Obedience Through Suffering

Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. Hebrews 5:7-8

In our modern church culture, the idea of suffering is so foreign to us. The internet is full of ways to live in victory, overcoming in spiritual warfare, and motivational teaching that encourages us. Not so much on suffering. We don't want to even think about it. We have a big problem with suffering. We feel that somehow God is against us or doesn't like us when we go through things. We feel persecuted, downcast, and depressed when things don't go our way. We have a false sense of control as if we have a say in the matters of life. When things don't go the way we think it should, it shakes us to the very core of our being. We often accuse God of being unloving and uncaring. Jesus did not promise us a carefree life. "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 This word tribulation means trouble, anguish, suffering, sadness, heartache, and woe. Jesus said we are going to go through stuff. We are somehow shocked when it happens though. We even get mad about it. 

I recently heard a brother challenge me to ask God how to partner with him in the situation I'm in. What is God teaching me? How am I going to obey Him in what I'm going through? Hebrews says "though he was a son..." Why do we call into question our sonship when we suffer when it's part of normal life? Jesus told us we can be cheerful in every situation. Joy is not a byproduct of circumstance. It is a fruit of or manifestation of the Holy Spirit living in us. He didn't go anywhere. Peace is a byproduct of God's ever abounding love manifesting within our lives when we put our trust in Him! Jesus learned obedience through the things he suffered?! I scratch my head when I read this too. You mean suffering can be a byproduct of obedience?! You mean that if I obey God that it may produce heartache? You mean I won't always be blessed? Whoa! It says that he cried out in vehement cries. Jesus was suffering the agony of laying his life down. He knew that rejection, ridicule, pain, the punishment of our sins, betrayal of the church, and abandonment of friends awaited him. In His obedience and suffering, He overcame. We can overcome too. This is only true if we are willing to suffer through the decision to take up our cross and follow him; no matter who is with us. We may have to die on our cross alone, feeling forsaken by all and even feeling like God has turned His face from us. We can't depend on others to pull us through. We must depend on God! Sadly, many will even accuse us of being in some kind of sin if we are going through it. Which isn't necessarily true. These accusations arise because for the most part, the church doesn't believe in suffering. 

As a whole, our society is bent on not suffering. If we ever lived in a society that lives in a place of escapism it is now. The drug culture exists solely on escaping pain. We fear PAIN! We do everything to avoid it instead of embracing it as part of life. It takes courage to suffer and face pain. Can you imagine Jesus stopping in his tracks while carrying his cross and saying, "I'm not doing this! It's too painful! Why should I lay my life down for people who would rather see me dead? The people in the church don't even like me. They think I'm a freak. I'm going back to being a carpenter because ministry is full of people who don't appreciate me." It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? However, every day someone walks away from their cross, their calling, and their family. I like what a friend recently said to me, "Let it burn!" He was referring to pain. If it hurts just let it burn. Amen. So be it Jesus. Your grace is sufficient.

Facing life with courage,

Jaziz Gutierrez

Lessons from Jesus: Overcoming

When you are in a place of tormenting fear and can't seem to see your way out. There are two things that you must do: First, you must speak the word of God and second you must lay your will down. These are the two things that Jesus did. In the wilderness He declared God's Word to the enemy. What does your wilderness look like? What is the devil telling you about your future? Remember he is the father of lies. Don't allow fear to dictate your future begin to declare God's Word and promises. When being tempted to take shortcuts resist it by telling the devil how a real Christian should live. We do not live by bread alone...but by every word. If God didn't say it, I'm not doing it. Refuse to be intimidated by your storm instead start declaring God's Word over it.

When you are faced with difficult trials or tests remember what Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane or the valley of decision Jesus declared, "Not my will but thy will be done." What is His will in your situation? Is He asking you to give something up? Is He asking you to let go of someone? Is He asking you to relinquish control over to Him and let Him handle it? As Christians we can never get around he mandate to pick up our cross to follow Him. What is this cross? It is the cross of denying self or saying no to what we want so we can say yes to what He wants.

