Author: Ashley Gatewood
Outside The Church Walls
Below is a quote I saw today on FB that speaks to the truth of unity in the Body of Christ. I think Christians are not realizing that God is moving outside of the church/noun/place. This next move of God will not be contained or defined by the church building sitting on the corner of Main and Broadway. And this shifting of His presence from inorganic to organic will continue until we are free of the ‘structure’ we’ve created as a mental image falsely defining who and where God is, and instead begin to embrace the truth that God is free of our manmade structures and died to dwell within us, His chosen temples, not those temples made by man’s hands.
“For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” 2 Corinthians 6:16
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16
This is part of a continuation of signs I am seeing outside of the church doors: God moving through men and women who were formerly atheists or agnostic but who have come to know Jesus. These individuals are at different levels of their walk with God, seemingly nomads functioning under the anointing of the Holy Spirit in spite of being outside the church’s rigidity and formality of manmade doctrines; this, however, not in any way disqualifying them from being used mightily by God but by some irony of God, they are being used more so than those within the church establishment. Why would God not choose a vessel, one only He is able create to dwell within, as opposed to a manmade, inorganic structure that simply has not been chosen by God as a place of habitation since Pentecost?
People, not structures, are chosen by God. He will use anyone willing to yield their vessel, their mind and body, to the work of the Lord. I think many members of the church, church leaders especially are completely missing the move of God. Behold, I’m telling you He is doing a new thing…and here we are completely blind to it.
Facebook post (quote not cited, so unknown author):
“The body of Christ is God’s instrument in this earth to promote His kingdom purpose. In order to fully fulfill this, however, we are to be “one heart, one mind, striving together for the faith of the Gospel” (Philippians 1:27). Unity and harmony in the body of Christ should not be a question mark. It is the will of God. Unfortunately, we see the body of Christ constantly at odds with one another. Denominational differences are magnified and small wars are being fought in the body of Christ. Even more than that, in the local church environment, we see people taking pot shots at each other all of the time.
We need to realize that unity is one of the most basic truths about God’s will that nobody can misunderstand. Unity is vital. All believers have enough in common to be joined together because we have Jesus Christ. We have the basis for resolving challenges that face this world. We have to stop focusing on our differences and focus instead on what we know the world needs: Jesus. That’s when dramatic change comes to this earth. That’s when revival, awakening, and outpouring will come.”
-unknown
My thoughts were as follows:
…[this] points to something that is clear as day to me: God is not going to use a church/noun/place. He’s looking for His body in the earth today, the Church/noun/person. For whatever reason, there are many Christians who don’t agree with this, but there’s not much I can do about that. Until we understand that the Church is actually the Holy Spirit living within us, in unity, as one with God and Christ and each other, the Protestants will continue to denominate in vain. God always calls those He will use OUT of the greater whole. Gideon’s 300 men in Judge’s 7 is a type. ““There are still too many soldiers,” the Lord told Gideon…'” Be prepared for God’s move to happen outside of the church/noun/place. And one MAJOR confusion Satan will use is ‘unity among all religions’. This is antichrist in nature for God remains pure, not mixing with any other gods, not mixing salt water into spring water.
I’m unsure how the church remains blind to this truth. It’s like we say the words but don’t act out the reality. ‘yes we are one with Christ, the Holy Spirit lives within us’ but then we continue to denominate and say only ‘our church/structure’ will be the one chosen. No, no….God is leaving the church/structure behind. He didn’t die on the Cross so we could go back to temples in the desert where only priests could go into the holy of holies.
No.
Christ died on a Cross to make you and me and all Christians, His creation, His very own holy of Holies. This is the promise. This is what was delivered to us. This is truth. And God is getting ready to manifest this truth.
And my oh my, will it be a wonder to behold:):)
Featured Image by Nick Abrams.
Hiking the Gorge
Went hiking this past week with some friends up in Red River Gorge. The day was perfectly sunny, coolish wind and the views were amazing. Here are a few photos I snapped along the way, hope you enjoy:)
The fall colors matched my dear friend’s backpack so well, I had to take a snapshot.
Copperhead Snake…they are no joke, poisonous but are happy to stay off the path and in the brush. This one had a friend off to the side which we failed to notice. Bad move on our part!
