Speak Just One More Word! by Garris Elkins

Medford, OR

The Lord recently said to me, "Keep speaking words of hope. There is coming a moment when just one more word of hope will topple the greatest works of darkness. Evil cannot stand under the onslaught of My prophets of hope."

A Prophetic Picture from My Childhood

I grew up in the Silicon Valley of California long before it became a valley known for high-tech innovation, dense population and crowded freeways. Before these changes came the valley was filled with orchards and small farms. We lived on a dead-end street with houses lining only one side of the street. Our home was situated on a large lot surrounded by orchards of prune and apricot trees. The orchards were my place of youthful exploration and later became my place of employment.

Behind our back fence was an orchard followed by another and another all the way to the foothills of Los Gatos. In the springtime petals from the white blossoms of the fruit trees would fall like snowflakes out of season.

At age ten, I was given a pellet rifle as a birthday gift. In every spare moment, I would practice shooting targets that I tacked on a tall, wooden fence situated at the back of our property. This fun went on for several years until cars, girls and high school would replace my backyard target practice. I had shot literally thousands of pellets through that fence over the years, until it began to resemble Swiss cheese. My pellets would eventually punch through the fence posts creating fist-size holes wherever I placed a target.

One day when I was 14 years old, I went out back for target practice. I put up a new target and took a shot. As the sound of the shot subsided, I heard a creaking sound and watched in fascination as a large section of the fence began to lean backward toward the orchard and fall over in slow motion. It had finally given into the repeated assault from my pellets. The weakened section of fence hit the dirt sending up a cloud of dust. I went in the house and told my father what happened. He smiled and said, "Well, it looks like we need a new fence."

I share this boyhood memory with you because it is a prophetic picture of what the Lord is about to do. Many of us have prophesied for years toward obstacles that stand in the way of what God wants to do in our families, our cities and our nation. This is not a time to give up. You do not know if the next pellet of prophesy you release will be the one to topple the fences of deception that separate people and culture from their God-birthed destiny.

Continue to Speak!

As I processed what God was saying, He continued to speak to me: "I have hidden a surprise for the enemy in the words you carry. One of these words of hope will contain a final and devastating blow to the works of darkness that oppose your advancement. Do not give up! Continue to speak in My name and you will see these opposing forces begin to fall before you, just like David when he brought down the defiant giant, Goliath."

David picked up five smooth stones, but cast only one. I am not sure David knew which of his five stones was the stone of destiny. When we prophesy we do not know which word we release that will carry the fatal blow to the walls of darkness – but God knows.

When you feel weary in the fight – Speak just one more word!
"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." Galatians 6:9

When you feel like giving up – Speak just one more word!
"For I will contend with the one who contends with you." Isaiah 49:25

When you feel alone in the battle – Speak just one more word!
"No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." Joshua 1:5

When you feel trapped in history – Speak just one more word!
"Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim them to you." Isaiah 42:9

When you face walls of opposition – Speak just one more word!
"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days." Hebrews 11:30

If you make the decision to "speak just one more word of hope" somewhere in your future you will begin to hear the sound of collapsing walls of opposition and discouragement. Stand and continue to declare what you know to be true and you will see God topple wall after wall enabling you to advance with God into new Kingdom territory previously walled off from your experience.

Each word you speak, in obedience to God's Spirit, carries supernatural power. You never know which word will be the one that has the potential to topple the barriers you face. This will be your test of faith – to continuing trusting God and speaking His word.

Today, speak just one more word! You will be amazed at what takes place.

Garris Elkins, Author and Prophetic Minister
Prophetic Horizons
Email: info@prophetichorizons.com
Website: www.garriselkins.com

Watchmen on the Wall by Garris Elkins

Some people believe God has assigned them as watchmen on the wall. In that assignment they feel their primary job is to announce what is approaching.  Isaiah the prophet wrote just the opposite. He said, "O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night continually." (Isaiah 62:6) The watchman’s primary assignment is prayer. 

