If you want to find trouble and be considered a trouble maker, all you have to do is pray. This is what Daniel found in his time when it was made clear that if you prayed you would become prey:
All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. — Daniel 6:7-9
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” Daniel discounted the law of the Medes which a “altereth not” for the higher law of God that eternally changeth not. A trillion years before God ever created the Medes and Persians he was himself the Law of Truth that can not be altered. However,the law of the Medes was eventually altered: They have been in hell thousands’ of years—their law has no jurisdiction there.
Daniel prayed. The word for prayer here means “to bow” which comes from another word that means “a one sided limp. God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. As Daniel prayed to God he was humbling himself in the art of waiting on God: “They that wait on the Lord shall renew (exchange) their strength. To wait means to “be gathered together, to twist together like a thread around a logging chain.
Daniel “linked” up his weakness in prayer to God’s Omnipotent strength. Daniel walked with a limp with a Holy God who could walk on water or choose to dry up the sea so as to walk on dry ground. This God walked to Golgotha with the weight of the world on his shoulders and redeemed all of mankind. He consequently walked into hell and took the keys of hell and death, making an open mockery out of the devil. This mighty Savior then walked out of the grave, once and for all raising up a fallen race, who through repentance and faith in his name, was subsequently seated with him in heavenly places. This was all made possible because Jesus walked into the Holy of Holies in heaven and obtained for us eternal redemption with his own Blood. He is now seated while he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.
But, he is arising even now as he walks toward a white horse upon which he is coming back to earth as a conquering King to lay down all rule and authority! Here is the amazing thing: He is going to defeat the modern arsenal of super tanks and nuclear weapons and all their devastating potential with a sword and a horse!! And it is not like he is going to work up a sweat at that. Look closely and you will see some common threads wrapped around this uncommon King: “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean” (Revelation 19:14). Wrap your head around this and you will be alright!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
It Is Time To Be Discontented
David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. —1 Samuel 22:1-2
Without sound of hammer,unperceived by the world or the church of Saul, and
without any self promoting press release, the greatest move of God known to man is taking place. This move is one of construction: “And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building” (1Kings 6:7). These “stones made ready” are one and the same with all who came to David at the cave of Adullam as they were gathered unto him.
This is a supernatural move of the Holy Ghost that is originating in heaven: There may not be a sound heard here, but in heaven there is great rejoicing heard over each “stone” that repents! These stones that Jesus, the Son of David, is using to build his house with are living stones: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). These living stones are those that have been entirely overlooked and labeled useless by the world: “Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned” (Nehemiah 4:2)?
The one great characteristic that marks these discontents is this: The Word of God is the only authority that they trust—they have been burned too many times by the “sleight of men.” These men have one burning and one all consuming desire: They must crown Jesus Christ the Living Word, King of the church! This is happening now in the hearts of those marked by the Spirit of God in order to fulfill that which is written in the book of 1 Chronicles 12:38, “All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.” These men are those that could no longer abide the foolishness of Saul's agenda.
The major “un-ecumenical” disposition that the true church has with the “Church of Saul” is this: He was not the King the scriptures had foretold! From the beginning when God drew up the blueprint for this house with Abraham, it was promised in Genesis 17:6: “I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.” It is made clear in Genesis 49:10 that the King would come from the tribe of Judah: “ The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”
David and Jesus clearly came from the tribe of Judah; Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. The discontentment of all those who are leaving the church of the flesh and coming to the church grounded in the truth of the scriptures is well placed. In fact, this growing dissatisfaction with man made doctrines and “manufactured moves of the spirit” is placed there by the Holy Ghost. It is time to be discontented.
Without sound of hammer,unperceived by the world or the church of Saul, and
without any self promoting press release, the greatest move of God known to man is taking place. This move is one of construction: “And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building” (1Kings 6:7). These “stones made ready” are one and the same with all who came to David at the cave of Adullam as they were gathered unto him.
This is a supernatural move of the Holy Ghost that is originating in heaven: There may not be a sound heard here, but in heaven there is great rejoicing heard over each “stone” that repents! These stones that Jesus, the Son of David, is using to build his house with are living stones: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). These living stones are those that have been entirely overlooked and labeled useless by the world: “Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned” (Nehemiah 4:2)?
The one great characteristic that marks these discontents is this: The Word of God is the only authority that they trust—they have been burned too many times by the “sleight of men.” These men have one burning and one all consuming desire: They must crown Jesus Christ the Living Word, King of the church! This is happening now in the hearts of those marked by the Spirit of God in order to fulfill that which is written in the book of 1 Chronicles 12:38, “All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.” These men are those that could no longer abide the foolishness of Saul's agenda.
The major “un-ecumenical” disposition that the true church has with the “Church of Saul” is this: He was not the King the scriptures had foretold! From the beginning when God drew up the blueprint for this house with Abraham, it was promised in Genesis 17:6: “I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.” It is made clear in Genesis 49:10 that the King would come from the tribe of Judah: “ The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”
David and Jesus clearly came from the tribe of Judah; Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. The discontentment of all those who are leaving the church of the flesh and coming to the church grounded in the truth of the scriptures is well placed. In fact, this growing dissatisfaction with man made doctrines and “manufactured moves of the spirit” is placed there by the Holy Ghost. It is time to be discontented.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Song Of The Lord
When King David fled from Saul he ended up in a cave: “David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him” (1 Samuel 22:1). It was here that the Lord started building the Church of David: “ And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.”
The first thing they heard was the song of the Lord. The title of Psalm 34 is: “A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.” At this point in his life, David did not look like a king—he had just played the part of a madman: “And David…was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard” (1 Samuel 21:12-13). But he had a song:
Psalm 34
I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
This Psalm goes on to say that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of them all. What these men heard changed them. They didn't just hear about God's deliverance, they became the delivered because the Lord’s manifest presence was revealed in this true praise and worship out of the mouth of David. There is no way you can duplicate this life changing presence of Jesus that flows through the song of the Lord: He must truly become alive in you.
Back in my day, one of the most popular bands was the “The Eagles.” Now there were a lot of local bands that copied their songs; some good, some not so good. But no matter how good you might “cover” their songs, you couldn’t compete with the real thing. Were there to be a concert with the “Eagles” playing one venue, and a cover band playing another, who do you think would have the drawing power?
We must have the “real” thing. We can never duplicate his presence and “cover” his songs. We never should settle for less because he has promised to “show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are totally dependent upon him.” Does the song you and I sing today have the drawing power of the Spirit of God?
Believe his word today. Become the delivered!
The first thing they heard was the song of the Lord. The title of Psalm 34 is: “A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.” At this point in his life, David did not look like a king—he had just played the part of a madman: “And David…was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard” (1 Samuel 21:12-13). But he had a song:
Psalm 34
I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
This Psalm goes on to say that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of them all. What these men heard changed them. They didn't just hear about God's deliverance, they became the delivered because the Lord’s manifest presence was revealed in this true praise and worship out of the mouth of David. There is no way you can duplicate this life changing presence of Jesus that flows through the song of the Lord: He must truly become alive in you.
Back in my day, one of the most popular bands was the “The Eagles.” Now there were a lot of local bands that copied their songs; some good, some not so good. But no matter how good you might “cover” their songs, you couldn’t compete with the real thing. Were there to be a concert with the “Eagles” playing one venue, and a cover band playing another, who do you think would have the drawing power?
We must have the “real” thing. We can never duplicate his presence and “cover” his songs. We never should settle for less because he has promised to “show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are totally dependent upon him.” Does the song you and I sing today have the drawing power of the Spirit of God?
Believe his word today. Become the delivered!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Nail Holes And Scars
David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. — Samuel 22:1-2
If you can find out what God has said according to the scriptures, you have seen the future, stood in the future and therefore you can prophesy the future: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). If you want to see how God is going to close out the church age—the times of the Gentiles, look and see how he started it and you will clearly see the end. When Jesus Christ the Son of David, baptized his church on the day of Pentecost, he was fulfilling Amos 9:11: “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old.” This great house has been under construction some two thousand years and is hastening completion! Jesus the lowly carpenter from Nazareth, the author and finisher of this Holy temple, is gathering in the final harvest that his house might be filled!
In this final hour multitudes are being gathered unto the Son of David—those that are in debt, distress and discontentment. This motley group of soon to be mighty men of God,does not look like much to the trained eye of “American Idol” talent scouts. In fact the men that came to David are one and the same with the ones rejected by Saul: “He will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work” (1 Samuel 8:16). These men were not the finest: They did not make "the cut" with Saul's army. Saul did not give them a second thought as they left him to join David; in his eye they were just a bunch of "discontents." He discounted them because he failed to see what God saw. He saw outcasts; God saw representatives of the last day harvest: “Bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind” (Luke 14:21). In this you must see that whereas we come to Jesus lost and undone, we never stay that way. The house of the Lord is full of the presence of Jesus: The poor and maimed become mighty men of God!
