Tree of Life Insights

Wind of Change

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:48:00 +0000

The term 'Wind of Change' is being heard and spoken a lot today in the body of Christ. Specifically the term is being used most at this time with the 'Lakeland Outpouring' where Todd Bentley has been ministering. Bob Jones saw an angel named 'Wind of Change' that was directly involved with the Lakeland Outpouring.

However, the first time I heard the term was sometime around the end of March or the beginning of April. I heard the term 'Wind of Change' from a Pastor friend of mine named John Bagley who Pastors a church in Alma, Georgia. He had a dream that he called me about to get my input on. In the dream he saw a series of events take place and the last thing he heard before he awakened was 'Wind of Change'. The dream certainly reflected what God was wanting to do in the earth concerning His church and some of the fears that would arise in believers when it took place.

In the dream John saw a tornado headed straight towards him. His first reaction to what he saw was to rebuke this tornado that looked as if it would devastate everything in it's path. However, after pondering all the elements in the dream, he realized that he was rebuking the very wind God was sending into the body of Christ for the purpose of change.

Either that day or the next John read an Elijah List post where Bob Jones saw an angel named 'Wind of Change' being released to minister in cooperation with a third wave of revival that would spread and would not end. This is exciting to ponder and what I feel led to point out is not so much the proclamations of the change, but what it might look like and what it may feel like to us who have been holding on to religion, tradition, and the doctrines of men.

I believe John Bagley's dream reflected the heart of many in the body of Christ and where we are as believers. His first reaction to the 'Wind of Change' was to rebuke it as an evil destructive force that is on a collision course with the Church as we know it. What would lead us to rebuke something God is saying or doing? I remember a quote by Dr. Kenneth Hagin saying, and I paraphrase, "whatever your not up on you tend to be down on." That says a lot. We as humans don't like something unexplainable that can't be labeled or put in a box that can be put away and retrieved at will by our discretion. We don't like things that look different or tend to change the way we may appear to society.

Art is a good example of this. Art is as unique as the artist who releases his or her art whether it's music, painting, sculpturing, etc. This uniqueness is the vast beauty and heart of God being released in the earth. In the United States alone there are many cultures that coexist in one country. When a culture has embraced God and His word it will reflect his nature through the diversity that comes within the culture. If a rock band gets saved and comes out from where they were, they still have to bring themselves with them! That doesn't mean they stay in a sinful condition but if they like the sound of rock music before they are born again, they will probably like that sound after they are born again. Of course after being born again they are bought with a price and will not have a heart to exalt themselves through their music but rather they will exalt God with it. Why did God purchase them with the great price? Because He specifically wanted them just as they were at that moment!

Now the challenge for the church is where will we let them fit in with the rest of us. I am a musician. I've been playing in churches for a long time and early on I departed from the kind of music that was dear to me for the purpose of fitting in.

For me that lead to frustration. I have now abandoned that mindset so that I can be a more honest vessel. I can't tell you how many times when people heard me play how they wanted me to come play for their youth. I love playing for youth, but I'm forty seven years old and I like the music I play. Why couldn't I be invited to play at the main event! Because there may be some explaining to do afterwards! I might defile their temple! Do adult Christians only like hymns or conservative worship choruses? To be honest, I believe that most Christians would be far more comfortable hearing me in a bar than in church but why is that? Now that I think of it, I might be more comfortable in a... never mind. What are we as believers afraid of? What I'm saying should in no way be taken as irreverent, and holiness should never be compromised. But are we calling something unholy that God made holy? Remember Peter when the sheet came down before him in a vision and on it there were all kinds of animals and beast and the Lord told Peter to kill and eat three times. Peter said no Lord nothing unclean has ever touched my lips. And the Lord responded saying do not call unclean what I have made clean. After that the Holy Spirit poured out on the Gentiles and Peter experienced God fulfilling His promise to bring salvation to the Gentiles, a group despised by the Jews and who were seen as unclean.

Anything that is out of our comfort zone looks as uncontrollable as a tornado to us. We have to keep the house of God looking a certain way or we will lose control (we think). That is mega bologna! Does God really depend on you to steady His ark? Where were you oh man when the foundations of the earth were laid. We think God would not do something a certain way, only because we wouldn't do it that way. When we think that way, what we are really doing is reducing Gods ability to ours. If we feel that way, we really think way to highly of ourselves. We would rather spiritually clone ourselves than to experience diversity and change in others.

God wants this diverse spectrum of who He is to reflect His vastness. He may come to us in a number of ways we can't imagine and it will be our responsibility to know His voice. When He comes in a unique way there are definite attributes that will be seen. There will be fruits of the Spirit, power, division, persecution, and great blessing, just to name a few. And it will be a holy expression of His love.

We must embrace these 'Winds of Change' and not find ourselves rebuking the very winds of God that's meant to bring this change about.

In the sixties there was a change in our society that I believe was a prophetic event that points to what is happening today first in the Church and then to the world. I believe that society in the sixties before the 'hippie movement' or 'summer of love' represents the current condition of most of the body of Christ. We were a very fixed conservative society and a wind of change came in and forever changed the face of our society not only in America but in the world. This is not to say that there wasn't ungodliness that sprang forth during that time, but nonetheless the earth experienced a deep change that is still being felt today. I believe this was a natural illustration of what God plans to do in His kingdom in the earth.

It doesn't surprise me that Bob Dylan sang, "the answer my friend is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind."

Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:09:00 +0000

Tinkling cymbals and sounding brass

Sun dried leaves and withered grass

Bound by your present and your past

Tinkling cymbals and sounding brass

I call the love in you to rise again

To fill the way of life you are walking in

To have the joy of life when you were born again

I call the love in you to rise again

Tinkling cymbals and sounding brass

Sun dried leaves and withered grass

Testify your love for me

Let this river set you free

I came to mend the broken

To save the ones who’ve lost their way

It’s the meek that I have chosen

And I’ll be back for them one day!

Testify your love for me

Let this river set you free

With your whole heart worship me

Let this river set you free

Let this river set you free

These are the lyrics to a song I wrote about three years ago. The words have been speaking to me lately.

Carrying the Charismatic Cross

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:25:00 +0000

What is the cost to carry the cross and what are the promises that come with the job? Our answer to this question will dictate the direction the Church is going towards from this point on. What kind of life did Jesus (or Yeshua to you purist) promise us when He asked us to lay down our life, pick up our cross, and follow Him? What did He intend? Was He talking about one of those gold crosses we wear around our necks? Was it a cool tattoo on our arm? Or was it one of those, the evangelist (of whom I have a deep respect for) carry over their shoulders with a wheel on the end of it? Do we pick out the color we want? Would we want the latest and coolest looking cross we could find? Would we want the model that doesn't offend others around us? Would we want the best cross money could buy maybe with one of those fish emblems on it? Or maybe we would get one that was sure to hold the extra weight we've been carrying. I'm sure we would like a model that causes no pain or discomfort. Perhaps something light without burden that we could dance with and it wouldn't look stupid to others. Do we proudly carry it or do we carry it with humility and grace? Maybe we would like one of those we could use as a weapon against others to put them in their place. What have we as the Church reduced the cross to? Do we design it ourselves, or was it designed for us? What did the cross do to Christ? Do we think that the work of the cross does less for us? Have you ever considered these questions? Are these questions worth considering? Are we trying to carry a cross that promises comfort, riches, and the 'American Dream'? What does the cross promise? What does it look like? To the proud it appears to be spiritual weakness. To the intellectual it may appear to be insanity. To the wicked it may look like the time for them to attack.

What I do know is there is one that is designed especially for all of us. It's uniquely designed with you in mind. Specially crafted to slay an old nature we say we don't want. Paul carried his cross to the end. He was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and ultimately martyred. Yet through all those things he said he was more than a conquerer and penned the majority of the New Testiment turning the world upside down from behind prison walls!

