Dream: "No. 39 Redemption Street"

Redemption Defined:
noun. redemption, repurchase, buyback. the act of purchasing back something previously sold.

Last night I had a dream.
I was on a bus, sitting down, looking out the window.

I nearly missed my stop, but just in time, I heard the driver call out, "Redemption Street." I quickly rang the 'stop request' bell. The bus stopped in time.

A few others got off at my stop. They asked me, "Where are you going?"

I said, "I am going to No. 39 Redemption Street."

They asked, "Why are you going there?"

I answered, " Because 39 times I have failed Him. Many times have I failed Him. But right next to #39 Redemption Street is located #40 Redemption Street. 40 is my Redemption. I am on my way there now."

End Dream.

"There I will meet with you; and from above THE MERCY SEAT, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel."- Exodus 25:22

I woke up feeling the Presence of the Lord, and all day the Holy Spirit was brooding, speaking to my heart. I was not entirely happy with the implications of the dream. Me "nearly missing Redemption Street." Me 'failing Him 39 times." Yet, throughout the day, the Comforter began to deposit deep love from this dream.

Also, I have been having dreams of flying and of this song, "Jesus Blood" by Delirious being sung in the dreams. Jesus Blood Never fails...

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"- Micah 6:8

I have been in a season of heavy fasting. Even 40 day fast. Heavy intercession. Sometimes, it is easy to let our hearts condemn us. But God says...

"Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him
in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight."- 1 John 3: 18-22

In the city of Boston, stay here long enough and you will begin to discern the crippling influences of the spirit of religion. For the "letter of the Law kills..."

Yet, God is stirring to deeper devotion, deeper consecration, building a fiery altar of love, of prayer, of justice, of mercy. But HE ALONE IS THE BUILDER!

For our righteousness is as filthy rags. But JESUS, by The CROSS, has become MY RIGHTEOUSNESS. MY REDEMPTION! MY No. 40 Redemption Street! He alone is.

Grace. Grace. Grace. Grace. Grace.

About The Number Forty:

"The number forty has long been universally recognized as an important number, both on account of the frequency of its occurrence, and the uniformity of its association with a period of probation, trial, and chastisement—(not judgment, like the number 9, which stands in connection with the punishment of enemies, but the chastisement of sons, and of a covenant people). It is the product of 5 and 8, and points to the action of grace (5), leading to and ending in revival and renewal (8). This is certainly the case where Forty relates to a period of evident probation. But where it relates to enlarged dominion, or to renewed or extended rule, then it does so in virtue of its factors 4 and 10, and in harmony with their signification."


Forty Days

There are eight of such great periods on the surface of the Bible:

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Forty days Moses was in the mount, Exodus 24:18; and to receive the Law, Exodus 24:18.
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Forty days Moses was in the mount after the sin of the Golden Calf, Deuteronomy 9:18,25.
*
Forty days of the spies, issuing in the penal sentence of the 40 years, Numbers 13:26, 14:34.
*
Forty days of Elijah in Horeb, 1 Kings 19:8.
*
Forty days of Jonah and Nineveh, Jonah 3:4.
*
Forty days Ezekiel lay on his right side to symbolize the 40 years of Judah's transgression.*
*
Forty days Jesus was tempted of the Devil, Matthew 4:2.
*
Forty days Jesus was seen of His disciples, speaking of things pertaining to God's kingdom, Acts 1:2.


Probation. Wilderness. Consecration. Trial. Temptation. Overcoming. Victory. Dominion.

GRACE GRACE GRACE GRACE GRACE!

"In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them;In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them! And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old."-Isaiah 63:9

"For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION. "So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH." -Romans 9:15-17

Hallelujah. Glory. For He DELIGHTS in showing us mercy. In our time of wilderness. In our time of consecration. In our time of trial. In our time of testing. HE, HIMSELF, HAS BECOME OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS! Jesus Christ, died and risen again. To the Praise of the Father. The Great Love displayed. And He shows us MERCY... that we, too, may live a LIFE RAISED UP! To show forth His power displayed in our weakness.

We may only get as far as No. 39 Redemption Street. But HE HIMSELF TAKES US to No. 40 Redemption Street!
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." -Ecclesiastes 3;11

Day 38: To The Uttermost

"when i think about the Lord
how He saved me, how He raised me
how He filled me with the Holy Ghost
how He healed me to the uttermost..."

TO THE UTTERMOST... completely. Fully. Beyond description. Uncontainable glory. Fullness of time. Righteousness of His doing... Completely undoing... me.

Today was a radiant 86 degrees shining, after a record breaking month of rain in Boston. It felt as if the the countenance of the Son, (the One who gave up everything to show His love.) That His face has turned, with the favor of His Gaze is upon this place.

It is now Day 38 of 40. Things are not the same as when we first began. In my city, or in my heart. I want to speak of some testimonies, but before I do:

I want to talk of "FULLNESS."

Listen here to "C.S. Lewis Song" by Brooke Fraser.

