Here is a collection of MUST SEE videos regarding the Rapture of the Church and Comet Elenin, which will be in alignment with the Earth and Sun on September 26, 2011. This is a six part series and may be the most important video you will ever watch…PLEASE WATCH IMMEDIATELY!!! As it is time sensitive. Be Ready and Look Up for our Redemption Draweth Nigh!!!

Part 1 – The Coming Rapture of The Bride of Christ

Part 2 – The Seven Prophetic Jewish Festivals

Part 3 – The “Hidden Secret” Behind The Feast of Trumpets

Part 4 – Sign in The Heaven & Earth Fulfilling Bible Prophecy

Part 5 – Why Israel – God’s Prophetic Clock, is at 11:59

Part 6 – How to Get Saved and Be Protected From The Coming Tribulation

I wonder if people just assume, because you tell them the truth, that means you aren’t “showing love.” Instead I feel that people would like to have their ears tickled and for us to just say “what they want to hear.” The truth is, if this is how we treat each other, than we aren’t really showing them love at all. This is the vanity I refer to… “Don’t tell me the truth, just tell me what I want to hear and if you do tell me the truth…I WILL HATE YOU AND CAST YOU OUT OF MY LIFE FOREVER.”

Enter the unrepentant heart…

How can we expect to be forgiven if we don’t even have a heart that knows, understands or is willing to learn the truth of ourselves and our total depravity? You cannot be humble when you are full of pride. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? - James 3:11

I’m amazed at the amount of bitterness, hardness of heart, anger, etc. people have toward each other. We are instructed to LOVE our enemies and forgive them. Instead we like to stay comfortable in our anger, sabotage our relationships & permanently remove people from our lives. It’s amazing to me because the example we have to go by is Grace, Mercy, Forgiveness, Patience, Tolerance and instead we get to experience everything but. I’m not sure how ANYONE will get to heaven.

I would ask that you search your own heart and asked to be purified (be prepared, because purification requires a LOT of fire) ask God to show you your own anger, your own depravity, your own pride and give us clean hands and pure hearts. Learn what Grace is and how to extend it, learn mercy and show it, learn forgiveness and use it, learn patience and tolerance of your fellow man. The bible did not say we HAVE to get along, but our reward will come the day that God can look at you and see His own reflection.

Our trials and disagreements are not meant for us to hate, but to learn and grow. If you cut the branch off…it will never produce fruit.

The truth is, if you can’t see past yourself…you live a life of vanity with an unrepentant heart.

Amanda Vande Zande

What is to come from the all the changes taking place under our noses? Will the world stop to take notice, or even check the not so obvious major changes? Our world as we used to know it is not the same. It has always been in motion but now even as the day draws nearer it is becoming a paranormal event. God is control, and He has declared this day to come. Jesus will come forth, loud and mightily to claim and restore what is His in righteousness. I feel the things in store will become eerily more bizarre that even those who are asleep will be shaken awake. The very foundations of the things that must come to pass will be shaken, moved and eventually crushed under the pressure of the day. Our desire to be right apart from the truth of the prophecy has lead the blind off the cliff and the sheep to the slaughter. The wickedness that transpires among us will be met with a great revolt. The wicked will have their hour of power, but it will quickly be brought to naught. Are you prepared?

The Bible says that “to let him that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. I am aware folks that this is a time of reckoning. We need to reckon unto ourselves and unto God those things which are His. It is well past the time to hide under our blankets of blissfulness and deceit and to put aside the deeds which so easily beset us. If we dare not to or care less than we have we face a very uncertain and shakable future. The only place to stand is going to be found in the faith with which we have that has been tested, purified and tried in the fires of the Almighty. It is a time to be “holy still”. Anything less will result in purifying fires that will burn within and without at such a crucial time as this with the culmination of events and the end of the age. Prepare for the day, be watchmen on the wall that remain alert to the changes and the trials that we as a nation are going to face very soon. Increase your knowledge, pray to increase your faith. Stand fast upon the prophecy of the Lord Jesus as this day approaches and be one who stands as those whom He mentions as the “will I find faith on the earth”? Be faithful until the end, stand in the test, prepare with food and water both spiritually and physically and wake up your neighbors. I truly do believe that everyone is aware of these times. It is taking place within us and much as it is without. The truth must be sought out. It’s the seers and the prophets who have spoken of these horrific events that are and will continue to unfold. It is a perfect design and plan to redeem us from ourselves. It is a time to restore all things back to their original designs. It’s a time for restoration. Prepare for blessing, for they will come through the midst of trial and affliction, suffering and tribulation. Be encouraged, for it must be this way… for the Glory of the Lord is awaiting to appear before and to and within the sons of the living God.

