Can you hear the battle-cry?

Dear brothers and sisters, let us be in prayer. We will be entering a season of spiritual warfare and testing. This is the rite of passage whenever we are to take new territory. Whether it be in our soul, family, finances, and or spirit. Maybe it is all of the above. Whenever we take new territory we need to be prepared for the battle. Jesus already won but we must dispossess the enemy. We do that by arming ourselves with the Word of God! We do that by prayer and fasting! We do that by thanking and praising God! Does it hurt? Yes! Is it going to be hard! Absolutely. Warriors are not born they are made. Don't expect the devil to leave you alone when you are down. Don't expect him to cut you a break. Quite the opposite. The devil comes in your wilderness. He comes when your hungry, tired, alone, and contending. We have only one thing to answer, "IT IS WRITTEN!" Doing all to stand. Do you know what that means? You don't budge. You don't even wink an eye. You don't retreat. You don't throw in the towel. Help is coming. God will send angels to minister to you. Stand in faith. I'm talking to me and many of you this morning. If you want new territory then you will need to pay the price. Don't expect everything to be handed to you. It doesn't work that way. Get up, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and playing the victim. Realize you have favor, blessing, and victory. Can you hear the battle cry! It's time to call a solemn assembly. It's time to bow our faces to the ground, in humility to God in repentance. Then we will hear from heaven. It will stop the devil right in his tracks. If that's what you want to happen in your life then that's what we need to do. It's time to go to God's throne room and win our battles in our knees.
Jaziz Gutierrez

Prophetic Message: End Time Principles For This Season

During the early morning hours, I recently had a vision of God's hand repositioning me back into my place in God's army. I saw His hand move me like a chess piece. I believe He will be doing this with many people in this season. Those who resist Him will be replaced. He is the Grand Master of Chess. He is the one who moves all the pieces. He has a strategy and we must remember that the devil always plays into God's hand. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) 

There are a few Kingdom principles that are going to play out in this next season.

First, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. (Matthew 19:30) Those who were last to be picked will be first in this next season. They will be the forerunners of a new move and break out of the confinements of the old wineskins (mindsets) that have kept the church stuck. They will be the unlikely Peters who abandoned their posts in discouragement because of the church's systemic failures but whose comeback will signal revival and reformation.  

I also see that the following end time principles being played out in this very important time in World History as churches worldwide have closed their doors. The second principle is the wisdom in knowing how to get your own oil from God. I do believe that staying on fire or lit for God has a lot to do with knowing how to go to God as your resource for His presence. If you have become "church" dependent you are in a dangerous place. It is foolish to depend on others to feed you, keep you motivated, and close to Jesus especially in this season. As leaders, it is imperative that we teach God's people how to go to God for themselves as their resource and teach them how to trim their lamp so they can be those who will endure to the end.
"But he who endures to the end shall be saved." (Matthew 24:13)

"And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps, are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’" (Matthew 25:8-9)

The third end time principle: To those who have more shall be given.
"For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away." (Matthew 25:29) Those who have the resources, talents, finances, spiritual gifts and etc to advance God's Kingdom will be given more in abundance if they step into their position. Those who squander their time, resources, talents, finances, spiritual gifts on mundane things will experience lack until they prioritize seeking God's Kingdom first and His righteousness. In this parable, the wicked steward hid his talent out of fear. If fear is keeping you from speaking out, doing good, standing up for righteousness, and advancing God's Kingdom; please understand that God considers this wicked. Why you may ask? Fear is the opposite of faith. Without faith, we cannot please Him. We must move out of what's comfortable (safe) and take Kingdom risks (faith) to accomplish what we are called to do. Especially at this time!
"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) 

Fourth, end time principle:
His lord said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord." (Matthew 25:23)
Being faithful over small God-given tasks in this season will also be rewarded greatly. In this parable, God rewarded those who took on the simple tasks of helping the poor, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoner, healing the sick, and other acts of kindness. This too will be marks of revival. Going into the highway and byways to invite all those who have been marginalized (a person or group treated as insignificant or as outcasts) will be a sign to the world that love is the answer to this world who has fallen into chaos and violence. 

To summarize, we must not be discouraged by what's going on because we understand that all things work together for good. Turn off the news and read the Good News. We win! Don't be shocked by those who God uses to bring revival and reformation. God uses who He wills. Learn to go to God for your resource. This is imperative if you are going to endure to the end. This is the wrong time to hide in fear. Please know the season you are in and don't squander God's resources and your time on mundane things and tasks. Finally, don't minimize being faithful in small things like community outreach, feeding the poor, visiting the prisoner, healing the sick, and talking to strangers about Jesus. God is impressed by faith motivated by love. Love is the answer to chaos, rebellion, and violence. It is not a time to take sides! It is time to make our lives a sermon that speaks the truth in love! 

