Kingdom Keys

Taxes, Detours, and the Sovereignty of God

2011-12-13T08:40:00.001-08:00

Dear friends,
I hope this message finds you well. I would like to revisit a few thoughts from a Christmas message in 2008. I believe it will be an encouragement to you wherever you might find yourself this Christmas. The first advent of Christ was an awesome event and we look forward to the second advent which is nearer now than when we first believed. I pray we will all have room in our hearts this Christmas for the one whose coming we celebrate. May you be encouraged by the awesomeness of our God.
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. Luke 2:1
Why is it that tax notices always come at the end of the year right before Christmas time? No, I'm not trying to make that spiritual, but just to say, I'm sure Mary and Joseph were probably not excited about traveling all the way to Bethlehem to be registered for taxes. I know I wouldn't have been happy about it. Think about for just a moment; here is Mary probably 8 or 9 months pregnant or as the scripture said great with child and the getting word that they must go 70 miles on foot to be registered for a tax levied by the empire that held their people captive. I can't imagine a pregnant lady that far along having to walk 70 miles. I know pictures show Joseph leading a donkey on which Mary was riding, but personally I doubt that they had a donkey. He's not mentioned in scripture and we know that Mary and Joseph were very poor. We know this because when Jesus was dedicated they sacrificed pigeons which was the sacrifice of the poor who could not afford a lamb. ( God has chosen the poor, rich in faith.) It is quite probable that Mary in her very pregnant condition had to walk the entire way. I have found that the ways of God are not always comfortable. He is more interested in developing our character and the fulfillment of His purposes than our convenience or comfort.
Mary and Joseph were devout in their faith. I don't know how much of the scripture they knew or how well they understood prophecy. It is not likely they got up that morning and said we need to hurry to Bethlehem so Jesus can be born there. You see in the purposes of God a pagan emperor by the name of Caesar Augustus had a role to play. God used a pagan emperor to position Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem at the set time, the appointed time of God for the Christ child to be born. God had foreordained that the Bread of Life be born in the House of Bread (Bethlehem).In Greek we have at least two words for time. One, chronos is regular time but chairos time is the appointed time, the set time or appointed time. Mary and Joseph, being obedient servants did what was required of them and in the walking out of the chronos the chairos came. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. You see God can use things we see as difficulties to position us for the blessing. Let's look at another couple of examples.
What about the Old Testament Joseph? God had given him some great prophetic dreams concerning his future. Yet, we find him first in the pit, then Potiphar's house as a slave and then in prison. He had all those detours before reaching the palace. Those detours positioned and prepared him for the fulfillment of his God-given dreams.
Then there was King David. He was anointed as a king while yet a teenager and then spent years in the wilderness dwelling in caves fleeing from Saul. Often the trials we face are proportionate to the level of authority God wants to entrust to us. Tribulation works patience and patience has a perfecting or maturing work. (James 1) We see those trials in Paul's life as well. Tribulation worketh patience and patience, experience or proven character. (Romans 5)
Our tribulation, our detours, may be positioning us for the blessing of God. They may be preparation for something greater. God may be preparing us for a new level of authority. I don't know what you may be going through; it may be problems of your own making, but be encouraged. God is able to bring redemptive purpose out of everything that comes into our lives. He's good that way.
Friends, Jesus came during a very dark time. There had been no prophetic word for 400 years. Israel was under the dominion of the Roman empire. The Light was revealed at a dark time in history, but like Isaiah's prophecy in chapter 60 we can say in our day,
"Arise, shine for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Is. 60:1-3.
I believe this is to be the church's finest hour. It is time to shine. It is a time of shaking, but the glory of the latter house comes forth after the shaking.
A good many years ago as the pastor was reading the Christmas story in the school chapel, the Lord spoke a word to me when he read about the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. He said, " Those shepherds who have been faithful in the dark of night are the ones to whom I will reveal my glory." You faithful church leaders, some of you feel almost like God has forgotten you, do not be discouraged. God will reveal great things to you in the days ahead.
I had not intended for this to turn into a potpourri, but God can use that, too. I hope this has been encouraging to you. Thank you so much for your encouragement to me over the years. I pray that you will have a wonderful Christmas season and that 2012 will be a blessed year for you. 12 is the number of government and I pray God's divine order for you life. His kingdom come! His will be done! God bless you.
In His love,
Herb Dean

The Love of God

2011-11-29T09:02:00.001-08:00

Dear friends,
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I had a thought that might encourage someone so I decided to send it out. May you ever be encouraged by the love of God.
It has been my personal experience and my experience in counseling that many people have difficulty really believing that God loves them. This is often because of their past. They may have done things that they feel make them unworthy to receive God's love. Though they are Christians they have not fully appropriated the work of the cross. They still carry the burdens of self-condemnation, guilt, shame, and regret. I was thinking about this as I prepared my Sunday message and the prodigal son came to mind. We have all heard it preached various and sundry ways, but I felt the Lord was giving me a fresh application. Think about this for a moment; the prodigal son spent his inheritance in riotous living. He consumed his living with harlots and on a life of debauchery. As wicked as he had been, living totally contrary to the things he had been taught, he finally came to his senses and returned home content to be just a servant in his father's home. When the father saw him, he ran and embraced him even before he could speak his prerehearsed speech of repentance.
I'm just thinking as I write and here's what comes to mind:
Because of his wickedness, he could no longer perceive himself as a son. The guilt he bore caused him to be willing to settle for being a lowly servant instead of a son. He did not understand the love of his father. He felt he could never again have an intimate relationship with the father.
The good news is that regardless of what he had done, his father still loved him. In fact, when he was doing his worst the father never stopped loving him.
It was God's love that put Jesus on the cross and His sacrifice was sufficient to cover what ever you have done. If you are still carrying guilt and shame, it may be unrecognized by you, but you are still trying to pay a debt that was fully paid. When He said it was finished, it was. It is time you took condemnation, guilt, shame, and regret to the cross and received the Father's embrace. He loves you and He desires intimacy with you.
As the old song says, "The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell. It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell." Of faith, hope, and love the greatest is love. Hope sustains us; faith will make you an overcomer, but love will make you more than a conqueror. Nothing can separate us from the love of God and today God wants you to hear His words,"I love you."
I know many of you are secure in God's love and I praise the Lord for that, but there are still many who need those yokes broken off to receive His yoke. May God's richest blessing be yours and may you know the height, depth, and breadth of His love.
In hIs love,
Herb Dean

The Silence of God

2011-11-08T07:25:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
I hope you are well. It has been quite some time since I have written. I don't like to write for writings sake, and there hasn't a lot that was fresh and burning in my heart. I believe I am in a place of transition and the Lord is not giving clear direction at this time. I want to share a few thoughts about this time of silence because in conversations with other leaders there are many others going through a similar thing. What does it mean when God is silent? Here are some ideas I feel the Lord has given me.
1. His silence is a summons. I once heard someone say that hearing is matter of proximity. If someone is whispering in the back of a large room, you cannot hear them, but if they are whispering in your ear you can.
I believe God speaks even in His silence and one of the things He is saying in His silence is," Draw near".
John could hear the heartbeat of Jesus because his head was on Jesus' chest.
2. His silence often preceded great change. When Eli was judge the word of the Lord was rare in those days. There was no widespread revelation. Then came Samuel who as the next judge of Israel would anoint its first two kings which ,of course, included David. Before the coming of Christ there was a period of four hundred years of silence. A minister blogged recently and said he knew of at least twenty-five people that had walked with the Lord a long time and heard the Lord but were receiving no directional instruction from the Lord right now. His blog title was "What If" and basically what he said was, what if these people are in a holding pattern because something is about to happen that will change the whole landscape of things. Could it be that our lives as we have known them are about to change? Could it be that how we operate is about to radically change?
3. His silence is to get our attention. Have you ever had a teacher or preacher who would get very silent and would wait for you to get silent as well before they would speak because what they had to say was very important and they wanted to be sure you heard it? There are many voices vying for our attention and sometimes it is only in the quietness that we hear the voice of the Lord. It seems the Lord is waiting for our attention before He speaks.
4. His silence causes us to revisit what He has already said. Sometimes we fail to walk in the last thing He said. If we are not walking in the things He has spoken why should He give us more. Sometimes we are guilty of heaping unto ourselves prophecies without walking in obedience. The word to Israel did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith.
5. His silence cause us to refocus. Hebrews says, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.." The psalmist said that God would guide us with His eyes. Too often, I find myself looking for His hands when it is His face I should be seeking.
So what are we to do during this time?
1. Continue in what He last told you to do.
2. Seek the Lord with your whole heart. Draw near to Him.
3. Take time to listen. Wait on the Lord.
4. Read and meditate on His word. It is often in reading and meditation that the logos becomes rhema.
5. Do not lose heart. God has not forsaken you; His plan is about unfold.
I hope that encourages you. These are exciting times and regardless of what our eschatology may be, we can say with surety that our redemption is much nearer than when we first believed. On a personal note, I have felt that I was to go other places and minister. I am not one to promote myself and I simply ask if we have ministered to you over the years, that you prayerfully consider having us come. My calendar is open and I have a great deal of flexibility. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.
In his love,
Herb Dean

Lay Aside Every Weight

2011-01-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
I pray you are well and prospering in the Lord. We have begun a new year and as is customary many have made resolutions, some have broken them already, and there is still hope that things will be better this year. The gyms will be full until about March usually and it will be easier to find machines to work on. The traditional prophetic rhymes have been given concerning the New Year, "On earth as in heaven in 2011," etc. and we pray that it is so. I would like to share what I feel the Lord is speaking to me for this year. I hope this will be an encouragement to you.
Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrew 12:1b
Our church hosts a pastors' prayer meeting every Wednesday morning. After prayer we were talking and one of the brothers said something about casting off restraint, not in the negative sense but a positive. This resonated in my spirit and I began to think about it. I had been asking the Lord for a word concerning the New Year and I was convinced this was it. So, what does that mean for us? As I meditated and studied these are the thoughts I had concerning this word.
Hebrews 12:1 came to mind, especially the part about laying aside every weight. The amplified says it a little stronger, "Strip off and throw aside". The writer likens our life or course to a race and is saying to throw off anything that is holding you back. The word for weight in the Greek is the word ogkos which means a tumor, mass, impediment, magnitude, weight, burden. Let's look at some of the things that are holding God's people back.
1. The past.... Some people are held back by the past whether good or bad. Some long for the way it used to be. Some are loaded down with disappointments and wounds from their past. Listen to this oft quoted for the New Year verse. 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. Phil. 3:13b-14 Paul says he forgets those things behind (whether good or bad) and he reaches forward and presses toward. You cannot reach forward and press toward if you hold on to the past. You have to put the past behind you. If because of hurts wounds and disappointments you have developed wrong thinking pattern you must throw off the old and embrace God's truth. That is part of renewing the mind.
2. Fear..... Fear is the antithesis of faith. Fear and unbelief are like matching bookends. Hebrews says the children of Israel did not enter the land because of unbelief. Had they mixed the promise with faith they would have entered the land. They were afraid because they did not believe God. They were afraid of giants in the land. They were afraid of the walled cities. David boldly faced a real giant because he had faith in the Lord. Proverbs says the fear of man is a snare. You cannot run a race with a snare around your ankle. Fear will keep you from moving in the gifts. Fear will keep you from stepping forward. Fear will keep you from possessing what God has already said is yours.
3. False burdens-false responsibilities..... Some people are carrying things that are not theirs to carry. I see pastors that are so loaded with cares and responsibilities that they have forsaken what Jesus called the one thing necessary. We must learn to cast our cares upon the one who cares for us. Jesus said, I will build My church. The psalmist said,"Commit your ways to the Lord and He will bring it to pass." Cast off those burdens and take His yoke.
4. Infirmity.....I did not put this in my original message, but as I looked again at the definition of weight in the Greek word ogkos and saw the words tumor and mass, I thought about Christian brothers and sisters who are in a battle for life with cancer and other infirmities. This is indeed a weight that is holding them back. I think of Paul when the viper came out of the woodpile and attached itself to Paul's arm. Paul shook it off into the fire. I say in the spirit Shake it off! I certainly do not want to be presumptuous, but I believe many of these tumors are snake related. Paul's deliverance opened an awesome door for ministry.
5. Debt.... I really believe God wants His people unencumbered by debt. Owe no man anything, but love. The borrower is servant to the lender. Throw off the shackles of debt that you might be free to give, and free to go. I believe there will great grace to get out of debt for those who choose to do so.
The year 2011 will be and has already been an eventful year. There will be great tragedies accompanied by great opportunities and I believe it will be a great year of spiritual breakthrough. We must contend in prayer for our cities, and nations, for our families and for the church. It is a time to travel light and not let anything hold you back from the destiny the Father has set before you. If you don't know what is holding you back, ask the Father. He will show you and give you the grace to be free.
May 2011 be an awesome year for you truly ,and may the kingdom of heaven be revealed in greater manifestation in 2011.
Blessings,
Herb Dean

A Prayer for You

2010-12-24T06:29:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
Another year is coming to an end. It has been a somewhat challenging year for many of us. There are many who are hurting and discouraged. Looking ahead to the new year there are so many negative possibilities that it is easy to get under the circumstances. The psalmist asked the question, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" The next verse says,"The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven." God has not moved; He has not abdicated. He is not wringing His hands or fretting over the condition of our economy. He is perfectly secure in who He is. Yes, there is a great shaking going on and it appears the foundations of those things we have held fast are being shaken. Remember, we are citizens, not of this world, but of a kingdom which cannot be shaken. The King of this unshakeable kingdom has said that it is the Father's good pleasure to give us this kingdom. Be encouraged today, the Lord is on His throne and nothing escapes His notice. He loves you and His plans have not changed. He is not making it up as we go along. He knows the beginning and the end.

Do not give up! It is a time for war. The Kingdom is an ever advancing kingdom, but it does not advance without resistance. May your resolve be strengthened to push through, though the pressure may seem unrelenting at times. It is a kingdom that is worth everything. The most important thing you can do in preparing yourself for the battle is to spend time with the King. Refreshing comes from the presence of the King.

Know this, God loves you. There is nothing that can separate you from His love. We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. You are not forsaken. The Lord is near.

I wanted to send out a Merry Christmas to you, but as I wrote I felt impressed to pray this prayer for you:

I pray that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. In the Name of Jesus.
Amen prayer taken from Ephesians 3:16-21

Thank you for your friendship. May you have a Christ-filled Christmas and may the ever advancing kingdom be revealed in you and in this earth as it is in heaven in the year of our Lord 2011.

In His love,
Herb Dean

2010-12-14T08:59:00.001-08:00

From: rborvitae5@aol.comTo: rborvitae5@aol.comSent: 12/14/2010 11:49:56 A.M. Eastern Standard TimeSubj: Kingdom Keys: Joy to the world! The Lord is come.
Dear friends,
I pray that things are well with you. In years past I have written some thoughts concerning Christ's birth and today I'd like to remind you of some things that I believe will encourage you.
Years ago as I heard the Christmas story being read, the Lord dropped something my spirit. In the part in Luke 2 where it speaks of the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night and then the glory of the Lord shown round about them. The Lord spoke these words in my spirit,"The shepherds who are faithful in the darkness of night are the ones to whom I will reveal My glory." Be encouraged you faithful shepherds. I hear the words from Isaiah 60. "Arise shine for the light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you, for out of deep darkness there has shone a great light." God is faithful; don't give up.
God gave me a revelation of His sovereignty one Christmas as I pondered the Christmas story. I thought about a very much pregnant woman and her espoused husband making a seventy mile journey on foot to be counted for the purpose of taxation. God used a tax notice and a pagan emperor to position Joseph and Mary for the fulfillment of prophecy.He used external circumstances to position them for blessing. He used a pagan emperor to have the Bread of Life born in the "house of bread as prophesied." It may well be that the difficult circumstances you find yourselves in are positioning you for blessing. God is able to bring redemption out of everything that comes in our lives.
A couple of years ago, I did a study on the wise men. It was very revealing. God revealed Himself to these men in powerful ways. I am sure that you have probably seen the statement on church signs,"wise men still seek Him." It was true then and true now. As I thought about writing this morning, this verse came to mind,"And I will be found by you when you search for Me with all your heart."
I pray that during this season with all hustle and bustle, that you will make time to worship Him. I know some believe that the Christmas celebration has pagan roots. I respect that, but every day is His day and I choose to celebrate the fact that God so loved the the world that He gave His only begotten Son. He may not have come on December 25th, but praise God! He came. Joy to the world! the Lord is come.
I hope these little reminders were an encouragement to you. I pray that you will receive a greater and greater revelation ofm who Christ is to you, in you, and His life through you. May you have a wonderful season of celebration and a new year of hope, expectation, and prosperity; body, soul, and spirit.
In His love,
Herb Dean

In Everything Give Thanks

2010-11-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
I pray that things are well with you. Some of you have asked why you haven't received anything from me in a while. I haven't posted a "Kingdom Keys" since June. I feel I should share one of the reasons, because I do covet your prayers. A few months ago I began having severe blood pressure spikes at night and some heart irregularities. I won't go into all the details, but for the last seven or eight months I have been very tired. It is not an accident that I had just given a word to our church about God renewing the strength of His people. When we make a declaration we become a target. In 1 Timothy 1:18 Paul exhorts Timothy to wage the good warfare with the prophecies concerning him. I confess I have not warred as much as I should. Also, a word from the Lord tests the soil. (Psalms 105:19-22; Matthew 13:4-9) In Luke 8:15, it is those who hear the word and keep it that bear fruit. I believe the waiting on the Lord in Is. 40:31 speaks of great intimacy and oneness with the Lord. The primary root of the Hebrew word means "to bind together" perhaps by twisting. Think of it, bound together with Christ, entwined in Him, the three fold cord that is not easily broken. You can't move unless He does. For me part of this struggle is a call to a renewed intimacy with Him. I believe God will renew my strength. I believe there is some travel I'm to do, and that the latter end of the ministry to which God has entrusted me will be greater than the former. I would like to ask you to war with me if you feel so led. It may be that you are going through a trial in your life. I would be honored to pray for you and with you. I have a brief thought I'd like to share in keeping with the season and I hope it will be an encouragement to you.

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thess. 5:18

I have often heard people debate whether this verse means to be thankful for everything, every circumstance that comes in our life or just be thankful to God in the circumstance. I must confess that I don't know enough about the Greek construct to definitively answer the argument. I have looked at it in various and sundry ways. In my personal experience I have thanked God for what He would He would show me in or the redemptive purpose He would bring out of the circumstance. It was in one of those times He spoke as clearly to me as I have ever heard Him.

Back in 1981, I was going through financial difficulties.God used the area of finances to get my attention. I had surrendered to the call of the ministry and felt great peace about God's purpose and direction for my life, but I still was in a financial hole. I had been writing checks on money I didn't have knowing they would debit my Mastercard. One Friday, I went to my box and found three bounced checks. I panicked. I called the bank and the Mastercard people and finally got things straightened out. Over the next two weeks the Lord was doing so much in my life when it happened again I had a different response to the situation. It was a Saturday and I couldn't do anything until Monday. We were having a big lay witness revival at our church that weekend and I was not going to let it steal my joy. I went home and knelt beside my chair. I prayed, "Lord I know there is something You are showing me through this situation and I thank You for what You are showing me. I have never heard the audible voice of the Lord, but His voice so resonated in my spirit that it could not have been any clearer if it were audible. He led me to take the Mastercard out of my wallet and look at it. As I looked at it, He said, "Herb, where is your trust? Is it in Me or that little plastic card?" I was deeply convicted and cut it up. That was the beginning of my financial healing as I purposed to operate on a cash basis.

I have thanked God in advance for my deliverance in the situation and I have for a season even thanked Him for situations. I cited the verse above one time while preaching and encouraged people to thank God for the circumstance. A guy on the first row tried to correct me. Then I read Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He couldn't say anything about that one. I don't like trials and have had difficulty thanking God in some difficult circumstances. If I really believe Romans 8:28,29, then I know that God will bring good (redemptive purpose) out of everything that comes into my life. He didn't say He necessarily caused the circumstance, but promised He would bring good out of it. So, if I am in difficult circumstances, whether I am thankful for the circumstance or not, I can thank God that He will bring good out of it.

I have heard the different sides of this debate and I know I am not providing a definitive answer, but there is one thing I can say of a surety, it is God's will that we give thanks, that we live lives of thanksgiving. I had this thought some time back, "Gratefulness leads to great fullness." Are you not blessed when your children express gratitude to you. Gratitude blesses the Father. Let us live with an attitude of gratitude. In a few days we will celebrate the wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving. That is great to set aside a day to be thankful, but to us who are in Christ, every day is a day of thanksgiving. "Thanks be unto God for His indescribable gift! 2 Cor. 9:15 He has given us a future and an unshakeable hope.

