The Spirit of Empire pt 1

This update contains some thoughts on the Empire Spirit, and also a prophecy for the Summer- Enjoy!

The Spirit of Empire

Spiritual maturity does not always equate to title, position and platform in the natural. In Christ’s moment of victory on the cross, he had been betrayed and denied by his followers. By all accounts he looked defeated and was treated like a blaspheming criminal! But through man’s betrayal he brought humanity’s Salvation.

God’s way of doing things does not always agree with our way of doing things and sometimes looks foolish. There is something wrong when we can have a successful church meeting without God’s Manifest Presence even being there. The Spirit of Empire causes man to build something which is at odds with the Presence. It may look good and sound wise, just like the pharasees’ expectations for the Messiah, but in the end it causes you to betray the very thing you have been waiting for.

The Empire Spirit seeks its own agenda for its own sake. In its competitiveness it will forsake the widow and orphan for the achievement of its selfish ambition. It breeds Career Christians, church promotions and gives promises of leadership titles on the grounds you serve it.

True Sons value the Presence above all else. Consider Brother Lawrence. His book “The Practise of the Presence of God” is an international classic. The kitchen dishwasher became a literal living pilgrimage destination because of the Manifest Presence he lived in. Scripture writes that the Sons of God are led by the Spirit. His reputation was transformed from being regarded as a good washing upper to being internationally recognised as a mystic, teacher and source of wisdom. He didn’t have a strategy. He stayed whacked up in the Glory. He cared not for himself and inherited the Kingdom of God. 

(Martin Scott has taught on the Empire Spirit extensively. I highly recommend listening to or reading his material on the matter.)

Open Skies, Open Heaven:
Prophesy for the Summer 2012

The last update  contained a decree I had written, about the forthcoming drought that had been predicted on the news and weather bulletins. I prophesied that in the Summer there would not be a drought and that the weather would reflect the truth; that we are not in a desert season or wilderness. Instead Christ has restored us to Eden. This is a truth whether we believe, see it, walk in it or even disagree with it! Believing this truth will see it manifest. Faith is the Substance of things hoped for! And so when we believe truth it becomes reality.

The week after I had prophesied “No Drought” the BBC news reported that areas in the country went from “drought to floods in a week”. It said on the 27th of April, a few days after I had prophesied, that there had been “a dramatic change in the weather in the last few days.” Two weeks later the BBC reported that the rain which had fallen in the second half of April had caused it to be the wettest April in about 50 years. It was then reported that many areas of the UK were officially drought free.

God is causing a people in the nation to rise up in faith and start to believe in a God of Wonders. God is causing His Sons to walk in Life. This Summer there will be no drought but it will be a Summer of clear blue skies and sun filled days. The rain will stop in time for the Summer and it will be marked by Joy and Hope. The open skies will reflect the Open Heavens.

Proverbs 13.12 talks about Hope Deferred causing the heart to be sick. So many people are living in disappointment and disillusionment but I prophesy that this Summer the “longing fulfilled will be a tree of life”. This will be experienced nationally.

The Supernatural Nature of God

Hey guys,
Bear with me as I write this on my phone!
It is impossible to believe in God without his help! The act of believing in God is a supernatural gift from Him. Faith is a gift and we can’t drum it up or do it without Him.

Because of Christ’s nature we can’t have faith in God without fully embracing the Supernatural. Christ is both man and God, there is no seperation. God became natural flesh. He is the natural doorway to a supernatural relationship. In Philosophy God is described as being ‘metaphysical’ which means beyond the natural world and it was Christ’s mission to re-connect us within this reality. Because of Christ we are now fully supernatural while being totally natural. You ARE metaphysical. We don’t need to strive to be miraculous; we can rest in our true identity. There is no distance and no seperation between you and supernatural power. You’re plugged in.

God is supernatural, Christ has embraced us into this reality and so we are fully supernatural Sons. He has made us whole!

It is impossible for you to not be supernatural! Sitting takes no effort and it is by realising we are sat in Christ we can wield true authority. This is not just for one off displays of power like Elijah but is for an eternal union with Christ. And this is why the greatest displays of God’s raw power will be seen by a company of Sons intoxicated by His love while gazing into His eyes! They won’t be contending for the miracle, they will be resting in Him.

