Monday, August 24, 2015

Authority and Obedience

It has been a month or so since I have posted anything. The lack of posting hasn't been because the Father has not been speaking!  God is always speaking.  I think you hear that from me often enough.  I was working on something and just happened to look up a scripture in 2 Corinthians that is very familiar to most believers. However, this time when I read it something else stood out to me.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."

This portion of scripture is often quoted in reference to spiritual warfare.  However, when quoted...( I have quoted this scripture in this blog) it usually is only quoted to verse 5.  At verse 5 after the word Christ there is a comma, not a period.  The next verse, six, is what stood out to me..."being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled".  I am going to admit upfront, even while I am typing this I know for sure that the Holy Spirit has not fully revealed to me what he was trying to show me that particular day.  But I have been meditating on it, so I will share what I have so far.

If you recount the Apostle Paul's history with this church, you know He had some really strong words for them in his first letter.  I am not going to go through all of 1 Corinthians but just note that some issues included sexual immorality, idols, offerings, operation of spiritual gifts and love.   Weighty issues. So that explains a lot of what the tenth chapter is speaking to if you read the quoted verses in context.  Many of us, myself included, are guilty of taking scripture out of context which then hinders our understanding of it.  If you read the entire chapter, the Apostle is addressing issues that have come about in the church regarding his spiritual authority.  From my reading of the text, I see the Apostle addresses words or comments from believers about his authority.  Now think about how we use these scriptures....speaking about "pulling down strongholds and casting down imaginations".  Usually, we (notice I am saying we) are referencing demonic forces! In context, however, the Apostle is speaking about believers speaking against his spiritual authority.  Read the chapter.  It seems like the people in the church were a little upset about what he had written previously in his epistle to them and when they finally saw him in person...well let's just say...people starting talking!

Verse 10, "For his letters", they say "are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible." SAY WHAT!!! I can't even imagine the opposition that the Apostle Paul dealt with after his conversion.  He is called as an apostle after having  1) persecuted the church 2) stood by at the execution of Stephen and  3) not even walked with Jesus while he was on earth.  
I think the recent tv mini-series A.D. did a pretty good job of depicting the difficulty that Paul, formerly Saul, had gaining the respect of the other Apostles, especially Peter.  Let's just say this brother had a hard row to hoe!  Talk about breaking up ground!  Talk about blazing a trail!  This is the real deal.  Jesus told Saul he would suffer many things for his name's sake.

BACK TO THE CHAPTER:  Basically the Apostle is defending his spiritual authority and letting this church know that he understands that his weapons are not fleshly or carnal.  He is telling them that he will not engage in fleshy battles over stuff that is not even determined by people but rather determined by God.  The people wanted to question his authority and even were going as far as making comparisons.  Sadly, this is something done often in churches.  We are not supposed to compare "our" gifts or "our" callings. From scripture, we know the gifts and callings are from Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and from God.  They aren't OURS to make comparisons. The Father calls and chooses. ( Romans 11:29, Romans 12: 4, 5) Jesus gives the gifts of ministry.  ( Ephesians 4:11-16 ) The Holy Spirit gives the gifts of the Spirit that are manifested as He wills.  ( 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 11).  Unfortunately, most of us probably would not have "qualified" Saul for ministry!  Can we all thank our Father, that HE is God and we are not! Let's leave those things up to the Omniscient One.

VERSE SIX:  So what is the Apostle really saying in regards to spiritual warfare?  I can't say I understand it all but I believe that in verse six he is addressing disobedience and obedience.  He is letting them know that he knows how his spiritual authority works and that he will address disobedience in order to edify and ensure that obedience is the standard.   Strongholds, arguments and pride, no matter their origin (demonic or carnal), are made subject to the obedience of Christ. Our obedience in Christ is what determines the exercise of authority.  Not outward appearance. Not opinions of men. Not even our opinion of ourselves. The Apostle was clear in making this distinction.  He recognized his sphere of authority and that this authority is by appointment of God (verse 13), not men.