In this season of Church history we are doing a lot of announcing.  Some of this announcing has been without inquiring prayer. Inquiring prayer will actually reveal the substance of the word the Lord wants you to announce from your place of prophetic insight. Prayer that accurately discerns a Kingdom reality brings forth the discernment required to craft a wise announcement.

If you are called as one who stands watch on the wall, make sure you spend the majority of your time in prayer seeking the heart of God.  You may find yourself standing silent in the darkness while other watchmen are shouting unfounded warnings based only on moving shadows of suspicion.  In the end, when you finally speak, your prayerful announcement will carry the authority and wisdom of God because it will separate truth from error and suspicion from fact. 

Spiritual Grease by Garris Elkins

God intends every tight and pressing spiritual passage to be followed by a release into the wide and expansive place of His goodness and provision. Some of these passages take longer than others to accomplish. Some take only a moment or a day. Others can take weeks, months or even years to navigate.

When you feel constricted in a passage keep trusting and believing. These two elements are the spiritual grease that will make the passage less painful. Trusting and believing will keep you from getting stuck in a place that was only intended to be a temporary and passing experience.

The Drawing of an Unexpected Curtain by Garris Elkins

Last night at the Elijah List conference in Albany, Oregon we entered a profound experience in worship. As worship deepened, I heard the Lord say, “I am drawing an unexpected curtain.” The curtain had the words, “3:20”, written across the front. Immediately, I knew the numbers referenced Ephesians 3:20 where Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

The curtain parted, revealing blessings, victories and solutions so profound we could not even consider their possibility. These unimaginable answers to prayer began to walk out among the conference attendees. As they walked among us they began to settle on people as a signal to the beginning of a season of fulfillment.

As this experience in worship continued to unfold, I shared what I was seeing with Steve Shultz, the founder of Elijah List, thinking the word only pertained to Elijah List and a new season of exponential growth that ministry was about to experience. Later that night, the Lord reminded me of the word and let me know the word was actually for His larger Church. He began to expand my understanding of what I had seen in worship.

We have entered an astounding moment in the history of God’s Kingdom. The prayers we have prayed in previous seasons were not the frontier of what God is about to do. We have entered a place where answers to our prayers will be beyond what we might ask or think, even in the depths of our most intimate prayers. The Spirit is taking our prayers and depositing them into places we do not yet see. At the command of God, a curtain has been drawn and unimaginable answers to prayer will begin to visit our lives with a fulfillment so profound we will only be able to fall down in an awe-inspired expression of worship at God’s goodness and provision.

You Always Have A Word Of Hope by Garris Elkins

One of the most powerful things we can do is speak a word of hope no matter what is taking place in the world. We can speak these words of hope with confidence because God is always winning and His Kingdom is always advancing. A word of hope is birthed from that understanding because it comes from a realm not held hostage to fear, doubt and cynicism.

Do not allow your words to be taken hostage by the fear of other people, news outlets or the spirit of this age. You have been raised up in this time of human history to dispense hope into every circumstance of life where a positive resolution seems impossible. Every significant breakthrough has been saturated with words of hope before the breakthrough took place. This is the realm of miracles.

Magnetic Kingdom Alignments by Garris Elkins

This week, as I prayed for the leaders of churches, denominations and religious organizations, I saw them coming together in a most unusual way.

As the image developed, I saw the Lord imbedding magnets of fellowship in one shoulder and plates of receptive steel in the opposite shoulder of each willing participant.  When these individuals took a step of faith and risked coming together, in some cases taking these steps of faith in the face of historic opposition to such unity, God began to do something new and unusual. Those who took a step of faith found themselves being joined together, shoulder-to-shoulder, in an unexpected work of magnetic Kingdom unity.

In the coming months don’t be surprised or resistant to what is about to take place when uniquely different ministries and individuals join together for a greater expression of Kingdom expansion. Let their union become a cause to examine your own heart to see what obstacles of judgment might need to be removed in order for you to celebrate and join with this new work of God.  Like any work of the Spirit where new alliances are formed, your step of faith may require you to step over the disapproval of others and risk the relational jeopardy these new alliances will produce.  

