Word from Kim Clement

Kim Clement: "Allow Me to Show Up and Show Off at the Last Minute"
October 8, 2006--Lakeland, Florida:

God says, "This is the word of the Lord that comes to you: That which was about to die I raised up. And it is My joy to take something that looks impossible and make it possible."

"It is My joy to step in at the last minute, show up, show off, and take all the credit. This is a last minute thing," says the Lord. "Would you allow Me to show up, show off, and take all of the credit?" says the Lord.

"That which was about to go under, I resurrected. There is a spirit of resurrection in this place. There is a spirit of resurrection in Florida. Once again, you have turmoil, once again, you have hatred, once again, you have strife."

"Oh," God says, "allow Me to show up, show off, and take all the credit. It's never too late!"

"Salvation is coming to your homes. Salvation is coming to your house. Salvation is coming to the House of Representatives. Salvation is coming to the governing powers." God says, "It's My turn to take over. Righteousness shall rule this Nation." God said, "I will begin in Florida."

October 14, 2006--Dallas, Texas:

Watch Me Open Up the Heavens

The Spirit of God says, "To the people, even though you may not understand this, there is the sound of an abundance in the atmosphere. This nation has withstood and stood the test of time."

"My people have arisen in the summer months and have believed My promise. Because you have believed My Word, I have accounted it as righteousness for you," says the Spirit of God. "Therefore, even as I have reckoned it as righteousness for you, I'm going to turn your economy around," says the Spirit of God, "because this is a season of multiplication, and you have chosen to believe it."

God says, "Now watch Me open up the Heavens and send you a rain like you've never had before."

I Am Bringing About Unusual Manifestations

The Spirit of God says, "There is unusual weather that has come and pinpointed the Northeast of this nation. Do not concern yourself, for I am bringing about unusual manifestations into this nation. I'm bringing about unusual rebirths in this nation."

"I spoke of a visitation that would come into Massachusetts, that would come into the Northeast. I will literally shake. As I have shaken the Republican Party, so will I shake the Democratic Party as well." God says, "It shall be for a good purpose, for I am cleansing the House and making it White again."

God says, "Tell My people when you see this in the next few weeks, know that I have pinpointed certain regions for a breakthrough. I spoke of unbuckling the Bible belt and revealing and exposing the nakedness."

God says, "Be thrilled about this, because when I expose nakedness, I clothe with garments of righteousness. This is what will take place in Florida, in Massachusetts, in the Northeast, in Texas, and on the west coast, and I will go as far as Oregon."

"This nation shall experience a breakthrough and a revival as it has prayed for, for 100 years. It shall shake this nation," says the Lord.

God says, "There shall be something unusual happen in Austin, TX. Mark My Word, music shall come forth. I shall raise up a praise and worship from Texas that shall be highly unusual."

"The unusual happenings in the elements are just signs of a cleansing that is taking place. Unusual miracles that will begin to manifest in the homes and the lives of those who have faithfully trodden upon serpents, and have faithfully praised and shouted for the walls to come down. Your prayers and your faithfulness have not gone unnoticed," says the Lord.

"Now get ready, I placed it into your account for righteousness. Therefore, watch Me now, as I take you from being a blessing, to becoming a blessing," says the spirit of God.

"And there shall be an unusual shaking in this month, which will cause the people to say, 'At last, we will have the happiest New Year we have ever had,' and so shall it be," says the Lord.

October 7, 2006--Tampa, Florida: (This was given in song):

I Believe this is the Hour for Me to Multiply

God says, "Do you believe that this is the hour for every one of you to multiply? Do you believe that this is the hour for you to multiply?"

"This is a season of multiplication. Old generals are dying off and they are going to a higher place, but there is a mantle of great abundance. There is a mantle, it's called the double portion. To know, to know that this is the hour for you to multiply," says the Lord. "Your season of subtraction is over. Your season of subtraction is over. This is your season to multiply," says the Lord!

