Atmosphere + Climate = Culture

I heard a series of sermons on atmosphere and how it affects our lives, how it can come against our best intentions.   Sometimes you don't know why you react the way you do at home with your kids or to hyour spouse or why your church isn't seeing revival, etc.  So if there is strife or discord or you feel something in a place but can't explain it such as in your home or church, you might find these notes helpful.  If you want to hear all the stories that go along with notes, you can order the CDs.  His preaching is MUCH better than my notes, so I encourage you to get he CDs.  But if you can't then I hope these notes will help!

Atmosphere + Climate = Culture by John Kilpatrick

CD with full message available at www.johnkilpatrick.org

Leviticus 14 …then they shall cleanse the house with blood…. And they will make atonement for the house and it shall be clean.

Before the Jews moved into Jericho, they were strategizing and the people of Canaan couldn’t see them, they said OK they may get the land, may get our wells, vineyards, homes, but we are not going to let them get our silver and gold into little demon gods. They hid them under their house. So that when the Jews came in, the Jews started living in those houses. God knew there was something wrong in that house. 

And so the Lord put streaks in the wall as symptoms.  You wouldn’t know anything was wrong unless He put the symptoms in.  The priests would see these stripes and tear down the house. Then the little demon gods would be found.  Why would God go to that much trouble? Because it was a spiritual problem in the house.  It will affect your ability to prosper, health, etc. 

Atmosphere is tremendously important to you.  It affects the way you feel, how you can perform, how you think, how you sleep, how you digest food, your intimacy, and EVERYTHING about you!   Has nothing to do with being saved! You can be saved and living in an atmosphere that hinders you. 

The blood will be for atonement for the house.  Our warfare is not with flesh and blood! It is with powers and principalities, and rulers of the darkness.

Lesson 1 of Revival: Just 30 minutes ago we were laying the presence of God loving each other and as soon as get home start fighting. The Lord said, you prayed 2 ½ years to purge the atmosphere at the church, you had corporate prayer and until the glory came, when those people are in that atmosphere it changes the personality. And they are loving, compassionate in church, but when they come home they are facing same atmosphere that has not been purged. It affects their personality and it is a comfort zone. Those curse words are still rumbling around in the house….where the parents blessed out the kids and criticized them, where the woman running down the husband, they come under the influence of that atmosphere.

God said to Pastor that, “My people are more a product of their atmosphere than they admit.”

Let’s talk about working conditions…. When you go to work it is almost like you are a slave, put on quotas, pressure to produce, live in that atmosphere. And so, there are things that God knows is in atmospheres that affect you, adversely.  He said He was going to put green and red streaks in the wall, tear down house, and needs to be cleansed with blood.

Atmosphere: the air of a place meaning that wherever you live, you have an air that is called atmosphere about you. Jesus had one, too. When Jesus came he said to Nathaniel, b/c the heavens had been shut up for 400 years w/ no sign from heaven, the earth was under brass heavens. He said to Nathaniel, I saw you under the fig tree. Nathaniel couldn’t believe it.  Jesus told Nathaniel that he would see the heavens open and angels descending and ascending for Me. You will see atmosphere part over Me, you’ll see angels being sent by God to minister me Me and angels to take messages from Me to God. 

Climate/Culture: The sustained atmosphere will produce a climate (like the atmosphere in FL and is good for producing fruit trees). The atmosphere and the climate will create a culture. The culture will be boating, fishing, tourism, and the culture will be a tourism where the beachcombers and water sports people will come. Compare / contrast Florida beaches, Aspen Colorado snow, ski resorts, and Las Vegas, prostitutes, gambling, etc.

Atmospheres hold spirits…. You shall cleanse house w/ blood, would not use words atonement and blood had it not been a spiritual problem.

Some of the things that you are experiencing might not be b/c you did something wrong. It might be that you are sensitive to something in the atmosphere that is different than where you came from…. That doesn’t mean that God is going to absolve you of any guilt if you sinned in it….

But it could be that something is going on w/ you that you have not committed any sin to feel the way you do, but it is b/c you are in a new atmosphere, you are not sleeping good, nightmares, eating is affected, problems thinking, you need to understand that atmospheres can be a spiritual thing.

Story: One church went though several pastors in fairly short time.  All ended up leaving the church and losing their families over unfaithfulness to the spouse.  Finally they got a preacher a little older/wiser.  He hadn't been there a month and approached the board, telling them that he couldn't stay in the parsonage any more, that he needed them to help him get the "hell" out of the house because every time he laid in that bed at night, all he could think about was sexual lusts.  So they went over, prayed, and cleaned out the atmosphere.  

Atmosphere sustained long enough creates a climate.  That climate sustained long enough creates a culture.

People might ask the preacher to come pray over their house and bless it But don’t do it until the atmosphere has been dealt with because the blessing can’t light on it because of the demonic atmosphere, etc.

