Called To Choose Destiny

JoAnn McFatter

THEN THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO ME, SAYING: “ BEFORE I FORMED YOU IN THE WOMB I KNEW YOU, BEFORE YOU WERE BORN I SANCTIFIED YOU; I ORDAINED YOU A PROPHET TO THE NATIONS “
JER 1:4-5

YOUR EYES SAW MY SUBSTANCE BEING YET UNFORMED. AND IN YOUR BOOK THEY ALL WERE WRITTEN. THE DAYS FASHIONED FOR ME, WHEN AS YET THERE WERE NONE OF THEM. PS 139:16

As with Jeremiah and David whose call came before entering into their mother’s womb, so it is with every man and woman born. However, through the provision of free will, God has left it to each one’s choosing as to whether or not that call will be lived out. Jesus said it, Himself,

“ FOR MANY ARE CALLED BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.” MATT 22:14

The choosing comes by the decisions we make along the way as to whether or not we are able to be a resting place for the fullness of His glory. He will not put on us that which we are not prepared to carry, lest it destroy us. Destiny calls each one of us and it is the exercising of our free will that determines the outcome of that calling. As our hearts continually respond to the voice of our Creator, “ I choose You! Above all else, I choose You! “, we navigate our way through our destiny. He is our origin and He is our destiny. We were in Him before the worlds began and we return to reside in Him, and are even now residing, as we partake of His grace by way of accepting and receiving the benefit of the shedding of His blood.

It is the journey from here to there as we ‘run the race’ that plays out the days written in His book ordained for each one of us. It happens one day at a time, one decision at a time to choose Him above all else. In this living out of our lives, turning toward Him at every juncture and, once again, consciously making a decision to ‘ choose Him ‘ we find ourselves in the middle of our destiny, for it will only be found in Him.

AND HE HAS MADE FROM ONE BLOOD EVERY NATION OF MEN TO DWELL ON ALL THE FACE OF THE EARTH, AND HAS DETERMINED THEIR PREAPPOINTED TIMES AND THE BOUNDARIES OF THEIR DWELLINGS, SO THAT THEY SHOULD SEEK THE LORD, IN THE HOPE THAT THEY MIGHT GROPE FOR HIM AND FIND HIM, THOUGH HE IS NOT FAR FROM EACH ONE OF US, FOR IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING, AS ALSO SOME OF YOUR OWN POETS HAVE SAID, FOR WE ARE ALSO HIS OFFSPRING. ACTS 17:26-28

In our western mindset we have made our destiny to be an end to a means, a job or a title that we attain to. It is a form that we desire to create for ourselves, a position to be held such as a singer, a pastor, or perhaps a banker. I’m not sure that is what God had in mind at all. For many of us it might just be the reason that our destiny seems to allude us as the years wear away on our hopes of stepping into what we perceive as our destiny. We try to create a form within which we will function. Form first, then function comes as a result of our Greek reasoning that has so enamored our culture.

Our true destiny is hidden in the function of living out the days He fashioned for us, not a title or job description. It’s not about being a prophet but rather the process of learning how to hear His voice and prophecy in love with the heart of the Father. In that functioning as a prophet we truly find our destiny, which is to become like Him. It’s the same for every job and or ministry title you can come up with. Tho we all have different days written out for us in His book, still the process of learning how to function in it is the walking out of our destiny - to be like Him, to be one with Him.

Our destiny is not the end product but rather the journey to that end, our days lived out as God, Himself, has written them in His book. OUr life lived in Him day by day is our true destiny as we become more like Him. The form in which that takes place, whether it be, as I said, as a teacher, evangelist, or a baker is secondary to the function of walking out that process. I’m afraid we lose the joy of that journey because we are waiting to attain a position or name or whatever. It’s the days that we have lived up to this point with all of the mistakes and all of the failures and even successes that make up our destiny.

I believe we get misled by regarding destiny as a noun, when, in God, it really is as much a verb as it is a noun. It is probably even more accurate to say it is a Person - the process of becoming one with the personhood of Jesus Christ. Regardless of the job the process is the same. It is in the functioning of our calling and the process that brings us to maturity concerning it that is our real destiny. It is the same for all of us.