The Lord once showed me this church in my minds eye. I saw a pile of salvaged building materials like you would see at a construction site for a new house. In this pile was used up bricks, blocks, and boards with scars and nail holes. The Lord said, “This is what I build my church with.” You may be reading this and anyone that passes by your situation can clearly see that you are used up, scarred up, and full of nail holes. The world sees this “pile” of wasted humanity and marks it for the garbage heap—so much more for the landfill. Jesus passes by and marks you for his kingdom saying, “Come and follow me: I will turn your world right side up.” The truth is, the very cornerstone of the church has nail holes and scars.
If you can find out what God has said according to the scriptures, you have seen the future, stood in the future and therefore you can prophesy the future: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). If you want to see how God is going to close out the church age—the times of the Gentiles, look and see how he started it and you will clearly see the end. When Jesus Christ the Son of David, baptized his church on the day of Pentecost, he was fulfilling Amos 9:11: “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old.” This great house has been under construction some two thousand years and is hastening completion! Jesus the lowly carpenter from Nazareth, the author and finisher of this Holy temple, is gathering in the final harvest that his house might be filled!
In this final hour multitudes are being gathered unto the Son of David—those that are in debt, distress and discontentment. This motley group of soon to be mighty men of God,does not look like much to the trained eye of “American Idol” talent scouts. In fact the men that came to David are one and the same with the ones rejected by Saul: “He will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work” (1 Samuel 8:16). These men were not the finest: They did not make "the cut" with Saul's army. Saul did not give them a second thought as they left him to join David; in his eye they were just a bunch of "discontents." He discounted them because he failed to see what God saw. He saw outcasts; God saw representatives of the last day harvest: “Bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind” (Luke 14:21). In this you must see that whereas we come to Jesus lost and undone, we never stay that way. The house of the Lord is full of the presence of Jesus: The poor and maimed become mighty men of God!
The Lord once showed me this church in my minds eye. I saw a pile of salvaged building materials like you would see at a construction site for a new house. In this pile was used up bricks, blocks, and boards with scars and nail holes. The Lord said, “This is what I build my church with.” You may be reading this and anyone that passes by your situation can clearly see that you are used up, scarred up, and full of nail holes. The world sees this “pile” of wasted humanity and marks it for the garbage heap—so much more for the landfill. Jesus passes by and marks you for his kingdom saying, “Come and follow me: I will turn your world right side up.” The truth is, the very cornerstone of the church has nail holes and scars.
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Expressway of God
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. —Psalms 119:18
One of the essential truths that we must learn is this: Jesus Christ is the living breathing Word of God. Therefore the Word is a person: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). This Word is eternal; it never originates in the mind of man but it has always been. In this all powerful living Word of God is the beginning and the end: The end is just as sure as the beginning. Isaiah 46:9-10 states, “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” As B.H. Clendennen says, “God never starts a thing until he finishes it!”
The church of Jesus Christ, in this eternal sense, was finished before the foundation of the world: “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). Certainly this glorious church has been seen standing victorious outside of time in Revelation 19:7, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” This being true, beware of anyone who claims the Lord made the following statement: “The Lord simply said, I will change the understanding and expression of Christianity in one generation.” If you have never heard the devil quote his agenda, now you have. This is the ongoing ministry of the "lying spirits" found in 1 Kings 22:22: "And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so."
How can you change that which is unchangeable? To change the expression of Christianity would be to change the very person of Jesus Christ who is and ever will be the God that changeth not. To change the understanding of the church would be to change the written Word of God from Genesis to Revelation because the church is clearly seen in both. In the final analysis you could sooner change the ending to the movie “True Grit” starring John Wayne, before you could ever change one jot or tittle of the law. God has the ability to raise John Wayne from the dead and remake all of his movies, but there is one thing that even the Almighty can not do: God can not lie!!
May God open our eyes to the wonderful eternal truths of his Word. Within its pages is the living voice of the Lord bearing faithful witness to those things that are and those things which surly must be! We do not need a new expression of Christianity; we need to express the Christianity as revealed in the book of Acts. The "Expressway" of the written Word of God is the only way to avoid the latter day deception of false prophets.
One of the essential truths that we must learn is this: Jesus Christ is the living breathing Word of God. Therefore the Word is a person: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). This Word is eternal; it never originates in the mind of man but it has always been. In this all powerful living Word of God is the beginning and the end: The end is just as sure as the beginning. Isaiah 46:9-10 states, “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” As B.H. Clendennen says, “God never starts a thing until he finishes it!”
The church of Jesus Christ, in this eternal sense, was finished before the foundation of the world: “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). Certainly this glorious church has been seen standing victorious outside of time in Revelation 19:7, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” This being true, beware of anyone who claims the Lord made the following statement: “The Lord simply said, I will change the understanding and expression of Christianity in one generation.” If you have never heard the devil quote his agenda, now you have. This is the ongoing ministry of the "lying spirits" found in 1 Kings 22:22: "And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so."
How can you change that which is unchangeable? To change the expression of Christianity would be to change the very person of Jesus Christ who is and ever will be the God that changeth not. To change the understanding of the church would be to change the written Word of God from Genesis to Revelation because the church is clearly seen in both. In the final analysis you could sooner change the ending to the movie “True Grit” starring John Wayne, before you could ever change one jot or tittle of the law. God has the ability to raise John Wayne from the dead and remake all of his movies, but there is one thing that even the Almighty can not do: God can not lie!!
May God open our eyes to the wonderful eternal truths of his Word. Within its pages is the living voice of the Lord bearing faithful witness to those things that are and those things which surly must be! We do not need a new expression of Christianity; we need to express the Christianity as revealed in the book of Acts. The "Expressway" of the written Word of God is the only way to avoid the latter day deception of false prophets.
Beware of Snake Berries: They Will Surly Bite In The End
Beware of impostors that plot to grow in your garden. They look like the real thing, but are revealed as counterfeits when examined in the light of truth. A snake berry looks like a strawberry but it is poison.
There are many such charlatans that grow in gardens. One of them, Johnson grass, looks like corn. I know of someone who hoed around this weed for weeks before realizing its deception. Snake berries are a fraud that looks like strawberry plants. Their fruit is almost identical to a strawberry with one difference: They are poison.
Jesus warned of tares, a plant that resembled wheat: “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way” (Matthew 13:24-25). Since pulling up the tares would damage the good seed, the tares were allowed to grow until the harvest—at which time they would be burned.
Tares in our life often take the shape of wanting to help God out in the form of a good idea. When God sows a promise into our life, patience is required. Too many times, this patience wears thin and we take things into our own hands. The resulting “tare” tears up our life.
The life of Abraham teaches us this principle. God had promised him a seed that would be as numerous as the stars: “And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be” (Genesis 15:5). For years Abraham and Sarah tried to birth this seed to no avail, so Sarah gives birth to a plan: “The Lord hath restrained me from bearing: Go in unto my maid; it may be that I obtain children by her” (Genesis 16:2). Abraham hearkened and Hagar conceived.
When Ishmael was born to Hagar, no less than an Angel spoke to her: “And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude” (16:10). Ishmael looked like the promise: a multitude had been promised; he was going to be a multitude. The only problem was—he was not the promise: He would grow to become an enemy because he was born an enemy.
Ishmael came about because Abraham got impatient. He had waited ten years for God to bring about the promise and nothing had happened. Isn’t ten years long enough? Surly there was something that could be done about this! After all, as Watchmen Nee said, “We are so capable of doing it ourselves!”
Beware of anything that “drives” you to do something. The driving force of such actions is pride and unbelief; they will drive you into despair and confusion. Love is patient; flesh has to have it right now.
With Abraham, Hagar was something he could do. When Sarah suggested he have a baby by her, it didn’t drive him to the floor in dependence on God: It drove him to action! Fourteen years later, when he was “as good as dead in his body,” God promised him a son by Sarah, who was also “as good as dead.” This drove him to the floor in utter dependence upon God’s ability:
“Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear” (17:17)?
Do not settle for snake berries. They will surly bite in the end!!
There are many such charlatans that grow in gardens. One of them, Johnson grass, looks like corn. I know of someone who hoed around this weed for weeks before realizing its deception. Snake berries are a fraud that looks like strawberry plants. Their fruit is almost identical to a strawberry with one difference: They are poison.