The one thing I know that the cross produces is death. It produces the death of a carnal nature, that we chose to, and promised to leave when we were born again. Over and over I have had to choose whether or not I would stay on it or not. When some injustice happens that hurts or angers, I'm faced with the choice to stay up on it or come down. When temptation comes I have the same choice to make. Those are just a couple of ways it can look. To Paul it was being beaten and left for dead, imprisonment, abandonment, and finally the laying down of his life.

There is absolutely no way to escape the work of the cross for the Christian. The process was designed for us and is full of purpose. The cross did not stop Paul from accomplishing his destiny nor did it stop the destiny of Christ, rather it was part of the fulfilling of their destiny. It's designed to be this for us. Scripture distinctly declares that with blessing there WILL BE persecution!

Keith Green once said that Christians would like a posturpedic cross! So many of us are asleep right now because we've picked up another cross that comes with the promise of earthly gain and comfort. It comes from poisoned doctrine that flows from pulpits all over this land. Don't get me wrong, I want to prosper and be in health, and I believe God wants us all to, but not at the expense of laying down the cross that was designed for us. Did God want Paul to prosper and be in health? Did He want Stephen to be in health? Were they less spiritual because they suffered? We are told to be like Jesus. Did He suffer the cross? If we saw one of our leading ministers today suffering some public humiliation we would immediately assume something must be wrong with the individual. That's because we've swallowed the poison of the enemy. Paul declared that everybody but one guy left him. Jesus was abandoned by his diciples for a moment because of the fear of humiliation by association.

Paul said follow me follow Christ. Did he suffer the sufferings of Christ? Am I suggesting that you go look for a way that you too can suffer like the great ones of old? NO! A million times no. I can assure you if you choose to burn with passion for Christ, you won't have to look for your cross, it will find you!

Daily when we are following after Gods heart, we are experiencing the death, burial, and resurrection simultaneously! By death, I mean crucifying of our fleshly carnal nature. By burial, I mean reckoning ourselves dead to our sinful nature. By resurrection I mean living in the new creature, our divine nature born of God!

We should never be ashamed of our cross nor proud of it. We should only be ashamed if we are unwilling to carry it. The work of the cross is absolutely instrumental for revealing life in us and through us. Scripture says that Jesus learned obedience through His sufferings and He carried His cross long before He was crucified on it.

The cross is designed to drive us to our knees (wrestling in prayer) only to stand back up totally empowered with the flames of passion for our Lord and the clear understanding of the joy on the other side of it. The cross is not something to escape, rather it is something to be embraced! You can not see this with your natural eyes. You must look with the eyes of your spirit. His endurance of the cross was His love towards us. Our endurance of the cross is the working of our love to others. The world can not understand this incredible working of His love.

Well there it lies before you, will you pick it up? It is the doorway to your destiny. If you want to see something radical happen in you, your local church, and city? Then pick up your cross and follow Him!

Laying the Ax to the Root

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Wed, 16 May 2007 14:11:00 +0000

Luke 3 verse 2-9 while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“ The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

‘ Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

The baptism of repentance is laying the ax to the root for the remission of sin. What was John the Baptist saying? Most of us think of what he meant in the simplest form. I did for years. I simply thought it was to repent from sinful behavior so I could be forgiven. As I have been around a couple of blocks now I've found reason and purpose to why this has to happen in the life of every believer. In this passage of scripture he refers to the ax being laid to the root of trees. Mans existence is determined and defined by one of two trees. The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When Adam ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he redefined the consciousness in which he would walk in. In a sense, he grafted himself into the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and was destined to bear the fruit of that tree. Since then men are born with the instinctive pull of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Scripture declares that God wants us to be Oaks of Righteousness. In this passage men are essentually being desrcibed as trees. Trees that don't bear good fruit shall be chopped down and cast into the fire. After we are born again we are grafted into the Vine. Christ Himself in whom we live and breathe and have our being! As the result of this change, we are able to bear good fruit. Yet why is it that we still can bear bad fruit? Selah. There are two trees in the garden.

From the Tree of Life we produce life. The Tree of life is rooted in God's Love. It can not be manipulated, it is incorruptible. To draw from the life of this tree, we must bow down and humble ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter Chapter 5 declares that God resist the proud and gives grace to the humble. He goes on to say that we must humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt us in due time. Grace from the Tree of Life is freely given to the humble for life and purpose.

Pride in man sets itself up to defy and oppose God. In turn God Himself makes Himself the enemy of that pride. It was pride that got Lucifer kicked out of Heaven. He was simply impressed with how great he was. He looked at himself and was well pleased! We all laughed at how 'The Fonz' from the old show "Happy Days" use to walk up to the mirror to comb his hair and saw that it was still perfect and go "hehhh" and put his comb back in his pocket as he strutted off proudly. As funny as it was on the show, it was that attitude that removed Lucifer from heaven. Don't get me wrong. God is leading us to get rid of this behavior and we must laugh at ourselves and each other as we seriously go through the process of change, but God is intent that we see this condition. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil feeds the pride of man. Men want knowledge. It puffs them up and sets them apart from others. That's where the serpents power was rooted, in this very tree. That's why whether a man is robbing a bank or starting a church, if he is flowing from the sap of this deadly tree, he is the enemy of God. Why? Because he is flowing from his knowledge of good and evil rather than from his relationship with a living God who speaks to and gives grace to his children.

God wants to lay the ax to the root of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in every mans garden. When John preached repentance for the remission of sins, this is what he was talking about. When the ax is laid to the root of the deadly tree, the effect of that tree no longer has power in our lives and we can overcome sin by abiding in the vine of the Tree of Life and manifest Christ to the earth. When a sickness or disease goes into remission, it means that the sickness no longer has any effect in our body. The potential remains but the effect is gone. When we lay the ax to the root of our pride and carnal nature, it no longer has power or effect in our being. The potential is there but the power or effect isn't. At this time we don't oppose ourselves and God with our heart condition.

Our ability to rise up in pride actually comes from partaking of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil instead of the Tree of Life. Humility partakes of the Tree of Life, pride partakes of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When we rise up in pride, that tree again takes its place in the throne room of our hearts. Our pride essentially grafts us into the deadly trees influence. When we obtain knowledge whether it be good or bad from this tree, it is deadly. If we eat from the good we become self-righteous because we think we know whats evil. Our underlying motive is to improve our self and set ourselves apart. Total self-conscious motivation. It wasn't until Adam ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that he determined being naked wasn't good and he determined it would be good to make an apron to cover his nakedness. In John 9:41 Jesus said to the Pharisees, If you were blind you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.

Romans Chapter 5 says that Jesus made us righteous, what can I do to add to that? So my food for spiritual sustenance can not be a quest for the knowledge of good so that I can fix myself, I've been fixed by Christ. Jesus said in John Chapter 4 that His food was to do the will of Him who sent Him. Now from living and being in Christ or abiding in the vine, I will obtain revelation knowledge from Christ. It's all about the heart motive and our approach.

In scripture Jesus said that He of himself could do nothing. He said that He only does what he sees the Father do and says what He hears the Father say. His desire was to follow and obey the One who sent Him. The result of Jesus life on the earth was that He never ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and He was the Tree of Life to all who would receive Him. God wants to manifest fruit from the Tree of Life through us and all creation groans for the manifestation of the son's of God to occur.

If we find ourselves opposed, quickly check your heart and humble yourself under the mighty hand of God to determine if it is God that opposes you or the enemy. The enemy you can move out of the way. God is another matter, you can't move Him unless you are willing to humble yourself so that His grace will abound to you and not against you. This is not to say that opposition can't come in many forms. Because of the fallen nature in the earth, bad things happen from various people and places. The enemy comes as a roaring lion, but even if he was taken from the earth their are plenty of others who would be left to do works of evil. The good news in all of this is that Romans 8:28 declares that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. We must trust the sovereignty of God as we grow in Him.

