John,

There is something about this message that really touches me. My first thought after I read it was how sweet and tender Jesus is towards his people.  To know that Jesus influences us even while we sleep is special. How can one not love the life Jesus has created for us is beyond me. 

Thanks for sending this out. 

Tom

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Unremembered Counsel

“I will bless the LORD, who has given me counsel.

My reins also instruct me in the night seasons.”

Psalm 16:7

Some instructions the LORD gives us come to us while we are asleep, in the form of dreams.  We may or may not remember such a dream; that doesn’t matter.  What matters is the residual effect of the dream on our spirit.  God uses dreams to adjust our attitude and give us direction even if we do not remember the dream when we wake up.

We bless the LORD for giving counsel, even if “our minds are unfruitful”; that is, even if we don’t remember the counsel He has given.  As long as our hearts are influenced by it, we are blessed.

 

Hey Pastor John,

I was listening to one of Tom’s songs, “It’s Called Love”. Sister Willie is on there talking about Philistines clogging up your well with rocks.  She said you have to remove those rocks and let your water flow.  With that, remembering back a few meetings ago, you were talking about giving your testimony or God could take them away.  Well, that sounds a lot like stopping up your well.  I don’t want any more rocks in my well!

I have been talking with a guy who works with me about the Lord, telling him my testimony and that we believe in the holy ghost and speaking in tongues.  He says he believes too, but thinks you have to be baptized in water too. I used God’s time line from before Jesus and after to try to explain how Jesus fulfilled the law, which he could not really get.  He just goes by what they tell him.  When I heard you talk last Saturday about ceremony, I remembered that he and I have talked, and he has told me about communion were he goes. He was telling me that he can’t take the communion because he’s not married to the woman he is living with.  They have been together for 12 years and have kids together. It’s good that they’re telling him he needs to get right, but what I am seeing is like Christianity is twisting it, using his guilty conscience to make him do what it wants, which is to deceptive, almost like Tom Sawyer: “You really are missing out if you don’t paint the fence!  I might let you paint if you’re good.”

I just want to thank Jesus for how good he has been to me, and the mercy he has show me.  Don’t ever want to take it for granted.

Well got to go.

Greg C

 

Jesus touched me this morning with these verses.  I shouldn’t even be here in the truth, but God had mercy.  I shouldn’t have children, but God had mercy.  I felt faith and love going all through my belly to my toes reading these verses.  Jesus can do things!

Cris M

Luke 1:37 Context

35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37For with God nothing shall be impossible.38And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. 39And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;”

 

I loved last night!! I can’t put into words all I felt but it was doing STUFF! God kind of stuff!! It was making me fall deeper in love with the truth and you and everyone in the room❤ I loved watching you ask Tim questions.  It brought what we were reading to life!  I thought about how it’s been said, “I can’t believe I believe this!”  Then to be sitting in the room with a teacher who is being taught by God and people who have heard from God!! I left there in awe in my heart of what Jesus has and is still doing!!

Jammie

Good morning Pastor John,

This morning on my way to work I was listening to Darren’s song, “Are You Really There?”  I started thinking about the first time I ever felt the power of God.  I loved it..still do!  What we would do without the power of God?  I felt the spirit all the way to work!  It was a wonderful way to start the day, praising God and feeling His power!

Michelle H

Hey Pastor John,

I have been taking notes from the meetings over the past few months, and I started noticing that in each meeting, the Spirit, through you, has been giving us specific instructions during or sometimes just at the end of the meeting.  So much so, I felt impressed to go back to December, over a six month period, and just see what was said.  Here is what I found.  It ended up being 4 pages of instructions!  And, I am sure I missed some, and some of them are repeated because they were repeated in the meeting.  I didn’t want to leave them off.  I did not include quotes, of which there were many, I just included the “instructions” given.  This was so good to me, I wanted to pass it on.

Very encouraging and serious.

Amy B

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What the Spirit has been saying over the past 6 months:

12-16-15

Live in me

 

12-20-15

Testify of what God has done

Act like yourself

Get down to business

Love one another

 

12-23-15

Get rid of yourself and seek God

Seek God and see if your troubles go away

Let the peace of God rule in your heart

 

1-2-16

Commit yourselves to God no matter what

Take your complaints to God

Subdue the flesh

 

1-3-16

Have a godly attitude

Take these lessons home and fear God

 

1-6-16

Put your trust in Jesus

Be encouraged

 

1-9-16

Be led by the Spirit

Wait on God and let Him do something

Get out of “your way”

Get happy and see if you won’t feel better

Pray to be delivered from your own opinions

Get over what [mistakes] you’ve seen

Live!