How do we follow Him? By doing what he did to overcome. We need to handle the devil, temptation and suffering in the same way He did to be successful in our walk with Christ. If today you are reading this and feel like you can't go another day being buffeted by the devil read: Isaiah 53:4-6

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Understand He was already afflicted, oppressed, sick, tempted, mentally and emotionally tormented so you wouldn't be. Receive today what Jesus did on that cross by faith. He loves you and already made a way out. Blessings.

#lessonsfromJesus

Experience over Sound Doctrine

I've noticed a trend in the church today. A trend that has had dire consequences to those who have chosen to move away from the elementary teachings of Christ. Many have fallen away from the truth. In an effort to become relevant the church has changed and removed any terminology that they may consider offensive or non accepting. Some  have gone as far as accept sinful practices in efforts to boost membership and come off less judgmental but at what price? In churches that have chosen to share or spin a more positive gospel have blossomed over the years leaving a remnant of churches who refuse to water down anything to struggle in the shadow of these megachurches. In all honesty there is no way of knowing what the these Christians are doing behind closed doors. There is no accountability or close personal relationships in these megachurches. Some are like attending a Christian concert. More and more the cross diminishes in the flood lights and smoke machines as masses are taken up with the new superstars of Christendom.

Even in prophetic circles the words given are only positive rarely exposing areas that God wants to deal with or bring conviction. Meetings have been given over to experience rather than biblical sound doctrine. Widely accepted practices that are not in the bible are rarely questioned. Instead of hearing about what was preached about from God's Word many Christians come back from their meetings boasting from their latest experience. Sadly, we have become experience oriented instead of biblical oriented. What I mean is that we have exalted experience over soundness of God's Word. This imbalance  is what James talks about. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. Deception comes when we stay out of God's Word and forget that our purpose is to become like Him.

We need to become like Him so the world may want Him. The truth is people want Jesus not us. Our flesh is a joke. We can only hide our awful attitudes and motives for so long before someone notices that we aren't like Jesus at all. Our marriage, family and finances are more of a witness to this world than raising the dead. The gifts of the spirit are awesome but without the character of Christ we will be left pleading with God like the people in Matthew 7:21-23 Lord, Lord didn't we in your name? God is more interested in us being more like Him than ministering for him. We are the ones who want to minister for Him. After all, who doesn't want to be the next Christian superstar for Jesus? What if God called you to total obscurity would you still minister for Him? Would you be content working a regular job and just ministering for Jesus in the market place?

I'm afraid we have enticed the masses and set up schools for ministry just so people can think that one day they too can have a mega ministry and never have to worry about their finances again. It has become a lucrative business. The truth is, most Christians don't even know their bible or what they are supposed to be doing with their lives. Some sell all they have, just to do what they could have done back at home, with time spent with the Holy Spirit. I think deep inside we want somebody to approve us so we can feel credible and legitimate but a piece of paper will never do that. It is the power of God that makes us credible to this world but not without the character to back it up.

The other day I was crying out to God and saying, "I just want to know your heart and mind." While time spent in worship brings revelation of who God is; I also need the correction of the bible to keep me rooted and grounded. Think of a balloon. The things of the spirit are like the balloon and character like the string that keeps it from floating away. God's hand has to firmly keep us from getting into absurd nonsense that has nothing to do with God's mission or purpose. If the manifestation has no exhortation, edification or comfort it has no place in the meetings. Drunkenness in the Holy Spirit should be accompanied with boldness to preach and do something for God not so you can have a laughing party. If you haven't noticed Jesus spent most of His time teaching and preaching as compared to walking in power. Without proper teaching God's church can get into error. We have the Corinthian church as a prime example of people who walked in power but had issues with sin, had meetings that were totally out of order and favored spiritual gifts over love.

One last thing, a real move of God will never steer you away from the bible. Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." How did He fulfill it? By obeying it in love. Love is our ultimate act of obedience. There is a reason the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13 is in the middle of 12 and 14. Love and God's Word must be in the center of any spiritual gift we practice or any church meeting we have.  Real revival must always move us towards God's Word. In the most beautiful revival ever recorded in biblical history and eight year old discovers this key in the following passage. Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes. ¹² Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, ¹³ “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.” 2 Kings 22:11-13 Revival never moves away from God's word.

