Merry Christmas

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

FROM

 LOVE REACHING OUT MINISTRIES.

 

May your day be filled with

The joy of laughter,

The love of family and friends, 

And the peace that only Christ can bring.

 

We love you and pray for Gods blessings to flow in every area of your lives.

 

 

Dan and Elma

The Wind of Doctrine - The Seven Winds of God



The Wind of Doctrine

 

      Let me begin by giving you the definition of the word "Doctrine":  A doctrine is a rule, a teaching or principle that forms the basis of a belief, theory, or policy. They are ideas taught as truth, particularly in religion and can be birthed through truth or error.

 

     We know according to Genesis chapter 2 that God gave Adam and Eve a command(rule) to follow and that was that they were not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but if they did, they would surely die. And in chapter 3 it tells us that a serpent (satin) came to them and very cunningly lied to them to distort the truth, they believed what the serpent spoke and decided to partake of the forbidden fruit.  But why?  Because they believed the lie the serpent had told them verses the truth of what God had commanded. 

 

     In Ephesians 4:14 it tells us:  We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness, in deceitful scheming.

 

     Remember the word "Wind" and that it means "Ruwach" in Hebrew which is figurative of the Spirit of God.  In Acts 2 we read that on the day of Pentecost, His people were gathered together in one place and that God sent a mighty rushing wind, (His Spirit) and it goes on the say that all that were their were filled with the "Ruwach" of God.  We Know that one of the reasons God sent His Spirit to us was to lead and guide us into all truth and that we would be able to discern the doctrines of devils and recognize the spirit of error verses the Spirit of truth. Yet many of us are unable to do that and why? It's due to our immaturity, our lack of understanding, our double mindedness and the imbalance in our thinking.  And so we find ourselves walking through life in a state of confusion always vacillating back and forth between Doctrine's of truth verses Doctrine's of error.  It's like walking through life in a "Maze".

 

     To help you understand what that looks like let me explain to you what a Maze is:  It is an area of interconnected weaving paths that are difficult to find a way through, especially when hedges or walls stand between the paths.  You can't see above them and around every corner stand another wall of hedges that seems to go nowhere and each path you walk down leads to more confusion.

 

     Let's go a little deeper with this words "Maze" because if we look up the word "Maze" in the dictionary it says that a "Maze" can be:  A confusing muddle in reference to any confusion in regulations or procedures.

 

     So what has happened is that out of that confusion has come man's formulas, procedures, teachings, doctrines, beliefs and theories. But the problem is, is that they were conceived and birthed through their own wisdom and understanding and not birthed through the Holy Spirit. So their interpretation of scripture is unbalanced, distorted and taken out of context and can be very deception ,yet believable, twisted, full of error but palatable to those who are already confused in their thinking.

     The spirit of deception works through men and causes them to live in self-deception, self-delusion, self-seduction and pride.  This spirit convinces them that they truly have a new revelation and that they have been chosen by God to spread their revelation to the world. They can be very charismatic and charming yet very cunning and sly, but beneath it all lies control and witchcraft. They are deceptive in their practice's and their goal is to deliberately focus on naive and gullible people. Their aim is to persuade believers to believe doctrines of half truths and they will use anything or anyone to accomplish their goal.

     This is one more reason why we must know the word of God.  How can we know the truth  and not be deceived if we don't know what God's word says? The scripture tells us that we are no longer to be children who are vulnerable, immature, lack wisdom and open to just about anything. A child is naturally curious and want to touch, look and experience things that could be harmful and even destructive for them and why?  Because they lack understanding of what is best for them.  As a child we had to learn how to crawl before we could stand and walk, right?  We also had to learn how to dress and take care of ourselves as we grew up and matured from the infancy stage. We soon found out that mom wasn't always going to be their to prepare our meals for us or to make sure we were getting the proper nourishment and so our dependency on others was forced to change.

     But has it changed in you or do you still need to be bottle fed with the milk of the word? My prayer is that you hunger for the meat of God's word,  that you seek after truth,  that you search God's word to confirm so you can rightly divide the word of truth and settle the confusion in your mind. 

