Celebrating Pentecost and Memorial Day

We had some fine festivities over the weekend. We celebrated Pentecost on Sunday and Memorial Day on Monday.

For Pentecost (Shavuot), I had planned to bake two loaves of bread to represent the two men becoming One New Man in Christ. One loaf represented the Jewish believers in Yeshua and the other loaf represented Gentile believers in Jesus, and we each ate some bread from each loaf.

I got this idea from reading Sid Roth’s book The Incomplete Church. He explains the Messianic significance of the Feast of Shavuot. It was fulfilled in the Day of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2:4 when the Holy Spirit was given and tongues of fire appeared on the heads of the disciples in the Upper Room as they waited to receive the Promise of the Father. Jews celebrate Shavuot as the festival of the giving of the Law.

We can celebrate it as the giving and preservation of the Bible and the fulfillment of the Law and the writing of the Law on our hearts as the Holy Spirit comes in and fills us and gives us the power to overcome our tendency toward evil. God associates the giving of the Holy Spirit with the placing of His Law in our hearts.

Sid tells us to pray and ask the Holy Spirit how He wants us to celebrate the feasts each year. So we prayed, and I felt that we should bake the two loaves and talk about the significance of Jewish and Gentile believers coming together and pray for that to happen. I also felt like I should read from John G. Lake’s book about the way the Holy Spirit leads us by our spirit. Then I asked Shawn to put something together, and he came up with reading out portions of the Old Testament that priests had read out to the people of Israel. And then we had Anna lead us in worship. It turned out very well, and we enjoyed intimate fellowship with the Lord and with each other.

Then the next day, the little people got to have some fun. To celebrate Memorial Day, I decided that we would eat picnic food inside. We got some specially decorated patriotic brownies. I made an American flag-shaped cookie and Katie decorated it. We had hot dogs, potato salad, corn on the cob and baked beans.

This is how Katie decorated it at first, with a white star in the field of blueberries.

Then she sliced some strawberries and filled in the star with red. I thought it looked very patriotic and yummy. It tasted delicious. We make it by pressing out sugar cookie dough on a cookie sheet in the shape of a rectangle. Then we make a frosting for it by mixing 1 and 1/2 cups of powdered sugar with Philadelphia Cream Cheese. We spread that over the cookie after it cools. Then we lay the fruit on top. It is a variation on our fruit pizza and tastes just about as good.

Fiona led the little ones in making flags, so we had a nice little lesson about how many stars and stripes are on the flag and why.

Some of us dressed in red, white and blue. We do that pretty often, so I didn’t make a big deal about it.

We talked about the reason we celebrate Memorial Day, to honor those who fought and died for our country.

Over all of the festivities was the air of excitement that came from knowing that Gary would be coming home Wednesday. I felt a relief that things are changing for the good, and we will all be together in a place that is better for us than ever before.

In the end, all of this celebrating has left us with a lot to think about and a lot to be thankful for.

Finding Nature to Study

It’s not very easy to do nature study in a neighborhood where everybody keeps their lawn manicured and most houses only have one little tree in their front yard. But we manage to find some ways.

These first two guys came to our house and made it easy for us.

We have had two families of goldfinches fighting over our goldfinch feeder. It is fun to watch them chase each other around the feeder. The males come first and make sure the coast is clear before a female will show up. Then another beautiful, bright yellow bird lands on the top of the feeder, and we know that the other family has decided it’s their turn to eat. There are lots of holes in the feeder, so I don’t know why they can’t all eat at the same time, but I guess that’s just not the way they do things. The female usually flies away and then her husband flies away, too. I call them Mr. and Mrs. Goldfinch (both males are Mr. and both females are Mrs. Goldfinch).

This little praying mantis was impossible to see. When Katie first pointed it out to me, I thought it was a little spider or something. I never would have looked closely at it to see what it really was. But Katie has a gift for spotting things that others don’t see. She’s the one who found my birthday caterpillar 2 years ago hidden inside a flower. It was teeny, tiny, but she saw it. I guess that’s why she’s a good artist and a good writer. She’s very observant. We took pictures and had to magnify it many times to see the detail of his little hands folded in prayer. It looked like this from a distance.