It is carnal to judge by outward appearances. It is fleshly to form opinions about others concerning "their" spiritual authority and calling.  The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are in charge of that stuff.  We need to be concerned with our own obedience.  Our obedience is what is important. I think that God wants us to stop comparing ourselves, His gifts and His callings and get more focused on obedience.  We should simply judge ourselves, making sure our own thoughts are not strongholds, our own imaginations aren't exalted above Christ, and bring our own thoughts to His obedience. So that we know we have FULFILLED OUR OWN OBEDIENCE  and have no need to be judged for disobedience.


I heard a minister say...God's love language is OBEDIENCE.

That is what I am "talking" about...OBEDIENCE.



© Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles, 2013-2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.


Tuesday, June 30, 2015

The Lord's Arrow of Deliverance

Last night I was reading a passage from the Bible and was reminded of this Facebook note I wrote several years ago entitled, "The Lord's Arrow of Deliverance".  I don't really believe in coincidences so I trust there is a reason why I thought about revisiting this note.  Recently, Holy Spirit has been reminding me about my words, the importance of my prayers and exercising spiritual authority over darkness.  It can't be overstated how important it is to "pay attention" or "attend to" what we are hearing from the throne of God. (We are sitting in heavenly places in Christ- Eph. 2:6).   So I am sharing this note as a post. I have made a few corrections/additions to it, but for the most part it is the original note posted in 2009.


On Sunday the Lord gave me this word and it's just been burning in my spirit. So I thought I would right it down. The word started with dream I had about arrows. Without going into the context of the dream I just knew I had to look into arrows. (Arrows can symbolize words in dreams and in scripture). The Lord lead me to a powerful context of scripture in 2 Kgs. 13:15-18. The account goes like this: King Jehoash was being oppressed by the king of Aram. Jehoash didn't do everything right in the sight of the Lord,but his father Jehoahaz had sought the Lord's favor. God was merciful to him because God saw how the king of Aram was oppressing Israel.
King Jehoash went to the prophet Elisha to seek a word from the Lord. The Lord is faithful. Elisha told the king to get a bow and some arrows and open the east window and shoot. As the king did, Elisha declared the word of the Lord. "The Lord's Arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!" (Arrows in dreams can symbolize words). Elisha declared that the king would completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek.
So the king had went and received the word of the Lord and he acted on what the prophet said by shooting the arrow. A simple act of faith, because the arrows were just going out a window... Most times our instructions from the Lord won't make a lot of sense but we have to stand in faith and act in obedience.
Then Elisha gave the king another instruction, he said "Take the arrows and strike the ground." Well the king took the arrows and struck the ground THREE times....and stopped. Elisha got angry because the king had just heard the word of the Lord but acted as if it wasn't... He could have struck the ground as many times as he wanted...but he must have doubted that it was an instruction from the Lord. Elisha declares that the king would only defeat Aram three times. In three campaigns against Aram, King Jehoash recaptures cities that had been lost. However, what type of deliverance would have the arrow of the Lord wrought if the king had struck the arrow several times? 
Lesson: When God speaks to us sometimes we don't pay attention to his instruction and we miss our own deliverance. God is merciful and faithful. The king had not followed the ways of the Lord but God saw the oppression of his people and showed his endless mercy. He gave the king the opportunity to be delivered but it was dependent upon his own act of faith. Don't miss God because you want to rationalize his instruction or you can't see the way of deliverance. If God has spoken it than he will make his word good. Don't be caught taking the word of the Lord lightly. And I am not speaking of just "prophetic words" although I believe in the prophetic voice... I am speaking of God's daily communion and communication and instruction to each of us... let us not miss our arrows of deliverance.
When we act, let's act in faith and then let's not limit God to three strikes... you hear what I am saying. Follow His instruction wholeheartedly, not half-stepping because your not sure it's God! We serve a mighty God who is mighty to deliver, from any situation, any circumstance, any illness, any work of the devil!
Well that's it, I guess. Hope all who read this will be encouraged by the Holy Spirit and that each one will walk away with a sense of His Presence, in us, on us and all around us. Peace.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The thing that amazes me about the Word of God, is that is ALWAYS revelatory and relevant. It speaks.  The real question is are we listening.  There is a reason that the Lord Jesus Christ repeats..."to him that has ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the church".  Selah.  The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. (2 Cor. 10:4) The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.  Our prayers make a difference. Our decrees make a difference. Our declarations make a difference. Our obedience makes a difference. Our FAITH makes a difference.

