Africa ARISE! ☼

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, 

 and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 

See, darkness covers the earth and

thick darkness is over the peoples,

but the Lord rises upon you 

and His glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn." 

(Isaiah 60:1-3)

REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE

Introduction: Hey BSU :) For my introduction story (who am I? and why did I wait this long to share this message with you guys?) go to the previous post. So last summer I did this post called REAL Identity  ... So basically... my story parallels that of The Lion King... due to some past experiences I became insecure in my identity and I "ran away from home" (I stopped being myself/expressing myself. I became depressed) and into a foreign land where I met "different animals, Timon and Pumba" (I came to America. And at UCSB I joined InterVarsity, a multi-ethnic Christian fellowship) and in the foreign land I learnt different things through my experiences with the different people I was interacting with and God was also trying to make me face my insecurities and to remember my identity. So I finally gave up running away from home; I gave up hiding my brokenness when I couldn't take it anymore. And when I gave up God stepped in and set me free (post: Pre-Fall Leaders Retreat). He revived me with His Spirit. He set me free to be myself again and to use my voice. It was 'Rise & Shine' Time coz my Light had arrived. Ok I'll pick it up from there but if you want the rest of the story (without the metaphors lol) go to the intro post... But the reason I am sharing this is because it's not just my story, it's our story. God wanted me to share this coz Simba's story parallels the story of people of African descent in the motherland and in the diaspora; not just in our history but in our present and near future. Our destiny. I already shared all this in the REAL Identity post and in detail so check that out. You can start from the section: "BEHOLD! A New Thing! God's "Affirmative Action" Plan for Racial Reconciliation, Unity, Christ Supremacy, His Glory". This post is more like a follow-up of that post- Filling you in on how the things God gave me to share have been unfolding over the months and what's coming next.

So yeah, welcome to my journal. This post includes the following sections:

• Looks like the Winds are changing- Season change. The dawn of a new era.
• Arise, shine for your light has come- Advocacy & Activism for equality & unity
• Update on African forerunners- Kenya, Ethiopia, other countries.
• We are the revolution- My personal experience & observations from the UCSB BSU & ABC Conference.
• Real Identity & Real Purpose- Dry Bones in our midst (tribe of Judah) & the Lion of the tribe of Judah's plans for the near future. 
• Application: PREPARE THE WAY! Sing a NEW Song =)
• (Ok so I'm tired of blogging so if none of this makes sense then just hit me up and we can talk about it :-)

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"LOOKS LIKE THE WINDS ARE CHANGING"- Simba

My friends in Africa, can you feel it? My friends in Kenya can you see the signs?? Maybe on TV shows like "Changing Times" ... But can you hear it?? Maybe in bands like "A DAWN AGE", Maybe in the songs like Esther Wahome's "Mambo Yanabadilika" (Things are changing). Maybe in the church Mavuno (Harvest) Mission: "Turning Ordinary People Into Fearless Influencers Of Society." America can you see the visions?... When the movie 42 came out Wisdom was like, "Why is that, all of a sudden, people are making movies of black people (and black History)?" Well they're just trying to pass a message; tryna give you the news... For real, we don't need to get too prophetic on this... let's open our eyes! :) I can see it all over your facebook pages. So what's the message that's being transmitted? Times are changing for us. It's about that time. Like in the story of Joseph things are turning around for us .....

Can you U C, SB? I saw many more signs last Winter quarter. I was taking 2 Black Studies classes: Africa in Film and The Sociology of the Black Experience. I chose my classes randomly but later I realized that it was God who directed me there. He was making me face the burden that's on my heart... It was sad hearing about and watching how black people were treated during slavery / colonialism days and even "After Freedom" (one of the books we read). Many times I would leave my film class in tears. The claimed goal of the colonialist was to make Africans "civilized." They wanted to bring light to the "dark continent" so they came to bring infrastructure, western education and medicine, and The Bible.... but also tons of degradation, exploitation and oppression and many problems sprouted out of that, problems we can still see today. (I'm just keeping it real)

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"Thick Darkness is Over The Peoples"

But then things are shifting... I highlighted The Bible... There's a quote by Desmond Tutu, "When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said, 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.” If you look at the church in Europe this is crystal clear. Look up the stats. And then we have America... Oh America... Daniel prophesied about this nation in Daniel 2, "a fourth kingdom... a divided kingdom (disunity)... partly strong and partly brittle... so the people will be a mixture (multi-ethnicity) and will not remain united"
(Please read the Real Identity post for further explanation and also or just keep reading and things should make sense by the end if not refer to those posts or talk to me). So when God revived me at the Prefall leaders retreat, He also woke me up to the times we are living in. We are living in the 4th Kingdom and here's another description from 2 Timothy 3: 1-9. Read the whole thing but I'll highlight these:"Mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days: People will be... without love, unforgiving, slanderous, having a form of godliness but denying its power." That's how thick the darkness is. It has penetrated into the church. So I'm not saying that entire Western Church is faithless and doesn't read the Bible, that's not what Desmond Tutu is saying either, but I'm saying that the culture has influenced the church. "The Church has lost its view of the majesty of God. We must begin to magnify God instead of magnifying our problems. John Kilpatrick sounds the call for the Church to elevate its view of the powerful God we serve." -John Kilpatrick org.

The church  has lost it's view of God's Majesty: His Love, Justice, Righteousness and Holiness. And what's God to do during such terrible times? Yes He's going to act. He has to. He promises that He will not just shake the foundations of the earth but also the heavens (Hebrews 12:26) And He is raising up an army as well. Daniel saw something else..."In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.” (Read on for explanation)

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"Arise! Shine! for your Light has come!"

So yeah "thick darkness is over the peoples" refers to the amount of evil in these last days (-> Check out the Kingdom Come Down post for more info about the times we're living in) but it also refers to ignorance-> ignorance of the problems in our world and their depth (up to spiritual roots) and ignorance of the solutions to lasting change (including the weapons of spiritual warfare) post: BEHOLD.  And I just realized that was one of the prophesies people received at the Pre- Fall Leaders retreat. I wrote about it in the post: Let there be Light! But yeah like I said times are changing... Many people got visions about revival happening at UCSB and the staff shared with us Kathryn Khulman's prophecy in the 70's that one day a great awakening would come out of Santa Barbara and would spread to the whole world.

Sons and daughters of Africa and in the diaspora. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Rise up in all the gifts that God has blessed you with. For they are for a reason: For His Kingdom!! For a season: For such a time as this!!! What are these gifts?