Break Fear and Control

The lie:
The only way to deal with our fear is by taking control of our lives by controlling others.

How it develops:
Instead of trusting God, we hang onto the false belief that with our superior knowledge and strategy we will get our way if we are in control.

Why?:
We do that because we grew up in fear, domestic violence, abuse, and being in control was the only thing that made us feel safe.

Truth:
The truth is that we cannot control anything. When we try we step into the role of being God, we judge and punish all those who don't do what we want. If others don't meet our expectations or our timelines we use intimidation (anger, violence, verbal abuse or threats), self-pity (guilt trips, playing the victim or martyr), interrogation (questioning then shaming), or stonewalling (silent treatment) techniques.

Consequences:
Relationships become toxic, unhealthy, and don't last. Leaving the person who fears in more fear because they are feeding a spirit that pushes away true love. If love casts out fear... then fear and control pushes away love.

Solution:
Trust God and don't use control or these techniques to try to achieve results. Get grounded in His love so you can have the faith to let go of control. Remember fear is a spirit you should not partner with. Control will not protect you or keep you or those you love safe. Only Jesus can do that. Trust Jesus. ❤️
Love Jaziz Gutierrez

Blame God?

He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew 5:45

It can happen to any of us. We don't get our way or; life does not go the way we think it should and we automatically think that either God is not blessing us or something is wrong with us. We may even think that God is rejecting us or doesn't love us. Is that true? While there may be many reasons in our life that can cause problems; is it really fair to blame God? I don't know the countless people that I have seen walk away from God because they got offended and hurt. It might have because they believed for healing and their loved one died. Their loved one died tragically or they went through a nasty divorce. They may say things like, "If God were in control this wouldn't have happened to me." 

There also may be feelings of resentment when we look over the fence and see our neighbor prospering or worse yet "sinners" doing better than we are. Now we really have a beef with God. I'm a child of God why is this happening to me?

While I can't answer this fully to everyone's satisfaction let us look at the scriptures for understanding. First and most importantly; God loves you. We live in a fallen world where there is war, famine, plague, sickness and etc. Jesus said, "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 There you go. Jesus did not promise anyone that they would be blessed all the time. Quite the contrary. He let us know that we would go through rough times. Anyone who preaches to you the gospel of "you will always be blessed" is lying to you.

Then we need to look at our own choices. Is our life being affected by our poor choices? Check out what Wisdom says to us when we ignore her. "Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, (Proverbs 1:25-26) When we fail to listen to Wisdom we can become victims of our own choice to ignore her.

Then there is the human factor. People are broken and when they are broken they tend to break the things around them including your heart. Is God responsible for that? No! We must all take responsibility for our own brokenness and allow God to help us fix it or we are just going to bleed over everybody. If we act like everything is okay (denial) we will never heal and continue to hurt others. (That's for another time)

Sometimes sin and compromise can be the reason that our life is chaotic and messy. If you invite the devil over for fellowship be assured that he will take over your home and STEAL, KILL AND DESTROY!

Lastly, it rains on the just and unjust. Life is going to throw her punches. The whole world at this time is suffering through a pandemic, losing money and jobs. We have been separated from loved ones and have lost our basic freedoms. Is this God's fault? No. 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) Sadly, many people get Jesus' and the devil's mission statement confused. Jesus came to give us life more abundantly.

I want to end this post with this. Life happens to all of us. Good and bad. There is no need to blame anyone. It is important to take responsibility for our own choices, happiness, and life. Let us take God by the hand in our trying times. He is our ally, not our enemy. He loves us. We must be convinced of that regardless of what happens in our life. I pray that each and every one of us would be rooted and grounded in that concept so when life doesn't go the way we think it should we can accept it and not become bitter but better. Today let us choose to love Him no matter what happens and let Him sort things out. Jaziz Gutierrez

Dealing With Wounded People

Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed,[j] he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The story of the Good Samaritan is a story on how to help the wounded. Interestingly enough the first person to pass by the wounded man was a priest. A priest is symbolic of someone who intercedes on behalf of someone else. A mediator. You may not feel qualified to help the wounded people of this world but at the very least be that mediator and pray! Your prayers may never be known to anyone but God but they are powerful in delivering the captive! Be an intercessor!

The second person to pass by the wounded man was Levite. A Levite is symbolic of someone with temple duties. A lay minister, pastor, worship leader and etc. Sometimes we are so busy doing church that we don't take the time to be "the church" and love those we see in everyday life. Jesus made it clear that showing love and mercy was far more important than taking care of church obligations. In the long run, putting a bulletin together will be of no consequence compared to reaching out to a wounded soul. Be a minister who stops for the one!