Jesus walked in revival and he never toned down his message, never tried to become relevant, he never went to bible college, or got the approval of men. He lived to love. His life matched His message and the power He walked in was proof that God had sent him. In order to walk like Him we must also take heed to message, method, character, and motive. Revival is sustained in this way.  Beware of any so called movement that encourages you to move away from Christ's teachings or biblical foundational truths. It will never end well. I don't care what kind of results you think you are getting, how many people you think you are helping or how many people are attending. These are not indicators of God's approval on your ministry. The cross of Christ and the call to deny ourselves must never cease from church teachings. To do so will only breed Christians who are fleshly and full of self. Self is the most hideous attributes of humanity. You can never love others if you are full of self. It's root of every kind of sin. It is up to us to pick up the cross everyday as we look to Him the author and finisher of our faith. Amen.

Jaziz Gutierrez
http://www.loverevivalrevolution.com

Dead Flies In The Ointment

Have you ever left a sweet drink or water unattended and right before you were about to take a drink, you noticed a dead fly in it? The thought is quite repulsive to even think about. Yet this morning I clearly heard the Lord say, "There is dead fly in the ointment." As I heard this, I had a vision of a dead fly floating on top of oil, not just any oil but anointing oil. Curious, I looked up the scripture because it came to my memory. "Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor." (Ecclesiastes 10:1)

So what is God saying? Are you able to pick out the flies or discern what is not true or part of the anointing? Can you tell the counterfeit from the real? Can you discern what is coming from the soul of man or from the heart of God? For I forewarn you that there will come false brethren among you and those who proclaim to know Christ. There will be those who will be sent among you who are been given the ability to deceive by the realm of darkness. Even now the anti-Christ spirit is operating in the highest levels of office in this nation but some have not been able to discern it. The anti-Christ spirit has been released in the media and has been infecting all those who sit under its influence. Spirits of perversion and lust permeate the air waves. This is why the music must get turned off. The TV must get turned off. The air waves are carrying seductive spiritual activity and you must be able to discern it. The anti-Christ spirit is the way of Cain and it seeks to murder righteous Abel. It was present in Jesus day and it is now increasing in our day. Righteousness and good fruit will be persecuted. They will call good, evil and evil, good. Cain murdered Abel because his works were not approved by God. 

Religion and the anti-Christ spirit are not very different. That is why they work well together. Religion and politics seek control. They lust after power and money. It was the religious who sought after Jesus' death and they used politics to achieve their goals. Even now there some among us who pose as sheep but are ravenous wolves. They use religion as a means to make you think they are part of us but are only using God as a means for their own agendas. Don't be fooled. The Germans were fooled by Hitler. He promised them a "Positive Christianity" and ended up murdering those who elected him. Hitler did not initially remove "Christianity" from Germany. He modified it. He changed the way people perceived Jesus. He incorporated religion as a means to deceive the masses. They were not able to pick out the flies out of the ointment.

What are these flies you may ask? It self interest, greed, control, popularity, conceit and lust after worldly pleasures disguised behind Christian platitudes. Many don't realize what they have been sitting under has been tainted. The ointment is tainted by attitudes and motivations that do not come from Jesus' heart. It may look good on the surface but does it sound like something Jesus would say? Do the messengers look anything like Jesus? Does their lifestyle contradict the way Jesus lived? Did Jesus conduct His ministry like they do? Some would dismiss His teachings as "old fashioned" or not relevant, offering you liberty from His commandments. I ask you which one of His commandments should we disobey? Thou shalt not murder or thou shalt not lust in your heart after a woman? 

