Prophetic Parable - The Eye of the Needle

This is a wonderful prophetic parable that has affected so many lives. I have wanted to post it here for such a long time, so here goes. Take the time to read the whole thing:



A prophetic word/vision given by Charlotte Baker in 1981Worship SymposiumDallas, TX  ...The Eye of the Needle ... The Gate of Worship      The Ultimate Choice   
     "I have brought this people together today to make unto you a choice.  You can minister unto men...or you can minister unto the King of Glory!"  
     I stood among the sons of men, strong and tall.  My heart was filled with enthusiasm.  My life was given to the purposes of God. 
     Upon that day, I said to the Lord, "I will do mighty exploits in the name of my God."  The Lord came unto me and He said, "What is it, son of man, that thou would have?"  I said, "Lord, if I could only be among those who play sweetly upon an instrument and who sing well in the house of the Lord, then I would do great things for my God."  
     The Lord came to me and He gave unto me the desire of my heart. He let me play and He let me sing.  I saw the day when the hearts of men were moved by that thing the Lord had given unto me.  After hearts of men were moved, I stood back and I said to myself, "Now I will be content for I have been able to move the hearts of men." 

    But in my secret hour I bowed my head before my God and said, "Lord, You have given me what I asked for but my heart is heavy. I have a longing for something more."
     He came again unto me in the night season.  He asked me again, "Son of man, ask Me again the thing that thou would have of Me."  I said, "Lord I see men bowed by burdens low.  I see hearts that are broken.  I see sadness and discouragement.  Oh give me the power of the spoken word that I might speak the word and their hearts be delivered."  The Lord came unto me and said, "Son of man, I have given thee the things which thou hast desired." 

     With great joy, I marched before the people of God.  In my youth and in my enthusiasm, I spoke the Word and men were delivered.  I spoke the Word and their hearts were made whole.  I knew what it was to bind up the broken hearted and to pour in the oil of joy replacing their mourning.
     While men were yet praising Him, glorifying His name, I went back to my secret chamber, I bowed my head in sorrow.  I said, "Oh my God, my God, I am not satisfied." 

     He came again unto me and He said, "Son of man, what is it that thou desireth of Me?"  And I said, "Oh my God, give me power in my hands that as You did, I might lay my hands upon the sick and see the healing flow."  He said unto me, "It is done as thou has commanded."
     God healed the sick.  I went to the nations of the earth and I saw the sick raised from their beds.  I saw pain and suffering go away.  I was rejoicing as I went to my secret place.  I bowed my head before my God.  I said, "Now my God, I will be satisfied for you have given me that which I have desired."  No sooner had the words come out of my mouth when the heart within me began to ache and cry.  I said, "God, I don't understand.  Again my heart is sad.  Lord, will You, just one more time, give me the thing I ask of Thee?" he said, "It is done." 

     "God, I desire to go against principalities and powers, the powers of the wickedness of this world and spiritual darkness in high places.  He said, "Surely I give it unto thee.  Now go."  So I went and the Lord allowed me to go into dens of iniquity, the holes and dives where men hide from the light because of the sin and evil that is upon them.  There was a day when I saw demons cry out at the very presence of the power of God that rested on me.
    Then I went back to my secret place broken.  I said, "God, I have asked You for all that I desired and still my heart is not yet satisfied.  Nor do I feel that I have touched the thing that You have called me to.  In my youth I have expended myself with all the things that my heart had desired." 

     Then one more time a gracious and loving God visited me in the night season.  He said, "Now - what is it that thou dost desire?"  In brokenness of heart, I bowed before Him and I said, "God, only that thing which You desire to give unto me."
     He came unto me and said, "Come with Me and I will take you on a journey."  He took me past my friends.  he took me past those with whom I had come into the house of the Lord.  He took me into a desolate place.  He caused me to go into a place alone in the wilderness.  I said, "Oh my God, what are you doing to me? You have cut me off from those I love."  He said, "I take thee to the place where all men must come if their heart's cry is to be fulfilled."  At a certain hour, I bowed before a gate that is called... 

