The Soaking Place

"Releasing the Anointing Conference"

2011-01-04T21:31:00.000-08:00

In these 3 messages given at "Releasing the Anointing Conference" near Cleveland, Ohio. Steve Porter shares what he sees prophetically for the church 2011. If you know someone discouraged... pass this message on to them! You are coming out of that Pit in 2011!

YOU are coming out of that PIT in 2011! Part 1

You are Coming out of that PIT in 2011 Part 2 "The Valley of Dry Bone Shall LIVE!"

YOU are coming out of that PIT in 2011! Part 3 "The Prophetic Anointing"

Testimonies

2011: "The Year of Restoration and Preparation- You Are Coming Out of That Pit!"

2011-01-04T21:24:00.000-08:00

2011: "The Year of Restoration and Preparation- You Are Coming Out of That Pit!"

by Steve Porter

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15: 20

This morning in prayer I saw a giant pit that has trapped many people--a pit of despair, of sin, of compromise, of failure and hopelessness. Then I saw the "Great Shepherd" extend His hand to pull OUT desperate souls, giving them a second chance and "making all things new!" I believe the year 2011 will be "a tremendous Year of restoration and preparation" for that which is ahead, for He desires to restore all that the locust has eaten! He will give you double for your trouble and turn your scars into stars reversing the curse. Let me emphasize here that 2011 is a strategic year so it’s key not to squander or waste it. The Lord says, “This year, if you will hear My words... you will come out of the pit, so do not be content to stay there. Do not lose hope and accept your desperate situation, but rather speak to your pit, to your circumstances, and say "I am coming out!" For Satan has tried to manipulate and deceive, convincing many that there is no way out of the pit. But that is a lie, because you are coming up and out in 2011!

The year 2011 is a strategic one and you MUST invest and be a good steward of this time, in order to be prepared for what is coming in the near future. Do not say "I have another year to get it together," or "I will worry about that later." You have a choice... will you accept your fate and remain in your pit, or will you take the hand of the Great Shepherd who desires to pull you out and once again place your feet on solid rock? For the years that are coming are so important, and that which you do now will determine your course. I hear the Lord say even now: "Will you waste another year? Will you squander it, staying in that pit of hopelessness? I am already reaching out to you so take My hand.... let Me pull you out and give you a second chance! I am calling you! Come out and be separate! Do not dabble in the world. Do not flirt with compromise and sin, for Satan knows his time is short, and that what he does, he must do quickly. Be not ignorant of his evil plans toward you, but know that I have already provided a way of escape for you." I hear the Great Shepherd saying, "I am calling the prodigals home in 2011, so stop running! Can you hear Me calling your name? Can you sense My great love for you even now? For I have a table prepared just for you...a place already set and I am inviting you to come and fellowship with Me again at My table. I remember our times together when we would sit there for hours sharing our hearts with each other, and I miss My time with you. I'm calling you home right now. Do not feel shame, guilt, or fear, but COME as you are and I will restore you for I am God!" DO NOT WAIT ANOTHER YEAR! I have already prepared a feast for you, a new set of clothes, and right now I give you a rod of authority. I will restore you!

Beloved, if you have a son, daughter, or loved who is a prodigal, declare that this is your year! Don't give up! Don't accept the lies of the enemy. LOOK UP and declare that this is your year of restoration!

“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Matthew 25:10

In the year 2011 I also see the Lord’s hand pulling out many believers trapped in the pit of debt and sickness, the pit of lost opportunity, the pit of depression, deliverance from strongholds and carnal habits. The year 2011 will also be a year of "preparation" for that which is ahead, which is why this word is so vital; we MUST be prepared! We stand at a crossroads this year. There will be a great divide between those who are hungry for God and those who are spiritually content in their apathy. There will be a great divide between the "wise virgins" of Matt. 25 and the "foolish ones." And while the apathetic spirit of Laodicea (see Rev. 3:14-22) will increase there will be a STRONG remnant growing who will seek God's heart and refuse to compromise accepting anything less than the complete manifest presence of God. I see desperate ones coming out of the pit of Laodicea; I see them fully abandoning themselves for the deeper things of God. They will not be left empty-handed, but God will fill their treasures with Himself and they will feast on His presence in the year 2011. This will prepare them for the most powerful ministry the world has ever seen!

This year will be one of restoration and preparation! If you are in a pit look up for your Redeemer stands with eyes full of love ready to pull you out and give you a fresh start. Can you see the love in His eyes? Can you hear Him whisper your name? Can you feel His loving touch? Oh, how He loves you, beloved. Oh, how He loves you and me!

Steve is the international director of "Team Impact University" a anointed network of over 500 bible colleges throughout the world. He is a revivalist, author, and former pastor of 17 years. He founded "Soaking Place Ministries," and has a passion to see the manifest presence revealed in the earth today. Steve has a new book coming out in 2011 "Whispers from the Throne Room- Reflections on the Manifest Presence." www.soakingplace.tv

Soaking Place Ministries

2010-06-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

For a free message and download by Steve Porter
http://www.xpmedia.com/7gwCwFhgU8K4

2 Holy Spirit Meetings!

2010-05-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

May 22, 2010 for
Holy Spirit Encounter in Eastlake, Ohio
For more info CLICK HERE

Come for a time of refreshing, renewal, instruction and impartation. We will take time to pray for the sick and minister to anyone who would desire prayer to experience the fire of God and impartation of the Holy Spirit!

Steve Porter is a prophetic revivalist with a passion to see the kingdom of God manifested in the earth today. Steve travels around the USA and the Nations, teaching and preaching on Intimacy with Jesus, the Manifest Presence of God, and the Prophetic.

www.soakingplace.tv

Autumn Daldo and Bethany Jones are anointed and prophetic worship music ministers. They have a passion to see people develop an intimate relationship with Jesus and be set on fire with His purpose for their life. They have ministered separately since a young age and currently minister together at Bethel Church Cleveland leading worship.

www.autumndaldo.com

"Autumns voice and lyrics come from a deep place in her heart of seeking the presence and purpose of God. Autumn ministered as part of the Eagles' Wings team for over four years and I have seen many people blessed and ministered to by her worship. Her music will draw you into a place of intimacy with God, and then provoke you to get even closer! I highly recommend this CD!"

- Robert Stearns, Ministry Director, Author, Worship leader

"Autumn Daldo is a prophetic psalmist after God’s own heart. Not only does she possess the heart of a true worshipper but her musical gifting is outstanding and will lift you into the courts of heaven. I know Deep Calls will be a great blessing to the Body of Christ and will deepen your own personal worship time with the Lord. Autumn captures the heart of God in her worship on Deep Calls. Her songs are powerful, original and are inspired from the depths of God’s heart. I highly recommend her new CD to all who sense the deep calling of the Spirit to live a life of true devotion and worship before God."

- Matt Sorger, Evangelistic Healer, Speaker

The Cathedral of my Soul

2009-12-15T18:11:00.000-08:00

The Cathedral of my Soul (1)
BY Steve Porter
…He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength… Psalms 23:2b-3a

There is a secret place where we can meet our God. The door is always open. This secret place is known as the “Cathedral of my soul.” Regardless of how busy the world is around you, or how chaotic your surroundings in this special place you can find retreat. You can be on an airplane, in a car, or even in a large auditorium full of people and still meet with the Lord within this great cathedral.

Life can get you caught up in a whirlwind of activity. Busyness can replace quiet rest with God. Noise can replace quietness, and the chattering of many voices can replace the “still small voice.”

Finding rest for our souls is not always easy. Often we get caught up in our surroundings and the busyness of life. We often bounce from pillar to post, always seeking to fulfill the longing of our hearts with more activity. Always searching for the true rest, but never finding it in our daily routine.

Beware of spiritual barrenness this is a result from not meeting with the Lord on a daily basis. Our Lord desires to lead us “beside the still waters.” These waters always flow in the “Cathedral of our soul.”

Though around us “the waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with it’s swelling,” we can meet with our God and find rest. “There is a river whose stream shall make glad the city of God.” There is a “Holy place of the tabernacle of the most high,” and “God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved.”

This special meeting with God is in the tabernacle of our souls where we “come, behold the works of the Lord.” Where we are “still and know that He is God.”

The Cathedral of my Soul (2)

I wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. Psalms 62: 5

What is this great Cathedral of my soul? How can we meet with God there? The cathedral is found within. We need to hush our desires, and racing minds, and turn our attention away from outward things. God is waiting to meet us within. “Christ lives in me!” No matter where you are, Christ is waiting in the Cathedral of your soul longing for fellowship with you. Turn your thoughts toward Him! Chose to allow your love for Him to compel you to wait quietly before your God. Only by being quiet will we ever enter the Cathedral of our souls.

The simple French monk known as Brother Lawrence (1620?-1691) was determined to meet with his Lord within. Even while washing dishes he learn to “practice the presence of God” in the Cathedral of his soul. Therese of Lisieux, whose “little way” often echoed this same thought of being quiet before God. St. John of the cross, Francois Fenelon, and Madame Guyon (1648-1717) all practiced being quiet before God by meeting with Him within. A closer communion with God was a result of there waiting quietly before God in the cathedral of their soul.

