Whose side are you on anyway?

I was driving into the house of prayer this morning and this thought occurred to me.

Well, let me preface. I recently got into a "tiff" with a friend of mine, and well since this tiff we've had time to talk and I know she's completely okay with me sharing some hindsight. Okay, so I may or may not have made her mad... well fine, I said stupid stuff that was probably not as loving or compassionate as I should. But out of that came the response, "Oh and you're supposed to start a "Love Revolution"... ...yeah you're "perfect" for that... ha". Alright. That's where I end my thought.

My best friend. Responded like that to me. I know I've done the exact same thing before. Maybe I have never ever said it out loud, but I would've said it in my head... Wow. So then I was thinking... ...satan's name is accuser of the brethren... seems like what happened in the tiff sorta was accusing the brethren...

Do you realize that satan doesn't even HAVE to work? That we do his job for him. See he's the accuser, but we accuse. What the heck? I'm just being honest here. And I'm guilty too.. Ha. I'm accusing myself! So whose side are you on anyway?

You know what else, I head this and it was by far the most profound thing ever.
You know there's a story in the bible where Jesus is talking to the religious leaders of His day and they are cleaning their cups [because before meals or anything they had ritual cup cleaning things]. Anyway, Jesus doesn't do it. He skips it and He says to them, "You have a cup that's clean on the outside but on the inside is filthy", then He says they are like tombs on the outside appear beautiful but on the inside are full of dead man's bones. He's basically saying, "Okay you're spiritually dead and you don't even realize it." But here's the clincher. He talks about how they go out and create converts... ...but their converts are TWICE THE SONS OF HELL THAT THEY ARE... Jesus calls them SONS OF HELL. huh. It's like when we go out and try and convert people to obedience instead of relationship. We make a sparkling glass that is absolutely filthy on the inside.

It's like this. Rattlesnakes... the rattle isn't the killer right? So if we go cutting off the rattle it makes them even more dangerous then before. I believe in the same way when we make poor choices, those are just the rattle of a snake. I can make right decisions but still be poisonous. Still harbor sin in my heart. Sin that's more deadly then the disobedience.

It didn't say you love me because you first listened to what I said.
It says you love because I first loved you.
Then it says, if you love me then you'll obey my commands.

We try and bring people from obedience to love.
It's a works mentality, and I dare say that if Jesus were here today He'd be appalled that we're creating double the sons of hell. Me included. What a wake up call church.

ashleyayersman:.

The Voice

Isaiah 56:7 says, "...For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."

And the word of the Lord came forth tonight out of Haggai 2, "Be strong, all you people of the land," declares the Lord, "and work. For I am with you," declares the LORD almighty. So, for everyone who has a heart for KHOP, know that we need to be obedient to His word and work and He is with us. The Lord is raising up and releasing those who are to be a part of the work the Lord has established at KHOP. You will be a planting of the LORD for the display of His spendor, oaks of righteousness. God, I pray you bring in everyone you have destined to be a part of KHOP, not for the sake of KHOP, but for the sake of your glory being revealed to a generation. Bring forth those who are called to this place Lord. Have your way, for this house is your house, and your house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Amen.


Amy

More of you... less of me.

Hm... just hearing those words, I'm like... huh?? I guess this is what is on my mind for now. Isn't it so funny that we say that? It's feels so American. Now don't crucify me for thinking this, but it's just how I feel today. It's like God, none of me, all of you that way I don't have to do anything, and you just do it. It's like healing... well and lots of other stuff... We pray all the time for people who are sick, but Jesus told us to go heal the sick... but then people are like, "Yeah, but we don't heal the sick... He does." [right, He just left that part out.] It's like if we had a boss that told us to go get copy paper, then 15 minutes later he comes back to us and is like, "Hey where's the copy paper??..." and we're like, "Oh boss, wouldest thou goeth into thine closet and getest thine copy paper..." How long would anyone have there job? I dunno.

I suppose that was a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously. We make it so difficult. God says, "Go heal the sick." Yet we try and find someone else to, and then get made when it's not done the way we want. I mean, me too! I'm guilty. But, with the more of you less of me stuff, it's like... hm.... if God didn't want you He wouldn't have made you. Sure I want Him to increase, but I don't need to decrease. When He increases I realize how much He desires me and wants me fully, and then I increase. When I understand what He looks like my confidence automatically increases because we were made in His image.

I love when people, myself included, knock themselves. I do it all the time. It's so infuriating. We're basically kicking Jesus wherever our weakness is. We shouldn't have the ability to demean ourselves. We didn't create us. He created us, and Jesus stood in as a model for the portrait. I know, I know, won't that make us an arrogant people, and totally take away from God and make it all about us??? Well, let's see... you paint a picture... does it glorify the artist if I demean it's colors and value? Probably not so much. Huh.

Anyway, I'm first guilty, so take a number. But that thought is running a million miles in my head. I think I just told someone I'm so stupid, lol, how perfect. But I'm not stupid really. The truth is I'm a daughter of the King, and heir to the throne. I'm amazing and incredible, and can do ALL things. I'm more than a conquerer, and My Dad owns cattle on 1,000 hills. We seriously look at actors and actresses with such awe, and get so starstruck, but in reality the world should be starstruck. We have the King of all Kings as a Father... ...and we're heirs to that same eternal throne. Huh.

