Trading floor of your heart

About a year ago God showed me this concept in his word. I have not preached it and it came back to me as I was meditating this morning. Recently I used the scripture in Ezekiel 28 that talks about the king of Tyre and it reminded me about what God showed me. This prophecy about Tyre is a picture of what happened to satan when he was kicked out from God's presence in heaven. Lets look at the scripture.

Ezekiel 28:2-5 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus says the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: By thy great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:

As we read we see in this picture that satan had wisdom to trade and because he did that he became very rich and prideful. The enemy that is represented here by the king of Tyre is a master at trading and making himself rich. Today we have a trading floor where merchants come and trade their goods. Think about the New York Stock Exchange. In biblical days, the traders had to travel with their goods and sell them to the highest bidder. What we see in the natural is also true in the spiritual. There is a trading floor in the spiritual where the enemy wants to trade and make himself rich. For eons he has been after the souls of men. God has a commodity that satan wants. There is a trading floor where the enemy is trading for what you have.

We all are on this trading floor daily as we participate with God or the enemy. Daily we trade without knowing and understanding that the enemy of our souls is playing to win. This message is so important for us because if we know what his plan is we can change the way we live and begin to trade and invest in the eternal. You ask me how are we trading on this floor? We trade in the flesh or the spirit.

Gal 5:7-9 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

What is the commodity that is used in the spirit? Paul writes in the book of Romans that the wages of sin is death. The commodity that satan trades in is sin and everything that represents sin. If we give ourselves to the enemy we become his slaves or the slaves of sin. We trade on the floor of heaven with the wrong commodity.

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Matt 15:18-20 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man:

The enemy trades in sin that comes from the heart of men that are un-regenerated. God trades from the heart of men that are regenerated. What is the commodity that God uses to trade? The gifts of God are eternal life and the commodity that God uses on the trading floor of heaven is eternal life and everything that represents eternal life.

Gal 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Let's look at where the trading floor is: The trading floor is the hearts of men. The enemy is after the hearts of people. We see all these things come from the hearts of men.

Prov. 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Prov. 12:20   Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy.

Matt. 12:34-35 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

From the heart comes the treasure, or commodity, that is used to trade. Can you see that the heart is a trading floor that satan wants to use to make himself rich? God also wants to trade on the trading floor of your heart. A clean heart is one that has a commodity that God can use to trade with on the trading floor. Look at what David prays.

Psa. 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Psa. 24:4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

1Tim. 1:5   Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

2Tim. 2:22   Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

1Pet. 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

Your heart is the place where the enemy comes daily to see if he can trade and win. If you hold on to bitterness or un-forgiveness you have a commodity that he can use to make himself rich. When you remove the un-forgiveness he has no commodity to trade with. When you have peace or joy you have commodity for God to trade with. Can you see this?

What are you struggling with or what are you celebrating? They are all commodities for the trading floor of heaven. Get rid of bad investments and begin to make some good investments today. Trade with the commodity of grace and life.

The life of Jesus - 7

The life of Jesus – 7

August 4, 2014

Luke 4:9-13 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:  And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

As we continue to look at the temptation of Jesus we see the last temptation that was recorded. This time satan took Jesus to the top of the temple and challenged him again on His identity as a Son. More than that, satan challenge the integrity of His Father. "Would your Father do what He promised He would do?" This is so pivotal for our understanding, and I will explain why.

So many times I have heard people question the integrity of God. So many times I have seen people who have turned their hearts against God because they have believed the enemy's lie about God not doing what they thought He should do. The enemy is a master at making accusations against God. He is a master at turning or defiling a truth. He is a master at presenting a half-truth. He tried the same thing with Jesus here. Let me show you.

Enemy speaking: Luke 4:10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:  And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

God speaking: Psalm 91:11-12 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Can you see what I see? There are some things left out and some things added. What satan left out are the words: “in all thy ways.” and he added the words; “at any time.” What he does is question if God is where you are and if God is on time when you need Him. That is important because the first question people ask in a difficult time is: “where is God?” The enemy wants you to believe God abandoned you when it was too hard and tough to handle. God deserted you when you needed Him the most. He was not there in all your ways. How do I know that this is a lie from the enemy? Look at what David said in Psalm 139.

Psa. 139:1-10   O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?  If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Heb. 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

If the enemy can’t attack your identity he will attack the integrity of God. He will attack the one you worship and have allegiance to. How do I know that is true? Jesus clearly states that satan should not tempt the Lord God. This was more than attacking Jesus. This was attacking God.

The second thing that satan does is make you believe that God’s timing is off. Anytime also means that He is available 24/7. So he wants you to believe when it looks like God is not on time then His integrity needs to be questioned. The enemy questions God's commitment to us. Is he a good Father? Does He love us? Will he be there when I need Him?

God is never late! He is now, He is yesterday, and He is tomorrow at the same time. I love the way Jesus deals with the issues that satan had. They were not Jesus issues that He had with God. Temptation is what the enemy owns and he wants us to be a part of what he is struggling with. Don’t make his struggles your struggles. God cannot be tempted. Don’t side with the enemy and his accusations that are not founded in the truth.

James 1:13-18   Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

The life of Jesus - 6

The life of Jesus – 6

August 3, 2014

Luke 4:4-8 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

As we continue to look at Jesus in his temptation, we find the next thing satan tempted him with was worship. The root thing satan is looking for is worship. That was his problem from the beginning. Before we were created, God was the only being that was worshiped. All the angels worshiped Him, including satan. Worship didn’t make God to be God. He is God whether he is worshiped or not. God can actually exist without our worship. Worship is an issue of the heart. Worship is the antidote against pride. The enemy fell because pride got a hold of him and he required worship. In the book of Isaiah we see what happened when satan fell.

Isaiah 14:12-16 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms.

Ezekiel 28:2-5 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches

In these two prophecies we see what happened to satan when he fell. In Ezekiel we see the pride and in Isaiah we see the five “I wills” of the devil. What amazes me is that the last “I will” satan wanted was the one where he said “I will be like God.” When God created Adam and Eve He said: “Let us make man in our image and in our likeness.” When satan looked at Adam and Eve they looked more like God than he could ever want. That must have crushed him completely. What God was showing satan was what you become when you want to do it by yourself and what you become when God does it for you! After all, if you are not a creator what do you think you will make of yourself? God who is the Creator knows how to do it!

Here is the other shocking news. This is what sets God apart from man and the devil. We want to be something. God is something. Look at what Jesus says. The enemy is “I will”, which means he hasn't gotten there...Jesus is the “I am", which means He has!

When Jesus came he was man in the image of God. I think when satan saw Adam it crushed him but when he saw Jesus in the flesh it must have rubbed it in really hard. Here was a man, the last Adam, even better than the first.

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high

Jesus was the exact image of God. Here was the last Adam with the image of God showing what you will be if you live a life totally surrendered to God. A man that did not seek to do his own thing. A man that came to express the Father and not express his own ambitions! So here is what Jesus says:

John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

John 8:12   Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Jesus was what God intended from the beginning. Jesus was what you will be when God does it for you. Even though Jesus was this perfect, he never desired to be worshiped. His heart was to please the Father. When worship is directed towards the Father, it eliminates the pride that wants to tempt us in our hearts. When satan desired worship, he fell into pride. During this temptation satan was still seeking approval or justification for his pride. Jesus could never sanction such an act against God. What is your worship directed to this day? Check and see what has your heart. Worship is an heart issue.

The life of Jesus - 5

The life of Jesus – 5

August 2, 2014

As we continue our study on the life of Jesus we see what happened after He was baptized. During His baptism the Holy Spirit came on Him and He was filled to the fullness. His first assignment after being filled was not to go and preach. Instead, the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness. This is so contrary to what I have heard so many Christians say and believe. They don’t think that wilderness experiences are for us.

Luke 4:1-4 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.  And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

The Spirit of God led Jesus to the temptation to be tested. People say, "God will not do that!"....Yes, He will. You see, the truth is that God is confident enough that what He has done in you will stand the test that might come against you. Temptation is not a problem for a God that cannot be tempted. This happens not that God can see if it works...it happens so that you can see that it works. What God imparts is above the possibility of being pulled away and drawn after lust.

James 1:13   Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.

