Friday, December 29, 2017

What's just ahead... His Spirit is coming


God has been getting many ready for what is to come and their role in it by the pruning process in John 15.  He prunes us so we can bear more fruit.

Some who have had one thing after another come into their lives the Lord is using to make you stronger in His Spirit, getting you ready for bearing more fruit this next year.  Building you up for what is coming so to be great warriors in the battle.

We will come into a harvest of souls through us like we have never seen before. It may be a build up during the year.  Also, as I have mentioned several times over this year, we will see an influx of resources. From all the years of being steadfast in planting, you will see the harvest come in an abundant way.

He may move us into some new things. Our attention to build His Kingdom through us will be keener, sharper, more of our focus. This pruning through this year will turn our desires more to His Desires through us. So the resources we get, we will desire to use them for His Kingdom, and not what the world wants to give us for self-desired pleases of the past. 

Actually, those pleasurable desires we had for the things of the world  will fade to less importance for us.


A note on the above. John 15 also says what is not producing fruit, that which has withered and died will be cut off. Some things we have been doing will be dismissed from our lives, withered and died.

Enter into the fullness of what God has called you to be and called you to do.

Remember Abraham... he did not look back, but journeyed ahead to a place where He did not know exactly where he was going... like the cloud by day and fire by night for Moses in the desert. He followed it day by day. So with us, a day-by-day gleaning from the Spirit and following the way for that day.

God through His Spirit will bring the Body of Christ together. Those who are true Believers will find each other and work as a unit with each other. They may be from different formal denominations, organizations, but He, the Spirit, is calling them out and they will find each other. Led by the Spirit and through the Spirit, not a made by man organization or group. Those who are trying to bring churches together, but through organization and human efforts will be a false front for this unity. Be careful and wary of these. The Holy Spirit will guide us as Joseph and Mary to the birth of Jesus were guided by the Spirit and those who came to honor them, were guided there by the Spirit.

We will have a new passion for the Word of God and dwelling in His Presence. It will go above all the other things we once enjoyed in life.  The things of our past will not have the same drawing to us. We will desire Him, more and more as the day draws near.

God will bring new strategies on building His Kingdom through us, not like before, and not like what we have traditionally known. Those who want us to hold on to those will be holding His Kingdom back. We must with the courage of Joshua move with what God is showing us, and in faith follow them. It may be new or different, but it will be bright and refreshing. 

God is doing a New Thing, as in Isaiah, different, but be open in your heart... watch the "we have never done it this way before" trap. Jesus came in a different way than religious leaders of His day thought He would. The people in their hearts looking for Him recognized Jesus for who He was. The others steeped in tradition didn't. This time it will be novel again. So follow the Spirit, not a tradition.

The Spirit will use many unknown, not famous name-recognition type of people. The common and simple will be the ones the Spirit will indwell and used to a greater degree. Listen to the not-famous ones, and let the Spirit guide you to the truth you hear in the Spirit.

His Spirit will be alive walking the streets through us and for those who need Him. They will be inspired by the Spirit and walk in His knowledge and power and love.

We will see a new proliferation of the Gifts of the Spirit... in the regular, common activities of our life. Where we go, His Spirit will be speaking through us. Our discernment will be increased and we will spot evil where it is disguised as good. We will recognize wolves in sheep's clothing... those acting as the Spiritual, who are really counterfeits of the True Spirit.

I was moved, over the last several years, to prepare Living Your Magnificent Mission for this time.
God may very well have had you in a preparation time too, getting you ready for this time.

I also see the functionality of the Church, meaning the Body of Christ, making Its home among people in the marketplace, communities, places of business. The Lord told me several years ago, like when Jesus went in and cleared the Temple, that "you have made My House into a marketplace, so I will plant my Spirit in the marketplace and dwell among the people." The Church will be a relational organism, not defined by name, place or organizational title, but a living, walking Spirit among men and women. Love will bind it together, not membership or contract.

Truly a time of God with us, where we are, where we go. His Spirit goes with us and through us where ever we are. 

Dale Shumaker, 
4spirit@gmail.com 
www.spiritsavvy.net
 

So What's coming

So what in the world is this.
Something is coming.

We can look for it. It was like Jesus coming. He came a way others weren’t expecting. 
May we be ready as well.

A Spirit Savvy Network ... what in the world is this
Here, the building blocks for the Magnificent Mission process are explained.