• God has blessed us with voices. "He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver." (Isaiah 49: 2) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.... Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1: 5,9,10) "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." (Proverbs 31: 8-9) 
• He has blessed us with musical and artistic gifts- More about that in the next sections. And also watch this video which I also posted in the Real Identity post : The prophetic destiny of the Black Community
• For such a time as this? We are living in the 4th Kingdom from Daniel's interpretation of the prophecy in Daniel 2. It's a time marked by multi-ethnicity and disunity. But God is doing a New Thing... He is making all things new. We are in a season of revival, reconciliation and restoration. So He first uses prophetic voices to make known the disunity and call out systems of injustice and also to break down spiritual strongholds to pave the way for equality and unity... to pave the way for the soon returning Messiah.  Yep :)

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Update on African Forerunners

In the posts Prepare The Way God was teaching me the importance of worship (singing, dancing, playing instruments) in a season of renewal and revival. In Real Identity, God told me "We are in a battle and God is preparing His people to be an army to fight and to stand firm and have victory. But "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." (2 Corinthians 10: 4) What are these weapons? Singing, dancing, praising, praying, fasting and proclaiming the Word of God and lifting His Name high."

And looking back this past year and before that, I can see how Kenya has been modeling that. The youth has risen up in their artistic gifts in proclaiming The King and His Kingdom unashamedly. Christian music (of different genres) is just as popular as secular music. Kenyan artists have been collaborating with other East African artists and in other parts of Africa as well (Check out: Cleaning The Airwaves) During the election season, the youth have been using their artistic gifts to promote peace and unity. And when God sent warning of judgements coming on the land due to lack of repentance I saw the country, including it's youth wage war against the darkness with weapons of spiritual warfare (prayer, fasting, "Keshas"= prayer & worship all-nighters). And it culminated in a day of National repentance which included the leaders of the country. 

Kevin Mirasi, a prophet in Kenya said, "How beautiful it is when the people of a nation gathers together and humble themselves before The LORD and embrace absolute Repentance!!!"..."The LORD showed me the very very extreme differences amongst different groups of Kenyan citizens. And The LORD showed me the very serious effort that needs to be done to bridge a reconciliation so that peace, love and unity prevails in Kenya, so that Kenya can move forward with unity of purpose.  The good news is that in that very mighty revelation of The LORD, I saw reconciliation actually happening amongst different groups of Kenyans Citizens." -(Kevin Mirasi's blog) Kevin Mirasi also noted that God has been using Kenyans to communicate His messages to the nations across the earth. I wondered why and I think it's because of the example that Kenya has set for the world when it comes to waging war using spiritual weapons- even the youth! So my brothers and sisters in Kenya keep it up! Yeah I know Kenya has a long way to go as a nation but it has also come along way. Anyway, moving on...

My friend, Esther Chengo, posted this on facebook the other day and it gave me more confirmation and encouragement. Can you hear how the winds are changing for the purpose of unity, Christ Supremacy and God's Glory? And what's the secret to change? Listening to our Creator (finding our identity in Him) and using our gifts to bring Him praise. Tis exciting!! =)

After I watched it I felt like God was encouraging me to finish this post; to send this message to you guys. Also it reminded me of a message my friend, Mekdime Belachew sent me last year after she read my REAL Identity post: "Wow that was quite an intense blog you wrote there... its funny that you talk about revival and revolution when that is precisely the message that we're receiving on this side too... we had our third annual summer camp "fusion" which interestingly enough was put together by its creator from a desire to see unity and oneness in Christ... fusion = unity...another one of the recurring themes in your blog... anyways on one of the nights during camp this leader/pastor prophesied over us declaring that there is an army rising up and that the youth of this generation...we are that army... this theme is running through eastern and western Canada and even in Ethiopia and other countries... there is definetely a revival about to happen and war is about to go down... we even talked about identity during camp and even during the services leading to camp... this is definitely a big thing..."
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WE ARE THE REVOLUTION!

"Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice... He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; He will crush the oppressor... All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him. For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight... All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed. Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to His glorious name for ever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen." (Psalm 72)

So in the Real Identity post I shared how God kept telling me, "Remember who you are" and "Be yourself." He was reminding me that He has created me with weapons of spiritual warfare so He wanted me to rise up and use them together with the fellowship as the solution to the many problems we were facing. But in trying to do so I faced so much opposition from those in authority ( InterVarsity Staff) yet all I was doing was telling people to come together and pray, worship and to care for each other, to be real friends; God's family. (At first I just told the Staff but they would be no application so God told me to pass on the message myself) But I kept facing opposition. This brought discouragement and it really troubled me and when I went to God about it He showed me what was going on through His Word. He showed me that He was using me like He would the prophets in the Bible, to send a message to the shepherds/teachers; to be an agent of change but the shepherds were resisting the change since they wanted to stick to the old routine. So yeah God was telling me not to take the opposition and rejection personally and He also kept telling me that I needed to call out the authority for not listening to Him as a rebuke to them and a warning to everyone else. I didn't at first coz I knew how they'd take it. I was waiting and hoping to see change but things just got worse so at the end of the year I finally called them out and when nothing changed still God told me to make it public. It was summer so I did that through these blog posts: Who Cares?, Colors of the Wind, Let My people Go!, Are you comfortable yet?, Advocacy, What is the church?

So yeah, through my experience God was just revealing more of my identity to me. I'm a revolutionary/reformer. He had called me to be a defender of the oppressed and lovers must be fighters (fighting for equality and freedom). God speaks to me randomly lol so that summer I heard Him speak to me more about my identity and giftings through this song, the theme song from the Shaka Zulu show we used to watch a long time ago in Kenya. Oh yeah, and the Psalm 72 scripture was a Word that Lissah had received for me at the Prefall Leaders retreat when we were doing listening prayer and looking back, it's pretty descriptive of what God was trying to do through me that year (read the above posts for more info).

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UCSB BSU and ABC CONFERENCE

So after I did what God told me to do (expose the disunity and inequalities in the fellowship) I knew it would lead to me being misunderstood and rejected, God had told me that would happen but He also said there would be unity in the end (post: Waging War). So it was all about timing. Yeah I didn't get that part... His timing. So during the "waiting period" He was actually re-directing me elsewhere and I finally got it at the end of Fall '12. He was trying to direct me to re-unite with the black community on campus because: "There can be no black-white unity until there is first some black unity.... We cannot think of uniting with others, until after we have first united among ourselves. We cannot think of being acceptable to others until we have first proven acceptable to ourselves. -Malcolm X (I saw that quote posted on the BSU wall during Kwanzaa.) So I finally got what God had been trying to tell me for a long time post: Hair Revival.

