E-1 INSIGHT: SUBSTANCE ABUSE 1

Hindsight tells me this all really began in 2001. My husband and I were privileged to host a series of hospitality dinners for our Church in hopes to stir up the pot, so to speak. No pun intended…. These dinners were designed to mix up a rapidly growing congregation of saints (reaching about 900) which had a need to become plugged in and connect with others merely on a social level over good food and lighthearted fellowship. One of these dinners made an indelible impression on my heart.

There were generally about 20 guests each month. A team of six of us prepared a formal, sumptuous, pampered, scratch prepared, five course dinner, pulling out all the stops. That is to say—we were considerably well off and in possession of all the good stuff such as restaurant grade foods with all the trimmings—you get the picture. I am not one to hoard. All the good stuff was given to us by God to bless others.  So that’s what we did with it—and continue to do so. Anyway, there was one dinner that stood out. Six guys from a rehab house showed up. I was quickly impressed by these clean-cut looking men, mostly in their mid-30s, as I recall.  They had a great time and mixed in with ease. Now please understand. This was the first experience I had had with up-close substance abuse—bottom line—drug addicts. I never considered that I would ever be entertaining drug addicts in my home.

These guys did not “look like” drug addicts to me. I was accustomed to seeing such people on the streets of east-end Vancouver, dishevelled, begging, or dropped against a building in a state of stupor. These men were, as I said, all clean-cut and apparently ordinary folk.

At the end of the dinner, while all the other dinner guests made their way about the living room and family room to continue the relaxed fellowship we became accustomed to witness, one man remained at the white, linen covered table. He was softly weeping. I stepped over and sat near him and asked if he was ok. He was one of the guys from rehab-mid-30s. He wiped his eyes and said, “Yes, thanks.” But the tears continued to flow, so I waited. He was looking down at the white linen tablecloth as he sobbed. He lifted his eyes from this thoughtful gaze and looked at me. “I just don’t understand why you would invite me to your home and make me welcome.” He wiped his eyes once more, now able to speak out what had brought him to tears. “No one has ever invited me to their home—ever….” I was speechless. His words gripped my heart, and I knew then that I would never see these souls the same again. It was a God moment. His compassion, mercy and grace flooded my heart for these men that He had placed in our home.. In hindsight—He was preparing us for something we did not understand then…but a time would come when we did understand….

Alison Teed

D-3 PROPHECY: a paradigm shift for the nations around the world

Fast and Prayer Vigil: February 21 and 26, 2017

I believe it is important to describe the experience of how God sometimes brings a prophetic Word to my attention. Strangely, on occasion, I receive a distinct “impression” of a revelation while simply walking down a hallway in my home. Why He speaks to me in hallways I have no idea, but this is again how He chose to download the following prophetic revelation, I was simply on my way down the hall, heading to my office and a sudden download flooded my mind. “The politically correct era is no more.” It was surely a wow! moment for me. I could never have thought that up on my own. As I meditated on this He spoke to me that this was not necessarily a good change. If we did not pray the shift could become more horrible than we ever could imagine. Those who are in a position of power and authority are in the process of analyzing and deciding what the new paradigm will look like. They will decide how we are socially molded for the future. He is calling His people to stop, listen and pray now while those who have the power to make decisions on our behalf are struggling and muddling through the process of establishing new laws and a new order.

This is the first time that I have followed a political movement. It is absolutely fascinating to me what is transpiring around the world; and the reason it is so fascinating is that He has shown me how close is His return. (see page A-8 PROPHECY: The Writer’s Visions and Dreams from God.)

On the second day of this fast I closed my  Facebook and again I experienced a sudden download from the Holy Spirit: “There is a separating of the sheep from the goats.”Wow! How dare I profess to have heard such a thing from God! But I tell you this is what I heard and there will be no doubt of who is who and where heads of nations stand and the peoples within the nations stand. There is a great shaking of the nations; there is a great dividing within the nations...the sheep vs the goats. The angels are sent forth….

“The “Politically Correct” era is drawn to a close. A new era is ignited, yet undefined. This is not necessarily good news. It is entirely reliant upon how the new era of social intercourse is defined.”

“There is a separating of the sheep from the goats”, ushering in:

1. The long awaited revival of God’s people

2. Those who have turned from God and turned back to the world for their hope to satisfy the hungers of the flesh. (Not trying to make this “religious”. This is what the Holy Spirit it instructing me to record here.)

3. A massive move of the Holy Spirit upon the earth as He pours out His power and glory upon all nations, tribes and tongues of the earth.  Those who receive His visitation and revelation of Jesus Christ, the only way to the Father, He will welcome into His Kingdom forever. Amen.

