The Unnatural Nautral

Special Note: This is a reprint of my earlier

post,"THE UNNATURAL NATURAL" This reprint is

done at the urging of the Holy Spirit for all those

effected by the event in  Newtown, Connecticut 

Sandy Hook Elementary School. I pray this

article helps.

 

THE UNNATURAL NATURAL

Richard L. Spangler

 

  A few years ago I lost three family members in three months, my youngest brother Sidney on December 23, 2009, my brother Jon (a year younger than me) on March 2, 2010 and my mother-in-law Eloise March 21, 2010. To say the least I was reeling under the weight of grief. I cried out to the Lord, “Help, I need something to get me through this.”

  I heard the Lord say, “You are dealing with an unnatural natural.” To that I replied, “Lord I don’t need riddles I need an answer.” (Thank God He loves me and is patience with me.)

 At this point, I heard again, “You are dealing with an unnatural natural.” It was then I began to think about what was being said. Death is a natural part of our physical existence. Everything in the physical universe eventually dies but our spirits are eternal. We live forever.

This then is the conflict we experience in dealing with the death a love one, a friend or a pet. Our spirits realize that this is not natural; we are not suppose to die, we were created to live forever by God. We were never meant to experience separation from God, our family, and friends and even our pets.

Remember, before the fall of man there was no death in the universe so animals were eternal also. When man sinned, he brought death into the entire universe.

 God put eternity in our hearts, Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NKJV)
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He Has put eternity in their hearts,.

  This makes death hard for us to deal with, whether sudden or a prolonged illness before death, it is still unnatural to our spirits.  Our spirits are screaming from deep inside us, “This is not right! This is not supposed to happen! ” Yet it does.The unnatural separation occurs and we are left with a sense of lost and aloneness. It does not matter what people say or what we know, we still feel the unnaturalness of the loss and the grief that goes with it.

 Thank God, that He gives each of us  time to come to terms with this unnatural event.  The Bible says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3 NKJV).

Jesus quotes the Prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Luke 4:18 NKJV). 

 

 God is here with us. He holds hand, wraps us in His loving arms and will even pick us up and carry us through the valley of death. He also lets us know that for the believer this separation is temporary, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord(1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 NKJV).

  Even in the darkness hours of our lives, there is hope for us that believe in Jesus Christ. We know that the unnatural separation of death is only temporary and we will again be with our love ones and friends, if they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and received forgiveness from sin.

  Those that do not know Christ do not have this hope. They only the darkness of confusion and grief caused the unnatural separation of death.  If you want this hope please pray this prayer.

Dear Lord Jesus,

  I know I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave to give me life. I know you are the only way to God. So now I want to quit disobeying you and start living for You. Please foegive me, change my life and show mw how to know You. In Jesus' Name Amen.

Contact me or call the CBN Prayer Center 1-800-759-0700 and talk with a Prayer Partner let them know you prayed this prayer and ask them for the New Day. Then, once you know Christ, ask Him to save your family and friends. He will use you to lead them to Him.

 

P.S. If you need help in dealing with grief also contact the CBN Prayer Center or myself. Praying for us all. Richard

                 ©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER

 

 

 

 

Craving God

^{CRAVING GOD}

^{Richard L Spangler}

   ^{Recently I had a craving for some of my homemade chili but it was still in the 80’s outside, and not the weather for chili. My wife couldn’t believe I was cooking chili on such a warm day. But, when you have a craving for something it does not matter, it’s the only thing that will satisfy you. At about the same time, I felt a strong urging of the Holy Spirit to revisit 2 Chronicles 7:14. At this point I had not made the connection with the craving for chili and the urging to revisit an oft quoted verse of scripture.  You may ask, “What does craving chili on a warm day have to do with craving God?  Where are you going with this?”}

  ^{Many believers are wondering what happened to 2 Chronicles 7:14. Many believers pray, repent and yet ask, “Why isn’t our land healed?”}

   ^{Our nation is divided. The same balance of power between remains and the nation is in an almost 50/50 split. The economy is still in trouble, with no clear solutions.  So what happened?}

  ^{First, I believe many prayed their political beliefs, believing that God could only be on their side. Joshua learned in Joshua 5:13-15, that Lord is on neither side. We therefore need to make sure we are on the Lord’s side, not a particular political party. The leaders of both political are guilty of giving lip service to God when it is good for them to do so. God knows it and so should we.}