Jesus warned of tares, a plant that resembled wheat: “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way” (Matthew 13:24-25). Since pulling up the tares would damage the good seed, the tares were allowed to grow until the harvest—at which time they would be burned.
Tares in our life often take the shape of wanting to help God out in the form of a good idea. When God sows a promise into our life, patience is required. Too many times, this patience wears thin and we take things into our own hands. The resulting “tare” tears up our life.
The life of Abraham teaches us this principle. God had promised him a seed that would be as numerous as the stars: “And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be” (Genesis 15:5). For years Abraham and Sarah tried to birth this seed to no avail, so Sarah gives birth to a plan: “The Lord hath restrained me from bearing: Go in unto my maid; it may be that I obtain children by her” (Genesis 16:2). Abraham hearkened and Hagar conceived.
When Ishmael was born to Hagar, no less than an Angel spoke to her: “And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude” (16:10). Ishmael looked like the promise: a multitude had been promised; he was going to be a multitude. The only problem was—he was not the promise: He would grow to become an enemy because he was born an enemy.
Ishmael came about because Abraham got impatient. He had waited ten years for God to bring about the promise and nothing had happened. Isn’t ten years long enough? Surly there was something that could be done about this! After all, as Watchmen Nee said, “We are so capable of doing it ourselves!”
Beware of anything that “drives” you to do something. The driving force of such actions is pride and unbelief; they will drive you into despair and confusion. Love is patient; flesh has to have it right now.
With Abraham, Hagar was something he could do. When Sarah suggested he have a baby by her, it didn’t drive him to the floor in dependence on God: It drove him to action! Fourteen years later, when he was “as good as dead in his body,” God promised him a son by Sarah, who was also “as good as dead.” This drove him to the floor in utter dependence upon God’s ability:
“Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear” (17:17)?
Do not settle for snake berries. They will surly bite in the end!!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
STAY FULL BY BEING POURED OUT
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. —Matthew 25:1-9
There are principles in scripture that we must consider to understand what kept the oil flowing in the wise virgin’s lamp. All these truths are wrapped around this one great truth: We are called to be bond slaves of the Most High God. As such, we are vessels through which Jesus truly lives as he continues the one great work for which he came: To seek and save that which was lost. The oil that kept their vessels full was the oil that was steadily being emptied out! These virgins knew the Lord, they had eternal light. Their concern was for those in darkness; they burned so that others could see.
The first principle is: We have “little oil.” (See 2 Kings 4:1-6)The vessel God uses is one who has little strength: “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8). The Lord is not looking to use “super beings” in this hour. There simply are none!
The second law to learn is this: The way to stay full of oil is to stay poured out—stay empty. God will not fill a vessel that is full of self. The oil that kept the wise virgins lamps burning was the oil that the Good Samaritan poured into his neighbor:
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead …But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. — Luke 10:30-34
A third principle that we must see is the five wise virgins are the church that ends in one heart and one accord with Heaven. This is the church that is walking in the first love demonstrated in the book of Act’s: A manifestation of obedience in shining as lights in a perverse and crooked world, holding forth the word of life! The true last day’s church will be a fearless harvester. May God grant us boldness as we go forth to meet the bridegroom, compelling all who will listen: Come to the marriage supper of the Lamb, ALL THINGS ARE NOW READY!! Stay full by being poured out!
There are principles in scripture that we must consider to understand what kept the oil flowing in the wise virgin’s lamp. All these truths are wrapped around this one great truth: We are called to be bond slaves of the Most High God. As such, we are vessels through which Jesus truly lives as he continues the one great work for which he came: To seek and save that which was lost. The oil that kept their vessels full was the oil that was steadily being emptied out! These virgins knew the Lord, they had eternal light. Their concern was for those in darkness; they burned so that others could see.
The first principle is: We have “little oil.” (See 2 Kings 4:1-6)The vessel God uses is one who has little strength: “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8). The Lord is not looking to use “super beings” in this hour. There simply are none!
The second law to learn is this: The way to stay full of oil is to stay poured out—stay empty. God will not fill a vessel that is full of self. The oil that kept the wise virgins lamps burning was the oil that the Good Samaritan poured into his neighbor:
And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead …But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. — Luke 10:30-34
A third principle that we must see is the five wise virgins are the church that ends in one heart and one accord with Heaven. This is the church that is walking in the first love demonstrated in the book of Act’s: A manifestation of obedience in shining as lights in a perverse and crooked world, holding forth the word of life! The true last day’s church will be a fearless harvester. May God grant us boldness as we go forth to meet the bridegroom, compelling all who will listen: Come to the marriage supper of the Lamb, ALL THINGS ARE NOW READY!! Stay full by being poured out!
Monday, April 20, 2009
IT IS TIME TO SEEK THE LORD
Sow for yourselves according to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); reap according to mercy and loving-kindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, to inquire for and of Him, and to require His favor, till He comes and teaches you righteousness and rains His righteous gift of salvation upon you. 13 You have plowed and plotted wickedness, you have reaped the [willful] injustice [of oppressors], you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your [own] way and your chariots, in the multitude of your mighty men, — AMP Hosea 10:12-13
Time is the window of opportunity the Lord gives for a people to accomplish that which must be done before the window closes. It implies that no matter the circumstances—it matters not if it is storming or not storming—the job at hand must be completed or great loss will follow. If Jesus had not proceeded in his time to die for our sins at the cross during the greatest "hellstorm" known to man, where would we be?
Time is the window of opportunity the people in the second tower had to escape after the planes hit the first tower on 9/11. The North tower was hit at 8:46 a.m., the South tower at 9:03 a.m. The South tower fell at 9:59 a.m., which makes the window of opportunity to escape one hour and thirteen minutes—then it closed. Had there been knowledge of what was fixing to happen, they could have all escaped. They had no way of knowing, but we as Christians can know and should know the hour we are in: “It is high time to awake out of sleep!” The danger of not knowing is this: “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.”
Time is also the window of opportunity the fireman and policeman had to answer the call of duty that day as they loved not their lives unto death. As is often the case with fireman, they may have been playing cards or watching television as they waited their next call, but when the alarm sounded, it was time to do what they were called to do. What sin it would have been if they had continued playing games and watching “Cops” instead of being cops. What a disgrace the fireman would have been if they had used their water hoses to shower themselves instead of putting out the destroying fires.
Sad to say, there was no stopping the destruction of 9/11 despite the heroic and honorable actions of New York’s finest. Likewise, there is a storm coming soon that can not be stopped. The only remedy is to find shelter in the “Rock of Ages” Jesus Christ. At this very moment the wailing sound of the emergency sirens or blaring: “A catastrophic storm is about to hit. It is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment. Jesus is coming to gather his church to himself: This will be great glory for those who are ready, great tribulation for those who are not. Flee the wrath to come!”
It is time to seek the Lord. It is time to love not your lives unto the death and to follow Jesus wherever he may lead you.
Time is the window of opportunity the Lord gives for a people to accomplish that which must be done before the window closes. It implies that no matter the circumstances—it matters not if it is storming or not storming—the job at hand must be completed or great loss will follow. If Jesus had not proceeded in his time to die for our sins at the cross during the greatest "hellstorm" known to man, where would we be?
Time is the window of opportunity the people in the second tower had to escape after the planes hit the first tower on 9/11. The North tower was hit at 8:46 a.m., the South tower at 9:03 a.m. The South tower fell at 9:59 a.m., which makes the window of opportunity to escape one hour and thirteen minutes—then it closed. Had there been knowledge of what was fixing to happen, they could have all escaped. They had no way of knowing, but we as Christians can know and should know the hour we are in: “It is high time to awake out of sleep!” The danger of not knowing is this: “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.”
Time is also the window of opportunity the fireman and policeman had to answer the call of duty that day as they loved not their lives unto death. As is often the case with fireman, they may have been playing cards or watching television as they waited their next call, but when the alarm sounded, it was time to do what they were called to do. What sin it would have been if they had continued playing games and watching “Cops” instead of being cops. What a disgrace the fireman would have been if they had used their water hoses to shower themselves instead of putting out the destroying fires.
Sad to say, there was no stopping the destruction of 9/11 despite the heroic and honorable actions of New York’s finest. Likewise, there is a storm coming soon that can not be stopped. The only remedy is to find shelter in the “Rock of Ages” Jesus Christ. At this very moment the wailing sound of the emergency sirens or blaring: “A catastrophic storm is about to hit. It is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment. Jesus is coming to gather his church to himself: This will be great glory for those who are ready, great tribulation for those who are not. Flee the wrath to come!”