     The Eye of the Needle, The gate of Worship!  There before the eye of the Needle I heard the voice of the Lord say, "Bow low."  So I bowed lower.  He said "Yet lower.  Thou does not go low enough."  So I went as low as I could possibly go.
     But I had upon my back my books of learning.  I had with me my instruments of music.  I had with me my gifts and abilities.  He said unto me, "Thou has too much, thou can not go through this gate."
     I said, "But God, You have given me these books.   You have given me these abilities."  He said, "Drop them. or thou dost not go." 

     So I dropped them. I went through a very small gate that is called "the eye of the needle."  As I went through this gate, I heard the voice of the Lord say, "Now rise to the other side."  As I rose, a very strange thing happened to me.  You see, the gate which was so small on one side that I must lay aside everything, was now so wide I could not fill it.  As I stood in the presence of the Lord I said, "God, what is this thing that You have done unto me, for my soul is now satisfied?"
     He said, "Thou has come through the gate of worship. Now come up to the circle of the earth & I will show thee a great mystery.  I will reveal unto thee the thing that I doing among the sons of men." 

     The Spirit of the Lord caught me away.   He took me to the circle of the earth, higher than where the eagle flies, beyond where the clouds can rumble, beyond where the sun shines or the moon finds her path. There at the throne of my God, He said, "Look down upon My people." 

     I saw strange things. I saw my companions gathered around a very small gate that is, "the eye of the needle, the gate of worship."  I saw them wringing their hands and crying.  They were saying one to another, "But God has given us these instruments of war.  This sword is my sword and I will work with it against the enemy to bring him down.  I cannot go through this gate, for, if I go through this gate, I must put down my sword.  God has called me to be a warrior and therefore, I will not do it."
    And I heard another one say, ""Me? Lay down my instruments of music? Lay down all God has given me, just to go through that silly little gate, to be nothing but a bare man who comes out the other side stripped of everything?  I cannot do this thing."
     I saw them as they stood aside in their pride, afraid to bow themselves before a very small gate.
     Then I saw again, as the Lord brought me closer to the gate.  I saw a man bow low, laying down everything that he had.  As he came through the very wide gate on the other side, his instruments of music were there.  His sword was there.  His books were there. The power was there. 

     The Word of the Lord came to me, "Go now and tell this people before you, I have given unto this people extreme talents and much ability.  But I say unto you today, if you do not come through the very small gate, which is the gate of worship, and bow low and lay before me thine instruments, thy talents, abilities, vision and power, thou shall always be among those who will only be able to minister to the hearts of men, and bless the hearts of men. 

     But there is a gate open to the Church in this hour, a very small gate. And through this gate, only men and women who are worshippers will go.  These people will lay their talents before their God. These people will say, "God, we will be Your worshippers."  Through that wide gate they will come and they will arise on the other side, not to minister unto men, but to minister unto their God.
     I have brought you together this day, to make unto you a choice.  You can minister unto men and I will cause you to sway the hearts of men with your talent.  Or, you can go through a very small gate, that is "the eye of the needle, the gate of worship," and while making new worshippers, you will minister unto the King of Kings and Lord of lords!"  

90 Facts About God

The Lord desires that we would see Him (John 17:24)

But He dwells in unapproachable light (1Tim. 6:16)

  

We see Him in part (1Cor. 13:12)

He has made us after His image (Gen. 1:26) so we know a little of what He might look like

These instances of seeing Him through (descriptions of His person in the Word) should not be understood as describing exactly what God looks like, but rather as God revealing Himself to us in a way that we can understand. Exactly what God looks like is beyond our capability of understanding and describing.