“Be still and know that He is God.” Allow your love for God to be poured out before Him. Worship Him at His feet and quiet your busy soul and meet your God. When I am in a busy place I close my eyes, (if I can) and I tell the Lord how much I love Him, I allow my heart to pour out before His throne. I then wait in silence for His loving response. I bask in His presence and just hold my loving heart before Him. You can do this for many hours. Just being quiet, loving on Him, and pouring your love before Him in that great cathedral of your soul.

Those around you may not know of your encounter with God, but that special meeting with God is transforming you from within. You can hear the whisper of God in the cathedral of your soul and His will is easily discerned. He is waiting for you right now to come to that secret place and meet with Him in intimate communion. Will you go?

South America 2010???

2009-11-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

I have been burning the last month with a burden for South America. The deep desire has brought me to tears many times. When in Africa I received a prophetic word about going to South America. Here is a short version of the word:

Would you please be in special prayer for Joe and I as we set our sites on the many countries of South America? In God's way He will open the right doors. Thanks!

South Africa 2010!

2009-11-14T21:30:00.000-08:00

In April of 2010 I will be returning to South Africa this time with my wife! Incredible doors have opened to us all over that country. We will be the speaker for the "Impact Bible College Easter Convention" in Johannesburg and then going on East London, Cape Town, Durban, and on to the country of Botswana for meetings. Please pray for us and keep checking out this blog for exciting updates as we get closer to April. See our website to become a partner today! www.soakingplace.tv

Team Impact Bible College Graduation

Check out this short video for a testimony and info on our next trip.

Our Last Trip 2009

Special "South Africa" Edition from The Soaking Place on Vimeo.

About our Ministry

The Ministry of Steve & Diane Porter from The Soaking Place on Vimeo.

New Message by Steve "A Dangerous Church"

2009-10-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

The Lord is looking for a church that will be sold out, that will sweetly surrender it all!This Brand New Message: "Dangerous Church" by Steve Porter was given at East Heisley Church of God in Mentor, Ohio.

Click Here for Message

Jesus Loves India Conference 2009 NOW available!

2009-10-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

This October 1, 2009 at 10 AM (IST) our video conference was posted just for you. The conference include videos with special worship with Rick Thompson, sermons by Steve Porter, prayer for healing and miracles, and special intercession for India. Will you help us get the word out? Will you share this with your pastors? Will you gather in groups to watch together? CLICK HERE for Video conference

Jesus Loves India Conference from The Soaking Place on Vimeo.

For more information CLICK HERE

South Africa Update:

2009-09-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

For live updates, photos, video diaries, prayer and praise reports during the trip please follow us on facebook. Steve will be greeting everyone from South Africa and filming episodes of "The Soaking Place" as well.Please pray for us as we Travel the 8500 miles to Africa. Only the Lord could open up such a tremendous opportunity. Please be in prayer for our meetings in Johannesburg, East London & Cape Town October 8 -19 2009. Pray for traveling mercies as we fly there and fly within the country for different crusades. We are believing that the intimacy message will bring revival to a nation. We desire souls saved, people set free, and people healed by the power of God!

We are busy preparing for the trip and super excited to me the wonderful people there!

The Story of George Muller

2009-09-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

George Muller became famous as one of the greatest men of prayer known to history! Among the greatest monuments of what can be accomplished through simple faith in God are the great orphanages covering thirteen acres of ground on Ashley Downs, Bristol, England. When God put it into the heart of George Muller to build these orphanages, he had only two shillings (50 cents) in his pocket. Without making his wants known to any man, but to God alone, over a million, four hundred thousand pounds ($7,000,000) were sent to him for the building and maintaining of these orphan homes. When the writer first visited them, near the time of Mr. Muller's death, there were five immense buildings of solid granite, capable of accommodating two thousand orphans. In all the years since the first orphans arrived the Lord had sent food in due time, so that they had never missed a meal for want of food. This is the story of George Muller a man of intimate prayer.

New promo video for India Conference

2009-09-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

Please help us spread the word about our Video Conference in India. Share this video with others. Thanks!

Jesus Loves India Conference from The Soaking Place on Vimeo.

Steve Porter at the "Glory Tent"-

2009-08-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

The Holy Spirit was so precious last night at the tent revival in Windham, Ohio. Rick Thompson played his fingers right off! We were blessed as the manifest presence came and brought in His holiness! ALL GLORY BE TO GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out this link
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2077864/highlight/15990

Jesus Loves India Conference 2009

2009-08-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

On July 1, 1989 Steve Porter went to India for 4 weeks and his life was forever changed. He fell in love with the precious people and until this day still carries a deep burden for that country. "How can I reach the Indian people Lord," he prayed one day. A spirit of Intercession fell heavy on his soul as he cried out for souls, for pastors to be encouraged, for the saints of India to have a fresh encounter with the Manifest presence of God. The Lord Jesus gave Steve the vision, To reach India with a video conference on October 1, 2009. Prayer, Fasting, Time, Passion, and Heart will go into every video message. We encourage pastors, people, churches to set time a side on October 1, 2009 to watch this special video event!

CLICK HERE for more info

Building our NEW Soaking Place at the Porter's

2009-08-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

We recently moved into our new home. My last place had a special place where I would love to soak and meet the Lord. It was a very special place that was hard to leave. We decided to build a new soaking place in our new basement of our new home. Here is a reality video of the process of building our tabernacle.

Steve's New Prayer Room

A special word for you!

2009-08-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

The Lord gave me a word for you today:

When you were born says the Lord "I WAS THERE!" "Before you drew your first breath I thought of you! When you took your first step I watched with great delight... OH how I love you says the Lord, I am your God, I do NOT change. Please walk with me today, deny yourself and pick up your cross, give me your complete heart. ENCOUNTER ME, ENCOUNTER MY LOVE." OH God... Give my friends a love encounter and a life change!

South Africa Journey 2009

2009-08-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

Please pray for us as we Travel the 8000 miles to South Africa. Steve Porter and Joe Overfield will be going to Johannesburg, East London & Cape Town October 8 -19 2009. He will be ministering in conferences, churches, and bible schools. We are believing that the intimacy message will bring revival to a nation. We desire souls saved, people set free, and people healed by the power of God!

For live updates, photos, video diaries, prayer and praise reports during the trip please follow us on facebook. Steve will be greeting everyone from South Africa and filming episodes of "The Soaking Place" as well.

Follow our facebook blog as well

2009-08-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

We update our facebook many times a day. You will find resources, prophetic words, encouragement, stories, family pics, ministry updates, evangelistic trail updates, and other stuff from the Soaking Place.

CLICK HERE

The Whore of Babylon

2009-08-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

If you know me well, you know I usually do not teach on spiritual warfare, It seems the Lord keeps me in the intimacy teachings. I am not flaky nor do I focus on darkness, but I feel compelled to share about my dream.

I had a dream where I battled a powerful demon spirit. She was a huge woman ( I believe she was Jezebel and the Whore of Babylon) that had many weaker people worshipping her. When she saw that I could see her in the spirit realm she began to rise in the air and she flew over to me and tried to intimidate me with her power to paralyze me. I rebuked her in Jesus name and I woke up. There was a real middle eastern vibe to the dream. I believe God is giving his servants authority to see into the spiritual realm to see this old enemy and take authority over her. Our regions are being controlled and influenced, BUT we will have the victory!

Steve Porter

Revelation 17-18
The Whore of Babylon
By Gary DeLashmutt

Introduction

Review the theme of chapters 6-16—the Great Tribulation. This is the final period of human history as we know it, when there is an outbreak of evil so terrible that only Jesus' personal return prevents the world from being destroyed. This section also introduced us to the key characters that are responsible for this evil—the “dragon” (Satan), “the beast” (Antichrist), and the “false prophet.”

We will look at the third major vision in Revelation—chapters 17 and 18. This vision introduces us to yet another evil character, and describes the judgment that God will pour out upon it at the end of the age. This is the vision of the “Whore of Babylon.”1 This is the most confusing character in Revelation, and it will take most of our time this morning to figure out just what this entity is.

Read 17:1-5. Let's start with 17:5, because this gives us its “name” or title.

The name is a mystery, which in the Bible refers to something that has been largely hidden, but which is now being revealed (see Romans 16:25-26). Through the symbols of this vision, then, God is exposing an expression of evil that has long been at work in secret, undercover.

The first clue to its identity is the content of its name, which is a two-fold title. It is like a city (“Babylon the great”) and it is like a harlot (“the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth”). Both of these images are rooted in the Old Testament, and they reveal different aspects of this entity. Chapter 17 describes it mainly as “the mother of harlots,” while chapter 18 describes it mainly as “Babylon the great.” Let's take a closer look at both of these titles . . .

“The Mother of Harlots . . .”

“Harlotry” and “abominations” are terms related in the Old Testament not only to sexual immorality, but especially to idolatry. See especially Ezek. 16:15ff., which uses both of these terms to describe Israel as a harlot full of abominations (16:22) because it allowed itself to be seduced from its “husband” YHWH to commit spiritual adultery with idols. God uses very graphic language to describe Israel as a spiritual nymphomaniac, made mad from the aphrodisiac of idolatry (see 16:15, 25, 32-34). Israel became so polluted with idolatry that God had to remove her through exile to bring her to repentance.