So we are exhorted to ‘ not despise the day of small beginnings ‘ and to ‘ count it all joy ‘ as we maneuver through life, through the good, the bad and the ugly, through the gory and the glory of it all. Whether you are aware of it or not you are IN your destiny right now. All of our days are the summation of who we become in Him. The ones lived out behind the scenes are just as, if not more, important than the ones in front of people in that perceived place of successfully functioning in our calling. I find that very encouraging, knowing that this is ALL working toward the fulfillment of our destiny.

It’s about the choices we make in those days of disappointment, heart ache and being betrayed that bring us to the place of love and unity with God. We can choose to feel sorry for ourselves or to complain about where we are at and how long we are there or the seemingly bad break, that actually probably kept us from going through a door that would have led us in the wrong direction. Our other option is to look into His eyes and say, “ I choose You ! Whatever that looks like and however long that takes, above self and all else, I choose You! “

It is also about how we handle promotion, favor and prosperity. The point is not that we receive those things, it is about how we rule and reign in that position. Do we take advantage of it for ourselves or do we use it to pour out on others? Do we use our favor to strengthen and lift others in their calling, even above ourselves? In the midst of all the advantage it affords us is there still an automatic cry that comes from within, “ Lord, I choose You! You are my portion, You are my destiny! “? Song of Solomon says it well.....

SET ME AS A SEAL UPON YOUR HEART, AS A SEAL UPON YOUR ARM; FOR LOVE IS AS STRONG AS DEATH, JEALOUSY AS CRUEL AS THE GRAVE, ITS FLAMES ARE FLAMES OF FIRE, A MOST VEHEMENT FLAME. MANY WATERS CANNOT QUENCH LOVE, NOR CAN THE FLOODS DROWN IT. IF A MAN WOULD GIVE FOR LOVE ALL THE WEALTH OF HIS HOUSE, IT WOULD BE UTTERLY DESPISED.
SONG OF SOL 8:6-7

The questions asked when we pass from this life are more like, ‘Do we look like Him?’ , ‘Did we learn to love?’, ‘Did we die daily to ourselves so that it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me?’ Our true destiny is IN Him, to become like Him, regardless of our calling. That puts us all on the same level before Him no matter what our job description or calling is. As the Bride of Christ we are to take on the very nature of our Bridegroom and move through life as He did. To look like Him, to act like Him, to respond like Him, to be one in Him is our destiny, regardless of the form. He IS our Destiny!

THAT IN THE DISPENSATION OF THE FULLNESS OF THE TIMES HE MIGHT GATHER TOGETHER IN ONE ALL THINGS IN CHRIST, BOTH WHICH ARE IN HEAVEN AND WHICH ARE ON THE EARTH IN HIM. IN HIM ALSO WE HAVE OBTAINED AN INHERITANCE, BEING PREDESTINED ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF HIM WHO WORKS ALL THINGS ACCORDING TO THE COUNSEL OF HIS WILL
EPH 1:10-11

As we approach this ‘fullness of the times’ there is a gathering together of those who function with this understanding. We are to be those who love as He loves to the extent that we become walking love and would be willing to lay down our very lives, preferring others before ourselves. That is our destiny in this hour. Regardless of what form our life takes, the purpose is to function in that kind of selfless love as we become one with Him in His likeness. That level of maturity, death to self, will draw His Presence.

We are called to be the Bride of Christ, fully functioning in our Destiny as we live, move and have our being in Him. It is only out of this place that He can trust us with the never before seen authority and creative word that is about to be released through those with the cry of “ We choose You! Above all others and all else, we choose You!” We have walked out our destiny as we have made Him and Him alone our boundaries and borders, a city whose walls are made of His fire. His jealousy, His authority, His very presence upon us as we become His resting place.

“FOR I”, SAYS THE LORD, “WILL BE A WALL OF FIRE ALL AROUND HER, AND I WILL BE THE GLORY IN HER MIDST.”Zech 2:5

Author Profile

JoAnn McFatter

JoAnn McFatter is currently traveling nationally and internationally as a worship leader and/or speaker. Her ministry, Inside-Eternity, is partnering with WhiteDove Ministries, based in Foley, Alabama.

While facilitating the shift from the mind of man to the mind of Christ in word and song, she carries a twofold passion. First, to see the Bride abandoned body, soul and spirit to God and God alone. Second, to see revelation opened up as it pertains to spirit, science and art being woven together to bring Kingdom manifestation on the earth as it is in heaven.

Website: www.joannmcfatter.com | Email contact@joannmcfatter.com | Article Archive here |Books here

What is Your Kingdom Field?