So yeah, in the Winter (since I finally got the memo) I became more involved with the Black community on campus and once I got there it was cool seeing the fire they had for the stuff that was on my heart; how open they were with exposing and confronting problems we face within our community and in this society and especially how passionate they were about taking steps to make changes. That was cool but there was a problem... with me. Yeah I felt like that's where God wanted me to be but I felt bad that I had waited until my last quarter (what I thought was my last quarter) to make more friends in the black community. There's a quote by Socrates, "The Secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but building the new." I felt like I had wasted so much time and energy fighting the old (trying to defend myself; trying to make people understand me and what God had told me to do) instead of just moving forward with the people who were passionate about moving forward. So yeah at that point I was just tired and full of emotion but I held back so I returned to my passive state.

Anyway, I ended up going to the Afrikan Black Coalition (ABC) Conference at UC San Diego. The theme was "Reclaiming Black Identity, Power & Politics." The Conference was Amazing and I was blown away by all the Confirmation I received.

• Redemption Song: On the second day of the conference, Salih Muhammad, a student from UC Berkeley gave a speech. Unfortunately, I don't have my notebook on me so I can't share the quotes I took down but it was a really lively speech that made me want to stand up and shout Amen! I wanted to record it- should have. Basically, what stirred me up was his fervent call for the black community to "Lift every voice and sing" their redemption song. He quoted Bob Marley's Redemption song,"Won't you help to sing This songs of freedom- 'Cause all I ever have: Redemption songs; Redemption songs; Redemption songs."
• Identity & Purpose: On the next day Dr. Stara Lewis gave an amazing speech that really stunned me coz most of the things she was sharing were things God had been teaching me during my time at UCSB. She begun with a spoken word piece about blackness. She said that we have been miseducated. We have let the society defines us but we need to reclaim our black identity. Who we really are. She called us out saying that we dislike the negative image that media (music and entertainment industry) portrays of our identity yet we are among the consumers of such. She also noted how we have conformed with the times and society we live in to our detriment at times. For example, we constantly surround ourselves with noise which reduces our ability to see each other and to hear the sounds of the universe... the voice of our Creator, our God. (Yes she said that).  She asked us what we were doing in college. To get a degree, get a good job, have lots of money, have a family then die? Is that the purpose of our life? She asked us the question: "Who you be?" (We need to define ourselves not by what we do but who we are) and "Are you majoring in your purpose?"She challenged us not to ignore the gifts and talents that God created us with. Here are some of her quotes that Jamil recorded: 

1. "If blacks are mis-educated then we all are because we are all receiving the same education."
2. " Education is you, discovering you."
3. "We can't make it if we all don't make it"- A call for unity within the black community.
4. "How does a divine original compare themselves to others? We shouldn't judge others."
5. "We are the universe. Every choice we make we are exercising power and power is freedom."
6. "We've been programmed to chase the things that are not in our best interest. Let's take back control."
7. "People who know who they are cannot be contained, controlled or destroyed."

• Reformation: There were different workshops and they all had to do with reforming the various sectors of our society for example: education, healthcare, politics, etc. I went to the Education Workshop and it reminded me (along with Dr. Stara Lewis' talk) of the Reforming the American System, Reforming Education blog series I posted in 2011. The workshop exposed inequalities within the education system which leaves minority students at a disadvantage (unequal access to opportunities). The speakers also said something like, "You need to heal the soul in order to educate the whole person" -referring to the constant stress many black students are under due to their backgrounds (family problems and responsibilities, violent neighborhoods...) which then affects performance in school.
• Spirituality & Revival: I went to Destiny Iwouma's workshop which added the cherry on top of all the confirmation I was receiving. We watched the Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus spoken word by Jefferson Bethke. Destiny posed the question, "What is black spirituality?" Then we proceeded into discussion. Through the discussion it was clear to see what had been going on within many of us... a spiritual revolution. People were dissatisfied with religion (following a bunch of rules and traditions out of routine) and hungry for the real deal (a relationship with Jesus which transforms and empowers us to live and to love like He did). Many people shared their struggles and testimonies. I shared my spiritual journey here at college (post: REMEMBER). Some of the answers I remember for the question that was raised (What is black spirituality?) include: Loving God and others, Creativity, Music (worship through song, dance and other artistic expressions). On Sunday morning I went to another workshop that was geared towards christian leaders. They posed the question, "What is revival?"since as black students we tend to take on to much since we like to lead, we like to serve. Then we discussed ways that we get revived. The main ones were: reading God's Word and listening to worship music. Do you see where this is going? Can you connect the dots? (You can watch this video -> The prophetic destiny of the Black Community that I posted in the Real Identity post)

***UCSB BSU ACTIVISM: The confirmation didn't stop after the ABC Conference. It kept increasing. Like I said in the Real Identiy post, God was calling the black community to lead a revolution- I could see that from my own experience with InterVarsity, from the ABC Conference and then with UCSB's Black Student Union- they formulated a petition demanding institutional changes. I had the privilege of joining the demands team in their meeting with the Chancellor and some professors. The meeting went really well and most of the demands were approved and are yet to be implemented." Check out these links for what's been going on at UCSB and other campuses: Black Student Organizing at UCSB "Black Students Demand Institutional Changes" The War on African American Culture Hits College Campuses, Black Unity Group Seeks to Educate about Race Relations

After our meeting with the Chancellor, Jazmin posted a picture of herself with this comment: "#letschangetheworld #BSU #UCSB as long as I got mah #suitandtie leaving my mark on this campus! Before I leave they gon know I was here. "I found it funny that she said that coz I had been working on the video below and that's one of the lyrics: "They'll remember we were here." So yeah, check out the video below for the summary of my observations from this section. And you might be in it! ;)

So yeah we've already strarted something but I was wondering are you ready for the next step? Do you even know who you are?... I don't know about you but I've been ready.... I WAS BORN FOR THIS!! Haha =)

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REAL IDENTITY. REAL PURPOSE. SING A NEW SONG!!

Jesus is alive and He's coming back sooner than you think!

“Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until He to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be His. He will tether his donkey to a vine, His colt to the choicest branch; He will wash his garments in wine, His robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, His teeth whiter than milk."(Genesis 49: 8-12)

Who is this King of Glory? His Name is Jesus =)

Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength?
“It is I, proclaiming victory, mighty to save.”
Why are your garments red,
like those of one treading the winepress?
“I have trodden the winepress alone;
from the nations no one was with me.
I trampled them in my anger
and trod them down in my wrath;
their blood spattered my garments,
and I stained all my clothing.
It was for me the day of vengeance;
the year for me to redeem had come.
I looked, but there was no one to help,
I was appalled that no one gave support;
so my own arm achieved salvation for me,
and my own wrath sustained me.
I trampled the nations in my anger;
in my wrath I made them drunk
and poured their blood on the ground.”
(Isaiah 60: 1-6)

So in the beginning I said that the black community shares the same story as that of Joseph but to be more accurate it is the story of Judah (his descendants) in the last days. Judah was one of Joseph's brothers who sold him into slavery. Though Joseph was despised by his brothers coz of their jealousy, God perserved his life and raised him up as a powerful leader in Egypt (second to Pharoah) and his brothers bowed down to him like Joseph saw in his dream. But in Genesis 49, their father Jacob blessed his sons and prophesied over their future (the future of their descendants) before he died. Jacob said that Judah would receive praise from his brothers, but like Joseph's story, trials come before honor and praise. {I'm not saying all black people have Hebrew blood. I'm sharing what God revealed to me... that it's in our midst... read more in the Real Identity post}

And what an honor it is to prepare the way for The Redeemer, Jesus, The Just One, who is coming back as a lion to bring justice. What an honor it is to roar at the systems of injustice, to speak up on behalf of the oppressed and to call for repentance (change) for the sake of unity (equality leading up to unity), Christ Supremacy and God's Glory.

Black community, do you see the bigger picture now? Do you see what you have been doing, or rather, what God has been doing through you? I'm telling you it is a great honor. But I was wondering... are you willing to go all the way with this revolution? Coz it aint over until it's over. Do you want to change the system, to change the world? Do you?? Then are you aware of the depth of the mess this world is in? Are you?? Really??? Coz I'm telling you the problems run deeper than systemic issues... Are you ready for this -> REVOLUTION! <- {I expose the depth of the mess: America's Real Identity, Upcoming Deception & Delusions, and I share the significance of this year: the day of God's vengeance (upcoming judgement)} I don't think you're ready for that so don't even read that post and you might as well skip this next section and go to the application coz READY OR NOT and BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT'S TIME TO BE PREPARED. IT'S TIME TO PREPARE THE WAY!!! =D

If we want to see true and lasting change then we must yank out the roots. We must attack the spiritual strongholds. Do you get me?? Really?? The weapon of choice: A NEW SONG!! "Won't you help to sing This songs of freedom- 'Cause all I ever have: Redemption songs; Redemption songs; Redemption songs."

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SOON & VERY SOON!!

Jesus is coming back soon (2nd coming- As a Lion. To reign as The King of Kings) but His 1.5 coming (His appearance in the sky and rapture- The Coming of The Heavenly Bridegroom for His set-apart bride) is soon and very soon!!! Believe it or not it's this year!! Read on... I know may have lost most of you when I said the rapture is this year... I know it sounds crazy. I wouldn't have believed it either until God told me Himself and He gave me tons of confirmation from many different sources. No He didn't give me a date! That's just nuts coz the Bible says that no one knows the day or the hour but He did tell me that this is the season. This is the year. First thing He told me that this is "The year of the Lord's Favor and the Day of Vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 62:1) -This was during 2012 and He showed me that 12 signifies perfection of government. (And He later told me that the "2012" prophecies He gave me refer to the Hebrew year that started in September so it overlaps into 2013)

There are 2 kingdoms: The Kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God. The government of the world (heavily influenced hence secretly ruled by the devil) will be perfected once the anti-christ comes forth and the whole world comes under his leadership- New World Order (His identity has already been revealed. Post: The Beast and The Big boys). And the government of the Kingdom of God is made perfect when the King appears and perfects His bride (His faithful followers)- We are in His government so He will empower us by filling us more of His glory. His Spirit of power and Love. And there's more... So the rapture is not what most people think it is. God has revealed this mystery to His servants through His Spirit and His Word. So yeah, God told me that the rapture is not just going to heaven and living there forever- yeah some people will like the ones that are already dead, kids and maybe others but the remnant of us will be transformed. Yes we will go to heaven for a wedding banquet but also our bodies will be made new and we will come back to earth during the Great Tribulation (A time of distress- God's judgements and the anti-christ's horrid reign) to preach the coming Kingdom of God in power. We will do miracles! It's gonna be exciting!! More details about the rapture:  To be human again. I have more posts in my drafts I haven't yet shared but since you may not like reading, I posted confirmation links you can watch in that post and here's another one that I ran into yesterday: Your Soon Depature.

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APPLICATION: PREPARE THE WAY!

TAKE YOUR POSITIONS! LEAD THE WORSHIP MOVEMENT!

SING A NEW SONG!

SING! RAP! Drop that beat!

MAKE MUSIC FOR THE KING!

PREACH! SPEAK THAT WORD!

SAY HIS NAME! SAY HIS NAME!

JUST DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!

PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!

PRAISE HIM! GIVE THANKS!

RESTORATION IS COMING!!! :D
REDEMPTION!! VICTORY!!! :D :D :D

(2 Chronicles 20)

14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly. 15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”

18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. 19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. 20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever.” 22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23 The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. 26 On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Berakah ("praise") to this day. 27 Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lyres and trumpets. 29 The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30 And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

It's funny that during last quarter's  Gospel Choir concert, Pastor Victor Bell read this passage right before we sung the song. "Break every chain! There's an army rising up to break every chain!" Coz that's the vision God's been giving me over and over again. DO YOU WANT TO SEE PRISONS BREAK OPEN??? I DARE YOU TO SING A NEW SONG! LET'S DO THIS!! :D Posts: Sow in tears -> Reap in Joy!, PRIDE ROCK, PRISON BREAK!, Hair Revival

 Let God Arise! Let the darkness flee before Him! We're gonna shake heaven as we exalt God with our music! I'm serious!! If you think I'm nuts you don't have to believe me until we do this (come together and worship) and you'll see for yourself. I like what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power."I'm telling you God will show us His glory I'm sure of it and don't tell me otherwise until we do our end of the deal, come together and worship! WE'RE GONNA SHAKE HEAVEN! Let's RECLAIM THE MUSIC FOR THE KINGDOM!  And watch strongholds fall down! :D

Do the heaven shake! "The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly."(Isaiah 60:22)

So let's prepare the way using our voices and all the gifts that God has blessed with!... But first let us prepare our hearts. Let us let The King of Glory in! Let us seek Him with all of our heart, all of our hurt. He wants it all! Let's just approach Him as we are. With all of our burdens and all of the Praise. It may be hard to let go. So much stuff may be holding us back. For me it was a sense of shame, unworthiness, hopelessness and even unbelief. But God told me it's not about me and my power (or lack of it); freedom doesn't hinge upon my strength (or lack thereof) or what I've done. It's all about who He is and How powerful He is over all the chains that are holding us down. (post: Quick Testimony: Freedom!) So He just wants us to praise Him haha! Just thank Him for you are His child. Thank Him for His unfailing Love for You. Just praise Him for His Power, His Faithfulness, Mercy and Grace. Hahaha! Let's just worship Him! :D

This is a video I made last summer as part of the Real Identity post. You might be in it ;) You may not know me. And I don't know most of you that well but believe it or not, I really care. And most importantly GOD CARES about us!! I'm just a messenger. Be blessed! Love, Charlene :-)

"During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king. ” (Daniel 2: 20-23)

*Feel free to hit me up if you wanna talk about this.