C.S. Lewis Song

If i find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here
If the flesh that i fight is at best only light and momentary,
then of course I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared

[CHORUS]
Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan as I wait for hope to come for me

Am i lost or just found? On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
Cos my comfort would prefer for me to be numb An avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become

[CHORUS]

[BRIDGE]
For we, we are not long here Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you Hope is coming for me Hope, He's coming

This is what I am sensing this day. He does ALL THINGS WELL... and COMPLETELY. And in FULLNESS OF TIME.

It seems Boston & New England has crossroaded into the crosshairs of the timing of the Sovereign Lord. Prayer has fueled prayer. Covenant began it all (forefathers of America.) And many torch-bearers have been relaying this race over the past few hundred years. Now my generation feels the Breath of Life blowing and stirring and shifting and shaking.

Making ALL THINGS NEW. By the One who does ALL THINGS WELL.

He saves us to the Uttermost.

For example, listen to Rachel's testimony from today, what the Lord did.

So, now we are in the last week. 300+ IHOPU students from Kansas City, Missouri have descended upon the city for a last final week of evangelism, outreach, healing ministry and most importantly PRAYER, as we contend believing that April 9th will be the fullfillment of many promises which have been spoken.

Today, we heard from Rachel, herself, this testimony. Rachel is an Asian-American student at BC (Boston College) here. Her 21st birthday is this weekend. This very morning, her friends were torturing her because she is still a virgin. They actually made a "sign" and put it on her head, labelling her a virgin. They told her they were going to cause and lead and persuade her to lose her virginity, even this day, even this week. So, this very morning, she was praying to "God" to please send her someone to help her stand her ground in this virtue of virginity and chastity. It just so happened that she encountered not one, but two teams from IHOPU, at seperate intervals throughout the day. She spent the whole day, morning to night, not only with the students, but later coming to the actual Awakening services. In a nutshell, the Lord so PROFOUNDLY encountered and encouraged her. She strengthened her resolve in her stance, she actually found salvation and got saved this very day, and then in front of probably 400-500 people, she testified of all of this and then was baptized in the Holy Spirit, right then and there!

This is the God, who Hears and ANSWERS prayer.

There have been many miracles of healing, salvation, prodigals returning, students on campus getting lit up! God is moving in response to prayer! He is really doing a noteable thing. And we believe this is only the beginning.

For we believe, it is the fullness of time. The appointed time. And that God has set His heart upon Boston for the strategic worldwide influence it implies. His eye is upon this place as a sending launchpad for missions, harvesting from among the thousands and thousands of students in this place.

This is just a sample. Harvard is being rocked. Berkely is being rocked. BU is being rocked. God is moving. Keep praying!

A few things have happened to me.

1.) I am not the same. The Lord is drawing me in. Maturing something in me, I have no words. He is fueling hunger and removing the callouse of complacency. Even towards my own city, family, roommates, even my own life. Everything is being SENSITIZED by HIS GLORIOUS Holy Spirit.

2.) Throughout this fast I have had a series of dreams and prophetic encounters. Two nights ago, I had one of the most Holy moments of my life. The Lord was renewing a vow with me, I had made to him at age 15 years old. The missionary calling. I said "YES" again. This time, I really know, what I was saying yes to, and there is no more running from this calling. I know that I have said yes, to penetrating darkness and difficult things. I know that I have said yes to perhaps a life like nothing I had forethought or imagined... but the WORTHINESS OF CHRIST is overshadowing it all, once again. I was literally so hit with fire and the intense groanings of intercession of the Lord, I was weeping and wailing like no other time in my life. I believe the Lord was inwardly acknowledging my REAL HEARTS DESIRE.

His Will.

Hallelujah. To the Uttermost.

Holy Spirit, Come. Holy Spirit, Stay. I love You.

Days 30-32 Standing in His Counsel

Salvation Belongs to the Lord.

Today is Good Friday. The remembrance of the Passion of the Christ. The remembrance of the Cross. This salvation that prepares a way for all of mankind to eternally return and dwell in the Chambers of the Unsearchable heart of Abba. Eternal Life. It is GOOD NEWS.

Song "This is True Life," Justin Rizzo.

"Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure." -Isaiah 46:9-10

These past few days I have been feeling the pleasure of the Counsel of the Lord sweep over me like billows. My heart is leaping and burning at the mention of the Truth.

Faith is being stirred, even in the prayer companies around New England and this nation. There is a faith being stirred, even now, (even in you, the reader of this blog.) There is an activation of FAITH, and a "mounting of wings" right this moment. God is about to move and it will be to His Glory and to His Honor and to His Fame.

And it will be for the Harvest. And for the Kingdom. For the Glory of His Son, the King, Jesus.

A few interesting things have occurred in the past few days. I have been doing some work/temping which has brought me back into the elite Financial District of Boston. It is strange. Two years ago I was so immersed in that culture (as I was working in business) with a very different set of goals than I have now. It is now as if there is a "culture shock" reverbing me to the core. Oh, the eyes of discernment are opening! (Read Ephesians 5 and really meditate on it, especially the last portion of discerning between good & evil, redeeming the time, and the Will of God.) Oh, the Father's deposits, what He thinks, feels, aims. I see very differently now! My eyes are opening.