Blessings,

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Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Living an Empowered Spiritual Life

by Dale Shumaker

As stated in Joel 2 we are coming into a time of a magnificent drenching of His Spirit in our lives. In this time many things will be shaken up, and a new wine of Spirit will saturate us. One important thing to keep in mind is, it will be a new thing, not putting new wine into old wineskins, but it will be more incredibly powerful than before.

As a review of this see:

And lessons to make it part of our lives at:

The time is now as Peter said.
"The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.” 1 Peter 4:7

We are entering the season of this time. It is the time of staying earnest in our prayers and following the Mission His Spirit has put on our hearts to do.

Work hard in what you are called to do. Stay steady and steadfast since you are working for the Lord, not men. Remember, it is the Lord who will reward you in the end. (see Colossians 3)

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Monday, September 25, 2017

A Spirit Savvy Network ... a better way

By Dale Shumaker

There are two things we need to really focus on to live a vibrant Spiritual life ... we need to stay close to God in Spirit personally, and be close to others doing the same. We refer to ourselves as the Body of Christ. When these two things are functioning well in our lives, we are strong in all we do.

Each person has a mission. We are equipped with Gifts of His Spirit and we use them to be a support to each other. As a person lives close to God in Spirit and is close to another in Spirit, a very strong bond is formed and there is much power released into our mission. As the Scriptures say, we are one in the Spirit. "For there is one body and one Spirit" (Ephesians 4:4).

With this as our foundation, we have exceptional power to fulfill our mission we are born for. So the Spirit Savvy Network is a framework that empowers us in what God has for us to do. It's simple to do, but takes discipline to do it daily. As we engage in it as a regular part of our lives, living One in Spirit, His Spirit becomes an invincible force in our lives. The forces of evil can't stand against it. His love and power surround us, continually working in our behalf.

To explain this process I wrote  " a Spirit Savvy Network ... what in the world is this?" It's a better way, and a more dynamic one. The process is not hard to live by. It blends together the main ingredients for living strong in His Spirit and accomplishing what God has made us for.

The message of Christ in Us for all is not limited by place, circumstances, education, position, or membership. It is free for all and can be lived out by all, regardless of where you are in life, and what you can do, can't do, afford to do, and feel in a position to do. The Spirit Savvy Network is something everyone can do, and live in the Presence and power of God in all you do. It's a better way.

Please take a minute and examine what I share in


And those who are serious and want to pursue the process I penned here, I pledge to help, regardless of circumstances one's life is in.

This is my mission, my gift to the world, as God has brought me into this world to share with mankind.
You have one too... I would be honored to assist you with yours as well.


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Thursday, August 24, 2017

God with You at Work ... dreaming with God

By Dale Shumaker

God With You at Work was written by Andy Mason, so we all can experience the presence and power of God with us in our life and business. God sets us on a mission. As we live in Him on that mission we live with the experience of God with us. In his book, he puts to practice the power of the Testimony. A person's testimony is like God's resume in his life. As we develop our awareness of God living constantly in God's Presence, we see His power at work around us. When two are in agreement, it creates a power.
"Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16) His Presence is there among us, where at least two are in agreement. Andy says as you read the book he is that agreeing partner with us.

With God’s Spirit clothing me I can do anything while having an abundance of peace. This is the secret source of all success... being clothed in His Spirit. He sets us on a mission that may seem impossible. The question is will we receive it. And know it can be done as we learn to rest in His Presence.

"You will do greater things," Jesus admonished. The secret source to everything Jesus and the Apostles did was their connection they had to the Person of God.

"My presence will go with you and I will live from rest" (Exodus 33:13).
Our performance is based on rest. We live in a performance of rest.

Our focus is our identity with Jesus Christ and not on our performance. Many live for what they can do, not who they are. Our identity is who God says I am. Our value rests on that God is with us. Our anxiety is based on an inferior Kingdom, whereas when our Identity is with God and His Kingdom we don't strive but function in a performance of rest. We seek His intimacy which yields His power.

We are sons and daughters of God. We are joint heirs with Him and we live in that relationship. This inheritance is a gift from God and it can
only be received, not earned. It's from intimacy, connection and a confident dependence on Him. Those who live without that intimate connection are like orphans, on their own without a God of love and power to help. They are disconnected from His Spirit, feel they must earn everything ("if it's going to be, it's up to me" mindset). Since they earned it, it belongs to them, so they must protect it. This is the worldly view of business and possessions. It causes strife, anxiety, discontent, bitterness and other negative human emotions.