Revelation 17 evidently describes this same spiritual adultery at work in the Church—culminating in the apostate Church. Just as Israel became a harlot during the Old Testament period, so the Church (called the “Bride of Christ”) will ultimately become a great harlot during the period between Jesus' two comings. “Apostate” means “fallen away” and here refers to a counterfeit entity that claims to be Christianity but has really rejected Christ. Jesus warned that false prophets would arise throughout the period between his comings (Matt. 24:5), and that at the end of the age there would be a massive defection from the faith (Matt. 24:10). This is the apostasy (“falling away”) that Paul predicts in 2 Thess. 2:3; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:1,52. The Harlot, then, is the demonic counterfeit of the Bride of Christ, the Church.

She seduces not just Israel, but people from every part of the world (17:1b,15). She seduces both political rulers and common people with her cup of idolatrous inducements (17:2).

She is intimately related to, but distinct from the “beast (17:3). It appears here that she is in control over (“sitting on”) the beast, but in the end the beast turns on her and brings about her downfall (17:16). It may be that the Antichrist rises to power (in part) through the support of the apostate Church—but then turns on it once he consolidates his power.

At any rate, like the beast, she hates the followers of Jesus Christ (17:6). She makes others drunk with her wine of idolatry, but she herself is drunk with the blood of the saints. One of the most horrible themes in church history is the institutional church (especially when allied with the State) betraying and persecuting true believers (INQUISITION; STATE CHURCH LEADERS IN NAZI GERMANY & COMMUNIST RUSSIA & CHINA).

Most of the rest of chapter 17 describes the beast, which we have already studied, so we'll pass over this section. But notice in 17:18 that this “woman” is also “the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth” (17:18). In other words, as we saw in 17:5, these two terms describe the same entity in two different forms. Chapter 17 describes it as a spiritual whore—the source of spiritual deception and the counterfeit Church, while chapter 18 describes it as “Babylon the great”—the “secular” expression of this same evil entity.

“Babylon the Great”

Read 18:1-2. An angel announces the fall of “Babylon the great.” That which was so powerful and impressive has now become a desolate dungeon of the demons that animated it. The language here echoes several Old Testament passages concerning the kingdom of Babylon (in southern Iraq).

The original kingdom of Babylon is described in Genesis 10-11. It was humanity's first empire, ruled by the godless tyrant Nimrod, who was “a mighty hunter in defiance of the Lord” (10:8-9). Nimrod built the first great city, Babel (“gateway to the gods”), which was a society rooted in human pride and dedicated to exalting itself over everything, including God (11:4). God noted that that this kind of all-encompassing empire would totally corrupt humanity, so he prevented this by confusing the people's languages so they have to disperse.

Neo-Babylon emerged in the 600's BC, and it was the greatest empire ever known up to that point. Neo-Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and Israel's Temple in 586 BC. It was ruled by King Nebuchadnezzar, who (like Nimrod) was so intoxicated by his own power that he boasted Daniel 4:30 (read). Nebuchadnezzar was the first major ruler to require his subjects to worship his image (Daniel 3). While God used Babylon to discipline Judah for its idolatry, he vowed to destroy Babylon because of its arrogance. See Isaiah's taunt in Isaiah 14:12-15. Note how his description of the aftermath of Babylon's judgment (Isaiah 13:19-22) is echoed by Revelation 18:1-3.

So “Babylon the great” represents fallen humanity's determination to construct a “God-tight” society (EXPLAIN “AIR-TIGHT”). It began with original Babylon, re-emerged in neo-Babylon, has flowered since then in many godless empires throughout history (including Rome in 1st century, and 20th century expressions like the Fascist Axis and the Iron Curtain regime), and it will come to ultimate fruition in the global reign of the Antichrist.

Yet, in spite of its splendor and power, God is going to take it out. Chapter 18 is a taunt announcing its sudden, dramatic, and permanent downfall—probably by the return of Jesus.

We don't have time to study the whole chapter, but I do want to highlight a feature an aspect of “Babylon” that may hit closer to home . . .

It seduces rulers and business-people through the offer of material wealth (18:3 NIV “ . . . by the wealth of her luxury”). “Babylon” specializes not in the material necessities of life, but in material luxury at the cost of human lives (18:12-13). This is why her devotees lament her fall (rulers in 18:9; merchants in 18:11-14; passengers in 18:17-19). “Babylon the great” is in large part the spirit of materialism (seeking identity and security and stimulation through the acquisition and enjoyment and accumulation of money and things). Materialism flourishes in every political system—including capitalist democracies (SLAVE TRADE). It is a key feature of the American Dream, and which drives this materially prosperous and spiritually sick nation and infects all of us here to some degree!

It seduces people by corrupting even good things so that they become idols that lead us away from God. Notice the final description of “Babylon” in 18:21b-23 (read). “Sorcery” is the Greek word pharmakeia, from which we get “pharmacy” and “pharmaceutical drugs.” It means the mixing of potions to induce spells in idol worship. It is used figuratively here to refer to “Babylon's” deceptive activity even through the arts (“harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters), industry and technology (“craftsman of any craft . . . sound of a mill . . . light of a lamp”), human relationships (“bridegroom and bride”) and economics/commerce (“merchants”). And to this list we could things like education/academia, political office, sports and entertainment, etc.

Am I saying that these things are evil? No! All of these things are good gifts from God that he wants us to enjoy. We deplore the unbiblical fundamentalism that calls for Christians to withdraw from any of these arenas in order to be spiritual! God wants Christians involved in every one of these areas!

But beware! All of these areas are now laced with an intoxicating “drug” that can deceive you into thinking these gifts can replace the Giver. And if you buy into this lie, these very gifts that God gives you to enjoy will destroy your character and your relationships and your very soul. The arts are a great breeding ground for aesthetic pride. Information technology has the power to erode rational and reflective thought, and to erode or prevent in-depth personal relationships. Academia can breed intellectual arrogance, political activity can corrupt you with power-lust. Professional sports stars' salaries and travel schedule have devoured the stars and destroyed countless marriages.

What is the “Babylon?” It is what the same author (John) elsewhere calls “the world” (read 1 John 2:15-16). The kosmos (“orderly arrangement”) is that satanically-inspired system of values (hedonism, materialism, egotism) that seeks to seduce us from a love relationship with the one true God, who alone can provide us with the security and identity and significance we need. It is a whore, appealing to our fallen desires and promising us satisfaction that it can never deliver—while it charges the price of our souls.

“You gotta drink”

So much for explanation—it's time for some application. It would require a whole series of teachings to explain how God wants us to respond to the Whore of Babylon. I'm going to explain the most basic and important response . . .

The Rally's commercial says, “You gotta eat.” God says, “You gotta drink.” We have incurably thirsty souls, and we are unable to make our own water. Therefore, your choice is not whether you will drink, but only from whom you will drink. And according to the Bible, there are only two sources.

You can drink from the Whore of Babylon. Her cup is full of false gods (NAME SOME) that will intoxicate you temporarily, and she will keep mixing different versions of the same ingredients to keep you coming back. But they won't satisfy you, and eventually they will drive you mad and destroy your soul. Haven't you drunk from this cup enough??? How much more do you have to drink before you admit that it doesn't work?

Or you can drink from Jesus Christ. His cup is full of living water (read John 4:10, 14). This living water is the love of God, which is the only thing that will ever quench the thirst of your soul. He says he is offering this living water as a gift. You don't have to clean yourself up before he will give it to you; he will give it to you as you are and it will spring up inside you to transform your life. (HIS ORIGINAL AUDIENCE WAS THE SAMARITAN WOMAN.) All you have to do is ask Jesus for it. Admit to him that you are thirsty, that the Whore's cup doesn't satisfy—and simply ask him to give you this living water of a love relationship with God. If you do this, your life will never be the same!

Footnotes

1 Revelation 14:8 and 16:19 have already briefly described this entity and its judgment by God. Chapters 17,18 elaborate on the identity of this entity and God's judgment on it.

2 With regard, to 2 Tim. 3:5, how many of us grew up in churches where we never heard the gospel? Is this not the “form of godliness” without its power?

This article was found at this website http://www.xenos.org/teachings/nt/revelation/gary/rev17-1.htm

What is Meekness?

2009-08-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Steve shares about what is true meekness and the process of God to see us transformed. Listen on...

CLICK HERE

The Manifest Presence of God Series on MP3's

2009-08-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

This series was given in a old fashion tent revival in Ohio. Steve Porter teaches us principles to the presence of God. FREE DOWNLOAD!

Manifest Presence of God Part 1
COMING SOON
In this series Steve teaches us about the vital importance of “personally knowing the Lord,” and the “reality of His manifest presence.” This message will encourage you to pursue Him for a face to face encounter.

Manifest Presence of God Part 2
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In this message given by Steve Porter at a old fashion Tent revival. Steve teaches the vital importance of our “personally knowing the Lord,” and the “reality of His manifest presence.”