For forty days Jesus was tempted of the devil. This must have been one of the hardest things to do. I don’t think that the devil was letting up on Jesus during this time. He must have been relentless. Remember how Daniel prayed for 21 days before the answer came. Something tells me that the devil has a breaking point. He can’t last more than 40 days, then he gives up. How does that compare to God that never gives up? The devil gave it his best shot and he lost. Forty days and he had to take a break. He will come again and try, but compared to God, who never takes a break, the devil fails in comparison to God’s ability to sustain us. I hear people say that the devil is relentless. I have news for you. God is more relentless in His pursuit of us.

I wonder what he tempted Jesus with during those forty days? It is not recorded what He was tempted with but I know that Jesus was tempted in every way we are. I believe God left it out so that we can fill in the blank. What are you tempted with today? Jesus was, too. What are you struggling with overcoming today? Jesus overcame it for you, too.

After the forty days the recorded temptations happened. Lets look at this briefly. He started to get hungry. The best shot the devil could come up with was: “If you are the son of God"

This age old trick would soon meet its demise. The enemy is attacking Jesus identity. This would not be the last time Jesus would hear this accusation. During his ministry they would request him to prove it by doing some miracles. The enemy likes to attack who we are because he fears that when we know who we are, we will live like who we really are. If you get attacked like that, it should be a clue. You carry something that scares the hell into the enemy. You see, he lost his identity and he is the original orphan that does not have a Father’s house to go to anymore. Because he is an orphan, he wants to make us feel like orphans, too. Remember that I said, "he doesn’t give up".

When Jesus was crucified this very temptation would come back. One of the thieves on the cross would become a personification of Adam and one thief would be a personification of satan. The one as Adam would cry for mercy and say, “Think about me when you come to your Father's house today.” The one personifying satan would say, “If you are the son of God get us out of here", the same words the enemy used in the temptation. That day on that cross both the old Adam and satan would die with Jesus. Looking at the one that represented Adam, Jesus said: “This day you will be with me in paradise.” Adam would be saved but satan would be judged. The new man would rise with a new identity while the enemy would remain under judgment.

Gal 2:20 I have been put to death on the cross with Christ; still I am living; no longer I, but Christ is living in me; and that life which I now am living in the flesh I am living by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who in love for me, gave himself up for me.

Are you glad God never gives up. There is no limit to His ability. Let me close with this scripture.

Isaiah 40:28-31 Have you no knowledge of it? Has it not come to your ears? The eternal God, the Lord, the Maker of the ends of the earth, is never feeble or tired; there is no searching out of his wisdom. He gives power to the feeble, increasing the strength of him who has no force. Even the young men will become feeble and tired, and the best of them will come to the end of his strength; But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.

The devil has authority?

The devil's authority!

July 31, 2014

This one is going to stir some religious devils.

Luke 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power(authority) will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

The word for power is the same word that Jesus used when he said that all authority was given to him.

Matt. 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power(authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Houston, we have a problem. The scary reality is the fact that a lot of Christians treat the devil like this is true. You may ask me why I would make such a statement. The obvious question we have to ask is the one everyone doesn’t want to ask because they think they have the answer. So I will be bold and ask it for you. Did Adam give his authority to the devil when he sinned?

First, let's see where Adam got it. In Genesis we see God saying the following:

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

It is obvious that God commanded man to rule and reign and have dominion. Man was to have authority over God’s creation. The simple fact that satan tempted Adam and Eve proves that they had something he wanted and that was the power or authority to rule and reign on the earth. So what happened with that authority when man sinned?

If I have a friend and I ask him to go and buy me a car and I give him the power to do it, he has the permission and authority to do so. Let’s say, by some chance, something happens and he can no longer do that for me and he asks someone else to do it.  If that happened, he would need my permission to do so. What I am saying is that even though he has the authority from me to buy me a car he does not have the authority to give it away. When he opted out of his assignment he lost the authority to do so and will need my approval to proceed any other way. Adam and Eve didn’t have authority to do what they wanted to. Authority was not a blank statement to them. God was very specific in what they were to do with what He gave them to do. I want to propose that when they sinned that authority reverted back to God. So what did the devil get?

The only thing that the devil got was agreement. His temptation was to get them to agree with his word and plan. He is a deceiver and the father of lies. Let me ponder this point some more.

If the devil got any authority from Adam and Eve after they sinned, then Jesus would not have any authority as a man over him. Remember that Jesus laid it all down and became a man like unto us. If He were a man like us, He would not have authority over the devil. Even when the devil tempted Jesus he was trying to get him to agree with him. Jesus refused to agree with the enemy and his plans.

So when the devil made the statement that he has all this authority he lied. Jesus knew he didn’t have any authority. If the devil had it, Jesus would would have honored it. When the centurion came to Jesus and said that he is a man under authority, Jesus acknowledged it and called it great faith. Jesus was a man under authority and to not recognize it would be rebellion and that was the devil's sin. The mere fact that Jesus doesn’t acknowledge the enemy's statement proves that he lied about having it.

Another thing to look at is the fact of what Jesus said to his disciples after they return when he sent them out to heal the sick and raise the dead:

Luke 10:17-20   And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power (authority) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power (Dunamis) of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

The devils were subject to his name. Remember that Jesus hasn’t died yet. He is still a man like us. If the devil had the authority on the earth the devils would not obey the name of Jesus. Apart from that, Jesus makes it clear that they have authority over the enemies' power. He doesn’t acknowledge that satan has authority.

We have been lied to and we believed a lie. The enemy has no authority, never had, and never will have. He does however try to get us to agree with him because that empowers him and gives him access to us.

Matt 28:17-20 And when they saw him, they worshiped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Did Jesus make this statement to say he took authority from the devil? I don’t see that. When God created Adam He gave Adam authority in the earth while God had authority in the heavens. After his resurrection Jesus makes a statement that is a fact. From now on no man will have it without Him. He will rule and reign in heaven and in earth. There is no authority apart from what He did and paid for. Simply what He states is that the lie from the enemy is forever exposed. He has no authority, never had it, and never will have it. The newest Christian has Christ in him and therefore he has more authority than the devil ever had.

What will you do with this? Will you stand up and walk in what God gives you through Christ? Let’s get bold as we advance the Kingdom.

The life of Jesus - 4

The life of Jesus – 4

August 1, 2014

Today we continue looking at the life of Jesus. This verse captures the event of his baptism. I want to share what God showed me.

Luke 3:21-22   Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

God is speaking from heaven and He makes a very profound statement. God declares Jesus to be His beloved Son. I know that one of the major religions in the world fights the very fact that Jesus could be God's son. To them, it is an impossibility and completely wrong to even think that God would humble Himself and take on the form of a man. What amazes me is that they prescribe what God can do. It is not humbling to God to take on the form of a man if there is a man that can host God in His fullness and glory.

What is clear from this verse is the fact that Jesus was loved and that He pleased the Father before He ever did any ministry. The easiest way to describe this is to say that Jesus lived from the approval of God and not for the approval of God. Jesus didn’t have to do anything to impress God. Not one of his miracles would impress God. Not anything He said would impress God. Jesus lived free from the pressure to impress. His life was not performance inspired but approval inspired.

What amazes me and shows where His heart was at is the fact that He didn’t take this freedom to do His own thing. Most of us would think this would be a ticket to do our own thing. Not so with Jesus as He didn’t do anything He didn’t see his Father doing and would only speak what He heard the Father speak. His approval from God inspired Him to obey the Father's every command. He was a loved Son before He did anything to be loved.

This brings it back to us. Before we ever loved God, He loved us. While we were still sinners, He loved us. When we were unlovable, He loved us. Before we ever did anything to impress God, He loved us. We didn’t deserve to be loved, yet He loved us. Can you see how God approved of us before we ever did anything right? If our sins didn’t cause God to reject us why do we think that our actions today will make Him feel any different about us? Why do we live as though we want to gain His approval? We have believed the lie when we think that we can impress God with our good works. The power of religion is the fact that you feel approved when you keep a set of rules. When you stay away from or don’t do this or don’t do that, then God will somehow declare you to be a beloved son or daughter. What a lie from the enemy.

We are not living for approval we are living from the approval of God. This sets me free to pursue Him in new ways free from the pressure of religion. I am free to love Him in my own way, the way He created me to love Him. I am free to express my love for Him by following Him and obeying Him when I have the option of not doing it because He will not punish me if I don’t. For some the fact that it looks like you can get away with stuff is a ticket to sin. Freedom is a ticket to choose what is right, not a ticket to see what you can get away with. His approval enables me to experience obedience by choice and not obedience by force that leads to rebellion. His approval sets me free from rebellion.

