When revival happens, it usually is because someone decides that it is time for change. Many Christian pastors have been praying for years for spiritual revival. However, when presented with an opportunity for change, they have chosen to maintain the status quo. It is impossible for a status quo that does not seek change to spontaneously erupt in a spirit of revival. The very concept of revival suggests a throwing off of what binds us and weighs us down, and moving forward with increased energy, vigor and vitality.

The earth has to be in a state of revival when the Lord God returns to establish his kingdom. If you are in a church that has been praying for revival for two years or more, yet not much has changed, and there is no sign that a revival will ever happen, perhaps it is time to begin to look for a new church. You may not be at the center of the revival when it happens, but you definitely want to be at least in the periphery. Being part of a genuine revival would mean that you have a much better chance of being included in the kingdom of God than if you remained in a status quo church that is resistant to doctrinal change--the precursor to spiritual revival.

God wants us to anticipate his return with great excitement. He wants us to be as prepared spiritually and physically as we would be if we viewed his return as the most profound experience of our lives. He wants us to be as committed to the idea of 24-hour prayer and 24-hour churches as we are to 24-hour restaurants and 24-hour gyms and health clubs. When our churches open at 10 a.m. or later, or perhaps only once a week, and our gyms open at 5 a.m. daily or 24 hours a day, seven days a week, we know that we have a problem. 

The Scriptures indicate that when the Lord's return is near, churches should begin all-night prayers. It always is darkest just prior to the dawn of each new day, and the new day that will accompany his return is no exception. It is the Holy Spirit of God that wins the battle against sin, death and destruction (Zechariah 4:6). It is through prayer that the Holy Spirit of God is empowered.

We can never forget that the reason we do what we do is in part because God has promised us a new world--a time during which the earth will have a Sabbath rest. So we await that Sabbath rest, that coming of his kingdom to the earth, and the expectancy not only draws us closer to him, but also, it makes our current dilemmas more tolerable.

When the moon, the sun, and the stars are all aligned with the earth, we will have arrived at a place of spiritual nirvana. Spiritual nirvana is that place of perfect alignment with all of the spiritual forces in our world. In order to arrive at that place, we must begin by aligning with each other. It is impossible to arrive at a place of spiritual nirvana if we begin the journey by increasing our degree of conflict with each other. Wars must end.

Becoming one with the Holy Spirit is very different from becoming one with God. Nonetheless, achieving oneness with the Holy Spirit is equally as important as achieving oneness with God. While oneness with God comes through prayer and fasting, oneness with the Holy Spirit is achieved through quiet, solitude, and peaceful reflection. It is in these quiet moments that our true self is revealed.

Godly surrender is not surrendering to someone else's opinion or will or purpose. It is surrendering to God's perfection. When you surrender to perfection, every word, thought and action, as well as all of the desires of your heart become perfectly aligned with your truest purpose. You think, act and speak in a manner that aligns with your core desires and with God's perfect will for you.

In contrast, when you surrender to Satan, or you act, think or speak in conformity with evil, you give Satan control of your mind and thoughts to accomplish his evil purposes. When you do evil, you always are acting in a manner that accomplishes Satan's purposes. His purposes always are in opposition to your truest purpose and your core desires. Ultimately, Satan's purpose is to kill, to steal, and to destroy, regardless of outward appearances. Always and forever, God's purpose is to give you life, health, joy, peace, and the freedom to be who you are at your core.

El Shaddai is the God of all the universes that have ever been created, and all the universes that have ever existed. He is the God of all who desire life, and all who seek the light.

Rumor has it that we have another book that is soon to be published. In fact, we have several books in the pipeline and must decide on how to prioritize the publications. The first to be published may or may not be the one we thought should be published next. So if you are waiting for the upcoming title mentioned in the online bookstore (www.RebekahIsaac.us), we hope you will forgive any substitution in the titles.

Perhaps you (or someone you know) also has an inspired work, that is, a book or other material that you believe was inspired directly by the Holy Spirit of God. If so, I intend to create a new publishing company that will be devoted entirely to publishing inspired works, and I hope you will consider us as your publishing house. Writings that have been inspired by the Holy Spirit of God are among the purest forms of wisdom. They connect with the soul in ways that are impossible for non-inspired works.

