sons of korah part 1 by Kandi Bahr

Breakthrough by Kandi Bahr

Trusting in the Process

Arise and Shine for the Glory of the Lord has risen among you.  Isaiah 60:1

We come to a point in our lives where we have to BLINDLY trust God!  In Hebrews 11 verse 1, we are told that FAITH is the evidence of things HOPED for but not yet seen.  Hmm...that pretty much sounds like your blindly hoping for something. Then in verse 6 of the same chapter, we are told that it's IMPOSSIBLE to please God without FAITH...

So what does that mean?  It means that there is a process to receiving a promise...and seeing it through to completion.  In that process, a change must take place in order to get to the other side of the anticipated fulfillment.

Let's look up the word PROCESS.  It's a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end: To perform a series of mechanical or chemical operations on (something) in order to change or preserve it: -Oxford dictionary

Let's look at some examples of Processes....Since this is a blog and not a book, We are going to focus on just one example today.  In the next few days, we'll look at some other examples of processes.  We are all in a continual process.  We are CHANGING/TRANSFORMING from GLORY to GLORY (2 Corinthians 3:18).  We need to EXPECT and KNOW that this process is going to produce CHANGE.  In the Change, there will be isolation, darkness, death, growth, new life, transformation, hope to reach our purpose of promises fulfilled.  It's a cycle of life and I don't think we realize that it's normal to count it all joy through our various trials and testing.  Process is truly for our own good.  We are to count it PURE joy when we are in these processes...(James 1:3).  Let's look allegorically at a seed and its process of transformation.

1.  a SEED

Do you see how a seed must transform through a process that deliberately changes it through a growth process.  A seed has potential to become a plant.  One of the first steps a seed must take in the process is being thrust into the dark-solitary-confinement of isolation.  In that darkness and isolation, it literally begins a dying a process.  It has die in order to live.  Wait, doesn't the word say something about that?  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)  The plants process is called photosynthesis.  The process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy.  During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds.  So much science going on there...but to break it down simplistically...change, change, change.

I wrote this journal entry when the Lord began revealing to me how planting a seed is an act of faith.

O Lord, I am knocking on the door of expectant hope.  I am seeking you in love.  I am asking for the desires of my heart.  In this journey of planting seed in the garden of earth.  I am asking for my garden to be fruitful.  Let it multiply and fill the earth.  Even though I cannot see nor understand, I am believing that I have received the sprout of new life.  I am filled with hope.

HOPE - Psalm 145 - Blessed are those whose hope is in the Lord their God.  Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

My hope is in you and you alone, my Lord.  You are my delight daily-minute by minute; hour by hour.  My thoughts are on you continually.

Proverbs 28:20 - A faithful man or woman shall abound with blessings.

The image I see is of a well-nourished, soil-enriched garden.  The dirt and ground are ready for the planting of the seed.  You spill the seed deep within the earth.  Cover the seed with the soil and wait in expectation.

Is the seed/plant-life -living-breathing even if I can't see it?  What is taking place in the depths of earth?  Will this seed produce a living, viable green growth?

Is it not living just because we can't see it?  Does the spilled seed produce life on its own or is there already life (DNA) within the cell's structure?  Does the plant become a plant once the seed is sown into the earth and covered in deep utter-darkness?  If you would take that same seed filled with potential life and sealed with complete DNA and set it on a table top would a plant begin to grow?

NO!  There needs to be a process of planting before the hope of expecting can even begin.  Once the sown seed is planted deep within the earth and covered with the soil.  The process of creating new life immediately begins.  Once the conception of seed meets soil, water, and sun; many, many things begin within this new creation.  New growth-new life begins. 

Even if we can't see the miraculous taking place, we have HOPE or EXPECTANCY that within weeks our FAITH in this garden will begin to sprout new life that eyes will begin to behold.  But until our eyes behold the green sprout of new life, we have to walk by faith; DAILY trusting in the miracle of God's government of creation. 

What happens if we dig into the soil and pluck this tender growth from its safety and protected capsule?  It will wither and die.  Hope deferred makes the heart grow weary (Proverbs 13:12).