Well. I'm done rambling. You get the point.

ashley.ayersman:.

Love of the Lord

Hello to the readers of the KHOP blog!

I am so blessed to be a part of the KHOP family. KHOP genuinely is a house full of people who have a deep love for one another. We are more than just individuals coming to individually worship and individually pray. We are a family meeting with our Father and with our brothers and with our sisters together in unity with one heart and one mind.

One of the biggest burdens on my heart is to pray for the end of abortion. The Lord spoke to me in a dream Friday night 1/2/2009. I am praying that the Lord would reveal more of the meaning and what He is telling me. Here's the dream: I was driving down a four lane highway following another vehicle. (I would have called it a car, but in my dream, it was specifically a vehicle). There were other people in my vehicle with me, but I only could identify one person, Angie F. In the vehicle in front of me were some of the guys that were with our group at the Onething Conference, Travis, Seth, Seth, Joel, and Branden. They had to stop and get fuel. (I would have called it gas, but the word in the dream was fuel). As soon as I had the thought that they are going to fill up, they are already there at the gas station on the other side of the road. All of a sudden I am on the other side of the median, driving down the wrong side of this 4 lane highway trying not to lose sight of them. It was like someone else moved the truck I was driving and once I was on the other side of the median, I was given control of the vehicle again and had to figure out what to do. I turned at the light at a 4 way intersection, still driving on the wrong side of the median. I quickly pulled into a parking lot to wait for them to finish filling up their "vehicle" and also to get off the wrong side of the median. I realize that Misty Edwards is standing on a platform in the corner of this gas station where my friends are getting their "fuel". And she is prophetically singing about the end of abortion. It was a very simple song but powerful. I must've known this in my dream, but I knew that I had some cereal bags that needed to be rolled down and put back into the box because of course, cereal gets stale pretty quick... So, I take the first bag of cereal, roll down the bag, and put it in the box. I think the first cereal was Chex. I take the next box and as soon as I pick it up, I realize the name on the box. This was was very clear: LIFE cereal. So, I roll down the bag to put it back in the box and it won't go back into the box. And so I decided to pour the cereal directly into the box. So, without any hesitation, I started to pour the LIFE cereal back into the box. After pouring out about 1/3 or 1/2 of the rest of it, I realize that the cardboard LIFE box if filled almost to the top with milk and the cereal is floating around in the milk. The milk was not leaking out and the box seemed to be able to contain it just fine. My immediate reaction was to get out a spoon and eat it. Because of course cereal gets soggy just about as soon as you pour milk on it. I remember thinking in my dream, "I don't know if I can eat this much cereal. I don't even know if I'm even hungry..."

I know that God relates to us in ways that we can understand. He knows our memories and what will make sense to each person. It is possible that some of this is just my brain making up a story while I am sleeping, but I do believe that this dream is from the Lord... Maybe just intertwined with some of my memories. The Lord has shown me several things about this dream. It's not co-incidence that Misty Edwards was at a gas station. IHOP provides "fuel" in the spiritual realm for the other "vehicles"... ie. houses of prayer. Some of us need to stop and fill up our spiritual tanks with the fuel of IHOP. IHOP provides places like KHOP fuel in the spirit realm. It's like we were talking about at KHOP last night at the Voice. The body of Christ must run like a well-oiled machine. While one person is interceeding, another is prophecying, and another is ministering to someone through prayer... 1 Cor 12: 4-6 There are different kinds of gifts but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. I believe that as IHOP continually interceeds for the end of abortion, they are providing the "milk" that is necessary for the LIFE "cereal." I don't know if I can put words exactly on what the Lord is showing me, but I can see that the more the body of Christ enters the presence of the Lord, the more we will run like a well-oil machine. We don't have to be at the same house of prayer in order to run well together. If we are each doing our part, then we will run together as a well-oiled machine and it will flow smoothly.

I have been asking the Lord to give me insight into more of the abortion issue since He was so clearly speaking to me about LIFE in my dream. I spent several hours praying. I think I only got a glimpse, but the Lord let me feel how He feels every time a baby is aborted. I was so overcome with pain. It pierced me so deeply that I will never forget it. He said to me, Who are you, o Man, that you should end a life as a matter of convenience? When did you become like Me, deciding who lives or dies? After I was done crying because of he pain, the Lord spoke to me about the 50 million babies who have been aborted. He said that these are 50 million warriors. He is preparing them for His return. I had this huge wave of peace and joy washing over me as He revealed to me how the devil thinks he has just wiped these people off the planet, but God in His infinite wisdom is going to use these babies (made into warriors) to make war against the devil/Anti-christ in the end times.