Release the Lord's Arrow of Deliverance against your enemy. Use the Word of God to dismantle the work of the enemy today.

© Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles, 2013-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.


Sunday, May 10, 2015

The Womb

Mother's Day May 10, 2015 7:21 am

Creator's choice
to set apart
this chosen place
for love to start.

A seed is planted
there it will grow
Creator's breath
woman's show.

Natural and Spiritual
life-giving flow
Creator's corner
woman's glow.

Bringing birth
heaven to earth
Creator's choice
woman's worth.

Spiritual and Natural
birthing pain
pushing through
then joy
regain.

His seeded Love
Love His seed
woman's womb
meets the
need.

Happy Mother's Day to Natural and Spiritual Mothers.

© Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles, 2013-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Be My Witnesses

So I heard this..."be my witnesses".  During a time of intercessory prayer the Holy Spirit brought to my attention 1 John 5:4-9. This passage of scripture expounds on the testimony of heaven and earth.  I will get into that later.  After the time of prayer, I heard "be my witnesses".

Act 1:8
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth."

Jesus declares to His disciples that they will be witnesses to Him.

Isaiah 43:10-13
"You are My witnesses, say the Lord, And my Servant whom I have chosen that you may know and believe Me.  And understand that I am He. Before Me there is no God formed. Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I am the Lord, And beside Me there is no savior.  I have declared and saved. I have proclaimed. And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses," says the LORD, " that I am God".  Indeed before the day was, I AM HE; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?"

God Most High declares His sovereignty through his prophet Isaiah. He declares His Servant who will testify of him; who will be His witness.

WITNESS: (noun)
1. a person who sees an event, typically a crime or accident take place
2. evidence proof

WITNESS: (verb)
1. see an event take place
2. give or serve as evidence of, testify to

As believers we are called to walk in this earth realm exactly as Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith walked.  ( I John4:15-17).  As believers we must not neglect our responsibility to "be a witness to him."  The Holy Spirit in us, that we have received from Him, is at work to help us to be His witnesses.  Remember, Holy Spirit is our Helper.  Holy Spirit is the Presence of God in the earth realm today working through Christ's Body to manifest the plan and purposes of God.

Let's look back at a passage in the Acts of the Apostles.

Acts 1:6-7
Therefore when they had come together, they asked Him, saying "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" And He said to them, " It is not for you to know times and seasons which the Father has put in His own authority"...But you shall receive...

The disciples wanted to know if Jesus was initiating the restoration of a kingdom to Israel.  The people of God had been looking for this forward to the time of restoration.  We understand this because Peter proclaims it later under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:19-21
"Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the Presence of the Lord and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you beforehand, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His prophets since the world began."

Jesus Christ manifested the kingdom of God in the earth and he has called us to continue by
"being his witnesses." A witness testifies to what is seen and provides first hand evidence (testimony) of the reality of an event having occurred. As believers we are here to testify to the reality of the Kingdom of God.  Wherever we find ourselves we are to be His witnesses. We are to testify to what we see and experience in a kingdom that is unseen by the natural eye but the Spirit bears witness with our regenerated human spirit of its reality. (1 Cor. 2:12).

In order for us to effectively participate in the Kingdom of God and the restoration of all things we must understand our own relevance. Our delegated authority as His witnesses.

WITNESSES IN HEAVEN:
The Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

WITNESSES ON EARTH:
The Spirit, the water and the blood; and these three are one.

I John 5:4-6
"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is He who came by water and blood- Jesus Christ, not only by water but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.

Jesus knew experientially that He is one with the Father.  He prayed that we as believers would experientially understand our oneness with Him and the Father.  Holy Spirit reveal to us our true identity In Christ.  His blood has brought us into at-one-ment.

John17:22, 23
"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one, as You, Father are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that You sent me."

As believers we are IN the one who has overcome, who came by blood and water and is a witness on the earth along with the Spirit. We are witnesses in this earth. We have power and authority to establish the rule of God's Kingdom.  As we act as His witnesses we participate in the restoration of all things.  Witnesses in Heaven and on earth working together to manifest the Kingdom of God.