So while the media are declaring over the UK that this summer there will be droughts, we are saying there will be no droughts! The UK is not in a desert season! We make a decree that before this summer the land will be watered and we command the natural land to recognise
its spiritual reality – in Christ there is no desert season and no drought! We believe weather
patterns will come into line with truth this summer!

Glory!

A New Era: New Covenant Christianity

God will not perform for us. I remember hearing this story relayed by a leader of the Toronto Airport Church- that in the early days of Toronto prayers like “Holy Spirit we give you permission to move” were prayed at the start of the meeting. The Glory would fall and the meeting would blow up. These prayers were prayed until God said one day – “I don’t need your permission to move!” God often moves despite us not because of us! He blessed the meetings but this was not an endorsement that everything they did and said was good and right! A move of the Spirit, revival or a wave will never be a badge of accomplishments or an endorsement that we have got it right. It will never be a brownie badge for how much we have fasted and prayed to get Him to do something. The Spirit is not our badge of achievement, He is our friend! He wants you to enjoy Him in the perfect union that cost Christ everything.

God will not move again like he did in the 90s. We are not going to have another Toronto Blessing or Outpouring. We have got to think differently because God is going to do and is doing something New and Amazing. It looks totally different. The New will blow the old box up! The old mindsets and ministry models are being redefined. It’s not that they were wrong; they were good for a season but they can become stumbling blocks for the ‘now’.

Jesus spoke about this:

‘To what can I compare this generation. They are like children sitting in the marketplace calling out ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 19 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” Matthew 11.

God will not dance to the rhythm we set! He taught us to pray “Your Will be Done”! When John came he brought a message and a manifestation for a certain season. When Christ came he looked and acted differently but was anointed by the same Spirit for a new season. He ushered in the New Era. We need the Spirit of Wisdom to recognise the NEW because it won’t look anything like the old. If we don’t have wisdom we will judge the new by the old and discard it. We have done the same programs and events year after year and expected different results. Not only is this the definition of insanity, God has moved on and it’s time for change!

God is redefining Christianity before our eyes. The Kingdom of God is always advancing and so if we try to recreate or revisit something He did 20 years ago we will miss what He wants to do today! Hebrews 3.15 says “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts”. There is a call going out to people to recognise what God is doing TODAY. God is asking us to not harden our hearts towards the New Thing He is doing. We cannot afford to be offended by what he is doing or what it looks like. There is a blessing waiting beyond offense. Matthew 11 says: “Blessed are those who are not offended because of me.” We have lived in a season of John the Baptist; believing we are in the wilderness, as prophets called to the desert and to the hard place, to suffer and mourn but Christ is calling us to recognise we are in the New Covenant – the New Era. This is marked by Eden, paradise and Bliss: Union with Christ!

Mike Bickel said a few years ago that God was about to do something so amazing He would redefine Christianity in a generation. The prophets have been talking about it for a while: Jason Westerfield has prophesied that we are in a time of reformation and Martin Scott has prophesied that the birthing of a whole new era is coming. Dave Vaughan of the New Ecstatics (the ministry we are associated with) had an encounter where God showed him Martin Luther pacing back and forth. In this encounter Luther was thinking these same thoughts for reformation and transformation exactly 500 years ago. Luther spent 10 years meditating on Romans and Hebrews and from this he wrote his ‘Ninety Five Theses’. He nailed this to the door of the church in Wittenberg in 1517 (according to one source). This marked the start of the reformation.

God is causing the current reformers to meditate and feast on the same scriptures as 500 years ago! Romans has opened up to so many in such a new way.