Here are 90 descriptions of God from the Bible: 

1.    GOD IS ... A Person (Job 13:8; Heb. 1:3)

2.    GOD  HAS... A spirit body (Dan. 7:9-14;  10:5-19;  cp. I Cor. 15:44,49; Phil. 3:21)

3.    Shape (Jn. 5:37)

4.    Form (Phil. 2:5-7; 3:21)

5.    Image and likeness (Gen. 1:26; 9:6; I Cor. 11:7; Jas. 3:9)

6.    Countenance (Ps. 11:7)

7.    A head and a mind(Rev.19:12, 1:14; Jer. 19:5, 32:35)

8.    A face (Deut. 34:10; Gen. 33:10; Ex. 33:11)

9.    Hair (Dan. 7:9; Rev. 1:14)

10.  Eyes (Rev. 1:14; Ps. 11:4; 18:24; 33:18)

11.  Ears (Ps. 18:6; 34:15)

12.  Hands (Ps. 102:25-26; Heb. 1:10)

13.  Fingers (Ex. 31:18; Ps. 8:3-6)

14.  Arms (Ps. 44:3; Jn.12: 38)

15.  Loins (Ezek. 1:26-28; 8:1-4)

16.  Feet (Ps 18:9; Ezek. 1:26; 24:10; 1 Cor. 15:27; Heb 2:8; Rev. 1:15; 2:18)

17.  Back parts (Ex. 33:23)

18.  A mouth (Num. 12:8; Isa. 1:20)

19.  Lips (Isa. 11:4; 30:27)

20.  A tongue (Isa. 30:27)

21.  A voice (Ps. 29:1-9; Heb 12:19, 26;   Rev 1:10;  10:3-4;  Rev. 14:2l

22.  A heart (Gen. 6:6; 8:21)

23.  Breath (Gen. 2:7)

24.  GOD HAS FEELING AND AFFECTIONS  ... such as love (Jn. 3:16)

25.  Love and Hate (John 3:16; I John 4:8-9, 16; Pr. 6:16)

26.  Pity (Ps. 103:13)

27.  Anger (I Ki. 11:9)

28.  Repentance (Gen. 6:6)

29.  Jealousy (Ex. 20:5; 34:14)

30.  Pleasure and delight (Ps. 147:10)

31.  Fellowship (I Jn.1:1-7)

32.  Joy ( Neh. 8:10;  Gal. 5:22)

33.  Peace (Gal. 5:22)

34.  Longsuffering (Gal. 5:22)

35.  Gentleness (Gal. 5:22)

36.  Goodness (Gal. 5:22)

37.  Faith (Gal. 5:22)

38.  Self-control (Gal. 5:22)

39.  Spirit (Ps. 143:10; Isa. 30:1)

40.  GOD HAS SPIRIT FACULTIES... He has mind (Rom. 11:34)

41.  Intelligence (Gen. 1:26)

42.  Wisdom (I Tim. 1:17; Ps. 119:130; Ps. 51:6; 1 Cor. 1:30)

43.  Knowledge (Isa. 11:2; Rom. 1:20)

44.  Discernment (Heb. 4:12)

45.  Will (Rom. 8:27; 9:19)

46.  Righteousness (Ps. 45:4)

47.  Faith (Rom. 4:17; 12:3)

48.  Faithfulness (I Cor. 10:13)

49.  Hope (I Cor. 13:3)

50.  Truth (Ps. 91:4; Jn. 17:17)

51.  Power (Eph. 1:19; 3:7,20; Heb. 1:3)

52.  Immutability (Heb. 6:17)

53.  GOD DOES... sit on a throne (Isa. 6:1; Dan. 7:9-11; Rev. 3:21)

54.  Wear clothes (Dan. 7:7-9; Rev. 1:13)

55.  Dwell in a city (Jn. 14:1-3)

56.  Walk (Gen. 3:8; 18:1-8)

57.  Ride (Ps. 18:19; 68:17; Ezek. 1)

58.  Rest (Gen. 2:1-4; Heb. 4:4)

59.  Eat food (Gen. 18:1-8)

60.  Drink wine (Jud. 9:13; Mt. 26:29)

61.  Hear and answer prayer (Ps. 84:11; Isa. 45:11; Jn. 16:23; Phil. 4:6; I Jn 5:14-15)

62.  GOD DOES NOT... CHANGE (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8; Jas. 1:17)

63.  GOD IS ... Good (Mt. 5: 25; Rom 2:4; Acts. 14:17)