I wouldn’t have even noticed it if Katie hadn’t said something about it. She constantly teaches me that it pays to be observant.

One fine Saturday morning last month we ventured out into the countryside where the York Home School Association was having a fundraiser for the homeschool library. They had garage sales that 16 families participated in, a petting zoo and other animals to look at from a safe distance. All the children went except for the three oldest.

They got to pet a sheep and some rabbits, and they each got to hold a rabbit on their lap. It was in a dark barn, and they didn’t let me in, so I didn’t get any pictures. But they got to feed the sheep in the outside pen, and I was able to get some cute pictures of that.

My kids even got to socialize with other children

Kelsey talked and talked with these two girls while the rest of us waited patiently for her to finish.

The little girls got to socialize with other girls in a play house that came apart in the middle. I think somebody might have been trying to sell it, but it made a nice diversion for the little girls there. I don’t think they made any new friends, but they played side by side with some other little kids. I’m sure it was a very rewarding experience for all, and I counted it as socialization in my grade book (not really – I don’t have a grade book!).

We even saw a monkey in a tree!

And a gazelle racing across the grasslands!

Life Can Resume Now – Gary’s Home!

Gary arrived home Wednesday after driving 13 hours from Charleston, South Carolina all the way here to York, Pennsylvania. We had an exciting reunion. Emma came in breathless, yelling “Mommy!” and then she was hardly able to speak, she was so excited. Finally, she caught her breath and said, “Daddy’s home!” I ran out, but the kids all beat me and pinned him in his car. I waited until they all hugged him, which took a while, and finally he came over to me, and we had our romantic reunion. Patrick told Morgan to go in and get his violin and play some romantic music!

Now we have a week to try to find a house in Texas, pack up all our stuff, figure out how we’re going to move all of our stuff, and tie up loose ends here.

We hope to all travel to Texas together, but I don’t know if we’ll really be able to accomplish that. If not, Gary will have to go first, and the rest of us will follow when we get all the details worked out. We may need to recruit my dad to drive a moving truck because we think it will take two moving trucks again. Moving companies are so expensive that we will probably just get Penske trucks and move ourselves.

But first, we have a violin recital to attend! Morgan will participate in his first recital this Monday night. We bought him a tux for it. He is very excited about it.

Gary made sure that the recruiter set his starting date for his next job for June 11, so that he could be home for Morgan’s recital.

Tonight, it’s The Avengers. I think we will all go. I’m not sure Emma and Abby will like it, but we’re going to give it a try.

To add to the fun and excitement, a man from Chick-Fil-A was outside the theater and Garrett and Fiona got to spin a wheel and win coupons for Chick-Fil-A. That’s what they’re holding up in the picture.

We decided not to take Emma and Abby after all. Katie stayed home with them.

*** Late Breaking News ***

Abby is now potty-trained!!! Number one and number two all by herself. She’s still wearing pull-ups, but she’s using them like panties. We will finish out the last bag and then the whole process should be complete. She likes her Little Mermaid undies, so I think we just about have this thing wrapped up.

He Can Move a Mountain, He is Mighty to Save

I’ve been listening to Kim Clement a lot lately at kimclement.com.

He has been extra anointed since he really embraced the significance of Israel and how much God is going to do in the actual land of Israel in the End Times. And how God still considers Israel the Apple of His Eye and will defend their right to the Land until the end of this age.

He is gathering together warriors from around the world to bless Israel and to work toward common goals of reaching out to needy people and wounded souls. He is praying for the needs of each person who sends in a prayer request on Facebook on Sunday mornings as he prays in his Garden that God instructed him to dedicate to prayer.

He is a gifted classical pianist and prophetic singer. He prophesies through music and words that the Lord gives him to speak.

He has been singing about “Speak to the mountain and the mountain will be removed”, and as I drove home and heard this song on the radio tonight, I was reminded that all we have to do is speak the Word of God, and our answers are on the way.

We all have mountains in our lives, and God wants to help us overcome them. Specifically, he is speaking to the mountain of debt. If you are having financial challenges right now, remember that nothing is impossible with God, or as Kim often says, “Impossible is nothing!”

