What do I still lack?

The story of the rich young ruler is told in the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The fact that it is repeated in 3 out of the 4 gospels tells me that it was a very important lesson that we need to learn. This young ruler came to Jesus asking him what he must do to have eternal life. I find it interesting that Jesus told him to focus on the basics as listed in the 10 commandments. The young man said that he observed all these things. It is clear that he felt that he was not yet there as he asked the Lord "...what do I still lack?" Jesus told him to sell his material goods, give the money to the poor and follow him.

Now, I don't believe that Jesus wants us all to take the vow of poverty. On the contrary I believe that God wants to put wealth into our hands. However, I do believe that God does not want that wealth to have our hearts. This young ruler, although he was doing all the right things like many Christians today, was held in the grip of materialism. In today's world he would have been saved like you and I. He would have been a tither and give both mandatory and free will offerings. We would have looked at him and would have thought that for sure this guy had attained eternal life. However, his heart did not belong to God. It belonged to his wealth.

The Bible records that he went away very sad and Jesus made the comment that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. So what is the antidote for materialism. How can we avoid the fowler's snare that this young man found himself in?

1. God must be the center of our lives. We cannot look to the left or to the right. We must let God be all in all. Our eyes must be on him alone. I have resolved that when I am in his presence I will focus on him. I will not ask him for material wealth but will thank him for his provision because his word says that if we seek him first, all these things shall be added to us.
2. We must evaluate our lives honestly and see what has our hearts. What is it that I am not willing to do without? What would I begrudge God, should he tell me to give it away? The Isaac test was for God to be sure that Abraham's heart was in the right place. Would you give away your Isaac?

I think about Hannah. She begged God for a son, crying as if her heart would break. Then God gives her this child and tells her that she must then be separated from him as soon as he is weaned. If you were Hannah, would you give God your son? What is that one thing that you want for yourself so badly? What have you been crying out for? What have you travailed for and finally received? If God asked you for it, would you give it back? Sela!

The Final Battle

According to Revelation 13:16 the last battle that man and the enemy are going to engage in will be fought out in the marketplace. I had never seen this before until I realized that in order to buy or sell anything you will have to bear the mark of the enemy. This tells me that the economic world is crucial for the devils end time agenda.

I have heard that drug dealers, in a bid to create a market for their product, will offer it for free to a person and once they are hooked on it and cannot do without it, they then withhold it from them unless they can pay for it. In their desperation, the drug addict will do anything to secure another hit. They will steal, kill and prostitute just to get the next hit. This is the devil's strategy for us as well where the economic world is concerned. He has created such a "need" for the things of this world that even the Church has been caught up in a materialistic frenzy of epic proportions. In many churches today, the minor things have become the major things, while the major things have become the minor things.

Anything that has your heart, if it is not God, is an idol to you. If wealth has your heart it is an idol to you. In many churches most of the sermons are about money. The manipulation has become ridiculous. It almost feels like if you do not give a certain amount God will not look at you twice. Yet our God is not like that. The spirit of materialism has so pervaded the church that it is now on the altar and has become an idol to be worshiped by the people. An abomination that causes desolation. The sermon's are watered down. The people are stuck in their sins with no help. The sick are still sick. We see no miracles, signs or wonders to confirm the word of the Lord. Why? What has changed?

We have majored on the minors. It is about souls. It is about God. Let him be on the altar. Let him be worshiped. I have been hearing God say to me this year, "go back to the basics." Love your neighbor. Honor your Father and Mother. Bring all your tithes and offerings to the house. Forgive those who trespass against you. Be holy for I am holy. Do not abuse Grace. Sit here and stay right with me. These are the things that matter to God. I hate to say this, but ambitious church programs will not get it done. Having a church full of people and not teaching them how to walk right will not help them. If all they can think about, pray about, wail about in their homes is "God give me more money so I too can live well, eat well, drive the best and go on holiday to some exotic location" there is a problem. If the measure of whether or not you are blessed is how much wealth you have, then there is a problem.

I am not against living well. I believe as children of the King we should live well. However, that is not our goal in life. Our testimonies cannot be just about how God increased our income or how we have a new car. We need to have testimonies about how many people we spoke to about Christ. How many people we have prayed for and seen the manifestation of God in tangible healing and deliverance. If these were the testimonies we heard in church, how many people would be saved?

My heart breaks when I read the last verses of the faith chapter, Hebrews 11:35-38

"...Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. ³⁶ Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted,were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, indens and caves of the earth."

Those described in this passage endured hell and held on to the Lord. They never had a good house, they lived in caves and dens and holes in the ground. They were destitute for this gospel. They were afflicted and tormented, mocked and whipped to a bloody pulp. They were tempted being promised all the wonderful material things we crave if only they would recant. Yet for this gospel, the true gospel of Christ, they refused to give in. The world was not worthy of them.

In the final marketplace battle this same scenario will be repeated. How many of us will be willing to walk away from all that we have to live in a den or a cave because of the gospel. I dare say that the addiction strategy of the enemy is such that he has many Christians hooked to materialism. Many would accept the mark and sell their souls instead of giving up their material comforts.

Who or what has your heart? No, really, who or what has your heart? Meditate on that and let the honest answer come to you.