Bonus Message
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He has been waiting “all night” for us and He is still waiting hoping, whispering, sighing-He wants to come in-He wants to be with us. What is our response? When He calls you what is your initial reaction? Are we sensitive enough to know His knock from every other knock? Can we hear the sound of the Lord found in His manifest presence? It is only through spending time with the Lord in personal, quiet solitude that anyone can be taught the “Distinction in the sounds.”

Manifest Presence of God Part 3
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Song of Solomon 1:5.
I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. 6. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept .

Manifest Presence of God Part 4
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Steve gives two keys that increase the Manifest Presence in your Life!
For more on this topic of "Increasing the Presence," watch this Video- CLICK HERE

Manifest Presence of God Part 5 and 6 coming soon!

Bonus Video Message- Fragrance of His Presence Click Here

The Powerful Ministry of Father Nash

2009-07-31T21:22:00.001-07:00

Father Nash

In the battlefields of the spiritual world the true heroes are often the unseen by the world. These are the ones often touched by heaven, who breathe the rarified air of the secret place of the Most High. Such a one was Father Nash a partner to the much better known evangelist Charles Finney during the Second Great Awakening.

Daniel Nash started as a preacher in upstate New York. His record there is singularly unremarkable. At age 48 he decided to give himself totally to prayer for Finney's meetings. Nash would come quietly into towns three or four weeks in advance of a meeting, gather three or four other like minded Christians with him and in a rented room start praying and bringing heaven near. It is reported that in one town all he could find was a dank, dark cellar, but that place was soon illumined with holy light as he made it the place of intercession. In another place as Finney relates:

When I got to town to start a revival a lady contacted me who ran a boarding house. She said, "Brother Finney, do you know a Father Nash? He and two other men have been at my boarding house for the last three days, but they haven't eaten a bite of food. I opened the door and peeped in at them because I could hear them groaning, and I saw them down on their faces. They have been this way for three days, lying prostrate on the floor and groaning. I thought something awful must have happened to them. I was afraid to go in and I didn't know what to do. Would you please come see about them?"

"No it isn't necessary," I replied. "They just have a spirit of travail in prayer."

When the public meetings started Father Nash would not usually attend but kept praying in his closet for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to fall on the crowd and melt their hearts. When opposition arose Father Nash would pray all the harder.

Once a group of young men promised to break up the meetings. Nash was praying nearby and came out of the shadows to announce: "Now mark me, young men! God will break your ranks in less than one week, either by converting some of you, or by sending some of you to hell. He will do this certainly as the Lord is my God!"

Finney thought his friend had lost his sense. But by next Tuesday morning the leader of the group suddenly showed up, confessed his sinful attitude before Finney and accepted Christ. "What shall I do Mr. Finney?" he asked. Finney told him to go back to his companions and tell them how Christ had changed his life. Before that week was out nearly all of the original group had come to Christ.

In 1826 both Finney and Nash were burnt in effigy. The enemy recognized the threat of Father Nash's prayers to their ways of wickedness.

Shortly before Nash died in 1831 he wrote:

I am now convinced, it is my duty and privilege, and the duty of every other Christian, to pray for as much of the Holy Spirit as came down on the day of Pentecost, and a great deal more….My body is in pain, but I am happy in my God…..I have only just begun to understand what Jesus meant when he said, "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

It is interesting to note that within four months of Father Nash's death Finney left the evangelistic field to take a Church in New York City. His prayer partner in taking the enemy by storm was gone. He whose prayers and been the strength of the campaigns was now in his eternal home and the loss of power was felt.

Father Nash's grave is in a neglected cemetery almost on the border of Canada in northern New York. The tombstone reads.

DANIEL NASH

Laborer with Finney

Mighty in Prayer

Nov. 17, 1775 - Dec. 20, 1831

Daniel Nash was not written up in the papers of the day. The elite of his day took no notice of him. There was notice in Heaven of this humble man. Like Paul, the demons knew him by reputation. In his heart dwelt fully the burning Spirit of God. Great is his reward in Heaven.

People of God, can we do any less that to burn with such a passion to see God's Kingdom advanced!

God, you called your servant Daniel Nash to the hills and valleys of a new frontier to preach the Gospel and build your Church. Grant that your Church in this and every generation may be filled with zeal for the Gospel of your Son Jesus Christ, and a willingness to serve all people in His Name; this we ask through Him who, with You and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns now and forever. Amen

For More on Father Nash CLICK HERE

For a Free Audio Sermon on Finney and Nash CLICK HERE

Glory Tent Revival extended

2009-07-23T04:57:00.000-07:00

The Freedom Prayer Room tent revival has extended there invitation to us for the next 5 Sunday nights! These services will be broadcast LIVE on Ustream. Click Here

For more info CLICK HERE

Last Week's Message "The Manifest Presence of God Part 1"

Click Here

Steve speaking under "The Glory Tent"

2009-07-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Friend,

Please pray for me tomorrow night, I will be preaching in a tent crusade in Windham, Ohio. I was there a month ago and God was so sweet we left at 11 PM. Give Him the Glory!

If you can't make it there It will be LIVE this Sunday July 19th and July 26th at 6:00 PM EST USA online at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/freedomprayerroom
if you have any friends that may enjoy it.

Consumed by Jesus,

Steve Porter

Two dates
July 19, 2009 6PM
July 26, 2009 6PM

http://www.freedomprayerroom.com/

"Brokenness" BY Steve Porter

2009-07-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

“You are poor to look upon, but inwardly you are full of wealth. You seem low, but you are exceedingingly high.” – Michael Molinos

“The Lord is waiting to roll up His sleeves and go to work. If we allow Him to re-form us as He chooses, using whatever “tools” He may deem necessary to accomplish His purpose.”—Wade Taylor

Brokenness is the way the Holy Spirit works within a person to crush the desires of the self. It brings forth abundant fruit to the lives of those who are willing to yield to its painful process. Brokenness cannot be imparted or given by the laying on of hands, but takes place in an individual over a long period of time. The more you yield to this process of brokenness, the more you allow yourself to acquire the gift of meekness, the more it will transform you. It comes about only at the cost of extreme affliction, but the ultimate outcome is an altered lifestyle. You will no longer be plagued by your own selfish wants, but will voluntarily allow your flesh to be crucified. Brokenness is actually a removal of the self and a deposit of Himself into your life. Brokenness can only come when it is actively sought after with an open heart and a true passion for God.

If you, as a Christian, wish to walk out of this ordinary place where you are now walking into a place that is truly extraordinary, you have the power to do so; you can allow God to begin this process of brokenness in you. He will bring you to a place of helplessness and dependency, but it will be dependency on Him and Him alone. He will fill the gaping black hole in your heart with Himself. Pain hurts. It always will because it always has. But in the end you will come out on the other side metamorphosed, developed for His service by the crushing process that is one of God’s best tools.

“Wait upon him in a spirit of humility, in a spirit of abandonment, with contentment and resignation. Come before Him quietly and peacefully, recalling your mind to His presence even though His presence may evade you.”—Jeanne Guyon

The door to His manifest presence is wide open. We have an invitation bidding us to come in. It is our choice whether or not to open this door and sup with Him in intimate fellowship. He is knocking on the door of your heart right at this very moment as you are sitting here reading this page. This means that we must prayerfully keep our spirit “poised” toward Him, so that we will be able to recognize His presence, when He comes and makes known His desire to fellowship with us.

Revelation 3:20
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. “

Just as wine cannot be made without crushing grapes, brokenness cannot occur without crushing the will. We’re not talking about the sterile wine presses at the Ernest and Julio Gallo factory here, but a process that will make you feel as if you are being trampled underfoot. It isn’t pretty, but it will change you as nothing else can.

When I went to work at a home for the mentally retarded because evangelism just wasn’t supplying the needs for my family, I began the job with great depression; up until that time, I had a special place in my heart for mentally retarded people, but I was scared to death of them. I just didn’t feel that I was the kind of person who could work with them. I thought that cleaning them, taking care of their hygiene, their personal needs, and all the other things that you have to do for a person who is unable to take care of himself was a job I simply could not do.

When I was unable to find work, a friend of mine said that he could get me this position. There was a $500 sign-on bonus if I would just work for them. The pay and the benefits were so awesome. How could I say no?

Even so, I went into the job feeling that there was no way I was going to be able to handle it. I literally hated the job my first week. I covered up my bitter, angry attitude very well; nobody knew what was going on beneath my surface. I didn’t feel called to do that sort of work: I can’t clean up after other people, I can’t deal with their stinky messes, I just can’t do it!

So I began to pray. I said “Lord, I need Your grace. Unless You give me grace, I’m just not going to be able to do this.” I was able to pray a great deal during the night, since I worked third shift. Rather than just read a book, even if it was a Christian book, I began to seek the Lord. As I sought Him, His presence met me. People who did not know the Lord began to walk into the house where I was watching the clients and say, “Your house just feels different than the other houses. Whenever you’re here, there is just such a sense of peace in the whole house.”

