Remembering My Father

Daniel Patrick Patrick Barlow was born in November of 1923. By the late 1940s, he was attending Notre Dame University, where he met Teresa Murphy. The two found quite compatible dreams and visions in each other. They both wanted to change the world, but they knew they could not reach as far as they wanted to if it was just the two of them going out and becoming missionaries or the like. So they decided before they got married to have 12 children. Train them up and send them out! That was the motto. When they got to 12 children, my father said, “That was supposed to be 12 boys.” They ended up having 14, and the last 6 were all boys. My father said he finally figured out the system. Who’s to argue with him?

As the 10th child of this family, many of the harsh edges in my father had been worn away by the time I came along. So I got to know a very sensitive man. A deep-thinking man. A kind man. one who was always trying to get me to dream bigger. As an adult, I am very thankful for this. I know that this trait has been one that has made me quite valuable to those who need encouragement or hope. As a pastor, I meet many people who need encouragement and passing along to them the lessons of my father is rewarding.

Years ago, when our older children were young, Nancy and I took the family down to visit my parents when they lived in Quincy, Illinois. We had a wonderful time. It was an enjoyable weekend, but then we were all standing in the front yard getting in the car to head back to Chicago. We said our goodbyes, got in the car and started driving toward the highway. Just as I got near the edge of town, my car started to act up. It started making funny noises, and I knew I needed to pull over to find out what was going on. I looked in the rearview mirror to see if the right lane was clear. When I looked, there was my father and my mother right behind us. I pulled the car over, and my dad walked up to me and said, “As soon as you left, I knew right away that we were supposed to follow you.” He seemed just to wave his hand over the engine, and it worked perfectly. I’m not sure what wires he fixed or what he did in there. But I was so glad that he was there to help me.

Another time my mother was out on a walk in the afternoon, as she loved to do, while he was taking his nap. She was two or three blocks from home when she tripped and fell on the sidewalk. She was over 60 years old at this time. So as you could guess, this would be a very vulnerable position for her to be in, but as she turned and looked down the street, Daniel was pulling up in his car. He knew he was supposed to go and find her. 

Another episode that quite intrigued me was when we were living in our first home. I was finally a homeowner. There was a problem with the light switch in the bathroom, and I wanted to fix it, but I am not an electrician. Daniel was an electrical engineer, so I called him to talk me through it. He was telling me what to do and what not to do. As we were working through the problem, he says to me, “Do you see that red wire laying down in the back of the box?”  I said, “yeah.” He said, “That’s hot. Don’t touch it.” Now, I know enough about electricity that there should be no red wires lying down in the back of the box. My dad was hundreds of miles away, and we did not have FaceTime or camera phones at the time. There was no way in the natural that he could have known that there was a red exposed wire laying down in the back of the box. Things like this made it easy for me to place my dad in the superhero category, even as an adult. Good fathers are the first superheroes in their children’s lives. 

Remember to say “Happy Fathers’ Day” to all the superhero dads out there this weekend.

A Word About Faith

God spoke this word to me in my journal years ago. Let’s see if it blesses you.

Son, don’t get so focused on the answers as the solutions to your problems that you forget to come to me for the answers.

I am the answer.

Don’t leave me out of the loop.

Trusting me for every answer brings my presence into every area of your life. I want that. I want to be able to work miracles and show you my glory.

But if you only rely on your knowledge base for your answers and not on seeking me then the miracle touch you desire can never come.

Seek Me Son!

Seek My face. Seek my love. Seek my wisdom. You will be satisfied, not only in that your problem will be solved in wonderful ways but you will have me.

If you seek me you will find me.

If you seek me, you can have me. Come, son. Come and seek me. Come to know me. Come, I want to love you. You’ll see my hand. You’ll see my glory.

FAITH:
Faith is applying pressure to the unseen realm.

Faith is applying pressure with belief in your heart and speaking out of your mouth; pressure against that which you don’t see. As you do this, the spirit realm feels the pressure.