The Prison of Disdain and Dishonor by Garris Elkins

Many of you have been around people who can barely contain their feeling of disdain toward you. You leave these encounters feeling dishonored. What makes the word “disdain” so demeaning is discovering its dictionary meaning – “the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one's consideration or respect”. At the core of disdain is the sense that someone is not worthy of our time, our consideration or even the Father’s love.

The older brother in the story of the Prodigal Son was a person who lived with feelings of disdain toward his younger, wayward brother. The older brother lived his life trying to earn his father’s love through performance while maintaining a hardened heart.  The younger brother was returning from a life of disobedience, but with a changed heart. The former is an expression of dead religion.  The latter is the core of our New Covenant relationship with God.

No matter how hard you try to perform for someone with an older brother’s heart of disdain, you will never measure up to the deformed concept of worth they possess.  They have encased their lives in a rigid performance mentality and they use that mentality as a grid through which they evaluate your life.

In those moments when the drip of disdain becomes a flood of judgment – as in the case of the returning Prodigal Son- turn away from the disdain and face the welcoming smile of your Heavenly Father. Receive the robe and ring and settle into His embrace. When the party to celebrate your return begins you are free to dance with joy and eat the fattened calf. Let the Father’s love for you become the true measure of your worth, not the looks and comments that come from people still trapped in a prison of disdain and dishonor.

Praying Fertile Prayers by Garris Elkins

Perhaps one reason for some of the barrenness in our prayer life is because we are not like Hannah.  Hannah was barren and prayed to God for the ability to give birth to a child. In her anguish Hannah prayed, “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime.” (I Samuel 1:11) Hannah was willing to give to God the answer to her prayer – a son - before he was even conceived.  Giving the answer to her prayer to God with that condition set in motion the birth of her first-born son, Samuel.

Some of the barrenness in our prayer life comes because we want to hold on to the answer to our prayers. We try to keep them close and protected, raising them like an only child we mistakenly think was birthed to fulfill our perceived needs.  Only in the hands of God is an answered prayer ever safe.  An overly protected child is like an overly protected answer to prayer. It manifests a lack of trust in the parent.

As you begin to pray in 2016 utter prayers that sound like something Hannah would pray– “Lord, if you grant this request, I will give the answer back to you for your service and safekeeping. Before I receive the answer to my prayer I release it back into your hands to accomplish your will.”  This kind of prayer carries with it supernatural potential because only in the hands of God can the answer to our prayers fulfill a greater destiny and, in the end, actually satisfy the deepest desires of our heart.

Hope - The Way Forward in 2016 by Garris Elkins

In all of human history, the way forward has always been revealed by a word of hope. Responding in the opposite spirit will become one of our most important weapons in the spiritual war we are facing. Instead of a fear monger choose to become a hope monger. Even if you issue a Spirit-birthed warning it must be overshadowed with tones of hope if it is to be considered a credible word from the Lord.

For 2016 do not align your life or your resources with any hopeless message of despair. These negative mindsets are a solvent that will eventually dissolve your hope. No matter what you see taking place in the world never forget that goodness will always triumph over evil - every time. Choose to become a voice of hope in the coming year and watch how God will begin to use you to open doors that only the key of hope could unlock.

Seen and Not Heard by Garris Elkins

Thankfully the phrase used by some parents, “Children are to be seen and not heard” is no longer a popular piece of parenting advice.  Similar phrases and slogans have become assumptions passed down from one generation to the next without taking the time to discover their demeaning result. Yes, children need to know when to politely enter a conversation, but relegating a child to a life of silence among adults dishonors them and presents an image of a god who perpetually sees them as an interruption.  Jesus said to not hinder children from coming to Him.  Jesus knew children would approach Him with undeveloped social skills and it did not bother Him.