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15

I pray that you will have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that your hearts would abound with thanksgiving throughout the year. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.
Blessings,
Herb Dean

The Glory of the Latter House will be Greater than the Former

2010-06-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

"The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. "And in this place I will give peace," says the Lord of hosts. Haggai 2:9

As in times past we have talked about the glory of the latter house exceeding the former and that the shaking preceded the glory of the latter house. If we cross reference verse 6 in Haggai with Hebrews 12:26,27, the shaking precedes the revelation of His unshakeable kingdom. The former house was Solomon's temple, but the latter house is the saints of God.

You are the temple. Look at what the scriptures have to say.
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1Cor. 6:19

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.
2Cor.16:16

Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:20-22

The former temple referred to in Haggai was Solomon's temple which was considered one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. It was an unbelievable structure and in terms of today's money it was estimated to be valued at 5 billion dollars a number of years ago, so I am sure that figure has gone up. It was glorious. During the time of Ezra when the temple was being rebuilt, the elders wept remembering the former glory of the temple. So when God says the latter glory will be greater than the former, He was not speaking of physical value; He was speaking of the Spirit. As I was pondering this I thought of Moses on the mountain receiving the law. When he came down his face glowed and he put a veil over his face to cover the fading glory. The scripture goes on to say if that which was passing away was glorious then how much more glorious would be the ministry of the Spirit.

If we look at the temple in the old testament as a type of us, we can make some interesting and I believe applicable observations. In Ezekiel 47 we see the water from under the threshold of the temple becoming a huge body of life giving water. He who believes in Me as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. John 7:38 Also at the dedication of Solomon's temple there were the 120 trumpeters who blew in unison and the shekinah glory of God filled the temple so that the priests were not able to stand in the flesh to minister. Sounds kind of like Pentecost with 120 in one accord in the upper room and when they were filled they ministered by the Spirit.

Jesus said that He had given us the glory that the Father had given Him, so that we might be one. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of glory and He has been given to us to be in us and upon us for empowering us to
"re-present" Jesus. We are called to be carriers of His presence. Even as the ark of God was to be carried upon sanctified shoulders, the presence of God is to be carried by the sanctified (saints). Collectively we are the temple and individually we are temples of the Holy Spirit. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit and the glory revealed in you is the glory of the Father via the Son. You are the latter house.

We have spoken in times past of the shaking and surely there is a shaking in many of our lives right now. If you are one of those being shaken, you can be encouraged in the fact that the shaking preceded a greater revelation of His glory and the receiving of an unshakeable kingdom. I pray you will be encouraged today by the Lord's presence.

Don't Stop at the End of the Chapter

2010-06-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Dear friend,
I hope you are well. I've been thinking about how awesome the scriptures are and it seems that the more the Lord reveals to me, there is the realization that there is so much more. There was a time in my early Christian walk when I read the Bible because that was what I was supposed to do. I would read my assignment, rarely getting anything out of it. The chapters and verses formed the boundaries of what I was to read. As I have grown in my walk with the Lord and I have seen the personal application for my life and the beauty of God's truths interwoven together, the scriptures have become precious to me. Jesus said ,"My words are spirit and they are life." In the original texts there were no chapter and verse breaks and so if you stop at the end of a chapter you may miss something important. There are several chapters in the writings of Paul that begin with the word "therefore" and we have to look in the previous chapter to see what it was "there for". There is a harmony and flow to the scriptures and sometimes chapter breaks interrupt that flow. I want to give you three examples today that I believe will encourage you. I know they did me.

Then He said unto His disciples," The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Matthew 9:37,38

Just as a side note, I spent many years praying for the harvest when one day an Evangelism Explosion instructor made the statement that Jesus didn't tell us to pray for the harvest.He said that the harvest is already out there, so pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers. That changed my way of thinking.
That was The end of chapter nine, so what does Jesus do in chapter ten? He instructs them, gives them authority, and sends them out. Jesus is the Lord of the harvest and He is the one who sends laborers into the field. Paul said in Romans 10, "and how shall they hear except someone preach and how shall they preach except they be sent?" In chapter 9 he says to pray for laborers to be sent and in chapter 10, He sends them.

When the rich young ruler walked away from Jesus very sorrowful. Jesus made the statement," How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Luke 18:24, 25
Those who heard it probably equated riches with the blessing of God and asked, "Who then can be saved?" But He said, " The things that are impossible with men are possible with God." Luke 18:26,27 Now some have said Jesus was referring to small gates in the wall that a camel had to kneel to go through, but I heard a minister from Egypt say Jesus wasn't talking about a gate; He was talking about a sewing needle. That would definitely be an impossibility, but all things are possible with God. So in chapter 18, a rich man getting saved was an impossibility, but look in the very next chapter. Now behold there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector and he was rich. Luke 19:2 Zacchaeus opened his home to Jesus and pledged to give half his goods to the poor and restore fourfold that which he had taken wrongfully. And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. Luke 19:9 So we see the impossibility of a rich man getting saved in chapter 18 and in chapter 19 we see God saving a rich man. That which is impossible with men is possible with God. That old camel just slipped right through that needle eye.

Let's look at the third example and there are probably many others. I can think of some others; many you can probably do so as well, but this was the most recent. I didn't get this directly from the Lord, but by way of another of His servants and it really blessed me. I could spend a lot of time here, but most of you know the story, so I'll briefly summarize it. When Jesus first went to the country of the Gadarenes he encountered a highly demonized man that we call the Gadarene demoniac. He was incorrigible. He had super human demonic strength. He fell at Jesus feet. You know the passage well; it is in Mark chapter five. Jesus cast this legion of demons out permitting them to go into the pigs and the pigs ran down and drowned in the sea. The people who took care of the swine went into the city and country and spread the word about what had happened. The people came to see and saw the one who had been demon-possessed clothed and in his right mind and they were fearful. The eyewitnesses gave their account and the Gadarenes asked Jesus to leave. Jesus is not inclined to stay where He's not wanted and when he gets in the boat to leave, this man begged Jesus that he might stay with Him. Jesus , However, did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he has had compassion on you." And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him and all marveled." Mark 5:19,20 The Gadarene demoniac had now become the Gadarene evangelist.

That is so awesome, but that was not the end of the story. Jesus crossed over a second time. We can't be sure that it was the exact same place, but it was probably the same region. And when they had crossed over, they came to the land Gennesaret and anchored there. And immediately when they came out of the boat, the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was. Mark 6:53-55. If indeed it was the same region then we might ask, what made the difference in their response? I would like to believe that it was the testimony of one man who had been touched by Jesus. He wanted to go with Jesus, but he was sent to declare the good news.

You know it's nice to read the Bible through in a year or have a regular Bible reading, but it can become law or a work of the flesh apart from the Spirit. We would do better to meditate and read slowly asking the Lord to give revelation, and wisdom to understand and appropriate His truth. His words are spirit and life. Don't let a chapter or verse become your boundary, but flow with author. There are golden nuggets which can only be panned from the river of Life. Be encouraged today my friend, the chapters of our lives are still being written and that which you are experiencing now is but preparation for something yet to be written. Hope is an earnest expectation of a desired end.
Blessings,
Herb Dean

That I May Know Him

2010-05-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death... Philippians 3:10

This was a prayer I prayed for myself and it is a prayer our Lord delights to answer. As a pastor there were any number of times I had been misunderstood, rejected, disappointed, and used. Hurts and wounds along the way made me sometimes wonder, "How many times can you have your heart ripped out and still function?" It occurred to me one day as I was considering some things that had happened that God was answering my prayer.

There is an old gospel song that says, "Jesus knows your hurts; Jesus feels your pain." When we pray to know the fellowship of His suffering are we not asking to enter into and identify with His pain. It is the natural order that the power of the resurrection follows the fellowship of His suffering. He suffered and was crucified and then He was resurrected. In a very real sense we have been crucified with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life. If in Him we died, then with Him we are resurrected. This is established fact; it is a done deal, but Paul in his writing is speaking of something he is aspiring to, looking to attain.

That we may know Him is that desire for an ever increasing revelation of who He is, having an intimacy beyond human relationship. It will take eternity to experience and see the unfolding of who God is. I agree with Jonathan Edwards that heaven will be a continuing revelation of the awesomeness of our God. My vocabulary is not adequate to describe what I know of Him now. Paul surely knew Him as well as any one in scripture yet he was setting as His goal to know Him. We want to experience that knowing that continually changes and conforms us to His image.

Knowing the power of His resurrection was Paul's objective that he might attain to the resurrection in His own body. We have been resurrected, but we shall be resurrected. We have resurrection life dwelling in us in the person of the Holy Spirit. See Romans 8:11 We want the power, but we don't want the suffering. The suffering came before the resurrection. I believe an essential key to walking in the power of the resurrection is the putting to death of the flesh. Isn't interesting that the first place the Spirit led Jesus, after He came upon Him, was the wilderness where He was tempted 40 days of the devil. Scripture then says Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. To know His power there must first be a death that takes place.

So what about the fellowship of His sufferings? Once again Paul, just as we have been, was baptized into Christ's death, so there must be more to the knowing of it than our spiritual position. Some of you have suffered persecution. Some of you have experienced rejection. Probably all of us have known the pain of disappointment. If we are experiencing these things for Jesus sake and His righteousness we are entering into or having communion with His sufferings. Jesus does know our hurts; He does know our pain. Look at just a small portion of the sufferings of Christ.

Rejection: 1) He came unto His own and His own received Him not.
2) After His discourse on bread from heaven where He spoke of them eating His flesh
and drinking His blood, all but the twelve left Him.
3) The rich young ruler ,whom Jesus loved, chose his riches rather than Christ.
4) From eternity past to that moment in time when Jesus took upon Himself our sin and
felt separation from the Father.
Betrayal: 1) Judas turned Jesus in for thirty pieces of silver.
2) Peter, one of the intimate three denied the Lord three times.
3) They all fled for their lives when He was taken captive.
Pain: There was both the physical pain and emotional pain of the beatings, the mocking, and
shame Christ endured on our behalf.

I think often about the Last Supper and how Jesus demonstrated servant leadership. I think about when He came to Judas and knowing fully well that very night Judas would turn Him over to authorities, He washed Judas' feet. He was serving and showing kindness to his betrayer. Later, He would suffer unbelievable abuse on behalf of not only you and me, but the ones who put Him to death. He died for the one who held the whip, the one who hammered the nails. There is key to how Jesus could so freely give of Himself in John 13.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, rose from supper, and laid aside His garments: and taking a towel, He girded Himself about. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples's feet... John 13:3-5

Jesus knew what He'd been given and He knew where He was from and He knew where He was going. How about you? Do you know you been made to be joint heirs with Christ and that He gave you authority and that your ultimate end is with Him? Do you know you have been born of God and you will go to God? If you know who you are, you can be a servant, even to those who would betray you. You can bless those who curse you and pray for those who despitefully use you.

But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. I you are reviled for the sake of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit and glory of God rests upon you. 1Peter 4:13-14

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10

I can pray with confidence that if I want to know the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, He will answer and not necessarily in that order. The answer might not always be pleasant, but it will have a good work. May Christ give you an ever increasing revelation of Himself.
Amen

The Fear of the Lord is Clean

2010-05-18T09:37:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,
I pray that you are well. I have been preaching through the book of Acts and it has been very eye-opening. I have been in chapter 5 for three weeks now and in dealing with the passage on Ananias and Sapphira it became increasingly apparent that in the 21st century church we have lost the fear of the Lord. I want to talk a little about that today. As always I pray this will be a blessing to you.

Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. Acts 5:10,11

Can you imagine, one of those young men goes home and tells his family, "We had an exciting time at church today, two people dropped dead!" I am not sure what that might do to the next weeks attendance.
Was that fear a good thing or a bad thing? Look at the following scriptures with the understanding that there were no chapter or verse breaks in the original. What do we see in verses 12 through 16?
1. Many signs and wonders were done among the people by the apostles.
2. They were all in one accord.
3. Even those who did not join the church had great esteem for them.
4. Multitudes were saved.
5. All the sick and demonically tormented that were brought to them were healed.

I'd like to add a few thoughts on what we see there. Years ago I heard a couple of preachers speak of a coming revival which would come in four stages. The four stages were:
1) Intimacy
2) Purity
3) Unity
4) Power
I believe these stages were evident here and that the fear of the Lord is the catalyst in each of these stages.They were in one accord. In the verse used for the title, the fear of the Lord is clean, the word clean in Hebrew means pure, clean, purified, unalloyed. We cannot have unity without purity of heart, purity of motives. Do we dare assemble in the presence of a holy God with impure motives in our heart. Tradition says a rope was tied around the ankle of the priest so He could be dragged out if he died in the Holy of Holies.
Intimacy and purity are closely related. How can I get close to God if I refuse to walk in purity.
The psalmist asks in Psalms 15, "Lord who may abide in Your holy tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?" Again, he says in Psalms 24,"Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He that has clean hands and a pure heart...."

It seems that David's greatest fear in his psalm of contrition, Psalms 51, was losing the Lord's presence."Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Psalms 51:11. It seems to me that one of the facets of the fear of the Lord is fear of losing intimacy with Him. I am thankful, that I can come boldly before His throne and receive mercy and find grace in my time of need and if I confess my sin He is faithful and just to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. We have a loving and forgiving Father who is approachable, full of mercy and grace, but He is holy. Where sin abounds grace does much more abound, so what shall we say then, shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid! How can we who are dead to sin live any longer therein? Can we continue in sin and it not affect our relationship with the Father? I think not. We reject grace if we continue to sin. Consider this for example, unforgiveness is rejecting God's grace. Jesus clearly states if we do not forgive, we'll not be forgiven. To harbor unforgiveness is to reject grace and the fear of the Lord.

Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit...? ......you have not lied to men but to God. Acts 5:3a;4b

It seems that Ananias had allowed the enemy place in his heart. The deception he devised could be categorized as the lust of the flesh and the boastful pride of life. He wanted the money and the praise of men as well. In his impure motives he lied to the Holy Spirit. We can quench the Spirit and we can grieve the Spirit. It grieves the Spirit to give anything else His place and to quench the Spirit is like crimping a water hose. the Spirit gives life, but any place we give to the enemy in our heart, he will work death in. I hate to say this but there are those who have quenched and grieved the Holy Spirit for so long that they are like Sampson when his hair was cut; he did not know the Lord had departed from him. There are many who are not walking in the fullness that God has for them. There are many in the church in whom the enemy is working death.

Friends, I say this in fear and trembling, but I feel I must say it. Much of the American church has lost the fear of the Lord. Notice that those who wouldn't dare join them had high esteem for them. It seems that our society has lost its esteem for the church. Over the last few years our church has been broken into many times, we have lost thousands of dollars from people stealing copper from our air conditioning units, and have often been vandalized. When I tell someone about it, they are stunned and often respond,"They'd do that to a church?". This is what I feel God is showing me about our society. Much of society does not esteem the church because the church has lost the fear of the Lord. What the church fails to teach and model before the world will not only be absent in the church, but its absence will be multiplied exponentially in society.

In Proverbs it says the fear of the Lord tendeth to life. Psalms 34 says the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. In both the Psalms and Proverbs it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. There are many promises for those who walk in the fear of the Lord. the fear of the Lord is a reverential awe. The awesomeness of God brings terror to our flesh. I have come to see the fear of the Lord as not allowing anything that would in any way hinder my relationship with Him. The fear of the Lord is pure; it is clean and it positions me for His power to flow through me.

I believe that as we see God move again in the church, the days of Ananias and Sapphira will return. There will be intimacy, purity, unity, and power. We choose the fear of the Lord.

Be blessed,
Herb Dean

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

2010-05-04T09:47:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,
I pray you are well. I, as many of you, have a cry in my heart for revival in our nation. So what is revival? I really feel that revival comes as a result as a greater revelation of God's glory. The revelation of His glory reveals our lack thereof. I believe that is why the revivals of the past were marked with repentance and confession. I am convinced that what the church needs today is not more preaching and teaching and I am by no means lessening their importance. Too often there is a lack of understanding of the word and a lack of spiritual depth. Those are essentials, but what we really need in our churches today is a God encounter. Let's look at a few "close encounters of the divine kind."

Jacob- Jacob had a couple of God encounters. The first was through a dream after he had left home and was heading to Haran. The dream was of angels ascending and descending upon a ladder into heaven. It is interesting that Jesus said to Nathan that he would see angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. I can't help but believe that ladder represented Jesus who is our access to heaven and the Father. Jacob set up a pillar there, poured oil upon it, called the place Bethel (House of God) and made a vow unto the Lord. That was in Genesis 28. In Genesis 32 he wrestled with the Angel of the Lord believed to be the pre-incarnate Christ and he was changed. He received a name change from heel-grabber to Prince with God. A God encounter can change your name.

Job- Job was described as a blameless and upright man, and one who feared God and shunned evil. In His distress he refused to speak evil against God, but he held fast to his own righteousness. It seemed he had things figured out despite his friends' objections, when God showed up. After the Lord had challenged Job, this man among men could only admit that he spoke of things he knew not and finished his response with these words, "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see You. Therefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes." A God encounter will quickly expose any pride or self-righteousness.

Isaiah- Isaiah was an established prophet when in a sad and desperate time, he received a vision of the Lord. In Isaiah 6 we read of what he saw and heard. What was Isaiah's response to seeing God? "Woe is me, for I am undone! (ruined) Because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. A God encounter revealed his iniquity. He was cleansed, commissioned, and sent.

Peter- Jesus got in his boat. They had already stopped fishing and were cleaning their nets.They had caught nothing. Jesus sat in the boat and taught the multitudes and after a while Jesus told them to launch out into the deep and let down their nets for a catch." Reluctantly they obeyed Him and when the haul was so great the boats were in danger of sinking, he didn't say, "Wow! Jesus how about joining up with us and be our fish finder." I think he realized at that point that Jesus was more than a teacher and he was broken before Him.
Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" Instead of Jesus departing, Peter would change his pursuit and become a fisher of men.

In looking at moves of God in the past, they may have manifested themselves in slightly different ways among different groups of people but the common factor in all of them was the manifest presence of God. The essence of His glory is His goodness. Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4
It is not only the extension of His goodness to us, but also the revelation of His goodness that reveals man's lack thereof. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 Lord, we ask for a greater revelation of your glory in Your church and this earth. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

2010-04-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I pray that you are well in body, soul, and spirit. In meditating and praying this morning I was reminded of this sentence: The joy of the Lord is my strength. What does this mean to you? I can remember many years ago singing the little chorus whose only lines were this sentence. I had a pastor once who chided the congregation with "If you have the joy of the Lord, you need to tell your face!" It's sad, but true that many of the faces in the church do not radiate the joy of the Lord. Do people want what you've got or are they afraid they'll catch what you've got? If you'll indulge me this morning I would like to share a few thoughts on joy.

The Joy of the Lord is your Strength.

Let's analyze this sentence for a moment. I've found it helpful to diagram it like we used to in fifth and sixth grade. "The" is an article modifying "joy". "Joy" is the subject. It means to rejoice and be glad." "Of the Lord" is a prepositional phrase modifying "joy". It tells whose joy it is. It is the Lord's joy. "Is" is a linking verb and in this case equates "joy" with "strength" which is a predicate nominative. That means the subject, joy, is equivalent to strength. "Your" is a possessive pronoun used as an adjective telling whose strength. So let me simplify it by writing it this way: The Lord's joy equals or is my strength. Strength in the Hebrew means "fortified place". Think about that. His joy is my place of security, safety, and protection.

The psalmist writes ,In thy presence there is fullness of joy and at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore." As I have said on a number of occasions that according to Paul that is our position. It may be that our condition doesn't always line up with our position, but it should increasingly do so. There is fullness of joy in His presence because the Lord is joyful. He is not up in heaven looking down with a fly swatter waiting for you to mess up. You are not a child of wrath; you are in Christ. If you are in Christ and Christ is joyful then how ought we to be?

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 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. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

If Jesus' joy remains in you your joy is full. If we walk in sadness then it might be that our joy tank is empty. So how do we get our joy tanks filled? We might ask another question, "How is your love life?" This may be an over simplification, but the key to your joy tank being full is abiding and walking in His love. Some of you can relate to this. Think back to when you fell in love. Were your steps a little lighter, the skies a little brighter and an overflow of joy in your heart. Could it be that what had happened in the Ephesian church in Revelation that they lost their joy. As the old song goes they lost "that loving feeling." They were faithful, they were still doing the stuff, but Jesus said they had left their first love. Had they lost that passion of young love? Were they operating with empty joy tanks?

God has not called us to sadness, but to joy. When the birth of Jesus was announced the angels heralded, "We bring you glad tidings of great joy!" The kingdom of God is not eating or drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you look up the word wickedness in the Strong's you will find it is a very broad term and one of the definitions is actually prolonged sadness. There may be times when weeping endures for a night, but we are not to live there for extended periods of time.

Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies...Deut. 28:47,48a

They were cursed because they did not serve the Lord with joy. In the new covenant we have been delivered from the curse, but we still give the enemy access if we do not appropriate His provision. I know myself that there have been times when I allowed the weight of ministry to bring me low, and it was in those times that I took my eyes off the lover of my soul and focused on the problem. There was a season in my life that I lapsed into the idolatry of worshipping at the altars of disappointment. If our joy tank is empty we lose our protection. There was a season when I was extremely sensitive to my immune system. When I was full of joy in the Holy Spirit, I felt I could have walked through a den of disease, breathed diseased air or drink contaminated water and nothing would jump on me, because the Lord's joy was my fortified place. There were other times when I was angry, frustrated, or depressed that I felt my body's immunity was at the same level my joy tank was and I could feel my susceptibility. The enemy knows when to pounce.

Abide in His love and His joy will remain in us and our joy will be full. The Lord's joy is your place of safety. He loves you, so much.
Blessings,
Herb Dean

The God of Resurrection

2010-04-06T08:59:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,
I pray you all had a glorious Resurrection Day and that you are experiencing His life in you. I'd like to share a word of encouragement with you this morning. We have all had dreams and visions that have died. Some are so dead that we may have given up any hope or possibility of them coming to pass. As I was praying in preparation for my message this past Sunday, I felt strongly impressed of the Lord that He was resurrecting dreams and visions in the lives of His servants. Is there a dream that you have had that has died. If so, this word may be for you. These words were quickened in my spirit, "Remember Joseph."

The dream of every Hebrew girl was to be a wife and mother. Barrenness was considered a curse and a shame. When Sarai married Abram, I am sure that having children was her dream and expectation. Many years passed. Her husband responded to the call of God and obediently followed God's direction away from the house of his father. Later Abram would enter into covenant with God and God changed his and Sarai's names. God gave Abraham great promises concerning his descendants when he as yet had no child.

When the promise tarried Sarah tried to bring the fulfillment of God's promise through her handmaiden, Hagar and indeed a child was born, but he (Ishmael) was a product of the flesh and would bring grief to her. Trying to fulfill's God's plan man's way reduces our faith to dead religion. Approximately 24 years after the promise of a son God visited them. When God reiterated His promise to them Sarah laughed within herself. She did not laugh out loud, but still God asked the question," Why did Sarah laugh?" He also asked another question, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" What is our answer to Him? Circumstantially speaking, they were old. Not only were they old, but Paul makes it pretty clear in Romans that medically speaking, child-bearing for them was an impossibility.

And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead since he was about a hundred years old and the deadness of Sarah's womb. Romans 4:19

It sounds like Abraham was impotent and Sarah had already gone through menopause. It was impossible for her to conceive, but God resurrected her womb and made Abraham alive as well. In fact, we know Abraham went on to father other children after Sarah was gone. Abraham was 100 and Sarah about 90 when Isaac was born. Look at what Sarah said when he was born: "God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me." Laughter was a sign of joy. In Psalms 126 it says: When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream. then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Sarah was joyful and when people heard about what God had done, it made them joyful, too.

I wish I could look back and see what Joseph must have been thinking at the different stops along the way. Did his faith waver when he was in a pit, probably hearing his brothers talking about killing him? Did his dream die when he was tied to a camel on the way to Egypt to be sold as a slave. What must he have thought as he was being auctioned off? What about when he was arrested and thrown in jail? What did he think after the butler forgot him and he languished in jail for another two years. I don't know what he was thinking, I only know how I may have responded. His dreams were dead, but at God's appointed time they were fulfilled. At God's set time Isaac was born. At David's worst moment, he was days from being king of Judah. I know I have shared these things before, but I believe there is a set time coming for many of you.
There are many concerned about our nation because we have forsaken God and they believe we are headed for bondage and judgement. They might ask," How can we be successful with things like they are?" Don't you find it encouraging that as slaves in the most powerful empires of their day that Joseph and Daniel both ascended to high levels of leadership in pagan cultures? We have a future and a hope. There is nothing too hard for the Lord.

Do you have God-given dreams that have died? Our God is the God of resurrection. Jesus said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." Our hope is in Him. Is anything too hard for the Lord? For promotion comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south, but God is the judge; He puts down one and exalts another. Psalms 75:6,7
Be blessed,
Herb Dean

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

2010-03-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

Love your Neighbor as Yourself

My friend said, "The Christian life is not that complicated; you just love God with all your being, love yourself, and love your neighbor." Something about the way he said it, did not ring true. I had never heard it said like that. For most of my life I had heard the verse love your neighbor as yourself, but truly I had never really thought about the fact that if I didn't love myself, then how could I love my neighbor? I have written about this before, but as I was listening to the Lord this morning I realized there are still areas of struggle in my life and I am sure I am not the only one.
In religious thinking we are taught to hate ourselves. We draw errant conclusions about who we are. We think self-deprecation is an act of humility. We constantly focus on our insufficiencies and think we are spiritual in our self-loathing. We beg and plead with God to make us something He says we already are. We set standards for ourselves and others that neither us nor them can achieve.

This morning, I felt the Lord was speaking to me and I felt this wrestling in my soul and spirit. The things I was hearing were things that God had said in the past and I had not seen them fulfilled. It was like the Lord was saying to me I am going to restore and fulfill dreams that I have given you in the past. My soulish thinking was, "Lord, I'm old"; "Lord, I don't have the strength or energy anymore"; "It's too late", etc. You get the idea. What I realized was deep down inside there were doubts that I was worthy of such a blessing. I'd rather be known as a man of faith and power for the hour, but I'm trying to be real here because someone needs to hear this. Let me express a few thoughts that came to mind this morning:

1. Self-deprecation is not humility. Tearing oneself down does not build you up. False humility is a coverup for pride. Humility is not weakness. It is the recognition that apart from Him we can do nothing.

2. Self-exaltation is not loving oneself. Exalting oneself is often a compensation for one's perceived lack or attitude about themselves. Pride is not loving oneself. That kind of love is destructive. God resists the proud. Pride goeth before a fall. Pride keeps us from grace.

3. If I don't know who I am, then I will be who I think myself to be. As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.

4. If I cannot receive myself then I cannot receive others.

5. Self-hatred and self-rejection leads to rejection by others. That which I project upon myself will be projected to others. Not only will I minister rejection, but in the principle of sowing and reaping, I will reap it in greater measure than I sow.

So what is loving oneself? It is not the "all about me" syndrome; it is the ability to receive myself as God has created me. Accepting myself just as I have been accepted in the beloved. If I can receive myself I can receive others. If I accept myself, I can accept others. What you see in the mirror does not determine your acceptance. It is the heart. Remember little David. God looks at the heart. Paul said that we regard no man according to the flesh.

I am having difficulty expressing what is on my heart today, but there is something I saw in my own life that I need to express. I saw that if I cannot receive myself; I cannot receive the promises of God. Unworthiness will keep you from receiving the blessing of the Lord. I know that apart from God none of us are worthy of God's blessing, but it is not about you; it is about the Father and the Father loves His children and desires to bless them. As parents, you know your children are not perfect, so do you choose to do them harm or do you desire to bless them?

Guilt, condemnation, self-hatred, rejection, and pride are very destructive forces in the lives of a Christian. They keep people from their potential in God. They keep you from God's best. Self-rejection rejects the grace of God.

So often people come to God like the man whose son was demonized and said to Jesus "If You can". God says that is not the right question. The leper came to Jesus and said "If you are willing You can make me clean." Jesus said, "I am willing, be cleansed." I know there are areas in my life that unwittingly by doubting God's ability to do it in me, I have said, "can you?" I must get past the question "Can?" and even the question of "Are You willing?" to the place of hearing Jesus say, "I am willing, be released into your destiny."

I am thankful for a Father who is infinitely patient with me and is still teaching me and bringing things to mind that I had forgotten. God loves you so much. Be blessed today.
In His love,
Herb Dean

You Shall be Called by a New Name

2010-03-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I trust you are well. I have been teaching out of Acts for several months now and I haven't quite finished chapter 4. I was reading about the apostles giving Joseph a new name, Barnabas, which is often translated "son of encouragement or consolation". Bar means son and nabas means encouragement, consolation, or prophecy. I personally believe he was given that name because he was operating prophetically, but that's another message. I want to talk about name changes today. I believe this will encourage you.

You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name. Isaiah 62:2b

Back in the 90's I heard that Paul Yongi Cho had changed his name to David because the Lord told him to. As has happened to me a few times over the years my religious perceptions were disturbed. I was familiar with the success of his ministry and that he was a man of prayer, but this just didn't seem right. Over the next few years I would discover that God was in the name changing business. In the mid nineties I heard Jack Taylor do a teaching on destiny names which impacted my life. Jack had first heard the teaching from a young man pastoring in Vermont, Jim Sneyder. I preached at a campmeeting sometime later with Jim and heard him do the teaching and God confirmed some things for me. You don't have to search the scriptures long to find that God changing one's name was not too uncommon. In Genesis we see Abram's name changed to Abraham, meaning "father of multitudes" and Sarai to Sarah meaning "princess".
Then we see Jacob wrestling with the angel of the Lord. Jacob refused to let go (even in great pain) until he was blessed.

And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said,"I will not let You go unless You bless me." So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob." And He said your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." Genesis 32:26-28

Jacob's name meant "heel grabber, supplanter" and the Lord changed his name to Israel meaning "the prince that prevails with God." God's names are prophetic; they speak to our destiny. God changed Abram's name to Abraham before Isaac was born. Our parents may have named us according to a name in the family, or a whim, or a name that was popular. I'm sure some people really pray and listen to God concerning their children's names, but that is probably the exception rather than the rule. In Hebrew culture children were usually named according to some circumstance regarding their birth or the time of their birth. I've come to believe that the most impactful name is not the name given at our birth, but the names and labels, put on us by those close to us, the world, and yes, even ourselves. Let me give you a few examples:
Some people wear the name "Rejected" like a banner. What does this name do? It just sets them up for further rejection. Some people have the name "Stupid", some "You never do anything right", "You'll never amount to anything". They really become ungodly mindsets that destroy your faith and your destiny in God.

In Isaiah 62 God is speaking to His people and telling them that He is changing their name. In the eyes of the world and even in their own eyes they had been named "Forsaken" and their country "Desolate". The Lord says I'm taking that name away and giving you the name Hephzibah, "The Lord delights in you" and your land will be called Beulah, "Married." The Lord delights in you and your country is His bride. He dances over you with joy. You know it is hard for so many to think that God feels that way about them. I just thought about Luke 10 where the 70 returned so excited because demons fled in the name of Jesus. In verse 21 it says, In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit.... The word rejoiced there is much more graphic in the Greek. It is the word, "agalliao" which means," To exult, leap for joy, to show one's joy by leaping and skipping denoting excessive or ecstatic joy and delight." He got excited and when you walk in truth He gets excited about you!

I believe the Lord wants to give some of you a new name today. It maybe that we have to recognize what we have been named so we can renounce it and receive our new name. I don't think the angel of the Lord , believed to be the preincarnate Christ didn't know what Jacob's name was. He came to ambush Jacob. The Lord is asking you, "What is your name?" He's not asking for Tim or Jim, but what is that name that's been put on you which keeps you from your destiny in God. Be honest. Renounce it and ask God for the name He wants to give you. Hephzibah, "my delight is in you". There is so much more we could say about names, labels, and ungodly beliefs, but I am sure you see what I am saying. God wants you to have a new name. He talks in Revelation about us being given a new name which no one know except to whom it is given. God is into names. His name represents His character and there is a name for you that speaks destiny and potential. Be blessed today.
In His love,
Herb Dean

Before they call, I will answer

2010-03-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I pray you are well. God is calling us to war. There is a mighty prayer movement taking place across our nation. It is yet behind the scenes, but like the kingdom of God it is growing in scope and measure and the results will soon be evident. I want to encourage you today with some scriptures and a thought or two that the Lord is giving me.

It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking I will hear. Is. 65:24 God knows your prayer before you pray it.

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things we you do not know. Jer. 33:3

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Luke 11:9 The verbs here are present imperative so ask and keep on asking.

If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:14

If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7

And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 1 John 3:22

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5:14

Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and cast into the sea' and does not doubt in His heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses. Mark11:22-25

We would all agree that those are wonderful promises, but we could probably agree as well that has not been our experience. Are there conditions to answered prayer? There are some things we see here in these scriptures directly or indirectly. I'll list the things I see.

1. We must ask. James said you have not because you ask not.
2. You must believe. I confess I have prayed many faithless prayers over the years and I have also found myself begging for things He has already given me.
3. Forgiveness. Unforgiveness is rejecting God's grace. I personally believe unforgiveness is the one of the most or possibly the most common reason for unanswered prayer.
4. Obedience
5. Persistence
6. Praying His will
7. Abiding in His word

You may say, I have walked in those things and I still don't see my prayers answered. It could be a matter of timing. It maybe that God is developing something in you and He knows the time for what you have asked is not yet.

What I am sensing in my heart is that there is a dynamic tension right now in the earth. Wickedness is being exposed; the assault of the enemy has intensified, yet the kingdom of God like the leaven in the lump is expanding and beginning to become more evident. There is a greater sense of God's presence and we are about to see many of the promises that God has given personally and corporately fulfilled. Prayers that have been prayed for years will be answered and you will begin to see answers to prayer that you have just prayed. There will be those that before they finish voicing their prayer, there will be a phone call revealing that the prayer has already been answered. There will be those who have prayed for a financial need and after praying they will find a check in the mailbox. The answer was dispatched before it was even voiced. There is coming a quick turn around in prayer. We are entering a season of acceleration and especially in the area of prayer.

Spring is a time when I usually clean out the gutters on my house. If the gutters get full of leaves and trash the water does not flow and it can cause leaks and water damage. I think of our spiritual lives that way that the heavenly conduit needs to be kept clean for the Spirit to flow. I believe the Lord is saying that it's time for spring cleaning, because there is the sound of the abundance of rain.

Be encouraged, our Father is attentive to our prayer and He will answer. He is always with us, He is not distant or aloof and He will answer our prayers. The psalmist said,"No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Be blessed of the Lord, my friend.
In His love,
Herb Dean

God is Our Refuge and Strength

2010-03-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
I pray that you are well. These are challenging days in our nation and the world. Someone after hearing about another powerful earthquake in a month or so, asked,"What in the world is going on?" Some would answer using their eschatological beliefs. I am not going there; my desire is to offer hope to the fearful. In these difficult times we are being summoned into the presence of Father God. As I was praying this morning Psalms 46 came to mind. I sent out a devotional from Psalms 46 a few weeks ago so I wondered was the Lord laying this on my heart or was it in my mind because it was familiar. I picked up my Bible and read Psalms 46 again and it so spoke about the present situation in the world that I felt the need to share it.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Psalms 46:1-3

As I read this I thought of earthquakes and tsunamis. The scripture was so timely for what is going on now in Haiti and Chile. A leading seismologist said that in the U.S., it is not a matter of if but when. The psalmists says that though these things happen we will not be afraid. Why? Because God is our refuge and strength. A refuge is a place of safety and protection, a shelter, security. God is our place of protection. Our security is in Him. Strength is power and might. As we said a while back there is nothing outside of us that is greater than He Who is in us.

A very present help in trouble. Where is God when trouble comes? Did He leave you by yourself? No, He is very present. Did He not say that He would never leave or forsake and He is with us always? Is not His Spirit in us? He is very present; He's more than just present, He's very present. We have discussed before, the difference between omnipresence and manifest presence. Very present is like manifest presence; He is present to do something. God does not promise that we won't have trouble. If the apostles had been a little more mature in their faith they probably would have let Jesus sleep when the storm really got bad. Some think that if we walk in obedience we won't have trouble. The night Jesus walked on water they were doing exactly as they were told, but there was a contrary wind. You will encounter resistance. Those who live godly lives will suffer tribulation. It is through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of God. You will have trouble but you have a helper who is along side.

Both of the earthquakes were devastating. In Haiti over 200,000 people died. Many were left homeless. The earthquake in Haiti registered 7.0 on the Richter scale. The earthquake in Chile measured 8.8 on the scale. You may or may not know that on the Richter scale as the number goes higher the amount of power registered increases exponentially so that the earthquake in Chile was over 500 times more powerful than the one in Haiti. It was deeper in the ground and the epicenter was further from the population but it was still much more powerful. Yet in Chile less than 800 have died. What made the difference. In Chile they had much stricter building codes. They knew there was a threat of earthquakes and they built their buildings accordingly. I am reminded of Luke 6 when Jesus said,"Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded upon the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and it immediately fell. And the ruin of that house was great." Luke 6:47-49.
I am not drawing a conclusion about the spirituality of either nation and I am not using either man to represent one of those nations. I am just using the example to make a point. Let's look at the two men:
1. They both heard the word.
2. They both built a house.
3. They both encountered a storm.
The difference was what they did with the word. One laid a foundation in obedience. The other did not act upon the word and had no foundation. Our foundation for whatever we build in our lives must be laid in obedience. Yes we have a very present help in trouble. As I looked at those scriptures again I saw that not only does He take us through the storm, but prepares us in advance for it. However when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and he will tell you things to come. John 16:13

The Holy Spirit is in you. That is about as present as you can get. He is our helper, the paraclete, the one along side.

In closing I would like to encourage you with some good news. For over a month millions have bombarded heaven on behalf of the nation of Haiti. Apart from this terrible catastrophe Haiti would probably not have been on many of their minds. I read a report this morning that there have been over 40,000 recorded decisions for Christ and I suspect the numbers are much higher. There has been a cry of repentance coming from that nation and I believe God is rebuilding it. Continue to pray for them and for Chile. There are over one half million whose homes were destroyed in Chile. We pray that God will move mightily there as well and that redemption will come out of this tragedy.

I pray that these letters encourage you. I always get something in the writing of them. Thank you for allowing me to invade your computer space. Be blessed of the Lord.
In His love,
Herb Dean

More Than they That Watch for the Morning

2010-02-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,
I pray that you are well. As I began to pray this morning the phrase came to mind, " more than the watchman for the morning." I read the Psalms often so I have read Psalms 130:6 many times and had never given a whole lot of thought about those watching for the morning. The more I study the scriptures, the more I realize that there is inexhaustible revelation. I know I often read the word too fast as if the more quantity I get the better off I am, but there are precious nuggets to be found in meditating upon the word. So this morning when this phrase comes to mind, I ask what is its spiritual significance? Here are a few thoughts I hope will encourage you.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning--- Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. Psalms 130:6

The psalmist finds himself in the position of waiting on the Lord for deliverance. It seems that he is placing his hope on promises he has been given by the Lord. He was probably in a position where some us of now find ourselves or have been and that is recognizing that God is our only hope. He is more desirous of God's hand moving on his behalf than the watchmen are for morning. The implication here is that the watchmen long for the morning, but even more so he longs for God's deliverance. So why is it that watchmen long for the morning?

Let's look at the responsibility of the watchmen. In those days there were usually three watches in the night.(Remember Jesus walking on water in the third watch of the night.) The last watch was usually 2am to sunrise. The watchman usually had a place on the wall in a tower so that he could see for distance in all directions. He had to be observant and alert for he was given the great responsibility of warning the city of an approaching enemy or enemy activity. An incompetent watchman could put his entire city at risk. If he failed to warn his people they could be overrun and easily defeated. A watchman who fell asleep during his watch could cause the destruction of his city. The competent watchman kept his eyes and ears open and was sensitive to unusual sights or sounds. He was not ignorant of enemy operations and knew what to look for.

It was an indispensable duty. You can imagine that there were times when it seemed morning would never come. Word may have come that there were marauding bands in the area or possibly invading armies so there were nights of stress. There were times where they were worn out from the pressure and concern they felt. They were awake when everyone else was comfortably in their beds.

It is not difficult to understand why they were anxious for the morning. Most of us must admit that even if we love our jobs we look forward to quitting time and even if we don't you still have to rest. With the dawning of the new day comes the sunlight and with sunrise there would be the release from duty. They could see clearly now and there would be an opportunity for rest.

As we look at the church today some of you have been called to be watchmen on the wall. Some have recognized this calling and have been there faithfully seeing things in their spirits and hearing the sounds that are coming forth. You have intercepted things through prayer and there have been times when you have had to speak forth warning. You have worked in the obscurity of night with few recognizing the importance of your calling. There have been times when you have grown weary on the wall and you have hoped anxiously for the morning. You have longed for the light that you might have clarity and vision. Friend, it is not yet time to come down from the wall, but know that the Father is sending reinforcements and refreshment. Some of you have a hot cup of coffee coming your way. Your morning will come soon, but there must first be those who are young in the Spirit who you must train to have eyes in the darkness and then you will see with clarity the purpose for which you were stationed on the wall and you will enter into your rest.

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Is. 62:6,7

The watchmen are the intercessors. In their intimacy with Lord they are often given prophetic understanding, discernment, and authority. As a pastor I would like to personally thank those who have faithfully stood on the wall crying out on be half of the church. Thank you for praying for me.

So in closing if I am waiting on the Lord, hoping in His word, more desirous of His deliverance than a watchman on the wall, I have would have to say I have gotten serious with the Lord. There are promises for those who wait on the Lord. Enter a season of renewed strength.