Dean Taylor

In proclaiming the Kingdom, Jesus one day stood before the people and gave them a parable about a field that a man found a treasure in. He goes on to say that this man ‘gave all’ to get that field because what was in it was so valuable (Mat 13).  Even though we all have the same general Kingdom purpose, which is to extend the Kingdom of God from Heaven to Earth, we also all have the specific ‘fields’ in which God has called us into.  In that specific ‘field’ is a power of the kingdom that needs to be expressed so that God’s ways have their righteous, liberating rule.

History’s Reformers

For example, William Wilberforce is a great picture of someone who extended the kingdom of God’s liberating power to humanity and set the captives free.  (You can Google his name if you don’t know what he achieved).  His ‘field’ that God called him to was the realm of the slave trade in England.  But what was the treasure that was to be unlocked, what was the kingdom expression that he fought to see come forth?  The ‘treasure’ in his field was the abolition of the slave trade in his country and the release from bondage and cruelty of those caught in this diabolical system.  He gave his all to see it come to pass and Heaven rejoiced.

Other examples I have recently read about are Sophie and Hans Scholl (Google for their work) and Dietrich Bonheoffer.  These different individuals were instrumental in being used by God in addressing and standing against the Nazi government’s destruction of Germany’s human rights values and any Christian beliefs concerning all races.  So their field was the Nazi government’s oppression and genocide and the kingdom expression that God stirred in them to bring forth was obviously the dissolution and defeat of those portraying their satanic ideologies in their nation’s leadership.

More modern examples of disciples being stirred to bring reformation and transformation are in the significant areas of abortion (USA, 51 million babies aborted since 1972) and the human trafficking sex trade around the world.  These two fields are some of the “hottest” right now in the earth where disciples of Jesus and Holy Spirit reformers are tackling these blasphemous challenges to God’s ways in the earth to see kingdom come and God’s will be done.

Giving Your All For The Field

Jesus’ key point about discovering your field and its kingdom treasure was that you would give your all to have it (Mt 13).  Once we have had divine revelation concerning it, we will then quickly realise there will be a significant cost involved for us, and find always that sacrifice is required to see His kingdom come and God’s will be done.  Jesus also said in his teaching on kingdom that if a builder decides to build, doesn’t he first sit down and count the cost?

Moses The Deliverer

Moses is a great Bible example of someone who discovered their kingdom field and gave his all to see God’s will done (even though it was actually Joshua who finished the task).  Here was Moses, living the good life in the palace in Egypt, experiencing all the ‘mod cons’ and privileges of Egypt’s royalty , when all of a sudden he finds himself on the backside of the desert and a burning bush is talking to him (Ex 3).  Even though he didn’t think he was capable of bringing forth God’s treasure (leading God’s people out of slavery into the Promised Land), He answered the call and went. 

Hebrews 11 is descriptively clear about Moses giving all to see kingdom treasure come forth in his field.  He suffered disgrace to be numbered with his people rather than enjoying the pleasures of Egypt.  He was willing to be mistreated for the sake of Christ so that the kingdom of Heaven could be extended through God’s people in the land flowing with milk and honey.  Moses gave his all.  He was zealous for the high calling in the sphere/mountain of society God had called him to. He was so ‘into’ it, that in his passion, he disobeyed God out of frustration and blew his opportunity to cross the Jordan with the people.  Joshua ended up leading them across.

Costly Grace

When we view the grace that saved us as so very very costly to God, when we see what Jesus had to do to give his all to bring forth kingdom treasure, then we will be diligent and consumed with winning for him the kingdom battles that it will take to see God’s righteousness rule where darkness and corruption reigns.  It all comes back to asking ourselves this question. What am I living for? What field am I giving my life to so that there is more of the Kingdom of God being expressed in the earth than when I got here?

Satanic Opposition Always

When you discover your field, and have a realisation of what that treasure looks like, then we must realise there will always be opposition and an enemy attack on our mission to get us to quit and give up. Satan doesn’t want you taking back any of his territory and affecting any of the demonic strongholds he has worked to set up!  But...the good news is that God has empowered us just like Moses to move forward with His supernatural ability and Kingdom demonstration.  Look at Moses’ kingdom calling and look at how many supernatural feats and events had to happen so that the people could get to where God wanted them to be. There are heaps!  And God is backing you with miraculous events, supernatural activity and grace to see His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So my exhortation to you right now is FIND GOD’S FIELD and give your all to seeing the kingdom treasure that is in there come forth.  You are God’s reformers, you are Holy Spirit filled revivalists in the land and are uniquely gifted and called to bring a transformation to your world!