Hebrews 2:4-9
"God also bearing witness with both signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? For He has not put THE WORLD TO COME of WHICH WE SPEAK in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying: ' What is man that you are mindful of him or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor. And set him over the works of Your hands; You have put all things in subjection under his feet'.  For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But WE DO NOT YET SEE all things under him....
BUT WE SEE JESUS..."

WITNESS PROTECTION:
The government will issue new identities for those who are witnesses for them.  In this program the witnesses come under the protection of the government and live the remainder of their lives under a new identity.

We have a NEW IDENTITY in Christ.  As believers we must experientially identify with Christ and the fullness of our redemption.  He has called us to be His witnesses. He has given us power and authority.  The witnesses in Heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit stand ready to bear witness to our witness in the earth. The bearing witness will be with signs, wonders and miracles...gifts of the Holy Spirit as He wills. Our faith in the reality of our identity in HIM is what overcomes this world. He overcame and so we overcome.

We overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.  (Rev 12:11)

God Most High, His Kingdom and His Christ need witnesses in the earth.

Be A Witness! His Witness! Testify!

Daniel 7:21,22
"I was watching and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom."


© Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles, 2013-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.












Thursday, March 5, 2015

Let Go...Let Shine!

God is always speaking through Holy Spirit.  We don't always want to admit that we may have challenges hearing but the truth of the matter is that God is speaking.  One prayer I pray often is that I   will "have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying".  The Lord Jesus repeats this often in the book of Revelation to the Beloved Apostle John.  It is in the red print people, so I just believe I need to pay attention to the red print.  As I pray this breath prayer, I find my Father answering in many situations in my life.  I must be willing to be still and know that He is God, so that I can hear.  I am realizing that as my Father, He will use any and every situation or circumstance to teach me, chasten me, lead me, all ultimately to love me. So that is usually how these blogs come... Some situation in my life has me perplexed, unraveled, disgruntled, confused, seeking and searching...chose any word that fits your situation. I just get still and He will speak.  Now with me, a lover of words, I usually get a word or phrase. (Father may speak to you differently, through a song, a dream, another person...He knows what is best and what gets His child's attention. Trust Him.) Most recently, it was the title phrase let go... let shine.  I have been pondering this one for about two weeks or more.  I get bits and pieces here and there, but I finally think I have something worth sharing.

Let Go

A few weeks ago I was looking for a document on my laptop and came across a leadership profile I did for a class while studying for my Master's degree.  I thought, wow, this was so interesting let me review it. (If I knew what was coming I may have went about my business.)  Honestly, that leadership course taught me a lot about myself and I am still grateful.  Well, I guess Father needed to remind me of a few things.  Similar to any personality profile,  after a series of questions it will list your strengths and weaknesses. (I don't want to argue the legitimacy of these questionnaires. Eat the meat and spit out the bones).  Once again, I was encouraged by my strengths.  Woohoo! I thought the profile got it right. Nailed it. It was when I looked at my profile weaknesses that I knew I was getting to what Father wanted to bring to my attention.  One of my greatest weaknesses was forgiveness!  (there are 5 top strengths, 5 weaknesses and a bunch of stuff in the middle) It was difficult then and just as difficult to be reminded!  It is not easy to honestly look at yourself but if you know Father like I do, then you know He chastens those he loves.   So now I have to get still to hear. Father what are you saying to me?

So I accept the fact that 2 years ago when I took this profile that was the case.  What I want to know  Holy Spirit is where am I now?  What I learned is that since then Father has been using many situations in my life to teach me how to surrender all to Him.  When you learn to REALLY SURRENDER ALL you don't have anything to hold onto and that includes unforgiveness!  A few days after reviewing the profile I had someone give me a copy of a poem called "Let Go".  The author is unknown, but I knew I had read the poem before.  I started looking everywhere, in my journals etc to find out where I had read this.  FOUND IT.  In a book I read a couple years ago called Grace Awakening by Charles R. Swindoll. (Great book!).  It is all coming together.  Let go. Surrender all.

This one is going to be like a puzzle so I pray Holy Spirit will bear witness with whomever reads this to give His understanding because I will probably be all over the place.