Farmers know how unwise it would be not to have faith in planting and harvesting.  They know there is much FAITH, HOPE, EXPECTANCY when gardening.

Faith is a must in the waiting game.  Farmers know by experience once the seed is planted, new life begins.  Seeds of Hope and Expectancy.

Job 8:19- "Behold, this is the joy of His way, and out of the earth others will grow."

Job 8:16-18 - They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden, and entwines its roots around a pile of rocks and looks for a place among the stones but when it is torn from its spot, that place disowns it and says, "I never saw you."  Surely, its life withers away and from the soil other plants grow.

So are you in a process now?  Are you feeling isolated and lonely?  Do you see nothing but darkness?  It could be that you are in a process of learning to hope and trust in God alone.  It could be He wants you to call out to him so He can show you great mysteries.  He promises, He will never leave you nor forsake you. 

Father,
I pray for the ones going through a process.  Touch their hearts. Let them not grow weary in doing good.  I ask Lord, that you comfort those who are mourning, give them beauty for ashes, joy for mourning.  Surround them with your glory.  As they are being kept in the cleft of the rock, may they experience your glory.  Touch them with your presence and cover them in your glorious light.

Honey from the Rock

 (This is a link to a song that we sang during our time of soaking.  May the Lord fill you with expectant hope today to believe He is faithful and will complete the good work he began in you).

The Apostolic Church - Dennis See (1-31-16)

The Apostolic Church - Dennis See (1-31-16): http://www.harrisburgjhop.com/...

FORGIVENESS -70 x 7 = Do you have the power?

Arise & Shine for the glory of the Lord has risen among you.  Isaiah 60:1

It's interesting when we think, "Been there, done that!"  Sure, I've went back and revisited my past where offenses have come in and people have hurt me.  I've forgiven them.  The past is in the past.  I've moved on.  Let me ask you; Have you truly?  The Lord has taken me through so many layers of forgiveness checks.  Some of those revisits have been so harsh...I've had to go into my memory bank and look at the ones who victimized me...I remembered the smells of that moment.  The sights of that moment.  The traumas of that moment.  A rush of emotions came flooding into my soul.  I even saw the violent act being replayed as in watching an old home movie again. 

I heard Holy Spirit ask me, "Can you even forgive him?"  I looked into the eyes of pure evil...and I said, 'Yes, Lord...I don't want anything holding me back from you!"  Tears flowing, pain emerging; a release arose from deep within my being.  There is such power in forgiveness!  There were times I would look at this gorgeous little baby (me) and ask the Lord, "Why couldn't anyone love her? Why didn't she ever receive nurturing, affirmation, acceptance, love?  Lord, it breaks my heart."  He said, "what would you have done if she would have been in your life?" I replied, "I would have picked her up and told her how special she was.  How much I loved her.  How You had an amazing plan for her life.  I would have held her tight and sang songs of love and affirmation over her."  The Lord told me, "Then do that right now."  In doing that, I was able to bring that part of my innocence back into my being.  I was able to forgive those who neglected her and forsook her.

Holy Spirit is our Great Counselor.  He has counseled me through my life and He has never, ever let me down.  I really don't think people truly understand the power of forgiveness.  The picture I continually see when I think about forgiveness is Snow White.  The witch curses an apple.  When Snow White bit into the apple, she fell into a deep sleep.  Everytime, we bite into that poison apple of unforgiveness.  We fall asleep.  We poison ourselves.  A slow death begins.  Sorrow surrounds us and our loved ones.  We keep ourselves in a state of lifelessness and dormancy.  Life stops.  We stop...We sleep...no advancing into our destinies...slumbering until our bodies die.  UNLESS, we let the Prince of Peace into the room of our most intimate secrets, most devastating traumas...When we invite him into those tragic rooms of our hearts that we've kept locked and shut, he kisses us with one kiss of grace, mercy and forgiveness and we awaken!  We LIVE!  We are REVIVED!