I'll bring more later!

Ken Mullis

The Two Trees

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Tue, 15 May 2007 18:00:00 +0000

I have been spending some time with the Lord recently. Most of that time spent has been a circumcision of my own pride and ego that had left me formless and void. What I'm going to say has been birthed in me through this experience.

I've been a Christian since December 10, 1982. I've been a singer/songwriter, and worship leader since 1985. I have drifted back and forth between different streams of ministries only to find myself frustrated and longing for clarity. Through this process I've been able to keep some of the revelation I've obtained and I've had to discard some. I know that scripture says to the pure all things are pure and to the defiled, even their hearts and consciouses are defiled. That being said, some of my frustration and the way I perceived some revelation in the past was probably tainted at times by my own heart condition. Nevertheless, God has been making some things very, very clear to me at this time and I believe I've not only been given a mandate to declare what He has shown me, but I'm also to dive into this direction as part of my own walk in Him.

Here it is. Mark this day in your calender because it is the beginning of the greatest dispensation of God's Spirit in history that the Church has ever walked in. God is circumcising the corporate heart of His body in the earth. It is the beginning of wisdom because the fear of the Lord will be working at a much higher level corporately. It is the revelation of two trees. It is the difference between those who are grafted into the Tree of Life and those who are grafted into the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Those who do things because they love and those who function out of their knowledge of good and evil. It is the difference between the helpless and those who say they know. It is the difference between those who say they only do and say what they see and hear their Father saying and doing, and those who have defined, by their own reason, to have determined good and evil. It is the year of distinction and separation between the humble and the prideful.

In the next ten to twenty years you will see this revelation of the two trees become clearer than the faith message and other revelations that have preceded it through history. It will also bring more distinction and clarity to every revelation we have ever heard in the past. It will be seen as the very foundation of our faith because it will cause Christ to be formed in man at an accelerated rate never seen before in times past. The reason for this, is that it is Christ revealed as the Tree of Life. We are grafted into Him! Those who hear will begin to lay the axe to the root of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil which achieves it's power in man through their own pride and arrogance. When this happens the power of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil will no longer have power in them and they will understand what John the Baptist meant when he declared to repent for the remission of sins.

Through this process the true Apostles will emerge with clarity and it will be rapid. The restoration will be broad and clear. They will also walk from this place of clarity between the two trees exposing and establishing the people of God in His love. The love of God will be seen as never before because the Tree of Life is deeply rooted in His love. This will be the defining factor of the Apostolic office. When this office rises up this revelation will be it's banner and we will see the beginning of unity throughout all those who will be unified. Men will no longer judge others spirituality by their own consciousness of good and evil, but by the voice of God. Men will see and judge things differently than in past times.

This will be a huge surge in the process of restoration. You will begin to see God raising this revelation all over the earth from all kinds of ministries. God is opposing the proud in His body to bring them to this revelation and those who are His are laying the axe to the root of the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. Many ministries will be judged harshly and wrong throughout this process but even that will bring about this revelation even faster. The fact is God is allowing the opposition that is bringing the revelation forth.

Our part is to embrace this process though it may be painful to some. When we find ourselves opposed we must search our hearts quickly and deeply to determine whether or not our own pride could be in direct opposition with God or not. God will show everyone who is willing to accept this possibility. To each one it may come in a different form. Do not judge harshly what you may hear about others or by what you see others do because it could be part of a divine process and you could be in danger of unrighteous judgement. Men will not be judged as much for what they are doing, but why they are doing what they do! God will define mens hearts.

This is a glorious day in the earth.

Ken Mullis

I have to mention two books that are truly forerunners to what you have just read: "There Were Two Trees in the Garden" by: Rick Joyner and "Surrender God's Key to Success" by: Arthur Burt.

What is your shadow doing?

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 20:14:00 +0000

I woke up in the early morning hours last night and I was trying to quietly slip by my one year old son without waking him. He is a light sleeper and if he senses my presence going by him, he wakes up.

As I was thinking this, I heard inside, "What is your shadow doing to people?" I knew I didn't think that up! I believed that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me so I began to meditate on this word I was given. As I yielded my thoughts to the leading of the Holy Spirit, I thought about Peter's shadow healing a man as he walked by. It was clear to me that Peter's thoughts were not even conscious of trying to heal the man. I then thought of the woman with the issue of blood. She pressed through the crowd and touched the hem of Jesus' garment. He stopped and turned around to see who touched him because he felt virtue go out of himself. Again, he was not consciously trying to heal the woman yet she was healed.

[Our presence produces something whether it be life or death. We are supposed to be 'The Church'. Before Christ, in the temple of the Lord was where God's presence was, scripture says we are now the temple of the Holy Ghost. We are the Church, the environment of God for healing, restoration, salvation, etc. When a person comes into our presence, they should be able to receive the fruits of the Spirit, healing, etc. Yet, what is our 'shadow' or 'presence' doing to others? Are we running them off, creating heavy unreasonable burdens? Are we sucking the life out of them? Are we scaring them? Are they having to tip toe around us? Do we tire them out with our negativity and doubt? Do we hammer them with self righteousness?

You see our presence is always producing consequences, whether good or bad. An adulterer produces adultery or causes someone to be tempted by them. A murderer may produce death to those in his presence, or draw the same heart out of another, encouraging them to do the same. My anxieties will cause grief and unrest in others. Do you see my point? What is your shadow doing? I'm sorry to say that my 'shadow' has made many messes where it passed over in the past, but thank God He gives us a future!]

At this point the Lord brought me to the story of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-40 coupled with the reference in Matthew Chapter 7.

I noticed some very distinguishing differences between the sheep and the goats. The goats defended there position of worthiness to Christ by all the wonderful works they did, such as casting out devils, etc. The sheep on the other hand were told by the Lord of their great works. How they clothed him when he was naked and how when he was hungry they fed him, etc. There reaction was entirely different from the goats. They said ,"When did we clothe you? When did we feed you?" Jesus said, "In as much as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it unto Me."

The point is, they weren't even conscious of their works. I believe their consciousness was set on staying in His presence, and the result was the fruit of the Spirit being produced everywhere they went. Scripture says signs and wonders follow those who believe. Jesus said, "I only do what I see my Father do and I only say what I hear Him say". By staying focused on the Father, Jesus was constantly producing good works. The holy presence of the sheep was a living and ongoing work of Christ in them. They abidied in the vine, seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all those things like, faith works, fruits of the Spirit, signs and wonders, etc., were added to them without it having to be a conscious effort.

The moment we make works, producing good fruit, taking the city, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, casting out devils, preaching, singing, taking back our nation, etc., the point of our worship, we corrupt the very works God meant for us to do.

Our existence in this world is meant to be immersed into His very presence, in total communion with Him. It is impossible to live this way and not produce fruit! What else could happen! We don't have to figure out how to win the world, we have to figure out how to live, move, and have our being in Him. This is why our worship times are so important, as well as our prayer and study times bringing the sweet communion with our Father. Then we will take the city if He wants us to and not even be conscious of the scope of His miraculous abilities in us that did it.

Charles Finney walked in the manifest presence of God in the early 1800's and people would begin to weep in his presence crying out for repentence without him even having to utter a word. This has happened with other believers. I believe by our faith, we can live in this way today--in the Shadow of the Almighty God!

What is your shadow doing?

It's Been Awhile!

