ted4leaders

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Greetings,

The ministry of Elijah, as it is recorded in 1 Kings, is seen as one of “binding” and “loosing”. Israel was found in a condition of sin, being further “seduced” and “witch-crafted” into abominable practices before God by Jezebel, the “queen mother” of Israel, in that she was the wife of the king, Ahab. She should have been a righteous, covered woman, but she, like the meaning of her name (her name means – unmarried, chaste) was an “uncovered” woman. She functioned out from under authority, out from the area of her responsibility. Her manipulative activity served to bring pagan practices to the nation of Israel. She seduced the nation of Israel to seek a relationship with things that satisfy the desires of the flesh and self, rejecting a covenant connection and desire for God and His ways.

The nation of Israel was intended to be a godly nation. Ahab as the king of Israel should have been a godly king. Jezebel should have been a righteous, godly woman, as the wife of the king, but she was not. She was an “uncovered” woman. She didn’t walk under the authority of her husband. She usurped his authority and became the head of the house of Israel. Ahab just simply gave up his responsibilities and authority and followed along at the wishes of Jezebel.

Jezebel was the flesh embodiment of a “controlling, manipulating spirit” that embraces the fleshly needs of men or the self-seeking needs of women as the source of prophetic voice. As a result of her seductress activities all of Israel was led into deception and idol worship. God wanted to fix the situation, so He moved on Elijah by His Spirit to bind up the blessings of God upon the earth, in 1 Kings chapter 17, in an attempt to turn the hearts of the people of Israel back to God. God’s principle is that “whatsoever is bound on earth is also bound in heaven”. By the mouth of the prophet Elijah, and by his fleeing actions that followed, the earth was bound from receiving the blessings of heaven. There was to be no rain or dew found in the land of Israel, both symbolic of the spiritual life and blessings of God. For 3 ½ years Elijah went into hiding. He was bound by God, not by Jezebel. Jezebel did not bind Elijah! God ordained Elijah to be bound! God ordained the prophetic office and the prophetic ministry to be bound for 3 ½ years in order to deal with the sin of Israel. That sin was a connection to things that satisfy the flesh instead of an intimate connection to God and His life-giving authority.

After a period of 3 ½ years the word of the Lord came again through the prophet Elijah to loose the blessing of God through the open display of God’s power upon Mount Carmel, as it is described in 1 Kings chapter 18. The display of God was awesome on Mount Carmel and the prophets of Asherah and Baal were slain. In a time of drought, Elijah poured out water to loose the blessing of God upon the earth. The loosing of water (rain) came about through the acceptance of Elijah’s sacrifice of water by the one true God of heaven and earth; the God who answers by fire!! Now that there had been a “loosing” upon the earth there was an “inevitable loosing” which had to take place in heaven.

1 Kings 18:46 Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

The name Jezreel means, “God sows”. Elijah had just loosed on the earth. The Scripture teaches that “whatever is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven”. This was a time where Elijah should have been confident in the Lord. Elijah had sown on Mount Carmel; therefore, he should have known that God would sow the release in heaven. It was now time to receive the “loosing” of God from the heavens.

1 Kings 19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”

Jezebel was the flesh embodiment of a spirit of control and intimidation sent to destroy the loosing power of the prophet. She came against the prophet after a great ministry of “loosing”. Seasons of change and increase in the earth are resisted by the spiritual power of Jezebel. Authority brings life, but control and manipulation will restrain that life to some season of creation. Holding on to a season of creation will resist the unfolding season of the Creator. The spirit of Jezebel is a deceiving spirit. It is a seductive spirit. It is very deceiving and inviting to those who resist a path of faith. The spirit of Jezebel comes in the name of prophecy, but it is a prophecy for the will of mankind and creation and not the will of God. It is a voice invoking self-seeking wisdom for tomorrow.  It is a spirit that seeks to bind the earth to a season of the past. It is a season of natural sight, fear, and bitter roots. This is not a day to grasp unto the things of the past. It is not a time to hold unto our hurts. It’s not a time to hold unto the pain. It’s not a time to hoard our pleasures. The power of resurrection life is only seen through the power of “release”. Unless there is a death there cannot be a resurrection life! Unless there is a releasing of the things that we have, we cannot receive the increase of what God has! It is important that we remain in the ministry of “loosing” in every season of birthing in the earth. The river of God’s life is constantly flowing through the nations.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