We ended up homeless, and I mean literally homeless. We were sleeping on a friends garage floor for awhile, we crashed on London’s brother’s couch for a bit. We had no money, no where to go, bad tags on our car…we were stuck. We were trying to find jobs and due to the circumstances, I needed internet access to get as many apps out as possible, so, if we were able to stay at a hotel, it needed to have internet access. We got to the point that our faith had been completely tested and God was completely silent. We didn’t understand.

Just before we had ended up homeless, I saw an ad in the paper for an on-site manager of a hotel located near by. I applied for that job and had a very good interview. It was great because it was a job for a retired couple living on-site and taking care of a hotel. Sounds perfect right. Well, it didn’t come so easy. I was told by the gentleman that I interviewed with that he would call me Friday. No call. I finally got in touch with him, after completely believing by faith that we were going to get this job, and he said they hired someone else. My heart sank. We REALLY believed we had it. We believed it so much, I turned down another job because of it. Then we went homeless.

Finally, we broke down and called some Christian friends we hadn’t talked to in awhile and with no questions asked, they said “get yourselves over here.” We ended up staying by them for a couple of weeks. They gave us a place to stay, all the food we could eat, all the prayer we needed, a swimming pool and no demands. It was great! Thanks again Jess & Gae.

Well, something in London said to have me call the hotel again. So I did, and lo and behold, he wanted to give us a try. Praise the Lord. Not so fast, it then took another 2 weeks to get in touch, re-interviewed, background checks, etc, and all the while, this guy didn’t know we had no home. In that same time, I also got a call for another job making $13.00 an hour, I took that job, but all the while believing we were still going to get this hotel job. It’s amazing how faith will let you see what the flesh cannot. All in all, it took a 2 months to get this job.

Ugh! Nothing like having your faith tested. LOL.

Well, here we are now at the hotel. We have a nice little apartment right on site, complete with a job, a Dollar General across the street and I work part time at the Curves in town as an administrative assistant.

When we left Hustisford, we were hoping to get a ministry started in a little church building there, but apparently God had other plans. He brought our ministry here. We have shared the gospel with everyone we have met, we have been able to be a blessing to those in need and those that are without. We have come to the place of need. We offer nightly rooms as well as extended stay and most of our extended stay people are here because they have been displaced in life. This is a place of transition. From one point to the next. JUST LIKE US! Wow, is that why we went through that fire? It all makes sense now. How can you help anyone with out having first gone through the fire yourself? We have been blessed. We have asked God to use us, give us purpose to our lives and as people are very needy, our life now has purpose. We get to witness the fruit of our labor. We get to see the difference our charity makes in someone’s life…daily. PRAISE JESUS! We get to be apart of something bigger than us. We have made many friends and acquaintances and have prayed over all of them. We thank you Lord that we can lean not on our own understanding and that you alone will make our path straight.

We are able to keep our web sites going and I am drawing more and more for my site and improving my skills as an artist and London is keeping our Crafty Art Central site growing.

As much as I may like to dream of success and a quit and stable life, I know that we must be ready at any second to drop everything and go where He sends us. We are watchmen on the wall and bear witness of the Truth and with that there is no slumbering. Our life is not our own and we must be ready at all times to Forsake All And Follow Him.

AmandaVande Zande

Eternal is stated as without beginning and without end… eternal, everlasting and always existing. O.K. Eternal must exist today then. It is always there. If there is eternal and we only associate it with life, why is it we always seem to associate it with “heaven“? Is eternal life and heaven one and the same? It sure is used that way! Maybe I should pause for awhile and wait for your responses….. What are we to conclude?

Is there a verse in the Bible that says Heaven is Eternal Life? Let’s look into it. O.K., I didn’t find any. You see eternal is often best looked at with it’s counter part… temporal. We may obtain eternal blessing, pardons, and punishments and rewards. Likewise, we may obtain the same here and now in these temporal conditions also, so let’s not get confused.

We have to clear this up, for I believe and have been impressed to explain this. For the surprise of everyone’s faces forced me to delve into it as to set the misconception and the naivete whether through choice ignorance or our blind aaumption as to why it is we so often don’t choose to see the reality or depth of our own beliefs and statements.

First, eternal life is not heaven. Eternity may be spent in Heaven, it may also be spent in Hell. Eternity began for you and I through the wisdom and foreknowledge of God Himself! God is the first Eternal being. He was alone “The Eternal” God. There has since been many other self proclaimed deities, but none have the attribute “eternal”. They, like you and me have been created. We were an idea in the heavens before time began. Wisdom spoke to God with knowledge and we were designed and purposed to His plan. What’s His plan…. ? That’s a whole other story.