The best part of the Good Samaritan was seeing how a regular person took the time to follow through with the care of this wounded man. We may not have all the answers or resources but we can at least take the wounded to a place of recovery or to someone who can help. We might not have all the tools but we know who does. Jesus! Notice that the good Samaritan took the man to an inn and made sure the man was taken care of. We must be willing to break the barriers and limitations to help those who are hurting. Let us stop being afraid to reach out. Let us love to the point that fear no longer controls whether we reach out or not. We will never bring change to this world if we stay behind our four walls and refuse to get out of our comfort zone. We must be willing to jump into the trenches with humanity. We can't forget that Jesus lives in us and if we ask, He will know what to do and empower us to do it. Amen

Why I Don't Drink Soda

I've always had an ongoing struggle with allergies and at times my parents could not figure out why I was so sickly. I would complain nightly of excruciating leg aches and would often have insomnia as a child. As I got older I began to listen to my body and was able to figure out what food was doing what to my body. Which was much better than the old-fashioned allergy test where the doctor took an instrument of some type which made lines that broke open the skin on my back. He then took different foods and applied them to the open areas of my skin to see if I would break out or something. Sounds barbaric, doesn't it?

Not only have I struggled with food allergies all my life but also I've always been sensitive to shampoos. I had a variety of shampoos and conditioners that were sprawled out underneath my bathroom sink as hair rejects. If I broke out after using the shampoo or conditioner it would end up in the reject pile to be used by another member of the family or not at all. It was an expensive venture to figure out what was bothering my scalp until I figured out that I could test the shampoo on my wrist as I walked around in the store. If my skin started to itch then I would not buy it.

In recent years I figured out that I was allergic to wheat. I had so many intestinal issues and at times arthritic conditions in my joints. I felt sick and lethargic most of the time. I also figured out that I was lactose intolerant when I got pregnant with my third son as I could not keep any food down. I had food coming out both ends. Sorry to be so descriptive. However, you are probably reading this because I brought up the subject of soda which is a sugary bliss for many of you but has contributed to many diseases I'm sure. Diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure to name a few. None of which we are willing to admit to, as soda has become an addiction to so many people.

Now to answer the curious question as to why I don't drink soda. It gives me bladder infections. Like the very next day, I will be in excruciating pain. I have by trial and error figured out this painful fact. I have also figured out that it's not worth it to me. Not if it means another hospital visit which I can't afford. As if my diet weren't restrictive enough like I mentioned before, I also can't eat wheat. Many people just can't believe that I can live without eating wheat products because almost everything has this ingredient in it. No more flour tortillas, crackers, cakes, pasta and the like. Some people have told me that they couldn't possibly live without it but if you have suffered the agony of gluten intolerance and the painful consequences of cheating on your diet then you will say to yourself; it's not worth it to me. Why isn't it worth it? I'm not a glutton for punishment I guess and I don't want to die an early death. I also don't want to end up sick in the hospital.

You know what else is not worth it? Sin. The painful consequence of our choices sometimes has lasting effects just like our poor health choices. If we make poor health choices after a while it will catch up to us and we can reap diseases. If we make poor life choices or decisions we can also reap poverty or homelessness. If we continue to live in sin not only will it separate us from God; the choices we make will destroy our lives. Regardless of what you sow please understand that the law of the universe will cause you to reap. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction, whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit reap eternal life." Galatians 6:7-8 According to this scripture you just read, are you living to please the Spirit or living to please the flesh? Some of us live to please our flesh with the next cookie, cigarette, beer, video game, TV Novela, weed, and whatever our flesh is demanding it should have. Denying ourselves isn't just a philosophy it is a lifestyle. It means we say no to the demands of our flesh and live to please the Spirit. When we do, we will manifest the fruit of the spirit. When we live to meet the demands of the flesh we will also manifest the works of the flesh.

We need to get to a point in our lives where we have to say to ourselves; it's not worth it to me. This soda is not worth it to me. This cupcake is not worth it to me. This abusive relationship is not worth it to me. This beer is not worth it to me. Getting high is not worth it to me. Cheating on my spouse is not worth it to me. Watching porn is not worth it to me and the list can go on. Why is it not worth it to you? Because you have come to the painful conclusion that you are not willing to pay the price of wrong choices anymore. You are through repeating the same old cycle just to arrive at point A again. You can no longer take the pain of your mistakes anymore. When you finally come to this conclusion, you will stop.