You can’t tell in the natural what is happening, but in the spirit much activity is going on. As this pressure remains and is consistent things develop further; the path or the bridge from the spirit to the natural is created and put in place.

There is opposition but your faith overcomes it. You win as you continue, knowing that what you see on the inside of you will soon be seen with your natural eyes.

If you look close in my eyes you can see the thing you’re believing for. But if you’re not close to me, you will lose sight of it, your faith will wane and the gift will be lost.

So stay close to me.

Continue to take steps forward with full view of the vision. You’ll begin to see things you’ve desired. This is the path of faith. This is the path that delights me. This is the way my glory is to be revealed in your life. I love you son and want to see more of my glory in your life. Walk this out.

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Let Me Introduce You To Faith

If I was teaching an algebra class and I said “X=3+4”

I would teach you that you need to solve the problem to find the value of “X”.

So you add 3 plus 4 and get 7. 

So X=7

If I moved the context out of math and said X is how bright the sky is after sunset and before sunrise. You’re a logical thinker so you would come up with 

X = “dark”. 

Correct!

Let’s solve another problem:

Solve for X:

  • If I said, “If you have X, you can have anything you desire.”
  • If I said, “Without X it’s impossible to please God.”
  • If I said, “The only way you are going to have life is by X.”
  • If I said, “Your X has healed you.”

You would definitely want to solve for X.

You would be allowed to research and ask more questions like:

  • What is X?
  • How do I get X?
  • How do I use X?

If you are a Christian, you probably area already familiar with some scriptures I referenced above, but X=FAITH.

That may be good news to you or you may be no better off now than when all you had was the letter X. We need to define faith. 

Faith obviously has some great benefits. Let’s go ahead and read some scriptures with the word faith in there. Then we’ll discuss further.

Rom 3:28  So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

Mat 9:22  Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

Mat 15:28  “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.

Mat 21:22  You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

Heb 10:38  And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

Heb 11:6  And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Today, right now, just take some time and read over these verses and begin to ponder this, “If I had faith, Lord, what could you do in my life?”

I believe God is trying to draw you closer to Himself.

Faith is how things operate in heaven.

Let’s learn faith and our lives will become more like heaven.

You Are A New Creation!

1 John 3:8 says, “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” That’s why we need miracles, because the Devil has been working from the spiritual realm into the natural realm to wreak havoc from the very beginning of time. He’s been using spiritual power and spiritual force to try to wreak havoc in the Earth and in our bodies and all around us for centuries. God wants you and I to be the ones who use spiritual force to work righteousness – the Truths of the Kingdom of God – into this Earth. We truly can be the agents to bring Heaven into the Earth; that’s what we’re called to do. We’re called to bring heaven into the Earth.

Remember, Jesus taught us to pray the way He did. He said to pray, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, here on Earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:9-13). An easy way to know whether something is God’s will or not is to ask, is this happening in heaven? If it’s the same in heaven, then it’s God’s will. God’s will already happens in heaven, so that’s a really easy gauge to use. If we see something going on in the Earth and you know it’s not right, then say something. You could say, “This is not heaven or covenant, and I signed up for heaven.” Right when you were born again, you signed up for heaven. You signed up for a relationship with Jesus Christ, where you were born into the Kingdom of God. As you were born into the Kingdom of God, all of a sudden your heart becomes brand new. You become a new creation in Christ Jesus. According to II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.” 

I had a scar on my hand before I was born again. It didn’t disappear after I gave my life to Jesus, yet all things are “made new” in the Kingdom. As you begin to understand the power and authority we have in Christ, God’s will is done in the Earth. When something happens on Earth that doesn’t line up with heaven’s agenda, that’s when you and I are to stand up and speak.