Whether we want to believe it or not, this next statement doesn’t matter what you think of it. “We were created”. We are not by chance, for no chance has such a perfect design. Impossible! All of matter is a design through the Eternal. It is Divine. It belongs to God. Eternal and eternity belong to God. They are held by the Divine. Life belongs to God… Without Him nothing exists. but what about death?

Death for you and I who are reading this now is a temporal reality. Why is this? Death is required of every man in the flesh. For only through death do we now enter into life. How can this be? Because we are eternal! We were created long before we were given our first breath by God to walk in this place we call Earth. We exist eternal as Spirits. Every created being has a Spirit. God is the Father of Spirits and in Him there is life…. and only life. We need to enter into Him. How do we do that? The beauty of it is somewhat a mystery, for we also have our soul. I certainly would not do it justice here to include the depth of the soul and the spirit of the human. I do know this, what is not of Him will surely die. For nothing created without can live. Without a soul, you are not a human. Humans have souls, souls are numbered in the design and the account of men. Which leads us to the exposition to our sin.

Sin is not of God. Sin is not permitted by God. Sin has a consequence as explained and exclaimed by God in Christ Jesus. Sin results in death. Only the dead are held accountable to their sins. The dead are the only ones persuaded to bury the dead. Why would those living think of burying the dead? This will remain another topic to cover in the future. I guarantee you it has to do with God, Glorifying Himself, and the Living “lifers”. God is not real interested in those who don’t want to believe in Him. For they are rebellious, they are dead, and God as the Great Husbandman simply cuts them out. Believe it or not, He is and always will protect His Garden. He is gracious and merciful to allow you many denials, but to deny God is to deny the very source of life, and without it you will surely die. It is on your part no less than you refusing to receive that which has been offered. It will never change the fact that God is God. Jesus came and made eternal life possible. Eternal damnation and hell have been here since the Garden Of Eden. Hell is a place for Lucifer and is the dwelling place created for the “fallen angels”. If you don’t think they exist, you should stop reading this. Choose this day whom you will serve.

Eternal is today folks. Eternal life didn’t start because you said so, or said anything! Eternal life is granted to you at your acknowledging and believing in Him who God sent to redeem you from your death sentence and eternal damnation. Eternal death is eternal damnation and is a sentence served in Hell. You were unfortunately born from this starting point. Back in the Garden, Adam and Eve ate from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and God said “Man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil”. Mankind is not suppose to know this, for we become judges with this knowledge, we cannot govern it in our rebellions, pride and ignorance so God made sure of it that you would not now eat from the tree of life in this condition lest you live. Eternal Life, i.e. the “tree of Life” is off limits for the sinful man. You need to find out how to obtain “life”, because eternal is now and hell is reserved for those who deny God. Eternal damnation has already been given to the “fallen angels”. For God has not shown mercy or compassion unto them, and justifiably so according to Enoch, for they have left their first estate. They reside in a second Estate… the Pit. It is located in Hell. Those of you who deny the One who alone may grant you eternal “Life” which is Jesus sharing with you His part in the inheritance of Heaven, partaking in the blood of His atonement, God’s acceptable sacrifice. You and you alone are responsible for this eternal act. You may not enter the Garden ever again with out His permittence. It is a purposeful act of obedience of your will…. will you, or will you not… it is a matter of your soul, and it will determine whether or not you will to take your place in the pit and join in the inheritance of the unbelievers and the fallen. It is God’s will that no man should perish, and He made a way through the obedience of one man. Jesus Christ the righteous. Enter ye in at the Strait Gate.

Wake up folks, eternity has come. Eternal life has been granted, it’s a grant, written out to us while we are here. It’s a gift also, to you, for you… but it needs to be REDEEMED. It’s you foolish one. It’s you that need to be redeemed. You have become the granted. After you pick up your redemption certificate, your name will be written in the book of life. God is an accountant. He will in Christ Jesus, Judge Jesus, King Jesus inquire about you, look up your name…. just to see if it is written in there. This is the “Book of Life”. If it is written there, you are welcomed and pardoned and given your place with the saints in the kingdom of our God. Welcome to “Eternal Life in Heaven”. There!

God Bless you as you travel the narrow road that leads to “life”. If you don’t know how to get there, grab a Bible and enter in through the “strait gate”.. for there is no other way. If you try to get in some other way, you will be denied. Don’t waste your time, do not be deceived! Many they are who try to enter in “some other way”. Your odds are better seeking the Lord to enter in at the strait gate. The path is much more narrow than once was first thought. You will at times walk alone. But I rejoice for you now!!! For you will find Eternal Life. He’s at the end of the path. He is the gatekeeper… If you call His name “Jesus, Jesus” he will light your path. He will begin to fellowship with you, you will begin to know his voice… follow him along this path. He will let you in if He knows you. God bless you for taking your first steps. Now keep walking

For the love of Christ controls (constrains, compels) us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised…

It is God’s agape Love that compels man’s hearts and desires. For the child of God is no longer a servant but a son. While he is a child, he is a slave, for he does not know what the master requires. For a servant is subject to his master, on the other hand a son is a child and heir of all things, whereby God lovingly and gently leads us up into His eternal kingdom.