As leaders we lead people to know God. We lead them to become spiritual dwelling places of God’s presence. That dwelling place is seen in their lives as individuals and as corporate expressions of the body of Christ in relationship with other believers in Christ. To do this, leaders must live their lives as men and women that live in and from the presence of God as an example to those they lead. That place of God’s presence is like a watered garden filled with God’s life. The guidance of God in our lives is not so much about information as it is intimacy with God in life. God’s presence in our lives empowers us to be sources of life to the world we live in the same way that a spring of water brings life to formerly dry and barren places in the earth.

Isaiah 58:11 The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

In the fall of man, aspects of futility were pronounced upon the earth that was initiated by words spoken by God over the serpent, the woman, and the man. Those words pronounced futility as a consequence of man’s exchange of intimacy with God’s presence for knowledge that deceptively promised the power of independence from God and one another. The words of futility pronounced upon the serpent, the woman, and the man were words that called for the manifestation of the sons of God who would one day liberate the earth from its futility.

Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

The first aspect of the fall of man was that wherever there is a dry place, there must be a serpent. That serpent is the flesh manifestation of the Devil as a deceiver, a conqueror, and a devourer of mankind. If the ground is dry, a serpent will be bound there.

Genesis 3:14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

The first curse of the fall was that of spiritual warfare for mankind in the earth. The enemy has been bound to the realm of natural dust. As a result, we are in a continual conflict of spiritual warfare with the Devil and spiritual powers of darkness. Spiritual warfare can be defined as a temptation of other life sources. Life is a journey. Without the reality of a relationship with God, we are bound to a journey going from one thing to another thing in search of life. In this perpetual process of searching, we soon find that everything we cling to for life fails to provide us true life. It quickly proves to be a false source of life that cannot satisfy the cry of eternity within our hearts (Eccl. 3:11). What does a dry place look like? A dry place is a place that seeks to fill eternity in our hearts with something less than God. It is bitter and self-seeking in its desire.

James 3:14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

When we seek the fulfillment of our hearts in something other than God it proves to be earthly, sensual, and even a place of demonic inspiration. The apostle Paul was aware of this when he wrote to the church of Corinth that was looking for life in other sources than Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

In these verses Paul was writing that the believes should be in relationship with Jesus and not other things. He was concerned that they could be deceived as Eve was deceived. The context was one of being deceived, not sin unto death. Does one know how they have been deceived? They don’t! It is deceptive! That is why it is called ‘deception’. The criteria for being deceived is receiving a different Jesus, a different spirit than the life-giving Spirit of God, and a different good news. Preaching another Jesus, is another God saves – another salvation. It is receiving another means by which to be saved or receiving a different spirit which we did not receive that brought us the life of God. Deception involves a different means of salvation, a different spirit, and a different good news. If something other than a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit becomes a source of salvation, a motivation of our hearts, and a testimony of good news to our lives – it will result in deception.

The victory in spiritual warfare is to be a resting place of dwelling for the Spirit of God. Leaders lead others in being dwelling places for God by His Spirit. This is the power over deceptions, conflicts, and the devouring agendas of every enemy.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

As leaders, we set an example of having access to the realm of the unseen world. The prophet Elisha knew the secret of access to the realm of the unseen world. I believe the key to his vision can be seen his place of dwelling. In the same way that Jacob was a testimony of the house of God in the earth, Elisha was living in the place of God’s presence and therefore he knew the realities of the realm of the spirit.

2 Kings 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

Elisha’s servant was tempted to fear based upon what he could naturally see. The army of the enemy with many horses and chariots were what he could see, but what he could see was not the testimony of truth. Elisha could see something that His servant could not see.