What does it look like to please the Father? It amazes me that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus before God made the statement that He is well pleased. Here is what pleases God. A people upon whom his Holy Spirit has descended. The book of Acts records how the Holy Ghost came down and rested on them. I want to say that it pleased the Father to see that. We have His Holy spirit on us and in us. Let me make it clear to us today. We are His people and He is well pleased with us. The Holy Spirit came as a dove. Doves are known to be gentle. They come and rest. Pigeons are different. They never come to rest. Sometimes it looks like people have pigeons instead of the Dove. It is only when the dove comes that Papa is pleased. He still approved of you before you did anything. God is looking for a people that will host His spirit.

Are you a safe place for His Spirit? Can His Spirit come today and rest on you?

The life of Jesus - 3

Lessons from the life of Jesus – 3

July 31, 2014

I am writing this block as I am sitting in a café in Rome. I landed about an hour ago and have an eight-hour layover before I fly to Tirana, Albania. So the easiest way to kill some time is to read and meditate and write. I am meeting new coaches here and then we all fly to debrief with their squad. Here is what we will meditate on today.

Luke 4:31-32   And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.  And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

When we study the life of Jesus we come to the conclusion that he did a lot of miracles. His life was known as one of power.  Everywhere he went people would flock to him for a healing. He openly demonstrated the power of God by healing all that were oppressed of the devil. There was not any sickness that he could not heal. All the funerals he went to he messed up by raising the dead. His life was known for the miracles that he did while he ministered for three and a half years. John goes as far as to declare that all the miracles are not even recorded because there would not be enough books to record it. I think we see a very small picture of what Jesus really did when he was here two thousand years ago.

The verse we looked at says something else. There are two Greek words translated as “power” in our bibles. The one is the word ‘Dunamis” and the other one is the word “Exousia.” The first word simply means power. Think about dynamite. That is where we get that word. It is the raw power of God to do anything He pleases. Nothing is stronger than the power of God.

The word used in this passage however is not the word “Dunamis” but the word “Exousia.” Even though it is translated as power the words meaning is “authority.” It is made up of two Greek words:

Ex – which donates out of or origin.

Eimi – which comes from the root word “I AM.”

So we see that where we see the word authority it simply means “Out of the I AM. This makes us think twice about what authority means. Authority means you have the permission to use it. Authority will release the power of God. They always operate together. Power without authority is to put people in slavery. If you exercise power without the authority to do so you will abuse people.

Authority must flow from relationship. In Matthew seven we see the people that did miracles in the name of Jesus, power without the authority flowing from a relationship, and Jesus rebukes them and sends them away. Once you establish relationship you will never represent God in the wrong way. People run after the dunamis power to make a name for themselves but they don’t desire the relationship with God. Relationships is hard work. We need to sacrifice and seek him.

I preached a message a long time ago and what I heard God say to me was:

The price for his presence is time.

The purpose of his presence is change.

The product of his presence is holiness.

The verse we looked at says that his word was with power(authority) – out of I AM. Look at what John writes about Jesus:

John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

Because Jesus spoke out of God, The word coming from God, God did not limit hw much of God’s Spirit could be on Him. The spirit always come on the word of God. We see that in Genesis 1. The Spirit of God was hovering over the deep waiting for God to speak. As soon as the command came forth and God spoke light into existence the Spirit came on the word of God and created the spoken word.

Not only did Jesus do miracles by the power of God but his life demonstrated the power that rested on him because he spoke from the right source. No wonder he commands us to let our words be few. Jesus says we will give account of every word that we spoke. The possibility is that we can speak from the heart of God and God will make His Spirit rest on what we speak. The question we need to ask is if God can trust us with our tongue?

Lastly Proverbs says that life and death is in the power of the tongue. I am guilty of speaking when I should be silent. James says that it is impossible to tame the tongue. We can however renew our minds so that when we speak we speak blessings and not curses. Jesus word was with power. May God help us that we will learn to speak life in the face of death, forgiveness in the face of revenge, restoration in the face of devastation, peace in the time of war and love in the face of hate.

Communion!

Communion!

Luke 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, this is my body, which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

This morning at the office they asked me to share something before we took the communion. God showed me something about the communion that I would like to share with you. We are going to start with something you all know well. The law of gravity. 

What does this have to do with the communion. Give me some time and I will explain. There are some laws that God put in place for us in the natural. We cannot change those laws. One of them is the law of gravity. You don’t have to believe in it for it to work. You can say that you cannot see it, you don’t believe in it and it doesn’t apply to you. Now get on top of a ladder and jump and you will see the law in action. The law works not based on what you believe. This law operates by itself and as soon as you do something where this law can work you will see and if you are not careful you will feel the effect of this law of gravity. This is a natural law. There are also spiritual laws that works the same. You don’t have to believe it for it to work. Let me give you one or two such spiritual laws.

{C}1.     The law of sowing and reaping.

{C}2.     The law of light that exposes darkness.

{C}3.     The law of blessings and curses

There are a few more but for this exercise I want to introduce you to one spiritual law that not many people see or know of.

The law of multiplication through death. In John chapter 12 Jesus introduces this spiritual law to us.

John 12:20-26   And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. 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. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

What Jesus is saying here is that when you plant a seed in the ground it dies. Not only does it die but it brings forth a plant that now carries many seeds that looks like the seed that was planted. This is the law of multiplication. Death is not the end, it is the beginning of multiplication. Let me expand on this some more.

When Jesus multiplied the bread and fishes before he fed the five thousand it says that: “He took it, He blessed it and He broke it.” Multiplication happened after He took it and blessed it and broke it. See what happens when Jesus had the communion meal with His disciples.

Mark 14:22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

Can you see what is happening here? Jesus is doing something phenomenal. He is about to die. He is about to become a seed that will be planted in the earth(tomb) and through that God will bring forth many seeds that would look just like him. Jesus will be multiplied into the hearts and lives of many men and woman. There is a spiritual law that is beginning to operate in this and it is the law of multiplication through death. You see the enemy thought he killed Jesus but instead he helped to multiply His influence in the world.

Jesus asks his disciples to lose their lives. Why would he ask that from them? We are to lay down our lives daily and crucify the old man. Why would He ask us to do that? Because in our dying we get to live a life of multiplication. More of Him and less of us. Death is not ending things for us, it is multiplying things for us. The enemy comes to kill and steal and destroy, but every time I die God multiplies it back to us. 

Everytime we partake of the communion Jesus said that we need to do it in remembrance of Him. What do we need to remember? The cross is the place of opposites. Death produces life. Sin is exchanged for righteousness. Curse is revered into a blessing. Opposites meet at the cross. Lack gives way for abundance. Why are we always avoiding pain and opposition? It is the place of increase, promotion, and abundance.

I don’t just take bread and wine out of habit. I see what can be released over me and my family. Jesus commanded that we do this as often as we get together. Why have we lacked in so many things? I believe it is because we have lost the understanding of what power the communion carries. Can we get back to some basics and invite Him in as he ever desires to be more in our circumstances?

Today I invite you back in to my life and thank you, Lord, that you make all things beautiful in its time. Death, where is your sting? Jesus removed the power of death to kill and gave it the power to multiply!

Bride of Christ!

The bride of Christ!

This morning I met with a young man and he asked me about the bride of Christ. This was significant because when I started sharing I realized that I challenged all his theology about the subject. The word bride appears in both the New and the Old Testaments. In the Old Testament it actually comes from a root word that means to make perfect or to complete.

3618. kal-law´; from 3634; a bride (as if perfect); hence, a son’s wife:—bride, daughter-in-law, spouse.

3634. kalal, kaw-lal´; a primitive root; to complete:—(make) perfect.

By looking at this root word we have to conclude a few things. We are called the bride of Christ. This in itself simply means that as His bride we are called to complete Him. Just like my wife completes me in our marriage, so does the church complete the visible manifestation of Christ in the earth. I cannot be married to myself and therefore I can never be a completion of myself.

Rev. 21:9   And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

When we got married In 1987 I waited at the altar for my bride. She was getting herself ready to come to the wedding ceremony. When she walked into the church where we got married she was a picture of perfection. She looked beautiful. God has blessed me with a wonderful wife and partner for life. Together we are a demonstration of what God intended for people to see when they think about Jesus and His church.

