Aug 10, '08 5:25 PM

Howdee, Howdee!

And a great gettin' up mornin' to you, this best day of your life!

Well, we sort of finished up our series on Miracles for the time being, but this one is too good to wait.  As I shared in our last Coffee Break, Della and I went to Red Deer, Alberta for a week to be in a prophetic conference hosted by Frontline Worship Center (from Sylvan Lake, Alberta).

Paul Keith Davis, Steven Shelley and Neville Johnson were the featured speakers.  Last Sunday morning, in the wee hours of the morning, Neville was awakened to see a large angel standing at the foot of his bed, adorned in precious stones of every kind, shape and flavor.  The angel said to Neville, "I'm sent by the Lord to release people into their destiny."

OK.  Neville has seen plenty of angels in his lifetime, but this was a bit different.  (You may have heard of a series of events in which angels have dropped gemstones into the hands, the laps, and/or the homes of various people during the past months, and there certainly has been a lot of controversy surrounding it.  Some folks have questioned why such things would take place with gemstones that no one can sell or use practically monetarily, and we will deal with this question.)  

Anyway, during the Sunday morning gathering as Neville was sharing, an angel of the Lord dropped what for all intents and purposes appeared to be a brilliant emerald (the size was roughly an eighth of a carat -- Della's estimation by description) into Mary Ellen's lap.  Mary Ellen, of course, is our longtime sister in the Lord, among our closest of friends, and a continuous participant in the worship at River Worship Center -- mostly through telephonic speakerphones.  In some of the Coffee Breaks on miracles, some of the miracles that happened to me personally took place at her home in Red Deer a couple of months ago.

You'd have to know what Mary Ellen has been going through over the past years to appreciate the full significance of this event, but suffice it to say it lit her fire!  We've been hearing about these kinds of things happening in other places, but never personally experienced it.  For this to happen to Mary Ellen was spectacular.  It was an unusual prophetic confirmation of some specific promises God has made to her -- and a confirmation in the form of something tangible, as well as being illustrative of John's description of the Bride of Christ in Revelation.

Bob Bartow is a longtime friend and brother in the Lord who lives in Spokane.  He is an anointed keyboardist who was with us constantly during the five or six years we gathered together for spontaneous worship at Trails' End in Post Falls, Idaho.  In the years since, Bob has become a prophetic artist and photographer.  (His artwork graces the covers of most of our worship CD's.)  I've said all that to say that Bob has taken some photos of a number of these precious stones that have been given to various people through angelic visitations.  He was sitting right next to Mary Ellen when the angel dropped the precious stone in her lap.  I've asked him to email some of his photos to me, and when I get them, I'll pass them along for your viewing.

All we could say was, WOW!  Della recommended that Mary Ellen have a pendant made that she can wear around her neck as a constant reminder of this supernatural visitation.

All right.  Time for us to get back to our discussion.  Let's see if we can wrap up this picture of the Spirit of Poverty and Avarice today.

Oh, and Hey!  Don't forget to pour yourself a nice steaming cup of some dark brew.  Robert brought us an Expresso machine, so I've made a triple-shot Americano to kick this day off.  (When we were in Canada last week, the Expresso shop in Red Deer referred to the drink as a "Canadiana."  To each his own.)

The Holy Spirit has continued to download more revelation concerning this Spirit of Poverty, so let's add to the growing list of identifying characteristics.

24.  The Spirit of Poverty promotes a genetically altered Bible.  That may sound really strange to you, so let me explain.

All of the so-called "Christian" religions get their origins in the genetic alteration of the Word of God.  When I say "genetic," I'm referring to the fact that the Word of God has its genesis and origins in God Himself.  Any statement or doctrine which takes away from, alters or modifies in any way the truth of God's Word in such a way as to prevent God's people from believing and trusting and acting upon the Word is a contamination of God's DNA in His Word.

The Spirit of Poverty deliberately alters the genesis of God's promises of abundance and prosperity for His people.  It contaminates the Word and twists it to make folks question whether or not they really have access to those promises.  The questioning results in doctrines that promote poverty instead of prosperity.  Many of these doctrines make statements that diametrically oppose God's promises, relegating them to the past and eliminating them from present applicability.

There's another aspect of this contamination and genetic alteration that goes hand-in-hand.

25.  The Spirit of Poverty stands against and in specific opposition to the Blessing of Abraham.  It cheapens the importance of the Blessing and renders it of little consequence to the one infected and contaminated by this spirit.

The perfect example of this is found in Genesis 25 and 27 where Esau cares little for his birthright and freely surrenders it to his brother, Jacob, in exchange for a meal of bread, pottage (or stew) and lentils.  The Hebrew term used in Genesis 25:34 where it says that "Esau despised his birthright," is bazah (which the KJV renders "despised.")  William Gesenius, in his Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, defines bazah as: to disesteem, to scorn, to disdain, to think contemptible.

Pretty telling, isn't it?  Esau comes in weary and hungry from a hunting trip, sees and smells the wonderful dinner Jacob has been working on.  (Sounds like Jacob must have been a pretty good chef, doesn't it?)  When he asks Jacob for a plate, Jacob quickly asks for something that -- under ordinary circumstances -- no one in their right mind would even consider: Esau's birthright as the firstborn son.

Yet, Esau freely and readily surrenders that right in exchange for something that would satisfy his stomach for nothing more than minutes or hours at best.

With the birthright came the traditional right to receive the principal blessing of the father.  Jacob, of course, knew that his father, Isaac, would never agree to the bargain he made with Esau so that he would have first chance for the Blessing -- which was, in fact, the Blessing of Abraham.  Most of you already know the story of Jacob's connivance with his mother, and how they deceived Isaac together to ensure that Jacob would receive what he had bargained for.