With us being joint heirs of God's Kingdom, His Children, we feel part of His family, and very large one beyond us. We feel connected to God and family. So we receive His Gifts and Blessings. We don't strive but live in peace and joy. Which leads us to give more, which creates an increase in our lives and those around us. Success is no longer my independence and ability to protect what I have. It is now seeing others join me in my momentum and my desire to see others go farther than me, that they go beyond me. Jesus did not come just for you to live free and die in peace. But so that you live in His Presence and Power… so that you do greater things.

Instead of striving, being envious and jealous, wanting to beat everyone, we live in love, joy, peace, patience, long suffering, as we live in His Rest. Resting in Him creates a paradox. We don't feel the stress of effort, but accomplish more. We don't try to protect our own, but give freely and freely we receive, even more... pressed down and overflowing. Being tied into His Kingdom, our inheritance is beyond what we can think or imagine.

Dream with God. Dreamers are born to demonstrate the impossible. The competitive advantage we have with the world's principle is Christ within. "Christ in us"(Col. 1:27). Do not be lured by the principles and philosophies of man, which are not according to Christ (Col. 2:8). Christ came to demonstrate what a human can do in complete partnership with a limitless God. It's a personal relationship we have, a covenant relationship. When we limit ourselves to a set of rules, we diminish the whole benefit of why Christ came to earth.

It's not about what I can get, but what I can give. The gift of Sonship gives us access to the limitless supply in order to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

We have permission to dream with God.
We have permission to succeed.
We have permission to demonstrate how good God really is. How much more will our Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him (Matt. 7:11).

The process of dreaming with God.
1. Intimacy
Have a personal experiential relationship with the Father of Creation. Set time apart to spend time with Him, adjusting our schedules to do so.

2. Ask, dream, imagine, create
Take time to ask to dream with Him. Setting our thoughts on Heaven. Meditate on who He is. Meditate on who He says we are.

3. Receive
As sons and daughters of God we live from inheritance rather than having to earn something. What would our life, business, mission look like if it were "God-sized"?

4. Risk, do it
Often times our dreams may be large and often overwhelming compared to where we are now. It may seem impossible.
We start with partnering with God. What does our intended outcome look like? What do we start with? What do we have in hand right now, resources at our disposal right now?
Take that first step. Do it again. Take another step, then another, and another. We are there for each other and help each other.

When we live our dreams with God, life is released. The process of dreaming with God starts and ends with intimacy, our intimate relationship with our Father in Heaven.

As Mason wraps up the book, he addresses the Supernatural Keys of Success. Most believers have been happy to quote Scripture, improve character, not realizing there is a whole new power we can tap into. There are three keys.

1. By the Blood of the Lamb.
Christ's death and resurrection also puts His Power back into us. Everywhere you go you can know His will is on earth "as in Heaven." We are the enforcers of Heaven on earth.

2. By the Word of Our Testimony.
Whenever we hear someone's testimony, we know He wants to do it through you again. It's not just one person's testimony but for us too...
and He wants to do it again through us. When we recall or repeat what He has done, He wants to show up and do it again.
We get more of what we repeat. When we repeat bad news, we provoke more of that. When we repeat His Good News, and someone's testimony, we get more of that.

3. By Living Selflessly.
We shift our definition of success from ourselves to others. Winning is not about what we get, but what we give. It's about advancing His Kingdom. When we seek His Kingdom first, we see the things added to us, that others strive for. He gives back to us more than we can imagine. Elevate the status of people around you. Promote their dreams.

God with You at Work is part of Andy Mason's Heaven in Business series.
His website is

Andy's view is very similar to how I see the marketplace advancing and the Kingdom of Heaven advancing. My theme line on my Spirit Savvy Network business card is "Invigorating the Kingdom of Heaven in the Marketplace."

You also see in Living Your Magnificent Mission life course which I developed (about living out your God-called mission in the marketplace) a parallel of emphasis and themes.

It's interesting how the Holy Spirit gives people who don't know each other or collaborated with each other similar themes, principles and perspectives. To me this says, God is up to something and we all play a key role in it happening.


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Sunday, July 23, 2017

Seeing Believing Saying, adding Spirit

By Dale Shumaker

The Power of the Brain
+
the Power of the Spirit

Neuropsychology compared to the Spiritual way. Similar, both powerful, but the Spirit is more advanced.

From neuropsychology, which I studied  quite extensively in the 90's, I learned how powerful the mind is.  When we constantly see the results we desire, keep telling ourselves it will happen, and say out loud the results we desire, it works into our subconscious where it forms an incredible human power cell.