I bless you today. As I write this I know I don't see or know who'll read this, but I just feel the Lord's love for you welling up in my heart. He loves you so much. He loves you so much, it bears repeating. Be blessed today my friends.
In His love,
Herb Dean

Be Still and Know That I Am God

2010-02-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

Be Still and Know that I Am God

Over the years I have found myself in what seemed like desperate situations, frantically trying to figure out what to do. Sometimes I made some wrong choices. On one such occasion, I was operating in anxiety mode exhausting all human possibilities, but still dutifully doing my bible reading, and the Lord brought this verse to mind along with a companion verse, "Cease striving and know that I am God." I knew that it was the Lord speaking to me and I released the situation to him. I received His peace and shortly thereafter the problem was resolved.
There have been other times that I was asking the Lord what I needed to do and I clearly heard the word "Wait". When you feel like you need to do something or you feel like something needs to be happening that is a difficult word to hear. Peter wrote that God isn't slack concerning His promises, but God doesn't get in a hurry. When you have all wisdom and all power and know the end from the beginning, you know when the right time is and He does.

As I was reading the Psalms this morning, I once again read Psalms 46: 10 and there it was,"Be still and know I am God." I really felt I was to write something today, but there was nothing burning in my heart. Once again this verse leaped off the page, but I sensed it was not so much for me as it was for someone else. I had this sense that someone was in panic mode, that they were darting back and forth like a squirrel startled by a car on the highway. I have seen squirrels panic and run back under a wheel when they had it made. If that's you, the Lord is speaking to you this morning, "Be still and know that I am God." Stop and take deep breath, collect your thoughts (really you probably need to bring them captive to the obedience of Christ) and let's wait on the Lord and get His mind in this situation. Often the Lord allows us to exhaust all human possibility bringing us to the end of ourselves so that all we can do is turn to Him. I often jokingly say, " All we can do now is pray, oh no! has it come to that?" That is sad, but true, in so many instances. God wants us to turn to Him first.

I just saw someone in my spirit treading water and they were growing weary, barely keeping their head above water. I am reminded of a camp that I ran at a children's home many years ago. It was on a tidal river and when the tide was in, we would take the kids skiing. The younger kids begged and pleaded to go, so I devised a test they had to pass before they could attempt to ski. It was a fairly simple test. They had to swim the length of the pool and tread water for a full minute before swimming back. One eight year old boy was very determined that he would pass so he could ski. After about 20 seconds he began to sink. I extended a broom for him to grab, but he wouldn't take it; he was frantically paddling as he sank. I had to go down and pull him out. Some folks are like that little boy; so determined to get what they want that they reject the lifeline even though they are sinking. Some allow pride to keep them from getting the help they need. There are others, who through no fault of their own find themselves sinking. Don't panic and flail at the water, just rest in the Lord, and He will buoy you up.

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say on the Lord! Psalms 27:13,14

I believe this is a word for someone this morning and it it's not for you, then you may know someone who is panicking, fretful, or anxious this morning. Feel free to pass it along. May these additional verses encourage you:

Commit (to roll) your way to the Lord (over on Him), Trust also in Him and He will bring it to pass. Psalms 37:5 (parentheses mine)

Casting all your cares upon Him for He careth for you. 2 Peter 5:7

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Matt. 11:28

Be blessed,
Herb Dean

For the Word of God Is Living

2010-02-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
I pray things are well with you. As I woke up this morning the Lord was speaking. He brought to mind Hebrews 4:12. I want to share with you this morning what the Lord was giving to me. Prayerfully consider these things.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

In 1 Kings 3:16-27 we see a spiritual picture of this verse in action. Two harlots came before the king for him to make a judgement. One had lain on her baby during the night and accidentally killed him. She took the other ladies' baby and claimed it for her own. These were ladies of the night and a nursing baby was a means of birth control. They came before Solomon wanting a decision as to which woman the baby belonged. The king asked for a sword and then gave orders for the child to be cut in half with each woman getting half. The one lady would rather give the child up than for it to be killed while the woman who had stolen the baby would rather the baby die than be exposed. The sword revealed the thoughts and intents of the heart. The baby was given to the woman who was willing to give him up rather than see him die. The truth was revealed by the sword.

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:13

Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Matthew 10:26

This is what the Lord put on my heart: The hearts of men will be laid bare. Wickedness will be exposed. That which has been hidden will be revealed to all. The intents of the heart will be revealed. We will again see the days of Ananias and Sapphira as the fear of the Lord is restored. 1Kings 3:28 And all Israel heard of the judgement which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice. Godly justice brings the fear of the Lord. It is a time of purifying our hearts; it is a time of purifying our motives. Though I had a sense that the primary application was to leaders in America it certainly applies to the Christian community.

For the time has come for judgement to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 1Peter 4:17

It begins first with us. This is not a message of gloom and doom. The heart must first be revealed before it can be healed. God desires to bring healing. His peace is everything set right. The revelation of His glory exposes that which is not glorious. Wickedness must first be exposed before it is destroyed. When the wicked spring up like grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever. Psalms 92:7 It truly is a message of hope.

I have often looked at 2 Chronicles 7:14 as a formula for national revival, but as I was studying for a teaching the other day I saw it in a different light. I remembered how a great teacher, Alan Vincent, who had once been an atheistic scientist before getting saved, shared the fact that an element such as copper will always test copper whether it is a bar, a crystal, or a molecule. He went on to say that everything that is kingdom will apply at every level whether it be an individual, a family, a church, or a nation. We can apply that verse to ourselves individually. If Herb Dean who is called by My name will humble himself and pray and seek My face, and turn from His wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive his sin and heal his land (soul). parentheses mine. Some may say that's old covenant; that we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I say, yes, and amen. I am not wicked; I've been given a new heart, but there are still areas of my life where I struggle with my flesh or am I the only one? There are times I've had selfish motives, times when I have rejoiced at the fall of my enemies, times when I envied the success of others. Yes, it is true there is wickedness in my flesh and sometimes carnality in my thinking. This must be brought into the captivity of Christ. Humility, prayer, seeking, confession, and turning are as relevant now as in the old covenant and praise God we have the Spirit inside us and His enabling grace to do it. Can we expect the heathen to change if we are unwilling or unable ourselves. I had not intended to get into all that, but just to say we are entering a season of the revealing of hearts.

As I said earlier, weigh these things prayerfully. God is moving. It is a time of transition and God is desirous to move each of us to new levels of glory. I appreciate all of you and am always thankful for your encouragement. If I can be of any assistance to you send me a note.
In His love,
Herb Dean

Prophetic words

2010-01-29T08:12:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
I am sorry that I have not written. I was hoping that I would be able to send prophetic words out on a regular basis, but then life got busy. Most of my prophesying has been relegated to our prayer groups. There has been such a sense of His presence in our prayer groups of late that it becomes easy to prophesy. Many of you received the last Kingdom Keys about 2010. I thought this morning that I would send you the word I received New Year's eve and one from this morning. I do not claim to be inerrant. Try these words; hold fast to that which is good; receive with faith that which is witnessed in your spirit, and ask the Lord for confirmation. The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. Be blessed.

December 31, 2009 11:50pm

For there will be difficult times ahead, but know even as I restored the fortunes of Job, I will restore the fortunes of my people. In tragedy, I will reveal myself and I will reestablish the fear of the Lord. Yes, I grant unto you double for your trouble and 2010 will be the year of the double portion. This will be a season in which there is a paradigm shift from the local church dynamic into a kingdom dynamic. Hear the word of the Lord. It is those who have persisted who can ask Me for the double portion. (See 2 Kings 2) Even this year there will be a shift economically in which the wealth of the wicked begins to be transferred into the accounts of the righteous. You, son, will see it. You have sown faithfully and now I will bring home the waves. (parentheses mine)

January 29, 2010

For this indeed is a new season; there is an air of anticipation. You who live expectantly will not be disappointed for I do not bring conception and not bring to birth. That which is birthed will come forth quickly and the time of travail is at hand. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. That which I bring forth will be so far beyond your expectation and your experience that you will be as one who dreams. There will be a coming together of my people and there will be realms of worship that you have yet to experience. There will be a shaking in the heavenlies and principalities will be displaced. There is a great harvest coming. It will be a time of reaping what many of you have sown for years. There are some who have sown faithfully and not seen increase and I say your time is at hand. Prepare yourselves; this is a time to be seeking my face for that which I do will be a suddenly. Be prepared.

As I was typing about being prepared, I pictured a young couple with the lady being almost nine months pregnant. They have prepared a nursery. The bed , the linens, the little outfits, blankets, diapers, and other paraphernalia are all in place in anticipation of the new birth. That is the kind of expectancy we should have. We used to say that of someone who was pregnant, "Their expecting."

Test it. It is my desire to hear the Lord and encourage His people. Be blessed.
Expecting,
Herb Dean

Double for Your Trouble

2010-01-19T06:41:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
It has been a while since I have written. I pray all is well with you. Things have been busy or seemingly so, and I don't function too well in the cold. I would like to share a few thoughts with you concerning the new year. Every year I pray and ask the Lord for a word for the new year and today I am finally getting around to sharing it with my e-mail friends. I believe this will bless you.

I awakened very early one morning and I heard the words "trouble" and "double" . My first thought was, "Oh no! this is going to be a year of double trouble." Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but when I inquired of the Lord He gave me something different. Isaiah 61:7 came to mind and I heard the Lord say, "double for your trouble." Here are some confirming verses:

Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy will be theirs. Is.61:7

As for you also,because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you. Zech. 9:11,12

And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Job 42:10 I believe there is a word in here as well. His fortunes were restored when he prayed for others. We must take our eyes off our own difficulties and intercede on be half of others. If our problems become our focus we will take our eyes off God and others and we are effectively out of the ministry.

Also, as an elder was sharing at disciple class about Bill Johnson's message from Isaiah 45. I looked at Isaiah 45 and this part of verse one was quickened in my heart: To open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut. In fact, you would do well to read the whole chapter. I have often desired to go other places and minister and yet for many years have labored in relative obscurity. I felt like the Lord was saying to me, I am opening doors for you. That is a word for someone who will read this message. The Lord is saying ,Obscurity, no more! I am releasing you and going before you opening doors and breaking away the gates of bronze and bars of iron that have kept you captive.

For over a month now the Lord has been giving me Is. 40:31 and with that a promise of renewed strength. Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired. Is.40:31 is a promise to you. The word wait in Hebrew implies being entwined. Those who are wrapped up in Jesus will have their strength renewed and they will rise to new heights in the Spirit.

Let me say this as a word of admonition. These words may require something of us. We must mix it with faith and take the appropriate action. The word God gave me last year was about sowing in the time of famine. There must first be a famine before we can sow during it and with the word this year there has to be trouble before you can get double for it. Now some of you have been through and the blessings are being released while others may be going into trouble shortly. Last Wednesday, I arrived early at the church to get it warmed up for our pastors' prayer meeting only to discover that we had been broken into for the third time since Christmas. Immediately, I felt a wave of discouragement roll over me, but then I remembered the word of the Lord and began to confess it. God will be true to His word.

Finally, I would like to share something my wife received and it bore witness with me. As she looked at the number 2010 she began to think about vision and felt impressed that the Lord said He was going to give us 20/10 vision. She asked me if 20/10 vision was good and I told her it was very good. To have 20/10 means we will see things quicker and more clearly at greater distances. I see this as the ability to see the vision with greater clarity. Ted Williams, one of baseball's all-time greats, was said to have 20/10 vision and it allowed him to pick up the rotation on a curveball a fraction earlier than someone with normal vision. That helped to make him a great hitter. We will see quicker and intercept things in the spirit.

I have great hope and expectancy for this year. Prayer over these words and where the Spirit gives witness claim them for your own. Confess them in the midst of your situation; we war with the rhema. In closing the abbreviated points are as follows:
1. Double for your trouble. Is.61:7
2. Renewal of strength. Is. 40:31
3. Doors and gates opened. Is. 45
4. 20/10 vision
Thank you for allowing me to share with you. Be exceedingly, abundantly blessed.
In His love,
Herb Dean

Full of New Wine

2009-12-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
I pray that you are well and prospering in the Lord. These are interesting times in which we live. I believe God is calling us to Himself. "Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you." He is our hope and shield.
Recently, I began teaching from the book of Acts. I haven't made it very far. At the moment I am revisiting Pentecost. I would like to share a couple of thoughts that came to me as I was studying Acts 2. As always I desire to be an encouragement to you.

And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. Acts 2:5

These men were men who were serious about God. Many had probably made great sacrifices to get to Jerusalem. They were from all over the known world. Many had traveled great distances on land and by boat to come to Jerusalem to participate in the feasts. They were God seekers and they heard a "sound".

And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Acts 2:6

"---- we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?" Others mocking said,"They are full of new wine." Acts 2:11-13

There were basically two responses: one group began soul searching and the other began mocking.
God encounters usually evoke these two responses. Ultimately there are really only two choices, receiving and rejecting. The one group rejected the message of God and accused the messengers of being drunk.

The accusatory phrase was really pretty accurate as wine is often a type of the Holy Spirit. They were mocking, but there was a measure of truth. These men were full alright, full of the Holy Spirit. As I thought about the new wine statement, the words of Jesus concerning wineskins came to mind.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. Luke 5:37, 38

I believe you could label the two groups as wineskins; those who received were new wineskins and those who rejected what God was doing were old wineskins. In the spiritual, age does not determine whether you are an old or new wineskin, it is the attitude of the heart. A new wineskin has not lost their hunger for God; they are seeking for a greater and greater revelation of the Father. They are teachable and open. They still have a reverse gear in order to back up and line up with the truth. In fact, someone can be young and be an old wineskin. They are rigid, unteachable, and satisfied that they are right. They are not open to greater revelation and manifestations of God. They reject as wrong anything that does not fit their paradigm. I have known young "old wineskins" and, praise the Lord, I know some old "new wineskins."

On the day of Pentecost, an awesome immeasurable gift was offered and it was received by many, but some would not receive because they didn't like the package it came in. As I wrote this I thought of a vision I had years ago, I saw a beautiful Christmas tree surrounded by many presents. There was no one in the vision, just the tree and the presents. When I inquired of the Lord as to the meaning of the vision, He said, "I have many gifts for My children, if only they would receive them. Would you agree with me that every gift of God is good and that we want everything He has for us.

In His love,
Herb Dean

How Good and Pleasant it Is

2009-11-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
I pray you are doing well. I am hungry for God's presence in my life individually and corporately in the church. Some would say, "He is omnipresent; He never leaves us or forsakes." The psalmist asks , where could I go from Your presence?" Answer: "nowhere". That is true. He is in me and upon me; I don't have to go anywhere to find Him. So why am I hungry for something I already have? There is a difference between the omnipresence and the manifest presence of God. In Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. Would it be necessary for Jesus to make this distinction if He were speaking only of His omnipresence? No, I believe He is speaking of His manifest presence. Today, I want to look at something that I believe attracts the manifest presence of God.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. Psalms 133: 1,2

The description of the oil being poured on the head of Aaron is the anointing. Let's put it this way. Brethren dwelling in unity is like the anointing. I believe that if we are to experience the corporate anointing it must be in that place of unity. Unity attracts the presence of God. Why is it that God so often manifests Himself in corporate worship? Well, we know in Psalms 22 that God inhabits the praises of His people Israel. I believe it is because when we are praising and worshipping God we are one; we have a single eye, a single focus. When I am lost in worship I am not so much concerned whether the guy next to me is Calvinist or Arminian, my eyes are only on the King.

Let's look very briefly at some of the places in scripture where the Spirit of God was manifest. I know that we have looked at some of these scriptures a number of times before, but I think we need to revisit them, because if we ever needed unity, if we ever needed the presence of God, we need it now.

1. 2 Chronicles 5:13,14 there is a phrase in verse 13 that is key: when the trumpeters and singers were as one to make one sound to be heard in thanking and praising the Lord. They were as one to make one sound. When we are making one sound unto the Lord His glory will fill the house.

2. Acts 2: 1 Look at the verse; they were all with one accord in one place. Then came the suddenly.

3. Acts 4:24-31 Here we see the corporate anointing coming in great manifestation. It was preceded by prayer and look how that prayer began,"They raised their voice with one accord......

Based on scripture, I believe we can make the statement that unity attracts the manifest presence of God. God is there in omnipresence, but it is in unity He chooses to manifest Himself in the corporate setting. You may ask,"Won't God manifest Himself to us individually?" Yes, absolutely, but even in an individual there can be divided heart. The doubleminded man receives nothing from the Lord. He will manifest Himself to those who have a single eye and an undivided heart. 2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him. A perfect heart is not a perfect person. A perfect heart is an undivided heart. He is looking for undivided hearts.

If unity is the place of blessing, what is division? It would follow that it is the place of cursing. Jesus said a kingdom divided cannot stand. That is a principle that will apply on every level. A divided church will not stand, a divided nation will not stand, a divided family, or a divided heart will not stand. It seems we have divided ourselves on issues of race, politics, pet doctrines, and sadly even our gifts. Are you talking about compromise? No, there are certain things I refuse to compromise. Doctrine is important;it affects our worldview. I am saying there is a place for deference. If the defense of my nonessential doctrine is destroying relationships and bringing division in the body then I have taken my eyes off the King. For the kingdom of God is not eat or drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17 We oft quote this verse in defining the kingdom of God, but what is the context? It is about not destroying a brother because of my personal beliefs. Where the government of God is, there is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Where He reigns there is peace. Peace is not just the absence of conflict, but nothing missing, nothing broken, things as they should be.

The manifestation of the Spirit is really an invasion of the kingdom of God and where the kings reigns there is peace. I have often found that I can be weary, worried, or aggravated when I gather with my brothers and sisters to worship and in the presence of the King I find peace. In the presence of the king there is fulness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures for evermore; in His presence there is peace. We have a promise from the Father that the hungry and thirsty will be filled. Are you hungry for His presence today? What would happen if the next time we gather everyone has a single focus, the King?

Be blessed,
Herb Dean

I ,also, am a man under authority

2009-10-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I pray that you are being blessed of the Lord. As I was meditating this morning I thought about the centurion who had a servant at home paralyzed. He was one of two gentiles in the gospels whom Jesus praised for their faith. What was different about his faith that Jesus would remark," I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel." Hebrews 11:6 says," Without faith it is impossible to please God". If we are truly born again and love God, it will be our desire to please Him. So I want to take a few moments to examine the faith of this centurion.

And Jesus said to him," I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only speak a word and my servant will be healed. "For I, also, am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one,'Go', and he goes and to another, 'come' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." Matthew 8:7-9

First, let's look at the centurion. A centurion was an officer in the Roman army. He was in charge of a century which was a subdivision of a Roman legion. This would be one hundred soldiers under his command. We will draw some thoughts from this fact in a moment. Let's look at the entire text (Matthew 8:5-13) and see what we can glean from his character and actions.

In verse 5 we see, he came to Jesus. He sought Jesus out. He came to him pleading; he was persistent. Hebrews 11:6 which we quoted the first part above ends with these words: "And that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him". He came seeking Jesus. Let's make a couple of points within this point. 1. A Roman coming to a Jew for help was a great act of humility.
2. For him to have sought Jesus out, he must have believed Jesus could heal his servant.

In verse 7, we see faith drew a response from Jesus. God is moved by faith. It is faith that takes hold of that which is in the kingdom of heaven and brings it to earth.

In verse 8, we see the incredible humility of this man. Though in the natural his position was superior to a Jewish man, he humbled himself before Jesus. He asked Jesus to just simply speak a word and his servant would be healed. This was, indeed, great faith. Some of Jesus' best friends at Bethany, said ," Lord, if you had only been here, Lazarus would not have died, yet this Roman soldier said that he didn't have to come there, just speak a word.

In verse 9, I believe we find the keys to a victorious life.
1. We cannot have authority unless we are under authority. The centurion had authority over the hundred because that authority was delegated to him by a higher authority. He recognized that Jesus was operating under the authority of God. Jesus was fully man and fully God. As a man and a son He was totally submitted to the Father. He did nothing of His own initiative; He said nothing of His own initiative. He received His instruction from the Father. The works of the Father He did.

2. All authority has been given to Jesus. Matthew 28:18 John 17:2 Says the Father has given Jesus authority over all flesh. The centurion recognized that sickness, disease, infirmity,etc. were subject to the authority of Jesus and just like he could command a soldier under his charge, Jesus could tell disease to go and it had to go . He could tells demons to go and they had to go. He could tell the fig tree to die and it died. All natural kingdoms are subject to the kingdom of God.

So how do we walk in kingdom authority? To walk in kingdom authority, we must be totally submitted to the King. Authority ceases where submission ends. In James 4:6b,7 God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. The centurion was a great candidate for grace because of his humility and his recognition of a higher authority. If there are areas of our lives we have not submitted to God, then we are resisting God and submitting them to the devil. You may say that sounds a little hard, but remember what Samuel said to Saul when he was disobedient concerning the destruction of the Amalekites. "Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king." 1Samuel 15:23 As I was reading this, the thought came to me that though Saul remained king for many years after this that the kingly authority that God made available to him was gone, soon to be given to a shepherd boy with the heart of a shepherd, a heart after God's own heart.