2 Kings 6: 16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

There were more horses and chariots in the realm of the spirit than there were in the realm of the natural. How could Elisha see what his servant could not. Elisha was in Dothan. Dothan means wells. Scripturally wells depict a source of life. God’s presence in our lives is the true place of wells. We must stay in the place of wells, the place of the life of God in our spirits. We must see what God is doing in the Spirit and we cannot be distracted by the flesh. God has not called us to wield weapons of death, but to exercise weapons of life. It is a time for sight for God’s people, blindness to those who will be deceived, but blessing for all because of the greatness of God. We must hold fast to all that God says – the sword. We must believe the covenant promises of God – the bow. If we hold on to God’s words in and through our lives and if we hold on to the promises of God in our lives, we can expect great blessings in our world by the Spirit of God’s grace!

2 Kings 6:16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

The issues of our world are not what we can see naturally. The natural world we can see is connected to a world of the spirit that we cannot see. Elisha knew that there was no need to fear, because there were more with him and his servant than were with the numerous soldiers that were against them. He didn’t tell his servant that there were more with them that those who were against them. He said that there were more with them than those who were with those who were against them. Who is with us?

Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Although a third of heaven failed in the beginning, two thirds have never failed. The angels who are with us are innumerable. The general assembly of the church of the firstborn is increasing and not decreasing. We are those who have eternal life and will not die. We have the One who is the Judge of all with us. The testimony of those being made perfect in Christ is on the rise! Jesus is our eternal Mediator, and His name is above all names in this age and in every age to come. Let’s reside in the presence of God where His life will never fail but will prevail in all things.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

We are not only believers in Christ, we are the testimony of Christ in our world. Our world is not merely the world we can naturally see, it includes the realm of the spirit connected to our world that we cannot naturally see. It is for this reason that we have been given the testimony of Christ. It is for what we can see and for what we cannot see.

Ephesians 3:10 …to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

The testimony of Christ is a testimony of life. That life is not just the life of being blessed, it is the life of being a blessing to our world. We are called in Christ to affect our world in a life-giving way. It is light that subdues darkness. It is healing that subdues sickness. It is life that subdues death. It is Christ that subdues anti-Christ. This is the destiny of mankind in the restoration of all things in Christ. For this reason, leaders must lead others to know God and the testimony of His life. This is the testimony of His amazing grace! This is not a new plan, but a furtherance of God’s plan from the foundations of the earth. Jesus didn’t just come to give us the blessing of going to heaven when we die. He came to give us a restored destiny as the eternal Eve (the body of Christ) in relationship with our eternal Adam (Jesus Christ the headship of all that is found in Christ). The witnesses of this is not just what exists in the world we can naturally see. It is the evidence of the world that cannot be seen naturally.

Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

The world as we see it naturally, is connected to the world that we can only see supernaturally. Not only do we deal with principalities, powers, rule, and spiritual hosts of darkness, we have access to various levels of spiritual assistance of light. Angels are ministering spirits sent to those who are the sons of God and inheritors of Christ’s salvation. Our focus is not angels, nor is it upon the realm of the supernatural. Our focus is on Christ and the fruit is seen as a partnership with the realm of the spirit.

Psalms 103:19 The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. 21 Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure. 22 Bless the LORD, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

As the body of Christ, we are sent ones to our world by the empowerment of the sent Holy Spirit in our lives. It is for this reason that the wisdom of God is made manifest in the body of Christ. Our obedience in Christ subdues all that is disobedient to the testimony of Christ. As was seen in the testimony of Jacob, angels ascend and descend to bring to us all that we need for each and every season of being the dwelling place of God in the earth.

Genesis 28:12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

Jacob went to sleep on the rock, and he dreamed a dream. He saw a ladder that was on the earth but extended to heaven. The bottom was on the earth and extended to heaven. He saw angels ascending on the ladder and then descending upon the ladder. Those angels were bringing things from heaven to the place where Jacob was sleeping. This is the testimony of the gate of heaven in the earth!

We can know that in Christ we have access to heavenly realities that can change the natural world in which we live. As leaders we lead others to know this truth and to live their lives with a full access to the realm of the spirit by the empowerment of Holy Spirit in   our lives. Christ in us is the hope of glory! That glory is the testimony of the God’s kingdom influence and His will being done in our world.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson.