Author Profile

Dean Taylor

Dean grew up in Newcastle, NSW surfing the beautiful beaches and playing on many sporting teams throughout his young life and into adulthood. He was born in 1967 and raised in a Christian home, attending a Baptist Church where he accepted Jesus as his Saviour in 1978. Upon finishing a science degree at university Dean worked in the cardiology unit at the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle before returning to do a diploma in teaching. It was around this time that he experienced the call of God on his life to ministry and while teaching at a Christian high school he had a transforming experience of the Holy Spirit which consequently altered the direction of his life.

Dean married his wife Wendy in 1993 and they moved to Brisbane in Jan. 1995 where he studied at the Baptist Theological College of Queensland. Graduating from there with a Diploma in Ministry, they were then led to Kenneth Hagin Ministries on the Gold Coast in 1997, where he completed studies before entering into itinerant ministry in 1999. During this season Dean was given a fulll time instructors position at Rhema Bible Training Centre which he filled until moving into a teaching/pastoral position at Destiny Church in 2003 which he continues in today.

Dean's home church is affilliated with Harvest International Ministries Australia one of the Apostolic Networks in a group known as the Revival Alliance. While continuing in his role at his home church, Dean has been directed by the leading of the Lord to also serve the wider Body of Christ.  Operating in the ministry of prophetic teaching, his mandate and passion is to help pastors mature the Body of Christ so her individual members can come into their God-given destiny.  His desire is to see God's children skillfully applying Jesus' Kingdom principles by bringing them practical, revelatory insight in a fresh, dynamic and understandable style. His heart is to see the Body of Christ being built up in strong faith and operating  in greater demonstrations of the Kingdom.

Dean and Wendy live on the Gold Coast with their daughter Darcie.

Website: www.deantaylor.com.au | Article Archive: here | MP3 Messages: Shop

Living With Something to Die For

Kris Vallotton

More than three thousand young men and woman have died, and many more Americans have been wounded, in the war in Iraq. It is sad to hear of the scores of young lives that are being taken every day. But the truth is that everybody is going to die someday. The question that we should ask ourselves is not will we die, but whether or not we will really live. When we leave this world, will our life actually have counted for something? The real tragedy is not that so many are dying to protect our freedom, but that millions are living without any purpose. So many people have lost sight of what we are fighting for.

In some ways violence is a way of life on this planet. Jesus said that “violent men take the Kingdom by force.” It is evident that we as Christians live in a world that is full of violence, both in the seen and unseen world. It is important for us to understand that our battles are to be the manifestation of His victory. When Jesus died on the cross He won the ultimate triumph. We no longer fight for victory, but we fight from victory. Winning is assured when we enter the battle. The ultimate challenge, therefore, lies not so much in the battle itself, but in getting the people of God to go to war. When the Royal Army refuses to fight and instead runs away from the lines of combat, they are often shot in the back where they remain armorless (notice that the armor of God list in the book of Ephesians has no protection for your back). We are ill equipped for retreat.

One of the challenges in getting Christians to engage in war is in the questionable rewards of sacrifice that victory requires. History helps connect us to the virtues that are worth dying for. These virtues that stand behind the veil of time are our inheritances. They are often clothed with words like “Honor,” “Freedom” “Valor,” “Loyalty,” and “Respect.” Our founding fathers counted these invisible attributes like countries to protect and qualities to pass down to their children. These noble men fought, not so much to protect land, but to perpetuate the principles of the Kingdom.

When we don’t honor the historic exploits of our forefathers, we begin to falter in the absences of true foundations. This leads us to valuing the pursuit of pleasure as some euphoric goal of life. The result of this is that wars are lost before the enemy is ever encountered, because pleasure is seldom found on the battlefield (in other words, war doesn’t tend to be fun).

The Apostle Paul said, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) Notice that the fortresses that are to be destroyed are in the invisible world. They are listed as speculations, lofty things, and thoughts. The real war lies in the unseen world. If we don’t have “eyes to see” what is really happening in the spirit realm, we reduce warfare to fighting over parcels of dirt or ways of governing people.