We are constrained by a love motive that has filled our entire being, whereby once again it is not by works, beit is as a blessing from God our Father through our Savior Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit of God Himself. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. It is this inherited Love motive where we cry “Abba Father”. As our Lord Jesus has told us, “I no longer call you a servant, but a friend” and in Galatians 4:4-7 it says: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

God Bless!
London

I have considered myself as having only a few people that I trust, a few who would help in a crisis, a time of need, such as being homeless, without food or money, or transportation, basically having nothing and no where to go. I have learned that the world, though they may seem close are as far away from your need as they can possibly get. There is a difference in the “born again” spirit filled believer. They help selflessly, that’s a big statement. There is alot more to a selfless person than what you may think. Selfless people are glad to help, for as long as it takes. They keep no record, they pray unceasingly, they seek your and their guidance from the Spirit of God Himself, and know no boundaries. “Thanks be to our God”, who shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory. Glory be to God for our true Christian brothers and sisters, for the Lord Himself has showed up, shown us He was and is and always will be in control of our lives. To gratefully acknowledge Him in all things will truly lead you to say each day, “thanks be to our God”, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Our right lies in force. The word “right” is an abstract thought proved by nothing. The word means no more than: Give me what I want in order that thereby I might have a proof that I am stronger than you.

Dwell on that for awhile, meditate on those words.

Well, today sitting in the park and reading the word, I received revelation from the Lord that we really don’t have any right to be right. He said these words to me clearly and plainly. I didn’t understand at first and then He explained to me what these things mean. WE DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE RIGHT.

The Kingdom of Heaven is not established by our being right. The Kingdom of Heaven does invite our being right. Jesus says I Am The WAY. “THE WAY.” There is only ONE WAY. The Kingdom of Heaven is established in our believing and receiving by faith that Jesus is the Son of God, was crucified, buried and resurrected and then completely surrendering our wills, emotions, opinions, and our being right, so that He may manifest Himself in our lives and be used by us to do His will.

The bible is not up for interpretation. There is only ONE way. Whether we believe what we “think” the bible says is “right” as oppose to what someone else says the bible says to be “right,” does not make it right. There is only ONE way. It is up to you to find the truth.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, AND FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT. – Matthew 7:13&14 (emphasis mine)

Amanda Vande Vande

In the Fall of 2008 we bought some tulip bulbs. London, Denver and myself buried our tulips and went through the process of seed, time and harvest. In the Spring of 2009 our beautiful, bright yellow tulips ALL came up, except for the three the squirrel (or Jimmy) stole out of the ground.

? These are the tulips from Spring 2009 ?

2 days ago London & I were outside and noticed 1 of our tulip bulbs were out of the ground and had multiplied. We were curious about the multiplication process of our bulbs. We dug them all out of the ground and ended up with a 5 to 1 harvest. Praise God. This is proof that if you sow good seed in good soil, you will reap a harvest of abundance. We have more now than we know what to do with. LOL

? London thoroughly pleased with his harvest. ?

This is the result of seed, time and harvest. And I don’t mean like the prosperity preachers. I am talking about real biblical seed, time and harvest.

Thanks to our God for our wonderful gifts.

Amanda Vande Zande

And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
Isaiah 59:16

I heard a sermon by A.W. Tozer and he said some profound things. Simple things, but profound.
He was talking about Jesus and why He came.

Let us not forget it was for you.

His Birth

And she shall bring forth a son, and though shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21

His Death

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed
Isaiah 53:5

His Resurrection

But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification
Romans 4:24 & 25

Intercession

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 7:25

Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Romans 8:34

My husband reminded me of how threatened I was by the “for you” statement while I was still a sinner. Being approached with…Did you know Jesus dies FOR YOU? How threatened I was by that and now to hear those words is like a blanket that covers over me.

Praise God for His faithfulness. Even if we feel alone, He is with us. Even when we forget He is with us…He is with us. What a great and Awesome God. How great is your faithfulness toward us.

Please listen to the sermon below and be encouraged.

Amanda Vande Zande

In the beginning God made man in His image, man became fallen because of disobedience to God and from there, we were all doomed to be born as sinners.