In summary, authority is delegated to us by the King. We are His ambassadors given authority to do His business until He comes or as some translations say occupy until He comes. We, too, are men and women under authority.
Blessings,
Herb Dean

Love thy Neighbor as Yourself

2009-10-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I pray that you are increasing in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord. I want to revisit something today that is on my heart. It is an area that I have had to deal with in my own life and feel it may be a key in the lives of many of God's children. I pray this will minister to someone today.

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. And the second, like it, is this: You love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:30-31

Many years ago in a conversation with a Christian brother, there was something said that caused a reaction inside me. He had simply said that the Christian life was not that complicated, that all we had to do was love God with all our being, love ourselves, and love our neighbors. The part that caused a rising up in me was the thought of loving ourselves. It was only after I had prayed and meditated on the word of God that I saw that reaction for what it was, a religious spirit. There needed to be an adjustment in my thinking. There needed to be repentance.

Growing up in the church there was much emphasis on salvation, but not nearly so much on discipling. We heard how we were filthy, rotten sinners and that even after we were saved our hearts were still desperately wicked. Most of us lived with a spirit of rejection any way, because of our fallen state and even after we were saved we didn't measure up. I don't know about you, but I felt it was spiritual to hate oneself.
For some of us hating ourselves was not something we had to attain to; we already did. Growing up I didn't like the way I looked; I had big ears and a long skinny neck and in the fifth grade I found out I had a big nose, too. A spirit of rejection not only sets us up for rejection by others, but is really rooted in self rejection.

I am convinced that many of the issues people are dealing with today both in the church and the world is rooted in self-hatred. How can I say that? Foundationally speaking, this is what God showed me: how can I love my neighbor as myself, if I don't love myself. I cannot love others if I don't love me. So many relationships are destroyed by the fact that we can't love others if we don't love ourselves. Look at the marriage relationship; can the husband truly love his wife if he hates himself. If we don't love ourselves all relationships are just surface. We live with a sense of shame, believing we are flawed and believing that if you really knew me you would hate me, too. It causes one to throw up a wall that know one can get through.

So many of the health issues of our day are brought on by self-hatred. Obesity is often a result. In extreme cases depression, suicidal thoughts, death wishes, destructive habits, addictions, and abuse. Sometimes it manifests itself in anger toward God like the clay saying to the potter, "Why have You made me this way?"

So when we talk about loving ourselves, what are we saying? First, we are not talking about egotistical, "How wonderful I am kind of thinking." Loving yourself is being able to receive yourself as God's creation fearfully and wonderfully made, not deriving one's self worth by appearance, ability, intelligence, or any other measurement of man, but by the love and worth that God has given you.
Years ago when my son was collecting baseball cards, he asked me how much a certain card was worth and I replied, "It is worth what someone is willing to pay for it." How often I have thought of those words in reference to what God was willing to pay for us! If your value is determined by how much someone is willing to pay, what was paid for you?

Sometimes when I am writing or teaching, the more I get into it the more it grows and there is so much in this that I am not even scratching the surface. I do want to include some scriptures that I believe are applicable and maybe make a comment or two.

Proverbs 18:9b (Amp. Bible) and he who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide. Now why did I put that in there? Because if we have a healthy love for self we will take care of our bodies which are, after all, temples of the Holy Spirit. As we said earlier much of the abuse many inflict on their bodies is due to self-hatred.

Psalms 139: 13-16 For You formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in Your book they were all written, the days fashioned for me. when as yet there were none of them. You are not an accident. When God made you He didn't say ,"Oops." God wasn't having a bad day; He doesn't have Mondays. You are a unique creation of a loving God.

Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Rejected, no more, you are accepted.

Romans 15:7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. Know that you have been received, receive yourself, and then you can receive others.

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you: I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. In the new covenant you have been given a heart transplant; you don't have that old deceitfully wicked heart anymore.

May you be ever encouraged by His love extended to you and shed abroad in you by the Holy Spirit.
Be blessed,
Herb Dean

I sought for a Man

2009-09-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I hope this finds you well. In recent weeks there has been an intensifying of spiritual warfare in our area. I have felt it personally and seen many who are being affected by it. I know a number of marriages that are in trouble. Crime has seemingly increased. Our church has been broken into a number of times and people close to me have experienced loss due to burglaries. Yesterday, our mayor committed suicide. I am not a prophet of gloom and doom, but one might ask the question, "What in the world is going on?". The truth is that the kingdom of God is advancing and there is going to be an acceleration of what God is doing here. In a war there is no advance without conflict. As I was praying this morning the Lord laid some things on my heart, I would like to share. It is a call to war.

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found no one. Ezekiel 22:30

1. God is looking for men and women to stand in the gap. God is calling out intercessors. There are some who have been so beaten down that they have pulled back. They have become pew sitters or bench warmers, but there is still a small ember, a little spark that won't die. There is an unrest in your spirit that can only be satisfied by His presence and being who He called you to be. The Lord says to you today, "Be healed, it is time to take your place on the wall. Little spark feel the bellows of God that you might burn brightly again."

2. Awake from your slumber, Oh church, it is time to arise and conquer. The tyranny of the comfortable has kept us bound in apathy and complacency. The assault has come because we have not taken our rightful place. North Korea and Vietnam were lost because we only tried to maintain a line instead of conquering. Imagine what kind of football team you would have if you only played defense. The gates of Hell are not to be attacking us. We are to be attacking the gates.

3. Difficulties are bringing purity. The intensity of the battle is increasing and it is time to seek the Lord. Pressure brings forth the precious. Loss often reveals that which is truly important. There must a prioritization of what is really important, an extracting of the precious from the worthless, if you will. There must be a purification of motives, a purification of thought and actions. Only the pure in heart can be trusted with true power. It is the pure in heart to whom God reveals Himself.

We are being conformed to the image of His Son. Jesus was and is the Intercessor of intercessors. He stood in the gap for us all. God looked for a man and He found Him in His only begotten Son. Not only did He take our place, but we are being saved by His life. He didn't stop interceding, but ever lives to make intercession for us. Jesus is interceding for us and the Holy Spirit is interceding for us; how can we fail?

Desperate times call for desperate measures and I know God is calling us into the fray. There are some who have been so discouraged that you have felt like giving up. There were times you wanted to quit, but the Holy Spirit in you sustained you. We must be like the woman with the issue of blood, for though she was weak, sickly, and broke she pressed through a crowd to get to Jesus. God is calling you to Himself to be healed, refreshed, equipped, and given new orders.

Some are being greatly shaken; hold fast to the King for when the shaking is over only that which is of His kingdom will remain.

Perilous times may lie ahead, but this is destined to be the church's finest hour. We must respond to the call, for we are not yet prepared for the glory the Lord wants to release on us and in us. The intensity of the struggle is an indicator of the prize to be gained. Rise up, church.

This writing may be an accumulation of random thoughts, but I believe it is addressed to several groups of people. I pray that you will be encouraged and that you will be drawn into deeper intimacy with Him.
Be blessed,
Herb Dean

It is to You Advantage

2009-09-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
There is awakened in me a great need of being led by the Spirit. Jesus, did only what He did by the power of the Spirit. So it must be with us as well. He told the disciples He was sending them someone just like Him. He said it was to their advantage that He went away so that the Helper could come, the one just like Himself. It is of necessity that God's people be filled and continually filled with the Spirit of God. We cannot walk in the government of God unless we are led by the Spirit. The kingdom of God is in the Spirit, so if we are to walk the kingdom walk we must walk in the Spirit. The kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit. So if we allow ourselves to be led by our flesh, we do not experience His government which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit.

The absence of power in the church is due to the Holy Spirit not being given proper place in our lives. the kingdom is in the Spirit and Paul says that the kingdom of God is not in word, but power. Jesus told His disciples that there were many of them who would not die until they saw the kingdom of God come in power.
There are many today who have projected the coming of the kingdom far into the future. If that is so, some of those guys must still be alive somewhere. In Acts one Jesus told His disciples that they would receive power after the Holy Spirit came upon them. In Luke 24, He told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power, so obviously the kingdom came in power at Pentecost. We don't believe in tarrying much anymore, but whatever it takes we must be filled with His Spirit. In Acts chapter 6 those who were chosen to wait on tables had to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. Should any less be expected of us who serve the Lord and especially, we who preach the word.

What would happen in the church today if everyone from the nursery to the greeters at the front door were filled with the Spirit? Look at what happened immediately after they set the deacons apart. Act 6:7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

I have shared many times how I asked the Lord one morning to give me something from His word that day and He led me to 1 Samuel 16. It's a great chapter and one I was extremely familiar with. In my pride I kind of thought, "what can the Lord show me in that passage?" I had not finished the first verse when a sentence in the very middle of the verse leaped off the page. "Fill your horn with oil, and go." How many times have I gone out to minister and the horn was empty. The Lord showed me that intimate with His Spirit was necessary in keeping my horn full. He has made provision for us to be continually filled to overflowing, that there is a river. Jesus timing and choices all flowed out of intimacy with the Father.

Our communication, our fellowship is with the Spirit. If you do a careful study of God speaking in the new testament, other than Jesus speaking to Paul on the road to Damascus, it was always the Holy Spirit that spoke to them and gave instruction. The scripture was written by holy men of God who were moved by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a person. He is not a force or power. He can be insulted;He can be grieved; He can be quenched; He can be blasphemed; He can be ignored. As I said earlier, the reason for the absence of power in our people is because we have not given the Spirit His proper place. We have forfeited our advantage and quenched Him by our ignorance and fear. The Spirit is Lord and we must submit ourselves to the Spirit of God in us and bring this flesh under subjection. If you touch a live wire you are in for a shock, unless it is adequately insulated. We have so insulated the Holy Spirit with our flesh that the power is not being released. Many cannot tap into the Spirit's power because they are so afraid to be out of control. Oftentimes we have more desire to be respectable than powerful. Many times Jesus offended minds to reveal hearts.Jesus, being Who He was was dependent on the Spirit. How much more so should we be? It takes more than programs and rhetoric to change the lives of people.

Too long, we have brought men's methods into the church to make up for the absence of power. We have come to a time in the church where we must return to the power of the Spirit. We cannot do the work of the ministry apart from Him. We must return to the basics. Whatever we need to do to be clothed with power from on high we need to do. We are being summoned. There is a lost and dying world crying for help. If
Now is the time to seek the Lord. Repent of those things which have quenched the Spirit, remove hindrances, and ask Him to fill you up. Fellowship with Him; He is your friend, the one along side, the comforter, the Helper, the enabler, the standby, your counselor, your guide. He is your advantage.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen 2 Cor. 13:14
Be blessed,
Herb Dean

Spiritual Synergy

2009-09-01T10:02:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,
I hope all is well with you. You are loved. I'd like to share a few thoughts today on spiritual synergy. It is a time where the body of Christ needs desperately to come together. Ben Franklin once told the leaders of the American Revolution ," We must all hang together or we, most assuredly, will hang separately." That is true in the body of Christ as well. A kingdom divided shall not stand. I pray this teaching will be an encouragement to you,

A few years ago at a horse pulling contest, a single horse pulled 4500 pounds. The horse was later teamed with a weaker horse and together they pulled over 13,000 pounds. What made the difference? It's a principle called synergy. Ecc. 4:9 Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. That was an illustration of synergy in the natural, but there is also synergy in the spiritual. Let's look at spiritual synergy for just a moment. Spiritual synergy combines not only the joint effort of the participants, but the supernatural power of God. Look at Deutoronomy 32: 30 How can one man chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them and the Lord had surrendered them? The answer to the first part of the question is the Rock. God can deliver the enemy into your hands.

Synergy mutiplies the abilities of the participants. In synergy the sum of the whole is much greater than the sum of the individual parts. There is a synergistic effect in unity. It is the power of agreement. "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. Matthew 18:20. Individual praise times are good, but get in a group of people of one heart and mind praising God and intensity is magnified. His presence is magnified. It is the same way in corporate prayer. There is power in agreement. Looking back at the horses, they had to pull together for the synergistic effect. What if one horse had dug in his hooves and refused to pull? The other horse would be pulling not only against the weight, but the resistance of the other horse and his output would be greatly diminished if not negated. This happens in so many churches. There is not like vision; some resist where leadership is headed and the ministry of the church is ineffective. It happens, also, in marriage. If the two are pulling together there is great strength, but if they are pulling against each other it cannot stand. Children sense this division and it often leads to destructive patterns. Unity is the place of blessing. Productivity is found in that place of pulling together.

We must pull together or we will be pulled apart. The heart of Jesus is that we become one as He and the Father are one. He wants us to be yoked up to Him. He said,"My yoke is easy and my burden is light." It could be today that you have been pulling by yourself and your burden has been heavy. You are weary from the load. Jesus wants you to yoke up with Him. If you are yoked to Him, you can far exceed any thing that you thought was possible, because when you are yoked to Him there is spiritual synergy and He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think according to the power that worketh in us. Ephesians 3:20. That power is the Spirit of God.

There is much going on in the spiritual realm right now and it is important that we lock our shields and stand together. We have an old testament promise that when the enemy comes against us one way, he'll be scattered 7 ways. Let's stand together yoked with Christ. Be blessed.
In His love,
Herb Dean

Having done all, stand

2009-08-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I pray that you are well. As I have opportunity to meet people, I've found that if we get beyond surface conversation that they have a story. Too often, we never get to know people well enough to hear their story. Some have great stories of perseverance and encouragement, others have lives that have been continually marred by wrong choices, and some through no fault of their own have been ambushed with life's problems. There are so many people that are hurting. Some need help, but they all need hope. Hope comes from experience with the faithfulness and character of God. Some find themselves in situations where they don't know what to do. Even as Christians we find ourselves asking, "What do I do?" Today, I would like to offer a few thoughts on "what to do when, I don't know what to do."

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 4:13

It is easy enough to say that when you don't know what to do, stand! What does it mean to stand? This reference in Ephesians is a very familiar passage and gives keen insight to spiritual warfare. Many have gotten up for years and symbolically put their armor on. There is nothing wrong with that, it may well encourage some people's faith, but you really don't have to put on what you never took off. All of those things have to do with being in Christ. He is the truth; He is our righteousness; He is our peace; Faith comes by His spoken word; He is our salvation; the sword is His spoken word. We are in Christ. We see Moses could not view God's goodness (glory) except he be hidden in the cleft of the rock. That rock is Jesus. If we cannot handle even a glimpse of His glory in our flesh, neither can we withstand the full onslaught of the enemy except we be "in Christ".
In the passages of Ephesians 6:10-19 The word "stand" is used 3 times. We are not to run; we are not to fall; we are to stand. It is interesting that Paul describes us being all suited up in Christ (our armor) and what is the command? Stand. When people get suited up in armor, it is for going to war. Did Paul say go into battle? One might say no, but in verse 18, Paul says, "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit". Prayer is the battle.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is pray. It seems that when in a crisis we tend to exhaust all human possibilities before we turn to God in prayer. Paul is saying that when the onslaught of the enemy comes, stand in Christ and pray in the Spirit not just in tongues, but all prayers. We are suited in Christ and Christ is in us and greater is He in us than he that is in the world. So when trouble comes knocking, let Jesus answer the door. So what do I do when I don't know what to do? First, I must stand. Do not back up or back down. Do not quit. Secondly, I must pray, but thirdly I must praise.

1. Stand
2. Pray
3. Praise

We looked briefly at the first two, now let's look at praise. I have written many times about 2 Chronicles 20 because it has been so meaningful in my life, but allow me to visit part of it again today.You know the story; three enemies were about to attack Judah.(Our enemies are three as well, the world, the flesh, and the devil.) There was no way they were prepared for such an attack. Jehoshaphat called a solemn assembly to fast and pray and seek the Lord. God responded by speaking through a prophet. I won't go into the whole prophetic word, just the first part of verse 17, "You will not need to fight in the battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, Who is with you O Judah and Jerusalem!"
The next day they sent the praisers out first and the Lord ambushed their enemies and a great victory was won against impossible odds. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5 that it is the will of God for us to give thanks in everything and Ephesians 5:20 to be giving thanks always for all things to God the Father.

There may be someone in the pit of despair today. Self-pity will not deliver you. It will only get worse. There are times when a simple prayer of "help me" will be answered, but I have found for those who are walking in a measure of maturity, that God sometimes says, "Get up off the ground! Stand up and be who I called you to be." I remember a time a few years back when there were several situations working against me in my life. I became more and more discouraged until I was wallowing in self-pity. The Lord basically said,"Stop it, get up and fight. I began to pray and take authority over the things He had given me authority. I prayed His word and began to praise Him. Not only was there an immediate lift in my spirit, but the situations began to change. From time to time I have visited the valley of despair, but my visits have been fewer and shorter since I learned to stand. I have shared this before, but it applies "If you want to escape the low places enter into God's high praises." Stand and see the salvation of the Lord.

May the knowledge of God's love encourage your heart today. He is faithful. Don't give up or give in. You are sons and daughters of the king.
In His love,
Herb Dean

Escaping the Boundaries of Human Limitations

2009-08-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I hope you are well this morning. I woke up this morning thinking about God's calling me into the ministry years ago. As a good many of you know, when God called me, I ran. I was a timid individual who found it difficult to stand before groups. I ,basically, told the Lord I could not do it and ran for ten years. As a broken man at the end of those ten years, "I heard the Lord say, you were right all along; you can't do it, but faithful am I Who calls Who will also do it." This morning as I thought on these things, I began to think about the response of those in scripture to the call of God on their lives. Some of their experiences were not that far removed from my own. I want to look at a few of those this morning. Maybe someone out there in cyberspace is wrestling with a call from God.

Too often we place limitations on our ability because we see the frailties of human flesh. What we don't realize is that when we place these limitations on ourselves we place them on God as well. One of the first verses I memorized when I was five or six years old was: I can do things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phil. 4:13. I could quote it, but it would be many years later before I would enter into the good of it. In fact, it brought me little comfort when God called me to preach. How many people have rejected the call of God because of their perceived limitations? Really, it comes down to a matter of faith. Can God do through me that which He has called me to do? If we reject the call of God, we reject His grace to be what He called us to be. Your limitations are not established by your inabilities, but by your rejection of God's ability. Neither is your potential limited by your inability. Your potential is found in God's ability. Let's look at some of the men God called in scripture. I want to look at not only their response, but God's response to them.

1. Moses- When God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush and told him he was going to pharaoh to deliver God's people, Moses' response was,"Who am I that I should go to pharaoh....?" Later in the conversation Moses says to the Lord,"O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." God's response,"Who made man's mouth? ...... Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore ,go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say." Moses, "O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send. He was still not convinced and angered the Lord. You can read the whole conversation in Exodus chapters 3 and 4. You can see the reluctance of one of God's choice servants.

2. Gideon- The angel of the Lord called him a mighty man of valor. At that moment he was hiding in winepress threshing wheat. Gideon's first response was to moan and groan about being forsaken by God. The angel gives him God's call and his response was,"O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."

3. Saul-Samuel prophesied that Saul was the desire of Israel. In other words, he was saying you are chosen to be king. Saul's response,"Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?"

Are you seeing a pattern? The children of Israel didn't enter the land because they saw themselves as grasshoppers in the sight of the people of Canaan. If our perception keeps us from the call of God, we have trusted only in the arm of the flesh.

4. Jeremiah- God's word to Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah's response, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." God's response to Jeremiah, " Do not say, I am a youth, for you shall go to all whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

If anyone knows our ability, it is God, and yet He refuses to accept our excuses. He does not look at our strength; He looks at His own. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think according to the power working in us. Ephesians 3:19 What is that power working in us? It is the Holy Spirit Who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, the same Holy Spirit who was brooding over the face of the waters when God said let there be and there was. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Are you too hard a case for Him to use? Absolutely not! You can do all things through Christ Who is your strength. You've heard it said that God is not interested in our ability, but our availability. Paul said that when He was weak, then he was strong for His strength is perfected in our weakness. God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. I believe that grace is not just unmerited favor, but it is God's ability. His grace is more than sufficient to enable us to do what He has called us to do. He delights in showing Himself strong in the lives of those who totally trust Him.

Friend, don't set your boundaries according to your ability. God wants to take you far beyond where you thought you could go. Don't limit God. Don't limit God in you. God can do whatever He wants to do and He can do it in you.

Be blessed,
Herb Dean

Be Not Weary In Well Doing

2009-08-04T09:08:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,
I pray you are walking in God's blessing. Have you ever felt like giving up? If you are like myself, you have.
As a pastor I went through a time where every Monday morning I was ready to resign. I am reminded of the cartoon where a woman is standing over someone in bed who has a sheet pulled over his head. The person in bed keeps crying, "I don't want to go to church!" The woman responds, "You have to go, you're the pastor." There can be difficult seasons in our lives where we just don't feel we can continue to go on. I want to encourage you today, that there is a harvest coming. Don't give up!