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 16:42:00 +0000

Like the title says, "It's been awhile". I've been in a season where I decided to withdraw for a while. My heart has been in real need of some examination. It's all about motives. It seems that truth can roll off all our tongues so easily and as long as what we are saying is true, we excuse ourselves to say whatever we want. That's why I wanted to take some time to examine myself. You see I've learned it's the motive behind our words that make them blessing or curses.

For example, if we are telling someone about a situation or event that involves others, the content may be 100% accurate and still be motivated by a heart to gossip. Therefore, we didn't just release truth, we released a curse against someone for our own evil purpose. Another example of this is when we speak the truth in love to someone else about some flaw they may have. We say we are bringing truth to them for their good, but the truth is, they may be driving us up the wall and we are tired of how their 'flaw' is affecting us. Therefore we are bringing death into their lives creating a cursed condition over them. Our 'truth' that we are bringing can be entirely self motivated laced with the lie that we are doing them a great favor.

On the corporate level we must be careful how we get on our soapbox to proclaim the indisputable word of God. This too can be totally self motivated. I have personally heard the indisputable truth laced with frustration and anger. This is not the washing of the water of the word, it's a demonic spew from a bitter well. The vessel may be wounded and hurt, or just plain evil, the end result for the listener is the same. A cursed condition that leaves them blinded and confused.

For this reason I have been testing my motives. It's obvious that change in the body of Christ is necessary for the purpose of restoration, and revelation needs to be proclaimed. So let us all purpose in our hearts to release His truth propelled by His love. That we truly are releasing the washing of the water of His word.

Sound The Alarm!

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 18:54:00 +0000

At a time in Church history when we see the dawning of the Apostolic restoration, I've never seen so many who feel so displaced. I've seen many who are wounded or in sin, maybe both. I've seen others in some sort of funk, for lack of a better word.

These things I've described are designed by the enemy for the purpose of getting us to quit our fight of faith and lay down to die. I have found myself in this place from time to time. It's no accident. It is an unholy release against the Body of Christ in a demonic effort to thwart God's plan of restoration. What is the remedy for this condition? I believe God has given me some natural illustrations to convey His point.

I remember a movie from the 50's or 60's, that there was a recent remake of, about a police precinct that was under attack by what seemed to be an uncountable number of thugs. In the movie there was only one or two police officers and they were way outnumbered. Their only hope was to release the prisoners they were holding to assist them against the mob. Another movie I thought of was a war movie where the patients who were hospitalized had to come out and fight because of the size of the attack.

I don't know about you, but if I'm wounded spiritually, or even dealing with the chains of sin, I don't want to defend anything. A fight is the last thing I'm looking for. When it comes to the things of God, we just lay down and stay home. Our commitment levels are weaker and we find ways to get out from under the obligations of our gifts and callings that we are responsible for.

Think about it this way. Have you ever gone to work when you were sick? If someone there hurt your feelings, did you still go? If you were in college and you possibly had the flu and it was finals and there was no make up exam, would you take the test? If you were at home drunk out of your mind and possibly watching pornography, and a burglar made an attempt to break into your home, would you try to stop him. Would you try to protect your children from evil no matter what you were doing?

In these natural illustrations, it's so easy to see and know what decisions we would make if we found ourselves in those predicaments. Why is it when it concerns our roles and responsibilities in the realm of the Spirit that we are snookered into believing that if we are in these types of conditions, that we have no rights or ability to protect those who need protecting; to heal those who need healing; to love the unlovable; to release forgiveness? It's as if we think we no longer can stand before God and have lost our rights in the kingdom. Don't get me wrong, these types of situations do impair our abilities, but they do not excuse us from our responsibilities. A wounded soldier is not kicked out of the Army just because he or she is wounded. If a soldier is locked up in the stockade, he's still in the Army!

I believe God has allowed the Body of Christ to find ourselves in this condition because it will force us to look at our need for each other to successfully overcome the enemy. I believe it will cause those who will to rise up even from their weaknesses and chains to fight the good fight of faith again.

When all Hell breaks lose bad enough, it will literally take all of us rallying together to overcome the enemy.

It's time to charge the hill!

My Own Casualties

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Wed, 01 Jun 2005 14:09:00 +0000

I've been writing some very poignant postings about living honestly and the casualties that occur from not living life from the place inside, where God resides. I want to make some things clear about myself that I want to keep in front of you and me at all times.

I personally have failed so many times in the very areas of insight that I publish. I have left a lot of casualties in the field by my own selfishness and arrogance. I've hurt God and man many times, only to leave folks bloody and hurt. One reason that I have some of the insight that I'm writing about is because of God's mercy to reveal the flaws in myself to me and using all things for my good. (Rom.8:28) My hope is not to expose bad men's flaws, rather it is to expose the lies that have many good men deceived.

Even now I'm aware of sin that would try to work in my members to stop or thwart the plan of God. My point is, I have to walk out what I'm writing just like anyone else. We're all capable of, and probably guilty of failing each other and we must strive to cover each other with His love and mercy.

I ask for your prayers that humility will reign in my heart as I release what I believe God is speaking to this generation.

Ken Mullis

Don't Pee On My Leg And Tell Me It's Raining!

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Sun, 22 May 2005 01:34:00 +0000

I started writing this article about two weeks ago and I put it on hold for a while to test my motivation behind the message. Usually the process is simpler, but this particular article is the result of some events that I encountered recently that provoked a lot of different emotions. Although it is possible to 'be angry and sin not', I wanted to make sure that the underlying motivation is not anger, but truth in love. This particular subject triggered far more emotions than just anger.

I stopped by my Dad's the other day. He had been watching a popular reality television show that has this lady judge conducting court cases in front of a live studio audience. During some of the testimony, the judge perceived that the witness was lying. The judge stated to the witness, "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining." My dad thought that was a funny statement. He couldn't believe she said it on television! I found it to be humorous myself. I guess a judge hears and sees it all. After I left, I never dreamed how the Lord would use that statement to minister to me.

In the article I wrote called "Lying In The Name Of The Lord", I spoke of how some Christians get caught up in the power of suggestion or momentums that present certain actions as being the power of God manifesting, when in reality it's just a bit of showmanship that some of the Church has embraced. Again let me say that this is not always the case, but I do find it to be the rule in some circles. This article will address some other similar issues mainly from the ministry side of things that the other article didn't.

As I was driving down the road a few days ago, I began to hear, "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining". I kind of laughed and kept going. Again I'd hear, "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining". Still trying to ignore such a vile statement, I tried to think of other things and again I'd hear, "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining". I began to realize that this seemed to be coming from within. As I began to meditate on what I was hearing, I thought this presents a terrible mental picture. At this point I believe the Lord opened my eyes to see His purpose in this word picture. What I feel the Lord began to unfold to me was that this is a common defiling event that takes place meeting after meeting in some assemblies. And as vile as the statement is in the natural, it's even viler in the spirit realm.

In the article "Lying In The Name Of The Lord", I gave several scenarios' where some believers may be entering into events that may or may not be truthful, such as falling when hands are laid upon them or uncontrollable laughter. Again I'm not saying that these things can not happen. I'm saying that if some folks are doing these things apart from Gods power, it is dishonesty and it's defiling to the body of Christ just like any other sin is.

Unfortunately, anywhere the real is happening, there will be some who are not sincere in there actions.

We say we want restoration in the Church, but do we. How serious is God about honesty. Well, remember Ananias and Sapphira? They were not completely honest about their giving with Peter and they dropped dead at his feet. Peter said to them, "Why do you lie to the Holy Ghost?" You see scripture says a little leaven will spoil the whole bunch. Thank goodness for God's grace! I believe if Ananias had said forgive me instead of lying, he would have been fine. But he would not admit his sin, instead he denied the Spirit of Truth.

