Broken Cisterns

Be astonished, O heavens, at this,
And be horribly afraid;
Be very desolate,” says the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.
14 “Is Israel a servant? Is he a homeborn slave?
Why is he plundered? Jeremiah 2:12-14

The word of the Lord came to me last night during our meeting. There are two travesties (absurd or distorted representations) happening in the church. The first travesty is that the people of God cannot hold the living water of God's presence in their life because of brokenness. The second is the world is going thirsty because of it.

I always hear the anguish of leaders wondering why people don't come to church any more. Ever hear of the expression "it holds no water?" It means that what is being said holds no credibility, isn't reliable or strong enough to hold the weight of truth. This has been the American church. It has lost all credibility because it has been just as lost as the world. I continually run into Christians who are suicidal, on medications, addicted, struggling, and can not seem to hold the water of God's presence in their life.

Verse 14 asks the question are you a servant or a slave? A servant willingly serves. A slave is in bondage. There is a marked difference. We are supposed to be servants of the Lord but many Christians are slaves to sin, compromise, and carnality. They aren't walking in freedom. You can usually tell by how people worship. They can't even lift up their heads, hands, eyes or even their bodies off the pews. They sit oppressed day after day being beat up by the devil. Don't get me wrong in a fight we may get knocked down once in awhile but we get up. It's when we live down that there is a problem. When we never live in victory, and walk defeated in our every day lives.

The question then is followed up by this one...why are we plundered? This word plundered is used in times of war when the enemy has taken valuable and treasured items by stealing, stripping, ravaging, seizing, in acts of hostile force. In today's terms: Why are we getting ripped off? The answer is simply because we have forsaken the fountain of living waters. We have been drinking from another source. We have been sitting at the table of the devil, and partaking of his dainties instead of taking up the cup of Jesus which is; not my will thy will. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. 

1 Corinthians 10:21

There is only one way to live. We are the ones that need to be plundering hell and not the other way around. 

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12

I have good news for all of you who have had enough of being plundered. All we need to do is push away from the table of demons by taking up the cup of the Lord. It is a cup that is bitter at first as we deny ourselves, take up our cross to follow him but then becomes sweet as the fountain of living waters continually supplies us with love, joy and peace. I read the end of the book and it is the ones who are washed with that precious blood and keep their robes clean without spot, wrinkle or blemish that will have their great reward. Allow God to wipe away those tears, free you from oppression and fill you with His love.  

“These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelations 7:14-17

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Jaziz Gutierrez

Official Website: http://www.loverevivalrevolution.com

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Paradigm Shift Ahead

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
2 Corinthians 4:6-7

God is going to take His people through a paradigm shift. To better understand this let's look at the word paradigm. It is a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions about how we do church or live as believers. Shift means to change course of direction or move from one place to another. God is going to change our direction and move us to a higher level of operation by changing our approach and fundamental mindsets. For years people have been talking about getting rid of the old wine skin. It's sounds really spiritual but what does this really mean? It means simply that God is going to remove the old mindsets, traditions of men, and religious methods that are quenching God's power. He is going to do this so He can pour in fresh revelations of who He is and new ways of approaching the world around us. 

We can not remain stuck in the old and expect to reach this generation. We must come out of our old season to embrace the full potential of who we are in Him. Quoting scriptures about it and just talking about it will not be enough. We have to start walking into new levels of God's power and not be threatened or jealous of those who are doing it. Don't be afraid of what you don't understand. Seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit and don't let fear keep you from all that God has. Also, remember that God wants to do this for one reason and one reason only...Harvest!