Acts 4:11-12
11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” NKJV

John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  NKJV

Acts 2:21
21 And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.’  NKJV

Multitudes, multitudes now stand in the valley of decision. Pray for them. Millions upon millions around the globe stand undecided which side to stand. Do I stand with the sheep or the goats? Pray for them. Speak to the dry bones that they should live! Pray for the multitudes.

Go to:  Pages A-8 and A-9 PROPHECY  GOD IS ON THE MOVE!! JESUS CHRIST IS ON THE HORIZON!

Joel 3:14-16

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision…. 

Ezek 37:1-10

1 The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”‘

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”‘” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
NKJV

When God brought me into this region He did not tell me who I would reach or what I would do; He simply said He was sending me to a specific place. When I arrived He quickly spoke Ezek 37:1-10 and I was to prophecy to a specific people and intercede on their behalf…a people He had rescued and brought out of bondage…a people He loved, loved, loved. This then became my anthem for this region.

Now He is saying, “Speak to the dry bones around the earth who stand undecided and confused and unable to understand what is happening. Speak life to these dry bones and they shall live! For my eyes run to and fro throughout the earth seeking those I might show myself strong!” Amen and amen.

Pray for the multitudes, pray for the dry bones and they will live! Pray for revelation of Jesus Christ and His wonderful gift of salvation. Pray for their understanding to be enlightened. Pray they will come to the light and forsake the darkness of the world. Pray for God’s mighty hand to save to reach out to every corner of the earth and rescue and save the multitude. Amen and amen.

F-1 INSPIRATION: the skinny man’s audacity

F-1 WORDS FOR INSPIRATION:

An essay by Alison Teed ©June 10/10



A young man stood pensively waiting at a starting line. Shaking out any tightness from his limbs, he moved from one foot to the other.  His mind was set not on the start he would make, nor on the race itself, but on the finish line. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the ion charged air. He turned toward the crowd, reaching his long, fit arms up over his head he gave the cheering crowd a wave—a promise he wouldn’t disappoint them.  He glanced at his opponents now lining up along the start line in the outside lanes. He smiled at them nodding; he knew now that the gold was his for the taking.

Then a gangly man trotted up and took his place alongside the crowd’s favorite on the very inside lane—he was a skeleton of a man, really. But he displayed confidence as he waved to the still cheering crowd. The crowd was dumb-founded at the sight of the skinny contestant alongside their favorite. Mocking laughter began to roll through the crowd, some jeering insults.  The more polite spectators in the crowd merely scowled, whispering back and forth.  But the skinny man waved the more, apparently oblivious to the crowd’s disapproval.

An official strode to the starting line raising his starting gun.  The crowd hushed.

“On your mark!” came the command.

The runners took their stance on the starting line.

“Get set!”

They planted their feet, tensing their muscles and owning their positions—they were ready….

Pop!

The runners leapt from the starting line and sped off down the track. Sure enough, the crowd favorite moved into the lead—swift and sure he streaked around the track.  The crowd cheered him on.

The skinny man had a slow start and stumbled, almost falling. The pack was already far ahead, leaving him to regain his balance and find his pace.  It was evident to all that he didn’t have the slimmest chance. By the time he reached only half the first lap the favorite had already passed him, the others close behind. And then again, crossing the starting line for the first time, the favorite sped past him once more.

The crowd cheered for their favorite, turning on the skinny man, laughing and shouting out their contempt. Now—the rest of the runners passed him by, one by one. The crowd made such a racket it was impossible to tell which one the crowd was jeering and which one they were cheering—other than those who had something to say. Shouts came from here and there.

“He’s not fit for this race!”

“Somebody, get that skinny guy off the track!”

“Boo, boo!”

The skinny man kept his pace and gave them a cheerful wave, reassuring them that he was good to go on. He’d now run one-and-a-half laps.

Very quickly the favorite passed him again, heading down his third lap—one to go!  Feeling confident and feeding the frenzied crowd, he whizzed past the bag-of-bones, leaving him in his dust. The crowd laughed louder and cheered on their favorite. Then, another passed the bag-of-bones and another and another until the last runner brushed close to the skinny man, knocking him to the ground.

“Are you crazy? Get off the track wimp, before you get yourself hurt!” he chided as he sped past.

Medics rushed to his rescue, ready to rid the race of this nuisance, but the bag-of-bones stood to his feet just as the medics reached him and began once more to move forward, bloodied knees and all.

A woman called out from the crowd. “You got your nerve! You’re ruining the race, you fool. Who let you on the field?”

The crowd applauded her.

He gave her a wave, reassuring her he was a contender—he would make it.

He’d made two laps and he was determined he would make it all the way.

The crowd’s favorite strutted past the skinny man on his final lap.