The point of this is that Esau was contaminated with the Spirit of Poverty.  Because that spirit had genetically altered the whole picture of the Blessing and its spiritual importance within him, Esau couldn't give a rip.  He freely and gladly traded the right away.

26.  The Spirit of Poverty creates a servant mentality, robbing God's people of their status as sons and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.  Right along with #24, this spirit delights in generating a "feel-good" attitude about being a servant and getting involved (often to the point of exhaustion) in doing lots of good works.

At the same time, it hides and camouflages the fact that Jesus has raised us above the status of servants to Sonship and being joint-heirs with Him.  Let's see.  What was it that Jesus said?

Oh yeah!  "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."  (John 15:14-15)

Big difference, isn't it?

27.  This may seem redundant to some of what has already been shared, but let me state it like this.  The Spirit of Poverty causes us to listen to -- AND BELIEVE -- what Satan says about us.  Remember #16?  Let's not forget that Satan (his name -- Satanas, in the Greek -- means: the accuser) is the master accuser.  If what we hear from him or any of his demons belittles, demeans, insults, and castigates us, our abilities, and our character and personality, it ought to be a clue that we need to reject EVERYTHING that demeans, belittles and insults us.

God doesn't choose anyone because of their skills or their abilities.  In fact, He more often chooses folks who completely lack ability, and then supernaturally empowers them for whatever task (or tasks) He sets before them.  God chooses people to do things and anoints and commissions them based on their willingness to respond to His voice and their obedience to His heart's desire.

The Spirit of Poverty causes us to feel unworthy to respond to God by demeaning us and criticizing our character, our makeup, our personality and/or our skills and abilities.

28.  The Spirit of Poverty dams up the free flow of the Holy Spirit in a believer.  This spirit, as you can easily see already, opposes freedom and liberty -- and the power, the authority, and the boldness that come with that freedom -- because of the threat to its existence.

The apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, said, "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."  (II Corinthians 3:17)  Right!  And no Spirit of Poverty wants Him around.

29.  Right along with #28, the Spirit of Poverty causes people to reject the supernatural and question visitations from the Lord, dreams, visions and angelic appearances.  The realm of the divine supernatural brings with it an awe-inspiring presence of the Lord.  If the angel of the Lord appears to a person, there is a radiant sense of the glory of God.  If a person sees unusual signs and wonders being demonstrated by the Holy Spirit, a breaking in oneself of bondage and restraints from Satan almost always takes place.  When those restraints are lifted and broken off, the freed individual becomes a threat to Satan and his domain.

30.  The Spirit of Poverty is the father of the Spirit of Debt.  This probably needs some clarification, so let me put it this way.  The Spirit of Debt wants to keep folks in debt so they have no liberty to give as God directs.  How many times have you felt prompted to give to meet someone's need, and just had no ability to do so because your available income was tied to make payments on your credit cards, your cars, your home, your furniture, or something else?

Get it?  The Spirit of Debt deliberately drives you deeper and deeper into debt so as to prevent you from fulfilling your giving mandate from the Lord.  The Spirit of Poverty and Avarice, working hand in hand with the Spirit of Debt, entice and compel you to buy things you really can't afford, or live a lifestyle that supposedly causes you to keep up with today's "standard of living" -- and that standard is purely artificial.  That standard is driven by the King of Babylon -- NOT the Holy Spirit.

It is the Spirit of Poverty and Avarice, working with the Spirit of Debt, that drives people into bankruptcy.  I speak this not from theory, but from personal experience.  I've been there -- and folks, I'm NOT going back!

As we have already said in this series of Coffee Breaks, we don't work for a living: we work for a giving!  The apostle Paul put it like this in his letter to the Ekklesia in Ephesus: "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."  (Ephesians 4:28)

I'm already running longer in today's Coffee Break than I intended, and I'm not going to get to the picture of the Blessing of Abraham in this discussion, but let me make some final comments concerning this statement by Paul.

The Spirit of Poverty drives people into debt.  The Spirit of Debt enforces that driving.  People make commitments they can't keep.  They begin to fall behind on their monthly payments.  The more they labor to get out of debt, the "behinder" they get!  Their integrity and honor go out the door.  Their reputation and credit-worthiness are ruined.  Their name gets besmirched.

When they discover they have lost their credit-worthiness and borrowing power, many folks are driven to changing their names, their identities, their homes -- and more -- fleeing in an effort to avoid the debt-collector.  Essentially, they become thieves and liars.  When the pressure reaches a certain level, some file for bankruptcy protection, some go to elaborate methods to change their identities and start all over again (being driven by the Spirit of Poverty and Avarice), and a few just quit on life in general and commit suicide.

That, my friends, is exactly what this demonic spirit is seeking to do.  Jesus put it best.  "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

The Economy of God's Kingdom is designed to bring God's people to abundant living and deliver them from this Babylonian system of greed, avarice and debt.  Kingdom Economics are the economics of freedom -- the freedom to live and give, the freedom to trust God entirely as your source, freedom from the need to work for a living, freedom to cast all your cares, your worries and your frustrations on the Lord Jesus Christ, and the freedom to live prosperously and richly without having debt and poverty and avarice hanging over your head as a continuous "Sword of Damocles."

In our next Coffee Break, we'll dive into the Blessing of Abraham and identify the reasons why the economy of God's Kingdom uses Abraham and the blessing of the Lord he received as its hallmark.

Poverty is a form of Hell caused by man's blindness to God's unlimited good (and blessing) for him.  God's plan for man is the prosperity that comes by living in divine favor.  Living in divine favor is the product of direct and committed -- covenanted -- obedience to Him and His Word!

The Blessing of the Lord: it makes rich and He adds no painful toil and sorrow!  (Proverbs 10:22)  Be blessed!