Institutional Christianity: No Praise for Sons

The Institution vs. The Apostolic Today’s Focus: Features of Institutional Christianity: No Praise for Sons Scripture: 1 Samuel 18:6-8 Greetings Sons of God: After David came back with the head of Goliath to Saul, all Saul could ask is who is this youth? Saul had no praise for David and the victory over Goliath. Now what does happen is the institutional church begins to adopt another spirit when the sons of God are victorious and advancing. Let me show you this in Scripture: 1 Samuel 18:6-9: And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands. And Saul WAS VERY WROTH, AND THE SAYING DISPLEASED HIM; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day forward. Now what do we see here. Here we have the women of the cities coming out sending praise to David and ascribing that David has had more victories than Saul. Saul became angry and saw David as a threat to his rule and sought to kill David from that day forward. What are we saying about the institutional church? The institutional church has no praise for sons. They develop a spirit of jealousy when the sons of God are advancing and victorious over the enemy. The institutional church sees sons as a threat to their rule. The institutional church will run them out because they will defy tradition and men’s rules and regulations and trust God an in doing that, when they have victory, the people will turn from the institution and to the grace of God resident within a man. The result will be the children of the institution will realize that they are not Pharaoh’s daughter’s son and will ultimately flee to the wilderness. In their flight to the wilderness, there they will learn about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and come into their true identity as sons of God. In the next message I want to show you the promise of sons in the scripture and the importance of understanding your sonship. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Institutional Christianity: Cannot Recognize Sons Within Its Own House

The Institution vs. The Apostolic Today’s Focus: Features of Institutional Christianity: Cannot Recognize Sons within its Own House Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:55 Greetings Sons of God: Now we know that David is the son within Saul’s house. With a resume like David, you would wonder, how could you not recognize a son within the house? Well we know that even though David ministered to Saul and Saul put his armour on David, after David comes back from the victory over Goliath, Saul did not recognize David. David represents the spirit of sonship. If we really examine the state of the church then we should be able to clearly see how Saul (institutional church) cannot recognize David (sonship). Let’s examine some reasons why: 1. The institutional church is too pre-occupied with self. The institutional church is too pre-occupied with keeping their rules and regulations and raising up disciples to themselves. 2. They see sons as youth! This one is a major problem. They cannot recognize maturity. They base maturity on age, not fruit. I cannot tell you the number of times I have heard “He can’t because he is not old enough” when it comes to ministry. I guess we have forgot about Jeremiah and king Josiah?? 3. They see sons as slaves. Now they may not say this to you but as long as you are doing what they call “ministry” then you are doing a good work and God will bless you. However if you do not do what “they perceive” ministry is, then God is not pleased with you. To the institutional church maturity is someone doing their work called ministry and doing it well and not what true maturity is which is Christ being formed in you. The end-result of the failure of the institutional church to recognize sons is that the son leaves. Many people who have come to the revelation of the House of God has left the house of Saul for the house of David. They have left the institutional church for the House of God and their life in sonship. Over time as these sons leave, the institutional church will eventually die due to no sons being available to carry on the work. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Institutional Christianity: Cannot Recognize the Working of the Holy Spirit in a Son

The Institution vs. The Apostolic Today’s Focus: Features of Institutional Christianity: Cannot Recognize the Working of the Holy Spirit in a Son. Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:18; 17:45 Greetings Sons of God: 1 Samuel 16:18: Then answered one of the servants and said, behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, AND THE LORD IS WITH HIM. One of the features of the institutional church is that they cannot recognize the working of the Holy Spirit within a son. A true son recognizes the working of the Holy Spirit and gives all the credit and glory to God. He does not trust in his or her own ability. When Saul tried to put on his armor on David to go fight Goliath. David realized that this armour is not proven and would just weigh him down but he knew that God is with him. Now when David confronted Goliath these are the words he spoke. Now please pay attention because this is so powerful when the Spirit of God is speaking through a son to the enemy. 1 Samuel 17:45: Then said David to the Philistine, thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear, and with a shield: BUT I COME TO THEE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF THE ARMIES OF ISRAEL, WHOM THOU HAST DEFIED. David recognized that he could not beat Goliath except the Lord be with him. Notice that David did not go in the name of Saul but in the name of the Lord. Sons point all of the credit to the one who gives them the ability to defeat the enemy and that is the Lord. When David went back to Saul, Saul could still not see David as being anointed by the Lord. All he can see is a youth! So many of our older believers and when I state older, I am speaking of older in natural age, find it hard to see the Lord doing phenomenal and great things through people younger than them. Moreover, because we are speaking about the institutional church they cannot see the working of the Holy Spirit within the son. Funny, when Saul enquired about David he was told that the Lord is with David. Even though he knew that when David was victorious in battle he was too blind to see the Lord working in him then. In the next message we will see how the institutional church cannot recognize sons within its own house. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Features of Institutional Christianity: Ascribes Greatness to Fathers

The Institution vs. The Apostolic Today’s Focus: Features of Institutional Christianity: Ascribes Greatness to Fathers, Not Sons. Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:55 Greetings Sons of God: 1 Samuel 17:55: And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. One of the features of institutional Christianity is the fact that the institutional church ascribes greatness to fathers, not sons. David was employed by Saul and Abner and after the victory over Goliath, Saul asked the question “Whose son is this youth?” So what is Saul’s question? Who is your father? The institutional church looks for the father, not the son. In other words, the institution looks for the institution of the student and not the student of the institution. You are good because of the institution you come from. You are validated by the institution. This acceptance of validation from the institution is mostly due to low self-esteem. What happens to most people, not all, the institution caters to some desire of the people. When the institution offers that thing that appeases the people then they ascribe to making the person and the person feels some debt of gratitude or service to the institution and as the institution continues to make the person like them eventually he institution can then say: “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased”. We are called to be sons of God and not the slaves to an institution. You are called to serve your Father as a child of His Household and bring the rule (Kingdom) of God to the earth. The spirit of Saul, institutional Christianity seeks to know who you come from and not who you are. In the next message we will look at another feature of institutional Christianity. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Institutional Church: Failure to Recognize Sons Part 2

The Institution vs. The Apostolic Today’s Focus: Institutional Church: Failure to Recognize Sons Part 2 Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:38,39 Greetings Sons of God: 1 Samuel 17:38-39: And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said to Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them and David put them off him We are continuing our message on the failure for the institutional church to recognize the sons within the house. One of the things the institutional church does is it puts its armour on you. In this situation we see Saul trying to arm David for the battle with Goliath. Now David puts on Saul’s armour and realizes that this has not been proven and he cannot wear it. The institutional church seeks to put their armour on the sons of God. The institutional church cannot recognize anything outside of those garments or trappings they put on you. In other words, instead of being a disciple of Christ, you become a disciple of the institution and all the institution can do is produce photocopies of themselves. We as the sons of God are not photocopies of any institution. Sonship is not the manisfestation of an old order but it is of the patent son, Jesus Christ. The institution produces clones, not sons. It has a distressing spirit. Many within the institution are merely playing the harp of Saul. God is adjusting the structure and dismantling altars. In the institutional church you are viewed as Pharaoh’s daughter’s son and the Father is saying to the institutional church: “Let my people go”! Now remember when Pharaoh did not let God’s people go, He sent the plagues against Egypt and Pharoah. He sent, frogs, lice and remember the water was turned to blood. Water is a picture of the Word of God and by the water being turned to blood, it is a picture of the word that is being preached not being palatable or able to be eaten. God will kill the firstborn. This is a picture of firstborn being separated from God by the children being turned over to drugs, many foreign gods, grow up hating the church and will mix with the occult. The institution cannot produce sons. Their best product is Jonathon (Saul’s son) who does a few things but ends up dying with the old order. The institution has issues with sonship. In the next message we will look at features of Institutional Christianity. You do not want to miss this because many of us are sitting in Saul’s house playing the harp for him and wearing his armour. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Institutional Church: Failure to Recognize Sons Part 1