I usually post a verse each day on facebook and this morning I posted Galatians 6:9, " And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not faint. Then as I was reading my e-mail a minister who sends out a word for today used that same verse. I heard the Lord say this morning as I was praying,"with persistence comes reward." We have talked about it before, but all the promises to the churches in Revelation were to those who overcame. Let's look again at some who persevered until they reaped.

1. Abraham was 75 when he was promised a son, 100 when he received the promise.

2. Jacob wrestled all night with the angel, part of which was probably in great pain because his hip had been disjointed, refusing to let go until he received a blessing.

3 Joseph was given a dream at 17. He went from the pit to the prison to the palace where he stood before pharaoh at age 30. He was probably 40 or more before he saw the fulfillment because it was in the third year of the famine that his family bowed before him.

4. David was anointed king of Israel as a teenager. He spent years fleeing for his life living in caves and Philistine territory and at his lowest point at Ziklag he was just a few days from becoming king of Judah. At age 40 he would reign over all Israel.

5. Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law and go back to her land. She remained faithful to Naomi and was rewarded with a husband and though she was a Moabitess was included in the lineage of Christ.

In the parables of Christ, Jesus told about the unjust judge and the widow. The judge gave in because he knew the widow was persistent. Then there was the friend with a visitor late at night. He sought his neighbor for food, but his neighbor had gone to bed. Jesus said he would not rise and give him bread because he was a friend, but because of his persistence, he would rise and give him all he needed. Jesus said, "Men ought always to pray and not faint (lose heart). Luke 18:1 In Luke 11:9, Jesus says, " So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it will be opened to you. Ask, seek, and knock are present imperative in the Greek which means a continuous action. In other words ask and keep on asking; seek and keep on seeking; knock and keep on knocking. There are some who would say to ask more than one time is not faith. I say ask until you hear from God, because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the rhema (spoken word of God).

" I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth." Isaiah 62: 6,7 The Lord wants us to be persistent, unwavering. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Friend, don't give up. I could give you all the cliches like it's always darkest before the dawn, or breakthrough comes right before breakdown, but the truth is God has given us a promise, "with persistence comes reward." "For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of god, you may receive the promise." Hebrews 10:36

You might ask, "Haven't you written this same thing before?" I have written very similar teachings, but I have found I need to be reminded from time to time that my efforts are not in vain. There are some of you who have prayed and prayed; you have expended great energy for little results and you wonder at times, "Is it worth it?" or "Am I counting for anything in the kingdom?" You cannot measure results by what you see. Be faithful pilgrim, there is a harvest coming. Be encouraged today in His love.
Blessings,
Herb Dean

The Express Image of the Father

2009-07-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I pray that you are walking in the reality of the Lord's presence. I haven't written in a while because I have been so busy. Part of that has been preparation for my youngest daughter's wedding. She is getting married August 1. Much has been done and there is still a lot to do, so lately most of my scheduling has had to be ATW (after the wedding). The Lord has laid something on my heart so I want to share a few thoughts with you about where the body of Christ is headed. I hope this will encourage you.

And the express image of His person....

This is a portion of scripture taken from Hebrews Chapter 1 verses 1-4 speaking of God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the express image of the Father. We could say He was the expressed image of the Father. If we want to know what the Father is like, we need only look at Jesus. Jesus is the exact representation of the Father. He came not only to represent the Father, but to re-present the Father.
"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." Philip said to Him,"Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say,'Show us the Father'?" John 14:7-9

Jesus makes it very clear that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him, so if we see Him we've seen the Father. What implications does this have for the church and its destiny? "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one ,as You, Father are in Me and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. John 17: 20-21. We are to be one with Jesus and the Father. In being one with Them we present a witness to the world that Jesus Christ came from the Father that they may be reconciled unto the Father.

Our journey in Christ has as it destination, the Father. The Father is where we are headed. Some time ago I wrote about the kingdom being about the Father. It was the message of John the baptist which was to restore the hearts of the children to the fathers and vice versa. The only way that will effectively happen is the hearts of the fathers and the children being restored to the Father. What was this message that was to bring this restoration? Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! I talked about how the failure to preach the kingdom had brought about the curse of fatherlessness we have experienced in our land. See Malachi 4:6. The kingdom message is about the restoration of all things to the Father.

Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For "He has put all things under His feet." But when He says "all things are put under Him", it is evident that He Who put all things under His feet is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him Who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. 1 Cor. 15:24-28

All things have their beginning and ending in the Father. The coming of the kingdom in it fullness results in all things being subject to the Father. Our destination is the Father.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:28,29

In the redemptive purposes of God all things may be used in conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ. If Jesus is the express image of the Father and we are being conformed to the image of Christ then whose image will be ultimately expressed? John says of Jesus that they beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father. Jesus said that the glory the Father had given Him, He had given us that we might be one, one with Him and the Father and one with each other. We must become one that the world may see the glory of the Father in the corporate man and know that the Father sent the Son. We have been called to re-present the Father and the Son to the world.

We are heading to the Father. That is our destination and no one can come to the Father but by the Son. In Christ we are seated in heavenly places at the right hand of the Father far above all rule and authority. In His presence there is fullness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures forever more. Positionally we can taste those blessings here, but ,oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Jesus Christ is the way(the path,the road, the means) and the destination is the Father.

Be blessed of the Lord today. He has everything under control. He is not wringing His hands over the economy or the national deficit. He bids us to come unto Him and find rest. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. You are a blessing to me.
In His love,
Herb Dean

Carriers of His Presence

2009-06-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

Carriers Of His Presence

And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab; and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart. 1Chronicles 13:7.

In chapters 13 and 15 of 1Chronicles we read the account of David bringing the ark to Jerusalem. The first attempt failed as the oxen stumbled and when Uzza put out his hand to steady the ark, he was struck down by the Lord. David was displeased and left the ark in the house of Obed-edom. And the Lord blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that he had. I Chronicles 13:14 In type the ark represented the presence and glory of God. The house of Obed-edom was blessed by the presence of the Lord. If we are to experience blessing in our homes today, we need the presence of the Lord. In His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalms 16:11
In chapter 15 David makes the second attempt, but this time he chooses to follow God's order. The Levites were to carry the ark on their shoulders according to God's pattern. The Levites sanctified themselves in preparation for bringing up the ark. They carried the ark upon their shoulders with staves as Moses commanded according to the word of the Lord. They went six paces and made sacrifice according to 2 Samuel 6:7. The ark was then brought to Mount Zion where it was set in place in David's Tabernacle.

What is the application for us today? The new cart is man's attempt to usher in God's presence man's way. God has a lot to say about man's ways. When they built an altar they were not to set a chisel to the stone. Israel saw the signs, but they did not know His ways. Moses knew His ways. Our motivation may be good. There was nothing wrong with David's motivation on the first attempt, but it was not according to God's order. There are many people in the body of Christ who have good intentions, but they are out of order. I believe that denominationalism was birthed out of people who wanted to do good, but had the wrong order. If we attempt to usher in the presence of God using the patterns of man we have simply put the ark on a new cart. We often devise our plan and ask God to bless it rather than finding out what God is doing. Like Henry Blackaby says we need to find out what God is doing and get in on that. God blesses what He is doing.
We see David get angry with God on the first attempt when Uzza was killed. We often hear in our day and time when catastrophes happen, "Why did God let that happen?" or "Why did God do that?" For example, when 9/11 took place we heard those questions. Some said that it's the judgement of God. I believe this way; God is under no obligation to protect that which is not committed to Him. He often does and that is because of His great mercy. In fact 9/11 was the result of religion which I define as man's attempt to find God man's way. Isn't interesting that when the rebellious sons of Eli saw the battle was being lost they went and got the ark hoping it would turn the tide of the battle, but it did not.

The ark was to be carried upon the sanctified shoulders of the Levites. Sanctified means holy, set apart unto. It's no coincidence that they went six paces and they made a sacrifice. Six is the number of man. A sacrifice requires death. I believe this was signifying death to self. It is only when we have died that we can experience the presence of God. It was only at that place of self-surrender that I experienced His presence. We are to be those sanctified priests who carry the presence of God.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father. Revelation 1:5b,6

We have received the Holy Spirit of God to be with us, in us, and upon us.
John 14:17b But you know Him; for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you.
Acts 1:8a But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you.
Every where we go the Holy Spirit goes. If we understand that the kingdom of God is in the Spirit then we understand why Jesus said that the kingdom of God was within and that when He or His disciples went out to minister, the kingdom of God had come near. We are called to be carriers of His presence.

We are entering a season where we are being stripped of those things we have trusted in. The methods of man will ultimately fail. The shaking of things which are not kingdom must fall away that we might depend wholly on the great Agent of the kingdom, the Holy Spirit. God is looking for holy people, not committed to man made devices and forms of religion, but wholly committed unto Him.

My friend if you are born again and filled with the Spirit of the living God you are a Carrier of His Presence and wherever you walk in the Spirit the kingdom of God has come near. If we understand Who it is that is in us, we can make a difference in this world.

Blessings,
Herb Dean

A lesson from the fish tank

2009-06-05T09:22:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,
I hope things are well with you. As I mentioned the other day I was praying about sending out prophetic words and insights to those who read these letters and teachings. I heard from a few people who encouraged me to go for it and some of them even had situations in their lives where they needed to hear from God. I was not sure how to go about it, but I believe that some times God will give specific words to people I communicate with and other times it will be a more general word that may apply to many or may apply to a situation one of you maybe dealing with. As I was preparing for Sunday's message I felt strongly that something I saw yesterday was a prophetic picture for someone who reads these letters so I am sending it out to you. I pray that you will be encouraged.

Yesterday I had to be in north Macon to call on a couple of businesses I serve as a chaplain. While I was there I decided to take a few minutes and go by the Bass Pro Shop. As many of you know these stores always have a large aquarium with varieties of fish that are usually indigenous to that area. While I was in the store they announced they were about to feed the fish. Included in the tank were some very large bass, two walleyes, and some gar. There were other breeds, but they were not carnivorous. I noticed up at the top of the tank there were a number of minnows swimming peacefully. None of the fish seemed interested in them. They then began to throw live minnows into the tank ranging from two to five inches long. The minnows who swam peacefully were not attacked. It was only those who sped up and began to swim erratically that the bass ate. There were some who took off to avoid the fish behind them only to swim in to the mouth of another bass in front of them. The whole time I watched I was expecting the bass to eventually go after those swimming peacefully near the top of the pool, but they never did. So what is the relevance of this experience to someone today?

There are some of you who are facing some serious situations. To you they appear big and dangerous and there is the tendency to panic; even to have panic attacks. The Lord is saying today to set your mind on Him and He will give you peace. Fear is your enemy and will set you on a destructive course. Some are running and the Lord is saying, "Slow down; get your perspective right. It is no time to panic. Don't make your decision out of fear." The Lord has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 The psalmist said what time I am afraid I will trust in thee. Psalm 56:3 Remember the minnows swimming peacefully at the top of the pool. You are above and not beneath, over and not under. You are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus far above all rule and authority. Be encouraged the Lord knows what you are going through and He is with you.

Pray for me that I will be sensitive to the Lord and confident in hearing Him. I pray that these writings will speak to you and be an encouragement to you. Let me know if I can pray for you or be of any service.
In His love,
Herb Dean

The Ministry of Encouragement

2009-06-02T08:08:00.001-07:00

The Ministry of Encouragement

We are entering a time when there is a great need for encouragement in the body of Christ. When the word prophecy is used today, it is usually in reference to the "end times". Prophesying has been defined as declaring truth or forth-telling. It is those things, but it is so much more. I would say from experience that out of the few hundred that may read this there are some who are going through struggles. There are times when we need an audible voice revealing the heart of God for us in a situation. One of the great roles of the prophetic in the body of Christ is to be a "ministry of encouragement." I would like to share a little today on the prophetic gift.

But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 1 Cor. 14:3

New Testament prophecy was not given to declare judgement and condemnation; it was given as a gift, a blessing to be an encouragement to the believer. Look at those three words:
1. Edification- given for the purpose of building up. Edify means literally to build, to place one brick upon another.
2. Exhortation- to call along side to help. It comes from the same words as "parakletos" which is the word for the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "I'll send you another helper." The word there is parakletos. To encourage, to help.
3. Comfort- Literally means to "cheer up"
We could say prophecy builds up, helps up, and cheers up. We all need these things in our lives. In much of the church this invaluable gift is not in operation or is not understood.

In Acts 4:36,37 we see a man named Joses or Joseph, who the apostles renamed Barnabas which is translated "Son of Encouragement" or "Son of Consolation". In Hebrew the "bar" means "son" and "nabas" means "encouragement, consolation, or prophecy." Barnabas could have just as easily been translated "Son of Prophecy." Why do you think the apostles called him that? He must have been prophetic; he must have been an encourager. In fact, in Acts 13:1 it says that certain prophets and teachers had gathered at Antioch. Barnabas was among them. Which do you think he was?

Paul placed great emphasis on prophecy. Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 1 Cor. 14:1 There are at least three schools of thought out there. Most would fall into one of these three:
1. Cessationists- They believe that the gifts are no longer in operation. They ceased with the death of the apostles.
2. Those who believe the gifts are still available. They would say that they are open to the gifts, but they don't seek them.
3. Those who believe the gifts are for today and they seek to operate in them.
The word desire in 1Cor. 14:1 is a strong word. It means to earnestly desire or covet. So according to the writing of Paul, it is not enough to be open, but we are to seek spiritual gifts. That seeking is never for exaltation of one's self or to the exclusion of the giver, but the desire to see His body edified. Gifts are "power tools" given to build the body of Christ. It is much easier to build a house with power tools than just a hammer, a hand saw, and an axe.

Years ago, I planted a church. The church was about three years old when because of a doctrinal issue and another pastor coming to town that about half the church left. Most of the ones that left were tithers and the income of the church dropped by 60%. The amount coming in each month was now less than my salary. I was very discouraged and was inquiring of the Lord what I should do. I thought about shutting down or finding a job. I really had four questions that I was asking of the Lord. I had heard about a church in Atlanta where they had prophetic teams minister to your people, so I called them and set up a time. These people knew nothing about our circumstances. As they began to prophesy over me every question was specifically answered. "God started this church and He doesn't want it stopped." They placed their hands on my hands and said that these hands were to do nothing else, but the ministry of the gospel. I left greatly encouraged and strengthened in the Lord. In fact, had it not been for the Lord speaking through these people, I might very well have given up. I have seen the Lord use prophecy in my life to encourage me and praise God, He has spoken through me to encourage others as well. I am fully persuaded of the necessity of prophecy in the church today.

It is my desire to encourage you. I am praying about sending out prophetic words on a regular basis as often as God may give them for the people who read these teachings. Would you pray with me on that. I know there are people out there that need to know that God still knows their address and that He is concerned with the situation they are dealing with. To give them hope that yes, the prodigal is coming home. The pain you are dealing with will last for a season, but God is going to use your deliverance to minister to others. They need to know that God has given them a purpose and a destiny. I appreciate your encouragement and your prayers. May you be greatly blessed of the Lord.

Dealing with Rejection

2009-05-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

There is, probably not a one of us, who sometime in our lives has not experienced the pain of rejection. Some have experienced it more than others. I would like to talk about dealing with the pain of rejection. I pray that this might encourage someone today.

Coming to Him as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 1 Peter 2:4.

In some sense we came into this world in a state of rejection. We were born in sin, dead in transgressions and sins. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved). Ephesians 2:4,5. We were lost and hopeless, But God. Don't you love that phrase? If you have been born again I can tell you that you have experienced the pain of rejection. Some of it, we may have brought on ourselves; some of it we may not understand. If we do not get beyond that pain it will keep us from finding our place in the body. Let's look at some of the pitfalls.

1. When a person experiences rejection it causes them to turn inward. They are constantly looking at themselves. Their unmet needs become the object of focus and their neediness will eventually add to their rejection by driving others away.

2. A fear of rejection often develops and keeps the person from establishing meaningful relationships. They
are afraid that if they get close to someone, they'll only be hurt again so they keep everyone at arm's length.

3. Oftentimes there will be development of a stronghold that is like a threefold cord: shame, fear, and control.
Shame says," I am flawed". Fear says, "I am afraid you'll find out I'm flawed." Control says, "I will control everything around me so that you don't find out I'm flawed." It creates a wall which keeps us from getting free.

4. Rejection often flows out of self-rejection or even self-hatred. If I am to love others as I love myself, how can I receive others if I can't receive myself. A person with self-rejection will have difficulty loving others.

5. Rejection can be a state of unbelief. The person does not believe what God says about them.

So how do I get free? Sometimes the wounding was so severe that the enemy was given place and there is deliverance needed, but regardless I like to use the three r's:
1. Recognize- You must first recognize you have a problem. You must forgive those who hurt you.
2. Renounce- If I am living in rejection I have bought into the lies of the enemy. I must renounce those lies and break all agreement with those lies.
3. Replace- I must replace the lies with the truth.

So what is the truth?

To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the beloved. Eph. 1:6. You have been accepted in the beloved. Please read verses 3-6 in Ephesians 1.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15 In the process of adoption the parent chooses the child he is to adopt. You were chosen.

You did not choose me, but I chose you.... John 15:16a

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44 The Father has drawn you to Himself with chords of love.

Coming to Him as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:4,5 You are a part of that house. It is incomplete without you.

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world... Ephesians 1:4 God looked through the portals of time and saw you, His beloved.

You have been chosen. You may suffer rejection in this life, but the lover of your soul will never leave you nor forsake you. His plans for you are good. Man may hurt you, but our Father is faithful and He is there for us, if all else forsake us.

I hope this was an encouragement to you. I made a typo on the blog address last week. The correct address is: http://basiliea.blogspot.com/ If I can help you any way, don't hesitate to contact me. If these writings are an encouragement to you, I'd love to hear from you. That encourages me. May god bless you exceedingly.
In His love,
Herb Dean

2009-05-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

According to Its Kind

Many years ago I went away to a Christian campground to fast and seek the Lord for direction. One of my objectives during this week of fasting was to read the Bible through. I was expecting the Lord to speak to me and He did confirm some things. I did not get a whole lot out of my Bible reading because I approached it as a task to be checked off. Reading large amounts of scripture without taking time to ruminate is not necessarily a good way to hear from God. Interestingly enough the scripture that stayed with me was found in Genesis chapter 1. Eight times in chapter one is found the phrase "according to its kind." I saw a principle there that was very basic in nature yet at the same time was very profound and applicable on so many levels. "Like kind produces like kind." The question comes to mind as a mother or father or a Christian leader, "What am I reproducing?" I thought about denominationalism and how many people are in the church they are in because that was their mother and father's church or that was the church where they were saved. So often, we are the products of what we have been taught. Baptists usually beget baptists, methodists beget methodists, and pentecostals beget pentecostals, etc. I am not attacking these denominations, I am simply asking the question, "What are we reproducing?"

Genesis 1:25 concludes the creation of the animals. Then in verse 26, "God says let Us make man in Our Own image, according to Our likeness.. The animals would reproduce according to their kind, but God made man in the image of Himself. After the fall, in Genesis 5:3 it says,"And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth." What was different? Adam had lost dominion, he had lost the glory of God, and he had lost the life of God. The best he could do was to reproduce in his own image and likeness. God's objective has not changed; He is still producing sons in the image and likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. 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. Those of us who know the Lord are being conformed to His image.

Everything that was lost in the first Adam has been restored in the last Adam.
1. Dominion - Jesus said all authority has been given unto me. Therefore go..... Matthew 28
2. Glory- And the glory which you gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as You and I are one. John 17:22
3. Life- And you He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins. Ephesians 2:1
These things should be evident in the life of a son. Are we bringing forth life?

Why are these attributes missing? Here are some reasons I see.
1. We teach truths rather than introducing people to the Truth. We must introduce people to a living viable faith. They must know the person of Jesus Christ.
2. There is a lack of understanding concerning the Person of the Holy Spirit. Life cannot be reproduced without life. No amount of scripture can change a life apart from its author. The letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life.
3. The tyranny of the familiar holds some people in bondage. They are unable or unwilling to step beyond their comfort zone.
4. A lack of hunger for truth. We tend to become products of what we are taught, accepting the words of those in authority as truth. We must be like the Bereans and search the scriptures to see if these things be so.
5. Some people are controlled and manipulated by those in authority over them.
6. Many have believed the vain philosophies of men.
7. Much of the church has preached a powerless gospel.

As mothers, fathers and Christian leaders we are accountable for what we reproduce. That which is important to us will be important to our children. Can we expect our children to believe what we ourselves don't? If our relationship with the Lord is superficial, can we expect them to accept the reality of God? We were not called to make converts. We were called to make disciples, devoted followers of Christ. Even as Paul had sons in the faith (Timothy, Titus, and others) we are to produce sons of the Most High. I was asked the question once, " Do you want your children to be just like you?" It caused me to do some serious soul searching. God wants His children to be just like Jesus.

For it was fitting for Him, for Whom are all things and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Hebrews 2:10,11

But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. John 1:12

In closing, we may ask the question, "If kind reproduces according to its kind, what kind am I?" I praise the Lord today that I can say that I am a son of the Lord Most High who is being conformed to the image of His beloved Son and those who come after me are sons and daughters of the Most High as well. Amen! May you be greatly blessed of the Lord today.

