Planet of the Apes by Janice Seney  (Art by Lisamarie Carey)

In 1968 the first release of the movie "The Planet of the Apes" hit the theaters in America.   It was an amazing Sci-Fi for that time.  The apes had become civilized and human beings were nothing more than animals.   The human beings lacked intelligence and the ability to speak.  the apes were educated and ruled over the humans.  The roles had totally reversed. 

Charlton Heston starred as an astronaut whose space ship lands on this strange planet and is captured by the apes.   some ape scientist want to research this strange creature that could speak.  Others were afraid and simply wanted to destroy him. 

God's Modern Day Parable

God loves to give us insight, wisdom, revelation, etc. through parables.   Jesus through parables shared great mysteries that had been kept secret from the foundations of the world. 

Many times God will give me a major revelation though a quick picture parable flashing across my mind.  Such was the ase the day a quick flash of a scene from the movie, The Planet of the Apes, crossed my mind.  I had no reason to be thinking about the movie.  It came out of no where.

Instantly, I recognized that God must be trying to talk to me so I asked,  "OK God, what are you trying to tell me?"  With my inside ears I heard an immediate reply.  God said with a chuckle in His voice,  "Janice, anytime you allow your head to rule over your spirit man, it looks like a scene from The Planet of the Apes from my perspective."

I laughed out loud but at the same time I was amazed at the power of the truth God had just showed me.

The Forbidden Zone

In the planet of the apes, there was a territory called, The Forbidden Zone.  In this part of the planet lay truths about the human race that the apes did not want to discover because it would have challenged everything with which they were familiar.

In modern day Christianity, we have a forbidden zone.  it is the supernatural spirit dimension.  It was in that realm that we were born again, baptized in the Holy Spirit, given spiritual gifts, power, miracles, signs, and wonders.  but it is a zone with which our heads are not comfortable. 

In some Christian denominations, the supernatural spirit zone is a forbidden zone.  Many churches will not welcome you in their midst if you believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues.  Even churches that believe in the supernatural don't want it openly displayed in their services because it might offend someone. 

From God's perspective we have put the lesser (the soul realm - mind and emotions) ruler over the greater (the spirit man).  Christianity looks a lot like the planet of the apes.  We might research the spirit realm.  We might study about the gifts of the spirit but it is often too threatening to our familiar zone to allow the spirit man to rise up and rule over the natural man.

The Forbidden Zone Holds Our Future

The supernatural spirit dimension of God holds the answers for our future.  If you have noticed, our society is rapidly running out of answers.  The key to the future is hidden in the "forbidden zone" of the spirit.  We must fight our ruler heads and run for the spirit realm.  We must long to seek out and explore this territory that is our birth right in Christ.  We are spirit beings and our life id hidden in Christ in that realm.

Galatians 5:25 (NKJV)  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

(The Message)  Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. 

Pure Praise 

by:Janice Seney   Art by: Lisamarie Carey

I recently had opportunity to offer the following insight to a dear friend of mine who is living in a painful season of life.  I believe it will also help others so I decided to share it with you. 

There are seasons in our lives when we are given a rare opportunity to offer the purest praise.   This happens in seasons that are painful and dark yet we choose to praise God for Who He is even though in our own lives there is suffering.  

Note that I did not say we praise Him for the hard place or the bad thing that is happening or has happened.  We praise Him for Who He is!!!

Pure praise offered in those seasons happens as a sheer act of the will.   That is the reason it is so pure.  By choice praise is given to God because He is worthy at all times to receive praise. 

These opportunities only come a few times in our lives and we can miss it if we focus on the problem or the pain.   Jesus offered God praise in the midst of hell itself.  Pure praise!!   

Surrender to praise.  Let the Holy Spirit flow through you and develop your ability to praise God at all times.   More is accomplished than you can imagine.   It is something that has impact on a very large scale not just on the individual level.   

Maybe you are in one of those hard painful seasons.    Don't miss the opportunity to be an instrument of pure praise.     Heaven and earth are impacted by the praise you offer in that moment.   

May the Holy Spirit give you grace to offer God praise for Who He is.

A smile is the simplest form of rejoicing in the Lord.  In the Bible there are several words that are all translated rejoice.  In the original language they mean everything from spin around with great energy, let out a loud sound, to simply brighten up.  

I recently did an experiment of simply choosing to smile even though my emotions did not feel like smiling.   I was amazed at how a simple smile changed the entire atmosphere around me.   Even when I am home alone, everything changes when I smile.  

So rejoice in the Lord today.... choose to put a smile on your face!

Individual Value

by: Janice Seney
God did not call us to conformity.  He called us to individuality that uniquely fits together making a whole. 

Gems For Thought

by Janice Seney

Art by Lisamarie Carey

If you don't fill the void with truth, identity, and vision then the void will be filled by your enemy or the world.   

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If you don't label it what it is then the enemy will mislabel it. 

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Anytime a person moves from the position that God has given them in Jesus Christ (loved and accepted) then they leave themselves open for the enemy to bombard them with accusations of failure and lack.

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If all Ben Franklin had done was show people how to stand in a lightening field and have their  kite struck by lightening then we would not have electricity today.    

Comment: God is not calling you to just experience His power, He is calling you to become a safe, ordinary conduit of His power.    Which would you rather have - volts of electricity knocking you off your feet or electricity flowing through an ordinary cord to light and power your home.      

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God is looking for modern day Ben Franklins who will seek out His power and then with wisdom and skill develop strategy for safely releasing that power to accomplish the needed task before them. 

Flying Boat Dream

This is an amazing prophetic dream given to me March 20, 2008.   

In my dream I was looking up at the sky and I saw a blue and white boat flying through the sky.  I was amazed because boats don't fly.  It was a cabin cruiser and a man and a woman were on the deck.   Off at a great distance there was a large fleet of these boats.  It reminded me of space ships waiting to invade. 

I turned my attention back to the lone boat that was closer to the earth.  It began to descend at a steep angle.  It was obvious that the people could not stay on the deck during such a steep decline.   I was afraid that the couple would fall off.   At first I thought the man and woman did fall off the boat but then I realized that they jumped off the boat.  I was startled and thought, "They are going to die."   Instead they floated down to the earth and when their feet landed on the ground they were giants.  They were like a 2 or 3 story tall building.  They walked over and sat down on a ledge overlooking the landscape. 

INTERPRETATION

As things began to descend toward destruction,  people will need to choose to take steps of faith.   There are people who by faith are stepping out of the boat to walk in the supernatural realm of God.  They will be giants in the land.  Giants of faith.   There is a coming invasion of the earth by these giants of faith.   It will be teams made up of men and women and/or husbands and wives.   From their positions they will oversee vast territory and see the overall landscape in the natural and spirit realm.   From God's perspective they will be seated in authority over the territory before them. 

Obedience

Obedience

 by: Janice Seney

Oh me!  Oh my! 

I cry.

Lord you want me to obey?

Oh Lord

Not today.

Maybe soon.  Very soon.

Obedience!

That's not in my plan.

I hope you will understand.

Now Lord,

If you will just listen,

I've got some great ideas.

But Lord,

Why?

All I want to do is please.

Obedience?

Me?

You really do expect it don't you?

Father God, 

I cry for mercy and grace

To help me obey you this day.

But Lord,

I just want you to know

Obedience is not the modern way.

Written December 23, 1992