The Spirit of Offense Released and the Spirit of Elijah Released

July 20, 2001

To God's People positioned all around the nations:

MALACHI: SPIRITUAL PARALLEL

The Holy Spirit has directed my attention to the book of Malachi  and as I
pondered upon the words spoken by the Lord to the prophet. I began to
perceive events with parallel  significance  taking place in our midst this
season.

PLEASE TEST THE WORD

As I share these impressions, I pray for a release  of God's wisdom to
abound in each one. May our hearts be filled with awe and amazement at the
greatness of our God who never leave His people alone but as He has
promised, He does not do anything without revealing these to us,  His
people.


A LOOK BACK  FROM HISTORY: [ MALACHI 3:13-17; 4:5 - 6]

" You have said harsh things against me," says the Lord.

" Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?'

" You have said, ' It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying
out his requirements and going about like a mourners before the Lord
Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers
prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.' "

Then those who feard the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened
and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning
those who feard the Lord and honored his name.

"They will be mine," says the Lord Almighty, "in the day when I make up my
treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares
his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the
righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."

" See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day
of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and
strike the land with a curse."

TODAY'S SPIRITUAL LANDSCAPES

The Lord began to direct my attention to a particular phenomenon which is
taking place in our midst.  We seem to be ascending  a peak or reaching
a crescendo if we were watching a  play or listening to an orchestra
playing.

In every area that affects and influence our lives, may it be  in sports,
science, technology, medical research, business , education,   recreation
and even ministry. There seem to be a race to break the limit of human
endurance and a  determination to be setting something  new.

These forces that drives and motivates us to move in this directions are
not wrong by themselves,   but if we are not discernful, we might end up
building  many modern  day version of the "towel of Babel"

Even in the realm  of the supernatural  and paranormal. Things that many
believers  perceived as demonic in origin has  invaded  our homes in
greater intensity and with greater force. Through  the various avenues that
it offers, all of us from the youngest to the oldest, believers and
non-believers alike  are perpetually bombarded with endless sounds and
images that
pass through our midst  through media and print, through sound &  music,
even through our  children's  toys, books and games.

If today it may appear  like  the  enemy holds the upper hand.  THIS WILL
NOT LAST LONG. THIS IS AN ILLUSION THAT THE ENEMY
WANTS US TO SEE AND BELIEVE . But our God is breaking that bubble and the
day is coming when that position will be taken over by the children of God.
(Malachi 4:3)


TOWARDS A SHOWDOWN WITH GOD

We understood as we read  the word of God and saw how God dealt with this
matter in the past generations,  that He will not tolerate all these and
allow it to go unabated, but there will come a day of judgment and
reckoning. (Malachi 4:1)

SEALING OF GOD'S PEOPLE

As promised to the prophet Malachi, there is  now a sealing that is taking
place
in the heavenlies. God is sealing His own and will be  sparing them as He
did the
children of Isreal during Moses's time.  Once more the world will see how
the Lord will deal with those who serve Him and those who do not. (Malachi
3:17-18)

NOT JUST SEALED BUT CHOSEN TO SHINE


The day will come when God's miracles and favors being exhibited in the
lives
of  His people will be the center of every talk and the subject of  every
person's lips

HEIGHTENED BATTLES

As that day draws nearer, the power that is being unleased against the
church become stronger. What is coming against us today are no longer
carried out solely  by foot soldiers or those from lower ranks but we are
fighting principalities holding territorial titles, majors and generals in
the heavenly realms.

Our God does not want us to be ignorant of the enemy's scheme. Like Daniel,
our Heavenly Father want us to be assured that the first day that we set
our mind to gain understanding and we humbled ourselves before Him. He heard
us and have send His angels to come to our aid in response to our prayers.
(Daniel 10:12)

TAKING PLACE  IN OUR MIDST

Two areas was brought to my attention so I
felt very strongly that these are the areas that are coming under heavy
attack this season.

I heard in my spirit these words. " A  spirit of offence has been unleased
against my people ."

DISTRUSTING GOD

The enemy will bring many matters into our attention and he will used
people's actions, words, situations  to bring offence to our heart. His goal
is to build up resentment in our hearts,  to  make us question God's
faithfulness and take  lightly and ignore the  value and meaning of our
service and sacrifice
to God. (Malachi 3:14-15)

This is what we must be guarding against carefully. It is not a sin  to have
these  feelings, but we must be careful how we respond to them. We must not
suppress them , or  ignore them hoping they will just go away  or pretend
that they don't exists. Instead we must quickly confess them and allow the
Lord to wash away the stings that it has  inflicted to our hearts.

PRODIGAL SON ELDER BROTHER SYMDROME

We must be careful that we don't developed the " heart attitude" of the
prodigal son's elder brother.Outwardly he was serving his father, but
inwardly he was so full of resentment.

WAY TO OVERCOME

God is challenging us  to clothes ourselves with the anointing and mantle of
Elijah which is a ministry of reconciliation. (Malachi 4:5-6)

People who walk under that anointing will seek to become ministers of
reconciliation. This does not mean that we do nothing in the face of
injustice or wrong doing directed against us. But the heart of everything we
do should be directed toward releasing blessings to the offenders, forgiving
them from our heart and not to be resentful when we see them being prospered
ahead of us even when we felt that they don't deserve it.

THE EXAMPLE OF DAVID AND ABRAHAM

The Lord is molding in our lives the virtues which David exibited towards
Saul and the generosity which Abraham extended to Lot.

Beyond molding us, our obedience serves another purpose in spiritual
warfare. We are  weakening   the power of the enemy , and   reclaiming   the
territories that it illegally usurped and plundering it's treasures .

HIGHTENED SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES

There  will also  be  a greater flow in our ability to hear God speak to us.

Parellel to this however,  some of us will  also experience physical
backlash . This  will come to us in various forms of ailments  like
headache, throbbing in the head, sudden weakness and  tiredness of body,
drowsiness at very
unusual hours, depressive thoughts and  mood swings and many other physical
symptoms.

BE WISE

We have to be discernful  and wise , not ignoring these symtoms and not to
hesitate in seeking   medical attention   to
help alleviate the
symtoms. Taking these actions are not  signs of  lack of faith or weakness
of character  but rather they are  an exercise of wisdom and  prudence.

When nothing  medically will  seem to help us and when you feel  in your
hearts God  speaking and assuring you about the spiritual roots of these.
Then  stand strong and press in the battle fully assured of the covering of
God. He will carry you in His wings and covered you under His pinions. He
will cause your feet to be like the  feet of a deer enabling you to go on
the heights. (Malachi 4:2)

OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL AND HE IS WITH US.

Blessings,

Sis. Ching Co
Cebu City
Philippines

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