It is time to seek the Lord. It is time to love not your lives unto the death and to follow Jesus wherever he may lead you.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
WE ARE JUST A BUNCH OF PRUNES
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. — Micah. 7:8
B.H. Clendennen says, “There is always more in resurrection than there is in birth.” This being true can mean only one thing: Even that which God births in you is predestined to go through the pains of death before it can ever really live. Abraham had to learn this before Isaac could ever come forth. Human strength can bring forth an Ishmael on demand; they are a dime a dozen. But it is only after circumcision can the Isaac come forth. Circumcision was an outward sign of an inner impotence: It represented mans utter inability to produce the life that God commands. Only God can raise the dead!
Jesus said in John 15:2, “Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.” Sometimes this is most painful. We look and see nothing wrong with this healthy branch of ours and suddenly here comes the Holy Ghost lopping shears and it is gone. As in the natural, after pruning our promise often looks dead: One thing is for sure, it sure looks naked! One way you can know you are being pruned is this sense of embarrassment you feel when others look at you on your cross and say, “I thought he said God had told him to have a gospel orchard: Some orchard!!
If you have been pruned back to where it looks like you have been taken all the way back to zero, I have good news for you. God is at work; you have been taken all the way back to nothing because God does his best work with nobodies. Your branches are going to “load up” this year and we will all know that this had nothing to do with you—it is the Lord’s doing. There is always more in resurrection than there is in birth. Your times are in his hand.
This daily death and resurrection is the Christian walk: “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12 23-24). Jesus plainly said that unless we take up our cross and die daily we could never live, yet he said that he came that we might have life. Here is what you must see: The root, which is Christ, is never pruned. He prunes away the death of our branches in order that we depend totally upon the strength of the divine life that flows unceasingly from the root. Above all things he wants us to live, but always on this one condition: That we learn to live the life of another,that Jesus would truly live in us. This is truly what it means to walk in the Spirit; to have our natural strength "cut off" everyday and replaced with his super natural power. I guess you could say we are just a bunch of prunes!
B.H. Clendennen says, “There is always more in resurrection than there is in birth.” This being true can mean only one thing: Even that which God births in you is predestined to go through the pains of death before it can ever really live. Abraham had to learn this before Isaac could ever come forth. Human strength can bring forth an Ishmael on demand; they are a dime a dozen. But it is only after circumcision can the Isaac come forth. Circumcision was an outward sign of an inner impotence: It represented mans utter inability to produce the life that God commands. Only God can raise the dead!
Jesus said in John 15:2, “Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.” Sometimes this is most painful. We look and see nothing wrong with this healthy branch of ours and suddenly here comes the Holy Ghost lopping shears and it is gone. As in the natural, after pruning our promise often looks dead: One thing is for sure, it sure looks naked! One way you can know you are being pruned is this sense of embarrassment you feel when others look at you on your cross and say, “I thought he said God had told him to have a gospel orchard: Some orchard!!
If you have been pruned back to where it looks like you have been taken all the way back to zero, I have good news for you. God is at work; you have been taken all the way back to nothing because God does his best work with nobodies. Your branches are going to “load up” this year and we will all know that this had nothing to do with you—it is the Lord’s doing. There is always more in resurrection than there is in birth. Your times are in his hand.
This daily death and resurrection is the Christian walk: “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (John 12 23-24). Jesus plainly said that unless we take up our cross and die daily we could never live, yet he said that he came that we might have life. Here is what you must see: The root, which is Christ, is never pruned. He prunes away the death of our branches in order that we depend totally upon the strength of the divine life that flows unceasingly from the root. Above all things he wants us to live, but always on this one condition: That we learn to live the life of another,that Jesus would truly live in us. This is truly what it means to walk in the Spirit; to have our natural strength "cut off" everyday and replaced with his super natural power. I guess you could say we are just a bunch of prunes!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
IT IS NOT IN ME!
He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. —Psalms 105:17-20
The Lord had sown into Joseph at an early age a sure word of promise, “And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more” (Genesis 37:5). As with every seed of promise, this seed had to leave the hand of Joseph and die. You can see clearly the “greenness” of this seed when it first came: “He told it to his brethren.” This promise was very much alive in Joseph: “Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed.” He couldn't wait to tell his dream in detailed account as to what it meant. When the emphasis is on “I have dreamed” you can be sure of this: The Holy Ghost is plowing the ground and “laying off the row” into which your dream will die, even as you so confidently speak forth all that the Lord is going to do with you. Every word the Lord gives you is destined to fall into the ground and die just as a man “buries” seed in a garden. In Josephs’ case it was an especially painful planting: “And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.”
Now there are some of us that do not pass the test the Lord gives us the first time through. We have to take the ACT Test--The answer is Always Christ in every Test,over and over. Joseph had to learn that it was the word of the Lord that was sown into him and it was only the word of God living in him that could fulfill the promise. Only God can do his work; it is never in us! It is only when we have truly died to making it happen in our own strength will the promise come. What God sows is what God reaps. He sowed the word and it was the Word of the Lord that came to Joseph and fulfilled the dream: “Until the time that his word came.”
You can see clearly the work of the Lord in Josephs’ life in his response to Pharaohs’ dream when Pharaoh had sent for him in order to receive the interpretation: “Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (40:12). Remember that when Joseph was in Potiphar’s prison, that two other prisoners had dreamed a dream. Josephs’ response was, “This is the interpretation of it.” He still had not learned to say “it is not in me.” But after years of suffering his soul had “entered into the iron.” He had been broken of all self assurance and knew that the promise was never meant to happen in his time; his strength; and his way, but it came to pass when the Lord himself showed up on the scene! “The King sent and loosed him and let him go free!!”
For all who have gotten your mail for years at this address, “Josephs’ Pit” I have a good word for you: “As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee” (Zechariah 9:11-12). Your new address will be "IT IS NOT IN ME!!
The Lord had sown into Joseph at an early age a sure word of promise, “And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more” (Genesis 37:5). As with every seed of promise, this seed had to leave the hand of Joseph and die. You can see clearly the “greenness” of this seed when it first came: “He told it to his brethren.” This promise was very much alive in Joseph: “Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed.” He couldn't wait to tell his dream in detailed account as to what it meant. When the emphasis is on “I have dreamed” you can be sure of this: The Holy Ghost is plowing the ground and “laying off the row” into which your dream will die, even as you so confidently speak forth all that the Lord is going to do with you. Every word the Lord gives you is destined to fall into the ground and die just as a man “buries” seed in a garden. In Josephs’ case it was an especially painful planting: “And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.”
Now there are some of us that do not pass the test the Lord gives us the first time through. We have to take the ACT Test--The answer is Always Christ in every Test,over and over. Joseph had to learn that it was the word of the Lord that was sown into him and it was only the word of God living in him that could fulfill the promise. Only God can do his work; it is never in us! It is only when we have truly died to making it happen in our own strength will the promise come. What God sows is what God reaps. He sowed the word and it was the Word of the Lord that came to Joseph and fulfilled the dream: “Until the time that his word came.”
You can see clearly the work of the Lord in Josephs’ life in his response to Pharaohs’ dream when Pharaoh had sent for him in order to receive the interpretation: “Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (40:12). Remember that when Joseph was in Potiphar’s prison, that two other prisoners had dreamed a dream. Josephs’ response was, “This is the interpretation of it.” He still had not learned to say “it is not in me.” But after years of suffering his soul had “entered into the iron.” He had been broken of all self assurance and knew that the promise was never meant to happen in his time; his strength; and his way, but it came to pass when the Lord himself showed up on the scene! “The King sent and loosed him and let him go free!!”
For all who have gotten your mail for years at this address, “Josephs’ Pit” I have a good word for you: “As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee” (Zechariah 9:11-12). Your new address will be "IT IS NOT IN ME!!
Monday, April 13, 2009
WINTERS LAST GASP
As I write this it is April 13. There has been a shift in the seasons—winter is over, spring has arrived. Yet there is this stubborn refusal of “Chill Wills” to give up without a fight as we have had a frost within the last week. As the temperature drops into the thirties, the voice of unbelief always boasts: “See, nothing has changed.”
This scuffle of conflicting atmospheric conditions mirrors spiritual warfare. When God brings about seasons of change in our life, there is always a battle to be fought as two opposite armies prepare to do battle. When the hot displeasure of God’s wrath is poured out against the cold calculated cruelness of the devil, there is sure to be a storm of deliverance for you—destruction for him.
God brought Israel out from under the bondage of Egypt at the beginning of spring: “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you” (Exodus 12:2). This was in the month Abid, which corresponds with the latter part of March and the first of April. He purposely led them to a place of testing: “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon” (Exodus 14: 1-2).