Imagine if God were to say, “I want my children to be seen and not heard.” A prohibition against a two-way conversation with God would effectively create a relationship of silence and it would kill the rise of any future prayer movement where talking with God is central to its mission. The “seen and not heard” kind of comment is not alone. We all can find ourselves parroting other equally foolish and unthinking phrases without considering their content and affect.

As 2016 rises on the horizon of your calendar take some time to review the words you speak – many made with innocent assumption – and check their validity and place in your vocabulary. There are similar phrases you may need to review and reconsider to see if they should remain in your future conversations. This review and reconsideration is part of the renewal process of our thinking. When you challenge these assumptions you will upset some people. That’s OK. This is the substance of a two-way conversation where we learn how to grow in grace with each other. It also helps to keep our voice sounding credible to a world tired of worn-out religious cliché.

The Two Kinds of Judgment by Garris Elkins

There are two kinds of judgment. One is healthy and one is not. The first kind of judgment belongs to God alone. Only He is capable of judging the true condition of a human heart. The second form of judgment is something Jesus asked us to do. He said we are to judge (examine) the quality of fruit in a persons life. We are asked to judge this way to determine how to help someone who has consumed the rotted fruit of dishonor and a loveless expression of life. Our ministry in their life is to offer them the freshly picked fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When the sweetness of this fresh fruit of the Spirit bursts into their soul they will be free to judge for themselves how they want to live and hopefully choose the better way.

Let God judge the motives of a human heart. Before you enter the New Year, invite God to judge the fruit of your heart first before you attempt to judge another. This will cause your insight into the life of broken people to be seen through the lens of an experienced mercy and the redeeming heart of God.

5 Ways to Renewed Thinking for a New Year by Garris Elkins

Medford, OR

One of the early indicators that revival and reformation are coming to the Church is when we begin to realize God is renewing the way we think. Each new season requires an adjustment in our thinking in order to move us forward into a fresh expression Kingdom life and revelation.

As we approach the threshold of 2016, the Lord is inviting us to take inventory of our thoughts to help align our thinking with His heart and Kingdom purpose. Normally, I calendar a time at the end of each year to process these things with the Lord before the New Year comes, but this year an event took place that began that process a month early.

When the Paris terrorist attacks occurred, our daughter, Anna, was completing a month-long teaching trip that began in Morocco and ended in Paris. She was part of a team helping people learn how to become storytellers. On the day of the attack, Anna had walked through the very neighborhood the terrorists first struck only hours before. When Anna and her team heard the first reports of the attack, they gathered together in an apartment only a quarter of a mile from the café that experienced the first assault. The nation of France went into lockdown. The borders were closed. Anna was scheduled to fly home the next day. Her return home did not look like it would happen.

Jan and I knew nothing of what was taking place in Paris. We received a cryptic text message from Anna saying, "I am OK. We are all together. Safe." I immediately went to a European news outlet to find out what was happening and watched the developing story as it continued to unfold. (Photo by Maya-Anaïs Yataghène via Wikipedia)

When we first heard the news, Jan and I began to pray. We also took our initial thoughts captive and submitted them to the good God who loved our daughter and in whose hands she was held. Anna and her friends remained safe throughout the night, and the next morning they were able find a taxi driver willing to take them to the airport traveling along the deserted and fearful streets of Paris. They made it to the airport in time to board their return flight home. Anna's text message sent from the seat of her return flight brought us great relief.

The attacks in Paris caused me to pause and reorder my thinking for the coming year earlier than normal. I believe the Lord had a purpose in this earlier review of my thoughts. As a result, I came away with several points ofreordered thinking I feel were not only words for me but for the larger Church as we consider how to represent the Lord to our families, our nation, and the larger global community in the coming year.

Thoughts to Reorder Our Thinking for the New Year

1) Taking the higher road of faith in seasons of intense cultural stress will always seem foolish to those on a descent into fear.

The higher road of Kingdom thinking is alwaysup – up and above our current understanding of reality. The road of descent into despair and over-reaction is an easier road to take because it is navigated downward by human emotion and logic without the uplifting effect of the Spirit's wisdom. The higher road will require faith to navigate because it is paved with things not yet seen with the natural eye. Those who are descending may call you a fool for following this higher path of faith, but in the end its destination will be your testimony of God's faithfulness. (Photo via Pixabay)

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9 NLT

2) An image of goodness has the power to displace an image of sorrow.