You have to clean a place before you can put a blessing on it.

Atmospheres hold inventories… the prayers of those who have gone before us, they are gone but their prayers are in the soil, in the woods, in the trees.  God let him listen to prayers of generations ago.  Story: Atmosphere inventories: Pastor Kilpatrick went to a church in Virginia as a guest preacher.  All during the worship all he could hear were these voices of older men and women crying out to God, but it wasn't inside the church.  It sounded like it was coming from the woods nearby.  The atmosphere in the church was electric, the power of God was all over the people.  He began telling them what he had been hearing.  After the message some of them told him that there was no way he could have known that generations ago the people were very poor and they did not always have a church to pray in, or they couldn't get there, so they got used to praying in the woods!  And those were the prayers that were inventoried there in that atmosphere! 

America has had people praying down through the centuries….!!! 

Revival is coming to America.  A new reformation is coming. It’s not over!

Israel is not just a modern day Israel. King David is attached, Samuel is attached Rehaboam, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc all attached and their words are still resting in the atmosphere of Israel. It only appears that Israel is a godless nation.  And the end time prophecy around Israel will all come to pass.

Bible says God inventories prayers and a bottle inventories tears.  A book holds the names of those who are born again. 

Change channels (stop listening to the politics, the news) because it drags you down.  Change the channel…!

You can’t say that a mom praying for her daughter and son, grandparents praying for their kids and grandkids, board members who backed their church, gave when they didn’t have money to give (sew something else instead) … can’t tell me that their prayers died with them in the grave.

Atmospheres inventory blessings and even curses.  Atmospheres hold offenses.  That’s why Jesus, says we have to deal with some things like sin because it is our responsibility to repent and ask Him to forgive us.

And the Lord will forgive you.  Deal with offenses in the same way. 

But then there are things you will come into contact with that you had nothing to do with, such as if you become pastor of a church with a history of fighting, fueding, grudges, etc.  You then have 2 things: the keys of the kingdom to use to bind and to command that the thing ceases and desists, then you loose the angels of the Lord to come in and then you plead the blood of Jesus to break the strongholds over atmospheres.

Atmospheres can hold inventories of grief, unusual grief, where divorce or suicide or murder took place, where strife has been there, unforgiveness, etc. 

Before Jesus ministered in the temple where the money changers were, he cleaned it out, cast out things that caused a bad atmosphere.  He cleansed the atmosphere.  He didn’t tear the temple down, He garnished and swept the atmosphere.  Why can’t some churches experience worship? Or why they can’t seem to have revival or can’t sustain it?

They have too many things inventoried in the walls of the churches!

It’s because the atmosphere has caused a climate, which has led to a culture. 

Sterile Atmosphere: where you come in to a church or a home, business, and you don’t know what is wrong but you don’t want to stay there.  You feel ill at ease and in a sterile atmosphere, worship has a very difficult time.  You can’t worship because Holy Spirit isn’t there, so routine takes over.  The atmosphere is dead and sterile. In homes, kids can’t wait to turn 18 to leave. They don’t think about staying there long term because they would rather live with a neighbor than stay in that home. When the atmosphere is sterile and atmosphere not right, the household members can go to church and promise to change, repent, etc.  They come home to the atmosphere that hasn’t been dealt with.  They come home and man tries to compliment his wife.  Before the words reach her ear, the atmosphere has taken the words and garbled them, and his heart was not conveyed in the way she heard it.  And so the vows they made become broken because they start fighting all over again.  In churches, it works pretty much the same way.  That’s why it is important to preach the Word, it can’t be what you think, it has to be the Word to cut through that atmosphere, to cut, divide and pierce that kind of atmosphere. 

Spring Break, Trials and Triumphs and Other Ramblings

So much on my mind, it's hard to know where to begin!

I am so pleased with the homeschooling. One bedroom of our home looks like school room because it IS a school room... complete with chalkboard, books, supplies, posters, computer, desk, etc.  We officially started in December and now we are already half way through the curriculum!  Homeschooling the girls has made me a better mom and a better teacher (I work full-time as an educator in the public schools).  Yes this seems hypocritical, but I was a teacher before I was a mom, and I still need to work, and also do what we feel is best for our children :) I am seeing my girls grow and learn and know that I have had a big part in this, thanks to the guidance and direction of God and the curriculum! 

This week has quite possibly been one of the best weeks in quite a long time!

It was spring break, and although I did have to work part of the time, I was able to do many of things I wanted to do.  Primarily I wanted to just be there with my kids, with no distractions!  So the first 2 days of spring break were rainy, of course! So we stayed in and found ways to entertain ourselves.  I also got a lot of cleaning done, which the girls were thrilled to help with... don't you just love it when kids are young and they WANT to help clean!! Now the house is cleaner than it has been in a long time.  And isn't it amazing how a clean house gives you energy, whereas an untidy house seems to rob you of the energy you need to get it cleaned! I'm not saying you won't find a few stray socks in the living room, but you WILL find baseboard cleaned, thanks to the cracks and crevices tool on our new vacuum. :) Unless you live in sand and have white baseboards, you might not be able to fully appreciate the clean baseboard thing!  And so far, one wall in the living room has been painted "peach mango sorbet" and it is BRIGHT! Not sure why we are going to do with the rest of the room, but I think it needs something to balance out the brightness, LOL!
It's our happy wall.  If you are sad you can look at it and get happy very quickly!