God created us 'the Church' to live out of our relationship with Him. Jesus said He only said what He heard the Father say, and that He did only what He saw the Father do. So as it was Jesus lived and walked out of His communion with the Father, so it is that we should walk out our lives in the same manner. It is then that we have great success. That is living from the 'Tree of Life', and it's simple. When we read scripture, it should be to bring us into the place of communion with God. It is from the place of communion that the nature of God is manifested in the Earth. Scripture says that all creation groans for the manifestation of the Sons of God. When we live out of our relationship with Him, the Son is manifested.

Now concerning ministers: I must say I can get totally disgusted with those who claim to be called of God who uses manipulation and showmanship for the purpose of looking spiritually superior or to control the innocent. Some church services equal or exceed the showmanship of a professional wrestling event better than Hollywood itself could do. And it's done in the name of the Lord. The sad truth is that many in leadership are deceived into believing they are doing God a service by these types of services. (Scripture says that in the last days they will kill you and think they are doing God a service!) Then you have other ministers who produce an unholy fear among believers so that they can control and manipulate them through their own concocted fear and intimidation, that they themselves produce, and they call it the fear of the Lord. That is no different than any other type of hyped up show and we're being told 'this is that that the prophet Joel spoke of.' We're told that this is the latter rain. Well, don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining!

We are supposed to be manifesting the presence of God to all with conviction and integrity. Not making men jump through the hoops of our own design that usually serve only to drive away yet another believer. These issues have been danced around enough. I'm not trying to touch God's anointed; I'm trying to touch hardened anesthetized hearts that go through the dead motions of religious hoopla over and over again. To touch the hearts of those who have been put under the control of devilish men for their own agendas. Look at the fruit! Look at the fruit! If you don't believe my word look at the fruit in their lives and see if there is a trail of casualties that repeats itself over and over. Many will read this and know that it's true deep in their hearts and still do nothing. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty! It's been years since some of you have experienced liberty. Sadly, some of you have deceived yourself that it really is raindrops falling on your head.

Jealousy, envy, ungodly competition, the quest for power, being seen as right at all cost, money, fame, looking spiritual, and the list goes on. This is just to name a few of the things that lead some to these ungodly heart conditions. Then there are the people who claim to be the victim of this or that who con you into giving them special privileges to be a jerk, and you get their mess spewed over you again and again all the while excusing them for it. Yea you have liberty all right!

So what's happening when we use manipulation and control out of our doctrine instead of leading out of our relationship with God? I'm glad you asked. People are defiled! The Word of God brings life when sown and received with open hearts to God, but when you have out of frustration or anger or any other fruit contrary to the Spirit of God, sown into others, you bring them death. That's right, scripture says the Law kills but the Spirit brings life. When you use scripture to justify yourself or control others for your own well being, or establish your kingdom, you are walking in a spirit contrary to Christ. What spirit is contrary to Christ? Perhaps that spirit would be Anti-Christ!

If we are not walking in close communion with God, we lend ourselves to be contrary to God! When we are in that condition, we are spreading death onto others.

I always wondered how the elect could be deceived by the Anti-Christ. Maybe this is how. We are so used to seeing and embracing lies and spiritual hype from the pulpits that we are already used to the flow of the spirit of Anti-Christ. We're used to people telling us that this is that the prophet Joel spoke of when in reality it maybe just their ability to raise motivational hype in the atmosphere. And they used the Word of God to do it. Not out of their relationship with Jesus but by their own abilities and gifting.

When ministers drum up the atmosphere with hype and call it God's outpouring, you just got peed on!

When those who call themselves prophets' stand up and try to tell you 'Thus saith the Lord' and there's no internal witness or fruit to what they are saying, you just got peed on!

When a minister uses control, manipulation, and scare tactics on you and tells you it's the fear of the Lord, you just got peed on!

Keep singing, "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" if you want to!

When a minister or any believer tells you they love you when in reality they don't really care about you, you just got peed on and you were basically being told that this is the love of God that was shed abroad in their hearts. Well don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.

I want to see the dead raised, the sick healed, the lost saved etc. and I believe we have seen this already to some extent and we will see a lot more in the future, but for now folks, let's get real, and manifest all that He allows through us as honestly as we can.

Spiritual Pride

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Mon, 16 May 2005 13:43:00 +0000

'Spiritual pride'; it seems to be the resounding word I've been getting. It's one of the easiest traps of the enemy to find ourselves caught in. I believe we're all guilty if we've been a believer for any amount of time. As soon as we find ourselves humbled, we quickly begin to be proud of our great humility. We are a proud people. If we give to the poor we're soon patting ourselves on the back. If we're laying down our lives we just feel warm fuzzy feelings all over. And imagine how righteous it feels to become a living sacrifice. Now we've really become something to adore!

I hope I'm not making your blood boil. My hope is that we simply laugh at how pathetic we humans can be at times and go on to where God is taking us. We might as well enjoy the transformation, but we do have to face facts. Are you willing to face these facts?

In the scripture it is outlined more than once that we should forgive each other in order for us to receive forgiveness from our Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 6:14) Most of us learn this early in our walk with Christ. However there is another place of danger that can bring judgment over us. In the book of John chapter 9 verses 39-41,

And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind." Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"
Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.

What was Jesus saying? If we say, "We know." our sin remains! What's that about?

You see, it's all about the heart. They were empowered by their position and knowledge. They believed they were spiritually superior to all others concerning the ways of God and the Law. And it was this arrogance that Jesus was confronting. How many of us who walk in what we believe to be cutting edge revelation could be guilty of the same sin. I have been guilty of this very sin before. Are we, 'the cutting edge revelators,' the Pharisees of tomorrow? Do we assume to know what churches are supposed to be doing? Do we snub our noses at those preachers who are still singing hymns and wearing ties? Do we shake our heads when we see remnants of the old wineskins?

We must judge ourselves here. Spiritual arrogance will not usher in the restored New Testament Church. No, it will only hinder our progress more only to wander a little longer in the desert.

We must stop building the church through this ungodly momentum. I wonder how many works have been established on this type of foundation already.

If you see that you are guilty here, repent and allow the Lord to expose these areas that seek to undermine you and ultimately destroy you.

God is truly refining us all!

Lying in the Name of the Lord

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 12:43:00 +0000

What's he going to say next? No born again believer would intentionally lie in the name of the Lord, would they? Well it depends on how you define intentionally. Join me and let's look at ourselves.

Before I go to deep, let me insert two disclaimers:

1) I'm not against any bonifide move of the Spirit of God. Whether it's laughing, crying, repenting, prophetic, apostolic, healing meetings, falling, jumping, quaking, shaking, you name it. If it's real, I'm for it!

2) The term honesty will be used several times in this posting. Honesty is of the Lord, however, the secret things of our hearts can not always be shared with everyone because some things could be overwhelming to someone who has not fully matured in Christ. There should be someone in your life that you can be honest with, like your Pastor, or a good friend, etc. The way the term honesty is used in this posting is in regard to our public actions and displays, or our heart before God.

With that said, let's jump in!

Have you ever been to a meeting where the preacher calls folks down for prayer and a long line forms? At this point the preacher begins to lay hands on folks and one after the other they begin to fall down. Uh oh, your next, what are you going to do? The pressure is on. You want to look as spiritual as the next guy, you don't want to offend the visiting preacher. You may even be afraid that if you don't fall you may be pointed out as someone who can't receive, so what are you going to do? You quickly look at your "What would Jesus do bracelet" for inspiration, but it's not working. What are you going to do? Probably what most everyone else does. ...You take the fall! You get up giving the appearance that a surge of the power of God overtook you in that moment and all the strength left your knees and you had to go down.

Have you ever done that? .....I have. I've heard it called a courtesy drop, you know, you don't want to offend the preacher or quench the Spirit for anyone else. I think we've thoroughly justified ourselves for all of our actions, but are we helping or hurting the kingdom? Does God really need our help to win them over with a little of our drama?

