The most ignored commandment

Check out this interesting article.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/most-ignored-commandment

This article is good, EXCEPT, for the flawed ideology that “God walks out once a week to meet with us”.
It is this mindset alone that is the foundation of a “pew sitter Christian”, verses a child of God who knows their Papa God intimately because of their constant daily connection and interaction. This article definitely brings to light the lack of desire people have of meeting together corporately, which is one of the most encouraging things I get to do all week. “Just one of us can put a thousand to flight, but two of us can send legions fleeing” its not only about fulfilling our “duty” of a commandant. In the New Testament laws are written on our hearts. It is taking a legalistic rule and transforming it into a desire of the heart. David said in Psalms, “obedience is better than sacrifice”. The Lord looks at the heart. He wants relationship with us, not just rules. But if you have an extended family who you love to be with, would you rather, know they are out there living or come together for a feast and party? That is what church is like when you are apart of the one God calls you to. Sabbath is to many just going to church. If this is your mindset, than we need to see that God wants to dwell with us every second of every day. Church is the time we gather all we have received from God during the week and thank Him corporately, worshipping Him giving Him praise for all He has done and all He is doing. We enter into times of intercession for others and our world. We train our children in the ways of the Lord and provide time for them to learn how to walk in their spiritual gifts.

For the medical side, sure rest is important. But it is not the most important reason. People in other parts of the country walk for miles to get to their gathering times. The church/ Christians in the West & Europe are going to face a wake-up call very soon which will prove where their loyalty lies. I only pray they understand the importance of developing an intimate relationship with the creator so they know how to lean on him when times get hard. It’s possible we could soon be in a place where we do not have the freedom anymore to worship as we choose.

IMG_3674

Allow Him to Love You

In the insanity of life, at times all it takes is to quiet ourselves down for a couple minutes and allow Papa God to love on us. To be honest, it takes effort when your mind is filled with everything you need to do. But it transformed me this afternoon. I started listening to The Fish Christian Radio and every song that came on was a worship song that melted my heart.

The picture below was drawn for me a couple years ago from a lady at church. She drew it as I was exhorting the church about the flood of Love that God wants to release upon them. It just takes them to let go of the hurts and pain that they are clinging to and allow God to love them. The artist gave it to me and said she saw this picture as I was sharing. She said that just as I was encouraging the church, that God was cherishing me.

This picture has become one of my prize possessions. Allow Papa God to love on you today. Take a few minutes to focus on Him, listen to some worship music and feel your spirit come alive again. He is already waiting to hug you and love on you. He is already speaking to you. Stop. Wait. Listen. He will never let you down!!

IMG_3661

Heaven brought to earth: the Sunday I will never forget!

(Facebook Post August 10th 2014)

Today I experienced something I haven’t experienced in 19 years, since Renewal hit in ’94-95. It took place while listening to my dad speak part two of his message, For Zion’s Sake. (Click the link to listen to both of these timely and important messages about Israel and the Middle East)It was an in depth teaching on Gods love for Arabs and Jews and why God is not done with either of them. Something deep inside of me cried out during our prayer time. An intercession that you can’t produce or cause to happen. Such a burden for those persecuted all over the world for the name of Christ. I had the video and pictures in my mind of Arabs in Iraq being slaughtered, young and old. An intercession crying out for mercy, protection and justice.

During the message I could feel a host on Angels all around. Then as my dad shared miracle after miracle of what God has done to protect and defend the land of Israel, I saw and heard a massive group of angels watching and cheering on what was being shared like they were watching a sports game. They were high 5’ing each other and laughing and cheering saying, “remember when we did that!”. They were cheering on my dad Joel Hjertstedt as he was speaking.

Then as he started reading
Ephesians 2:11-22 I saw Jesus get off of the throne and lay prostrate on top of the glass ceiling over us. He began to weep and blow His breath down into us. He was so grateful about what was being shared. He was also weeping for the friends he grew up with on Earth who did not recognize who he was. He was crying out for the Jews whose eyes need to be open to see that He is their messiah. He was blowing and fanning our hearts to burn for him and to burn with passion for the land of Israel and also for the Arabs which he blessed also through Abraham.

He told me that there are some who are wondering why the pastor was talking about Israel like this. And Jesus said it is because it is a part of our mandate, not only our pastor’s mandate, but the mandate of the church. It is part of our mission on earth to share this with the body of Christ so their eyes will be open to reach out and accept with open arms the Jews and Arabs who will be coming to Him by the millions!

When Pastor Ken was prophesying over my dad, God told me those words were over me as well. Israel and our families connection to it is part of my heritage and destiny. I know I will be back, God spoke very clearly when we visited in 1995. We were leaving for the airport and I was weeping in the car because I did not want to leave the land. I was only a Jr in High School so there was no option. But I told God I didn’t want to leave unless I knew I was coming back some day. I turned and looked out the window and saw the hugest brightest rainbow I had ever. There is something about seeing a rainbow in Israel that brings it’s meaning of a promise a little close to home.

The heavy weighty glory and the “tipsy” filling of the Holy Spirit lasted over an house after the service, marked me in a deep deep way. A woman came up to me right after the service and told me she has been trying to share with her friends back in Japan what is taking place in the Middle East, and was so discouraged because they wouldn’t respond to her at all. She felt ignored , haha, but God had a very powerful word or her that I was barely able to speak out at that time because of the heavy weighty glory.

What a day!!!! Just the beginning!

Here is the verse that I saw Jesus come off of his throne for :

Ephesians 2:11-22 “Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‘uncircumcised’ by those who call themselves ‘the circumcision’ which is done in the body by human hands – remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.