by Francis Frangipane

Of all virtues, Jesus elevated meekness above the rest. Why humility? It is the door opener to grace, and no virtue enters our lives except that humility acknowledges our need and requests virtue to come. Without humility, we see no reason to change or appropriate future grace.

Yet, humility not only hosts the other virtues, it is also the life essence that sustains them. It is humility that recognizes when love is growing cold and humility that confesses our need for greater purity. Without humility, our virtues harden into lifeless statues; we are outwardly religious, but inwardly unable to change.

Humility is the taproot of true nobility. For it provides increase to wholeness, and life and maturity to all other virtues. It is the antidote to Phariseeism and the cure for a Jezebelian attitude.

A Child
Consider: when Jesus was asked by His disciples, “Who then is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” He put a child in their midst. He said, “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt. 18:1,4).

What a sublime wonder! In Heaven, the height of greatness is measured by the depth of one’s humility.

Consider Wuest’s Expanded Translation of Jesus’ statement:

“Therefore, he who is of such a nature as to humble himself like this little child, esteeming himself small inasmuch as he is so, thus thinking truly, and because truly, therefore humbly of himself, this person is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Jesus came to establish Heaven in the lives of His followers. Thus, He introduces the realm of God to His disciples with the words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt 5:3).

Beloved, the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the “poor in spirit.” Who are these poor? They are people who “know their need” (Goodspeed Translation). Beloved, there are people in Heaven who were sinners on Earth. The streets of God’s kingdom are filled with people who, at some time or another, failed and fell short. There are adulterers who’ve been washed and cleansed by Christ’s blood, ex-drug dealers and prostitutes whose hearts are filled with praise to God – all who came face to face with their need, repented and found forgiveness of their sins.

But there is not one proud individual in Heaven. There are no self-righteous beings in Heaven.

Here on earth we see the strutting pride – the air of self-importance – manifest in leaders and celebrities. Again, we behold the air of false superiority in our cultural prejudices. We see unrepentant pride in the conflicts that lead to divorce and the offspring of pride – envy and jealousy – in the inordinate desire of men to be glorified before other men.

Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit! Not the perfect, but the poor. Yes, we are called to standards of perfection, and strive we must toward that upward call. Yet, perfection in Heaven is measured, not in degrees of self-sufficiency, but in degrees of dependency and surrender. We can search for an eternity and we will observe truly: there dwells not one proud soul in all of Heaven.

Today, we cry for revival and pray for breakthroughs, and persevere we must. Yet the Lord’s eyes are upon a certain individual. He says,

“For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, ‘I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite’” (Isa.57:15).

The disciples were arguing about who is greatest in the Kingdom. Jesus placed a child in their midst. This is greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven: to possess a humble heart.

We are now in the fourth week of our Intro to CVHOP Internship and just returned from the annual Leadership Summit at IHOP-Atlanta where we had the privilege of hearing from leaders in many segments of the body of Christ, including Mike Bickle and others from IHOP-KC, Andy Byrd from Youth With a Mission, Murray and Deborah Hiebert from Every Home for Christ Int’l, and several pastors from local churches across the nation. It was exciting to hear that God is moving across a wide variety of streams in the body of Christ around the world, and to see how He is sovereignly bringing a convergence of the prayer and the missions movement for the final, end-time harvest, and the preparation of the earth for the soon return of our King. The Lord confirmed to each of us that we are right in the midst of what He is currently doing in the earth, and that this move of His Spirit is only just beginning!

Along with this thrilling glimpse of the “big picture,” we were also deeply challenged by several messages centered around our need as God’s people to cultivate a spirit of meekness and humility in this hour. It is very apparent that the Spirit is preparing the bride to be joined in marriage to the King who epitomizes these attributes—the lovesick Bridegroom who laid aside His divine power and privileges to take on our human frame and live the life of a humble servant, giving His life in our stead in the most humiliating way possible. He is returning for a bride who will be equally yoked in humility and servanthood; laying down her life for Him and those made in His image. Scripture tells us that, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” and the reason is because He is humble, and He is working to conform us into His likeness. How do we grow in humility and meekness?

In one of our classes, The Excellencies of Christ, author/teacher Allen Hood writes, “Why does mistreatment exist? It exposes the great enemy of our soul—pride manifesting in anger. The crucible places pressures on the human heart that expose the fault lines underneath the surface. Mistreatment and opposition touch places of pride that otherwise go unnoticed in our controlled environments…The pressures expose and, if responded to rightly, can produce meekness in the heart. Understanding how to grow in meekness in the midst of mistreatment produces the opportunity for dependence, faith, and trust. If we knew the divine exchange rate and what the next age holds for those who embrace meekness in the midst of trial, we would not dare waste a good opportunity…we would not throw away the eternal currency of forgiving and doing good to those who have wronged us. There is something better than being right in this life. It is being free!”