   ^{Second, and most importantly we missed a key part of the scripture in 2 Chronicle 7:14 and that is to ‘seek my face”. To get a better understanding of this phrase, I looked at several different translations. They all said the same way except the Amplified.}

^{2 Chronicles 7:14 in the Amplified: “If My people, who are called My name shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My Face and turn from their wicked ways then will I hear from Heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”}  

 ^{The word crave stands out in a powerful way to me. According to Webster’s Dictionary crave is defined as, to ask for earnestly: beg, demand. to want greatly: need, to yearn for: to have a strong or inward desire} 

 Some Synonyms:ACHE (FOR), COVET,DESIRE,HUNGER (FOR),LONG(FOR),LUST (FOR OR AFTER),THRIST(FOR)

 Then the verse says, “and require of necessity” again using Webster’s Dictionary: Require means: a: to claim or ask for by right and authority b: to demand as necessary or essential. Necessity means: the state of being in need: requirement, an urgent need.

So here we have God saying that we need to beg, and demand with a strong inward desire for His face. We are to ask for by the right and authority he gives us as his people.

  The church as a whole is not craving God, we are not seeking Him. Many have taken on the attitude of, “What I have in God is good enough.” or “The next move of God is coming and all I have to do is wait on it.” There is no drive, no passion, no craving to know God in an intimate relationship, let alone to seek His face.

Every great move of God started with God’s people seeking to know him more. We need to go beyond just seeking God, and to crave Him.  We must get to the point in our life where nothing else will satisfy us. Many talk about this but very few actually do this.

  This means making our relationship with God our number one priority. Make the sacrifice, turn off the computer, the I-Pad, TV and dare I say it, the cell phone. We need to stir ourselves up, until nothing else with satisfy us, making our face to face relationship with Him essential to our very existence. We need to beg, and demand as our right, as children of God, to see our Father face to face. 

  Some may say that we cannot ask or enter into God presence in such a matter. But the Word of God says we can. In Hebrews 4:14-16 we can enter fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near the Throne of God (AMP). The Message Bible puts it this way: "So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give,Take the mercy,accept the help."

 

The good news is God wants and desires this type of relationship with his children. God created man to be in relationship with Him. Adam and Eve had such a wonderful relationship with God that they knew the sound of his walking. Abraham had a relationship where could not talk to God but could reason with him face to face. Moses had face to face talks with God at the Tent of Meeting in the wilderness. The Apostle Paul received a personal teaching from the Lord. The Apostle John in Revelation saw the Lord.  

    You too can have this type of face to face with the Lord but you must crave it above anything else. It is when the children of God, crave his face that God will hear from heaven and heal their land.

 What does craving chili have to do with craving God? Nothing except that God used it to stir me to write about craving a face to face relationship with Him. I may never look at a bowl of chili the same way again. By the way the chili was great.

 

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER

 

 

 

 

 

An Excerpt from Adventures in the Spirit A Series of Prophetic Visions By Richard L Spangler

 

Leaving the oasis, I noticed a strange darkness on the horizon. Further down the road, the darkness grew larger.I stopped and ate and drink from my provisions, sensing that all my strength would be needed. I moving into the darkness it took hours to reach the oasis.

Entering the oasis, the darkness became greater and heavier on me. I was having trouble making out the buildings in the darkness. Most of the people moved away from me as I approached them. The fear in this place is so strong you can almost taste it. The few people I could talk with were hopelessly in fear. They had the fear of rejection, fear of destruction, fear of the devil, fear of failure and even the fear of success. This is the largest of the oases.

The closer I get to the center of the oasis, the more fear presses down on me. I drink more of the water and eat more of the fruit I have with me and I am strengthened.

The darkness of fear is pressing in from all sides, it so close that I can only see a foot or less in front of me. Yet, I continue to push forward. My strength was fading fast. Then I heard a voice saying, “You are not going to make it.” I heard that the same voice in 2007, saying the same thing when I was about to have quadruple by-pass surgery. It was wrong then and I determined that it would be wrong now. The fear continued to close in on all sides and voices of defeat were growing louder and louder.

  Then, I heard a voice from deep within my spirit, “Turn the Robe inside out.” I immediately stopped and turned the robe inside out. The Lion on the robe started to glow; I felt the fire and the power of the Holy Spirit rising in me, I did not realize how weak I had become. Then, I brought the Shield of Faith in front of me and it also begins to glow. The Sword of the Spirit lighted up like a torch.