Here's another: At the end of a sermon of fire and brimstone everyone goes down to the altar where there's weeping and nashing of teeth. Cries of repentance are going up. People are laid out everywhere. This phenomenon occurs once or twice a week in some places. At first maybe you think, wow, these humble people love God, yet shortly you see that no one gets up changed, because three days later they have to do the same thing again, and again, and again. Their divorce rate is no different than anyone else's. Their children have the same issues everyone else's have. I think you see the pattern. If God is touching people at a level where altar services are required, sin would go into remission and peoples lives would be changed. The axe would be laid to the root. That's something that shouldn't have to be repeated bi-weekly or weekly.

This is another good one: Your at a meeting, suddenly laughter begins to break out. It starts in one corner and soon has spread over the whole congregation. People are all around you laughing with feverish intensity, and there you are. You don't feel a thing. You may get tickled looking at others laugh, but this intense uncontrollable laughter; you're just not feeling it. And you think, well maybe my heart is hard, what's wrong with me? Am I the only one who is feeling this way? Maybe you are, but maybe some of what you see is as fake as a three dollar bill.

What's really happening here? Are we helping others with these actions or hurting them? Are we making them feel self-conscious as if they are less spiritual. I believe we should be doing all we can to help people reach their spiritual potential believing that they truly are children of God.

So there it is. Are we lying in the name of Jesus for the same reason we would lie about everything else? What's that you ask? Self-preservation of course! Who else greater than ourselves are worthy of our lies. The nature of God that's alive on the inside of us doesn't need preserving by our great works of wisdom. No we are only attempting to preserve our carnal nature that was supposed to be crucified with Jesus when we were born again.

It's time to bring honesty back to the house of God. If you can't be honest, find a place where you can be. I've made a commitment not to perform anymore for any reason, and I hope I live up to that commitment. King David was considered by God to be a man after God's own heart. David made mistakes and he laid them out before God. He didn't hide a thing. Look at the psalms sometime. David's honesty before God is astonishing. Does this mean we shouldn't be radical for Jesus in our worship. Does this mean that God may not move on us in such a way that we may laugh, cry, lay prostrate and repent, or fall under His touch. He absolutely could, God is sovereign and He can do any of these things with anyone whose heart is turned to Him. To limit God would also be to perpetuate the lie that God doesn't move in Spirit and power among believers.

Let God be True and every man a liar. Just because everyone else is falling or laughing doesn't always mean that God would have you do that. There may be someone there whose faith would not fail them if they could see someone else who was not being moved like the rest of the crowd. We need to be secure in who we are in Christ. I would go further to say that some or many could be being touched by God, but I have to stay true to myself if I don't sense anything happening to me personally.

I have jumped through many hoops before designed by men in services that left me embarrassed and questioning Christianity. It's time to clean up our gatherings and wash these dishonest performances out of our midst.

To end, I would say, I hope you laugh, dance, shout, fall on your face in the deepest of repentance, cry, fall under His power, but most of all, love your brother enough to be honest in the gathering together of the saints no matter what.

Repentance: "Word De Jour"

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Sun, 10 Apr 2005 16:53:00 +0000

The subject that I'm examining today seems to be the focus of a lot of attention currently in several groups and assemblies.

Repentance; What is it? What does it mean? Traditionally, in most settings, we're told that it's something a person does when they turn away from their sin. That it's not an apology, but a change from one direction to another. It's also been taught that when we repent that we must go on, that we don't stay in the repentant state. Most people use Hebrews the sixth chapter where the writer says, and I paraphrase, "not laying again the same foundation of repentance from dead works..." It is true that the writer of Hebrews was saying that we should get to the place where the foundational stone of repentance from dead works should not have to be laid into our lives again, but what does that mean?

You see the writer of Hebrews says it's a foundational stone. If it's a foundational stone, that's something that is supposed to be set into place forever as part of our being. That the other aspects of our existence in Christ rest on this foundation. This stone should be an ever present 'essence' of our personality in Christ.

We're all crying out for the manifest presence of God to be revealed in us and our church homes. But what is the manifest presence of God? What does His presence contain? What are the ingredients?

Well I don't want to be so arrogant to 'assume' that I know the ingredients of His presence, but I think He gives us clues in scripture of His nature. For example, when the Prophet Isaiah saw God, he said that he, 'Isaiah', was a man of unclean lips. He felt terribly unclean in his own heart from being in the presence of an almighty God. Think about it. If we were truly standing in the presence of our awesome God do you think there would be a distinct desire to have a repentant heart because of the holiness, and greatness of God? Would we see how little we are in comparison? Would we sense how weak and vulnerable we are? Or, would we say, "Oh hello God it's You, we need to get on with business, you know time is short!" He would probably say, "Yes We do have some business to attend to!"

I will go further to say God's presence will bring many different reactions to different people depending on the heart of the individuals. The reason for this is because God's nature contains all the foundational stones that the writer of Hebrews was speaking of in the sixth chapter. His presence is of the full stature of all the foundational stones. I hear you saying, "If that were true, you're saying God would have to be repentant?" Well in the old testament, He did repent for His creation of mankind. Who did He repent to in this case? Himself. He took responsibility for our disobedience!

The foundational stones listed in Hebrews are, repentance from dead works, faith towards God, the laying on of hands, the doctrines of baptisms, the resurrection of the dead, and the eternal judgment. So we could say that God's presence contains 'life', 'baptisms of; repentance, Christ, His Spirit, fire, water', 'that He has a tangible presence that touches us', 'that His presence contains eternal judgment', and 'the power of the resurrection'. Wow.

I would deduct from this illustration that Gods presence could provoke a multitude of reactions. So w e don't move on from repentance as it's been taught in the past, it must become part of our nature. Just because you may have to repent again does not mean that you need to again have the foundation stone of repentance laid again in your life. It's when you think that you no longer need to have a repentant heart that the stone has to be laid again. It's when you say , "We know", that your sins are held against you!

To be repentant in our nature is our goal. It is the holy fear of displeasing God being made alive in our hearts, that will bear the fruit of repentance that others can eat from.

So we don't move on in the sense of forgetting repentance, instead we make it a foundational part of our lives.

Assumption

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Fri, 25 Mar 2005 16:32:00 +0000

This article was written two years ago and was given to a particular fellowship, however, I believe this word is relevant to the whole ‘Body of Christ’ for this hour. This was received from what I like to call an instant data dump from the Lord. As I recall, I wrote it as soon as I received it. This same word came up during a prophetic flow at Providence Church in Jesup this past Sunday.

Before you read further, take note that I believe the Bible to be the holy written word of God, and there are no exceptions to this fact. This posting is not to diminish or change the reality or importance of that fact. Nor do I believe this posting is asking the believer to do something contrary to scripture. I simply want the reader to catch the spirit of this word, not to diminish their faith in the written word, but to breathe life on them and increase their faith in the voice of God Himself resident on the inside of them!

Assumption
4-28-03

As I was on my way to intercessory prayer Monday morning I heard a word that the Lord has been saying to me for the last few weeks. Assumption. He began to show me how assumption was an ‘infiltrater’ of the enemy. Like the tare is to wheat, assumption is to true discernment from the Lord. Most often to date in the history of the church, assumption is mistaken for discernment.

It’s origins come from several mindsets, for example: Jesus healed three blind people three different ways. All were blind, but because He only did what he saw the Father do and say, He had diverse methods to bring about the desired results. The religious mindset would be to quote scripture perhaps and lay hands on all three the same way. Why? I’m glad you asked. Because we assume their conditions are all the same. We tend to lump people together because of what we see with out natural eye. I love things black and white. Our human nature tends to want to put everything in it’s place. It’s easy for me to function that way. It seems to be the way of simplicity. However, there are other colors on the wheel in the ‘Spirit Realm’ to be seen, and if we are connected in spirit to the living God, our vision can be vast without losing the simplicity God designed.