When the company has been established, we will of course notify you through this Blog, Twitter, Facebook, and by other means. In the meantime, we hope you will take a moment to seek God's counsel through prayer and meditation to determine the true purpose for which God has called you to be on earth at this moment in time, and whether that purpose can be fulfilled in part by writing an inspired work. Unlike ordinary books that can take years to complete, a truly inspired book can be completed in as little as one week. Anyone who has the indwelling Holy Spirit of God can write an inspired work.

When all is said and done, we will have accomplished the most amazing feat of all time--the decimation of an evil empire whose purpose was to destroy the world as we know it and replace it with a factory-generated prescription for disaster.

Being chaste is not just about avoiding immoral actions, it also is about avoiding immoral thoughts and words.

Saturday is a day of rest and worship for most religions, but for almost all of Christianity, it is a day of work. Either you work at a paid employment position, or you devote the day to cleaning, grocery shopping, and running errands. It is as though Christians have made a concerted effort to ensure that Saturday is filled with as much work-related activity as possible. That the days of formal worship differ for the various religions is irrelevant to God because true worship occurs everyday. Whether the congregation meets as a body on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday or Saturday is merely a matter of custom, preference, and/or convenience, except for the Israelites for whom it is a command from God that they worship as a body on the seventh day.

The Old Testament indicates that the Sabbath rest should be on Saturday, the seventh day, because God completed his creation of the earth in six days and rested on the seventh day. However, the command was meant to commemorate the future Sabbath rest for the earth, the one thousand years of Christ's millennial reign after six thousand years of work, toil and turmoil. The one thousand years is to be a time of rest for the earth, a time when peace would reign, and the pursuit of righteousness would replace the enslavement to sin and death. Others may wish to join in that commemoration of the seventh-day Sabbath, but the Israelites were specifically tasked with being the "placeholder" for that future Sabbath rest. It is similar to placing a mark on the calendar on a day in the future when you expect to be married. God never intended that we view every Saturday, the seventh day of the week, as being imbued with a magical quality such that any physical activity on that day would invoke his wrath. Nor does the command to remember the Sabbath preclude a person or a church from worshipping on any other day of the week.

The Old Testament records instances in which someone was severely punished for violating the Sabbath command. The Israelites understood the seriousness of God's command that they commemorate God's day of rest as well as the future Sabbath by a weekly remembrance every seventh day of the week. Otherwise, the fickleness of human nature would by now have rendered the coming Sabbath nugatory. It is because the Sabbath was deemed an inviolable command that we now know with certainty that the Lord will fulfill his promise of a Sabbath rest for the earth in the seven thousandth year after creation. That hope for a better tomorrow has enabled us to triumph over past trials and tribulations. Its enabling power will continue until the millennial reign begins. We are on the cusp of the beginning of that seven thousandth year.

Scientists may have difficulty believing that the elements of creation are only approximately six thousand years old. They would experience less difficulty if they were to separate and draw a distinction between the age of the earth itself, and the actual timing of the creation process. There is little controversy over the fact that prior to creation the earth existed as formless and empty, perhaps for tens of millions of years. Although humans and animals were created from the earth's dust and water and thus, are expected to reflect that age, the actual creation process occurred much more recently--approximately six thousand years ago, according to the Bible. It is equivalent to separating the age of a plot of land from the date on which a building was constructed on the land, or the date on which a tree was planted.

When you read about or engage in discussions regarding evolution versus creation, refuse to allow them to undermine your hope. Refuse also to become embroiled in discussions about which day of the week is the proper Sabbath. The Sabbath is the seventh day, but worship can occur on any day. Meet with the body of disciples to worship the Lord every day if possible, or any day you choose. No one will be required to change their day of worship if they choose to become a disciple of Jesus. Although you may not have a full and complete understanding of every detail, focus instead on putting the Bible to the test by implementing its principles for a week, a month or a year. You have nothing to lose except one week, one month, or one year in which you have rested from being self-piloted, and from living in accordance with society's views and values. Given the average life-span, if you ultimately decide that you prefer life as it was, without God in control, you easily can reclaim your former life. You should know that in doing so, you will be making a final decision as to your spiritual fate (Hebrews 6:4-8).

You are winning the battle if you are in constant motion and are gaining new ground every day, regardless of how things might look on the surface.

Wanting something is different from needing it. When you want something, you have a desire in your heart to have it. There may be several different reasons that you want it, and none of them need be legitimate. When you need something, it creates a legitimate desire to have it such that not having it prevents you from accomplishing a goal. Our brain generates wants, while God and our spirit generate needs. When God gives you a need, he always provides a means by which you can fulfill it. There has never been a need that cannot be fulfilled. If you know that something missing in your life is a need, you also should know that fulfilling that need is infinitely possible. You merely ask God to show you the path that leads to fulfillment, and you listen for his response.