What’s this guy trying to prove, anyway? he thought, scowling at the skinny man as he passed him by.

The crowd clapped enthusiastically cheering their favorite on. The skinny man, now feeling a burst of energy, picked up his pace and sped alongside the favorite a short distance, dropping back again, winded and appearing wobbly on his feet. Finally, the remaining pack passed him by one last time. He glanced over to see the crowd’s favorite, now on his home stretch.

The crowd cheered and applauded as their favorite victoriously crossed the finish line; then one by one they cheered on the others as they finished close behind him.

But the race was not over—there was the skinny man. His burst of energy had moved him forward and now he had just over one lap to go and the crowd was intrigued and could not resist egging him on. They began to chant.

“Go bones, go! Go bones, go!”

The skinny man waved to them as he passed by heading into his last lap. He clasped his hands over his head in a victory sign and plodded on, straightening his shoulders and pushing his chest forward. Someone dashed out onto the track pressing a bottle of water into his hand.  He drank and drank and drank until the bottle was empty. Refreshed, he picked up his pace—half a lap to go!

“Oooooh!” the crowd resounded.

He had stumbled again and staggered a bit, but then straightened himself and pressed forward.

The crowd was now on its feet cheering feverishly, as he only had half a lap to go. But his second burst forward quickly waned and the finish line blurred; he felt faint. But the crowd cheered and screamed and shouted.

“Don’t quit now!”

“Go bones, go!”

“Don’t give it up now, man!”

The skinny man moved forward as though in slow motion—one foot in front of the other—one foot in front of the other. He was gasping for air. His legs wobbled like rubber bands. But the finish line was getting closer—now only inches away!

The crowd was frantic. They could see he was fading and they’d put up with this bag-of-bones all this way—he’d better not quit now!

“Don’t quit now!  Don’t quit now! Don’t quit now!” they called out in unison.

Someone shouted, “Tenacity, man. Tenacity! You can do it!”

Then a roar arose from the crowd as the skinny man finally crossed the finish line, collapsing into a heap of bones. He lifted an arm and waved to the crowd reassuring them he was ok.

The crowd rushed the track lifting him to his feet and then up onto their shoulders, chanting, “Go bones, go! Go bones, go! Go bones, go!”

One guy called out, “This is the best race I’ve ever seen—that’s for sure. You’re cool, man. You’re cool!”

The woman who shouted at him on the last lap called out, “Whatever you got, I want some!” She clapped her hands wildly and cheered his victory.

The crowd began to disperse high-fiving and shaking their heads in unbelief at the audacity of the tenacious skinny runner.

“Who did he think he was?” one man accused.

A man from the crowd answered.

“He thinks he’s a winner,” he responded. “The skinny man knew he’d won his race when he crossed that line—as surely as the man who crossed the line first. A year from now we won’t remember who crossed first, but I assure you, we will never forget who crossed it best!”

F-1-1 INSPIRATION: Ps to the skinny man’s audacity

F-1-1 WORDS FOR INSPIRATION: PS TO THE SKINNY MAN’S AUDACITY

In 2004 I moved to Saltspring Island to begin writing my first book Voices Crying in the Wilderness, A call to prophesy.  I spent 2 years there: summers in my 20 foot class C motor home and the winters we rented whatever we could find. Each day I drove to the community cinder track to walk my mile. There was a warning out that a cougar, with cubs and also a bear were spotted on the island at  the time, so this discouraged me from taking my usual constitutional along the scenic beach roads and I resolved my efforts to the track and it gave me an accurate account of distance each day, so that was fine.

One day as I podded my course an obvious pro strode onto  the track, shaking out his muscle mass and creaking his neck about. He was obviously training for some important run as he had an assistant timing his runs. He was most professional indeed and came speeding past me numerous times as I plodded my measly mile.  He paid no attention to me as he drove by me spitting up cinder bits and cutting in front if I happened to be in his way.

The Skinny Man’s Audacity was inspired by this daily contrast of goals. I wonder where he is today as I write this. I wonder if he won his race. That was 12 years ago. I continue to plod along my track today tending to my own race and allowing others to tend to theirs.

This morning I experienced an epiphany…revelation…and this brought to mind the essay I wrote in 2010 (inspired by the incident in 2004)

THE VICTORY IS NOT WON UNTIL THE JOB IS DONE.(LST)

This lead to a well known idiom: “It’s not how you start your race, but how you finish.”

And the Bible reminds us:

The end of a thing is better than the beginning.

Eccl 7:8

8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
KJV

Job 8:7
7 Though your beginning was small,
Yet your latter end would increase abundantly.
NKJV

I hope the SKINNY MAN’S AUDACITY inspires, strengthens and encourages you as it has me today….  Keep on plodding!!