With all the light around me I now see the gate leading out of the oasis, just a few short feet in front of me. I quickly move through the gate and then down the road, until I am well clear of the darkness. I knelt down and praised the Lord for getting me out of the Oasis of fear.

Then, I prayed for those trapped there and in every oasis of deception and of fear. After prayer, I notice it is still daylight, which is surprising to me. It felt like I had been in the Oasis of Fear a long time.

THE MOUNTAINS OF REFRESHING

The mountains are close as the trail moved into them. The mountain walls now tower above me on each side of the trail. Suddenly, the trail ends and before me is a thick forest. I knew that I could not go back, so I pressed forward into the forest. I pull out the Sword of the Spirit, to cut a path though the trees, but the trees separate. I put the sword away and the trees close together. Then I pulled out the sword again and move forward and the trees are move apart in front of me. Looking behind me the trees have closed. I continued and notice that the colors of the leaves on the trees and even the color of the trees are getting brighter and becoming more alive. There is the sound of a mighty waterfall. I’ve heard the sound of this water before.

  It is the sound of joy that the water of the River of God makes as it flows from the Throne of God. As I step into a clearing, there it is the waterfall. It is beautiful and stretches skyward until it disappears in the clouds. Just looking at it is refreshing to my soul.There is a lagoon created by the waterfall. The water is crystal clear. Moving to the other end of the lagoon I see another waterfall with the River of God flowing down to the earth.

It is then that I realize how high up I am in the mountains. The view is so beautiful and amazing. Puffs of clouds are below me and eagles soaring through the sky. I could stand here for hours enjoying this view and in fact, I have.Turning back and walk away from the edge, I see life everywhere.

This place is the total opposite of the Oasis of Fear. It is wonderful and beautiful! Even the air I breathe here seems to be alive with joy and peace. Wading into the lagoon; my body glows with life and joy. Overwhelmed with joy, I dive into the water and begin to swim and shout and play like a little kid. I climbed up on a rock and watch this beautiful and refreshing scene.

I decided to move over to the waterfall, where the spray is wonderful. I stepped into the waterfall, an amazing thing happened, I rose. The water below is forcing me upward and the water above parts as I rise. The water around me continues downward with tremendous force.

As I look, I see the entire Land of Closed Gates before me. Over to my right I can see the River of the Spirit and the beauty of the surrounding land. Soon I am passing through the clouds and reach the top of the mountain. I step over onto the land, I look up and there stands Jesus smiling.

Jesus says, “Welcome to the Mountains of Refreshing.”

 

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER

                                                                    (USED BY PERMISSION)

If you would like to read more of the book is availible at http://www.amazon.com/ADVENTURES-SPIRIT-Prophetic-Visions-ebook/dp/B0073GCU3Y/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1352118594&sr=8-2

  

 

 

 

 

Here We Stand

By Richard L Spangler

  We are standing at a crossroads as a church, a nation and the world.  We all have been hearing this from various sources both spiritual and secular. The nation is divided in a 50/50 spilt politically; we have economic problems here and in the world. We are in moral decay, we are told what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right. We are under spiritual attack from those who want to remove God from our nation. There are others who would force us to submit to their beliefs and reject Jesus Christ. Yet, we are told to be politically correct in our thoughts and speech. Some have been moved to action by the Holy Spirit, CBN’s 50 Days of Prayer and America for Jesus are the most recent calls for prayer for our nation. But, the Holy Spirit kept urging me that there was more to do than gather in one place or in our homes and churches and pray. We can take action as individual believers. We can change the course of our communities, our nation and the world by answering the call of God.

Abram was commanded as part of the covenant with God to look and see the land the Lord had given him and he was also told to walk the land. This served a two-fold purpose: first was Abram could see more and more as he walked and secondly as he walked the land God said wherever he walked was his land. Genesis 13:17(AMP) Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you (boldness added for emphasis).

  Then in Ephesians we read that we are to put on the Whole Armor of God and to stand, holding your ground. Ephesians 6:14 (AMP) Stand therefore [hold your ground], having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God (Boldness added for emphasis).

So there are two things that need to happen first to see the land and walk it, then the other is to hold your ground. Sadly, the church has not been doing either of these things. We hunker down behind the four walls of our church buildings and homes and prayer closets and pray for our land. We pray with an expectation that God will do all the work and take back our nation for us.