God sent His only Son, Jesus, so that He would pay the penalty of sin. The penalty of that sin is an eternal life separated from God, also known as Hell.

Jesus not only took the penalty of all the world’s past, present and future sin onto Himself at the cross, but He suffered and died, went to the depths of Hell an innocent man, took the keys to death, Hell and the grave and rose again to be seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven so that ALL who believe could have Eternal Life.

The bible says Jesus was a friend of sinners. He does not ask us to come to Him perfect, or one day when you’ve got yourself together. He asks us to come like we are and come now. It is HIS will that no man should perish, but have everlasting life. He loves you and is waiting for you also. It starts with merely believing…

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that who so ever should believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life“. John 3:16

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of The Holy Spirit. – Acts 2:38

About 4 years ago I had a discussion with someone as to whether we still had to be water baptized or not? Was this a pagan ritual or is this necessary to our salvation? We agreed that it was not necessary and therefore, we were not “required” to be water baptized.

One author says this about baptism:

As it was with Noah and the Flood, so it is with baptism. For baptism includes both immersion and emergence. What cannot pass through the water is not saved, but is drowned. However, what has passed through the waters and emerges from them is saved. – Watchman Nee (Secrets to Spiritual Power)

Well, two years ago I was convicted / convinced by The Holy Spirit that I should be baptized, after all JESUS IS OUR EXAMPLE! If we are going to follow Him, we must follow Him completely or not at all.

The church I was attending was baptizing all the kids and since I myself am an overgrown child, decided I would like to be baptized as well. It just so happened that my step daughter (the best kid ever) was over and decided she wanted to be baptized also. Her father talked to her about what this means in that she is showing an outward proclamation of her belief in Jesus Christ. She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior that night (August 23, 2008) and was born again and baptized the next day.

What a neat experience, we were baptized in the same water, one right after the other. A shared moment, memory and testimony for eternity.

Below is the video of our baptism…To God be all the glory, forever and ever, Amen.

The song accompanying this video is Michael Card: Celebrate The Child.

Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. – Romans 6:4

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The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 3:21

Denver’s Certificate Of Baptism – August 24, 2008

Amanda’s Certificate Of Baptism – August 24, 2008

Amanda Vande Zande

Fruit will continue to grow, AS LONG AS IT ABIDES IN THE VINE. As soon as it’s done growing, it is cast off and slowly dies. Therefore, we can come to the conclusion that if we are not growing, we are dying. I don’t believe that anyone that knows the Lord has any desire to stop growing, yet, they do. Why? I can give you plenty of reasons from my own, and as the Word says “It Is Written,” we can not use experience to determine our walk, we can only give it to others for a testimony.

I was a destroyed human being. I can’t say it any simpler than that. I was destroyed before the Cross as my life took a downward spiral into the pit of hell. I then was told I needed a Savior and I met this Jesus, and my life changed. I will refer to Psalm 40:1-3 here. For just a moment, I tasted Jesus. I understood who He was and why He came. I tasted His goodness and then I turned inward. Looking at my whole Christian life, and everyone else’s life around me through my own eyes, and never realizing that my life was never my own to posess. It didn’t belong to me. I was learning all about laws and how “I” could get better, as oppose to the freedom that we truly have in Christ. I knew nothing. Someone once told me that there was no sin, and as I struggled to understand, I got it, I understood it, however, there were alot of other areas that I was trying to acheive “betterdom” in. You cannot improve the flesh. Our righteousness is as filthy rags, nor can we do ANYTHING for God. He doesn’t need our help and what ever we do that is not of Him, will be burned up. I know, it’s a hard pill to swallow, but it doesn’t change it…IT IS WRITTEN.

Shall we go on? So, as I continued in my (carnal) “Christian” walk, I would recieve revelation here and there and I would get tears and I would get moments where I would walk in the Spirit, but not a consistant walk, and not a consistant revelation. In other words, I wasn’t really growing. I was slowly dying. I never knew it. Completely blind to my own pride of life. I thought I had reached the pentacle. After all, I had a good job, a nice house, a husband that is my very best friend and lover…Not to bad for an old crackhead from the streets of Houston, huh? WRONG!!! While all these things are great and good and WAY better than where I was. I had to learn a hard lesson in that in order to follow God, you can posses nothing. You can have nothing in your heart but Him. Not your kids, not your dog, your business, your house, your job, your husband…NOTHING! He requires it ALL. We have Abraham & Isack as our examples. Please understand, I have not overcome these things, I am a work in progress and I write because this will be a living letter to the working power of God in my life. I am still being purged, pruned, purified. The furnace is for Gold.

