"Enlarge your tents"

In the last several months, God has been whispering into my spirit, "Enlarge your tents" (NIV).  I feel such hope and promise of blessing, even though I am overwhelmed in the midst of it. :)  Here is what God is speaking to my spirit... 

“Sing, O childless woman,
    you who have never given birth!
Break into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem,
    you who have never been in labor.
For the desolate woman now has more children
    than the woman who lives with her husband,”
    says the Lord.
² “Enlarge your house; build an addition.
    Spread out your home, and spare no expense!
³ For you will soon be bursting at the seams.
    Your descendants will occupy other nations
    and resettle the ruined cities. 
(Isaiah 54:1-3, NLT)

I see so many believers living under very small tents, surrounded by desert lands, or barrenness.  God sees our hearts and understands the vastness of our pain, our dusty fields of barren land that we cover up and keep hidden from the outside world, but they lay bare before the eyes of God.  God looks upon us with hearts of compassion and everlasting love!  He longs to pour His abundant life into our meagre tents and rain His grace on our barren lands to bring forth a bountiful harvest in His Spirit!!!  

He says, "My children are blessed and highly favoured!!"  He says, "Enlarge your tents!!  Stretch your curtains wide!!  Open your heart and your arms, hold nothing back!!  Lengthen your cords, prepare for more of My blessing!! As your cords stretch wider, your stakes go deeper, being rooted and grounded in love, all of your trust in Me!!" (some paraphrase, some NIV)

What does it mean to be blessed in the Lord?  Have you tasted the eternal life of God our Father, handed down to those who believe?  Have you eaten at His table and tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord?  1 Tim 6:13 (and somewhere in Jeremiah I can't presently find!) says God gives life to everything.  If you sow into the life of the Spirit, it is a spiritual principle that you will reap a harvest.  A harvest of what?  of more life in the Spirit!! :)  This is what the Scriptures mean when they say, For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. (Matt 13:12)

Where are your fields of barrenness?  Is God asking you to enlarge your tent/house?  Are you sowing into the life of the Spirit in order to reap an abundant harvest of more life, more of Him, more of His Presence and glory to bear witness to the world around you? 

May God enlarge our tents and fill us with more of Himself that He might be seen and known and glorified in the world around us!!! 

"Fortress of Peace" by Natasha Erskine

The Lord has recently released me to write some new music and explore the ministry of His Spirit in prophetic worship...  He's been ministering to me with these lyrics I started writing several weeks ago.  They don't feel finished yet and this is just a portion of he song, but I felt a strong desire to share them:

(After the crying out of a child under a heavy load, the Lord gently responds...)

Child of mine, seek me and find
Try me and see, find peace in Christ
Let this world go and seek after me
and the kingdom of my love
Take hold now of me...
Lay your burdens down!  Lay your burdens down!

(After the child again crying out, unable to shake the heavy load...) - this part is really soulful :)

Child of mine, open your eyes!
The dead things have passed
Find new life in Christ
All that I am, I've opened my hand!
There's no hindrance than to keep you from rest...
Lay your burdens down!  Lay your burdens down!


Find rest in my fortress of peace!!!

The war is raging, but the battle is won!

For His own purposes, God has gifted and called me for spiritual warfare, (which in my books, goes hand in hand with worship).  In the natural, I typically feel weak and shy, but in my spirit, often many adventures are taking place... Recently God gave me a vision concerning my enemy. He spoke to me concerning the "angel of light" here in North America.  I have planted my feet in a stance of opposition against the strongman, the spirit of religion, that deceptively clothes the bride of Christ in dirty rags instead robes of righteousness (Zech 3-4).  


In my vision, I saw many innocent worshippers, praising God in their churches.  From their perspective everything seemed normal, but the view from heaven showed something quite different.  Instead of worshipping in Spirit and in truth, a cloak of darkness had covered their praise.  The "angel of light" had moved in and deceived many into thinking he was God.  So the worshippers were worshipping under the spirit of religion, the strongman over North America, one of the prominent false gods of our culture.


It looks normal when we look with our natural eyes, but in the Spirit, the overwhelming darkness of our day is quite evident.  But let's not despair!!  Where can we go from His Spirit?  Where can we hide from His Presence?  To God, the night shines as bright as day.  Darkness and light are the same to Him. (Psalm 139:7,12)


The more I am awakened to God's Spirit, the more I am aware of the deception in His church.  The more my eyes are opened to the guilt, shame, condemnation, striving, and endless lies that are cloaked around the neck of God's beloved Bride, the more His Spirit stirs up in me to call upon the worshippers, put off the yoke of slavery and let us worship boldly, before the gods (Ps 138:1), in spirit and in truth, for these are the worshippers the Father seeks (Jn 4)! and He will make us bold with strength in our soul (Ps 138:1).