Pi-hahiroth means fortress—a stronghold. Migdol means place of sedge, a plant that has spikes of flowers. Baal-zephon means “lord of winter.” When Israel was one step away from their miracle, they were confronted with one last attempt of the stronghold of winter. They could see the spring flowers and simultaneously hear the voice of barrenness.
God purposely led them to where the only path to follow was the path of impossibility. On either side was a mountain, behind them was an enraged Egyptian army, and before them was the Red Sea. When Israel saw the army of Egypt the voice of winter screamed inside their head: “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11).
Now there was no denying the presence of this angry army, no more than I can deny that “You can freeze to death in the springtime.” But what can be denied was the lie Pharaoh had spoken in his arrogance: “They are entangled in the land; the wilderness hath shut them in” (Exodus 14:3). Pharaoh was soon to learn a most vital lesson: you can not shut in what God is bringing out!
We serve a God who changes the seasons. We serve a God who calleth those things that are not as though they were, who works and no one can stop it. He had told Moses that he would be honored upon Pharaoh and his host and it was as good as done before it came to pass. The army pursuing Israel would be seen no more: “The Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever” (Exodus14:13).
You know the story: God parted the Red Sea, brought Israel across on dry land, and annihilated the pursuing army. They would not be seen again just as snow is not seen in July! What voice are you hearing as you face your Red Sea? Anything but “Go forward” is a lie of “winter.” As you step out in faith the waters will be parted in deliverance for you and devastation for your enemy
This scuffle of conflicting atmospheric conditions mirrors spiritual warfare. When God brings about seasons of change in our life, there is always a battle to be fought as two opposite armies prepare to do battle. When the hot displeasure of God’s wrath is poured out against the cold calculated cruelness of the devil, there is sure to be a storm of deliverance for you—destruction for him.
God brought Israel out from under the bondage of Egypt at the beginning of spring: “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you” (Exodus 12:2). This was in the month Abid, which corresponds with the latter part of March and the first of April. He purposely led them to a place of testing: “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon” (Exodus 14: 1-2).
Pi-hahiroth means fortress—a stronghold. Migdol means place of sedge, a plant that has spikes of flowers. Baal-zephon means “lord of winter.” When Israel was one step away from their miracle, they were confronted with one last attempt of the stronghold of winter. They could see the spring flowers and simultaneously hear the voice of barrenness.
God purposely led them to where the only path to follow was the path of impossibility. On either side was a mountain, behind them was an enraged Egyptian army, and before them was the Red Sea. When Israel saw the army of Egypt the voice of winter screamed inside their head: “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11).
Now there was no denying the presence of this angry army, no more than I can deny that “You can freeze to death in the springtime.” But what can be denied was the lie Pharaoh had spoken in his arrogance: “They are entangled in the land; the wilderness hath shut them in” (Exodus 14:3). Pharaoh was soon to learn a most vital lesson: you can not shut in what God is bringing out!
We serve a God who changes the seasons. We serve a God who calleth those things that are not as though they were, who works and no one can stop it. He had told Moses that he would be honored upon Pharaoh and his host and it was as good as done before it came to pass. The army pursuing Israel would be seen no more: “The Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever” (Exodus14:13).
You know the story: God parted the Red Sea, brought Israel across on dry land, and annihilated the pursuing army. They would not be seen again just as snow is not seen in July! What voice are you hearing as you face your Red Sea? Anything but “Go forward” is a lie of “winter.” As you step out in faith the waters will be parted in deliverance for you and devastation for your enemy
PRAISE THE LORD
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. — Psalms 145:3-4
David, who was a man after God’s own heart, was a man of praise. Throughout the Psalm’s we see him exhorting the people to praise the Lord. To praise means to be clear as in the sound you give or the “color” you add—think of a color analyst broadcasting a football game. It means to shine, to boast, to celebrate, to rave, and to give in marriage—it becomes your identity and who you are.
Naturally speaking, a football fan gives a clear picture of all of this. We rave about what a certain player has done and can do. No matter how big the giants are on the other team, we boast about how much greater our team is. We thrive on hearing others praise our team and we loath those who would dare say anything negative. When our team wins, the celebration does not stay within the walls of our house; it spills into the streets, crosses state lines, and jams the phone lines. I wonder if this is not outright idolatry? What a sin to praise mere man and hardly have a word to say about an undefeated God.
Jesus Christ is by far the greatest man to ever set foot on the earth that he himself created. He took absolutely nothing and made everything that you and I see. He has an enemy who he met head on at the cross. In this battle he crushed satan’s head and made a show of him openly. So great was the power displayed in this awesome victory that people who had long been dead got up out of their graves and walked the streets of Jerusalem!!! (See Matthew 27:52-53) His power is so great that one drop of the blood he shed can wash the most scandalous sinner completely clean and make a brand new person out of him!
Jesus never met one sinner who desired to be made whole that he did not make whole. He healed blinded eyes that had never seen. He caused lame legs to walk that had never walked. He cleansed the uncleansable; he restored the unrestorable; he broke the chains of the unbreakable!! He walked on the water, he calmed the raging sea, he cast out devils, he made mighty men out of defeated men and he raised up all who would ever call on his name from being dead in trespasses and sin to alive in Christ!
Got any mountains in your life? Any rivers that you can’t cross? I am here today to rave about what Jesus Christ can and will do in your life when you simply believe and obey. No matter how established your mountain may be Jesus can make rubble out of it. Your mountain may be a lifelong addiction; an established history of failure; a sickness in your body; a wealth of financial difficulty. All Jesus has to do is set one foot on your mountain and it will surly be cast into the sea!
The difference between Jesus and the “other” team is greater than that of a gnat and a grizzly bear! You may have just thrown a costly interception and you can hear even now the roar of the enemy’s crowd as they taunt you —anticipating your utter defeat. This is when Jesus will do what only he can do. Let him be everything: The coach; the owner; the general manager; and the quarterback, and he will deliver you from all the expectation of the enemy! We will celebrate your victory; we will boast and rave about the undefeated King of Kings and Lord of Lords Jesus Christ!!!
David, who was a man after God’s own heart, was a man of praise. Throughout the Psalm’s we see him exhorting the people to praise the Lord. To praise means to be clear as in the sound you give or the “color” you add—think of a color analyst broadcasting a football game. It means to shine, to boast, to celebrate, to rave, and to give in marriage—it becomes your identity and who you are.
Naturally speaking, a football fan gives a clear picture of all of this. We rave about what a certain player has done and can do. No matter how big the giants are on the other team, we boast about how much greater our team is. We thrive on hearing others praise our team and we loath those who would dare say anything negative. When our team wins, the celebration does not stay within the walls of our house; it spills into the streets, crosses state lines, and jams the phone lines. I wonder if this is not outright idolatry? What a sin to praise mere man and hardly have a word to say about an undefeated God.
Jesus Christ is by far the greatest man to ever set foot on the earth that he himself created. He took absolutely nothing and made everything that you and I see. He has an enemy who he met head on at the cross. In this battle he crushed satan’s head and made a show of him openly. So great was the power displayed in this awesome victory that people who had long been dead got up out of their graves and walked the streets of Jerusalem!!! (See Matthew 27:52-53) His power is so great that one drop of the blood he shed can wash the most scandalous sinner completely clean and make a brand new person out of him!
Jesus never met one sinner who desired to be made whole that he did not make whole. He healed blinded eyes that had never seen. He caused lame legs to walk that had never walked. He cleansed the uncleansable; he restored the unrestorable; he broke the chains of the unbreakable!! He walked on the water, he calmed the raging sea, he cast out devils, he made mighty men out of defeated men and he raised up all who would ever call on his name from being dead in trespasses and sin to alive in Christ!
Got any mountains in your life? Any rivers that you can’t cross? I am here today to rave about what Jesus Christ can and will do in your life when you simply believe and obey. No matter how established your mountain may be Jesus can make rubble out of it. Your mountain may be a lifelong addiction; an established history of failure; a sickness in your body; a wealth of financial difficulty. All Jesus has to do is set one foot on your mountain and it will surly be cast into the sea!
The difference between Jesus and the “other” team is greater than that of a gnat and a grizzly bear! You may have just thrown a costly interception and you can hear even now the roar of the enemy’s crowd as they taunt you —anticipating your utter defeat. This is when Jesus will do what only he can do. Let him be everything: The coach; the owner; the general manager; and the quarterback, and he will deliver you from all the expectation of the enemy! We will celebrate your victory; we will boast and rave about the undefeated King of Kings and Lord of Lords Jesus Christ!!!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Other Sheep
Jesus said in John 10:16: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” The word other here means of the same exact quality. You have a right hand; your left hand is your other hand—it is of the same quality, a mirror image. Your left cheek is a mirror image of your right cheek; it is your other cheek.
When Jesus said that he had other sheep, he was at that time talking to Peter, James, and John. He was saying that there would be other disciples that he would call forth out of the heathen nations that would be of the same quality of these men that turned their world upside down! This would be possible because he had promised to baptize those that would believe with the Comforter: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16). We that believe in Christ are of the same quality as Peter, James, and John; we have been washed in the same Blood that they were, and are filled with the same Spirit they were filled with!
This being true, there is something else that we must see: There are many other sheep that are as of this moment still within the clutches of the evil one. When Jesus looked on the multitudes he saw them as “sheep that had no shepherd.” Jeremiah saw them as “scattered sheep” whereas Ezekiel saw “wounded sheep in the dark and cloudy day.” What the world, and most of the church, sees as ruined and hopeless lives, Jesus sees as choice servants. His love for these broken lives is immeasurable: Do you think he is going to set by and do nothing, that he is going to sit idly by as the devil rapes and plunders his very heart? Does he not live in us? How then can we sit and do nothing?
It is time to “arise and be doing.” It is time to seek the Lord: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 36:37-38). The flock he is talking about is the sheep that flooded the streets of Jerusalem during the feasts of Israel—the Passover, Pentecost etc. The picture is that of a living sacrifice,he is showing us the quality of those he is fixing to save. God is saying, “Go and build my house by specifically asking me to add to my church daily. I will birth into my Kingdom men who will be as men of old, men that are utterly consumed with my will; my fire; my purity; my love for others; and my power.”
When Jesus said that he had other sheep, he was at that time talking to Peter, James, and John. He was saying that there would be other disciples that he would call forth out of the heathen nations that would be of the same quality of these men that turned their world upside down! This would be possible because he had promised to baptize those that would believe with the Comforter: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16). We that believe in Christ are of the same quality as Peter, James, and John; we have been washed in the same Blood that they were, and are filled with the same Spirit they were filled with!
This being true, there is something else that we must see: There are many other sheep that are as of this moment still within the clutches of the evil one. When Jesus looked on the multitudes he saw them as “sheep that had no shepherd.” Jeremiah saw them as “scattered sheep” whereas Ezekiel saw “wounded sheep in the dark and cloudy day.” What the world, and most of the church, sees as ruined and hopeless lives, Jesus sees as choice servants. His love for these broken lives is immeasurable: Do you think he is going to set by and do nothing, that he is going to sit idly by as the devil rapes and plunders his very heart? Does he not live in us? How then can we sit and do nothing?
It is time to “arise and be doing.” It is time to seek the Lord: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 36:37-38). The flock he is talking about is the sheep that flooded the streets of Jerusalem during the feasts of Israel—the Passover, Pentecost etc. The picture is that of a living sacrifice,he is showing us the quality of those he is fixing to save. God is saying, “Go and build my house by specifically asking me to add to my church daily. I will birth into my Kingdom men who will be as men of old, men that are utterly consumed with my will; my fire; my purity; my love for others; and my power.”
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
IT IS TIME TO BUILD GOD'S HOUSE
Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say, The time is not yet come that the Lord's house should be rebuilt [although Cyrus had ordered it done eighteen years before]. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house [of the Lord] lies in ruins? Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways and set your mind on what has come to you. You have sown much, but you have reaped little; you eat, but you do not have enough; you drink, but you do not have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages has earned them to put them in a bag with holes in it.—Haggai 1:2-6 Amp.
The Lord has a controversy with his people on April 9, 2009: His people say with their actions that it is not time to build the house of the Lord. We may say otherwise with our mouths, but how we spend our time proves that our hearts are far from him. Jesus as the Lord of the harvest is saying that it high time to wake up and start building his house. There are many that will be added to the church in the immediate days ahead if we obey the Lord and go preach the gospel to those that are waiting. The Lord has risen and we are in a set time of his favor!
The word time here means a short lived season that gives one a chance to accomplish the will of God. It is what we mean when we say that there is a window of opportunity. It is the growing season: You can plant beans and corn in April and they will make it; plant them in late September and the window has closed. Implied within the meaning of time is this: You do what you have to do whether it is convenient sunny weather or if it is storming all around.
This was demonstrated on 9/11 when the Fireman and Policemen of New York city went through their window of opportunity when it was anything but convenient. At that crises hour, many died as they loved not their lives unto death so that others could live. Another lesson learned that day was once the planes hit there was time to get out for some in the first tower and then the window closed. In the second tower, many could have escaped if they had only known how short their time was.
As tragic as those events were; there is a far greater human heartbreak. All those who died who were not born again, went into hell and will one day be cast into a lake of fire. It could have been eternally different for every one of them, including the terrorist’s, because the Blood of Jesus was shed for all. For God to command every man to repent means that he has through the grace of the cross made that possible for every man. The absolute shame of it all is that some of those that died eternally lost, did so by stumbling there way into hell over a sleeping church! God have mercy on us all.
We have spent our lives on our own security; our own ambitions; our own dreams and pleasures to the point of being totally bankrupt. Make no mistake about: The nations’ financial crisis is a direct reflection of the spiritual bankruptcy of the church!! As a nation all we have done to answer this disaster is to, as it were, swipe a trillion dollar credit card. As a church we have done the same; we are borrowing against time that we do not have in order to feed our never ending greed for self indulgence.
What is even worse, many T.V. preachers would convince you that self serving is the heart of the gospel. How else could you explain the preacher who said "I live in a 8,000 square foot house. I am going to build a bigger one now. One that King Solomon would be proud of. I just paid $15,000 for a dog. You see this gorgeous ring on my finger; I was in Jamaica and just paid $32,000 for it. I want you know that when the people in my town come past my mansion and they see my Rolls Royce sitting in the driveway, they know there is a God in heaven."
God is saying it is enough! Shake yourself from this madness: WAKE UP!! Go build my house!
The Lord has a controversy with his people on April 9, 2009: His people say with their actions that it is not time to build the house of the Lord. We may say otherwise with our mouths, but how we spend our time proves that our hearts are far from him. Jesus as the Lord of the harvest is saying that it high time to wake up and start building his house. There are many that will be added to the church in the immediate days ahead if we obey the Lord and go preach the gospel to those that are waiting. The Lord has risen and we are in a set time of his favor!
The word time here means a short lived season that gives one a chance to accomplish the will of God. It is what we mean when we say that there is a window of opportunity. It is the growing season: You can plant beans and corn in April and they will make it; plant them in late September and the window has closed. Implied within the meaning of time is this: You do what you have to do whether it is convenient sunny weather or if it is storming all around.
This was demonstrated on 9/11 when the Fireman and Policemen of New York city went through their window of opportunity when it was anything but convenient. At that crises hour, many died as they loved not their lives unto death so that others could live. Another lesson learned that day was once the planes hit there was time to get out for some in the first tower and then the window closed. In the second tower, many could have escaped if they had only known how short their time was.
As tragic as those events were; there is a far greater human heartbreak. All those who died who were not born again, went into hell and will one day be cast into a lake of fire. It could have been eternally different for every one of them, including the terrorist’s, because the Blood of Jesus was shed for all. For God to command every man to repent means that he has through the grace of the cross made that possible for every man. The absolute shame of it all is that some of those that died eternally lost, did so by stumbling there way into hell over a sleeping church! God have mercy on us all.
We have spent our lives on our own security; our own ambitions; our own dreams and pleasures to the point of being totally bankrupt. Make no mistake about: The nations’ financial crisis is a direct reflection of the spiritual bankruptcy of the church!! As a nation all we have done to answer this disaster is to, as it were, swipe a trillion dollar credit card. As a church we have done the same; we are borrowing against time that we do not have in order to feed our never ending greed for self indulgence.
What is even worse, many T.V. preachers would convince you that self serving is the heart of the gospel. How else could you explain the preacher who said "I live in a 8,000 square foot house. I am going to build a bigger one now. One that King Solomon would be proud of. I just paid $15,000 for a dog. You see this gorgeous ring on my finger; I was in Jamaica and just paid $32,000 for it. I want you know that when the people in my town come past my mansion and they see my Rolls Royce sitting in the driveway, they know there is a God in heaven."
God is saying it is enough! Shake yourself from this madness: WAKE UP!! Go build my house!
GOD WILL SHAKE YOUR ENEMIES
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. —Hebrews 12:25-26
The admonition, “See that you refuse not him that speaketh,” is the fundamental nature of the New Covenant. Whereas the Old Covenant was God’s manifest presence on Mount Sinai for forty days; the New Covenant is God’s manifest presence in the church forever. In the Old Covenant his word was etched in stone; in the New Covenant his living word is etched in our hearts. The old took place on earth; the new is taking place in heaven “But rather, you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in festal gathering, (12:22.)
As a born again Christian, you must understand that you are in Christ and he is in you. By virtue of your union in him, you are a fellow citizen with the saints of God in heaven; you are seated with Christ in heavenly places; and according to our text, you have come to the heavenly Jerusalem to be a part of the
greatest church ever known. For those who have ears to hear, Jesus is right now proclaiming the glorious New Covenant as a mighty river of living water—it keeps flowing and flowing.
There can be no confusion as to what this word is: it is the Word of God as contained in the scriptures—that which is written. Hebrews 12:26 is a direct quotation of Haggai 2:6. The word that God speaks is eternal: that which he has said is what he is saying and what he will say tomorrow is the word he has said today. Nobody ever truly quotes the Lord: He speaks for himself! He has never needed a recording of his voice as in a message on a C.D.; His preaching is always a live event.
This manifest presence of the Lord brings a shaking to everything that is not rooted and grounded in him. The promised shaking is a direct result of his promised presence: “O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah: The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. Thou, O God, didst send (shake out—margin) a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary. Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor” (Psalms 68:7-10).
The word shook describes the action of horses shaking the ground amidst the pandemonium of battle. For those who are poor in spirit—those who know that of themselves they are nothing; God is arising and will send utter confusion to your enemies. For all of the enemies calculated schemes against you God is going to bring their expectation to nothing. In the enemies ears right now there is the sound of the armies of the Living God who is coming to perform and hasten his word: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end”
(Jeremiah 29:11).
KJV
The admonition, “See that you refuse not him that speaketh,” is the fundamental nature of the New Covenant. Whereas the Old Covenant was God’s manifest presence on Mount Sinai for forty days; the New Covenant is God’s manifest presence in the church forever. In the Old Covenant his word was etched in stone; in the New Covenant his living word is etched in our hearts. The old took place on earth; the new is taking place in heaven “But rather, you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in festal gathering, (12:22.)
As a born again Christian, you must understand that you are in Christ and he is in you. By virtue of your union in him, you are a fellow citizen with the saints of God in heaven; you are seated with Christ in heavenly places; and according to our text, you have come to the heavenly Jerusalem to be a part of the
greatest church ever known. For those who have ears to hear, Jesus is right now proclaiming the glorious New Covenant as a mighty river of living water—it keeps flowing and flowing.
There can be no confusion as to what this word is: it is the Word of God as contained in the scriptures—that which is written. Hebrews 12:26 is a direct quotation of Haggai 2:6. The word that God speaks is eternal: that which he has said is what he is saying and what he will say tomorrow is the word he has said today. Nobody ever truly quotes the Lord: He speaks for himself! He has never needed a recording of his voice as in a message on a C.D.; His preaching is always a live event.
This manifest presence of the Lord brings a shaking to everything that is not rooted and grounded in him. The promised shaking is a direct result of his promised presence: “O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah: The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. Thou, O God, didst send (shake out—margin) a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary. Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor” (Psalms 68:7-10).
The word shook describes the action of horses shaking the ground amidst the pandemonium of battle. For those who are poor in spirit—those who know that of themselves they are nothing; God is arising and will send utter confusion to your enemies. For all of the enemies calculated schemes against you God is going to bring their expectation to nothing. In the enemies ears right now there is the sound of the armies of the Living God who is coming to perform and hasten his word: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end”
(Jeremiah 29:11).
KJV
Friday, April 3, 2009
THAT IS WAY TOO MUCH COFFEE
A friend of mine was once told by an older Christian, “Do not be surprised at what the Lord shows you about yourself.” This is timeless wisdom for everyone because as Christians, we have been delivered from the power of sin, but not the presence of sin.
When I was a boy, my Dad used to plant a certain field in corn. One of the constant battles we fought was with coffee weeds and morning glories. They were always begging for an inch and taking a stalk.
Eventually we stopped planting this field and pine trees took over; the growth was so dense that it choked out everything, including the weeds. For over twenty years nothing but trees grew in what was once our garden, but within weeks of the field being clear cut, guess what made an appearance? The old nemesis coffee weeds. They had lay dormant for years, but once an opportunity presented itself, they sprang to life.
When you read about King David’s sin with Bathsheba, do you ever wonder about where the temptation came from? “And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her” (2 Samuel 11:4). This happened at a time “kings go to war.” David should have been fighting against the Philistines—instead he was fighting against his lust.
This was not David’s first battle with this area of his life. Concerning the King, the word states clearly: “Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away” (Deuteronomy 17:17). David did this in spite of what the word said: He had seven wives and ten concubines: That’s way too much coffee—that much caffeine will mess with your mind! According to the scripture, by the time David sinned with Bathsheba; his heart had already been turned away.
Let’s follow this lust, upstream and see what we find. We know that David was from the tribe of Judah, so Judah was David’s grandfather. In Genesis 38:15-18, we read that Judah lay with what he thought was a prostitute and the implication was this wasn’t the first time: “When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot… and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.”
Now I know that this type of action was somewhat part of their culture, but it still doesn’t make it right: “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30). What Judah did so carelessly, David struggled with mightily: “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me” (Psalms 38:4). (What David struggled with was an absolute flood in Solomon’s life.)
The roots of sin run deep, but do not fear: the Blood of Jesus runs deeper and uproots all sin. Do not deny the existence of “coffee weed” in your life. Do not embrace it: It is no longer who you are. Leave the old clothes in the closet and put on the new: “Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” ( Colossians 3:9-10).
When I was a boy, my Dad used to plant a certain field in corn. One of the constant battles we fought was with coffee weeds and morning glories. They were always begging for an inch and taking a stalk.
Eventually we stopped planting this field and pine trees took over; the growth was so dense that it choked out everything, including the weeds. For over twenty years nothing but trees grew in what was once our garden, but within weeks of the field being clear cut, guess what made an appearance? The old nemesis coffee weeds. They had lay dormant for years, but once an opportunity presented itself, they sprang to life.
When you read about King David’s sin with Bathsheba, do you ever wonder about where the temptation came from? “And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her” (2 Samuel 11:4). This happened at a time “kings go to war.” David should have been fighting against the Philistines—instead he was fighting against his lust.
This was not David’s first battle with this area of his life. Concerning the King, the word states clearly: “Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away” (Deuteronomy 17:17). David did this in spite of what the word said: He had seven wives and ten concubines: That’s way too much coffee—that much caffeine will mess with your mind! According to the scripture, by the time David sinned with Bathsheba; his heart had already been turned away.
Let’s follow this lust, upstream and see what we find. We know that David was from the tribe of Judah, so Judah was David’s grandfather. In Genesis 38:15-18, we read that Judah lay with what he thought was a prostitute and the implication was this wasn’t the first time: “When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot… and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.”
Now I know that this type of action was somewhat part of their culture, but it still doesn’t make it right: “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30). What Judah did so carelessly, David struggled with mightily: “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me” (Psalms 38:4). (What David struggled with was an absolute flood in Solomon’s life.)
The roots of sin run deep, but do not fear: the Blood of Jesus runs deeper and uproots all sin. Do not deny the existence of “coffee weed” in your life. Do not embrace it: It is no longer who you are. Leave the old clothes in the closet and put on the new: “Seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” ( Colossians 3:9-10).
THIS IS WHAT THE LORD IS SAYING
This is what the LORD Almighty says:"The people of Israel are oppressed,and the people of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go. Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land, but unrest to those who live in Babylon. —Jeremiah 50:33-34
Jeremiah 50:17 in the Amplified declares, “Israel is a hunted and scattered sheep [driven hither and thither and preyed upon by savage beasts]; the lions have chased him. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken and gnawed his bones.” This speaks of the church in our day.
We live in a day where many of God’s choice servants lie wounded, bleeding, and forgotten about on the road to “Jericho.” These men and women were wounded in Jerusalem—the church, by what Ezekiel 34 calls greedy shepherds. These false pastors did not stand in the counsel of the Lord. Instead they preached a gospel of their own making; they preached an image of God that was fabricated in their own minds that was true to what they wanted God to look like, but was not true to the God revealed by the scriptures--this is the essence of idolatry. Therefore the Lord said that he would deliver his flock from their mouth and raise up a true pastor for them which is none other but Jesus Christ, the Son of David.