My life is truly this verse in a nutshell...If I chose not to forgive those who hurt me and betrayed me while growing up, I would have never, ever awakened to my destiny.  I would have laid dormant as Sleeping Beauty...a wasted life!  My Prince Charming, JESUS, kissed me with one HOLY kiss...When grace kissed mercy...and forgiveness kissed all of my ugliness...I came to life!  As Sleeping Beauty arose; AWAKE, she says, "You found me!"  Prince Charming replied, "You don't have to worry, I WILL ALWAYS find you!"  Let's all take a deep breath there!  When we were lost, He came and found us!  LOVE Awakens DEATH...Love is stronger than the Grave!  His love is BETTER than life!  His love and forgiveness is LIFE-GIVING! DEATH AWAKENING!  RESURRECTING!  We have the power to forgive others so we can let our Prince Charming FIND us!

There was a sleeping BEAUTY inside of me.  What was that beauty?  The ability to forgive those who hurt me.  The willingness to let the offenses and trauma go!  The desire to wake up and live!  I'd much rather be a Sleeping Beauty...Than a Sleeping Ugly!  Some will never let unforgiveness go...and they become more ugly on the inside. 

Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Matthew 18:22 (RSV)

What does the Greek word (aphiēmi) 'Forgive' mean? cry, forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go, have), omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer, yield up, to send forth, yield up, to expire

The word has an overwhelming amount of definitions...One of the words is DIVORCE...We need to divorce ourselves from the bitterness and hatred keeping us from forgiving those who sinned against us. (to bid going away or depart, of a husband divorcing his wife)  This is very interesting seeing all these different meanings of this Greek word.  It's almost like if you don't forgive the one who sins against you for whatever crime they did against you, the opposite of forgiveness will take root).

(aphiēmi) -I FORGIVE

1. to let go, let alone, let be
2. to disregard
3. to leave, not to discuss now, (a topic)
   

   1. of teachers, writers and speakers
4. to omit, neglect
5. to let go, give up a debt, forgive, to remit
6. to give up, keep no longer
7. to permit, allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person
8. to leave, go way from one
9. in order to go to another place
10. to depart from any one
11. to depart from one and leave him to himself so that all mutual claims are abandoned
12. to desert wrongfully
13. to go away leaving something behind
14. to leave one by not taking him as a companion
15. to leave on dying, leave behind one
16. to leave so that what is left may remain, leave remaining
17. abandon, leave destitute

Peter was trying to be all "I know this answer, Jesus...up to seven times, I'm to forgive a brother who sins against me...go ahead tell me I'm right!"  When in fact, Jesus told him, "I tell you, not just seven times, but 77 times!  Matthew 18:22 (ISV) The English Revised Versions says, "Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven."

That's a continual forgiveness....What do you think happens when we don't forgive?

It causes all types of other ailments in our physical bodies.  Not only do we separate ourselves from the Father.  We separate ourselves from health and wholeness.  The crux of the gospel is forgiveness...We are to forgive others as Christ forgave us.  If you need a reality check, watch The Passion of the Christ.  It will open your eyes to 'forgiving others as Christ forgave us.'  He was an innocent man.  He did everything right.  For that, he was spit upon, mocked, bruised, beaten, smitten, forsaken, used, abused, whipped, stripped, naked, ashamed, scorned, hated, despised.  Yet, he forgave.  He forgave us while we put him on the cross with our mockery of who HE is and was.  He loves us with an UNCONDITIONAL love.  Love without conditions.  We are to love our enemies.  Sometimes, those closest to us become our greatest foe. Sometimes, it's our own memories of what we did, that we cannot forgive.  Sometimes, it's the deepest, darkest places inside of us that we condemn and become bitter against.  We fight against our own demons.  We become guilty and condemn ourselves too much to let it go.  What if they knew?  What would they think?  Who is 'they?' anyways.  When Adam and Eve ate the 'poisoned' apple, they suddenly were naked and ashamed.  God replied to them, "Who told you that you were naked?"  Who is it that is telling you that you cannot forgive yourself?  Who is telling you that others couldn't forgive you?  Who is telling you that God can't forgive you?  It truly is the TRUTH that sets you free.  When you can stare the truth in the face and become friends with it, lies become shadows in the light of truth. 