Fulfilling a need may not happen in the time frame in which you want it to happen. However, delays in fulfillment always are a result of fault on the part of the prospective recipient. Either the person does not seek God's direction, or they fail to listen to or implement his response.

When we purchase a new suit or a new dress, we want to know that it enhances our appearance. We also want to know that it will generate at least a few compliments. We would never purchase a garment or an outfit that we know will be hated by everyone we encounter. Human beings naturally want to be liked and admired. Similarly, when you make a decision to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, decide also that you will act and speak in a manner that will enhance your image on behalf of God and generate at least a few compliments. Speak and act with courage, with faith, with spiritual power and with conviction, but speak and act in love.

The notion that Christians should expect to be hated is not only unbiblical, but also, it produces a warped response to criticism. Criticism should force us to reevaluate who we are and the purpose of our interactions. There are some who always will hate us, and will hate also the light that shines forth from us. These are the followers of darkness. However, if we ourselves are full of darkness instead of light, we would do well to heed some of the criticisms and allow them to point us in a new direction. God is light.

Most of us understand the meaning of the word "upscale" as referring to a higher quality. Upscale also can be used as a verb that commands us to increase the quality of a product or a service. God wants us to upscale our relationship with him by daily or weekly choosing one biblical principle, and putting it into practice in our lives. The Scriptures state plainly that belief, by itself, does not yield or generate positive spiritual values; nor does it make us a disciple of Jesus or a Christian. One who believes is merely a "believer." However, even the demons know and believe in one God (James 2:19). Thus, by itself, belief in God renders us on par with the demons. It is the act of abiding in or acting in accordance with the Bible, or putting it into practice in our lives, that takes us to the level of genuine discipleship, and the level at which power resides (John 8:31-32).

When we view ourselves as being better than or more spiritual than another person or another group, yet we ignore and violate the most basic of biblical commands, such as the command to avoid speaking lies or falsehoods, we denigrate the nature of God and the purpose of his death on a cross. He died in order to empower us to avoid violations of spiritual law that shred the fabric of society. If we claim to know him, yet we freely and unconcernedly continue the actions from which he sought to protect us, we reveal our ignorance of the nature and purpose of his sacrifice.

If the Lord were to return on a Tuesday, what is he likely to find you doing, in what spiritual condition are you most likely to be encountered, and in whose company will he see you?

Every once in a while it becomes important that we evaluate our life and the benefits that inure to us, and determine whether or not there is something or someone for which, or for whom, we need to express gratitude. Gratitude is a healing energy that creates bonds of friendship between us. The more often we express gratitude, the healthier our relationships become. Is there something you received for which you need to pay it forward as an expression of gratitude? Make it a habit to pay forward every benefit you receive. If someone sends you an uplifting quote, forward it to someone else who needs to be uplifted. If you received a promotion at work, purchase groceries for a family in need, or a meal for a person in need. Take a moment now to make a list of benefits for which you can or should express gratitude, and devise a process for paying it forward.

Most Christian ministers are content to worship God one day a week with their congregation, and devote the remaining six days to administrative tasks of one form or another. The average Christian worships even less frequently, perhaps once a month or once every few months. For the first century disciples, worship was an everyday occurrence. They met together every day, shared meals, and worshipped. Today, the mere mention of worshipping every day would cause others to label you as fanatical. That is because they fail to understand the nature and purpose of worship.

In modern society, for many people, worship has become something you check off your "To Do" list to assuage guilt or perform for the benefit of others. In the first century, worship was an everyday occurrence because the disciples understood that they worshipped for the purpose of cleansing and purifying their aura and the energy field that surrounds the body. A polluted energy field renders you relatively powerless against the forces of evil because the pollution uses a significant amount of the spiritual and physical energy generated by the body. With diminished energy to oppose evil, you easily succumb to the devil's schemes.

When the energy field is cleansed and purified, the person is energized, and healthier, physically, mentally and emotionally. For anyone who seeks to have spiritual victory, daily worship is mandatory, whether you worship at home or in a church or other place of worship. The Scriptures state that we should sing to the each other and to the Lord with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19). Thus, irrespective of whether you worship with a congregation, in a family or neighborhood group, or alone, make singing to the Lord and to others a core aspect of worship. Moreover, the songs should be uplifting and positive, not focused on death and other such negative topics. Instead, sing about the power, greatness and glory of God. As Psalm 30:4 states: "Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of his."