*More practicals coming soon! :-)

KINGDOM COME DOWN! =)

Hey all :-) I'd like to awaken you to the times we are living in and quickly going into: The End of the age. The Dawn of a New Era.  This post includes: Prophecy from Daniel 2,  an extract from the REAL Identity post, an extract from THE KINGDOMS post and a short update containing confirmation links. Blessings! =)

(Daniel 2)

36 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. 39 “After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. 44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.” 46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.” 

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*PROPHECY in the Book of Daniel*

UCSB InterVarsity, Body of Christ at UCSB, American church, God has a special plan for you. He's about to do something New! InterVarsity, like America, is very multiethnic. Diversity is great and God loves that (people from different ethnicities coming together). But when people from different ethnicities come together there is usually a clash of cultures so people can choose to: {definitions from "Cultural Psych" by Heines)

• Assimilate to host culture- Attempt to fit in and fully participate in the host culture while making little or no effort to maintain the traditions of one's heritage culture. Involves having + attitude to host culture and - to heritage culture.
• Integrate- Attempt to fit in and fully participate in the host culture while at the same time striving to maintain the traditions of one's heritage culture. Seeking the best of both worlds (+, +)
• Separate- Make effort to maintain the traditions of one's heritage culture while making little or no efforts to participate in host culture. (-,+)
• Be marginalized- Make little or no effort to participate in host culture or to maintain heritage culture.  (-,-)

We are in the Fourth Kingdom prophesied in *Daniel 2: 24-47*.  

 A divided kingdom (disunity) and a mixed kingdom (multi-ethnicity). Like I said in the Colors of the Wind post uniformity can be very dangerous if everyone develops the same culture that is against God's culture (Love and justice. Loving God with our all and others like Jesus did). That's the direction this kingdom is taking- uniformity- everyone trying to forget all our differences in order to look united (New World Order coming right up!). God allowed multi-ethnicity to happen not just for it's beauty but also for Himself and as a safeguard for us- so that we can see each other's blindspots and correct them. But if everyone (people from different ethnic groups) assimilated into a culture that's against God's that would defeat the purpose of multiethnicity. And what is even more common is integrating (being multi-cultural) a characteristic of this fourth kingdom- tolerating everything to try and please everyone to maintain fake peace. Integrating  can be very dangerous- because it's compromise (trying to mix God's culture with cultures that are against His aka the culture of the world) and this also beats the purpose of multiethnicity- spotting out blindspots to correct them to save them. So yeah, both assimilation and integration can not only prevent others from being saved (keep them from falling for the traps in their blindspots) but it also endangers you because you have placed yourself in the same category. So God was showing me how much I had assimilated to the culture of this world, how much I wasn't myself anymore and He called me to separate myself from the system. God wants to bring racial reconciliation, actual unity, real peace and He does that by calling us to separate ourselves from the world system and to cling to His Word. Following His Spirit and His Word brings separation from the world system and prepares the way for the real deal, His Kingdom. The fourth kingdom is coming to an end and God's Kingdom is coming soon!!! They are going to go head to head! Let's get ready and be on the winning side! =)

vs. 44. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

♫ Can you stand it? Feel that reign coming. It's GIGANTIC. Hear that thing rambling. It's so MONSTROUS. Bigger than King Kong. You CAN'T STOP THIS Everlasting Kingdom! Reign coming! Tell me can you see it? Open your eyes and I'll show you where The King is. You need refreshment? I'll show you where the spring is. You in the presence of the Reign of JESUS! ♫

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 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. THE NEW JERUSALEM

Extract from the post: THE KINGDOMS

I have GOOD NEWS to share!!!The Kingdom of heaven is at hand!!! :D :D :D

If you still don't believe me about the Kingdom of the world being under the devil's influence then you shall see for yourself... the darkness is pretty thick. But "the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining" (1 John 2:8) =)

Numbers are significant in the Bible and 12 signifies perfection of government. When Jesus first came He came to reconcile our hearts to Himself (restore our relationship with Him). He also has a plan to restore the whole world to how it should be. Everyone is crying out for justice and waiting for a hero to step in. Jesus is the hero. He will continue His redemptive work through all who put their trust in Him (He shall fill them with His glory = perfection of government) then He shall come back again (soon!) to finish off the renewal and take His seat as the Ruler of the earth :D :D :D (Update: God told me "2012" isn't over yet. We are going by the Hebrew calendar that started in September. More details in the Human Again post. There's a difference between the rapture (Jesus' appearing in the sky to perfect His bride) and Jesus' 2nd coming (when He actually lands on earth to rule and reign).

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and they will be my children =) But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Yikes! =( Deliver us! (Revelation 21:1-8) Friends, the afterlife (eternity in heaven or hell) is real. Let's choose to drink from the spring of the Living Water, Jesus. He will deliver us from all the devil's schemes :)

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The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand so let us turn our hearts back to Our Father :-)

“This, then, is how you should pray {says Jesus} :“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."(Matthew 6: 9-13) =)

"Baba Yetu" = "Our Father"- The Lord's Prayer in Swahili :-)

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Update: Last year God told me that this year is special. It's the "year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God"( Isaiah 61:2a) He told me it refers to the Hebrew year that started last September 2012 and overlaps into 2013. I got lots of confirmation. Here's the most recent one: AYIN GIMEL Our 2013 The Jewish year 5773, What Is Ahead. And just today I saw this post: THE GLORIOUS AND THE MAGNIFICENT MILLENIUM REIGN AND THE NEW JERUSALEM

 I made the video below. It's my prayer. Lord Jesus prepare us to be a sanctuary for You! That we may soar with You even as things are changing.

Make us Ready for THE REVOLUTION! (We are The Revolution!More info to come!) Let me know if you have questions. Peace! :)

REFORMATION

"This is what the LORD Almighty said: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil in your hearts against each other.'" (Zechariah 7: 9-10)

"Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed." 

(Isaiah 56:1)

"for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Isaiah 56: 7b) :-)

"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:18)
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 The Mother of all Reformations: The Love Revolution

What's True Religion? It's all about relationship. "It is our destiny to live in intimate relationship with God, knowing the depth and delight of being loved by Jesus, our Bridegroom God and, in turn, loving Him with all our hearts. The Holy Spirit is restoring the first and great commandment to first place in the Body of Christ." (Passion for Jesus, IHOP) And out of this love relationship with The Giver, to receive His great love and to share it with others, to let it overflow. To fulfill the second greatest commandment.