Moss is so interesting, I could dive into this little wonder here…
We stopped in to Sky Bridge Station for a delish meal. Nothing there is bad, yummy~
Back into a Painting Mood
The cooler weather gets me in the mood for reading and painting. I’ve been writing most of the year and I’m ready for a break. Maybe a few more submissions and I think I’ll tackle a painting that has vexed me for a decade. Just cannot figure out what it wants to be. So, gonna have to just dive into it. It will likely end up a completely different painting…it’s been 10 years since I last touched it. That’s part of the fun, I never know what these horses are going to do…
36″x42″ Acrylic on stretched cotton canvas
Take care everyone, hope you have a delightful week~
Practical Matters: Houses and Writing Stories
These past several weeks have been productive. I decided awhile back that it was time to move into a larger home, so I’m focusing on a few upgrades for this house before I sell. Finally the deck is finished, the landscaping completed and the shower retiled.
Mike did a fantastic job! He is the best at what he does and wow, an incredibly hard working carpenter.
I need to stain the deck now but I’m thinking I may hire a professional to do it. I don’t want to ruin it!
The shower tile was also completed.
Halloween Fan Fiction Stories
I think I shall do a small October story series this year on the blog. It’s a fan fiction story I wrote for fun in 2020. It is a retelling of the film, The Shining. There’s no magazine or online publication I’m aware of that publishes fan fiction. Or I couldn’t find it. So I might as well share it here.
The problem is, I want to post each small portion of the story throughout the month but this makes anyone coming to read at a later date view it backwards. Oh well, not sure how to manage that, lol.
Professional Publication Headwinds
Speaking of stories and publication, I’ve been working on submissions for the better part of this year and at least seven months back in 2021. I knew the landscape was quite dicey as far as ideology and political affiliations went. Some of the larger magazines I think are less concerned with pushing a political narrative though they will kill a story if it is a radical activist who wrote it (and it will be the publisher/editor who decides what side of radical that is).
So needless to say, they check blogs, social media and previous affiliations. I was worried about this for most of 2021/22 so I stayed off social media or was anonymous. It was exhausting to be honest. Now, I just post whatever I choose to post, share my thoughts on matters and get on with life.
What else can one do?
Sometimes you just have to give up being accepted in order to gain some small amount of success. The landscape politically, culturally and spiritually is so divided, I just gave up on it.
What really bothers me though is this: now I’m not sure if I’m being rejected due to how bad the writing is or due to my political and spiritual beliefs/affiliations. Ugh….
Future Focus
I’m still submitting but I’ll also submit to some of the Christian sci-fi magazine publications as well. I’ve found a few these past couple of months while using social media sites. And I always have the novel I’ve been randomly working on. Once I get bored of submitting to publications and writing short stories, I’ll switch back to the novel.
Another focus will be finding place to live that’s a bit bigger. And it’s a difficult real estate landscape out there right now. Prices are crazy considering all the interest rate hikes. My price range seems to be a sweet spot for inventory so for now it’s OK. But I’d say in 2024 things will likely change.
Have a great week everyone~
Featured Image by Josh Olalde
The Power of Discernment and God’s Agape Love
Harmony Throughout the Body
The Lord’s Agape love works in harmony with the gift of discernment to change people’s lives for the good. But if discernment isn’t used in tandem with God’s love it can become critical and negative instead of insightful and positive.
Look at Paul the Apostle who one minute is writing to his beloved church to ‘kick the man out of the congregation’ who was sinning with his stepmother, and the next letter writing, ‘have some mercy, he’s repented, let him back in’. (1 Corinthians 5)
Discernment is a powerful gift and Paul used it well because he was in the presence of the Lord day and night.
The Anointing to use the Gifts Comes Through Time Spent With God In Prayer
We live distracted lives. When we are not walking as closely to the Lord as Paul, we can often get ‘in our flesh’ as it’s called. Our minds shift from spiritual to worldly things, lower elements of life, mundane daily routines and our mind frame shifts from spiritual to carnal.
We can get spiritually lazy when we don’t make time to pray and meditate on God’s word. This is when the gift of discernment can be misguided and become critical and harmful rather than a force for good.
Prayer makes God’s spiritual gifts work optimally for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Listen to Correction, It Will Lead to Positive Good for All
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12.11
There is a balance that is crucial to master or the Lord will not be able to trust us with more responsibility in the Kingdom of God. What’s worse, we can end up doing harm to the body of Christ instead of good.
And I’m thankful when there is anyone kind enough or brave enough to call me out on my ugliness and lack of self-awareness should I find myself operating in the gift of discernment without the love of God. I see this as God working through others to realign the body of Christ, to which we all belong, and this can only be a good thing for all the body, once corrected.
