From Declaration to Demonstration

Several months ago, around the spring of 2013, the Lord began speaking to me about the fall/winter season of 2013 going into 2014. The word I kept hearing repeated to me was the word “shift.” The Lord began revealing to me that he is placing his people into a transition that is shifting everything into an alignment of prophecy. This is obviously not a normal transition. It is not a steppingstone like prior transitions that will build upon another transition after another transition. This is a SHIFT, to transition us into an age of fulfilled promises. I believe that we are coming out of foundational transitions and into a transition of fulfillment. The Lord explained it to me in this way: Many have been declaring the word of the Lord for many years to inform people that God is sending and end time revival and stirring another Great Awakening to prepare the way for the Lord’s return. Many have been prophesying an outpouring from Heaven where we will see miracles, signs, wonders, and mass salvations accompanied with the baptism of the Holy Ghost in a magnitude that we have never witnessed before. We have been in a waiting season and have gone through many transitions and hardships to get to this point in life where we are today. The good news is that this waiting process has come to an end. The Lord showed me that we are coming OUT of the season of declaration and are going INTO the season of demonstration. This means that everything that God has said he was going to do, he is about to do it! We are believing the word of the Lord (his declaration) and are stepping into the fulfillment of his promises by the evidence of God’s supernatural manifestations!

The Lord also gave me a picture of what this transition and shift will look like through the Israelites crossing the Red Sea paralleled to them crossing the Jordan River. Before any transition that we enter into, we have to make up our minds that we are going to go where the glory of God goes. Exodus 13: 21, 22 says, “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people” (NKJV). Our anthem going into this shift must be that we are going to follow the pillar of cloud and fire (the glory of God) no matter where he leads us, how much it costs, who stands against us, or who chooses to quit around us. Everything that we do MUST be about God’s glory and Presence because without him we cannot do anything, but with him all things are possible! It is time for the people of God to get aggressive about being in the Presence of God!

While in the wilderness, many of the Israelites cried out and complained that they were going to die in the desert and that going back to Egypt would have been better for them (Ex. 14:12). What they did not realize was that right when they wanted to retreat back into slavery, their breakthrough was right before them. With this shift into 2014, there is no going back to Egypt and the waiting process. There is only the pressing forward into more glory after more glory! After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, they immediately entered into the wilderness, but what is interesting is that this is exactly where the Lord led them. The reason why the crossing of the Red Sea is a picture of the many foundational transitions that we have faced in life is because each transition took us into the position of the wilderness that would require yet another miraculous transition. How many of you can testify that even in the wilderness that God never left you or forsook you? Even while the Israelites were in the desert, God miraculously provided manna and quail, brought water from a rock, and spoke to the people through the giving of the Law and Ten Commandments. Even in the wilderness God still provides and speaks to us! Think of it this way: the wilderness causes us to either want to quit or to chase after God so desperately because we know he is our only means of survival. The wilderness transitions have been used to build your faith and intimacy with the Father. You could not have survived these past transitions without the miraculous hand of the Lord and by drawing deeper into His Presence.

Every transition in your life prior to today was God using it as a foundation for you to trust him to do even greater things in the future. Although God does miracles in the wilderness, do not get comfortable in that land because it is not the Promised Land. Everything that God has done for you in the past was a foundation in order to shift you into the Promised Land. Here is what the Lord showed me in the picture of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea versus them crossing the Jordan River. The way in which they crossed the Red Sea was by Moses lifting up his rod and stretching his hand towards the water (Exodus 14:16), but the way in which they crossed the Jordan was by following the Ark of the Covenant (Joshua 3:14). This distinction is the reason why we are stepping out of the season of declaration and into the season of demonstration. The Ark of the Covenant contained the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s budded staff, and a jar of manna. The Ten Commandments are the words of the Lord, correct? They are God’s instructions for holy living. They are the promises of the word of the Lord. It was the word of the Lord that went before the people of Israel that led them into the Promised Land. It was God’s promises that paved the way for them to into the fulfillment of his promises! Not only did the written word of God go before the people, but the literal Word of God went before them because it was between the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant (Mercy Seat) where the glory of God dwelt! This is exactly where the church is right now in this pivotal shift. We have crossed into the time of fulfilled promises because God’s promises and God himself became our vehicle of transportation.

You may be asking yourself, “How do I step into this shift?” The answer is found in Joshua 3:6, “And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” The Lord told me, “In order to be shifted, you have to be sifted.” God is simply looking for people who are hungry enough for his Presence that they will not be chasing after the things of this world. He is looking for people who are willing to live in holiness and to truly bear the cross of Jesus. It was after the people sanctified themselves that they crossed the Jordan. This is exactly where we are right now in the Kingdom. We have now crossed over, but what is the next step? The first thing the Israelites did when they crossed was worship the Lord by building an altar for him (Joshua 4:3). What is our altar? Our lives are the living sacrifices unto God. The next step that the Israelites took was that they circumcised the next generation (Joshua 5:3). I believe that this is a picture that God is raising up new leadership in the church who are sanctified, Holy Ghost filled, new wineskin vessels of the Lord. They carry the fires of awakening and will do whatever it takes to see nations burn for God!