Anytime we sum anyone up we tend to go into this automatic function of ‘word and truth action’ rather than turning our hearts to God for His way. We try to establish the formula for success. Even when Paul was speaking to the church at Corinth about one being of Apollos or Paul he said can’t you see that your carnal when you divide off that way. Again that’s the human nature trying to put things in their place. We do it with people, fellowships, music, and we do it with biblical truth. You name it, and we want to label it. This is wrong and can cripple the move of the Spirit of God, both individually and corporately.

The root of these mindsets comes from walking in our own assumption and not using discernment. To walk in discernment causes us to depend on the Holy Ghost more for direction. This doesn’t mean that we don’t use knowledge. Scripture says we perish because of the lack of knowledge. This in itself is knowledge so of course knowledge is very important, but it’s the knowledge that flows from our communion with God. In other words, what flows as the result of our personal relationship with God.

According to scripture, many get sick and die young because they don’t discern the Body of Christ correctly. The very revelation that we receive from God can become our enemy if we began to assume things from the knowledge of the revelation and turn the revelation into another dead work. What would make the knowledge of God a dead work? When the revelation we use is from our own assumption that we know what is needed rather than keeping our ear turned to the Lord. Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, etc…

I also believe I heard the Lord say that this has to be exposed and stripped away before the new revelation can come forth. You would think the further down the levels of growth of an individual believer, the greater the amount of assumption that is walked in, however, this is the condition for most of the Body of Christ at large. Especially those who have been around a while and read all the books! A new Christian is more likely to be following close to God because they are experiencing their first love with God!

Another thing I heard was that any actions taken from the platform of assumption were spreading death throughout the body. The very best that it can be is the letter of the law. I also saw that these actions were manipulation. Though it’s not necessarily malicious, it works the same death through the body. No wonder we get sick and die young when most of the body flows in assumption rather than discernment.

People, entire moves of God, marriages, businesses, you name it, have all fallen prey to assumption or (summing up). It’s so important to be careful of flippant judgments and opinions towards others. We can create a literal prison around someone with our words.

Jesus came to set the captives free, what are we doing?

I believe assumption will be exposed over and over again until it is removed from our midst.

Ken Mullis

What is a dead work?

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 13:02:00 +0000

I think one of the most missed and basic revelations in the church today is the understanding of dead works. What are dead works and why do we need to know about them?

John the Baptist went about proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand and that all needed to repent and be baptized. What is it that we need to repent from? Most would say that we need to repent of our wickedness and turn from our sin. Is that all we need to do to be whole? I don't think so, if that was the case, we wouldn't need a savior to rescue us. It is true we need to turn away from wickedness but was that it? The purpose of repentance is to lay the ax to the root according to Luke 3:9. Luke 3:3 speaking of John the Baptist says,

"And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,..."

So we can say that this baptism of repentance produces a remission of sin in our lives. What is remission? When you think of someone with cancer and your told that their cancer is in remission, you are basically being told that the cancer is no longer active. Essentially it no longer has effect on their life! Wow, so let's do the math, when we truly turn away with our heart from our old ways,(repent), we are slaying that sinful nature that is at work in our members bringing about remission of that nature. Does this mean we can't be tempted? No, that's not what I'm saying, however, temptation is not sin. The reason I know this is because Jesus was tempted for forty days in the wilderness by Satan according to Luke 4:1-2. To be tempted means that you have to want what's been placed in front of you. You have to desire it. Jesus desired the things presented to Him by Satan, but He denied Himself those things. In the past I have equated these desires as sin in my own life, but unless the desire is perverted in some way by my vain desires, it's not sin! It's natural to desire certain things, God created us with desires. The enemy uses our own natural desires against us in the effort of creating vain imaginations and strongholds for the purpose of imprisoning us into a state of hopelessness. Vain imaginations are the result of entertaining our desires with elicit thoughts. Pornography has been one of the strongest weapons of the enemy because it corrupts the thought life into a constant meditation of sin and perversion creating a stronghold in us. But let's examine another clue in scripture to what can be a dead work.

Hebrews 6:1 list 'repentance from dead works' as one of the foundation stones that every believer must have operational in their lives to be successful in their walk with Jesus. So we're back to the question; What are dead works?

Dead works are simply any works that are useless and not birthed out of the love of God by the faith that He placed in our hearts.

There's a great story of a young newlywed couple. The young wife is preparing a leg of lamb. The husband notices her cutting the ends off the leg of lamb before putting it into the the large roasting pan. When he sees this, he asked, "Why are you cutting the ends off the leg of lamb"? She states, "That's the way my mother does it." The husband asked, "Why"? She replies, "I don't really know why she does it, let's ask her." So they asked the Mother why she cuts the ends off the leg of lamb, and she says, "That's the way my mother has always did it, I really don't know why." So the young wife goes to her grandmother and says, "Grandma, we were all wondering why do you cut the ends off the leg of lamb before you cook it?" The grandmother replies, "Because it won't fit into my pan if I don't cut the ends off!" You see, how often we can go into motion with no real purpose and we never ask why. That is a dead work, or a useless work.

Our lives can be full of these types of activities. How many things do we do that were passed down to us through the generations and we have no reason or purpose to account for them. The Church also has passed down many such habits. Jesus states in Mark 7:13 that it's the tradition of men that's handed down that makes the word of God of no effect and He further says many such things we do. Ouch! The sad thing is, if you ask why to some folks, you may be taken as rebellious. That's only because those very people put their security in the tradition that you are questioning rather than having their security in Christ where it should be. I believe that these are weights that Paul was saying we need to lay aside. Where is the scripture that says we should close our eyes when we pray? If I was in a room with believers and said, "Let us pray", everyone would bow their head. Why, because the tradition of bowing their heads and closing their eyes has been passed down from generation to generation. Am I against closing your eyes and bowing your heads, no, the act is not evil in itself. To some it means they are showing reverence and respect to God, but to others it may be just following the crowd like some domestic farm animal.

In John 5:39-40, Jesus tells the Jews at the tabernacle, "You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to me that you may have life."

Did you catch what He was saying? He was telling them that their searching of scriptures was a dead work because the scriptures were not leading them to come to Him that they might have life! How many of us have searched the scripture trying to find an answer to our problems? Instead we should let the scripture lead us to Him who is the answer and fulfillment of all revelation, whether it's finances, health, you name it. It is this heart that makes the scriptures come to life. The woman with the issue of blood pressed through the crowd to get to Him. She knew if she could touch Him, she would be made whole. When we search the scriptures, it is in this manner that we should read them, to get to Him! How many times I've read scripture thinking If I read enough and confessed them enough, I would be successful and my faith would increase. Who would have ever thought that even the way we approach reading the word of God could be a dead work. Scripture says that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Whether it's studying the word, or ministering the word of God, it has to be from one of two places; Either the heart that's alive due to an encounter with God, or a heart that's hungry for an encounter with Him, or both, that causes life to flow. That's a good work!

I don't care how much knowledge we think we have, if the sharing of our revelation is not out of the love shed abroad in our hearts, the very thing we are sharing can be a dead or corrupted work. We need to be careful that our gifts and callings are not operated from an angry or bitter place. You know Lucifer was referred to as the 'Anointed Cherub' in Ezekiel 28-14. Do you think that he uses the gifts and callings God gave him for himself? Absolutely, the whole 28th Chapter of Ezekiel articulates this fact. Being anointed or gifted does not mean that our works aren't capable of producing death.