64.  Love (Jn. 3:16; Rom.15:30;  I Jn. 4:8)

65.  Truth (Dt. 34:2; Jn. 17:3, 17; I Jn. 5:20)

66.  Holy (Ex. 15:11; Isa. 6:3; I Pet. 1:16)

67.  Perfect  (Dt. 32:4; Ps. 18:30; Mt. 5:48)

68.  Merciful (Rom.12:1-2;  2 Cor. 1-2;  Tit. 3:5)

69.  Faithful (I Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 1:20; Heb.6: 18)

70.  Provident (Job 38:41)

71.  Comforter (Isa. 51:12; 2 Cor. 1:4; 7:6)

72.  Deliverer (2 Sam 2:22; Ps.40: 17; 70:5; Rom. 11:26)

73.  Preserver (Ps. 12:6-7; 30:3; 33:19; 41:2; 12:7)

74.  Healer (Ps. 103:3; Ex. 15:26; 23:38; Isa. 33:24; 35:5-6; Jas. 5:14-15)

75.  Helper (Heb. 13:6; Ps. 37:40; 46:5; Isa. 50:7,9)

76.  Invisible (Col. 1:15)

77.  Immortal (1 Tim. 1:17)

78.  Life (Jer. 10:10; Jn. 5:26; Heb. 7:16; Rev. 11:11)

79.  Self-existent (Ex. 3:14; 6:3; Jn.1: 4; 5:26)

80.  Ever present (I Ki. 8:27; Ps. 139:7-12; Mt. 28:28))

81.  All powerful (Mt. 28:18; Rev. 19:6)

82.  Eternal (Dt. 33:27; Ps. 90:2; Isa. 57:15)

83.  All knowing (Rom. 11:33; Ps. 44:21; 139:1-6; Pr. 24:12)

84.  Omnipresent through His spirit (I Ki. 8:27; Jer. 23:24 Ps. 139:7-12; Mt. 28:20)

85.  Unsearchable in greatness (Ps. 145:3)

86.  GOD WILL... Reign on the earth (Dan. 2:44; 7:13-14, 27; Zech. 14:9; Rev. 5:10)

87.  Regather all Israel (Isa. 11:11-12; 61:4-6; Amos. 9:14,15; Ezek. 11:17-20;)

88.  Resurrect the dead (Job 14:14-15; I Cor. 15; 2 Thes. 4:14-17; Rev. 20:4-6)

89.  Judge all (Ps 7:8; Ps 82:8; Heb 13:4; Ps 98:9; Ezek. 33:20; Heb 13:4; Rev 19:11)

90.  Fill all the earth with knowledge of Himself (Isa. 11:9; Hab. 2:14)

These facts come from:

Lloyd W. Cary

(Member of W.C.G. for 27 years.)

(Written sometime in June, 1994)

Hanging Out

Hanging out in the car

Hanging out in a tree

hanging out in the blinds

Hanging out with my favorite smelly shoe

Hanging out with my buddy

Hanging out on an iceberg

Hanging out for a free ride

Hanging out on a limb

Hanging out on my new furry mattress

I would love to know which of these pics is your favorite

Raelynn asked for a picture of me hanging out on a Viking ship. You might not be able to see it, but that is me standing in the middle of the ship - under the sail:

7 Things The Shepherd Does For Us

Psalm 23 is an all-time favorite of mine. Here are the 7 things the Shepherd does for us in this psalm:

v2 He makes me lie down in green pastures
         

v2 He leads me beside the still waters

v3 He restores my soul

v3 He leads me in the paths of righteousness 

v4 His rod and staff comfort me because He is always with me

v5 He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies

v5 He anoints my head with oil 

How Beautiful!