When I was in my senior year of high school, there was this one teacher who was really giving us seniors a hard time. This teacher taught our religion class, and he was just unnecessarily mean. We had to write a two-page paper every week, a 13-page paper at the end of the year, and a bunch of other things throughout the year. Well, one of my classmates got a little angry with the teacher over all that we were expected to do for him. Right in the middle of class one day, my classmate got up and walked out the door, went into the boys’ locker room and turned on the shower. Then he walked back into the classroom and put the teacher in a headlock, picked him up, and was about to carry him out of the classroom. This student was used to throwing bales of hay on his family’s farm, so picking up our teacher was no problem. As I was witnessing this, I realized that it wasn’t right. I stood up and told the student to stop, and he actually listened. Why did he stop? Because I said to and because I had exhibited authority. It wasn’t the kind of authority that said, “I am in charge over you.” No, it was spiritual authority because I was a believer, and I knew my authority in Christ.

When things are happening that are unjust, you have spiritual authority through Christ, my friends. When things are happening that are wrong, you have authority and you have the ability to change those situations. You have the ability to change what’s going on in the Earth, and you have the responsibility to do it. We can’t just sit around waiting and wondering when somebody else is going to do something. Some people go to God and say, “Lord, why did you let this happen?” And He looks right back and says, “Why did you let it happen?”

Genesis 1:26-28 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” 

God gave us authority and He want us to use it. If we don’t, the devil will gladly pick up where we leave off. And we’re not supposed to leave off; we’re supposed to pick up our responsibility and move forward and do the things that God’s called us to do. So, when you see something that’s not right, you have the responsibility to say or do something.

I was babysitting my brother’s kids once when my nephew said, “My tummy hurts.” And I said, “Well, let me pray for you.” So, he laid down on the couch and I started to pray for him. While I was praying for him, I perceived this black ball or a mass in his belly. I perceived that it was something demonic, so I started to bind it, but I couldn’t cast it out. I don’t know why I couldn’t cast it out of my nephew, but I kept binding it smaller and smaller. I said to my nephew, “Tell me when it stops hurting.” It got to be bound pretty tight before he said his stomach had stopped hurting, but I could still see that it was in there.

I went on with the rest of the evening taking care of the kids, and later on my nephew said his stomach hurt again, so I prayed for him again. We started praying, and right while I was praying for my nephew, his sister threw up all over the floor. I picked her up and ran into the kitchen, and while I was getting her cleaned up, my nephew got sick too. But when I went back in to look and perceive in the Spirit after he had gotten sick, the black thing was gone out of his belly! The thing that I couldn’t cast out earlier had left. I had been given a spiritual perception in that moment to be able to perceive what was actually happening in him, although not completely accurate, but it was accurate enough to get the job done.

God gives us these gifts to use. These gifts are not just for “super-Christians”. You and I one of the called ones because we are followers of Jesus. If you’ve never had an experience where the Holy Spirit leads you into the working of miracles or any of the gifts of the Spirit, venture in. You need to learn how to do these things. It’s time to lay hands on the sick and pray for people to be healed. When Mark 16 talks about people being healed after having hands laid on them, it doesn’t always mean they’ll be healed instantly. Sometimes it happens right away, but most of the time I would say it happens over time. However, I have heard so many testimonies where people receive healing hours, days, even months later. God is always faithful to complete the work He started (Phil. 1:6).

Fresh Move Online Course

Fresh Move Course Launch!!
Hi Friends,

Has your life ever truly been transformed by the Holy Spirit? Have you felt like your Christian walk was there but just not as effective and powerful as you thought it should be? Do you want a stronger, more intimate connection with God? Just like you, I truly wanted to be radically changed by God and see the Holy Spirit’s gifts activate in my life. God has done a HUGE work in me over the years I’ve been walking with Him, and I want YOU to have the same victory in your life!For the last several months, the JBM team and I have been working hard, and we are so excited to announce the launch of our NEWEST class, Fresh Move: Living the Spirit-Filled Life! Fresh Move: Living the Spirit-Filled Life is a seven-week course with over 10 hours of video content, countless exercises and ways for you to implement things as you learn, and weekly accountability check-ins to help you stay on track with your fellow students. This class is normally $289, but now through Friday, September 4th, we would like to offer it to you for $199! Class begins September 8th, so act fast! Click HERE to secure your spot. Not quite sure if you’re ready to commit to the whole thing just yet? Click HERE to watch my first lesson on The Gifts of the Spirit for FREE!