I can see that the coming reformation will reveal a greater understanding of New Covenant Christianity. It will affect at least these 3 areas:

1. How we view God:

We are understanding that God fully accomplished all things through the cross. This is the Finished Works- that He truly defeated every foe and is seated above every principality and power (Ephesians 1.21). Christ has effortless supremacy (Colossians 1.15) and we too have been seated in Him in the Heavenly realms (Ephesians 2.6, Colossians 3). Because of this we can rest in His Finished Work rather than striving to complete something for God or battle in spiritual warfare against something we feel we need to defeat. He defeated them all, He made captivity captive! (Romans 8.37, Ephesians 1.22 and 4.8, 1 Corinthians 15.27 and 46, Colossians 2.15) This affects everything. He is victorious and by resting in faith in Him, we will see His victory rise and manifest all around us. We don’t need to do spiritual mapping or wrestle against principalities and powers. We are called to believe the truth and strangely by resting in His victory we begin to walk in it! First as individuals, then as a company, and then to change a nation.

2. How we view ourselves:

You no longer have a sinful nature (Romans 6) and because God has accomplished all things He has made us New Creations (2 Corinthians 5.17)! We are not sinners running scared of a judgemental God but are Sons adopted into His family. We are seated in Christ (Ephesians 2.6) and have the image of God restored on the inside of us. We have been united with Christ the King forever (Romans 6) and because of this we have access to everything He has. We are a Royal Bride. The problem is that we haven’t realised it and so have not operated from this revelation. But the truth is we have the fullness of the Godhead, the Glory residing within us. We can access every spiritual blessing and gifting and have been given the fullness (Colossians 2.10). We access all this by faith which is a gift. We did nothing to get it and our efforts to strive to attain all this are not needed (Ephesians 2.8). But all this is available as a free gift as Sons for our inheritance. We will do and see the most incredible things ever seen on earth because of what He has done (Philipians 4.13, Mark 9.23). The Gospel is built around the supernatural because He is supernatural.

3. How we view community:

Christ destroyed the Temple and rebuilt it in 3 days (Matthew 26.61) – that is you! The New Creation is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6). Because of this we no longer have to strive to go to a church building or temple. We are the Body of Christ and this transcends manmade denominations, boundaries, walls and structure. We are seated IN CHRIST above these divisions (Ephesians 2.6)! We can enjoy community and friendship wrapped up in Christ every day and all around us. This is the true Body of Christ – focused on friendship and family, rather than meetings and buildings. We are the living stones of the Church – in the world but not of it, wrapped up in love for one another, worshipping in Spirit and Truth (John 4). In the Old Covenant people had to travel to a particular place to worship God. In the New Covenant He is here all the time because He resides within us! The focus on going to the Sunday morning meeting is being overtaken by a lifestyle of the Glory manifesting in our homes. Signs, wonders and the Spirit will not be contained by a building, conference or meeting but will be demonstrated by Sons and Daughters where ever they are, all the time. They know who they are because of what He has done. People will realise they don’t have to go to church to get ‘filled up’ but will manifest a Glory that resides in their home all the time! This will cause gatherings to happen around the Presence, around the Cloud of His Glory, rather than individuals and organisations. After the visible manifestations of the Glory in Bethel, Bill Johnson commented that there would be a shift in the focus of gatherings and people would gather around the Presence. I believe that the manifest Presence will gather people together- in homes and in stadiums.  The charismatic personalities of leaders that have drawn people together in the past will be irrelevant as people focus on the Glory rather than man.  The revelation that Church is something we are, rather than something we are trying to maintain will be caught.

In short the fear and control that has ruled so much within the Church  – fear that God is not on our side; fear that He will not be with us; fear He will not show up, will be crushed by the Spirit and Revelation of Sonship (2 Timothy 1.7, Romans 8). Paul rebuked the Galatians (Galatians 3) for becoming bewitched by the law and we too will awaken from our false sense of duty; where we have acted from a spirit of fear and law, rather than Sonship.

In the next 10 years there will be books, webcasts or documents of some sort which will be written by modern day Luthers, which will be the nail in the coffin for contemporary Christianity. This is the significance of the hour we live in. God will use these articles to be so influential they will redefine Christianity and will be studied for the next few hundred years. They won’t just be academic pieces of writing; they will carry the manifest Glory of God, they will manifest supernatural signs and wonders. And their heart cry will be the message of the Finished Works of the Gospel. I have already read some of the books that will become ‘classics’.