The Refiner's Fire

2009-05-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

The Refiner's Fire

In the past year or so we've been talking about the shaking in Hebrews 12 and how we must be properly related to the kingdom or we will be shaken. It reminds me of what Jesus said in Luke 6 about the one who built his house on the rock and the one who built his house on sand. They both had storms, but the one that stood is the one which was built on the right foundation.In the shaking only that which is kingdom remains. There is a lot coming down the pike right now and we need to grounded in His word and properly related to His kingdom. In a time when we need to be unified, the body of Christ is all over the map spiritually and I believe the Lord is turning up the heat that the body of Christ will be purified. As I was praying this morning thoughts came to mind of a refiner. I would like to share some of those thoughts with you today.

There are those in the body of Christ today that think Christians are exempt from adversity and if we are going through difficult times it is because of a lack of faith. I do not question that some of my own ills have come from a lack of faith or seeds that I have sown that brought an unwanted harvest, but when I look at Jesus' disciples both before and after the resurrection, they encountered many troubles. I look at the life of Paul and see that he went through much adversity. In fact, he told young Timothy that those who live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. In Romans 5:3,4 Paul said, "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Trials produce endurance and endurance produces character. We definitely need character in the body of Christ. We are not wanting for characters, but we need character.

I am sure most of us have heard the story in one form or another of the man watching a goldsmith refine gold. He watched the goldsmith turn up the heat and then skim the dross off the surface. He would then turn up the heat some more. More impurities would come to the surface and the goldsmith would skim them off the surface. After watching this process for a while the observer asked, "How do you know when it's pure?" The goldsmith replied, "When I can clearly see my reflection." I must admit that there was a time when that story ministered to me, but I had gotten away from that way of thinking. The trying of our faith has a perfect or maturing work as we see in James.

I believe that we are entering a time where we will be tested. As the stock market goes down and our 401k's tank, can we say with confidence that God is our source? We will be tested in those areas that we have been tempted to lean on rather than having confidence in God. What are we holding on to? Some in the church are trying to hang on to God with one hand and the world with the other. Doublemindedness receives nothing from God. God will purify Christ's bride. God wants hearts without alloy. He searches for perfect or pure hearts. 2 Chronicles 16:9. To remove the dross, it is necessary to turn up the heat. Let's look at a few scriptures concerning the refiner.

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. Isaiah 48:10. I know some would say that is old testament and we have a new covenant. Yes that's true, but this was written to a rebellious people. If we do not walk according to covenant can we reap the benefit of the covenant?

When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:10b

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as silver and gold, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:3

I will bring one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, "This is my people" and each one will say, "The Lord is my God." Zechariah 13:9

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake in Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 1 Peter 4:12,13

Don't be surprised that you encounter trials. There will be trials. You may say the devil caused that trial or I brought it on myself. It may have come from the devil. It may have come from my own stupidity. It may have come from God. Trials will come, but we have this promise from God: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, who are the called according to His purpose. 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 8:28,29 The purposes of God are always redemptive and whether it came from the devil, from God or your own stupidity God is able to redeem it.

Purity must first happen on an individual basis before we see it corporately. If we purify our hearts individually, there will be corporate purity. The bride of Christ will be pure and spotless, without wrinkle. Trials will come, as in the parable of the wise builder and the foolish builder, they both had storms, but the one who built his house with a foundation laid in the obedience to the words of Christ had a house which withstood the storm. In these times of change we must have a foundation built upon the rock. We must hear His words and do them.

I pray that you will be blessed today. If you are going through a trial, the grace of God is available to bring good out of it. When the disciples were in the storm and it appeared their boat would sink, they did not have the faith to deal with the storm so they woke Jesus up and He dealt with the storm. If you are not able to deal with the storm you are in, seek Jesus, He's close by. May the Lord bless you exceedingly and give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
In His love,
Herb Dean

"Woman behold thy son"

2009-05-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I pray that you are prospering in the Lord. It is not often that I write something thematic, but as I thought of Sunday being Mother's Day, I thought of Jesus and His mother, Mary. I thought,also, about the character and nature of our Lord and was convicted by it. I hope this will encourage you today.

When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. John 19:26,27

If you think about these verses situationally, it reveals much about the character of Jesus. He had been betrayed, taken captive, beaten, mocked, and unjustly put upon a cross, yet He spoke no words of defense.
He was not angry, but prayed for forgiveness for the perpetrators. Now as He is close to dying His final thoughts are not of Himself, but of His mother. His last heartbeats still beat with compassion toward those He loved and He gave John instruction regarding His mother. He entrusted her care to the beloved disciple. In His final moments He made sure His mother was taken care of. Among the laws that only Jesus fully satisfied was the law "Honor your father and mother." Jesus did that. There are so many things I think of as I look at this passage that I have to rein myself back in to make a few relevant points.

1. This is a picture of covenant. His very blood which was being shed was the sealing of the eternal covenant. (Hebrews 13:20). Unfortunately in western culture we have little understanding of covenant. Marriage is a covenant and in America we haven't done too well with that. I heard a minister introduce a ministry friend originally from Israel. The minister said we are in covenant together. Then the minister being introduced said that we do not take the word covenant lightly. He said, "If something happens to him I'll raise his kids or vice versa. John taking Mary as his own mother is a picture of covenant that should exist in the body of Christ.

2. The temptation of Christ was not over until He yielded up His spirit. How easy would it be for us to turn in on ourselves and want vengeance in times of great betrayal and pain! Yet Jesus remained faithful to His purpose until His last breath. He came to seek and to save those who are lost. He extended forgiveness to those who were torturing Him. He extended mercy to the thief dying beside Him.

3. Mary stood by the cross. She was unashamed to be identified with her son. How painful this must have been! As parents it hurts to see our children suffer. I remember the prophecy of Simeon, "Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." Luke 2:35. I remember times when my children were small and they became sick, that I actually prayed to take their place. Jesus did take my place and He took Mary's place. I am sure that in the pain of the moment, Mary like the others did not understand what was happening. That sword was piercing her soul.

What would become of Mary? I know often Mary is almost ignored because of the reaction of some to Mary being deified in some circles. She is not God, nor is she a deity, but she was a woman blessed and favored of the Lord. She was a woman worthy of emulation. She was a woman of faith. I have often thought about this woman whom God chose to be the mother of Jesus. She accepted what was a difficult, even life-threatening position to be placed in, yet she glorified God and believed the Word of the Lord. The study of her life is a great encouragement to my faith. Think about this for a moment. Jesus appeared to over 500 people after the resurrection, but there were only 120 in the Upper Room. Look at Acts 1:15 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with His brothers.

Yes, Mary was in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God was poured out. Mary was one of those 120 who was filled with the Spirit. If the resurrection were fictitious would she have been there? I think not. You can't fool Mama!

I am thankful to God for the sacrifices of my own mother, as I am sure are many of you. I pray today that God would bless our mothers and that we all would aspire to the character of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In His love,
Herb Dean

Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning

2009-04-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I hope you are prospering in the Lord. I woke up early this morning thinking about how so many Christians live with shame and regret over past sins. The psalmist said that weeping may last a night, but joy cometh in the morning. In this letter, I want to encourage those who feel shame, regret, or guilt. I pray that this will encourage someone today.

In my years of counseling I have found that many people live in shame and regret over past sins. They spend their entire lives apologizing for their failures. I want to make a few statements and ask some rhetorical questions that I hope will get us to the root of the issue. It is essential that we get our focus off the past or it will destroy our future. You cannot move into your future destiny if you are looking backward. Remember Lot's wife. God told them not to look back. She did and turned into a pillar of salt. One little boy in Sunday school said his mother looked back and turned into a telephone pole. We cannot embrace our future if we are looking back.

Those who live in shame and regret tend to be entirely self-focused. They walk about with head held low unworthy of God's blessings. Because of the self focus they often engage in self-pity. They are constantly plagued with the "if only I had" or "if only I hadn't". This is totally unproductive thinking. Religious thinking will keep us introspective all the time and we will be forever doing penance for our sin. The truth is that this type of thinking is:
1. Egocentric- It is all about me. It puts the focus on the wrong person. It should be about Christ. It is still rooted in the mindset, "I am what I do" or worse yet, "I am what I have done." We cannot save ourselves. It is not by works that we have been saved. It is grace through faith.

2. Rooted in unbelief. Is there anything that I have done that the blood of Jesus and the finished work of the cross is insufficient to cover? Has the blood of Jesus lost its power? If I am still carrying the burden of past sins I have never appropriated the cross of Christ. Shame and regret were nailed to the tree.

3. A lie of the enemy. One of satan's greatest fears is that Christians would discover who they are. In Colossians that certificate of debt was nailed to the tree and principalities and powers were spoiled. That which you are grieving over has been paid for. The enemies right to hold that against you was taken from him.

4. Antithetical to forgiveness. To think this way is a failure to appropriate the forgiveness of God. God's forgiveness is not only extended to you, but is to be extended through you to others. For some people it is easy to forgive others, but the hardest person to forgive is themselves. Friend, if God has forgiven you and you can't forgive yourself then your standard is higher than His. You are rejecting His grace and opening yourself up to the tormentors.

There is good news. Remorse was to last only a short time. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Look at the scriptures. He has turned my mourning into joy. He has turned my mourning into dancing. Their mourning shall be turned into laughter. It was for freedom that Christ has set us free. There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. We have been called to joy and freedom.

What must you do? Take your burden to the cross and leave it there. Guilt, shame, and regret were nailed to the cross. Appropiate the finished work of the cross. Choose to forgive yourself. Change your focus from self to the author and finisher of your salvation. Adopt an attitude of gratitude. Replace wrong thinking with God's truth. Instead of "I am what I do" replace it with "I am what I am by the grace of God". Paul said,"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. Phil.3:13b,14

My friends, be blessed today and may you forever be encouraged by His love.
In His love,
Herb Dean

They that wait upon the Lord

2009-04-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
How are you doing? So often, I tell you about how I am doing and pray that things are well with you, but today I want to ask, "How are you doing; how are you really doing?". There's an old rock song that has the line, "I just dropped in to see what condition,your condition is in." The scripture says that we are seated in heavenly places, far above all rule and authority. That is our position, but if you are like me sometimes my condition and my position don't line up. I want to talk about His presence today, because I believe that if we are in His presence we experience the good of our position and our condition changes.

When I talk about being in the presence of the Lord what do I mean. The psalmist made it clear that we cannot escape His presence and the Lord Himself promised He would always be with us. So what am I talking about. I am talking about His manifest presence. Jesus said," For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them." If we know that God is omnipresent any way, there must be something special about the two or more gathered in His name. I believe it is His manifest presence. In His manifest presence there is often a tangible awareness that the Lord is present.

A couple of weeks ago I talked about those who seek after the Lord's presence as in Psalms 84, will make springs in the desert. Those springs are the overflow of His presence. Let's look at a few scriptures that make mention of the presence of the Lord. There are many.

Psalms 16:11 In thy presence is fulness of joy. Have you found that when you encounter the Lord's presence that the things that were troubling you seem to disappear. There is a sense of peace and well-being. Hopefulness arises within us.

Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. What are they waiting on? They are waiting on the presence of the Lord. The presence of the Lord gives us renewed strength. The presence of the Lord allows us to soar above our circumstances. The stronger the wind currents, the higher the eagle soars. The presence of the Lord brings endurance. If are experiencing His presence we can endure and continue on. There is nothing more tiring than to go through what we feel are our Christian (religious) duties when God is not in it.

Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come fro the presence of the Lord. The verse is to unbelievers, but there is truth relevant to all of us and that is that times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. Many a time in my life I have come into the meeting house tired and discouraged but when I made a choice to worship and praise Him I found myself refreshed in His presence. God inhabits the praises of His people. He dwells in our praise. That is the reason that satan resists praise.

As I thought about what I might share today, I remembered the disciples rowing with all their might against a contrary wind into the wee hours of the morning. They must have been very tired and when they saw Jesus walking on the water they thought He was ghost and that they were going to die. But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. John 6:20,21 Isn't it amazing how the presence of the Lord can accomplish instantly what man in His best, well-intended efforts cannot accomplish. I had this thought and perhaps I have shared it before, but there are some of us who have been straining hard against the oars. We've grown tired and weary. Yes, we started across in obedience to the Lord and we encountered a contrary wind and it seemed that the Lord was not there. Lord, we want to see you walking on the water, but more than that we need you in the boat. Lord some of us need an immediately. I heard a pastor share that the key to church growth was in Mark 2. And again He entered Capernaum after some days and it was noised abroad that Jesus was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer any room to receive them, not even near the door. and He preached the word to them. Mark 2:1,2 What we need is the presence of the Lord. In His presence we are changed from strength to strength and glory to glory and faith to faith.

Lord, I pray today that all who are weary, discouraged, and dry might be refreshed by your presence, even this day. We need you Lord in this hour more than ever before. Come, Lord Jesus in manifest presence into the lives of those who are crying out to you now, in Jesus name, Amen.

I finish as I began. How are you doing? Be blessed.
In His love,
Herb Dean

Called to make Springs

2009-04-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I pray that you are well. I have not written in a while, but we are well. We have seen God wonderfully answer some of our prayers that we had persistently prayed for a long time. I am thankful I have a Father who hears and answers our prayer at the appropriate time. Though these are difficult times for many in the body of Christ I believe we are on the threshold of a great spiritual breakthrough. He is calling us to Himself, calling us to prayer, and when He calls us to pray, we know He will answer. I hope you will be encouraged by this message today.

As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools.
Psalms 84:6

How often I have read this psalm and on many occasions have sung parts of it, but the passage about the Valley of Baca never meant much. The Lord really spoke to me through it recently. I had never really thought about the Valley of Baca. As this passage of scripture was illumined to me I began meditating on it and looked up the Valley of Baca. Baca is actually a type of plant known for its ability to survive dry places. So what we see being described in Psalms 84 is the pilgrimage of life for those who have found the intimacy with God that the psalmist begins the psalm yearning for. It describes those who intimately know their God and are continually praising Him. In this pilgrimage of life heading toward the New Jerusalem we pass through dry places. Some of you may be in a wilderness or dry place in your lives right now.

A year or so ago, I was visiting a church in another city and I was complaining about how dry the area where I was living was. One of the elders who is very prophetic said that he was familiar with the area and that it was indeed a dry place and that the Lord was calling us to dig new wells. How do you dig a new well? As I pondered on that, I felt that it was pressing into God, seeking Him whole-heartedly, and developing an intimacy with Him. I believe that is true, but oftentimes the natural is a picture of the spiritual. To dig a well, you have to remove a lot of dirt to get to the water; sometimes you have to move or go through stone.
One morning in my quiet time, the Lord asked me, "Is it Middle Georgia that's dry or is it you?" I thought about it and came to the realization that it was both me and Middle Georgia that was dry, but it was not the fault of Middle Georgia that I was dry. Maybe it was dry because I was dry. I could give many reasons or probably better said excuses like hurts and disappointments in ministry, unfulfilled prophetic words, betrayals, and misunderstandings that had made me less and less intimate with the Lord. My prayer life was not what it had been at one time. It was necessary to redig the well in my own life that I might begin to dig new wells in Middle Georgia.

I cannot say that it is my responsibility to bring revival to this area, but I do have a responsibility to be a conduit through which the Spirit of God flows. Jesus said, "He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." John 7:38 It is obvious from what Jesus said that other scriptures make reference to this. There are many scriptures that talk about rivers and water. In Ezekiel 47 we see the small stream of water flowing from the threshold of the temple that became a huge body of life-giving water. Are we not the temple of the Holy Spirit from which this live-giving water flows? In the Psalms 46:4 it says "There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God." Are we not tributaries of that river?

The kingdom of God came in power when the Spirit of God was poured out at Pentecost. The kingdom is in the Spirit. Jesus said the kingdom of God is in you. He told his disciples that when they entered a place to heal the sick and to say that the kingdom of God has come nigh. If we have become conduits of the Holy Spirit then the kingdom comes wherever we go. We must all pass through our Valley of Baca and we will either impact it for the kingdom or we will be impacted by it. If we are not flowing in the Spirit we will be drained dry and become like our surroundings, but if we are flowing in the Spirit we make springs in it. I have heard it said that water attracts water. We make it a spring, but look at the second part of the verse. The rain covers it with pools. The Spirit of God within us attracts the presence of God. God promises to make streams in the desert and pools in the wilderness and He chooses to pour Himself out through you.

You may be in a very dry place. God has put you there to make a difference. You may have redig old wells or dig new ones. There may be a little dirt or a lot. There may be some stones that have to be removed, but there is an abundant source of water sufficient to turn your dry place into a well-watered garden. You may be the stream that your dry land is waiting for. We had close to a nine inch rainfall deficit since the first of the year and over the past three weeks we have had so much rain we made up the deficit. Last Wednesday at our prayer meeting a young man said, "The drought is over." I inquired as to whether he was talking about the natural or the spiritual and he said the spiritual. The next night the local meteorologist declared that the drought was over. I could not help, but believe that was a confirming word. If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in you, He can change the environment through you. May God fill you with Himself today that all who encounter you may encounter life-giving water.

In his love,
Herb Dean

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches

2009-01-13T11:14:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
I pray that your are prospering spirit, soul, and body. The Lord gave me several words for the New Year which I have been preaching at our church. One of the words He gave was from Genesis 26 about "sowing in the time of famine". In difficult financial times the tendency is to hoard what we have, but scripture indicates it is a time to be sowing. Isaac sowed in the land and reaped 100 fold and that was during a time of famine and the scripture says the Lord blessed him. He was in covenant with the Lord. He was receiving the blessings of his father Abraham. According to Galatians we, too are Abraham's offspring and receive God's blessing by faith. I want to encourage you today in the fact that our God is able to bless us in the time of famine. His promises are not contingent on the world's economy. May you be encouraged by His love for you today.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians
4:19

Notice in the verse above it does not say according to the churches' riches, or according to the nation's riches, the GNP, the stock market, your company, your relatives, but according to His riches. I've heard Bill Johnson say that Jesus was able to sleep through the storm on the boat because His internal reality was the kingdom of God and there are no storms in the kingdom. In order to change our external reality our internal reality must be the kingdom of God. In the kingdom of God there is no lack; there is no depression. How many times did God bring the unseen into the seen world. I want briefly walk through scripture and look at a few of those today.

1. Exodus 16:4a then the Lord says to Moses, " I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day." For many days the children of Israel ate the manna from heaven. God provided for His people in a desert place.

2. 1 Kings 17:8-16 We have the story of God sending Elijah to the widow at Zarephath. You know the story I'm sure. The widow was about to cook her last meal when Elijah showed up and requested that she give him a cake first. Vs. 14 The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain upon the earth.

3. Elisha and the poor widow- 2 Kings 4:1-6 She was to pour oil from her little container of oil into as many vessels as she could find. The oil did not run out until she ran out of vessels to pour it in.

4. Jesus feeding the 5000- Matthew 14:13-21 Not only were over 5000 people fed, but 12 baskets were left over. Twelve is the number of government and what is the government of God? His Kingdom

5. Jesus feeding the 4000 men besides women and children- Matthew 15:32-39 This time over 7 large baskets remained.

The extra oil, the extra bread, and fishes were from the kingdom of God. We can look at our world today and say there are Christians starving to death in other lands. Don't you think we may have to go through difficult times? We may, but I cannot base my faith on what I see, but on the "rhema" word of God. My focus cannot be on lack, but on Him who is my source, the God who calls those things that be not as though they are. When He says they are, then they no longer be not. He said let there be and it was. We cannot let the external reality shape our internal reality. The Kingdom of God is within you and the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit and is not in word, but power. Greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world. If we operate out of kingdom reality we will impact the external reality. Be encouraged; the coffers of heaven are not diminished. The God who spoke the worlds into existence is your Daddy and He delights to give you that which is better than any stimulus package. It is His good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.

May the Lord supply your need according to His riches.
In His love,
Herb Dean

Christmas and the sovereignty of God

2008-12-24T05:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,
I hope this letter finds you enjoying this season of celebrating the coming of Christ. My purpose in writing is to wish everyone a wonderful Christ-filled Christmas and a blessed New Year. I also would like to share a couple of thoughts the Lord has brought to mind again this year. I pray this will encourage you.

Christmas and the Sovereignty of God

It is not likely that Joseph and Mary, though devout in their faith, had pondered the need to go to Bethlehem for the baby Jesus to be born. For a young lady eight or nine months pregnant to make the journey of 70 plus miles would be difficult in the least. I am sure the decree from Caesar was not a cause for rejoicing, but caused some consternation considering the trip they must make at such an inconvenient time.
I'll get to the point: God used the decree of a pagan emperor to fulfill His purposes. He used Caesar to get Mary and Joseph where they needed to be in order that prophetic destiny would be fulfilled.
It is often the inconvenient detours of life that position us for the fulfilling of God's purposes in our lives.