I had a dream many years ago of someone in my family.  In my dream, she had cancer.  She had cancer because she couldn't forgive someone.  I woke up KNOWING this to be the root cause of entry point of that spirit of infirmity.  I knew I had to go to my relative and tell her about my dream and ask her if there was someone in whom she couldn't forgive.  She had lung cancer.  The woman never smoked while I knew her.  With her oxygen intact, I told her about my dream and then I asked her the question if there was someone whom she couldn't forgive.  She began crying.  She said, "I can't forgive that person.  They don't deserve my forgiveness.  What they did was wrong and I'll never give them the chance to not be guilty of what they did to me."  I began explaining how she was only imprisoning herself that the person who sinned against her could care less about my relative's feelings.  I said, "she's not the one suffering with cancer, is she?"  My relative began getting it...She let me pray for her.  The breath of the Lord breathed upon her.  Mind you, she was on oxygen...She had her eyes closed, we are praying and she suddenly opened her eyes and said, "Did you feel that?"  I said, "No, what did you feel?"  She said she felt a wind blow over her...It felt like someone turned up her oxygen because she could breath so freely.  She felt like it was a windy day inside where we were.  I knew the Lord was kissing her with grace and mercy to forgive her offender.  She was awakening from years of being dormant and tormented.

For some forgiveness comes easily...if you have a story like mine, it was either life or death.  I either died in unforgiveness at birth or live and forgive.  As I mentioned before, there were several very hard ones to forgive...and even though I had thought I'd forgiven them, it was the Lord bringing their faces and details back in the moment to see if I could truly forgive their heinous crimes...Step by step, He leads us.  For others, forgiving yourself may be the hardest challenge you face.  Let me encourage you, when you ask for forgiveness, your sins are so far removed as the east is from the west.

As high as the sky is above the earth, so great is his love for those who respect him.  ¹² He has taken our sins away from us as far as the east is from west.   ¹³ The Lord has mercy on those who respect him, as a father has mercy on his children. (Psalm 103:11-13) NCV

If a perfect, loving God can forgive you, what is your offense against yourself.  Let it go!  Let God!  Let it Go!  Let God!  Let it Go!  Let God...awaken you with one kiss of mercy, grace, and forgiveness.

Christ August pretty much sums up forgiveness in this song 70 x 7. 

TruthCasting -Cleansing Spiritual Gateways

TruthCasting - Player

Church of the Living Christ
Cleansing Your Spiritual Gateways by Kandi Bahr

Dance with me

Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on the arm of her Beloved?  Song of Songs 8:5

I am loved! 
I am cherished!
I am valued!
I am His treasure!

I just finished a four-week Grief Group.  I attended because I want to learn all I can about Counseling.  It's amazing how God sets you up when you think you're ok.  One week, we had to draw a timeline of our lives and make lines on it according to traumas we have experienced.  I look at the Facilitator with a blank face; 'like for real?'  My entire childhood will have line after line after line on the timeline, starting at birth.  I look around and everyone has started.  I pick up the sharpie and begin drawing my lines.  Line after line after line after line.  It started at birth.  My grandma told me that the first time she met me, I was a few weeks old.  My mom was 18 and had secrets hiding in her heart.  She couldn't handle the newborn cries.  My grandma said she began shaking me to make me stop crying.  My grandma scolded her...but who knows...only God knows how many times she used this method to shake me quiet.  We now know this is called "Baby Shaking Syndrome." 

That was the first line at birth.  The second line was when I turned two years old.  My mom and dad were separated.  My dad kidnapped me.  My mom and grandma didn't know what else to do to get him to return me...They tricked my dad.  He returned me...They went to court and in the custody hearing, my father was told that he wasn't really my father.  Heartbroken, he left me.  He left me with her.  A broken young single mother who couldn't handle a lively, active two year old.  The traumas...The neglect.  The shame.  The loneliness.  The abandonment.  The rejection.  The abuse...This was age 2.  We will stop there.  I'm sure you are getting a very clear picture of how the timeline looked.