Honestly I can’t go back to ‘normal Christianity’. I have tried! But we have seen something New! And it is Glorious!

The underground move of God which is happening right now will overtake the norm. The word ‘revival’ will be made redundant as people realise it is the normal Gospel life of a Son. One of the most exciting moments in the last few weeks for me was overhearing some ‘non Christian’ people at work talking about healing. One person was describing to his friend a healing he had experienced when I had prayed for him and how amazing it was. A few minutes later he realised I was there and turned to me and said how convinced of God’s healing power he was. There are signs and wonders happening by the nameless and faceless all over the country. In work, on the street, in the home, over dinner, in cafes, at church meetings; God is moving out of the box. It is not by our efforts; we can’t claim this one as ours I’m afraid! But it’s by His Spirit because of the victory He won on the cross. Not by our efforts! He will not dance for us or mourn for our dirges! The Lord is doing His own thing and it is incredible.

God over Time

[We are in a Revolution: A total or radical change; return to a point before occupied; the overthrow or renunciation of one government, and the substitution of another, by the governed.]

The Gospel is the Supernatural and so we don’t need to try very hard to live a supernatural lifestyle. The Father had a plan and He watched it unfold with His children. He set it out in Genesis when He said “Let us make man in our image.” The Father understood the fall would happen and when He sent the Messiah it was not as a reaction to His plan gone wrong! The Messiah was sent as the Gateway into the Trinity. Through Christ our substitute, we were brought IN to the image of God. We are now seated in Christ, within the very image of God. We reflect His Glory and in our New Creation state, are now made in and within His image.

It all happened within His timing. He brought fulfillment to the prophetic word. Christ is fulfillment and we are now seated within Him and His timing. We can rest in fulfillment. It says in Revelation 19.10 that the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. What is His testimony? That he brought fulfillment. As we believe this testimony the New Covenant Spirit of Prophecy can be released. This Word Decrees “No More Delay” and “Fulfillment”. As this Word is established we begin to live in the reality of the synchronization of Heaven and Earth. And as this spiritual principle is established it manifests in the natural. It brings the Father’s timing in the natural and brings the natural into line with the Kingdom’s timings because Christ is the fullness and completion of time.

When we rest in completion His timing can manifest.

Recently on a journey back from Leeds on the M1 it took us 15 minutes to drive 30 miles. We were driving at 60/70 miles an hour (my wife was driving) and had just been involved in a prophetic event in a pub in Beeston. I had got about 8 Words of Knowledge for Healing and had prayed for numerous people to be healed. As we left we were chatting about the fact God had done some good stuff. I looked at the time and it was 10.42 as we joined the M1. As we left the M1 30 miles or so later after Meadowhall, the time was 10.55. We double and treble checked what time it was but even with a stop in McDonalds we got home supernaturally fast. The Spirit of Prophecy brings completion and manifests God’s timing.

The journey is much shorter than we think! We have already arrived at our destination.

Blessings,

Philip Smith, Feb 2012

The House on the Rock

Welcome to our blog! 

[We are in a Revolution: A total or radical change; return to a point before occupied; the overthrow or renunciation of one government, and the substitution of another, by the governed.]

I used to think that my passion for God, miracles, signs, wonders and revival rested on my own hunger for them. I believed that I had to wrestle and contend for breakthrough in order to continually live under an open heaven. And beneath it all was a constant worry- what if I stop believing? What if I stop having faith in miracles? What if I get disillusioned and stop being ‘radical’? How do I maintain this passion and fire? What if I stop being hungry?

I wrestled with these questions in the same way that someone who builds his house on the sand struggles with subsidence. Man this seems so foreign to me now! Its only foreign because it’s foreign to The Messiah who resides within me.