      Beloved, its time to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head even Christ so that we not only know the truth, but can speak it, work properly in it and grow to full maturity as a part of the body of Christ. We must seek sound doctrine and scripture, because it is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, correction, for training in righteousness so the man and women of God may be adequate, equipped, mature,  sound and not lacking in nothing.   

     So here is the bottom line. In I Timothy 4:1-2 it tells us:  But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron.

      Don't be one that falls away into deception, because the scriptures tell us that in the last days a time would come when they would not endure sound doctrine, but that they would want to have their ears tickled, and they would seek after teachers that would feed into their own deceptive desires; and they would turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside to myths. 

     Beloved, seek after TRUTH...search for it with all of your heart as you would look for buried treasure. And once you have found it, hold onto it, as you would a gift of great value. Allow the fresh Wind of God to blow over you and bring you into a greater understanding of who He is and what He wants to be and do in your life and ministry. This fresh Wind of God will bring healing, restoration, deliverance and salvation.  It will blow away the clouds of darkness and despair and lead you into the light.  It will refresh and sustain you and bring you peace.  It will direct you and sheltered you through the storms of life.  And what ever you need, it will be, because it's Jesus!  HE is the WORD...the TRUTH and the LIFE. Blow, oh fresh Wind of God upon your people and bring newness of Life, newness of purpose and a fresh move of Your Spirit. 

Blessings,

Elma Garlock 

The Wind Of Judgment

 

 The Wind of Judgment

     What does the word "judgment" mean to you?  If we look up the word in the dictionary, this is the definition that it gives:  It is the ability to judge, makes a decision, or forms an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely, especially in matters affecting action; good sense and discretion. When you judge you are forming an opinion, estimate, notion, or conclusion from circumstances presented.

      And this is exactly what God did to Nineveh.  We begin this message in Jonah 1:1 & 2 and it says:  The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

     The book of Jonah consists of only four chapters and is the story of a Hebrew prophet named Jonah who is sent by God to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh, but tries to escape the divine mission.  The story centers on a conflict between Jonah and God. God calls Jonah to proclaim judgment to Nineveh, but Jonah resists and attempts to flee. He goes to Joppa and boards a ship bound for Tarshish, God calls up a great storm at sea, and the ship's crew cast Jonah overboard in an attempt to appease God. A great sea creature sent by God, swallows Jonah. For three days and three nights the scripture tells us that Jonah was inside the fish's belly. He says a prayer in which he repents for his disobedience and thanks God for His mercy. God speaks to the fish, which vomits out Jonah safely on dry land.

 

     After his rescue, Jonah obeys the call to prophesy against Nineveh, causing the people of the city to repent and God to forgive them. Jonah is furious, however, and angrily tells God that this is the reason he tried to flee from Him, as he knew Him to be a just and merciful God.  Jonah then prays to the Lord to take his life, a request which is denied when God causes a tree to grow over him, giving him shade. Initially grateful, Jonah's anger returns the next day, when God sends a worm to eat the plant, withering it, and he tells God that it would be better if he were dead. God then points out: "You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor, and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals"?

     Why would God want to judge Nineveh?  It tells us in Genesis 10:8 Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. 

     What does the name Nimrod mean? It comes from the Hebrew verb marad, meaning “rebel.” The meaning then is “The Rebel” which is a representative of a system of government, people or religious culture that rebels against their creator, the one true God.  Nimrod was the grandson of Ham, which was one of the sons of Noah whom God saved from the flood.  Scripture tells us that God looked upon man (during the time of Noah) that He had created and He saw that the wickedness of man was great and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The scriptures also tell us that all the earth had become corrupted in their way and that it was filled with violence and so God blew the wind of judgment upon man during the time of Noah. Now four generations later we have Nimrod who founded and built Nineveh.

     If we take a look back into history, Josephus who was a Jewish historian and writer wrote this about the man Nimrod.  Now it was Nimrod who excited them (the people) to such an affront (meaning: to insult or offend somebody openly) and contempt of God.  He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah-a bold man, and of great strength of hand. Nimrod persuaded them (the people) not to ascribe (give credit or attribute) it to God, as if it were through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He (Nimrod) also gradually changed the government into tyranny-seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence upon his own power. He also said he would be revenged on God if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters, to be able to reach! And that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers!