So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
1 Corinthians 12:25-27
Should the Gift of Discernment Be Used In Any Other Capacity Than Spiritual?
This is a good question. I think it can be used in all areas of life but it shouldn’t be used as a defense mechanism or as a means to win an argument. It remains a spiritual gift. If we use it outside of its God-given power, it can become a force that tears down instead of a force that gives insight and direction.
It is a powerful gift given by the Holy Spirit that breaks the chains and destroys the yokes of the enemy off of people’s lives.
So make sure the anointing is strong (keep up our prayer life) and that God is behind it. Otherwise it can become a destructive force without God’s love infusing it. Don’t be the stream that runs both fresh water and salty water, as it can spoil the entire flow.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:8
Discerning the Spirit of Transhumanism
Just a quick but heartfelt post to those of us who are seeing increasingly more clearly into the closing of an era and the darkness that’s looming on the horizon. We must rightly discern the spirit of Transhumanism.
As we close this dispensation, expect to see more mixing of the spiritual and religious language of the biblical text into worldly principalities and demonic agendas. Discernment is crucial as many will fall prey to this principality working its way through God’s creation.
The Great Lie will Deceive Many
AI will be be the melding point of transhumanism. It’s already set in motion, the lines bluring between male and female biologically. How can it not be just as easy to blur the lines between artificial human and biological human? Even now, are we not calling ourselves ‘genderless’ and using mere language to define what is reality? This is the foundation of a much greater, more powerful Lie to come.
See how the world so easily accepts this and how biblical truths accurately discern this lie. The Word of God is of supreme importance. Satan is working to dilute the Word’s potency by integrating all manner of other language into it immediately rendering it a false copy of the truth. Artificial language. Artificial existence.
It deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast…
Revelation 13.14
Listen to the words: predestined, (don’t need to be) humble, walls of Jericho, heavenly…
Discernment between the language, the expression of the language (through darkness or by shining light) and the visual is of utmost importance.
Ask God for discernment. Listen to those who have been given the gift of discernment. Weigh their insight against the word of God, like the Bereans. Don’t be misled by a world who worships their own, Jesus made this clear to us. If they hated Him, they will hate us. If they loved Him, they will love us.
We must learn to let go of acceptance. The Apostle Paul was left be everyone. All but Timothy and a handful of others remained true. The Good News is, Jesus has overcome the world so let us take heart. We have already won the war, we only need endure to the end. Remain faithful and persevere saints. The only way to do this is to pray and stay in His word.
All God’s best to you~
Featured Image by Erick Butler
Unraveling the Future
Let me concede this: two thousand years ago the Apostle Paul said the end was near. So when I feel in my spirit that we are approaching the end of this dispensation, I check myself thinking perhaps it’s trivial, this uptick in urgency to make some plan for unraveling the future.
I think I’m still half in shock from the nervous (breakdown?) tension instilled all throughout 2020-22 until just recently when all voices are being heard instead of only the propaganda channels the government was allowing.
Listening to the Spirit of God
That being said, we must do as the Lord leads because only He knows for sure when and how the future will unfold for us and the generations to follow. Revelation warns us it won’t be pleasant once the Tribulation starts.
The warning signs that the Tribulation is drawing near can be found in the Trumpets in the preceding chapters of Revelation. And the descriptions of each Trumpet’s events are clearly what is happening in the earth now.
The Four Hosrseman were released centuries ago.
The Urgency in My Spirit
I have two urgent thoughts and feelings that I feel called to do. Share as much as I can about the word of God, scattering those teachings on platforms known and unknown, and prepare, as best as I know how, for my own livelihood. Now this is probably the more trivial part, leftover anxiousness from the plandemic, but I think I shall pay attention at least in part.
Take a listen and I’ll share my thoughts below.
We all have heard the sentiment given by the elites, Klaus Schwab to be specific: “You will own nothing and be happy.”
The video states that one way they will take our homes is by requiring upgrades to be made to bring homes into ‘net zero’ compliance forcing homeowners to shoulder the financial responsibility.
What’s worse, people who own a home, mortgaged or fully paid, will likely have to borrow from the equity in their home to make the upgrades, going further into debt. The minute they default the banks will swoop in and voila, you own nothing at all. Except a big pile of debt.
If you cannot manage to live in a house like the one below, then dying would be preferable according to the elite like Kamala Harris crying ‘there are too many people on the earth’.
