From the Muck to the Mighty; My Journey with Jesus

  I'm not one to shout warfare all the time, but these last few weeks have been the most interesting I've experienced in a while. I've been having dreams at a rate more frequently than normal for me. Usually, I'm a vision person. I'll see or experience things as I am awake. Lately it's been more dreams, more quiet revelation in the word and more shaking. The Lord is really shaking me up these last few days, to a point that has made me very uncomfortable with where I am in life. There is a shaking going on, and things are falling away.  In this dream, I was in a large church. It was worn down but beautiful. It reminded me of an old high school auditorium. I was lining up chairs in the front row on the left side facing the stage. The chairs were spread apart and out of order. One by one, I lined them up and connected them together. There was one chair that was set to the side. It was in the isle and had not been used in a very long time. One of the legs was bent, ...

The Lord spoke strongly to me today “Stop putting on dirty clothes, Ash” as I was getting out of the shower and wanted to grab my cozy t shirt. I had just worn it for a bit and taken off to shower. It wasn’t filthy, I hadn’t worn it for long but those words felt convicting. So I grabbed my towel, tossed that shirt in the wash and went to put something new on.  Then the Lord put it on my heart that putting on dirty clothes is exactly what many of us do every day. We go to church, we worship, we pray, we may even go up to the altar call and lay down on our faces before the Lord. We cry out for revival, for a fresh fire, for His presence and we walk right out of that church and right back into our mess. I know, I did it for years. It’s time to stop.  It’s time to stop the old ways, to stop putting on your dirty clothes. Yes it may seem familiar, comfortable and like it’s fits just right, like it’s worn in just for you; but it’s smelly, it’s stained with the past and the Lord desi...

  There is a call to action detailed in the scriptures that I can't seem to shake from my mind. I truly believe this lack of action we see in today's world, is one of the biggest problems we face. We are in the times of Bible prophecy coming to fulfillment. Look At Matthew 24:32-34 “32 From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” In Scripture, the fig tree is symbolic of the nation of Israel. I believe the tender branch and leaves coming forth are a reference to Israel’s rebirth and the reacquisition of the city of Jerusalem. Israel became a nation again in 1948, but it did not retake Jerusalem until 1967. So, when it says that the generation that “shall see all these things,” is it talking about the nation’s rebirth...

 I’ve been struggling to write this past week. Struggling to be myself. Struggling to catch my breath. I’ve felt out of my comfort zone quite a bit. I’ve been trying to put my head on straight and trying to take the emotion out of life. To be sensible, make good decisions and stay on the right path. The one the Lord has for me.  Yet every time I take a giant step forward the enemy comes clawing at me trying to drag me back. Trying to cause insecurity to rise up, filing my head with thoughts of doubt. Plaguing my plans with sickness, unexpected costs, and throwing a wrench right into the wheel I had spinning so perfectly, or so I thought. So here I am needing to practice what I preach. Needing to spend more time in the word and less time in the world pondering the what if’s of every decision I’ve ever made. Growth is painful, change is scary, even when you know it’s for the best. You can see the good in the future but it means loosing the comfort of control and the security of ...

  The Lord spoke something very plain to me during the prayer meeting at church last night. "Offense, Ash". I saw a vision of a soccer field with the Lord as the goalie.  I was standing on the field with a team standing in position, but being still. As if they were standing idle waiting for someone to kick them the ball. Across the field, I saw an opposing team handling the ball. I wanted to rush at them, but I felt the urge to stay back with my team. I was confused as to why we were standing still just waiting for the opposition to rush us before we act. I wanted to be in the action. I wanted to move! The funny thing was that they weren't even rushing us or trying to score. They were acting as if we didn't exist. Then I saw a third team that appeared on that far side of the field. All of a sudden there was game play, but we weren't included. The two teams at the end of the field were in an all out brawl, while still acting like we weren't even there. "It...

  Are you prepared for anything? There have been two things the Lord has been working on in my heart over the last few years. One has been patience and the other has been to be led by spirit at all costs. Especially when it makes your flesh uncomfortable. Today I want to talk about being led by the Spirit at the cost of our flesh.  Jesus was mocked, tortured, and hung on a cross to die. Yet many Christians won’t step out of their comfort zones to obtain the freedom He died for. We won’t go up for altar call. We won’t lay our problems at His feet. We will bottle everything up, enjoy that 20 minute sermon and struggle internally for another week. We are afraid of what others will think of us. We are afraid that we will be judged for our sin, for our struggles, for being weak. We are afraid to admit that we need help. So we struggle. Month after month, year after year, slowly dying inside with the enemy’s poison contaminating our souls and seeping into our every day life.  W...