Honoring the past makes us cognizant of the ancient boundaries and borders that have been entrusted to us to protect. It is through honor that we capture the vision of our founding fathers and understand how important it is to pass it on. The weight of this responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of this generation to boldly protect the invisible borders of our property by pushing back the powers of darkness through divine strategic warfare. History will record whether or not God’s people rose up in this dispensation to perpetuate the royal attributes of our Holy King, or if we digressed into the cesspool of moral corruption. If we fail, those who record our history will also be caught in the debt of its despair. But if we succeed and rise above the mire of the complacency of our peers, we could very possibly leave a legacy that perpetuates into eternity.

We cannot afford to fail! We must dress ourselves in vigilance and run to the borders of the virtues which have been handed down to us to protect. With so much at stake, we must win these most epic battles.

Author Profile

Kris Vallotton

Kris Vallotton is the founder and overseer of the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, California. He is the Senior Associate Leader at Bethel Church, and has been a part of Bill Johnson's apostolic team for over 26 years. Kris is an internationally recognized prophetic voice, and he and his wife Kathy have trained, developed, and pastored prophetic teams and supernatural schools all over the world.

He is a notable speaker with a vision and passion to equip an "Elijah Generation" for the end-times harvest. He has authored numerous books including the best-selling Supernatural Ways of Royalty, as well as Developing a Supernatural Lifestyle, Basic Training for the Prophetic Ministry, and Purity. 

Website: KVMinistries.com | Resources | Video | Books | Article Archive here

Destiny of a Divine Nature Through Grace

JoAnn McFatter

There is a desire encoded in each of us, when we are created unto a destiny in God, one of a divine nature. Depending on our life experiences, we get in touch with this desire in vastly different ways but, as scripture notes, the blueprints are within us.

My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. - Psalm 139: 15-16

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. - Jeremiah 1:5

Jeremiah was no exception. Each of us has a destiny of a divine nature that is wrapped up in God and binds us to Him, enabling us to walk it out as we pursue union with Him. He wove it into our DNA as He formed us, even before we were in our mother's womb.

Yes, we have heard it spoken many times from the pulpit, but has it really sunk in that we are born for greatness in God or we would not be on the earth at this time. He would not have covered us with His amazing grace if it were not so. If He had not done that, we would be lost as a goose - every one of us.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I'm found.
Was blind but now I see."

As we step into this destiny of ours, we do it with the knowledge deeply imbedded in us that but for grace, we would surely perish along the way. That is why this destiny we move into is of a divine nature. It will take the grace of His divine attributes to carry us into and through the process of seeing it accomplished to become overcomers in the end.

Who are you, O great mountain ? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of ' Grace. Grace to it ' - Zechariah 4:7

Thus says the Lord; "The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness - Israel, when I went to give him rest. - Jeremiah 31:2

And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. - Ezra 9:8

What we are about to step into is so great in relationship to the history of mankind, that He's had to "allure us to the wilderness," to show us who we are apart from His divine grace operating in and around us. If you are reading this, most likely, you have survived the sword whether it is from God or from the enemy, and you are presently finding grace in your wilderness. This truly is the year of the favor of the Lord in our lives. He WILL have His remnant. He is not a man that He would lie.

He is about to "give us a measure of revival," yes, even in our bondage, for we are not yet totally free. He is giving us eyes to see the beginnings of what is about to take the nations by storm as He pours out favor and grace upon us by sending a little help from His sanctuary to our sanctuary. As angelic help is released to us to see the supernatural operating at a level we've not experienced until now, our faith will grow and we truly will believe, even in our unbelief. This is all His idea. YOU and your destiny are His idea and He will see it through - even to the point that when you say to this mountain be moved, it will be moved.

He is saying over you, "GRACE, GRACE! ". HE'S CALLING YOU OUT into your destiny for it is upon you now with abundant grace. Though you may have grown weary even in well doing, now is the time to take a deep breath with a leap of abandonment into what you know beats inside you. You may have laid it down. You may have stepped back. You may have reined in your expectations, most likely from a lack of revelation of just how great is this enabling grace of His.