We MUST humble ourselves and ask God to show us our weeknesses, and I’m not talking about the ones that we can see. I’m talking about the one’s we cannot see, that are tucked away deep inside our hearts. Our “secret sin.” Ask God to show you what has destroyed you (because you are) and to carefully and lovingly purge those things from you. He will not, however, do this alone. You must be willing.

There is not one human being that “this” world has not destroyed. Satan comes to kill, steal and “DESTROY.” You can choose to keep your heads buried, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is his kingdom and he will do as he pleases. The evidence is all around us. Destroyed by the world, jobs, relationships, other people, government, religions and worst of all…WORDS. The list goes on and on. If you are not under constant attack by the devil as a Christian, you should really take a look at that and see if maybe the devil doesn’t have you right where he wants you. Confused & busy & worshiping stuff.

If we are to grow into resurrected life, we must first understand that Jesus has resurrected. Seek God and ask Him to speak to you about what is preventing your growth. Make sure you pay attention to how your growing. Are you growing in the Lord, or in yourself. You must willing let Him purge those things from you, so that you may walk in newness of life, in resurrected life, knowing all things Spiritual, what is and is not of God. The flesh cannot see it, it only sees itself and it will defend itself at all cost. Our life as Christians must be Christ, a resurrected Christ. If it’s anything other, it is emnity against God and it will be burned up…IT IS WRITTEN.

Amanda Vande Zande

What I understand is that the Knowledge of Good & Evil is evil. It stands in opposition of God. God stands all on His own, far, far removed from the knowledge of Good & Evil. If we go all the way back to the beginning we see the tree of the knowledge of good and evil there and God’s instructions to not eat of it, or surely they would die. Well, I die continually, and I am fighting God for the throne of my very own life. The hardest process will be to die to self. Dieing to self will destroy the knowledge of good & evil, but you must be willing. I look around and I see no one on the Earth willing to die to themselves to gain Christ. Not even myself. However, God is requiring it of me and still I die anyway. The process is painful and scary and I would rather run…but where?

I have been forced to take a look at all that I am hanging on to, none of it anything good, and still I hang on to it. I am carrying a bag that is far too heavy and still I carry it. I have been destroyed as a human being and still I carry it. The bag is full of pride, fear, doubt, control and the shell of a human being, and still I carry it. I have given myself away to the point that there is nothing left of myself to give and still I carry it, I have become born again and destroyed by doctrine and people that say they love the Lord and still I carry it, I have been carried to the mountain top of God and have seen the real truth behind the lies of the doctrines of men and still I carry it, Jesus says cast your cares upon me and still I carry it.

How are you suppose to let it go? You cannot get to God taking all that with you. How do you lay it down? I know, you just lay it down, it’s easy to lay it down, try laying it down and not picking it back up, that’s the trick. When I lay it down, I walk in the Spirit, but always dragging that “Old Man” around with me somewhere. I only know this because it shows itself more often than I would like. My heart’s desire is to walk in the Spirit and Power of God all the time, but the old man reminds me always that he is there, completely full of the knowledge of good and evil. I did walk around with my bible and judging others based on the words, like I was any better than them. On the Good & Evil scale, God doesn’t exist. He lives on the other side of the barrier. I will show you what I mean…

Evil________________________Good || GOD

There is a barrier that is impossible to get over in our “Good & Evil” judgments. I am stuck continually trying to get over the barrier. I can sometimes, but most of the time I just get myself back on the good and evil scale. The Spirit is willing but the flesh is week. I see a whole Christian world of people stuck. You can only find God if you seek Him, he doesn’t just show up, you must seek Him and He hides, so it is almost an impossible feat. I have cursed God so many times for what I am going through, I have doubted God really cared and wondered if He was even real…challenged Him. I hear the truth all the time trying to tear me down into nothing and build me back up in the Lord, but I am not strong and it’s very painful. I take it personally because of my insecurities and I fight back for my own protection. All the while, trying to save my self, while God is demanding it of me. I want to run and cry and scream and hit something and die. I have often contemplated denouncing God because what He requires of me is too hard and still I seek Him. His wisdom, His knowledge, His power, His strength…ALL of HIM and none of me.

I am a destroyer in my flesh. I can say the most vile of things and manipulate anything to get what I want. I have blasted through men, just because I could, I have hurt people just because I could. The heart is utterly wicked and it even deceives us. Good intentions go NO WHERE. Don’t tell someone you will help them and then don’t or find yourself in a situation that you can’t. You do nothing but make yourself a liar, not intentionally, but then end result is the same, your good intentions get you and the other person NO WHERE…stuck and let down. The bible clearly says, do not say that you will go here or there tomorrow and live, BUT IT THE LORD WILLS!!! It also doesn’t help any body to say, I was going to do this or that for you and then don’t. Faith without works is dead. PRIDE SUCKS!!!