So over the course of last year, Simba returned to "Pride Rock"- God set me free by His Spirit at Prefall    Leaders Retreat and He filled me with joy. He also gave me My Voice back. The freedom to use my voice to share what God put on my heart. But I wasn't satisfied. I was thirsty for more. More of His love. Intimacy. So I did a fast to seek Him more. And at the same time "the powers" didn't like that I was using my voice and trying to spread the freedom that God had given me so the opposition I faced was all the more reason to chase after God like never before. As I sought Him more, brokenness and all, He revealed more of Himself. As I surrendered my brokenness to Him He healed me, He renewed my mind and filled me with more of His love. Then when I went back to share it with the rest of the fellowship the powers still did not permit me. But that was where I went wrong. God had given me authority to speak the words He had given me to share and to proclaim freedom but I was waiting around for permission from man and it never came. In fact I got the opposite, opposition. So God told me to rebuke the powers which I did and nothing changed. So God told me to make the rebuke public to serve as a warning for others. And even after that nothing changed and I got rejected. The powers told me that the only way to "be reconciled"with the rest is when I stop being black, stop being myself, stop obeying God and stop walking by the Holy Spirit. So basically the powers wanted to enslave me again. And I couldn't go back into slavery and stay silent as I saw others oppressed as well. (If you didn't catch what I was saying, God wants to bring reformation and revival to the church but the leaders who were holding onto the past and not following the Spirit's lead brought opposition. posts: Who Cares? Colors of the Wind Let My people Go! Are you comfortable yet? What is the church?)

So when Fall quarter came about and I wasn't Simba anymore, I was Nala. My role was to go into the desert and search for the Simbas and show them the way to Pride Rock. But I didn't really get that at the moment. I was still trying to fight for reconciliation in the fellowship but the powers wanted none of it. So I was distressed, alone and depressed. But in my lonesomeness God's love shone through but I felt guilty enjoying it by myself. So I was restless for most of the quarter. (post: Journey)
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So I failed in my Nala role in the Fall so when Winter came I was determined to give my all since it was my last quarter. But once again I failed to die (the only way to love deeply. Vulnerability) What stopped me this time? Seeing the disunity (and apathy, lack of compassion) in the church just really gets to me :'( and also issues with self-worth/identity (issues with receiving love).

Me: So you want me to be myself huh? Just walk into a community that doesn't know me or one that knows me and is satisfied with what they know/don't know and be like: "Now that I'm here we need to change how we do things." You want me to express myself huh? Just walk into Impact bible study in tears and be like who cares what you had planned. You don't know me but I need to share what's on my heart. I need my brothers and sisters in Christ to stand with me in prayer right now. I need you guys in my life (outside of this room). It really bothers me and saddens me that I don't know you guys yet we're a small enough group to really get close to each other and to share each other's burdens (everybody not just your accountability partners or with the leaders).... You want me to burst in tears when I see my InterVarsity friends who are not in my life anymore even after I tried initiating with them? You want me, while at HQ, or anyone else's house that I've invited myself to, when asked how I'm doing, to breakdown and pour my heart out in the midst of their funtime/ busy time? You want me to burst in tears at BSU or any other event as I share my testimony, my longing for friendship and most importantly as I tell them their real identity found in Christ. So you want me to interrupt my roomies daily drill to pour my heart out to them? So you really want me to be myself when that means interrupting people's lives and being an inconvinience??

God: Yup. First thing, I want you to remember who You are. You're a reformer. So yeah, being yourself would mean bringing reformation. And that passion, that emotion, you've been hiding is what they need to see. Watch the clip below. You're taking this thing way too personally. It's not about you. It's all about Me. Yeah your heart is tender and all you want is to love and to be loved. That's why seeing the disunity wrecks you. And that's why I want to use you coz it wrecks Me too and through my Spirit I am restoring the greatest commandment, LOVE, to it it's place; FIRST place. So yeah just woman up! and just LOVE. LEAD! I want you to introduce the whole new world that's coming (read the book of Acts to get an idea).

Second, I didn't say it would be easy and yes, nothing will be given to you. Listen to this song: ♫ Sometimes you gotta go uninvited, sometimes you gotta speak when you don't have the floor... long before you could run the risk, You were born for this! ♫

Me: Yeah, yeah I know you want me to lead and be a pioneer and all that. You said that in the "What's your name?" and "Love each other"  And I finally took the first steps and went into the desert and I had soooo many opportunities to lead there but I didn't take them. Why? It just sucks being the first, feeling judged by the people who are meant to give you support, yeah no one cares to know me or know me more and I'm just meant to force myself into their lives??? Also since it was my last quarter I was holding back my love...coz I felt like it was too late and I was guarding my heart to keep it from breaking.... But you're right... WHO CARES?! if no one wants to know me more coz I'm meant to be making YOU known. And if I'm not sharing You, the passion that's within me, then I don't blame people for not caring to know me coz I'm pretty boring without You. You are what makes me come alive. ....Oh yeah, I know you want me to be vulnerable, to express the compassion You put within me.... but yeah I guess I still have issues with me... I feel like I'm not worth people's time... I don't want the spotlight on me. I don't want to take over the conversation...I don't want to dominate. I want invitation but I never get it... And then I don't want to be a burden so I don't share my burdens... but then that's really dumb coz not only do I remain unseen and unloved but I also prevent myself from loving others which is a scheme of the devil.... and at the end of the day it's like I might as well be invisible, I might as well not exist if I'm not being myself (sharing my heart, sharing my life, sharing God's love) because to fail at Love is to fail at life :( No I'm not having a pity party. I'm just saying the truth. But it's also true that I've really grown and through my failures I've now learnt what's in the way from my goal of dying to myself. I wish I could go back to SB in the Spring to apply it coz I've been a terrible friend since I let my insecurities get in the way. So I started the quarter in tears and ended in tears. Yeah I can still love my friends but I just made things harder.

God: Yeah I want you to love like My Son but don't be discouraged just keep your eyes on Him and keep pressing on towards the mark. And you're never alone. I am with you and my grace is enough for you. My love is all you need."No matter how weak or strong you feel, regardless of your previous failures, irrespective of your personality, you can be ablaze with passion for Jesus." (Passion for Jesus, IHOP) Listen to this song.

(2/13/2013)

♫ How loud are the drums of war? ♫ "The LORD will create a New thing on earth--a woman will surround a man." ♥ Jeremiah 31:22b ♥ Usually it's the other way around, a man (seen as strength) surrounds a woman (seen as weakness). Behold! a New thing! A woman (represents Compassion) will surround a man (represents Justice) and silence the drums of war (there shall be Peace). ♫ Love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for. ♫ LOVE conquers ALL =) ~~~I'm learning that ALL I need to do is show this weakness. To Let Go and Let Love Flow ~~~ #Freedom! :D #ThankGod! :)

A great revival's coming. A revolution. And it's already begun. A wave of reformation and revival is sweeping through.