This is a lie of the enemy, he wants us just to sit back and pray. The devil knows that God has chosen His people to take dominion over our communities, states and nations. So long as there no action with our prayers then devil doesn’t have to worry.

  This then is a call to action by the Holy Spirit, to get out of the four walls of churches and homes, to come out of our closets and take action. First get a friend, (Jesus sent the disciples out two by two), and go to a street corner in your city (ask the Holy Spirit which street corner He will tell you). Second, look around you and see the land the Lord has given you. Third, begin to thank and praise God for the land he has given you. Fourth, pray for the land and the people in it. Praying that the people will come to know Christ and His love (no prayers of condemnation or judgment) and for God to heal the land. Fifth, rebuke the devil.

  If, someone comes up ask what you are doing, tell them you are praying for your community and the nation and invite them to joint you. If they say, “yes” let them joint if they say, “no” ask them if you can pray for them. If you find yourselves with two or more jointing you , then you or your partner take one of them and move to another corner nearby and begin to pray. In this way, you have walked your land and have stood your ground and God will give you the land.

  A closing note, please stay on public property and do not block a sidewalk. This is not a time for a show or a display of religious exercises, do it in humble matter, but with the power and authority of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

 If you would like, please e-mail me at HereWeStand@lionsvoiceministries.net that you are going to pray at the street corner and share your stories. 

                              ©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD SPANGLER

 

The Unnatural Natural

Richard L. Spangler

   A few years ago I lost three family members in three months, my youngest brother Sidney on December 23, 2009, my brother Jon (a year younger than me) on March 2, 2010 and my mother-in-law Eloise March 21, 2010. To say the least I was reeling under the weight of grief. I cried out to the Lord, “Help, I need something to get me through this.”

   I heard the Lord say, “You are dealing with an unnatural natural.” To that I replied, “Lord I don’t need riddles I need an answer.” (Thank God He loves me and is patience with me.)

 At this point, I heard again, “You are dealing with an unnatural natural.” It was then I began to think about what was being said. Death is a natural part of our physical existence. Everything in the physical universe eventually dies but our spirits are eternal. We live forever.

   This then is the conflict we experience in dealing with the death a love one, a friend or a pet. Our spirits realize that this is not natural; we are not suppose to die, we were created to live forever by God. We were never meant to experience separation from God, our family, and friends and even our pets. Remember, before the fall of man there was no death in the universe so animals were eternal also. When man sinned, he brought death into the entire universe.

 God put eternity in our hearts, Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NKJV)
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He Has put eternity in their hearts,.

   This makes death hard for us to deal with, whether sudden or a prolonged illness before death, it is still unnatural to our spirits.  Our spirits are screaming from deep inside us, “This is not right! This is not supposed to happen! ” Yet it does.The unnatural separation occurs and we are left with a sense of lost and aloneness. It does not matter what people say or what we know, we still feel the unnaturalness of the loss and the grief that goes with it.

 Thank God, that He gives each of us  time to come to terms with this unnatural event.  The Bible says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3 NKJV).

   Jesus quotes the Prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Luke 4:18 NKJV). 
  God is here with us. He holds hand, wraps us in His loving arms and will even pick us up and carry us through the valley of death. He also lets us know that for the believer this separation is temporary, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord(1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 NKJV).
 
   Even in the darkness hours of our lives, there is hope for us that believe in Jesus Christ. We know that the unnatural separation of death is only temporary and we will again be with our love ones and friends, if they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and received forgiveness from sin.
   Those that do not know Christ do not have this hope, They only the darkness of confusion and grief caused the unnatural separation of death.  If you want this hope, please pray this prayer: 
   Dear Lord Jesus,
  I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave to give me life. I know You are the only way to God. So now I want to quit disobeying You and start living for You. Please forgive me, change my life and show me how to know You.
  In Jesus' name. Amen. 
 
  Contact me,directly or call the CBN Prayer Center 1-800-759-0700 and talk with a Prayer Partner, let them know you prayed this prayer on this blog and ask them for the New Day. Then, once you know Christ, ask Him to save your family and friends. He will use you to lead them to Him.

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER

Forgive, How Much?

By Richard Spangler

 

 People ask, “How many times must I forgive this person?” Or, “I can’t forgive what they did to me.”  And, “I want God to judge this person.” These same people have financial and other troubles, wondering why God is not blessing them. Some also have relationship issues with their family and others.