Here are ten essentials to jointly arriving at a place of peace:  1. Know with certainty that your opponent also desires peace;  2. Decide that you would prefer to be at peace rather than to be at war;  3. Close all doors other than the door that leads to peace;  4. Remain committed to peace regardless of the circumstances;  5. Choose only negotiators who share your desire to be at peace;  6. Open the discussion by stating affirmatively your desire for peace;  7. Reaffirm your desire for peace throughout the negotiations;  8. Claim victory by examining with your opponent all of the options that will be available when you achieve peace;  9. Set a deadline for reaching a peaceful solution;  10. Plan a Celebration of Peace event, including military parade, food and festivities, at the conclusion of the negotiations, so that the entire country can celebrate.

It is for good reason that the Bible states in Ephesians 4:26 that you should not let the sun go down while you are still angry, because anger is one of the most destructive of all emotions, and should never be permitted to remain in a body that is asleep.

Yesterday's revelation in the Blog titled "Birthdays" undoubtedly caused some consternation, and perhaps sent ripples down the spine of the many people (men and women) who believe that women should be silent in the church and are not permitted to teach or have authority over male members of the church. That God chooses to draw on the strengths of women, particularly when regeneration and new life is mandated, should not be surprising to anyone. It is only through women that both men and women gain life. Although God's kingdom is spiritual, the same principles of life and regeneration apply, and the same process is needed in order for new life to manifest. Life is birthed only through a woman.

Today is the day on which I was born--June 8. Birthdays generally have been times of celebration and revelation. One is revealed to the world on the day of one's birth, revealed again at "Sweet Sixteen" parties, and revealed as an adult member of society at twenty-first birthday parties. These "coming out" parties were particularly useful at times when there were significantly fewer opportunities for social interaction beyond one's extended family. In modern culture, and because of the Internet, the average teenager has hundreds of "friends" globally. Yet, revelation can nonetheless have purpose.

Today is a day on which I am to be revealed to the world, not as the lawyer, blogger, author that I am, but more importantly, as a woman of revelation appointed by God. A woman of revelation gives renewed life to the people of God during a time of distress and turmoil, such as the times in which we now live. She speaks with power, with determination, with zeal, and with passion for God's message of reconciliation. She never fails in her mission to light the fire of revival in the hearts of God's people. Some will ignore her message of hope, others will ridicule it, but the people who know their God will gladly receive it.

There have been several women of revelation in the Bible, among whom are Esther, Eunice, and Phoebe, the three who were appointed by God. The book of Esther in the Old Testament describes Esther's life and ministry. Scripturally, not much has been written about the New Testament women of revelation, Eunice and Phoebe. Nonetheless, they played a critical role of breathing new life into the church during times of persecution and turmoil.

The 21st century woman of revelation has a unique role. She not only must revive God's people, but also, she must prepare their hearts to receive the Messiah. She also must reveal who God is to a people whose understanding of him is at best, sublime. When he ultimately is revealed to his people, they are catapulted into a new dimension of spirituality. They have a renewed mind, a renewed spirit, and a renewed zeal for the things of God. They have a purpose that is eternal.

When you plant something in the earth, you must water and cultivate it in order to reap a harvest. Similarly, when you want a harvest from God's ether, you must water and cultivate it. You water the ether by remaining in a state of constant prayer.

One week after Memorial Day, most of us have forgotten the holiday and have moved on to other, more important, matters. Memorial Day is only one day of the year, so we are content to not think about it again until 2017. But for the families of veteran sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, and other relatives who either fought in the wars or were civilian men, women and children impacted by "collateral damage," Memorial Day is every day. I again urge every country with a conscience to end its war engagement.

Wars must end before peace can begin. We cannot claim to want world peace, yet continue to engage in war planning and escalation strategies. If we genuinely desire world peace, then we must create peace plans. Peace plans recognize that we may not always agree, but they permit peaceful coexistence despite our differences. They allow us to disagree with one another, and yet, as children of one God, continue in familial relationship from a place of mutual respect, as well as mutual concern for the welfare of each other and for the condition of our world.

When he returns, will he find you cleansed of all filth and all unrighteousness, dressed in pristine robes of white light, and glowing like the blazing sun?