      So Nineveh was built on rebellion and outwardly defied and mocked God.  They boasted in themselves of their self-sufficiency and pride and exercised extreme evil, oppression and cruelty. And God saw and heard the cry against the city and He said; for their wickedness has come up before Me. God was about to blow the Wind of Judgment upon Nineveh, but in His grace and love for man, He called Jonah a second time and told him to go to Nineveh and tell them: Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown. 

     If we look at chapter 3:5 of Jonah it says that:  Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. What made them believe, call on God and turn from their wicked and the violent ways?  At the bottom of my Hebrew/Greek key Study Bible it gives us this thought:  The Rabbis thought their repentance was brought about so quickly because the people of Nineveh had already heard of Jonah’s miraculous deliverance from the fish. Jesus’ statement in Luke 11:30 that Jonah was a sign to the men of Nineveh as the Son of Man would be to His contemporaries renders this interpretation probable, since Jesus sign was His three days in the grave.

 

     In Matthew 12 - Jesus was talking to some of the scribes and Pharisees and they asked for a sign from Him and this was His response.

     Verse 39:  But he answered and said to them, an evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.

    Verse 40:  For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

    Verse 41:  The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

     I believe that God has begun to blow the Wind of Judgment upon America and we as a nation stand guilty of the same acts of rebellion, evil, wickedness, violence and perversion as Nineveh did.  We have become a people that are self- sufficient, self-seeking, selfish and our god has become our material wealth.  We have built altars to foreign gods and sold our birth right to the enemy. America, it’s time to repent and turn back to God, take the blinders off of our eyes and once more be one nation, under God and God only. 

 

Blessings,

 

Elma Garlock

The Winds of Oppostion

                                                                                                 

     The Winds of Opposition

     If we look up the meaning of the word "opposition" the dictionary says that it is:  A disagreement, hostility towards, disapproval of or resistance to.  It can be any group opposing authority or those who oppose a proposal, position or actively show a hostile attitude towards something or someone.

     A prime example of opposition in action is the story we read in the book of Exodus, chapters 5-14.  It is the story of the opposition that took place between Pharaoh, king of Egypt and the Lord God of Israel.  It's about the plans and destiny God had for the children of Israel and how God blew the winds of opposition upon Egypt and Pharaoh and why? Because of his resistance, rebellion and opposition towards God.

     God had called Moses to be the deliver of the Israelites and Aaron to be Moses mouthpiece. He gave Moses specific instructions on what to speak and showed Moses miraculous signs to give to Aaron.  So Aaron spoke the words and did the signs in the sight of Israel and they believed; and once they knew that the Lord had visited them and they knew that God had looked upon their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped Jehovah God.

     The bible says that God sent Moses and Aaron to be His spokesman and that they appeared before Pharaoh to convey to him the divine command and to allow the departure of the Israelites to go into the desert to worship their God. The scripture says that Aaron cast down his staff before the king, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh called for his magicians  and sorcerers skilled in magic and divination and they also cast down their rods and they became serpents; but Aaron's rod swallowed up their snakes (rods). The scripture says that Pharaoh's heart was hardened against Jehovah and Pharaoh refused to let Israel go (Ex 7:13).  And because of Pharaohs opposition to the will of Jehovah God, God in response, brought ten plagues of opposition upon Egypt.

     The first wind of opposition that Jehovah brought against Egypt was turning all the water that Egypt stored in their vessels of wood and stone and all the water in the Nile river into blood.  It caused the fish to die, the stream to stink and the water became undrinkable to drink.  This plague was humiliating, inasmuch as the Egyptians were so dependent upon the Nile for water that they worshiped it as a god, as well as some of its fish. The scripture tells us that the magicians of Pharaohs court were able to imitate the miracle through their magic and dismissed the matter as a mere trick; and Pharaohs heart was made hard and obstinate and he did not listen to Moses and Aaron and would not let Gods people go.

     So God brought a second wind of opposition upon Egypt.  This time God released frogs from the Nile that penetrated into the houses and inner rooms and crept into the domestic utensils, the beds, the ovens, the kneading troughs and even got upon the men themselves. This miracle was also imitated by the Egyptian magicians by means of evil occult power, but once they had brought up more frogs they could not remove them from the land so Pharaoh was forced to send for Moses and Aaron to intercede with Jehovah to take them away. And Moses prayed for God to remove the frogs, but when Pharaoh saw that their was temporary relief, he made his heart hard and once again opposed God. 

