So, it's one thing to root out and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down but it's quite another thing entirely to build and to plant. One without the other is pointless and in fact, harmful.  If we tear down without building up - we leave people in a state of confusion,  farther from God than ever. If we try to build up and plant truth without first tearing down and uprooting deception, people will be divided and a divided soul cannot prosper, a divided house cannot stand. For every lie we expose, we must replace it with a truth. I may point out that your entire denomination and each church therein is built upon shifting sand: a false foundation, void of the Holy Spirit's presence and guidance but if i don't also point out practical steps to give the Holy Spirit His proper place in each heart in each service - I've only done you a half service.  For those of you who have stuck  with me through my journaling, here's some practical tips to give the Holy Spirit His due, His rightful place of honor.

Choose only people sensitive to the Holy Spirit to lead worship. Corporate worship is not for "professionals" trained to do it by men but rather taught by and anointed by the Holy Spirit to do it - so they'll be able to sway with the breeze, bend when the river bends, stop when He does - go when He does and always give place for anyone present to "sing the song of the Bride" or the "song of the Groom" "And the ransomed of The Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs". These songs must be allowed to be sung by the ransomed of The Lord - every captive heart tasting His freedom must be allowed to sing, shout, dance, express themselves under the Holy Spirit's anointing in any way they are led to. 

Leaders should step aside during these precious moments when the Bride and Groom are romancing each other. Songs written by others, professional songs so to speak, only become validated under a present anointing,  not a past one, and when the Holy Spirit blankets the service - pause, take a deep breath, wait upon Him for direction. He may be enjoying the presence of His saints as much as they're enjoying His presence  - DO NOT INTERRUPT! Do not speak, gently play music but wait on Him......He will usually speak after awhile but it may be from someone in the back row, or a child, or a stranger! Anyone who's tongue is available to Him. Leaders - let Him lead!  You are only effective leaders to the extent you are able to be effective followers of Him. He may have a completely different service in mind than the one you planned - or something you've never seen before. He may prophecy through anyone at anytime but He will not interrupt Himself. If someone tries to interrupt Him, they are in the flesh and everyone will immediately know it. 

Remember,  if someone is speaking under the unction of the Holy Spirit  and another sitting by receives revelation while the first is yet speaking, the first should sit down. It is so easy to start out in the Spirit but end up in the flesh, or soulish. Especially you leaders. It is so hard for you to shut up when He is done speaking through you, if He was. It's so difficult for many of you to sit down, just as it's very difficult for many of the saints to stand up. You must encourage them to, by your actions. Don't just say "you are welcome to share if the Holy Spirit prompts you to", then keep right on speaking for the rest of the service.  Trust me, no one will dare interrupt you. People like their comfort zones! Burn the pews! Get them out of, and off of their seats! Tell them to come prepared to each service,  to be ready at a moment's notice- to share a sermon, or a testimony.  Or prophecy.  Give them homework! Then, randomly pick people to share whatever God gave them to share. It may have been given during the week, but if the Holy Spirit prompts you to call on them, it will be freshly anointed for that meeting. Tell them to write down Holy Spirit revelation. Do not check it first before they share! This will quench their zeal. Tell everyone,  all that is shared corporately is judged by all. If it is "off", tell them to maintain a teachable heart. Thank them for trying. Encourage them to keep trying. Let the people discuss each word, sermon, song, prophecy,  among themselves.  Quite often, revelation will beget more revelation. Record and transcrbe! You never know what He will say. Maybe a much needed word of correction. Often it should be prayed back to Him. When instructions come, they should become part of a permanent church record, available to all, new members and old. Discern: is it solely for them or the world wide Body of Christ.  

Invite, welcome and embrace Apostles and Prophets.  If your heart is open to it, God will send them to live among you for a season.  What a blessing! It may be a few months or a few years. Whatever it takes to get you healthy. Pure and mature. Keep a burn barrel available at all times.

In every service,  the Spirit and the Bride should be joining hearts together and crying out to Yeshua - Come! And He will reply "Surely, I come quickly". He is who we are seeking! The longing of the Spirit is to bring Jesus and his bride together.  He wants to reveal Jesus to his bride and his bride to Jesus.  Jesus wants to show us to his Father. 

The less leadership speaks, the more healthy the congregation will be. When i teach English to my Korean students, the less i talk, and the more they talk, the better for them. I already know English! I don't need the practice.  Leadership (should) already know the Holy Spirit well.....It's the people that need to practice how to recognize and respond to Him. I can prophecy anytime to anyone,  it's far better for someone else to practice who hasn't done it much. Pastor, try going an entire service without speaking to the congregation.  Oh how healthy your church will become! The Holy Spirit should do all the speaking and ministering.  Lay hands on the sick for healing, often. Cast out devils. Pastor, you should be speaking more words in your prayer closet on behalf of the people than you do in front of them each week. 

Do not take up offerings, unless the Holy Spirit instructs you to. Give it to the poor among you, right away, as He leads. Bless guest speakers as he leads too. Do not accept anyone who charges money to come and minister among you. Stop promoting the idea there are professional and amateur saints! There are only mature and immature,  and the goal of the mature is to impart wisdom and understanding and anointing so the immature will become mature also. And remember- God can and will ordain and anoint babes abd sucklings! Spiritual babies can be just as mightily used by Him as adults. If they grow up much faster than you did, how wonderful! If they do greater works than you, rejoice! Have the same heart in you Yeshua had. 