A lot of people think that it’s optional to do life with the Holy Spirit…and that’s just NOT the case. They try to go through life with Him sitting in the back seat or not in the car at all. Friends, I encourage you to not do ANYTHING ELSE until you learn what it means to have your life completely transformed by the Holy Spirit and to have the gifts of the Spirit activated in your life. I am so excited to walk with you on this amazing journey as you discover the power you have in Christ, through the Holy Spirit!

Blessings,
Pastor Joe Barlow

Are You In The Flesh Or In The Spirit?


JUNE 9, 2020

Hey Friends,
Do you want to know whether you are in the flesh or in the Spirit?
Do you want to know if you are pleasing God or at war with Him?
You CAN know!

Years ago I came home from work and Nancy said, “You need to go into (one of our daughter)’s bedroom. She’s throwing a fit.” Before I walked in, I said, “Lord I don’t have anything. But I’m trusting you.” So, I walked in and said, “How ya doin’?”
She said “Terrible.”
Everything was wrong. To her this was a major crisis. It was some great injustice and her temper was totally justifiable in her eyes.
So I asked her a question:
“On a scale from one to ten, how are you doing in walking in love right now?”
She said zero.
I said, “Okay, how about Joy? One to ten, how are you doing?”
“Zero.”
“How about Peace?”
“Zero.”

I want through all nine fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22,23 and she rated herself a zero on every one of them.
I said, “Did you realize that, if you have a zero for each of those, then you’re walking in the flesh and not in the Spirit?”

I don’t remember what she said next, but I do remember the complete change in her attitude. The storm was passed by. She was no longer in emotional turmoil.

Through her finding out she was in the flesh, she was able to locate where she was emotionally and spiritually, where she wanted to be, and that it was her will that would get her there. She chose to walk in the Spirit and instantly received the reward of choosing to walk that way. She had peace, joy, love and all the rest.

So, friends, how are YOU doing?
Are you walking in the Spirit or the flesh?
On a scale of 1 to 10 rate yourself
How are you doing when it comes to walking in:

Love?
Joy?
Peace?
Patience?
Kindness?
Goodness?
Faithfulness?
Gentleness?
Self-control?

Romans 8:5-9 “For they that are according to the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh: but they that are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. Now if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.”

You get to choose.
Love ya

THE WORD OF GOD BRINGS HEALING

Friends,

Last year I put together an album of my instrumental music with healing scriptures spoken over the music. My desire was that people would either hear and be healed or at least that it would build their faith to be healed by God’s available healing power.

I really want everyone to be healed. I believe God does too.

We’re actually working on a book and a class on this topic.

I hope you enjoy this track.

Just sit back and close your eyes while listening.

If you want to hear the rest of the album, you can purchase the CD here on this site, download it from iTunes, Amazon, stream it on Spotify and many other outlets.

God bless,

Joe

LET LOVE WIN THE DAY

June 2020 JBM Newsletter

What a tumult!

What crazy times we are living in right here, right now.

Yet right now I’m sitting in my comfy chair, looking out the window at a pond with a fountain, the temperature is perfect, the breeze is blowing, the sunshine is beautiful, and I’m able to sit quietly and speak to my Creator. I’m able to read His Word, hear from Him, let Him know that I love Him and let Him speak to my heart. I write down what He says. Quietly I hear Him say:

My grace is increasing.

My grace is abounding.

Let love win the day.