Satan’s Domain: The Realm of Darkness

Francis Frangipane:
Satan’s Domain: The Realm of Darkness

Many Christians debate whether the devil is on the earth or in Hell; can he dwell in Christians or only in the world? The fact is, the devil is in darkness. Wherever there is spiritual darkness, there the devil will be.

Preparing for Spiritual Warfare

For most, the term spiritual warfare introduces a new but not necessarily welcomed dimension in their Christian experience. The thought of facing evil spirits in battle is an unsettling concept, especially since we came to Jesus as lost sheep, not warriors. Ultimately, some of us may never actually initiate spiritual warfare, but all of us must face the fact that the devil has initiated warfare against us. Therefore, it is essential to our basic well-being that we discern the areas of our nature that are unguarded and open to satanic assault.

Jude tells us, “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6).

When satan rebelled against God, he was placed under eternal judgment in what the Bible calls “pits” (2 Peter 2:4) or “bonds” of darkness. The devil and the fallen angels with him have been relegated to live in darkness. This darkness does not simply refer to areas void of visible light. The eternal darkness to which this Scripture refers is essentially a moral darkness, which ultimately degrades into literal darkness. However, its cause is not simply the absence of light; it is the absence of God, who is light.

It is vital to recognize that this darkness to which satan has been banished is not limited to areas outside of humanity. Unlike those who do not know Jesus, however, we have been delivered out of the domain or “authority” of darkness (see Colossians 1:13). We are not trapped in darkness if we have been born of light. But if we accommodate darkness through tolerance of sin, we leave ourselves vulnerable to satanic assault. For wherever there is willful disobedience to the Word of God, there is spiritual darkness and the potential for demonic activity.

Thus Jesus warned, “Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness” (Luke 11:35 KJV). There is a light in you. “The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord” (Proverbs 20:27). Your spirit, illuminated by the Spirit of Christ, becomes the “lamp of the Lord” through which He searches your heart. There is indeed a holy radiance surrounding a true Spirit-filled Christian. But when you harbor sin, the “light which is in thee” is “darkness.” Satan has a legal access, given to him by God, to dwell in the domain of darkness. Thus, we must grasp this point: The devil can traffic in any area of darkness, even the darkness that still exists in a Christian’s heart.

God’s Thresher

An example of satan having access to the carnal side of human nature is seen in Peter’s denial of Jesus. It is obvious that Peter failed. What we do not readily see, however, is what was occurring in the invisible world of the spirit.

Jesus predicted accurately that Peter would deny Him three times. Anyone looking at Peter’s actions that night might have simply concluded his denial was a manifestation of fear. Yet, Peter was not fearful by nature. This was the disciple who, a few hours earlier, drew a sword against the multitudes who had come to arrest Jesus. No, human fear did not cause Peter to deny the Lord. Peter’s denial was satanically induced.

Jesus had warned the apostle, “Simon, Simon, behold, satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32). Behind the scenes, satan had demanded and received permission to sift Peter like wheat. Satan had access to an area of darkness in Peter’s heart.

How did satan cause Peter’s fall? After eating the Passover, Jesus told His disciples that one of them was going to betray Him. Scripture continues, “They began to discuss among themselves which one of them…was going to do this thing” (Luke 22:23).

This was a very somber time. Yet, during this terrible moment, “there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was…greatest” (Luke 22:24). They went from an attitude of shock and dismay to an argument concerning who among them was the greatest! Evidently Peter, the water-walker, who was also the boldest and most outspoken of the apostles, prevailed. We can imagine that Peter’s high visibility among the disciples left him with an air of superiority, which was fanned by satan into an attitude of presumption and boasting. Peter, being lifted up by pride, was being set up for a fall.

Pride caused satan’s fall, and pride was the very same darkness manipulated by satan to cause Peter’s fall. Lucifer, from experience, knew well the judgment of God against religious pride and envy. He knew personally that pride goes “before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18 KJV). Satan did not have a right to indiscriminately assault and destroy Peter. He had to secure permission from Peter’s Lord before he could come against the young apostle. But the fact is, the devil demanded permission to sift Peter, and he received it.