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

This is why the message of the cross is offensive to those who pretend they are His. It crucifies the nature of men and their selfish motivation. It calls us to serve and not be served. It exposes the flies in the ointment. It uncovers the heart and leaves no room for excuses. The truth of God's unchangeable word confronts the deceitful nature of men. The Holy Spirit takes us into the courtroom of God and convicts us of our deeds declaring them unfit for His kingdom. There He judges the true intention of our hearts. It is there that we drop the act and pretense we have put up in front of others. If we were truly to feel the Holy Spirit's conviction again in church we would be on our knees weeping for the many offenses and hurts we have caused God's heart. However, God's people have sat comfortable in the church without any thought of their lives. They have declared themselves not guilty in the courtroom of God without full examination of their lives in the light of God's Word and conviction of the Holy Spirit. They run from place to place trying to appease the emptiness they feel with conference and motivational speakers. They say God's not angry with us anymore! How would they know, did they ask Him or did they judge their actions by what someone else has said in a book? 

They silenced the voice of the Holy Spirit and made up presumptuous reasons why they live the way they do. They have taken up His job and have decided what is right and wrong. They have become the law givers and judges!

Oh the cross, can only be carried by those who willingly submit to the only lawgiver, judge and justifier of what is good. The cross calls all of humanity to put away all selfish desire and have love dictate the hearts of those who carry it. It sees the faces of all those who say crucify, one day shouting hosanna! It pushes past the crowds, to one objective... to bring others to God's glorious presence! However, it does not paint a pretty picture for those being called to carry it. That would be deception. No friends, the cross must be presented with its rugged wood, splinters and heavy beams. That's how Jesus presented it to His disciples. Never did He mention the ease of following Him. Never did He motivate the crowds with splendor, fame or fortune. Far from that my friend. Instead He challenged them by saying, "Will you leave me too?" He healed the masses not in effort for a campaign to build His own personal empire here on earth. He simply did so out of love. He held unto nothing and so the devil had nothing in Him. Do you know why the devil could take Jesus to the wilderness, then to a high mountain, offer him everything in the world and Jesus was still able to refuse all temptation? Jesus had already resolved that this world was not as important as you and me. The cross is about valuing relationships over things. The cross is a value decision. It is putting God and mankind over self! It is a declaration of triumph over the Adamic nature! The cross is love's greatest victory! Outside of the cross we can never hold onto victory. That is why we must embrace it on a daily basis. Beware of those who offer you a shortcut or a detour from the cross. They will from every side cry save yourself and come down from that cross. It was a thief that shouted that to Jesus. It is a thief (Devil) that shouts that today through books, CD's and even the pulpits of America. He knows that dying to self brings resurrection and victory. Satan dreads the day Christians once again find the true power behind Christianity ~ The Cross.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelations 12:11

Song "The Old Rugged Cross"

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

Refrain

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

Refrain

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

Refrain

George Bennard 1913

Victory In Adversity

There was a time when I was experiencing true hardship and somehow I felt like I was less than a Christian in my adversity. I felt shame that I was going through so much tribulation and trials. I felt as if God was punishing me or if I had done something wrong. These thoughts are all lies from the enemy! Depending on your view of God the wilderness can be a place of victory or misery. One day a brother came up to me inspired by God and said, "The wilderness is where God performed the most miracles!" Indeed. The wilderness doesn't have to a place of defeat. It is a place of training for reigning. Even though Jesus was tempted in his wilderness He left that place in power. In times of resistance that's when we build spiritual muscle. The key is what we do with our tongue. Do we declare what is written or do we complain. Do we stand in faith or wallow in self pity and doubt.

Satan, always tries to short circuit the process of dying to self. He offered Jesus everything before he went to that cross. It won't be any different for us. The greatest temptation of mankind is to take the easy way out. In the garden, Satan got Eve to question God's word. In the wilderness Satan tempted Jesus to doubt His own identity. "If you are the Son of God..." However, if you know who you are, there isn't anything the devil can offer you that don't already have. The devil always tries to deceive us into forfeiting what we already have. Yes, read that statement again. The devil always tries to deceive you into forfeiting what you already have by offering you a counterfeit. What are the counterfeits you may ask?