"I believe that this is the hour for Me to multiply."

God says, "You don't even understand, as you sing these words, you are releasing in the atmosphere an abundance that came from a little cloud the size of a man's hand."

God says, "It's time to run, it's time to accelerate. It's time to have more than you've ever had before, this is the hour, this is the season to multiply!"

"I believe that this is the hour for Me to multiply."

"Where one was taken away from you," God says, "I'm going to give you two back. Where two were taken away from you, I'm going to give you four back. Where five were taken from you, I'm going to give you ten back. This is the season of due vindication," says the Spirit of the Lord!

"I believe that this is the hour for Me to multiply."

God says, "Do not be afraid to antagonize. Do not be afraid to antagonize the very forces that have come in illegally, and stolen over and over and over."

"Florida, the whole world looks at you again. Yes, the word of the Lord came to the prophet months ago, 'Go and stand in Florida, for even this political upheaval shall bring a turn-around in the Nation,'" says the Lord.

"Do you understand that I spoke this through My prophet and said, "In the month of October, I will unclothe, and I will expose the nakedness, so that I may strengthen this Nation," says the Spirit of the Lord.

This is a Time for My People to Arise

"My church will not go down. My church will not stand in second place. This time you shall stand right in the front and make a declaration that there is a God that gave wisdom to Solomon. There is a God that gave wisdom to Joseph. There is a God that gave sight to Jeremiah. There is a God that gave knowledge to Isaiah. There is a God that gave braveness and boldness and great wisdom to Daniel." And God said, "Those are the spirits that are arising in this end-time in the United States of America," says the Spirit of God.

"This is not time to fear. This is not time to fear." God said, "This is the time for My people to arise. This is not the time to recapture the past. This is the time to capture the future and bring it into existence," says the Lord.

"I am not about to walk away. Your rowing and your fishing days are over." God said, "It shall not be like it was. Your nets shall not be the issue any longer. You shall not toil all night long and catch nothing. You shall not strike the rock anymore, you will speak to the rock."

"This is a day of divine authority. This is a day of divine influence, influence like you have never seen. Would you imagine for one moment that I can take you to a higher place so that your sight may be doubled?"

God said, "Lift up your hands in this State of Florida and understand this tonight: that I am giving you a double portion and this is not something small. Your season of multiplication has begun. Are you ready for Me to open up the Heavens? Are you ready for Me to open up the Heavens?"

I Will Consume Your Enemies

This place is filled with the fire of God. Lift your hands and worship Him. This place is filled with the fire of God. All over this building little flames above the peoples' heads, I see it: the consumption, to consume the lies of the enemy, to consume the betrayal. There is fire that has been let loose in this building, all over for a baptism of consumption.

God said, "I will consume your enemies. In one moment, there shall be a breakthrough. My fire rests upon you as families, My fire rests upon you as children, as adults." God says, "I have chosen this house once again to capture the words of the future and bring it into existence. Now it is time for you to enter the political circles as never before."

"Righteousness shall invade every political arena starting in Florida," says the Lord. "Have I chosen you again to be the pioneers? Have I chosen you again to be the pioneers? Yes I have. Yes I have."

"Now," says the Lord, "the abundance that you have heard and the abundance that you have seen shall become a reality. I will unlock the doors that have been closed and bring forth what you cried for, what you have prayed for," for God says, "your season of multiplication has begun!"

It's going throughout this building. This is the prophetic baptism. God is giving to you--taking away limitations, renting a veil, you have been bashing against the wall.

"What was difficult before, has become ridiculously easy. Where you couldn't enter before, or you struggled to enter, now a veil has been rent," says the Spirit of God.

A Great and Marvelous Discovery Shall Come to Pass

"This Nation has been tormented for too long, relying upon the Middle East." He said, "This energy is typical of the United States of America as a people that pioneer. It's something brand new that is going to take this Nation out of any debt, and place it in an economic revival that's going to cause the nations of this world to marvel and say, 'How is this possible?'" And God says, "Only then, will I answer the question--God did it!!"