I have personally dealt with people that were hard to forgive. Once I was given the responsibility of running a shop and yard crew for the water department. I worked with men, most of whom were much older than myself.

There was this guy I will call Frank, who would ride my case from the time I walked in the gate until I left. Frank would curse constantly, put open men’s magazines on my desk, and relocate my Bible and my lunch.

There were times I felt like getting revenge on him, but I didn’t. I continued to pray for him, asking God to save him, and to help me forgive him. This situation continued for months. 

Then one day, Frank came into my office. I feared the worse, but to my surprise, he broke down. Frank’s life was a mess and he needed someone to talk to. He asked me to forgive him. I told him I already had and was willing to listen and help.

After that, a good working relationship developed. Frank would still slip up with the language, but would quickly ask my forgiveness. This was my first lesson in forgiving someone who continually sinned against me, so I understand how difficult forgiving can be.  The question arises, how much to forgive someone? We can thank the Apostle Peter for the answer.

“Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV).

If we analyze these figures, it is amazing. Jesus says to forgive 70 times 7, which is 490 times a day! Then when you divide 490 by 24 hours in a day it means 20.4 times an hour. Then you divide 60 minutes in hour by 20.4 and you get 2.9 minutes. So we are to forgive someone who sins against us every 2.9 minutes!

This is a lifestyle of forgiveness. It does not matter what someone does to you or how many times they may sin against you, you are to forgive. It is almost impossible for someone to reach this volume of sinning against another. If you’re counting, are you really forgiving?

But, what about if they are breaking the law, you may ask? If they break a law of man they still have to pay the consequences and if they haven’t accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord, then they are under the judgment of God’s law, so we must leave the judging to Him.

Forgiveness is for you, not them. Unforgiveness blocks our relationship with God and leads to bitterness. Both unforgiveness and bitterness not only take their toll on you spiritually but also physically, opening the door to sickness and death. They also poison every relationship you have.

Unforgiveness also affects the blessings you receive from God.

“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful^. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:32-38 NKJV).

What caught my attention is that most of this scripture deals with our relationship with others, then comes this one statement by Jesus on giving at the end. We are to love our enemies. We are to forgive unconditionally. We are to show mercy as God has shown mercy to us. Don’t condemn or judge and finally, forgive. Forgiveness jumps out as the key to the other blessings.

So forgive, for your own sake. Then, you will have an open, unhindered relationship with God and others. When you pray for the blessings of God, they will flow to you in a far greater way than you can imagine. 

©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD L SPANGLER

 

CHECK OUT MY BOOK:

ADVENTURES IN THE SPIRIT A Series of Prophetic Visions

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Who is Obed-Edom?

                            By Richard L Spangler

Who is Obed-Edom? Why be like him? His choices and his life led to blessings for himself and his family. Let us, together, learn who Obed-Edom was and about his life.     

Obed-Edom is first mentioned in the Bible, just after the death of Uzzah for touching the Ark of God. This happened during King David’s first attempt to move the Ark to Jerusalem. The Ark of God was placed in the home of Obed-Edom. He must have been a man of faith to allow something in his home; just after God had killed someone for touching it (this broke one of the commands of the Lord concerning the Ark). The ark of God remained with Obed-Edom for three months, and the Lord blessed his household and everything he owned.     

When it came time to move the Ark to Jerusalem, (this time correctly) Obed-Edom had a choice. He could have stayed where he was and lived off of his past relationship with God or move with the Ark of God, staying in God’s presence and in relationship with God. 

  Obed-Edom had a desire for the Lord and moved with God. His desire for the Lord caused him to do whatever it took to be close to the Lord. He became a gatekeeper, a musician, and a doorkeeper for the Ark. Due to Obed-Edom’s desire and love for the Lord and his faithfulness, God begins again to bless him and promote him. Obed-Edom becomes a worship leader and is mentioned along with Aspah the Chief Musician. Obed-Edom and his 68 associates minister regularly before the Lord in worship. Yet, he still continues to keep the gates.     

Obed-Edom is not only blessed in ministry and relationship with the Lord, his family is also blessed. God gives him eight sons, his poor wife raising a football team. His sons and grandsons also worshiped the Lord and were blessed by the Lord. They were all leaders, capable men, with strength to do the work. There were 62 men in all. Obed-Edom along with his other duties was put in charge of the Southgate and his sons were keepers of the storehouse.     