  The counterfeit of peace is self assurance. Self assurance is trusting in your own ability, strength and finances.
  The counterfeit for love is lust. Lust drives people to take from others. It only wants to satisfy itself at someone's else's expense. Love wants to give and sacrifice to meet a need.
  The counterfeit for faith is fear. Fear is relied upon like an old friend because it has shown people how to act out of instinct and desperation instead of God led revelation. We walk by faith and not by what we see in the natural.
  The counterfeit for righteousness is religion. Men trying to obtain God's favor and love by doing good works. However, righteousness is the position that every son and daughter have before their Father. It is our simple child-like trust in Jesus' sacrifice that causes us to come boldly before the throne of grace. If we could be good enough outside of the blood sacrifice Jesus' death would have been pointless.
  The counterfeit for joy is happiness. Happiness is based on circumstances and joy is a fruit of God's spirit that does not waver in the storms of life. It wells up from deep within our spirit when we praise God.

Our surrendered life is in good hands we don't have to take the devil's counterfeit offers. I want to encourage you that just because you are going through things doesn't change who you are in Christ. Jesus dying on the cross did not make Him less of a Son of God and it doesn't make you less than a child of God. The cross positioned Jesus for the greatest victory known to mankind. If we can understand that then we will never despair again when we are standing there facing our cross or mountain. We are given an opportunity everyday to forgive those who have hurt us while we hang on our cross of tribulation and circumstances. Raise up your hands and thank God that the devil only pushes us into the will of God.

Look at the life of Joseph. He was pushed into a pit, sold into slavery, thrown into prison and raised up a prince in a palace. Paul was taken from place to place appealing his innocence while persecuted, thrown into prison and inspired to write the churches the revelations he received and because of that we have our New Testament. Their cross became their victory and ours! Our tendency is to feel like God is mad at us or that he loves us less when we are going through things. Our circumstances cannot separate us from the love of God and neither do they define who we are. We are not defined by our past, our present, our background, or even an event. We are only defined by who God made us to be. We were made to be over comers! God uses what has been intended to be our defeat, makes it our victory and defining moment. In the fires of adversity he refashions us for His purposes. Then stands back in admiration and says, "It is good!" I will further illustrate this by the following story of the Three Trees.

The following story was e-mailed to me. I read it to the women in Chino Women's Prison on September 14, 2013. They were wrecked when I was through reading it. Enjoy!

The Three Trees

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, 'Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.'

Then the second tree said, 'Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take Kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.'

Finally the third tree said, 'I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest Tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.'

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, 'This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter, 'and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree the woodsman said, 'This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard.' The second tree was happy Because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, 'I don't need anything special from my tree, I'll take this one,' and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for.

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end.

The third tree was cut into large pieces, and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said 'Peace' and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, God will give you great gifts.

Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.

We don't always know what God's plan are for us. We just know that His Ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Please keep this moving... Pass it on, so God may inspire more people on The Way.

May your day be blessed. And until we meet again, may God cradle you in the palm of His hand.

If you find this article helpful or would like to leave a comment or visit our website:
Jaziz Gutierrez
http://www.loverevivalrevolution.com
Facebook: School Of Impartation and Living

Reborn Identity

As I was laying in bed this morning I kept hearing the word "Identity."  Who are we?  Why are we here?  Can we have meaningful relationships?  Can I move on pass the divorce?  Am I lovable?  Am I worth the time?  Am I employable.  Identity is by far the most talked about topic right now as people struggle to find out who they are and overcome their personal struggles with their sexual orientation, unemployment and relationships.  The roles of men and women have changed over the years.  This has brought so much confusion to our society.  Especially in homes where single moms have to play the roles of mom and dad just raise up their children.  The breakdown of gender and parental roles have caused such fragmentation in our society that it has left us wandering around trying to find out who we are.  Have you ever heard someone say "I just need to find myself."  Well, most of us cringe when we hear that because it means that the person who just said that is going on a personal journey to find themselves and you are not invited.  The next thing you know they pack up their bags and they are gone.  Is it really that they can't find themselves or it is that they don't like their life and think they can have a better life without you?  What is sad about the statement I just made, is that they think their identity will change if they change scenery.  The truth is we define our world by and how we see ourselves in relation to it.