One important point I want to bring is the one Jesus spoke to the Pharisee's and scribes when they asked Him in Mark 7:5 why His disciples didn't walk according to the tradition of the elders, and why they didn't wash their hands when they ate bread. Listen to His reply in Mark 7:6-8.

He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."

The Pharisee's and scribes were the leaders of their day in the Jewish faith. Jesus clearly disliked their dead works of holding to traditions of men that had been passed down through the generations. As was pointed out earlier, the traditions of men caused the word of God to lose it's effectiveness.

Are the traditions being passed down in today's church causing the word of God to lose it's effectiveness? We all have to ask this question. Paul states in Romans that our righteousness should surpass that of the Pharisee's and scribes, and as we saw in scripture Jesus held them accountable. Will He be different with us if He expects more from us?

I hope this answers the question of what dead works are. This crosses all lines of denominations, from the oldest and most established to those who believe they are on the cutting edge of ministry and operate in all kinds of gifts. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord,' have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me you who practice lawlessness!'

Selah

I believe it's safe to say that we need to know Him. We need an encounter with Jesus. I want to know Jesus.

Father I pray over everyone who receives this word as Your word to them. I include myself in this prayer, not because I want to look humble but because of the fear of the Lord I feel at this moment. Please forgive us all, as we turn from our sin and dead works and turn our hearts to You . Reveal yourself to us as we turn our hearts to You that You can say, "I know them, well done my good and faithful servant." I thank you for Your incredible love and mercy for those whose hearts are turned to You. In Your precious holy name, Jesus. Amen, Amen, Amen.

Who will say, "I'll follow Him"?

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Tue, 22 Mar 2005 12:51:00 +0000

I woke up this morning about 4:00 AM. This particular morning I began to pray and I started reflecting on my life. I'm forty-four years old and I'm approaching twenty-two years as a Christian. For half of my life, I've been a Christian. I would like to be able to tell you that I have left a legacy of successes but I can't. I've hit some homeruns but the truth is, I look back and see all the people I've hurt along the way. Countless people who thought I was someone they could trust or look up to, only to end up hurting them because of my carnality. I know, your thinking, he's probably not been that bad, but believe me, it's documented! This is not the legacy that I wanted to leave my family and friends. I say I want to be a witness, but do I really want that? What does it mean to be a witness of Christ? What does our Lord expect from us? The truth is, like so many others, instead of counting the cost, I've wanted to ignor the cost. These questions have to be answered in light of God's word. What is He asking of us?

Jesus is supposed to be our example, right? We all say we want to be Christlike. Let's take a look at what Jesus said concerning His own witness in the earth. He told fisherman to follow Him and He would make them fishers of men. When is the last time you said, "Hey, follow me and I will show you how to be Christlike." Jesus said in if you've seen Me, you've seen the Father! When's the last time you said that to anyone? Jesus said that He had living water to drink from and that you would not thirst again if you drank from it. Who would dare say that? I know your saying, that's Jesus and He was perfect. Okay then, Paul said, follow me follow Christ. How many of us would take that kind of responsibilty.

Christians in the Church today have been saying, don't look at me, look at Christ. I guess that's the best advice we can give if no one in the Church is giving anyone any reason to look at the Christ in them. If someone is saying "follow me", so often there's no humility and like the Pharisee's of old, it comes from a self righteous nature. But the scriptural pattern is, as a believer, we should be saying, look to me that I can lead you in the path of righteousness. Peter said at the gate beautiful to the lame man, and I paraphrase, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give to you, rise up and walk." What authority and boldness he had! It's referenced in the scriptures how the people marveled at the authority these men walked in.

We all say we want to be Christlike but we excuse ourselves from the footsteps that He chose. I have to admit, I've not wanted that 'monkey on my back'. Simply meaning, I don't want the responsibilty of laying down my life for someone else. It's another way of saying, I don't want to pick up my cross and follow Him daily. The truth is, this is our responsibility and we are already being held accountable in Him and will have to answer for what we've done on this earth with what we've been given.

I want to repent to you and to God for all for my failures in this area. If there has been anything that I've wanted to run from, it's this very thing. Thank God for His grace and patience at work in us all who believe in Him. Who among us will be the first to say, "I'll follow Him"?

A Spiritual Epidemic

noreply@blogger.com (Ken Mullis) — Wed, 09 Mar 2005 13:01:00 +0000

Hello,

Last night and this morning I've been thinking about what I've been seeing in my own life as well as across the Body of Christ at large. It may actually be a spiritual epidemic. What I'm about to describe is something that I myself am having to come to terms with. It has to do with revelation, calling, position, responsibility, and purpose, just to name a few.

I'm seeing a lot of frustration among the cutting edge revelators. Those who have seen glimpses of God's plans and purposes in the Church at large. Those who God has given the valid ability to see, in part, a finished condition that needs to be implemented into existence in the lives of believers as well as local assemblies. When they speak of what they see or know, it's often met with a real rejection. At this time a condition begins to develop. We begin to get angry at the leaders who reject us and so we begin to reject them and essentially become the very thing we accuse others of being. It happens all the time. What is the answer?

First let me say this, I don't know in fullness how to answer the question of restoration, but I do know what can wreck our chances of getting there. The answer comes down to maturity. If we really do have better revelation than our peers, we should actually have more patience. We should be more longsuffering and understanding of their blindness. We should exhibit more love and grace towards the obstinate. In other words we should be champions walking in the fruits of the Spirit. That is the litmus test for maturity, and it's not knowledge. A lot of folks mistake their knowledge for revelation. But the truth is, if your great knowledge causes you to be full of bitterness and anger towards others for any reason, you are a babe in Christ who can not walk in self-control. If you are in this condition, you are poison to the body of Christ and you need to repent. You have began to sow out of your own frustration, anger, and rejection, and you need to sit down. The abundance of your heart is an ungodly wrath of your own making. You have become the very thing you hated to begin with.

Sadly enough, this seems to be ever so common. I won't go so far as to say that this is the rule, but it's only because I don't have any way to measure the fullness of this condition worldwide. It's so common to see a blistering allegation coming from the "enlightened ones" towards some poor soul that's been faithful in ministry for fifty years that seemingly doesn't know anything. Most of the time, I never see a blistering reply coming back from those "ignorant old wineskins". They seem to just keep going along quietly staying on their course.

So I have to wonder, who are the mature ones? Another point Jesus made comes to mind in John 9:41 "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains."

I myself am of the groups that want to see the Church restored to the glorious state is was designed to be in. I too have suffered from rejection for what I believed God was showing me. I have felt the anger rise up in me and toted that garbage around a few blocks.

I will share something with you the Lord showed me, and I felt so silly when I saw it. I saw a master builder looking at a house that needed restoring. He was standing in front of the house and he was mad at it because of the shape it was in. He literally had an attitude with an old house that needed restoration. I thought how silly this seems, but the Lord showed me that this is the condition of many I've called to do this work. I was astounded and ashamed of my own heart.

You see the house got that way because of the storms it weathered. The long days of dryness. The humidity that brought the corruption of mold. Any of you ever felt kind of moldy? Have you ever suffered any of these things. Have you ever been in a condition that was eating away the foundation of your very being and remember the helplessness you felt during that time. It's because you are a living stone of this very building that needs restoration that you are able to relate. And soon as these enlightened ones get over being mad at you for being in that condition, they will bring healing and foundation to your life.

I've heard people often use the description that prophets are feisty and rise up in anger quicker than others. We're told it's because of that prophetic nature they walk in, but I tell you the truth, it's because of the immaturity that they walk in.

And they need to take heed to what's happening to them.

Scripture says, to who much is given, much is required. If you have been given a lot of knowledge, then you are required to be more loving, more patient, more etc...

Let us all rise up and walk in love and understanding of the times and be relevant to our generation.

Please receive this in love. It truly is in love that it was written.