The Institution vs. The Apostolic Today’s Focus: Institutional Church: Failure to Recognize Sons Part 1 Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:55-58; 1 Samuel 16:17-23 Greetings Sons of God: 1 Samuel 17:55-58: And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain on the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. And the king said, Enquire thou whose so the stripling is. And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said unto him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. Now we will be using this scripture a lot to draw these next set of messages. Now after David came back from the slaughter of Goliath, Saul enquires about him through Abner and when David approached Saul, he did not recognize him because he said “Whose son is this youth?” Now something is very weird about this story because earlier David was introduced to Saul and Abner gave him a detailed resume. 1 Samuel 16:17,18: And Saul said unto his servants, provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him. Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse and said Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep. Now if you read this properly you would think, now wait, Saul asked for a musician and when David was suggested Saul sent for him. However, when the same David slew Goliath and brought his head back to Saul, Saul and Abner did not know David. The spirit within the Institutional church does not recognize sons. Saul employed David because of his qualifications. What was his qualifications? He is cunning in playing (musician), mighty valiant man, man of war, prudent in matters (speech), comely person and MOST OF ALL, THE LORD IS WITH HIM! Now who would not want someone around them like this? Saul loved David and made David his armourbearer(1 Sam. 17:21). David found favor in Saul’s sight (1 Sam. 17:22) but watch this: Saul had an evil spirit and it was a distressing spirit. Now when that distressing spirit would arise, David would play a harp with his hand and Saul would be refreshed and the evil spirit would depart from Saul (1 Sam. 17:23). Please pay attention because for many of us we are in this position and the spirit of Saul (Institutional church) portrays this concept: The distressing spirit with Saul opened his ears to David’s harp but closed his eyes to the son in the house. Saul can accept the ministry of deliverance but not the ministry of sonship. We will continue this message for the sake of time in the next message. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Goliath of this Season

The Institution vs. The Apostolic Today’s Focus: The Goliath of this Season Scripture: Malachi 4:5,6; Ephesians 6; Matthew 21 Greetings Sons of God: We know that the way the sons of God will be restored to the House of God and back in dominion in the earth is by the spirit of Elijah by the restoration of the father/son model (Malachi 4:5,6) and of course upon the father/son model, Jesus will be carried into the city (Matthew 21). Now for the second part of that, in Matthew 21 remember the colt and ass that was loosed to carry the Lord into Jerusalem? Jesus was riding on both the colt and ass and they represent the father/son model, two generations working together to carry the Lord into the city. Now, anything that prevents this model from going forth is the Goliath of this season. That Goliath is the institutional church. Please pay attention and do not misinterpret what is about to be said: We have not been put on this earth to fight flesh and blood. In other words we do not war with the people of the institution but what we do war against is the institutional altars that have been built that suppress the maturity of the saints. The Scriptures (Ephesians 6) say, we wrestle not against flesh and blood but Deuteronomy 7:5 says we should destroy their altars and break down their images, cut down their groves and burn their graven images. Now we do this through repentance and the Word of God, not just in speech but in the word becoming flesh. Now let me lay this out so that in the subsequent messages we will be able to show you the difference between the apostolic and the institution. Institutional Altars are: 1. Human Inventions 2. Sons of traditions 3. Declare superiority over the Word of God by their rules and regulations The Institutional church cannot produce sons. Let me repeat! The institutional church cannot produce sons. A great example of this is people, in particular when leadership switch churches. When they leave they almost leave with no conscience. They do not see you as sons but as members and so to move from church to church is fine. There is not a spiritual connection between the leader and the church that would hold that leader in place to mature the sons. Ultimately people’s allegiance to the church depends upon the pastor because when the pastor leaves, they leave also or when a new pastor comes, they leave because they do not like the “choice”. In the next message we will look at David and Saul and begin to show you this picture in scripture. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Blessing of Sons

The Institution vs. The Apostolic Today’s Focus: The Blessing of Sons Scripture: Psalm 127 Greetings Sons of God: I personally love this Psalm because it declares that the Lord must build the house and we did and entire teaching series on Psalm 127 but for this message we will use what we need to show the blessing of having sons. Psalm 127:3: Lo children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is His reward. It is an absolute blessing to have sons born into the family. Now this can apply naturally but moreover we know that this is an eternal reality. For those sons that have matured and the Father has found favor with them, He gives them sons to bring them to maturity. The reward of the Lord comes from his womb and that is sons. God does not say that members or lay-people are his reward. He said sons. Now watch what happens with these sons. Psalm 127:4: As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. When we examine this, it says that the children are arrows. So if they are the arrows then the fathers are the warriors that are there to craft them and mold them so that they maybe used. This crafting and molding is fathering and maturing. It involves some pain, suffering, smoothing but it is all in love so that the arrows are sharp and when they are used they will hit the intended target and have an immediate impact. Keep in mind the Lord is still talking about sons. Psalm 127:5: Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. Now it says happy is the man that hath a quiver full of them. Now we know a quiver is the case that holds the arrows. It is a blessing to have sons within the household. With proper fathering and maturity when these sons are matured and deployed, the father will not be ashamed because they will, the sons, speak with the enemy in the gate. So it is the sons that should speak with the enemy at the gate. The Institutional church has no sons. Fathers must leave their posts to tend at the gate because there are no sons. This is why proper modeling is so crucial in this season. It has to be fathers and sons. Malachi 4:5,6 says that by the spirit of Elijah, the hearts of the fathers are turned to the sons and the sons to the fathers. In addition when the Lord was riding on the donkey and colt into Jerusalem, He was riding on both of them. The donkey and the colt represent two generations working together to bring the Lord into the city. Those two generations are father and son. In the next message we will look at the Goliath of this season. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

New Teaching Series: The Institution vs. Sonship - Introduction

The Institution vs. Sonship Today’s Focus: Introduction Scripture: Ephesians 3:2 Greetings Sons of God: In studying this topic, I cannot begin to stress the importance of honesty and self-examination that will be required to receive what is about to be taught. Revelation from the Holy Spirit is mandatory in understanding this topic because for many, they are blind to the difference and the difference makes all the difference in the world in your maturity in Christ. In this series we will look at the story of Saul and David to understand this. In the previous series we left off with this statement and let me restate that here: The spirit of Saul represents the spirit of Institutional Christianity Hence if we are making that statement, then the house of David represents the Apostolic and spirit of Sonship. The story of Saul and David is more than David and Goliath and David being God’s anointed and chosen king over Israel. It is much more than that. In the next set of messages we will show you how the picture of the institutional church cannot bring sons to maturity and its deficits and how those that are within the house of Saul must learn to migrate to the house of David. The heavens open up for the sons of God. Dominion is given to the sons of God, not slaves. Sons are builders of their family name. There is a deep difference between being the son of the institution and the son of an apostolic spiritual father. Local churches MUST be built on the model of fathers and sons because grace is imparted through this model. The Institutional church cannot impart grace. Grace comes by a person (Ephesians 3:2) and that person is a spiritual father. So you must connect to a spiritual father in order for grace to be imparted to you. This is not Catholicism and you cannot base this on your experience with your own biological father. This patent must be derived from the Scriptures. So everything that we will say and show will be stated through the Scriptures and I pray the Holy Spirit break chains, sensitize dull ears and open blinded eyes so that the sons of God can come to the House of God and live their predestined lives as sons and not slaves. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Household Gathering Tonight: Living in the Spirit - Building Godly Relationships and Marriages

Tonight at 6:30pm EST (5:30 Central) the Household of Calhoun will be starting a teaching series on "Living in the Spirit: Building Godly Relationships and Marriages". Whether you are single or married it is time for you to understand your role as a single person in Christ as well as your role in a marriage Ordained by Christ and lead by Christ. Of course, if you desire to come to the house, call and let me know or if you desire to join us via Conference Call: 712-432-3066 Code: 213301. When we understand who we are, why we are and our roles as individuals then marriages will last a lifetime and righteous children will be raised to advance the House and Kingdom of God in the Earth.

Transitioning from the House of Saul to the House of David

The Hebron Concept Today’s Focus: Transitioning from the House of Saul to the House of David Scripture: 1 Chronicles 10:12-14; 13:1-3 Greetings Sons of God: 1 Chronicles 10:12-14: They arose, all the valiant men and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days. So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the Word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it and enquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse. In our previous messages in this series we talked about how David loved Saul even unto death and when he reached this point of maturity, he was able to advance to Hebron. Now notice that Saul and his sons were buried in a place called Jabesh which means ashamed, confused or disappointed, to dry up or whither away. Saul’s house had fallen due to his transgressions against the Lord. After this the Lord handed the kingdom over to David, the son of Jesse. Now let me say this here and in the next series we will elaborate: The house of Saul or spirit of Saul is the spirit of the Institutional church Please keep that in mind because in the next message we will elaborate but look how the scripture ends. It says the kingdom was handed over to David the son of Jesse. What is this saying? The Kingdom of God is arranged in a patriarchal model of fathers and sons and the Father has always intended to place His Son King to rule over His House and Holy Nation. It will be on the model of fathers and sons that the Father builds the Nation. But it will be at this position in the spirit called Hebron where the Holy Nation will unite and inaugurate Jesus Christ the King over this Holy Nation now watch this: 1 Chronicles 13:1-3: And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds and with every leader. And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it see good unto you, and that it be of the Lord our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us: And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul This is the picture of the gathering of Israel together at Hebron but more over a return of the Ark of the Covenant to Israel. What does this mean? Remember in our previous teaching series “The Ark of the Covenant and House of God” we said the Ark of the Covenant are the principles we are to live by in order to guarantee the presence of the Lord. Remember Israel went no where without the Ark leading them. Inside the Ark we know were three items which represent three crucial principles: 1. Golden Pot of Manna – Grace of God 2. Aaron’s Rod – Theocratic Leadership 3. Tablets of the Covenant – Covenant of Sonship Everything is starting to come together or consolidate in this place called Hebron. 2013 will be a crucial year for the House of God because we will begin to see the consolidation and joining of the House of God into the Holy Nation. We know that the Holy Nation is 12 spiritual tribes which are made up of clans, which are made up of households headed by fathers. In the next teaching series we will examine how the spirit of Saul is the spirit of the Institutional church and how it is mandatory that we migrate to the house of David because the grace of God is in the model of fathers and sons and it is the sons of God that dominion is given to, not the slaves of Saul. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Building True Alliances