Those who practice and master it  say they have greater results in what they want to accomplish. As one said, the mind is like a magnet. It draws into our lives what it dwells on. This can be good and bad, depending on what we dwell on with emotional intensity.

One key activity is visualization... to keep playing a movie in the mind of what we hope for and desire. We naturally daydream, so control daydreams to be the outcomes in life as we prefer to have it.  That is seeing it as happening as we desire in our imagination first, and not focusing on what we see as dire circumstances. What we imagine, with intensity, emotional desire, comes about.

Add positive self talk. That is we keep telling ourselves a positive potential of everything that happens.
All delays are just that, it will happen but not just yet.
Obstacles are temporary, and setbacks can lead us to something even better.
Talking positively to ourselves, and not criticizing ourselves or others, but being our own best encourager and keep telling ourselves what we see in our mind and believe...
then
it will happen.

Another key component is affirmations. Write positive statements of the outcome as you wish, and put them in the present tense as if they have already happened. Read them and say them constantly. What our mind hears us say it tends to want to take us that direction.

So speak positive, desired outcomes for every circumstance, what we hope for, and desire. Put a positive spin on all we say, in how we talk about things. Some have called this declarations.
What our mind hears us say it will obey.

The formula is visualize it as already in existence.
Use positive self-talk to condition the mind for making it happen,
and then affirm/declare it as if accomplished,
claiming it as done with confidence in your voice.

From a neuropsychological standpoint, those who do this say they accomplish what they hope for. Those who practice this, master it,  say they have seen awesome results in what they wanted to be, attain or accomplish.

There is a higher dimension to this.

The brain is powerful, although the Spirit is even more powerful. Add the Spirit and we go up to a higher level, almost literally out of this world.

Now, we can stay at the mind level, which is amazing in what it can do when applied positively.
Or we can go up to a much Higher level...
adding what can be done through the Spirit.

First, God says have faith in Him to make it come to pass, which is having the God of the universe working with us but above the power of our mind.
It's called Faith.

Faith is what we hope for to the level as God can do. In Faith we see it already done, and live as if it already exists. We Believe this because the ultimate power of the universe, God's Spirit, is doing it.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval." (Heb. 11:1, 2 NASB)

We then speak to ourselves as God sees us.
We do not dwell on thinking of past failures, mistakes, our shortcomings, or thinking there's no way I can do this, or it can happen.

(We don't say in our mind, "I am just not good enough," instead we say "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.") We live in the Holy Spirit and speak His Words of hope in our hearts.

We cultivate this through meditating on the Scriptures and talking to God about it happening, how it will happen, and what it will look like, and the excitement we have for it when it comes into place.

When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, He was discussing with the prophets what was coming into place and what the Kingdom would be, what He must do for it happen. When our minds are constantly reciting His promises in our thoughts, constantly reclaiming in our minds who we are through Christ in how we talk to ourselves, it transforms the mind to be His Mind.
We know it will be done through His Power.

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Rom. 12:2 NASB)

Next, saying it out loud with Scriptures. Use the Word of God to reinforce what the outcome will be. We proclaim it through the power of His Spirit. His Word is on our lips and we tell others about it continually. And we express belief in what God promises, His Spiritual Principles, in all our speech.

Jesus frequently quoted the Scriptures in response to somebody, something. We recite the Scriptures out loud in an affirming, declaring way.
("As you have believed, let it be done for you.” (Matt. 8:13, Holman)
"As we believe, it will be done.")

Say it out loud in prayer and when we talk to others. Saying it in light of God's Mighty all-powerful, all-loving Spirit working through us.

"Repeat them again and again.... Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up." (Deut. 6:7 NLT)

In Spirit it's Faith, meditating on His Word, and speaking His Promises.
In Spirit, it's mind power working in concert with Spirit power, with the Spirit as the mind’s director.

Sin is when we rely on our mind, and we don't include or let the Spirit direct it, to be inclusive in it.
When we value our thoughts, above God's Thoughts and Power through us, it is sin for us. It's the...
"If it's going to be it’s up to me" mindset
versus
His Power works Mightily through me.
It's that we do God's mission,
and His will through us.

So it's
Seeing, Believing, Saying
at the Spiritual level,
through the Spirit.

This is part of the building blocks I have in Living Your Magnificent Mission. It's a powerful process when done well, as a discipline, as part of us. It's important we live out our mission, and follow this as we do.
"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven." Matthew 7:21


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