Ephesians 5:25-32 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

So we see that we are his bride. I want to address something about the bride that you might not know. Please read and meditate on this. I believe it is much more than just the church as we know it. In scripture and in the Hebrew we find that words have a gender assigned to it. We have the same in our language so you would understand what I am about to say. If I say “stallion” you know that I am referring to a male horse. If I say “hen” you know that I am referring to a female chicken. If I say “Spirit” or “soul” you would not know whether it is male or female. In English we have not assigned a gender to these two words. In Hebrew they have however done that. In Hebrew the word “spirit” is male and the word “soul” is female. This makes it very interesting.

Think with me for a second. The male was created to give seed. The female was created to receive seed. Jesus says in John 6:63:

The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.

In the parable of the sower they ask Jesus to explain it. Here is his response.

Luke 8:11 The word is the seed.

When Jesus speaks, his words are spirit(male) and it is seed(coming from the male) and it is life(coming from God). His words are sent to find a womb that will receive it and bear fruit. The womb is found in the woman or the soul. Eve was a picture of a perfect womb or soul. The soul is the womb that receives His words and bears fruit according to the seed it received. When God created Adam and Eve He told them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The enemy comes to Eve(woman) that represented the soul(womb) and brings his word(seed) to her. She received his word(seed) and brought forth sin. The enemy's word carried death and that is what sin brought forth. Why is this important to understand?

The woman is the bride. The woman is the soul. When you got born again God completely restored your spirit to Him. The struggle is the soul. David prays and asks God to restore his soul.

Psalm 23:3 He restoreth my soul.

James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word (seed), which is able to save your souls.

As the bride of Christ we need to make ourselves ready for Him. Revelation says:

Rev. 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.

What does it look like to be ready? We have seen that the church represents his bride but so does our soul. I see the church and I see people that are ready for Him to come back but they are still broken in their soul. They have not been restored in their emotions, will, and their thinking. They still want their own way and entertain sin at the expense of grace. Let me be honest with you. He is coming for a bride that is fully restored and ready to marry him. His wife is the church that has a restored soul. His word restores her soul. The more word(seed) you have the more restored you will be. I am not talking about the Bible. He is the word of God! We need more of Him. His voice is the one that speaks and restores all things.

I am his bride. I still need some restoration in my soul. I have signed up for change. I want him to restore me fully.

Psa. 119:25  My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.

Psa. 119:50   This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.

Psa. 130:5   I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

The bride of Christ is you with a restored soul. A soul that has received His word and is bringing forth fruit that glorifies Him. I pray that God will do a great work in us and that we will be ready to receive our Groom.

The life of Jesus - 1

Lessons from the life of Jesus!

What I want to do is study the life of Jesus and see what I can learn from His life besides the obvious we have already learned in Sunday school. What I am looking for are the things we have not discovered yet. I have a hunger for God, and I want to know more than I know right now. We will look at the book of Luke and what he says about the things he saw as a disciple of Jesus, so I will be deliberate and intentional to listen to His voice as I read through the Book of Luke. I am sure we will be challenged this next few weeks or however long it takes to do this.

Luke starts off by saying that he wants to give an account of all the things he saw and experienced. In the first chapter he gives us insight into the things that happened before Jesus was born. We read the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth. They were to be the parents to John the Baptist. At first Elizabeth was barren and could not have any children. Zacharias was part of the priesthood and he had his turn in the temple to serve. As he was doing his duties an Angel appeared unto him. This Angel had good news. He proclaimed to Zacharias that God heard his prayer and that they would have a son and that he should name him John. He must have asked for a son if that was the prayer that was being answered. John would prepare the way for Jesus and turn the hearts of the people back to God. He would be a way maker and a voice for God and be filled with the Holy Ghost from childhood. Zacharias was dumbfounded by the news and asked the Angel how this could be possible because they were old and over the age of having children – I wondered why he asked? Maybe he had faith? The Angel answered and said that Zacharias would be unable to speak until the day John was born because he doubted his message. The people outside the temple were wondering why Zacharias took so long and then when he came out he was unable to speak. They perceived that he had a visitation from God. They didn’t understand what happened and he couldn’t tell them what happened.

There is so much in this story. You might wonder what this story has to do with the life of Jesus? The point or lesson I want us all to see is that before Jesus was born God prepared the way and prepared the people that would usher in His time on earth. Jesus didn’t come to an unprepared people or place. The whole truth about this is that before you were born God prepared the way for you to come. You didn’t come to be an orphan in a place that was not ready to have you. God had you planned. Just as God changed the circumstances for Elizabeth and Zacharias, God changed and intervened in the lives of your parents so that they could have you. Whether they understood it or not, God caused them to fulfill the plans and purposes of God for you. That alone makes you special.

I love the fact that Zacharias' unbelief could not change what God was about to do. The unbelief of your parents didn’t stop the plans that God had for you. Zacharias was mute for a season because he questioned God’s plan. I believe God silenced him so that he could not speak against the plans that God had for John. Just like he was mute after his encounter with the Angel, I believe there is a season we need to be quiet about what God is doing so that we can come to a better understanding about His dealings with us and in us. Once John was born, Zacharias could no longer live in unbelief. God will bring forth what He promised so that He can silence the critics that want to speak against you. Once John was born, everybody expected that Zacharias would call him after his own name. I declare that in this day God is bringing forth a new generation that will not carry the name and character of the previous generation. We will not be known by their mistakes and the places where they missed God. This new thing that God is doing might look like his daddy but he carries a new mandate and that mandate is to be different and to do a new thing. This new generation does not go to the temple to be trained in religion but is on its way to the desert to be prepared by God for God and to reveal God in the flesh. This new generation will turn the hearts of the people of God back to Him and not to rules and regulations. People will be drawn to this ministry that will not look like “law” but will look like “repentance.” John was to be a voice in the wilderness and he was to challenge the religious order of the day by calling them out. This new movement would become a part of a new voice in the earth that will challenge the status quo and cry out for freedom. They will boldly challenge the order of the day and live radically because of the Spirit on them.

The promise was that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. I see this generation and they look too young to be Spirit filled but they are. People think they are too immature to present God but they are growing up and they will stand and represent Him well. Lastly, I see this generation spending time with God and having an encounter like Zacharias did. God visited His people and provided a way maker for the deliverer to come. This generation will be like a John. “He must increase but I must decrease.” They are here to reveal Him. They don’t do it to be recognized, they do it because they are anointed and they understand their call.

You are special and you are called to prepare a way for the kingdom. I don’t believe it stopped with John. As we go into the world and preach and love people we are making a way for Christ to be manifested. Are you ready? GO AND DO IT!

The Vision

The Vision

So this guy comes up to me and says, "Whats the vision? What's the big idea?" I open my mouth, and the words come out like this... 

The vision? 

The vision is JESUS - obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus. 

The vision is an army of young people. 
You see bones? I see an army. 

And they are free from materialism. 

They laugh at 9-5 prisons. 

They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday. 

They wouldn't even notice. 

They know the meaning of the Matrix, the way the West was won. 

They are mobile like the wind, they belong to the nations.
 
They need no passport. People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence. 

They are free yet slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying. 

What is the vision? 

The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes. It makes children laugh and adults angry. It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars. It scorns the good and strains for the best. 
It is dangerously pure. 

Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation. 

It loves people away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games. 

This is an army that will lay down its life for the cause. 

A million times a day its soldiers choose to lose that they might one day win in the great 'Well done' of faithful sons and daughters. 

Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night. 

They don't need fame for names. Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again: "COME ON!" 

And this is the sound of the underground 

The whisper of history in the making 

Foundations shaking 

Revolutionaries dreaming once again 

Mystery is scheming in whispers 

Conspiracy is breathing 

This is the sound of the underground 

And the army is discipl(in)ed 

Young people who beat their bodies into submission 

Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms 

The tattoo on their back boasts "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain" 

Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes. 

Winners. 

Martyrs. 

Who can stop them? 

Can hormones hold them back? 

Can failure succeed? 

Can fear scare them or death kill them? 

And the generation prays 

Like a dying man with groans beyond talking, 

With warrior cries, sulfuric tears and with great barrow loads of laughter! 

Waiting. Watching: 24-7-365. 

Whatever it takes they will give: 

Breaking the rules. 