So what is identity?  I will define identity as the characteristics that define who we are, evidenced by what we do.  We are often defined by what we believe about ourselves and sometimes what others have said about us.  For instance, if your parents told you that you were good for nothing and nobody will love you; then most of time people live up to those expectations.  Let's say you were bullied in school and called names.  The most likely outcome will be that we take on the identity of our accusers.  A worse scenario would be to be molested, raped or abused and take on the identity of shame.  There are many divorced people out there who take on the identity of rejection.  Children whose parents leave and abandon them take on an identity of rejected orphans.  Everyday all over the world people allow events to define them instead of allowing God to tell them of their amazing value.

So who are we really?  Are we here just get by and live just another day?  Are we here to be abused by others?  Are we here to become successful, happy and raise a family?  What was our original design?  Some of us don't seem to know who we are!  If you don't know I will tell you... YOU WERE MADE TO BE LOVED!  You were meant to have an amazing life and have a relationship with your creator.  If you are reading this and you don't believe in God then I have only one thing to say...GOD BELIEVES IN YOU!  God decided to risk it all and give up his life to demonstrate your value and His love for you.  He didn't know if you would accept His proposal but He was willing to take the chance because YOU ARE WORTH IT!  Why am I capitalizing my words?  I want to give you the opportunity to start thinking about yourself in the way God thinks about you.  Before your mind starts to argue with you about your value and identity; I want you to know that you can become someone completely different.  Your heritage, past, crime record, mistakes, upbringing, divorce, abuse and etc. does not have to determine your future or define who you are.  God has already defined who you are and declared your value.  You are God's treasure!  All of God's Kingdom is destined to dwell in you along with God's son; Jesus Christ.  When He looks at us He sees Jesus.  For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)

Many people are held to horrible images of themselves because they have believed a lie!  The devil is a liar!  He can only enter our lives though deception and lies.  Once you embrace the truth he can't keep you a prisoner of your past anymore.  He can't torment you with fear.  He can't cause you to be depressed, sad or suicidal.  He can't cause pain in your heart and he can't keep you defeated!  Why?  Because you have a new identity and it is Christ's!  Christ is victorious and already defeated him so don't give him a voice in your head!  Give no place or thought to the devil.  (Ephesians 4:27)  Realize that you win!  You are a new creation with God's DNA (destiny - now - activated)  You are now being conformed to the express image of the Son.  Circumstances don't define you; you define your circumstances.  You have nothing or no one to fear.  The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?  Psalm 27:1

Some quick points:  To find your Christ identity you must realize:

1.  Baptism was meant to leave our old identity in the grave and take up a new one by following Christ.  God came in the flesh so he can be an earthly man with struggles and adversity but still walk in victory!  Jesus came out of the wilderness in power not defeated.

 In those days there appeared John the Baptist, preaching in the Wilderness (Desert) of Judea² And saying, Repent (think differently; change your mind, regretting your sins and changing your conduct), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. John 1:1-2 Amplified

¹⁴ Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. ¹⁵ And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  Luke 4:14

2.  We have already been given a new spirit and God's nature when we got born again.  I hear a lot of people say "Well, I was born that way."  When are born of God's spirit, we take on His nature and leave behind our parent's nature.  We have a new Father and we take after Him not our culture or upbringing.
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

3.  We can't allow events, people or external judgments define who we are but we need to get a new mind set by receiving God's truths and implementing them, causing us to know what pleases the father's heart!  Don't let people tell you who you are.  We were meant to define the world around us because of who we already are!

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Roman 12:2 Amplified

4.  We need to embrace our future and let go of our past!  You can't be the new you and still be holding onto past hurts and events.  We can't allow past hurts trump the cross.