The Spirit of God says, "While I'm standing before a people that have celebrated the prophetic, a people that have supported the prophetic, it shall come to pass that even in the soil of Florida, and even out of this State connected with three other States, a great and a marvelous discovery shall come to pass. And the Lord says, "People that live here and have listened to the prophet shall invest," and God said, "within months they shall be earning millions of dollars because of the incredible insight that was given to them."

God's Spirit says, "Keep your eye on the tree, keep your eye on the tree. Keep your eye on a rock." And God says, "Between a rock and a hard place something shall come forth and they shall say, 'But was this not something that Einstein spoke about?'" For God says, "Yes, but this was out of time, and I had to take him before this could be revealed, but now is the time for the discovery, and science shall suddenly understand the power of the spiritual force that is behind it."

For God says, "Even atheists shall enter into a new realm of understanding of who God is. I will take homes and families that have rejected God, and suddenly they shall come and rise to the occasion."

"America, listen to Me. The heads of those that came to torment you have toppled. They no longer have any authority or power. Through the summer months, I took Zarqawi. Through the summer months, I destroyed the power of an attack through Great Britain to this Nation." And God says, "At the end of the summer, I once again brought nothing to the power of the leaders that would come against this Nation."

God said, "Listen, there is going to be a change, and it shall be a change right at the top at the White House and the Capitol." God says, "The people shall say 'What are we about to do?'" And God says, "I told you, the economy shall get to its highest," and God says, "now you shall see when this happens, I will take the people that invested at the sound of the voice of the prophet," and God said, "I will enter them into an abundance that they never dreamed would take place." God said, "There is certainly a sound of an abundance, and if you can see what it is, I will give you an understanding tonight."

The New Source of Energy Shall Come From Nothing

"When the prophet Elijah went to the home of the woman at Zarephath," the Spirit of God said, "you will find that there were a few things that she had--ingredients that she had--she had sticks," says the Spirit of God. "She had stones," says the Spirit of God. "She had water, she had oil, she had flour, she had soil. These are the same ingredients that I shall use to bring this Nation from dust to the highest place that it has ever been financially," says the Lord.

Now take the mystery. For some of you are saying, "What are you telling us?" I'm telling you that the new source of energy shall come from nothing and they shall say, "We never dreamed it would happen."

And God said, "Rejoice America, for the beginning of a four-year revival and a year of restoration has begun, and it shall carry you to the highest place spiritually, for you shall see more churches filled than ever before."

God says, "Property, property, property shall be given to you as a result of this huge breakthrough," says the Lord of Hosts!

I have Accelerated their Faith Level to a Level of the Gift of Faith

There is an acceleration of faith that's taking place.

I heard something from Heaven, I heard God telling me to tell the people, "I have accelerated their faith level to a level of the Gift of Faith. You didn't earn it, but you've got it now, and you're going to use it to acquire something that would have taken years to believe for, and will take you a split second to release in the atmosphere and it shall be so," says the Lord.

And God says, "When Castro dies, I will place one there, and they will say, 'Oh he's just as bad.' I have a plan--I will fill him with My Spirit, and that Nation shall be turned around," says the Lord, "and you shall be part of that!"

There is such a faith here in this building, it's reaching the heart of God.

"A TV network is about to be raised up that shall suddenly come to the fore, and shall take the giants of religion down, and shall reach the youth of this Nation. It shall have no fancy name but God TV. For it shall be Mine, and I will reach the young people of this Nation, and I will raise up the 'Davids,' the 'Samuels,' the 'Marys,' the 'Elizabeths' to bring forth the Rock Christ Jesus in this day and age," says the Lord. "There shall be centers built throughout the Nation--God Youth, God Teen, God Child, God Children."