I left SB without applying all I was planning to apply but I won't live in regret. God is still on the throne and it's my prayer that He may fill us up with more of His love so that we can love like He wants us to. We are the revolution! Let's rise and shine! =)

Related posts: Self-Esteem, Misfit?-> Revolutionary, REAL Identity, REVOLUTION.
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This post's really whinny. Just sharing some of the thoughts that go through my head. Yes I fail but I'm glad that I serve the God of all hope so I'll keep my eyes on Him and surrender all my cares to Him. He begun a good work in me and you and He is faithful to bring it to completion. Yay God! Do Your thing! A New thing! =)

WATCHMEN

"I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth."(Isaiah 62: 6-7)

Listen to this sermon:  The Divine Setting of Intercessors by Mike Bickle if you can. Below are the notes I took from it. I took notes coz it was timely confirmation God was giving me last year for the things He had put on my heart. In this post:

• Who are watchmen? Intercessors. Worshippers. Messengers.
• The Weapons of spiritual warfare: The Word, Worship through music and the arts, Prayer and fasting.
• What is the cry of the watchmen? What's the "New Song" being released?
• Application: A Call to Watch! - Time to seek. A call to pray. A call to fast.

Who are Watchmen?

In the Old Testament, like in the Scripture above, they are described as intercessors. They will never be silent day or night => they'll ever be praying. They remind the Lord of His promises (Isaiah 60-63). Their job requires persistence and perseverance.

• Luke 18- The Parable of the persistent widow. vs. 1"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. " Luke 17 is about the coming of the Kingdom of God. Through these parable God's saying: Though it seems like I'm not listening, I will answer speedily. So keep praying until the second coming. He also poses the questions "When I return will there be faith?"- will there be people agreeing with Him? Praying for justice.  "I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?"(Luke 18:8)
• Isaiah 62:6 -> I have posted/set-> Sovereign commission to individuals. He marks them. He convinces them. 24/7 prayer ministries rising up- a sign of the times. 2012- The year of prayer for the body of Christ. Church planting movement- New prayer meetings. This is the generation of the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecies- So many houses of prayer are being birthed.
• Ezekiel 22 - God is looking for intercessors to build a wall -A spiritual wall. To stand in the gap between God's grace and holiness. Grace and judgement.  A wall of intercession- To remind God of His promises. *Ezekiel 22: 30- “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one." 
• Ezekiel 13- False Prophets called out. vs. 3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord...10 “‘Because they lead my people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, 11 therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. 12 When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?”
• Worship- we declare who God is and/or Intercession- we declare what He said He will do. Both =>Agreeing with God. "Hephzibah"(Isaiah 61: 4) = my delight is in her. The watchmen must be anchored in the fact that God delights in us. Have to have a revelation of God's delight in us.

Ok. That's it with the notes. Watch this short clip for summary plus a bridge from the last post, Jesus is our mighty Intercessor. "Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us."(Romans 8:34b)

♫ Let the Watchers become Warriors let the men of God Arise! ♫

WaKiE! wAkIe! WATCHpeople!!! Are you standing at your post on the wall or are you sitting on the fence? It's time to RISE and SHINE!!! =)

"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me." (Ezekiel 33:7)

So watchmen have the gift of prophecy. God tells them stuff/ shows them stuff not just for the purpose of intercession but also to warn people. If you read the rest of Ezekiel 33 they are held accountable to people's lives kinda. Well their job is to share the Word God gives them to share. You've heard the saying, with great power comes great responsibility. Well it's true. God gives the watchmen the ability to not just see the future but the power to change it's course -or deliverance of some people- by speaking life (intercession and giving warning to people). This takes total abandonment to God (laying our whole lives before Him and following Him all the way) and courage.

Watchmen are called to be warriors coz lives are at stake and they are fighting for Truth, Love and Freedom. But:"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-6)  What are the weapons of spiritual warfare then?

• The Word of God- Speaking the Truth.
• Intercession- Praying, fasting, praying in the spirit (tongues).
• Worship- Praising God for who He is through music: song, playing instruments and dance.
• "New Song"- Songs inspired by the Holy Spirit about God's attributes and/or what He is going to do based on His attributes (prophetic songs). This is a super-powerful weapon coz it's a combination of all of the above.

So what's the cry of the watchpeople? What's the "New Song" being released?
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! "to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 61: 2a)

1. The Day God acts is at Hand- The God of justice is about to shake things up and turn things around. Redemption!

"Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, And uprightness cannot enter. Yes, truth is lacking; And he who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the Lord saw, And it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice. And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle. According to their deeds, so He will repay, Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; To the coastlands He will make recompense. So they will fear the name of the Lord from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun, For He will come like a rushing stream Which the wind of the Lord drives. “A Redeemer will come to Zion,And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the Lord." (Isaiah 59: 14-20)

A great earthquake is coming to the West coast of America. There will be a great shaking and great awakening. When I first shared this people thought I was crazy and it wasn't even my vision, God gave Paul Benthin a vision of an earthquake in IV then revival happening after that (post: Listen with your heart). God gave me lots of confirmation in Scripture (prophecy) like the one above and in Revelation. And after that I got tons of confirmation from various sources. Like the visions the team from YWAM shared at IV Church. God gave them numbers: 80 million people in America coming into the Kingdom and 200,000 being sent out into the nations (revival happening and spreading throughout the world) post: The Harvest. And God told them to share this at college campuses on the West coast coz that's where revival will start, an earthquake will hit and it will spread across America and throughout the world. God gave me lots of prophetic words for "2012" and He later told me that they refer to the Hebrew year that started in September 2012 and overlaps into 2013. Times are changing!! Exciting!! 

♫ God take back the years that the enemy's stolen, Lord You are coming with a holy visitation. Sound the alarm. Awaken the watchmen. Open their ears. Let their voices be loud. We prophesied, You'll come to this nation. Touch this generation with a holy visitation. ♫

♫ We sing. We dance. We lift up our voices: Let Your Kingdom come down! ♫

2. Jesus, the bridegroom, is coming soon for His bride (rapture)
"Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations. The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.’” They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted." (Isaiah 62: 10-12)

Winter break of '12 God gave me this song: Sound the alarm: The King is coming back. He's coming for bride - All dressed in white. He's coming for His bride -Pure and refined. Sound the alarm! I recorded it in the video below. (God gave me more revelation about what the rapture is coz it's not what most people think, in the post: To be human again and I have more confirmation links there too.)