The Hebron Concept Today’s Focus: Building True Alliances Scripture: 1 Chronicles 11:1,2 Greetings Sons of God: 1 Chronicles 11:1,2; Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying Behold we are thy bone and thy flesh. And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the Lord thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel. The scripture says that all Israel gathered themselves unto David unto Hebron. True alliances cannot be built by organizing, advertising, summoning or inviting. In the Body of Christ, true alliances are formed by the Spirit of God and through the grace in a man as the set man or father over a household. Congregations can be built when the leader is amongst the sheep and he has an intimate relationship with them. And like a true shepherd the father of the household is given grace to move people or lead them to a single location. These people who have formed an true alliance will be attracted to the grace within the father or leader of the household. The culture of family and love must be present. Now I know this is a little wordy but let’s look back at the scripture to prove it. First, we know Hebron is the place of joining and the gathering of all Israel to David was to unite the nation and become one corporate man. Now the people acknowledged that David was God’s anointed because they confessed in verse 2 that even though Saul was king it was David that led Israel out and in. Hence the people were attracted to the grace that was within David. David was anointed king at Hebron and Israel was all gathered there to anoint him. In the Body of Christ, God gives grace to spiritual fathers to help lead and mature the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit assembles the Body of Christ in households, then clans then tribes to form the Holy Nation. When the Holy Spirit puts you within a household of faith, he has given grace to the father of that household to dispense the grace of God to you through the word of God. This is how the fathers of the household feed the sheep or the sons of God within their care. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

False Alliances and Monuments

The Hebron Concept Today’s Focus: Spirit of Absalom Part 2: False Alliances and Monuments Scripture: 2 Samuel 18:18 Greetings Sons of God: The way Absalom tried to usurp the authority of his father David was the building of alliances. Now these were not true alliances because they were alliances built on manipulation. Now from the previous message we see that the spirit of Absalom is all about self and does not seek to build the nation but seize control of power to control people. For many people, especially in the church the spirit is in clear operation. You have that one deacon, or minister that believes they can do a better job than the pastor and they began to spread that virus throughout the flock and turn the hearts of the people from the grace of God which is resident in the father of the household to themselves. When the hearts of the people have turned they will turn on the true alliance that connects them with grace for the false alliance that promises them earthly pleasures and promises. Now Absalom had three sons and a daughter born to him but let me show you this scripture: 2 Samuel 18:18: Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king’s dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day Absalom’s place. Even though Absalom had sons and daughters, when he tried to usurp the authority of the sitting father of the house and king of the nation, David, then end result of his “reign” was a monument because when you build false alliances you cannot father a nation, you are too consumed with trying to maintain what you took through manipulation that your focus is not on maturing sons and seeing them advance and grow. Your focus is on yourself and maintaining power. A true father desires for his children to do better than them. The spirit of Absalom fights against this because it is consumed with self. In the end the only thing left for Absalom because he was consumed with self all he could do is leave a monument for himself so that people would remember him. Had he followed the grace of God he would have had sons that would have showed the legacy that he left through their life that they are living. So many religious people and unfortunately people within the church who have this spirit seek to build monuments and building in their honor because they are the only ones who can do what they are doing and after they are dead and gone, that is it. So many people follow this spirit and when the person deserts them or passes away, they are left without a shepherd and wandering because they put all their trust in the man and not the grace of God within the man. We as the sons of God are not called to build or be monuments, but we are called to be a movement and ever building trans-genrationally through the model of fathers and sons. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Spirit of Absalom

The Hebron Concept Today’s Focus: The Spirit of Absalom Scripture: 2 Samuel 3 Greetings Sons of God: Who is Absalom? Absalom was a son of David born in Hebron (2 Samuel 3:3). The name Absalom means Father of Peace or Father of my Peace. Now you may wonder ok, this guy is cool. Not actually. The spirit of Absalom can be a very destructive spirit and if allowed to stay amongst a body of believers, it can actually damage true alliances that have been formed. In 2 Samuel 15 we see the plot of Absalom. Now I pray that you go and read this but for the sake of time and space I will give you the scriptures of the detail I will explain. Absalom was a son who sought to usurp the authority of his father, David who was the reigning king over Israel but also the head of the tribe of Judah at that time. Absalom would manipulate people within Israel to try to turn the hearts of the people to him. 2 Samuel 15:4: Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice! All of us have either said or herd someone say “If I were this or that, I would do..”. So Absalom was playing off what people wanted to hear and claim that him can bring them the judgment they desired. He would go around Israel saying things like this and turning the hearts of the people of Israel. Absalom did not just stop with the people, he would go to his father’s personal counselor and turn his heart to him (2 Samuel 15:11,12). Now with all of that said let’s look at the attributes of the spirit of Absalom. The spirit of Absalom seeks to usurp the authority of the father of the household. It is steeped in rebellion, contention, questioning integrity, charismatic expression and most of all self. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Understanding the Spiritual Consequence behind Drug Abuse and Addictions

War Against the False and Birth of Sons

The Hebron Concept Today’s Focus: War Against the False and Birth of Sons Scripture: 2 Samuel 3 Greetings Sons of God: 2 Samuel 3:1: Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and ,the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker. One of the first things that will happen when you come to the Hebron position is there will be a war between the house of Saul and house of David. What does that mean for the Body of Christ? There will be a war between the truth and the false. The house of Saul was still trying to hold power that they no were graced to have anymore. David was anointed king of Israel by the elders, but he was graced by God to feed His people. In the next message we will look at the difference between the house of Saul and the house of David because there are crucial spiritual differences and for many of us we trapped in the house of Saul and need to migrate into the house of David. But, why was David house getting stronger and the house of Saul? When true relationships and formed and alliances are built under the grace of God, in which David did then as you consolidate more relationships you naturally become stronger. In the house of Saul, relationship were not being consolidated but rather falling apart. So as alliances are formed in Hebron the Body of Christ will become stronger and stronger. Next, sons will be born in Hebron. David had six sons born to him at Hebron (2 Samuel 3:2-5). These sons that are born of David are from his loins. For the Body of Christ, these sons that are born of your loins is not natural sons but they are spiritual sons that you have been given by the Lord through the gospel. See this is the season for fathers and sons and it is by spiritual fathers maturing sons that the Lord is consolidating His House and building His Temple in the Earth. But it requires fathers to come to a Hebron position and when they come to this position, sons will be given to them by the Lord. Now we know as we are growing and building, the enemy is seeking to destroy and defile the work of God. Now how he plans to do it when we get to a Hebron position is very destructive and deceptive and if you are not aware of the move of the enemy, you will find yourself in exile and all many of the people you built alliances with will turn on you. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Divine Instruction and Household Migration

