What The Lord Said To Me Today
12/02/2000
PROPHECY
The Lord: Found---The Low, Spreading Tree


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I had a beautiful day today! I hope it was the same for all of you. I know that cannot be possible, for certainly some are suffering now. Indeed, some whom I know very well are enduring hard things. But, as for me, today was thoroughly enjoyable and restorative.

Earlier in the day, it was just as wonderful to receive a telephone call from my pastor. The hour long conversation, well, I thank the Lord for it, and for him as well. During that conversation, the Lord spoke two scriptures to me. They are Romans 10:19-20 and Ezekiel 17:22-24.

"But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias (Isaiah) is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me."

I have been around people for the last three or four years who have been talking about and studying out the third day ministry. Some of them have been trying to bring it on early, trying to force their way into it, or so it has seemed to me. They have been running to prophetic conference after prophetic conference, joining prophetic clubs, meeting with the local prophets, etc.....and they invited me to go along. I would go to one meeting...and that's it. I didn't go back.

Why? I couldn't stand it! Too many prophets! Too many words! Not enough Jesus for me!

A couple of ministers have been after me to read books by Kelly Varner on the third day. I never got around to it. I have not sought this third day ministry. But it has sought me, and it found me too.

I wonder what the reaction will be as some, who have been in my circle of acquaintance, encounter the "new me". Will they be "provoked to jealousy"? Will they be angry because I found the Lord and he brought me across the third day bridge, while I was not looking for it. Will they say, Lord, it should have been me. Why did you promote Steve? He didn't even want it. He wasn't beating down your door for it.

I feel like a gentile, saved all over again, with nothing to say on my own behalf. The Lord has simply done this thing! This promotion. Why? What did I do?

Well, I told my pastor today that I simply could not hang around with all those prophetic people all the time. I had to be with some people who just loved Jesus. I just wanted to focus on Jesus, and I was not going to let prophecy become more important than him. So, if it meant losing my focus on Jesus, I was not going to run with the prophetic crowd.

Yes, I've known for years that I had been set by the Lord in His church as a prophet, but I felt the need to be in my church many times a week with the saints God has placed me with, rather than running from conference ot conference.

The other thing I did was years ago: in 1992. I did complete a 40 day water fast in prayer for this anointing. I simply had no idea how it would manifest.

So, in the process of hanging on tightly to Jesus, he led me across the third day bridge that I wasn't even looking for and wasn't even all that aware of until I had crossed over it. I read in Bill Burn's vision of the third day bridge,that it had handrails, and it was narrow, so you have to hold on with both hands. I can tell you, I must have walked across that bridge with eyes closed, holding on with both hands: to Jesus!

Now, the other scripture:

Exekiel 17:22-24

"Thus saith the Lord God; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar; and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. And all the trees of th field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish; I the LORD have spoken and have done it."

I prophesied this scripture over our church on the day of one of it's first Sunday meeting in 1994. We were to be a low spreading tree, without one man preeminent, but Jesus Christ lifted up in our midst, to the highest place.

I told my pastor today that if someone comes in to our assembly to cause mischief: a witch or sorcerer, he or she will have a hard time determining who is the most important from appearances. We have become that low spreading tree. We have become that goodly cedar. The canopy for shade has been formed. All we wait for now is the fowl of every wing that will seek shelter there. When will they seek shelter? In the storm.

The storm is coming soon. And many of you are in the wrong church, but you know where the right one is. You left the right one years ago and now you are in a wrong one. You need to go back. You had better get yourself under the canopy of shade of that goodly cedar as quickly as you can and pick out a good branch for your family to roost on. Get yourself back to the place where Jesus put you.

Those of you who are in the right church, and you know in your spirit that you are in the right church: don't let your soul or any person or devil talk you into leaving there for some more attractive sticks and bricks.

Thank you Lord Jesus, from the bottom of my heart, for this day and for all you have done for us. You've given us life,and gifts and promotions we haven't even looked for. You care for the details of our daily lives. You love us so. I love you Lord. Thank you!

Stephen L. Bening
a servant and prophet of our Lord Jesus Christ

Email to Stephen L. Bening Financial Ministries: gammadim@bellsouth.net