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

As leaders, we must be aware of the spiritual realities of our world. The things that we can naturally see are motivated by things that we cannot see. People in the world are most often naturally minded because their view of the world is what they see to be naturally true or what they perceive to be naturally true. As Christ believers we must live our lives in an awareness of spiritual realities. Leaders are most aware of this, and leaders lead others to be aware of the same. If we are not, our perceptions will be naturally minded in the same way as those in the world. Our access to the kingdom of God is within our hearts by our connection to the Holy Spirit. We are part of a calling in Christ, an inheritance in Christ, and working of His power that is above the lesser spiritual powers at work in our world.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Spiritual hosts of wickedness in the realm of the spirit affect the beliefs of the hearts of mankind. Those spiritual hosts are lies and deceptions that seek to destroy the human heart and create bitter strongholds that entrench people into victim mentalities within their hearts. Those spiritual influences propagate spiritual forces of darkness that act to rule the minds of humanity. Those forces feed upon false beliefs and inspire actions that are self-seeking and destructive of others. That rule of darkness feeds spiritual powers of darkness that seek to steel the hearts of men in order to manipulate the creative power of the human imagination. That creative power is a twisted perversion of the creative nature of God. Instead of being a creative power that propagates life, it becomes a power that takes life from others for selfish purposes and gain. By this humanity is often controlled to create kingdoms unto themselves that destroy the kingdoms of others. This establishes false dominions facilitated by principalities. Those principalities become the spiritual influences that establish what should be unfamiliar to men as their familiar way in the word. This is the prince and power of the atmosphere – the prince and power of the air.

Ephesians 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Although we live in a world that is influenced by spiritual powers, we have a power of the Spirit that is greater than them all. That Spirit is the Holy Spirit of God, and He makes us alive that we might give life to our world. It is a spiritual reality, and it is not limited to the natural world in which we live. God’s influence in and through our lives is supernatural by nature. Because we have been made alive in Christ, we have access to heavenly places in Christ and we can expect the power of God’s grace to change our world.

Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

God’s mercy invites everyone to come to the place of God’s grace whereby the power of God’s love can be demonstrated to the world. Spiritual powers of darkness have access to the flesh of mankind, but when we become empowered by God’s grace, we grow in becoming manifested sons and daughters of God to liberate our world from the effects of darkness and futility. For this reason, prayer is not a last course of action in our lives. It is the means by which all of the actions of our lives are revealed. We don’t pray that our needs might be met. We pray that God’s kingdom influence will come into our world and the will of our heavenly Father will be done in all things. The spiritual realities of heaven are greater than the natural realities of our world. That power is greater than any power of the flesh. The life of God’s Spirit is greater than the life of the flesh.

Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

As leaders, we lead so that people will be planted in a relationship with God and one another to reveal the identity of humanity in Christ, the testimony of humanity in Christ, and the purpose of humanity in Christ. We are not to take people by the hand and lead them. We are to serve the empowerment of Christ in each one to be transformed from within. The character, nature, way, power, and authority of Christ comes from within the heart and mind of each believer in Christ. It is knowing God that changes us. It is not being changed that empowers us to know God. Leaders are not called to change people. We are called to be an example to others in knowing God. The evidence is seen in the change that comes to our own lives from the inside out. Christ in us is the hope of glory!

Jeremiah 31:31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

We must lead as New Covenant leaders and we must also all follow as New Covenant believers. The New Covenant is a covenant of intimate life, transforming testimony, and relational purpose. All of these things are testimonies that only come from the inside out. The Old Covenant was a covenant of information. It was a covenant of law. It was a covenant of control and bondage that only led to fear. It could never change us to become who we were meant to be. If we lead in Old Covenant ways we will bind people to Old Covenant ways. It was a covenant that could only take people by the hand and lead them. As New Covenant leaders we are not to lead people by the hand and as New Covenant believers we are not to seek out others to lead us by the hand. We must all be empowered from within to become who God intends for us to be. The law and conscience came before Jesus and only proved to be a testimony of taking and not one of life-giving. They only proved to be thieves and robbers that stole, killed, and destroyed the lives of men. Jesus came to give us life, and life abundant! We must lead in the abundance of life that only comes from and through Jesus Christ as the head of His body of life.