The Hebron Concept Today’s Focus: Advancing to Hebron Part 2: Divine Instruction and Household Migration Scripture: 2 Samuel 2:1-3; 2 Samuel 5:1 Greetings Sons of God: 2 Samuel 2:1-3: And it came to pass after this that David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron. So David went up thither and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal’s wife the Carmelite. And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. After the death of Saul, David asked the Lord if he could go up to any of the cities of Judah. Remember David was of the tribe of Judah. Now there is a divine principle being shown here and it is the fact that you cannot advance to Hebron without divine instruction. Before the children of Israel would go anywhere or advance anywhere they had to have divine instruction from the Lord and be lead by Him and His set-man over the nation. For example, Moses was the set-man over Israel to lead them. The Lord would speak His directions, commandments and statutes through Moses and under those commands the children of Israel were to follow. They were lead by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night out of Egypt, but their direction for leaving was under divine instruction. So many times people move without divine instruction and end up in the wrong place doing the wrong thing, thinking that it is right. When we follow divine instruction we are guaranteed success and grace from God. It is when we move without instruction, that the grace of God does not move with us and then when we do something we think it is God but it really is not. David is said to be a man after God’s own heart and if we are to desire to be that way then we must do the same and that requires us to be submitted to the Spirit and obey His instruction and directives. The next principle is you cannot go to Hebron alone, you must bring your entire household. David in vs 3 is said to have brought his entire household to Hebron. You cannot leave anyone behind. Before David was anointed king over Israel all of the tribes of Israel had to cone to Hebron. That means everyone because at Hebron the house of Israel is joined together as one corporate man. 2 Samuel 5:1: Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake saying Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. Remember, at Hebron there is joining or consolidation of alliances. But everyone, the heads of households, the heads of clans and the heads of the tribes must bring everyone of their household to Hebron to be joined as one-corporate man. In the next message we will look at two things that happen when you arrive at Hebron. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Advancing to Hebron: Love Your Enemies, Even in Death

The Hebron Concept Today’s Focus: Advancing to Hebron: Love Your Enemies, Even in Death Scripture: 2 Samuel 1:11,12; 2:1-3 Greetings Sons of God: 2 Samuel 2:1-3: And it came to pass after this that David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron. So David went up thither and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal’s wife the Carmelite. And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. Now this will be our foundational scripture for the next couple of messages but let’s look at this. Notice the scripture starts with “After this”. Now this is before David asks the Lord where to go and advance to Hebron, so there was something that happened or something David had to do, or overcome before advancing to Hebron. Let us see what it is. Remember Saul was ruling king of Israel before David and Saul became jealous of David and hunted him like an animal in an attempt to kill him because the hearts of the people of Israel were turning to David. Now for those who know the story, in 1 Samuel 31, Saul and his sons, Johnathon, Abinadab and Melchishua were killed at the battle with the Philistines. Now Saul and his armourbear to be more exact committed suicide. A messenger sent word to David and and informed him that Saul was dead. Now you would think after so many years of being hunted by Saul, he would be relived for him to be gone. Let’s see what David’s reaction was: 2 Samuel 1:11,12: Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all men that were with him: And they mourned and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathon his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. David lamented over Saul. The rest of 2 Samuel 1 speaks of how David lamented and how the children of Judah should learn the song of the bow written in the book of Jasher. David wept over Saul and his son’s death. These were the same people who sought to kill David. Even though Saul did not like David and sought to kill him, David did not lift up an evil word against Saul. He served him because David saw him as God’s anointed. We as the sons of God are to honour our worst enemies with love. This why Jesus would say: Bless those who hate you. Because to bless your enemies is the greatest act of spiritual warfare. Even in death David loved Saul and his sons and we as the sons of God are called to this type of love. We are called to love our enemies, even in death. If you rejoice at your enemy’s death then you will not experience Hebron. If you laugh at your enemy’s death, no Hebron. The sons of God heart is truly tested when our brother falls. So to advance to Hebron you must first learn how to love your enemies, even in death. In our next message we will examine the next principle to advancing to Hebron. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Grace of the House of Levi

The Hebron Concept Today’s Focus: The Grace of the House of Levi Scripture: Genesis 29:34; Numbers 3:15-19; 4:2-4, 2 Samuel 5:1-3 Greetings Sons of God: When we examine the meanings of the names of the House of Levi there is a particular grace that has been given to this particular tribe. Let’s look at the names again and their meaning Levi – Connected or One-Flesh Kohath – Congregation or Assembly Hebron – Alliance, Consolidation, Joining Now when we examine the House of Levi we see that there is a grace of gathering associated with this tribe. The grace of Levi joins two realms together which are heaven and earth in one corporate man and that is the Body of Christ. It is in the Body of Christ where heaven and earth intersect. It is by the joining of the Father in heaven to the sons who are born from above but are located in the Earth come together. The grace of Kohath is the grace to gather people together. This gathering is a corporate gathering but the gathering is for the congregation to carry the Ark of the Covenant. Remember in our previous series, the Ark of the Covenant are the principles that we are to live by to guarantee the presence of God in our lives. When there is no congregation, there is no presence of the Lord. It is the grace of Kohath that brings us to a position to align us with divine purpose. The grace of Hebron is the grace to forge alliances or actually connect people together or joining. For example, now that we have everything we need to build, let’s assemble the parts to build the Temple of the Lord. In other words, now that we are all here, let us be assembled in a particular way to build the Temple of the Lord. As a result there must be a gathering grace within the Body of Christ to bring us to Hebron. Now the in the next set of messages we will discuss how do we advance to the Hebron position. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The History of Hebron

The Hebron Concept Today’s Focus: The History of Hebron Scripture: Genesis 29:34; Numbers 3:15-19; 4:2-4, 2 Samuel 5:1-3 Greetings Sons of God: This will be a scripturally in-depth set of messages but I need to show you the significance of Hebron. Let’s start with who, what or where is Hebron? Numbers 3:15,17: Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them. 17-And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari Numbers 3:19: And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Now when we look at this we see that Hebron was a person. He was the grandson of Levi and the son of Kohath. Now, the name Kohath should sound familiar. Remember in our series on the Ark of the Covenant it would be that the Kohatities would be the only family that can carry the Ark of the Covenant. Now to get an eternal picture. We know that God locks up principals and eternal truths in names. So lets look at the names of Levi, Kohath and Hebron because we know that the sum of the previous resides in the present. In other words we are a product of history. Levi Genesis 29:34: And she (Leah) conceived again, and bare a son; and said now this time will my husband be JOINED UNTO ME, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi The name Levi means “One-Flesh or Joined” Kohath Numbers 4:2-4: Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, from thirty years old and upward even until 50 years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION. This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things The name Kohath means “Congregation or Assembly” Hebron 2 Samuel 5:1,3: Then came ALL OF THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. 3-So ALL THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL CAME TO THE KING TO HEBRON; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord and they anointed David king over Israel. The name Hebron means “Alliance, Joining, Consolidation”. As we see that Hebron was also the name of a city. It is one of the 48 Levitical cities because we know that the Levites were not given a land inheritance. Their inheritance was God Himself. We know also it was a refugee city. Refugee cities were places that people who may have un-intentionally committed a crime can flee to and wait to go before the congregation to be judged. In the next message we will examine the grace of Levi and how it is passed down to Hebron and how it plays a vital role in the Body of Christ. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Inheritance of Caleb

The Hebron Concept Today’s Focus: The Inheritance of Caleb Scripture: Joshua 14 and 15 Greetings Sons of God: In a subsequent teaching series we will examine the spirit of Caleb because there is so much to gleam from this story of Caleb but for the sake of staying with our teaching series, we will discuss the inheritance of Caleb. Now after Joshua and Israel had conquered and possessed Canaan, the land was divided as an inheritance but let’s look at the inheritance of Caleb. Now I recommend reading the entire chapters 14 and 15 of Joshua for an in-depth look but let’s get what we need to draw the picture. Joshua 14:12-14: Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said. And Joshua blessed him, AND GAVE UNTO CALEB THE SON OF JEPHUNNEH HEBRON FOR AN INHERITANCE. HEBRON THEREFORE BECAME THE INHERITANCE OF CALEB THE SON OF JEPHUNNEH THE KENEZITE UNTO THIS DAY, BECAUSE THAT HE WHOLLY FOLLOWED THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL. Now understand that Caleb was the leader of the tribe of Judah. Hence the tribe of Judah inherited Hebron. Now notice that in the scripture, the reason Caleb and his tribe would inherit Hebron was because Caleb WHOLLY FOLLOWED the Lord. We know that Judah is the tribe that our Lord, Jesus Christ came through. Hence Judah is the apostolic tribe. The greatest expression of relationships are formed in an apostolic culture. It is within the apostolic culture that we lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. Within the apostolic culture we put the highest value on relationships and these relationships or alliances are forged in this place called Hebron. Now let me show you a small glimpse into how special Caleb was and why the Lord blessed him with Hebron. Caleb was the servant of Joshua who was one of the 12 sent to spy out the land of Canaan. It was Caleb who would stand against the report of the 10 and declare that the land is ours to posses. It would also be Caleb who would drive out the rest of the nations in Canaan. Joshua did not drive out all the nations but Caleb did exactly what the Lord said. It is in submission and obedience to the Lord that in that position of humility and worship that the Lord forges alliances within the Body of Christ to build the corporate Body in the earth. In the next message we will go in depth and understand more about Hebron. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Importance of Proper Covenant Relationships

