FRANCIS FRANGIPANE MINISTRIES

An Unguarded Heart

The idea that a leader whom we've known and loved should suddenly be exposed in a devastating scandal seems incomprehensible. Certainly leaders who have taught others could teach themselves. Is there not resident within all Christians biblical knowledge that would protect us from moral failure?

So what is it then that can worm into an individual's thought-life, burrow down into his heart, and then grow so compelling that a leader is willing to risk everything he's loved and attained for a fulfillment of the flesh? Is it just sin? Or is there something deeper, a lack of spiritual discernment that left the heart of that leader vulnerable to demonic manipulation? Could it be that, at least among some, their heart was unguarded to the exploitation of hell?

An Unparalleled Warfare
Please note that I am not blaming the devil for every sin we commit. The fact is, selfishness and self-indulgence, which produce sin, are basic instincts of our fallen nature. At the same time, let us also discern the unique warfare of our times. Our world has been flooded with hyper-sexuality, wantonness and excess. The "red-light district" has moved from the city and entered our homes via the Internet, movies and television. We deceive ourselves if we think we can accommodate an immoral imagination and it not contaminate how we act out our lives.

There is much within the fallen human nature that can be exploited and plundered by evil. When we fail to guard our hearts and avoid what is clearly sinful, a fantasy realm within us unfolds and opens into darkness. Our thought-processes become increasingly accessible to the enemy. To the degree that we hide our sin in darkness, to that degree the enemy can work unhindered building strongholds in our soul.

You see, what entertains us actually enters us. If you are entertained by pornography or sexual fantasy, perverse or corrupting thoughts and habits, you are opening your soul to hell. You must confront this battle honestly, repent of sin, and set a guard over your heart. If you don't, your battle will advance from temptation to serious, hidden sexual bondage, which in turn will spawn a secret life that is porous to the realm of darkness.

People of Destiny, Take Heed
Jesus reveals that a major source of this sexual manipulation is the Jezebel spirit (Rev. 2:20). The rampant immorality we see manifested in our world underscores the increasing influence of this ruler of darkness. Indeed, compare our world today with cultural standards of just fifty years ago and it's easy to see that mankind is under siege. Too many Christians have dropped their defenses, and many otherwise good people have quietly slipped into bondage.

Yet Jezebel's arsenal includes more than lust; there is also witchcraft, which attacks and works to disarm the conscience. Remember Jehu's words? "What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?" (2 Kings 9:22).

We are fighting the "harlotries" and "witchcrafts" of Jezebel. Those who have been defeated by this spirit often feel they were drugged by their own passions. They did things that were flagrantly sinful, almost daring God (or the devil) to expose them. I am talking about the war against church leaders, politicians, and men and women in general. How many more must fall before we realize the need for repentance and discernment?

The Subtle Attack
The Jezebel spirit is a "man whisperer." Its approach typically is not bold but enticing. It comes with seductive words that stimulate the degrading thoughts of human flesh. Its quiet power overwhelms and then disarms the conscience. In your desire to walk upright, what you may actually be fighting is Jezebel, in particular, her many "witchcrafts."

One may argue, "My battle is just sin, not warfare." Perhaps that is true for you, but for others it is a spiritual attack on an unguarded heart. Its power may be aimed at Christians in general, but its specific target is church leaders and those called to places of authority.

There are times when I think the world has greater discernment than the church. Consider these select words from the old Frank Sinatra song, "Witchcraft":

Those fingers in my hair
That sly come-hither stare
That strips my conscience bare
It's witchcraft
And I've got no defense for it
The heat is too intense for it
What good would common sense for it do?
'cause it's witchcraft, wicked witchcraft
And although I know it's strictly taboo
When you arouse the need in me
My heart says "Yes, indeed" in me
"Proceed with what you're leading me to"
—C. Leigh, C. Coleman

The song did, in fact, reveal characteristics about the effect of witchcraft. The composers wrote, "[It] strips my conscience bare." It continues, "I've got no defense for it/The heat is too intense for it/What good would common sense for it do?" and then, "When you arouse the need in me/My heart says, ‘Yes, indeed' in me/‘Proceed with what you're leading me to.'"

Of course, we do have a defense for it in Christ, but that defense begins with guarding our hearts from the opportunities and deceptions of the Jezebel spirit.

Set a Guard
I don't want to make too much of the possibility of witchcraft, for becoming overly focused on this type of warfare can itself become a swamp of darkness. Let's keep things in perspective. However, this is a chapter taken from my book on discernment. We need to be aware of the spiritual realm around us. Whether witchcraft is what you are fighting or just natural weaknesses of the flesh, all of us need to close the door to the hyper-sexuality of our world. Indeed, the world has "no defense for it."

However, for those in the kingdom of God, "the weapons of our warfare are … divinely powerful" (2 Cor. 10:4). Our weapons and defenses are mighty, but we must use them. Scripture commands us, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life" (Prov. 4:23). The NIV says it this way: "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

A guard is one armed and trained to recognize an enemy and turn away that enemy's attack. We are in war and must stay militant in attitude. We cannot be casual with sin or temptation. When you use the Internet, use a software filter as a guard. Be accountable to others. Don't feed your sexual appetites, for these kinds of addictions only go from bad to worse (Rom. 1:24-28).

I'm not saying this will be an easy fight. As powerful as the allure of the sin may seem, the enemy will also work to isolate you from others. The efforts we spend hiding sin are the very tools Satan uses to entrap us in it; so, talk to someone (Eph. 5:11-13). Embrace the process of cleansing, of repentance, and washing your "robes … in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 7:14). Confess your sins to God and one another.

Today would be a good time to build yourself up spiritually. You might consider signing up for In Christ's Image Training (icitc.org). Get back in the Word, for the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Use the authority of God's Word to defend your heart against spiritual attacks.

The most important thing you can do is to return wholeheartedly to God. The Lord promises, "Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name" (Ps. 91:14).

Beloved, it is time to set a guard over your heart.

Lord God, this day I humble myself before Your throne. You see my heart and the battle I have faced. I ask that You restore me; make me wiser. Let not my enemy triumph over me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and grant me the grace to walk with a pure heart, a guarded heart, before You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, Spiritual Discernment and the Mind of Christ, available at Arrow Bookstore.

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Spiritual Discernment and the Mind of Christ

How can you defeat your enemy if you don't know who or what you are fighting? Pastor Francis shares biblical insights on the gift of discernment and what it means to possess the mind of Christ. A few of the chapters are classics from Francis' previously published books; they have been rewritten, updated, and included here as foundational to our understanding of spiritual discernment.

Includes extra chapters from several of pastor's other books, including three from The Three Battlegrounds. These additional chapters give continuity and additional insight into the important subject of spiritual discernment.

Includes a training CD titled, Society of the Redeemers.

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Christ Our Life

Overcoming Resistance
Note: the Lord will allow obstacles and delays to deepen and test the character of our love. Thus the bride acknowledges, "I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him" (Song of Sol. 3:1).

Her first attempts at seeking her beloved proved fruitless, yet she does not terminate her quest. Augustine said it well: "God is not on the surface." There is indeed a "secret place of the Most High." Although hidden, it can be found and accessed.

One common deterrent, ironically, is the benevolent effect that comes with drawing nearer to the Lord. Inevitably the blessings of an answered prayer or a new understanding of Scripture will greet us on our way to God. However, we must guard against these signposts becoming our final destination.

Let us also understand, we will not find His fullness by seeking Him merely in convenient times and comfortable places. Rather, our quest is a determined and continual pilgrimage. It will not end until He is disclosed to us (John 14:21). We are confident, though, for He has promised that in the day we seek Him with our whole heart, we shall find Him (Jer. 29:13). He assures us, "I will be found by you" (v. 14).

Christ Our Life
The bride continues, "I must arise now and go about the city; in the streets and in the squares I must seek him whom my soul loves" (Song of Sol. 3:2).

This inexorable woman has risen from the security of her own bed. She has left the comfort of her warm house and now is seeking her beloved in the streets and in the squares. Pastors, be aware: Not all who wander from church to church are uncommitted or superficial Christians. A significant number are honestly searching for Christ. They are asking, "Have you seen Him?"

Not only is the bride in the streets and squares of Christianity; she is facing the force and power of night as well. Yet nothing stops her -- not her own need of sleep or her fear of the darkness. The love of Christ compels her.

However, again she is disappointed: "I sought him but did not find him" (v. 2).

We might think that after so great an effort -- and in the face of the seeming reluctance of Heaven to answer her cry -- she would feel justified to return home. But she does not. We too must guard against becoming satisfied with our opinion of ourselves: We prayed; we waited; we searched for God. We did more than others. This false reward fills the soul with self-exaltation. If we truly want to find Him, we must stay empty and hungry for God alone.

"The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me, and I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?'" (v.3).

From her bed, to the streets, and now to the watchmen, the bride is seeking her lover. Notice that "the watchmen" found her. The watchmen are the modern-day prophetic ministries. Their highest calling is to find the searching bride and direct her to Jesus. While many may come to the seers for a word of encouragement or revelation, the bride is looking for Jesus. Her singleness of purpose is undistracted; she asks the watchmen, "Have you seen Him?"

"Scarcely had I left them when I found him whom my soul loves" (v. 4). This is the greatest motivation for seeking the Lord: the time will come when you find Him! You will pass your tests and overcome the obstacles; you will be secure in the embrace of Christ.

She says, "I held on to him and would not let him go" (v. 4).

I am reminded of Mary at the empty tomb of Christ (John 20:11-18). The apostles came, looked in the cave, and went away astounded. But Mary lingered, weeping. The death of Christ was horrible, but the empty tomb was unbearable. She had to find Him whom her soul loved!

Scripture says that Jesus Himself came to her, but in her sorrow she did not recognize Him. He said, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" (v. 15). It is interesting that Jesus connected Mary's inconsolable weeping with her seeking. Blinded by her tears, she supposed He was the gardener.

"Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away" (v. 15).

"Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!' She turned and said to Him in Hebrew,‘Rabboni!' (which means, Teacher)" (v. 16).

Immediately Mary burst from her kneeling position to embrace Christ; she held Him so tightly that, like the bride, she too could say, "I held on to him and would not let him go" (Song of Sol. 3:4). I see Jesus smiling, and with great love He gently pushed her back, saying, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father" (John 20: 17).

This is a most astounding event. It is a marvel, I admit, that is beyond comprehension. In the mysterious process of the Lord's resurrection -- during an interlude between the grave and the final stage of His ascension -- Christ interrupted His triumphant ascent to appear to Mary! Jesus was drawn -- no, compelled -- toward Mary's weeping!

I am staggered by this event. Jesus demonstrated that love is the highest, most powerful law of His kingdom. It brings His living presence into the hearts of those who seek Him.

You Have Made His Heart Beat Faster
One last thought, and it is a profound reality: Where was the Bridegroom during the time when the bride was searching? Was He aloof, indifferent, sitting detached in Heaven? No, from the beginning, He had been watching, actually longing, for His bride to find Him.

He now speaks: "You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride; you have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes" (Song of Sol. 4:9).

You are His bride. He is returning from Heaven for you! The single glance of your eyes toward Him makes His heart beat faster. Such love is inconceivable. He sees your repentance from sin as your preparation for Him -- His bride making herself ready. He beholds you kneeling, weeping at your bedside. He shares your painful longing. He has been watching. And the bridegroom says, "The glance of your eyes has made my heart beat faster."

The Lord has a promise for His bride. There is coming a fresh baptism of love that will surpass and fulfill all our knowledge of Him. We will know the height and depth, the length and the breadth of His love. While yet here on earth, we will be filled with His fullness. (See Eph. 3:18-19, Amplified).

We have many tasks, even responsibilities, that have come from Heaven. However, the greatest need of our soul is to be with Jesus. The areas of sin in our lives exist simply because we have lived too far from Him. Let us commit our hearts to seeking our God. Let us find Him whom our soul loves and bring Him back to the house of the Lord!

Lord, even now we lift our eyes toward You. Jesus, grace and truth are realized in You. Grant us grace that the truth of this message will change our lives and compel us in unrelenting love to You! In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Adapted from Francis Frangipane's In Christ's Image Training, available at www.icitc.org.

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In Christ's Image Training

Sign up today for our next
In Christ's Image Training.
Online course begins April 2, 2021.
Registration closes March 25, 2021

In Christ's Image Training is a six-month, online course developed by Pastor Frangipane. These are proven truths that break chains and lead to power in our Christian walk.

The course comes right to your home via email and audio messages and is designed to lift one's focus toward the actual presence of Jesus Christ. The full course not only includes 48 lessons and 39 audio messages (sample audio), but the discerning student will actually find the Lord using the weekly lessons to stage opportunities to deepen the truths found in the training.

For those with limited funds, the entire text is free by email. Just enroll in the Free Lesson Plan (new students only please).

Enrollment overview:
1) Go to www.icitc.org and read through the Level I page, FAQ page, Level I Syllabus page and Tuition page.

2) Choose an enrollment plan.

3) Next, complete the Level I Registration form before the end of the day, March 25, 2021.

4) Submit the registration form before closing date.

Class begins April 2, 2021.

For more info, please see www.icitc.org.

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Visit Arrow Bookstore to order
Pastor Francis resources

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A service of Frangipane Ministries, Inc.
Copyright (c) 2021
All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations were taken from the NASB

The Intensifying Presence

We all know the unrepentant world is destined for the Great Tribulation, but as far as the living, praying church is concerned, if we continue to climb toward the standard of Christlikeness, prior to the rapture there will be a season of great glory for true Christians.

In support of this holy goal, let me submit to you an encounter I had with the Lord in 1973. I was pastoring a small church in Hawaii and had been in a month of intense prayer and extended fasting, a time of drawing near to God. At the end of this period, I found myself awakened during the night by a visitation of the Lord. It was not as though I saw His physical features; I saw His glory and was overwhelmed by the intense fire of His presence. Immediately I was like a dead man, unable to move so much as a finger. Spiritually, however, my consciousness was heightened beyond anything I have known since. I was like one of those "living creatures" in the book of Revelation with "eyes around and within" (Rev. 4:8).

With my "inner eyes" I saw the truth about my personal righteousness. Recall, I had been in prayer and fasting; I felt good about myself. Yet suddenly the flaws in my life became unbearably vivid and utterly sinful. My iniquity was not as something I occasionally committed but as something I perpetually was. I saw many times when I could have been more loving or kind or sensitive. I also saw how selfish nearly all of my actions were.

Yet for all that was dark within me, I felt no rebuke from the Lord nor condemnation. No voice came from Heaven to convict me of my wrongs. The only voice condemning me was my own; in the light of His presence, I abhorred myself (Job 42:6 KJV).

Without any buffer of self-justification or deceit, I saw how far short of His glory I truly was. I knew why mankind needed the blood of Christ, and no amount of personal attainment in and of itself could ever make me like Jesus. In the most profound way I understood that only Christ could live like Christ. God's plan was not to improve me but to remove me so that the Lord Jesus Himself could actually live His life through me (Gal. 2:20). In His indwelling would rest my hope of becoming like Him.

Outwardly, with "eyes around," I realized that the electrified atmosphere I felt in my bedroom was actually being broadcast from a very distant reality. Yet, though distant, the emanation of Christ's presence was like a burning fire upon my consciousness. A great procession of heavenly beings was descending through a night sky; I knew that this was a glimpse of Heaven coming to Earth.

In the forefront were angels of every class and order, each group in a splendor all its own. About a third of the way back was the Lord, and behind Him were innumerable saints. Yet I could not see into the depth of the Lord's glory, for those following Him had become part of His being.

The Lord was not only coming to judge the Earth but to fill this world with His glory. Let me repeat that, even though the Lord was far away, the radiance of His presence was a living fire upon my consciousness. The energy was almost painful.

Then, without warning, the procession came closer, not just to me but to our dimension. It was as though a mark in time had been crossed. Instantly I was utterly overwhelmed by the intensity of the Lord's presence. I felt that I could not - no, not for another moment - bear the increase of His glory. It was as though my very existence would be consumed by the blast furnace of His radiance. And in the deepest prayer I have ever uttered, I begged the Lord to return me to my body. Instantly, mercifully, I was cocooned once again in the familiar world of my senses and my bedroom.

Continue reading. . .

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Adapted from Francis Frangipane's In Christ's Image Training, available at www.icitc.org.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

In Christ's Image Training

Sign up today for our next
In Christ's Image Training.
Online course begins April 2, 2021.
Registration closes March 25, 2021

In Christ's Image Training is a six-month, online course developed by Pastor Frangipane. These are proven truths that break chains and lead to power in our Christian walk.

The course comes right to your home via email and audio messages and is designed to lift one's focus toward the actual presence of Jesus Christ. The full course not only includes 48 lessons and 39 audio messages (sample audio), but the discerning student will actually find the Lord using the weekly lessons to stage opportunities to deepen the truths found in the training.

For those with limited funds, the entire text is free by email. Just enroll in the Free Lesson Plan (new students only please).

Enrollment overview:
1) Go to www.icitc.org and read through the Level I page, FAQ page, Level I Syllabus page and Tuition page.

2) Choose an enrollment plan.

3) Next, complete the Level I Registration form before the end of the day, March 25, 2021.

4) Submit the registration form before closing date.

Class begins April 2, 2021.

For more info, please see www.icitc.org.

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Visit Arrow Bookstore to order
Pastor Francis resources

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Use our Mobile-friendly / Printer-friendly version to forward or print this message.

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A service of Frangipane Ministries, Inc.
Copyright (c) 2021
All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations were taken from the NASB.

The Ministries of Francis Frangipane
 

Desperation Produces Change

It is significant that Jesus compared His elect to a widow harassed by an enemy. The image is actually liberating, for we tend to conceptualize the heroes of the faith as David or Joshua types -- individuals whose successes obscure their humble beginnings. But each of God's servants has, like the widow, a former life that is brimming with excuses and occasions to waver.

Look at the widow: She has legitimate reasons to quit, but instead she prevails. Indeed, she refuses to exempt herself from her high potential simply because of her low estate. She makes no apologies for her lack of finances, knowledge or charm. Giving herself no reason to fail, she unashamedly plants her case before the judge where she pleads for and receives what is hers: legal protection from her opponent.

How did a common widow gain such strength of character? We can imagine that there must have been a time when, under the relentless pressure of her adversary, she became desperate, and desperation worked to her advantage. Desperation is God's hammer: it demolishes the stronghold of fear and shatters the chains of our excuses. When our desperation exceeds our fears, progress begins.

Today the force prodding many Christians toward greater unity and prayer has not been the sweetness of fellowship; more often it has been the assault of the enemy. We are in desperate times. When it comes to touching God's heart, other than for a few essential truths, unity of desperation is more crucial than unity of doctrine.

God's Elect
Our nation is suffering from a deep social and moral collapse. If we have ever needed God's anointing, it is now -- but where are God's elect? Where are the people whom Daniel says "know their God" and "will display strength and take action" (Dan. 11:32)?

Is there no one divinely empowered who can fell the Goliaths of our age? Perhaps we are looking in the wrong places. Perhaps we need only to look in our bathroom mirror. If you believe in Jesus and are desperate for God, you qualify as one of God's elect. Remember, in the above parable the widow typifies Christ's chosen.

We have erroneously held that God's chosen will never be assaulted by the adversary, much less driven to desperation and "day and night" prayer. But this desperation is often the very crucible in which the elect of God are forged. Jesus portrays this characteristic metaphorically in the picture of the widow; He reveals the means through which His elect prevail in battle at the end of the age.

When all is said and done, it is also possible that this widow may not have been a singular person but a corporate people -- a "widow church" -- united in Christ in a singular, desperate prayer for protection against her adversary.

We need the "legal protection" that a national revival provides. But it will not come without unceasing prayer. You ask, "Where was the prayer behind the charismatic movement?" The Lord spoke to my heart that the charismatic movement was His answer to the cries of a million praying mothers -- women who refused to surrender their children to drugs and the devil.

It is our turn to pray. We are the widow who cannot give herself a reason for failure; God will answer our day-and-night cry. Let us position ourselves at His throne on behalf of our cities and nations. Certainly, as we persevere in faith, the Lord will grant us legal protection from our enemy.

Heavenly Father, forgive us for our lack of prayer and for giving ourselves excuses to fail. Lord, we thank You for making us desperate. Help us now to prevail, to attain the "legal protection" You have provided us against our adversary. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, The Power of Covenant Prayer, available at www.arrowbookstore.com.

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The Power of Covenant Prayer



Gain the victory over the effect of curses. The section on persevering prayer is a must for anyone serious about attaining Christlikeness. The second part is the conclusion of a teaching on spiritual protection. Powerful insights on the nature of curses and how to walk in spiritual victory and freedom.


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Grace Unveiled
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We've been taught, and rightly so, that grace is God's unmerited favor. Yet it is more. Grace is God's promise to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Learn how to interact and work with the powerful, transforming grace of God. In truth, in every facet of our lives, our progress is the result of faith working with God's grace.

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Copyright (c) 2021
All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations were taken from the NASB.

Goliath Had a Brother
But then, a few weeks or months or perhaps years later, all the old symptoms suddenly return with a vengeance. If you were struggling with an illness, it manifests worse than ever; if your battle was regarding a relationship or a particular sin, it seems as though all progress has been lost. You are back to square one.
Have you ever been there? These negative experiences can drain the faith from your heart. You lose the anticipation and power of faith, and a spiritual paralysis immobilizes your soul. You may still attend church, but your faith is unresponsive. When others testify of deliverance, you worry secretly that they, too, will "lose their healing."
For many, the result is one of faith-shaking disillusionment. Scripture says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Prov. 13:12). This "heartsickness" is a spiritual disease that can cripple your walk with God. Remember, faith is the substance of the things you hope for; if you lose hope, your faith becomes hollow. How can you trust God when it seems as though He let you down? You wonder: "Did I lose my breakthrough, or was I only deceiving myself and never really had it?"
Dear one, it is very possible that what you are experiencing is not a loss of God's blessing but an entirely new spiritual battle. This new war is a very clever and effective deception that Satan uses to try and worm his way back into the lives of those delivered by God.
I had been praying about this very thing, this recurring battle, when the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart: "Goliath had a brother." I was immediately reminded of David's war against the Philistine giant. We all know that David became a great hero by trusting God and defeating Goliath. However, things changed as we see in 2 Samuel 21:

"Now when the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David went down and his servants with him; and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary. Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant . . . intended to kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him" (2 Samuel 21:15-17).
Years after David conquered Goliath as a lad, after he became king he had to face other giants. In fact, 1 Chronicles 20:5 reveals that at least one of those warring against David was "the brother of Goliath," and four were his children (2 Sam. 21:22). We can imagine that these giants, being Goliath's kin, looked like Goliath, boasted like him, dressed like him and probably even smelled like him. The Scripture says that while fighting one of the descendants of Goliath, "David became weary" (2 Sam. 21:15). The Bible is silent as to what might have been going through the king's mind as he battled these giants. Perhaps he wondered, "I thought I killed Goliath. What is he doing back?" But Goliath had not come back; he was dead! David was actually fighting the giant's kin. It just looked like the same battle!
Likewise, you also have had many successful victories. Just because the current giant you are facing looks like one you defeated in the past, do not accept the lie that you never really won the first battle! By the strength of God's grace, you trusted the Almighty and conquered your Goliath. The first giant is dead. Satan is masquerading as your former enemy so he can slip past your shield of faith and thus regain entrance into your life. Resist him. Do not accept the lie that you were never delivered. Stand in faith. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4). The living God who helped you conquer Goliath will empower you to overcome his brother as well.
Father, I come to You as Your servant. Like David, I have become weary with fighting an enemy I thought I had defeated. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, however, I expose the lie that this is the same foe I previously conquered. In Jesus' name, I rebuke the enemy. I ask You, Lord, to send angels to strengthen me supernaturally, just as angels often strengthened Jesus. In the name of the Lord, Amen.
There is a time for peace and a time for war. We are in a war, and you better not put down your weapon or you will become captive to sin, fear or unbelief.
Francis Frangipane tells us that the call of God is a call to war. Yet, the enemy uses human passivity to seduce God's warriors. This book is anointed to help the reader get their fire back. The Holy Spirit is ready to impart a fresh anointing to God's people - an anointing that will activate the "war mode" in the church.
In When the Many Are One, Francis Frangipane demonstrates how Christians of every color, culture, and denomination can work together to transform our communities.
Our best efforts will not stop the flood of problems in our cities if we remain isolated from each other. In a season when external forces are causing disunity and division, Francis Frangipane calls us back to oneness with Christ, and through Him oneness with other Christians. With the character and power of Christ in our midst, the Church can again bring transformation to our communities, our nation, and our world.
 
 

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Breaking the Power of Disappointment
The Enemy's Work
One may argue, "But I know people who were good Christians who have fallen away." Yes, but in most cases you will find that prior to falling away they fell into deep disappointment about a failed spiritual expectation. Disappointment is not just a sad emotional state of mind; deep disappointment actually can sever our hearts from faith. It can "dis-appoint" us from our appointed destiny.
I have known many who were doing well, moving toward their destiny. The future God had for them seemed close enough to taste. Then they became disappointed in someone or something. By accepting a demonically manipulated dis-appointment into their spirits, and letting that event germinate and grow into a disappointment with God, a bitter cold winter overtook their souls and their destiny went dormant.
When one is dis-appointed, he is cut off from his appointment with destiny. Their appointed breakthrough remains in the heart of God, but the individual is isolated by unbelief. Hope deferred has made their heart sick. It is here, even in the throes of disappointment, that the righteous must learn to live by faith (see Hab. 2:1-4).
Listen well my friend: Satan will stop your destiny if you accept the power of disappointment into your life. Disappointment cuts us off from our vision, and without a vision people perish.
Therefore, let me ask you: Are you carrying disappointment in your heart? Renounce it. Forgive those who have let you down. Have you personally or morally failed? Repent deeply and return to your Redeemer. Right now, I ask the Holy Spirit to remove the paralyzing sting of disappointment from your heart! Holy Spirit, deliver your people this day from the effect of the disappointment. Let them know that their appointment with destiny is still set.
There is a time for peace and a time for war. We are in a war, and you better not put down your weapon or you will become captive to sin, fear or unbelief.
Francis Frangipane tells us that the call of God is a call to war. Yet, the enemy uses human passivity to seduce God's warriors. This book is anointed to help the reader get their fire back. The Holy Spirit is ready to impart a fresh anointing to God's people - an anointing that will activate the "war mode" in the church.
In When the Many Are One, Francis Frangipane demonstrates how Christians of every color, culture, and denomination can work together to transform our communities.
Our best efforts will not stop the flood of problems in our cities if we remain isolated from each other. In a season when external forces are causing disunity and division, Francis Frangipane calls us back to oneness with Christ, and through Him oneness with other Christians. With the character and power of Christ in our midst, the Church can again bring transformation to our communities, our nation, and our world.
 
 

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At the Appointed Time
Appointed Time
In spite of escalating turmoil in our world, there still remains one last, great outpouring of mercy before the time of the end (Matt. 24:14; Acts 2:17). This supernatural season is not something for which we must beg God. No, its coming has been predetermined. It is the "appointed time" of the Lord.
An "appointed" or "fixed" time is an open display of the sovereignty and power of God, whether it is in calling a person or calling a nation. In it we discover with absolute certainty that nothing is impossible for God. It is a season when God fulfills the hopes and dreams of His people
As it is written,

"But You, O Lord, abide forever, and Your name to all generations. You will arise and have compassion on Zion; for it is time to be gracious to her, for the appointed time has come" (Ps. 102:12-13).
During an "appointed time" it is as though the Lord physically rises and moves in unfailing compassion on behalf of His people. It is the time when divine promises, dreams and spiritual hopes are fulfilled. Recall: Abraham and Sarah had waited in faith for a quarter-century for the promise of God. Finally, as they neared one hundred years of age, the Lord told Abraham, "At the appointed time I will return to you . . . and Sarah will have a son" (Gen. 18:14). One year later, "at the appointed time" (Gen. 21:2), Isaac was born to aged parents!
While there are, indeed, appointed times of judgment (Mark 13:33), this phrase most frequently represents a time, preset by God, when He invades mankind with "wonders, plans formed long ago, [that unfold] with perfect faithfulness" (Isa .25:1).
Demons may stand arrayed against the Lord; nations may align themselves to fight Him. It does not matter. "He who sits in the heavens laughs" (Ps. 2:4). For He makes all things His servants (Ps. 119:91), even His enemies' plans for evil are reversed and made to serve the purpose of God (Gen. 50:20; Rom. 8:28; Acts 2:22-24).
If God gave you a vision, a spiritual hope or dream for your future, there will be an appointed time when that which God spoke comes to pass. Thus the Lord assures us, "Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time. It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay" (Hab. 2:2-3, italics mine). Though your vision may tarry, wait for it. For it will certainly come to pass at the appointed time.
Appointed Servants of God
Consider the Lord's word to His disciples. He said,
"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain" (John 15:16).
The disciples certainly felt that they had chosen Christ. Yet the deeper truth was that God chose them before the foundation of the world. Likewise, He chose us and predestined us to come to Christ (Eph. 1:3-5). We could not even come to Christ had not the Father drawn us (John 6:44). Yet He who chose us also appointed us to bear fruit. The same power that worked in us our surrender and faith continues to work in our hearts, appointing us to bear fruit. Do you believe God has chosen you? Then believe also that He has appointed you to bear fruit.
There is a time for peace and a time for war. We are in a war, and you better not put down your weapon or you will become captive to sin, fear or unbelief.
Francis Frangipane tells us that the call of God is a call to war. Yet, the enemy uses human passivity to seduce God's warriors. This book is anointed to help the reader get their fire back. The Holy Spirit is ready to impart a fresh anointing to God's people - an anointing that will activate the "war mode" in the church.
In When the Many Are One, Francis Frangipane demonstrates how Christians of every color, culture, and denomination can work together to transform our communities.
Our best efforts will not stop the flood of problems in our cities if we remain isolated from each other. In a season when external forces are causing disunity and division, Francis Frangipane calls us back to oneness with Christ, and through Him oneness with other Christians. With the character and power of Christ in our midst, the Church can again bring transformation to our communities, our nation, and our world.
 
 

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A Place for Him to Rest, Part 1
In the kingdom, there are no great men of God, just humble men whom God has chosen to use greatly. How do we know when we are humble? When God speaks, we tremble. God is looking for a man who trembles at His words. Such a man will find the Spirit of God resting upon him; he will become a dwelling place for the Almighty.
Entering the Sabbath Rest of God

"Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?" ---Isaiah 66:1

God asks for nothing but ourselves. The Lord does not want what we have; He wants who we are. He seeks to create in our hearts a sanctuary for Himself, a place where He may rest.
In the Scriptures this rest is called "a Sabbath rest" (Heb. 4:9). It does not, however, come from keeping the Sabbath, for the Jews kept the Sabbath but never entered God's rest. The Book of Hebrews is plain: Joshua did not give the Israelites rest (vv. 7-8). And after so long a period of Sabbath-keeping, Scripture continues, "So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God" (v. 9).
The question must be asked then, "What is this Sabbath rest?" Let us explore Genesis in pursuit of our answer. "Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work" (Gen. 2:3). Before God rested on the Sabbath, there was nothing special or holy about the seventh day. Had the Lord rested on the third day, then it would have been holy. Rest is not in the Sabbath; it is in God. Rest is a prevailing quality of His completeness.
Revelation 4:6 describes the throne of God as having before it, as it were, "a sea of glass, like crystal." A sea of glass is a sea without waves or ripples, a symbol of the imperturbable calm of God. Let us grasp this point: the Sabbath was not a source of rest for God; He was the source of rest for the Sabbath. As it is written, "The Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired" (Isa. 40:28). And even as the Sabbath became holy when God rested upon it, so we become holy as we put away sin, as the fullness of God settles and rests upon us.
In our study, we are not associating God's rest merely with the sense of being rebuilt or rejuvenated, which we obviously need and associate with human rest. The rest we seek is not a rejuvenation of our energy; it is the exchange of energy: our life for God's, through which the vessel of our humanity is filled with the Divine Presence and the all-sufficiency of Christ Himself.
Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, Holiness, Truth and the Presence of God available at www.arrowbookstore.com.
Enrollment overview:
 
 
 
 

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Your Children Will Return
By Joy Frangipane Marion
[This message was written by Francis' daughter Joy in 1995. We felt that this would be a special encouragement to those who are standing in prayer for (their) children. Currently, Joy and her husband, Steve, have two children. She is a successful businesswoman who continues to be an immense blessing to her parents.]
No one can tell me that fathers and daughters can't have close relationships, or even become best friends. People are almost envious of the love my dad and I share. The only time we argue is about who loves who the most. But our relationship was not always this warm. There was a time when I felt I had lost my ability to love my father. I was a teenage Christian in a public high school. My Christian background made me different. I was new, craving acceptance. My father's rules seemed to be the source of my rejections.
Fueled by my insecurities, in my eyes my dad became the root of my problems. While I set an adequate standard and struggled to live by it, he was strict. I was angry because he refused to back down from the standard he knew was right. He refused to appeal to my ignorance in order to keep my acceptance.
Things were going from bad to worse during those years. We hit bottom the day I looked him square in the eyes and told him that I hated him. They were harsh words, but it was a hard time. I didn't really hate him. I hated me. I felt I wasn't bad enough to be accepted by my friends and not good enough to be accepted at home. When these feelings take over your life, you search for something - - anything -- to blame. I chose my father. He carried the blunt of my pain. He even became my enemy.
In my heart I knew I didn't hate him. I was angry and confused. I felt he wasn't concerned with how I felt. It seemed he had made no room for compromise with my situation. He risked losing my love to save my soul.
It was a hard time for us both. He suffered the pain of rejection as I did. He suffered the hurt and the loss but from a different angle. His fear of the Lord withstood his fear of pain. He loved me, but he had a higher obligation than my favor and my approval. I'm sure at times he wondered if he was doing the right thing. There must have been times when he felt like his prayers were hitting the ceiling and bouncing back at his feet.
At times I'm sure he considered lowering his standards. It would have made things so much easier than wrestling with the power of an independent, strong-willed child. These considerations may have come, but he never gave in to them. He stood firm and prayed harder.
The "prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16 KJV). Many times he cried out to the Lord in anguish and in frustration. "What have I done wrong?" My father has a wonderful ministry to God in prayer. I think I had something to do with the character God worked in him during those days. Before he ever prayed for cities and nations, he was on his face praying for me.
"Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Prov. 22:6). That verse was a promise that he would hold on to. "Your sons and daughters will prophesy" was another promise he stood upon (Joel 2:28). He had given me to the Lord, set a godly standard and held God to His word.
At the same time, I was wrestling with my salvation. My desire to be accepted by my non-Christian friends at school warred against my desire to be with the Lord. James speaks of a double-minded person being unstable in all of their ways (James 1:8). I was completely unstable. I walked on a line between Heaven and hell. I wanted the best of both worlds and was satisfied in neither.
Although I had been brought up in the church, the world had taken its toll on me. My eyes had been blinded to the sin in my own life, further separating me from God and parents. It was so hard for me to see my way out.
When a child is brought up in a Christian home, regardless of what may happen, there is a seed that has been planted in their heart that continues to grow. It's an amazing seed because it can grow in the dark without water; it can even bloom in adversity. The reason we can never outrun God is because He is that seed growing within us. Once you have tasted the presence of the Lord, nothing satisfies you like He can. Sometimes those who seem to be running the hardest from God are doing so because He is so close to them.
On the outside my witness was weak and I was in bondage to my unsaved friends. But inside my heart cried for oneness with the Lord. I hated my double-mindedness as much as my father did. My whole life I wanted strong Christian friends to save the world with me. I wanted the support -- I just never had it. I did the best I could, but I lost my sensitivity to sin, and the more I was with non-Christian people the more deceived I became.
Paul warns us to not be deceived: "For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?" (2 Cor. 6:14 KJV). I didn't realize the impact my unsaved friends had on me. The more I was with them the more I conformed to them. When I look back, I know if my parents had not been praying for me, I would have been on my way to hell.
Sin has a way of moving in and taking control. But "love is as strong as death" and "many waters cannot quench love" (Song of Sol. 8:6, 7). "Love never fails" (1 Cor. 13:8). And prayer is the highest power through which love is released. I had to relearn how to love. My love had become completely self-centered and conditional. I had failed to realize that my father and my Lord loved me unconditionally. I had only to try. I had only to bridge the communication gap to understand that God had loved me before I was even aware of His standards. And my dad loved me for me alone, not for something I had to become.
My relationship with my father is wonderful, and that's the truth. God has proven faithful in the working of both our lives. The Lord has bridged the gap and filled it with love. It took me leaving my environment and being planted with Christian people who faithfully loved me. It also took my will to change, but it did happen.
Listen, please don't give up on your teenagers. Don't sacrifice God's standards of righteousness to appeal to their carnal nature. They can't respect you for it and God won't honor it. Your children were not consecrated to Satan; they were dedicated to the Lord. He has had His hand on them and He will not forget them. He has heard your prayers and He is faithful to your cries. He is your God.
Prayer works. I'm living proof of it. I look back now and see how many times nothing but the miraculous dedication of loving parents took me out of hopeless situations. The Lord will not forsake His children. He will not turn His back on them. We are never too far from His reach. Believe the promises of the Lord. He is not a liar. He honors a steadfast heart. Hold on. Your children will come back to the Lord.
Adapted from Francis Frangipane's In Christ's Image Training course - www.icitc.org.
Enrollment overview:
 
 

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Standing Behind Our Wall
The sense of distance we often feel between Christ and ourselves is an illusion. As we enter the days prior to Christ's Second Coming, the Lord shall begin to remove that falsehood. Indeed, He promises, "In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you" (John 14:20).
The Scriptures tell us that Christ is the vine, we are the branches; He is the head, we are His body; He is the Lord and we are His temple. From start to finish, the Bible declares the Lord not only has a dwelling in Heaven, but that He also abides perpetually in redemptive union with His people. The ever-present focus of His activity is to guide us into oneness with Himself.
Thus, for all that the Holy Spirit has come to establish in our lives, whether through gifts, virtue or power, His highest purpose is to lead us into the presence of Jesus. The Holy Spirit labors ceaselessly to establish intimacy between ourselves and the Lord Jesus. Someone once said that intimacy means "into-me-see." This holy transparency fills the letters and words of the Bible with the heartthrob of God. Like sheep, we actually hear the Shepherd's voice speaking to our spirits, bringing comfort, correction and direction (see John 10:27).
Not only are we privileged to know Christ's teachings, He is so close to us in spirit that we can discern the tone of His voice as He instructs us. This is heart-to-heart intimacy.
Listen to His wonderful promise: "I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep" (John 10:14-15).
Jesus says, "I know My own, and My own know Me." How intimate is this relationship? The union between Christ and our hearts is of the same nature as His union with the Father. He explains, "even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father."
Yet, the sense of distance between Jesus Christ and us persists. You may have prayed, "Lord, You said You are with us forever but I feel alone. I cannot perceive You." If Christ is within us, how can we find the living flame of His presence?
In the Song of Solomon, this quest to find the secret place of His presence is given wonderful expression. The bride says, "Listen! My beloved! Behold, he is coming, climbing on the mountains, leaping on the hills! My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag" (Song of Sol. 2:8-9).
This is our Lord, full of vitality! He is "climbing on the mountains, leaping on the hills." To see Him on mountains, though, is to behold Him from afar. He is still distant. How do we live in a moment-by-moment sense of His indwelling presence? We still ask, "Where within me are You, Lord, within me?"
The bride continues,
"Behold, he is standing behind our wall, he is looking through the windows, he is peering through the lattice" (Song of Sol. 2:9).
Yes, Christ dwells within us, but He is standing behind our "walls." The walls between us and the Savior are primarily the work of unrenewed minds and hardened hearts. We have barricaded ourselves behind fears and carnal attitudes; we are held hostage by sin and worldly distractions.
Yet these barriers can be eliminated. To the degree they are removed, we possess functional oneness with Christ and experience true spiritual advancement.
Removing The Walls
Even now, let us pursue the removal of these barriers. How? Imagine that, even as you are reading, the Lord Himself has quietly entered a nearby room. You look, and suddenly the room is vibrant and alive, shimmering with waves of light. Instantly, your senses are flooded with His holy presence as the living, probing light enters you and descends into your heart. The darkness that shrouded your inner sin nature is gone and your heart is exposed.
My first question: Knowing that Jesus Christ is in the room, would you enter?
If you could not bring yourself to move toward the room, what would be your reason? If it is because you feel you have failed the Lord too many times, then shame has become a "wall" between you and Christ. If fear keeps you distant, then fear is the barrier between God and you; if an unrepentant heart is keeping you from intimacy with Christ, then heart hardness is your cause of isolation.
Remember, the pure in heart see God (see Matt. 5:8). If we repent of our wrong attitudes and sins; if, instead of shame and fear, we clothe ourselves with the garments of praise and salvation, the barriers between ourselves and the Lord can be removed.
But let me ask you a second question: How would you enter Christ's presence? It is my opinion that we would not pick up tambourines and dance into His glory. No. When the greatest apostles and prophets beheld Him, His presence caused each to fall face down as a dead man before Him. For me, it would be with great trembling that I would approach the room of His presence. I would inch my way closer.
How can we break the sense of distance between ourselves and Christ? In the same way we would repent of sin and shame before entering the room, let us turn our gaze toward His living glory. In trembling obedience, let us enter the fire of His presence for, in truth, He is closer than the room next door. He is, even now, standing behind our wall.
Lord Jesus, I remove the wall created by my fears, sin, and shame. Master, with all my heart I desire to enter Your glory, to stand in Your presence and love You. Receive me now as I bow before Your glory.
Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, I Will Be Found by You, available at www.arrowbookstore.com.
 
 
[size=undefined]This is the first book ever written by Pastor Francis. The truths in this book have stirred men to revivals. It is a penetrating study of the human heart and how God prepares it for His glory.[/size]
 
 
 
 

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