  Obed-Edom by his faith, attitude, and actions created a legacy of faith, and relationship with the Lord. The Lord was faithful back to Obed-Edom establishing a legacy of generational blessings.    

 Obed-Edom had to pack up and physically move to stay in the presence of God. His desire for a relationship with God established a relationship not only for himself but also for his children and grandchildren. This relationship also established generational blessings from God for his family.     

  Today, we don’t have to travel to a specific place to know the presence of the Lord or to have a relationship with the Lord. We, as believers all have the Holy Spirit within us. But, it is up to each of us to stir up the desire to seek out our own relationship with God, Our Father. The Father desires for us to have a relationship with him. He waits patiently for His sons and daughters to seek him out and have an individual relationship with Him.      

We can have this relationship with the Father by first, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, we will be filled (Mt. 5:6). We must work to keep our hearts pure and we will see God. We must seek first the Kingdom of God and Its righteousness (Mt. 6:37).      

  Our Father is crying out by His Spirit within us, for each of us to stir up our desire for Him. He wants us to be passionate for Him, to get hungry and thirsty for Him. When you are hungry and thirsty for something, you do what it takes to be satisfied.    

    The first step is to keep a pure heart… Unconfessed sin is a relationship and a blessing stopper with God. Keep short accounts with the Lord by following 1 John 1:9 and by keeping short accounts with others. No choice here. If you have done wrong, go to the person, confess it, ask for forgiveness and make it right. If you know some one has something against you, go to them, and don’t wait for them to come to you. Make it right. Be careful what you watch on T.V., listen to the radio, and what comes in over the Internet, enough said.     

 Second, study the Word of God, and mediate on it daily. Mediation is not mystical or hard. If you can worry, you can mediate. We all do a great job worrying. We take an issue and keep thinking the worst that can happen over and over again. Mediation is thinking about a particular scripture or the goodness of God, over and over again. This is simple but it works, and the more you do it the easier it gets. Putting on worship music helps with mediation and will bring the Presence of God.  

   A third step is just relax and rest in the Presence of God. We think that we must be doing something all the time for God. Relaxing and resting in God’s Presence is extremely important. It is in these times that we can clearly hear from the Lord. A Web site that can help with this www.soaking.net.     

   Finally, get up and get moving. Get involved in your church and/or your community. Obed-Edom did not wait for the Lord to tell him to do something, he just did it. He waited on the Lord by doing. You will find as you are doing the work of the ministry, God will give you direction in what to do.     

  So be an Obed-Edom, have a desire for God. Keep your heart pure. Study and mediate on the Lord, and relax and rest in God’s presence. Get up and get involved. By doing these things, you will have a relationship with God, and He will bless you and your family and create blessings for you and generational blessings for your family.

Scripture References for Obed-Edom: 1 Chronicles Chapters 13:12-14, 15:18, 21, 24, 16:38, 26:4-6, 12-15.

                                        ©COPYRIGHT 2009 RICHARD SPANGLER

Check out my book ADVENTURES IN THE SPIRIT A Series of Prophetic Visions Only $1.95 on Kindle Also availible in Paperback for $5.95 plus S&H and on Nook for $1.95

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Ministering Mountains of Refreshing and the Ocean of Peace

This occurred on Sunday night. The Lord caught us up and took us to the Mountians of Refreshing and the Ocean of His Peace Tidewater Area Christain Fellowship 81112 630pm
If you want more on this check out ADVENTURES IN THE SPIRIT A Series of Prophetic Visions

Third Level Blessing Daily Devotional | CBN.com

So popular decided to repost Third Level Blessing Daily Devotional | CBN.com  If you like this check out Adventures in the Spirit A series of Prophetic Visions

Letting Go Of Yesterday Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Letting Go Of Yesterday Daily Devotional | CBN.com

An Adventure in the Spirit in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

                                         

By Richard L Spangler

    My wife Dorthy is on the broad of Lions Heart Ministries in Virginia Beach, Virginia led by our good friend Pastor Linda Salzman. Dorthy is also part of the worship team for this ministry. The worship team had been invited to be on a local TV show Family –Life Sunday Night on the Family Life TV station (http://www.familylifetv.com ) in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh on Sunday night July 29, 2012.