My friend, Richard Oddie (A New Zealander living in Australia) sent me these beautiful pictures of birds - if birds are so beautiful, then how much more are we - the Bride of Christ. Then we must consider: how beautiful is our King who reigns in splendor. He is the one who designed each of these creatures.

Revelation 4:11 “ You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”

Prayer and Worship 24/7

It is exciting to see the explosion of 24/7 prayer and worship ministers all over the world. We have just been ministering at:

Restore 24/7

 http://www.grimerud.no/en/p/111/About%20Restore.html

Restore 24/7 is a prayer and worship ministry based at YWAM Grimerud (near Hamar, Norway). They are about to celebrate their one year anniversary with a weekend of prayer and fasting. 

I has been a delight to be here in this peaceful setting and seek the Lord. This was not "work" at all, but a privilege to join these faithful prayer and worship warriors.

In my video bar on the right hand side of this page, you can join in with the prayer and worship. The video from Grimerud is the first one. Pray for these on the front line today!

Walk Into Greater Authority

There are 7 times in the Bible where we are told to "walk in" something. If we do walk in these things, we will gain new authority in our lives as we are pleasing to the Father:

7 ways for you to walk into greater authority

• Walk in faith Rom. 4:12

• Walk in the spirit Gal. 5:25; Eph. 4:1;

• Walk in love Eph. 5:2

• Walk as children of light Eph. 5:8, (v9 shows the three things that define light); 1 Jo. 1:7

• Walk in wisdom Eph. 5:15; Col. 4:5

• Walk in obedience 2 Jn. 1:6

• Walk in truth 3 Jn. 1:3–4

Olaf The Holy

We were off ministering at a Bible school today - we went to the place where Viking King Olaf the Holy fought a battle to make Norway into a Christian country. Very inspiring.

Here is a little peak at a little stream near the battle site:

Olaf the Holy:

Tronheim on a Nice Day

Unfortunately, it is raining a lot here in Norway, but I wanted you to see how beautiful this city is on a nice day. This is Trondheim:

Please pray for Norway today.

Check out the bicycle lift they have here (you will find it in the video bar below on the right column - 2nd video)

Update

Sorry to have been so silent these past few days - we have not had good internet connections. Right now we are in Tronheim, which means: home of the strong and fertile ones. This is the oldest major city in Norway and the home of the Nidarosdomen Cathedral - Norway's primary State Church (building started in 1070.) This was the first capital of Norway and is the place where Norway's Kings are crowned.

Once again, my pictures are not so good - due to my meagre iPod camera and the bad weather. Here are some tourist pictures showing the detail of the outside facade of the building and the beauty inside:

Translation

Right now we are at a leaders conference here in Norway. A Korean leaderPaul Choi) is speaking as I write this. He is translated into English and then another translates him into Norwegian. Quite a trip!! When they get excited they all talk at once! God is doing great things.


Dr Paul Choi has the largest missions organization in the world. He sends his people into every dangerous place in the world. God gives them great favor.

I am so proud if myself - I led this song in Norwegian!!

Book of Acts (Two)

Also, in the Book of Acts, we can see the greatness of the Church. Look at these principles that were great in the lives of early Believers:

The Believers Were Filled With:

4:33 Great power

4:33 Great grace

5:5, Great fear (of God)

6:8 Great wonders

8:1 Great persecution

8:8 Great joy (15:3)

14:1 Great multitudes believed (17:4)

Maybe we will also see great multitudes coming into the Kingdom if we are great in all those other areas as well. (Not that we want great persecution, but it surely made the early Church strong!)

Book of Acts Part 1: HERE

The Book of Acts

Lately I have been reading the Book of Acts. I have been interested to find all the instances of God's manifest presence in the lives of the early Believers. Here is what I have come up with:

In the Book of Acts, there are:

12  Occasions where small and large groups came to Christ

20  Different kinds of supernatural signs, wonders and unusual miracles

9    Healings and deliverances

21  Occasions where the Lord spoke directly to His people through prophetic words, words of knowledge or visions. One of these was through a prophetic act.