One of the nurses asked me to pray with her about a problem. She trusted me enough to confide in me. I was talking to another girl one day and God gave me a word of knowledge for her that was so right on the money that she began to cry. I prayed deliverance over her and her life completely changed. God began to use me and I began to see that this job which I had once hated was bringing me great delight. I loved my job so much that I didn’t want to leave. When God called me on, I felt very sad. The staff even threw me a going-away party and everybody hugged me and told me how sorry they were to see me go, because I learned to love the people at that home, especially the clients. Those mentally retarded people taught me valuable lessons that I will never forget; lessons about patience and about how special and unique they really are.

The Bible says:

Matthew 25:40
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. “

I thought, even as I was cleaning them up, showering them, and taking care of their personal hygiene, that I was doing this unto Jesus. They showed me so much love. Many times they’d come and pat me on the back and give me a hug or a kiss on the cheek. My heart broke because I realized how much pride I had once had to think that I should stay away from them because they’re a little different; pride that says, “Why should I have to clean up somebody else’s mess?”

When I left, I had a big void in my heart, because I had learned to love them.

One of my managers was a man named Denver who gained a lot of respect from me. He was a very intelligent man, and from the beginning, I liked him. He is getting ready to retire now, but he has literally given his life to working with these people. He’s not a widely known person, but I believe that the experiences he has had in that home would make a fascinating movie, because he is one of those hidden heroes who are all around us.

I watched him interact with the clients and staff and he had so much wisdom that I couldn’t help but admire him. I watched how he dealt with various situations and learned a lot about leadership just by the way he carried himself, how he looked people squarely in the eye as he asked questions, and how he genuinely cared about people’s lives. I praise God that He sent me to that home to learn lessons from the mentally challenged and also from my friend, Denver.

Yes, the Lord does have a school of the Spirit, but few will enroll and fewer still will graduate. Why? Because it hurts to become a broken vessel. God is looking for broken vessels who will give Him glory rather than seeking it for themselves. There are few broken men, but many who claim to be broken and are not. How can we differentiate between the two? We can’t. Only God knows; it is not our place to judge.

But haven’t you ever noticed how some of His people have an unusual presence of God over every aspect of their lives? They seem to have a continual visitation from Him which is known as His “abiding manifest presence.” What causes this? Does God play favorites? Why do some seem to walk under an “open heaven” while others do not? The answer is found in the Key that unlocks His presence. You may ask “What is the Key? “ The Key is found in one word:
“Meekness”

This may not be the only key, but it is one that God simply cannot ignore.By earthly standards, a student in this school of the Spirit appears to be shattered beyond recognition, but by heavenly standards, he is a man of meekness. The people who once knew you will not perceive you to be the same person who you were before you allowed Him to break you; your whole personality becomes radically altered; you talk less and love God more. He gives you His power because you prove yourself to be trustworthy in this school which few choose to enter.

Moses was the meekest man on the earth. He had the heart of a true servant and was found faithful by God. Because of his meekness, he attracted the presence of God and God spoke to Him mouth to mouth. He spoke to others only in “visions” and “dreams”, but not Moses; he knew Him personally. How did Moses develop this brokenness? After all he was not born that way; just look at his record:

At the age of forty, arrogant and filled with the wisdom of the world, he was groomed to become the next Pharaoh:

Acts 7:22
“And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.”

Moses had the best teachers available; trusting his earthly wisdom, he slew an Egyptian who was trying to help his kindred people. Brokenness had yet to be developed in him.

Exodus 2:12
“And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.”

This dirty little secret was hardly an example of Meekness! Moses was led by God to the “back side of the desert” where he was processed by God before he ever was known as a “servant” or “faithful.”

Exodus 3:3-5
“And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

Moses was in the backside of the desert. God broke his will during his experience in the wilderness, took all the fight out of him, developed a contrite heart in him, and by the time he was eighty, he was a transformed man. God saw to it that Moses’ heart was revealed but Moses had to allow God to deal with the condition of his heart to make it pure.

It was only when Moses “turned aside” that things changed. He refused to be distracted from His presence by anything the world could throw at him. He was consumed by the glory of God but was not harmed. His “dross” carnal nature and pride had all been burned away by the “consuming fire” of His glory. The only thing that remained was a transformed Moses. He now stood on “Holy ground.”

Moses speaks very differently after his experience in the desert:

Exodus 3:11
“And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Exodus 4:10
“And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”

This is quite a contrast from the passage in Acts. The Lord reduced Moses from a somebody to a nobody. This is not a contradiction, but merely shows how God had broken Moses in His School of the Spirit. The Lord brought Moses to a place where he had to rely on Him. God is not necessarily looking for the talented, but the available: those who will give Him the glory. Inadequacy births dependency. God never calls the qualified but qualifies the called. He is looking for our availability.

Numbers 12:3
“(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)”

Moses certainly wasn’t born meek. He was processed by God until all the pride, resentment, and retaliation had been taken out of him.
You are also changed into His likeness when you stand in His presence and “turn aside.” Moses took off his shoes and followed God’s plan for his life. His shoes represent man’s futile attempt to follow after God. Moses’ steps were now “ordered of the Lord.” God is still calling His people to “turn aside” and embrace His Glory. It is in His presence that true lasting change takes place. Moses did not stop at the burning bush; he blazed a trail to see God.

Moses wanted more than just a manifestation of God through the bush: he wanted God Himself, up close and personal. God placed him in the “Cleft of the Rock” and passed by him. This same cry of the heart was placed in the “Shulamite” in Song of Solomon 2:14

Song 2:14
“O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.”

She wanted to see “His countenance”, His glory, and His voice that was found in the “Cleft of the Rock.” It is never comfortable for us on the “cleft of the rock”, but out of our “overcoming” comes His presence. When was the last time you took a nap on a pile of rocks or lay on the edge of a cliff? Not too fun, is it? It takes faith to know that on “the cleft” you shall rest in Him.

Psalm 37:7A
“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him”

Let’s open another door in the Hardship Hall of Fame. Before us stands a great man, full in stature and yet meek, broken, and not at all arrogant. This great man is the greatest king Israel ever had.

“Unlike anyone else in spear throwing history, David did not know what to do when a spear was thrown at him. He did not throw Saul’s spears back at him. Nor did he make any spears of his own and throw them. Something was different about David. All he did was dodge.”- Gene Edwards

David grew up practicing faithfulness in the little things. He had seven older brothers who worked with their father on the farm, so he was sent into the mountains to raise the family’s small flock of sheep. David lived a lonely life, spending most of his time playing music and practicing his swing with his sling. He was a brave boy who faced hardship without flinching because of his trust in God. He didn’t hesitate to protect his flock from the bears and lions that came after it. David was faithful to his job to the point of death if necessary. He loved his Lord with a pure heart and would often sing songs to Him in those quiet hours of the night.

It comes as no surprise to me that he was anointed by Samuel to be king of Israel. However, God first had to prepare David for that job. For ten years, David attended the School of the Spirit. He had to be broken and begin a walk through the conforming fire. David met up with many painful hardships, but he was never alone.

The Lord saw David through many near impossible situations. At a tender age, David encountered the giant Goliath, who was a threat to God’s sheep, the children of Israel, in the same way that bears and lions were a threat to the flock that David had taken care of. Filled with the faith that moves mountains, David did not hesitate to attempt the impossible and slew a warrior giant from an opposing nation in one-one-on combat. God gave David the victory that day and both armies witnessed him beheading that giant.

David’s popularity among the people continued to grow, which made King Saul angry and jealous, since he saw this as a threat to his precious kingdom. Saul tried to appease the anger within himself by throwing spears at David and also had a decree sent out against David’s life. David knew that Saul was God’s anointed, and out of respect for that anointing, he did nothing to harm Saul. He had plenty of chances to kill Saul, but did not take them and bore the pain of these cruel circumstances silently. Sleeping in cold, wet, dark, caves, David knew no other security than God. David was on the “Cleft of the Rock”. This was only the beginning of the hardships which would change his life forever.

David was scarcely recognizable when the conforming fire was done with him. Yes, it appeared that he was virtually destroyed by this conforming process, but God needed to prepare him for the throne of Israel and David had been willing.

At the end of it all, David was a changed man. He was fit for the Master’s use. Maturity had been developed in his life. You can be fit for God’s use as well. David trusted in his God to bring him through every trial that life had presented him God is no respecter of persons. You can let God develop you through the hardships you face. Through it all, David grew to love God more; will you?

Our beloved God is ready to seize you with His presence as you “wait patiently for Him.” You have the power to unlock the door of His presence through meekness. When was the last time you became so desperate for God that you cried out with all your heart “Show me thy glory?”

Behold! He stands at the door and knocks; He bids us to come in…

Dear reader, many people have gone through this process of brokenness and been changed by God; all the resistance is taken out of them. John the Baptist went through his school in the desert, Paul learned in Arabia. If we yield, we too will learn through our circumstances. God’s wish to break our will is so that we may inwardly change for the better. As we give Him the glory, He will start using us in new ways. Classes for this school of brokenness are always open for enrollment. Will you allow yourself, in spite of the pain, to enter this school and become forever changed?

