THE ALTAR

I was at a conference with thousands of believers. We entered into the presence of God as His royal priesthood. We praised God without shame and the manifest presence of God honored our praise by coming into our midst to establish His throne in our presence. Psalms 22:3 says, "But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel." This eternal principle operates wherever God's people offer Him the sacrifice of praise. As preist we offered our praise to God and God received our offerings and confirmed His pleasure by coming into our midst to set His throne there and reign in our presence as King of kings.

We had assembled ourselves at the altar of God. Psalms 43:4 "Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy: And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God." We were standing on the holy hill of God and we had entered His tabernacle. It was a glorious place to bask in the glory of God and receive His presence and all that He was pouring out on us.

We remained in the presence of God until the conference host showed us an excerpt of his movie that was coming out soon after the conference. As the trailer of the movie played I sensed a shift in the atmosphere but I wasn't sure why or what had happened and then as understanding came forth. The manifest presence of God had lifted. The throne of God had moved. We were still in the same physical place but we were not in the same spiritual place. I felt sad and then my sadness turned to offense.

I was offended when the conference preacher stood to preach the Word of God and within the first twenty minutes of his mesage people started to get up and walk out. There were walking out on the Man of God as he stood to give us the Word of God. My offense were with the people. I started to call them immature and selfish. I said to myself and I said to a freind a few days later, "This is what is wrong with the church. Leadership is so selfish and undisciplined. If leaders (It was a leadership conference) are so disrespectful to the Word how can we expect any difference from the people."

Days later Holy Spirit brought my offense forward and said to me, It wasn't the people's fault that they walked out. They left because they had no hunger for my word because they changed altars. They were hungry when they were at my altar, they were hungry when they were expereincing my presence but when the conference shifted the altar shifted. My people were directed from My altar to the altar of the golden calf. They left from worshipping me to being entertained. Whenever my people are gathered at the altar of the golden calf they will never have an appetite for my Word."

I was blown away by this revelation. Whenever God's people gather at His altar not only will we experience His manifest presence but our spirits will hunger and thirst for His rightoeusness revealed in His Word. But when God's people worship at the altar of the golden calf we will not have that hunger (Please read Exodus 32 and pray to Holy Spirit to give you understanding). Holy Spirit began to show me how churches all over this world are gatheirng at the altar of  the golden calf to be entertained. Everything in their service is designed to tickle their flesh and make them feel good about themselves. They may talk about God and pray to God and sing songs about God but the purpose is to give the people what they want.

When Aaron created the golden calf in Exodus 32 the Word says in verse six, "Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." Israel's worship of the golden calf appealed to their flesh. It was a worship of entertainment at the altar of the god that had created for themselves.

The altar that you worship at determines your appetite.

I'm going to continue sharing what Holy Sprit has revealed to me concerning worship and altars in the coming weeks. Today ask Holy Spirit to reveal what altar are you worshipping at.

WHO I AM

I declare and decree blessings to every Father, biological and spiritual. May this poetic offering deposited in me by Holy Spirit bless you and cause you to overcome every plot of the enemy to steal your identity.

WHO I AM

I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am constructed uniquely by the hand of God. I am blessed by His word spoken over me before there was me.

I am His image. I am light called out of darkness. I am creation manifesting purpose.

I am man molded from earth. I am vessel of Holy Spirit living because of His breath in me.

I am soul. I am self. I am spirit. I am standing in the earth. I am reigning in my place. I am planted. I am prospering. 

I am master. I am manager. I am man. I am son of God. 

Written by Bernard Boulton 2012. All  rights reserved.  

          

Pastor Bernard Boulton releases second book "DIVINE FAVOR: GOD ACTS FOR YOU WHEN YOUR ENEMIES ACTS AGAINST YOU

Divine Favor: God acts for you when your enemies act against you is a Spirit based real life story that illustrates a principle of Divine Favor. That principle is Divine Favor is God reacting for you when your enemies act against you.

This is a personal story from the life of Pastor Bernard Boulton that chronicles many instances where God showered favor on him as he experienced the hand of his enemies growing up in Cleveland Ohio and in ministry as a preacher and pastor. Divine Favor is a testimony of God's favor being released at pivotal moments in Bernard's life.   

Bernard uses as a backdrop to his story characters from the Scriptures who also experienced God's favor in response to the hand of their enemies. A few are:

Leah, a woman unloved by her husband and favored by God.
Gideon, the poor farmer struggling to etch out a living under the oppression of his enemies raised up by God to be a mighty general.
Job the grieving father who experienced favor when he interceded for his harassers. And many more.