Look at Joseph in the Old testament. The pit, Potiphar's house, and the prison all served to position Joseph for the fulfilling of his God given dreams. The detours of God will always bring us into alignment with His purposes.

For Joseph and Mary just walking out the chronos (regular time) in obedience to the emperor the chronos became the kairos (God's appointed time). And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us... John 1:14a

In Romans 8:28, 29 God has promised to bring redemptive purpose out of everything that comes into our lives. As many of you have heard me share before, it was because of an IRS office being closed when I was going there to deal with a tax issue, that I met a man who became a mentor and my life was changed.

I don't know what you may be going through this Christmas, but God has good plans and He is able to take the mundane, the inconvenient chronos and turn it into kairos. He is able to bring redemptive purpose out of everything that comes in our lives and He is very creative. Who would have thought the pagan emperor Caesar would be used of God for the Bread of Life to be born in the "house of bread"?

It is my prayer for you that you will have a wonderful Christmas and that you would experience an ever increasing awareness of His presence in your lives in the coming year. I appreciate you, so much. May God richly bless you.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us......
In His love,
Herb Dean

No man can serve two masters

2008-12-16T09:06:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
I pray that you are well and growing in the knowledge of the Lord. We are living in a time when we must hear our Lord. As we look around us we see many who are suffering. There are few of us who have not been impacted some way by falling financial markets. We might ask, "What in the world is going on?". I'd like to share a few thoughts about what the Lord is doing. I hope this will minister to you wherever you find yourself.

No servant 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. Luke 16:13

Years ago I found myself in debt with more going out than coming in. I was using credit cards to make up for the shortfall which only exacerbated the problem. One day in the midst of a financial crisis, the Lord lead me to take out my credit card and look at it. I heard His voice so strongly in my Spirit that it could not have been clearer if it had been audible. He said, "Where is your trust? Is it in Me or in that little plastic card?" I was grieved and convicted. I cut the credit card up and repented that day. I was not set free immediately from debt; it was a gradual process. It says in Proverbs that the borrower is servant to the lender. It's like the enemy having a lien on God's property. Debt can be a cruel master. So what is the application for our present time? I believe God's asking His church, "Where is your trust? Is it in me or is it the stock market, your 401K, your bank account, your credit card, or the U.S. government?" Our government seems to think if they throw enough borrowed money at the problem, it will fix the economy. It never has, nor will it. In fact it kind of sounds like what I was doing.

Here are a few thoughts I think we need to consider:
1. It is time to set our priorities in order. I think in America we have tried to serve two masters and now
the debt is being called. It is time to examine our hearts. Have we allowed mammon to be our master?

2. It is time to develop a kingdom mindset. For years I have been talking about a shaking coming. the Lord gave me Hebrews 12:26-29 years ago and I believe there have been times of shaking in my personal life, but this might be the big one. We are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken. Only those things properly related to the kingdom will endure the shaking. We see the housing market shaking; we see the financial markets shaking; we see major manufacturers shaking. Some are enduring personal shaking. The church is undergoing a shaking. Everything that is not grounded in the kingdom will be shaken loose. Jesus was talking about our physical needs being met when He said "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." As I have written before there is no recession in the kingdom of God. There is no depression in the kingdom of God. This world economy is bankrupt. The economy of heaven is unshakeable. God's stock has never gone down.

3. The shaking is a time of transitioning into the kingdom. There is great hope as we come through this time of shaking. The apostles said that it was through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of God. If we cross reference Hebrews 12:26-29 with Haggai 2 we see the glory of the latter house shall be greater than the former. The earth is going to be filled with experiential knowledge of the glory of God.

4. This is a time of the testing of the heart. Few things test the heart more than the possibility of losing everything. It is in those times that we see what is really important. Jesus calls riches ungodly mammon and contrasts that with true spiritual riches.

5. Finally the testing and the shaking is for the purification of our hearts. Something pure is something without alloy, without impurities. The shaking not only reveals our hearts, but shakes loose those things which can be shaken. God is calling for purity of heart in His people. Years ago I heard prophecies of a great revival which would have four stages of restoration:
a. Intimacy with God Trouble will either drive us to or from God.
b. Purity Hearts pure toward Him and one another
c. Unity
d. Power Unity is the place of the corporate anointing. Acts 4;24-31 and Psalms 133.

We can rebuke the devil all we want and place blame any number of places, but I truly believe this shaking is from the Lord and it will do us good if we get ourselves grounded in the reality of His kingdom. We pray that you will be encouraged and strengthened in this time of great transition. Be blessed.
In His love,
Herb Dean

2008-11-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

Hi,
I haven't written anything for a long time. October was an extremely busy month and November has seemed almost as busy. I guess I needed to catch up. In October, I was head spiritual director for Central Georgia's Men's Tres Dias #36. God did some awesome things on the weekend. Several people were healed physically and there was much spiritual healing. I had a personal healing in October as well. I had a mole on the lash line of my lower eye lid of my left eye. It had been there as long as I can remember and two or three years ago it started getting irritated and sometimes it would even irritate my eye. About 6 weeks ago it really began to become nasty and I was very concerned. I thought maybe I needed to go to the doctor. Vain imaginations began to come to mind like "what if it's cancer and they take half my eyelid off?" I began to pray about it and didn't think anymore about it for a while. About four weeks ago, I got up and looked in the mirror a little more closely than I normally do and it was gone. This mole that had been there for probably 45 years was gone. That seems like such a small thing. but to me it was a great encouragement. I have prayed for several people of late that were healed and this greatly encourages me as well. Jesus told His disciples,"As you go preach the kingdom of heaven, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out the demons; freely you have received, freely give." One of the cries of my heart since I began preaching the kingdom is for God to validate His message.
Also, Danna, my wife was director for the Central Georgia Girl's Vida Nueva #20. It is labor intensive being the director. God blessed and the hearts of a number of young ladies were touched. I wasn't a whole lot of help, but I did pray and lend moral support. I did give a talk on the final day and it seemed to be well received. These two weekend retreats were a real blessing. They showed the body of Christ in action. Many of our people at our church served and it just brought home to me the fact that God's people are ministers. I believe with all my heart that there is a new wave coming. Recently when praying with a fellow elder the tide of the ocean came to mind and my thought was that the tide has been going out a long time, but in my spirit I sensed that the tide was about to turn. There is a time when the water has reached it lowest level, the marshes are dry, and then it begans to turn and to build and replenish the marshes and gradually move up the beach. I believe that is a spiritual picture of what is beginning to happen. The tide has turned, the leaven has been placed in the dough. God's kingdom is an ever advancing kingdom and we are about to see it in our Jerusalem. Commit your ways unto the Lord and He will bring it to pass. Be not weary in well-doing for in due season you will reap, if you do not faint. Be encouraged, God is on His throne.

The Fear of the Lord

2008-09-16T08:36:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,
Grace and peace to you. Almost every night I pray that the Lord would speak to me in the night, Spirit to spirit, dreams, visions, or however He chooses to speak. It has not happen often, but from time to time I'll have a dream that I believe is from the Lord. Recently, I have awakened several mornings recently with a scripture passage on my mind. That happened this morning. I woke up this morning thinking about Ananias and Sapphira. I would like to share some of those thoughts with you.

So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. Acts 5:11

Ananias and Sapphira conspired together to hold back part of the price of their land. The issue was not the fact that they had kept part of the money for themselves. They did not have to sell the land in the first place. We are not to give under compulsion. They had chosen to sell the land and said they were giving the entire proceeds to the church. What was in their hearts? Peter said Satan had filled their hearts. It may be that they had sought the praise of men in their giving. There was obviously some greed because they were willing to lie to hold on to some of the money. Peter said that they had not lied to men, but had lied to God. Why was the judgement so swift? This was an unprecedented time of the presence and power of God being revealed to His children. How in this atmosphere could they have purposed in their hearts to sin? Sin cannot abide in the presence and glory of God. I believe that there was an absence of the fear of the Lord in their lives. How common is the absence of the fear of the Lord in the modern church. It is almost as if in this age of grace we live as if there are no consequences of sin to a Christian.

What is the fear of the Lord? We define it as a reverential awe. How does the Bible define it?
Come, you children listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. Psalms 34:11-13

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. Proverbs 8:13

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 8:13
If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then not fearing the Lord is the continuance of foolishness.

There are many verses concerning the fear of the Lord. Some would say that is an old testament concept, but I say God has not changed. Yes, if we have been born again we are not children of wrath. Jesus took the wrath of God for us. We have forgiveness, if we confess our sin. Where sin abounds grace does much more abound. It is the kindness of God that brings us to repentance. But having said all that, do we have license to sin? Absolutely not! The nature and consequences of sin have not changed. Sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins but a certain fearful expectation of judgement, and fiery indignation which will devour our adversaries. Hebrews 10:26, 27

To willfully sin, we have taken lightly the finished work of the cross. We have insulted the Spirit of grace and we have allowed death to work in our lives. I know that this might seem negative today, but I believe the Lord is calling for the purity of His bride. Can we say that we fear the Lord when there are few real distinctives between the church and the world? We could look at just a few statistics and see the absence of the fear of the Lord. The divorce rate is the same for the church as it is for the world. There are just as many of our kids getting in trouble. What is missing? 56% of the evangelical church believes that Jesus is not the only way.
It is time for us to wake up. I am not calling for a puritanical, legalistic existence, but for a life that is different out of relationship with Him. I heard a minister who had been touched by God in revival say that he now understood the fear of the Lord. He said that he did not want anything in his life that would deprive him of the Lord's presence that he was now experiencing. If we have tasted His presence, we want that above anything else this world has to offer. If the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, then evil is anything that keeps me from His presence. David said in repentance: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Psalms 51:10,11.

I have talked about it before, but as Christians we have been bought with a price. Jesus paid the full price for our redemption. If we hold out any part of ourselves from Him Who gave Himself for us then we are not walking in the fear of the Lord and that which we hold on to is working death in us. We sing "I Surrender All" when we are willing only to surrender part. The part we hang on to is not submitted to God and therefore is submitted to the devil.

The scripture is full of promises to those who fear the Lord. I won't take time here, but just get your concordance and look. It will be an encouraging experience. Just a thought; what impact would it have for us to return to days of Ananias and Sapphira in our time?

I pray that you will be blessed today and that His love will encourage you. May you know and experience His presence in your life in ever increasing dimensions.
In His love,
Herb Dean

True Spiritual Riches

2008-09-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon who will commit to your trust the true riches? Luke 16:11

If I can't be trusted with the material possessions and money that I've been given, how can I be trusted with true riches. What are true riches? In my own experience when I began to order my priorities putting God first there was quite a change in my life. The first thing that experienced was spiritual revelation. The Lord began to reveal His word to me. Proverbs 8:10,11 Receive my instruction and not silve, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than rubies and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her. Wisdom is true riches.

How much would a man pay for peace? The biblical word for peace has a much broader definition than just the absence of conflict. It is divine order, wellness, prosperity; things as they should be. Can you put a price on that?

What about His grace? His unmerited favor, His ability and the old acrostic: God's
Riches
At
Christ's
Expense
The riches of His grace includes redemption, forgiveness of sin, and empowering to live His life.
There are unsearchable riches to those who are in Christ and it is of eternal benefit to order our lives according to His purposes. Don't let unrighteous mammon keep you from God's best. All this can summed up in this verse.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Matthew 6:33.
True riches can never be measured by the measures of man. It does not consist of houses, lands, and bank accounts. It flows out of relationship and is an internal and eternal reality.
Be blessed,
Herb Dean

I would have despaired had I not believed..........

2008-09-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
Grace and peace to you. As I pondered on whether I should write anything today the verse above came to mind. I felt like there were some people out there who are in a life and death struggle. Some are going through difficult times, going through a crisis of belief and I felt in my heart to write a word of encouragement.
The object of our hope is faithful. The Lord is good and He will perfect that which concerns you. Don't give up.

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalms 27:13.

The Psalmist is saying he would have given up had he not believed he would see the Lord's goodness. There are some in the body of Christ who feel like they have been forgotten. In their mind they ask,"Where is the Lord? " or "How long, O Lord, how long?" Some think that they are not going to make it. As we look at scripture we see many of God's choice servants endured great hardship. Oftentimes, the testing is directly proportionate to the level of authority God chooses to trust one with. Let's look at a few examples:
1. Abraham waited 25 years for the birth of the promised son.
2. Joseph waited at least 23 years for the fulfilling of his dreams and got there by way of the pit, Potiphar's house, and the prison. His family came down in the third year of the famine.
3. David fled for his life living in caves for a number of years (probably about 15 years between his anointing as king and his actual becoming a king). I shared this before, but sometimes we need to revisit these truths. David was probably at his lowest point ever in 1Samuel 30. They were returning to Ziklag because David was not trusted enough by the Philistines to fight the battle against the Israelites. When they got back to Ziklag they found it burned to the ground, their wives, children, and possessions stolen. David's men were so grieved they talked of stoning him. The scripture says that David encouraged himself in the Lord. It very well could have been that at the same time he was encouraging himself in the Lord that Saul was dying in the battle that David was not permitted to fight. The Lord told David to pursue the Amalekites and they would recover all. They did and they recovered all. It was at David's lowest point that events were taking place that would thrust David into his destiny. In a few days he would become king over a large portion of Israel.
4. Zacharias and Elizabeth prayed for years for a child and became parents in their old age to the forerunner of Jesus.

There were others both small and great who were in a life and death crisis who received a 12th hour deliverance.Let's remember a few of them:
1. The widow at Zarephath about to prepare her last meal.
2. Sharach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were delivered not from, but in the fiery furnace.
3. Daniel in the lion's den.
4. Peter in Herod's jail.
5. The Jews in the time of Esther.
There are so many other examples of God's faithfulness, but time will not permit. God was faithful then and He is faithful now. He was faithful to these folks and he'll be faithful to you. Just don't quit; don't give up.

Look at these scriptures:
And He spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. Luke 18:1
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance, character, and character, hope. Romans 5:3,4
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, for the testing of your faith worketh patience. James 1: 2,3
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6: 9

Friends, the worst thing we can do is give up. Even if deliverance does not come this side of heaven; it will come. God will deliver us. Believe that you will see the goodness of the Lord. Your deliverance may be close at hand. Encourage yourself in the Lord. It may be that the very moment you choose to praise the Lord in the crisis that events are taking place that will thrust you into your destiny. The difficulties that you face are developing character in you in order that you will be able to handle promotion.
A few years ago I was going through a difficult time. Our church was struggling. We had some very disappointing things happen. Money was tight. My wife had gone down to Atlanta to make connection with her family before coming back to church that morning. That was the plan anyway, but the car broke down in Atlanta. I came down after church with my son-in-law. We rolled the car out on the front lawn of Embassy Suites. He checked it out and determined it was the starter. All the things that were going on were weighing heavily on me and now this. As we stood under the drive up shelter of the hotel calling to find a parts store. A young man came be-bopping down the sidewalk. He looked like he could have been high. He looked directly at me and said, "Hold on brother, change is coming! Don't give up; hold on brother, change is coming." A few minutes later as we were riding down the road to the parts store, I began to think about what the young man had said and the joy of the Lord came on me and I began to laugh. My hope was restored and change did come a short time later. I believe there is someone who needs that word right now. Hold on brother, hold on sister; change is coming. Don't give up, change is coming, hold on!

I pray that this is an encouragement to you. If you have not heard I have entered the blogoshere. It will include these messages as well as short devotions and personal thoughts. The address is:
http://basiliea.blogspot.com
As always if I can be of help to you, let me know. May the Lord richly bless you.
Herb Dean

Life and death is in the power of the tongue

2008-09-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

There has been the struggle for years between the culture of death and the advocates of life. I was studying recently about the angel Gabriel coming to Zacharias with the message concerning the future birth of John. Zacharias was struck mute until John was born, because he did not believe Gabriel's words. Is it just possible that he was struck mute because had he been able to speak he would have continued to speak doubt and unbelief which would have aborted the seed (the word of God)? How many times have we aborted the promises of God with the words of our mouth? Are we aware of the importance of the words we speak? We can speak life or we can speak death. Jesus said that with our words we are justified or condemned. Paul said, "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:10. It is great to have pro-life, anti-abortion convictions, but we need also be pro-life, anti-abortion with our tongues.

A Thought for Today

2008-09-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

I was feeling kind of low as I got to the church this morning for the pastors' prayer meeting. Then before we could get started we found someone had stolen the copper from three of our air conditioners. Prayer went well, but my spirits weren't lifted like they have been. I went to another prayer meeting at a another church and just sat agreeing and praising the Lord as others prayed. At the end we held hands and I was asked to pray the final prayer. As I prayed and praised the Lord, my spirit was buoyed and I felt the Lord's peace return. Years ago in a place of desperation, I realized I had to make a choice. I could wallow in self-pity and despair or I could choose to praise the Lord. I made the right choice; I chose to praise Him. Peace returned and not only that He moved in the situation that had brought me low. I believe the Lord spoke to me as well. He impressed me with this thought, "If you want to escape the low places, enter into high praises." The snakes bit the murmurers, but they were healed when they looked upon the brazen serpent a picture of Jesus taking the sting of sin for them. God inhabits praise and murmuring is inhabited by snakes. Who would you rather have working on your problem?
Blessings,
Herb Dean

Hey, I finally entered the blogosphere.

2008-09-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

After some encouragement from family and friends I have finally bitten the bullet. I am always somewhat nervous trying new things and I could be described as technologically challenged. I jokingly say that I just learned to cut and paste two years ago, but the truth is, it's the truth. I pray that this will be an opportunity to reach out to some folks I've not connected with before and to be an encouragement to them. Thanks for your encouragement.

If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain...

2008-09-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
Grace and peace to you. I woke up this morning with a song in my heart. The words , "He can move the mountains, our God is mighty to save", were going through my mind. When I thought about writing this morning, I felt like I was to talk about moving mountains. I wonder if there might be some of us who are facing mountains in our lives which are hindering our destinies or the destinies of those to whom we relate. I hope these thoughts may be of some encouragement to you.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, " Why could we not cast it out?" So Jesus said to them , "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing shall be impossible for you. However this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Matthew 17:19-21.

The disciples had unsuccessfully attempted to cast a demon out of a little boy. They were frustrated because they had known great success in casting out demons when Jesus had sent them out in Luke 10. They had come back rejoicing that the demons were subject to them in Jesus' name. Here they had addressed this demon and he had not moved. Jesus expressed His concern about their faithlessness and told them to bring the child to Him. He rebuked the demon and it left. Now they wanted to know why they couldn't cast it out. I don't know about you, but sometimes my problems are like that demon; I try to address them, but they don't go away. I believe there is an application for some of us today.

What was the problem? Jesus said it was their unbelief. If we do not believe it will go, it won't. Jesus did give them some comfort, though, in the fact that this was not a regular demon. He makes a distinction saying,"This kind does not go out but by prayer and fasting." One teacher that I greatly respect said that they were dealing with a prince here, a demon with a greater level of authority. Mountains in scripture often represents kingdoms or governments. The greater the mountain the greater authority, just as the mountain which filled the whole earth in the book of Daniel was the kingdom of God. This may have been a demon with ruling authority, but there was a greater authority here. Notice that Jesus did not say, "Bring the boy back in three days after I have fasted and prayed." Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 that all authority had been given unto Him. In every thing He did Jesus demonstrated the superiority of God's kingdom over the kingdom of darkness. Even so, He did not have go get prepared just because of Who He was, or where He was from, but because He lived a fasted lifestyle. He was in constant communion with the Father. His meat, His nourishment, was to do the will of the Father. He did not live by bread alone, but by every word (rhema) out of the mouth of God. Because of His kingdom lifestyle of walking in the Spirit, He was always prepared for what He might confront.

The context in which Jesus gave this statement was dealing with a demon. Many of the issues we confront on a regular basis have demonic roots. Satan does not want you to fulfill your destiny. He does not want you to know who you are. He has done everything he can to keep you from walking in the kingdom of God lifestyle. He wants you to believe the kingdom is all out there in the future somewhere.The mountain could represent demonic opposition, anything that hinders or keeps us from fulfilling our destiny and purpose here in this earth. What mountain stands before you today?

Jesus used the speaking to the mountain in another place as well. This time it was after the disciples noted that the fruitless fig tree Jesus had cursed had withered away. That passage is Mark 11:20-26. If we approach this from the context of being fruitful, then anything that stands in the way of our being fruitful in the kingdom, we can speak to in faith and expect it to move. Fruit glorifies the Father. Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be my disciples." John 15:7-8. If we are abiding in Him and His word, what do you think we will really want? It is not the heaping of treasures unto ourselves; it is bearing fruit.

What mountains stand in your way today? Some are dealing with sickness in their bodies. Some may be dealing with government authorities natural or spiritual. Some are facing a financial mountain. Whatever that mountain is that is keeping you from your destiny speak to that mountain in faith and believe it has moved. Our God is able to move mountains; He is mighty to save. May the Lord release in us today the gift of faith that we might speak to that which has hindered and see it move to the glory of our God.