I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  Philippians 3:13

5.  We have to embrace a mindset of humility and be stripped of our rights to possess the fullness of Christ's identity.

⁵ Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility: ⁶ Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, ⁷ But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. Philippians 2:5-7

6.  Our identity is love.  It's not we do, it is who we are!

By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves]. John 13:35

7.  Self must be crucified that Christ's identity can live!

Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].  Matthew 16:24

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  Galatians 2:20

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Jaziz Gutierrez
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We Must Decrease That He May Increase

Thus says the Lord:
 Jeremiah 6:16
Love is so attractive and in essence that is who He is. If we are to have revival we must become love. We must decrease so He can increase. So my friends there lies the root of the problem. We have increased ourselves so much in the sight of others that they don't see Him anymore! The only solution is to take up the cross and deny ourselves. We must put away selfish ambition and empty conceit; esteeming others higher than ourselves. Philippians 2:3-4 We must humbly concede all of our plans to God so that He can take over our services and ministries. Then we must become like that humble man (William Seymour) at Azusa Street who buried his face between wooden crates and prayed for God's presence to visit His people.
Love is so attractive and in essence that is who He is. If we are to have revival we must become love. We must decrease so He can increase. So my friends there lies the root of the problem. We have increased ourselves so much in the sight of others that they don't see Him anymore! The only solution is to take up the cross and deny ourselves. We must put away selfish ambition and empty conceit; esteeming others higher than ourselves. Philippians 2:3-4 We must humbly concede all of our plans to God so that He can take over our services and ministries. Then we must become like that humble man (William Seymour) at Azusa Street who buried his face between wooden crates and prayed for God's presence to visit His people.

“Stand in the ways and see,
And ask for the old paths, where the good way is,
And walk in it;
Then you will find rest for your souls.

What people are really looking for is the presence of God. Not another song, another motivational speech, conference or guest speaker. They just want Jesus but we get in His way because we want to be seen. This world just wants to see Jesus but they see human flesh and are turned off by it.

Our mantra should be the cry of the Welsh Revival "bend us." Their plan of action:

1. Confess all known sin

2. Deal with and get rid of anything ‘doubtful’ in your life

3. Be ready to obey the Holy Spirit instantly

4. Confess Christ publicly

If we as a church were to truly just put into practice the 1st principle and humbly confess our sin; that alone would cause a great move of God! Before we can ever experience the times of refreshing we must come with penitent hearts. However, if we go around and act as if we are in need of nothing, we will not experience the very thing we need the most. The current mantra is: we have no sin, we need no conviction and we need no law! We are fine the way we are. The lukewarm church in Revelation also held the same view they did "not know that they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked." Yet the counsel of God remains the same, "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see." (Revelations 3:18) It is only through the baptism of fire that may obtain the precious gold crown that Jesus wants to bestow on us.

My friends we can not wear a crown if we won't carry the cross. We have become ashamed of the gospel and rarely preach being crucified with Christ. We have replaced these biblical principles with modern doctrines that have steered us away from taking personal responsibility for the awful shape we are in. Yet, the bible warned us long ago... For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. ⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
(1 Thess. 5:3-4) 

Could it be that the pregnant church has not given birth to revival because of the lack of repentance? Jesus warned us “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many." Matthew 24:4-5 It is those who come in His name that we need to be worried about in these Last Days. Jesus tells us how we will know they are false prophets, "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." Matthew 24: 11-12 These are the mark of false prophets. They are lawless and Jesus will say to them in that day, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" These ministers thought they could work mighty signs and wonders yet be living outside of God's laws and principles. There will be no such thing! Our sin will never enter into the Holy of Holies; nor will we, be able to flaunt our works before a holy God.  

My friends, is there anything doubtful in our lives? Any sin? Let us confess to God what is causing us to stumble. Forgiving others who have hurt us. Laying down our pride. Picking up our cross and denying ourselves. Esteeming others higher than ourselves. Loving others unconditionally. It is what Jesus did. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." Philippians 2:5-8 

Oh Father, make us humble bondservants. Give us the mind of Christ. Give us that love. Help us decrease. Increase in our lives. Father let us never be ashamed of preaching the cross that you so humbly died on. Bring revival to our nation and to our lives in Jesus name.

Excerpts from my book Be Attitudes of Revival

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