    Dorthy wanted me go along and help with the driving and anything else that might come up. I thought this was a great idea and we made plans to go. I got excited about seeing Pittsburgh, especially Three Rivers Stadium (Heinz Field). This was strange since I am a Washington Redskins fan and the Steelers rate almost as low as the Dallas Cowboys on my favorite teams list. I mentioned the idea of going to the stadium to Pastor Linda and she thought it was a good idea also (this was equally strange, since Pastor Linda is not interested in football at all).

   The week before we are to leave the other Associate Pastor of my church (Tidewater Area Christian Fellowship http://tacfvb.org ) had a death in his family and had to go out of town the same weekend. I was prepared to stay home. But Dorthy got an insist in her spirit that she wanted me to go. We talked with our pastor, who also agreed that I should go. So I went with my wife and daughter and team.

   We drove up on Saturday and decided to go into Pittsburgh on Sunday, as we did not have to be at the TV station until 7:30 pm for the 9 pm show. I was getting ready excited about going to the stadium and did not know why until we crossed the Pittsburgh City limits, then the anointing of the Holy Spirit fell and I knew why I was there. So after lunch, the whole team went to Three Rivers Stadium (Heinz Field). We had a great time taking pictures of everyone. Then as I turned to look towards the city the Lord had me to declare this:

       Lord says, “Dry Bones Live!!! The Fire of the Holy Spirit come into these bones and they are to live. Then a strong and powerful body will arise in this region, more powerful than anything that has been here before. This body (the church) will transform this region. The power and the anointing will be so strong that it will flow down these three rivers to the gulf. Dry Bones Live!!! 

 When I finished, I asked Pastor Linda if she had anything to add, she said, “You’ve said it all.”

 With that done, we went back to Kittanning. That night, the power of God fell on the TV show as the worship ministered to the Lord and to those watching. It was a great time in Jesus.

   In walking with the Lord I am always amazed I how He leads us. I have many experiences, like this one in my life both in this earthly realm and in the spirit realm. Dorthy, says, “It’s not safe to take you anywhere.”  Guess that is true, considering it wasn’t safe to take me Pittsburgh.

  Please check out my book, to read about some of my adventures in the spirit realm.

Here is link:http://www.amazon.com/ADVENTURES-SPIRIT-Prophetic-Visions-ebook/dp/B0073GCU3Y/ref=sr_1_sc_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344260878&sr=8-2-spell&keywords=Adventures+in+the+Spirit+A+series+of+rophetic+visions

                               ©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD SPANGLER

      

Forgiveness is a One-Way Street Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Forgiveness is a One-Way Street Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Are You Hungry video

http://www.tacfvb.org/LiveBroadcastLiveChat.dsp


http://www.amazon.com/ADVENTURES-Prophetic-Visions-Richard-Spangler/dp/1470193396/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342705167&sr=1-1&keywords=richard+l+spangler

Special Event:Ministry Night at TACF

  I will be ministering a powerful message from the Word and moving in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit including be not limited to Prophecy and healings.Whatever God wants to do we will do. 
   Those in the Hamptons Roads Area of Virginia come out and be a part of this exciting night of ministry. SERVICE TIME IS 7:30 p.m. (EDT) July 18,2012.
For those outside the area,this service will be streamed live via ustream and will be on the church website on Thursday July 19,2012 See link below for directions and streaming:
Tidewater Area Christian Fellowship (TACF)

Remember to order:

Kindle Version of Adventures in the Spirit A Series of Prophetic Vision Only $1.95

 also availible in Paperback and Nook


Remember Tidewater Area Christian Fellowship Wednesday night July 18,2012 at 7:30 p.m. (EDT)

The Blessing Daily Devotional | CBN.com

The Blessing Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Hide and Seek Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Hide and Seek Daily Devotional | CBN.com

We need God's people to take a stand for righteousness.


http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/07/03/where-is-william-penn-grandfather-our-nation-when-need-him/

Passing the Test of Liberty Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Passing the Test of Liberty Daily Devotional | CBN.com

God's Independence Day Daily Devotional | CBN.com

God's Independence Day Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Each Day Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Each Day Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Now Hear This: It's for Everyone Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Now Hear This: It's for Everyone Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Father Father's Day Devotional | CBN.com

Father Father's Day Devotional | CBN.com

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain Daily Devotional | CBN.com

A very Powerful Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=D9vQt6IXXaM&hd

Where is Our Goverment?