     The third wind of opposition towards Pharaoh and Egypt were gnats (Ex. 8:16-19) This plague was caused by Aaron's smiting the dust of the ground with his staff; all the dust throughout the land of Egypt turned into gnats, which were upon man and beast that would sting and cause a painful irritation. Pharaohs magicians tried by their magic and secret arts to bring forth the gnats also, but they could not and they said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God! But Pharaoh continued to oppose God and his heart was hard and he would not listen.

     The following six plagues of opposition that God brought upon Pharaoh and Egypt consisted of swarms of insects (Ex. 8:20-32), probably dog flies that would fasten themselves upon the human body, especially the edges of the eyelids and become a dreadful plague.  Then came pestilence that consisted of a severe disease that killed the cattle of Egypt (Ex. 9:1-7), next came boils breaking forth in sores (Ex. 9:8-12) and hail accompanied by thunder and lightning coming down like burning torches, and multitudes of men and beasts were slain, trees and plants destroyed (Ex. 9:17-35) and still Pharaoh would not let the people go.  So what followed next were locusts that came in dreadful swarms that covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened and nothing green was left on trees or plants of the field (Ex. 10:1-20).  Next came thick darkness that was so great that the Egyptians could not see one another, and no man rose from his place (Ex. 10:21-29).

     Gods last wind of opposition would be a devastating blow to the very heart of Pharaoh and the Egyptian people (Ex 11:1-12:30). The Lord said to Moses, I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and Egypt; afterwards he will let my people go. Then Moses commanded the Israelites to ask from the Egyptians articles of silver and gold, and God gave Israel favor with the Egyptians. Then Moses spoke to the people and told them that at midnight God would go out into the midst of Egypt; and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, even Pharaoh's firstborn would die and that there would be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as has never been nor ever shall be again.  But against any of the sons of Israel shall no harm come that they may understand how the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.

     And God instructed Moses to tell the congregation of Israel to take a lamb that had no blemishes, kill it and take the blood and put it on the two side posts and the lintel of their houses. He then proceeded to tell them that He would pass through the land of Egypt that night and would kill all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments. Moses told them that the blood would be for a token or sign to them upon the doorposts of the houses where they were, and that when God saw the blood, He would pass over them, and no plague would come upon them to destroy them as death moved through the land of Egypt.  By the sprinkling of the door posts of the Israelites with the blood of the Paschal lamb; by the institution of the Passover as an enduring ordinance with the words, "When I see the blood I will pass over you,: the people were taught that life can be obtained only by the death of a substitute.  Life was possible for them only through the blood of a life given in their place and appropriated by the sprinkling of that blood and was only a shadow of what was to come.  Israel had no idea that this would foreshadow the coming of their Messiah Jesus and that He would become their Paschal lamb;  shed His blood for all humanity and reconcile us back to God.
   
     In chapter 12:30 & 31 it says that:  Pharaoh rose in the night and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead.  Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron at night and told them to "Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship the Lord, as you have asked and Pharaoh let them go.  We can see that time and time again Pharaoh would harden his heart in rebellion to the God of Israel and would willfully oppose Him.  He would stand against the will of God in his pride and arrogance opposing the very God that had placed him in his position as Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 

     I know many of us are going through opposition and we are questioning God why, who and where is it coming from.  Some of us have brought it on ourselves due to our rebellion, pride and disobedience towards God and what He is asking us to do.  Yet others are facing opposition that is coming from the enemy and why?  Because we are carriers of the authority and power of the blood of Jesus that destroys him.  His plan is to stop us from stepping into our destiny and purpose and keep us bound to our past, bound to the memories of our failures, the overwhelming feelings of despair and keep us trapped in discouragement, disappointment and the hurts of the past. If he can keep us looking back to Egypt and not forward into our future, then we become paralyzed and we stay in the wilderness of wanderings, confusion, fears, doubt, anger and unbelief. 