Shaking mediocrity from its cozy little hide. 

Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, 

Laughing at labels, fasting essentials. 

The advertisers cannot mold them. 

Hollywood cannot hold them. 

Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late-night parties before the cockerel cries. 

They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive (on the inside). 

On the outside? They hardly care. 

They wear clothes like costumes to communicate and celebrate but never to hide. 

Would they surrender their image and their popularity? 

They would lay down their very lives - swap seats with the man on death row  - guilty as hell 

A throne for an electric chair. 

With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days, they pray as if it all 

Depends on God and live as if it all depends on them. 

Their DNA chooses JESUS (He breathes out, they breathe in.) 

Their subconscious sings. They had a blood transfusion with Jesus. 

Their words make demons scream in shopping malls. 

Don't you hear them coming? 

Herald the weirdos! 

Summon the losers and the freaks. 

Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes! 

They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension. 

Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream of Eden. 

And this vision will be. It will come to pass; It will come easily; it will come soon. 

How do I know?
Because this is the longing of all creation itself, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of God. 

My tomorrow is His today. 

My distant hope is His 3-D. 

And my feeble, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking great "Amen!" from countless angels, from heroes of the faith, from Christ Himself. And He is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner. 

Guaranteed.

Red Moon Rising by Pete Greig

Overcoming distractions!

Overcoming distractions.

Last time we visited we talked about distractions. We saw that we don’t have to sin to miss the mark or miss our purpose. All it takes is to be distracted. This time we want to look at how we can overcome those distractions in our life.

Last week in Cambodia with our team I had the privilege to sit with our men on the squad and talk about success. We share a very open friendship with each other of trust and that gives me the opportunity to sit with them and ask some personal questions. On one of the questions the answer that I got showed me that they all struggle to keep their heads in the game. Whenever something doesn’t work the way they expect, they lose focus and stop doing what they were there for in the first place. This was a great opportunity to talk to them about distractions and how we can overcome them.

The first way I think we can overcome distractions is to be intentional. Jesus was very intentional. He came with a mission and everything He said and did was geared towards fulfilling that mission. He did not allow anything to distract Him from that. One time He shared with His disciples about Him coming to give His life as a ransom for many. Peter rebuked Him and said that it would not happen. I love Jesus’ response to Peter. He didn’t say: “Now Peter you don’t understand so let me explain something to you.” No, Jesus said: “Get thee behind me satan.” Jesus didn’t play with words when it came to something wanting to distract Him from his purpose. He was very direct and purposeful in confronting distractions. Jesus also recognized where this distraction was coming from. Anytime you are distracted from your God given purpose, you need to recognize the source of that distraction. Look at what Jesus declares!

Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,  to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

A few times they asked Jesus to do a miracle to prove He was the Son of God. This too was a distraction from His purpose. Remember how Jesus asked the disciples who they thought He was? Peter said: “You are the Christ, the son of God.” Jesus replied that flesh and blood did not reveal it to him but God who is in heaven. Jesus did not come to reveal Himself but the Father. In turn the Father revealed the Son. If He did a miracle, their revelation about Him would come from Him and not God. To do a miracle to prove who He was, was a distraction. Jesus was intentional not to do what they asked. Remember the first thing satan asked Him to do? "If you are the son of God make these stones bread." Jesus had the power to do it, but if you saw Him you needed to see the Father. That was His purpose.

John 9:1-3 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

He came to glorify the Father. He is intentional here with His answer. Everything He encountered is subject to His mission. Sin is not a problem, it is a way to reveal His purpose. Sickness is not a problem, but a way to reveal His purpose. He is not looking for excuses but for solutions so that the sickness can add to why He came. Imagine if we begin to look at things this way. Imagine what will happen when we become this intentional about our call and purpose?

Paul was intentional about his purpose. Why did he preach? What did he preach? He was intentional with his message. He was determined to fulfill his purpose.

1Cor. 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

1Cor. 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

The second thing I see that will help eliminate distractions in your life is determination. Determination is the word that defines the goal while intention is the action you take to get to the goal. Most of us struggle because we have not determined what we are here for. I like what Joshua says after God raised him up as leader over Israel. “Me and my house we will serve the Lord.” That defined his purpose and it was easier, then, to be intentional about the way he wanted to see that happen.

I believe that if we start with these two things we will experience much more than we have right now. We have to find a way to counter the distractions coming to us. When I am having my quiet time with God I do not answer the phone. I am intentional about my time with God. When I get home I don’t bring the office with me because I am intentional about spending time with my family. When I am traveling and ministering I don’t watch TV in the hotel room because I am intentional about protecting what my eyes see while I am there representing the Kingdom. When I give, I give abundantly because I am intentional in blessing people.

This affects every area of our lives. The more intentional and determined we get, the less power distractions have in our lives. When we are intentional about following and serving God, sin loses its power to distract us!

Distractions

Distractions!

The enemy is a master at distracting us from our purposes. He has been playing this game for eons and he is playing to win. We must understand that if we get distracted we still miss the mark. Not long ago in the news we had the disaster when the Italian ship captain ran his ship Concordia aground because he was distracted by a woman and didn’t keep his eyes on where they were going. He knew they were off course and wanted to sail close to land to wave at another captain on shore. He left it up to his crew to do it and it cost the lives of a few people.

In Eden, the enemy tempted Adam and Eve by distracting them. “Is it true that God said” he asked them. He distracted them from the commands of God. The first commandment that God gives Moses on the mountain is: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Is God intimidated by man-made idols? Absolutely not, but God knows that their power does not lay in what they can do because they are powerless, but He understands that they are a distraction away from Him. This sounds too simple, but it is in this very thing that we fail. We underestimate the influence these things have over us. When you look at most commercials today the very purpose of them is to distract. You see the pretty girl and it distracts you from the price you will have to pay to have the product. Commercials on TV are geared towards distracting you from the reality of making the 60 monthly payments on that car and all the costs involved for gas and insurance. They show you how fast it can go, and where it can go, etc..

When you study the bible you will find that every time Israel prospered they turned their hearts away from God. The very blessing became a distraction that made them follow after other gods. Distractions can be positive and negative things in our lives. Think about the news channel that everyone watches. I am not saying that it is wrong to watch the news, but what I am saying is that when the news becomes the source by which you understand the bible you are distracted. The Spirit of God and not the daily news lead the children of God. Throughout the Bible we see these distractions.

When Elijah was ready to be taken up in a whirlwind, he asked Elisha what he wanted from him. “A double portion of what is on you” Elisha required. “If you see me when I am taken up you will have what you asked for.” As they were walking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated them. Then Elijah was taken up in the whirlwind. What was the purpose of the chariot and horses of fire? It was a distraction to see if Elisha would keep his eyes on Elijah. If he looked at the chariot and horses he would have missed the double portion. When Peter got out of the boat to walk on the water to Jesus the waves were a distraction. When he looked at the waves he sank. Distractions will make you miss your mark.

After God gave Abraham a son called Isaac, God asked Abraham to give him back through sacrifice. I totally understand that it was a prophetic picture about what God would do one day through Jesus when he gave His son as an offering. I also believe that there is another lesson in this for us. Why did God ask Abraham to give him back? I believe it was to see if Abraham wanted Isaac more than he wanted to have what God had for him. Isaac could have been a distraction but Abraham gave him back. That is why God blessed Abraham so much; because his heart was for God and not for what he could get.

Let me ask you a question. Will you still serve God when he blesses you? Will money or prosperity become a distraction?  Paul warns us about something:

1Tim. 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Look at what he says. Many have erred or walked away from their faith. Money is not bad. We need it in the kingdom and God loves to bless his people with possessions, but when that becomes a distraction it becomes an idol that pulls you away from God.

What has your heart? What gets your attention? The devil does not have to get you to sin to miss it. All he needs to do is to distract you. Next time we will talk about the ways we can overcome the things that try to get our attention. One of the things that David did was to meditate on God’s word.

Let me close by saying this. There is one distraction we all struggle with. It is so obvious and yet we do it daily. Think with me for a minute.

Worry! It steals our time and wrecks our hope. It comes to us disguised in the form of being able to work it out. It makes you feel empowered to do something yet it never releases you to find the answer. It keeps you occupied and saps your energy. It gives you questions to problems that don't even exist. It pulls you into a game of survival where you feel outnumbered and under prepared. It never brings you to a conclusion and always leaves you wondering what would have happened “if.” It distracts us from God and His answers for our problems. It minimizes God to the size of our understanding. Worry creates the questions that will undermine God’s integrity and puts Him on the side of the guilty. Worry distracts and it is an idol!