Submit to God

The trip wire that satan used to cause Peter’s fall was the disciple’s own sin of pride. Let us recognize before we do warfare that the areas we hide in darkness are the very areas of our future defeat. Often the battles we face will not cease until we discover and repent for the darkness that is within us. If we will be effective in spiritual warfare, we must be discerning of our own hearts; we must walk humbly with our God. Our first course of action must be, “Submit…to God.” Then, as we “resist the devil…he will flee” (James 4:7).

Satan will never be given permission to destroy the saints. Rather, he is limited to sifting us “like wheat.” The good news is that God knows there is wheat inside each of us. The outcome of this type of satanic assault, which is allowed through the permissive will of God, is to cleanse the soul of pride and produce greater meekness and transparency in our lives. It may feel terrible, but God causes it to work for good. Our husk-like outer nature must die to facilitate the breaking forth of the wheat-like nature of the new creation man. Both the chaff and the husk were necessary; they provided protection for us from the harsh elements of this life. But before God can truly use us, in one way or another we will pass through a time of threshing.

Peter’s husk nature was presumptuous and proud. His initial successes had made him ambitious and self-oriented. God can never entrust His Kingdom to anyone who has not been broken of pride, for pride is the armor of darkness itself. So, when satan demanded permission to assault Peter, Jesus said in effect, You can sift him, but you cannot destroy him. The warfare against Peter was devastating but measured. It served the purpose of God.

Peter was ignorant of the areas of darkness within him, and his ignorance left him open to attack. But the Lord would ask each of us, “Do you know the areas where you are vulnerable to satanic assault?” Jesus would have us not be ignorant of our need. In fact, when He reveals the sin in our hearts, it is so He might destroy the works of the devil. Thus, we should realize that the greatest defense we can have against the devil is to maintain an honest heart before God.

When the Holy Spirit shows us an area that needs repentance, we must overcome the instinct to defend ourselves. We must silence the little lawyer who steps out from a dark closet in our minds, pleading, “My client is not so bad.” Your “defense attorney” will defend you until the day you die – and if you listen to him you will never see what is wrong in you nor face what needs to change. For you to succeed in warfare, your self-preservation instincts must be submitted to the Lord Jesus, for Christ alone is your true advocate.

We cannot engage in spiritual battle without embracing this knowledge. Indeed, James 4:6 says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” God is opposed to the proud. That is a very important verse. If God is opposed to the proud, and we are too proud to humble ourselves and admit when we are wrong, then God is opposed to us.

James continues in verse 7, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” When we see this verse, it is usually all by itself as a monument to spiritual warfare. However, it is in the context of repentance, humility, and possessing a clean heart that we find satan fleeing from us.

We must go beyond a vague submission to God; we must submit the exact area of our personal battle to Him. When we come against the power of the devil, it must be from a heart in submission to Jesus.

There is a recurring precept throughout this book. It is vital that you know, understand, and apply this principle for your future success in spiritual warfare. That principle is this: Victory begins with the name of Jesus on your lips, but it will not be consummated until the nature of Jesus is in your heart. This rule applies to every facet of spiritual warfare. Indeed, satan will be allowed to come against the area of your weakness until you realize God’s only answer is to become Christlike. As you begin to appropriate not just the name of Jesus but His nature as well, the adversary will withdraw. Satan will not continue to assault you if the circumstances he designed to destroy you are now working to perfect you.

The outcome of Peter’s experience was that after Pentecost, when God used him to heal a lame man, a more humble Peter spoke to the gathering crowd. He asked, “Why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?” (Acts 3:12). Peter’s victory over pride and the devil began with the name of Jesus on his lips, and it was consummated by the nature of Jesus in his heart. The darkness in Peter was displaced with light; the pride in Peter was replaced with Christ.

Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email: francis1@frangipane.org

Francis Frangipane is the founder of River of Life Ministries in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and has traveled throughout the world ministering to thousands of pastors and intercessors from many backgrounds. Francis’ heartfelt prayer is to see established in every city Christlike pastors and intercessors, united before God, revealing the love of Christ to their communities. Since 1985, he has written fourteen books plus a number of study booklets. Over the past decades, Francis has served on a number of other ministry boards. However, in recent years he has gradually resigned from these various boards. As of June 2009, he has also retired from his position as senior pastor of River of Life Ministries. In this more simplified life, Frangipane is devoting himself to prayer and the ministry of God’s Word.