Thank God for the revelation of the Gospel! My efforts are no longer necessary because I received faith as a gift. Breakthrough was established by the gift of Christ. He gave His life so that we could live in Jubilee, seated on the Rock. The Keys of the Kingdom were given to Peter – The Rock and Christ said to him ‘On you I shall build my church’. The church is supposed to be built and established on the Rock of the Gospel as a foundation. The Rock is Christ’s Victory. When the rain comes and storms of life hit, the Gospel doesn’t change! It is not affected by the seasons of life- when tough times come His grace is sufficient and we walk through the valley of death fearing no man! Joy doesn’t go! Peace doesn’t leave! The whack stays! We are seated in Christ who slept through the storms! He woke up in the midst of a storm, couldn’t understood the anxiety of the disciples and in his groggy state commanded the storm to be still.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resting in Christ naturally manifests the miracle we need. Resting in Christ manifests the faith to live in constant breakthrough. Resting in Christ establishes us on the Rock- the Mountain of God where true Governmental authority comes. The Rock is Christ’s Victory. The foolish build their house on the sand. It is established by their own efforts and because of this remains in the desert, not on the Rock of Christ’s Victory!

Martin Luther King pronounced the day before his assassination that he ‘feared no man.’ This came after the plane he had just travelled on was delayed because of a bomb threat aimed at killing him. He was established on the rock. He said in his last speech ‘I have been up the Mountain and my eyes have seen the Glory’. He knew where he was seated – up the mountain! He was established in Christ on the Rock and was seated on the Mountain of the Lord. What he discovered up there was the true Governmental authority of the Son. What changed the course of the nation was simply a man who discovered where he was sat.

Martin Luther King died the day after this speech.

Scotland and other thoughts for 2012

Over the New Year God spoke the same word to Sarah and me about Scotland. He said exactly the same phrase word for word:

Its time for Scotland to rise up and take its place among the nations.

We feel that Scotland will begin to be honoured in its own right this year. Firstly in Europe and then in the world. Whether this means it will gain independence i’m not sure but it will begin to be honoured as nation in a way that it has not before. New links will be made into Europe for business as the mindset of the nation changes from oppression to freedom. Glasgow will be honoured as a major European city and will be called ‘Significant’. The motto on the Glasgow coat of arms is ‘Lord, let Glasgow flourish through the preaching of thy word and the praising of thy name’, and we believe that in 2012 this identity will begin to be restored to the city.  I see some celebrations in Edinburgh too.

I also see race riots hitting England in 2012 in several major cities and I see the BNP hitting news headlines again. I believe that February will be a key month for the economic situation. A couple of blogs ago I wrote about a double dip and second recession which we are now in but I know that the revelation of the Gospel will produce an economic solution- a new economic system. Someone seated on the Rock will calm the economic storms.

Philip Smith, Jan 2012

A Scandalous Birth!

[We are in a Revolution: A total or radical change; return to a point before occupied; the overthrow or renunciation of one government, and the substitution of another, by the governed.]

Ever wondered why the Angel Gabriel didn’t turn up the day before Mary and Joseph were to be married? Surely this would have been a much less controversial pregnancy!  Instead Mary became a Sign and Wonder to the community – one that could’ve cost her her life! Women were stoned for adultery and most would have made this conclusion – even Joseph thought this until an angel told him otherwise. Could God have chosen a more risky plan?! Mary and Jesus could have been killed within weeks of the conception! This doesn’t even consider the judgement, gossip, lies and mistrust that probably circulated the community for years after the birth.

Man if we had planned the Virgin Birth it could have been so different. “HOPE 00″ would have been created, a year focused on serving the community of Nazareth; cleaning gardens up and handing out fliers with an invitation to the birth on it. The year would end in a tent mission that locals could invite their mates too, explaining in a seeker friendly way what the Virgin Birth is.

God’s way of doing things was the most controversial, most open to be misunderstood, criticised and was the most offensive way of doing things. It looked foolish but contained the greatest miracle of all time and was full of the supernatural. And it went to plan perfectly.

The birth of the Messiah started with a controversial sign and the miracle pointed to the Gospel Message- the birth of the Messiah. There are those who recognised what God was doing:

The Wise Men understood and recognised the Signs of God.

They were probably from the religion of Zoroastrianism in Persia and were certainly not Jews. They were Spiritual Astrologers looking for the birth of a King. Isn’t it interesting that they honored the Messiah as the true King and have been remembered through Church History as Kings themselves? Christ established His people as Kings.

