The Inward Journey

By Douglas B. Clark

I have often wondered how it was possible that Cain and Abel could be brothers, yet so different from one another? How was it that one brother knew what was an appropriate sacrifice and the other did not? And what caused Cain to envy his brother to the point that it escalated to murder? How could two brothers be so contrary?

Cain was a worker of the earth; a tiller of the ground and Abel was a keeper of sheep. Cain offered a sacrifice from the fruit of the earth that God did not accept, while his brother, Abel, intuitively knew to offer a blood sacrifice even though there is no record of God requesting a blood sacrifice.

I am asking you to consider a new perspective regarding Cain and Abel. Instead of thinking of a story about two brothers, please consider this: There are two opposing forces that reside in the believer that are much like what is pictured in the story of Cain and Abel. We are born first into this earthly realm a living soul, and like Cain, we are workers of the earth and earth minded, disconnected from communion with our Creator and unable to discern the sacrifice God desires. Read the rest of this entry »

By Margaret Heinmiller

On Saturday morning, November 14th, 1970, I felt the hand of the Lord heavy upon me and remained quiet before Him for some time in the Word and in prayer. He gave me an open vision and I am writing it down on this 18th day of November as I feel there is depth of truth here that I must see with eyes and hear with my ears.

I saw our church filled with people for a morning worship service and I was standing on the steps of the platform with the pastor, but yet it was not the pastor. It was Jesus, and the words of this Scripture came to my ears, “And when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

He spoke and said to me, “Ask these people to tell you how they see Me.” I did as He said, and from the extreme right hand came a voice calling out, “I see Jesus as the Light.” Jesus said, “That is one who sat in darkness and now has seen the Light of the world.” Another voice closer to me called out, “I see Jesus as the Lamb of God.” Jesus said, “This is the centurion who stood at the cross and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.” Another voice called out, “I see Him as the Water of Life.” Jesus said, “She is the woman of Samaria who has come to the well, for she is thirsty.” Another voice said, “I see Him as the Shepherd.” Jesus said, “This is a sheep of the fold who needs to be watched and cared for.” Another called out and said, “I see Him as the Door.” Jesus said, “There is a sheep who is restless and searching for a more excellent way and a deeper walk.” Read the rest of this entry »

by Robert Burnell
( from Originally Published by Bethany House Publishers in 1980 )

The Journey

In my dream I see the lone figure of a man following a road. As the sun sets beneath the hills, a city comes into view. Nearing it, the traveler sees what appears to be a large group of churches. Spires and crosses pierce the skyline. His pace quickens. Is this his destination? He passes an imposing structure, a neon sign flashing “Cathedral of the Future.” Farther on a floodlit stadium supports a billboard boasting that a fifty thousand people crowd into evangelistic meetings there three nights a week. Beyond this, modest “New Testament” chapels and Hebrew Christian synagogues cluster together on the street front.

“Is this the City of God?” I heard the traveler ask a woman at the information booth in the central square.

“No this is Christian City, “she replies.

“But I thought this road led to the City of God!” He exclaims with great disappointment.

“That’s what we all thought when we arrived,” she answers, her tone sympathetic.

“This road continues up the mountain, doesn’t it?” He asks.

“I wouldn’t know, really,” she answers blankly. Read the rest of this entry »

Editors Note:
John and Dorothea Gardner published a paper for many years called: “Lamps Unto His Feet.” According to Dorothea, “Erasing The Slate” is one of the most important articles she has written in thirty years. It is a lengthy article that sheds light on the historic context of many Biblical prophesies.

As I have read the Bible I have found that the Holy Spirit applies many verses to the inner work that is taking place in us and I believe this spiritual fulfillment is the most important, for it is the fulfillment of God’s plan of the ages — a revealing and manifestation of Himself in His people. However, I have found that we often carry with us interpretations that we learned in the system that originated in the mind of man and not God. I believe that the Holy Spirit is extracting these systems of interpretation that rob us of the understanding of what God is revealing in each of our lives. For me personally, a lot of things that I heard from the Spirit over many years became much clearer.

I believe for those who have been apprehended by God that the book of Revelation is a map of our journey as Christ is revealed in us and overcomes the man of sin — the adamic nature that wars against the seed of God in us. However, for those first Christians who were alive while Jesus walked the earth in his physical body some of the book of Revelation may have had a very literal interpretation pertaining to what they were facing. Why does this even matter? Because traditional interpretations direct our attention away from what God is doing in us right now and causes us to focus on future events. Additionally, futurism takes spiritual truth of the Kingdom of God and turns it into a physical kingdom patterned after the kingdoms of this world where Jesus is the extreme dictator. If there is one kingdom principal that the Holy Spirit has burned into my heart it is that the KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN and the physical manifestation of His Kingdom will be the result of an inner work.

I ask you the reader to carefully consider what is presented in, “Erasing the Slate.” Some of you may be challenged by it. No one has all truth, though our understanding grows from experience to experience we are still looking through a glass darkly. Perhaps there may be something here that the Holy Spirit will apply to your understanding. Ultimately we must each walk in the truth that God has revealed to us.

DBC

Erasing The Slate
by Dorothea Gardner

Back in Daniel chapter 10 we read of a great revelation which came to the prophet Daniel while in the Babylonian captivity. Dan. 10:1 tells us:

“In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel whose name was called Belteshazzar. And the thing was true, but the time appointed was long; and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision,”

Then in this chapter Daniel goes on to relate how he came to under¬stand the vision. The man clothed in linen (Ezek. chapter 9) appeared to him telling Daniel why he came:

“Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days. For yet the vision is for many days.” (vs. 14)

And the vision obviously was not anything pleasant as we see from Daniel’s reply to his visitor, for he said, “0 my lord, by the vision my sorrows (pain, pangs) are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. ”

And when he actually saw the vision, Daniel said:

“And I Daniel alone saw the vision. For the men that were with me saw not the vision, but a great quaking fell upon them so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision and there remained no strength in me. For my comeliness (vigor) was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.“ (vs. 7,8)

Daniel obviously had a vision of the holocaust of 70 AD at the fall of Jerusalem. No wonder it made him ill! Read the rest of this entry »

Prophesy Pertaining The Coming Move of the Spirit
Received in February 2006

When Paul said, “the invisible things of God are hidden in the visible things around us I always thought of the examples in nature, but the other day I received this:

What we see happening in the natural is also happening in the Spirit.

As God pours out His Spirit we will see a new type of ministry (vehicle) birthed. The gas-guzzler-sport-utility type of vehicles that run on fossil fuel, (the energy of the flesh, i.e. money and self-promotion) is being replaced by smaller, energy efficient vehicles, (new ministry.) We see in the natural a trend toward hybrid engines that are less dependent on fossil fuel; the same is true of the anointed ministry God is raising up at this time.
Read the rest of this entry »