During all this, I am continuing a bible study on the book Hebrews and I am reminded of one of the previous lessons from Holy Spirit about Jesus and his obedience.  The Lord Jesus Christ IS the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Hebrews 2: 10-14
" For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.  For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all on one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying ' I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You. And again, I will put My trust in Him. And again, Here I am and the children whom God has given Me."

1. Jesus is the Captain of our salvation.  We are made perfect through Him. He is also our sanctification.  We are his brethren. (verse. 11).

2. Jesus had to put His trust in God to walk in total obedience even to death on the cross! Jesus had faith in God, His Father, Our Father. (verse 13).

3. His obedience and our faith in His finishing work, even our sanctification, allows Him to give birth to us as children of God, sons of Glory. (verse 10, 13 also John 1:12)

I know you are asking...where are you going?  Let go...even Jesus HAD TO let go of His own will, His own desires in order to do the will of the Father.  We always see Jesus as the Son of God but He was the Son of Man too! As the Son of Man, He walked in flesh like us and had to submit His will, HIS SOUL, to His spirit (His spirit which had received Holy Spirit at his baptism) in order to fulfill His purpose.  I don't have time to go to the scripture but you know what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane (which was a olive vineyard and means "oil press"). Jesus prayed there often (John 18:2) and wrestled with the will of God.  His last time there praying, He asked the Father for another way for Him to fulfill His obedience on the earth.  This means He is like us. It is not always easy to walk in obedience. It hurts sometimes. It takes faith.  Jesus ultimately surrendered His will, HIS SOUL, to the will of God.  Jesus learned that He had to walk in the Spirit.  His will was not important. The will of the Father was paramount in His life, even unto death. That is obedience.  Thank God, Most High, Our Father, that Jesus is the author and finisher of OUR faith. He is our sanctifier.

Let Go...

We all have our own garden of Gethsemane. We may have to visit more than once and travail in prayer so that HIS WILL is done in our lives.  I have discovered that sanctification is a process.  Jesus is our Sanctifier and in this process our will, our SOUL has to come under the obedience of Christ.  Then we are truly walking in the spirit.  We surrender to the process of the vineyard, the pressing in prayer, so that the OIL of Christ, HIS anointing can be made manifest in our lives.  Jesus is OUR EXAMPLE.  He endured the cross to bring MANY SONS into GLORY.  We should not resist the process of the sanctification.  Surrendering ALL of our will, our SOUL (the battle is there, if you have not figured that out yet) to the will of Father is how the glory is manifested in us.

When we Let Go...God will Let Shine!  The oil doesn't come out of the olive without the process.  The anointing  and glory that is resident in our new creation spirit will not be made manifest until we surrender our will, our soul, under the submission of God and His Christ.  We have to bow.

When I Let Go...I Surrender... ALL.. even the things that seem most difficult. I am bringing my flesh and soul into proper alignment for my spirit (the real me) to shine. It is a process. It is a surrendering day by day so that His will, His glory and the revealing of His sons (who we are) can be made manifest.

See you in the garden!

Let Go...Let Shine!


© Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles, 2013-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.



Monday, January 5, 2015

2015...Stepping in Kingdom Cadence

Happy New Year! It is really 2015.  It has been a long time since I blogged here. I am not going to make any excuses. I took a look back at my past posts and at least I have consistently blogged 5 posts per year...5 is the number for grace so I will just have some of that. Grace! Moving on.

Last week during my holiday celebrations with my family, I was part of an interesting conversation about the military.  I come from a military family. Both my mother and sister have served along with a long line of aunts, uncles and cousins.  We were discussing the pros and cons of service and of course there were plenty of stories being shared of which I didn't have much input.  Ultimately, I simply admitted that I wasn't military service material.  It wasn't my first choice as a high school graduate; I was college material.  I just couldn't see myself doing well in the service, so I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to go to school.  Since that conversation, the Holy Spirit has shown me that I am actually military material and that I am enlisted in the service of the King! Don't you love it when God shows you how smart you AREN'T and how backwards your thinking is! Touche!

As believers we are citizens of a Kingdom that is not of this world.  The Kingdom of God is an eternal kingdom with eternal consequences.  It also has a real enemy, our adversary, the devil and there is a war being waged.  There are soldiers and weapons.  Neither are fleshly nor of this world. We are talking about spiritual things.  Spiritual soldiers wielding spiritual weapons.  So as much as I didn't think I could relate to my family when it came to military service, the Holy Spirit is letting me know I better change that thought process.  