"Twins born rapidly through the Nation and through the world shall be a sign of the double portion and the multiplication. The statistics shall be known and factual, and they shall speak about the fact that there are more twins born in these few years, than have ever been born in the history of mankind. This shall be a sign that multiplication has begun," says the Lord. "There will be double rainbows. There will be double births." God says, "It is a time for My people to rejoice for certainly the season of multiplication has begun," says the Lord!

The Gift of Faith has been settled in your spirit. It is now arising to the occasion, now it's time for you to act. I hear the sound of abundance. I hear the sound of multiplication.

God says, "My face shall no longer be covered to the people called by My name. The youth shall not be satisfied until the veil has been removed to see Him face-to-face and surely they shall," says the Lord of Hosts.

"The season of multiplication is upon us. The little cloud has now filled the entire sky. You have entered into a realm of faith that has not been in existence upon the earth."

It means you are about to create, to bring something into existence that has never been in existence in time and space. It has been in existence in the eternal realms, but can only be brought into existence by the Word of the Lord and by a people that receive it.

By Kim Clement
Prophetic Image Expressions
www.kimclement.com

"SET MY DAUGHTERS FREE! --WE NEED GODLY WOMEN TO EXPRESS HIS UNLIMITED PURPOSES"

Robert Ricciardelli: "SET MY DAUGHTERS FREE! --WE NEED GODLY WOMEN TO EXPRESS HIS UNLIMITED PURPOSES"

Chains That BindThe Lord has been speaking to me of the continuing need to bring revelation and truth globally regarding women. I believe we are seeing, and will begin seeing, even more women released with Kingdom mandates and impact like never before in history.

Women have been shut up, looked upon as second class, or having no class, and put into bondage in many parts of the world. This has become the expected in regions of the world that have rejected Biblical truth, and unfortunately at the same time, it has been the norm in some places that value Biblical truth. I am directing this message to those who are called the Church, God's people.

It's very hard being a woman. It has been that way throughout all of history. In many places of the world today, the culture looks upon women no different from thousands of years ago. In many ways, women have become the slaves of men; men who, in general, have little interest in womens' personal needs, very little interest in their feelings, their emotions, and their sufferings.

Throughout human history, men have used women for sexual fulfillment, to tend to the children, and for a variety of domestic duties. All over the world, women have been dominated and humiliated. And until modern times, men actually held the power of life and death over women, and still do in some tribal regions.

Male and Female Made in His Image

This harsh treatment of women, which is pretty much the general pattern of human history, was not the original design of God. Sin brought it in. And it, therefore, corrupted the original relationship between man and woman. It is very evident to me through God's word that He created man in His image both male and female. "He" is in God's image and "she" is in God's image, and both of them were called to co-labor in ruling over the earth with Him.
Genesis 1:26-28:"Then God said, 'Let us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'"

It is sin that broke this divine partnership of co-laboring the Lord had established from the very beginning.

Genesis 3:16:"To the woman He said, 'I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.'"

But thank God for His son Jesus who came to break us free from the bondages of sin.

Our Minds Justify what Our Hearts have Chosen

Most of us in our life have been raised in families, doctrines, and cultures that have influenced our mindsets far from Biblical truth. Severe and hurtful consequences occur even when we slightly sway from the contextual truth of God's word. It is amazing what the doctrines of man have come up with through the centuries. We can pull out Scriptures to fit every mindset our heart has chosen. Our minds justify what our hearts have chosen and we misuse His word in self-gratifying justification.

If we believe that woman was born only to help men with man's agenda, we are in deception. Many men today still pull a Scripture out of context to enslave women to meet their needs. We cannot continue to create, maintain, or tolerate doctrines contrived by man to serve man. Sound doctrine from the Word of God is divine revelation and understanding from the context in which it was written, and the context to which it is to be applied.