This will take wisdom to sort out even for those who can afford the upgrades or who also own investment property. If the current tenants can’t afford the cost of increased rent after upgrades are made and they are evicted, who’s left to afford the rent? Then owners of property are left with empty houses. Not good.
How Much Dependence Will Lead to Abuse of Rights?
It got me thinking about my house. This and the fact we’ve had several storms which knocked out our electric three times this year for longer than two days. I had zero ways to cook, keep warm or keep cool.
All the electric runs above ground in my neighborhood. I don’t have a fireplace in my house. I do have a decent sized yard to plant a garden. But I’ve decided it might be best to move into a house that better suits my needs. Especially since the Invisible Tyrannical Hand keeps messing its fingers about in our personal pies.
This is the same hand, by the way, that will have free reign once the Tribulation starts. Thank God we will not be here for that fellow brothers and sisters. Though I do have some empathy for unbelievers, I have zero empathy for the culprits and leaders who will join up with the antichrist when he manifests in true form.
God help the people of the earth.
What Type of Property to Buy
So, back from Revelation and to my house in 2023…
You would need a water source and filters (good luck with that), a fireplace (or fire pit but it will get cold outside), and land to plant a garden. A pool would be convenient to stay cool if everything is shut off in the heat of Summer. I’ve seen property like this for sale that isn’t outrageously priced. For me, the fireplace is the only non-negotiable at this point. I’d need semi-country. I don’t think I could handle fighting off Sasquatch in the deep woods of Appalachia…
How Much Should It Matter?
Anyway, just some thoughts I’ve been having for the past couple of YEARS. God, perhaps I can shed this entire train of thought and just roll with the punches. Aren’t there better things to be doing for other people? Jesus didn’t have a home. Won’t they just fine me for using my fireplace anyway?
No more burning wood! The planet is dying and it’s your fault for breathing!
**billionaire Invisible Hand flies off to another continent to play environmental disaster Evangelist, bicycle in-tow**
Do we have to be prepared for everything? Pluses and minuses on either side I suppose.
Having some manner of eco friendly energy might be a good idea. The less reliance on Big Brother the better.
Or I could resign myself to whatever comes next and buy a condo in the city….with a bike…
Or become a nomad…with a horse…
Or buy a boat and live on the sea, they’d perhaps never find a spec in the Pacific Ocean.
Then I’d probably never find myself out there either. That would be a terrible death just floating at sea. I mean, if Robert Redford can’t do it, I sure as hell won’t try.
Hope everyone is enjoying their life and not having all these strange thoughts of a crazy future, haha.
No wonder King Solomon said that ‘in much wisdom is much grief’. Maybe I should strive to know a bit less. Though I sure don’t feel smart enough as is.
I know, I owe you a post about atheists…I’ll get to it eventually.
Featured Image by Cindy Tang.
Eric Weinstein on the End of Capitalism
So I’m going back again to this prophecy I wrote down and published in June of 2020: The Prophecy
It alludes to God bringing an end to Capitalism among many other events that have already come to pass. I lack confidence in myself even though I have faith in God and His word. It’s difficult to put myself out there in any capacity. Following God isn’t always easy.
Here’s a portion from the prophecy. Dagon represents Capitalism.
And the Lord says,
“Ready yourselves, for I will break Dagon. The Philistines will be punished for taking what they thought was a dead god into their camp, thereby leading My people into captivity and thus defeating them. Along with Dagon, Eli also will fall and break his neck for all the evil he has done in My name when I had nothing to do with it. Depart from me for I have not known you – for Eli will be broken and the Ark returned to My people.
Even The World Is Sensing The Change
Now in 2023 here is a prominent intellectual, Eric Weinsein stating that now is the time we stop trying to wrestle with Capitalism and Communism and instead develop an entirely new economic system.
I’m telling you dear people, those of you who believe in God, cling to Him alone! Let the world do as it must – we will be grieved at the evil taking place but God will be the pillar to keep us steady and strong. Not Intellectualism, not Economics, not one political party or another….God alone. He will keep dismay at bay.
Weinstein asks, What is the next Economic System?
God Is Bringing A New Wave Of The Spirit
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 NIV
There is another move of God that is upon us right now. I’ll post about this next. The current Protestant ministers will reject this new wave of God’s Spirit – it always happens this way, the old always rejects the new. Jesus is the greatest example of this kind of paradigm shift.