Where is our goverment? The Obama adminstration has left this man and his family to die. Is this any way to treat some one that helped us?What does this say about anyone (including us here in the U.S.) being able to trust our current goverment.http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/29/brother-says-pakistani-doc-tortured-appeals-to-us-for-legal-help/

Third Level Blessing Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Third Level Blessing Daily Devotional | CBN.com

Transformation or Restoration

This an article by a friend of mine, I feel it is important to share it.

Transformation or Restoration?

by Patrick Miller on Monday, May 21, 2012 at 10:47am ·

The “living Constitution” is a constitution on its deathbed. The Founders are dismissed as quaint or worse— ancients, slaveholders, and landed gentry. This is what our modern day progressives seem to think, for utopianism is bigger than history and politics. It is a break from the past. The progressives are impatient, anxious, and frenetic, for life is short, destiny calls, and a fantastic future awaits humankind if only man, with all his flaws and imperfections, would relent or get out of the way. Therefore, the earthly grind of societal transformation must continue without delay.
One hundred years after the publication of Wilson’s Constitutional Government in the United States and sixty-four years after Roosevelt delivered his Second Bill of Rights speech, presidential candidate Barack Obama declared, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” Five days later, he was elected president. The counter-revolution, which is over a century old, proceeds more thoroughly and aggressively today than before.

When the fifty-five delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787 at what became known as the Constitutional Convention, their purpose was not to transform American society but to preserve and protect it. In Federalist 51, James Madison later explained the decisive task this way: “But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” Charles de Montesquieu’s advice guided the Framers. He wrote that laws “should relate to the degree of liberty that the constitution can sustain, to the religion of the inhabitants, their inclinations, their wealth, their number, their commerce, their mores, and their manners.…” (Spirit of the Laws, 1, 1, 3).

I personally do not want our President (whoever he may be) to TRANSFORM our nation. Obama appears to divide and transform it via a political revolution.

Our founders in their letters and writings shared their concerns about how our culture at the time of our nation’s founding was not perfectly in line with the values of Liberty; that all men are created equal. It is important to point out that many of the founders; including Franklin, Madison and Jefferson advocated for abolishing slavery from the founding of the nation. They knew that slavery was antithetical to the values in the Declaration, the Constitution and the forthcoming Bill of Rights. Realistically and politically they needed the nation fully unified to face the tyranny of England; the revolution would be a war that would require that the colonists have no reason or risk of splitting their allegiance. Tackling the issue of slavery would have risked such unity. In retrospect; they were correct as it took another 100 years and a civil war to abolish slavery. This is why we must not have The Founders dismissed as quaint or worse— ancients, slaveholders, and landed gentry.

The fact is – it is the great truths and principles within our Constitution and our Republican, Representative structure of government - with its checks and balances that has afforded the United States the accurate example of the most successful government experiment in the history of the world. It is nowhere else that free-men of every walk of life; whether they be poor or rich from birth; black, white, Asian, Hispanic – born here or immigrant – to achieve a fully liberated and prosperous way of life. There has never been and likely will not be a greater government structure for the common man.

While the Federalist and the Anti-Federalist at our birth disagreed on some things (it is apparent in their writings). However, they all agreed that a centralized government; whether a monarchy or elected leadership; would always be the greatest threat to liberty.

Our structure of government is not perfect, but it is the most ideal because it grants the greatest power to the States and limits the powers of the Federal Government. There is no intellectually honest way to read the writings of the framers; the Declaration, the Bill of Rights and Constitution and its amendments without coming to this conclusion.

Can anyone prove me a single example of any form of national ‘Centralized Government’ – anywhere in the history of the world; that has provided what we experienced as a nation in the last 200 years? Rhetorical question – the answer is no.

Our government is not perfect; nor will it ever be perfect – because it is administered by men who are imperfect and never will be perfect. The structure of our original and intended Constitutional Structure of government with its limited and divided powers; allows and recognizes this reality and proves the most ideal society for individuals. It is ideal but not perfect. Perfection is not attainable on this side of eternity; because mankind is not perfect.

So I ask you – Do you want more power to the Federal Government apparatus; which will be run by an all-powerful smaller group of bureaucrats? Or, do you want limited federal power where majority power remains with the individual states; their citizens and their locally elected representatives - as originally created by our founders?

Do you want America transformed as Barack Obama said 5 days before his election – or do you want it restored?