great task and requiring so much, I knew that I would have to walk by faith every step of the way. With the financial requirements and realities, I would have to sell my car and give up my job, and while that may seem like a silly thing to do considering being so young yet having so much going for me, I knew that there was nothing that I wouldn't sacrifice if it meant I was able to follow my heart and my God-given dreams.
Being led to do something so huge by a force as seemingly wispy as inner peace or 'the still small voice'
wasn't easy. God never wrote it on the wall. Nobody came up to me out of the blue with a prophetic word. God didn't paint it in the sky. I had to discern what the Lord was saying in my spirit and make a choice to live within the confines of my comfort zone or to actively pursue that which he has placed in my heart. Being a person absolutely phobic of living a white-picket-fence life, I have always prayed that the Lord would make my life an adventure because I know that life in the Kingdom is destined to be anything but boring and mundane. I knew that when this opportunity popped up before me that I was not about to let it fly away.
Up until now my entire life hasn't been totally ordinary, and I haven't exactly gone with the flow. I have been an upstream swimmer, determined to follow my own dreams and my own God given desires instead of neatly slipping into any kind of one-size fits all folder that the world dishes out. It hasn't always been easy, but as best I know how, I have always tried to discern Holy Spirit's lead and follow his call over and above that which seems like the right thing to do according to the natural mind. Although living a spirit-led lifestyle is a challenge at times, I think that it is more habitual for believers than we even think, because we have a new nature and are new creations that not of the flesh but of the spirit (Romans 8).
Last week tuesday, I advertised my car on an online trading website. On Wednesday, I had my phone call interview with Bethel. On Thursday my car sold for the exact amount I needed. On Friday I received my Bethel acceptance letter. On Saturday I received the most accurate and powerful confirming prophetic word that didn't even slightly expect. On Sunday we had the most incredible glory and fire-filled church meeting and the power of God knocked me off my feet and quickened my spirit with so much heavenly voltage. Now that's what I call a good week!
The timing of God has been almost hilarious and he has made it so obvious that he has been at work in my situation.
With regards to the prophetic word I received on Saturday, we were away down the coast on our annual Church camp, and an incredible woman of God and sharp prophetess, Chanelle Russouw along with her prophetic friends Julie and Carla came away with us to minister in the prophetic.
I was sitting in the second row and the ladies asked me to come to the front so they could prophesy over me. The manifest presence of God was upon me as they began to fire off the most incredible prophecies. They said that I have been like a little eagle about to leave the nest. I have taken short flights up until now, but the time is coming when I will be taking that big flight. They felt that I had been asking God when I will be ready and when the right time will be (which I have been) and now the Lord is saying "Now is the time, you are ready." They felt that there was going to be a season of countries and airplanes and me going into a time of incredible training for ministry.
As these words were being spoken over me, every kind of emotion flowed and I am still gobsmacked at the detail and accuracy of the words. God is such a funny guy and knows EACTLY how to speak my language.
For me, I was just so relieved to know that my going to Bethel isn't just a good idea on my terms, but that it is a God-breathed desire. I felt relieved to know that I hadn't been going crazy all these months but that which I felt in my spirit was in fact correct.
In hindsight, if I look back over this past month, I have been in a number of meetings where I have sat under the ministry of highly prophetic people, who could have easily singled me out and 'told' me that I was to go overseas, to Bethel and enroll in the supernatural school. I know though that the Lord wanted me to make this decision on my own whilst seeking him for myself and not having to rely on a middle man. He wanted me to learn to follow the prompts of my spirit and hear his voice (even when it seems only like a whisper) and make decisions based upon that. Once I had made the decision, he came and brought such a beautiful confirmation that reduced me to tears and lots of hysterical laughter too. I love it when he graciously teaches us things by putting the ball in our court and showing us that we do in fact have complete free will to choose the direction of our lives. I love it when he builds character in us by allowing us to learn in a trial-and-error way. He loves watching us grow and he loves watching us come into the knowledge of that which he has already accomplished in us.
I am ridiculously excited for this season that lies ahead of me. I am still in faith for more provision and for the process to continue to go as smoothly as what it has, but when you know your daddy God, having faith is as easy as breathing.
I wanted to share a personal testimony of the goodness of God because "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10), and by sharing about God's provision in my life, it releases faith for it to happen in yours too!
For quite some time now I have wanted to enroll in the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry run by Bethel church in Redding, California. I was contemplating doing it last year, but I felt the Spirit guide me to to take a trip to Australia, where I attended a few life-changing church conferences and met the most incredible salt-of-the-earth people who I absolutely adore. After arriving home from Australia, I couldn't help but feel unsettled because deep in my spirit I knew that my being home was only a temporary phase, yet due to no doors being open for me to travel again, I was unsure as to exactly when and where this would be. Resting in God was hard over this time because my Spirit knew something that my mind couldn't understand. I eventually decided to settle at home, I got a job and got my head around the fact that I was here to stay (despite my spirit feeling like a racehorse that knows it is about to be set free to run, yet knowing when that gate will open.)