 

1-13-16

Be satisfied with Jesus

Rest

Pray to be saved from your own opinions

Pray to love what God loves

Pray to love God more perfectly

 

1-16-16

Choose who you will serve

Pray and ask God what He wants us to do

 

1-17-16

Be full of the Spirit

 

1-27-16

Stay sane, stay sober-minded

Stay full of the holy Ghost

Stay in Him

Keep your garden weeded

 

2-3-16

Stay humble and stay thankful

Do your part

Stay sane

Take advantage of each other [for good]

Pray to have a heart like God’s

Pray for strength from God

 

2-6-16

Humble yourself and walk in the truth

Get right with God

Stay right with God

 

2-7-16

Do not analyze

Learn humility while you are being blessed

Get in the Spirit and let God give you what you want

 

2-10-16

Pray to have more love [of God] than knowledge

 

2-21-16

Pray that when God speaks, you believe it

Stay humble

Stay on fire

 

2-24-16

Know what your part is and what God’s part is

Concentrate on what is in the Spirit

Pray to hear the words of the Spirit

Grow up [in the Lord] and put away childish things

Open up your holy Ghost

 

3-2-16

Keep the commandments

Lay hold on eternal life

 

3-5-16

Pray to understand the answer when it comes, and believe it

Pray to hear what the Spirit is saying to you

Stay humble

Stay humble

 

3-6-16

Don’t stay down

Learn the feelings of God

 

3-9-16

Get over it [whatever “it” is]

Get rid of your own self, your opinions, your self-will, stubbornness,

pride, strife, and your own preferences

 

3-16-16

Act like yourself

Do not steal from the body [of Christ] by hiding your blessing

Stay happy and full of the holy Ghost

Pray not to get hard against something that’s good

Stay simple

 

3-19-16

Don’t stop crying out to God

Rejoice in the hope

Keep going

Cry out to God

Pray for fellowship

Pray to be the kind of people God likes

Live in the place where you need God

 

3-20-16

Pray for understanding

Pray for experiences

Live where you need God

Pray to know the mind of Christ

Get the victory

Pray to take in a message or interpretation [from God] when it comes from someone

 

3-23-16

Stay full of the holy Ghost

Catch up with God

Have a heart like God

Keep your conscience pure

Delight yourself in God

 

3-30-16

Keep your eyes on Jesus

Pray for God’s wisdom

Stay alive in the Spirit

Stir up the Gift of God

Seek peace and pursue it

Have peace among yourselves

 

4-6-16

Keep God #1

Help somebody today

 

4-10-16

Put your soul in neutral

Keep your eyes on Jesus

Listen to me and you won’t fall into [a] trap

Don’t go in the way of evil men

Don’t even go near [evil ways]

Don’t copy [evil] ways

LIVE in the holy Ghost

Do things that make for peace

Get addicted to peace

Let me shape your heart

Don’t pick up wrong spirits

Be happy

Don’t be intimidated to go along with something wrong

Keep yourself pure

Take [the truth] to heart

 

4-13-16

Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it

Put away the pointing of the finger

Put away the yoke on others

Listen for that still small voice

Ask God what He wants you to do

Get away from filthy habits

Let God lead you to repentance

 

4-16-16

Love the feelings

Keep trusting in Him

Keep reminding Him of His promises

Take advantage of being among people who understand you

Believe the truth

Stay under His wing

 

4-30-16

Stay full of the holy Ghost

Walk in the Spirit

Keep Jesus first

Stay on your knees

Stay in your Bible

Obey the Spirit of God from the heart

Feel for the peace

 

5-1-16

Stay full of the holy Ghost

Put your faith in the power of God

Stay in God’s order

Walk in the commandments of God

Stay humble

Live on what you know [from God]

*Remember, what you know is not what you think or what you hear.

Stay humble

Pray for your enemies

Stay full of the holy Ghost

 

5-4-16

Stay under the holy Ghost all the time

Walk in the faith of Jesus

Let somebody rejoice with you

Stay alive!

 

*Pastor John said, If you remember the things I’ve told you, you’ll be here after I’m gone.

 

 

 

Pastor John,

After reading the excerpt from the Iron Kingdom book, “The Fourth Century”, I felt such a soberness.  I got on my knees and began to pray.  I felt a fear come over me and I asked Jesus to help me stay close to him. 

I felt such a sadness for all God’s people.  Everyone is waiting and preparing for the Antichrist to come, but it’s already here and has been here. 

I saw this scene from the movie “Twister” in my mind.  Everyone was a drive-in movie theater and just watching the show, not worrying about anything.  Then the “weather specialist” saw on the radar that a tornado was coming.  He jumps out of the van and yells, “It’s coming!  It’s coming!”  Then in the darkness there was lightening, and the other specialist said, “It’s already here!”  People began running, screaming, looking for shelter.  This is how I saw Christianity, people think “it” is coming, but it’s already here and they’re running for shelter, but running to the wrong place. 

I started praying, “Please Jesus, let your people see you and know that you are the answer and that you are their shelter!”

This book is so good and so needed for God’s people.  I’ve started reading those nine pages again because there is so much good food in them!  Imagine when you’re finished!

Michelle Hewitt