Today, take a break and turn from the images of sorrow and the overwhelming struggles taking place in culture. I had to do this with the repeated images of horror I was seeing from Paris. Reset your sight to Heaven where you now sit with Christ at the right hand of the Father. This is your current reality and God's preferred future for each broken person and every painful situation you will encounter in the coming year.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2 NIV

3) Forgiveness is the highest form of spiritual warfare.

Jesus was sent to set the captives free. He died and rose again to offer all of humanity the gift of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the starting point of all He does in our lives. Without forgiveness a new beginning is not possible.

Every new thing God does in our lives can trace its beginning back to an original work of forgiveness. As you consider the possibilities of 2016, make sure you have allowed that work of forgiveness to have its way in each of your relationships. This will be a fight, but well worth the effort. You will know you have forgiven when you no longer desire to punish the offenders in your life.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 NIV

4) A captive thought can no longer move with unrestrained freedom.

Every thought we entertain requires the Lordship of Jesus Christ. A thought not submitted to His Lordship will represent another kingdom and its failed disposition for the affairs of life. Jan and I had to repeatedly take our thoughts captive because our distance from Paris did not allow us to help our daughter in any tangible way. In these moments of disconnect it is easy to feel helpless and grow desperate. (Photo by Jennifer Page "Living Word" via elijahshopper.com)

Do not allow any thought to linger without requiring its submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. As this process of Lordship deepens in your life, you will begin to evaluate your thoughts with the mind of Christ. This renewed thinking will bring freedom and peace.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV

5) Hope is always present in each and every circumstance of life.

The fear currently invading the minds of our culture wants to invade the thinking of the Church. Fear comes when hope is absent. Our hope is not anchored in political resolutions or the temporary alignment of earthly kingdoms. Our hope is secure in Heaven beyond the influence of earthly matters. Our faith is a tether to that anchor. Each time we choose faith in response to fear we will feel the tug on that line reminding us we are not flailing about in life unattached to something eternal. We are always secure in Christ no matter what takes place in this life.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure... Hebrews 6:19 NIV

Our minds are being filled with an increasing display of images fueled by despair and grief. I saw a lot of those images coming from Paris as I waited and prayed for my daughter to return home. In that personal drama, I discovered once again the power of prayer, worship, and words of hope. These spiritual disciplines have the ability to transform how we see the events of this life and give us hope in times of uncertainty. (Photo via Pixabay)

The power of reordered thinking allows us to see this life from Heaven's perspective. That is the perspective of reformation and revival. God has a distinct impact planned for our lives to make in the coming year. That impact will be traced back to how we allowed ourselves to think.

Our cooperation with the Spirit as a renewed thinker will yield supernatural results in 2016. Get ready! The goodness of God is coming in force to displace the works of darkness. The reality of this goodness requires a renewed mind to believe in its possibility.

Garris Elkins, Author and Prophetic Minister
Prophetic Horizons
Email: info@prophetichorizons.com
Website: www.garriselkins.com

Telling An Unbelievable Story by Garris Elkins

In the fourth grade at San Tomas Elementary School we had what was called, “Show and Tell”.  We did Show and Tell each Monday morning in our class.  Kids would stand in front of their classmates and share what happened to them over the weekend.  Sometimes kids would demonstrate a new skill they had acquired or show the rest of us a really cool birthday gift. I am sure this exercise was created to develop our communication skills and to open us to a wider world through the experience of others.

I was raised in the home of a contractor.  Dad worked hard all week long and on the weekends he liked to go places with his family.  Dad was an outdoorsman so we found ourselves hunting or fishing in some new spot on many of these expeditions.  Dad’s Chevy Apache pickup truck had a small camper shell on the back so he would have mom sit up front with him and my brother and I would jump in the back and let dad lead us on to our next adventure.  These adventures would happen a least a couple of times a month and served as my stories for the Show and Tell time in class.