The Price of Truth

2009-06-27T06:36:00.000-07:00

By Wade E Taylor

“For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14

If the Lord had made spirituality attractive and easy to attain, multitudes would have followed Him, but never attain to a personal knowledge of Jesus Himself. The road to intimacy with Jesus will lead us through the cross, our being made “conformable to His death.”

“That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death.” Philippians 3:10

There have been times of “visitation” in which the manifest presence of the Lord has substantially increased. During one of these times, the word spread and many came to receive a blessing. But soon after the visitation lifted, the visitors were gone and there was a return to the normal attendance. There had been a time of intense preparation within those who were committed, but the visitors only came for the “desert” and received accordingly.

There is a vast difference between a prophet and a politician. The term “grass roots” refers to going out among large groups of people and discovering what they desire. The politician then offers what the majority wants, and as a result, becomes popular and is elected. In other words, the politician seeks out which way the majority is going. Then he stands in front of them and says, “Follow me.”

But the prophet stands alone and says, “You are going the wrong way, turn around.” The politician is ever popular because he relates to the majority. The prophet is never popular because his word is costly and requires change. People often are deceived because they choose that which is presently comfortable, rather than being willing to pay the price of “Truth.”

“Whereas he who was ignorant and did what deserves a beating, will receive few lashes. He who has much given to him will have much required from him, and he who has much trusted to him will have all the more demanded of him.” Luke 12:48 Moffitt

“For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12:6

The truth is costly and often, the result is not seen. But to choose less, in the long run, is much more costly.
“His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you into the joy of your Lord.” Matthew 25:23

This “faithfulness” relates to “patience.” Notice that the word says “well done,” not “much done.” It is not “what we do” that will be rewarded, rather it is the heart intent behind what we do, which will produce a change within us. It is this change, our being conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus, that will be rewarded.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

Those who continually look for “something for nothing” are open to deception. Many of these will compromise, rather than submit to the Lord’s way. He works very slowly, but very thoroughly, as He is more interested in what we are becoming, than in what we do.

Our “self” will always seek comfort and ease of life. The enemy of our spiritual lives also sought for his personal gain.
“For you have said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north; I will go up above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:13-14

Satan sought his own will and comfort – “I will.” Jesus always said, “Thy will be done.” He never acted on His own, or sought His own gain and comfort.

After Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened and the Father spoke, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” The Holy Spirit descended upon Him, and the approbation, or, the favor of God, rested upon Him.

But immediately, He was led into the wilderness where He was tested for forty days. At the end of this time, Jesus became intensely hungry and the enemy came to remind Him that He was very capable of doing something about this intense hunger. Jesus refused, saying that His Father had not told Him to do so.

Each of us “hungers” for all kinds of things. We can submit these “hungers” to the will of God, as Jesus did, when He said, – “It is written.” Or, we can act on our own, seeking self-satisfaction. In effect, Satan said, “If you are the Son of God, you do not need to be hungry, therefore, You should do something about it.”

Satan acted very concerned and may have shed some sympathy tears about the hunger that Jesus was experiencing. But in truth, he would have viciously turned on Jesus, just as soon as He attempted to satisfy His hunger, and then say to Him, “I hungered for prestige and popularity. I wanted to be seen and heard and I acted on it, (I will ascend) now, You cannot judge me as You are no different than I, as You acted on your hunger.”

If Jesus had failed this simple but profound test, it would have resulted in His becoming disqualified to become our Saviour. Rather, Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word ...” Later, the angels came and fed Him a much better meal.

Jesus said, “I do nothing of myself.” (John 8:28b). This tells us that Jesus walked on water because He had a word to do so. Thus, Jesus was not walking on water, but on the “substance” of the word that He had heard from His Father.

While in the boat, Peter said, “Lord, if this is You, bid me come.” Jesus responded with the word, “come.” Now Peter is also walking on “substance” as he has a word – “come.” He did well until he looked away from Jesus, to the water, and as a result, he began to sink. But Jesus reached out and took him by the hand and pulled him up. The Lord is always present in every test.

Our being tested precedes the blessing. Thus, Acts 1:8 becomes a powerful present word.
“But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem , and in all Judaea, and in Samaria , and to the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

The word “after” confirms to us that we must first be tested, before the blessing and power are ours.

“And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan . And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9-13

“And Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit returned from Jordan , and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil.” Luke 4:1-2

“And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee : and there went out a fame of Him through all the region round about.” Luke 4:13-14

The “power and fame” came, only “after” Jesus had been tested, not when He was filled.

There is no easy formula to our becoming that which our Lord desires us to be - an overcomer who is seated with Him in His throne. There is a price. It will come only “after” we have been tested, or after we have spent time, waiting in His presence.

The Soaking Place Webcast
"For those that hunger for the Manifest Presence"
http://www.soakingplace.tv

God reveals His glory through the voice of the Lord

2009-06-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

Voice of many Waters…is the voice of Jesus

Psalm 42:7
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

Psalm 77:16-19
The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.

Psalm 93:3-4
The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea— the LORD on high is mighty.

Ezekiel 3:12-13
Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound—May the glory of the LORD be praised in his dwelling place!- the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound.

Jeremiah 51:15-16
"He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Ezekiel 43:2
And I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters and the land was radiant with his glory.

Revelation 1:15
His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.

How is this voice heard on earth... through us

Revelation 17:15
Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.

Revelation 19:6-7
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!

Revelation 14:2-3
And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders…

Hebrews 2:12
He says (Jesus), "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praises. (He is singing through us)

Psalm 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

We are the voice he is singing through; we are the voice of many waters.

In the psalms it speaks on praise and singing. And those words in the Hebrew each mean different things. The word used most often is Hallel meaning: “to sing spontaneously to the Lord”.

I believe as we sing spontaneously to the Lord as a congregation you can hear the Lord speaking through it. I also believe that God speaks a song through one voice and it’s his voice singing through, the sound of many waters.

God reveals his glory through the voice of the Lord

Psalm 102:16-22
For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD: "The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death." So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the LORD.

Amos 9:11-12
In that day I will restore David's fallen tent I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name, " declares the LORD, who will do these things.

***Tabernacle of David was a place of worship
1 Chronicles 25:1
“Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals. And the number of the skilled men performing their service was…”

Jeremiah 33:14-22
"The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
"In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.'

For this is what the LORD says: 'David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.' "

The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: "This is what the LORD says: 'If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore."

Isaiah 30:29-32
And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people go up with flutes to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. The LORD will cause men to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail. The voice of the LORD will shatter Assyria; with his scepter he will strike them down. Every stroke the LORD lays on them with his punishing rod will be to the music of tambourines and harps, as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm.

The Glory of the Lord being revealed in the earth has to do with the song of the Lord released to beat the enemy. The enemy will do anything to rob your song… because the scripture say that GOD inhabits the praises of his people (psalm 22:3) In other words, God “dwells” in the atmosphere of His people’s praise. This means that praise is not merely a reaction from coming into His presence - worship is a vehicle of faith which brings us into the presence and power of God! Worship is the “gate-pass” which allows us to enter the sacredness of His glory. The psalmist writes, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalms 100:4).

This corresponds with Jesus’ teaching, that His presence will inhabit the gathering of believers who congregate in His name: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). A “gathering in His name” means that Jesus must be the focus, the center of the gathering. Consequently, Jesus’s presence, along with His virtue and anointing, is manifested in this type of gathering. His glory comes.

We are the priesthood and the generation that needs to be of one intent like David in the Psalms (one thing have I desired this is what I seek…). The heart of a worshipper. If heavenly worship is truly released, we will be ruined forever for his presence and glory. And I believe many will see this and be saved.

Ps: 66:8 “O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard…”

It doesn’t matter if you sing or not… become a worshipper and part of the voice of MANY worshipping Him with their whole being.

One of my favorite teachers on the subject of worship is Stan Smith. Read a more consise teaching on prophetic song by clicking here: What is Prophetic song?

Praying protection over our country

2009-06-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

I am praying protection over our country. I know the enemy would like to bring another 911 to our country, but I believe we can pray and see this plan thwarted. I felt a burden to pray over our cities and public places. I feel if we will fast and pray we will not see this terrible event happen. I am not making any predictions of future events I only feel led to pray.

Special Message: Steve Porter- God's Visits in the Night

2009-06-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

Special Message given by Steve Porter of the Soaking Place at the Freedom Prayer Room Sunday, on June 14, 2009, at 7pm

Click Here for the message

Watch Live June 14, 2009 and 7PM

2009-06-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

Join us at the Freedom Prayer Room Sunday, June 14, 2009, at 7pm, when Steve Porter of the Soaking Place will be our guest speaker!**This event will be live on Ustream.tv

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/freedomprayerroom

Follow us on Ustream and Twitter!

2009-06-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

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Coming soon. Watch us live on Ustream
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-soaking-place

“The New Reformers”

2009-05-31T19:44:00.001-07:00

“The New Reformers”

Steve Porter

And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. Luke 7:23

[b]to be envied) is he who takes no offense in Me and who is not hurt or resentful or annoyed or repelled or made to stumble [[c]whatever may occur]. AMP

There will be a blessing on everyone who doesn't reject the Lord because of what He does. We need to be careful that various mixtures of traditions, forms, legalism, rituals, and heathen philosophies don’t replace the genuine move of the Spirit in our churches.