I encourage you to go see the movie "Amazing Grace." It will put a fire in you and open your eyes that were once blind to see the vision that has most likely died, and see it resurrected to its fullness. It's part of the process, as is the fact that the road that leads to the fulfillment of your destiny is probably not how you envisioned it. We need each other to speak into our destiny, to raise our arms, so to speak, when we have reached our end. But with the help of great grace, your destiny will be fulfilled in a way that "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into your heart the thing which God has prepared for you" 1 Corinthians 2:9 (loosely translated)

You were born for this hour when destiny is calling you up and out. Up and out of yourself and your circumstance and into the place where God is your boundaries and borders. Nothing less will get you there. It is impossible to please God without this kind of faith; without this kind of abandonment and without the determination to set your eye on Him and Him alone. That is what gives us the ability to see through His eyes just what and where we are called to, above the limitations and the belief system of this earthly realm. What you are called to is otherworldly and supernatural in its very nature.

I've said it before, as have so many others, but I would be remiss to not say it again.

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ' Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.' - Revelation 4:1

We must see our destiny through His eyes. It is too great to imagine on our own. By His enabling grace our eyes will be opened and we will see into eternity to receive the faith to step into what He has called us to, as He steps into us that it might be accomplished in us and through us.

The Kingdom is Your Future

Matthew Dahlitz

January 02, 2010

Last night Shera and I went to hear John Arnott speak and minister on the Gold Coast. He spoke about the Kingdom of God and just confirmed once again the incredible importance of understanding what the Kingdom is all about and it’s availability to us right here and now. To get an understanding of your destiny as a believer, you have to frame your particular call and future with the Kingdom. Your destiny is wrapped up in the Kingdom of God!

This Kingdom is an ever advancing, never ending domain of God which is permeating the earth today. It will continue to advance on the earth until the knowledge of the glory of God will cover the earth like the waters cover the seas. “For recognition of the LORD’s sovereign majesty will fill the earth just as the waters fill up the sea.” (Hab 2:14, NET). Don’t be deceived into thinking that this Christian life is just an experiment of God, a lifestyle that just isn’t cutting it in this modern age. Don’t think for a moment that the Kingdom is an inconsequential, marginalized, religious ideal that will eventually be swallowed up by Islam or some one world power and ideology. You can be certain that God will have His way and redeem all of creation for Himself.

He has always been absolute Sovereign of the universe - this little blue dot in the vastness of His creation has been somewhat blinded by rebellion and has been deluded by thoughts that God is either non-existent or if He does exist doesn’t have a complete handle on His own creation. We’ve got Europe claiming to be entering a post-christian era.
Much of the West in a poor spiritual state - blind and naked, but like the emperor with no clothes, thinking they are pioneering some new age of enlightenment. Depending on where you are looking and who you are talking to, you could conclude that Christianity is fading and the Kingdom far from what has been promised.

But look again. There are 30,000 Chinese being born again daily. 100,000 of these sons of the King will be taking to the silk road, back to Jerusalem, declaring the message of the Kingdom along the way. Brazil and parts of Africa are in a wildfire of revival. But you don’t see it on CNN or the BBC, at least not in the mainstream headlines - yet this is news that will turn the world upside down.  The backslidden West will soon be flooded by missionaries from Asia and Central America! The hardest Islamic strongholds will be infiltrated by Chinese who have nothing to lose but everything to gain. The Kingdom is advancing and growing brighter on the earth as the world grows darker.

Your destiny is wrapped up in the Kingdom and the Kingdom is within your reach. Jesus declared “the kingdom of God is near” (Mark 1:15). It’s available, but it’s not going to drop into your lap, you have to reach out and take hold of it. It’s your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom! (Luke 12:32).

Want to know more of what this Kingdom and Kingdom living is all about? We will be featuring teaching, testimonies, missionary reports, and much more here at This Side Of The Cross to educate you, equip you and inspire you to take hold of the Kingdom for yourself and everyone about you. Stay tuned and hold on - it’s a wild ride - it’s what you were destined for.

Author Profile

Matthew & Shera Dahlitz

Matt and Shera Dahlitz live in Brisbane, Australia. Together with their three children, and their wider church family, they are on an adventure to discover what it is to live on this side of the cross.

Always believing 'there must be more than this' in their walk with the Lord, Shera and Matt have been pursuing the reality of the Kingdom of God for 14 years as a couple. If there is one thing they have learned it's that there is a lot to learn. Not just in academic knowledge, but in practical experience, the learning that comes out of the 'School of the Spirit'. It is the release of the practical 'how to's' of the spiritual walk that they aspire to impart to the wider body of Christ.

Matt and Shera are the co-directors and founders of ThisSideOfTheCross.com as part of their mandate to help equip the Body of Christ.