Guard against zeal without knowledge but also guard against knowledge without zeal. Don't form traditions and never camp around one man's teachings and anointing (unless that man is Jesus).  Be led by a plurality of elders (the Father, Son and Holy Ghost). Biblical traditions like baptism, communion, and foot washing are wonderful,  if the Holy Spirit is present.  All traditions can become dead rituals if we let man lead them without God's presence.  Despise not prophecy.....indeed, when the Holy Spirit is present,  He will always share our Father's heart and mind with us. Whatever He says - that go and do! Sometimes immediately. Mary's advice is still good advice today - " whatsoever he says to you, do it!" Obey him and reap eternal rewards. Care for widows and the fatherless.  Hug each other often.

 There's too many Saints

 washing their own feet.

 Too many Saints

 crying themselves to sleep.

 Too many refusing to keep

 their brother's welfare 

 above their own,

               to their own flesh they've sown...

It's time we washed each other's feet.

It's time we met each other's needs.

It's time we sought another's wealth,

which will keep our soul's in good health.

It's time we brought each other home

that no one should ever again be alone.....

 If you give people the ability to offend you - you give them power over you, consequently, you do not have to learn how to "deal with offenses", rather, you must learn to deal with your own heart. The issue is your heart, not the heart of the one offending you. You can receive wisdom and understanding about the one who is hurting you, without taking offense. The greatest example of this is Jesus on the Cross - " Father forgive them for they know not what they do" - people truly do not understand that when they purposely wound another, with words or deeds (spiritual or physical,  the soul is affected by both), they are actually hurting themselves - because hate and envy and jealousy, etc., all shut us out of the Lord's presence and He is our only hope and source of eternal life. We reap every wound we sow back to ourselves,  in hell. 

It's the same with love, forgiveness,  meekness, gentleness, etc. - we reap these in eternity too. God sees every inflicted wound "Vengeance is Mine, saith The Lord". When we do not respond to our abusers with the same spirit (or heart) but respond instead with God's heart (or Spirit), their transgression remains with them alone, instead of spreading to us, like a communicable disease that can go on to infect so many - if we choose to pass them on. Some pass them on to their children for generations - just ask the Irish, for example.  

If we choose to forgive (not blindly, but with the eyes of our understanding wide open, then we douse that hell fire with cool, soothing, life saving water - which prevents it from hurting us further, from deepening a shallow wound and from wounding others with it, like a drowning man will sometimes take his rescuer down with him. If we repeat again and again to others what someone did to us, our gossip is actually spreading the disease of offense - and picking at a wound, refusing to allow it to heal. 

However,  we do walk in wisdom - so if someone is a habitual abuser, continually wounding us purposefully,  we, if The Lord releases us, must leave them. We do not continue to submit to abuse, if we have the wherewithal to escape it, but if we must continue to submit to verbal abuse or emotional,  we must do so as our Christ did  - forgiving them, interceding to the Father on their behalf, realizing they are hurting themselves far worse than they are hurting us. Realize too, your Christ-like response, full of love for them (presently your enemy, future friend hopefully) may very well be the only true witness of Christ they'll ever see. Indeed, for this very reason, God will allow you at times, to go through the trial of being cast into the pit of despair, so those whose hearts are bound by hell may later be saved by love.

 My soul would nigh have fainted

for the glory that man has tainted

for the purity

of all that is He,

And for the world to come in all it's beauty

Oh I do not wish to miss

an eternity filled with God's gifted bliss.

Oh my soul, do not regress -

seek Him in the stillness. 

Give to Him His hard won prize -

my soul, bowed low, His pearl of great price.

I am not worthy to be His bride,

Oh Lord, take me as Your concubine.....

Be not, my soul, hesitant 

For the day is far gone,

the night is near spent -

Turn from your vanities to the God of the living,

who, until now, has allowed all nations to walk in their own ways,

yet did not leave Himself without a testimony of His giving -

For from His goodness,  from His heaven, He gave us rain,

and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

The dawn is now near, soon to reveal

The Son rising as the Daystar in our hearts

blazing brightly upon all those who choose the dark,

revealing every work, every plan, whether of God or man -

All will be made plain - every hidden thought,

all our secret agendas, all our evil plots

all soon revealed in the Light of the New Day,

Nowhere left to hide, to the wicked's eternal dismay

but for those who love Truth, who seek out the light -

they will be filled with eternal delights.....

GO TO NOW, YOU RICH MEN,

WEEP AND HOWL FOR YOUR MISERIES

THAT SHALL COME UPON YOU

YOUR RICHES IN WHICH YOU TRUSTED

ARE NOW FOREVER CORRUPTED 

YOUR GARMENTS ARE MOTH EATEN

YOUR GOLD AND SILVER ARE MORALLY BANKRUPT 

YOU HAVE HEAPED TREASURE TOGETHER

FOR THE LAST DAYS

BUT YOUR RICHES WILL TESTIFY AGAINST YOU

FOR YOUR SOUL THEY CANNOT SAVE

THE CRIES OF THOSE YOU HAVE CHEATED

HAVE ENTERED INTO THE EARS OF THE LORD

YOU HAVE LIVED IN PLEASURE ON THE EARTH

AND BEEN WANTON, WHILE YOUR HEARTS

HAVE IGNORED HIS WORD

YOU HAVE CONDEMNED AND KILLED THE JUST

THINKING "HE IS IGNORING US"

WELL, THE DAWN HAS COME WHEN THIS WILL BE -

THE POOR WILL REJOICE WHILE YOU WILL WEEP -

 All Creation testifies

 that God is indeed alive

Every sound, every sight

bears witness to the

AUTHOR OF LIFE

So, "getting back to nature"

is really "getting back to God"

For I breathe in His goodness, 

everywhere I trod...

In these musty woods -

the lone Cricket's chirp,

a solitary bird's song,

the stillness of the trees,

with barely a breeze,

to nudge their sun-dappled leaves,

speak softly to me -

        

                                   God is good.