The last step into your inheritance is found in obedience. The people sanctified themselves, made an altar to the Lord, and set apart new leadership. Now, it is time to take back the land out of the hands of the enemy. No land, territory, or thing belongs to the enemy. The earth is the Lord’s and everything that is in it! When the Israelites looked to the Promised Land they saw the stronghold of the walls of Jericho, but that did not stop God did it? Some of you are looking at impossible situations in impossible territories, but we serve the God of the Impossible! When Joshua saw the walls of Jericho lying before him, he did not run away in fear. He stood in faith with the Commander of the army of the Lord (Joshua 6:14). Do you not know that the Lord fights our battles? If they glory of God has taken you over the Jordan, will his glory not also take out your enemies? The reason why the walls of Jericho fell was because the new leadership sanctified themselves and obeyed the word of the Lord. They went where God told them to go and did what God told them to do when God told them to do it. Out of their obedience, God showed up. Obedience to the word of the Lord is the means in which the anointing and glory of God is released over his people.

Whatever state or country in which you are reading this letter, know that God is wanting to use YOU to shake your nation through the fires of awakening! God is about to accelerate his people into new leadership and accelerate them into the time of fulfillment. What would take years to accomplish, God will do quickly. What would be impossible to do, God will make it happen! Do you feel the yearning in the Spirit of the Lord that the King of Kings is coming soon? It is time prepare the way for the return of the Lord through the Greatest Awakening.

Your Brother in Christ and Fellow Soldier in the Greatest Awakening,

Daniel Bodkin

www.DanielBodkin.com

The Ten Commandments and Jesus

People have gotten a wrong impression that the Ten Commandments are some archaic set of laws no longer necessary in order for us to live for Christ.  Others believe that Jesus already "abolished the law on the cross" not understanding that the ordinances of men are not the commandments of God.  Jesus  made it clear, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." Matthew 5:17-20

Jesus did not come to abolish the laws of God for then he would have to abolish love itself!  He only simplified our obedience by summing up the commandments of God into two laws:
1.  Which was to love God
2.  And to love others as ourselves.

Jesus summed up all Ten Commandments into commands of love.  To obey the commandments of God is to walk in love!  Jesus wanted to make a distinction to His people that there was a difference between the commandments of God and the commandments of men.  The commandments of men and traditions are only an external form of obedience that tries to appease God by works but does not address the inward attitudes and motives of our hearts.  Jesus taught that obedience to His commands is a matter of loving him and abiding in His presence.

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21

 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.  John 15:9-10

His commandments were written on the tablets of our hearts making obedience possible through the work of the Holy Spirit.

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; ³ clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. 2 Corinthians 3:2-4

We can obey God's commands because the Holy Spirit lives in us and has poured his love over our hearts.

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5

Let us review what Jesus said about the Ten Commandments.

I.  You shall have no other Gods before Me Exodus 20:1-3
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. Mark 12:30

2.  You shall not make yourself an image to worship, whether it be something in heaven or earth you shall not bow down to it and serve it  Exodus 20:4
(That includes something you made with your own hands (business, success), yourself, your favorite band, movie stars, cult leaders, Christian leaders and so on)

 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Matthew 4:8-10

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Matt 6:24, Luke 16:13

3.  You shall not take God's name in vain (falsehood) Exodus 20:7
(vain is shawv in Hebrew which means falsely or deceptively, useless)

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23

Jesus quoting Isaiah:

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
⁹ And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ " Matthew 15:8-9

4.  Remember to keep the Sabbath and make it a time of sacred worship.  Take time to rest just as I did. Exodus 20:8-11
And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.¹¹ Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? ¹² Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”  Matthew 12:12

²³ Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. ²⁴ And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” ²⁵ But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: ²⁶ how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”²⁷ And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:23-27

 Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. ⁸ But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” Luke 6:6-9

5.  Honor your mother and father and I will lengthen your days  Exodus 20:12

"For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— ⁶ then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."  Matthew 15:4-7

6.  You shall not murder Exodus 20:13  (That includes yourself and unborn babies)

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire." Matthew 5:21-26

7.  You shall not commit adultery  Exodus 20:14  (That includes social networking affairs or pornography)

 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery." Matthew 5:31-32

They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”   He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. ⁹ And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” Matthew 19:3-9

8.  You shall not steal  Exodus 20:15 (That includes stealing from the government or God)

Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ¹⁹ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” Matthew 19:18-19

And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  Matthew 22:21

9.  You shall not bear false witness against someone else Exodus 20:16

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. ¹⁶ But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ ¹⁷ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector." Matthew 15:18-17

10.  You shall not covet the things that belong to someone else  Exodus 20:17

And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”  Luke 12:15

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