Contact:

This Side Of The Cross
PO Box 1030
Park Ridge
Queensland 4125
AUSTRALIA
info@thissideofthecross.com

Article Archive here

Positioning For His Presence

JoAnn McFatter

It is beyond my comprehension to think that God has made available for us to have the mind of Christ. Whenever I hear that I always think, “oh, the beautiful mind of Christ” as I think of the expression of truth, humility, righteousness, holiness, meekness, wisdom, understanding, and, of course, the endless list of words describing how He thinks. Yet still, this is truly what is being extended to us – the invitation to be one with Him who is one with the Father, by His Holy Spirit, even to the extent of living life out of the mind of Christ.

FOR WHO HAS KNOWN OR UNDERSTOOD THE MIND (THE COUNSELS AND PURPOSES) OF THE LORD SO AS TO GUIDE AND INSTRUCT HIM AND GIVE HIM KNOWLEDGE? BUT WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST (THE MESSIAH) AND DO HOLD THE THOUGHTS (FEELINGS AND PURPOSES) OF HIS HEART –1 Corinthians 2:16 Amplified Version

Unimaginable and even a bit scary to think about, nevertheless, accomplished by His grace and Holy Spirit. However, there is one catch…..one that most of us conveniently forget. That would be the process of dying daily until it is not I who lives but Christ who lives in me.

(I ASSURE YOU) BY THE PRIDE WHICH I HAVE IN YOU IN (YOUR FELLOWSHIP AND UNION WITH) JESUS CHRIST, THAT I DIE DAILY (I FACE DEATH EVERY DAY AND DIE TO SELF). –1 Corinthians 15:31 Amplified Version

It is ONLY by this process that we are able to obtain the mind of Christ, thank God. Otherwise, we would have a lot of dangerous people running around with the thoughts of God, using them for their own agendas……hmmmm……..sound familiar? God help us all! There but by the grace of God go I! The set pattern is for us to become foolish in the eyes of the world, not with the intent to be goofy but rather to live life according to Kingdom mentality. That would be a Kingdom in which up is down, in which the way to the top is by getting up underneath others to serve them in whatever capacity is needed. Jesus clearly presented this to the disciples as the pattern to live out this life. Why do we always forget this?

It’s interesting in Matthew just as the crowds are getting huge and “His fame went throughout Syria,” Jesus climbs to the top of the mountain, sits, waits for the disciples to come to Him and begins to speak. It’s as if He realizes that fame has now hit and it’s time to talk to the guys about how to posture themselves through all of this. They are probably thinking about their ministries they are about to launch and all the perks that come with that (just putting it in today’s scenario). Jesus just wants to bring a reality check in the guise of some Kingdom perspective as to how this thing should play out……how they should posture themselves — in fact, how we should ALL posture ourselves in these coming days as He releases power and authority never seen before in the earth.

BLESSED (HAPPY, TO BE ENVIED, AND SPIRITUALLY PROSPEROUS – WITH LIFE-JOY AND SATISFACTION IN GOD’S FAVOR AND SALVATION, REGARDLESS OF THEIR OUTWARD CONDITIONS) ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT (THE HUMBLE, WHO RATE THEMSELVES INSIGNIFICANT), FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. BLESSED AND ENVIABLY HAPPY (WITH A HAPPINESS PRODUCED BY THE EXPERIENCE OF GOD’S FAVOR AND ESPECIALLY CONDITIONED BY THE REVELATION OF HIS MATCHLESS GRACE) ARE THOSE WHO MOURN, FOR THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED. BLESSED ARE THE MEEK (THE MILD, PATIENT, LONGSUFFERING), FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH. – Matthew 5:3-5 Amplified Version

The word meek here means “humble by affliction.” Ouch! I know very few people who aren’t experiencing some kind of affliction these days, or have just been there. It certainly does develop character, though, when walked through rightly. There’s a saying, “what doesn’t kill us will strengthen us,” but I guess we should be saying what DOES kill us will strengthen us, since the point is to die daily! Again, God help us all — to die gracefully, that is!