Divine Favor will encourage you to see the favor of God operating in your life because of the presence of your enemies.

This book is available as an ebook at Smashwords. http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/167696. Get your copy today for .99.  
   

MOTHER BERNICE LOWE: A PRIMITIVE BAPTIST GIANT NOW RESTING IN THE LORD

Today, Saturday June 9, 2012 in the sanctuary of the Chestnut Ridge Progressive Primitive Baptist Church in Westfield North Carolina an overflow crowd, that filled the sanctuary and spilled out to the foyer, gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of Mother Bernice Cox Lowe. Mother Lowe made her transition from earth to glory on Friday June 1, 2012.

Many eulogistic remarks were given by friends and family. The most remarkable eulogistic remarks were delivered by the Elder Doctor Thomas W. Samuels. Samuels is a legendary figure in the Primitive Baptist Church. His life and membership in this denomination spans from birth where he was raised in a Primitive Baptist parsonage in Miami Florida. His pastoral career spanned almost five decades when he retired from the Greater Mount Moriah Primitive Baptist in Charlotte North Carolina after leading the church to construct a multimillion house of worship and center for ministry. Doctor Samuel is currently in his last year of serving as President of the North Carolina/Virginia State Convention after being president for thirty five years.   

Doctor Samuel shared with the congregation his relationship with the members of the Cox family for seventy years. Doctor Samuels shared his familiarity with many members of this family throughout his years. He described Mother Lowe as a faithful member of the church. He enumerated her many sacrifices to attend the meetings of the National Convention, in February and August for many years.

Doctor Samuel talked about Mother Lowe commitment to the North Carolina/Virginia State Convention as an officer in the Women's Congress and a stalwart supporter for the expansion of the state headquarters building in East Spencer North Carolina. Doctor Samuel shared Mother's Lowe partnership in prayer with him that God would show favor to the State Convention and cause the building that was completed in 2006 to come to fruition. And as God heard Jabez so He also heard Thomas Samuel and Bernice Lowe.

Doctor Samuel shared with the congregation that Mother Lowe was a consistent and fiery advocate for the rights of women to have a voice in the Primitive Baptist Church a position that was passed on to her from her mother, the venerable Mother Minerva Cox, another giant in the Primitive Baptist Church.    

Doctor Samuels was eloquent in both his remarks and the reading of poetic verses. He received an ovation at his conclusion.

Other highlights at this four hour long celebration was the eulogistic remarks given by Elder James Strickland. Elder Strickland is currently serving as the pastor of the Kings Mountain View Progressive Primitive Baptist Church in his 55th year, one of the longest serving pastors in one church in the Primitive Baptist Church. Elder Strickland, a member of Chestnut Ridge shared his long time relationship with Mother Lowe and her active participation in the Sandy Ridge Progressive Primitive Baptist Association for many decades.

Two eulogistic messages were delivered by Elder Kenneth Smith, the son in law to Mother Lowe and the pastor of the Holly Grove Primitive Baptist Church in Concord North Carolina and Reverend Nelson Staples III, the pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Beckley West Virginia.

Other persons of note in attendance were Elder Henry Wright, the moderator of the Sandy Ridge Progressive Primitive Baptist Association. Deacon John Jessup, the president of the Sandy Ridge Church School Convention. Mother Wyvette Dillard, the president of the Sandy Ridge Women's Congress. Mother Grace Byers, the president of the North Carolina/Virginia States Women Congress. Sister Lula Brown, president of the North Carolina/Virginia State Church School Convention. Elder Harry Love, the moderator of the Southwestern Primitive Baptist Convention. Elder Doctor Larry Tatum, the president of the National Primitive Baptist Church School Congress and pastor of the New Sardis Primitive Baptist Church in Cleveland Ohio, my home church.

Mother Lowe was the last member of her generation. Her legacy lives on in her children, Lashene Lowe, First Lady Jill Smith and Julia Bratton and her grandchildren.

I celebrate Mother Bernice Lowe for her leadership and for her life. She served well as a Wife, Mother, Educator and believer of the Lord Jesus Christ. When God created man and woman He said to them to fill the earth. That meant that within every human being is the innate ability to announce to the earth that I am here and after we have departed this earth our presence will speak about us in the minds and hearts of those who we have impacted and influenced. Such can be said about Mother Bernice Lowe, she filled the earth with her presence and she testified in her words and works about the One that she lived for.