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: Importance of Proper Covenant Relationships Scripture: Genesis 27:46-28:1 Greetings Sons of God: Please pay close attention to this message because it is very easy to get into the wrong relationship and in turn delay or even lose the purposes that God has for you because you are in the wrong covenant. Let’s look at this scripture: Genesis 27:46-28:1: And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me? And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him and charged him and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Here is a crucial point that I will state here and bring out in a subsequent message: You cannot move from the household of your parents until you receive patriarchal instruction from your father. Now, please keep that in mind. Now why is Rebekah concerned about the women of Heth. Well we know that these are the daughters of Canaan and if they are the daughters of Canaan then they are not daughters connected to eternal destiny and cannot perpetuate the legacy that has been handed down from Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob. If her son, Jacob gets into the wrong covenant or marriage then everything that has been been handed down and perpetuate from Abraham could be lost and all that they have worked for will be for nought. The wrong seed, wrong covenant, wrong marriage will invalidate everything that God has handed down to you because then you cannot perpetuate the legacy handed down from your father because you are now unequally yoked. For the Body of Christ, when seasons change, relationships change. We must learn to move the from the House of Saul to the House of David. We must learn to move from the ministry of John to the ministry of Jesus Christ. We must migrate to Hebron which is a place of consolidated relationships in the Spirit. These relationships are vastly different from the natural relationships we have. These relationships will help build and unite the Body of Christ. In the next message we will look at Joshua and Caleb and see the importance of Hebron. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Covenant Relationships in Death

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: Covenant Relationships in Death Scripture: Genesis 49:30-33 Greetings Sons of God: As dark as the title of this message may sound it is still a crucial biblical principal that we must recognize and understand. Abraham in coming into Canaan and bought a cave in Hebron in a particular place called Machpelah. The word Machpelah means “double-cave”. Abraham bought this cave so that he can bury his family there. Now we know in our natural society that families buy plots so that when they die, they are buried together. Well we know that this concept comes from this very scripture of Abraham desiring to bury his family in this cave of Machpelah. Now who is buried in this cave? Genesis 49:30-33: In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah which is before Mamre ,in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. Jacob is speaking here and of course after this Jacob dies and is buried in the same cave with his family. Notice that Rachel was not buried here. She was not buried here because she was not truly connected to divine destiny. But what is the point in all of this. Yeah, ok, I see that family is buried one place but what does that have to do with the Body of Christ today? The dead laid the path that we are following today. We are the custodians of the seed passed on from our ancestors. But most of all covenants are established in death. By Abraham choosing to bury the family together God was showing an eternal concept that even in death we choose to be linked to our covenant partners. This means in as much as we put high value on life, we need to put high value on life in death. Think about this, though Abraham is not on this earth physically, yet he still lives with the Father right now. We are linked to him (Galatians 3:26-29) because we are heirs of the promise and the seed of Abraham. So even in death we are still liked to our covenant partners. Now this brings us to another point. You can never celebrate the future without remembering the past. We should celebrate the lives of those who have gone on before and who have laid down their lives so that we can perpetuate the legacy and the Will of the Father in the Earth until the Lord comes. Think about this! We celebrate David, Joshua, Abraham, Moses and all these biblical people and their lives because they have laid a path and given us an example to follow that we may perpetuate the culture of the Father in bringing the lost sons of promise back into righteous rule. However, this cannot happen until we put the highest premium on people and relationships. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Beware of Soulties

The Hebron Concept Today’s Focus: Abraham and Lot: Beware of Soulties Scripture: Genesis 13 Greetings Sons of God: Now when we examine this story which many of us have read many times, there are some crucial concepts we must understand about proper relationships within the Body of Christ. This is why we should never, ever discount the Old testament from our studies, even though we are a New Testament church. God locked up a wealth of knowledge and information in the Old Testament that the Spirit is revealing today. Now we know that Lot is Abraham’s nephew biologically an in this chapter we see that there was strife between Abraham’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. Now I want to show you this scripture: Genesis 13:8: And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; FOR WE ARE BRETHERN. Now Abram saw Lot, not as his nephew but as a fellow brother. The question is, how did Lot see Abram? Well, Lot saw Abram as his uncle. But here is the crucial part, He never saw Abram as a father carrying the promise. He saw him as his uncle. Now in loving fashion, Abram decided to separate from Lot and let Lot choose which direction he wanted to go (Genesis 13:9). Now Lot chose the plain of Jordan toward the east which was well watered, but also it was in the same direction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Now the separation of Lot from Abraham was crucial and shows us a very, very crucial concept in understanding proper relationships. If we are to ever come to Hebron, the place of alliance and joining, these relationships that the Father joins us in cannot be and will not be sentimental attachments. No soulties allowed here. When Lot chose the direction of the east toward Sodom and Gomorrhea it reflected what was in his heart. In other words, Lot separated himself from the promise by separating himself from being in covenant relationship with Abram. Now here is the big picture! Genesis 13:14 states that AFTER ABRAM SEPARATED HIMSELF FROM LOT, the Lord spoke to Abram and showed him the land that He would give for an everlasting possession. After the Lord spoke to Abram he removed his tent and dwelt in a special place and here it is: Genesis 13:18: Then Abram removed his tent and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, WHICH IS IN HEBRON, and built there an altar unto the Lord. Now after the soultie was broken from Abram through Lot, now Abram comes to the land called Hebron. In Hebron, relationships are defined and soulties are destroyed. In the next message we want to continue to look at Abraham and how important this place called Hebron is. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

New Teaching Series: The Hebron Concept

The Hebron Concept Today’s Focus: Introduction Scripture: Acts 2:1 Greetings Sons of God: Now as you look at the title, one may ask, what in the world are we going to talk about now? Well if you have been following us over the past year or so, you know this will be a vital concept to the maturity of the House of God and advancement of the Kingdom. One of the beautiful things the Lord did and is still doing is that when the Lord names a place or gives names, that name carries an eternal meaning. The word Hebron means “Place of Joining or to unite, to associate, place of alliance, place of coming together of people to a corporate unity”. When you study the journey of the children of Israel to Jerusalem you must know and understand before they could get to Jerusalem or Zion, they must come to this place called Hebron. Hebron is one of the most important places or in the spirit, positions we must come into because at Hebron there is a high premium put on the relationships between people. Before the church was empowered in Acts 2, the apostles were in a Hebron position and let me show you. Acts 2:1: And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, THEY WERE ALL WITH ONE ACCORD IN ONE PLACE. To be on one accord is to have the same mind but be also united in the spirit in a certain way that all people “joined together” within that place have the same mind and that mind is the mind of Christ. As we study in this series you will see that Hebron is a very powerful place and position in Scripture and for the Body of Christ. Let me just say that these alliances that must be formed cannot be formed along denominational lines or the lines based upon man’s interpretation of Scripture. These alliances can only be formed by the Spirit. Now this is vital to say, before we come to Hebron certain things must happen. We will discuss these things a little later because we will not enter Hebron in the state that we are in currently in. Few reach this position because they understand the importance of relationships and understand how the Father desires to be in covenant relationships with His sons. You cannot reach the Hebron position carrying your denominational biases. These biases only fracture and split the Body along man’s interpretation of the Word. Hebron is a place of uniting and joining, not a place of splitting and dividing. In the upcoming messages we will study this place called Hebron and learn the importance of putting the highest value on people. God did not come to die for animals and plants. He came to die for people. In this season we must put the highest premium on people, even if they are the worst in the Earth we are still commanded to love. So let’s get started and we will start in the next message with Abraham. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Samuel and the Voice

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: Samuel and the Voice Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-16 Greetings Sons of God: Now many of us have heard this story but I want to point out a fundamental concept of how the voice of the father works with the sons. Here we have Eli and Samuel. Now we know that Eli is not the biological father of Samuel. The scripture said that Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. Eli is a picture of a spiritual father and Samuel was his son. Now you may ask how can we prove this? We will see in scripture. Now we know that the voice of the Lord called out to Samuel three times that night but notice this: When the voice of the Lord called for Samuel, he ran to Eli! Now we know it is the voice of the Lord because we are reading it but to Samuel it was the voice of Eli. Hence, Eli realizes that the Lord is calling the young Samuel (1 Samuel 3:8). Eli gives Samuel counsel to ask the Lord to speak to His servant the next time He calls. And when the Lord speaks to Samuel again, Samuel replies to the Lord. In other words, it was by Eli that Samuel would get connected to the Lord. However all of this was prompted by the voice of the Lord. Now let’s prove that Eli viewed Samuel as a son and then we will draw the big picture. 1 Samuel 3:16: Then Eli called Samuel and said, SAMUEL, MY SON. AND HE ANSWERED HERE AM I. Now here is the big picture! Eli represents the spiritual father and Samuel represents the son. When the voice of the Father spoke to Samuel, He recognized that voice as being the same voice of his spiritual father. It would be Eli understanding that Samuel is hearing the voice of the Father that He would connect Him with the voice so that He can serve the Lord. It is your spiritual fathers responsibility to re-connect you with the voice of the Father. Spiritual fathers as not called to manipulate, rule, or control you. They are called to watch over your soul, revive it and bring you back into relationship with the spirit and re-connect you once again to the heavenly Father. Is that not what the ultimate goal is, to get the soul to submit back to blindly following the spirit. The Father does this once again through the Father/Son model. These spiritual fathers are mature sons God has raised to help bring the Body of Christ to maturity. When these fathers speak they speak the Word of the Lord to the sons, imparting grace and helping the sons re-connect to the Father through discipleship and teaching the sons how to submit their soul to the spirit and hear the voice of the Father. It is the Father/Son Model that the Father is speaking (Hebrews 1:1,2). It is the intimate relationship that the Father desires and He does it through the venue of Son. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Elijah and the Voice

