Take Another Look at Alignment By: Ken Malone
Alignment. It’s a word I had never heard of or used in the Church until the year 2000. Before that time, I had only used the word in relation to mechanics. I had heard of front-end alignment, in which you align the front end of your car, to help your tires wear evenly. Today they even have four-wheel alignment. I had also heard the expression, “when the stars align” and the alignment of two points.
When I was eleven years old, I went to work for my granddad, Esker Malone. My granddad owned a full-service gas station. He trained me in the skills of operating a full-service gas station. He aligned me with his skills. At sixteen, I went to work with my dad at his mechanic shop. He began to train me in his skills of repairing a car. I caught on quickly. At the age of sixteen, I built a dune buggy out of a Volkswagen Beetle. I rebuilt motors, tuned up cars, changed wheel bearings, etc. At this young age, I was always learning new skills when it came to the automobile.
In 1976, I gave my heart and life to our Lord Jesus Christ. I didn’t know it, but Holy Spirit had dropped the plumbline of redemption in my heart. It was then my choice to align with Him or to continue to go my own way. I aligned with Him. While serving our Lord in Alabama, I was not certain where Yahweh was taking me. The fire of the Lord filled my heart with passion for Him. I read the bible and learned that prayer was a necessary lifestyle if you are going to pursue Him. I prayed, led worship, and began to preach the gospel of the Kingdom.
Each move we made, every decision we followed through on, every holy nudge we embraced, and each divine appointment aligned us with His plan.
It wasn’t long before I felt the drawing of Holy Spirit to go full-time in the ministry and in 1984, we stepped out in faith. Moving to Montgomery Alabama, and becoming the pastor at Abundant Life Church. This was a very strong training ground. At 28 years old with a wife and four kids, I had a lot of zeal and revelation, but no wisdom to go along with the zeal, which was challenging. The four years I was there were filled with trials, testing, more trials, and more testing. Almost the entire time I was there, I wondered, “Did I miss God? Why is it so hard?” Through the years, I’ve discovered that each time you go to a new assignment (re-align,) you are tested. Will you go back to where you came from? Will you quit?
Labor Day 1988
On Labor Day 1988, we moved to Florida to continue the work of the Kingdom of God. The testing followed me. I didn’t know this was a part of my Heavenly Father’s process to refine me and to keep me in alignment. When seeking God, I said, “Lord get me out of Florida. It’s too hard.” Holy Spirit would say, “You’re going to be here a LONGGGGG time. My heart sank. “Why is it so difficult?” My mind wandered to a conversation that my grandmother, a preacher’s daughter, had with Cheryl and I. She had told me how hard she and her family had it when she was growing up. My great-grandfather was a Methodist Preacher. Grandmother said, “Don’t do it! You will be poor. You have a good job at the paper mill. Don’t give it up.” This is the place that many come to and reason because it’s so hard, it must not be the will of God. To the contrary. You’re being tested. Will you align with Him, His Plan or go home?
In the Church, we’ve not been taught how to sit with the refiner. We’ve not learned that we are to endure hardness. 2 Timothy 2:3-5 NKJV, You, therefore, must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
In 2000 I began to run with those who were using the word alignment. The first message I ever heard Dutch Sheets share was in 2000. He preached a word he called, “The Divine Shift.” He was teaching how the Lord is re-aligning His body for Kingdom purposes. When I heard this word, my heart made another important re-alignment, to fulfill all that Yahweh had in store for Cheryl and I. Peter Wagner, Chuck Pierce, Jim Hodges, Cindy Jacobs and a number of others talk about alignment. Whenever someone used the word alignment, my ears perked up and still do today. It’s pretty much a buzzword today in and outside the body of Christ.
Declared With Authority
Those I heard declare the word of alignment, did so with such authority and passion, that you knew it was a word from them the Lord. Every time I heard the word, “ALIGN,” My heart would awaken and movement toward His plans would take place.
It was also in 2000 that I unpacked my emotional bags and decided I would stay in Florida for the rest of my life. When I did, Yahweh supernaturally married Cheryl and I to Florida. I Love every square inch of our state.
From 2000-2008, I was constantly in a cycle of realignment. Things were changing. For the first time, I was content with being in Florida. When Yahweh married us to Florida, everything began to improve. I no longer had to work two jobs. This marriage to Florida was a tremendous blessing. I began to travel across the state, and all was well.
The trials still come, but I now know how to abide in Christ. John 15:5-8 NKJV, Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Apostolic Alignment—Learning to align with a gift, I thought no longer existed.
In 1999 while on a mission trip on the island of Eleuthera, I hear Holy say, I’m shifting you to the gift of Apostle. I wasn’t sure about this. I heard that Apostles were missionaries were overseas. The only overseas work I wanted to do was a Mediterranean Cruise. Like Jonah, I ran from this call because I did not understand this type of alignment. So I placed this word on the shelf of forgetfulness. (This is where many of our prophetic words go to collect dust or die.)
In 2000, Cheryl and I were in Miami, along with leaders from the church we led. Cindy Jacobs and Dutch Sheets were hosting a Glory Fire Conference. At that time, I did not know Cindy and we had just met Dutch a few months before. Cindy calls Cheryl and I out of 1000 people. She was very cordial and kind. Who are you? Where are you from, what do you do,” she asked? I shared who we are. Cindy then gets this look that most prophets get when they are about to give you and word. She prophesied, “The Lord has place upon you the mantle of an apostle, but you have resisted this. Now resist no more. Suddenly a 3-way conversation is going on. As Cindy is prophesying to us, I say to the Lord, “No I didn’t.” He says, “Yes you did.” “How?” was my reply. He said, “because you did nothing with the word, I gave you.” I REPENTED.
It’s time to engage. I looked at Cheryl and said, “Let’s spend the rest of our lives pursuing our Lord and His plans, regardless of the cost.” She agreed.
I bought every book I could find on the Apostle. If it had apostle in the title, I bought it. Out of 100 books I bought, only 25 were helpful. I read everything on this subject I could.
The greatest thing I did during this major shift was to align myself with other apostles. Iron sharpens iron. I need to be around others who are apostles. I came into strong alignment with Dutch Sheets.
I showed up where he was speaking. Made many trips to Colorado Springs to be with him. Then I began to serve him in whatever manner I could. If it was toting his suitcase, pick him up at the airport, grabbing a meal for him, I did it. The relationship began to grow and now 23 years later, we still run together.
My authority level went off the chain. Our ministry began to grow. Our finances grew. I began to really understand what I was made for. Jesus didn’t die, just to take you and I to heaven. He died so that I could discover life in Him and walk that out. It happened in 2000 and it’s happening today.
For those wanting to grow in ministry, the best advice I can give you is, align yourself with God’s plan, then align yourself with an apostle.
Ken's Domain 