My mother shared with me one parent teacher conference with my fourth grade teacher. At the end of the conference the teacher raised a concern.  She said,  “Garris has a very vivid imagination and I am concerned he may be living too much in a fantasy world.”  My mom said, “Please give me an example.”  The teacher went on to describe my last Show and Tell.  My mom said, “Well, that is actually true.” The teacher brought up another example. “That is true, also.” After the teacher exhausted her list of examples and heard my mother say, “All those stories are true” the meeting was finished.

I told this story to create a context to share what I am sensing the Lord wants to do in the Church.  The Church can do many things that are honorable and heartfelt, but lack a storyline that is unbelievable.  The world is waiting for us to share a testimony that is unbelievably true. An unbelievable story is one that can only be told if God shows up and does what only He can do. We call these stories a testimony of signs, wonders and miracles.

As the New Year approaches the Lord is asking us to join Him in His exploits in the supernatural that when shared within our distinct cultural context, will seem unbelievable to our hearers. These unbelievable exploits will require that we step out from our religious routine and follow the leading of the Spirit into unfamiliar territory where the unbelievable stories of faith are waiting to be told.

A Full Spectrum Church by Garris Elkins

When Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup ofwater in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.” With that statement, Jesus was telling His disciples there were more people doing the will of the Father in that moment than just their small band of disciples. In our context it is a reminder for those who see the ministry of the Church as only signs, wonders and miracles to believe for something more. 

Jesus also said, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”  In this second statement Jesus was telling those present and those of us in the future, to believe for an ongoing, miraculous work of the Spirit and not settle for a ministry of only good works.

The key wording in both of these sections of scripture is - “in my name”. With these two statements Jesus illustrated the full spectrum of supernatural ministry in the Church.  We have a tendency to gravitate to either side of this spectrum thinking those in our particular camp are the only ones doing the will of the Father. Those uncomfortable with the messiness of miracles and supernatural manifestations will attempt to build a ministry around cups of water. Those who think a cup of water ministry is a sell-out will get so involved in contending for miracles that they ignore the instruction of the Lord to see a miracle in a cup of water.

As you prepare to enter 2016 ask the Lord to transform you into a full spectrum believer.  Approach the brokenness of culture with a cup of water in one hand and a bottle of healing oil in the other.  Listen for His voice to tell you which one is His will in the moment. You will be amazed what a cup of water or a drop of oil can do in His name when empowered by His Spirit.

A Taste of Something New by Garris Elkins

In the mid-1950’s our family lived in the small town of Los Gatos, California. Los Gatos was a suburb of San Jose that would eventually become known as the Silicon Valley. One of the things our family liked to do was go to drive-in movies. Mom and dad would make a bed in the back seat of the family Oldsmobile and dress my brother and I in our pajamas. We would fall asleep shortly after the movie began giving my mom and dad some alone time in the front seat.

I remember one occasion in 1957 when we went to a drive-in movie. One part of that night printed itself upon my memory. Just before the movie started, my dad went to the snack bar and returned with a pizza. This was the first pizza our family had ever seen or tasted. It was all of 6 inches across and was topped with tomato sauce and cheese. Mom cut the little pizza into four pieces and we all had a taste – a first taste. To this day, I can still remember that experience. It was wonderful and unusual to my developing palate. In the coming months a pizza parlor opened in our small town. The name of the place was Magoo’s Pizza. We went to Magoo’s whenever we wanted to experience again the taste of pizza our family first discovered at the drive-in.

As I recalled that night in 1957 and tasting pizza for the first time, the Lord interrupted my recollection and said, “I am bringing a fresh taste of my Spirit to the Church.” When I heard the Lord speak, I realized this new taste would be the first indicator that we would be entering a new season in God’s Kingdom. We need a fresh taste of something new because some of what we are doing now has numbed our spiritual palate with its predictability and routine. Some of us have become so accustomed to the current flavor of our religious activity that we have stopped believing for something more.