Luke 2 describes Simeon and Anna as two people who recognised baby Jesus as the Messiah. Simeon said ‘my eyes have witnessed salvation’. Herod also recognised the Messiah. His response was rather different and took Jesus’ birth as a threat to his order, the old wineskin and the old way of doing things. He responded by trying to abort the Gospel message as he knew it would replace him. He tried to preserve man’s way of doing things as opposed to God’s perfect plan. He failed dramatically!

God is birthing an amazing revelation right now of what He has done. Martin Scott prophesied in Wales a few years ago about this move, that ‘the baby had been born’. God is bringing a heavy drunkenness to point the way to a message of union. It is controversial, most open to misunderstanding and criticism and looks so foolish. But it brings with it the declaration of Christ’s Supremacy; that He did it all, that He won. This is the Gospel.

The drunkenness of the Spirit is the manifestation of our union with Him. It is God’s declaration that He won back humanity and united us with Him. He overcame and created a New Breed- the Overcomers. Nothing can separate us from Him. He is the source of our strength, He is the source of our victory and He has already won. We are united with Him, the Supernatural Lord, King Jesus.

As there was with the birth of the Messiah, there are different responses to what God is birthing right now. The Wise are witnessing the beginning of a revolution and are becoming Kings. Some are saying ‘my eyes have witnessed salvation’. Others are seeing a threat to the old order, man’s way of doing things and are feeling very uncomfortable. Lets hope we can accept the scandalous birth of what God is doing today and live in the Joy of His salvation!!

Merry Christmas!

Philip Smith, Christmas 2011

Healing Glory pt. 2

[We are in a Revolution: A total or radical change; return to a point before occupied; the overthrow or renunciation of one government, and the substitution of another, by the governed.]

I have just been remembering some of the healings which we have seen. The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy; as we meditate on what Christ has done we are prophecying to the future and releasing the faith that He can do it again!

One of the first healings we saw was with a non-christian teenager in our youth group. She had a problem where her elbows would lock and she couldn’t stretch her arms out. It was painful when she tried and hindered her in playing netball which she loved doing. We prayed for her and almost instantaneously her right arm unlocked for the first time in her life!

Another healing I saw was when I was with Emerge Wales doing some stuff on the streets. I saw some guys just sitting on a wall and so went over and asked if they needed healing for anything. They thought I was joking but then one guy said “yeah I have pain in my back right now actually” I asked if I could pray for it then and there and he freaked out a  bit but let me. I put my hand on his back and commanded it to be healed. He looked at me really surprised and started saying “How did you do that?! What have you done? You’re tricking me!!” He thought I was a David Blaine wannabe but I then told him that God is real and has power today.

In Stockton at a meeting I was speaking at, I prayed for a women who had pain in her knee.  As I put my hand on her knee she felt fire go down her leg and hit her knee! Her knee was then completely healed! At about the same time I prayed for a women with scoliosis in her back. This is a curvature of the spine.  Her back was healed after praying for it for a few minutes.

In Ireland again with Emerge Wales I prayed for a women with eye sight problems. One eye had poor vision. I prayed for her and immediately  her eye was healed! I was quite shocked as it happened so fast and so easy!

After the first few healings I saw I started to think that I was a healer! I even told some people I had healing ministry LOL! Now I understand that as Christ rests in me I can manifest his healing power. I do believe in personal gifting but this is just a reflection of who is inside us. It is Christ who heals. Our job is to trust Him and let Him do it! We don’t heal, He does because He won.

As I was thinking about this post God started speaking to me words of knowledge for people who would read this. I saw people getting healed as they read the stories. I saw someone with migraine headaches being healed – the stress lifted off and didn’t come back. Peace came to their head. I saw someone with a tightness in their chest  being healed and the tightness being released. I saw healing coming to someone with asthma – it lifted off their lungs and someone else had their eyesight restored.  We also saw God bringing healing to someone with spina bifida, in particular that an upcoming medical appointment would have a surprisingly positive outcome!

Please contact us if you got healed!!!!   theoiloftheovercomer@hotmail.co.uk

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Great footage of healings at an American Football game

Some footage of healings at Disney Land. Gets good after about 2 mins: