Re=Invention!

There's this TV commercial about a 70 year-old man who's getting ready to retire from a car racing and restoration business.  He's been at it for most of his life.  As he's departing the business another 70 year-old man enters in.  He's about to begin a new career, the racing and car restoration business.  I love that commercial, as it depicts the old guard leaving, while a new man comes in to find a new re-invented LIFE.

I thought about this as the Lord has actually led me through a couple of times in my life of reinvention.  As a matter of fact, I'm finding myself there, now.  Again.
How many times have you heard about people saying, "I need to reinvent myself."  It's a need.  It's something that some people need to do.  It's a good thing.  Perhaps, you're one person who has lived your life through a mundane, boring and otherwise, uneventful career/life.  You want and need a challenge.  You want excitement.  You want fulfillment.  Or maybe, you just mucked up your whole life and you want to start over.  I'm telling you, right now, YES it's OK to want to start a new life.  It's OK to reinvent yourself. 

I want to give you some examples of how God reinvented some lives.  Take Moses, for instance.  Moses started out being a Hebrew baby, who then was adopted by the Egyptians and then became a Prince.  One day he discovered his true identity.  He killed a man, rather by accident.  He fled the scene.  He left Egypt.  He ended up with Jethro and the Midianites.  So here's Moses becoming a shepherd, a far cry from what he was before.  Soon he has the encounter with the burning bush.  God speaks to him and tells him that he's going to turn him into a Deliverer.  God sends Moses back to Egypt to confront Pharaoh, and tells him, "Let my People go."  In short, you can say that Moses became more than he ever thought he would be, certainly more than he was, a Hebrew.  But today, we look at him as a hero. 
Then, there's the story of Abram.  Abram was hand-picked by God.  God asked him to leave his country and he did.  God began to make all these great and wonderful promises to Abram, told him he would have a son even at a ripe old age.  And God told him he would be, "the father of many nations."  El Shaddai forced Abram into a position of supernatural faith.  How?  He changed his name to Abraham, meaning 'Father of a multitude' or 'Father of many nations'.  So, every time he greeted somebody, he would say, "Hi, I'm the father of many nations." Even though still child-less, he would tell his name to everybody, and hear it from everybody!  In this way, Abraham heard every day the meaning of his name, every single time he spoke his name to somebody.  That powerful concept went down into his spirit and helped build his inner faith.  The "new image" was working on the inside of him, to create his new "self".  This went on for almost a year, the end result being his faith kicked in, amazingly.  Before you knew it, bingo, his wife had a son whom they called, "Laughter" (Isaac). 
Now, let's not forget Simon-Peter, the old salty fisherman that Jesus chose to be one of his disciples and an apostle.  Simon's name means  "he has heard" . . . but Jesus insisted on calling him Peter, instead.  Peter, "The Rock."  Why did Jesus do this?  Well, Peter wasn't exactly what you would call, a super-committed guy.  Jesus knew that he vascillated on things.  By Jesus calling Peter, "the rock," he introduced the character trait of stability into Peter's life, not to mention that he ended up being quite an outstanding apostle as well.

Now back to me!
Jesus saved me in 1974. That's when he came into my life! Pow! It was powerful. I was on fire for Jesus, and wanted to tell the whole world about him.  But through time, religion came to mess with my head and life, and it wasn't so rosy. In 1985, God came to me and spoke to me saying, "I'm sending you far away and starting all over with you."  I ended up going to California. That's about 1987 then . . . the year that "God overhauled my heart". The Lord had to get rid of all the "doctrine-head" I had, and teach me LOVE.  I got filled with the Spirit again, and I had the "divine triangle" fixed in my heart -- I was a changed man.
In 2006, the Lord came to me again and said, "I'm returning you to your 'rock roots'".  I spent years in ministry, including music ministry, and He was trying to show me that I wasn't being 'true to myself', in essence, not really "me". Oh I loved CCM and christian rock, but there was more. Hey, I like Pink Floyd and Deep Purple and Yes and Jethro Tull, and prog rock music too!  That was the time that we developed, with God's help "The Music of DLivahh". Music that Delivers. I wanted to produce real music that also had the element of deliverance in it. I wanted to express the artistry that God had already put in me, that was formerly squelched by others. I also had a prophecy saying that God was going to use me in "the industry".
Lastly, but not final or least, I sense that The Lord Jesus and His Spirit are on the move again, in my life to re=invent me into something ... something I hope is greater than what I have experienced before. To do all that he has laid upon my heart to do, and to utilize ALL the talents that he has bestowed upon me . . . and to operate "outside of the box" as a "radical pastor", teacher, blogger, author, musician, deliverance minister, humorist, voice=over guy, as well as just being plain ol' me … The Eccentric Tony that is a husband and father and friend and lover of Jesus, not limited by opinions or religion or anyone that can't understand this:
I can't just focus on doing ONE THING only!
 I Like doing many things!  I have been blessed with several talents.

I tried "focusing on one thing".  Doesn't work for me.
I have to do ALL the stuff, and I think I do several things "pretty good" … I work at it really hard and I've seen some successes. And so, even while it looks like I'm "all over the map", I'm really just expressing myself the best way I know how, wearing many hats, but enjoying the ride just the same!

How about you? Do you need to "re=invent your self"?
(What's wrong with a little "new improved you", huh?)
Let God Almighty do it … He's really good at it!

Jesus IS King!

"The Kingdom of God is AT HAND."

*and*

"The Kingdom of God is in your midst."

He was called 'King of the Jews'.

"My kingdom is NOT of this world."
Ahhh.  THERE IT IS.

Jesus is not coming back to set up some "earthly kingdom".
He DID come back, through the coming and sending of the
Holy Spirit, who filled the apostles and disciples on earth.
"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."  

Right now, not sometime in the future.

(Oh, and by the way, The Holy Spirit is still here on the earth!).

"The kingdoms of this world have become
the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ,
and He shall reign forever and ever!”

King of kings, and Lord of Lords.
JESUS IS KING, right NOW, not in the future someday. 

He's already there! He's already been coronated. Crowned. King!
You don't have to wait for his return,
you can fellowship with him NOW,

you can be close to him NOW,
you can get to know him NOW.

He is the King of Hearts.
He "rules" inside the hearts of men.
He IS The Reigning and Benevolent King AND 

He is The Prince of Peace!

IS HE YOUR KING???

MY DECLARATION

This blog . . . is personal. I have to do it. I cannot go on, and keep writing about this doctrine or that topic, without stating what I believe ABOUT MYSELF! And Here We Go . . .

The Christian singer Carman does a song called "Slam" … in it he lists all the evil attacks that have been hurled at him by the devil. He says stuff like,

"You said that I would stumble
You said I wouldn't last
But you was wrong

You said that I would crumble
From all that's in my past
But you was wrong

You tried to break me, tried to shake me
Tried to take me with your lies
You tried to drop me, tried to stop me
Tried to chop me down to size

You tried to crush me, tried to hush me
Tried to rush me and attack
But Jesus Christ is in my life
And now I'm comin' back 'cause I can

Slam temptation with the Word
I can slam each lie that I have heard
I can slam the devil on his back
The rod of God will stop the attack
…………………………………………….
You tried to drug me, tried to slug me
Tried to plug me up with guilt
You tried to shoot me, tried to loot me
Tried to boot my mind on tilt

You tried to kill me, tried to still me
Tried to bill me for my sin
But the blood has washed me clean"
(From the album Mission 3:16, by Carman)

NOW I must start "My Declaration",
with the above song as inspiration:

YOU TRIED to suppress me, and silence me for years.  You did not understand me, so you rejected me instead. You pretended to love me, but after a while I could feel your hate and disdain. When I won a parade, you brought the rain. When I was going through pain, you were nowhere to be found. When I thought you were behind me, you were plotting against me just like a Benedict Arnold.
You witches, you evil ones, you know who you are! I declare to you THIS DAY . . . that after a long siege of you robbing from me, and ridiculing me, and persecuting me and trying to put on me all kinds of guilt trips and accusations of supposed sins, your attacks against my health and prosperity … I DECLARE TO YOU THIS DAY … THIS DAY … that you will NO LONGER oppress me, rob from me, belittle me, LIE about me and put your guilt and mental mess on me! I rise above all your trickery and evil ways … and I will continue to FOLLOW JESUS and go where he leads, and if I do make mistakes, he will pick me up, brush me off and raise me up again!

You didn't like the pathways I chose . . . you didn't like my "independence" from you, not following your ways and not obeying your programs and family mantras. You wanted just to "rein me in" and control me, like you do with everybody else around you. I ain't playing your games, I ain't succumbing to your curses and I ain't coming back into your fold, because YOU ARE POISON.
I have to follow my heart. I have to follow Jesus, not man. And I most certainly will NOT engage in your witchcraft, be it "charismatic" or "secret" or whatever. You try to manipulate for an advantage and I simply will not go there.

God gave me a directive in 2001:
"Get ALL witches out of your Life!!"
At that time, I didn't even know what witches were, let alone "in my life" … but when he showed me, it all made sense. All the attacks, all the failures, all the pain and heartache, I pin it on all of you WITCHES.  That's right. I am no longer your scape=goat. You are goats.

I HEREBY DECLARE MYSELF IMMUNE to any of your further or possible attacks and curses. I will walk in the grace and love of God, preaching the glorious gospel of The Lord Jesus Christ, whether you like it or not. Whether what I do lines up with your agenda or not. I will not be controlled, by you or your mind-control programming nor any of your words, which are all LIES. I will continue to minister deliverance to folks, who have been under your power, to set them free from the powers of darkness, and your type of kingdom!
I will continue to do my music, inspired by Jesus and The Holy Spirit, for I know that he has anointed to me for JOY and I see how he can use me, and I love to see folks get that joy, and get set free!!!

In the spirit of the song:
"You tried to make me sick
You tried to 'take me out'
You tried to punish me
For every turn-about
You sent your fear & torment
You sent your pain & guilt
But now that I'm onto your works
Your operations will go "on tilt"
Because I CAN SLAM ... "

I will expose the evil deeds of darkness, because that is what I'm called to do!
I refuse to apologize for my actions, as I am not that poor outcast child you once knew.
I am a child/son of the most High God, brother of Jesus, Friend of God, and I intend to see my purpose fulfilled on the earth, and I'm NOT going to let you stand in my way or block me ANYMORE. The Lord God & I are a majority.

I belong to Jesus. I am His Property. NOT yours!
I know you can't stand my creativity, my humor, my joy, my love, but that is TOUGH …  I am not changing for you, to please you or compromise who I am, what God Almighty made me to be. And I will grow stronger and be MORE what he made me to be, and I will excel and be successful, PERIOD.

AND THAT . . . is  My Declaration.

-- TONY PRINCE.