A fresh taste of God’s presence is coming. Like my earthly father who brought pizza back to our family car, the Lord is about to do the same with His Church. When we taste this new work of the Spirit it will cause us to reorder our lives to make sure we are with like-minded people who want to taste that freshness again and again. In that spiritual reordering of our lives we will know we have been changed when we find ourselves wanting to repeat that first taste of goodness, just like our family did when we discovered Magoo’s Pizza had opened up for business in my hometown.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8

Follow the Money by Garris Elkins

There is a popular phrase in our culture – “Follow the money.” This phrase is used as a road map to find the source of why certain things take place. If you use this as your primary investigative tool there is a problem. At the end of your search you will only discover the depository that holds the money. You have to go one step deeper. What lies under the money is the motive that directs the power and influence the money provides. This deeper level is what you want to uncover because it will reveal what really motivates behavior and directs the expenditure of physical or emotional resources.

Human logic and reasoning cannot reveal the motives hidden at this deeper level. This requires prophetic insight and discernment. As the events of 2016 begin to unfold it will be important to dig deeper and go beneath the surface presentation of complex social and spiritual issues. Much of culture and many within the Church have parked their thinking at a shallow place where overly simplistic, “Follow the Money”, forms of wisdom are used to provide insight. Ask the Spirit to take you to the deeper place of hidden motive. In that deeper place you will uncover the works of darkness and deception that hold people in a place of bondage and blindness. Money is simply a tool to execute a motive. God wants to reveal to you the hand that holds the tool.

Women in Minstiry, Men in Jeopardy - We Need To Be Rescued! by Garris Elkins

The human mind responds to trauma in unique ways.  There is something called the Stockholm Syndrome where hostages will actually align themselves with the hostage taker, instead of the rescue team. When the Stockholm Syndrome is fully developed there have been cases where hostages have actually fought back against the incoming rescue team. The hostages came to believe an attempt at their rescue would put them in greater jeopardy than remaining a hostage. They believed their survival was dependent on maintaining their imprisoned status quo – even if that meant a rescue never came.

Something similar happens to those held hostage in spiritual bondage.  Years ago, I remember trying to explain to a couple that men and women were equally qualified and empowered in Christ to do the work of ministry.  This couple had been raised up in a church that taught a woman was not allowed to speak in a public meeting or hold a leadership role.  Today, this mindset only remains within a narrow portion of the Church, but at the time it was especially prevalent in the valley where I live.

When I proposed a way out of that limited way of thinking it was the wife, not the husband, who responded with the loudest objection. While the husband was the one who parroted his church leadership’s limited and restrained view of women, it was the wife who was the one held hostage to that thinking and who had spent her entire married life forming her identity around that lie. To have someone like me come and attempt to rescue her from that way of thinking, I became a threat putting her identity and belief system in jeopardy. She gathered up her family and promptly left our church. In essence, she was living within the equivalent of a spiritual Stockholm Syndrome.

I remember when I was a Hostage Negotiator in the real world of police work. I saw and experienced the effects of the Stockholm Syndrome firsthand.  In a hostage negotiation our ally was time. Over time we could wear down the hostage taker or set up a plan of rescue for those held captive. The same is true in spiritual matters. When you deal with people who are held hostage by systems of belief that diminish their identity or a healthy concept of God, give them time. In the waiting, you will discover God is already at work with His own plan of rescue.  Our plan of rescue will, many times, only try to prove our point. God’s plan of rescue will always have as its desired resolution the freedom of His children.

It's Time for the Real Jesus by Garris Elkins

The Kingdom of God functions at a higher level of authority than a lesser authority defined by the political labels of conservative, liberal or independent.  These political definitions are used to describe a lower, earthly kingdom and its limited system of power and authority. It requires wisdom to tell the difference. Wisdom will eventually reveal the left wing and right wing are attached to the same bird.