John 10:7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

We often recite that the devil is the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but in the context of John chapter 10, the testimony of the thief is those who came before Jesus. It was law conscience that came before Jesus, but law and conscience could not change mankind. They could only condemn them. They pointed to our need for Christ within us, but they could never give us the power of Christ within us. The external voice of the prophets in the Old Covenant could only point to law or conscience, but they fell short of the day of being born again into an intimate relationship with God by Christ within the human heart. Only Christ within our lives can transform our lives from within. The secret to true change in our lives is only found in hearing God in our hearts. It is not hearing what God has said with our heads, it is constantly hearing what God is saying from within our hearts. What God speaks to our hearts, empowers our spirits to flood our souls and only then are our thoughts, reasonings, emotions, imaginations, and desires changed from within. The secret to a sound mind is to have the mind of Christ activated from within our hearts. We must lead in the freedom and the liberty of the Spirit of the Lord from within!

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

As leaders, we are appointed with authority to lead to appoint others to be who they are in life. Authority gives life, it never takes it. To have authority means you have been given a substance or an ability that can give life to others. True authority brings release, and it does not seek to control the lives of others. Uncovenanted authority (Gentile authority) seeks to use power to control the lives of others. In the kingdom of God’s grace, authority facilitates the power of life to bring life to others. Anointing is not authority; anointing is the power of life that serves authority to give life to others. Many people confuse anointing and authority. Most men have an anointing to produce children, but men need to reserve their anointing to produce children to the authority to produce children. That authority is the covenant of marriage. When anointing or power is exercised outside of the boundaries of legitimate authority, it always produces dysfunction in some way. It will always exhibit an attribute of death and it will fall short of bringing life to the world. This is the way of the world.

Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, 3 to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

In these verses, the prophet Isaiah reveals the prophetic testimony of Jesus Christ and Christ, His body. Jesus Christ and the Body of Christ have an anointing that serves their God-appointed authority to bring life to the world. The anointing on our lives is an anointing to bring life. We are anointed to bring good news to the destitute, but we are not anointed to bring bad news. We are anointed to heal broken hearts, but we are not anointed to break them. We are anointed to proclaim liberty to captives, but we are not anointed to make captives of others. We are anointed to open prison doors, but we are not anointed to empower or enable prisoners. Captives are those who have been taken by others. We are anointed to free them from their captivity. Prisoners are those who have been incarcerated as a consequence of their own crimes. We are anointed to open their prison doors, but we are not anointed to empower them, condone them, or enable them to be confined to prison again. We can open the prison door that they can find grace for a life change that will empower them to never be imprisoned again. We are anointed to proclaim the acceptance of the Lord to those who have been disinherited in their identity. We proclaim jubilee – a return of lands, names, and inheritances to men. We are anointed for victory over the enemy. We proclaim the day of vengeance of God to the things that seek to devour and destroy the lives of men. We are not anointed to defeat people nor to become their enemy. We are anointed to comfort those who mourn, but we are not anointed to cause sorrow. We are anointed to appoint to those who mourn in Zion, that they would be given beauty instead of ashes. We are not anointed to give anyone ashes. We are anointed to bring joy, we are not anointed for to cause them to mourn. We are anointed to put the clothing of praise upon others, we are not anointed to clothe them in heaviness.

We have this anointing so that those we are sent to can be planted in a relationship with God that extends to their children and their children’s children in the earth.

Isaiah 61:3b …“that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

In the Scripture, trees represent humanity in a multi-generational way. To live to the age of a tree, is to live on in the testimony of our children and our children’s children. The freedom that God brings into our lives is meant to expand and to grow in the lives of our family name. God’s love, and the testimonies of His love, are part of our family inheritance in Christ. The ultimate purpose of our authority and the anointing of Christ that serves that authority is to bring God’s restoration of identity, testimony, and purpose to the lives of those God sends us to.

Isaiah 61:4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.