Marked with God's Mark

On March 2nd the Lord began to speak to me about marking me with his mark. As I was praying that morning his presence was heavy on me and I could almost feel him place his mark, his seal, on my forehead. On March 3rd I felt the need to study this marking and why the Lord would mark his people. Turns out that on various occasions, when the Lord was about to bring judgement he marked his people to exempt them from the coming upheaval.

1. The first incident I noted of a marking was in the book of Exodus where he tells the Israelites to put the blood of a lamb on their door posts. That way when the angel of judgement came, he would see the blood and pass over them.
2. The second place I saw this was in the book of Ezekiel 9:1-6. In this passage God is about to release his army for judgement. However, he asks them to wait until those who are his have been marked. The army of the Lord is then given instructions not to harm anyone with the mark of God on them.
3. Revelation 7:1-4 is another such passage. Once again God holds his troops until his own people have been marked on their foreheads. The troops are then commanded not to touch them as they execute the orders of the Lord.

One thing we do not understand is that we are in the Last days and in this last days we are going to bear a mark of ownership whether we like it or not. You are either going to be marked with the mark of God, or with the mark of the devil. Revelation 7 talks about the seal of God that bears his name. Each one who is a bond servant of our God will have this mark. Revelation 13 talks about another seal. The mark of the devil that bears his name or the number of his name, the famous 666. Based on where we are in history the question becomes, "Which mark is going to be on your forehead?" We get to decide based on the way we are living our lives today.

Word for 2010

Prophetic Word for 2010 - For All Believers Worldwide

Annual Word of the Lord for 2010

In the order of their importance, here are some prophetic words the Lord gave me for all Believers for 2010. Let me emphasize these words are for ALL Believers everywhere—worldwide.

1. OBEY! As each Believer begins or continues to OBEY God, the devil will experience frustration and failure in his attempt to delay and destroy the will of God upon the earth. Simple obedience will produce incredible spiritual victories. The devil has no strategy that can successfully stop any Believer who is operating in obedience. Obedience is the KEY word for 2010. To obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen to God is better than to offer religious sacrifice. Amen. Everyone obey God!

2. SECRETS! As each Believer walks in obedience, God will begin to share even more prophetic secrets with them through the prophets for 2010. This will be a year where the prophets increase in their spiritual capacity to receive and release more SECRETS to the Church. This is what Amos meant when he said in Chapter 3, verse 7, "The Lord God does nothing (of any spiritual significance) without first revealing his SECRETS to his servants the prophets."

2010 prophets will be dealing in more high level secrets than ever before. Individuals, conferences, churches, states, regions, and even nations will have SECRETS revealed to the prophets for them. A new and even more deadly level of revelation will come to the prophets. These SECRETS will equip the Church for its role in the earth for 2010 and beyond. The Church will not be pushed around anymore. Watch out!

3. FILTERS! As each Believer walks in obedience, all negative "hearing" FILTERS—blockages, hindrances, and restrictions that affect our hearing the voice of God—will be removed. Perfect Prophetic Perception (hearing) is being restored to the Church. She will begin to hear more clearly again and act more decisively again on the word of the Lord. A spirit of deafness is coming off the Bride. She will declare, "I can hear again!"

4. HONOR! It is the year to give honor. Churches need to increase the honor they show to their leaders. "Honor to whom honor is DUE," says the Lord. Each Believer must do something to honor a servant of God who has blessed his life. Even if it means going back 30 years to bless or honor someone who blessed you. In 2010 each Believer will remove the debt of HONOR they owe another—debt free for 2010. "Owe no man a debt of honor….pay up," says the Lord!

I strongly encourage all Believers to honor or bless any minister who has helped you in your spiritual life. But don't honor them to get something more or something new; just honor, bless, or give to them for who they are and what they have already done for you in the past.

5. WISDOM! The wisdom of God is going to be heard and seen in and through the Church as never before. It is time for the Church to fully realize what Ephesians 3:10 says, "It is God's intention that right now the manifold WISDOM of God be made known in and through the Church...to all the heavenly and demonic principalities and powers."

The Church (worldwide) will be the happening place to hear and receive God's wisdom for your life for 2010. God will unveil His wisdom in and through the Church. Demons will tremble and angels will applaud as all hear the wisdom of God spoken and demonstrated in and through the Church. The Church will be the place to be for 2010 and the hotspot to hear what God has in store for the earth. People will begin to say, "You heard it here first…in the Church!" Amen.

6. CREATIVE! Apostles and Prophets will begin to unleash a barrage of prophetic creative declarations over the Church. These will not be sermons or teachings, but anointed "now" creative declarations from Heaven, literal "awakening words." Their words will have a life-giving dimension—a literal "bring into being" creative dimension when they prophesy. Apostles and prophets will operate in and express more revelation in their ministries in 2010 than in the last 10 years combined. Awesome!

7. MEDIA! For 2010 we are to take the media back from the world. Any Christian ministry that has an opportunity to get on the radio or TV needs to do it now!

8. FEAR! The Church needs to repent for the sin of fear. It is epidemic in the Church. We must all go from fearful to fearless. The devil has used fear as his number one strategy, and it has been working.

9. HOLINESS! It is time for the Church to clean up her act. "The filthiness of the flesh AND OF THE SPIRIT…" will be eradicated from the Church.

10. DREAMS! 2010 will be a year where ALL Believers will see a dramatic increase in the number of spiritual dreams they experience. Seventy-five percent of them will be warnings. Take heed.

Denny Cramer
Dennis Cramer Ministries
Email: denniscramer1@comcast.net