The Wise Men of the Christmas story were people who came from a foreign land, a different religion and an unfamiliar social system. They came to worship Jesus, the King of this higher Kingdom, because their wisdom allowed them to see a King inside a baby. Because of that revelation they were willing to make the long journey from their familiar way of life to meet this new and unfamiliar King.

Our definition of Jesus must be powerful enough to draw the wise seekers of our day from their current way of life into His presence. As we become more a fearful and desperate culture we can begin wrapping our understanding of God and His Kingdom around religious definitions sourced by political agendas and a powerless representation of the Gospel instead of the higher rule of Christ and ministry sourced in the power of the Spirit. 

God is reforming His Church so He can reform the image of His Son we offer to the world. When this happens masses of people from cultures not currently honoring Him will come to us asking, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews?” When they meet the real Jesus they will bow down and worship Him.

Normalcy Bias by Garris Elkins

When people experience disaster or trauma unprepared and suffer a dire consequence, many times that mindset was created by something called Normalcy Bias. People who experience this bias believe that because something has never happened to them it will never happen.  They live in the illusion of their bias and once a disaster or traumatic event takes place they face the dilemma unprepared. As you trace the history of people who have come under the influence of Normalcy Bias you will see they failed to interpret the warning signs because of an overly optimistic view of life.  This bias is a form of optimism masquerading as faith. In the end, people living under this bias will put themselves and their loved ones in a greater place of jeopardy.

When Paul was trying to help Timothy deal with the pressures of his life and ministry he told Timothy, “be prepared in season and out of season”. He went on to say, “keep your head in all situations”. Paul’s instruction to Timothy resembles what a Disaster Preparedness instructor would say to a group of people wanting to learn how to deal with disaster.

We are living in a time of significant cultural change and increasing threat levels.  In these times, if we are not spiritually prepared, we can become like a person who naively hides under a small desk during an active shooter incident hoping bad things will pass them by. We can deny the realities of life, both in the Spirit and in the natural realm, and allow our bias to determine our preparation. Instead of victors we become victims.

Today, I hear an appeal from the Spirit for the Church to come back and rediscover the basics our faith. These basics are things like the truth of scripture, fellowship, confession and repentance and choosing to live a life of transparency. In times of high spiritual stress and rapid cultural change those who remain close to the basics of their faith have a greater chance of walking out alive. These basics become our survival skills when nothing is making sense - when a marriage fails or a dream becomes a living nightmare. In these times our only bias should be a bias toward the goodness of God in all seasons of life. The basics of faith and a belief in a good God will keep you anchored to what is sure and safe in a world where nothing seems sure or safe anymore.

The Angst You Are Feeling by Garris Elkins

Some of you woke up this morning with an unexpected feeling of angst. What you are sensing is what the broader culture is experiencing each and every day.  Angst is permeating our world. God is using this angst as an invitation to make a shift in your thinking to become an agent of change in your family, city and nation. God has allowed you to feel the pain of others for a greater Kingdom purpose.

What you are sensing is a tremendous spiritual battle currently being waged in our culture. This battlefield is not fought with natural weapons, strategy or tactics. Attempting to use natural borders and political rhetoric to define this struggle is an illusion. When we attempt to fight a spiritual battle with the same logic used to fight natural battles defined by the limits and interests of natural, horizontal borders, we end up expending our limited energy and resources fighting in the wrong direction advancing our cause toward the wrong "enemy".

This is a different kind of warfare waged between varying levels of spiritual authority in the heavens. This is why Paul told us to fix our eyes on the things above and to draw our weapons from the unnatural arsenal of heaven. The battle lines of this spiritual war are vertically defined - within the varying levels of authority in the heavenly realm - not horizontally drawn between nations and people groups.

The battle being waged is one whose border will be defined by our renewed thinking. The angst you are feeling is a battle being fought over mindsets. God is reforming and reviving the mind of His Church in preparation for what He has planned. This angst is being used by God to get your attention to refocus your efforts on a different battle being fought on a different plane. The troops in this battle are armed with hope, faith and love. Against these weapons no army of spiritual darkness can stand.