I believe that the rebuilding of old ruins is the restoration of our true identity in Christ. This is our part in His calling. To raise up the desolations is to restore our true testimony in Christ. This is our part in His inheritance. To repair ruined cities is to restore community purpose in Christ. We are anointed to bring freedom to others so that free people can be planted in a personal relationship with God in Christ. They will know the restored life in Christ of identity, testimony, and purpose for the glory of God in their generations.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

As leaders, we don’t just lead people to live life. We don’t just lead people to know the hope of heaven when they die. As leaders, we lead people to become manifested sons and daughters of God that bring the life of heaven’s grace to their world. The true counsel of our world is the manifestation of Christ in our world. The hope of glory is Christ in each of us!

At the fall of mankind, the earth was subjected to futility in the hope of the manifestation of the sons of God. That hope is that people would know the liberty of being sons and daughters of God. They would know the love of God in their lives, and they would know the power of God’s love working in their world. When the children of God become a testimony of the likeness and image of their heavenly Father, they bring liberty their world. This was God’s plan from the beginning. He knows that when the sons and daughters of God manifest, it brings the liberty of life to an otherwise naturally impossible world.

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because “who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 And not only they, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”

God is the One who subjected the earth to futility as a consequence of man’s disconnection at the fall. Man chose an outside/in administration when he choses knowledge over intimacy and trust with God. God’s desire was to restore the intimacy and trust that was lost by man at the fall. His subjection of the earth to futility put a demand for a supernatural transformation in the hearts of men and women to become sons and daughters of God. Man was created to live by the Spirit and not the flesh. God’s plan was to restore the truth of the Spirit to mankind. It is for this that we live and it for this that we lead others.

Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

We don’t put the deeds of the flesh to death by a discipline of our flesh. That is the testimony of law and law can never transform us, it only conforms us. Law alone contains us, retrains us, and puts us in the bondage of fear. Only the life of the Spirit can give us true liberty! As leaders we must set an example to those we lead in walking in the Spirit. It is our connection to God in the Spirit that gives us true liberty over the flesh and the effects of the flesh. It is our connection to God in the Spirit that frees us from all bondage that promotes a fear of death. When we go through difficult circumstances in life, it is only an opportunity to manifest who we really are. We are new creations in Christ! We are sons and daughters of God who are led by God’s Spirit in every circumstance of our lives.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

God is always ready and willing to work in our world for a testimony of hope and life. As leaders our perspective should be that of a future and a hope in Christ. We are to lead others to keep their focus upon who God is. Our daily communion is with Him, and we lead others to make Him the focus of our lives. When we live with our focus on God, we live with an assurance of all that God can do and not upon the despair of a corrupt world. Heaven is not just a destined location; it is a destined reality in every situation of our lives. Even what the enemy intends for evil in our lives can be turned for good. The Spirit of God is always preparing our world for a future filled with the glory of God. This is the testimony of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. What was the Holy Spirit doing in Gen. 1:2?

Genesis 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.   

In the beginning of our world as we know it, the Holy Spirit was hovering over what needed the life of God. There was a need for order, fullness, and light. These are all attributes of life. God is the One who gives life, breath, and all things. Holy Spirit was there in the beginning to give life, breath, and all things. Holy Spirit is ready to do the same in our lives and Holy Spirit is the source of every beginning in our lives. Life is filled with transitions from what was to what is and those transitions lead to what will be. The transitions of our lives need the presence of God’s Spirit in order for us to experience the life that God desires to give us.

What in your life needs form or order today? Holy Spirit is God and He is ready to bring the form and the order of life to your situation of need. What in your life needs filling? Holy Spirit is ready to fill what is empty with the fullness of life. What in your life is dark? Holy Spirit is ready to bring light to every area of darkness. The order of life, the fullness of life, and the brightness of the light of life is in the heart of God and Holy Spirit is ready to hover over our areas of need. Holy Spirit cares for us and we need to welcome the Holy Spirit in every new day of our lives. It is not just a matter of partnering with Him. It is a matter of intimacy, fellowship, and connection. Holy Spirit is God. He is the Lord. Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God made real in our lives.