     God gave Moses specific instruction on what to say and what to do as he came into the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.  Pharaoh was the authority of Egypt and held the power of life or death in his words.  Pharaoh thought he was a god himself and could win over the God of Israel, but God had a plan and He had a purpose for His people and that was to bring freedom and release them from the bondage's of Egypt. 

     This is exactly what God wants to do in your life today.  He wants to set you free from the slavery of past sins,  the shame, guilt and the condemnation you feel.  Sometimes we think we have let go, forgiven ourselves and others, but when opposition comes ,we are drawn back into those old behaviors once more.  Today, Jesus wants you to walk in victory, freedom, peace and power. And just as He gave instructions to Moses on what to say and what to do in the face of the enemy; so has God given unto us through His word.   Those instructions are the truth that sets us free.  They are the power, the authority and the weapons that can and will defeat the enemy, but you must stand in your position armed with the sword of the Word of God and fight the enemy head on.  Beloved, we are in a battle, a battle for our very life and future.  Don't let the enemy condemn you, accuse you, intimidate you and bring fear.  Will you face Pharaoh?  Will you say what God has instructed you to say?  And will you do what He has asked you to do?  "Remember to stand strong in the Lord, and in the strength and power of His might." Ephesians 6

Blessings,

Elma Garlock

The Seven Winds of God Part III



                                                           The Wind of Life

 

      Our scripture text for today is found in Ezekiel 37.  But before we begin I want to explain to you what had happened to Israel in the natural and show you how spiritually bankrupt they had become.  Around 597 B.C.  the second deportation of Israel to Babylon had taken place. Israel once again had become a sinful nation and in rebellion against God they began to worship idles and caused her to know abominations. Their prophets were prophesying falsehood and lying divination and declaring it was from God. So God brought judgement upon them and allowed the Babylonians to capture them and exile then to Babylon. 

 

     One of the prophets of Israel that went to Babylon in that time of deportation was Ezekiel. It was there in Babylon, God began to give Ezekiel visions and show him why God had allowed Babylon to capture Israel and also what would happen to Israel and what would take place in their future. In Ezekiel 37 we find one of the visions God gave to Ezekiel concerning Israel and as we unpack these verses we will see how it relates to us, the body of Christ today.

    

    So lets begin in Ezekiel 37:1.  The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the mist of the valley; and it was full of bones.

 

     Verse 2:  and He caused me to pass round about among them, and behold, there were very many (human bones) in the open valley or plain, and behold, they were very dry.

 

     Lets talk about the word dry:  When something is dry, what happens to it?  It becomes dried up, parched and drained of life and its source.  And the word "bones" is used in the sense of what had been strong and firm. God had taken Ezekiel to an actual battle field where men had fallen and death had prevailed.  Spiritually speaking this is the place all must go.  Many of us are even now in the heat of the battle and the enemy is charging in hot pursuit.  We have become parched and we are loosing our strength; we've become weary in well doing and why?  Because we have relied on our own strength and not allowed the Lord to become strong in our life.  We have not armed ourselves with the weapons He has given unto us nor understood the tactics of the enemy. Don't be naive, we are in a battle and the enemy shows no mercy. The enemy's plan for you is defeat and retreat.  Some of these battles we have won and other we have lost.  It's been a battle between our flesh and our own will verses our spirit and the will of the Lord. In the valley is where death must be experienced; death to the old nature and  our flesh is brought into submission to the will, ways and purposes of the Lord. For some of us death does not come easy.  It wars against the spirit man and rebels to get its way.  But before we can rise into the fullness of life and in the power of the Spirit a death must take place. 

 

     Verse 3:  And He said to me, Son of man, can these bones live?  and I answered, O Lord God, You know!

 

     Verse 4:  Again He said to me, Prophesy to these bones and say to them, O you dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

 

     What does it mean to Prophesy?  To pour forth words abundantly by speaking Gods message by divine power under the influence of the Holy Spirit.  To foretell by divine inspiration or to predict.

 

     So part of the function of a Prophet is to:  Speak to you concerning destiny and to call it forth.  A Prophet brings light to those whose faith needs confirming and hope during times of discouragement to inspire you and to trust in God.  This is what God had instructed Ezekiel to do and that was to prophesy to Israel.  Ezekiel spoke "Life" to something that was dead.  He spoke a creative word to a people that had been slain in battle in the natural because of their spiritual condition.  God doesn't let the natural boundaries of mans thinking dictate to Him what He has destined for us.  If He wants dry, dead bones to hear, they will hear and respond.