This was heavy on my mind and on my heart all week. As I went into my set on Friday, I was still overcome with the need to pray for the end of abortion, still seeking the Lord to reveal more of the meaning of this dream He gave me, and just in awe of the Lord God Almighty. I still had this huge pain in my spirit, but I just keep singing and playing forth the love and mercy of the Lord. He loves us, even when we end the lives of our babies. Don't take me wrong, He must avenge innocent blood, but He so wants us to repent and turn to Him. He loves us so much. I was just overcome with the Love of the Lord and the love He has for His children. I couldn't really sing of anything else, but the love of the Lord for His children. (And of course, pray, GOD END ABORTION!)

~Blessings, Amy

Go Get Your Own

Matthew 25:1-13

"At that time the Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.

The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.

The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.

The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'

'No,' they replied, ' there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'

But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

We have counted the cost and found Him, our Jesus, to be worthy. Our prayer is that He would make us ready, and that more and more people would come to see how worthy He is.

The oil is His spirit, the cost is our time. The main thing is... we have to buy now, not later. Not tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or next year. Now is the time to immerse ourselves in the depths of God, in His WORD and in following Him along the narrow path.

The thing about a lover is that they want us to themselves, with no one else around. It really is time to know Jesus in the secret places. Quiet down your life, spent time.... hours if needed. Know the Bible for yourself and not just from what you've heard. Spend yourself and buy Him! He is WORTH every sacrifice and every lonely hour. He is worth it, and we are buying oil. Plus, the handy thing is~ a) Time with Him will make us more pleasant to be around b) Time with Him will make us better lovers of people who don't deserve it, but who really, really need it.

I know it sounds weird, but when we spend time with Him, we become more like Him! I know, crazy!!!

So... time to stop being satisfied with just listening to sermons about it, reading about it, going to conferences so we can be encouraged to do it, it's time to stop just talking about it, singing about it, blogging about it.... it's time to DO it!!!!

So, go get your own oil.... you can't have mine! : )

~Jill

Amazing Grace...

I was sitting pondering... Grace.. what the heck is it really?? I mean people say it's the unmerited favor of the Lord, others say it enables us to overcome... Is that all?? I was just thinking the song... Amazing Grace... how sweet the... SOUND... there's a sound of Grace?? What does this sound do... SAVES A WRETCH LIKE ME. Huh. So, Grace is something that is released that brings about a "SOZO" moment. A saved, healed, and delivered moment. Not just a point of salvation. Not just a point of overcoming sin, but an opportunity to enter into communion and unity with the Lord. I mean, before we were saved we were apart from God... right??

Sean Monaghan a friend of mine that goes to FSM and I spoke very briefly during the conference about this concept. I completely agree with him, and it's at this very moment that the Lord is completely highlighting it and bringing understanding to my mind. Sean was saying perhaps we undermine grace by making it just about sin. I agree. Much of what I know of grace always has to do with overcoming sin, but it's so much more than that. I don't think we understand fully. I would be very tempted at this point to say that Grace is the very Blood of Jesus spilled out. It was blood that bought us and redeemed us, yes, but more than that it brings us into His likeness and into His kingdom; forever!

I'm sure this is a lot like rambling, but it's just on my mind right now.

I just want to know grace. Once I felt it really strong, it was almost like grace was a person.. it was like the person of grace walked into the room... ...I don't know if that is scriptural or not, but it's literally what I felt. I want to know intimately, grace.

Then I want to figure out what the sound of salvation, the sound of SOZO is. Amazing grace how sweet the sound.... wow.... if we could somehow release that sound do you think that everyone in a radius of where we are would fall down and confess Him as Lord? Do you think it would bring about utter conviction, yet peace and life? I dunno. But I want to.

ashley.ayersman:.

Who I Am

IDENTITY THEFT is such a major problem in our society right now. There are billions of dollars stolen, moved, or robbed from people and businessess every year. Some people are innocent to these schemes of wickedness and are helpless as their credit and families are damaged, sometimes indefinetely. Could this be a sign as of what is happening in the natural is happening in the spiritual? I believe so.... Let me explain.

Jesus said in Matthew 20:16 " Many are called, but few are chosen "... God calls many people to His name and many respond! Along the way it seems as though people are "snatched/decieved/discouraged/distracted " away from the faith. Could there be an IDENTITY CRISIS ? I believe many have forgotten who they are.

We are new creatures, fully-loved by an eternal God who is jealous for us with a Zeal of Passion and Love. Song of Solomon says that "I am my beloved's and He is mine" and 1st Peter says we are a "Chosen Generation, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation, His own special people"!

But we are told by a modern secular culture that we are so many other things and the enemy and the world have stolen the truth of our identity and has left us broken and forgotten. Our identity is NOT our failures. Our identity is NOT found in our jobs! Or our Families and Possessions.

I am who God My Father says who I am! I am His Son and I am a Bride to be. Jesus my bridegroom husband. How can i SUSTAIN this belief in my life so that I can be found as an "Overcomer" that Jesus exhorts to be in Revelation? By cultivating a life of Prayer and Fasting and being steadfast unto the end. I tell you there is no other way with the challenges that lie ahead. We must purposefully set out to build our relationship with Jesus today. God is raising up Houses Of Prayer to answer the crisis in our day. What is my identity? Who am I? I tell you that I know who I am. I am a bride. I am a lover. I am found in Jesus. Amen.

Peace and Love,

Nate Shortell