God said “no other idols before me.” Are you ready to deal with this and eliminate it from your life? Father, we bring these things to you and ask that you will reveal what we are dealing with and that you will break the power it has over us. We refuse to play into the enemy's hand and ask that you will deliver us from all evil. Help us to meditate on you and your goodness. Thank you that your mercies are new every morning and today we partake of your mercy for our circumstances. Amen.

Twelve sons - twelve steps to maturity

Twelve sons, twelve steps to maturity!

In Genesis 28 we read the story of Isaac and how he sent Jacob, his son, to go and find a wife for himself in Haran. On his way there, he was sleeping on a rock and God appeared to him in a dream. When he left the place he met Rachel, the daughter of his mother's brother at the well. She took him to her father, Laban, who was also Jacob's uncle, and asked him to stay and work for him. Jacob, whose name means “Cheater”, agreed to work for seven years for Laban to have Rachel as his wife. On their wedding night, Laban gave him Leah, Rachel’s older sister, instead. According to their custom, Rachel being the younger sister could not get married before Leah.  So Laban cheated Jacob by having him agree to work for him another seven years to be able to marry Rachel. Jacob married Rachel the same week he married Leah and loved her more than he loved Leah.

God saw that and closed the womb of Rachel. With Rachel unable to have children, Leah had four sons. When Rachel saw that she could not have children, she gave her maid Bilhah to Jacob as wife to have children for her. Bilhah had two sons with Jacob and then Leah gave her maid, Zilpah, to Jacob as a wife and he had two sons with Zilpah. Then Leah had two more sons with Jacob and God remembered Rachel and opened her womb and she had two sons with Jacob. So, in total, Jacob had twelve sons with his four wives. These sons would each become a patriarch of one of the tribes of Israel.

What I want to do is look at the sons and their names and what their names mean. This is a fantastic bible study, as we will see. The stones in the breastplate of the High Priest were a representation of each of these sons.  We will also look at the gates of the New Jerusalem in Revelations 19 as these are each named after the sons of Jacob.

LEAH (Jacob's first wife)

Jacob had four sons with Leah at first and then two more sons later. The two that were born later would be the tenth and eleventh sons.

The first son that was born to Leah she named Reuben. His name means: “Behold or see a son.”

The second son was Simeon and his name means: “Ears to hear.”

The third son that was born to Leah was Levi and his name means: “Attached or united.”

The fourth son to be born was Judah, and his name means: “Now I shall Praise.”

The tenth son that was born to Jacob, and the fifth for Leah, was Issachar, and his name means: “He will add/bring a reward.”

The eleventh son to Jacob and the sixth son for Leah was called Zebulon, and his name means: “A habitation.”

Bilhah (Rachel's maid)

Jacob had two sons with Bilhah. They would be his fifth and sixth sons.

The fifth son that was born was called Dan. His name means: “God has judged.”

The sixth son that was born was called Naphtali, and his name means: “I wrestled and prevailed.”

Zilpah (Leah's maid)

Jacob had two more sons with her. These were his seventh and eighth sons.

The seventh son that was born was named Gad. His name means: “A troop/army attacks.”

The eight son that was born was called Asher, and his name means: “They will call me blessed.”

Rachel (Jacobs second wife)

Jacob finally had two more sons with Rachel after God opened her womb. This was Jacob's eleventh and twelfth sons.

The eleventh son that was born to Jacob and Rachel’s first son was called Joseph and his name means: “He shall add a son.”

The twelve son that was born to Jacob and Rachel’s second son was called Benjamin and his name means: “Son of my right hand.”

To put it all together here is the list in order.

1.     Reuben – See a son

2.     Simeon – Ears to hear

3.     Levi – United and attached

4.     Judah – Praise

5.     Dan – Judge of God

6.     Naphtali – I wrestled and prevailed

7.     Gad – A troop comes

8.     Asher – Blessed

9.     Issachar – He will add a reward

10. Zebulon – Habitation

11. Joseph – He will add a son

12. Benjamin – Son of my right hand

All of these names are prophetic and point to the spiritual experience we have as we mature in Christ. Let me explain it briefly and we will look into it in more depth later.

Reuben – Christ becomes visible in you after you are born again. Christ in us the hope of glory. When people see us they see the Son.

Simeon – After your born again experience you have ears to hear what the spirit is saying. As sons the Spirit of God is a voice in us that leads us. We walk according to the Spirit not the flesh.

Levi –We are one with God. We are united in Him as one body. We can no longer survive away from body Him and body (Church) ministry.

Judah – As new believers we learn what true worship and praise look like. We are created to praise and worship Him.

Dan – We learn to judge between right and wrong and we become voices for righteous judgment in the earth.

Naphtali – We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities in high places. The promise for us is that we will prevail and overcome. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

Gad – We are part of the army of the Lord that goes forth to conquer and take back the kingdom for our God until all the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and Christ.

Asher – We are blessed with favor. We do not perform to earn God’s blessing. Blessings increases as we steward the things that God has given us. Our goal is to be a blessing to those that are not.

Issachar – We bring the reward of God to the earth. We are called to bring the good news and reward people with eternal life and remove condemnation from them. The goodness of God leads to repentance.

Zebulon – We are the habitation of God in the earth. We are his temple and our bodies the place that HE chooses to live in. Jesus and the Father will make their abode in us.

Joseph – He will add a son. This speaks of our heart for evangelism to build the Father's house. We add many more sons just like Jesus added us by giving His life for the sins of many.

Benjamin – Son of His right hand. As we mature we take our rightful place as heirs to the Father. Jesus sits at His right hand and that speaks of one that has authority. As we mature, God gives us the authority to rule in His kingdom.

As we see it all flows together:

When you got born again you received the Son(Reuben) and your ears opened up(Simeon)  and you learned to walk in unity with God(Levi). You learn to praise(Judah) God and judge(Dan) between right and wrong as you wrestle(Naphtali) and become part of the army(Gad) of God. As we go forward we bless(Asher) the people and the earth as we bring the reward(Issachar) of eternal life to them and make them a habitation(Zebulon) for God. We proclaim the good news and evangelize and as they are added (Joseph) to the kingdom we teach and train them to take their rightful place(Benjamin).

Leaving Haran for good!

Dealing with your Haran.

In Genesis 28 we read the story of Isaac and how he sent Jacob his son to go and find a wife for himself in Haran. On his way there he was sleeping on a rock and God appeared to him in a dream. When he left the place he met Rachel, the daughter of his mother's brother, at the well. She took him to her father, Laban, who was his uncle, who asked him to stay and work for him.

Haran has a significant meaning in the Bible. The first time we read about Haran is in the book of Genesis. It was the name of one of the three sons of Terah. Terah was Abraham's father so Haran was Abraham's brother. 

Gen. 11:26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

As we read about their family history we see that Haran died before his father. The Bible doesn’t say why or how he died. This is significant in the life of Abraham as we shall see.

Gen. 11:27-28   Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

Not long after this happened God called Abraham out of the land of the Chaldeans to go to a place that God will show him. Before this happened, and God called Abraham out of his country, something happened.

Gen. 11:31-32 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Terah, Abraham's father, decided to move from Ur of the Chaldeans towards Canaan. On their way to Canaan they came to a town or city that was called Haran. This town or city had the same name as Terah’s deceased son. Terah decided to stay in Haran, the city with the same name. There was something about that name that reminded him of his dead son. The outcome is that Terah stayed so long that he eventually died in Haran.

We all have our places that are called Haran. What is important is that we do not do what Terah did. He could never move past the place of his dead son. Abraham was still living in Haran when God called him. I wonder why Terah was going to Canaan because that is the same place God told Abraham to go. I just wonder if God called Terah but he got stuck in Haran so God had to call Abraham to do what Terah never did?

Gen. 12:4-5   So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

When God calls Abraham to go to Canaan He gives him very distinct orders as to what he must do.

Gen. 12:1   Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.

Look at this again. Why would God ask him to get away from his country, his family, and his fathers house? I believe it is because his family chose to stay and fellowship with the thing that reminded them of the dead. Abraham was commanded to leave all that stuff behind. God does not want us to fellowship with dead stuff.

What are some of the things that you feel like you lost? Some of the spiritual battles you faced and your spending too much time getting over the mistakes you have made? What are the Haran’s in your life that want to stop you from moving on to the next thing? God is calling you to move on and leave all that behind because your destiny is not in the places of defeat and loss.

God can redeem your Harans. Jacob is sent to Haran to get a bride. This reminds me of the beautiful things that God can bring out of our mistakes. God can bring happiness from Haran to Jacob where his great grandfather could only experience despair and defeat. It reminds me of the scripture that says that God can give us beauty for ashes. Ashes are burned out of wood. Have you felt like burnt out wood lately?  Have you given it all only to find out you are in Haran? He can redeem you from all that stuff. God can bring happiness from your places of emptiness and burnout.

When Abraham left Haran he took Lot with him. Lot was Haran’s son. When you leave that place of defeat with a new calling from God on your life, take your family with you. 

Lazarus come forth!

Lazarus comes forth!!

John 11:39-44 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.  Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. 

How many times can you read a passage and get something new? I am amazed at how God can open the scripture and show us a truth that challenges us and at the same time teaches us to trust Him more.

I was sharing with the staff at AIM this morning about Lazarus. There are so many good things in this miracle that happened. When Jesus came to the town where Lazarus was staying his sisters said to Jesus, "If you were here he would not have died." - translated as: "if you were on time" or "you are too late."

How many times did it look like Jesus was late? The problem is that we want Jesus to show up so that we don't have to deal with things we are uncomfortable with or things we don't want. To them death was something they didn't want to deal with. None of us wants to deal with things that look like they might die. Having Lazarus staying alive sounds like a better option than to see him die. To Jesus, Lazarus dying was a better option. 

When we feel like Jesus is late we are faced with the reality of our own convictions about God. Surely if He is God and He loves us He would not allow this to happen to us? Why does it look like God is allowing bad things to happen to good people? Have circumstances forced you to change your opinion about God?

Are we okay with God's timing? Are we okay having faith where if things don't work out the way we want them to work out, that He can still show up with the answer? Is His answer bigger than your solution?  No matter what you face today or even in the future, He has the ability to change any circumstance around for His glory.

Another thing I see in this passage is that Jesus asks them to roll the stone away from the tomb. “He already stinks,” they replied. Well, that was true because he had already been dead for four days. What I want you to see is that Mary and Martha expected Lazarus to smell like his last experience. How many times do we still struggle with our failures and keep on beating ourselves up?  We think that we still smell like failure. We think we still smell like the mess up we had last week. The memory of failure is the smell the enemy wants us to have because that is his smell. He tempted Jesus and failed! When Lazarus came out of the tomb he didn’t smell like death. He smelled like life. I want you to know that you have the smell of life on you and not the smell of death and failure. The scripture says that we are a fragrance of God.

The third thing I see that really gives me hope is the fact that Lazarus was dead and he had no role to play in his resurrection. Jesus couldn’t wait for him to agree. Jesus couldn’t ask him if he believed. Jesus couldn’t wait for him to go and fast and pray and memorize a few scriptures to build his faith. He was dead! Lazarus couldn’t say, “Help my unbelief!” He was dead. You still wonder why God allows some things to die in our lives? He wants us to get to the place where it is all Him! He wants us to come to the place where I play no part, He doesn’t have to get my agreement, and He doesn’t have to use my faith. Being dead in Christ is the best place to be!

Fourthly, I see that the voice of Jesus calling Lazarus was stronger than the thing that killed him. I have failed many times in my life and I have done things that were really dumb and stupid. I have learned that His voice has always been louder than the thing that killed me. His voice has always been stronger than my failure and because of that I have always experienced His redeeming power and the restoration that comes from repentance. His voice was stronger than the grave cloths that kept Lazarus in the tomb. Death couldn’t hold him down. The sickness that killed him couldn’t hold him down. If you make room for His voice in your life you will always overcome even if you fail at first. His voice will shake every shackle from your life and will set the prisoner free.

Five stones!

Five Stones!

1Sam. 17:40   And he (David) took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

The life of David has always fascinated me. He has been such a role model in my life and I have learned so much by studying his life and what happened to him. He loved God more than anything else and at the same time he made such mistakes in his life. He faced such immense battles and trials and was challenged to keep on trusting God. He was not his father's favorite son and had to watch sheep while his brothers were trained in warfare. These things give me hope that what I face sometimes is not as bad.

David faced things in his life before he became the king of Israel. Before he was ever made known to Israel he faced things that would challenge him. God used these things to shape him to be the man God wanted to be on the throne of Israel. Just like the life of David, my life reminds me that everything that happens to me is God at work preparing me to  step into my destiny. I believe that God does play a bigger role in my life than the enemy.

One of the first things that David faced in his life before he became known as a warrior was the envy of his brothers. When Samuel came to the house of Jesse, David’s father, to anoint a new king over Israel David was watching sheep. Samuel saw his brothers and thought that one of them must be the new king for sure. God had to speak to Samuel and they had to call David from where he was watching the sheep. Samuel anointed David while his brothers were watching. Years later David would pen the psalm about how God anointed his head in the midst of his enemies. We have no record of David being anointed in front of his enemies but only in front of his brothers and in front of all Israel when they made him king. I wonder if he was referring to his anointing the day Samuel did it in front of his family. His brothers were envious of him as we will see later as well.

The second thing that David faced was striving from his brothers. His father asked him to take bread and cheese to the battlefield. When he got to the battlefield they were striving with him and asking questions to embarrass him. “Why are you not with your sheep?” “Whom did you leave your sheep with?” They were trying to pick a fight with him. Strife is the enemy's tactic to distract you from what is really happening. 

The third thing David faced was the fear of man. Goliath came out every day for forty days and would scream at Israel. The bible says that they all were in great fear. He was challenging them and God and the fear of a man kept them in a place of passivity. They were too scared to even stand up and fight. The fear of man will keep you away from your destiny. God commanded Moses not to fear man but to judge rightly. Fear of man will contaminate your judgment. David was the only one that was not intimidated by Goliath. He didn’t have the fear of man.

The fourth thing that David faced was Saul. Saul struggled with a man pleasing spirit. When Samuel confronted him about the sacrifice he made, he blamed the men and said that they made him do it. A man pleasing spirit will undermine your call and your purpose. A man pleasing spirit is rooted in fear and a misunderstanding of your identity and call.

The fifth thing that David faced before he met Goliath was intimidation. Goliath came at him trying to intimidate him by cursing him. Intimidation is the weapon that the enemy use that have no authority. He walks around as a lion, trying to intimidate us. This happens in the church daily. It is a political spirit and is rooted in manipulation. David had to face this intimidating spirit in Goliath. The enemy is a master at this. I have friends that have been told that if they don’t do what was asked they would be taken off of leadership. That is a spirit of manipulation and proof that the leader had no authority for what he was doing. Don’t back off from this kind of behavior.

It is interesting that David picked five stones. Maybe in his mind he was thinking: “I wonder which one I will have to kill today? Envy, strive, fear of man, man pleasing spirit or intimidation.” What ever came at him was going to lose because God prepared him beforehand to deal with it.

Do any of these five things I mentioned still rule in your life? Do you still struggle to overcome some of them? I have stood up to some of these things and have had to fight a battle to overcome. Breaking the power of these five things in your life is not easy but without dealing with these you will struggle to take your place in the kingdom.

After this encounter with Goliath, David had a reputation. He killed one giant but they sang when he came into the city; “Saul has killed his thousands but David his ten thousands.” No enemy would ever again intimidate David. His men went on to kill Goliath's four brothers. He started something that caused others to do the same. When you stand up today and face these things you will help someone else see and step into their destiny.

The Anointing V

The Anointing V

We have had a great time so far studying about the anointing. Just a reminder that the anointing is more than a feeling you feel when you get goose bumps. The anointing is a person and he is the Holy Spirit. You cannot remove the Holy Spirit from the anointing.

This time around we want to look at something new. Did you know that the anointing on the High Priests was considered to be a crown?

Lev. 21:10-12   And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.

I have never seen this or understood it to be so. The fact of the matter is, is that the Anointing Oil that was on the head of the High Priest was considered to be a crown. Now we know that Priests didn’t wear crowns. Crowns were reserved for the kings. The amazing thing is that in the redemption bought by Jesus for us, God redeemed us to be both kings and priests unto him.

Rev. 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev. 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Is this the first time this has happened? Not really. Melchizedek was both a king and a priest to God. He lived in Abraham’s day and Abraham took bread and wine to him as well as a tithe.

Gen. 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Jesus was a priest after the same order as Melchizedek and we know that He is our high priest and our king.

Heb 7:12-17 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah; of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,  Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

So we see that even though priests didn’t wear a physical crown like kings, they were considered to have a crown. Kings wore physical crowns and priests wore spiritual crowns. In our redemption God has reserved for us the opportunity to wear that spiritual crown through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We are considered to be royalty. We are a royal priesthood and therefore we wear a crown.

There are seven crowns in the Bible for the believers!

First we see Jesus wearing more than one crown – Anointing! We know that He was anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure. Seven represents fullness in scripture. Is it accidental that there are seven crowns for the believer? Will we have the fullness of the Spirit too?

Rev. 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

Here are the crowns for the believer.

1.     Crown of Life.

Rev. 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

2.     Crown of Glory.

1Pet. 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

3.     Crown of righteousness.

2Tim. 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

4.     Incorruptible crown.

1Cor. 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

5.     Crown of rejoicing.

1Th. 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

6.     Crown of separation/holiness. (Hebrew word for separation is the same as the word for crown)

Num 6:8 All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.

7.     Crown of protection. (The word compass is the Hebrew word for crown)

Psalm 5:12  For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Remember that the anointing is on you. You are a royal priest and a holy nation. You are a priest and a king unto God. You wear a crown. That crown represents a kingdom. That crown gives you the authority to act and declare things in line with God’s purposes. The anointing enables you to fulfill the calling of God on your life. Protect what you have and don’t allow the enemy to undermine what God has placed in your life!

The Anointing IV

Isaiah 10:27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

Today we want to look at the anointing in a different way. First let’s look at the word in Hebrew for Anointing:

shemen, sheh´-men; grease, especially liquid (as from the olive, often perfumed)

The anointing oil had a fragrance to it. This fragrance came from the spices that were used to make it. It was made up of Myrrh, Cinnamon, Calamus, Cassia and Olive Oil.

Ex. 30:22-30   Moreover the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil an hin: And thou shall make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. And thou shall anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, and the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense, And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. And thou shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever touches them shall be holy. And thou shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

This anointing oil was made of principal spices and was considered to be holy. The Myrrh had a very distinctive smell to it. In the book of Songs of Solomon, Solomon refers to the fragrance often. Myrrh was also use in the purification of woman before they would get married. Esther had six months of treatment with the oil and myrrh before she became queen. Myrrh was also used to embalm the bodies of dead people. This all speaks of us being crucified with Christ, being purified to be his bride, and getting prepared to be the bride of Christ.

Esth. 2:12 Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)

Psa. 45:8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. (Everything about her smells of the anointing)

Song 3:6   Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant? (Trial and tribulation enhances the smell of the anointing)

Song 4:14 Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices (Anointing Oil) 

Song 5:13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. (His words are anointed)

The anointing carries a fragrance. It is the same fragrance that is on Christ. The woman in this story talks about her beloved, the king that she loves, and he smells like Myrrh.

Song 1:13 A bundle of myrrh is my well beloved unto me; he shall lie all night between my breasts. (The anointing brings forth intimacy)

To further prove this point, let’s look at what Paul writes about us. He calls us a fragrance of life and a fragrance of Christ.

2 Cor 2:15 For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish

When Jesus did some miracles they accused him of doing it by Beelzebub. This name means; “lord of the flies.” You see, there is a fragrance in the spirit that draws the attention of the enemy. It is the fragrance of death that attracts flies. Satan is attracted to dead things because he is the lord of the flies. The things we do and what we agree with carries a fragrance that attracts him to us. That is why Jesus comes and raises us from death and anoints us and gives us a new fragrance that smells like Him. The anointing breaks the smell of death and sin over us. The enemy is no longer attracted to us. That is why he uses sin to catch us because sin is death and sin carries the fragrance that will attract him and get him close to us.

When Israel was commanded to give offerings for their sins, the smell of the offering was a sweet savor in God’s nostrils. It told Him that atonement was taking place.

Ex. 29:18 And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar: it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

We no longer offer animals because Jesus became our sacrifice. His offering was a sweet savor to God. Now we offer ourselves as a sacrifice in praise.

Eph. 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.

Rom. 12:1   I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Heb. 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

When we worship, we are making a sacrifice that is a sweet smelling savor to God. Worship attracts the anointing and we enter into His courts with praise. The anointing smells like Christ. We have His anointing on us and in us and we are a sweet smelling savor to God. God is attracted to us when we are anointed and when we worship.

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The Anointing III

The anointing III

So we continue our study on the Anointing. So far we have learned that the Anointing is a person, the Anointing is to do good, and the Anointing is there to consecrate us for ministry.

Today we will be looking at the effect of the anointing in more detail. What we must understand and grasp is the fact that God is a purposeful God. He never does anything without it having a purpose. God is not idle and bored. He is a master planner and executor of His plans. He is also generational, meaning that He does things that start in one generation and flows into the next and into the next generations. Let’s study these verses from the Book of Luke.

Luke 4:17-18 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was given to him and, opening the book, he came on the place where it is said, The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because I am marked out by him to give good news to the poor; he has sent me to make well those who are broken-hearted; to say that the prisoners will be let go, and the blind will see, and to make the wounded free from their chains. To give knowledge that the year of the Lord’s good pleasure is come.

Jesus was in the synagogue and they gave him the “Torah” to read. The first thing I see is that He opened the book. I wish I could share this part only. Did you know that there is a book written about you in heaven? God counted all your days and then wrote it down.

Psalm 139:14-18

I will give you praise, for I am strangely and delicately formed; your works are great wonders, and of this my soul is fully conscious. My frame was not unseen by you when I was made secretly, and strangely formed in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book all my days were recorded, even those, which were purposed before they had come into being. How dear are your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the number of them!  If I made up their number, it would be more than the grains of sand

Not only does He have a book with your life in it, He is still writing things as you speak. His eyes are on you day and night and He is listening to what you are saying. As you speak things filled with faith He writes it down. Have you ever wondered what God meditates on? He meditates on the things we speak.

Mal 3:16

Then those in whom was the fear of the Lord had talk together: and the Lord gave ear, and it was recorded in a book to be kept in mind before him, for those who had the fear of the Lord and gave thought to his name.

Jesus opened the book and found the piece that was a prophetic word about Himself. I dare you to open the “Book” today and find what He has written to you. Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to be able to perform what was written about Him. Today we need a fresh anointing from God and the Holy Spirit to be able to perform what HE has written to us in the book.

He was anointed to preach to the poor.

We have traveled extensively around the world and we have seen poverty on every continent. It strips people of their dignity and hope. As people we are created in God’s image and Jesus came to restore people back into the image of God. He came to give us hope. I declare this day that if the same Spirit that was on Jesus is on us then we are called to give people hope and to restore their dignity back to them.

Jesus was called to heal the brokenhearted. People are broken emotionally. They have been hurt and abandoned. They have stop trusting. Broken people cannot heal other broken people. He came to make us whole. Salvation means to be restored and be made whole again. The anointing knows how to deal with the heart of people and to bring wholeness again.

Jesus came to set the prisoners free. Spiritual bondage is worse than physical bondage. Only the anointing can break the spiritual bondages that captivate people. The anointing can break any yoke and any bondage. People need to hear someone say that they can be free! It is different when we cry with a voice that is anointed. It is more than just telling people, it is a proclamation from the throne of God.

Jesus came so that the blind can see. Darkness is only exposed by light. Darkness is not fought with darkness. The smallest light overcomes darkness. The people that sit in spiritual darkness can now see. He came so that we might see.

Jesus came to heal the bruised. A bruise speaks of a previous happening. You might have survived but it left a mark. The enemy has convinced God’s people that it is okay to survive. God did not send Jesus so that we can survive but that we might thrive. He came to give us life and life that is abundant.  The anointing heals the bruises and removes the memory of our failures.

Lastly Jesus came to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. This is your time to shine. The time of restoration is upon us and He will give back everything the enemy stole from us. This is not your worst year but your best year. The anointing has given to us all that we need to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.