 

     If we look at the word "Hear" in verse 4, this is what it means:  To give undivided attention to, to understand what one has heard and to understand with the heart.  So what did they "Hear"?  they heard the voice of the Spirit and it brought "Life".  God wanted them to understand with their hearts what God had destined for them as a people and they obeyed the command.

 

     Verse 5:  Thus says the Lord God to these bones:  Behold I will cause "Breath and Spirit" to enter you and YOU SHALL LIVE.

 

          Verse 9:  Then said He to me, Prophesy to the breath and spirit, son of man, and say to the breath and spirit, thus says the Lord God:  Come from the four winds, O breath and spirit and breathe upon these slain that they may live.    

 

          Verse 10:  So I prophesied as he commanded me and the breath and spirit came into (the bones), and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceedingly great host. 

 

     This breath is the creative Word of God that is the invisible, intangible, divine miraculous power by which that, that once was inanimate begins to move. It is the very breath of God the Spirit that breathes His power and "Life" is regenerated, recreated, and restored to live again. 

 

     It took speaking and declaring the powerful Word of God to recreate that which once stood strong and mighty.  But how did this once Great host, Gods people manage to get themselves to this point?  And why?  There were those that had not properly equipped themselves for battle (the armour of God).  Those that didn't understand and discern the strategy's of the enemy.  There were those that had no confidence in the source that held their very life in His hands and they forgot who and where their strength comes from. They had turned from worshipping God and began to worship idles.  Does that sound like some of us?
 

     So who is to be that exceedingly great host today?  We are, the body of Christ.  We are called to stand upon our feet and be that exceedingly great army of the Lord.  Just as Ezekiel was commanded to prophesy to the four winds that represent the Spirit of God, so are we to prophesy unto the forces of darkness, the principalities and spiritual wickedness in high places, power, thrones, dominions and world rulers and every demoniac spirit that tries to come against us and rob us of our life.  We are to stand strong and valiant in the face of the enemy and hold back the forces of darkness. We are to speak life where there has been death and victory where there has been defeat. 

     In verses 11 - 13 it says that Israel had lost hope and their very life (bones) were dried up from a lack of strength. God needed to resurrect them from their graves of desperation and so He told Ezekiel to prophesy to them again and this is what the Lord said to them.

     Verse 14:  And I shall put My Spirit in you and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land.  then you shall know, understand, and realize that I the Lord have spoken it and performed it, says the Lord.

 

     In what area do you need the "Winds of Life" to blow?  You see, this wind is the very breath of God that breathed life and spirit into man in Genesis 2:7 and it says that he became a living being. So Prophesy unto those mountain in your life to be removed. Prophesy and speak forth the Word of God over your family, your children and your grandchildren.  You see, when you speak the God Word it will not return void, without producing any effect, but it will go forth and accomplish that which He purposes and it shall prosper in the thing for which He sent it. 

     So Prophesy Gods Word and bind up the enemy that is coming against you and you will see change come into those situation and circumstances and life will be restored to those involved. The wind of life will blow upon your body, healing will come and those crooked paths will be made straight. For some, there are things in your life that can only be changed, conquered and overcome by and through the power of the Spirit and when your positioned and in place you can receive all that He has for you. Stand up and be part of His exceeding great army.

Blessings,

Elma Garlock

The Seven Winds of God Part II

The Wind of Miracles

  

    If we look up the word "miracle" in the dictionary this is the definition it gives:  It is an event that appears to be contrary to the laws of nature and is an amazing, extraordinary and a unexplained action.  In general terms miracles may be defined as supernatural manifestations of (dunamis)divine power that manifest in the external world. They have the inherent ability to bring about in themselves special revelations of the power, presence, origin and character of God that can not be produced by natural agents or means. 

 

     Miracles can be called wonders, signs and mighty works that are out of the ordinary course of events; producing astonishment's that are outside the normal operations of cause and effect.  They are purposed, created, destined, directed, timed, ordered and brought forth by and through the power of the Holy Spirit. No one else can create something out of nothing and use natural elements to reveal His power and authority.