The main core of this movement, believe it or not, is not being birthed out of the Church as we know it.
It’s being birthed out of intellectual atheism where many intellectuals are following their curiosity about God and in seeking truth, it’s brought them out of the dark and into God’s presence. I’ll share more in the next post.
God cannot and will not be put into a box made by mankind. Get ready, as Eric says here, in a secular sense, God is saying in a spiritual sense: Everything you know is about to break loose because I’m doing something altogether new!
Featured Image by: Max Böhme
Preserving Biblical Knowledge for Coming Generations
I was thinking this morning about this blog, small and obscure, and I wondered, could there people at some future point in time who might need to know what I know, after I’m gone. And then I realized this blog will cease to exist because there’ll be no one to pay the annual fee.
Preserving Our Work as Christians
I often record things; my thoughts, the sound of nature, the environment when I hike or go to the pool. I like ambience, it helps me focus and write without the visual distraction.
This got me thinking that maybe I should verbally read and record all my, haha 50?, blog posts. And to back them up somewhere. There are free versions of blog and recording platforms that will remain after I’m no longer here and I wouldn’t have to worry about them going dark if the fees aren’t paid.
But the other thing is censorship. Anything can be taken down at any time. Not to mention shadow bans which are much more sneaky…slowly traffic drifts away.
I wondered, what benefit would there be to create a site that I didn’t try to promote and allow it to lay dormant and hidden? Let it remain a secret?
Then I started thinking about something else, that I keep thinking about.
Censorship and Destruction of Truthful Knowledge
We know that when any anti-Christian power prevails, things get burned, censored and destroyed. (The devil comes not but to steal, kill and destroy.) The devil is constantly trying to destroy all the road signs that his doom is eminent. That leaves very few ways for the word of God to be passed on to those who are left once the Church is raptured. It would have to be the word, or the seed of God’s word, preserving biblical knowledge from the heart, from one person word of mouth to the other. Not in all cases, there will be bibles and notes saved and hidden no doubt.
But for many, there immediate family will be taken and they will be left. These are the ones who will rationalize, finally, that indeed the biblical text was a prophecy and correct. But they are left with no knowledge or very little to move forward into chaos.
Hopefully, the world won’t be so treacherous immediately following the rapture because the Church will still be in the earth and God will not destroy a place until the righteous are taken out. Bibles won’t have been burned and blogs and videos censored. It will give those who are to be saved, ‘even though only as one escaping through the flames’, a chance to gather knowledge of Christ and the prophecies. There will hopefully be time to seek out information if only a small window of time, before the internet is locked down to all things biblical and Christian.
Persecution Will Arise and Get Fierce: The Darkness is Growing
But I don’t know that this will be the case. Much persecution could take place before the Church is removed, and it must be removed before the tribulation period can begin. This means the printing and selling of bibles could become illegal. And don’t try it, or your social credit score will be tanked and your cbdc chip will be locked.
No food for you rebellious troublemakers! With all your love and morality doctrines…
The forces of Darkness and Light are becoming so evidently distinct that even mainstream, once lukewarm Christians are taking notice. The Light is becoming concentrated and brighter, the Narrow Way is making Himself evident to all.
And here’s an interesting thing I’m noticing, even intellectuals are taking notice. It’s almost as if the next move of God will be coming from outside of the Church. There’s no telling what God is up to. The Jews would never have thought God would extend His message outside of their parameters, but He did. Through the Gentiles no less, of all ruthless people, those wild olive branches:)
And yet, here we are. “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” John 10.16
Small Footprints Can Still Make a Path
So I’d encourage you, if you also are Christian and you enjoy sharing His word online, think of a few different avenues to use in order to preserve the knowledge and wisdom God has given you. There will be many in the coming years/decades who may find themselves left in the cold and needing what you’ve shared in order to survive.
And you may think, as I do, that’s crazy there are plenty of resources out there. No one is listening now so why bother? But things don’t always work out rationally. And it’s not beyond my imagination that most of the popular well known avenues of biblical resources will be the first to be shut down.
All I know is this: if you’ve also been thinking about this, or what I’ve said resonates with you, it might be a good idea to follow the Spirit’s leading and preserve your work. God knows all, He already sees how all this will play out in the final days. Trust Him and act on faith – the worst that can happen is that you spent time spreading the knowledge of God to a few more platforms across the internet. That’s a positive any which way you look at it.
Because man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Featured Image by chris liu