If we do we will suffer the loss of the initial, anointed, mighty, miraculous, prophetic Gospel in a degree due to philosophy being mixed-in with the pure truth of God, thus diluting the Gospel. These mixtures can pollute the pure stream of water that flows. We need to remember, however, that the original flow of supernatural power and spiritual life can gradually wane, till the church is only left with a form of dead religion

.

This process can begin as we become “offended” by the move of the S pirit and deny H im entrance. The Holy Spirit is a “Gentleman” and will not push Himself on us. We can become annoyed or even repelled by His leadership and direction. Being led of the Spirit is not always easy.

The 1000 years of darkness known as the “Dark Ages” were a result of the mixture of religion and true faith tolerated in the church. The spirit was silent because H is church became “offended in Him.”

Since the Reformation, part of the original power and glory has been recovered. We are now in the season and time of the restoration of all the good that was lost.

“ …whom heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:21

The church once again stands on the doorsteps of reformation. We are living in the last days. His kingdom is being set up and the true bride is being prepared to rule and reign with Him. Time is urgent. We need Reformers once again to set His church back on track , to refuse “mixture” in the church and to pray for the fire once again to be kindled and for the smoke of His presence to fill His temple.

Often the church wants to do what is popular and accepted in order to be more sensitive to a broader audience. But are we losing our sensitivity to the Spirit in the process? When it comes to popularity , the church has always missed it.

AW Tozer says it best:

“Popular Judaism slew the prophets and crucified Christ. Popular Christianity killed the Reformers, jailed the Quakers and drove John Wesley into the streets. When it comes to religion, the crowds are always wrong. At any time there are a few who see, and the rest are blinded. To stand by the truth of God against the current religious vogue is always unpopular and may be downright dangerous...”

The Church in New Testament times moved with the mightiest power ever known in this earth. Nothing could stand before it. In the last days His church will see that might y power expressed as she avoid s mixture , refusing to offend the one they love most.

The crowds may not always applaud you on earth, but the larger crowds of heaven will cheer you on.

Here comes my Beloved by Steve Porter

2009-05-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

Here comes my Beloved I see Him in the distance
His train fills the temple with glorious brilliance

I see Him standing there
Waiting for my love
Holding out His hand
Calling me His dove

His face is like no other
No words could ever express
When I heard Him speak to me
I could never second guess

He had the nurture of a Mother, the wisdom of a father
Words that caused change not babblings that would falter

You’re busy, doing all the time, Said He
Can you really hear me, can you really see
Your ears and eyes are closed, no longer do you hear
My heart you proclaimed that you held so dear

I miss my time with you
When were all alone
Just me and you together
When you lay before my throne

Come up dear one to new level in me
I’m calling you to a greater decree of intimacy

Give me of thyself, O gentle child
Come unto me let us reconcile

After I heard Him speak I think I must have cried;
He put His arms around me and pulled me to His side

Be my constant companion, lover and a friend
Embrace me each day my lord I will not offend

To be a Mary not a Martha is what I long to be
Thank you for taking the time to help me plainly see

Waiting for the Lord by Wade Taylor

2009-05-12T05:16:00.000-07:00

By Wade Taylor
www.wadetaylor.org

“Deep calls to deep….” Psalm 42:7

“Deep calling to deep” is descriptive of a deep desire for fellowship that is within our Lord and by divine design, within each of us. The Lord had searched both the universe and all that He had created, but could not find the satisfaction He desired.

Therefore, He formed man with a capacity that could respond to and satisfy His deep desire for fellowship. Our Lord is a seeking God; therefore, He is calling to us - knocking on the door of entrance into our spirit, seeking a response to His desire for a personal relationship with us.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20

This is a conditional promise, as He will not knock on the heart door of those who are satisfied with simply knowing “about” Him. Rather, He ever seeks (deep calls) those who desire to personally and intimately know Him. Thus, Paul’s prayer, “That I may know Him....” (Philippians 3:10)

We can only know the Lord in this way (intimacy), by spending time with Him in His Presence.

“And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend….” Exodus 33:11

“And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like to Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” Deuteronomy 34:10

The Lord seeks those who desire to experience His manifest presence, and receive understanding concerning His ways (I will sup with him and he with Me).

“If any man hear My voice.” The “if” tells us that the ability to hear the voice of the Lord must be cultivated. We cannot develop our ability to hear from the Lord (our spiritual ear), unless we first learn to “wait for the Lord,” and then in response to His knocking, “wait with Him,” spending quality time in His presence.

As the Lord comes to “sup with us,” and “we with Him,” we will increasingly be able to recognize His voice.

“Blessed is the man that hears Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors. For whoso finds Me finds life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord.” Proverbs 8:34-35

The Lord is standing at the door. We are to “watch daily,” waiting at the posts of the door (the point at which we move from the earthly realm into the heavenly) in worshipful anticipation and expectancy, believing that the “door” will open (a portal into the heavens), and that the Lord will come and reveal Himself to us (His manifest presence). This is “waiting for” the Lord.

Jesus standing at the door of our spirit - knocking, is our reward for desiring to personally know Him. Therefore, blessed is the “one” (you and I) who has been watching and listening “daily” at His gates and then responding to the voice of His knock.

“And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.” Isaiah 6:4

“Waiting for the Lord” has to do with expectancy. This is not the time in which we are to make our requests known, or to “passively” wait. Rather, it is a time in which we “actively” wait (worshipful anticipation) to be filled with His presence, and to fellowship with Him.

Our “waiting for the Lord” should be a time of worshipful quietness before the Lord, in which we become increasingly receptive and sensitive to His presence, as we “wait” to commune with Him. While our outer man is still, our inner man will come alive and be lifted into the realm of the Spirit.

Once we begin to hear, Jesus will lead us to “sup with Him,” and in turn, “He with us.” As we continue to fellowship with Him, He may impart within us a revelation, or the understanding of that which He desires to accomplish through us. Now, we are waiting on the Lord.

“It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body….” I Corinthians 15:44

As we continue to wait, there will be a progressive dying of our flesh to all the voices of our “natural mind,” and a subsequent birthing of the “mind of Christ” - His thought and purpose becoming a reality within us.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14

We should cultivate this practice of “waiting” for the Lord, that we might “wait upon Him” in our daily life experience, until we are no longer governed or controlled by the demands of the natural realm. As we continue to do this, we will gradually become more sensitive to His presence, and our spiritual ear will become more and more tuned to the voice of the Lord.

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world to our glory…. But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.” I Corinthians 2:7, 10 (emphasis added)

The important thing is the “quality” of the time that we “wait” in His presence. Five minutes of quality time is worth more than an hour of struggle. “Quality” time is when we are “relaxed” and not aware of the clock, nor feeling that we have to spend time waiting, so we will be rewarded for the time we spent waiting. Rather, it involves the pleasures of “relationship.”

“The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him….” Psalm 25:14

Or, “with those who come to Him in an attitude of worship and anticipation.”

“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither has the eye seen, O God, beside You, what He has prepared for him that waits for Him.” Isaiah 64:4

When we make a total commitment of our lives to the Lord and begin to seek the higher realms of God (“being” rather than “doing”), asking Him to move within us in anyway that He may desire, there will be an intense opposition from the enemy to our “waiting.”

A warfare, or attack of the enemy, will come against us to divert us, whenever we begin to seek the Lord in earnest. All kinds of thoughts, or things to do will suddenly come into our minds. We must rise up in “violence” and both renounce and resist this attack.

The enemy knows the power that can flow through the life of the “one” who has been alone with the Lord and the effect it can have on those who “witness” the resultant “glow” upon their face. Therefore, he ever seeks to keep us from entering this place of intimacy with our Lord.

“Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you…. And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” Isaiah 60:1, 3

The “result” of the “manifest presence,” which we experience in our times of intimate communion with the Lord, will be seen by others. This will stir them to also seek a personal knowledge of Jesus.

“His mouth is most sweet: yea, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. Whither is your Beloved gone, O you fairest among women? whither is your Beloved turned aside? that we may seek Him with you.” Song of Solomon 5:16-6:1

We must be willing to set apart time to wait upon the Lord in His presence, whenever He calls to us (knocks upon the door of our spirit) for this purpose. Then we must “overcome” every hindrance that seeks to keep us from spending quality time with Him.

We begin by waiting “for” the Lord in anticipation, and then, when He comes, we begin to wait “on” Him - in His manifested presence.

“I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me. That I may cause those that love Me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.” Proverbs 8:17, 21

The only way to enter this relationship of His abiding presence is to begin waiting “for” the Lord daily, with a determination to not stop, until we have met with Him, and supped with Him.

Our times of “waiting” should be a time of simply lingering in His presence, with no other agenda than to be with Him. Our spirit should be focused on “intimacy,” rather than on goals - on “being” rather than “doing.”

Our setting apart a place, and then spending time to “wait for the Lord” will cause a spiritual renewing process to take place within us. It will connect us with God through faith (our waiting for the Lord), and then lead us into a conscious revelation of Him (waiting on the Lord). We will gradually come to recognize the value of these experiences of being in His presence, which will become our delight.