You might think ‘Joe, you are so out of touch with what’s going on!’ And I would agree with you. I’ve spent a lot of time watching the news. I’ve spent a lot of time on Facebook, etc. trying to see what is going on and what wisdom is available. Are all of my friends OK? Is there any breakthrough? What kind of progress can I expect? How is this going to affect my family and our church and the future of our ministry? There are so many questions. So much concern. So many expressions of pain. So many accusations of guilt.

Friends, if you want to be effective you’ve got to get disconnected.

I heard a prophetic word where Jesus was coaxing someone to get alone with Him. He said, “Come apart before you come apart!”

The effective ones are the ones who have spoken with their Commanding Officer. Who have gotten their battle plans from the King. The ones who meet privately with the Creator God, be at peace and listen to His heart. These are the ones who are going to show up with a fresh word, an attitude that heals and refreshes. They are the ones who are going to bring joy back into its rightful place in our lives and in our world.

Friends, this is our day. He made it for us. Receive His love. Receive His comfort. Receive His healing. Be transformed by His love. Then just shine. You’ll know what to do.

Love ya,

Pastor Joe

A Paraphrase of Isaiah 61

Years ago I worked at Tyndale House Publishers and was able to spend time with Dr. Ken Taylor, the founder of the company who wrote the Living Bible. One thought I had about him was of all the people who ever read the Living Bible, who got the most out of it?

Dr. Taylor did.

He wrote it.

So, I decided to try this method of Bible study. Paraphrase the verse and see if you can get all of the original meaning into your paraphrase.

Here is my attempt at Isaiah 61. See how you think I did.


Verse
KJVBarlow Paraphrase
Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;The presence of God is with me. His Spirit is on me empowering me to proclaim the gospel to those who are so weak and poor. I have a commission from Him to wrap up and bandage the hearts that have been shattered and to tell the captives that they are now free.
Isaiah 61:2To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;Jubilee has come! God is ready to set the record straight, to balance the scales, to right the wrongs and bring deep comfort to those whose hearts are mourning.
Isaiah 61:3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.Here’s how He’s going to fix it: for those whose lives seem nothing but ashes He’s going to make them beautiful, green and full of life. For those who are weighed down with heavy sadness, just like a brand new garment He’s going to adorn you with praise! These children of God who God does this for are going to be planted firm in Him, like beautiful, fruitful trees. Giving God constant glory.
Isaiah 61:4And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.After God affects these people in this way, the effect they will have on others will be amazing. Places that have been totally destroyed, just like their lives were will be restored as well as they are. The generational curses on families will be broken. The blessing has come.
Isaiah 61:5And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.You’ll be amazed at who God will send to help you. People from foreign countries and those you don’t even know will feed your flocks, plow your fields and tend your vines,
Isaiah 61:6But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.because you will be too busy for that. People will call you Priests of the Lord and Ministers of the Most High God. The wealth of those who don’t even know God will come looking for you. God has appointed it to you. Their glorious riches will be yours.
Isaiah 61:7For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.For all the shame, pain and confusion you’ve endured God will give you double blessing. In your land you will have twice as much blessing as the pain you endured. Oh the joy that will be on them! It won’t end.
Isaiah 61:8For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.I, your God, love fixing things this way! I hate when people try to work their own salvation. I want to do it for them. I want to do the cutting so they don’t have to. It’s my covenant with them and it will pass down to their kids,
Isaiah 61:9And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.Their children will be known all over the world. Everyone that sees them will be confronted with how much I’ve blessed them. They will acknowledge the ones I have blessed as chosen by me.
Isaiah 61:10I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.Lord, I am overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness for everything you’ve done. I’m completely clothed and protected with your salvation and you make look great in your eyes with your gift of righteousness. I feel as well taken care of as a the groom at a wedding; I’m totally decked out. Or like a bride covered with her dress and beautiful attire; your salvation on us is so beautiful.
Isaiah 61:11For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.It’s amazing how soil grows what’s sown it; the seeds bud and flourish. Just so, Lord, you are causing your praise and glory to spring up throughout the nations because of how extravagant your salvation is.