Advancing Kingdom

I am not denying the unique differences of men and women. I am not endorsing secular feminism. I am not politicizing for more women in church leadership. And I am certainly not endorsing Christian women to ever revolt against male leadership. I also am not pretending to have all the answers, but I do know this:
"We need Godly women to be free in expressing His unlimited purposes for them in advancing His Kingdom."
Galatians 3:27-29:"And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you."
In our Father's Kingdom, there is neither male nor female in regards to His promises, His authority, and His ability to bring His Heavenly will upon this earth through ALL who belong to Him. I have not always seen it this way and I certainly have behaved chauvinisticly in my past. But I see with much more clarity now, and although I am not a theologian, freedom for women is the view from my porch.

Jezebel's Reprise

I believe the "Jezebel Spirit" has been played and overplayed regarding women. It seems to me these days, that many anointed women of God with a backbone have been labeled a Jezebel at one time or another. The truth is, we have seen this spirit manifest itself in both men and women, and often it is preceded by an Ahab spirit. If a strong-willed male or female is not walking in humility, there can be an opening for the Jezebel spirit.

We need to minimize our labeling of God's people and heighten our discernment levels. May the Lord have mercy on our judgment of those He chooses, and also on how He may choose to use them. Those who have wrongful motives or wrongful spirits need to step down, regardless if they are male or female. We all need to be obedient and walk humbly before our God

Get Out of His Way

My wife Joyce always says that we need to activate a universal ministry called, "Get Out Of His Way Ministries International." I am in agreement with her. We need to simply get out of the way in our opposition of what clearly is the work of His Spirit. We need to see beyond our mindsets that the Lord is mightily using women throughout the world in ways that contradict the traditions and doctrines of man. There is a divine order of things as He leads us. We must submit to His order and not the order of men.

I am not ashamed that I have learned from women. My Godly mother taught me well, not only in my youth, but I continued to see the works of the Lord throughout her life until her passing six years ago. I continue to learn from my wife Joyce, and many other daughters of the Living God. Men are being taught by woman in many jurisdictions, and we cannot deny this regardless of doctrine.

Women Want to be Heard

Most women are not seeking to rule the world. Women in general are not seeking to rule at all. Most women just want to be heard. They have a voice, and it is of tremendous Kingdom value. The Body of Christ will have greater impact in our nations, communities, and churches as we release their gifts throughout the world.

J. Lee Grady of Charisma, has become a precious friend. A friend of his, Natasha Shedrevaya, is a female apostle who has started more than 350 churches. Natasha spoke of a young woman in Russia who ran a drug rehab clinic and has led many to the Lord. This young Russian woman's denomination, which is led by men, did not know what to do with her as they do not ordain women.

The fruits of her labor of love for the Lord had reached far beyond many men in that organization. She felt led to ask to be ordained, although she was not motivated by any title. After much deliberation, they decided that since they had never ordained a woman, they would ordain her as a half-pastor. So this young Russian woman is a half-pastor, and she continues to rattle the gates of hell in advancing His Kingdom.

I have such an appreciation for the way the Lord is using all that hear His voice, both men and women. We are hearing incredible stories of transformation from many parts of the world. Almighty God is pouring His Spirit upon all flesh. Men, women, and children are being released as living examples of His Kingdom expressed through mankind. I am encouraged and give Him all the glory. For those who need a paradigm overhaul or further scriptural insight, I recommend the book Ten Lies the Church Tells Women, by my friend J. Lee Grady.

Dream of Soldiers Clothed for Battle

My wife, Joyce Ricciardelli, recently had a dream of God's Army, detailed below:

I saw a vast battalion of soldiers in suits of armor lined up and ready for battle. In the dream, I asked what I was looking at. I was told it was the Lord's army, clothed in the armor of the Lord (Ephesians 6:10-18). I was then asked if I could distinguish whether the warriors were male or female, what their nationality was, status of life, or age, etc.

Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Because the soldiers were all covered in suits of armor, I could not see a distinction. I was told this is the way the Lord sees His army--as warriors. The soldiers were all His obedient, alert, persistent, and available warriors living in a state of readiness, aligning themselves with what the Lord is doing, and allowing Him to live and move in the vessel of His choice.

"With the Lord there is no distinction...but Christ is all, and in all." Colossians 3:11

Robert Ricciardelli
Visionary Advancement Strategies
www.vision2advance.com
info@vision2advance.com

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to obedience and warmth. In love, you feel the most alive when things are straight-forward, and you're told that you're loved. You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring. You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please. Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

The Obstacle In Our Path

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then hehid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by andsimply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keepingthe roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out ofthe way.Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Uponapproaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried tomove the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing andstraining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his loadof vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulderhad been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the Kingindicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulderfrom the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

"MAKING THE DECISION TO LIVE BY FAITH--EITHER WE TRUST HIM OR WE DON'T"

Our Faith in Jesus
When it comes to our Christian faith, we have two options--we can choose to walk out our faith without faith, where everything makes sense and we have perfect control--or, we can open ourselves to the possibility that maybe God is bigger than we are. And maybe, just maybe, He plans to prove it on a daily basis, if we let Him.

For most Christians in the Western world, the reason our faith lacks signs and wonders is not that God wants us to be sick or that He uses sickness to prove a point; it is that we sincerely don't know Jesus.

We know portions of who He is. We've had enough of a glimpse to want Him in our lives. But we don't open ourselves to all the possibilities, because that's dangerous, and most of us are afraid of what that would look like. It would change everything. It would change our day-to-day existence; it would change who we are as individuals.

Is He Who He Says He Is?
In Matthew 8, Jesus and the disciples are out on the Sea of Galilee, and a huge storm rolls in. And Jesus, as the Word of God and Protector of Man, was sound asleep in the bottom of the boat. The disciples panicked--they thought they were going to die. "Don't You care?" they demanded (John Paul's personal translation). "We're going to drown here!" Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and the waves as if they were misbehaving children, and the sea became like glass, perfectly calm. Instead of realizing the truth, the disciples whispered, "Who is this? Who can this Man be?"

And that's where most of us are today. We are still undecided about who God really is. Is He able to keep us safe? Is He as good as He says He is? We think, if He really cares about us, then why do people still get sick? Why did He not keep my friend from losing her job? Why did He not heal my cousin of cancer? How could I have gotten into that accident yesterday if He's really all-powerful?

These seem like honest, logical questions to ask, but they are straight from our soul--our human logic is trying to figure Him out. We are still undecided about Him, and we want to leave a back door open so that we can escape if necessary.

Indecision will No Longer Be an Option
The days are coming when indecision will no longer be an option. Either we trust Him, or we don't. Either He is who He says He is, or He isn't. It's a risk. It could really, really hurt--not because He will fail us, but because it will completely wreck our borders and boundaries. It will force us into the battle as nothing else ever has. We will become the generals and leaders God has called us to be.

So we need to decide what we truly think about Him, but this decision cannot be something we just make in our heads. That is called the human will, and our human will by itself, is not strong enough to get us where we need to be. Our decision must come not just from our head, but also from our heart.

We have to "know that we know that we know that we know," that He is the best thing that has ever happened to us, that He is God in every sense of the word, that He is who we want to spend the rest of our lives with, and that we want Him badly.

When we know these things, we come into agreement with Heaven. Nothing will be impossible for us, and the enemy will not be able to derail us as we travel this road to our destiny.

A WORD TO A NEW BREED OF CHAMPIONS

"MY 'EIGHT' SECONDS OF GLORY ON A RODEO BULL--A WORD TO A NEW BREED OF CHAMPIONS!"

Recently I was praying about a certain area of ministry that I love and knowpeople are blessed by. I was concerned that God might be messing with my "favorite" area of ministry. I then had a vision of what God saw ahead--if I wasn't willing to let go of it all.