Every year of my childhood, I experienced trauma after trauma after trauma.  As I continue the timeline onto adult life, I began realizing something about my life.  I lived with an Expectation of Abuse.  I expected abuse.  I expected pain.  I expected rejection. I expected abandonment.  I expected neglect.  It's all I had ever known.  It was my life.  When I gave my life to Jesus, I began to realize I really was loveable to him.  I really was acceptable to him.  I really meant something to him.  He really did love me.  He really did cherish me.  He really did accept me just the way I was.  He didn't expect anything but my love in return.  Those who are forgiven of much, love much.  I love Jesus so much.  He truly loved me back to life.  I was dead.  I walked around pretty much like a zombie before his love redeemed my life and restored my soul.  Still, that expectation of abuse shadowed me in the light of his love. He became everything I had always longed for in my life.  He was my Abba Pappa.  He adopted me through the spirit of adoption (Romans 8). 

He's so faithful to me.  He's so gracious and loving.  He's so close and merciful.  He's so good!  He truly did heal my heart.  He restored me.  He redeemed me.  His love overwhelmed me and I truly did become a new creation.  My prince charming had come and with one tender kiss of his grace, mercy, acceptance, and unconditional love...I awoke as his Sleeping Beauty.

Ivan Allum prayed for me several years ago and I truly believe this word is manifesting in my life right now.  I am writing the vision and making it plain (Habakkuk 2:2).  When life doesn't turn out the way you planned and you are so disappointed in yourself.  You begin to feel like a failure.  Sometimes, you make choices and those choices have lasting consequences that you have no control over.  You have to trust God and let him finish writing your story.  He is the author of my life.  He is faithful to complete the good work he began in me (Philippians 1:6).  Sometimes, he gives us pages to our books of destiny.  This word is a page out of my life scroll.  I'm so thankful that the Lord speaks life into our broken-heartedness, filling us with hope and faith to believe the winter season will end and spring is right around the corner!  Jesus, I love you.  Romance me, King of Kings...Dance with me, lover of my soul.  I am yours...You are mine.  Your banner over me is love!

Dear, I want you to know this, “You have NOT failed!  You have carried something inside of you for a long time.  You’ve felt like, “God, there’s been a failing in my life.  And the Lord says, “You have NOT failed!”  You know what amazes me in all of that?  You have been an absolute giver of life to people around you.  You have been a lady that has spoken the best over people.  You have been a lady that has spoken life over people.  You have been a lady that has given love away.  And the Lord says, “Well done, but the Lord says, now, it’s going to be time for you to reap of that harvest; amen”  You’re going to feel those things and for the first time in a long, long time you’re going to feel that passion of God inside of you.  You know, you’re gonna start waking up with the butterflies.  You know the butterflies of when you feel you’re loved.  You know you’re gonna have butterflies when you love someone else but when you feel those butterflies feeling when you’re loved. 

 You know when that emotion rises up inside of you because you know that there’s some guy that is pursuing you because of who you are not because of what you are but because of who you are.  You know when he’s pursuing you because he says you know I just wanna be with you.  No more, no less.  I just wanna be your protector.  I just want to stand around you.  You know those butterflies.  You know the butterflies that come with absolute romance. Yeah, you’re gonna feel those butterflies.  You know just like that young lady in the Song of Solomon when she would tell her friends have you seen my lover.  You know she’d explain this guy and you know she was so in love with him they couldn’t understand who she was talking about.  By the time they caught up to her revelation, she had another revelation of who he was.  You know dear, you’re gonna walk in that; amen. 

Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD.  Raging water cannot extinguish love, and rivers will never wash it away. If a man exchanged all his family's wealth for love, people would utterly despise him. (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)

I will pursue you, Lord.  I will pursue your presence.  I want to just be with you, Lord.  I just want to be in your presence.  Your love...your love overwhelms my heart.  The blaze of your gaze consumes me.  The fiery flames of your passionate love burns away my ugliness and leaves me radiant and glowing.  Overshadow me with your love and your glory.  Here I am, Lord.  Here I surrender all my pain.  I surrender all my brokenness.  I surrender all my disappointment and traumas.  I surrender all that holds me back from you!  Have your way in my life.  The winter is passing...o springtime is coming.  You've captured my heart.  Forever, it's yours!