KINGDOM: a state or government having a King or queen as its head; the spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ

WARRIOR: a person engaged or experienced in warfare; soldier

So what do I know?  I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God and I am enlisted. What do I think Holy Spirit is telling me? A lot, but here is the abridged version.  Christ is giving out service orders and we as believers best be about our orders. This kingdom, God's Kingdom, is the real deal. This kingdom, God's Kingdom, is the unshakable kingdom and everything that is not operating in obedience to the authority of its Sovereign Lord is about to be shaken! Hebrews 12: 25-29 admonishes us to not ignore God's speaking; He will do what He says He will do.  

COMMISSION: (verb) to give a commission to; to authorize or send on a mission; to give the order that places a warship, military command, etc., in a state of complete readiness for active duty.

Jesus Christ gave commissions and authorizations to his disciples. (Matthew 10, 11; Luke 9, 10: Mark 6:7-12).  Jesus Christ is still giving commissions and authorizations to his disciples. Selah.

Let's look at Luke 9.  I encourage you to read the whole chapter but I am going to look at this portion...starting at verse 57:

"Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go. And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son Man has no where to lay his head." Then He said to another, "Follow Me" but he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the Kingdom of God." And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who at my house." But Jesus said to him, "No one having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God." 

Jesus was giving out orders.  There seemed to be those with good intentions who wanted to get in on the action but weren't willing to follow his instructions.  There were other things vying for their attention.  What else do I know?  There will be distractions contending for attention when service orders are given.  However,  I think, with Kingdom commissions, we want to have the military perspective that you don't really get a choice regarding commission.  It's strictly a matter of obedience. 

So in 2015, I want to be following my Kingdom commissions; following my Sovereign Lord's service orders...stepping in Kingdom Cadence.

MILITARY CADENCE: "In the armed services, a military cadence or cadence call is a traditional call-and-response work song sung by military personnel while running or marching. This serves the purpose of keeping soldiers "dressed", moving in step as a unit and in formation, while maintaining the correct beat or cadence." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_cadence

In 2015, I believe that there will be heavenly calls and responses that will advance God's Kingdom if we as believers are in alignment and walk in obedience.  There is a cadence, a sound of the Spirit, that is releasing and revealing the Kingdom of God in the earth.  The Spirit of God is moving. Holy Spirit is wanting to demonstrate Kingdom reality in this earth realm! I want to follow the flow of God's Spirit in 2015.  I want to hear the Spirit of God calling and be responding in active obedience. Kingdom Cadence. Stepping in Kingdom Cadence, walking surrendered to the Holy Spirit daily...one step of obedience at a time.

In 2015, I pray that God's manifold grace and peace will lead each of us to deeper revelation of the Kingdom of God and His Christ in US as believers. I pray we each walk worthy of our vocation and fulfill commissions individually and collectively. May God's Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven starting with you and me!

Grace and peace!

© Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles, 2013-2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 Just decided to add this....here is an anointed treat!!

Music by Kimberly and Alberto Rivera http://www.rainingpresence.com/
Art work by Dolores DeVelde Dolores DeVelde

  





Monday, August 25, 2014

Put On Some Clothes!

It has been some time since I sat to write for this blog.  I received a gentle reminder today so I decided to stop procrastinating and just write this post.  The phrase "put on some clothes" has been whirling around in my head for several weeks maybe even a month or two.  It came to me after reading Colossians chapter 3 from the world's greatest book, the Bible. This chapter has rich instruction for every believer who truly wants to live as Christ's disciple in this world.  It describes the character of Christ and each believer as a result of the work of Holy Spirit in a life.  However, many of us don't want to truly admit that the Holy Spirit doesn't do all the work. He works internally but we must do some things externally as well. There are character traits we put off and others we must choose to put on! We will get to more of that in a minute...I have to tell this short story.