John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

God’s Spirit is the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t merely desire to visit us in life. Jesus made it possible for us to become the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are an abiding place for the Spirit of God. Christ in us is the testimony of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit was with Moses and with those delegated to lead, but in the New Covenant the Holy Spirit abides in and with leaders and in and with every person they lead. We are a dwelling place of God by His Spirit. Holy Spirit gives us the ability to bear the burdens of our lives.

Numbers 11:17 Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.

Holy Spirit is our Helper in the exact same way the Jesus in the flesh was a Helper to His disciples. He should not be our second, third, fourth or last ‘go to’ in our lives. Holy Spirit should be the first ‘go to’ in every area and every decision of our lives. But even more than this, simply fellowship, communion, and intimacy should be with Holy Spirit in every day of our lives. Just as the disciples lived with and walked with Jesus in His journey, we should live and walk with Holy Spirit in His journey in our lives.

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

A priority of every day of our lives is to embrace the presence of Holy Spirit. He is hope to even the formless, void, and dark places before us. We are truly blessed to be children of God with the Spirit of God in, upon, and with us in life. This is the foundation, infilling, and destiny of our lives as leaders and as children of God in Christ. Just as Jesus helped His disciples by leading them, teaching them, and empowering them in life, Holy Spirit desires to do the same for us.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728

Blog In Audio:

Greetings,

As leaders, we must embrace the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in all that we are and do. We must embrace the Holy Spirit daily, and we must lead others to do the same. Who is the Holy Spirit? We often think of God in heaven, but the truth is that God is in heaven and on earth. Holy Spirit is the manifest person of God in our lives. We not only have an anointing in us, we have the presence of the anointed One in, with, and upon our lives. It is important for us to welcome His presence and to welcome His life in all that we are and do. It is not His charisma that we seek. It is the Holy Spirit that we welcome, knowing that He has all the charisma and fruit of life that we need to become who we are meant to be as sons and daughters of God who give life to our world.

The work of the Holy Spirit is a work of life. The Father has sent the Spirit and the Spirit invites the Son. Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings in all the earth and the Holy Spirit has come in His name. The name of Jesus is not a title, it is a substance. His name is His character, nature, way, power, and authority. Holy Spirit forms and manifests the character, nature, way, power, and authority of Christ in our lives as the joined testimony to Jesus as our head in all things.

Holy Spirit partners with us as the bride of Christ and calls for the manifest presence of Jesus to come in increasing measures in the ages of men. This is not merely a call to a future reality of the return of Jesus. It is a foundational call in our lives for the continual coming of Jesus. We are to increasingly manifest as the bride of Christ by the presence of Jesus in our lives that is revealed through the life-giving waters that He said would flow from all who come to Him and drink.

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The Holy Spirit is God with us and He comes in the name of Jesus. The water that we freely drink of is the water of the Holy Spirit. It is the life of the Holy Spirit flowing in and through our lives to bring life to us and to the world we live in. That life is eternal life. That life is resurrection life!

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

When we receive Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit. It is by believing Jesus that receive the Holy Spirit and when we receive the Holy Spirit we become testimonies of the life that comes by Jesus name. Our greatest need as leaders is not the skill of ministry. It is not the diligence of our efforts to lead. It is not a knowing of what to do or how to lead. Our greatest need is the Holy Spirit in, upon, and with us in all things. This is the greatest need of every dad, mom, son, daughter, brother, sister, friend, neighbor, or member of the community of God. To be a life giver, we must have the giver of life in our lives.

Food For Thought,

Ted J. Hanson

Donations can be made at the link on the home site of:

www.ted4leaders.com

www.ted4you.com or

www.houseofbreadministry.org.

Checks can be made payable to House of Bread Ministry and sent to:

House of Bread Ministry, 3210 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

To avoid us paying a transaction fee from your donation, you can also set up a payment or an automatic payment from your bank to House of Bread Ministry. Just set it up as a ‘bill pay’ through your online bank account and your bank will mail a check to House of Bread Ministry. We will record your payment as a donation to House of Bread Ministry (E.I.N. 91-2009037) and we will send you a contribution receipt at the close of the year.

Our Ministry Information Is:
House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
Bellingham, WA 98225-1728