 This past weekend was just awesome - beautiful weather, and Daingerfield State Park! The four of us spent Saturday afternoon paddle boating and watching the girls play on the playground.  Naturally, my husband and I did the most peddling!  I did switch seats with Emmarie once to let her give it a try.  She could barely reach the pedals and it was, well, a little hard for Richard to peddle alone, LOL!  Thankfully we did not tip the boat over trying to rearrange our seats on the boat! Sunday came and I spent most of it sitting outside with the girls riding their bikes.  They have not been able to ride their bikes unless I"m here in the last couple of weeks.  I'll talk more about that in a little while.... but all the neighborhood kids were riding back and forth, playing basketball in our yard, or playing bean-bag toss.  It was so much fun interacting with all of them and enjoying the great weather. 

So the deal with the bikes is that we have a neighbor, who will remain nameless, who lives a few houses down from ours, who is a stay-at-home mom (blessed she is!) whose husband is a law enforcement officer for a neighboring county.  God love her, but she takes it upon herself to police our neighborhood, NOT in the way that would be appreciated.  So of course, I was at work and the kids were riding their bikes in front of our house on the road.  Chloe (4) somehow managed to pick up a wad of grass/dirt and threw it at her car.  She yelled at her, telling her she had better not throw rocks at her car ever again.  Then, she called the police, told them there were kids riding bikes unattended in the street and throwing rooks at cars.  Next thing Richard knew, the cops were at the door.  They told him the girls could not ride their bikes at all in the street unless someone was watching them.  Well, he can't "watch" them because he is blind. So that means they can't ride unless I am here.  Well, as soon as I get home from work, our school day begins.  So bike riding will be reserved for the weekends! So the story doesn't end there.  

I had Chloe tell me which one of our neighbor's cars had she thrown the dirt at.... she pointed out the car as we drove up our road (which by the way is a small rural COUNTY Road, not a busy street in the middle of the city)! We pulled into the driveway and I told her she was going to apologize for what she had done.  So when the lady answered her door, I asked her if Chloe had thrown something at her car.  She said yes, and then Chloe made her apology.... it was really sweet and sincere.  So I proceeded to tell this woman that we wanted to be good neighbors and have a trusting relationship with our neighbors.  And so I asked her to please, if there is a "next time" to come tell us when she sees our children misbehaving.  To this she replied, 'I"m not about to put myself in the position to be in a conflict with another parent. Anytime I see something unsafe I"m going to call the police." I told her that this was not the way to get along with neighbors.  So we ended by me telling her that she has to do what she has to do, and I will do what I have to do.... which is to PRAY for her and to restrict playing in the front yard or riding bikes for the weekends.  Well, enough of that....

Before spring break I took a couple of days off work and we took a vacation to Dallas to attend revival services at Christ for the Nations.  The Bay of the Holy Spirit revival was at CFNI and we are still believing for Richard's healing from blindness.  The presence of God was SO strong during the services, and even though he hasn't received his healing yet, I believe it is close! He is starting to have dreams about being able to see! He's had 4 or 5 in the last year! Awesome! 

Emmarie is a worshipper and she did just that.... you can see the video below.  Jesus said, "Forbid not the little children to come to Me." At first it appears she is just copying other people, but keep watching until the evangelist steps in....then you can see the power of God all over her! Thank you Jesus!

 As Christians it is important for us to not water downy church for these little children.  I personally believe that children have a lot more spiritual insight than we know.  As we grow older we are untaught many spiritual truths or we are beaten down by experiences and words spoken by others.  I don't mind if my kids get a little restless in a long service and need something like the iPad or coloring books to keep them "entertained" but I know that when they want to worship they can, and I have seen that they can understand the Word as it is preached in these meetings.  My girls have already seen so many miracles of healing in their first 4 to 6 years of life than I did until I was in my mid twenties until now.  I am super excited for why the future holds.

One of the products we purchased at the revival was from John Kilpatrick entitled, "Atmosphere + Climate = Culture.  I have been listening and applying it to our household.  We are not a perfect family by any stretch of the imagination.  And the enemy has been having a field day with us in regard to our 4 year old and some behavior issues. These of course make mom a little crazy too!!!  So we have began seeking the Lord to bring about the change we need for our home, our lives, and our future ministry/church/whatever God has planned for us.  I'll be writing about that in the next post.

Thanks for reading! I hope you are blessed and I invite your comments!