I am a work in progress. A continual battle of the flesh and the Spirit. Paul says, what I want to do, I do not, and what I don’t want to do, that I do. There was a war in his members. I understand Paul. As much as it hurts, it does not take away from the fact that I am growing in the Lord, and if I do not go willingly, it will be a long and painful process. God is faithful and I know I cannot be snatched out of His hand. The devil wants to throw all the fiery darts at me, playing on my already week flesh. God is taking everything away that we have built, on the “GOOD & EVIL” scale, most people would see it as our letting it go because of our irresponsibility. If we both worked ourselves to death and stayed busy, and buried our heads in the sand to what was “really” going on, would that change anything in the “eyes of the just.” What would they and could they really say then? Are we under attack by the devil, is God punishing us, or is He working for His own purpose in our lives? If He wanted to work for His own purpose, would any of that other stuff matter, couldn’t He come and take it away anyway, and then our work be left in vain.

The “world” wants to tell you to go get a job, get some health insurance, get a 401k, buy a house, buy a car, have some kids, send them to college and seek ye 1st the kingdom of God. Wow, vanity of vanities. Work your whole life, so by 60 your physically destroyed and then all that money you saved can be used to pay for your health and your ungrateful kids you never taught “in the ways that they should go” can put you in a nursing home because they don’t want to take care of you, while they sit in church on Sunday because that’s just what they’ve always done…Vanity of vanities. Jesus says, will I find faith on the Earth? I am losing everything I have in this world, while seeking God and constantly struggle to walk by faith and trust in the Lord, and I wonder if He will find faith in me. I am staring deception right in the face. The line of deception runs parallel to the truth and it is so close, you can easily be led the wrong direction. The bible says to be wearing the FULL Armour of God. It’s hard to do.

There is a real possibility of walking the Earth Holy. Jesus is our example, all things that Jesus can do, we can do if we believe by faith. Faith is not words, it is a lifestyle, and very hard lifestyle. This means, no more worry, no more fear, no more pride, doubt or self. There can be nothing left of you at the end. Who ever shall lose his life shall find it, and who ever shall find his life shall lose it. I am terrified to lose my own life but I have to look at it and wonder, what’s to keep of it? Why would I want to hang onto any of it. Does it bring God glory? Does it help anyone? What is the struggle? I cannot answer that question…fear would be my best guess. We have not been given a Spirit of fear and still it’s there and it’s real, and it’s real satanic…as in, not from God.

The bible is not our tool to judge our lives by and then compare our lives to other peoples lives and say, well, at least I am not as bad off as that guy. Remember the publican that would not even lift his head to pray and the pharisee saying, at least I am not like that guy. Publican – humble, pharisee – proud. The biggest mistake we can make with God’s word is taking it in vain. I stand guilty. Reading the words on the pages and finding someone’s name I can insert into a particular scripture. Wow, way to become the judge Amanda, and Christian people. Not only do we judge others with the words on the page, but we judge ourselves also. We have not been given that right, we are not the judge of our lives or of others. The bible is not a book intended for the flesh, it is a Spiritual book, not up for interpretation. There is NO gray area where God is. The gray area is between the “Good & Evil” God is black & white, you either believe or you don’t believe. Jesus said, I wish you were either hot or cold, but since you are neither, I spew you out of my mouth. I know it’s hard to understand why I say this when I am floating around in the gray myself, I am learning too and trying to understand. I do understand the deeper truths of God, but you have to live above to see these things all the time, and it’s real easy for something to come along and yank you back down to the Earth’s surface. Judgment, sin and the devil are running rampant on the Earth today and it’s real easy to get stuck if we don’t walk in the Spirit, or in faith. It’s real easy to be distracted by the cares and things of this world, don’t forget that the Earth is Satan’s Kingdom. He is the ruler of this world, Jesus said, my kingdom is not of this world, if He is truly our example, then we are not of this world either and we have been instructed to come out of it. Not in words…IN SPIRIT!!!

So I guess what I am trying to say here and to myself as well; is to quit looking at the world from your perspective and look at it from God’s perspective. We were not meant to be judges. We have taken the vine and instead of abiding in it like we’ve been told, we plant out own little vine next to it. The word doesn’t tell us to be our own Jesus, it tells us to abide in the living Jesus. Stop looking at people how you think they should be living and look at them with compassion where they’re at. If we stand in judgment, then we judge God’s working in their lives. We as Christians were never meant to live with the knowledge of Good & Evil, only the Spirit of God, that knowledge dies with the old man. If we live in any other way, we are at enmity with God. The knowledge of Good & Evil is for unbelievers, we are not unbelievers but Son’s of God, and if son’s, then joint heirs with Jesus in a kingdom not of this world. If we walk in the knowledge of good and evil, we cannot see past the gray to where people are at, what their struggles are and we cannot be a good witness to them, all we can do is stand in judgment and thank God we are not like “them,” on the Good & Evil scale, we’re gooder. Pay attention to what kinds of seeds your are sowing, because you will eat the fruit of those seeds, eventually. I will leave you with these last words from Watchman Nee:

