It's been a while since I've posted. I've been busy dealing with some nagging life issues and our 40-day fast is about to come to an end (FOOD! yum...) On this fast, I’ve been listening to some Jack Frost teachings lately, and he has provoked me to think about the heart posture and the attitude I take in my relationship to the Father. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably unknowingly dismissed the words "son or daughter of God" as cool language to use in a conversation or a teaching and imagined the Father as a bright and shining being somewhere “out there”, whom no one has seen and who the angels and the four living creatures bow before continually. But through some of the revelation that God has given Jack, I’ve begun to see our heavenly Father as someone much more.

Everything God created us for was so He could have a home with us. The Father desires His children to live with Him, enjoy Him, and bring pleasure to His heart. His heart and His home is a place of warmth, protection, comfort, security, and identity. It is a place of purpose and destiny, affirmation and encouragement. It is a place to run to.  read more »

The domain name "intercessorymissionary.com" was up for grabs until just a few days ago, when yours truly picked it up for a mere $9 per year.

I was in total shock that nobody had purchased it up to this point. Maybe that's just the geek-meets-intercessor thing in me...

So for those of you who can't remember my name but do remember what I am and what I do, you can always go to:

http://intercessorymissionary.com

to reach my site.

Sweet!

Yes, Cory and Matt have finally come out with their CD, "Holy". So many of you have hit my blog or my site by googling for them, so I figured I would post the news about their CD :)

I was one of the leaders in Cory's internship, and Matt was in my internship here at IHOP-KC back in 2004. I love these guys. Their CD is a clear and pure reflection of how they carry their hearts before the Lord in the secret place.

It's available here from the IHOP MP3 store or on iTunes.

Hope you enjoy it!

PS: And so you know, not to be offensive or anything, but Cory is married, and Matt Gilman will not marry you. :)

I have Google Analytics set up for my site, and as a result I’ve been able to check out some of the search terms that internet users have used to reach my site. Some of them are really funny, some of them are fairly normal and expected, and others are pretty interesting, so I figured I would devote a post to them so people could actually find what they were looking for.  read more »

I've been on the lookout for a new Sermon on the Mount commentary lately. I have the standard Martyn Lloyd-Jones' and John Stott ones, but I picked up this one the other day:

While I'm waiting for it (even though it takes a while, I love free super-saver shipping from amazon.com), somebody clue me in... Have you read this one? It was only $8 and I figured anything by Chambers or Spurgeon is quality...

I'll let you know how it is when I get it next week! :)

IHOP-KC is currently on a corporate 40-day fast crying out for God’s glory in our midst. I’ve been asking myself the question “what does that practically look like for me?” and figured I’d share my heart on it.

I had to ask the basic question - what is the glory of God, and why do I want it? When we think of glory, do we think of a bright and shining sparkly cloud that comes into a room? Do we think His glory comes to give us a good meeting where a bunch of people fall on the floor? When we are asking for glory, what are we asking for?

In Exodus 33, Moses asked God to show him His glory. He was asking for more than a glimpse of God’s frame in sparkling light on a mountaintop experience. Moses was boldly saying “God, tell me who you are and what you’re like!”

We know the story – God came down in the cloud on the mountain, stood with Moses, and proclaimed His name – “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children and to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6)

We have so many biblical examples of God manifesting Himself in the natural realm in a very tangible way. While I greatly desire a tangible expression of God in the natural realm, that alone is not a significant part of what I’m asking the Lord for on this fast. While I want to see angels, feel the weight of God’s glory in a meeting, or see supernatural signs of God’s manifest presence, I want something that lasts beyond a single meeting or even a few years of revival. The children of Israel saw countless supernatural signs and still turned from God. I want something more than a supernatural sign.  read more »

The other day I remembered again that there is such a wealth of history and depth in Christ that the saints of old walked in. My roommate has a book of old Puritan prayers, and one of them, entitled "Spiritus Sanctus" (Latin for something like "Holy Spirit") is really powerful. I've started to pray this one regularly for the past couple of days since reading it. Now don't just read it below - pray it too, focusing on Holy Spirit who lives in you! May the communion and fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you today (2 Cor. 13:14).

O Holy Spirit,

As the sun is full of light,
the ocean full of water,
Heaven full of glory,
so may my heart be full of thee.

Vain are all divine purposes of love
and the redemption wrought by Jesus
except thou work within,
regenerating by thy power,
giving me eyes to see Jesus,
showing me the realities of the unseen world.

Give me thyself without measure,
as an unimpaired fountain,
as inexhaustible riches.
 read more »

This post is continuing a series on my blog entitled "Prophetic Musician Interviews". Today's thoughts are from Justin Rizzo, a worship leader here at IHOP. I play keys for Justin's worship team, and I'm privileged to be able to post some of his thoughts.

Josh: Hey Justin. I know you would agree that there is a war raging in the spirit realm today through the common language of music. Just as we see the Satanic movement being raised up, we are entering into a time in history when the Holy Spirit is specifically setting apart musicians like never before. Give us some of your thoughts on what the Lord is doing on the earth today, and how you posture your heart as a worship leader leading musicians in the Lord's worship movement.

Justin: For so long we have settled for simply listening to the ‘other guy’ and playing whatever they play. But in this day and hour God is giving many musicians a higher vision and releasing the cry within them, “There must be more than what I’ve known.”

Around God’s throne in heaven we are told that there is lighting, thunder, and voices which are proceeding from His throne (Rev. 4). There are four living creatures and the twenty-four elders who never stop crying out, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” They are not robotically programmed to say, “Holy.” They are saying it because they are constantly seeing new expressions of God and fresh waves of His glory are being released. My point is that God is the creator of all sound and all music and He is not lacking in new ways to express Himself.

One of the primary ways that I believe the understanding and expression of Christianity is going to change in this generation is through musicians (and singers) who consecrate their ears and watch what they feed their spirits, and also those who are faithful in cultivating their life in the Spirit. More and more I am hearing about musicians who are shutting out other musical influences because they want the influence of heaven upon their playing. There is such dissatisfaction with what they’ve known and they are committed to spending time playing their instrument before the Lord and communing with the Holy Spirit. I have experienced times when the Holy Spirit is breathing upon a musician as they play and I am convinced that these times happen as a result of the hours spent before Him alone at home in their rooms; playing before Him when no one else is watching. (Isa. 42:10-13)  read more »