But the good news is that as a result, THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH !!! We will get back to the original mandate that Adam was given to take dominion of the earth. There is coming a day and an hour when all manner of this physical realm will be subject to our authority. Some will come to a place in oneness with God that when they say, “Mountain be moved,” it will literally be moved. Others will not be subject to the laws or limitations of the physical realm and will step out onto the water and walk across it. Not for some sensational display, but for the work of the Kingdom. Many will be translated from place to place. The list is endless and unimaginable that we will participate in as we die to self, serve others and become one with Him as we submit ourselves to this death process. Count it all joy! This is the destiny of this last generation! This is YOUR destiny in and through God!

CONSIDER IT WHOLLY JOYFUL, MY BRETHREN, WHENEVER YOU ARE ENVELOPED IN OR ENCOUNTER TRIALS OF ANY SORT OR FALL INTO VARIOUS TEMPTATIONS. BE ASSURED AND UNDERSTAND THAT THE TRIAL AND PROVING OF YOUR FAITH BRING OUT ENDURANCE AND STEADFASTNESS AND PATIENCE. –James 1:2-3 Amplified Version

We can’t go around it, can’t go under it, and can’t go over it – we must pass through it and overcome the adversity. Likewise, we must overcome the tendency to want to be recognized and celebrated for what we have done, though it really is only what the Lord enables us to participate in as He moves through us. Even above that, we are told to not only embrace and move through it in love and dying to self, but also to be thankful in it!

SEE THAT NONE OF YOU REPAYS ANOTHER WITH EVIL FOR EVIL, BUT ALWAYS AIM TO SHOW KINDNESS AND SEEK TO DO GOOD TO ONE ANOTHER AND TO EVERYBODY. BE HAPPY (IN YOUR FAITH) AND REJOICE AND BE GLAD-HEARTED CONTINUALLY (ALWAYS); BE UNCEASING IN PRAYER (PRAYING PERSEVERINGLY);THANK (GOD) IN EVERYTHING (NO MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES MAY BE, BE THANKFUL AND GIVE THANKS), FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR YOU (WHO ARE) IN CHRIST (THE REVEALER AND MEDIATOR OF THAT WILL). –1Thessalonians 5:15-18

I know we all have heard this and we know this in our minds but walking it out is a whole other thing. We must encourage each other in this that as many as possible will overcome and become the friends of God in the earth! Most precious in all of this is to become the friend of God. This is the pathway that leads us to becoming His friend. He tells his friends His secrets, those who will pick up His cross and follow Him even into the sufferings of Christ Jesus. We must become ones who He can trust with these secrets, who will not put it out over the internet every time He tells us something or gives us an experience in Him. If you tell a friend a secret and they share it with others, you learn that you can’t trust them so you stop telling them intimate things.

HE WHO GOES ABOUT AS A TALEBEARER REVEALS SECRETS, BUT HE WHO IS TRUSTWORTHY AND FAITHFUL IN SPIRIT KEEPS THE MATTER HIDDEN –Proverbs 11:13

HE WHO GOES ABOUT AS A TALEBEARER REVEALS SECRETS; THEREFORE ASSOCIATE NOT WITH HIM WHO TALKS TOO FREELY. –Proverbs 20:19

The point is that God is looking for people He can entrust some astounding things to in the days ahead, over and above any other time in history. We get excited about this, but tend to not talk about the fact that there is a price. We must be ones who have truly died to self, are seeking Him in prayer and relationship, and can be counted on to not tell everything we know. Jesus said He did only what He saw the Father do. He only said what the Father told Him to say. That does not mean that is all that He knew or all that He could have done, only that He was obedient and could be trusted to engage only when told to by His Father. Can we get by with anything less than the very Son of God, Himself?

Oh, to be the friend of God! That is the cry of cries in this hour! Everything else will flow out of that place with Him. Posturing ourselves for His presence is costly but the rewards are beyond our comprehension. Oh for the day when it will be cried out in the streets, ‘The tabernacle of God is with men! These are the ones called the friends of God! ‘

Author Profile

JoAnn McFatter

JoAnn McFatter is currently traveling nationally and internationally as a worship leader and/or speaker. Her ministry, Inside-Eternity, is partnering with WhiteDove Ministries, based in Foley, Alabama.

While facilitating the shift from the mind of man to the mind of Christ in word and song, she carries a twofold passion. First, to see the Bride abandoned body, soul and spirit to God and God alone. Second, to see revelation opened up as it pertains to spirit, science and art being woven together to bring Kingdom manifestation on the earth as it is in heaven.

Website: www.joannmcfatter.com | Email contact@joannmcfatter.com | Article Archive here |Books here