Like millions of people before you that have decided that they were sowing the wrong seed and decided to change that; bravo. I'm sure your harvest looks different. For the couple who recently shared with me that they looked at each other one day after being addicted to meth for 10 years and said, "We are stupid for doing this" and then they stopped. I'm proud of you. For those who have decided that they don't need to be dysfunctional anymore and live feeling rejected because God loves them. Hooray. To all my ex-addict friends, alcoholics, sexually bound, angry, and perverted; you inspire me. Share your story on how you got free! We need to learn from you. We overcome by the power of your testimony.

For those of you who feel stuck and angry; I have a secret for you. Whining, complaining and regretting your past won't change your harvest! Change your seed or change your harvest field. That is the only answer to cause a change in our lives. Sow God's Word, live out His principles and make better choices. We make it more complicated than it is. Follow Christ's example if you have poor role models in your life. For heaven's sake let us stop making excuses. Excuses are only a cover up to make people believe we are victims of our sin instead of admitting we still want to indulge in our sin. We need to get honest. I clearly remember the day I cried out to God and pleaded with him to take a certain sin from me. After going on about it for a few days I heard, "You sin because you want to." I was shocked that God would speak to me this way but it woke me up out of my supposed pious deception. God can't crucify our flesh nor can he say no for us. We must crucify the desire, the craving, and the urge by saying no to ourselves.

For those of you who think you can't stop, I have good news for you. There is absolutely nothing stronger than the human will. No one can control your will. God does not control people and unless you are possessed of the devil even he can't make you do anything. Either way, Jesus came to set you free. Like an ex-addict told me recently, "You must be willing to do anything to be free." A person who is not willing to go to rehab, not willing to do classes, not willing to go to meetings, not willing to talk about it and not willing to admit they have a problem IS NOT READY TO CHANGE! A repentant heart is willing to confess to their sins, take responsibility, make restitution, and willing to let go of anything that would lead them back on the same road they were on. If this means getting rid of the old friends, not going to your usual spots, not listening to your old music, throwing away all worldly or secular things in your life then so be it. This is what repentance looks like. Until and only when a person comes to a point of saying to themselves, "It's not worth it to me" then will they stop.

Let me ask you, "Are you there yet?" If you are please pray this prayer:

Lord, remove the pride, anger, rebellion, and stubbornness of my heart. I can clearly see that there is something that has gotten in the way of my relationship with you/my relationship with others/or is stumbling me. I cannot do this on my own. I cannot change by my own self-effort. I cannot change by my own will-power or by doing better next time. That's all dead works. It is by your finished work on the cross that I am free to live for you. Break off lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Your word says, that you are the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. You, not only came to forgive my sin but remove my sin. Remove my sinful tendencies. I surrender them to you. Remove all generational iniquity. Renew my mind and grant me a truly repentant heart. I'm done waddling in the mud like a pig and going back to the vomit like a dog. There is nothing this world has that can bring me the peace, love, and joy that I so desperately need. Loose me from every chain, bondage and stronghold. Bind the strong man. Come Holy Spirit to expose the darkest parts of my being and clean out the closets of my heart. Transform me and make me in the image of your son. I no longer want a form of godliness and still, deny your power by living a life that is contrary to your Word. Remove a lawless spirit from me, the spirit of whoredom, fear, lust, perversion, drunkenness, sorcery, witchcraft, Jezebel, anger, rebellion, pride, self-righteousness, religion, and antichrist. I was made to be loved and be love. Take me back to my original design in Jesus name! I repent! Amen!

The Good or Mean God?

The most difficult part of being a Christian now or days is staying balanced in the war between legalism and lawlessness. In one camp God is made to be made to be a bully who is always looking to punish us if we make a mistake. In the other camp, we have a God who is a celestial pushover that winks at our sin. Either way, I've seen both camps go into serious error and eventually apostasy. The religious camp, believe God is in control of everything. In their minds, He could have stopped their pain and suffering. They get mad, throw in the towel, and walk away. On the other side of the spectrum is the lawless camp that thinks that grace will be sufficient to get them by while they are willfully sinning because after all one saved always saved. These people keep making excuses for what they do and get sloppy with their salvation. In the middle is where we all want to be. We need a healthy fear of the Lord and be rooted in His love. Meditate on what God is saying in His Word. Goodness is for those who continue in His goodness but severity is for those who fall away. Ultimately we choose which way things go in our life. 

Make a careful examination now of what you believe about God and adjust any wrong attitude or belief. If you have walked away from Him, remember God's arms are outstretched to receive you back. Let us pray, Father, forgive me for seeing you as a cruel father, getting angry and walking away when things didn't go my way or my prayers weren't answered. I choose to forgive all those who have hurt me including you. Father, forgive me for thinking I can live my life any way I want to without consequences. I have been under a delusion to think I could get away with anything and still appear before a holy God. Please help me be balanced and see you correctly by respecting you as God. We ask you this in Jesus name!