APPLICATION: A CALL TO WATCH

So in the old testament the post for watchmen was for some people that God set apart for that work. They enjoyed intimacy with God, like Moses spoke to God like a friend. And it is out of this friendship, this intimacy (close relationship) that God shares His heart with them. But when Jesus came, the mighty intercessor, the veil that separated the commoners from the holy of holies was torn so we now have access to intimacy with God!!! We are just about to enter into a whole new world. God is about to pour our His Spirit like He never has before "No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest." (Hebrews 8:11) So it's time to seek God like never before. It's time to wait on Him for the gift of His Spirit. His Spirit will help us get to know God better (intimacy and Wisdom), fill us with God's love (which will enable us to love God with our all and love others like Jesus did). God wants us. He loves us. Out of intimacy He will share His heart with us and give us the spirit of prophecy and spirit of intercession. So let's ask God to prepare us! Related posts: Time to seek, A Call to prayer, A Call to fast. 

The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13)

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

This video I made is my prayer. Lord prepare us to be a sanctuary for You! Dear friends lets fast and pray and seek God with all our hearts. His love is all we need. And His Spirit will guide us into all truth. A 40 day fast has been called starting April 8th, 2013. Here's the video if you wanna see it {the messages are in a series so you might want to watch the previous videos if you don't get that one. If you want. It may not be your style so you can take it from me. And please seek God for yourself about everything you hear from others). I know it sounds scary but there's various fasts you can do, like the Daniel fast. And God really does sustain you - His Word becomes like food. You can read this post for more info- Daniel Fast that's the first time I fasted for that long. Let's be set apart. God is singing over us: Come away with Me!

(Hosea 10:12)

"Sow righteousness for yourselves,

reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;

for it is time to seek the LORD,

until He comes

and showers his righteousness on you."

Feel free to share comments or questions.

Peace and love, Charlene :)

GOD is

Hey :-) In this post we are gonna look at some attributes of God which will help explain how He acts and how He is soon to act in the near future.

God reveals Himself to people in various ways. Check out 1 Samuel 3: 21, "The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there He revealed Himself to Samuel through His Word." So yeah, God reveals Himself to us through His Word and He can also appear (or speak) to people through visions, dreams and other supernatural experiences (such as people dying and going to heaven/hell then coming back to life). And also through natural experiences (Nature/creation itself testifies God's attributes- And it's a pretty powerful testimony for those who take the take the time/ are still enough to listen. I know coz God used nature to reel me in. You can read about my experience in section c of  The Bubble post) and also through our life experiences. 

Here are some attributes we'll look at:
1. God is Love.

2. God is Holy.

3. God is Faithful.

4. God is Righteous.

5. God is Just.

6. God is Gracious.
7. God is Merciful.

God is Love so all the other attributes stem from His Love. I think this verse captures this well. 

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, its jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it." (Song of Solomon 8:6-7a)

Uhmm, I don't know how I'll go about this... so let's look at how He reveals Himself to us through His Word (aka Jesus aka God the Son aka The King of Glory).

 Who is this King of Glory?

1. The Mighty Intercessor/ Mediator

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel." (Colossians 1:15-23)

-Wow! Great passage! So yeah God is Love that's why He created us with free will coz love that is forced isn't really love. We were created for relationship with Him. But the first humans chose to reject God's perfect leadership in the garden of Eden by falling for the temptations they faced (post: Beauty & the Beast :Prologue) And because God is holy our sins separated us from Him (broken relationship) and because He is just He had to give us the punishment we deserved (by choosing not to follow God, the Source of Life, we were choosing death) :( So that sucked for everyone. But because of God's great Love for us He sent Jesus to break the cycle, to reconcile us to Himself by taking our punishment upon Himself. That's just how much God loves us!! And it's through Jesus that our relationship with the Father is restored! Yay Jesus! Thanks God! =)

2. The Lion and the Lamb. King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

So that's what the New Covenant (testament) is about. It's not about the Law (following a bunch of rules) but it's all about Jesus (relationship with Him and walking by His Spirit). The Old Testament foreshadows Jesus. He is the fulfillment of the Law. Wait a minute! So did God change in the New Testament times? NO. God doesn't change. He is still Holy. He is still righteous and He is still just. He hasn't lowered His standards. Then what has changed? The times have changed. God sent Jesus as a demonstration of His love and faithfulness to us and He extends His grace to us (giving us time to repent- to return to Him through relationship with Jesus).

And once again times are changing. These are the last days as described in 2 Timothy 3: 1-5. "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:37) In days of Noah the earth was full of corruption and violence (Genesis 6). And God, being a God of Justice and holiness had to act. And once again we are living in such days and God is going to act. Not just out of His Justice but also out of His Love and Mercy. You see, the Kingdom of Heaven is coming! It's almost restoration time (Jesus is coming back as a Lion. As the King of Kings and Lord of Lords)  and by then there won't be much time to repent so that's why God wants to shake things up to awaken us before it's too late. Watch this for more insight on how these days are similar to the days of Noah and what was it about the days of Noah that caused God to act the way He did. It includes the nephilim. The devil's schemes. -> The Day of the Lord is at hand!

*Hebrews 12:22-29*"But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, its jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it." (Song of Solomon 8:6-7a)

"But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Colossians 5: 8-9)

Watch this clip. That's the Full Gospel. Let's put on the Full Armor of God :-)

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you, Jesus. Heaven must receive Him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets." (Acts 3:19-21)

So after I got baptized by the Holy Spirit I wasn't the same after that. I experienced His love, freedom, joy and He started giving me messages to share with people (the spirit of prophecy).  This was the first spontaneous song I received (song from the Spirit) back in the Fall of 2011. I recorded it right then coz I had a feeling I was meant to share it. So yeah, it's not for the musical quality or lack thereof lol but for the message that the Holy Spirit is sharing with us. Let's surrender our all to God. He loves us so much!! He wants to have a relationship with us; intimacy. He wants to set us free and fill us up with more of His Spirit of Love, power and Wisdom which we really need for the exciting times we're going into. Let's choose to soar with Jesus! Yay!:)

Love ya! Feel free to share your questions/ comments/ prayer requests. God bless!  :-)

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

(1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Related posts: MAJESTY and REVOLUTION.
IV Church was going through the attributes of God in their Upper Room meeting so you can check out this audio about: God's infiniteness. "In this first teaching on the attributes of God, Erik reminds us that the reason we want to know the attributes of God is to know Him better. God is too big for us to imagine – this is his essence. God does all things infinitely, which defines his character. Lucas shares on the pleasure that comes from knowing God; since He is infinite, He can infinitely satisfy us with more of Himself."