Doctor Samuels said as he closed his remarks, "It's not goodbye but only goodnight." I agree and concur with those same sentiments. Goodnight Mother Lowe.  

IT'S A NEW DAY

I was awakened at two o' clock this morning. Whenever I'm awaken at this hour it is the Holy Spirit getting me up to pray during the fourth watch of the night, which begins at 3:00 a.m. For years I didn't understand the purpose of getting up to pray at this time and I would protest to the Holy Spirit for awaking me at this hour. But finally illumination came from Chuck Pierce's book God's Unfolding Battle Plan. In this book Chuck teaches on the purpose of the four watches that are revealed in the Scripture and the purpose of each watch.

With understanding I now embrace this call to pray and keep watch in this hour whenever I am led to. It is a sacrifice and it is worth it for what God is calling me to do with Him and what He is doing in me.

As I am ending this watch, it's almost six o'clock, the Holy Spirit wanted me to share with you as you read this that the end of the fourth watch is  a new day. And that where God is calling you, a new day. I know that it doesn't look like it but you've got to see what I am saying with your spiritual eyes. As long as we continue to see with our natural eyes we will never see new days.

The fourth watch which ends at 6:00 a.m. declares that a new day is dawning. This watch is greatly demonstrated in Exodus chapter 14. The children of Israel had left Egypt and Pharaoh was coming to capture them. When they people saw Pharaoh and his great army they became afraid. In this new day God is calling you out of fear. Fear had confined you. It has caused you to stop advancing in what God is calling you to do. This new day is a day where God says be not afraid.

It is a new day because God is speaking to you through the Moses in your life. Moses told the fearful people, "Do not be afraid, Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today." The reason why many of us has missed former new days is because we refused to hear God speak through Moses. Sometimes we can be so concerned about moving that we miss a vital key to movement which is hearing what the Spirit is saying. We can't move until we hear. Today God is giving you ears to hear. And what you hear will cause you to move.

It is a new day because God is separating you by His glory. God separated Israel from Egypt by a cloud. The cloud was the glory of God. What was light to Israel was darkness to Egypt. The glory of God is separating you from those who are your enemies. The glory of God is separating you because God has ordained that you are going forward in your destiny from those who are chasing after to destroy you before you ever realize the full manifestation of your destiny.

It is a new day because God is opening a way for you to go forward. What was once closed (The Red Sea) is being opened by God. And that's why God has been waking you up before 3:00 a.m. He's been calling you to Stand still (watch and pray) and see (Gain a vision or prophetic sight) the salvation (the manifestation of His action on your behalf).

Go forward and witness how God is going to defeat your enemies. There is an open door before you. There is a way before you. I declare that you are going forward. No turning back. It's a new day.

Bernard Boulton's latest book DIVINE FAVOR: GOD ACTS FOR YOU WHEN YOUR ENEMIES ACT AGAINST YOU

Divine Favor was written during a season of transition where I was learning the purpose of past seasons and the significance of present seasons. One day I was reading my favorite psalms, number 23 and when I reached verse five, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.." The Holy Spirit caused me to stop and meditate on this verse. Prior to this day I was very familiar with Psalms 23. It was the first passage in the scripture that I memorized. The congregation of my childhood recited Psalms 23 each Sunday as our responsive reading. But on this particular day I was being lead to consider something that I had never consider about this verse that I had grown up with and could recite without thought.

The Holy Spirit started teaching me from this passage and begin to speak in my spirit about the presence of spiritual enemies in my life. He showed me the times that I had been injured by enemies in ministry and about the times I had encountered attacks that I wasn't sure I would overcome. And the Holy Spirit began to reveal to me that the very people who were used by Satan to do me harm had actually provoked the hand of God in my favor.

From the revelation of Psalms 23:5 I was led throughout the Old Testament to see others who were the candidates of God's favor because of malicious attacks from enemies. David the writer of this Psalms knew the hurt that enemies afflicted on him but the more David faced enemies the more the favor of God was released in his life.

The Holy Spirit gave me this story, which is my second published book, to teach and impart this truth to the Body of Christ. It is the enemy in your life that causes God to react to you with favor. The pages of this book is my personal story written with a backdrop of biblical characters who faced pain, persecutions and problems and saw God move on their behalf. I offer this story to you to encourage and edify you. May this account cause your eyes to be open to see the real blessings of  enemies in your life.

Divine Favor is currently being offered as an ebook at Smashwords, http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/167696  It will later this summer in hard copy. Please go to Smashword and read a free sample of this story. If it blesses you purchase it. The price is .99.