I share all this to perhaps shed some light on the trials and pressures many are facing right now. It may be possible that these difficulties are God’s chosen method to develop humility and meekness in our lives and free us from pride. Personally, the last three years have been some of the most difficult in my life, and these words have given me a new perspective on what God is doing and why…I hope, if this speaks to you, it will encourage you and enable you to embrace, and thereby accelerate the process, for your good and His glory. The reward is surely worth it! Thank you for continuing to stand with us in your prayers and giving, as we wait expectantly to see God’s plans continue to unfold here in our Valley and across the earth—these are exciting times to be alive!

Blessings,

Charlene Hughes

February Calendar

Until further notice, we will no longer have live devotional worship on Monday or Friday evenings. The Prayer Room will continue to be open Mondays from 11am-9pm, and Friday evenings from 6-8pm for intercession. Our regular hours for Tuesdays – Thursdays will remain the same, 11am-6pm.

Also, until further notice, our Encounter God group will no longer be meeting.

Intimacy with God begins when we radically pursue Him with our whole heart. King David wrote, “When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, O Lord, I shall seek’” (Psalm 27:8). God invites us in James 4:8 to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

God is saying to us, “Seek my face! Draw near!” Our hearts are crying out, “YES!” But our flesh is screaming “NO!” The sad part is our flesh usually wins.

We are instructed in Psalm 46:10 to “Be still, and know that I am God.” The wording “be still” literally means to cease from striving. It means to let go and relax, to turn down the volume of the world and listen to the quiet whisper of God. It’s getting still and coming into a place of rest. It means soaking in His Presence. The result is that you will know He is God.

The word “know” is literally an experiential knowledge of God. It’s not being still and knowing about God. It’s being still and knowing God experientially. You will experience God. You will know the Presence of God.

As we focus our heart, spirit, soul, mind, and body (the whole person) on His manifest Presence, we become oblivious to the natural physical world around us.

The key is where your focus is – on the things of God or on things of this world.

Bible reading and prayer is not enough. We must take time alone with Him, not asking for anything but more of Him, more of His fullness, more of His presence in our everyday lives.

God releases power through us as we dwell in intimacy with Him. The natural outworking of His Presence is miracles.

How to Soak in God’s Presence

How do we soak? We soak like a sponge. Put a dry sponge in a bucket of water and slowly the water permeates the sponge. This is the same as soaking in God’s presence. The more we soak, the more we become filled with His Spirit.

I’m often asked, “What do you do in your time of seeking His presence?” I don’t have a set formula. In my life, it varies from time to time, but the basic components are as follows:

First, I go into a private room, lock the door, and get on the floor before the Lord. It doesn’t matter whether you sit or lie down. What’s most important is the attitude of your heart.

Second, I repent of any sin in my life and I receive God’s forgiveness.

Third, I worship the Lord in both my native language (English) and in the language of the Holy Spirit.

Fourth, I do the vital prayer of Romans 6:13 that has transformed my life: “…present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”

Fifth, I begin to recall experiences with the Lord (i.e., healings, miracles, provision) where He has manifested Himself in wonderful ways. This creates more of an expectancy and awareness of His Presence as I relive these times.

I tell the Lord: “God, I want more of You, more of Your Presence, more of Your fullness in my life. Fill me with more of You.” I may repeat this statement many times as I wait on the Lord and focus on Him.

Then, I get quiet and that’s when I begin to hear His voice. Many times, I begin to have visions and supernatural experiences.

The key here is learning to wait in solitude. I cannot overemphasize the importance of waiting on the Lord until I experience His manifest Presence daily. I don’t come out of that private room until I have experienced His Presence.

During our soaking times, we position ourselves to receive impressions, nudges, quiet whispers, pictures, angelic visitations, and supernatural revelations. Here is a partial list of what to expect:

Dreams (Job 33:14-16, Gen. 28:10-16)

Visions (Dan 7:1-3,9, Acts 16:9-10)

Trances (Acts 10:9-17, 11:5)

Out of body experiences (2 Cor. 12:2-4)

Angelic visitations (Luke 1:57,11-17, Acts 12:7-10)

Being transported in the Spirit (Acts 8:39-40)

Experiencing the true intimate Presence of the living God will radically change your life. People describe His manifest Presence in different ways. To some, it is heat, electricity, or shaking. To others, it is lightness, peace, or weeping.

Experiencing the manifest presence is not the goal but the gateway to the supernatural realm. It’s the beginning. We go into the spirit realm where we can see Him, hear His voice, walk with Him, and be empowered by Him.

Isaiah 64:4 says God “acts for the one who waits for Him.” The Amplified version states, “God…who works and shows Himself active on behalf of him who earnestly waits for Him.” He’s waiting on us to wait on Him.

The Cumulative Effect

Sometimes we may feel our soaking time has been unproductive. We ask, “Is it worth it?” because we see no immediate change or benefit. I realized some time ago that there is a cumulative effect that takes place when I spend time in the manifest Presence of the Lord.

From this cumulative effect, God is making a deposit into my inner most being. As I begin to give out, that anointing flows out of the deposit He had been making all along.

We must learn to come quietly into His Presence just wanting more of Him in our lives. We need to “soak in His Presence,” extracting more of His fullness into those places where we are barren. The cumulative effect of spending time with the Lord will produce an increased anointing in your life. The release of that anointing will serve as a springboard to a life of miracles.