Once we have “tasted” the fruit of time spent waiting in the presence of the Lord, we will be satisfied with nothing less.

The necessity and value of spending “time” to wait in His presence is either unknown, or not valued by many Christians.

Those who have learned the secret of entering into His presence have found the “pearl of great price,” which they will value above all else.

The Soaking Place is now on XPMEDIA!

2009-04-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Soaking Place is now on XPMEDIA!
click here

What is XPMEDIA?

Since their launch on April 12, They are already averaging over 300,000 impressions per day!

It’s incredible what the Lord is doing!

Plus, xpmedia.com will be promoted heavily during Patricia King’s weekly TV shows on God TV and the Miracle Channel; reaching over 150 countries and generating 20 million hits per month!

CLICK HERE

The Adorning Bride

2009-04-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Adorning Bride
Steve Porter

One morning, as I was waiting on the Lord, I received a vision and saw the throne room. In the center of the room was a woman who knew that the wedding was about to begin. She was anxious and looked side-to-side, as she repeated, “What am I going to wear?” Each time she said this, her face looked more desperate. On her back was written the word “Grace.”

Just as her anxiousness mounted, a beautiful Bride walked through the door. The “beauty of the Lord” was upon her, as her face was bright with the light of the glory of God. Her train was very long and glistened with brilliant rays of light. Her countenance was difficult to gaze at, as the atmosphere of heaven surrounded her. On her back was written the words, “The righteous acts of the saints.”

I continued to pray for sometime as the Lord brought these Scriptures of Revelation 19:7-9 to heart.

“Let us be glad and rejoice and honor Him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and His Bride has prepared herself. She is permitted to wear the finest white linen (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by those who are overcomers). And the angel said, Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. And he added, These are the true words that come from God.” NLT (comments added)

We are living in the last days when the Lord is calling a people to a progressive walk through an “open door” invitation. The heavenly Bridegroom is bidding His Bride to “Come up here” (Revelation 4:1) for deeper, more intimate fellowship. The throne room is being opened to those who hunger for more of Him. Those that find themselves “in the spirit” are being changed into His same image.

The very glory of God is being poured out on those who heed this call to “come.” In this “throne room experience,” the Bride is being changed from “glory to glory.” The Bridegroom desires that the atmosphere of heaven will be poured out in our secret places of communion with Him.

As the Church Age transitions into the Kingdom Age, the body of Christ will be defined by those that are content with their salvation “grace,” in contrast to those that are prepared through their “righteous acts.”

The “Laodicean spirit” runs freely through the Church today and has slowly wooed many asleep. Thus they are not prepared. Our God has called us to “watch at His gate,” and to “discern the times.” This spirit masks itself cleverly and convinces many that they are “rich and increased in goods, and not in need of anything,” when instead they are “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:15-19).

Some churches today have replaced the “Anointed Word of the Lord” with motivational speeches. They have replaced Godly elders with management teams. They have exchanged God appointed pastors, with hired Sunday pulpit presenters. They have become more crowd-sensitive then “spirit-sensitive,” relying on man’s wisdom rather then divine wisdom revealed.

Being Spirit-led has given way to a strict religious structure that “denies the power” and is left with only a form of religion. They sing songs about the Lord, rather than they themselves becoming a “new song.”

They have substituted divine revelation for “tickling of the ears” information - an outward concentrated focused effort on intellectualism rather then purity of heart and mind. A “doing” rather than “being.”

As Laodicea attempts to “blind” the eyes of the Body of Christ, Father is busy preparing a Bride for His Son. The Bride is “buying Gold tried by fire,” His divine nature. As we allow the “fire” to burn away the “dross” we are conformed into the image of His Son. His nature changes our nature and others will say, “Who is this that comes out of the wilderness, leaning on her lover?” (Song of Solomon 8:5)

The conforming fire never “feels” good, but is absolutely necessary if we are to be mature brides of Christ. In the fire, His divine nature is wrought within us, as we are transformed from “glory to glory.” We will embrace His kingdom and fulfill heavenly mandates. With our “invitation” in hand, we will have our “garment” prepared (clothed with His glory), and not be shamed by our nakedness on the day of the marriage supper of the Lamb (Matthew 22:11-14).

We will not be frantically searching for something to wear, but rather, through our “faithful acts” of “supping with Him,” and by our answering His “knocks” on the door of our spirit, we will be “ready” as His adorned Bride.

“And they sung a new song, saying, You … have made us to our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10

Happy Resurrection Day!

2009-04-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about today being Resurrection Sunday! He is not in the grave He is RISEN!

We attended two churches this Resurrection Season. Both had excellent messages!

Two powerful anointed sermons, the worship was Spirit-filled, and a drama on the old Carmen song "Champion," was outstanding! There is a lot of Holy Spirit in these churches and it was a real honor to be there this morning. As I was leaving church I thought it was good to be in a Holy Ghost super bowl resurrection day celebration!

We had a wonderful lunch today. Here is a video of it!

We then are going to take a long drive in the country and enjoyed this special day as a family!

Please watch this video!

That's My King from Igniter Media on Vimeo.

Resurrection Message 2009

2009-04-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

We are calling the message "Passion" and we hope you will enjoy it and are blessed. We give a salvation altar call and invite you to share the link with others that may be lost. We worked extra hard on this video, it took two solid days to edit and one day to film. We are praying God will take this video around the world and that souls will be snatched out of Hell. For the last two weeks, I have sensed the spirit of an Evangelist on me. I usually teach on intimacy, but these last two weeks it has all been about souls. Please pray that hearts would be won for the gospel. If you have any praise reports feel free to post them here as a comment. Viewer discretion is advised on this episode "Passion." We use several graphic clips depicting the cross. This video may not be best for kids. We will have it up Saturday afternoon.

We also edited a special music video just for you for the Resurrection season:

Resurrection Message

Passion "Special Easter Message" from The Soaking Place on Vimeo.

The Enemies Secret Plan

2009-04-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Resurrection Day Everyone! I came across this story and thought you might like it. It’s a little long, but it’s a good one. Try to relax and enjoy the weekend and may God bless you all!

Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, “We can’t keep the Christians from going to church. We can’t keep them from reading the Bible and knowing the truth. We can’t even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to their churches; let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time so they cannot gain that relationship with Jesus. This is what you to do angels….Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day.”

“How shall we do this?” shouted the angels.
“Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered. “Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon their home will offer no escape from the pressures of work!”

“Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play their music whenever they drive and keep the TV, movies and computers going constantly in their homes and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays music contrary to the Gospel message. This will jam their minds and help break that union with Christ.”

“Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk-mail, catalogs, sweepstakes and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services, and false hopes.”

“Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so the husbands will believe that external beauty is what’s really important, and they’ll become dissatisfied with their wives, and the wives will obsess endlessly to try to get the bodies of those models. Ha! That will break-up those families quickly!”

“Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week. Don’t let them go out in nature to reflect on God’s wonders. Send them instead to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts, casinos and movies. Keep them busy, busy, busy!”

“And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small-talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotions.”

“Go ahead, let them be involved in soul-winning; but crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power and healing from Jesus. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause. It will work! It will work!”

It was quite a convention. The evil angels went eagerly to their assignments, causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there. I guess the question is….Has Satan been successful at his scheme?

Praying for nice weather!

2009-04-08T06:19:00.000-07:00

I am praying for a good day filled with sunshine to film our Resurrection Message. I would rather not film inside. It has been a bit cold and snowy in the midwest this week. Maybe God is calling me to Hawaii to reach all those souls suffering there? What do you think? Pray!

Update:
I had a beautiful day to film! God answered our prayers! I did not know where to film today so I prayed and said "Lord lead me to a place I don't suspect." I felt the whisper Of God say: "Take the Soaking Place to the Market Place!" So I filmed on the street corner and prayed God would use me as a testimony to others who were watching. It went well. I was so weary from hard work today, so I told the Lord "When I am weak, you are strong!" He was faithful for this special Resurrection message simply titled, "Passion."

Hi everyone!

2009-04-07T16:39:00.001-07:00

I hope you will enjoy our website and blog. I will be adding new things on the blog, so please check back often. Feel free to follow this blog and subscribe.

Please also check out our other blogs under our profile! My book Crocodile Meat is available free to read and other resources.

Weekly Webcast Click Here !!!!

2009-01-18T06:02:00.000-08:00

I put videos I create on Vimeo. You can see my profile.

Steve's Personal Story

2008-10-22T00:19:00.000-07:00

Delivered from a fatal disease, rescued from a crocodile-infested river, and healed of emotional scars, Steve has come close to losing his life on several occasions. He faced mass rejection growing up but God had another plan.

Weekly Video Webcast for those that hunger for His Manifest Presence

2008-10-22T00:08:00.000-07:00

Do you hunger for the deeper things of God? Do you desire the manifest presence of God? Everything Saturday evening Steve Porter delivers a special video message just for you! Prayer, Time, Heart, Fasting and Passion goes into every message. Watch today!

www.soakingplace.tv