"EIGHT" SECONDS ON A RODEO BULL MAKES ONE A CHAMPION..."NINE" SECONDS MAKES YOU AT RISK!

In a vision, I was riding a rodeo bull. I knew in the Spirit that this bull represented my favorite area of ministry. To my surprise, I had ridden "eight" seconds on the bull. I was given great honor and recognition by the crowd in the grandstands. The crowd was cheering and applauding what I had accomplished, and how my ministry had touched their lives.

But then something terrible happened--I couldn't let go of the rope! My fingers somehow got stuck around the rope, and the bull that I had overcome began to throw me uncontrollably! I just could not let go (in rodeo terms this is called a "hang-up"). I must confess that I honestly wasn't sure if I wanted to let go because of the thrill of the ride and the applause of the many people watching me and standing on their feet giving me a standing ovation.

THE NUMBER "EIGHT" MEANS NEW BEGINNINGS...I NOW NEEDED TO LET GO TO EMBRACE GOD'S NEW BEGINNINGS

After "eight" seconds of victory on a bull, when you fail to let go and exit quickly out of the electrifying arena, the bull begins to become the champion. It begins to overcome the rider and retaliates with full blown death in his horns and hoofs that has been building up during those eight seconds! The standing and cheering ovation changes to gasping and dread for the very life of the rider.

Spiritually, the number "eight" means "new beginnings." Many times at the height of success, in certain areas of your ministry, a new beginning has already started for you to enter into in another area of your life, which will yield yet greater fruitfulness. "Nine" means "fruitfulness," so you better be off the bull by the end of eight seconds to catch up with your new beginning.

HOW TO EXIT THE ARENA THAT MADE YOU A CHAMPION

I have never seen one champion bull rider leave the arena without his face in the dirt, a limp, a wound, or a bruise of some sort. With all of the fame, every bone in his body is crying out with pain, and often there is help needed from others to help him get up and away from the bull that he had overcome.

When you see someone being used greatly in ministry, and you think they are a champion in the Spirit, you don't know the pain that comes with overcoming the enemy of their ministry. You will be able to tell the real champions from the false. They will walk with a limp, and if you look real close, they will have a tear running down their championship face. And perhaps to your surprise, they are not really confident after all, as their security has just been shaken at the very core of their being at the height of their success.Many times, champions have difficulty limping off the field, as they discover fresh revelation that God is calling them away from the bull or arena of ministry they had victory in.

I sense myself, as well as others, feel an accomplishment in some areas in ministry, and have seemingly experienced success as we have loved what we have been doing--especially when it seems to be blessing many others. But somehow I see many fingers besides mine, getting stuck around the rope of success, and God is announcing from the judges booth, high above the arena of champions to, "Let go now! I want you off the bull."

Perhaps the bull is your "Isaac" ministry that everyone has fallen in love with and your identity has become wrapped up in. I wonder if Abraham's fingers got stuck longer than eight seconds on the rope that he wrapped around his son Isaac when he was about to sacrifice him.

Let go of the rope of your success--to embrace your new beginnings, that may take you from being a championship bull rider, to a possible unknown, where the only person who may know you is God, so you will get to know Him all over again. Or who knows, maybe you will get to ride a bigger bull!

COME UNTO ME ALL YE "CHAMPIONS" THAT LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN

I sense the Lord calling those besides me, who have experienced some degree of success and even some degree of honor in ministry. Getting off of the bull can be risky and dangerous, but God is now reaching out His arms to catch us as we let go, and as we are seemingly thrown to the ground, He will bind our wounds, and pour in the oil and the wine to restore our souls.

Maybe I am alone in what I am experiencing in ministry. But in case there are perhaps thousands more out there, I want you to know you are not alone--God is with us! His new beginnings have already started for you and me.

It's in the letting go of the rope or ministry that we seal our spiritual championship! And that's "No Bull!"

Bill Yount
http://www.billyount.com/