So last week I was reminded of my "summer" topic "put on some clothes" when my family and I visited Ocean City, NJ.  It was a beautiful day to go to the beach. It wasn't too hot and there was a cool breeze blowing.  My youngest son loves swimming and water, so I was simply thankful and enjoying every moment.  At least I was until I noticed a woman who frankly needed to put on some clothes! Alright, I am not a "prudish, religious" Christian who believes that women need to have on long skirts and turtlenecks but I am, however, a mother of a sixteen year old son! Seriously. I had to regroup. I was having a conversation with her in my head. You know what I am talking about. When you have a strong inclination to just "tell someone about themselves"! Take a deep breath, Ronda! So instead of approaching the woman to inquire about her lack of discretion (which is really what I wanted to do) I simply embraced the teachable moment and spoke to my son about appropriate beach attire and things that come before our eyes!  I could go so many places but I am going to take the advice of my brother, Apostle Paul and refrain as I know I must walk as a new man (woman) in Christ.  Colossians chapter 3 was exactly what this situation called for in more ways than one!

Intro: All of Colossians chapter 3 is so rich and I will not do it justice in this short blog so please do yourself a favor and go and read it! Ponder it. Let it settle on your heart. Let it take root. Then when life comes at you with its craziness, which it will, go and read it again!

PUT OFF:  I had to take the time that day to put off a few emotions that wanted me to give that lady at the beach a piece of my "righteous" mind.  I had already mentally justified my conversation...I was going to speak the truth and believed that the rest of the beach goers would be cheering me on! However, verse 8 in the Amplified Bible reads "But NOW PUT AWAY and RID YOURSELVES COMPLETELY of all these things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses, slander and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips".  I can't say for sure that my conversation with that woman would not have violated a few of these things.  I can't even say for sure that my mention of this now is not slander ( I don't know her name, so if it is Lord please forgive me).  I am going somewhere. Can you hear that tinge of justification? If we are honest with ourselves this is what we do, we justify our wrong attitudes, thoughts and words because we believe our judgment of others is correct.  Listen, I am talking about stuff I struggle with and if you really want Holy Spirit to help you change you have to judge yourself. So I am just putting this out there.  We have a choice with each thought, each word and each action...we must choose to put off these things! That's the Bible, folks!

DON'T RUN AROUND NAKED!

PUT ON: Once we make the decision to put away some things, Apostle Paul admonishes us to put on some clothes! Colossians 3:12 in the Amplified Bible reads,

"CLOTHE YOURSELVES therefore as GOD'S OWN CHOSEN ONES (His own hand-picked representatives, who are purified and holy, well-beloved, (BY GOD HIMSELF) BY PUTTING ON BEHAVIOR marked by tenderhearted pity and mercy, KIND FEELING, A LOWLY OPINION OF YOURSELF, gentle ways and PATIENCE which is tireless and long-suffering and has the power to endure WHATEVER COMES WITH GOOD TEMPER."
(my emphasis added FOR ME!)

IT AIN'T OVER

Verse 13, "Be gentle and forbearing with one another and if one has a difference a grievance or complaint against another, readily pardoning each other: even as the Lord has freely forgiven you, so must you also forgive."

That is a lot of clothing! Serious clothing! Can I get an AMEN?!?

I have read this portion of scripture quite a few times this past summer. I can't say that I have always been properly dressed for every occasion, but I can say that I am quick to ask forgiveness and thankful for the longsuffering grace of my loving Father.  Some days I can see myself properly clothed (notice how I am no longer concerned about the beach lady and her attire) and some days I am not.  Now that I know what I know...I am responsible to choose daily...

Holy Spirit gives me a little insight.

"For ( as far as this world is concerned) you have died and your (new, real life) is hidden with Christ in God".  Colossians 3:3 Amplified Bible

SELAH

My life is hid in Christ.  We are putting on the new man which is in Christ Jesus who is in God! Our process continues from glory to glory into the image and likeness of the one who created us. (II Corinthians 3:18 and Colossians 3:10).  I am clothed with a new man that reflects the image of the Christ in me and I choose to yield to Holy Spirit at work internally so that Christ-like character can be seen externally. We all have to choose DAILY what we are going to be dressed in...choose wisely.


DON'T WALK AROUND NAKED! PUT ON SOME CLOTHES...Christ Character Clothing!



© Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles, 2013-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ronda Wagner and Kelbey Chronicles with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.