The measure of our usefulness to God will be found in the measure of His life in us. As the measure of God increases in us, so our usefulness to Him also increases. Our usefulness before the Lord is nothing less than His nature being developed in us. Through it, God imparts His life; and as this life in us is released, we become useful in ministering to others. Many brothers and sisters in Christ make no spiritual progress before the Lord. All they have is mental knowledge; there is no true light. True authority is exemplified in love, so that the children of God will learn to obey from their hearts. – Watchman Nee (Secrets to Spiritual Power)

Amanda Vande Zande

Here’s where we are today, and I only share these things with you so that this can be a living letter to testify to the Goodness of God. We are 15 days late on our rent, our cable got shut off today, our electricity will be shut off in another couple of days, my website has come to a DEAD stop, my husband has no work, our tags are out on our car, I have an “evil spirit” and we have a flat tire on our car.

Do you think God can get us out of this one? This is a process we are being put through. Two years ago, London and I got on our faces and prayed for consecration, well we asked for it and God is finally answering our prayers. He has called us out of the world. “Even the Son of man had no where to lay His head.” If we seek to please men, then we have our reward. If we seek to please God, we must forsake ALL. Family, friends, jobs, bills, the cares of this world and walk completely by faith. God promised He would give us our daily bread, that is enough for us. All we need is God, and for right now, as long as the Lord allows it, each other.

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. – Ecclesiastes 4: 9 – 12

London has said to me now, for the past three years, it’s me and you against the world. Nobody understands us. Our theology. It’s biblical. It’s the very same walk as Christ. Does Jesus say we don’t have to live like that now? How is our time any different? If we are to be his disciples? Just because satan has gone and gotten us busy with more stuff does not make Jesus’ message change at all today. The word is the same today, yesterday and forever. He told his disciples, forsake ALL and follow me. He didn’t tell them it was okay to have one foot in the world and one foot in heaven, which, if you take a GOOD look at it, we do. We are all so concerned with what’s going on in the world, that we lose focus on what’s going on in heaven. There is a war for the soul going on ALL THE TIME! Satan is the accuser of the brethren and if we can start to pay attention to that, God will reveal to you what’s really going on.

Understand this, it is not meant to glorify satan, but it is important that you know your enemy. If you don’t know who your enemy is, then you leave yourself open to deception. It is not enough to read the words on the page and say: “Oh, we have to put on our full armour…” PUT ON YOUR FULL ARMOUR DAMN-IT!!! And never take it off. If you don’t know what that means, you really need to get on your knees and seek God’s guidance…that means you’re not ready. If you knew what satan was really up to, you would throw up. It is very real, as real as the words on the pages of your bible my friends and if you don’t wise up and hear what God is saying, and really see what satan is doing, YOU’RE DONE.

There is only ONE way and that is Jesus, and I am not talking about the Jesus you put in your pocket and carry around with you, I am talking about the one that is the LORD of your life. If He’s not…you need to surrender yourself to God and He will surgically remove that stone you call a heart and replace it with a new one. Self CANNOT crucify self, and pride will not allow self to be crucified. This is a REAL change. I have experienced this myself. (The Process Of Sanctification)

People that think other people cannot change, are not willing to change themselves. If you will not humble yourself before the Lord, He will humble you…eventually. Personally I would rather be judged by God in this life, than to stand before Him and have Him say to me, I never knew you, because I would not humble myself before Him, while grace was still available. If we live in our flesh, God cannot look at us, flesh = enmity with God, enmity with God = sin, God = cannot look at sin. If we live in our flesh, we are not living in the Spirit…what do you expect Jesus to say. This is not a rebuke from our Lord, this is statement of what will happen if you do not live with His Spirit and accept the free gift. Have you accepted it? Have you REALLY accepted it? If you have, you will learn, nothing matters but God. It’s all about Him. Will you forsake all to follow Him? Can you forsake all to follow Him? It is difficult and painful. You will have to let go of everything you care about. There will be many, many tears and you will feel like you are dying and you will feel like you hate God and want to say…”screw you god, this is too hard,” but the reward on the other side is to stand on the mountain of God, look out from His throne and see what He sees. Forsake all and follow Him? Why would I want it any other way?

I’ll let you know how it works out for us.

Praise be to God our Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ

Amanda Vande Zande