2    Instances of God’s audible voice

1    Trance

1   Occasion when Stephen’s face visibly changed (he looked like an angel). He also saw the glory of God

4   Occasions where the Holy Spirit came on people and twice they spoke in tongues

3   Occasions where they were supernaturally released from prison – an angel was involved in 2 of these

7  Occasions where an angel was involved in communicating to, or interacting with the disciples

4   Occasions where the boldness, wisdom and grace of the Believers was noted, and people were amazed

2   Died and were raised to life

3   Were killed by the wrath of God

Book of Acts Part 2: HERE

Stavanger

We have been in the small town of Bryne near Stavanger for 2 weeks. It is hard to describe how beautiful everything is here. Even though it has rained almost every day, everywhere you look it is like a post card with rich farmland, quaint houses, delightful shopping areas and, of course the dramatic fiords:

This is Pulpit Rock - not far from here

Kjerag Bolt in the same Lysefjord

...and this is for the brave...or the stupid!

Sorry, I don't have my own photos for his posting - I am not equipped with a decent camera, but the beautiful images of this area are in my heart forever. Better still are the dear friends from this area. 

We are moving on to other parts of Norway on Tuesday morning.

In His Image Worship School

One of the great delights here in Norway has been the opportunity to help launch a new worship school: "in His Image." We have had classes from Friday night to tomorrow's church service with around 30 students. What a joy to worship and study with them over these few days. This evening was a worship service where God's presence just filled us for over 2 and a half hours! It was amazing - prophetic songs, music, dance, paintings, exhortations - just fabulous.

Let The Games Begin!

OK - the opening ceremony went off with a big bang in Auckland New Zealand:

...and the New Zealand All Blacks did their war dance prior to defeating Tonga 41 - 10:

Oh my!! I hope I can handle all this excitement this far away in Norway. I am having trouble finding Norwegians who will get excited about this...I can't blame them, as they don't even play this game!

New Zealand Vikings!

Ok folks...this is a little different from my usual blog, but tonight the RUGBY WORLD CUP begins in New Zealand. This is so exciting - I have been waiting for this event for years.

Anyway, as you can imagine, the whole country is alive with visitors from all over the world (20 countries in the tournament). Today a flash mob formed in the main streets of Auckland and the New Zealand warriors (Maori) delivered this fine war dance to awaken rugby pride in the locals:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby-world-cup/news/video.cfm?c_id=1503158&gal_cid=1503158&gallery_id=121322

I am hoping this will take you to the correct site - if not, you can go to the New Zealand Herald site and find it, but that is a little harder to do. It is near the bottom in the left-hand column of this site:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby-world-cup-2011/

I just wanted you to see our New Zealand warriors/Vikings!

Psalm 37:3-8

Sometimes we see evil and injustice flourish around us and are powerless to change anything. Here are eight things that will give you peace in your heart during difficult days:

• V3 Trust in the Lord - no matter what happens, keep your eyes on the Lord

• V3 Do good - don't grow weary of doing good (Gal. 6:9). Don't withdraw from people - keep being kind and helpful to others

• V3 Dwell in the land - this means to stay put and stick to the task the Lord has given you

• V3 Feed on His faithfulness - actively remind yourself of God's ways and His faithfulness - meditate on these things and "chew" on them in your heart

• V4 Delight yourself in the Lord - keep your heart focused on worshiping the Lord. Find out how delightful He really is. The Message Bible says: "Keep company with God"

• V5 Commit your way to the Lord - let God in on all your plans. Turn everything over to Him

• V7 Quietly rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him to bring you through, and for His plans to come to pass

• V8 Cease from anger - do not fret - Don't let anger or worry take a hold of your heart


Psalm 37


³ Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.       
⁵ Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 
⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.         
⁷ Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.