Jaziz Gutierrez
http://www.loverevivalrevolution.com

Forgive, Forget and Press On

It is January 1st and we are all eager to get a fresh start on the New Year. It is a day like any other but somehow we see it as an opportunity to make some necessary changes, and a time to carry out some much needed resolutions. A majority of us will make some resolutions which we won't keep. Some of us will actually succeed and carry them out. However, if you really want to move forward but are feeling stuck, here are some biblical principles that will help you truly move into all God has for you in this next year:

Forgive

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."
Mark 11:25

As a minister and counselor, I can't tell you the many calls I get from people who have not been able to move forward into all that God has for them because they overlook this very simple principle. Forgiveness is not optional; especially not as a Christian. It is also not automatic. It is something we have  to decide for ourselves. God can't do it for us. As you can see from the scripture above, if you don't forgive, neither will God forgive you. You may pray and pray until your knees are raw but your prayers will not be heard until you forgive others. You may also have others pray for you but their prayers will also fall to the way side until you have relented in your anger and hurt towards others.

In case you think you might have forgiven all the people you can possible think of; here are two overlooked areas: God and yourself. Yes those count too! You wouldn't believe how many people have grudges against God. I once saw a homeless man who begged for prayer. As I began to pray he interrupted me and said, "I can't forgive God because my wife died in a car accident!" He then got angry and walked away. He was unable to receive his freedom because he got stuck in an event. That happens to all of us when we can't forgive those who have hurt us. It keeps us stuck in the past, often reliving the awful memory over and over again.

Let me point something out to you before we move on: God is not in the business of killing people or making their lives miserable. We often get the mission statement of Jesus and the devil confused.

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10

"The devil is bad and God is good. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

One of the most important points I want to make on forgiveness is: forgiving oneself. There is a marked difference between conviction, which is the work of the Holy Spirit and condemnation which is the work of the devil. Conviction is God letting you know that you hurt him and you need to reconcile yourself to him by changing your actions. Condemnation is the devil making you think that there isn't anything you can do to get things right with God. To make matters worse, many Christians have the devil in the unemployment line because they do his job for him. They punish themselves for the things they have done and receive the devil's accusations being wielded towards them. They spiritually flog themselves in the mind. They also go about feeling unworthy and ashamed. God's word says:

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

Forget

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14

I know this may sound like a funny comparison but you can't drive a car looking strictly in the rear view mirror. You will crash. If you don't learn to put certain events behind you, you will never get anywhere. Forgetting is really a work of grace. We can literally ask God to sprinkle our conscience minds clean from all memories or pain.

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:22

Just like forgiveness, it is a choice to stop rehashing over the past. Keeping grudges or reminding others of the things they did to hurt you will only keep you in your past. God wants us to push past those things so we can live on in freedom and victory. It is difficult to forget but we really have to decide not to meditate on things that are causing us pain. In reality it only hurts us twice. The other person who offended us is not affected by our bad feelings. It can actually cause us to get sick if we hold onto things. Forgiving and forgetting is really for us not the other person. It is not that we are letting them get away with anything, we are choosing to allow God to intervene and exact justice on our behalf. It relinquishes the responsibility back to God, where it belongs.

"For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” Hebrews 10:30

Press On

Listen, don't allow what people have done to you, to control your life. You can remain stuck for years unable to grow or get close to God if you keep grudges, resentment and records of wrongdoing. It isn't worth it. You will literally grant the devil permission to torment you if you don't let go of things. God wants us to press on towards the call or high calling. This doesn't necessarily mean ministry. This means your highest potential as God's children. How awful would it be if you allowed yourself to be ripped off twice? There are rewards for those who diligently seek after God.

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

It is time for you to take off the rear view mirror and look ahead to what God has in store for you. No one can effectively do their job without focus. Wherever we have our eyes will largely determine our outcome. If we have our eyes looking behind, we will continue to stumble on. It only takes a split second of checking on the status of the runner next to you to take away the time or edge you have in your race. We must all give account for our own lives and we won't be able to use anyone as an excuse for not doing what God told us to do.

Press on this year by forgiving those who have hurt us, and forgetting the past events that have kept you stuck.These are only a few keys to reaching your goals this next year and obtaining the prize of finishing your own race!

Jaziz Gutierrez

http://www.loverevivalrevolution.com