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: Elijah and the Voice Scripture: 1 Kings 17; Proverbs 18:21 Greetings Sons of God: Now this story encompass the entire chapter of 1 Kings 17 so we will quote and point out scriptures as we look at the story. Here we have the prophet Elijah in the city of Zarephath (vs 10). He came to the gate of the city and there was a widow woman there. We know that Elijah asks the woman to make a cake for him and the woman explains that she only had a little meal and oil left for her and her son. Now Elijah tells her to fear not but go do as he has said for this reason: 1 Kings 17:14: For thus SAITH the Lord God of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. Not upon the word of Elijah but this is what the Lord said! It is the voice of the Lord speaking through Elijah. Now the woman goes and does all according to what Elijah said and this is the result: 1 Kings 17:16: And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD, WHICH HE SPAKE BY ELIJAH. Now we see after this the woman’s son falls sick and dies (vs 17). The woman questions Elijah why did he come? Did he come to bring her sin to rememberance and to kill her son? So Elijah carries the boy to an upper room and lays him on the bed. And does this and please pay attention to what the Scriptures say: 1 Kings 17:21,22: And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again. And the LORD HEARD THE VOICE OF ELIJAH; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. Now let me explain the Lord hearing the voice of Elijah is not the fact that Elijah had any power of himself, but it was the fact that when the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, He heard His voice echoing in Elijah and honored the request. Our goal when we pray is to pray the Will of the Father so that when the Lord hears our prayers, He hears His voice echoing from us and then the Will of God is brought to the earth. Finally, the after the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, the soul of the boy returned to him. It is the voice that raised the boy. There is life-giving power in the voice of the Lord. Now this scripture should now take on a more powerful meaning: Proverbs 18:21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. In the next message we will look at another example of the power of the voice of the father. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Power of the Voice

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: Power of the Voice Scripture: John 5:24-25; Romans 10:13,14; Deuteronomy 8:3 Greetings Sons of God: In the last message we saw how Elijah spoke and the soul of the boy who was dead was returned to him. We also concluded that it is the voice of the Father that gives life. Now let’s look at these two scriptures to drive that point home. John 5:24: Verily, Verily I say unto you, He that HEARETH MY WORD, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Let’s start here. Jesus is speaking and He states that anyone who hears His Word. Once again there is a premium that Jesus puts on listening and having a trained ear. Now, Jesus continues to state that anyone that believeth on the Father that sent Jesus has everlasting life. Now we see the fundamental way that salvation is extended and received but this is Jesus so how does this happen today? The same way! It is the word of the Lord spoken by the one He has sent. Check this out! Romans 10:13,14: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom THEY HAVE NOT BELIEVED? And how shall they believe in Him of whom THEY HAVE NOT HEARD? AND HOW SHALL THEY HEAR WITHOUT A PREACHER? And how shall they preach, except they be SENT? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Notice all of the capitalized words of emphasis: Believe, Heard, Hear, Preacher, Sent. In order to receive salvation, God must send His preacher to share with you the gospel of peace. By His representative speaking His Word and the person HEARING THE WORD AND BELIEVES IT, they receive salvation. Now let’s bring it home: John 5:25: Verily, verily I say unto you, the hour is coming and NOW IS, when the dead shall hear the VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD: they that HEAR SHALL LIVE. Hence it is by hear the voice of the Son of God that we live. Man do not live by bread alone but by ever WORD that proceeds OUT OF THE MOUTH of God (Deuteronomy 8:3). It is by the voice of the Lord that we live because His very voice raises the dead and gives life. In the next message we want to look at a unique story in Scripture to show you the importance of the voice of the father in this season. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Wilderness Experience

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: Father/Son Model Part 3: The Wilderness Experience Scripture: Matthew 3:3; Matthew 3:17-4:1 Greetings Sons of God: Matthew 3:3: For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah saying, the VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Matthew 3:17-4:1: And lo A VOICE from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Then was Jesus led up of the spirit INTO THE WILDERNESS to be tempted of the devil. Now I also want to show you after the children of Israel were delivered from the land of Egypt they were led into the wilderness of Sinai. Now this is not a coincidence. It is in the wilderness that God matures the sons. Funny, if you examine our past 2 teaching series you will see most of the teaching and maturing comes from the wilderness. Many of the scriptures in Deuteronomy say this: “If you obey my voice”. John the Baptist is matured by the Spirit in the wilderness because He is preaching out from the wilderness. Then we look at Jesus Christ. After the Son is given at the baptism, Jesus, Spiritual Israel is lead in the wilderness. Notice also in Matthew 4, Jesus is fasting! Why? To sacrifice the desires of the flesh to hear the Father. In the wilderness, Jesus being tempted was so that He overcame all the temptations of the enemy and pass all the trials that physical Israel failed. Notice in all of the temptations Jesus speaks what He hears the Father says and in obeying the Father, He overcomes every situation and temptation. It is in the wilderness and through the Baptism of fire that the Father transitions you dependence from soul to spirit. It is in the wilderness that the child becomes strong in the spirit. The voice of the Father produces wisdom and turns children from disobedience. Now as the Lord speaks to the fathers, the fathers are to instruct the sons and in training the sons they develop a personal relationship with the voice of the Father. This all happens and begins in the wilderness. Before God will present His people or leaders before the people they must ALL go through the wilderness. The wilderness is not necessarily a physical place but a place in your life where it is you are learning, not only the word of God but also the voice of the Father. In the next message we will examine Elijah the prophet and show you the power of the Voice. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

One Voice

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: Father/Son Model Part 2: One Voice Scripture: Matthew 3:1,3; Romans 7:22,23 Greetings Sons of God: Now in the beginning as we have said earlier in this series God spoke to Adam Spirit to spirit. So Adam heard one clear distinct voice. The reason why was because the soul of Adam would blindly follow and submit itself to the spirit. Now after the fall we know that things changed and now the soul became the dominant viewpoint to reality instead of the spirit. Mankind would now reason within themselves how they would meet their provision and protection. The voice of the soul was very dominant and the only way God would speak to His people would be through a prophet. Now Jesus came and restored the connection to all those call Him Lord. Now we have a problem and the Lord has a solution. When one is born again of the Spirit we still have a problem. The problem is a voice-recognition problem. This voice recognition problem causes many problems to believers and depending on the voice that the person yields to, the flesh manifests that decision. Romans 7:22,23: For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Let me state this for the record, the soul is not evil, but can be influenced by evil forces. Even within itself the soul can act independent of God and yields to protect itself and figure things out within itself. Now this is the problem, you have your soul wanting to do what it wants to do and you have the spirit wanting to do the Will of God. This is the war within your members. Jesus Himself had to overcome this war in the garden of Gethsemane when He said my SOUL is sorrowful, my FLESH is weak, BUT THE SPIRIT IS WILLING. How does God deal with this problem? He sends mature sons, spiritual fathers, to watch over your soul. Spiritual fathers do not father or watch over your spirit for God is the Father of your spirit. Your biological father is the father of your flesh. The role of the spiritual father is to watch over your soul and help you to silence and submit your soul so that you can hear one clear voice, the voice of the Father. Through their maturity they teach and show the character of the Father in teaching you how you can hear God through submission of the will of self and self-ambition. Let me show you this powerful picture that we read but many miss. Matthew 3:1-3: In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. For this is he that is spoken of by the prophet Isaiah saying, THE VOICE OF ONE crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Notice it says the voice of ONE! One voice, the voice of the Father was crying in the wilderness. So let’s take another step back and understand the importance of the voice of the Father and the wilderness experience in the next message. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