The apostle John offers believers a mind-boggling statement in 1 John 4:17 (NASB) “…as He is, so also are we in this world.”

The implication of this verse is clear – believers should be like Him. That is next to impossible without spending quality time in His manifest Presence. We will never even understand His compassionate nature for a lost and wounded humanity without regular, daily times with Him.

Conclusion

Intimacy with God is the simple means by which we access living in the miraculous. Spending time in His manifest Presence is the discipline we must develop to access all that God has for us. And, the cumulative effect is what happens in our anointing (or gifting) to function in healing or any of the supernatural.

God’s timing has come for greater works to be accomplished among His people. Press in for more of God’s Presence in your own life!

Gary Oates Ministries

www.GaryOates.com

As we stand on the threshold of another New Year there is one word that keeps coming to mind—faithfulness. I am reminded of God’s great and unchanging faithfulness, to me personally, to this ministry, to His people, and to His Word. It is His faithfulness that makes Him trustworthy, for He alone never changes. In a world of constant change, He is the one constant that will stand throughout eternity. Just as He was faithful to us in 2011, He will be faithful in 2012, regardless of the trials or troubles we may face. God’s faithfulness is one of His most comforting attributes. The dictionary defines faithful as: strict or thorough in the performance of duty; true to one’s word, promises, vows, etc.; steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant; reliable, trusted, or believed; adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate. He is definitely all of the above!

I have often heard Mike Bickle, Director of IHOP-Kansas City, say that God measures our success by our faithfulness to Him, and to His call on our lives. Unlike the world’s system which measures success by numbers, money, popularity, status, accomplishments, etc., God looks at how faithful we have been in the little things; not even a cup of cold water offered in His name escapes His notice! Jesus’ life from the world’s perspective was an utter failure and a waste; completely misunderstood. He spent thirty years preparing for three and a half years of ministry which ended in His death and the loss of most of His followers; just a few weeks after His departure only 120 remained of the thousands that witnessed His miracles. Yet, within just a few short years, His message had been spread across much of the known world at that time, mainly through the eleven He poured Himself into during his earthly ministry.

Jesus taught on the importance of faithfulness, especially in regards to the delay of His return, in several parables such as Matthew 25:1-30—faithfulness to cultivate intimacy with Him in v. 1-13, and faithfulness to serve Him by serving others in v. 14-30. As we look forward to all that He has in store in 2012, let us press on toward these two goals, that when He returns, He will find us faithful even as He is. We can rest assured that He will be faithful to complete the good work He has started in each of us, as we continue to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness in our lives, for, “The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” (1 Thess. 5:24)

We greatly value your faithfulness to continue to stand with us in prayer and in giving, that we may press on to fulfill God’s call to establish a place where His people can go deeper with Him through healing, deliverance, training, equipping, worship and prayer. Together, as we each do our part we can trust that He will do His part, that we may stand before Him on that day with great joy! May you experience even greater manifestations of His faithfulness this year.

Blessings,

Charlene Hughes

January 2012 Calendar

Another year has come and gone and so much has happened, it has been amazing! We have had the privilege of ministering to over 100 people through the Healing Rooms and Restoring the Foundations this year and have received testimonies of life-changing encounters and healings because of our miracle-working God who alone deserves the glory! Several of the people we ministered to came from out of town which was a first for us; many finding us through our website or Facebook. Even now, we still have people who are waiting to receive RTF ministry—a reminder that the harvest remains plentiful, and the workers are still few.

In addition, we now have three young people who have joined our staff full time and one part-time in the House of Prayer, and we hope to add two more full-time and one part-time in January. Each of these amazing young men and women will be attending our first Internship for 3 1/2 months from January through mid-April for a season of intensive training and consecration to the Lord. I count it a great privilege to be able to pour into their lives and have learned much from them as well—each one of them is truly a treasure from our Father! This year we also held several training events—our prophecy school was held twice, along with a prophetic conference, several art classes, Healing Rooms training, and the Omega Course.

None of these things would have been possible if it were not for you, our faithful, committed partner and friend, and every life that has been impacted is credited to your spiritual bank account—recorded in the annals of heaven for all of eternity! Truly, we serve an awesome God who does incredible things through weak and broken vessels surrendered to Him. Words cannot accurately or adequately convey our tremendous appreciation for your continued partnership, but I trust God will be faithful to reward you for your labor of love for Him and His people. You and your family continue to be in our prayers for the blessing you are to us and to those we serve together.

We greatly appreciate your prayers as we go forward into 2012, trusting God for even greater works for His fame and His glory. We are still in need of those who are called to minister healing, especially in RTF ministry, and for increased financial provision as our staff continues to grow. Also in our plans for next year, we are considering putting together a mission trip to Rwanda, Africa in the summer; please pray that God would lead and direct our steps and provide for all those who desire to go and serve. I pray that God would pour out His love and favor upon you and your family throughout the Christmas season and into the New Year as we continue to labor together with Him!

Blessings,

Charlene Hughes

December Calendar