If this is even a "sample bite," I begin to see what relishing and delighting in His Will might really mean!

I have had a few divine appointments recently, sharing of Jesus. Seems like the appointments are so compelling (like the 24 year old, Molly, who I have been sitting next to at work this week.) She is primed with education, bent towards justice, open to the Gospel. Lord, Lord, Lord. You are AFTER a generation! You are after her heart. I can see with eyes of faith who she is in the Kingdom and how you will use her mightily to Your glory. Amen, let it be so. (And the others on my hit list who I am praying for, calling in their salvation, God minister it unto them and draw them, display Jesus in their lives, even now, amen.)

Then there was Wendell. Precious Wendell. Young, twenty-something African-American man with a cane, obvious mental and physical handicap of sorts, loaded down with a homeless man's extra load on his back, and a Starbucks in his hand. I saw him about two weeks ago in an area of Boston where I live, on the train. I was exhausted, leaning my head back on the train, drowning out the crowded nauseous noise of the drunk Boston College students with my iPhone playlist. But I looked up and there he was! Struggling with a limp hand and a look of confused frustration as he tried to juggle his belongings and his one luxury; this half-drunk, iced-frappuccino he had obviously been savoring for a few hours. I was immediately flooded with prophetic knowledge and the FATHER's INCREDIBLE LOVE AND AFFECTION for this man. I felt led to pray over him, and I told the Lord, "If he gets off the "T" before my stop, God, I will surely get off with him. Please cause me to have the courage." Well, it was only one stop later that Wendell went to get off, but the over-crowded train completely neglected him and his cries of, "Please let me through, I need to get off," and someone even knocked the coffee out of his hand and it spilled everywhere. He looked at it sadly and shuffled off with his limp and away from the train. It all happened so quickly, I missed my chance to get off! I hesistated and delayed. For that reason, I was heart broken. I knew the Lord desired to touch his life, and I had waited too long. I looked at the spilled coffee and the people acting as if nothing had happened and I burst into tears, even sobbing. People must have thought I was crazy! I was just FLOODED FLOODED FLOODED to the core with Abba's love for him! It was not MY LOVE! I do not take credit for the empathy. Even now! Hear me: I am not the supplier, and I am not special because my heart could respond in that moment. It was COMPASSION birthed from the Father!

Doesn't that THRILL your heart???? Think of the way we walk out our obscure existence. But the Word says:

"Are not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's leave (consent) and notice. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered."-Matthew 10:29-30

His eye is on the sparrow. And His eye is upon You and Me. And Wendell.

So, I arrived home to my roommates shortly after the coffee incident on the train, tears streaming down my face. "Guys, we have to pray for this man!" I was overcome. We did pray for him.

Fast forward two weeks later. I made an "out-of-the way trip" to another part of the city during rush hour, to do a quick errand (against my better judgement) because, from there, I knew I would need to retrace back to a third location entirely. But there I was, in Central Square, stepping quickly into a Starbucks (after my errand) to use the wi-fi. It was perfectly timed & orchestrated by God, for right there; on the other complete side of the city weeks later, was Wendell! We met, and spoke, and I was able to pour out a little of the Father's love to him, buying him a coffee and even his favorite cupcake! Helping him to struggle with his backpack, etc., listening to what he had to say, sharing a moment. I was so melted on the inside! Look at how God loves! I did not have a chance to pray over him, then, but I have a feeling I will see Wendell again.

What does that have to do with prayer or revival? Or just plain being a "follower of Jesus?"

Standing in the Counsel of the Lord. Listening to His heart. ("I came only to do the Will of the Father."-Jesus)

"I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. For I always pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,

By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones)..." Ephesians 1:16-18

And the secrets of the Lord, are with those who fear Him.

This is what we find ourselves (prayer company of intercessors) doing on Days 30-32...

Standing in the Counsel of the Lord, by His MERCY. By HIS MERCY. By the access of His blood. And praying from the directives found there.

There was a CRAZY AMAZING prophetic song which was released the other night from Jason, an IHOPU student. (At Ruggles Baptist during the 40 days of prayer in Boston.)

"All the prayers of my people in Egypt, I heard every last one. And in the APPOINTED TIME I CAME, IN THE APPOINTED TIME I CAME, I REVEALED MY NAME: THE GREAT I AM. In the appointed time, in the appointed time, in the appointed time. In the appointed time I came, I revealed my name, the Great I Am."

So we prayed into that Counsel. God... that it might be Your appointed time. Reveal Your Name. Great I Am.

Lastly, to circle back. Salvation belongs to the Lord. And I beseech Him in the New Covenant. Mercy. Upon my life. Jesus. Upon my city. Lord. Upon this land. Mercy.

"Salvation belongs to the LORD;Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah." Psalm 3:8

"God is to us a God of deliverances;
And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death." -Psalm 68:20