The Father/Son Model Part 1

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: The Father/Son Model Part 1 Scripture: Joel 2:28; Malachi 4:5,6; Luke 1:17 Greetings Sons of God: The father/son model is the way the Father desires to interact and have a relationship with His sons. In the early days of Adam, God would speak to Adam in the cool of the day and His voice would usher in His presence and there Adam and God had an intimate relationship and Adam would come to understand His role in the earth to bring righteous rule, the Kingdom of God, the culture of the Father to the earth and reflect the glory of God in the Earth as His sons, representatives, ambassadors and agents. Now we know that Adam and Eve sinned and through that sin, that intimate connection was severed and God instituted the Prophet/Father/Son model of speech. In other words, God would speak through a prophet to the fathers and the fathers to the sons. But this was not the original way, the original way was father/son. Now let’s prove that this is the model because before God does anything within the age of man, He speaks it and then at the Father’s season and exact time, His Word then is made manifest. Let me show you: Joel 2:28: And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. Malachi 4:5,6: Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. These are two scriptures that I want to show you and both of them shows how the Father will reconcile and restore the breach that sin caused to restore the House of God back in the Earth and bring us back to our original purpose. First, God must revive our spirit and restore the connection back to Him. He does this by the pouring out of His Spirit, (Holy Spirit) into our flesh. In pouring out His Spirit into our flesh, He revives the spirit within man and restores the connection so that He may talk to His sons, Spirit to spirit. Now the other scripture, Malachi. In Malachi, the Lord says that He will send the spirit of Elijah before the coming of the day of the Lord and he shall turn the HEARTS OF THE FATHERS TO THE CHILDREN AND THE CHILDREN TO THE FATHERS. Now the Old testament ends with this particular prophecy and picks up with Zacharias, John the Baptist’s father, in Luke 1 and the Lord restating the same prophecy in verse 17. So in the coming of the Lord the hearts of the fathers must be turned to the sons and the sons to the fathers to make ready a people for the Lord. Now if this does not happen the scriptures say this: “Lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” In the restoration of the father/son model, God can fellowship with mankind once again, Spirit to spirit. Now in the next message, we want to further understand the father/son model and how the Spirit of Elijah turns the hearts of the fathers to the sons. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Languages of a Father

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: Languages of a Father Scripture: Hebrews 1:1,2; Romans 1:20 Greetings Sons of God: Romans 1:20: For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse; Now this is a critical eternal concept that the Lord has placed in my heart to share with you so you can understand how the Father speaks to the sons in various ways. In the above scripture we simply see that to understand the various things about God and the Godhead. He has structured and infused eternal concepts and characteristics in the things that are made in creation. In the infinite wisdom of God, He understood that mankind would fall and be subject to a different perception of reality. The perception of reality from the soul is limited and the viewpoint is only from the five major senses which allow us to interact with the natural world. Now when mankind fell because of disobedience the Father could no longer speak to the sons Spirit to spirit. We know that eternal communication is Spirit to spirit. But because of disobedience that connection was severed and the Father now had to speak to mankind in a particular way and this way would be the way until Christ came. Let me show you this in scripture. Hebrews 1:1,2: God, who at sundry times and in diver’s manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Now this is loaded so let’s start to break it apart. First, God at sundry times and in diver’s manners spoke in past times unto the fathers by the prophets. Now since God could not speak to man Spirit to spirit, it would be by the grace and agency of the prophetic that God would speak to the FATHERS. Do we see this! God is speaking to the heads of households but because of the particular time of man, God would speak through a prophet to the fathers. Hence the prophetic was used to convey the message of God to the fathers in the direction, commandments and statutes of the Lord. Now the scripture goes on to say in these last days. When did the last days begin? Acts 2. So now, God is speaking to us by Son. Now why is this so important to understand? The Father has always desired to speak to His son, Spirit to spirit. This is an intimate relationship that the Father had with Adam and Jesus Christ, the Son of God came to restore that communication. Now if this is the intimate relationship that the Father desires to have with the sons then there must be a model in the earth that the Father will speak to the sons. In the next message we will examine that model because we cannot have this intimate relationship with the Father unless this model is restored to the Body of Christ. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Two Reactions, One Voice

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: Two Reactions, One Voice Scripture: Genesis 3:7,8 Greetings Sons of God: Genesis 3:7,8: And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. Now I am bringing this same scripture because I want to show you the contrast in mentality and viewpoint man had with the voice of the Lord. Now before the fall, the voice of the Lord would walk in the garden in the cool of the day and fellowship with His sons. However everything changed after the fall. We know the fall is represented by man’s disobedience in the garden. We also know that the eyes of their soul was opened and mankind was separated from their Father and they became orphans or fatherless. Now we know that the culture of the orphan is characterized by one who seeks their own provision and protection. In addition with all of that something else was ushered in that was never a part of Adam and Eve and that is fear. Let me show you how unique this is. The same voice that they welcomed and loved and fellowshipped with in the cool of the day, they now fear. The scripture in Genesis 3:7,8 states that when they heard the voice of the Lord they hid themselves. Fear was never a part of Adam and Eve but now because they have obtained a knowledge that the Father never wanted them to obtained. All they knew was good because all they knew was the Father. Hence when we fall out of relationship with the Father, fear will set in. And when we fall out of relationship with the Father, religion begins to set in. In other words we try to perform in order to be in the good grace of God. We do rituals in order to please God and all of it is in the attempt to get back what was lost, the relationship with the voice of the Lord. Now if Adam and Eve lost the connection and relationship with the voice of the Lord that ushers in His presence then what do we think Jesus came to do. He came to restore the breach and reconcile us back to the Father so that we can have fellowship once again with the voice of the Father and bring His rulership, His Kingdom from heaven to earth. In the next message we will see how the Father spoke to his people through the ages of man. This you do not want to miss. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Intimacy with the Voice

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: Intimacy with the Voice Scripture: Genesis 3 Greetings Sons of God: Now I want to start with the end, take us back to the beginning and bring us back to this scripture to show this concept. Genesis 3:7,8: And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. Now we know that God created man from the dust of the ground, breathed the breath of life into him and he became a living soul. We know also that Adam was the son of God. Now the important thing that we want to bring out is how the relationship between man and the Father existed. We know that man had the Holy Spirit within him fellowshipping with his spirit. We know that the Lord commanded Adam not to touch or eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now let’s stop here! If the Lord, who is Spirit, commanded Adam on what He expected from Adam, then Adam had a unique relationship with the Father in order to carry out His commandments. Well since God was invisible then Adam had fellowship with the voice of the Father. God would meet with Adam in the cool of the day. Now let’s look at our scripture at the beginning. In Genesis 3:8 it says that they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden. So the major concept that we need to understand is: The voice of the Lord ushers in the presence of the Lord. The scripture says the voice was walking and they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord. Now many in the faith have been trained to use their eyes more than their ears. We have been trained to believe it if we see it. However in the House and Kingdom of God we must train our ears first and then our eyes. The words our ears hear will manifest the very things before our eyes. In the next message we will look at two different reactions to the same voice by mankind. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

New Teaching Series: The Voice of a Father

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: Introduction Scripture: John 10:24-27; John 14:15 Greetings Sons of God: John 10:24-27: Then came the Jews round about Him and said unto Him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: because ye are not of my sheep as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: In this passage we see the Jews asking Jesus to tell them plainly whether He is the Christ. Of course discerning their hearts and intentions, he knew that they were not in a place to receive such a direct answer. Jesus starts by telling them that He told them. So the first thing that God does is informs us by His voice and His words. Now the Jews did not believe His words and then Jesus pointed to the works and how they spoke of who He is and yet they still did not believe. Now Jesus lays out this declaration that their problem is that they ARE NOT OF HIS SHEEP. Now Jesus is talking about the Jews, is He not? Now Jesus draws a contrast between them and His sheep. The contrast is His sheep HEAR HIS VOICE, HE KNOWS THEM (RELATIONSHIP) AND THEY FOLLOW HIM. Now notice that the Lord makes the first point that they are His sheep. The use of the pronoun “his” denotes ownership or Lordship. Because Jesus Christ is Lord and we are His sheep, He owns us. Now the next vital concept He points to is the fact that they HEAR HIS VOICE. There is so much time spent on preaching and not enough time spent on training the ears of the sons to hear the Father. This entire series will be focused on showing and teaching us about the importance of the voice of the Father. The importance of this is the fact that this is the way the sheep or the sons of God will walk and follow Christ, by His voice. Let me show you the importance of why we need to have an intimate relationship with the Father. John 14:15: If you love me, keep my commandments. The only way you can show love to the Father is through your obedience to the voice of the Father by which He gives His commandments. This is why we need to study this concept and understand that from the very beginning it was all about the Father having a relationship with His sons and He would do this by His voice ushering in His presence. In the next message we will go back to the beginning and show this concept and then build our series to show that we need to be training our ears more than our eyes. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Fathering: Testing and Warning