Notice in Jeremiah 50:17 that there was something gnawing at the bones of a “scattered sheep.” This gnawing is a voice within the heart that says, “I know that the life I am living is not the life God has for me. I know that at one time Jesus touched my life and in him I had found the greatest expression of life possible. But someone told me that I did not have to take the things of the Lord so serious, that it was alright to enjoy what everybody else was doing. Now I am confused; I do not trust preachers; and it all seems hopeless. Can someone show me the way to Zion?”
This is what the Lord says: I have heard the cry of my people that have been scattered in the “cloudy and dark day.” At this moment in time there is holy conspiracy in the land, a army of men whose heart is beating as one with one agenda: To crown Jesus Christ who is the living, breathing Word of God, the Pastor of the Church. This heart beats to live in a day when all decisions made would be that which is proceeding from his mouth; that which is his word according to the scriptures. This Holy army is backed by the “Armies of Heaven” and will be added to daily as the Lord himself heals his wounded.Like Jacob of old they will realize that the thing they loved most, that which they thought was long dead is alive and well!!
1 Chronicles 12:38 is the rallying cry of this army, “All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron,to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king." Where have you laid your Lazarus? As you crown Jesus King of your life your promise, though seemingly dead will live again!
Jeremiah 50:17 in the Amplified declares, “Israel is a hunted and scattered sheep [driven hither and thither and preyed upon by savage beasts]; the lions have chased him. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken and gnawed his bones.” This speaks of the church in our day.
We live in a day where many of God’s choice servants lie wounded, bleeding, and forgotten about on the road to “Jericho.” These men and women were wounded in Jerusalem—the church, by what Ezekiel 34 calls greedy shepherds. These false pastors did not stand in the counsel of the Lord. Instead they preached a gospel of their own making; they preached an image of God that was fabricated in their own minds that was true to what they wanted God to look like, but was not true to the God revealed by the scriptures--this is the essence of idolatry. Therefore the Lord said that he would deliver his flock from their mouth and raise up a true pastor for them which is none other but Jesus Christ, the Son of David.
Notice in Jeremiah 50:17 that there was something gnawing at the bones of a “scattered sheep.” This gnawing is a voice within the heart that says, “I know that the life I am living is not the life God has for me. I know that at one time Jesus touched my life and in him I had found the greatest expression of life possible. But someone told me that I did not have to take the things of the Lord so serious, that it was alright to enjoy what everybody else was doing. Now I am confused; I do not trust preachers; and it all seems hopeless. Can someone show me the way to Zion?”
This is what the Lord says: I have heard the cry of my people that have been scattered in the “cloudy and dark day.” At this moment in time there is holy conspiracy in the land, a army of men whose heart is beating as one with one agenda: To crown Jesus Christ who is the living, breathing Word of God, the Pastor of the Church. This heart beats to live in a day when all decisions made would be that which is proceeding from his mouth; that which is his word according to the scriptures. This Holy army is backed by the “Armies of Heaven” and will be added to daily as the Lord himself heals his wounded.Like Jacob of old they will realize that the thing they loved most, that which they thought was long dead is alive and well!!
1 Chronicles 12:38 is the rallying cry of this army, “All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron,to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king." Where have you laid your Lazarus? As you crown Jesus King of your life your promise, though seemingly dead will live again!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
WHERE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS
William Carrol, a pastor at Times Square Church, preaches a message, "What if I fail in my time of trial." He brings out how Peter boasted of a strength that he did not have when he assured the Lord that he would not deny him. This is a message that is taught throughout the scriptures. For forty years Moses thought he was something:he was mighty in word and deed. The next forty years he found out he was nothing:the desert has a way of bringing this out. The final forty years Moses found out what God could do with nothing! You can bet that Moses was depending on God's strength, not on the strength of his rod. All Moses could do with that rod was bust one Egyptian upside the head, delivering one. When God got behind the rod,he opened up the Red Sea and delivered millions!
David said in Psalm 118:14 that, "The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. It is not enough to sing about how great God is and how trustworthy he is, we must become what we sing and preach. We must be a faithful witness that no matter what comes, I will trust the Lord and thus prove that I believe that nothing is to difficult for my God. David got to this grace by realizing what we all must learn: it is never in our strength but only when we realize that the Lord's strength is all we have. He like Peter boasted, "The Lord is my light...whom shall I fear." Then after years on the run he said in his heart,"I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul."
David lost much of his testimony as it related to what he could do. At one point in his life David made several boasts, "Lord according to my righteousness judge me; I have not transgressed with my mouth; and There is no iniquity in my hands." He once said that he would not set any wicked thing before his eyes but one day he set his eyes on Bathsheba and by his "hand" had Uriah murdered. At this point David learned that unless the Lord builds the house, they that labor, labor in vain. The testimony of David's that stood the test was, "I am poor and needy yet the Lord thinketh on me: The mercy of the Lord endures forever!!
Where the Spirit of the Lord is liberty. You can be sure of this, the presence and freedom that Jesus brings will never be in a heart that in pride is still drawing on human strength to meet a divine call to holiness. The Spirit of Christ will only be present in a heart that has seen that it's absolute best is as filthy rags. When we see the total worthlessness of any work or any worship that does not originate in the heart and counsel of God, we are on the road of recovery. We must become the servant who can say of a truth, it is no longer I that live but Christ lives in me.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is a freedom and a power to do the will of God. Before the cross Peter's spirit was willing but weak through the flesh. Once he was broken and become a vessel through which the Holy Ghost filled and flowed through, he was free to preach Christ boldly. The manifest presence of Jesus is promised to you as sure as it was Peter. Where he is, there is a freedom to not retaliate in the "heat" of the moment, to be free not to react in anger. There is a freedom to lay down the sin that so easily besets us, a freedom to run from "Potiphar's" wife as she seeks to push all the "wrong" buttons.There is freedom to deny self and get up early to seek his face; to hear his word; to do the impossible. There is freedom to think right thoughts, to cast down wrong thoughts--those thoughts that would utterly shame us were they to be revealed. There is a freedom to be changed from glory to glory.
The secret to all of this is to be empty before him: God will not fill a vessel that is full of self. As in Elijah's day the oil will flow as long as there is an empty vessel. Be filled with the Spirit!! Be free to be a slave to the will of God!
David said in Psalm 118:14 that, "The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. It is not enough to sing about how great God is and how trustworthy he is, we must become what we sing and preach. We must be a faithful witness that no matter what comes, I will trust the Lord and thus prove that I believe that nothing is to difficult for my God. David got to this grace by realizing what we all must learn: it is never in our strength but only when we realize that the Lord's strength is all we have. He like Peter boasted, "The Lord is my light...whom shall I fear." Then after years on the run he said in his heart,"I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul."
David lost much of his testimony as it related to what he could do. At one point in his life David made several boasts, "Lord according to my righteousness judge me; I have not transgressed with my mouth; and There is no iniquity in my hands." He once said that he would not set any wicked thing before his eyes but one day he set his eyes on Bathsheba and by his "hand" had Uriah murdered. At this point David learned that unless the Lord builds the house, they that labor, labor in vain. The testimony of David's that stood the test was, "I am poor and needy yet the Lord thinketh on me: The mercy of the Lord endures forever!!
Where the Spirit of the Lord is liberty. You can be sure of this, the presence and freedom that Jesus brings will never be in a heart that in pride is still drawing on human strength to meet a divine call to holiness. The Spirit of Christ will only be present in a heart that has seen that it's absolute best is as filthy rags. When we see the total worthlessness of any work or any worship that does not originate in the heart and counsel of God, we are on the road of recovery. We must become the servant who can say of a truth, it is no longer I that live but Christ lives in me.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is a freedom and a power to do the will of God. Before the cross Peter's spirit was willing but weak through the flesh. Once he was broken and become a vessel through which the Holy Ghost filled and flowed through, he was free to preach Christ boldly. The manifest presence of Jesus is promised to you as sure as it was Peter. Where he is, there is a freedom to not retaliate in the "heat" of the moment, to be free not to react in anger. There is a freedom to lay down the sin that so easily besets us, a freedom to run from "Potiphar's" wife as she seeks to push all the "wrong" buttons.There is freedom to deny self and get up early to seek his face; to hear his word; to do the impossible. There is freedom to think right thoughts, to cast down wrong thoughts--those thoughts that would utterly shame us were they to be revealed. There is a freedom to be changed from glory to glory.
The secret to all of this is to be empty before him: God will not fill a vessel that is full of self. As in Elijah's day the oil will flow as long as there is an empty vessel. Be filled with the Spirit!! Be free to be a slave to the will of God!
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