 

     In Exodus 13:21 and Exodus 14:21 are great examples of how God used the natural elements He created and natures divinely established order to create miracles for His people. In Exodus 13:21 it tells us:

      And the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 

     The Lord used things they were familiar with in the natural and created something supernatural. It was the divine presence and guidance of the Lord Himself manifested in the pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way and in the pillar of fire by night to give them light.  It was a cloud covering the fire, but how can fire exist in a cloud? In the natural it can't, because a natural cloud is a visible mass of water or ice particles in the atmosphere from which rain and other forms of precipitation fall.  And fire is a chemical change accompanied by the emission of heat and light. We know that fire and water as natural elements of this world do not mix or blend together, but when God shows up and moves on behalf of His children then miracles begin to happen. He brings His Kingdom, the Kingdom of God into the natural and creates something supernatural that we call a "Miracle".

     In Ungers bible dictionary it explains this cloud to have been:  A symbol of the zeal of the Lord and therefore was enveloped in a cloud that protected Israel by day from heat, sunstroke and pestilence.  At night it lighted up Israel's path by its splendor and defended it from terror and calamity. 

     I thought this was interesting that in Isaiah 4:5 & 6 the scripture tells us: 5: Then the Lord will crate over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. 6: And there will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.

     This miracle, that was manifested as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire, was a visible representation of the invisible God the Holy Spirit who would one day fall upon His people 
on the day of Pentecost and fill the whole house where they were sitting. And just as the Holy Spirit went before Israel to lead them, guide them and protect their way, so will the Holy Spirit do for us. He will destroy the enemy that runs after you that wants to take you captive and keep you in bondage.  He will sweep back the waters of adversity that are standing in your way just like He did for Israel in Exodus 14:21 that says:  And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind, all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

    The Hebrews recognized the existence of four prevailing winds that would blow from the four quarter of the hemisphere, North, South, East and West.  The east wind was specifically known for it's violent winds and would sweep cross the sandy waste lands of the wilderness with great force. This is but one example of the forces of nature that were against them as they wondered through the wilderness. But once again God used the natural elements to create a miracle. And what once had been a force of adversity and an obstacle standing between them and freedom was used to destroy the enemy.

     What winds of adversity stand between you and your miracle?  We all have felt the east winds of adversity and experienced the forces of darkness work against us.  Many have seen and experienced miracles in the past, but in this time and season of your life you are facing your "Red Sea".  You feel like your trapped and the enemy is charging with force.  Your faith is up then it's down.  Battles are faced, some you win and others you loose.  But the good news is, is that God knows and he understands.  He goes before you to show you the way.  And he says; come and let me lead you though this journey called life. Through the obstacles of opposition and the adversities of the battle.  Through the tests of the enemy and the arrows of defeat.  My hand of protection will bring you through, trust Me.  Trust Me to bring you through to the place where destiny is decreed and the appointed time will meet. It's time to let go of the past, its failures and it's wows. I will use the winds of adversity that violently come against you and turn them around and use them against the enemy. I will blow the Wind of Miracles your way and the sea of obstacles that he uses against you will be pulled back and destroyed before you. I say NO MORE to the enemy, the enemy of your soul.  For you shall walk in the place of plenty and where purpose can be seen says the Spirit of God.

Blessings,

Elma Garlock


The Seven Winds of God Part I

   

 

     The series of messages I will be bringing to you for this new year is titled "The Seven Winds of God".  I feel the Spirit is wanting to deposit a greater understanding of the Word of God in us and unveil His "Ruwach" power for deeper revelation that will help guide us into and through this critical hour.

     These are the titles of the messages I will be bringing within the next few month:

          1.  The Wind of the Spirit
          2.  The Wind of Miracles
          3.  The Wind of Life
          4.  The Wind of Opposition
          5.  The Wind of judgement
          6.  The Wind of Doctrine
          7.  The Wind of New Beginnings

     When we talk about the wind we think about the natural flow of air; we know it's there and the only thing we can see are the effects it has on us and our surroundings.  We can't hold it in our hands, yet we can feel it's strength and at times it's gentle breeze.  We also know in the natural it can bring warmth or cold, dryness or moisture according to the seasons of change.