Seven Principles of Fathering Today’s Focus: Fathering: Testing and Warning Scripture: Deuteronomy 8; Acts 14:22; Hebrews 5:8; 1 Peter 4:12,13 Greetings Kingdom Citizens In the process of maturing the Lord will test us and please understand that this maturing is not an instant process. God is not in a hurry. The Lord kept Israel in the wilderness for 40 years. The wilderness journey should have only taken them 11 days but because of their ways and disobedience, an 11 day journey took them 40 years. Now when the Lord tests you the first thing that is built into you is humility. Deuteronomy 8:2: And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, TO HUMBLE THEE AND PROVE (TEST) THEE, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no. The testing or proving of yourself is to build character, faithfulness, love and mercy. When trials come and pressure is applied your character is the first thing that comes out. It is a revelation of the heart of the individual. God will continue to apply pressure to build the character of the sons. Let me show you this scripture: 1 Peter 4:12,13: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. As you can see we are partakers of Christ’s sufferings and hence we will be glorified with Him. Now why are we partakers of His sufferings? What is the purpose? Hebrews 5:8: Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things He suffered; So we learn obedience by the things we suffer and why do we want to learn obedience? What is the benefit? Acts 14:22: Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. So in order for us to enter into the Kingdom of God you must suffer and the reason God makes you suffer because you must transfer your reliance from self through your soul to full reliance on the Father through the Spirit. Now the warning and I urge everyone to read this entire scripture because this pertains to us now! In Deuteronomy 8:19 the Lord warns Israel not to forget the Lord and walk after other gods and serve them and worship them. Because if you do, God has promised that you shall surely perish. Just like the nations before them that were destroyed because you do not yield and obey the voice of the Lord your God you will die. I am sure none of us desires this but let’s be about the Father’s business and obey His voice and His commandments and statutes. These are the principals and concepts of fathering that reflect the character of the Father. If we would abide by His principals and do it His way then we will see the glory of God like never before. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Fathering: Your Latter Will Be Greater

Seven Principles of Fathering Today’s Focus: Fathering: Your Latter Will Be Greater Scripture: Deuteronomy 8:16; Jeremiah 29:11; 1 Corinthians 15:28 Greetings Kingdom Citizens Deuteronomy 8:16: Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; When we examine fathering and especially spiritual fathering one of the beautiful aspects is always seeing the bigger picture and understanding the end. When God started with Genesis 1:1, He already knew how we would end at Revelation 22:21. Now God knows the end before the beginning. We actually know what the end is. We may not know what it will exactly look like but the scriptures tell us what the end is: 1 Corinthians 15:28: And when all things shall be subdued unto Him (Christ Jesus), then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him (Father) that put all things under Him (Christ Jesus), that God may be all in all. This is the end, God be all in all. He will be all of who He is in all of the sons. There will be nothing within the sons restricting God from being all of who He is within them. So with God it is all about the finish line and how we finish. In this mentality there has to be a focus on maturity. Let me show you this scripture that everyone probably knows: Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, TO GIVE YOU AN EXPECTATED END. So God is concerned about our end but the key is getting started for many of us. So let’s lay out some things about God that you may or may not know and we touched on some of these in the previous messages. First, God is not a spoiling God. God will not spoil us and give us what we cannot handle. Spoiling children is always about the here and now and the problem that arises later is a lack of attitude towards responsibility and work ethic that is required. Since God loves us he will make it a little difficult now for the greater end. Look at your life now. If you are a mature son who is a spiritual father you will definitely relate to this. Before the Lord would put sons under your household you had to go through a wilderness experience where there was pain, tears, trials and tribulations but all of it was to make you to be the mature son you are today so that you are able to do the Will of the Father in maturing the sons. Please understand there will be times where you will have to discipline the children and sons of the household and bring correction to correct improper behavior. Real children love discipline and boundaries because it keeps them in favor with their parents and God. If there were no boundaries you would not know how to be in favor with your parents or God. You would actually find yourself more out of favor than in it. But we as spiritual fathers and natural fathers should always want our children to have a better end than beginning and in order for that to be there is a process of maturity that must happen and correction that will be given in order to keep the son or child on the right path to the Father’s expected end. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

Incorrect Priorities (Beware of Idolatry)

Seven Principles of Fathering
Today’s Focus: Principle #7 – Incorrect Priorities (Beware of Idolatry)
Scripture: Deuteronomy 7:25-26; Luke 16:13

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Deuteronomy 7:25-26: The graven image of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God. Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it; but thou shalt utterly detest it , and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

In this final principle we see the Father exhorting Israel to beware of idolatry and the impact of incorrect priorities it causes. In the scripture above, the Lord tells Israel to burn and destroy all of the graven images. Do not covet them nor bring them into your household. Now the reason why is the big issue: He tells them not to bring them into the house because you will be a cursed thing like it. Do you see that! All of the mysticism, secret societies, fraternities, sororities and other organizations, man-worship, anti-christ music and entertainment, things of other religions, etc are not to be brought within your household because like the thing you will become cursed. Another reason we should beware of idolatry is it forces us to choose whom we will serve.

Luke 16:13: No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Idolatry produces another master for people. If we claim to be sons of God then we covet nothing but our covenant that we have made with the Father. Hence we have given our entire life over to Him and serve Him to do His Will all the days of our lives. Spiritual orphans are drawn to the altar of idolatry because they covet things around them because of their constant search for provision and protection to make their life comfortable. On the other hand, the sons of God have an identity and understand that they rely solely on the Father to meet their every need. God challenges us on this and in challenging us He makes our lives uncomfortable. It is the process to transfer reliance on self to meet provisions through the soul to relying on the Father to meet every need and desire.

This is why in the temptations of Jesus in Matthew 4 the very first thing the devil challenged Jesus on was His identity and then he challenged Him to trust in Himself to meet the current need for food because he knew He was hungry? So the devil challenges the sons of God in their identity first then in their soul. We must be watchful and examine the things within our household, even people. Beware of idolatry and destroy it if it rears its head within your household.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.

God Will Not Give You, What You Cannot Handle

Seven Principles of Fathering
Today’s Focus: Principle #6 – God Will Not Give You, What You Cannot Handle
Scripture: Deuteronomy 7:22-24

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Deuteronomy 7:22-24: And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: THOU MAYEST NOT CONSUME THEM AT ONCE, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction until they be destroyed. And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee until thou have destroyed them

This principle is very real and for many natural parents this one is the hard one. Too many times we get caught up in the things of this world and we give our children more than what they can handle. In many instances they become spoiled and rotten and have no sense of responsibility, appreciation and work ethic. The reason the Father does not give us more than what we can handle is because He is protecting us from greed, selfishness, pride and self-ambition. Do you now understand why you have not hit the Lotto or Powerball. I am still learning in ministry that it is a process. Growing up in Christ takes time and it will not happen all at once. There are things the Lord will bring in and there are things the Lord will take out but everything will be in a controlled atmosphere and the Father dictates what you receive and how much based upon His Will. What we must learn is God’s Will instead of trying to manipulate Him through rituals. Let me explain:

You have not fellowshipped with the saints in over a year and you only show up to fellowship on holidays and first Sundays or Saturdays. Now you want a new car so you think if you go to church consistently for a couple of months, God will bless you with a new car. God does not operate like that and we must get out of that childish behavior of trying to manipulate situations with God to get what you want. Do you not think that God sees through this? He is God! For some odd reason many pastors want the biggest congregation and the biggest church in the city but at what expense. The Lord lets you possess many things within your sphere that you can handle in a responsible way. Think about this? Adam and Eve had it all. They fellowshipped with God, the entire Earth was for them to manage and everything was laid out for them to enjoy and rule. But when the serpent came along and tricked Eve, he presented her with something she thought she did not have and the devil was able to creep greed, pride, self-ambition and selfishness in there and because they shifted mindsets to an independent mindset, they lost fellowship with the Father. Hence they lost everything. God had given them everything that they could handle and yet still they wanted more!

1 Timothy 6:6-8: But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment LET US BE THEREWITH CONTENT.

Paul is exhorting Timothy to be content with what the Lord has already given you and continue to live holy. I am reminded by the Spirit of Matthew 6:32 where the Scripture says that the Father knows that we have need of all these things. So the Father knows what you need and He even knows your desires but like the best Father He is, He will not give you EVERY desire of your heart because He knows that in the day He gives it to you, your heart will turn from Him to the things and you will covet the thing and it will become a god or idol unto you. And that brings us to our next principle for our next message: Beware of Idolatry.

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.