Then, I felt the Lord remind me of my desire to go to Bethel, and felt such a strong stirring and an awakening of that desire within me. Whenever I would think about Bethel I would feel excitement bubbling up in my spirit. So, being led by my peace, I made a very sudden and unexpected decision (by faith) to apply for the school.
With relocating overseas being such a great task and requiring so much, I knew that I would have to walk by faith every step of the way. With the financial requirements and realities, I would have to sell my car and give up my job, and while that may seem like a silly thing to do considering being so young yet having so much going for me, I knew that there was nothing that I wouldn't sacrifice if it meant I was able to follow my heart and my God-given dreams.
Being led to do something so huge by a force as seemingly wispy as inner peace or 'the still small voice'
wasn't easy. God never wrote it on the wall. Nobody came up to me out of the blue with a prophetic word. God didn't paint it in the sky. I had to discern what the Lord was saying in my spirit and make a choice to live within the confines of my comfort zone or to actively pursue that which he has placed in my heart. Being a person absolutely phobic of living a white-picket-fence life, I have always prayed that the Lord would make my life an adventure because I know that life in the Kingdom is destined to be anything but boring and mundane. I knew that when this opportunity popped up before me that I was not about to let it fly away.
Up until now my entire life hasn't been totally ordinary, and I haven't exactly gone with the flow. I have been an upstream swimmer, determined to follow my own dreams and my own God given desires instead of neatly slipping into any kind of one-size fits all folder that the world dishes out. It hasn't always been easy, but as best I know how, I have always tried to discern Holy Spirit's lead and follow his call over and above that which seems like the right thing to do according to the natural mind. Although living a spirit-led lifestyle is a challenge at times, I think that it is more habitual for believers than we even think, because we have a new nature and are new creations that not of the flesh but of the spirit (Romans 8).
Last week tuesday, I advertised my car on an online trading website. On Wednesday, I had my phone call interview with Bethel. On Thursday my car sold for the exact amount I needed. On Friday I received my Bethel acceptance letter. On Saturday I received the most accurate and powerful confirming prophetic word that didn't even slightly expect. On Sunday we had the most incredible glory and fire-filled church meeting and the power of God knocked me off my feet and quickened my spirit with so much heavenly voltage. Now that's what I call a good week!
The timing of God has been almost hilarious and he has made it so obvious that he has been at work in my situation.
With regards to the prophetic word I received on Saturday, we were away down the coast on our annual Church camp, and an incredible woman of God and sharp prophetess, Chanelle Russouw along with her prophetic friends Julie and Carla came away with us to minister in the prophetic.
I was sitting in the second row and the ladies asked me to come to the front so they could prophesy over me. The manifest presence of God was upon me as they began to fire off the most incredible prophecies. They said that I have been like a little eagle about to leave the nest. I have taken short flights up until now, but the time is coming when I will be taking that big flight. They felt that I had been asking God when I will be ready and when the right time will be (which I have been) and now the Lord is saying "Now is the time, you are ready." They felt that there was going to be a season of countries and airplanes and me going into a time of incredible training for ministry.
As these words were being spoken over me, every kind of emotion flowed and I am still gobsmacked at the detail and accuracy of the words. God is such a funny guy and knows EACTLY how to speak my language.
For me, I was just so relieved to know that my going to Bethel isn't just a good idea on my terms, but that it is a God-breathed desire. I felt relieved to know that I hadn't been going crazy all these months but that which I felt in my spirit was in fact correct.
In hindsight, if I look back over this past month, I have been in a number of meetings where I have sat under the ministry of highly prophetic people, who could have easily singled me out and 'told' me that I was to go overseas, to Bethel and enroll in the supernatural school. I know though that the Lord wanted me to make this decision on my own whilst seeking him for myself and not having to rely on a middle man. He wanted me to learn to follow the prompts of my spirit and hear his voice (even when it seems only like a whisper) and make decisions based upon that. Once I had made the decision, he came and brought such a beautiful confirmation that reduced me to tears and lots of hysterical laughter too. I love it when he graciously teaches us things by putting the ball in our court and showing us that we do in fact have complete free will to choose the direction of our lives. I love it when he builds character in us by allowing us to learn in a trial-and-error way. He loves watching us grow and he loves watching us come into the knowledge of that which he has already accomplished in us.
I am ridiculously excited for this season that lies ahead of me. I am still in faith for more provision and for the process to continue to go as smoothly as what it has, but when you know your daddy God, having faith is as easy as breathing.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Thought for the day
When you know the true nature of your daddy God,
Having faith is as easy as breathing.
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