     But the winds that I want to talk about in this message are the winds of God and how he used wind, a very natural element of this earth to accomplish great things.  God also set a particular number and types of winds to help us better understand how he worked then, how he is working now and how He wants to work in our future.

     Let's begin with the Hebrew word for "wind" which is "Ruwach".  As we search the Lexicon for the Old Testament these are some of the meanings given:  Air that is being breathed, breath and was also applied i.e, as the creative Word of God, air put in motion by divine breath, the element of life in a person, i.e., his natural spirit, the human spirit as breathing by God into man, the divine, miraculous power by which inanimate things begin to move and was used in reference to the Holy Spirit.

     As I take you step by step through scripture you will begin to see some of the ways God used wind.  Some were meant for correction, some for encouragement and others will be a specific Prophetic word. 

     1.  The Wind of the Spirit:  Acts 2:1-4 & John 3:

          Verse 1:  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2:  When suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty wind(rushing of a violent tempest blast) and it filled all the house where they were setting. 3:  And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each on of them.  4.  And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression (in each tongue in appropriate words).

     The word wind here is the Greek word "Pnoe" and means to breath or blow.  So we see that God blew His very breath into the house that symbolically represents the Spirit of God Himself.  It came as the sound of fierce wind that was so familiar to the disciples who had fought violent wind and waves as fishermen. This was the power they could relate to and understand. 

     Can you imagine being there on that day? Suddenly, unexpectedly hearing the very
Spirit of God coming in the sound of physical wind that was magnified and energized with an overcoming power which literally penetrated every fiber, every atom of their beings? Then feeling an energizing force being poured into there spirit and soul that was the very breath of God Himself! And to top it off they were bathed in the fire of the Spirit and began to speak in a language they did not know or understand. You see, once you have experienced the fire of God, nothing else can compare. It will ignite your spirit with a passion and authority beyond anything else you can experience, except salvation.  It takes you to a new level in your walk and experience with Jesus and you move in a different realm that overtakes and overcomes the world, the flesh and the devil.  You begin to comprehend your authority in Christ and you step out of the old and into the new. He shifts you into position with Him and a realignment in the Spirit takes place. 

     Further into Acts 2 it tells us in Verse 17 & 18:  And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy (telling forth the divine counsels) and your young men shall see visions (divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall dream (divinely suggested) dreams. 18:  Yes, and on My menservants also and on My maidservants in those days I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy(telling forth the divine counsels and predicting future events pertaining especially to God's kingdom).

     I have highlighted seven words in verses 17 & 18 that are so important for us to understand. If you look up the word "pour" it means:  To gush out, to move freely from one place to another in large quantities and in a steady unbroken stream.  The Lord reminded me of Physics in the natural which is:  The science of matter and energy and their interactions.  Physics deals with heat, light and other forms of energy and how they affect objects, matter or mass.  And also what a gravitational field is:  Which is the region of space around an object that has mass (a large unspecified quantity or body of matter that forms or makes a whole), within which another object that has mass experiences the force of attraction. 

     So what God created, put into motion and what we experience every day in the natural can help us to understand how things work in the supernatural realm. We see in scripture how Jesus worked within the confines of the natural laws to bring forth the supernatural. Every day Jesus crossed over and through the barriers of dimensions to bring forth miracles, signs and wonders. Such as turning natural water into wine that they could drink or walking on water. The Holy Spirit is not limited by our measurements, dimensions, time or space. His power defies all reasoning, barriers, mass or force. When we seek the Holy Spirit, He interacts with our spirit and our spirit draws Him as gravity does in the natural. Our spirit is that mass that attracts Him and when we come together we form a whole and we are complete. And when He moves in us or comes upon us He emerges with our spirit with a unmeasurable power that brings resurrection life to a spirit that once was dead.  He is a force that affects everything about us and can not be denied nor held back. He is that energy that moved over the face of the waters in Genesis 1:2,  yet He can take the form of fire and not burn.  When He pours Himself into us we are forever changed and His light overtakes the darkness. 

Next week Part II of "The Seven Winds of God"

Blessings,


Elma Garlock